Welcome to Brisbane

I'VE MADE IT!  Three planes, a train, a bus and a nice wee walk have set me quite happily in Brisbane's New Farm area. You can imagine the length of stories from a nearly 30 hour our trip AND my first day in Australia, but let's focus these five little nuggets.

1. Sleep on the plane. But be smart about it. I'll let you know if I develop jet lag, but I doubt I will because I planned ahead have super powers. The boys next to me slept at the wrong time. They slept when they were tired. Instead, you must sleep when your destination time zone is tired. This may coincidentally be when you are tired, but chances are it won't be, and for that I suggest a warm meal, headphones/ear lugs, an eye cover, melatonin, and Zzzquil (or other over the counter sleep-aid). All legal and non-prescription so you can force yourself to get on the correct sleep schedule. Essentially, you want to be in whatever state you'll need to be in at the time you land. I got in around 10 AM so I had to be ready to be awake all day as soon as I got off the plane. Not really a party trick, but I'm sure someone would be impressed if you were a jet-lag master.
2. Air travel is an exercise in queuing. There will be lots of queues for what seems to be no reason. Be one with them. Learn their ways. Accept them as a part of life. Know that when there are 300 people being processed by one border control agent, you are not alone, and heavy sighing and dirty looks just make every one more frustrated because there is nothing we can do. Also know that heavy sighs and and dirty looks are completely appropriate when you're holding every one up in the security line because you are passionate about not throwing this water bottle away. Bring peace to the queue.
3. Australia is really hot. I sat next to these really cute kids on the plane, and even they warned me,“You better strip down some of those layers or else you'll be boiling.” Though everyone tells you how hot its going to be, it really is hot as shit. Brisbane is also very humid, so its the kind of heat that makes it feel like you're walking through jello. It's hotter than you think. It's hotter than you can really plan for. Maybe melting is some weird sort of assimilation process. Either way, I do not advise walking into center city in the midday sun as your first activity. To those concerned at home: Yes, I wore sunblock. To the lady at the hotel desk: Yes, I wore sunblock.
4. The people here are really nice. Thank you ticket agent who told me which combo would be the cheapest train fare. Thank you random dude who saw my slightly confused face and made sure I knew where the bus was going without me asking him. Thank you really nice bank man for shaking my hand and smiling and introducing yourself when I was a red faced sweat monster. Thank you Vodaphone lady for literally suggesting and giving me directions to other mobile stores when you found out the town I'd be living in wasn't covered very well by your network. Thank you awesome lady sitting next to me on the bus for some pleasant chatting and laughing just as hard when I pointed out my new favorite hats (to be fair she was originally from New Zealand).



Do you see their hard hats?  They have wide brims.  ITS LIKE A COWBOY CONSTRUCTION HAT.  Perfect. 

5. Traveling alone isn't so bad. There are some moments where I'd wish someone was here to experience what I'm experiencing, but so far its been pretty nice. I almost feel a bit guilty about that. Not that I don't love traveling with others! Its just...you can really do what you want. Sometimes you want to take the dirty city bus instead of a taxi. Sometimes you want to just take a swim and read by the pool instead of site-seeing. Sometimes you're just sweating buckets and need to walk around the air-conditioned super market for an hour and a half. You can do all these things. I'm sure I'll miss companionship at some point, but right now I'm enjoying the solo-travel life.

All in all a rather relaxed flight and first day. Nothing too crazy going on, but that's alright by me. I made it here in one piece and everything has run smoothly so I'm proud of that and a happy gal. Watching and listening to a big thunder/lightening storm rolling in, catch you guys later!  Update a few minutes after typing this: THIS STORM IS AWESOME.  Update a few minutes after that:  I forgot my towel was outside.  

On the Road

People deal with emotions in all sorts of ways.  These last few days, I've seen the differences between my parents, family, friends, and acquaintances.  I tend to be strongly positive.  I avoid having formal goodbyes, and opt for parting with the best wishes of seeing each other again soon.  And by strongly positive, I of course mean I'll hug you and be the strong one, and then will go cry in the bathroom when you've gone.

More than anything I try as hard as a I can to be aware of the magnitude of what's happening, without letting it overwhelm me.  Sometimes it does (pacing around my room at 3 AM last night organizing my carry-on baggage) but at the very least I try to recognize it and let the feeling pass.  Know that I'm getting nervous, know that I probably didn't pack everything I need, know that my parents will cry at the airport regardless of what I do.

I also tend to revert to my own sort of scripture.  The last few days have seen a sharp increase in my quoting of The Desiderata, Jackson Browne, films I've always loved but only recently realized are all about going on adventures.  Part of me knows that these things won't change.  I can watch my favorite scenes anywhere in the world, and the same songs will make me cry regardless of where I listen to them.

The hard part is the people.  What a species, I'll tell ya, they drive you nuts but you love 'em anyways. 

Well, I'm getting a bit sentimental now.  We're heading to the airport in about half an hour.  The internet went out at home so I'm posting this from the airport!  1 free hour of wifi, you go Frankfurt.  Despite all the rest, the hardest part of leaving for me is the drive away.  After we were out of site of our house, we were on the road - the journey has begun.  But those few moments where you're leaving and you're looking back are what always gets me.  It happened when we drove away from our house in Philly.  It happened when the cab pulled away from my flat in Edinburgh.  And it happened again in Landstuhl as I drove away from our home of 7 years.  All three images overlapping, or perhaps blurring together through the tears.  

I'll leave you with this, Jack Kerouac said it a lot better

“What is that feeling when you're driving away from people and they recede on the plain till you see their specks dispersing? - it's the too-huge world vaulting us, and it's good-bye. But we lean forward to the next crazy venture beneath the skies.” 

The sadness of leaving and goodbye is real, but let's get this crazy venture started.   Love you Germany, love you friends, love you family!

26+ Hours of in-flight entertainment, here I come!

One Week Out

I thought that starting my blog before leaving was going to be this really wise plan where I could provide all this insightful pre-departure information and thoughtfully depict the process of leaving home that would resonate with everyone who has gone off on a bit of a crazy adventure.

Well I'm here to tell you that like everyone ever, I've been really cool and calm about my travels. UP UNTIL THE WEEK BEFORE. I've literally procrastinated my feelings.

I currently exist in this weird state between “Sort of aware that I'm leaving sometime soon” and “I've been lying awake for 3 hours worrying about how I have no idea how to get from the airport to my hotel”. Today's highlight was that, while turning round the yoga pants I'd put on backwards for work, I realized that in two weeks I was going to be responsible for the education of three human people.

I'm getting a bit nervous. I'm also getting incredibly excited. I'm getting a bit upset that whenever I do come home, it probably won't be to Germany. A bit guilty for bailing on my family when they'll likely have a big move coming up. I'm both worried about sunburn, and really pleased that after four years of Scottish weather, I'll be somewhere where its an issue I have to deal with. Everyone else seems really paranoid about snakes and deathly creatures, where as I keep telling them “Isn't it amazing that 80% of Australian species diversity doesn't exist anywhere else in the world?”

One week out, all the bricks are hitting, just in random sizes and quantities, allowing me to get prepared without going crazy.

For now.