I arrive in Melbourne after a last minute run to the airport bags flailing and all with Austin in tow. The plane was waiting for me and the hostesses were upset, however I was in and ready for take off.
Ben meets me at the Skybus stop off. He smiles and sits down, we talk about Sydney as we make our way to my new house. Two keys cut and a train ride later we are home. A two story terrace house above a hock shop whose entry was through a gate out the back of Sydney road. How ironic, from Sydney to Sydney road.
I go upstairs to see my room. Slightly disheveled but big and ready to be turned into my place. The room luckily comes with a table and some drawers, all I need to get started.
As Ben and I sit in his room sharing music and stories, playing his toy melodica, Megs my new housemate shows up. She is friendly and easy going. I can tell I will not be uncomfortable in this house and feel a happiness surging through me.
The next few days are spent getting to know the area that is Brunswick. A diverse and multicultural area, filled with shops ranging from Mediterranean food markets, Arab bread stores, second hand clothes and furniture shops, Cafes, Art suppliers and all sorts of other variations throughout.
People are friendly, cars wait as I cross the road. Bike lanes line the streets. Trams come frequently and on time. Time goes slower, the difference from Sydney is marked. I smile and take a deep breath of appreciation.