As it’s coming to the end of the year and to my 3 month mark of living in Sydney, Australia, it’s only right that I do a wrap up of my time. I’m certain that my friends and family who are living in a time zone that’s 11 hours behind would highly appreciate this. Our lives have become exactly like two ships passing in the night. Being able to catch up with loved ones is a daily battle because more times than not our time zones do not align. 

Leading up to moving to Australia, I found myself in heavy denial that this was even happening to me or happening for me. As a former child who has lived through several years of trauma, you grow up selling yourself this narrative that maybe life doesn’t get any better. Then one day you’re 25 and things have taken an incredible 180 for the better. Cue the heavy denial! I thought I would arrive and be on an all time high riding the waves of my life-changing decision. That was far from the truth. I landed in Australia and the denial ceased to exist instantly. However, I didn’t feel any of my imagined ecstasy. I felt at peace and there was a strange calmness to my nerves and mind. I couldn’t tell which category I should have placed my feelings into. Whether my state of calmness resulted from feeling like I was finally in a place where I belonged, or I finally escaped my previous life for another and now I was free. 

Don’t get me wrong though... I definitely felt every inch of my body and every atom of my being be in awe when I was playing tourist. There is something magical about Sydney Harbour Bridge, Royal Botanic Garden and The Opera House. The views and the atmosphere surrounding these places make you feel so grateful to be alive to witness such beauty. I knew from the first day of making my way to The Opera House and laying my jet-lagged eyes around the city, that this city was going to take a piece of my heart. I was going to fall in love and that too such a deep love for this city. If you read my previous blog post you would have established the struggle I encountered moving around 7 cities in the UK looking for that something special. 

With all great things, some must come to an end and although I was forming this connection with Sydney, I was also experiencing culture shock. Let me tell you about the very first moment I experienced arrhythmia due to the utter disbelief of the price of some fruits. I just want to know if someone accidentally marked the price for a bunch of grapes as $17! This equates to roughly £9, and in which world have I found myself in where this is the norm? Well, it wasn’t an accident and it actually is the norm. Some places will be less than $17 but still no where near a price where I would actually reach out for them. Goodbye grapes. Not only is fruit and veg rather expensive here in Sydney than the UK, all the shops close super early! 4pm and most places will be done with business for the day. It doesn’t even get better with the weekends as the only time there is late night shopping hours here is on a Thursday night. Very odd but also it’s understandable knowing that people must have a better work life balance here with the timings of businesses being the way they are. There are also no 24/7 supermarkets like Tesco and ASDA so you better not forget an item off of your shopping list! Another struggle of mine when it comes to groceries now is that I no longer have a car. Back in the UK, I could be emptying the supermarket shelves into my car’s boot. However, now I have to think 10 times over on each item of what I can and can’t physically carry back home. This has worked out for the better and is quite a blessing in disguise that I’ve very much needed. I now have become so much more mindful about not only what goes into my shopping basket but also what goes into my diet.

Speaking of not having a car, it actually isn’t that big of problem in Sydney to be fair. The public transport is incredibly reliable. Whether you need a train, tram or bus you can always get around the city so easily. The trains here that run through the city and all the outer suburbs, are all double decker and much nicer and cleaner than London trains. Regardless of relying on public transport now, I still somehow have found myself doing a double take at my phone’s screen highlighting to me that I’m walking almost 10-20k steps a day! I know it’s very much down to my self discipline and mentality but I do think moving to Sydney has kickstarted a healthier lifestyle for me to live with. 

Sydney is a city where you will meet people from every walk of life. I have encountered several interactions with people from all corners of this globe and I absolutely love this diverse environment. As for the local Australians here, who are also friendly and welcoming, they do things in this country in their very own ways. For example, everything here is done on pretty much a weekly basis. You will receive your wages weekly and you will also pay your rent weekly rather than monthly like what I have only ever known. I look forward to the days of employment where I can get paid weekly. So many of us Brits can unfortunately relate to that awful period where each year you get paid early in December for Christmas but then you don’t get paid again until the absolute end of January. This happens year in and year out at the most expensive time of year and you are left feeling like you’ve lived an entire lifetime within those two paydays!

Now, no matter if I’ve given the impression that I’ve had a bit of a rant and complained about a few things, you as readers need to be assured that I still won’t be returning back to the UK. These things are all just what I need to get used to. This is all the fun stuff that comes with packing up your life and moving it to the other side of the world that’s all. In a world where some people told me not to do it, I just want to say that this Jenny travels!