We have now arrived in Sydney and are settling into our new (temporary) home.  For the first six months we are sharing a house, giving us time to get to know the city, the neighbourhoods, and where we might want to live more permanently.  Considering the challenges we were facing trying to rent something right off the bat, this worked out pretty well. 

I am taking a week off from life before jumping into the pressures of job hunting.  The school year is different here, with the major break being over December and January, so I've landed right in the middle of the year.  This may make getting any kind of teaching job difficult.  But I'm willing to work, and not too proud to do other kinds of work, so I'm hoping things turn out okay. 

Once things are a little more settled, and I have a better idea of what my life has in store for me, I will start planning for China again.  I admit that at the moment, I find the whole thought overwhelming.  I need to find my feet here, I think, before I consider another new adventure.

The movers just finished taking all our stuff.  We packed our entire lives in 27 boxes.  The three people who came to move us said it was the smallest move they've done, which I guess means we were successful in trimming down our belongings. 

I can't help but notice that things echo oddly through the house.  Molly is freaked right out, and I wish I could reassure her that I'm not abandoning her.  From her perspective, she's getting hauled somewhere new and left behind. 

I know that in the coming days I will start to look forward rather than backwards, and I'll be excited about all the things yet to come.  But I also feel no guilt in holding on tightly to what I'm leaving. 

Two days to breathe, and then off to Toronto.  

Our movers come tomorrow morning.  Thanks to some very loving friends and a great deal of support, things are almost done.  We have more stuff than we originally set out to have, but when you consider that we've put two lives into boxes, it really isn't all that much.  There's about 25 boxes total.  That's everything we own. 

After slowly saying goodbye to the people in my life, my heart feels bruised and tender.  It seems that each day brings a new goodbye. 

My mother always used to say that it was easier being the one leaving, than being the one left behind.  But this time, I truly think it's harder being the one leaving.  Not knowing when or even if I'll ever be back means that goodbyes are even harder.  :(

Helen Keller once said, “Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.”

I agree with her, but that doesn't make letting go of the superstition easy.  You can make all the plans you want, but that doesn't mean life has to follow them.  There are a thousand things that can change and cause your plans to change along with them.  Or one big change can come along and simply derail you altogether.  Then you're left picking up the pieces and trying to figure out which way is up. 

As much I as know that you can't prevent change, it turns out I'm not particularly good at embracing it, either.  I've been waking up each morning with a feeling of dread for the day ahead, of losing one last precious day in the place I've come to regard as home.  Where a phone call will bring me friends, and hugs, and support when I need it. 

I'm worried about finding a job, about filling my time until I do, about making new friends, about my old friends keeping in touch so we never lose our closeness...  I worry about money and what my new home will be like.  I worry about the cat arriving alright.  I'd like to put all these worries in a box, but they seem intent on following me around nipping at my heels. 

Moving is rated at one of the top 10 causes for stress, so in some ways I don't think I'm really all that odd for reacting the way I am.  But knowing that doesn't make it any easier. 

There's really no reason for the picture of my cat.  I just thought it was cute. :)

We officially leave in 23 days.  Wow.

The cat has her paperwork.  Finally.  And our visas came in with no problems at all.  We've decided to have a bit of a mini-vacation upon landing in Sydney by booking into a nice hotel for the first few days while we find our feet, and then we'll find temporary accommodations for a few weeks while we look for something more permanent.  It seems like an extra step, I know, but renting in Sydney is turning out to be quite the challenging process.  At least with this plan, we get a break between hitting the ground and trying to start house hunting.

We're slowing selling off many of our earthly possessions (we had a garage sale, the books went to Wee Book Inn, furniture is going up on Kijiji...) and packing the rest.  School finishes for me on June 30th, and then I'll have two solid weeks to focus on nothing but packing and getting everything ready. 

I'm trying to stay upbeat and positive, because I really want to be the kind of person who moves across the globe.  I want those adventures and life experiences.  But it's scary and a lot of what's involved in this move is really hard.  I hate goodbyes (nothing "good" about them) and I worry a great deal about losing the connections I have with my friends.  My best friends and I have been together for more than 18 years, they are my family.  I can't imagine life without them.  And even though we'll stay in touch, it's not the same as those weekly get togethers - which will now carry on without me.  :(

But, ultimately, I do know that change is inevitable.  I can either embrace it or fight it, because it's going to happen anyway.  Plus, I will have the love of my life with me at every step.  And just think of the stories I'll be telling at the old folks home one day.


 

This is phrase on the cover of a journal I bought to use as an organizer for the upcoming move. 

Between applying for visas, booking movers, buying tickets, getting the paperwork for the cat in order, and starting to go through our things deciding what to pack, it seems like sage advice.  Each step is stressful and fraught with things to worry about.  (It's also a good thing I've taken to walking regularly, considering the number of cupcakes I feel it would take to keep me calm...)

Much like any adventure, deciding to go to Australia was easy and exciting.  Now it's stressful and scary. 

In other news, I think I'm going to put off China until the third week of October.  I was going to go earlier to accommodate the friend who was considering going with me, but it looks like she's backing out.  So rather than rush off just a month after having landed in Sydney, I'm going to give myself some time to settle and then head out.

Well, one way tickets have officially been booked to Sydney!  We leave Edmonton on the 18th of July to head to Toronto for a family wedding, and from Toronto we fly to Sydney on July 24th!  (Buying one way tickets is a frightening thing...  It means you really aren't coming back any time soon!)

I have booked movers to ship our belongings, and have all the paperwork to ready to apply for the cat to come.  It's been a busy week!

For me, buying tickets always makes everything feel official.  So I'm feeling a tad freaked out right now.  It is now less than two months before I leave Edmonton for good.  GAH!

The move to Australia is slowly shaping up, dates are being set and tickets are soon to be bought.  (Tickets make everything official!)  As the details for Australia fall into place, the plans for China are percolating tantalizingly.

I have a girlfriend who is considering joining me this time around, and I'm trying not to get too terribly excited about this.  As yet, it is only a possibility. 

Regarding the new blog: I had considered keeping the old blog and just adding to it for China, but then I thought that it might just be easier to keep that one archived and start a new one.  Particularly as some of my traffic on the site seems to be from people looking to find out more about the volunteer placement in South Africa.  This way all the adventures from last year are in one place, and people looking for my thoughts regarding China can look here.  I have a suspicion that China will not be the last volunteering adventure, either, so archiving everything by location seems to make sense.

This incarnation of my blog will probably remain a little sparse until we have settled in Sydney and planning shifts from moving to volunteering, but I will update as I know more and things start happening.  I loved having a blog last time, and I think I'll enjoy it even more this time!  I hope you'll stick around for the adventure yet to come!