A place I cannot forget

nilfun

I'm feeling sentimental.

About five years ago, Australia beckoned. Its seeming remoteness
was part of its appeal, since it was so far away from the places
that held memories of my abusive husband. My spirit had been broken
and I wanted to get far, far away from the pain.

I stayed for a year, left, then came back for another six months.

While there I experienced the Victorian winter. I remember waking up one morning and feeling surprised to find that an icy web of frost covered the grass. I remember both loving and hating the early morning sprint out into the chilly air to use the "dunny" (outhouse).

I remember watching the sweating shearers working in the shearing shed. How they laughed when I pointed out what I thought was a sheep's belly button. (I'll give you three guesses as to what it really was.)

I remember how it got so hot in the summertime that some days all I wanted to do was sit in a bathtub full of cold water.

Australia was my healing place. It was there that I found a piece of myself I thought I'd lost forever.

One day I will go back to the country town that, for a short while, I was privileged to call home. I will follow the dirt road, down past the towering pine trees, down past the paddocks where the sheep, I know, still peacefully graze, up to the old shed door and touch the place where I carved out the letters of my name.

I have left Australia, but it hasn't left me.

Hmmm

Beautiful.

I'm still trying to figure out why a sheep would be growing a horn on its belly (that is what you meant, right?)

Hmmm

Sentinel

Nilfun,

Remembering is nice. I've never been to Australia. It appears to be a beautiful place, but once I watched a TV show, and it claimed that most of the most venemous snakes in the world lived there. That was enought for me! I have a distaste for venemous snakes that creep and crawl around, and sneak up on you.

Anyway,...maybe someday I will get there, who knows. I've not been priviledged to do much traveling at all. I have been to the Bahamas, and as far south in the US as Florida, and as far north as Niagra Falls, New York. I've only been West as far as West VA. I can only imagine the great beauty of the world.

I do understand how taking such a trip for you was healing. I hope you are at a good place now.

Love and Light,

Sentinel

nilfun

Hi Hmmm,

I'm still trying to figure out why a sheep would be growing a horn on its belly (that is what you meant, right?)

Heh. You still got two more guesses

Hi Sentinel, yeah, well I didn't have any problems with the snakes there, but those hunstman spiders sure gave me the creeps...

DakotaRed

NIlfun, of all the countries I visited while in the Army, Australia was the best. I took R&R from Vietnam there. Undoubtedly, they were the friendliest people I have yet to meet.

Today is my favorite Aussies birthday. Olivia Newton John turns 54 today, just two days older than me.

Only in my dreams, though

Lew W

nilfun

Hi DakotaRed, yes, beautiful country, friendly people.
Today is your fav Aussie's birthday, huh?

AngelofMuZiC

Hi there nil...

I just wanted to say that your story was beautiful. Made me all warm and fuzzy inside. You make Austraila sound so interesting and beautiful. I wouldn't mind living there myself. Could you tell me, how one would go about making such a move?

Regards,

Joanne

nilfun

Hi AngelofMuZiC, http://www.immi.gov.au/allforms/migration_info.htm
has a lot of info about migration to Australia.

I went mad for an Aussie and overstayed my visa, which is a BIG no no.

We eventually went to the immigration office in Melbourne.
I had to fill out a form and explain why I had overstayed my visa.
My answer was only four words long. I wrote, "I fell in love."

Believe me, my heart was in my throat. I would not recommend
overstaying your visa in Australia. But I was granted an extension
on my visa. Big sighs of relief all around.

Lots of other stuff happened between then and now.

He lived with me in America for a while.
Then I went back and lived with him in ~~paradise~~ Australia, then it was back to the States again.

Eventually, we got married.

Wolfgirl

I loved Australia. We stayed there for about a month. We could easily live there....but wow, did I get sunburnt! Forgot a couple of spots with the sunscreen when I went to the beach...looked like I had brake lights.

nilfun

Hi Wolfgirl, I had that "slip, slop, slap" ad jingle drummed into my brain...I don't sunburn easily, but still wore a hat every time I stepped outside..

A place I cannot forget

Share this