How Sydney helped make me an adult

There is a seminal memory I have of  Sydney. 

On a day off, I'd gone exploring Darlinghurst.  By mid afternoon I was in a cafe in Paddington, drinking coffee whilst writing on a scrap piece of paper. Who was the lucky recipient of this scribble? I was COMPLETELY focussed and attentive to the act of writing. And a mum, at least 2 kids, wearing clothes that implied she did more with her day than just go to the gym, but keeping "school pick up hours" came over to my table and said that I reminded her of her younger self. Bless. 

I was suprised to have this engaging mother tell me she recognised herself. That was the era, when I looked around open mouthed and dumb founded and couldn't imagine how I would ever be in a position to have a family/own a home. And here I am, 10 years on, with a child and a partner and a mortgage and for all I bellyache, I know I'm living it the dream. I got here in the end. I wasn't poor, but didn't understand the stage of life I was in. 

I can remember quizzing Nat extensively about all the places she lived in Sydney. Nat grew up there, spent teenage years in the North Coast NSW before an exchange in Brazil, went to Macquarie to study economics/law, deferring, dropping out, returning to complete Economics, travelling, working to save money, travelling, starting a business, travelling, working to save money, travelling and then escaping. This path led from Castle Hill area, the Macquarie University area (share housing in her student days) couch surfing, squatting in Redfern, living in St Peters until someone overdosed, heavily subsidised rent with a friendless alcoholic in Darlington , living with a partner in Newton, living in Newtown in a commercial premises that shouldn't have been residential with a soon to be ex friend, and finally living in a utopian sharehouse in Marrickville. Now she's in Petersham and gets to run the show.