Home Sweet Home

The simple act of having somebody pick you up and drop you off at the airport is such a touching gesture. This is even more evident before or after a long trip. I'll always remember the people who saw me off at Heathrow and it was equally as nice to see my family at Kingsford Smith. It's a strange feeling of disconnect being back in Sydney. To be honest, the void has nothing to do with Sydney but more because of the sudden absence from London. No matter how bad or good the experience anything that occupies that much time in your life is going to have an lasting affect. After catching up with friends and family the reality of it all settled in. I was indeed having London withdrawals, I missed the conveniences and the lifestyle that had dictated the last 3 years of my life.

Since being back, I've come to realise how amazing the city of Sydney really is. The sights, the food, the people. Everything. There is one but...

Everybody here is so settled. I've lost count of the number of weddings, engagements, baby showers and house warmings. I can understand why people here in Sydney engage in these life choices. It, for me, feels like a place to settle down. Heck, even I went through moments where I wanted to get a stable paying job in Australia, save some money, buy property and find a nice girl to set myself up for the proverbial "and they lived happily ever after". So here I am, single, unemployed and with very little to show in terms of achievements over the last two years. Yet as I lie on the couch reacquainting myself with cable TV the memories and experiences from London flashback and make me feel over privileged and lucky to have experienced it all. It's for that reason I need to get out.

The Dirty Bit

Up until recently my mobile phone provider would automatically save all sent and received text messages for my mobile number to an online repository. Think of it as an archive of all SMS communicated to and from your handset. So with the penultimate closing of my London Chapter, it's interesting to read through all the messages that I sent and received. They represent individual moments over the last two and half years. Starting with the initial messages introducing myself to my friends with my new +44 number, moving to the various dinners, catch ups, trips, birthdays, visitors, farewells, drunken text, random messages, congratulations and salutations. With enough thought I can recollect why I sent or why I received each message.

The question that comes up the most is "Why are you leaving?". I'm thankful to not be bound by ultimatums that many expats face, the most common being Visa issues and family commitments drawing them back home. The luxury of being able to decide to leave on your own accord is something that burdens many expats in London. From my experience there are two types of London Expats. The first are those who are in the UK to experience life abroad and dabble in European travel (2-4 years abroad). Secondly are those who have moved to the UK to establish themselves financially, these people usually get caught up with the appeal of Permanent Residence (> 6 years). Given that broad classification I fall into the former of the two.

To be able to travel all of Europe would require determination of epic proportions. For me, the idea of weekend trips no longer excited me and I was content with the amount of European coverage I experienced. The other factor was that of work and lifestyle, I needed a change that could only be satisfied by moving away from London.

With that being said it's only fitting that my final night in London would be spent surrounded by the familiar faces that have made my UK experience enjoyable. The night consisted of a trashy venue (Ruby Blue), cake, shots, conversation and of course, HK Diner. So with the 41 kgs (31 kgs luggage + 10 kg carry on) I left London with a small farewell party at Heathrow. Farewell London!