A little post that I wrote back in May..
2020 hasn’t gone how any of us thought it would. Let’s put it this way; it’s almost June now but I feel like the year stopped in February. The last few months have turned most of our lives upside down. We’ve had to adapt to new routines, new regulations- the new normal.
I’ve found this pause on life hard, however it has allowed me to reflect and evaluate what’s important to me. Ever since moving to Melbourne from the UK two years ago, I’ve barely stopped. I crammed each week with working, socialising and establishing myself at the other side of the world.
I had done a pretty good job of living my best life, but without that free time, I wasn’t always able to appreciate it.
Back in the UK, I’d spent a lot of time on my hobbies but in Melbourne, I was barely home. Therefore what a joy it has been to rediscover running, baking, languages and art again. Over the last few months, I’ve lost so many aspects of my routine in Melbourne yet in many ways, I feel more in touch with myself than ever before.
Last weekend, restrictions were relaxed a little here in Victoria. For the first time in months, we were allowed to travel outside of our local area so me and my housemates decided to take a drive out of the city. Having previously worked on the weekend, I hadn’t had the chance to do that many road trips throughout my time in Melbourne. Plus, the fact that we finally had the freedom too after months of being told to stay at home, made it even more of a privilege.
After a morning coffee dash, we crammed in the car and headed north of the city. First stop was some mushroom foraging- suggested by one of my housemates, who ‘knew a spot’. We found a few but unsure that they were the ones that weren’t going to kill us, decided to leave them- unanimously deciding, it was easier to go to Coles.
We then drove through the countryside, something that’s so nostalgic for me because it reminds me of country drives we would take back in the UK. It surprised me how similar rural Victoria is to the UK, only instead of flood warnings, it’s bush fires and instead of sheep, it’s kangaroos.
We pulled up at King Lake National Park and took a short hike before driving up to the viewpoint at Mount Sugarloaf, where you get an impressive view of the city’s skyline. After so many months of restrictions, standing at that viewpoint, with the city in the distance, all of my worries felt that bit further away.
I never imagined that I would feel at home somewhere so far away yet in so many ways, this unsettling period has made me feel closer to Melbourne than ever before.
We’re still a while off returning to life as we used to know it however we’re heading in the right direction. I can tell you know, 2020 isn’t going to go down as one of my favourite years but I can already see that it’s going to be one of the most significant years of my life. Here are a few snaps from my day out last week. I hope that you are all finding ways to appreciate the simple things at this time too.
Passport Please 