Goodbye Kew, Hello Brunswick

Yes, I have moved house! After returning home from my Tassie holiday last Sunday, I had only 3 days to pack all my worldly possessions ready for the big move on Wednesday. I was exhausted before the removalists arrived, let alone by the end of the day!

I was grateful for the help of my fellow-student, Linley, who spent most of the day helping me with the move, and unpacking the kitchen, whilst I went back with the removalists for the second load from Kew.

By the time it was all unloaded and the removalists had left (around 5pm), I was feeling rather over the whole process, and had decided that all I would do would be to make up my bed so I could sleep, and set up the TV so I could veg, and that would be enough for the day.

As I was pondering what to do for dinner (as I didn't really have anything in the fridge, and couldn't be bothered cooking anyway- and had to go out to a choir rehearsal that night too), I looked up, and saw Michael, one of my neighobours (also a fellow student) coming to my door, with a plate of lasagne in his hand, as he said he and his wife thought that I wouldn't really feel much like cooking.

It's amazing how such a simple and seemingly insignificant act of kindness can have such an impact. As Michael stood there, I almost burst into tears with gratitude. It was almost like an answer to prayer before I even knew what to pray for. :-)

My new abode is rather nice... upstairs are 3 bedrooms (albeit small ones... so in the main bedroom I can fit my bed, but not much else) and the bathroom which has a separate bath and shower.. Downstairs, the living/dining room is quite spacious, with a separate kitchen, laundry and downstairs toilet. I even have a little clothes line just outside my back door and a fenced in courtyard at the front.

There are 5 units in the block - 4 are occupied by ministry candidates, and the other one by a couple who are post grad theological students. There is an existing culture of hospitality amongst the residents here which includes things like sharing food (such as the lasagne from Michael on my first night, apparently the practice is that if someone makes a big batch of a particular dish, they share some of the leftovers with the neighbours. Given the multicultural mix of people here, that makes for a rather interesting and varied cuisine.)

I have also had heaps of help unpacking from the children next door, who have come over after school on the past couple of days, and have helped me sort out some of my books, put away linen and other bits and pieces.

From even this brief introduction to community life here, I have realised how much of a hermit I have become in living alone, and how much I miss the sense of close community that I had when living in Fusion communities in the past.

I think I'm really going to enjoy living here. :-)