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| At the summit of a sunrise hike in Guatemala - one of the lightbulb moments that made me realise I wanted to see more of the world. |
So today marks exactly three months until I up sticks and move my entire life to Australia. To say I'm terrified would be a complete understatement! My nearest and dearest ask me regularly whether I'm excited, but at the moment the fear is overtaking me and I am finding it difficult to see the excitement and opportunities that going to Australia will bring. I should be focusing on the change of scenery, meeting new people, discovering new places, and rediscovering my independence in a completely new and wonderful way. But all I can think about is the things that I'll miss, and all of the things that I'll need to sort out when I'll get down under. Here are just a few of the things going through my mind...
- What do I do about a bank account? Which is the best bank to choose? What do I do with my current accounts in the UK? How can I ensure I continue to make pension contributions whilst I'm away?
- How am I going to cope with missing friends and family - who am I going to call when my car plays up and dad's not on the end of the phone?!
- Where will I be living? Will I find some like-minded people to live with, that will want to party and socialise as much I will?
- What will working in Australia be like? I am already aware that my profession will be largely different in Australia than it will be in the UK, and that I have a lot of specifics to learn before I go. I know I'll struggle with going from a relatively well-experienced practitioner to practically a newbie. Can I deal with feeling like a newly-qualified nurse again?
- Will I meet friends that like sitting around drinking pints and playing card games?
- Will I be able to find a new gym and find places to go running?
- Will I still be able to chat to my galpals in WhatsApp groups or is the time difference going to mean that I'm out of touch?
- How the hell am I supposed to condense my life into just two suitcases? (Possibly the biggest of my worries right now!)
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| Caye Caulker in Belize is one of the greatest places I've ever been. It was on this trip that I realised how much I love travelling and need to travel whilst I have no commitments. I have honestly never felt as happy as when I felt when I was on Caye Caulker! |
Over the last six months or so, I've settled into a brilliant routine at home. I've got my work / life balance spot on, I've joined a new gym which I love and the classes fit perfectly with my routine. I've started to socialise with new people and love seeing friends I've met through blogging, and my job doesn't feel like work because I love it so much. I can't imagine ever having a job that I love so much again, so part of me is batting away the idea that I'm crazy for upping sticks whilst I'm so happy and settled. But the rational side of me is telling me that I'm probably only feeling so content because I'm making the most of the next few months before I go away.
I'm hoping as the weeks go by that I'll become more excited and that the feelings of excitement and adventure will overtake the feelings of sheer terror at what I'm throwing myself into, but I shall have to wait and see. I'm hoping that by documenting the process and the journey on this blog, that I'll be able to look back and reflect on it all. It'll be interesting to look back this time next year and see how my fears played out!
