It’s already been one year in Australia and it turns out, it’s not the end! As some of you know, I’ve extended my visa and am waiting to hear back from the Australian government.
To recap the past year…
I met smiley Quokkas in Perth, ate many Domino’s pizzas, spent lazy days at Cottesloe Beach, went on jogs along the Swan River, saw my first Huntsman, and stayed in my first hostel EVER!
On the west coast, I swam with dolphins and manta rays in the Ningaloo, camped in the outback, drank wine in Margaret River, nights revolved around the beautiful sunsets, and drank a lot of amazing coffee.
In Queensland, I stargazed next to dingoes, drove on the soft sands of Fraser Island, spent many afternoons drinking Somersby and playing volleyball with new friends, saw a few deadly cassowaries, spent many nights chatting around a bonfire on the beach in Mission, slept on a sailboat, and explored the Queensland islands.
I’ve been living in beautiful Airlie Beach on the Whitsunday coast and walk past the turquoise Coral Sea on my way to work every day. I found an amazing job as a receptionist at a hostel where I work with backpackers from all over the world and it is a blast!
Backpacking has given me the chance to live in some of the most beautiful places and meet people who are all living their Aussie dreams. Everywhere I’ve gone, I’ve found friends. Most friendships are short and sweet before we go our separate ways, but social media makes it so easy to stay in touch. When you’re travelling and meeting people who all have the same dream, it’s easy to find common ground and form friendships. And before you know it, you’ll have a friend on every continent!
It feels like both a lifetime and a second have passed since I last saw my parents in Hartsfield-Jackson. It feels like an alternate reality, to be honest! It hasn’t been the easiest year, but it has been a year of having new experiences I never imagined.
If I’ve learned anything this year, it’s to stop caring so much about what people think and start living the way I want. If I actually listened to every person who told me it was foolish to buy a one-way ticket to Australia on a Working Holiday visa, I would have never come here. I didn’t listen, and not only did I succeed, I am thriving. I think we should all turn our dreams into realities, even if it scares us.
Every hardship ended up teaching me resilience, and all the difficulties made me thankful for my blessings. We all only have one life and tomorrow is never guaranteed, why not live it to the fullest?
Also, vegemite isn’t that bad.