What I've Been Doing from the Edge of the Pool

Hello there!

It sure has been a while.

I’m not even sure where to jump in on this one. Where have I been, is probably (not really) what you are thinking.

In truth, I’ve avoided opening the page to this pseudo-travel blog that has sadly, become rather irreverent this year. 2020 was my year to take a plunge straight into the deep end. Instead, I’ve been standing on the edge of the pool for almost twelve months, waiting for the gun to fire.  

Well. Haven’t we all.

Those of you who know me, know that 2020 marked a momentous and highly anticipated marker in my own life. For the past four years I’ve been arduously prepping for an indefinite life abroad. Everything I own has been narrowed down to fit into a 55L backpack, and every cent has been carefully stored away. In March, I lived the first six days of my grand adventure abroad before being packed up and sent home to stay. Indefinitely.

Relative to most other people’s year, I’d say that despite the rapid change of plans, mine has been a pretty good one. For one, I live on the Gold Coast, which has practically dodged a kiss from COVID from the beginning. The close proximity of the sea, my loved ones, and the somewhat needlessness of social distancing has acted like a balm to soothe my Australia-bound wounds. Other than finding it a bit tricky to contribute to my blog, I have barely mourned my travel could-have-been’s. In fact, this year instilled some patriotism in me, in that never have I felt prouder or luckier to live in this extraordinary country. I have spent 23 years trying to leave Australia, and for almost the entirety of this year, I have not wished to be anywhere else.

In the gap that my travel adventure left, I’ve had a whole lot of time to do a whole lot of other unexpected stuff. And truth be told, the extra stuff has collaged together a wonderfully unique year. In March, I wrote 2020 off as a waste of time; instead, I feel like I’ve had a whole year of extra time to do the things that I never would have done otherwise. It hasn’t all been great, but it hasn’t all been bad, and I think that’s all any of us can hope for from a year like this one.

I don’t know what things look like from here – for me, or the blog, or for anything else at all. What I do know is what 2020 looked like, and for what it’s worth, I’m grateful.

Happy new year, you.