Open Post: What's happening in your world?

Friends! Welcome to Open Post.

If you haven’t been here before, it’s a little weekly tradition where we all catch up and share what’s been going on in our lives – the good, the bad, and the “wow, I reaaally need advice on this one”.

So go grab yourself a hot drink (my coffee’s sitting right next to my computer) and let’s talk.

To kick things off, I’ll go first.

I moved cities five weeks ago, and now I’ve passed that crucial one-month mark, the crazy newness of it all is finally settling down.

But through the whole experience, I’ve come up with a theory that there are five pesky little things that are unavoidably hard when you move cities, states or countries. And they are…

1. Public transport is always, always, ALWAYS confusing when you move anywhere new. When you find out the tickets for the bus don’t work on the train, or that different bus stops on the same side of the same street are for different buses? It kind of breaks your brain at first.

It took me two whole weeks (of incredibly awkward lateness to everything) before I worked this one out.

2. What’s cool in one city? Is totally not do-able in another. A couple of my go-to cuisines (and supermarket ingredients) for a cheap, tasty mid-week takeaway in Melbourne are NOT A THING in Sydney – or at least, they don’t exist within 10 kilometres of my place. Gah.

Time to explore some new forms of deliciousness, I reckon.

3. Visiting home all the time is tempting, but not a great idea. I’ve already been home three times (yep, in five weeks) for important things like weddings, birthdays and graduations, and it’s a great excuse to see old friends and family.

But it also costs the equivalent of a small island to buy flights all the time, and keeps you from accepting invites to fun new things that will help you settle in your new city.

4. Once you find “your” bar, “your” cafe and “your” supermarket, you’re halfway there. I figure it takes a few weeks to really claim these landmarks as your own, and you know you’re really a local when you start to look at obvious newbies to your favourite hole-in-the-wall bar with scorn.

As for me? I’ve found “my” bar and “my” supermarket, but the jury’s still out on my favourite cafe (any Sydney recommendations, people?)

Wish me luck.

Enough from me. What’s been happening in your world?