In March, Sydney will be my home for three years. Three years is a very long time for a person like me to call one place their home, but I'm beginning to feel that the true meaning of "home" will never be applied to my life in Australia.
As stated in my introductory post, I met my wonderful Australian boyfriend while traveling in the Baltics in 2008. Because of him, I decided to try my hand at a working holiday in the land down under and see where the relationship went.
Obviously, the relationship has gone well, and we are now tied together with the de facto partner visa, which allows me to stay in this gorgeous country to live, work, and travel freely.
Australia isn't called the "lucky country" for nothing. The people and nature can't be beat! Still, visiting a place and planning to call the place home are two very different things.
Although my situation was more play-it-by-ear, and I could see what happened, a number of things really caught me off guard. Knowing some of these things in advance may have influenced my decision to come.
Okay... definitely not. I was too focused on chasing love to really care about anything else, but perhaps knowing some of these things could have helped lessen the shock after arriving.
Table of Contents
1. Australia will be an expensive place to live
When I was younger and planning where I wanted to go for university, California was at the top of my list. However, after researching the fees and the cost of living for the places I wanted to attend, the idea quickly disappeared from my list.
Although I hated Midwestern Winters, the fact is that you pay good money to live in mild and warm climates. The same goes for Australia.
In my book, you pay for nice weather, and even if it is not the case, you do pay to live in Australia. Luckily, the minimum wage is relatively high, and hourly wages represent the higher cost of living.
Just be aware that the money can go quickly even then, especially if planning to travel in the country.
2. Christmas will never feel like Christmas
I've now had the pleasure of participating in three Christmas holidays in Australia. So why do I not feel like I've had a Christmas since about 2007?
Because Christmas down under is just not the same. Yeah, sure, I despise Winter weather and prefer to live in a warmer climate, but where's the holiday build-up?
Where are the cold nights, drinking hot cocoa while watching Christmas movies playing on TV? Instead, the big day falls in the middle of the Aussie summer, so forget your red wine and traditional roast dinners-it's too hot!
Aussies, tourists (and even Santa) head to the beach for a relaxing day in the sun, which is not a bad thing, but when it is all said and done, you kind of wonder where Christmas actually went.
3. Visiting home in America will become more of an ordeal.
It was easy for me to think that home was only a flight (or two) away, but the price and length of flights from Australia to the USA have made it more of an ordeal than I initially expected.
Maybe the problem is more of a problem for individuals with wanderlust. I'm constantly torn between spending the $1,500 to fly to Illinois and spending that money, or way less, on a trip to somewhere more unfamiliar.
I love my family and miss seeing them at times, but booking that rather pricey ticket home when the inner travel demon inside me is spouting off lists of destinations I could be traveling to makes it very hard.
4. There will be culture shock
Australians speak English, so that culture shock won't exist. Wrong. Australians have a culture of their own, albeit subtle in differences, but still something worth mentioning.
One of the main attributes of the culture I despise is the laid-back attitude. For my anxious little mind, I love the idea of not being in a rush to do things, having loads of holiday time, and just being able to brush stuff off my shoulders.
On the other hand, when you need something done -- like in the evening, on the weekend, or during the holidays -- you can forget about it.
Of course, there are other bits of culture shock, like adjusting to holidays in the opposite seasons (and how locals prepare and celebrate), deciphering the way people talk (both in word choice and the way they talk to each other), and dealing with the popular Aussie meet-and-greet of cheek-kissing (I like my personal space).
Although all of these examples are small, they add up to a point on this list since prolonged exposure can emphasize even minor details.
5. Taxes will become complicated
I can't talk for other expats, not from America, but taxes are a complete pain.
If you continue to keep your citizenship, you will have to file taxes in the USA forever, claim income made overseas, and deal with special rules and regulations (that hopefully keep you from having to pay).
I'm no accountant, and I don't want to steer anyone wrong, but you will want the advice of a trained individual so you don't get burned down the road.
[Editor's note: If you spend 330+ days per year outside the USA, check out the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion.]
These are just five of the things I wish I'd known before becoming an expat in Australia-some of which can be applied to expats in other locations around the world. Living in Australia is a dream come true for me, but that doesn't mean it can't be difficult at times.
