This is a story about a little romance, a little adventure and how I came to live with The German while traipsing through Bali.
You know the type: acts really tough, plays a little hard to get, shies away from real commitment and loves her alone time. That type, is me. This type choice has saved me from a few wrecking balls, lost me some great catches and now brought me to The German. The German was great and pushing through my tough act attitude, and even better at making me want to share my time. The only hitch was, I already had my eyes set on Bali. My independent decision to jet, left us with only a few weeks to share our time until I shipped out from the Gold Coast on my solo adventure to Bali. As our weeks came to an end, The German and I agreed our time couldn’t end. So, as I boarded the plane to Bali, we logically decided to move into together when I returned in a month.
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| The new homestead - Gold Coast |
Upon arrival to Seminyak, Bali I quickly realized my month of solo Hobbs Nobbin’ adventuring was not going to go quite as planned. My mediation became impossible to concentrate on due to the giddy school girl inside of me screaming, “How totally rad is it that this super guy is waiting for you to come back to OZ!? Let’s stop this boring meditation and draw hearts.” Giddy school girls do not have the best vocabulary due to their bubbling excitement, so please refrain from judging my inner conversationalist. When I returned to my adult inner-conversationalist form, I realized my adventure is not meant to be as a solo traveler, but as a partner exploring this fantastical relationship awaiting me in Australia. After this revelation, a mere six days into Bali, I moved my flight up to hurry home to My German. Now, for all you independents out there, I still gave myself a full three weeks of playing time in Bali. For all you hopeless romantics out there, I thought about booking it for an earlier date, but had to keep true to my independent standards. I decided to keep the flight change a surprise for the German, and get back on track to my solo yoga adventure through Bali.
Now that I was back on track, my soul searching questions consisted of the standard: Who am I?; What are my life goals?; What is truly my favorite color?; Do I really want to be a vegetarian?; How much will it really cost to bring Marley to Australia? I tried to keep it to the important topics. What I actually found during my meditation was how much this whimsical romantic decision will impact my year abroad and my life for that matter. This Hobbs Nobbin’ Down Unda adventure I have set on will now change to Hobbs Nobbin’ with The German Down Unda, and along with that being a really long title, it just doesn’t have as nice of a ring to it. You can deduce that I immediately went into a panic mode, and my mediation with yoga became impossible all over again.
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| Hindu god: Ganesh at Yoga Barn |
By this point I was in Ubud, Bali and really getting into my yoga practice at Yoga Barn. I had achieved the enigmatic head stand, the occasional side-ways crow and feeling strength within my previously achieved poses that I didn’t think possible. But in this panic state, I became frustrated at my practice and then frustrated at myself for bringing my issues into my practice. God I am exasperating. Before you start questioning why I am spinning into a frenzy about having an amazing guy awaiting me with open arms in Australia, this panic did not come from my German love. The panic mode stemmed from, “What the hell do I have to bring to the table”? At this point I had almost gone through my travel funds. I did not have jobs contacts on the Gold Coast, they were in Melbourne. The one attempt I have taken to drive on the other side of the road was a disaster. My recipe book was not one of the 45 kilos I had packed, and really how the hell am I going to pay rent? This was uncharted territory for me, so I took 10 deep breaths and started to map out ideas and turned my emotional tailspin into logical reasoning. This is the stage I posted Stepping Out on Hobbs Nobbin’. I give a large credit to the environment majestical Ubud, Bali created for my mind to grow, learn and love. To continue giving credit where it is due, The German was fantastic about bringing me back down to earth during our email conversations. I accepted that I was no longer alone making a life for myself. The German and I were going to make this life together, as opposed to my traditional way of thinking that I needed to frame my picture perfect life.
Now that my spirit was full of life, love and the pursuit of happiness, my yoga practice fell into a beautiful arena. A common method in yoga is to concentrate on one emotion or mantra during class. Throughout my remaining time in Ubud, I began dedicating my practice to The German, and really just to happiness and love in general. Those of you who appreciate the art of yoga can relate to this, and those of you that are lost should just continue sipping on a cocktail. It’s time to change locations anyways.
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| Colorful Buddhas perched along an art gallery wall in Ubud |
My yoga high rolled with me right into my last stop, the small island of Nusa Lembongan. This was my final 10 day stretch before I headed home to surprise The German, and I felt my soul was due for a little party time. I arrived in Lemongan with open arms ready to welcome in new friends and fellow travelers. Leaving the boat behind, I skipped and whistled to the beat of “Here Comes the Sun..doo doo doo dah” in the direction of my Secret Garden bungalow. The only thing my open arms found were the stench of seaweed farming, an outdoor cold shower and disheartening desolate “roads”. Trying my damnedest, I perked up and got my mind right for the afternoon yoga class. As it turns out everything, including yoga, on this minute island was closed for business on Sunday’s. (Who knew, this tradition existed outside of the deep south?) I settled for a few Bintangs, and went to bed hoping to catch a better day with my open arms tomorrow. Praise Hindu God, the island’s pulse returned, and my arms welcomed in lovely friends, amazing adventures and tranquil naps in my hammock for the remainder of my island time. Nusa Lembongan was the perfect ending to my solo Bali trip, and really forced my mind to disconnect with the future and live in the now. Each day still involved yoga time, but it also involved an adventurous exploration and a fun dinner with friends.
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| View from the boat as I rowed up to Nusa Lembongan |
However, while I was living life in a tropical paradise, My German was undergoing knee reconstruction surgery to repair his torn ACL. Which one of us looks a little selfish in this scenario? I’ll give you a hint...she’s the one lying in a hammock. While everything with his surgery went beautifully, I could not help but feel like a selfish dirty hippy. This was just another reminder of the changes I needed to make to transfer away from “Hobbs’ Nobbin’: The Solo Adventurer”. The German did not seem to mind that I was not there to witness his first week of recovery, but I interpreted my feeling of wanting to be there as a confirmation that starting a Down Unda adventure with him was the right decision.
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| My garden bungalow is a step up from the moldy tent, huh? |
So after 3 weeks of yoga, Bali exploration and a great tan it was time to head home and surprise The German. I left Bali, ready to see and experience the next chapter of my life, but I was also incredibly nervous. I had been away from The German for 3 weeks, which is the equivalent amount of time we had spent together before I left. Even though I had decided to dive head first into this relationship, I began to wonder if he had changed his mind? Granted, he had not given me any reason to suspect this, but thats the thing about relationships...there’s no guarantee that they will work out. After 12 hours of traveling, a sleepless night on the plane and costume change in the Gold Coast Airport bathroom, it was time to go to my new home and surprise The German. Nausea, the shakes and nervous fidgeting were just a few of my symptoms as I stepped off the bus, and walked into our condo complex. The moment I stepped off of the elevator and into My German’s arms, all those symptoms melted away into pure bliss. Thanks to my 3 co-conspirators the surprise was a huge success, and The German could not have been more surprised and excited to have me back a week early.
Our story is still a new one, but its a happy story and the kind of story my tough act, alone time loving self always wanted. Who knows, what the future holds or where we will go. I do know that right now The German and I are having an amazing time living life, and that there are no solo adventures planned right now for this Hobbs Nobber.
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| "Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So...get on your way!" -Oh the Places You'll Go! |
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