Roaming with Red

It’s the end of October and it’s already been 5 months since I moved from Australia to London! It really is crazy how fast time flies.

As you’ve probably already noticed, this week’s post is slightly different. While it’s not quite a check-in at 6 months, with the festive season coming up, I thought this post was more appropriate now rather than in a month’s time.

So much has happened in 5 months that it genuinely feels like I’ve been here for ages! Last time I posted about moving, I was 5 weeks in, not 5 months in, and still riding the fun holiday, new job high. It’s safe to say, that high has taken some dips over the last 5 months as I’ve tried to settle into life in the UK. Unsurprisingly, there are plenty of Aussies in this big city and almost all that I talk to seem to say the first 6 months are the hardest. I think I’d agree. While moving is exciting and fun, it’s also daunting and overwhelming and not without its challenges.

One thing I’m still learning is that it’s ok to be home sick on this crazy journey that you’re on. And I say ‘still learning’ in every sense of that phrase. I’ve always loved travel and adventure and this particular adventure has been a very long time coming, so much so that it feels like I’m failing when I miss my friends and family at home. I’m slowly learning that it’s actually the exact opposite. Feeling home sick just means you have strong connections with people back home and it is ok to miss those connections. Those connections make up your support systems and it’s tough to not have them readily available (especially when you’re dealing with a time difference like London to Australia). Having moments of home sickness isn’t a failure, it’s simply a sign that you’re human with human emotions. While I’m not entirely there yet, it’s definitely one of the things this move is forcing me to embrace.

Another piece of advice I’d give anyone thinking of moving overseas is to give yourself time and be kind to yourself in all aspects of life. Routines take time to build and getting to know a new city doesn’t happen overnight. Neither does making friends. You’ll try many things and put yourself out there, and they aren’t always going to pay off. And so, you have to learn to be resilient because friendships and feeling comfortable takes time to build. From a personal perspective, I definitely feel like I’m slowly on the way to making friends and settling into what life in the UK means. But it’s only just happened in the last few weeks and there’s a lot further to go.

Lastly, moving teaches you to appreciate life and embrace everything it throws at you, good and bad. I feel so tremendously lucky to have this opportunity and I really do love the feeling of new opportunities. Embracing your new life can manifest in many different ways for many different people – for me, it’s making an effort to explore London and beyond wherever I can. This means enjoying the food and wine scene where I can. Or making an effort to take a day trip out of London at least once a month. Or forward planning to overseas trips I can take while I’m here. It is easy to feel stagnant when you have nothing forcing you to strive for something new. While extreme, moving overseas is definitely one way to reinvigorate life.

This is only the beginning of this journey and I already feel like I have come so far. For anyone thinking of doing something similar, I couldn’t recommend it enough. However, I would make sure you are kind to yourself and don’t put too many expectations on what the experience will be. If it only ends up being 6 months in the country you move to, then that’s ok! Maybe it ends up being longer than two years and that’s also ok! In the end, these things are so personal it’s all about finding the road that gives you what you need.