So, as of today, Darren and I have been in Melbourne for an entire month.
And what a tumultuous month it’s been. Just a few days before we moved, Darren’s work of 17 years put him off, and just a few days after we moved, Darren’s beloved grandmother died. You might think that these had left the move an unhappy experience for us, but to the contrary, while both events were obviously disappointing, and the latter profoundly saddening, it was the actual move itself which allowed us to keep our spirits up.
Without really realising the significance of it, we moved to Melbourne just as Southern Hibearnation 2011 was kicking off. We swore off doing anything, and did indeed skip a few major events, but we ended up attending a few casual nights as well as Mr Australasia Bear 2011.
We’ve spent the time cementing existing friendships, making face to face friends out of people we’d only until that point talked to online, and making entirely new friends. We’ve already got such deep friendships with some that imagining our lives before is … difficult. In just a month we’ve experienced the profound happiness that comes from entering a welcoming and friendly community.
About a month before the move, a “friend” had posted a rather bitchy and inappropriate comment on a very innocent Facebook update. Annoyed, I did something I’ve only done once or twice in the entire time I’ve been on Facebook, and deleted his comment. Within a few seconds, he’d deleted me as a friend on Facebook (no great loss), and sent me the following message:
“Your gonna fit right into the Stuffy Melb. scene”
And I guess I did. But stuffy? Only if that’s code for “friendly”. This is most definitely a place we belong in.
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Glad you guys have found your feet so quickly, and to have met you just as you were arriving! Congrats on your new home and life. Here’s to great years ahead.