Repatriating this time around has not proven to be as traumatic as it was last year. I think in a way that's because I never truly felt like an expat in Australia. I felt far more transient than I had on any of my previous excursions abroad. There are several reasons for that. Part of it was that I didn't discover a source of steady income and couldn't dismiss my concerns about running out of money before my visa expired. Part of it was that I didn't latch onto anything about Sydney that made me absolutely need to stay there. Part of it was that I took a lot more guided tours. Part of it was that Andy wasn't there.
And part of it was that I genuinely missed the Twin Cities. I missed the Current, the local music scene and the free local publications. I missed Punch, Chipotle, Quang, and the rest of Eat Street. I missed the bridges over the Mississippi. I missed the Mississippi in general. I missed having more clothes than I could carry in a suitcase. And after seven months of hot weather, I even missed the winter (though the solid week of -30°F temperatures that heralded my return was a little excessive). More than all the tangible things, I was actually happy to have a sense of stability. I've been moving about so much over the past two years that the idea of settling into one geographical place for a while is very appealing. I was glad to come home.
But my enthusiasm about being back doesn't help to eliminate the intense boredom I've felt since returning. I'm going back to Tax Place for another temporary assignment, but not for over two weeks. I have no car and very little money. I've largely been confined to the house, and am struggling to combat the inertia that such entrapment seems to encourage. For me, being bored is a vicious cycle. The logical way to fight boredom would be to engage myself in something interesting or productive. Something I always wished I had time to do when I was working. It's simple in theory, but in practice it's close to impossible. Instead of reading my textbook, I compulsively read facebook updates. The longest thing I've managed to write lately is a text message. And I won't even talk about how many games of Snood (a ridiculously simple and ridiculously addictive computer game) I play in a day.
Last week was much better. I think finding ways to leave my house has been the key to setting myself in motion. I'm taking a night art history course at the U. My friends have been supplying pretty frequent invitations for dinners, ice skating or watching football matches at the pub. I've been taking the bus downtown when I feel like I'm about to lose it in suburbia. I brave the cold and take long walks. All that getting out of the house helps me to be more productive when I'm in the house, too. I've been applying for weekend jobs, reading, inquiring about volunteer opportunities at art galleries...and writing. These latest posts on my blog represent my return to being an object motion. And if I adhere to Newton's first law, I'll hopefully stay in motion, too.
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I have done a few more laps than you; I can almost guarantee you that Adventure Tedium will show to advantage over Domestic Tedium when you're reviewing the short films of your life. But we're glad to have you back, too.
Now the key is to escape Newtonian physics altogether and become our own quanta. Sounds a bit dodgy, I know, but promises great fun! -r
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