9 Months Ago I Made The Greatest Decision Of My Life

9 months ago I squeezed everything I owned into an oversize suitcase to start a new life with my boyfriend in a different country. 9 months ago I said goodbye to every single one of my family and friends to embark on the unknown. 9 months ago I cried at the airport wondering why the hell I had thrown my entire life as I knew it upside down.

9 months ago I made the greatest decision of my life.

So did everything go to plan? Was the transition from Australia to Canada easier then you had imagined? The honest answer is: not at all.
The worst part about moving abroad was the loneliness, the loneliness took over me instantly. I cried and cried and cried until my body had no more tears to shed. After living in Canada for only a month I was ready to pack my things and run home with my tail between my legs like a lost puppy. I of course ached for the familiar faces of my friends and family but most of all I missed the things you never even factor into missing. I missed saying hello to the friendly stranger I always saw at my local grocery store, waking up hearing a laughing Kookaburra outside my window, knowing all the quickest backstreets to get home, I missed absolutely everything about Australia and I hated that I had left it all behind.

At this point everyones messages of love started flooding in,
“How’s it all going? Is it amazing?”
Fuck NO. but,
“YAAAAS LOVING IT!”
Great, now not only am I going to Hell for being a selfish cry baby I’m also getting fast tracked for lying.

Everyone kept reminding me that I would,
"Eventually settle in" and to just "Give it some more time"
I think that is almost what made it harder for me. I was basically just sitting around waiting and wondering when it was all going to start getting better. Canada life finally got brighter for me when I stopped waiting and started doing. On my days off I would go and explore my new town by myself (something I would have never done in Australia). I found the quickest backstreets to get home, my very own Canadian stranger I could say hello to at the grocery store and I began to fall in love with the snow at my window rather than missing the Kookaburra. It's true what people say about positivity. The more positive energy you put out, the more positive energy you shall receive.

Then, everything became truly magical.
I would walk to work (and still do) pinching myself that I get to see a family of gentle deers grazing on the neighbours lawn, I would catch fresh snowflakes on my tongue or need to take a different route because a bear was seen down that road last night. How many people get to experience these things? Not many, but me. Daily I would be introduced to a complete stranger who would eventually become a beautiful friend. I was seeing, feeling and discovering something or someone new every single day.

"How has everything been going? All your photos look amazing!"
I reply,
"I am totally great! Everything is truly incredible."
And most importantly, this time I actually meant it.

In the short 9 months I have been calling Canada my home I have experienced so many amazing moments. I often find it difficult to express the extent of Canada's greatness without wanting to overwhelm people or come off pretentious. The landscapes I have seen and hiked and snowboarded (terribly) often occupy my mind, as it is still unbelievable to me that I have experienced these places in person. I have witnessed lakes more blue than the sky, free roaming animals that many people only see in a zoo, sunsets that are a photographers dream. I have walked home in -27 degrees freezing, ice skated on what used to be a school yard oval, eaten food others have never heard of, drunk copious amounts of alcohol to laugh with friends I never knew existed 2 weeks ago.
This isn't a holiday, this is everyday of my life.

My life is a powerful mixture of emotions, I am still learning and dealing with the unexpected everyday. Although I truly adore my life here, my longing for Australia and all the things and people I love about it are never forgotten. I often still get sad and miss certain people but I feel I am finally finding the right balance between bonding and letting go to live my own life.

You've probably heard a million people say it, that travel changes you. The reason you've heard it so much is because it is true. I have travelled to many places before that have completely changed my life but living abroad for these short 9 months I have evolved, lived and grown more than I believed possible. I have always been free, but freedom is different now. I am capable of anything, I am a stronger, wiser, kinder person than I was before. Several people tell me how "lucky" I am to be living my life like this, but it's not about luck, it's about want.
Do you want to do it? Do you really want to? Then do it.

"My life is not the same having seen the moon shine from the other side of the world."