Where the hell is Andrew...

After 2.5 years away and traversing across fifteen countries; enduring countless train and bus journeys; lodging a mostly futile four insurance claims; squatting on peoples couches and floors; living from little more than my backpack in the homes of puritanical Christians, secular Jews, Kashmiri Muslims, and beached whales from NZ -- I'm finally 'home', in outer suburban Keysborough, Melbourne, Australia... [n.b. a slightly self-disbelieving sigh...]

After living in both 1st, 2nd, and 3rd world countries (sometimes literally within metres of each other); after debating the dynamics of three disputed regions; pressurising my lungs at both the highest and lowest places on earth; exploring the consolations and contradictions of five faiths; celebrating numerous religious traditions; persisting through twelve months of IT contracting in London; gaining friends from five continents; celebrating four amazing weddings (but luckily no funerals!); falling in love with one girl; attempting to learn two foreign languages and persisting with one; nearly converting to a different religion; losing five kilograms (argh!); taking 6000+ photographs; writing 38 blog entries; acquiring anecdotes that will hopefully be told only sparingly;... after all that... I've finally arrived home... ["that reminds me about another time when I arrived home..."]

Having been a tourist in foreign lands for so long, I now feel like a tourist with déjà vous in my homeland. I should be staying here, and leading a normal life -- But I won't be doing that... I'll be leaving again just after Christmas. There is something I've forgotten. I'm not sure what it is yet... but I'll find out. Maybe it's that Masters Degree I set out to achieve but never got around to doing; perhaps I miss the always lively London; or perhaps there simply isn't enough passion and conflict as found in Israel; or possibly I just miss their hummus. It's been one amazing journey, and I can't wait for it to [continue / begin again / stop / never cease].

My latest 5 diary entries

21 photos
	16th Jul 2007 - 20th Oct 2008
	Whimpering under the duvet.
	My time in London wasn’t interesting to the casual observer (nor to the keen observer!), as I was mostly sucked into the world of IT contracting. I experienced the ‘rite of passage’ for many young Australians past ...
		368 Words \| 118 Reads	Read more

13 photos
	5th Apr 2007 - 15th Jul 2007
	Some remaining thoughts/memories of Israel
	As many of you know, I became slightly fascinated with Israel (understatement!) – the people, culture, religions, conflicts. I can now watch SBS World News Australia with a slightly different perspective when infor...
		285 Words \| 73 Reads	Read more

27 photos
	4th Mar 2007 - 4th Apr 2007
	Jerusalem, if I forget you...
	The Old City within Jerusalem is perhaps the most hotly contested, politically charged and religiously sacred places on earth - by far. Considered central to all three monotheistic beliefs, Jerusalem's history cont...
		817 Words \| 231 Reads	Read more

17 photos
	24th Feb 2007 - 3rd Mar 2007
	A holiday from my holiday: Austria
	A bunch of my friends from Melbourne, who currently live in the UK, were keen on a winter holiday in Europe, and I... well, I was only to keen to have a holiday from my holiday. The timing was impeccable: after 12...
		524 Words \| 92 Reads	Read more

25 photos
	2nd Feb 2007 - 23rd Feb 2007
	Breath in, breath out... the complexities of Israel.
	I could blame it on laziness, and I'm sure it's a contributing factor. But predominately, the reason behind this four month delay in writing a blog about Israel is something else: how can I write about a place that...
		1487 Words \| 139 Reads	Read more

This blog has 38 diary entries. You can see them all on the diary page