Learning to take my time

After finally being able to secure a personal Internet connection, I'm able to start my blog! I've been in Wollongong for 11 days now, but it feels like months. That's not to say that I'm not enjoying myself here, it's just that I've been through a lot so far. A whole lot.

I'll try not to go into too much detail and I hardly know where to begin. You see, I always thought that I was a prime adaptor. I moved from Sioux City to Iowa City with hardly an ounce of homesickness. When I moved to Chicago, it was strange for a couple of days before I felt like I had re-planted my roots. The transition to Australia, however, was far more difficult than I imagined. And I guess that can be expected--moving from Iowa to Illinois is one thing, moving from America to Australia is quite another.

The first few days here were particularly difficult. Namely, it took over 2 hours to open new bank accounts for Jenny (whom I traveled to Oz with) and I. From what I've noticed so far, Aussie's don't have to same regard for time as Americans do, which I found extremely frustrating to deal with at first but have already begun to get used to.

While the timeliness factor was annoying, it was the homesickness that nearly sent me on a flight back right to the States. I spoke to my parents on my second day here and broke down after hanging up the phone. It was the strangest phone call I've ever had with them because I sensed a certain concern that I have never felt before (it might have had something to do with the fact that I had mono when I left...), and they seemed so genuinely relieved to hear from me, which was really moving to me, I guess.

It was that day that I seriously reconsidered my decision to uproot my life and move half-way around the world--away from my family, my friends, my steady job, everything that was familiar for my for the past 23 and a half years. But as much as that sucked to come to terms with, I know there's a meaning for me here and that I'm meant to be in Wollongong right now. Sounds a bit corny but (for the most part) I believe it.