Arrived

At least physically, certainly not mentally. The head definitely not yet. At the moment, automatism or pragmatism rules, the list that had to be worked through. I still haven't fully realized what's happening. The last week in Essen flew by. I had to pack the rest of my things, renovate the last bits and pieces in the apartment and then do a bit of work. Somehow an automatic reaction kicked in here too, unwinding. Monday: Go training once more, say goodbye to the faces you've seen for a year and haven't talked to each other much. I was already desperate, desperately clinging to the familiar. I went back to the supermarket for sandwiches and sausage (I'll miss veal liver sausage) for a snack, one last time, this and that and home to the bare apartment. Tuesday: If your last conversation at work is with a patent attorney, then you might have done something right? Then back up the data, pass on the lab notebook and so on, and say goodbye. I was standing in the middle of the group and still thought someone else was leaving. Yeah blah blah blah super great haha, great speech man. I HATE TO TAKE FAREWELL, but I've experienced it differently before, it was really nice this time! I got a nice little case made of metal, I love little items like that. The case fits perfectly into my small collection, which I still have in my possession. Then, one last ride in this little blue elevator, still equipped with an ashtray, a relic from the 70s, just like me. Talk to Valeska in the office one last time. What a lump in my throat, that was really hard for me. Leaving. Handing over the apartment at a rapid pace, everything was perfect. It worked really well and after 30 minutes the spook was over, I've had other experiences. Thanks to everyone involved and to me and my handyman skills. Then Valeska picked me up and took me to the station. I could hardly get a word out on the journey, I was so exhausted inside, it sank in, get out, hug, leave, just don't turn around, don't think, let the automatism work. That was it. 18 months come to an end like that, farewell or goodbye?

Luckily I was already emotionally empty, otherwise I would have collapsed here at Essen station at the latest. Carrying my 2 heavy bags to the platform, booking the wrong train, canceling and getting another 8 of 30 euros back, cool, not paying attention, then getting on the right train and getting off at Frankfurt airport 2 hours later. For the first time in my life I took a luggage scale, as it turned out the next day, I had over 50 kg in my bags, the two large ones together were just under 40 kg. As I had a visitor coming, I still had time and walked towards Terminal 2 to have a look. That was just as well and in the meantime she arrived. My beloved ex-wife or ex-loved wife? Saying goodbye, she helped me take my bags to the hotel, on one of the weirdest cab rides I've ever had, then going out for a last meal and there I was, alone again. The next morning, check-in, the last pretzel, the last cappuccino, one last unfriendly service and a buttery smooth flight to Hong Kong. With plenty of space, sitting alone in my row, what a comfort. Overtired and 5 movies, all of which I didn't see in the theater, I got off later in the early morning. What does everyone have against Joker 2, great movie, I felt entertained. Then I had to wait a few more hours, luckily I found a Starbucks right at the departure gate. There I sat, watching jungle and waiting. The flight to Brisbane, Australia (yes, finally here, my destination!) was not quite so smooth, and there were a lot of people on the plane, but I was finally able to get some sleep. Hours later, landing approach and out to baggage claim. Somehow I was tired despite the sleep. I was a bit worried about the immigration process, we've probably all seen the relevant programs, but Welcome Mate, this way please!

After a short cab ride I was quickly at the hotel, bags thrown into the room and out to the Brisbane River to take photos. I was standing there in the warmth at night and someone was already standing next to me chatting to me. I would take some nice photos and there was already a group of 4 young people around me, slightly drunk but very interested. Where I come from, ah Germany, so yes there she was, Aachen and Amsterdam, very nice, but our breakfast, terrible. Mettbrötchen, how can you. What can I say, I have to agree! Had she ever heard of Mettigel? This cuisine in the Pott is really strange and not just that. Fortunately, I was then able to sleep. The next morning after the jungle show, which is 50 km away from me, I had a list to work through. I needed accommodation near my place of work, AirBnB makes it possible, I found what I was looking for, what I didn't expect was that I had to identify myself. I took a photo of my passport, which clearly stated that I no longer had an apartment. One hour of trembling and rejected. WTF. Okay, then with my passport and lo and behold, 1 minute later everything was verified. So much for the Trust blabla. And now? Right! First of all, coffee. They have really good ones here. Then sun cream! I also found it at the chemist and immediately checked to see if all the little things I've come to love were also available here. I'll probably have to switch to a different razor, no problem, but I couldn't find the heads for the toothbrush either, I'll probably have to import them or keep looking. It's important to me, since I've been using it, no more problems with my teeth (here's space for your advertising). I finally found the shopping street, which is not called Königsstraße here, but Queensstreet. Everything else was there. Found short-sleeved shirts, SIM card, bank account, health insurance, public transport card (thanks Valeska for the credit), applied for a tax identification number and so on. There was a reason why I settled in the center of the city to begin with, everything within walking distance, all done in one day. That's the way I like it. What struck me, I don't really understand this Queensland slang, not yet, they speak a different English here, but I had been warned it would be like this. Reminded me of an old employer of mine, Japanese with terribly bad pronunciation, took me a few weeks to understand him too, then it was no longer a problem. Nevertheless, I sat there, both on the phone and when opening the bank account, as if I was stupid, that's how fast it went, I understood so little. The first thing I did was to take the papers out of the bank employee's hand when I had signed them, just to skim through them. What had I signed? Similarly with the SIM card, then I changed everything, access data, credit card, etc. It all happened a bit quickly for me and I felt really overwhelmed. Then I went for a walk along the Brisbane River, 2 km a single promenade along the water, restaurant after restaurant, happy people everywhere, really beautiful. What struck me was that there were hardly any insects or other animals, although everyone has warned me how poisonous everything is supposed to be here. I haven't discovered anything yet. Probably the best tip was given to me by my beloved ex-wife: “When you cross the road, look to the right first”. A life saver when you're not dealing with a one-way street, these exceptional cases. I'm laughing right now. Back to the hotel and had something to eat, I actually wanted to go to the hotel gym, but I had already fallen asleep only to wake up again at 3 a.m. and have been sitting in bed in top shape ever since. Okay, I used the time for a small entry in the blog, I don't have to answer all the individual inquiries individually (why am I writing this thing here?). Why did you never get in touch before? However, I hope that the interest doesn't wane, even though this is a rather boring text, but emotionally I'm rather reformed at the moment, a lot of automatism and now anticipation. The only thing is, if I had known that helmets were compulsory on bikes here, I would never have emigrated here, but more about that soon, the important stuff, so I'm going to go pumping now (it's also anchored in my bio clock).