We’ve been in Melbourne just over 2 weeks now and somehow I don’t feel any more settled. I know everyone says, “it’s only been two weeks, be gracious with yourselves” but that’s easier said than done. The sooner we’re able to settle in the sooner we’ll be able to rest and find our place here. The transient nature of our days is wearing on us which doesn’t feel great. My days consist of subbing during the week and going to apartment inspections every evening (plus Saturdays). It’s an aggressive hamster wheel that feels yucky when no progress is being made. The probability is that we will find a place in the next couple of weeks and things will start coming into place. But until that is an actual fact, it feels far away and depressing (which is dramatic but true).
We’ve seen a lot of great places and an equal number of shit holes. We have applied to many apartments and haven’t been chosen. The market is exceptionally skewed here, you have people offering rent above asking price, people offering to pay several months of rent in advance and even making ‘rental resumes’ with photos and a blurb about themselves to stand out. Unfortunately, this continues to make housing inequitable and reinforces discrimination between landlords and tenants. We’re playing the game to the best of our abilities but so far, not winning.
We were approved for an apartment which seemed a little too-good-to-be-true, and we ended up finding out that the apartment is right on top of a restaurant that turns into a lounge at night. Not going to be a good fit for us. That was disappointing because we were so excited to finally get a yes! We have a really good lead on an apartment from a real estate agent which we are very hopeful for. Maybe the lead will pay off and it’ll be a perfect match (or at least a good enough match). But until then we have had to move air bnbs for this week and next Saturday we’ll stay at our friends place for 2 weeks while they are away travelling in Japan. All temporary solutions to a plan that is evolving and changing every day.
I will be able to continue CRTing indefinitely which is a great backup plan. It’s fairly consistent work and good money. In addition to subbing, I have applied to a few schools in the hopes of securing a full-time position for next school year. Now the actual dream would be to get a full-time job outside of teaching but that seems like an insurmountable task. I will continue to farm out applications and hope the universe will throw something back my way. (Truthfully the greatest dream would be to become independently wealthy and work for fun and live a carefree life, but alas I live a very middle-class existence and don’t foresee abundant wealth anytime soon).
Michael celebrated his 33rd birthday last week! He got the infamous Cookie Box with 6 gourmet jumbo cookies of his choosing, enjoyed a tasty brunch and had chicken parms for dinner. It was a low-key day, but filled with the things that bring him joy.
We also had a fab time at Pinot Palooza. As the name suggests, it’s a wine event that features the best pinot noirs of the region. Your tickets get you entry, a tasting glass and unlimited tastings within the event window. We tried some awesome wines from Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand. It was the perfect way to kick off our weekend and bring back some tasty souvenirs to be enjoyed at a later date.
Oh yes, we also found out that our shipping box has been delayed by two weeks. This normally would be a frustrating issue, but since we still don’t have an apartment it might be a blessing. Less time for us to worry about storing our stuff from Canada and save some money in the process.
All these things are doable. We’ve done it before and will do it again. We remind ourselves that something really stellar has to come from all this chaos. We just need to keep plugging along and be thankful we have each other to lean on. Unfortunately, adventures are not always sunshine and rainbows, they often have their fair share of stormy days and rough weather to wait out.
With love,
Alex & Michael
