That One Time I Moved To Australia | A One-Year Review

Posted On September 29, 2016

It seems like just yesterday I was looking to my left, gazing out the plane window as I descended into the Sydney airport. I was fixated on all the yachts anchored in the water, how the Harbour Bridge looked so majestic at 6am, as the sun rose and the residents of Sydney woke and began their Wednesday routines.

It seems like just yesterday I hugged my two pen pals for the first time in two years, outside the airport, with my best friend from Baltimore right by my side. I was welcomed into the country that would soon become my home, with so much love and energy from people that had always felt like home to me, whether in Maryland or New South Wales.

It seems like just yesterday I clutched for dear life onto my seat in the car, as I was driven (mind you, on the left side of the road, which was terrifying) through the lower North Shore, given a tour of Neutral Bay, Cremorne, Mosman, until I got to my temporary home in Manly. Little did I know one of those little suburbs would become my future, more permanent home.

All of these feelings, these emotions, these memories seem as if they occurred yesterday. They are still so fresh to me, since they marked my 30th September 2015 arrival in Sydney, Australia. In reality, they happened 365 days ago.

That’s right, mates – I have officially lived in this beautiful country of Oz for ONE YEAR! An amazing year that has challenged me beyond belief. I’ve had to adapt to an entirely new culture, making ridiculous mistakes along the way. I’ve had to start from scratch and build friendships that ended up strong enough to fill the family void that is so irreplaceable. I’ve had highs, but I’ve also had some extreme lows that pushed me to my limits (and nearly to the airport on a flight back home to the USA). One thing is for sure: I set a goal, I pushed through, and my one-year Australiaversary could not feel any better than it does right now.

For those of you who follow The Life Coast, this post is a follow-up to my 75-Day Review, which I wrote in mid-December of 2015 – roughly 2.5 months into my move. So, without further ado, please find below 50 thoughts/observations/experiences of a 25-year-old American expat who found her place in Australia.

  1. Y’all, I GOT SPONSORED! To take a step back, I moved to this country with a few goals: slow my life down and prioritise properly, become one with the kangaroos, get sponsored, etc. The key to being able to stay long-term is to get sponsored, which then leads to permanent residency (my next goal!), which eventually leads to citizenship. Well, I secured my job one week before I moved to Australia and worked like crazy for the next 5 months, 3 weeks. For those unfamiliar with the Work and Holiday visa—as an American, you are only allowed to work for one employer for a maximum of six months. The visa itself is good for one year. Well, I smashed it at work to hit my sales goals (oh yes, lots of stress tears occurred), and ONE WEEK before I hit the end of my six-month period, I secured a client that enabled me to hit my sales goals. That triggered my 457 Temporary Work (Skilled) Visa!!! It was a messy process, but with this new visa, I am allowed to remain in the country for four years, as long as I remain working for a company that financially sponsors me in the visa category in which I was nominated (aka sales/marketing). Long story short, if I remain with my current company for two more years, I will get my permanent residency in May 2018. A year after that, I could get my citizenship – yes, I could realistically hold dual citizenship (USA and AUS) by 2019!! There are so many little do’s and don’ts while holding visas/PR, so hard to explain, but there are NO words to describe the feeling when you achieve something like a visa. Something you can’t just pay for, or weasel your way into. It comes as a result of super hard work, determination, and one damn good vision.
  1. Chargrill Charlie’s is out, Oporto is in. I am obsessed with the Aussie concept of chicken burgers. Chargrill Charlie’s used to hold the key to my heart, but I must confess, the homemade chili sauce at Oporto has enabled me to find a new love. The Bondi Burger? Yes please! Chili Cheese Chips? Might as well roll me there now.
  1. French fries are called “chips.” It took me awhile to get used to saying this, but now the extra syllable in “French fry” is just far too much to ask. I think I finally understand why the Australians shorten their vocabulary.
  1. My accent has changed. I assure you, I do not sound anything like an Australian. Instead, I’ve adopted some sort of English twang while softening my vowels, as the Aussies do. I blame this on the fact I work with mainly English folks, and for awhile they made up the majority of my friend circle. My questions go down at the end of the sentence, as they would for an English person. My “R”s are not as sharp as they once were, which is the #1 thing I notice. Random words like “keen,” “mate,” “I reckon,” and “cheers” come out of my mouth at the most unexpected moments. Sometimes I catch myself putting on this bizarre accent, and don’t even be around me when I drink – I turn full-on English. Da faaaack?!
  1. Nobody knows where I’m from. Mainly due to the points in #4. Once I answer that I’m American, I get a lot of “Oh yeah, I thought so, but you sounded a bit English.” Sometimes I get asked if I’m Australian, other times Irish. There must be an overlap with Irish and Americans, due to the fact we pronounce our “R”s so prominently. Regardless, no Mr. Uber Driver, I am not Irish.
  1. I drove an Australian car on Australian roads – and it was terrifying. Back in January, I made a mini roadtrip to the Hunter Valley (amazing wine country – vineyards and cheese and olives galore! But I digress.), and rented a car to transport myself around. Within 30 minutes of getting on the road, a storm appeared with no shortage of hail, lightning, and torrential downpours. I just cannot drive here. I was screaming and just YOLO-ing myself into lanes and roundabouts, hoping for the best. Really not how someone should drive (sorry Mom + Dad). I find I drift to the left side of the lane, I can’t get a handle on the overtaking lanes (aka “passing lanes”). Driving on the right side of the car is beyond me. Want to put your blinker on? Looks like you’ll have to settle for a windshield spray instead.
  1. In my one year, 12 months, 365 days of living here, I have NEVER, not ONCE, felt unsafe. This should be the #1 point on my list, but seriously. America has had a number of lows in the past year, with the election, shooting increases, police brutality. I come from a city/state where street harassment is normal and you constantly feel a bit guarded when even going to the store, walking to your car, etc. In my year here, NOBODY has touched me on the street. Nobody has honked or shouted inappropriate things. Nobody has followed me home. Nobody has yelled at me when I don’t put money in their cup on the street. I just haven’t felt unsafe once. I’m still very aware and cautious, but I am so surprised and so grateful to be living in a country where you don’t need to be scared on the daily. For that reason alone, I can’t see myself ever going back to the states.
  1. The cockroaches are scarier than the spiders. Everyone thinks Australia is full of deadly spiders and shark attacks and snake invasions (which hey, it kinda is), but they really don’t appear on the daily – and definitely not where I live. I’ve seen a few huntsman spiders outside, but never anything deadly. But guys, the ROACHES. They’re 3-4 inches in length, and they FLY. They make hissing/croaking noises, and even worse, they end up inside my house. Nothing says home sweet home like walking into your kitchen and finding a massive black cockroach on your counter. Then screaming and having it follow you (yes, by FLYING) around your apartment. And it takes 7-8 sprays of Mortein to kill them. I also have PTSD from when one crawled over my sleeping body last October and woke me by sitting in my hand. No thanks.
  1. Apartments are called “flats,” and roommates are called “flatmates.” Unless you actually share a room with another person. I always get called out when I talk about my roommate, who is not physically in my room, but shares my apartment aka flat, which makes her my flatmate.
  1. I suffer from the lack of dryer and A/C and heat in my flat. My clothes have to be hung and air dried, which over time makes them stretch out. Bedding takes two days to dry. No A/C (aka “air con”) in the summer makes for some pretty sweaty sleeps. It’s currently springtime here, so I’m dreading how hot my flat will get. And no heat! Prepare to sleep with a hot water bottle, or in my case, a hoodie + sweats + socks + 4 layers of blankets.
  1. Domestic flights are an absolute breeze. I occasionally travel north to the Gold Coast (~1.5 hour flight) for work events, which requires a trip to the domestic airport. You can check in and get your baggage tags on your own time. Dropping off your bag and going through security has never taken me more than 10 minutes maximum. There’s no shortage of cafes and restaurants to help pass the time until your flight. Virgin Australia is easily the best, friendliest, and most convenient airline I’ve ever flown. Southwest, you have a run for your money!
  1. Aussies end their sentences with “hey.” It takes the place of “yeah?” or “right?” For example, an American would say, “It’s a beautiful day outside, yeah?” whereas an Aussie would say, “It’s a beautiful day outside, hey?” They also use “hey” in place of “what?” when they can’t hear someone properly or correctly. “I feel like Ikdfngjbdfnhjgmnhg,….” “Hey?” And yes, I’ve picked this word up a little bit.
  1. Everybody, and I mean EVERYBODY is obsessed with the American presidential election. Whether you’re Australian, English, European, everybody is clued into the election and has his or her own thoughts toward the situation. I’m asked about it on the daily, and all I can do is laugh, shrug, and answer, “I don’t know how it happened.”
  1. Tanning beds are illegal. I only recently found this out, but it’s fascinating. Spray tanning is quite big here, but you will never find a tanning bed with UV rays. Melanoma is so real on this side of the earth.
  1. Lockout laws are a huge issue in Sydney. I’d be lying if I said I understood this situation 100%, but from what I’ve gathered, lockout laws prevent individuals from entering bars past 1am. People could float from club to club, enter one at 11am, another at 1am, another at 3am?! I believe they may also require bars/clubs to shut early, but could be wrong. Lockout laws have caused so many businesses to close in Sydney, and Kings Cross (which was once a rowdy club scene) is now practically a ghost town. Back in MD, you can’t usually enter a bar past 1am, as most bars close by 2am. I don’t think I’ve ever in my life been to a club that’s been open until 5am, or even 3am, which is why it’s hard for me to grasp what Sydney was like before these laws went into effect.
  1. My weekends are spent at the markets around Sydney. I’ve never seen anything in comparison – every weekend, there are different markets going on in different suburbs around Sydney. You can find local food, crafts, music and more. Jewelry, succulents, handbags, nail art, ranging to Egyptian cuisine, lemonades, veggie and fruit pops, Brooklyn-style bagels & more. Most markets happen bi-weekly, but it is the thing to do on a Saturday or Sunday morning. I work the markets every weekend selling American bagels, and you get to meet so many locals. It’s the absolute best.
  1. Uber rides will cost you a fortune. Back in DC, the average ride from point A to point B would be $8-12 USD. The most expensive being $20. Here, for a 12-minute ride from the city bar to my apartment, the cost is minimum $22-24 AUD, which is ridiculous. My bank account is grieving.
  1. Vegetables have absurd names. Peppers are called “capsicum.” Eggplant is called “aubergine.” Cilantro is called “coriander.” Red beets are called “beetroot.” Artichokes are 10x smaller here than they are in the states. And for the life of me, I CANNOT FIND SPAGHETTI SQUASH!
  1. Panic/anxiety attacks are normal your first few months. I hope it doesn’t happen to anyone else who moves away from home, whether to a new location in your country, a country a few hours away, or a country on the other side of the world. I never used to get them, but for my first 4-5 months here, I would lie in bed and realise how far away I was from home. I would listen to music that reminded me of my family, and then think about how if anything happened to them, the soonest I could get home would be 36 hours. It drove me crazy, and my body would tighten, I couldn’t breathe, and I would just cry. I was homesick, yes, and I still am at times. This was something else – the weirdest feeling. Knowing you are physically refrained from getting somewhere you are dying to be at that given moment. It takes a lot of phone calls home at 3am to friends who will coach you through the moment and reassure you that you’re doing just fine.
  1. You will miss your friends from home so unbelievably much. Don’t get me wrong, I love making new friends and I adore the friendships I’ve made in Oz. However, there are so many nights when I’m at home and all I want to do is curl up on the couch with a glass of wine and laugh about that one night in high school, or that one crazy night at Seacrets, or how much this person has changed. I miss my girlfriends back home more than anything, and I do wish there were people over in Oz who knew me from Day 1, who knew all my best and worst parts. There is beauty in meeting people who are getting to know the Melissa from 2016, but Melissa from 1991-2015 was pretty cool too.
  1. I’m the palest I’ve ever been in my life. Do not ask me how or why this happened, when I live in the land of sunshine and beaches. It’s been winter for the past few months, but that’s no excuse. I should be ashamed.
  1. A number of these realisations were also in my 75-day review. I can’t tell if I’ve lost my creativity, or maybe they are still very much prominent to my everyday life here. Either way, apologies if I’m repeating myself.
  1. Public transport is STILL on fleek. I got quite a few reponses after my first review, saying I was crazy for loving Sydney public transport. I kid you not, it is still pretty reliable. The Opal app is a lifesaver, and seeing as I don’t have a car, I can always find my way around Sydney, whether it’s bus or train or ferry or walking. A few weeks ago, there was a fire on the Harbour Bridge, so buses northbound (aka to home) were at a standpoint. After work, instead of bussing home, I walked to Circular Quay, hitched a ferry ride across the harbour to the wharf at the edge of my suburb, and strolled home. It was one of those experiences that made me lost for words and so grateful to be living here.
  1. The accent still melts my heart. Day 365 and I still swoon. Maybe it’s because I work and mingle with mainly non-Aussies, so they still have an effect on me. My job is to phone Australian businesses on the daily, so I’m used to hearing the accent. Yet, it still blows my mind and makes me turn into a puddle of American goo.
  1. Drugs are pretty common in Australia. And by common, I mean it’s rather normal if you do them. Keep in mind, I come from Maryland—Baltimore, Ocean City—and to my friend groups and my everyday life, drugs were never part of the equation or part of the scene. Again, completely dependent upon whom you hang out with, but I’ve found I know and am friends with more people who DO partake in those substances, as opposed to people who refrain. They range from MDMA to cocaine to marijuana to actual horse tranquilisers (!!!), and beyond. I’ve seen some pretty messed up things when strolling around Sydney, and it’s definitely taken me awhile to come to terms with the fact drugs are a thing here. I don’t judge anyone who does them, given everyone is safe and happy, but it was a big cultural eye-opener.
  1. There are SO MANY SMOKERS!! I feel like almost everyone I know here smokes (okay that’s me being dramatic). Again, this probably is directly correlated to where I come from in the states and who I spent my time with. It took me a few months to get used to the fact that I was the only person left out from smoke breaks at work. Smoking seems quite social here, so I’ve learned to handle the smell of cigarettes instead of immaturely coughing and swatting the smoke away.
  1. I now drink wine – and not only that, but it is also my drink of choice. If you know me, you know I’ve always despised wine, preferring tequila and beer. That was still the case when I arrived, but after one amazing trip to the Hunter Valley, I drank wine and wine and brought home bottles and ended up falling in love with Sauvignon Blanc. I can only handle about one glass before I end up whipping out my English accent, but I blame my low tolerance on the fact it took me 24.5 years to begin drinking such a lovely beverage. The Hunter Valley can convert the biggest wine hater into a wine lover.
  1. It’s rare to find sunscreen below SPF 50. Again, this is because the melanoma scare is so real in Oz. Back home, I was used to using SPF 15, maybe 30 at maximum during my pale days. I can’t even find SPF 30 in the stores here, and even funnier, I still manage to burn even with SPF 50 or 60 on my body. You need to reapply it every hour or so, especially if your skin is not used to the Australian sun.
  1. Cocktails are no longer $17 AUD (from my last blog post). $17 is CHEAP. I’ve found them to be on average $19, going up to $22 ($16 USD) for the true gems. Unreal! You all wonder why I opt to get drunk off a bottle of wine instead. I will say, the cocktails here are the best I’ve had in my life. Something has got to give.
  1. My days of pre-gaming (aka “predrinks) are long gone. Back home, I’d end up back at my apartment on a Friday, grab a bottle of Cuervo, pregame for an hour or so, then head out to the bars. Here, a bottle of Cuervo costs (prepare yourself) $45 on average, increasing with the quality. Everything is more expensive in Australia, but the alcohol is absolutely incomprehensible. A quality bottle of wine is $25-30, based on your likings. My alcoholic days have lessened since I’ve moved, that’s for sure. If I do drink on a Friday, because everyone lives all over Sydney, rather than going home and meeting back up, we just start from 5pm sober at a bar and continue going until we hit the point of death. Pretty sure a night out costs more than than $45 bottle of Cuervo…anyways.
  1. Racism is a thing. Racism is everywhere, and I’m not picking on Australia or being rude, but it’s just a fact. Australia is a biiiiit more sheltered than America when it comes to immigrants, refugees, and people of different races. As a whole, the country is a bit less open to individuals of different cultures and races, and I’ve heard multiple stories and examples that led me to believe this. This isn’t a political piece though, so I will carry on.
  1. I’ve changed in ways I can’t describe (or write in a blog post). I’d be lying if I said I was the same person from a year ago. I know we all go through experiences over the course of 12 months that alter us a bit, make us weaker, make us stronger, but I’ve been through the most absurd experiences that I feel have really changed my mentality and personality. I get bored very easily now. For that reason alone, I can’t fathom the thought of going back to America and being surrounded by the same people, every day, who are similar to me. I’ve also always been a bit soft-spoken, not so much shy, but reserved and introverted. I still am, but I’ve turned into a very extroverted introvert – always talking and holding conversations, which I never really used to do. I still hate being the center of attention, but now there is nothing I love more than striking a conversation with everyone around me.
  1. The people of Sydney are utterly fascinating. Sydney itself is full of Australians, yes, but also “heaps” of English, Europeans, Chinese, Malaysians, backpackers, etc. Whether phoning companies at work, chatting with customers at the markets, waiting in line for the bus, helping give directions, I am always meeting new people with amazing stories to tell. This may be why I am chattier nowadays, but I am simply blown away by everyone I meet and where they come from and where they wish to me. I worked a market a few weeks ago and met an older gentleman from America who told me he always wanted to travel. His whole life, he said he would do it, but never did – it was never “the right time.” Finally, he just went for it, and is now on an 18-month adventure travelling the world. By himself. He flew into Cairns, saw the Great Barrier Reef, then carried on down to Sydney and is having the time of his life. It inspires me to meet people like that on the daily, who teach you that it’s never a wrong time to do what you dream of, and who let you know that life is far too long and beautiful to stay in one place or in one state of mind.
  1. Foreign video clips are often blocked in Australia. This happens often when I’m trying to watch an online news clip from a channel back home, or even a music video. “This video is not available in your region.” My story of trying to steam the Olympics. The worst.
  1. The Australia-America time difference is pretty much impossible. And you learn to cope with it. Currently, there’s a 14-hour time difference between Syd and my home state of Maryland, soon to be 15 hours, then 16 hours in the next month with daylight savings occurring in both countries. 16 is easier to work with than 14, but let me tell you, Skype dates are rare for me. Getting into work at 8:30am is 6:30pm back home, so 8am FaceTimes with my sister and nephew are normal, as I giggle and speak “toddler talk” while walking the city streets. No shame. 5:30pm Syd is 3:30am MD – impossible. 11am Saturday here is 9pm Friday back home…etc you get the point. It’s gotten to the point I take 10-min work breaks at 10am just to say a quick goodnight to my nephew (8pm Maryland). It’s also not surprising to wake up at 4:30am, when my phone is buzzing at my head from all the group WhatsApp messages back home. Sleep interruption is vital to keeping in touch with your people back home. #Priorities
  1. Australian male fashion is on point. It makes me embarrassed to think of what the men back home are wearing. Navy tailored suits are normal here, as are slightly tighter jeans, collared printed shirts usually buttoned to the top (or one down). It’s a fashion that’s hard to describe, but makes me swoon once again. The first time I entered a bar when I arrived in Oz, I had tears in my eyes with how beautiful everyone was. Guys and girls alike – they know how to dress, and they look damn good. One of my Aussie colleagues moved to San Diego, and my boss was joking that the girls will think he’s gay, based on how fitted his clothes are. I died.
  1. Christmas in Australia is a joke. Not only did I have to work on Christmas Eve (my own problem), but it was summertime. It was 90 degrees F and I was sweating underneath my Santa hat in the office. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, it’s a bit about family, but also very normal to meet up with friends and celebrate. Christmas Day was spent on Coogee Beach with my fellow expats, getting a holiday tan while chugging Smirnoff straight from the bottle and staring at the Christmas tree plopped in the sand across from me. Bizarre, but I did enjoy it.
  1. The thought of hugging and seeing your family/friends again becomes more exciting than even the most exotic holiday vacation. I’ve announced it before and I’ll say it again here – I am coming home to Maryland for the winter holidays (America time)! Christmas and NYE spent at home with the ones I’ve missed most – I can’t even cope with the thought. Living on the other side of the world makes you want to save thousands of dollars to go home to hug them and get a home-cooked meal, rather than spend money on an elaborate Bali or Fiji vacation. Being honest, I will tackle one of those places in 2017. But that’s beside the point.
  1. Vacation is called “holiday” here. This also took awhile to get used to, but Aussies will say “I’m on holiday that weekend” or “Where will you go on holiday?” whereas Americans say “I was on vacation that weekend” or “Where will you go on vacay?”
  1. It’s not uncommon to see a wild bush turkey roaming about. Thanksgiving must be year-round in Australia, as I’ve left my apartment (er, flat) numerous times, only to come face-to-face with a wild turkey. I chase them, I harass them with threats of being my November dinner, and they always flee the scene. I don’t know where they go or where they come from, but of all things I expect to see outside, a turkey is not one of them.
  1. Celsius is not that difficult to use – but Fahrenheit seems more sensible. I can convert Celsius to Fahrenheit and vice versa nowadays, but that doesn’t mean I prefer using C. If you want to convert to F, you basically double and add 30. It sounds crazy, but actually seems to work. For example, 30C is 90F – very hot summer day! As I write this, it is 61 degrees F outside at 11:23pm, which is 16 degrees C. Yet, Celsius may only differ day-to-day by 1 or 2 degrees, whereas Fahrenheit could differ by 4-6 degrees. I always check my weather in F, for those 6 degrees could be the huge difference between a sweater and a coat.
  1. A sweater or jacket or hoodie is called a “jumper.” Back home, a jumper is a young school girl uniform, basically a pleated skirt/dress combo with a shirt underneath. Here, a jumper is something to throw over your light shirt underneath. A coat is a coat, but I am ready to debate t hat a sweater, a jacket, a sweatshirt, and a hoodie are all very different. “Jumper” does not clarify it enough!
  1. The #1 tangible item I miss the most from home is a Chipotle burrito bowl. I’ve searched this country long and hard for a comparison, and the closest you’ll get is Mad Mex’s naked burrito. This bowl is 1/3 the size of a Chipotle bowl, yet double the price. I dream about Chipotle every day, as it’s my favourite comfort food, hangover meal, soulmate. I rave about it and miss it terribly. 11 weeks until you’re back in my arms, my love.
  1. The Australian coffee finally makes sense to me. More importantly, I found my beloved iced black coffee, which over here is called an iced long black. To recap from my previous post, a long black = standard black hot coffee; iced long black = American version of an iced coffee; iced coffee = Australian version of coffee, milk, ice cream?!; short black = espresso? I think it’s coffee, no water; flat white = god only knows. Aussie coffee still sounds like deadly shark names to me.
  1. Australia has only been established as an independent country since the 1900s. Exact year TBD (er, TBC), as I have yet to study Australian history (on my list!), but that explains why everything seems so modern, as opposed to America’s gnarly 1776. The Harbour Bridge began construction in 1923 and was opened in 1932. So iconic, yet so young! It baffles me sometimes to live in a country that has nowhere near as much history as the good ole USA.
  1. American NFL football is a full-on performance compared to Australian National Rugby Union games. I went to my first rugby game a few months ago – Aussie Wallabies v. New Zealand All Blacks – and was more confused than anything to really grasp where I was and what I was watching. NFL has tailgating, musical performances, cheerleaders, halftime shows, giveaways/contests, whereas rugby union has the most muscular men I’ve seen… ah, that’s where my focus went that night. The muscles and the men. And the wine.
  1. My ultimate goal is to be able to call Australia home. I went into detail with point #1 and the visa situation, but if all goes well, I could hold dual citizenship by June 2019 at earliest – which is no time at all in comparison to the rest of your life! Everyone keeps asking “do you think you’ll be there forever?” I have no idea, a lot could change in this next year. It all comes down to where I think I’d want to end up long-term, and I really do think it’s on this side of the world. I do miss home, and the thought of being so far away from my family is terrifying. Scary in the sense that I don’t know if I’ll ever get to see them more than once a year (at best), and I’m not quite sure I was prepared for that kind of goodbye when I left last 28th September. When I do think of returning to the states, I’m not sure where I would even want to be, but I am sure I would be utterly bored after all the experiences I’ve gathered these past 12 months.
  1. I am now accepting visitor bookings for the year of 2017. Whoever is reading this, now that you know I possess a four-year visa, please do feel free to plan a holiday to the beautiful land down under. I am here to stay (for the next few years at least), so time to bring a little bit of American flavour to this country!
  1. “Cheers” is used instead of “thanks” or “thank you.” I now close all my emails with “cheers,” and sometimes even find myself muttering “cheers” to the cashier.
  1. And now, the most highly anticipated observation: Australians really DO say g’day. It’s the absolute best, mate.
Tags:, , ,
One Comment