Cambridge

A few words to capture Cambridge in lieu of photographs:

light
clip clops off cobblestone
stretching the stony alleys
the buildings bulge, edges glowing
glory
peeps through weeping willow leaves
wraps the river in reflection
ghosts
tip tapping on the cobblestone
grand curiosity in their airy eyes
peaceful pride
alumni
illuminaters

whirlwind

The last two or three weeks have been a blur of new faces and places, as well as piles of paperwork and endless errands.

Our first weekend here was a blast as Neil's workmates plunged us into their social circles and we gallivanted nonstop around town enjoying ourselves.

The next week we knuckled down and focused on finding a place to rent. After viewing a selection of locations including a run-down flat, a retirement unit and a charming but cold terraced house, we opted for a nice flat near town. The flat itself is new but built inside the old hospital building which is quite stately with it's turrets and high ceilings. We moved in that weekend and, while Neil started work the following week, I kept busy assembling furniture, washing new linen and crockery, running errands and so on. The 'home duties' label given to me by the bank was proven true.

Last weekend our great friends from Australia came to visit us after their 2-month tour of Europe. Seeing them was brilliant fun, and brought the mixed feeling of missing Australia yet being inspired by their time on the continent.

This week Neil is of course at work, while I focus my energies on finding a job of my own. This has proven to be quite a marathon of an obstacle course. When it comes to seeking work as a teacher, I'm continually jumping through hoops, dodging projectiles and taking detours at the sight of big signs which read "British-trained European Union citizens only". As far as non-teaching work goes, I find I can barely focus on finding it, since teaching is a higher priority at this time when positions become vacant for September. And yet, can we really wait til September for me to contribute an income? And so sometimes I feel like I'm running a cross-country that has no finish line.

However, I am really enjoying life in this town. There are plenty of interesting, provocative and entertaining events here yet the 'small town' feel is very obvious. The people we hang out with are easy and enjoyable company, and the places we've visited around the county and beyond have been delightful. Neil and I are enjoying life together and, living so close to town, have access to so many people and places. Yes, as the welcome sign asserts, Norwich truly is a fine city.

Westward

Europe. I didn't even have to leave the airport at Amsterdam to be reminded why I'm making this trip: the lure of the unfamiliar.

Walking through the calmly chaotic airport, I felt like a piece of dry white bread, dunked into a delicious soup. People's clothes, mannerisms, faces and skin were warm juices and their constant uttering of foreign phrases was like a subtle mix of herbs to enliven the brew. Dutch, German, French. Patisseries, Beethoven, cathedrals, wine.

And now I sit in Norwich. Finally, here. Though the seed has barely sent off a shoot, it has been planted. The new phase of my life has begun.

in transit

Brisbane to Singapore: good; fine. Uneventful, almost.

As when hunger is so prolonged that eating is about easing the pangs rather than savouring the texture and taste; so I seemed somewhat desensitised to my departure. "Finally. Really? Yes."

Tonight, however, I leave Singapore after a relaxing break. This time I fly to Amsterdam and then to Norwich. Tomorrow I will be in my new hometown. A little savouring seems possible tonight.

sweet sorrow

I won't have time to post an entry before I fly out tomorrow. So here is how I envision my departure, through the words of William Wordsworth:

Where lies the Land to which yon Ship must go?
Fresh as a lark mounting at break of day,
Festively she puts forth in trim array;
Is she for tropic suns, or polar snow?
What boots the inquiry? Let her travel where she may,
She finds familiar names, a beaten way
Ever before her, and a wind to blow.
Yet still I ask, what haven is her mark?
And, almost as it was when ships were rare,
(From time to time, like Pilgrims, here and there
Crossing the waters) doubt, and something dark,
Of the old Sea some reverential fear,
Is with me at thy farewell, joyous Bark!

the chasm

I'm on an island at a busy intersection

I can't go forward, I can't turn back

Can't see the future; it's getting away from me

I just watch the tail lights glowing

One step closer to knowing

One step closer to knowing

-- From One Step Closer by U2

Here I am in this numb timelessness between the warm goodbye and a crisp hello. This landscape is littered with boxes and stray belongings; a desert governed by lists.

One step closer to going. One step closer to going.

So near yet so far

I feel close enough that I can almost envisage the life awaiting me across the globe. Or is it only a collection of my imaginings - nothing like the reality that lies ahead?

Image: Norseman by Shaun Tan, brilliant artist/writer/picture book author and illustrator