Exciting News!

13 months go I came home from a year abroad. I came home with heaps of photos, new friends from all over the world, and wonderful new memories. I pushed my boundaries and did a ton of new things that I never thought I would do. In that year I changed. I grew as a person, and found myself. I found a part of me that I had struggled with not having/feeling for a long time. When in Australia I felt that piece of me that was missing was unleashed, I felt complete and content for the first time in a very very long time. I embraced that, which I believe helped me accomplish all of these new adventures and challenges I was faced with while there. 

When coming home I was so sad to leave, and felt like I was leaving this great place, that I wasn’t ready to leave yet. I felt like my story in Australia was not over yet, it was not complete, but the visa expiration said it was. I was so determined not to lose that piece of me that I gained in Australia, however I realized when returning that the complete me cannot exist here. Culturally Australia and the US are very similar, but they are also very different and part of the reason that I felt so comfortable and so at ease there was their culture and their way of life. It matched up with my beliefs, my morals, and my own personal moto. 

I decided in January to start saving to return to Australia. In July I had saved enough to apply and had all my documentation in order to prove I had everything they required. As of September 2nd I found out that I have been granted the visa to return to Australia as a “Skilled Permanent Resident”. The Social Worker profession is considered a skill career field and an in need field in Australia and becoming a permanent resident gives me added benefits such as; being able to join their socialize healthcare system, have a retirement plan, and apply for jobs that are looking for permanent work. I am very excited about returning to Australia and looking forward to filling the void inside that I have had for the past several months. 

I am looking forward to seeing old friends and family and making new friends. I am excited for 4 weeks a year vacation from work, and being able to feel like work is not something that defines me. I look forward to the increase in income I can make there and using that money to feed my wanderlust and continue to see the world. I will deeply miss my family and am not looking forward to saying goodbye (wish I could move them with me). But thankfully technology has made it easy to communicate with them regularly. I am not looking to leave until early 2016, would like to have one more cold Northern Hemisphere Christmas, but a lot of planning and packing will have to happen between now and then. I’m excited for this next chapter in life, and looking forward to seeing what that chapter has in store for me. 

Bye for now <3