Thursday, 18 February 2016

The Long Return

I'm once again in Australia and I'm so jet lagged! I arrived back at 6am in the morning yesterday and after quite  a physically demanding day, last night I went to bed at 4pm, woke up briefly for dinner and then went back to sleep straight away, only to wake up at 5am today.
But back to the start of the long return journey:

On Monday, I arrived at Heathrow at 1pm and had to kill time, which I did by getting lunch (macaroni cheese and salad) while reading a book. Then walking around the shops and going into the book store and reading the blurb of almost every book in the 'top reads' section, before going to my designated gate and reading some more. In between these different 'illuminating' activities (sarcasm), I went to the bathroom, just because it is something to do.  Last year, I wrote a blog post about how much I hated airports and having to wait in transit, and because I was travelling alone, I had no one to talk to, to help make time pass faster. And I had three flights to endure.


However on the first two flights (we had the same people on the plane as the first stop was just for the plane to refuel) I was really lucky with who I was sitting with. I was sitting between these two really lovely guys and we had a great time chatting about various subjects. And they were both really buff, so that meant their arms were pressed right against me on either side. Before you go ahead and think of something really dirty, I just made this comment because that meant I was snuggled in throughout the flight, which made it a whole lot comfy-er. They also let me rest my head and sleep on their arms, which was great, so I was able to catch a couple hours of much needed rest. It's funny that even thought they were complete strangers, we were all completely okay with the close proximity and even at one point I briefly woke up and realised that my head was resting on one of the guys heads and we were actually sleeping forehead to forehead. We must've looked like such an adorable couple- just saying. Anyway, the third and final flight was with a different crowd of people, but this time I had the window seat so I tried to use the wall to sleep on.

Overall, the journey was over 24 hours and I got back at 6am on Wednesday morning, where I was greeted by my mum and dad and as a special surprise, my nonna too. I was so excited to see my nonna, that I ran right up to her and gave her a massive hug, while trying not to crush her (she's 91 years old). So, first stop was at my nonna's for a cup of tea and to drop her back home, and then it was back to my parents house, which I guess is also mine. Whenever I think of "home", I still have the visual of my flat in Guildford, so it's strange that someone else is living there now. But entering my old room, I found that I had a book case that I inherited dumped in the middle of my floor, as well as another piece of furniture, so that was the rest of my day: rearranging my room and struggling to make things fit in and having to reorganise books and various objects I have accumulated throughout my life, as well as emptying my suitcase (hence, the "physically demanding day").  No wonder I pretty much passed out when it came to 4pm. My room is still looking like a tip, so I guess that will be my next task: cleaning my room.
Whoever said that when a kid returns to their parents after a long time, and the parents give them special treatment because they are excited to see them again... is a liar! I love my parents, they are the greatest, but they are treating me as if I've never left. No extra hugs, no extra kisses, no "you don't need to dry the dishes, you go and rest".


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