It’s a Process [Clay]

Howdy Folks,

It is currently 9:26 pm on Sunday the 17th, and instead of doing any of the readings I promised myself I would finish this weekend or maybe starting the essay draft my tutor wanted to go over on Wednesday, I’m writing my silly little blog posts and ignoring all of my responsibilities. It’s fine though. I’m fine. I can write for myself for a little bit, I deserve a treat.

I touched down in Perth, WA at exactly 12:05 am on New Year’s Day of this year, after about 40 straight hours of travel from JFK airport in New York City. I’ve lived in the US my whole life, in the same town, in the same house. My mom, however, was born in England and moved to Australia as a child, so through her, I managed to swing triple citizenship, despite having never even been to the UK or Aus. Being the adventurer I am, I decided to catapult myself out of my comfort zone and move overseas on my own for university. You know, as you do.

It’s already been such a ride. I got to spend a month travelling around the west coast with my parents, seeing where my mom grew up, spending time with relatives I had never even met before, and doing some of the most incredible sightseeing I’ve ever done before (Long Island Sound doesn’t hold a candle to the beaches in WA!) My first month in Australia was some of the most fun I’ve ever had, and a truly unforgettable experience.

But that was only the beginning of my adventure. My parents have long since headed home, so now I’m here, about to start my fourth week of University, and wondering what on earth I’ve gotten myself into. My mom has done her fair share of travel in her life time; she told me to anticipate the homesickness, the feeling like a fish out of water, the wondering if you made the right decision and the impulse to give up and buy a plane ticket back home. She also told me to ignore it, because it will all eventually pass, and before I know it I won’t want to leave. I can’t lie, I’ve had my ups and downs since I’ve gotten here, and I think the newness of it all has shaken my confidence a little bit. However, I seriously need to cut myself some slack. Moving out for the first time is hard, and doing it in a brand new country is downright crazy. The best adventure stories have their ups and their downs, we probably wouldn’t read them if the characters always had it easy. It’s all a process, I just have to take things one day at a time, and enjoy the moments as they come.

So all of that being said, howdy! It’s very nice to meet you all, you can call me Clay.

I am currently undertaking a Bachelor of the Arts here at UniMelb, and I’m planning on double majoring in Media and Communications and Creative Writing. In case you couldn’t tell, I adore writing, everything from poetry to short stories to essays to plays to songs. You name it, I’ve probably dabbled. I’m also a huge lover of music. My favorite genres are rock, alternative, indie, and folk, and I play guitar, violin, ukulele, and I can operate a few other instruments. I also love singing, especially for musical theatre. I used to figure skate competitively (now I just do it for fun) and I love hiking, climbing, and being active.

Introductions hard. I want to state all of these fun facts about myself to make myself seem cool (I’m an ENFP, I can solve a Rubik’s cube, I collect pins, all that jazz) but I also have this weird hang-up about putting myself out there. I can’t help but wonder if anyone out there actually wants to read all of this, or to get to know me. Making friends is harder than I remember it being back home, and I’m always a bit nervous that I’m talking at a wall or bothering the people I’m trying to befriend. I’ve heard that’s a universal experience though. So I want to close out with a little message to everyone else who’s been feeling a little socially anxious like me lately: we’re all cool people, with our own unique stories and quirks, and we are all worth knowing. It’s okay for us to put ourselves out there, even though it’s scary, and we’ll all find our way eventually.

If you’ve made it this far, thank you for reading my silly little introduction. I hope you’ve enjoyed getting to know me, and I would love to get to know you too. 🙂

Your Local American,

– Clay 🙂