House hunting for the day is done. Everyone is at work at the moment and there’s no way I’ll be getting a response anytime soon from any of the people I emailed throughout the day. There were a few more whom I had reached out to. My day continues on as I wrap up my projects. It’s a bittersweet feeling. More importantly, my 25th birthday is just around the corner. The last one in NZ, I say to myself rather dramatically.

I invited some of my closest friends, or at least they were at the time. I guess as life goes, people grow and do their own things and friendships drift. There’s only so much you can do to keep someone in your life. If they aren’t willing to stay, you can’t really force them to stick around. It’s better to let go, which is easier said than done. But how was I to know that that’s how things were going to turn out. Nonetheless we partied; the last time I was celebrating my birthday with my close friends and family. Until that year I’d wished to celebrate my birthday in a different country or at least city, with every passing year that seemed to diminish. However, things were going to change as the following year I’d be in Sydney, celebrating my birthday in a new country and city.

The start of November also meant that my time in New Zealand was winding up. I was moving in 5-days. Was I ready for this? I searched through my contacts to find someone whom I could talk to, to share what I was feeling and I just didn’t know whom to reach out to. It was something I had to face on my own and give myself a pep talk on. You must be ready to face challenges head on.

I’d been in touch with Rebecca and she had said she’d wait till I had a chance to see the place before she made her decision. Suhana had requested that we Skype, that way I can at least see the place through her phone lens. We decided the evening of the 2nd of November.

Here we are again, kind of like a déjà vu. Sitting in front of my laptop with my Skype open waiting for Suhana to message me. “Hey Mili, ready when you are” I get an IM on Skype. “Me too” I respond and hit the video call button. Suhana answers. She wasn’t who I was picturing her to be. She’d just come home from work, which was evident. She had her work attire on, a shirt which needed the top button to be buttoned up, her blazer and I’m not sure whether she was wearing pants or skirt. Her lipstick was a dark purple colour and her palate of make up not blended in well. Again, not being judgemental, but there’s only so much I know about make-up and fashion and when I saw that, it screamed disaster. I can understand wanting to experiment but this was a whole new level. Her Internet connectivity wasn’t strong so the video was quite pixelated. She introduces me to Jack (the guy I’d be sharing the ensuite with) and to Alice, the girl who’s setting off on her travels.

Suhana continues to chat with me as she shows me around the apartment. I get the sense that there would be a rift between us. Handy tip when looking at flatting, more than liking the apartment make sure you like your flat mate. Because if they aren’t the best you’ll be living in hell. Trust me, I know. I also enquire about everyone’s work times and we would all be leaving around the same time, which would make it hard in the mornings to get ready. We finish the tour and I tell her I’ll think about it and get back with an answer in the next day or two. I had very few apartments shortlisted to view once I was in Sydney but I knew Suhana’s apartment wasn’t going to work out for more reasons than just one.

I open up my suitcase and my closet and start to pack. I’m not even sure what to take and what not to take. I take enough clothes and items to last me 6-weeks as I was coming back for the Christmas break. I can take more stuff with me then.

Before I knew it, the day had come, 6th of November 2015. The day I was leaving New Zealand to go and set myself up and settle down in a new country. The year 2015 had been a year when a lot of my friends were taking off and there were a lot of teary airport good byes. I thought maybe some of my friends would turn up. They didn’t. I told myself that it was unrealistic expecting people to turn up at the airport to say good-bye given your flight is so early in the morning.

We arrive in Sydney, tired as hell following an early morning flight.