After years and years of hand wringing, I’m finally in Adelaide, South Australia. I honestly didn’t think I’d be here. Heck, the friends I have here were quite convinced that I’m not coming over because I kept going back and forth endlessly. Should I stay in the safe and certain or should I jump off cliff into the unknown? In the end, I decided, what the hell, I’m going to give it a try.
Now that I’m here, I’m glad I did make the leap!
The weather is chilly, but not Hokkaido icy or Edinburgh wintry, because these two places were the two coldest places I’ve been in. The kind of cold that seeps into your bones and do not let go. In Adelaide, at least, it gives you a break sometimes. Today, for example, is almost like a cold night in summer!
North Adelaide reminds me a lot of Bangsar with its quaint cafes and restaurants. It is just about the central business district of Adelaide (CBD for short) and is full of picturesque houses. I have fallen in love with the little library in the neighbourhood where you can rent out books, DVDs and read magazines and newspapers. And did I mention the free bus that takes you to the city? The idea that such a thing exists bowls me over.
Worries? Yes, I have many. But I’m taking things one step at a time. I told myself that even if I can’t get a job to pay the bills, I would’ve tasted life in Australia, and that is worth every penny (or sen).
Leaving friends and family was hard though. My first night here as I sat in the studio apartment that will be home for the next few months, I did wonder if I made a mistake. Was I attempting something impossible? Did I do the right thing? What am I going to do without my dear friends and family?
The pain is lessened a little by the new experiences I have here – meeting the neighbour and her Rhodesian Ridgeback Gordon, sitting in a park with the icy winds in my hair, cuddling a fat cat called Jack and sipping tea while staring at the lemon tree at the back of a friend’s house, and rushing to IKEA in “heavy” traffic. An experience only because in Adelaide, what is called “traffic jam” is like a nice drive on Sunday in Subang Jaya!
Whatever the future may hold, I’m glad I mad the move. It’s an intoxicating sensation, to fall back without knowing where you’ll land.
Elizabeth Tai 