Nine months later

I spent a beautiful summer at home experiencing the beauty of our landscape as if I was seeing it for the first time. Having been gone for so long and learning to see things with open, wondering eyes in Australia, made me recognise how beautiful it is where we live. The friendly forests, the wide fields of grass, the lakes, the many little creeks… 

First I had been worried that I was going to come back into a cold, unfriendly or complicated country. But none of it turned out to be true. I realised that life in Germany can be a lot like in Australia. The kind lady at dm chemist's telling me about her upcoming retirement, the open-minded lady at the health insurance counter asking me a lot about my time in Australia... I guess most people here in Germany are just as keen to have a short, delighting chat with a stranger, return a friendly smile, are happy to help out if you ask. Sometimes it just needs an invitation, a gentle push. What goes around, comes around, and I am grateful that I get a lot back walking through every day's life with some Australien openness. Wie man in den Wald hineinruft, so schallt es heraus. :D

That summer was deeply fulfilling. Sharing happy moments with my family, spending time with my dear friends, enjoying the rich nature on long walks with our dog Mo-Nah Li-Sah, swimming in the lakes, BBQing, ... Radio was accompanying those weeks with music: My heart skips a beat (Olly Murs), Blow my whistle (Flo Rida), Summertime sadness (Lana del Ray), Little talks (Of monsters and men), I follow rivers (Lykke Li), Drive by (Train), Count on me (Bruno Mars), Hollywood Hills (Sunrise Avenue)...

When autumn came, it was time to stop floating and start a new, own life in Germany. Laura and I moved in together in Karlsruhe’s Südstadt, one hour from our home town. A beautiful, multicultural and inspiring place. I love Karlsruhe! And it is just awesome to live with her! =D

Towards the end of the year I started working in the Marketing department of an IT company. My team was great but the work was not the right thing for me. It was Excel and E-Mails all over. It was not fulfilling, not inspiring. 

I quit last week. To go back to happy. To keep going the way I started with my Master studies in Australia. To feel the energy and the enthusiasm again. To feel inspired. To feel in peace. I don’t know yet what I am going to do next. I don’t even know what I would like to do. And it doesn’t even bother me. Australia taught me:

No worries! :D

These are exciting times. 

I am curious on which adventure I’ll go next.

Epilogue 
My plane is landing and I am so excited! Laura and Issi will pick me up at the airport! :D And there they are! Being all smiles! It is so good to hold them in my arms again! :D 

We drive home. Home. And everything seems new. Things look curiously small. The streets so narrow, the buildings so near. Everything so green!

At the same moment Laura and me pull into our home's driveway, Mo-Nah Li-Sah arrives with her dog sitter, too. What a dance of joy! She is overwhelmed with emotions, howling, literally talking to us, telling us how wonderful it is that we are all back together - I swear. 

It is summer. The house and garden look beautiful. The scent of flowers in the warm summer night. It smells like home. I am back home in my first home. :)

Back to Brisbane – for the last time this time

It is heart-breaking. Knowing that I don’t have a place anymore and that I am going to leave for good in a few hours, I feel so shut out by my city. In the afternoon I meet with Sam one last time. We make short process. It's tragic. He goes directly to QUT pub crawl in which I won’t take part this semester.

I am saying goodbye to Mama who will fly home together with Papa tomorrow morning. Dad brings me to the airport, it all feels so unreal. He helps me reorganise my luggage because it is overweight.

Then he leaves and I am alone. Waiting. Realising. Wondering. Sam is texting me, drunk and honest.  He left Pub Crawl early. We call each other on the phone and let it all out. I am so so so sorry for leaving.

After having passed the passport control and security screening I cannot control myself any longer and burst into a cramping flood of tears. It hurts so much I can physically feel the pain. Like a heart being ripped out. I am probably the most embarrassing person at the airport but really I give a shit right now. It is the end of the wonderful life I lived during the past one and a half years. I am closing a door, leaving a world. Falling into nowhere. It is dark outside. I cannot even properly see Brisbane through the windows. My Brisbane. Boarding begins and I am making my way into the plane. I don't want to walk but I am walking anyway. My legs just do the job. One foot in front of the other. I arrive at my seat in the plane and I am so exhausted that I fall asleep right away. 

Final chapter closed.

Into the Rainforest: Springbrook National Park

MaPa and me experience a stunning ride through a green, romantic, lonely landscape on our way to Springbrook National Park in the Mountains. We are living in a beautiful lodge up there, which is deep down in the rain forest. It’s quite dark among the trees, and fresh. We can make good use of the oven in our cosy place. As expected I am getting ill and I am not really able to jump into every water place like I had planned to do. ;) But we still have a great time wondering about the magic atmosphere at Natural Bridge and spending time in a cute café making friends with curious birds there. You would not believe but I even got tulips from Mama and Papa on the morning of my birthday so far up in the mountains! :)

Next stop: Byron Bay 
With a short stop at the beach of Surfer's Paradise we head to Byron Bay. Now we know why it was so hard to find accommodation there! Splendour in the Grass, a huge festival is going on! While we drive towards Byron Bay, thousands of people dressed in Hippie clothes and gum boots walk towards the town on the side of the road. The atmosphere is absolutely vibrating! Mama would love to join them all. ♥ In the evening we walk into the town centre and to the beach and admire all the musicians and dancers and the many happy people. It’s just perfect that we came at the same time and Byron Bay presented itself in its true spirit to my parents. 

The next day we make the obligatory trip to the lighthouse, which is just as great as always. We see dolphins, sunset, stunning nature. It is so peaceful. We finish this beautiful day with a barbeque at the beach – the sky pink orange black. Like a painting. On our last day Papa tries surfing. I was so determined to finally (!!!) try it myself but now I am getting ill and I am feeling really weak. Oh no oh no. I’ve been wanting to surf the waves and just feel like the king of the world. One day!