Karen Graham
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I just wanted to wish everyone at Explorer Girls (across the globe) a very Happy New Year! May 2010 be filled with many awesome adventures!
J
On a full-moon New Year's Eve (and I might add it's also a 'blue moon'), here's a little bit of nonsense I wrote about an experience I had as a newly arrived traveller in Perth. Enjoy!
HOUSE KEYS
A sense of panic rises in me as I fumble through the contents of my backpack. This always happens. I begin to think I won’t find my wallet, which contains my house-keys. But then I find them, usually hiding amongst all the junk that accompanies me wherever I go. This time, however, I fumble in vain. It is 12.30am and I am standing at the front door removing the items from my bag. There is a walkman because I don’t like being without music. A trashy novel to read on the bus. My umbrella, because I am from Melbourne and it has become a habit. Scraps of paper in case I feel inspired to write. A sketch pad, in case the inspiration lies elsewhere. But no wallet.
Awareness washes over me. I struggle to think rationally. Here in my own country, but not home. In a city of thousands, but not knowing a soul. My instinct is to walk towards the highway, but where will I go. It takes a while to sink in. No wallet, no money, no credit card, no house-keys. I don’t know anyone.
But, that is not really true. The house I am living in belongs to Jacinta, who I met in Alaska a few years ago. At present she is somewhere way North of here, and will not be back for a week or two.
Sitting on the verandah I recall the last few days. The freshness of being in a new place. Cycling beside the Swan River, and exploring King’s Park. Finding some part-time work, which in itself is not so exciting as the chance to meet some people.
Darkness closes in on me, and I shiver, but not from the cold. Although that will come if I have to sit here all night.
Posted by Karen Graham on 31 December 2009 - 3:50pm.
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