Is it really June again?

Well it’s June again. I suppose I should try to blog at least once!

Life, as always, has been unpredictable. I live in a developing country where the minimum wage is a little over $2.30 an hour, but it is also often said that this country is the ‘happiest place in the world’. Meanwhile, in Australia, there is a cost of living crisis, fuel prices are out of control, many workplaces are undergoing hiring freeze and staffing cuts, and there is a general malaise about the immediate future.

I don’t have a lot of time left here, and I have started applying for jobs back in Australia. And it’s strange - life here is often relaxed but also sometimes frustrating, stressful and challenging in all the ways that one would expect living in a developing country.

But as much as I am very keen to resume my previous life in Australia, it’s also become a growing cause of angst - getting a job, finding a place to live, having a mode of transport, staying socially connected. And all this whilst trying to live within my means.

Just thinking about it all is stressful - and compared to life here, it’s a very different kind of stress. First world problems. I used to be so dismissive of the idea of first world problems, especially when considering how little so many people in the world have.

I suppose privilege still has a cost but it’s an odd burden to bear.