Thoughts of Home and Summer Cravings!

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Having my trip booked is a nice feeling.

I've been content to just go to work, do my thing, go out on the weekend sometimes, and generally enjoy every day life. Now it seems my thoughts turn to home with more frequency.

Some of the people i'll see, I haven't seen for eight months. I was lucky enough to have a few visitors from home, like Danilo and my parents, but I haven't seen my brother or my friends for aaaages.

Have they changed? Have I changed?
It's hard to know if you're the same person you were in the past, without some kind of sounding board - for example other people who know you.They know your faults your dreams and your general eccentricities (though that last part may just be me). Seeing people every day means you don't see the changes as they happen, and they go unnoticed until you look back on photos years later, and remember past events.

Imagine not looking in a mirror for one year. The shock when you finally see yourself could be tangible to someone who was watching the exchange. My family and my friends are my mirror. What will they see reflected back? Probably the wieght loss/weight gain. I can't actually decide since i'm on my own...unfortunately it's probably the latter. Do I speak differently? I think so. In class I use American english, as students tend to understand even less if you drop the odd 'r'. My own accent surprises me at times, though it has never accepted the attempt at being categorized (I often get asked where i'm from, when people want to slot me away neatly in their mental schema and have had guesses as far afield as London and South Africa... I <3 my mutant accent!).

I wonder if my personality has changed? I know Danilo noticed a change when he came over here, and that was something for us to talk through. Too much being 'Miss Independent' meant I had put up a wall and not realised it was there until it came tumbling down. What will I be like back home? People speak about the reverse culture shock process, but I haven't really experienced the initial culture shock. I cam here expecting things to be different and they were. Crisis averted. I couldn't tell you my expectations about going back home for good as they haven't been fully formed yet. More on that in a later blog I should think.

I find it harder to concentrate on work, thinking about all of these things, and generally just being excited about having a holiday at home. Perth really is a beautiful place to live, and that is reinforced each and every time I venture out of it. I enjoy travelling, and seeing other places, but it's a nice place to come home to.

In less than a week I will be winging my way there.
More from the other side!

xxx
Nikky

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Photos

Look, it's Australia!
From the back!

Glasses, water
As you can see, there's not really much going on right now...