Grown-ups

Since returning to Melbourne I've been a little bit bummed. I've discussed a lot of this already on this blog. About how much I really enjoy living in Israel and how I simply prefer my life there.

But it's not just the Israel thing that has got me.

I live with my parents.

That's right. I'm 22 years old - almost 23 - and I'm still at home. Now I know that's pretty standard for Australian Uni students, be they Jew or Gentile. Indeed among Jews you can probably last a good few years of post-uni employment before you need to leave the womb and find your own place.

But not me.

Which is surprising since I didn't consider myself a particularly independent person. I didn't get my first job till the end of year 12 and I was never really into public transport as a kid. I was always happy to grab lifts from my folks.

But then I lived for a year overseas when I was 18 and now again for the past year. For the past year I came and went as I pleased. I was messy. I ate only food that I wanted and only when I was hungry. I paid my own electricity bills, water bills, internet bills, phone bills. I paid rent (mostly late) each month. I worked. I went to university. I looked after myself. I replaced light-bulbs and killed spiders.

I had/have a sense of pride in this. When you look after yourself you are a more competent, capable person. Indeed you are more of a person because you are living up the the standard of what a person should be: self-reliant.

It's not that at home I'm really that looked after. I still do the grocery shopping, the cooking, I do laundry and I mainly keep my own hours. Furthermore my folks keep their distance. They've never had house rules or told me what to do or prevented me from having guests. But ultimately I'm still living with my parents. I live in the house of my childhood and when I return here I feel like I slip back into being a child. But unlike your average movie character I do not want to return to childhood. I enjoy being responsible for myself and I feel like it's a real blow to my independence to be living in my parents house again.

So what do I do? Well, I have less than 1.5 years left of my degree (all going well) - and the moment I start earning moolah I will move out.

No, but seriously. Get. Me. Out.

The Southern Hemisphere

Hello all,

I understand that you may be feeling more than a bit resentful/abandoned by my disappearance. My apologies but life got kinda hectic. I had to pack up my life, finish exams and get on a plane to Australia all in one day. Since then I've returned to Oz and found myself without the interwebz and with a million logistical things to deal with.

My days have largely inolved the following activities:

- booking and attending appointments for the doctor, optometrist

- Bank shit

- Phone shit

- University (both of them)

- Attempting to acquire employment

And while I do these banal activities I've also been in the process of remembering who I was when I used to live here. For example - where did I go to shule? Who did I learn with? Who do I hang out with? Where were the good places for coffee/drinks? Do I eat out? What will I eat out? What's kosher? What do I wear? and WHY IS IT FREEZING???

But basically I'm back. Here I am. And here I will be for the next 1.5 years minimum. So I guess that I'd better get used to it.

As to this old blog here - what shall become of it?

Well I have a couple more issues/items to discuss with you all, so I'll get those written and online. Once those are done, who knows? I'm not sure if my life in galus is significant enough to document.

But for now let's just take it a blog at a time.

Coming Home

Look I'm not going to pretend to be overjoyed about returning to Melbourne. I really enjoy living in the middle east where rights and civil liberties are still being developed. It's fun to be in the thick of it.

But since I have to return anyways I may as well make the most of it. And so, I bring to you all a list of what I am looking forward to down under.

1) Driving. Granted I could do this anywhere but only in Melbourne do I have a car. No more hours spent on buses with babies crying and lechery old men. Or young men. Or very aggressive lesbians. Look, I love the masses but I'd prefer to not be stuck in a giant metal moving box with them sweating and farting. Furthermore, despite all aspersions cast on my driving due to the absence of a y chromosome, I can reverse parallel park like a pro (in front of Glicks on a Friday) and replace a fan belt with a pair of stockings. Impressed? You should be.

2) Coffee. Obviously we all know that Sydney got the Lebanese while we got the Italians. Hence we got coffee and they got kebabs. I'd say we got the better deal. I miss not having to ask for my coffee to be warmed up. Or having to return it for being burnt. Or for having too much milk. Or for my latte coming in a giant mug. Or having to ask for water with my coffee. You may call me a snob but I'll just roll my eyes, pointed exhale at the plebeians and search for my next caffeine fix.

3) The beach. I know that it's more of a bay and that its full of pollution and 3 eyed fish but after living in a landlocked city you come to appreciate having a large body of water at your doorstep. It's so relaxing. Besides it's a prime talent (read: boy) scouting location.

4) Culture. I know Jerusalem is trying. But they have bigger fish to fry than encouraging bands and poets to be creative on it's streets. I miss the million live shows on every night of the week. I miss the film festivals. And the street markets and the slam poetry. It's lovely that there's almost a handful of tolerable bars or restaurants in Jlem but sometimes a girl would like a few more options.

5) Bagels. They just don't get it. A bagel is not a bread roll with a hole in the middle. It has to be boiled and sold to you by a tiny eastern European man on a Sunday morning. Otherwise it simply will not do.

6) Sundays. Seriously. Just think how much happier the middle east would be if they had Sundays off. They would probably stop blowing stuff up even. Woah. If you'll allow me to kvetch for a moment I'd like to let y'all know that for the past while I've been at university from 7.30am till 8pm every Sunday. Think about what you were doing on Sundays. Reading the paper. Going for a bike ride. Eating a bagel. All the while I was in a class in a foreign language being lectured about divorces and other miserable things. It was enough to make me want to blow stuff up too.

7) Fashion. Sometimes it's too overwhelming to even contemplate. Other times it's hilarious enough to photograph. Curly mullets? Stone washed denim? Leg warmers? Jeggings! I know Melbourne sometimes is a little bit too in love with black. But I'll happily take that over socks and sandals any day. Unless they are ironic hipster socks and sandals that is.

8) Offices open at regular hours. The bank. The post office. The doctors office. Why are you only open every second Thursday from 10-12 and then from 3.30 till 5 if the moon is waxing but not if it's erev chag! When am I meant to get shit done if you're never open???

9) Saturday newspapers. I miss you Danny Katz! And "The two of us" section has been missing from my life for too long now. Not to mention some quality Friday night AJN.

10) I suppose maybe kinda sorta a bit my family and friends. But only just a little.