So, big news for my little site.
After 8 jam-packed years in Australia, Jeremy and I have decided to pack up our things and move to Brussels.
When I took leave of absence from the European Commission in 2014, I didn’t really have any idea what the future would hold. I don’t think I excluded the possibility of returning, I just decided to let life take me where it wanted. That was Melbourne, a Masters degree, a few years of freelancing and temping, a short stint working in a university and then 4 fantastic years helping to make Uniting what it has become – a leading community services organisation standing up for the people in this society that are most often overlooked.
Fundamentally COVID has changed everything. I want to be near the people I love most and enjoy the time we have left together. I want to be around history and languages, and be able to jump in a car and drive to 4 different countries within a couple of hours (one of the greatest things about living in Belgium!).
We have no long-term future in Australia, with no pathway for me to permanent residency. So it feels like now is the time to step into the next phase of our life.
We’ll be leaving in February, so there is still an Australian summer to enjoy. I will have a packed agenda of wine regions to visit (trying to tick off all the Victorian ones), restaurants to eat in (I can’t leave Melbourne without having been to Chin-Chin, right?!) and making sure I can see everyone I love here in Australia before we go.
So, with that news on the table, I’ll get back to the planning!
Welcome back, Antonia! Covid also changed our lives here, in Brussels!