Monday, August 16, 2010
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Adieu OZ ....
As some of you may already know, I am back in the States! Right now, I am experiencing some disappointment, relief, and excitement for new opportunities. Before I start explaining my OZ experience, please do not be turned off by Australia!!! I would never want anyone to have negative thoughts towards a place they haven't yet visited! It's so important to experience a place firsthand. As I found out, everyone has different experiences while traveling, whether it be good or bad. Even so, it doesn't really matter if the experience was good or bad as long as you actually made the adventure happen! Personally, I learn so much by embracing life fully. I feel free when I take the plunge and break down any boundaries surrounding me.
The beginning of my trip was very exciting and of course gave me a huge adrenaline rush (as most travel junkies know, it's hard to resist new experiences). I loved seeing the Opera House, meeting people from all over the globe, and having the freedom to do what I wanted. I enjoyed my stay in Sydney, but I didn't think I could live there. Sydney is a wonderful place to visit, but I had a gut feeling that I couldn't live there! Mostly, I wanted to experience Aussie culture and I didn't feel that vibe in Sydney. And so, I planned a trip to Melbourne, a city ten hours south of Sydney.
I arrived in Melbourne, by plane, on August 2nd, but I was cold and coughing. Immediately, I recognized that Melbourne was truly different from Sydney. The architecture and vibe of the city screams Europe. However, I didn't enjoy Melbourne. I had a gut feeling it wasn't the best place for me to settle and I was sick. Moreover, it was extremely difficult to motivate myself and find work within the city because of my illness. I was devastated, but decided the best decision was to go home and move on to my other dreams (Europe for example). I decided it's better to go home with money in "my pocket" then to come home empty handed. And traveling, of course, is very expensive, no matter how much you budget yourself!
My trip home was not exactly a smooth one. I had more issues with United Airlines to last me a lifetime! I will not explain the long story on my blog. But... Let me sum it up for you: DO NOT TAKE UNITED. Avoid it at all costs.
Overall, I am so happy I took advantage of this opportunity and experienced Australia. I don't have regrets at all. In fact, it makes me more sure of myself. This experience made me realize how much MORE necessary it is for me to live in Europe. Australia was too much like the USA for me. To be reasonable, it did not make sense, at least for me, to spend money on a country that was so much like home. For me, it is more feasible for me to live in Boston. I enjoy Boston more than Sydney and Melbourne!
One of my hostel roommates in Melbourne was quite puzzled by my desperation and disappointment with OZ. This roommate was from Hong Kong actually, and she was absolutely loving her experience in Australia (kudos to her of course!). I asked her if she visited Chinatown while she was in Melbourne. My Chinese friend looked at me like I was crazy (yet again)! And then I smiled and said "That's exactly my point! Why would you want to visit a place that is exactly like home?" The realization dawned on her; my OZ experience was very much like visiting a little America-town.
Not only that, Australia was very expensive. For those planning to visit OZ, make sure you prepare yourself for an expensive trip. It will be worthwhile to go, don't get me wrong, but it is very expensive! Before any of you visit OZ, let me know! I will give you advice on where to go and how to budget yourself! It is truly a lovely place and I wouldn't want anyone to be discouraged not to experience OZ!
On the other hand, for me, the purpose of traveling abroad is to experience places which are outside of my comfort zone. I want to feel a culture shock! This is one of the reasons why I fell in love with Paris. Immediately, France gives you that culture shock. In fact, the culture shock encourages you to re-think your stero-types and prejudice about culture and people. Therefore, my next goal is to find work in Paris. All of us, who are lovers of Europe, understand how hard it is to live and find work there as an non-EU citizen. And so, I hope to become an Parisian Au Pair. When I was in Paris, I realized the best way to learn French is to surround yourself with the language on a daily basis. Living with a French family is absolutely the right way to master French!
I have to thank all of you for reading! I love having readers and followers! It makes me feel like my experiences are more real when I have others to share them with! I will continue to write on my blog and of course when I am living in Europe. I will keep you all posted!
Cheers and till next time...
Sarah :-)
The beginning of my trip was very exciting and of course gave me a huge adrenaline rush (as most travel junkies know, it's hard to resist new experiences). I loved seeing the Opera House, meeting people from all over the globe, and having the freedom to do what I wanted. I enjoyed my stay in Sydney, but I didn't think I could live there. Sydney is a wonderful place to visit, but I had a gut feeling that I couldn't live there! Mostly, I wanted to experience Aussie culture and I didn't feel that vibe in Sydney. And so, I planned a trip to Melbourne, a city ten hours south of Sydney.
I arrived in Melbourne, by plane, on August 2nd, but I was cold and coughing. Immediately, I recognized that Melbourne was truly different from Sydney. The architecture and vibe of the city screams Europe. However, I didn't enjoy Melbourne. I had a gut feeling it wasn't the best place for me to settle and I was sick. Moreover, it was extremely difficult to motivate myself and find work within the city because of my illness. I was devastated, but decided the best decision was to go home and move on to my other dreams (Europe for example). I decided it's better to go home with money in "my pocket" then to come home empty handed. And traveling, of course, is very expensive, no matter how much you budget yourself!
My trip home was not exactly a smooth one. I had more issues with United Airlines to last me a lifetime! I will not explain the long story on my blog. But... Let me sum it up for you: DO NOT TAKE UNITED. Avoid it at all costs.
Overall, I am so happy I took advantage of this opportunity and experienced Australia. I don't have regrets at all. In fact, it makes me more sure of myself. This experience made me realize how much MORE necessary it is for me to live in Europe. Australia was too much like the USA for me. To be reasonable, it did not make sense, at least for me, to spend money on a country that was so much like home. For me, it is more feasible for me to live in Boston. I enjoy Boston more than Sydney and Melbourne!
One of my hostel roommates in Melbourne was quite puzzled by my desperation and disappointment with OZ. This roommate was from Hong Kong actually, and she was absolutely loving her experience in Australia (kudos to her of course!). I asked her if she visited Chinatown while she was in Melbourne. My Chinese friend looked at me like I was crazy (yet again)! And then I smiled and said "That's exactly my point! Why would you want to visit a place that is exactly like home?" The realization dawned on her; my OZ experience was very much like visiting a little America-town.
Not only that, Australia was very expensive. For those planning to visit OZ, make sure you prepare yourself for an expensive trip. It will be worthwhile to go, don't get me wrong, but it is very expensive! Before any of you visit OZ, let me know! I will give you advice on where to go and how to budget yourself! It is truly a lovely place and I wouldn't want anyone to be discouraged not to experience OZ!
On the other hand, for me, the purpose of traveling abroad is to experience places which are outside of my comfort zone. I want to feel a culture shock! This is one of the reasons why I fell in love with Paris. Immediately, France gives you that culture shock. In fact, the culture shock encourages you to re-think your stero-types and prejudice about culture and people. Therefore, my next goal is to find work in Paris. All of us, who are lovers of Europe, understand how hard it is to live and find work there as an non-EU citizen. And so, I hope to become an Parisian Au Pair. When I was in Paris, I realized the best way to learn French is to surround yourself with the language on a daily basis. Living with a French family is absolutely the right way to master French!
I have to thank all of you for reading! I love having readers and followers! It makes me feel like my experiences are more real when I have others to share them with! I will continue to write on my blog and of course when I am living in Europe. I will keep you all posted!
Cheers and till next time...
Sarah :-)
Sunday, July 25, 2010
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