Life is a fairy tale, right?  Castles, rich men on horseback, free shoes, beautiful dresses and birds to do your cleaning.  Ok, maybe not so much but dreams really do come true and happy ever after is totally achievable. And as for romance, well Australia stole my heart. 

Australia Stole My Heart

Being in a fairy tale was exactly how I felt when those visas came through back in late 2018.  I was away from home in North Wales, in the beautiful Snowdonia National Park on a videoshoot with work.  Alone in my room, checking my phone with one eye open as I had for the last 204 days.  There they were, and in that second my life changed.

I was happy, had a great job in an industry I’d worked in for over 20 years.  I earned a good salary, enjoyed holidays, had a lovely house, my wonderful family and friends were close, but Australia was always calling.  The wait had been long but getting those visa’s through was an actual real life dream come true, one that I had worked hard for to make happen.

Australia is so very different from the UK as you can imagine.  For me, living by the ocean and the change of pace are two of the things I love most about this beautiful country, and the two things that are so different to my previous life.  Here people are relaxed and not so caught up about where you’re from or what you do for a living.  Not judgemental about what you’re wearing or what car you drive.  I believe the opportunities are wider here with the realisation that anything is possible, and that you have just as much chance as the next person to fulfil your ambitions. The business community is fantastic and I’m proud to be a member of the local networking group, and have made the most amazing clients and friends.

Start Over

The adjustment has been pretty straight forward to be fair.  We landed, sorted work, house and schools pretty quickly, built our lives up and just got on with it.   As much as I miss my family and friends, life goes on for us all. Relaxed atmosphere, coastal walks, daily Pacific Ocean swims, the people, the climate, the adventures… it’s all so amazing.

After 15 months, I’m starting to get the hang of it for sure.  I’m used to the shortened words, the adding of an ‘O’ to most things, and I’ve even started greeting people with ‘Hey, how you going’, rather than the Welsh ‘Hiya, Alright’.   The coffee shops are awesome and make for the perfect office!  Fresh air, friendly staff and the most amazing hot chocolate!

Home from Home

Wales will be my home always; nothing will take that away from me, no matter where in the world I end up. That feeling of pride when you see the Welsh Rugby team, our beautiful flag, hear the anthem.  Plus seeing your town win the UK’s Best High Street award, which it did this week was pretty awesome!  It all gets me every time in the pit of my stomach and in my heart.  But Australia is where I am now, where I live my life, where I spend my days, where I currently call home.

I’m not one for regrets and as homesick as I get, moving here was the best thing we ever did and I encourage anyone who’s thinking of it to at least try, you can always go back.  Moving to the other side of the world brings with it mixed emotions.  Excitement, fear, guilt, anticipation, you go through them all but you have to, you need to ride the wave of new beginnings and chance that the next move in the game will pay off.

Australia is fast becoming a love of my life, I adore it here and am so glad I stuck at it through all the stress and paperwork to make this dream come true.  Same applies to any dream, you just have to stick with it, have to invest your body and mind to reach that goal and make it happen any which way you can… granted a Fairy Godmother would help.

We’re together, we’re safe and we’re happy.  Will we live here forever?  Who knows, the world’s a big place, but for now, we’ve made it our happy ever after, our home from home and we’re loving every minute.