I've pretty much become used to living in the US instead of Australia. I still, occasionally, awaken in a cold panic with a 'what the hell have I done?' feeling and, on a more practical note, I still occasionally have to force myself to remember that I really do drive on the right hand side of the road now.
Melbourne doesn't quite feel like home anymore and Phoenix does feel like home.
In short, it's pretty much as I imagine most immigrants feel; friends and familiarity pulling in one direction; friends and family pulling in the other.
Yesterday Australia conducted another census. We (they) do it every 5 years and I've always enjoyed filling out the forms. Last census (2001) there was a box to check which enabled the release of all personal information in the year 2101. If I'm not dead by then I'll want to know the reason why! I was perfectly happy to check that box; any poor bastard who wants to know about me 100 years hence is welcome to the information!
But of course, in the 2006 census I won't be counted. You can fill the form out online[^] this time around but I can't because I don't have the paper forms delivered to an address in Australia and you need two unique numbers printed on those forms to proceed!
There's an unoffical census[^] for the million of us living outside Australia; I've filled that out but it has no official standing.
22 days away from my naturalisation interview to become a US citizen and it takes not being included in the Australian Census to really bring it home that I'm neither micklin nor mucklin right now!
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