Was That Valentine's Day?

Did Valentine’s Day come and go already? I really didn’t even notice. Will and I spent the day on a romantic, sensual trip to IKEA getting furniture for our tiny little one-bedroom apartment (albeit small, the cost of furniture still adds up!). We then went into the city to try and catch a movie, only to realize that the inner city on weekends is only populated by the two terrible T’s: teens and tourists. Only when seeing the large masses of overly mushy teens—the age group that Valentine’s Day was truly created for as an excuse to ask people out and set free one’s over-active emotions—did I remember the significance of the day.

I think one reason Valentine’s Day was further from my mind is because Will and I have spent the past two weeks in a ground-hog-day of Valentine simulation. Since arriving in Melbourne on Wednesday, February, 5th (two weeks today! Isn’t that crazy?) every day has been Valentine’s-like for us. We’ve been eating romantic dinners at cozy restaurants almost every night, going for long walks on the beach, and exploring this beautiful city together. Quite frankly, since we know no one else in Melbourne, there has been never-ending alone time—a fact that, when remembering how hectic things were before we left the States and how alone time was all I wanted, I am very thankful for.

But I’m also ready for the next item on my checklist: friends. Everything else has fallen nicely into place: cell phones—check! internet—check! apartment—check! job—uhhh…still working on. But friends? You can’t exactly go to IKEA and pick out a nice selection of friends to coordinate with your furniture. Or put in an application for a relationship that sounds like it would be just perfect for you—the right part of town, the right price range, close to the park... Not so much.

To be honest, I kind of don’t know how to go about meeting people here. In Atlanta I had Will’s already-established relationships and kickball as an entrance point into people’s inner circles. But here? I don’t play cricket, or Australian rules football, or rugby; only because kickball was barely a sport was I able to passably play. And I don’t have a job… yet. Or a church. Or many interests to note. And it’s not that people aren’t nice here—they are, extremely nice—but you can’t very well go up to a nice Australian on the street corner and randomly ask them to start hanging out with you on a regular basis.

Who knows—maybe “job” and “friends” will go hand in hand. And maybe if I want friends badly enough I’ll try a little harder on the job front??? (yes, that deserved triple question marks) And let it be said that I have not reached any point of desperation… I’m merely thinking through the scenarios and wondering how to go about checking off the next item on my list (in an overly public forum where who-knows-who is reading, but whatever).

But until then, never-ending Valentine’s Days are kind of nice. In fact, I’m extremely grateful to have someone who I love so much to share all of these days with. And when it finally comes time to check off that last elusive item, I’ll be reminded that, once again, my best friend was here with me all along.