Love Affair

My love affair started in 2012, when I first made the long journey over to Australia with two friends for a short holiday. Since then I've been ruined. Since then most of the days in the USA have been planning and saving to return.

In late 2013 I returned for a year away, a gap year, granted I was in my mid-twenties, but it was a time for me to explore the wonderful country and culture. A time to try and get it out of my system. I was suppose to come back to America rejuvenated and ready to continue my career that I spent a lot of time and money achieving. But after returning, the need, the urge, to return was even greater. Australia is like my drug, it's hard to kick, and all I want is more.

In early 2015 I started to save and plan for the great move. In late 2015 I found out that I was granted my permanent residency visa and started making plans for my return. Started planning for my return to the country that helps me feel whole. The country that helps me feel less anxious, where I feel like I fit in, where the food is better, the people are nicer, and the weather is better (mostly).

It comes with a lot of excitement, but a lot of sadness too. A great quote that resonates with me says,

“You will never be completely at home again, because part of your heart always will be elsewhere. That is the price you pay for the richness of loving and knowing people in more than one place.”― Miriam Adeney. 

Although I have had a wonderful love affair with Australia, and am very excited to return, I am leaving behind loved ones. I'm leaving behind friends, and more importantly family who I am very close with to move half way across the world. Like any good love affair-the lust fades, and some days will be harder than others, which will include homesickness and doubt about my choice. However, I must listen to my heart and return the the country that took grasp of me so many years ago. See you soon Australia.

Bye for now <3

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

Missing Australia

It’s been 8 months since I left Australia. Not many people know this, but when the plane took off leaving the Sydney airport I cried.

I cried because I knew I was leaving the best experience of my life behind.

I cried because I had changed so much and yet I knew everything at home had stayed the same.

I cried because I was leaving behind friends that had become my second family.

I cried because I felt content in Australia, finally whole.

Don’t get me wrong, it was hard being away from home and not being able to see my parents and family.  I was looking forward to spending some quality time with them; however, I was sad because I felt like I was leaving a piece of me behind, a piece that wouldn’t/couldn’t exist properly in America.

The options are vast in Australia. I felt, and still do feel, that socially, emotionally and financially things were better for me there. Career wise the opportunities for me are plentiful. Mental heath in North Carolina is a very broken system, and realistically nationwide it has many issues and struggles. I’m not saying that Australia’s health care and mental health care system is perfect, but there are huge barriers that America still needs to cross for me to be productive in my work and make a living that I can survive on.

I also was so much happier. Most of you that know me know that I have had itchy feet for a long time. The constant desire to travel and see the world that drive to experience new things will never change.  I have never truly been content and happy in where I am living. Always moving hoping that the next place I live will fill the void. Until I moved to Australia. I finally felt that connection. I enjoyed living there.  Their culture, way of life and way of thinking mesh so well with who I am and want to be. The anxiety that I struggle with had decreased dramatically while I was there. I felt like I fit in. I felt at home.

Sure, Australia is not perfect.  It struggles with the same economic instability as the rest of the world and it also is quite expensive compared to certain parts of America. But as friends and family can attest, since returning I have done nothing but compare America to Australia: the food, people, fashion, nightlife, working conditions, the list goes on and on…but 95% of the time I’m explaining how Australia does it better. Except for the bacon. lol. Some feel it’s unpatriotic, I find it to be my truth. It doesn’t make me any less patriotic; I actually felt more patriotic while living abroad. Living there has just opened my eyes to a different way of life, a better life for me.

Needless to say, I'm missing Australia everyday. 

Bye for now <3

Headed Home

So as most of you know I will be heading home at the end of this week. I am full of a multitude of emotions, and it’s very bittersweet. I’m excited to go home see the family, friends, nieces, and my dog, but I’m going to miss so many things including my friends and family I have made here in Australia. Here are some of the main things I’m going to miss from Australia, and I will try and recreate as many of these back home as I can.

·         Café/coffee culture- It’s so common to meet up with friends in Cafes to catch up, and they are all unique and cozy cosy and not Starbucks!

·         Food- the food here is so much better than back home, it’s fresh and delicious and isn’t chalked full of added crap like in the states.

·         Some foods that aren’t common back home- cheese and bacon rolls, cordial, tomato sauce, roast dinners, I could go for a while with this list.

·         Aussie Humour- the humour here is full of sarcasm and I thoroughly enjoy it. Americans are much more serious than Australians. Australians will find a way to make light of anything.

·         Aussie/British speak-I really enjoy the terms and phrases they say, it sounds so much more proper when they talk. Why is America the only country that has all these different words, spellings, and mannerisms? And don’t get me started on the imperial versus metric system!

·         Beaches-the beaches here are GORGEOUS! I’m not sure if I saw an ugly beach while here in Australia.

·         Friendliness- the people in Australia are genuinely friendly. No matter where you are people are willing to help out, want to talk to you, and customer service at places is fantastic.

·         Non-tipping culture- The fact that I haven’t tipped in the past year and I’ve had some of the best service of my life. When you get paid a decent wage and don’t have to rely on tips, everyone is friendly, willing to go the extra mile, and helpful. It will be a shock to go back to America and have to tip.

·         Fashion- I think the fashion is more diverse here and I’ve grown to love it. Even the shorter shorts on men!

And of course the wonderful friends that I’ve made in the past year. The amount of things I’ve done in the past year has been more than the past 5 years, I’ve tried so many new things, and met so many amazing people that live all over the world. I have learned a lot about myself. The person I was when I got here isn’t the person that is leaving Australia. Traveling to a foreign country alone has made me have to become more outgoing, sure of myself, and willing to try new things. I’ve been pushed out of my comfort zone more times than I can think of, and I’m looking forward to seeing how that will manifest once I return to my comfort zone of home. 

Bye for now <3

And the Wait Begins....

As I sit here I reflect over the past month. A month ago I was leaving Cairns to head back to Sydney. I was so excited about my future in Australia and getting a job and visa to stay here. I knew there would be lots of paperwork to be completed and money to be handed out, but I was up for the challenge. Those that know me know I don't back down from a challenge, and when I want something I do everything I can to achieve that want. However the past few days I've felt quite defeated. I have applied to over 40 positions in social work, and have had 2 interviews with 2 more later this week. I haven't heard back from the positions I've interviews for, so I assume that means they went with someone else. I know that not being a permanent resident is a negative factor in getting jobs, but I feel I may have underestimated the importance of being a resident and how much that is negatively affecting me. I am trying to stay positive and tell myself that it will all fall into place. The interviews this week  are for roles in a behavioral school, which is exactly what I want to do. I'm anxiously waiting to get a job, and on top of that, waiting to hear back from the social work board in Australia to see if they find my qualifications acceptable to apply for the skilled visa. I don't wait well, I don't like being patient, especially right now when I feel so vulnerable. My life is in the hands of these companies that are looking to see if I can bring something special, unique, or important to this country.  These agencies have to find my qualifications and my character a better match than a permanent resident. Can I be that person? I worry that I will not be offered any of these jobs and I will have to head back to the states. I will have to leave this wonderful country that I have started to plan my life in, and move back to a place that I struggles to be myself and struggled to feel accepted for who I am.

The waiting game has commenced and I am trying to stay positive and patient, but it's not easy. I will update with information, when I have new information to give.

Bye for now <3

Cairns

Wow this is very late! I didn't realize that I haven't written about my last stop on my east coast trip. Cairns was the last place Karianne and I stopped along our trip. She only had a few days there so we had to pack it all into those few days. We went out to the Great Barrier Reef one day, and swam with the fish, sharks, coral, and all the wonderfulness of the Great Barrier Reef. It was fantastic and the pictures really don't do it justice. It was such a fun experience. The day after we went out to the rainforest and did a day long tour of the Atherton Tablelands. We saw several waterfalls, rivers, and lakes. It was a long day but very fun. Karianne left the day after and once she left it rained the majority of the next week of my travels. I didn't do much during that time, just visited the shops, went to the movies, went out with friends that I had met along the coast, and said goodbye to new friends that I met along the way. Cairns Ironman was happening when I was there, and a girl I know from Sydney was competing in it so I went and cheered her on and was shocked by how well she did in her first Ironman. It was a nice end to the trip, however I didn't like Cairns as much as some of the other places I visited along the wast coast. The city itself was run down and a bit dodgy.

Now back to Sydney to try and find a job and get my visa apporved so that I can stay longer in the fabulous country.

Bye for now <3

Airlie Beach and Whitsunday Islands

Next after Fraser Island was the wonderful overnight bus to Airlie Beach. I slept 3 hours, if that, Karianne slept off and on all night. When we arrived, we had to kill time that morning until we could check in at 2pm. We wandering the small city and watched tele for a bit because the weather was rubbish. The next morning we got ready to go on our 2 days/2 nights sailing trip of the Whitsunday Islands. We booked the party boat, because I couldn't find any other boat leaving on Saturday except the Clipper. Come to find out several other boats leave that day too, but we had a blast on our boat. The boat was big, there was 60 in total, including crew on board. It was a great two days. The boat had a water slide and disco lights, it defiantly was a party boat. During the first day we relaxed on Whitehaven Beach which is known for it's vibrant white sand. The sand is made out of 98% silica and you can whiten your teeth if you brush with it, or clean your jewelry. It's also very precious sand, and if you try and take any away from the beach you will be fined I believe they said $5,000, if caught. Later that day we went snorkeling and scuba diving, and we were able to get our first glimpse of the Great Barrier Reef, and see the coral and fish that live in it. It was such a cool experience to be swimming with the fish and sea life all around you.

That night we had a big night, with games, and drinks, and lots of shenanigans. The next day we went snorkeling one last time before heading back to shore. The reef was very shallow there and we were not allowed to wear fins because it would damage the coral. Instead of damaging the coral, the coral damaged me. Fast forward 5 days and I'm in the medical centre waiting to get antibiotics for my infected toe that I cut on the coral. It was well worth it. I would say it was my favorite place that I snorkeled, unfortunately I didn't take my camera that day to capture the reef and the creatures within, but it was spectacular. Once back on dry land, both Karianne and I struggled with feeling like we were still on a boat for the next day or so. Made it fun when walking down the street mid day stumbling around looking like drunkards. But it was well worth it to see the things we did those couple of days. That night we all went out with the crew for a fun night out and the next day left on a 12 hour bus ride up to Cairns (pronounced Cannes). Thankfully it was our last bus ride!

Bye for now <3