Getting all nostalgic

My time in Brisbane has come to an end, at least for the foreseeable future. On Monday all of my possessions (mostly hand-me-downs from my parents, or in the case of my coffee table, grandparents) will be put on the back of a truck and shipped back to sunny Townsville. (I’m not sure “Sunny” is a very good word to describe any part of Queensland at the moment, and the word “shipped” might be more literal than I had hoped by the time the truck gets to Rockhampton, but with any luck my worldly possessions will arrive with time to spare). So, I’m going to sum up my year in Brisbane in pros and cons. Being the ever peachy and cheerful optimist that I am, I’ll start with the pros.

Pros:

1. Brisbane is a great city to live in. There is lots to do here, and it’s quite a pretty place to live. The weather is usually nice (recent submersion notwithstanding) and there are plenty of good eats around. There is sport, concerts and culture in ample amounts.

2. Church. I’ve been attending Christ Community Church, an independent church on the north side here, and it has been a wonderful blessing to me. I’ve met some amazing people and been encouraged in my faith with some fantastic bible teaching. I’ve seen what it means to “count it all as rubbish, that I may gain Christ” in action.

3. Work. Working at the Royal has been a different experience, but one I’m very glad I had. I’ve learnt so much and it’s made me ready to step up into the role as registrar in a couple of weeks. I’ve learnt from some of the best in the country whilst I’ve been here, and though I’ve worked crazy hours, it’s been worth it.

4. My house, and my housemates. I’ve been incredibly blessed with an amazing home to live in whilst I’ve been here, and I’ve been even more blessed to have incredible housemates. It’s been hard making friends down here, and my housemates have always been there for me when I needed them. I hope to stay friends with them all for a long time.

5. Getting things done quickly. Phone/internet connections, postage, travel; it’s all here ridiculously promptly. It’s fantastic. I’m going to miss that.

Cons:

1. Traffic. And just generally getting around. I go blind with white fury trying to make my way through Brisbane city. The one way streets are enough to make you want to scream. Just when you think you’ve gotten it figured out, you try to find your way somewhere you’ve not been before. And try to turn head-on into a smart car.

2. People here drive smart cars. Enough said.

3. Kind of related to point one, getting around in general is difficult. Public transport in Brisbane leaves a lot to be desired and parking is sparse and expensive. So are parking fines. I was hit with a $100 fine for parking in a taxi zone outside church on a Sunday. Evidently, I misread the parking sign language . I thought it was translated as “Yes! You can park here! Can you believe nobody else has parked here? What a great spot! You’re a lucky guy, it must be your day.” In fact, it said “Aha! My gibberish has sucked you into my web. You will be fined a ridiculous amount of money for using an empty part of the road that your taxes paid for. I’m a parking meter. And I feed on your misery.”

4. As alluded to earlier, it’s been hard to make new friends here. There have been a few reasons for that. One is that like everywhere else, people are in their clique here. I thought it would be different in the city but apparently it isn’t. Still, that wasn’t the biggest problem. I think the biggest problem is that I was distracted and not making the effort. In a standard month, I would spend one weekend in Melbourne with Shu-en, one in Hervey Bay with my folks, and one working. That really only left one weekend for socialising and mostly I used it to catch up on sleep and errands. Work was quite busy this year which made it even harder.

5. My attitude. It wasn’t until about September or October that I really started to embrace Brisbane. I was seeing it as a stepping stone, because I guess I knew I was only going to be here for 12 months, all things going well with Shu (which they are!) It’s hard to commit to a place emotionally and to invest in friendships when you know you’re only there for a finite time. And so, I spent the first six or seven months feeling like Brisbane was a means to an end, rather than an opportunity for growth, relationships and ministry.

Overall, I’m looking forward to moving back to Townsville, especially with Shu-en coming up with me. As great as our last 15 months together has been, we’re really ready to be together in the same place. We made the most of the distance, doing lots of travelling and doing lots of fun things together, but distance does take its toll and after a while you’re just ready to be together. And by the grace of God that’s what we can now do!

That said, there is certainly some sadness as I leave Brisbane. I’m going to miss Kangaroo point and Campos coffee. I’m going to miss the Royal Brisbane and I’m going to miss James st. I’m going to miss my church here (though I am very excited about coming back to Townsville Baptist!) and I’m going to miss the  friends I’ve made, and my housemates.

What I’m not going to miss is packing my house for the second time in 12 months. Which I’m currently procrastinating, in case you haven’t noticed. If you’re in Townsville, I’ll see you soon. If you’re in Brisbane, I’ll miss you. If you’re somewhere else, congratulations for making it through 1000 words of irrelevance.

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