Travel baby!

What a great time to be working, traveling and discovering all those things that probably change your life forever. I went to London and found my next 2 decades of life.

This is a line in an email that I got today. It stuck with me immediately, because I felt I could relate a great deal. Here is why: When I made the decision to come to Australia, I had just started my Master's degree in Germany. To be fair though, that had just been a desperate move after finishing my bachelor's degree. I was pretty confused and helpless and still did not know what to do with my life. I say desperate because it was not thought through at all, a snap decision, I didn't even enjoy studying that much. I think I knew from the start it was only going to be a temporary solution, since I chose a uni closer to home. One semester in I started applying for internships in London and Australia randomly - again not thought through, just a Hey, if it works it's great, if not, nothing's lost thing. Also, at the time I was in a relationship that didn't make me happy. I don't know why I didn't end it sooner, I guess I was just tired of being alone.  I was not expecting an acceptance for the internship position in Melbourne. When I did get it, I took some time to think about it - I know, take some time to think about going to Melbourne ?! In my defense, it just shows how little I expected it. I knew I needed a change in my life, desperately. It's hard to describe the feeling I had. I constantly felt lost and discontent with my place on earth because I knew it wasn't the right one. Therefore, we all know it,  the only right answer was: Go to the other side of the world. A different place. A new chance to achieve happiness and contentment. A chance to find what you want, what you need. Even though you have not the slightest idea what that is. Working in the most liveable city in the world sounded like a step into the right direction though. In a city like Melbourne, surely life doesn't just SEEM greener on the other side.

My colleague Claudia at The Pinnacle in the Grampians National Park

Turned out I was right. Melbourne is a colorful bubble of art, culture and amazing and inspiring people. The moment I stepped into those late-autumn Melbourne streets I was hooked. I knew I would find what I was looking for. My first day here was like the city wanted to tell me Hey, nice to meet you, I think we're going to get along amazingly.  It was a comforting 17 degrees and I had a Vegemite Cheese Swirl with the most delicious coffee and read my book. Heaven!The whole city is just electrifying, uplifting. I never knew one could go to work with a smile on your face. The thought of being in such a great city alone put a smile on my face.   That, however, wasn't going to be all. What changed my life here drastically and quite immediately was my former flatmate. He was that - just my lovely and polite British flatmate - for about a week, until our heart-warming, aw-inducing little love story took off. I never expected to find love here and I never went with the hope of finding it here. Of course the thought crossed my mind but I was set on making it on my own and going my way. Be single, find a way of life that makes you happy. But the Universe or god or chance, whatever you believe in, obviously wanted to cross my plans.   I was stupidly in love. That big-ass gooey feeling. The real deal. IN LOVE. Like looking at someone's mouth when they're talking and you swear it's the sexiest thing you've ever seen and have to really concentrate on not melting away. My heart was gone. I knew right away that this wasn't going to be one of those flings where feelings just fade after a short while, where you THINK you're in love, but in the end it was all just your deeply embedded desire to be. This was special, it almost seemed like fate, considering that we used to live quite close to each other without knowing it when I was Au-pairing in London. We could have met quite easily back then. This just seemed like the stars were aligning in every possible way to bring us together ( I was the second choice for my internship position among other things). 

Pete and I in the Tasman National Park, 31.10.2015

Anyway, enough with the love-fest. What I realised today is just that that sentence is so right. We live in an amazing age, with (mostly) open borders and are presented with the opportunity to experience so many cultures and countries. We can see new ways of life and  meet new interesting and inspiring people and learn from their views. I am so thankful for this experience and to have taken this little leap.