Back in Bris-bane of my existance.

Oh goodness. It's been a whole month since I've spoken to you all! Sorry, sorry. I think since the very moment I got off the (incredibly turbulent) plane my head has been in a total swirl of nothingness. I want to tell you that it's lovely to be back in a city you know, with familiar faces and a way of life you know like the back of your hand.

But I can't.

Don't get me wrong, I've loved seeing my family again, I loved looking at pictures of me as a baby and remembering the golden era of times when the hardest decision was, well there wasn't any. But there is this huge social wall around me, I'm still waking up at 6.45 am to get ready for work like I'm still in England, I'm spending money like I still have an income, I'm still assuming that my boyfriend is going to stay because we're only an hour from his family. But none of it's true. It's like adjusting back to the old way of life is just as hard as adjusting to a new one. I don't want to call any of my old friends, I don't want to reminisce about the 18 year old who left. On the other hand, nor do I want to talk about the 20 year old who's come back.

Of course, the bigger issue is that the love of my life is not adjusting well either. Queensland is a beautiful, laid back land, and perhaps I've been naive, but I thought he'd have a job by now. But since we've been hit by a cyclone (Yasi, google some satellite pictures) and enormous flood damage have slowed the Queensland economy and pushed up rental prices. As such, le copain has no job, and we are renting a house that neither of us can actually afford. More to the point, he has widened his job search Australia wide - which means I have driven right in to financial shit creek (without a license - how did I do that?!) if he goes.

NB: Don't sign a lease with someone who is planning to leave. I know everybody tells you that, and you think something like 'psh yeah, whatever, nobody is stupid enough to do that' but it seems to strike when you least expect it.

I am hoping that it all works out soon though, we are slowly moving in and making maison Brisbane look slightly more maison-ly and I am jobhunting for anything that will provide me with an income so I can support myself through study, and my poor adorable Frenchman through his jobsearch. Chin up though, something has to give soon. Le copain still has some valuable leads, and I? Well, I'm going to be a student, I'll muddle through.

I attach a few pictures of the end of France and through South East Asia. After this, I'm going back to London (in this blog, at least).

Wish us luck, you know we need it!

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Christmas in Toulouse, 2010

Toulouse in Winter, 2010

Hindu temple in Singapore - January 2011

2011 - Year of the Rabbit, Gong xi fa hai (I think?)

The Petronas Towers - Kuala Lumpur. January 2011

Finding a bit of France even in Singapore, January 2011.

Getting ready for a long haul

Hello again! The past few weeks I have been staying with my boyfriend's (wonderful) family in Toulouse (who saw fit to spoil me rotten to the point I can once again not fit everything in to my suitcase). I went to the Pyrénées, and ate foie gras for the first time, and saw one of the most unusual cathedrals ever, it's been a wonderful period. But, all things come to an end and this morning le copain and I boarded a flight to Paris, for a final goodbye with some friends before boarding our midday flight on Thursday to Kuala Lumpur. We hover in south-east Asia for a few days before our arrival in Brisbane the next week. The flight is 12 hours Paris - Kuala Lumpur, then about 10 hours Kuala Lumpur - Brisbane, I will let you know how it goes, I haven't done such a long flight since I arrived in the Northern hemisphere.

How does it feel to be going back to Australia? For me, it's ok. My passport is Australian and it feels sort of like I'm going back to square 1. Just to study, and then after that; I'm off again (I am beginning to think diplomat would have been a better career choice, I'm an eternal nomad). The poor boyfriend though is all up in a mess about it; the biggest problems seem to be that he doesn't have a promised job (and as you might remember here, he likes to have direction) and also that he's going so far away for so long. And who can blame him really? It's the first time he's been so far away from everything he knows, for an indetermine amount of time and its causing quite a bit of stress. It's only natural, I'm sure things will improve!

Another worry of course is that, at the moment the town where my family live (and where we are suppsedly going to stay until we find our feet) is in danger of being under water by the time we arrive. North east Australia has endured almost constant heavy rainfall this new year, informing le copain and his family of this has not been fun. Today I looked at the Australian news that Queensland's capital (where I will supposedly be moving to for study) is about to be evacuated, and, my university is virtually under water. Not the best thing to hear as you're packing your bags! I hope everyone there is keeping safe and dry!

As my computer and thus my photos have given up on me today, pictures will have to wait. I will probably not have time to write a blog while I'm in Asia, so you'll have to wait another few weeks to hear from me I suppose. On the brightside, I will hopefully be settled in to my new lifestyle by then, and will be able to get back to posting more informative posts about London. A bientôt !

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