Although I guess questions about home and belonging and return and place are really raised at this point. When does the country you live in become your home? When does your country of birth cease to be? Does continuing to identify home with a country outside your current residence negate a sense of belonging, an ability to settle and feel at home?
All of these and more are questions my inner uni student would be asking right about now.
Which is a roundabout way of saying, I’m heading back to Australia.
In fact, due to my general inability to start and finish a post within the same day/week/month, I’m actually here now and have been for over a week. The following is a non-exhaustive list of the exciting Australian things I have done in that time:
- got sunburnt (Australian is stronger/more burny than Myanmar sun)
- gone to the beach (amazingly this is not where I got sunburnt)
- attended a wedding (although I have also done this in Myanmar)
- cycled around Lake Burley Griffin (I have missed Canberra cycling)
- drunk beers at both Old Canberra Inn and Bentspoke (I have missed interesting beer)
- eaten Surry Hills falafel kebab (twice!)
- introduced the family to laphet thote (Myanmar pickled tea leaf salad)
- been worryingly blasé about my personal security (Yangon will do that to you)
- engaged in a local election campaign (despite the fact the next term of government will almost be over before I live here again)
- successfully transitioned back to driving on the left (and driving manual)
- crossed at pedestrian crossings (this is much more amazing than it sounds, trust me)
- enjoyed cold weather (and then realised how unprepared I was for quite how cold it was going to be. It’s supposed to be Spring!)
- worn shoes