It’s exactly one month today that I arrived in Australia. I haven’t written in my blog as much as I would like to because I’ve been busy getting myself sorted out, but I suppose that’s a poor excuse. Really, I could have easily taken the time. In Europe I wrote about every country that I visit on a weekly basis. However, I have a full year living in Oz, so my blog entries will be more spread out. So far I have visited 3 states including Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. While I am based in Surfers Paradise in the Gold Coast, I have explored a few major cities like Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. In addition, I’ve ventured to some of the country side to see some farm land and smaller towns such as Rushworth and Echuca. A lot has happened in each place but I will get into the details of that later on and reflect now a little bit on my experience as a whole.
When I decided to move to Australia I had a lot of questions that couldn’t be answered until I actually got there. While I felt pretty confident that I would enjoy myself in Australia, I’ll admit there was still that little bit of concern and worry that crept up on me before I left. I had questions like, will I fit in? It is after all a new culture in a new country on the other side of the world. I wondered if I would I find new friends easily or if I would just miss the strong connections I’ve already made with my friends back home? What about my boyfriend back in Canada, would I be sad without him or would I be just fine? Would I feel homesick, missing my family and then question why I even bothered coming in the first place? Lastly, I felt uncertain if living abroad would meet my expectations that I put on this entire experience and if I would I feel let down by what I was or wasn’t getting out of it?
I can’t answer all of those questions just yet since it’s only been 30 days here, but from what I have experienced thus far, it’s been amazing. I tend to have a fairly adaptable personality so as a result, fitting in with the Aussie ways hasn’t been much of an issue for me thus far. Especially considering Australia is actually quite similar to Canada from a cultural perspective. By that I mean they love to drink, party and socialize, are extremely keen and involved in sports and entertainment and they seem pretty dedicated to maintaining important relationships with their close friends and family. In saying that, just like anywhere, some Aussie’s are like this, some are not. It doesn’t matter what country you go to, stereotyping never fits all, so don’t quote me on that. Finding friends did come easily thanks to my mate Max who brought me in and introduced to all of his friends on my first night in Surfers that took me in with open arms. I now have a small group of friends there that I see on a regular basis, somewhat like a little family. It doesn’t take long to make new friends either with working at a nightclub/hostel and with other things going on that gives me ample opportunity to meet new people. That’s not to say that I haven’t missed my friends from home because I have. As my Dad always used to say to me, “new friends are good friends, but there’s no friend like an old friend”. As for my family, I have missed them as well, but not in a way that’s been taking away from my experience, in a comforting way. It’s the comfort of knowing that I have such wonderful people back home that support me and love me unconditionally. How lucky am I? As for my boyfriend Jack, I’ve certainly missed him as well. But yet again, it hasn’t taken away from my experience, thankfully. I’ve been really busy jumping from place and place and seeing so many new things, so all of the distractions and excitement has made it easier. We’ve managed to keep in touch while I was away in Europe and he hit me with a surprise visit in Oz just in these last two weeks. Not only to see me, but all his friends and family in Melbourne whom he hasn’t seen nearly 2 years because he’s been living in Canada. It’s been such a fantastic couple weeks in Victoria. I’ve been given the chance to meet all his important people…putting names to faces, faces to personalities. Being that Jack is such an amazing person, it didn’t surprise me in the least of how amazing his friends/fam was as well. One thing I will say, is it’s a much different feeling when you come into someone else’s life and take on theirs, in comparison to making your own and taking on that. In other words, living a life that you created for yourself feels more like an accomplishment. But that doesn’t mean that I didn’t love every minute of it, because it was/has been such an enjoyable trip. Anyways, he’ll be hopping on a plane come Tuesday morning to head back to my country, while I stay in his. As for what’s next for us, TBD (to be determined) <3.
Finally, when it comes to my last question about whether this trip would meet my expectations that I put on this entire experience…I can’t answer that just yet. I know what I want out of this trip but all I can do right now and take it a day at a time and appreciate every single moment. My goal has always been to discover more about who I am as a person, and where I fit into this crazy world without all of the influences from back home that have defined me up until this point. But I have realized that is this isn’t something you figure out in a day, in a month, or even in a year because we’re always changing and evolving. There’s always going to be those highs and lows. There will always be challenges and important decisions that you have to make. There will always be crossed roads that come along when you have to do pick one direction and not only commit to it, but own it. And these things come up wherever you go, whatever you do and whoever you’re with. It doesn’t change between continents, countries, states and provinces. Like many, I tend to put a lot of pressure on myself to move forward, be productive, successful and make the most of whatever I’m given. While I think it’s important and healthy to have those goals for yourself, too much pressure isn’t helpful. It’s just putting unnecessary stress on me to do something that I’m probably not ready for if I can’t see it and fully understand it. So, I’m leaving that last question open for another blog down the road.
On that note, it’s late and I’m tired so that’s it for now. In my next blog, I’ll get down to some more detail about the places I’ve seen, some of the differences rather than similarities in cultures, how the Aussies behave and my plans for the next couple months. Until next time, keep fit and have fun!
