New Year, New Project, in a New Place

With my classroom packed and the last of my grades submitted, furniture, dishes, and random knick-knacks tucked safely in storage, I threw a couple pieces of luggage into my car. I met my dad at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport where he’d flown in to meet me, and we embarked on a four-day road trip from Seattle to Virginia, a trip that would relocate my car to the east coast while I relocated to Sydney, Australia.

I arrived in Sydney on July 4th, the third time I’d done that grueling flight in twelve months, but this time it was for the real long-haul, to finally settle in the same place as my boyfriend, Michael. And the last six months have been great, everything I’d been hoping for, but I wouldn’t necessarily call it settled. I’ve flown back to the US four different times since the move; we’ve had adventures in the California woods and the Alaska wilderness, New York and Washington D.C., and I’ve been able to spend almost as much time with friends and family as I would have if I hadn’t moved in the first place. I truly can’t complain. The downside, however, is that settling in, really feeling at home in Sydney, has been that much longer of a process. I’m not working yet, and I don’t know very many people. And the fact that I am a foreigner, even in a big city where I speak (a version of) the language, is an ever-present part of my reality. With all of my travels, I’ve never felt different in such a persistent way.

One thing that’s helping me find my groove, so to speak, is engaging in Sydney’s art and culture scene. When I lived in Seattle, I made a point of going to some kind of event–art exhibit, lecture, play, concert–at least every other week. I’ve finally started to find these sorts of activities in Sydney, too. It’s become my favorite idle pastime: browsing “what’s on” and adding random events to our shared calendar (by the way, Michael, we’re going to see Margaret Atwood in March).

A couple of weeks ago, I came across a Time Out article: 50 things to do in Sydney at least once in your life. The list spans a wide range of excursions, from beers to hot air balloon rides, and I got more and more excited as I read through the suggestions, taking note of the ones I wanted to do. Then, it occurred to me–I have the time, I can do all of them! Better yet, I can do all of them in 2019.

So as the new year begins, I’m declaring the official launch of my Top 50 in Sydney project. Life has been turbulent with only fragments of routine these past six months, but with no more international travel on the horizon, I’m going to throw myself into exploring Sydney. One way or another, I’m going to do everything on the list this year, taking photos and writing about each one, as well as sharing some reflections about migrating around the world and being an American in Australia, too. Some activities I’ll do alone, many I expect will happen with Michael, and maybe some will even be with friends, as I get to know people in Sydney and have visitors from the States.

We’re still in the US for a couple more weeks–I’m on a plane from east coast to west as I write this–but it’s probably the last time I’ll be on this side of the ocean for a while. So I’m living it up now and squeezing in my favorite American experiences, all while getting pumped to head back to Sydney!