Homesickness

Let me be honest with you about something that took me a while to admit; for the first six months of my life in Australia, I wanted to go home. Back to where there was no uncertainty, where my family and friends were, where everything was familiar.

Not because I was not having fun. Not because the adventure was not everything I had dreamed of. But because homesickness does not care how exciting your new life looks from the outside. It creeps in anyway.

I had landed what felt like a dream job in Sydney, working for the Australian Olympic Committee, headquartered in Circular Quay with views of the Opera House. I was surfing at lunchtime when I worked from home, exploring Sydney on weekends, learning to scuba dive, and living the expat life I had always imagined. And yet, I remember calling my parents and telling them I could not wait to come back home at the end of my contract. I was 27.

Then COVID happened. Australia closed its borders, and suddenly staying made more sense than leaving. I told myself I would go back soon. Soon became later, and later became never; because somewhere along the way, Australia became home.

My Australian dream

I moved to Australia to search for warm weather, adventure and gain international career exposure! As expats, I believe we are fearless, curious, opportunistic and bold; and that is exactly the energy that brought me here.

Growing up in Switzerland, where it felt like everyone had studied business and economics, I wanted to differentiate myself, become fully fluent in English, and being able to land a role in a multinational company. Australia was always in the back of my mind; I have Australian roots, and after multiple trips exploring almost every state, I knew it was where I wanted to go.

The opportunity came through the power of networking, but that is a story for another post. What matters here is that I found myself moving to Sydney in January 2020, knowing exactly one person in the entire country. A dear friend I had met backpacking through Western Australia and Asia years earlier, the kind of friendship that survives distance and time. We found a share house together in Dee Why, a beach suburb about an hour north of the city. It felt like the perfect start.

The honest truth about settling in

Starting a new job in a new country, in a language you are not yet fully comfortable in, while missing your family, your friends, your colleagues and everything familiar – it is a lot.

I had the exciting parts to balance it out. The beach, the sunshine, the novelty of everything. But underneath it all, I was struggling more than I showed. And then, just as I was finding my feet, COVID hit in March 2020, barely a month into my new role. Overnight, I went from trying to settle into a new country to being locked down in it, unable to leave without risking not being able to return or facing costly quarantine. They even closed the beaches for swimming!

Looking back, it was a lot to deal with at the same time. But I did it. And I came out the other side having done something I am genuinely proud of: building a career in a new country, in a new culture, during a global pandemic.

My honest tips for surviving homesickness

Here is what I wish someone had told me in those first six months:

Give yourself a timeline before making any decisions Commit to staying for at least six months before you even entertain the idea of leaving. The first months are almost always the hardest; that is not a sign that it will not get better. It is just the process.

Reframe what homesickness means You are not homesick because you made the wrong decision. You are homesick because you built something meaningful back home; people who love you, a life that mattered. Missing them is not a reason to go back. It is a reason to be grateful.

Find international friends (but not the ones who speak your language!) I know it is tempting to gravitate towards people from your home country. There is an instant comfort in speaking your mother tongue. But if you want to truly immerse yourself in your new culture and improve your English, resist it. As a French native speaker, I always made a point of surrounding myself with people who spoke English, not necessarily native speakers, but English, nonetheless. It is one of the best things I did for my confidence and my career.

Be a social butterfly Even when you do not feel like it. Especially when you do not feel like it. New hobbies, outdoor adventures with strangers, sightseeing, museums, trying new food, exploring; do everything you told yourself you would do when you moved abroad. This is what you came for!

Use Facebook groups There are expats groups, community events, sports clubs and interest-based communities for almost every city in Australia. They are a genuinely great way to meet like-minded people and feel less alone quickly.

Call your family and friends as much as you need to When you talk, do not only talk about how hard it is. Ask them about their lives, their days, what you are missing back home. I promise you, not much has changed since you left; and you will quickly realise that your new life is becoming something worth talking about too.

Find a mentor or a supportive colleague at work I was lucky to have a manager who took me under her wing during those early months and helped me to settle. That kind of support is invaluable. Do not be too proud to lean on someone who knows the ropes, at work and beyond.

And finally, allow yourself to feel it Homesickness is normal. It does not mean you are weak or that you made a mistake. Let yourself be sad sometimes. Journal it; I wish I had started journaling sooner, because those early months are filled with moments worth remembering, even the hard ones.

COVID changed everything

At the end of my contract, my plan was to return to Switzerland and pick up where I left off. But COVID had other ideas, and so did I. With no clear path back to my jobs at the Olympics back home, and a hunger for something completely different, I made a bold decision: I moved to Cairns to do a divemaster internship.

What I thought would be three months turned into three years on a boat doing daily excursions to the Great Barrier Reef; make a living from my passion of scuba diving, working my way up from intern to dive supervisor, managing a team of twenty and looking after 150 passengers a day. What COVID can do!

Those years were the most memorable of my life. And they taught me something I now bring to every coaching conversation: whatever path you have taken, however unconventional it looks on paper, the skills you have built are real and they are valuable. You just need to know how to tell that story to an employer. And those are they years you will remember; the homesickness pass, we adapt, adjust, find our bearings and retain the best of it.

What I want you to remember

If you are in your first few months abroad and you are struggling, please know this: it is normal, it is temporary, and it does not mean you made the wrong choice.

Give it time. Say yes. Find your people. Call home. And whatever you do, do not make a permanent decision based on a temporary feeling.

Australia has a way of getting under your skin. Give it the chance to. Life is too short not to live it fully!

Thinking about making the move to Australia, or already here and navigating the job market? I would love to help. Book a free 15-minute consultation here and let us talk about your next step.