It was a day filled with heartfelt goodbyes, physically and spiritually, and thus, the beginning of a new chapter. The days leading up had been heavy—those slow, hard-to-move-through kind of days. But as I like to say: a busy day is a depressed girl’s best friend. Maybe not universal advice, but it works for me.
Friday morning, I finally dragged myself out of bed and dove into the packing I’d mostly been avoiding. I’m one of those people who can’t put anything away until it’s time to put everything away. That said, the pre-cleaning I’d done earlier in the week helped, and surprisingly, I didn’t struggle much deciding what to leave behind. (RIP to my favorite €3 secondhand jeans that ripped two weeks ago—heartbreak is real.)
Just as I was playing backpack Tetris, a package I’d ordered nearly a month ago arrived: a goodbye gift for Toby and Sarah. It was a print of a photo I took of them in the ocean at sunset. I could’ve ordered it quicker elsewhere, but I wanted to test out a print company I’m considering using for my own future shop. (Spoiler: the quality was great—stay tuned.)
Now that I had the print, I needed a frame. So I zipped up my bag and headed out, passing the two places that had become my Seaford staples. First: the 18-eightyeight café, where I handed over my old camera to Simon, the owner. His daughter’s getting into photography, and since I’d just upgraded to a new camera, I figured mine might be of use to someone still learning. Saying goodbye to him—and to the friendly crew who had kept me hydrated and fed while I journaled and edited—was harder than I thought. Funny how attached we get to the smallest rituals.
Next stop: the Spanish Bar. Even before I stepped in, I was already teary. Janae was behind the bar, Conor came out from the kitchen, and my heart sank a little. I’m so grateful to have worked here the past two months. It funded my new camera, sure, but more than that—it gave me purpose, community, rhythm. I got to know the regulars, learned their orders (eventually), and shared bits of life with my coworkers. Conor and I had grown especially close—one of those work friendships that somehow digs a little deeper. We stood outside during his smoke break, watching the infamous ducks waddle by. “I hate those ducks,” he muttered. I smiled. I’d gotten them tattooed on my arm a week earlier.
Eventually, I caught the train to Frankston, picked up the frame, and swapped my Aussie dollars for Indonesian rupiahs. Back home—well, not really home anymore—I slipped the print into its frame. It looked beautiful. I couldn’t wait to give it to them.
With my packing done, I threw on a hoodie and caught a train to the city to meet Kai. We had met at the start of my time in Melbourne and swore we’d hang out more, but life slipped past us. Still, we managed to fit in one last catch-up. We ate, wandered around his campus, and talked about everything that had changed since we last saw each other. He’s planning on going to Europe soon, so I promised to show him around Belgium and to meet in Denmark with our mutual friends.
That evening, I met Hannah for a final goodbye. In such a short time, she’s become a close friend—one of those rare connections that feels old and effortless, even though it’s new. We talked for hours. I won’t get into the details, but by the time the sun started going down, we knew it was time to say goodbye. For someone who leaves everything behind every couple of weeks, I’m terrible at goodbyes. They make me uncomfortable and I never know what to say. “See you later” feels dishonest. “It was nice to meet you” feels insufficient. “Have a good life” sounds… final. So, we said all of them, hugged once, then again, then one more time. We took some selfies—”I need a picture so I won’t forget what you look like”, Hannah jokes.
At 9 PM, I arrived at the Daniels’ house. Clem and Rupert were already in bed, but Sarah woke them up—they wanted to say goodbye. On my bed was a card and a boomerang keychain. “I put in a boomerang, because they always come back and we hope you do too“, signed by Sally, Daisy’s grandmother. I clipped it to my backpack immediately.
I talked with Clem and Rupert until their mom told them to go to bed. They said it would feel weird waking up without me there. I said I’d miss them—and I meant it.
Later, I brought the framed print upstairs for Sarah. Toby was away with Morris, but she sent him a photo. We talked for hours before deciding we should try to sleep. The alarm was set for 4 AM and Sarah was driving me to the airport.
The next morning came far too quickly. At 4AM, we were up and on our way—Sarah driving, Daisy in the passenger seat. The car ride to the airport was quiet—both Daisy and me slept some more. When we got there, I hugged them both and, of course, thanked them for everything. I told Daisy she has to come to in Bali. It still felt like I would see her again the next day. I was probably too tired to really grasp it all.
I told her I’d miss her. Then they left, and I cried a little.
OK, we’re back!
So we’re a little bit behind with the blog because I didn’t have my laptop with me the last week. I have been in Indonesia the last week and oh boy, do I have a lot to write about!
It has been busy and I am EXHAUSTED so I’m taking a few days to rest and write and edit—So there’s a lot to come!
Thank you all for being patient with me and still being here! (Btw it’s almost my 6 months travel anniversary!)
-Cels xxx
CelsAway 
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