Nine years in Australia

Belonging Between Shores

Nine years ago, I landed at Sydney Kingsford Smith airport with a rucksack on my back. I always choose a backpack over a suitcase on wheels - easier to pack fast, easier to move, no stairs slowing me down. Two years tops, I told myself. Like I always did when moving somewhere new. But I stayed. It’s been nine years, and I’ve hardly noticed.

Australia has been the closest thing to home outside my home of origin, Estonia. It has wrapped its arms around me and shown me who I am.

Here, I made so many of my dreams come true: starting my entrepreneurial path, writing and getting published in English, hosting workshops in front of a live audience. Here, my relationship grew. Here, my daughter was born. And somewhere in the depths of the ocean lies a little ball of fur — my hair. Creepy, if you think about it.