They say that the first 3-6 months when moving to a new country on your own is the hardest part of the transition. That statement couldn’t be more accurate when looking back at these first 3 months of my time in London. There’s more than meets the eye when it comes to those snapchats and instagram filtered posts you see on your social media from your friends who are now expats.

I can’t even begin to count the amount of times I’ve contemplated booking a ticket home just because I knew that going back to my life in Australia would be easier. Or the amount of times I’ve messaged or called a loved one from home crying or being in complete utter sadness because of the hardships, culture shock or homesickness I’ve experienced.  There are absolutely no words to describe how grateful I am to have people back at home who have taken that time out for me.

There’s been days when I love this city so much because of the amount of opportunities this place has offered me and then there are days when I absolutely hate it. Why do I hate it you ask yourself. Well when you move overseas you forfeit your complete identity from back home. You’re essentially starting your whole life from scratch and that includes things from finding work in a market you have no experience in, setting up bank accounts, organising your National Insurance Number, making friends, finding a place to live and more.

Despite this place being one of the liveliest cities you could ever live in, there are times where you can also feel like the loneliest person in the world. This city doesn’t care if you’re crying because you have no one here to turn to, or you’re filled with complete uncertainty, that you’ve had one bad day after another, or that you don’t know when you’re going to be working or where you’re going to be living next. The London life is very fast paced and if you let any negative thinking get the best of you or you don’t adapt, this place can chew you up and spit you out like you meant nothing if you let it.

Im not here to scare any of you away from taking that risk and moving halfway across the world because despite all of the hardships I’ve had to endure, there is always a silver lining. My silver lining has been the amount of personal growth I’ve experienced over the past 3 months in comparison to what I’ve experienced my whole life back at home.

I feel like I’ve been put into this accelerated life course where everything that I’ve been taught in my life is now being put to the test. From learning how to rely on yourself, accepting the fact that you can’t just call up a friend for coffee because they’re a 24 hour flight away, training yourself to think positively when things go completely sour, or being comfortable with being completely alone. This city really forces you to be comfortable with being uncomfortable.

If I had no choice but to fly back home tomorrow for good, I can confidently say that I’m not the same person I was when I left home. Regardless of whether I last 12, 18 or 24 months here, I want to be able to look back on this and say that making it in London was one of the greatest achievements of my life.

Yours sincerely,
Paola
The Seasoned Traveller