Homecoming

I’m going home. Temporarily anyway.

In case you haven’t worked it out, I mean I’m going back to Perth.

Right now, it is only intended to be temporary. 6 to 12 months. But I still feel uneasy about it.

Melbourne has been my home for almost 6 years now. A city that I loved, that’s been a whole bunch of emotions for me, a place that I’ve made and lost friends, done things, made memories, found my little niche, it is somewhere I really do consider as my home.

But Melbourne isn’t Melbourne right now. COVID has changed things. It has effectively crippled a city and its people. My life in Melbourne has effectively been a little house in Fawkner for the past 6 or so months.

It has been an extreme toll on my health, both physically and mentally. Living alone in COVID lockdown is an extremely unpleasant experience.

I had considered moving to Perth temporarily at the beginning of the first wave of COVID. I decided against it thinking it will be a few months, but ultimately we will bounce back. The city would change, but at least we would get our freedoms back and be able to see people and get back to some normality.

But then, the 2nd wave happened. This was another blow to my mental health. The isolation has been something I’ve barely been able to deal with. I am a social creature and someone who really needs that intimacy. To be around people.

I get, there are plenty of people in Melbourne who are suffering just as much as me, who don’t have the opportunity to throw it in and leave Melbourne like I’m about to. Some might even be worse off than me.

But I’ve got an opportunity to leave, and for my own sake, I need to take it.

Melbourne Home

This wasn’t a decision that was easy to make. I’m still feeling emotional about it now I know I can cross over back to Perth.

I honestly don’t want to leave Melbourne because I do love this city. But for my own mental health, I can’t stay here.

Adjusting to living in Perth will be a challenge. If you’ve read my previous posts, you will know there’s a lot of reasons why I left and why I’m not huge on returning.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m excited to be seeing my family and friends over there. But I really don’t want to revert as a person. I like what I’ve built over in Melbourne and I’m starting to like myself as a person.

I know it is only a temporary move (at least that’s the intention). But it still brings up all sorts of emotions. I’m sorry that I’m giving up and hope everyone else here is OK.