Almost 1 year in Brisbane...

So I’m just about one month off having lived in Brisbane for 1 year. Have I changed? What has the last year been like?

In this post I really just want to answer these questions. My kind of more reflective/ diary like blog posts are my most popular. I'm not quite sure why. Hopefully it is because you guys can relate! 

Moving for the third time in three years was SO much easier than the first two. I think that I have finally got the hand of it. 

I didn't experience any homesickness at all. Well, let's be honest, I missed Singapore like crazy and I still do every single day! In fact, the only really major thing I have struggled with was going from somewhere like Singapore where things are constantly happening and there is always something in close proximity to do, to Brisbane where life is a lot more slow paced and much quieter (as you could imagine finding things to blog about has become a million times harder since moving here). However, this was different to homesickness (at least to the almost unbearable homesickness I have experienced in the past). I suppose this was because I felt more nostalgic than homesick. Not being homesick made me wonder as to where I call home. I actually pondered over this for a while. Looking back now I'm still not quite sure where I call home, but isn't that such a beautiful thing? I am able to feel at home in a variety of locations. I am no longer joined at the hip to one particular place; I am free to find a home wherever I am. I am super grateful for that realisation. 

Moving to a new city has changed me most in that I now know myself so much more. I know I'm different to so many people my age; people tell me that all the time. My greatest passions are to explore, be constantly learning and just experiencing as many cultures as possible. I also find that these are the things that make me most excited in life.  I want to spend my days reading, writing, opening my eyes to new opportunities and just doing things that are going to make me a better person. I used to hate thinking that I was different. Though, I now see it so clearly and I am so proud to be different. I should actually hope to be different and unique, as I have experienced things that not many people get to at my age. It would be worrying if I moved around so much and didn't get anything out of it. 

When I was younger I used to think that I had to do whatever everyone else my age was doing just to fit in. Oh man, was I wrong. I have learnt fundamentally that being true to yourself is the most important thing in life. Yeah I know it sounds totally cliché and gag worthy, but when you are proud and know who you are, people who will genuinely respect and love you for that will come along. Seriously though, the close friends in my life right now are the best people that I have come across just because I have learnt to be confident in who I am. 

I have also changed in that I have stopped underestimating myself when it comes to a lot of things. If there is one thing that moving can teach you, it's that you have more potential and strength than you think. Its been incredibly motivating. I don’t think there has really been a time where I have felt so sure of myself in everything I do.

Last year I was in a pretty good place, but this year I feel miles ahead. I feel so excited for the future now that I feel like I truly understand my passions and who I really am. This year I really made sure to embrace every opportunity that brings about change in my character. My greatest advice is to not be scared of finding out who you are and coming to grips with that realisation. It is so liberating and it helps you see the world and your own path on earth so much clearer.

I don't know if it was moving to Brisbane or the totally new environment that changed me more, but my views on so much have definitely changed. I am so ready to learn and experience life to its full potential! I really and truly encourage anyone out there who moves often or perhaps is in an unfamiliar place with this post. There is so much to get out of life and don't be afraid to be unconventional!