Goodbyes

Today I leave a country where I have grown up. 

I leave a country where I have reached adulthood, whilst reaching maturity itself is an argument for another time. I leave a place where I have learned love and experience heartbreak, grown into roles that I did not know I could grow into, reached personal achievements, and tasted failure. I leave friends behind, and memories of a time and place that even now, perhaps are no longer applicable, except to memories themselves, of smiles and laughter, of the different friendship circles and the different people I was and carry within. 

This country has sheltered me in its warmth, rebuked me in its cold, and enriched me with the different experiences I have gained.

I am saying goodbye to an old friend, one who has watched over me in the years that I have spent here, but one who knows that it is time for us to part and move on.

I will miss you, Melbourne.

You, and all you contain.

Part of my heart will always be with you.