Ah, America. The land of the free and the home of the brave. Don't get me wrong, I love my country, but as the one year anniversary of my return to this beloved land after living in Australia for more than 3 years comes and goes, I find myself reflecting on the past 365 days of my life. Am I entirely happy with what I found when I went digging down that hole? Great question.
In the past year, I have traveled 9,473 miles from Sydney to Detroit. I have lived in Trenton and Ann Arbor (MI); Hinsdale and Oakbrook (IL); Imperial Beach, Mission Valley and Carlsbad (CA). I have visited Washington D.C., Virginia Beach, Surf City, Scottsdale, Cheboygan, Chicago, Santa Monica, Huntington Beach, LA and Las Vegas, just to name a few. I have driven 2,072 miles from Chicago to San Diego, by myself, effectively moving halfway across the country, within less than 2 weeks.
I have thought myself to be in love, but was wrong. I have had zero boyfriends and approximately 3,628 bad dates. I've also had a couple of good ones. I have reuinted with friends old and new, and made a few, too. (That rhyme was totally not on purpose, but I'll take it.)
I've tailgated at my first Michigan football game since 2008 (on my birthday, and they won, I might add) and enjoyed those particular sports that only us dear Americans enjoy, such as baseball (Go Tigers!), *American* football (Go Lions?) and hockey (GO WINGS!). I've watched college basketball (#goblue) and celebrated our country's independence on the Fourth of July.
I've made lots of poor investments, and a few good ones. I've made lots of (extremely) impulsive decisions, and learned from my (many) mistakes. I've wondered dozens of times why I ever moved back here, and I have browsed www.qantas.com for one-way tickets to Sydney more times that I like to admit .
Importantly, I've gotten to know myself. I've stepped outside of my comfort zone, been rich, been poor, been drunk, been sober, been lost, then found, then lost again. And again, and again, and again. I can't say that I regret anything that I've done in the past year, and I can't say that I'm any closer to figuring out this whole "life" thing. Was moving back the right...move?
My facebook newsfeed is inundated with posts of engagements, weddings, babies and wedding anniversaries from my peers- often from people much younger than me and even a few of this sort from a girl I used to BABYSIT for (#ouch #fml). I'm often led to believe that I'm supposed to be at a certain stage in my life, as a 26 year old, that I'm just not ready for. Do I sometimes wonder what it would be like to be married with kids and settled? Sure. But do I also value my career, my travels, my social life (or lack thereof - but hey, that's my choice!) and my freedom? You bet.
Some things I miss about Australia: suburbs like Woolloomooloo, just for the sake of its name. Pure Blonde. Tim Tams. Rugby (not that I understood the sport, but I can't really complain about gorgeous, buff, 20-something-year-olds running around the field in short shorts and tight muscle shirts, now can I?). The Opera House. The Sydney Bridge. My studio in North Sydney. My salary. Traveling around Australia at someone else's expense. The people I used to work with. Mates. Blokes. Pubs. Pubs open until 6 am. TAB. BYO restaurants. Sunday sessions. Woolys. Sushi. Thai. Aussie accents. Aussie kids. Adorable aussie kids with aussie accents in aussie hats. The words mum, brekky, chrissy, reckon, prawns, ay and cheers. Yamaha Music Australia. Driving on the left side of the road. Bondi Beach. And many more things, people and places that I won't mention here.
I have no idea where the next year will lead me. There is still so much that I want to do, so much that I want to see, and so much that I want to accomplish. Yes, I've had some low points, but I've also had some highs. *insert inspirational quote about getting back up on the horse or how it's the way you respond to situations that matters the most, blah blah*
For now, Carlsbad, California, USA is home. My lease ends in June. I'm thinking Ireland.
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