ALONE AND UNAFRAID

To anyone who is thinking of moving across the world and is afraid of leaving all their loved ones behind… I felt the same way when I decided to move my life to Australia.

I was so happy in San Diego with an amazing group of friends and a job that anyone would kill for – training killer whales (pun intended). I did not expect to feel as lonely as I did throughout the first handful of months. The weather was perfect, the beaches pristine and my job, amazing. But I was alone. Remote and isolated, I found it hard to connect.

Those who know me know that I am one of the most outgoing and fearless women when it comes to meeting new people. Even so, it took me a while to find a community and make friends.

I am writing to you now, a year into living on the Gold Coast of Australia, and I finally feel at home. I have tried everything from joining sports clubs to meeting up with strangers to striking up conversations with people I meet out and about. Now I have a great group of friends from all over the world, from Germany and Norway to Mexico, Japan, Spain and beyond.

It takes time, and you must be willing to sit in the loneliness at times. But when you try, try, and try again, you will find wonderful people who are also feeling alone and afraid, just like you.