Get ready because this is an “intense” post. After wondering about my experience in Australia many times (what did I do wrong?; what could I have improved?; why did not I liked it?), I finally decided to sit down and share a bit about my journey in kangaroo land. YES, I did not like to live and work in Australia from the very beginning.
Pictures are not able to show everything… Smiles can be faked, things can be bought but there is no price for happiness and THAT, that I could not find in Australia. 😀 Today, I finally found words to express my feelings about my experience in Australia.
A text will never be enough to state everything I felt and how much Australia shaped me in only a year BUT, here, a little taste. 😀
To my Portuguese followers: I decided to write the “Goodbye” in English, I am sure you will be ok with that.
Are you ready to hear my recap of a year in Australia?
- 2 years ago I left Paris and I wrote a goodbye article to the city;
- 1 year ago, after backpacking in South America, I wrote a goodbye post to that experience;
- Today, 1 year later, I am writing a goodbye post to Australia.
Australia, I would lie if I said you have been the best country where I have ever lived. And I would also lie if I said I was truly happy here. You have been a damn experience…
Things did not work out from the very beginning:
- I was contacted by the embassy several times because there were missing documents on my visa application,
- I fell over on the train rails the night before my flight, and
- I flew to Melbourne to spend time with my best friend and 2 weeks later, I was leaving the city and turning my back to a 6 years friendship.
My beginning in Aussie land was tough and, only my closest friends, know that:
- I was incredible depressed!
- I was incredible lost!
- I was incredible lonely!
I could finally breath when I flew to Sydney. Having Nil, who I met in Argentina, and all his crew from Wallace Street helped me so much. They became my family in less than a week and I started feeling better.
Step by step, I started finding myself.
I will always remember Andrea, who I met in a job interview, saying: “We have to be happy. We are in Australia. I have no more than 2 000€ in my account but that does not matter because WE ARE IN SYDNEY!”
And she was right!
From that day on, every time I needed good energies, I would call her. 😀
Finding a job was not easy (it is never)…
I would apply for jobs everyday. I sent over 100 CVs… BUT nothing seemed to work out and my money was disappearing. My visa restrictions (I could not work more than 6 months for the same company) were the main issue and the fact that I did not have any work experience in the Australian market did not help.
I did not want to do any kind of job but at the same time, I could not survive on my savings in Sydney for long. It took me 6 weeks to get a YES.
It was a Friday afternoon when a recruiter called me to give me the big news.
The following week, I was the happiest girl on Earth.
For those who usually say: “you were lucky with your job in Sydney.” – Go f**** yourself cause I worked my damn ass every day! I lost hours of sleep sending CVs and motivation letters. I repeated my interview speeches so many times that I would loose my voice. I cried too many times for the interviews I failed.
On my 1st week at work, I went out everyday, I went shopping everyday, I went on dates everyday. I was stunning everyday!
But that did not last long and a week later, I was already a bit bored of my job. I mean, I was very happy to have a job but that was not the most challenging position of my life (sometimes I wish I could ask a bit less in life).
Quick, I start focusing on my lifestyle in Sydney: I made new friends, I changed to an apartment close to the beach (I had finally accomplished the dream of seeing the sea every morning) and things seemed to be good. However, soon I realized my goal of living with an English native, turned out to be a disaster (in 3 months, the guy with who I used to live with, did not have speak to me more than 5 minutes… I am not joking!!!).
After my accident in Bali, my trip on the East Coast meeting people with who I did not feel any connection and my “AMAZING” experience as an AU PAIR, I said it was maybe time to leave.
Australia, DO NOT WORRY: I do not see you as a mistake
You were on my bucket list for many years and I am VERY happy I could finally have a taste of you.
You shaped more than I ever thought and for that, I can only be thankful. No matter what, I know I will be back…
- I will return to explore more sides of you;
- I will return to visit the few friends I left;
- I will return to listen to the funny accent of your people;
- I will return to travel all of you by van;
- I will return because, even though you were tough, I know you did not mean to.
And without any further information: THANK YOU
- Thank you for the people you introduced me – Andrea, Lilo, Rafaela, Victoria and Hugo -you brought so much joy to my experience
- Thank you for the places you allowed me to visit
- Thank you for letting me fall in love
- Thank you for building up my economies again
- Thank you for giving me the chance to wake up and see the sea every morning
- Thank you for helping me to become stronger human being.
I will always carry a bit of you (because you were a little bit mine one day)…
Take care, Aussie land 😀
Beijinho,
Daniela