Wanted Down Under - Revisited 1 year on.

Brisbane - QLD - March 2017.

Having just completed my one year anniversary at the mighty Optus seemed appropriate to write a follow-up on my first article based on my Australian experiences.

Life now is seemingly a lot different to those first 3 months I spent in the Northern Beaches of Sydney [amazing place - Palm Beach, Curl Curl etc] commuting to the Optus Campus on Mac Park for work. For one I have hopped over the border to QLD - by hopping I mean driving over 1100 KMS to reach the South East Corner - Brisbane. I now work out of our Fortitude Valley office, a rather "fruity" part of Brisbane, great office, great co-workers in a fantastic city. We have bought a place, 25 K's north of the City, really peaceful, backing on to a golf course. The family are now formally "bedded" in, our boy Jim wears his socks firmly pulled up, he skateboards to school, plays soccer and finishes each sentence slightly higher than when he began it. His sister 14 fights it!

I am still in the same line of work, it it more nuanced now which makes it very interesting, don't need to say much more than that really other than to say, Australia is not a place to come if you think it will be an easy, barbie life...it isn't!

The last 6 months in Sydney leading on from my first article where equally as eventful. I still spent most of my time surrounded by people I did not know, yet willing engaged in helping me integrate. Australia for networking is so good, everyone appears in the same boat and will go out of their collective ways to make you feel welcome. This is still the case today. I still accepted invites from complete strangers to do things which sounded good. The highlight was to accept an invite to stay at "Derek's" apartment in Port Jackson for new years eve, the family and I. What an amazing experience, the noise, colour, party and atmosphere. Equally important however was Derek's hospitality to neigh-on complete strangers, indicative of how it is if you are willing to "take-a-chance"!

We moved to Queensland beginning of January 2017. During that time the family and I have recreated experiences and pictures we undertook when we holidayed 3 years back. Who'd have thought when Jim bought is "Roar" soccer top he would be training with them on a Friday nights 5 K's from his home! We visited Australia Zoo at the weekend and took my mum to Noosa in the week [she arrived a year to the day I left the UK]. I think now, she finally gets the reason we wanted to give life down under a go, I didn't think we would win that particular battle but seemingly we did!

We are now slowly making friends, making new connections and forming fresh memories. The people that surround us, help shape us and looking around i'm OK with that. So for those looking at making a leap of faith, 12 months on I would still say, "give it a go" you may just find yourself with a fresh new perspective and no real lens on where you future may lay, makes life a little more interesting!

KR

Carl.