… Perusal of Diaries

I’ve been going back through my diaries, starting age 11. Weeping for that poor child who was already lost, and angry, and under pressure to lose weight, and confused about cultural identity, and socially awkward.  

To that child, I want to say:

Relax. 

None of these fellow students’ opinions mean anything, and you’ll never see them again anyway. 

You’ll learn down the road that your understanding of what it is to “be Australian” is flawed: you either are or you aren’t, and nobody else’s definition has to apply. 

You’ll be ecstatic when you learn of the worldwide TCK networks: these are your people. 

Please: be happy in the moment. Stop analysing. Stop wailing about the inherent unfairness of life and learn how to work with it. 

Learn to eat within reason. Tell someone how unhappy you are. You’re screaming at innocent parties when you could be using that energy to fight for your future. 

Learn how to deal with unrequited “love”, so that when you’re 35 you’re not still trailing after uninterested males trying to get their attention. 

… Visit From These Friends

We’ve got friends staying with us at the moment, both expats we knew – or knew of – from PNG. He’s been here a few times on his way to other places, and we co-admin a few FB Pages relevant to our international community, but I hadn’t met his wife until their wedding day. It was a bit like a typical high school reunion, in that people you haven’t seen in 15 years wander past you, but ours include people from any and all graduation year/s.