guest blogger series ~ Lisa, from Dreaming of Palm Trees

I am over the moon that Lisa agreed to make time in her hectic schedule to write me a guest blogger post (I'm also touched that she's offered me some specific advice on my Australian move)!  Lisa, along with her sisters Claudia and Karina, writes the fabulous blog Dreaming of Palm Trees.  I highly suggest checking out, among other things, their various party photos (they're always hosting/going to fun looking parties) and reading up on the movie they're doing.

**********************************************************************************

{image taken from here}

Homesickness is a feeling that can strike you at any moment, even when you're least expecting it. Very recently, my parents went on a month long vacation and while they were away, asked me to go to their house to check their mail and water their plants. No problem, I said, despite it being about a 45 minute train ride each way. The first two weeks of doing so were fine though. I would take the train either after work or on a Saturday morning to do as they asked, watering their plants and checking their mail. One time, I even raided their pantry to take home loads of paper towels, toilet paper and napkins (my parents shop at Costco). Going to their house wasn't so bad after all! 

However, the last time I was there, as I put my key into the doorway and entered the apartment, I realized the apartment no longer had that "mom and dad" smell. That smell that is a mixture of home cooked food lovingly prepared by my mother, incense burned by my hippie dad, and a hint of my mother's perfume. Instead the apartment smelled... like nothing. As a result of my parents being gone for over three weeks, their smell had somehow faded. That's when I couldn't help but feel like a panicked little kid missing their mom and dad. I had just spoken to them on the phone before getting to their place, so I knew everything was okay but somehow I still felt anxious and sad. Here I was at 29 years old, and all of a sudden homesick. 

So in typical melodramatic fashion, I went to their closets to wallow in my sad feeling. First I went to my dad's closet, the smaller of the two. There were all of his nice shirts hanging and next to them on a shelf, a pile of baseball caps he likes to wear. In my mother's closet, everything was perfectly organized and categorized. Above her shelf, along with her hanging necklaces and her boxes of jewelry, is a framed picture of her and my dad, a photo that was taken many years ago before they had my older sister. They look as happy back then as they are today, some 35 years later. 

As I continue running my hands along everything, I take a deep breath in and realize how lucky I am. I appreciate my parents so much and in this moment, standing in my mother's closet, I think about how much I miss them and how excited I am to see them in a few weeks. I stand there thinking about this for a few more moments counting my blessings before I realize it's getting late and I have to make it back to Brooklyn. On my way out, I call my parents to let them know that everything at the house looks good and as soon as I hear their voices, the homesickness is gone and I feel whole again.

If there's one piece of advice I can give you while you embark on this amazing Australian adventure it is to be open! Smile at strangers, laugh a lot even when you're not feeling that cheerful. And if you get homesick while you're gone, always know that everything is temporary and life moves so quickly. So appreciate the opportunity you have and the awesome country you are in. You will go home eventually and when you're finally back in Canada, you will undoubtedly miss your time in Australia, so make sure to soak everything in. And obviously, keep a journal and take lots of photos. :)

I wish you an amazing and safe trip! Can't wait to hear all about it.