Time has flown by, and I can’t believe it’s already been 6 MONTHS since I made the move to Perth. As I sit down and reflect on my first 6 months living in Perth, over 2000km away from my family and friends, I realise that I am a different person to the very nervous and withdrawn one who left Adelaide.
I am more confident, although still a bit withdrawn in some aspects of my life. I am absolutely loving my new career, and working with the amazing WASANT Xero team. They have encouraged me to get out of my comfort zone completely, and as I wrote in “The Millennials Series: Being Vulnerable“, I shared my history of mental illness with a group of my colleagues. Finally, to cap off the work side of things, I’ve also officially passed probation!
On a more personal note, I’ve met an incredible human, Joel, who encourages me to get out of my comfort zone and to be the best person I can be.
I’ve also finally learnt to cook (yes, I know, I was almost 25 and couldn’t cook), even if it is just steak & veggies, and the occasional bolognese or marinara.
However, the hardest lessons have been ones that I expected, but I didn’t expect to be this hard:
- Not having a close group of friends or support network in Perth has been insanely hard. Being completely honest, outside of work and gym, I don’t have many people to spend time with. This has been a massive learning curve and resulted in me being quieter and more withdrawn than I used to be.
- Living away from Flóki has been the worst part of being in Perth. I miss coming home to his bouncy cuddles and having him not far from my side (and nudging my arm while I’m eating dinner so I’ll slip him a piece of carrot).
- The people you thought you’d stay close with when you moved, really don’t notice that you aren’t there any more and don’t speak to you.
Despite those few negatives, I’m looking forward to the next 6 months in Perth and I can’t wait to keep exploring my new home! Stay tuned!
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Sammie Johannes 