These Days

I figure it's about time for an update.

It's been a fairly low-key past month. Until yesterday the weather has been beautiful (high 70s, low 80s, sunny skies, cool nights) so I've been doing a decent amount of swimming, enjoying the sunshine, and continuing my life doing crosswords and visiting the occasional art exhibit.

This week, however, it's starting to change... As of Monday, I'm working for an NGO in the United Arab Emirates creating a toolkit for university students wanting to start volunteer clubs on their campuses. It's a 3 month contract, and I'm working with my supervisor from my POLF days who also happens to be living in Australia. It should be interesting work. No, I'm not moving. I'll work from home and head out there in the end of April/beginning of May for a week to train student leaders. I'm thrilled about it. The big downside is that I won't be working on a daily basis with other people. I still struggle on a weekly (if not daily) basis with being lonely and missing having my friends around me. Over the next few months, I'm going to have to really challenge myself to get out of the house and have fun when I'm not working. You wouldn't think this would be so difficult, but somehow it is...

On that note, though, I will be having a ton of visitors over the next few months. Next week Dina and 2 of her friends are visiting a few days. Then the four of us head up to the Whitsundays for 2 days of sailing. They'll be coming back through Sydney at the end of April. Amelia comes to visit in the end of April/beginning of May. And then Erica and Becca come visit in the end of May. Visitors make everything more fun.

And then.... I'm planning a month-long trip to NY and Maine for the middle of June/beginning of July. Write it in your diaries, folks.

And then, I'm playing around with the idea of grad school in Sydney, starting in July.

Suffice it to say, the next few months will fly by.

My new years resolution was to have fun. There are so many times here when it doesn't feel like home, when I think that it never will, and I just don't know how to make things better. So I'm trying my hardest to let that go and just enjoy Sydney and Australia for what it is, enjoying it while I'm here, and knowing that I can and probably will come "home" in the next few years.

On that note, I'm meeting a new friend and heading out to the International Horror Movie festival tonight.

Love you all.

Tamara