Family Reunion in Melbourne

I knew since before I left for Vietnam that I would be able to see my mum, brother, John and sister, Kirsty again. All together in Melbourne for my cousin, Andrea’s, wedding. It came at the perfect time, just one week and a half after Tet so I only had to endure a few more days at work before I was off again.

I was so excited to see everyone! Even my other cousin, Chris who is living in Spain, was going to be there. I went to work on the Wednesday morning for just one class then I was free. I speeded home, had a quick gym session, double checked my bed, cleaned my room and I was off – 3hours early – to the airport. When I got there, the check-in desk hadn’t even opened yet. But I was worried as I had booked my 4 flights through a third party websites and I’ve hear some horror stories. Nevertheless, it was a smooth encounter. I got my window seat, whizzed through security and customs and was sat reading for a few hours before my connecting flight to Singapore where I was to spend a 6-hour layover.

Once in Singapore, I decided that I had enough time to leave and re-enter the airport in order to get two more stamps on my passport - sad I know, but I wanted to past the time. After that, I hung around Terminal three where all the entertainment is. I got some ‘street food’, swathe butterfly kingdom, browsed through the shops and got a foot painful foot massage from the various machines dotted about the airport. I had about 3 hours to pass when I decided to head to T2, set up a perch to charge my phone and read my book under a blanket. I was obviously the first one at the gate, but armed with my snack I was quite content sitting there by myself.

Getting there:

Finally, it was time to board at 00:50. Armed with my blanked, eye mask and aisle seat, I fell asleep for the majority of the 8-hour flight. However, I was horrified when I discovered that Scoot Air don’t offer complimentary food. Nevertheless, once we arrived in Melbourne, I was on a mission to get out of the airport asap, to get the bus to St Kilda to meet John. I had my visa and passport ready, and was filling out the immigration card as I walked. I stopped to print my signature beside a table then scooted off once the paper work was down. As I got through the electronic security system, I felt quite empty. As I walked along, smiling at the security guard, I all of a sudden realised that I no longer had my carryon trolley!

I had left it when I signed my signature! Panicking, I turned to the security guard and explained what happened. A woman on the other side of security offered to look for it as I couldn’t go back through the gate. Unfortunately, she couldn’t find it, she explained that if a case is left, it’s often taken by security as it can be suspicious. She advised me to check with lost property and then with customs, as they probably took the case. I was more worried that someone else took it, so I rushed through, wandering about the airport to find lost property. They didn’t have it, so I went to customs and explained my stupid error. Everyone I had encounter in Australia had been so pleasant and helpful; a breath of fresh air after the rudeness of staff in Asia. The man at Customs made some phone calls and informed me that security had my case – Thank God! I had to wait around 40 minutes for them to scan the case to make sure it wasn’t anything of risk and then I was back on track!

I purchased my Sky Bus ticket (19 $) to St Kilda. I had 7 minutes to catch the next bus and the stop at T4 was a five-minute walk away so I ran – I wasn’t waiting anymore. I got one the bus and was greeted by a friendly driver to told me where to get off. The bus had Wi-Fi so I was able to explain the situation to John and arranged where to meet. I was dropped off at Carlisle Street. Our Airbnb was on Balaclava Road, about a 20 minute walked. So instead of faffing about with tram tickets, I decided to walk in the sun, down the cute street lines with bungalows and cute cafes and shops. Australia was looking great so far – everyone was so kind and helpful, and the streets were adorable!

I eventually reached the address, I stood outside looking for the front door when I heard a familiar voice call my name. John! I hadn’t seen him in almost a year! We made our way to the apartment and sat catching up. I was exhausted so I went for a nap while he went off to the beach. A couple of hours later and we were reunited on our way to a park to meet my cousin and her friends for a picnic.

Pic Nic:

Mum and Kirsty were arriving late that night and Chris missed his connection so was going to be late. I had last seen my cousin, Andrea, at Christmas last year, but it was so nice to see her again! She had friends from Aus, South Africa and Scotland at the picnic. We drank beer and wine and ate some snacks that people brought. Once it got dark, we headed back to Andrea and Seb’s to continue the catch up. John and I got home around midnight and mum and Kirsty were due to land around 1am, meaning they would get to the flat around 2. We were both too drunk to stay up, so I went for a nap and set an alarm.

I never woke up by my alarm, I weirdly knew to get up. Just as I got out of bed there was a knock at the door! It was mum and Kirsty! Perfect timing. John didn’t even stir in his sleep! We helped them in with the masses of luggage that they both had and sat down with a tea for a catch up. It was so nice. I hadn’t seen Kirsty since December and I hadn’t seen mum since August! The last time all four of us were together was probably in May the year before! It was great being back together.

The next day we had a lie-in then headed to St Kilda centre for lunch. We stopped at a fish place called Tommy’s where we had fish and chips, sea food salad and calamari. It was amazing! Such a nice change from Asian food for 8 months. We then walked around some more with John pointing out the sites. Then we headed to the beach for a couple of hours before we were reunited with my cousin, Chris, and Seb. We all had a few drinks together in different cool bars along the Esplanade. I hadn’t seen Chris in about five years, so there was a lot to catch up on.

Wedding Day:

We headed home reasonably early so we could organise for the early start on Saturday morning. We were all up around 7 or shortly after, taking turn to shower and use the mirror. Miraculously, we were all ready ad out on time. We were even the first ones at the Town Hall! We took our places and waited for the other guests to arrive. The ceremony was lovely. My cousin and her fiancé had decided to keep it casual with nothing too fancy and only 15 guests. Once they had said their vows and were pronounced husband and wife, we were free for a couple of hours before going to Riva at St Kilda Marina for the reception.

We walked about Melbourne city centre, stumbling on the designer street. For once, we fitted in as we were wearing fancy dresses and heels. It was a beautiful day with the sun shining. All aboard a taxi, John, Kirsty, Chris, mum and I all headed to Riva. It was gorgeous. The sea side backdrop and fancy décor was beautiful. It was a free bar for 5 hours so you can imagine that us scots made use of that. Various appetisers came out to keep us satisfied and we even had a couple of Scottish songs on to show off our ceilidh dancing followed by a few speeches from my mum and Andrea’s friends. It was so much fun and we managed to meet everyone at the reception!

At 7 it was time to leave. I don’t know if it was the heat, the alcohol, the early start, the jet leg or a combination of all four but we were exhausted. We can a quick Uber back to the apartment where we all has a nap. We woke up a couple of hours later, ready to go out but everyone at the wedding party had gone home by 9. Despite john complaining that it was his first Saturday night spent in since May, we all made use of the time and recovered to avoid the hangover the next day.

BBQ:

On Sunday, Andrea had invited us all round for a BBQ at her place at 3. The four of us got up and walked to the grassy part by Luna Park at St Kilda centre. We got a couple of sandwiches and sat chatting in the sun. we arrived at Andrea’s for 3 and were stunned by the amount of food she had prepared. The barbeque was delicious! And our wines and beers were constantly being topped up. As the night went on we started telling ghost stories then playing Cards Against Humanity, an interesting game choice when your mother is present. And as most drunken nights’ end, the political debates arouse, indicating that it was time to go home.

Last Day:

On Monday, we had to be out of the Airbnb by 11, but John told mum that it was 10 so we wouldn’t be late (a clever decision). We dropped off our luggage at Andrea’s then went for a walk and a coffee around the town. We met up with Andrea again at Lentil, a vegan restaurant where there are no prices; you pay what you think the meal was worth. I got a delicious vegetable curry, and the other orders looked great too!

From there, we hopped on a tram to Esplanade where we entered the Street Eats food market. By that point the sun came out and we stayed there for a couple of hours chatting with Andrea and Seb.

By 6 it was time for mum, John and Kirsty to catch their bus to the airport. My flight was later than theirs but I didn’t want to wander about alone in Melbourne with all my luggage so I decided to go with them. We said our farewells to Andrea and Seb, and Chris who we will see in Summer. Andrea says she’ll be back in Scotland for Christmas, so it shouldn’t be long until our next reunion.

At the airport, Mum and co. organised all of their things and were ready to go. It was an emotional goodbye but I knew that I would see Kirsty in Dubai when I head home and I told mum id see her in May – only 2 months! John, on the other hand, I have no idea when I’ll next see him. But I know I’ll be back in Aus at some point soon, and we see each other’s lives on social media so he doesn’t seem far at all.

A few hours later, I had finished my book and was ready to board. Luckily I got a window seat and an empty space in the middles. I slept like a baby! In Malaysia, I bolted through the connections line and was waiting for my flight back to Ho Chi Minh City with plenty of time to spare. I arrived back home, had a 2 hour nap and was back at work in the afternoon.

What a trip! It flew by. It was amazing to see the whole family again, not to mention see and new country and new continent! I know I’ll be back soon. Now, I can’t wait to go home, back to Scotland. It’s the home stretch now. Seeing the family and being on holiday has made going back to work even more difficult but it’s only 4 more weeks until I see mamor in Malaysia! The countdown is on!

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