10 Months in Australia

It's been 10 months since we first moved to Australia. When we first arrived, I was resolute in keeping to my Canadian identity. I scoffed when people joked about me coming home with an accent. But at the same time, I also wanted to embrace our new home and soak up everything it had to offer. And when you do that, you can't help but let some of it in.

Now, 10 months later, I'm still sitting on the fence. Some days I can't stand this place and I just want to go home to where things are "normal". Other days, I can't imagine what it would be like to leave Australia. It's becoming a part of me.

It's seeping into my language.
10 months ago, I thought Aussie slang was so awkward and that it didn't make sense. Now, sometimes it takes a good amount of effort for me to not say "good onya" (in my head) and come up with what I would have said in Canada.

10 months ago, I would have said words in full, like "university" and "Brisbane". Now, I find myself shortening words to "uni" and "Brissy".


It's affecting my choices.
10 months ago, I couldn't imagine letting my little baby's feet get dirty. Now, here he is on our balcony bare feet and all. They turned black with dirt and I was okay with that. And don't even get me started on Nathan and how he gets all grimy.

10 months ago, I would have been horrified at the idea of keeping the balcony doors wide open, potentially allowing unwanted creatures to come in. Now, we keep our doors wide open during the day for a nice fresh breeze.


It's becoming part of my routine.
10 months ago, we would eat 3 meals a day. Now, we fill in the gaps with morning tea and afternoon tea.

10 months ago, we would have bought our groceries whenever we wanted - usually late at night. Now, we buy groceries on the weekend, and occasionally when we run out of something, on Thursdays because that's late night shopping night.


There are still days when I get frustrated because I can't find certain items at the grocery store, I can't pay for gas at the pumps, or my mail doesn't come at the same time each day, but we're getting used to these little quirks. It doesn't replace home, but we're a lot more settled.

I wonder what the changes the next 10 months will bring?


Edit: It occurred to me that at the time of this post, we had only been in Australia for 8.5 months. I'm not sure why we had already hit the 10-month mark. Clearly, my math was a little off. Math was never my strong suit. Sorry for any confusion I may have caused!