It is here (almost)

Richard writes:

The 28th February 2014 . . . The date has never been far from the forefront of our minds for the last months. The pouring over the the internet, the updating of our schedule, the paying of thousands of dollars to companies around the world and the sheer excitment of the trip have all been with the focus of this date. I however, despite all these plans and thoughts, never envisaged how I would feel when the day arrives. Well . . . the day has nearly arrived, and I am getting very excited (and nervous) and it is beginning to feel very real.

We have both finished work, and our home doesn't feel feel very homely. We have no bed, TV, or fridge and most of our possessions are in boxes bound for England. Apart from junk awaiting disposal, the only items in the flat, are what will travel with us to London. The last few weeks have seemed a blur. Already so many goodbyes, and more to come. For me though, one of the saddest goodbyes will be Melbourne itself, a truly magnificent city, that has given me so many fantastic experiences and memories, not least the fantastic set of friends I have made here. If there is a better city in the world to live than Melbourne, I look forward to finding it.

Our next post will be written with the trip underway and the spreadsheet schedule will no longer be a plan, but a reality. A fantsatic reality I am sure, but also a bloody hard one! Bring on the tears and toils that the trip will inevitably bring, but most of all, bring on the adventure. In a few days time when we set foot on the cruise ship in Port Melbourne, the thinking about the trip will end and the doing will begin.

The Countdown

Casey writes:

With less than three weeks until we set sail… literally, this is probably an opportune time to stop and reflect on our thoughts and feelings as we prepare to say farewell to Australia, and to the place we call home.

We’ve had visa success at the Chinese, Russian and Kazakh embassies, and with only the Mongolian visa to secure before we depart, we are engaging in celebrations (of sorts) as all of our timelines have, so far, gone to plan. But, we are not being led into a false sense of security, knowing that things may (and will) go wrong at various points along our trip. And that’s what’s so exciting…. It’s all just part of the adventure!

With five days of work at Emmanuel College left, I am preparing to farewell the workplace I have called home for nearly ten years, and the friends and work colleagues I have come to rely on so heavily. The reality of calisthenics retirement has finally hit home, as well as the notion that family will soon be left here on the other side of the world, and it’s with a mixture of sadness and sheer excitement that I prepare to farewell Melbourne and set my sights on London.

Richard, undoubtedly British and still refusing to dip a toe into the cold waters of Albert Park beach (despite the temperature exceeding 40 degrees at this very moment), is still making the most of the glorious weather and savouring the Melbourne lifestyle he has loved being part of for the past two and a half years. He too will shed a tear when he farewells his friends and adopted family, and may not even try to suppress his sobs when he has one final drink at the Oxford Scholar.

So we will continue to reflect on the past, and dream about the future, but we plan to savour the key moments of the next three weeks. In the words of Genghis Khan…. or, well… at least those of Bill Cosby, “the past is a ghost, the future is a dream, and all we ever have is now.”