Home is Where Love Lives.

My Mother used to tell me that she had never seen anyone move from one country to another with such ease.  Judy said that I took to Australia like a duck takes to water.  It was true.  It is a gorgeous country with wide open spaces and terrain that is like no other country.  Although when I travel to Nevada...the colours in the Grand Canyon do remind me of my Australian home.

Funny though I was under the impression that when I moved to Australia it would be a piece of cake because it was an English speaking country.  Whaaaat?  Well, Hell, I couldn't understand most of the lovely people I met because of their rapid fire way of speaking; the words tumble out very quickly and the accent was not like any I was used to hearing.  You can say 'Excuse me' or 'Pardon me' or 'I'm sorry I didn't hear what you said'  only a few times without embarrassing yourself and the person with whom you are trying to connect.  When Tinto and I owned The Wheatsheaf Pub guests would come in and ask me, 'WHERE the Hell are you from?'  Some would laugh and joke and look me straight in the eye and and ask if I was related to the 'Bush' family.  That got old.  But, it was always in good fun.  Thinking back I only had one politically charged conversation with a fairly permanent Sunday guest, but we ended it a with an agreement to disagree.  The Wheatsheaf, at that time, was filled with striking pieces of art painted by South Australian artists (Tinto's art, included) and we featured only South Australian wines - beautiful wines - mostly made by privately owned, boutique wineries.  That was what we wanted - to feature South Australian artists and to offer South Australian wines and some of the brand, new local beers that were available at the time in our fantastic SOUTH AUSTRALIAN community!  Conversation at the bar was lively and loud and even better when the topic discussed was wine, beer, art, and the local news. 

When I return to the States to visit family and good mates I get, 'WHAT the Hell happened to YOU?'  My acquired accent is a bit 'off' in oh, so many ways.  So, truly...I don't fit in anywhere, but that's perfectly fine with me.

Being a nomad or a roamer feels natural and charming to me.  Tinto and I both know the glee, the trauma, the ordeal, the magnificence, the reality, the joy and sadness of moving from one country to another.  It is certainly not for everyone.  

The positive factors are many: 

• Experiencing a new culture - remember:  It is hotter than the Hinges of Hell during Christmas!  Hard to imagine?  You bet.  YOU get used to it and it becomes a hoot.
• Learning the slang way of speaking; and discovering that English words certainly MAY not have the same meaning as Australian words - do your homework; be on the look-out!  Major mistakes CAN be made - some quite embarrassing.  I will leave this one alone.
• Visiting century old vineyards and having some of the very best wines in the world at your fingertips and consuming these products with AMAZING people.
• Tasting and falling in love with Australian cuisine - you would be surprised at the number of top chefs thriving in this country.
• Watching Australia grow in numbers and commerce and economic development
• Touring the captivating country itself;  the Flinders Ranges, the Outback, (You will feel as if you can pluck the stars from the sky - promise!) the Great Barrier Reef, Artsy-Fartsy Marvelous Melbourne, Sophisticated Sydney, Brisbane, too many to list; having breakfast with the kangaroos; the wildlife is simply brilliant and extraordinary.  (Australia is host to some of the best Veterinary Medicine universities in the world; people FLOCK to go there!)  
• Normal daily walks turn into something special due to the scenery.
• Australians consume a lot of alcohol and they do not care what day of the week it is.  So, for some...this is a plus, for others, a minus???!!!
• I assure you that your true mates will pick up when you see each other again exactly where you left off...no matter how long you have been absent from their lives.  PURE JOY.  That is what a good mate does.  You will appreciate these people immensely.
• Your friend circle begins to grow wider than you ever imagined.
• The love of dogs.

Wine, wool, and wheat country - South Australia; with Kapunda settled nicely smack dab in the middle of two glorious wine valleys:  The Barossa and The Clare.  HOW LUCKY ARE WE?  This plus list could go on and on. This is only an inkling of Australia.

Some negative factors:

• Australia is a bloody long way away; it IS a great distance to travel from almost anywhere!
• Cost of flights have decreased considerably over the years; flight time has NOT!  Ha!!!
•  As in the States, the Aborigines have been mistreated as badly as America's Native Americans; many people work tirelessly to reverse this situation.  Education.  Education.  Education.  Personal opinion:  It would be very hard to educate those whom have lived and thrived and been on this earth centuries before outsiders arrived.  Not everyone can learn the same way.  No one should be forcing one way on a certain culture; we can learn as much or more from the Aborigines than they can learn from us.  Months ago I read only 1% of  Native Americans rise out of poverty; sad, distressing, disgusting and NOT good enough.  In both countries more listening and genuine understanding of the past is needed before anyone can move forward.  Racism is alive and well in Australia as in the States.
• Hard to move forward after last bullet point...
• When you choose to move, you may be moving towards love, but you will also be leaving love behind; your heartstrings will feel the pull.
• At what age will you be moving and leaving your parent/s?  Make a plan.  As sad or difficult as it sounds:  BE PREPARED.  Who will look after your parents?  Are you an only child?  Would you be willing to entrust the care of a cherished parent to a stranger or an institution?  Tough subject.
• You will miss important milestones; difficult to attend them all.  If you have grandchildren when you DO see them, the bonding process has to begin again until they reach a certain age.  That is tough one.
• No matter how much you explain to your family and mates that people move throughout the world for careers, out of intrigue, for love and/or marriage, there will be many people who will not understand.  Some of these people can be the ones most loved by you.  If they are adult children or other relatives this misconception that you are 'leaving them for life'  becomes their perception/their reality.  
• For exceptionally wealthy individuals, of course, they can travel back and forth as much as they like, but...if you're financially in the middle of the pack...you will really have to plan your trips.
• Then...there are emergencies.  You get on a plane; you GO.  Can you afford to move to another country?  It sounds fabulous and tremendously exciting, but it is always good to have a plan 'B' and a strong savings plan.
• Mate, Australia has HEAPS of dangerous critters.  My husband has THE best (or perhaps worst story); my lips are sealed.  

Don't be lured by false pretenses.  Tinto assured me Australia had 4 seasons.  My experience:  HOT or COLD and RAINY - (South Australia, that is...) Okay, this is a mild exaggeration.  When Spring arrives it IS divine; only lasts an hour though!  KIDDING, of course.  Same for Autumn, it is magic, but Autumn does not stick around long enough. 

 There are many professional, non personal and non biased pros and cons out there concerning Australia for an interested person to research.  This is the BLANCO experience.  

Without getting too sentimental and personal (tonight) I still celebrate the love of my life and I am thankful that Tinto invited me into his world.  HOME is WHERE LOVE LIVES...so, that means I have homes (not necessarily properties) in Athens, Georgia, and Memphis, Tennessee, and London, England, and Kapunda, Australia because my heart spills over with an abundance of love in these particular spaces.  And...since...Tinto's fab children are scattered throughout the grand land of Australia, that must mean my 'home of love' is VERY BROAD.

Posted with the anticipation of leaving the States soon,
Excited AND Bittersweet Blanco
of The Roaming Stevens

Hoping you live where love is, too - ANYWHERE ON THE PLANET.