Three months in, and it feels more and more like this is my new normal. There are still many things I don’t quite know about the domain of my work, or about living in Sydney – this whole deal still feels new and exciting – yet everything has fallen into a comfortable rhythm for me.
It still doesn’t quite feel like home though, but neither does it feel foreign. I’ve not yet encountered the pangs of homesickness, which is a good thing, I guess. Sure, there’ a lot I miss about living in the Philippines – the buzz and activity of a dense city of 15 million, packed into 620 or so square kilometers, comes to mind, not to mention the food I grew up with – but it’s not the deep yearning (yet) to, as that song goes, have her take me back in her arms.
Don’t get me wrong: Metro Manila isn’t a panacea, but neither is Sydney. In many ways, three months in, I can say my life here is in many ways qualitatively better than in Manila. Seeing how it can be better though does make me sad that it isn’t better.
The realization, as well, that it’s been three months since the start of this great adventure is pretty heavy: has it been three months in? Has it just been three months? It’s seems like it’s been forever, and I think that just means this is it. This is my life.
Previously: On Call