By the time I reached twenty-one, I had returned to Australia and taken up my place at university. Shortly before his death, my father purchased a two-bedroom unit for me that was within walking distance of the campus and I began the slow process of re-acclimatisation.

It felt odd to be surrounded by the English language after so long in Spain and it felt odd to be considered a Pom by my fellow-Australians. I had been gone so long that my Aussie accent had disappeared completely. I...