Life on the Other Side of the World: Moments from Australia
A Journey Through Time 🕰️ Stories from the Edge of the World: Life in Australia, Where a Spot on the Map Became Everyday Reality
The journey to Australia was filled with unexpected moments – from the first night when I woke up to a mysterious alarm, through the local habits I adopted, to the summary of two rich years that passed like a dream. Here's a collection of stories about life in a country on the opposite side of the globe, and how I changed there.
📍 Melbourne, Australia | 12/02/2023
Siren in Australia
When the Siren Woke Me from Deep Sleep
At 5:30 in the morning, I heard an alarm. A rising and falling siren entered my dream and suddenly woke me up.
What? Why an alarm now? What kind of threat is even here? Terrorism? War? With whom? After all, this is an island. A koala attack? I'm trying to understand what's being said on the PA system between one alarm and the next, and it's a bit hard to think while half asleep.
Get out of bed? Go somewhere? Nah, it can't be anything serious. Come on, I've been through alarms in my life, I came to Australia because there's nothing to fear here.
A few minutes pass and the alarm continues. Maybe it's an approaching tsunami? I searched online for "Melbourne news" and reached a news page that only reported the usual cases—missing people, a body found in the river, you know, normal stuff.
I changed my search to "Melbourne siren now." I reached a breaking news site that showed me there was a fire in the building almost opposite mine. A fire in the middle of the night? Shit.
I got up to the window but didn't see anything. I went back to bed, and after a few minutes, the alarm stopped.
I've been having trouble falling asleep lately. Probably because of the tension, and thoughts about what will be, what if this, and what if that. In recent days I only fall asleep around 3 AM, and then it's really hard for me to get up in the morning, so I don't always get up.
I turn off the alarm and put life on Hold until I find an apartment and a job. I don't really have a reason to be stressed—I have money, everything's fine, but I'm me, and I'm no longer on vacation. I knew I'd come here and return to routine, but the routine is delayed, and now it's a state of in-between.
I have a list of things I want to do, but I'm waiting until after I settle. I don't want to waste money on things I don't need right now, because the responsible part of me won't let me. On the other hand, I didn't come all this way to lock myself in a house, I could have done that in Tel Aviv.
I reached a compromise with myself. I'll save a bit on Airbnb expenses by renting a private room in a shared apartment instead of an apartment to myself, and I'll go to the special events I want.
In my search for an apartment, I come across many listings for shared apartments, and also listings from people who want to go on a Road Trip and are looking for partners.
The first thing that comes to mind is—how do they trust strangers. What, not everyone has trust issues like me? There are people in the world who simply rent a room from their home to a complete stranger, and trust them not to make a mess/dirty/steal/murder them. How?!
📸 In the video: This weekend I celebrated properly because next week I start working. Yesterday I went to a Latin cruise—a party on a yacht, where everyone is dressed in white. It was amazing! Today I went to a techno festival, exactly as I like, but I don't have videos proving it, because I arrived without a battery.
📍 Melbourne, Australia | 02/26/2023
No Worries
Turns Out Australia Isn't Just on the Map
I still can't believe I'm in Australia. Actually Australia. I crossed the whole way, the whole journey I planned, all the countries on my list, and got here. I did it.
When I hear that voice in my head, I ask: "What, didn't you believe you'd succeed?" I think I knew I would succeed because I have a plan, and I follow it. But always, when I heard myself telling people my route, it sounded a bit outlandish, imaginary, or just distant. "Yes, I'm planning to fly here and there, and do this and visit there..." something that if I heard from someone else, I would probably think: "Okay, good luck... sounds like a long way."
Lots of room for mistakes (which happened), lots of room to fail, lots of fears, but never reasons to give up.
Everything is still confused for me. I scroll on Facebook, see apartment listings, get excited about the pictures, read a bit, realize it's actually in Tel Aviv. Or suddenly see a job ad, with cool conditions, a beautiful bar... wait, that's actually in Mexico. In addition to this confusion, I have all the apartments I’ve seen, all the workplaces I've tried, and all the apartments I've been through.
When I schedule something, I immediately add it to my calendar. Otherwise, it will get lost among all the information. I'm starting to feel comfortable in the streets, already know the areas, and know where I'm going even without Google.
I've even caught on to the language. Everyone here always says "No worries" about everything, like we say "בכיף" (with pleasure). Interesting... here they have no worries, and that's the term that caught on. While we have worries, we need to enjoy with pleasure.
Or for example, "Cheers," which is pronounced like "Choo's," or that everywhere they ask "How's your day going?" or "How was your week?" Everyone is nice, and I'm starting to fall in love with this city, which is on the other side of the world.
📍 Melbourne, Australia | 01/26/2025
Two Years of Australian Magic
A Journey That Started as a Dream and Became a Wonderful Reality of Self-Discovery, Adventures, and a Home Away from Home
When I look back at the last two years, my heart fills with mixed emotions. It feels like just yesterday I was sitting in Thailand with my family, dreaming about the next adventure, and suddenly—here I am, summarizing an amazing chapter in my life.
These two years were like a rich photo album, with 24 exhibitions that opened my eyes to art, 18 performances that filled my soul with music, and 21 cities each teaching me something new. I drank countless cups of coffee that kept me alert, and I experienced two relationships that taught me about love, mainly about self-love.
Every day was a new adventure. I flew for a quick visit to Tel Aviv that reminded me where I came from, climbed a historic bridge in Brisbane, and even "helped" Batman catch the Joker at the amusement park in Gold Coast. I dived at the Great Barrier Reef and found love—and myself—in Townsville.
There were also difficult moments. I cried in Byron Bay when news from home broke my heart, but I also celebrated Christmas in Mackay like a real Australian and welcomed the New Year in Airlie Beach. I sunbathed on the white sand of the Whitsundays, drank cocktails on Hamilton Island, and woke up to sunrises in remote cabins.
The adventures took me very far - I swam (carefully) near crocodiles in Darwin, danced on the tropical beaches of Fiji, sailed on the Swan River in Perth, and cruised to Hobart. I saw Sydney from a bird's eye view in a helicopter, screamed on a roller coaster in the Blue Mountains, and fed a white kangaroo along the way.
And always, but always, I returned to Melbourne—the city that became a second home, that hosted me with warmth and openness I will never forget. There I learned about art and emotion, about the fickleness of weather that reflects life, and mostly—I learned about myself.
I met people who became dear friends, learned from mistakes and successes, and made giant steps forward in my life project. I experienced the Australian dream in all its power, was exposed to a culture that captured my heart, and discovered a world of possibilities without boundaries.
Today, as I leave and open a new chapter, my heart is full of confidence that the next adventure will be no less wonderful. This time, I know it's in my hands to turn any dream into reality. Thank you, beloved Melbourne. Thank you, amazing Australia. You have a special place in my heart, and I'm sure our paths will cross again.
Australia went from being a place on the map to a reality I lived and breathed. That's what excites me so much about the journey – the way distant and abstract things become tangible, and how we change in the process. I found myself adopting the Australian "No Worries," the ease that accompanies it, and the confidence I gained over time. I take with me an important insight – real life doesn't happen in the places we mark on the map, but in the small changes that happen within us along the way.
Your support helps me keep experiencing new worlds and sharing them with you through my words. Sometimes, a single cup of coffee can make a difference.
Thank you for being part of this journey.
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