Chasing Amy-Lou

I’ve been in Australia almost four months now, and in Melbourne just over a month, and I’ve been thinking. A lot. So I thought it was about time I wrote something about what’s been happening in my wonderfully exciting life since I left the delights of Marvel Loch and WA.

Following a successful and enjoyable road trip (more on this to follow), I took a flight from Perth, landed in Melbourne on 20th October and proceeded to check in to what I can only describe as the worst hostel I’ve ever stayed in. Ever. I mean, the former brothel in Berlin was one thing, but this just took the biscuit. All Nations hostel on the corner of Flinders and Spencer Street is shit. The rooms are old and manky, the bathrooms devoid of any personal touch, and the kitchen rancid. I was also privy to a very bizarre 2am encounter with a girl in my room who was clearly tripping on something illegal. Either that or she was experiencing mild psychosis or had the worse case of night terrors I’ve ever witnessed. So please, do not stay there, for the love of God, do not stay there.

Having survived a night in this disgusting hovel, I was kindly invited to stay with my editor, Samii, a girl I’d been working alongside on The Eye Creative for over a year but a girl I had not yet met. Until now! And what a delight it was. I knew from the off that we’d get along; we’d corresponded for the last 12 months over email and text, and I have a killer personality so how could we not get on?!

I stayed with Samii in St Kilda for just over a week, and within that week I managed to find myself a job and a cushy place to live. And fit in a couple of runs along the beach too. Lush.

Now, you may think that by sharing this with you, Lady Luck had been well and truly on my side. And I am of the persuasion to think of it that way too…otherwise I’d probably be bathing in my own tears right now: considering the fact I applied for well over 30 jobs online and dropped my cv into over 15 stores in Melbourne, I actually only heard back from one. Granted this was the one I ended up taking employment in (forever grateful), it was quite disheartening when I looked at the bigger picture. Had Rare Steakhouse not thought I was worth employing (I still don’t know if I am), I’d probably still be out of a job. But I can’t look at it that way – I’m employed, I’m living in a sharehouse in a trendy area of the city, I’m making new friends…so life is good.

Plus, summer is on its way and we all know what that means….beach time and lots of naked skin! Oh yeah! ‘Oh no’, more like. As per usual, and as always happens at the worst possible times in my life, and as I’ve discussed in this blog many a time in the past, my weight is at the forefront of my mind and is currently affecting everything I do. Marvel Loch killed me. And by this, I mean Marvel Loch killed my killer bod (ok, laugh now but I did actually once used to look bloody good in a bikini). In the eight weeks I was there I managed to put on almost a stone, lose my “almost” six pack, increase the size of my cheeks ten fold and now none of my clothes fit properly and I look like a squashed frog.

Consider this for a moment – had I been a 5″8 leggy brunette, 5kgs might not’ve had much impact on my outward appearance, but being 5″4 with a moon-shaped face and shorter legs than a sausage dog, it’s quite apparent that I’ve gained weight. The chubster is back, people! So, in the past few weeks in an effort to regain some svelte composure I’ve rejoined a gym, I now walk absolutely everywhere and I have tried to eat healthy (not that I didn’t before) and cut out alcohol during the week but still, no change to my waistline. I’m blaming my age and the fact dieting gets harder once a woman passes the age of 30, and I’m taking what my friend calls the “Eat, Pray, Love” effect into account, but seeing as I’ve done the eating part and partook in bits of the praying (yoga counts, right?), I’ve yet to find my exotic love, but we shall see. Watch this space – if I’m not back to an 8-10 by new year, trust me, you’ll know about it.

Anywho, Melbourne is great. It’s not quite what you’d imagine of Australia if you’re someone who sits at home and watches Steve Irwin repeats, Home & Away or Bondi Rescue, but it is typical city-life Australia. The sun hardly comes out, it’s rained more times than I would’ve liked, yet it’s bustling, busy, full of culture and incredible nightlife, and Fitzroy, Brunswick and St Kilda are class. However, this is where all my thinking and contemplation has led me. Consider this: I’m working in a restaurant in a city where the weather is temperamental, the music scene is vibrant, sport is a religion and the beach is half an hour away. Remind you of anywhere? Yes, for all it’s worth, and for all of the fact I love Australia, I may as well be in Manchester.

And this is where I’m at right now – I can’t imagine living anywhere else in Australia other than Melbourne. Ok, Orange was a possibility and I’d certainly feel at home there but I’m not sure it’s an option just yet. So taking this into account, I’ve had a slight epiphany – maybe, just maybe, Australia isn’t where I’m meant to be. Maybe, after all the soul-searching and confusion, after all the heartache and restlessness, I’m actually meant to be back home, in Manchester, surrounded by the same type of hipsters and musos that can be found in Fitzroy (coincidentally where I live), surrounded by football fanatics and multi-cultural demographics, surrounded by friends and family, doing something worthwhile with my career instead of coasting along in hospitality.

And maybe it’s taken going back to Australia to realise and figure out where I want to be. But with all this in mind, it IS only four months into my second year out here. A lot could change. I could forge new and exciting relationships. I could end up leaving Melbourne for sunnier climes. I could find the perfect job that want to sponsor me. And I have no idea how I’ll feel in six months time. But what I do know is that deep down, I’m ready for something solid to happen. I still want to travel, I still want to see the world and I still want to explore. But I’m also ready for the next chapter in my life. So for the time being, I’m going to enjoy the summer here in Melbourne. I’m going to lose the weight I piled on (it will happen) and I’m going to make the most of this wonderful opportunity and situation I’m in. Not everyone can say they lived and loved in a foreign country for a year or two, and for that I feel incredibly lucky.