Life in London- the closing of a chapter

I'm currently on a long train ride to West Croydon and thought that I better spend my time on typing my last post then sitting there contemplating on life.

So what have I been up to with my remaining time here? Well, I travelled for two weeks at the beginning of February and decided to spend my last two weeks in London saying my goodbyes and spending time with someone who meant a lot to me. I've been doing a lot of job searching primarily for roles in Melbourne, Sydney and Hong Kong.

As some of you may know, I am in the process of changing careers. I have been looking at roles related to community services, human resources and training. So far, I managed to find one position which I have just sent in the application for. I have not gone through the process of job searching, let alone writing a job application, in a very long time! As you would expect, it has been very stressful and time consuming. I am going to give myself a one month deadline to find a job. After that, I will move away from Perth, irrespective of what happens.

I remember the reason for coming to London; things didn't go the way I have planned. I was going through a lot of things at the time and as my friend Em would say, "I just couldn't handle it!". Time has passed by so quickly and it has now been over two years in the UK. Well what have I gained with my time here? I guess the main thing is gaining self confidence and being comfortable with who I am. I have managed to travel to over 30 cities, hopefully made an influence to at least one out of the hundreds of children I have taught, and meeting some really special people along the way. 

I honestly am not ready to leave London, but there is always an expiry date to everything in life. I know that I made the most out of my time here. The things I have learnt and the experiences I have gained will never be forgotten. 

2014 will be very challenging for me, but I also have a lot I can look forward to. Whoever reads this, please do one thing this year that is out of your comfort zone. Go travelling to a place you never thought you will go to, do something adventurous, or even try eating something you haven't dared try before. Trust me, you will gain so much from it, just like I have!

This blog was created for my two year stint in London. I think this post will be a good way to close my chapter in London and to get ready for my next one...

I took this photo at a burger joint before I moved to London. Luckily I made the most out of my time here and never took anything for granted.

Life in London: Update 1

It has already been two weeks+ since I moved to London from Perth. I have to say that everything has fitted in really nicely with accommodation and work already sorted out within the first two weeks of being here. For the first six days, I stayed at a budget hotel near Liverpool Street which not only was in a good location, but the hotel itself was modern, clean (just a tad bit too small). Straight after checking out of the hotel last Friday, I moved into my new house-share in South Woodford with 5 other house mates. Although all my house mates are girls, they are all easy to get along with (with two of them being Aussies) so it's all good!

My bedroom

My backyard on the day I arrived! No more snow now...

 I haven't yet been around the whole suburb yet, but it is a nice suburb with tree lined streets and town houses stuck side by side. My house is only 10 minutes by foot to the nearest tube and takes around 25 minutes to the city.

So what have I been doing for the last couple of weeks? Well, for the first two weeks I did some sight seeing (as tourists would usually do) mostly by foot. I usually like having my headphones plugged in my iphone with music such as "Falling away" by Big Scary and "Boston" by Augustana and discovering new sights as I walk. Here is a quick snapshot of some places I have been:

A must see landmark if you are a tourist: Big Ben

Guess who lives behind these gates? 

Tower bridge- A really unique bridge matched with beautiful surroundings

The scenic town of Richmond, only 75 minutes from where I live

I promised my kids (ex students) that I will go on the London eye but have
yet to find  someone to go on with me yet...

A royal park in Richmond with my friend Christos in the background

The weather is a bit of a bummer though. I guess getting used to an average 30+ degree heat in Perth and coming to an average of 4 degrees in London, I do need time to adjust to it right? However, seeing snow twice since I have arrived in England is all worth it! The whole landscape and atmosphere changes when it snows!

I started my relief teaching job today and am fully booked for the rest of this week! I actually don't mind relief teaching as most teachers have everything prepared for you, and you basically go in and take over their class for the day. I'm glad that my first relief teaching today actually went well and the students I had in my grade two class were really adorable! Still trying to get used to the younger kids being so clingy though... (not good for a male teacher). Hopefully the jobs will keep coming through!

I know some people who are thinking of or will be travelling overseas. For me, I think it is the BEST decision I have ever made in my life (not exaggerating). Although I have been here for only a couple of weeks, I have seen so much and done things I would not usually do back at home. It has pushed me out of my comfort zone a couple of times and has continued to help me grow as a person. Carl if you are reading this, the message you have sent me has really gave me the courage and inspiration to do a lot! So thanks again for the encouragement :)

I'm homesick quite often, but am getting better at dealing with that as I continue to lead my life abroad. I'm thankful that having such a bad past year has helped me appreciate every single day I have now. I'll keep you all posted as time goes by. Take care!

The Beginning of a New Chapter

My desire to travel to Europe started 5 years ago, when two of my best mates saved enough money to travel around Europe and asked me to come along. This was the time when both of them were already working and I was still doing my teaching degree, with a  miserable bank balance standing between me and a potentially awesome holiday...
I then remember them coming back from the six week trip and sharing their highlights and all the mischief they got up to. I really did regret giving up on a life time trip with them :(


Move forward to 2009.  By this time, I have already saved enough money to travel. But with different priorities in life, Europe was placed on hold. I gave myself the same excuses for 2010, but 2011 was finally a wake up call for me.


This year has been such a big learning curve for me in all aspects of my life. I thought that moving back to Perth after two long and hardworking years in the country was going to be a positive start for the year, but it wasn't. So much has happened this year both with work and personal things (Sometimes I regret coming back to Perth). Being overwhelmed was an understatement. Although there has been highlights this year, the negative aspects have caused me to overlook things that I should have appreciated. With all that has happened, I finally made a brave and selfish decision to take time off work so that I can travel to the other side of the globe for a year!


Going overseas for the year is not simply just for having fun and travelling anymore as I once dreamt of. It is more to do with leaving all my problems behind me and starting fresh. I guess it is an excuse for me to not face my problems temporarily and to chicken out from it. But I do know that I really do need to leave here for a while and to give me time to clear my head. I'm going to use this time to gain some life experiences and hopefully have a sense of direction in what I want to do for the rest of my life.


I remember there was a moment in time when I thought to myself that I would give up this trip to stay back for someone. That was a stupid thought and I'm glad I never did it for that person. As people say: when one door closes, another one opens for you. Going overseas is the door that God has opened for me and I hope he will continue opening up other doors for me along the way.


Here I am now with just three weeks left before I venture off to my first destination: Japan. After that, it will be to Malaysia for a wedding, before my final stop: London.  This will be the beginning of new  sights and experiences for me, and a chance for me to see all that Europe has to offer!
With airfares to all destinations booked, working visa sorted and only some minor things to organise, I can now count down to the big day when I'm ready for a really big and hopefully positive new chapter in my life!