Three weeks ago I was in India expecting to spend the rest of the year backpacking through the Middle East and northern Africa, and then all of a sudden due to unforeseen and very sad circumstances I was back in Australia without a house, a job, or a single clue about what I was going to do with myself. It was a pretty wild few weeks and it felt like my life was turned completely upside-down; I guess that’s just the way that shit works sometimes.

The first couple of weeks back in Australia seemed bizarre and directionless but a plan is starting to form, and I’m beginning to feel like I’m reclaiming a bit of control. Next week I’m starting a job that’s very new for me and even more exciting: tutoring a bunch of first-year students at university. The subject I’m teaching is really cool and I’m lead to believe that the lattes sold on campus are of an acceptable quality. Boxes ticked. As a casual job it’s only one piece of my total employment jigsaw puzzle but I’m working on some ideas for getting the other pieces pushed into place soon.

The only catch is that I’m going to be doing a lot of commuting on a weekly basis — we’re talking many hours in each direction. On buses and trains. It’s a bit of a burden but it’s something I’ve taken on willingly, and if I close my eyes, push myself up against the wall, and dream of the smell of sewerage, it’ll feel just like being on public transport back in India.