Everybody Knows

Well-

As of this morning one of my best friends has left to attend School of Creative Arts, by Monday another friend shall be off to Uni to study nursing, within the coming weeks yet another friend will be moving to Brisbane to study art. By July I'm sure there will be lots of homes and towns with spaces left by those who have moved onto the more adventurous exciting time in their lives.

And in a few months I myself will be moving to Japan to teach English before returning to Australia to also attend School Of Creative Arts.

We live in these houses with these same people for eighteen years of our lives (some of us a little longer) and then we all move on so easily. We leave behind the daily routines of family house hold living, social norms and the formality's and culture we've come to associate with this place called "Home". In no way do I condemn or judge those who take flight so easily and flutter off to a new world, heaven knows I'm probably one of the biggest ones, I simply make the observation that it seems so easy.

I know the cliche that we'll miss what we once had, but is that really how it works? Will I miss the everyday ins and outs of my Crescent Street residence? The place that I have called "Home" all my life. Or will I simply embrace my new life, new "home"and new friends with only a "here and there", "Every now and then" thought for what I left behind?

For now I seem to miss everything and everyone even though I havn't set foot outside my door yet (metaphorically speaking ofcourse) yet I'm also excited to venture off into the unkown.

Like the rest of my genereation I'll set off on this voyage, to make my own way, each of us wondering "I wonder what that girl is doing with herself now?" "I wonder if that guy is fighting the same struggles as me now". I also can't help but wonder if people have come to realise yet that all that stock they put into their highschool careers, their social standing and their popularity have all been washed away with the tides of change. As they say "you can't take popularity with you". And its now that we'll look back realise what we can take with us...memories, theyre the only thing that can last as long as us, memories of our "ups, downs and....all arounds", of what we've learned from those we've grown with. Memories of the jokes and the sense of humour that only youre friends get. Memories, simply reflections of a lifetime spent training, growing and waiting for this moment, and somewhere in there living life can be found aswell.

As we embark I'm sure in one way or another we'll come home, back to the same port. As easily as we left we'll slip back into the fold of whatever small town or big city we emerged from, stylistically and mentally changed we'll play the returned celebrity, learned and opinionated secretly cherishing the arms of those we've yearned for, for so long now.

Yes, I think I'll miss it, Ill miss my home, and I'm sure I'm not alone in that way of thinking. Even though eventually we do class ourselves as independent, I dont think we ever really are, we operate on what our parents have taught us, and last by savouring the gentle memories of sturdier times.

Vanaka.