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Loving living the nomadic life

GO HARD OR GO HOME: Like most Aussies living in London, spending a couple of years abroad was something I had dreamt of doing since my teens. But maybe living abroad actually isn’t every young Australians’ cup of flat white.

By on 4 July, 2011 3:55 pm in Go Hard or Go Home, Voices / 4 comments

 
 

Backpacker

LIKE most Aussies living in London, spending a couple of years abroad was something I had dreamt of doing since my teens.

My best friend Kate and I talked about moving “overseas” once our University of Canberra days were done and dusted.

A serious lack of finances and a too-good-to-refuse job opportunity meant the move didn’t happen until a few years later than initially planned, but the idea was never far from my mind.

I knew several people who had spent a year or two working and living in another country, and upon their return the stories they’d tell were amazing.

Given that I didn’t leave the Great Southern Land until the ripe old age of 23, their tales of adventure and fun filled me with excitement and anticipation.

I know I’m not the only one who felt or feels like that.

Almost every time I speak to a friend or family member from back home I get an ego boost.

Even my well-travelled friends say things like, “What you’re doing is amazing”.

They want to know every intricate detail of the places I’ve visited and the sights I’ve seen.

Many of them go on to say things like “You’re so brave, I could’ve never done what you’ve done”, as though I’d gone off on a spaceship and started my own colony on Mars.

At first these sorts of comments really surprised me; I don’t consider myself to be brave, not by any stretch of the imagination.

It wasn’t until I heard comments like these that I realised; maybe living abroad actually isn’t every young Australians’ cup of flat white.

Some people are very happy plodding along without change, spending their entire lives in the same town or city, eating at the same restaurants and shopping at the same shops.

But there’s a certain breed of us that just can’t sit still.

And it’s those of us who are drawn to the bright lights of “overseas”. We’re constantly looking for the next job, next place to live, next challenge.

Especially when Down Under, that huge island we call Australia (and home), is so isolated from the rest of the world.

Of course, neither type of person is right or wrong, or better or worse. Just different.

There are times when I wish the Boredom God wouldn’t come knocking on my door as often as he does. It’s quite unsettling to be always looking for change.

The fact that my parents moved my siblings and I around every few years probably had something to do with it (thanks Mum and Dad).

While I hated it at the time, I am so thankful that we left Wagga Wagga when I was 12.

Then we moved to Goulburn, which was, err, different …

Soon after came bigger and better things in the shape of Canberra, where I made friends that will last a lifetime.

Albury was my next stop, and while I didn’t realise it at the time, I had a lot of fun in that “regional city”.

And finally I’ve ended up in London, where I’m having the time of my life.

If I’d stayed in Wagga Wagga, there’s a high chance I’d be a teenage mum by now, and I wouldn’t have been able to experience half of what I have.


 
 

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About the author

Shannon Crane is an experienced journalist who has recently returned to Australia after living in London for two years. Travel, music, shopping and discovering Melbourne's best-kept secrets are just a few of her favourite things. Oh, and The Sound of Music features quite highly on that list, too.

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    4 Comments

    1. Shannon Crane says:
      July 8, 2011 at 1:32 pm

      Hi Jen,
      I’m sorry that you felt some of my comments were judgemental, it certainly wasn’t my intention to offend anyone.
      Like you, I know lots of people who have remained in their hometowns and are loving it(teenage mums included). I just wanted to share my experience. Some people find the idea of moving overseas exciting, while others don’t and, like I said in my piece, neither type of person is better or worse.

      All the best,
      Shannon

      Reply
    2. Ashlea Maher says:
      July 8, 2011 at 9:38 am

      Shannon, I can totally relate to your column. You are gunning it in London and just think of all the things you’ve achieved since going O/S – you ARE amazing!

      Do you relate to the expat experiences in this piece: http://goo.gl/NHdh6?

      Maybe Australians have a unique psyche given their isolation from the rest of the world. As with everything in life: you either love it or you don’t.

      Or maybe it’s just ignorance. I hope I don’t sound like a snob, but it’s not that hard to catch a plane to LDN; get on the Cockfosters tube line; laugh at its name because you’re Australian; then go see some old stuff, visit some free museums and galleries full of more cool old stuff; then find a job busting tables or pulling beers (something even better if you’re lucky); and then get on a train and visit Berlin/Paris/Rome for the weekend.

      I miss London every day. And every time I go home to Orange, the only people I know are either onto their second child or are druggos. I can’t wait to be back with you all again albeit a tourist instead of a resident.

      Until then, I’m breaking my recent ‘AT Silence’ and am putting a piece together about the effect of return to Australia has had on me, hopefully getting in touch with Dr Madison (from the original AT piece I linked to above) before then.

      If you’d like to take part in offering a voice in this piece, let me know: ashlea.maher@gmail.com.

      And you could be being amazing (or a yummy mummy if you so choose) in a regional community somewhere in Australia. But please save helping the community by knitting rugs until your knees are old. Also, our generation will be working until we’re 70, so you’ve got enough time to work towards another dream job experience if you start to feel ‘it’s time’ to settle. But I must say, I would recommend chasing the horizon as long as you can.

      But I say that as a broke, childless, 27-year-old with itchy feet. Also, someone who had the best experiences of their life travelling and living in Europe and the UK.

      All the best,
      Ash xx

      Reply
    3. Jen says:
      July 8, 2011 at 9:08 am

      Wow, you’ve made some pretty severe judgements regarding people who are happy to remain in their hometown. It’s great that you ‘just can’t sit still’ but does that mean that the other people (some of whom, are–shockingly–not teenage mums)are not having the time of their lives??

      Reply
    4. Judgie says:
      July 4, 2011 at 4:53 pm

      Don’t be hating on Wagga!! It’s where dreams come true and legends are made. Sure you could be a pregga mum anywhere just put your mind to it.

      Reply
     
     

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