Sydney Life

Gentle readers, I understand you have been upset by my absence. Indeed, it has been some time since I have written to you. But lo, there is a reason. For I have suffered from the most ravenous of plagues. It is true – my normally cast-iron constitution has let me down, and I have been beset and ravaged by a host of diseases, and disgustingly enormous nosebleeds. Worst of all, I was bereft of any parental help – a babe alone in the wilderness, as the cruel world closed upon me. Let me set the scene…

Slightly over two weeks ago, my parents abandoned me. Off to New Caledonia, to sample that wonderful Melanesian-cum-French culture. Assuming my beloved and I could handle the house by ourselves, we cheerily waved them goodbye and took control. All was going swimmingly, until I went to uni the next morning. While I was in the hallowed aisles of Fisher, looking for a variety of books which, of course, were not available (I blame mature age students, they seem to take all the good books before I can get to them). Suddenly, racked with pains of the head, I raced home in search of Panadol. Unfortunately, what started off as a headache quickly worsened into serious shakes and all over body aches. So bad was the pain, my beloved rang her mother, a trained nurse, in order to establish whether it was worth going to the doctor. Needless to say, over the next week and a half, I suffered from the mother of all infections. You name it, I got it. Colds, headaches, flu, conjunctivitis. Everything under the sun.

Taking a few days off lectures, I couldn’t forget assignments, and I battled through. I think the climax came when I decided to return to uni, only to sneeze in an Arab studies lecture, which resulted in a nosebleed so bad I felt faint for the rest of the day. Needless to say, a trip to the doctor followed soon after, and with all the bedside manner of an angered rhino, he inserted a chemical-laced metal spike into my nostrils to cauterise the broken capillaries. Not an experience I would recommend anyone having, if you can help it. Thankfully, I survived. I managed to get all my assignments done, and while I may have lost some of my brain in the bloody mess, at least I’m still mostly in one piece at the other end.

The experience certainly did make me think. If it hadn’t been for my beloved looking after me, I don’t know what I would have done. Without parents, there was too much to do at home, too little time, and I was far too sick. Cooking, cleaning, and taking out the garbage are absolutely no fun when you’ve got a pounding headache. So, for those of you living at home still – be glad there are parents and other family members to lighten the load for you. I don’t do an awful lot of house work (I like to think I’m too cerebral, but “too lazy” is probably more apt), but even amongst those who take their fair share of the work, the prospect of managing a house by yourselves really is forbidding. To those of you living at college – just be glad you don’t have to cook for yourselves. It really takes up an awful lot of time. And finally, to those of you who live either by yourselves, or in a share house – I commend you. My hat comes off. Truly an amazing achievement. How you can manage to take care of everything a working house needs, find time for assignments, friends, and going to the pub – well, it’s just amazing.
P.S.
To my beloved who looked after me while I was sick, the biggest thanks in the world. I couldn’t have done it without you.