I’d never heard this word Antipodean before

BEFORE I made the big move to the UK in January, I told myself I wouldn’t live like most of the young Aussie ex-pats in London.

I knew people who had been living here for almost two years and didn’t have any close English friends. I didn’t get it. How could someone spend two years in a country and only associate with Southerners?

I was determined not to spend my two-year stint in London in one of those little “Antipodean” bubbles. I would keep away from the She Bu Walkabout for as long as possible.

I landed in the UK, fresh-faced and tanned, ready to immerse myself fully in the English life – and that meant making friends with as many different nationalities as I could.

I’d been dossing in West Hampstead and decided to stay on that side of town. I found a nice flatshare with three friendly guys – a Brazilian, an Irish and a French – in Willesden Green. I managed to keep away from the popular Antipodean hangouts in She Bu, Clapham and Fulham – with the exception of Australia Day – for a good few months.

But after three months of living in my international house and working in a very multicultural Liverpool Street office, I began to feel lonely.

All of my mates lived with other Aussies or Kiwis, who they had heaps in common with. They were all here for a good time, not a long time, frequenting The Walkabout, The Church and The Redback, and travelling as much as their small incomes would allow.

I longed to live with people who I could relate to – people who understood my need to spend almost four quid on a packet of Tim Tams and who weren’t afraid to strike up a convo with strangers on the Tube.

So I moved to Acton to live with a couple of Aussies and Kiwis, and it couldn’t be better. I feel right at home. Sure, the bathroom is often dirty and my liver hasn’t experienced this sort of abuse since first-year uni, but I am having a blast. I’m creating memories that will last a lifetime.

So now, six months after stepping off that plane at Heathrow, I find myself surrounded by Aussies and Kiwis. You might say I’m about as Antipodean as they come, but with a few English friends to boot.

Is it inevitable that you must live with fellow ‘Antipodeans’ in London? Is this really such a bad thing or should we endeavour to mix with the poms a little better? Have your say by leaving a comment below.

More on Australian Times about being an expat:

Still call Australia Home?

Expat mental health at risk