I am very fortunate to only be a Skype call away from my family and friends, and understand that many people aren't as blessed. Whether they are poverty stricken, in the military or in any other difficult situation I truly feel for anyone in this predicament. Sometimes this may feel like a first world problem because we do live in a time when the world can be explored within a 24 hour plane ride, but living this reality has taught me it is only a transitioning problem. Yes my mail may be air carried and take two weeks to arrive and maybe seeing my family isn't an 8 week boat trip arriving on Ellis Island but it is still difficult to be away from family.
I try to push any concerns to the back of my mind. Trust me if I let my anxiety have it's way my pictures would be like the before and after shots of president Lincoln. Common stresses revolve around tragedy and what if's... Could I get there in time? What if the flights are booked? What if we can't afford the journey? None of these situations matter because they haven't happened and stressing about them won't make them less likely to happen. That is the first key to living away from home.
The second is to have a solid reason for being away. Fighting for freedom, earning an income, being with your partner. These are all great and valid reasons for being away from home and having a strong reason will anchor you in your decision. Whenever I feel like giving in and going home I look at my partner and realize that it is worth it.
Thirdly, stop thinking that everything has changed. There may be a few new stores, maybe your nephew has grown five inches since you last saw him but people change and things happen. Whether you were there to experience it or not people grow up, buildings fall down and life moves on. Romanticizing your old life isn't going to change your current situation, which brings me to my next point.
Create your own life. Maybe this is a friend circle or a work routine but create a life where happiness can grow. For me it is adventure and building my relationship. Being in a new country means that everything is new and exciting. No it isn't always fun but taking my camera along for the journey makes it worth capturing! It's important to log off Facebook, step away from the timeline photos and live your own life.
Lastly, visit home. Keep in touch with your family, remember birthdays. This will help you feel connected. You may not be in the photographic evidence but you will still be in your loved ones hearts. I hope this post helped you, good luck!
How to Live Away from Loved Ones
Why Renting Sucks!
Now I know what you're thinking. Of course renting is terrible, you pay upwards of twelve thousand dollars to live in someone else's investment. Besides the obvious things such as applications, deposits and landlords what sucks about renting?
First of all the fact that your home never really feels like your home. Often times you can't paint or fix up your place. We've been blessed with horrible green curtains and an 80's brown bathroom. While you may be thinking you can at least change the curtains, I'm here to say, not in my budget! The windows are huge and to get curtains for them all would cost well over three hundred dollars, no way!
Secondly, our neighbors smoke. Now I don't really care about the life choices of others, but when your way of smoking is sitting in your bathroom with the fan on I will have an issue. Living in an apartment means that you get the cigarette stench blowing through your bathroom and kitchen fan, how fantastic! I know you could have similar problems if you owned the apartment but the difference is you could fix the issues yourself. My partner and I often feel guilty about complaining when something doesn't work and we have come to realize that it doesn't really matter because the owners won't fix it properly anyway.
That brings me to my next point, living in a construction zone. When we moved into our latest home we were told that the deck wasn't up to scratch and would need to be fixed. This would take a maximum of two weeks we were assured. We had hammering through our Birthdays, Christmas and other holidays. It has been three months of one feeble old man installing a new deck and trust me, I am feeling it. He is a nice guy, don't get me wrong but I don't want hammering and awkward greetings in my own home. If I owned the apartment I would've hired a proper team to assemble it but the owners were more concerned with saving money than doing the job properly.
So why does renting suck? Because you pay 300 dollars a week to get a run down apartment full of problems and bad neighbors and you have no power to fix any of it. It doesn't come with air-conditioning? Oh well... The plumbing is broke? You can go without water for a week. No TV? Who cares it's not a necessity! Congratulations, welcome to life!
Returning to America!
It's official! I will be returning to America for three weeks in June. I am so relieved that the tickets are booked and I will be seeing my family in three months. In June it will be two years since I left for Australia, two years since I last saw my family. My fiance is coming along for the journey of course, I need him to keep me sane for the plane ride! I also need to see a doctor for some anti-anxiety medication for the flight. In total it is 21 hours of flying so in other words, a must! I've tried everything from travel calm, Sea-Bands, Valium and lastly Ativan. Ativan has been the only thing that can calm my anxiety. Some people ask if it's really necessary but when you are shaking on a flight for 15 hours and can't eat I would have to say the answer is YES! Unless you struggle with bad anxiety it's hard to relate to what others are suffering with. If you see someone struggling on a plane please just have some patience they most likely don't want to be there anymore than you don't want them there. For my family I will fly around the world, so wish me luck!
