ONE YEAR AUSSIE-VERSARY🇦🇺🇮🇪

Second year visa in the bag too!!

We never thought when we set off on our Australian adventure that it would be as challenging as it has, oh and we never foresaw being here in the midst of a global pandemic.

It’s those challenges and how we have overcome them that makes me believe that we will get through this Covid 19 nightmare. I mean we have to!

When you see people move to Australia you see the traveling, the beaches🏖, the beautiful cities, the even more breathtaking outback/bush🦘🐨, which are the allure that brings us to this unique country.

I’ve been honest throughout my time here, it’s not all bikinis and bottomless brunches.

Work can be difficult to find if you don’t have a trade 👷🏻‍♀️or have a required skill👩‍⚕️, the six-month rule is a killer. I’ve finally settled into a job where I’m not only part of a team but a weird blended family. Also, Friday drinks are quite literally the best thing ever.

Home is so very far away, made abundantly clear in recent weeks as many Irish struggle to get home to loved ones or if you lose someone while out here💔. Despite being so far away, it can in a strange way bring you closer to those at home. I’ve spoken to people a lot more than I would have and as a result, have built better connections that make me excited for when I might venture home.

Money, well it comes and goes in the blink of an eye, but isn’t that everywhere 💸😂 Money troubles will always be a thing, but I am much happier broke knowing I have used it to have a good time, creating memories and exploring.

In spite of these uncertainties, these stressors, I am at my most content here mentally (maybe don’t count the last few weeks😭)

We had a wonderful farm, filled with warm people, loving animals 🐶🐤🐱🐔 and a picturesque landscape that brought with it a sense of calm, of peace.

We have spent time with old friends, made new friends and strengthened our bond as partners in crime (queue the 3am pop band sing-alongs🙈) We have been, seen and done things, we never thought we would!

Melbourne – Sydney – Adelaide – Southern Highlands

Jervis Bay – Sydney Opera House – Grampians National Park – Bondi Beach

Exploring Caves – Feeding Kangaroos – Meeting wild Echidnas – Too many Spider encounters

St Kilda Festival – AFL Games – The Lads Playing for Ireland – Festival X – Australian Open

Turning 30 – Boozy Brunches – River Lunches on the Yarra – Rooftop Bars – Botanic Gardens

Graffiti Streets – Wineries – Nature Treks – Waterfalls – Museums – Outdoor Cinemas

Beach Days – Beach Huts – Beach Picnics – Beach Games (broken fingers) – Beach Christmasses

And sunsets, that will take your breath away every time

Oh….Lived in a cabin, washed dishes in a bucket, drunken stumbles to the bathroom praying there are no snakes and spiders on the way.

Throwing yourself out of your comfort zone, into the unknown, leaving job security, family, friends and your home isn’t easy, its heartbreaking. Sometimes it is necessary in order to grow, to find something inside you that you didn’t know you had.

For me, whose anxiety hates uncertainty, I’ve found to strength to overcome that (to an extent), the courage to push myself to do what I dreamed of, no matter how scary or daunting it seems.

Australia, you’ve been home for a year and you have given me so much in that one year, Thank you!

*I was going to post a moving to Australia series on the anniversary of being here a year but given the current climate it doesn’t seem right….or even possible to move countries, for now. Let me know in the comments!

One Year Aussie-Versary