Leaving Perth was hard. But the upside of crying for three days straight is that by the time you're actually at the airport, your eyes are dry. Ok I did tear up a little right before we took off. Then I fell asleep. My last few weeks of "well it's 11:00PM, but I'll still go out. I can sleep in Sydney" living have caught up with me. That said, I regret nothing!!! Late night conversations are often the best conversations.
I was so incredibly lucky to have a brilliant send off. I'll give you a brief [long and drawn-out] overview.
Saturday, June 29 - what would have been my sixth wedding anniversary. Went to the park with Andrew and ate a toasted ham and cheese croissant while he practiced flare in the sun, and walked around a lake and smoked and held hands like dirty hipsters. Went to the bottle-o to pick up my alcohol for the evening. For some reason unknown to man I decided on two bottles of sparkling red wine. Dressed up like a boy, which is feeling more and more natural these days. Took Jaxx as my date to my dear friend Alex's high school themed birthday party. Proceeded to consume many vodka jello shots and tried to get someone to cut my hair in the bathroom (it didn't happen, thanks to Alex's watchful eye). The rest is a blur, but I can tell from the many many photos of Jaxx and I making out that it was a good night.
Sunday, June 30 - my last shift at the pub. Hungover and feeling like death, thankful that work provides free chocolate milk for those clever enough to make it. It was only a four hour shift and by the end I was starting to come around. And by 'come around' I mean I was standing at the till looking out at the empty restaurant and crying. Thankfully Lindsay was close by to give me a comforting, mother-like hug. When 4PM finally rolled around I changed into 'normal' clothes and had a drink with the regulars, then my friends started to arrive. I'll spare you the details that are only significant to me, and say that it was an amazing night full of laughter, dancing, bra-discarding, staring into eyes, beard scratching, dick-drawing, tears and hugging. For once I was the pep-talkee, instead of the pep-talker. I crawled into bed that night a very happy little Canadian. Until I woke up at 2AM and spewed my guts out.
Monday, July 1 - Canada Day! And, as it turns out, I can't party three nights in a row. It is physically impossible without the aid of certain substances, which I was not feeling emotionally capable of handling. But I still managed to drag myself out of bed and put on my ripped Canada t-shirt and beanie and flanno and have pres with the pub crew. It was chilled out and fun to sit around with everyone, but it was tinged with sadness for me and I thought to myself that next time I'm planning on leaving somewhere I'm going to tell everyone a day or a few hours before I go and leave it at that. No more of these week-long farewells. We all went out to The Deen for one last industry night, where I was treated to a shot with an American man I had just met and both of my lovers, which was strange and slightly uncomfortable. Very tearful goodbyes, followed by an uneasy sleep.
Tuesday, July 2 - packing etc. etc. The boring tasks such as going to the bank to sort my change and convert $43 of silver into bills. But my dad was right, every penny counts, and I used my tip money to buy some lamb and prawns for a BBQ that night (soooo Aussie). My house mum toasted me and said she had enjoyed having me stay with them, which was a relief because I use a LOT of olive oil. Patti took all the credit for the amazing person I am today (due to her life coaching sessions over the past two months). The girls reminisced about all of our times together and Alex kissed me on the head and said "thanks for coming". It was warm and comforting and I felt very loved.
When I first came to Australia I was looking for a place that felt like home. I stepped off the plane in Sydney and did not immediately feel a kinship with the land I stood on. I felt like I was in an airport and I needed a shower. But so far in my very brief travels I've learned that many places can feel like home. You can fall in love with anyone. You can have incredible adventures anywhere. It just takes an open heart, and a willingness to spend time with people.
In closing...when I booked my one-way ticket to Australia in October of 2012 I took a short (stupid) video to commemorate the occasion. A few weeks ago, when drunk at The Deen, I took another short (shaky) video, to remind myself how far I have come. I share these with you now because I've been showing them to people when I'm frittered anyway, and I feel that this will make a bit more sense. 'I Love It' by Icona Pop has been a bit of a personal theme song for me, and it still makes me smile and jump around like a crazy person. It may be trite to say that the past six months have changed my life, but it would also be true.
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