Third Aussie Anniversary

I am celebrating today the third anniversary of our move to Oz. Someone asked me bluntly if it was a good move. The question took me by surprise. I am still trying to adapt, so there is no weighing of past decisions. Well, but how were these 3 years anyway? First of all, I never thought a land and its nature would surprise and overwhelm me at this extent. And I’ve seen plenty in my life, plenty of places in Europe and especially in the US. The red dirt (Outback), ancient mountains (Flinders Ranges), coral reef (Great Barrier Reef), rain forests (tropical in Queensland and non-tropical in Victoria) and pristine islands (Tasmania and Kangaroo Island) of Australia are just a few examples of shocking beauty and unique nature. Animals (and I’m not even thinking koalas and kangaroos, but more quolls and flying foxes) and plants (just look at today’s picture) are so entirely different from anything else I’ve seen before, that I could spend another 3 years admiring only what I’ve seen so far. But buying groceries, filling up the tank, crossing the street, connecting a computer to the Internet, education and paying taxes in Australia are not what I imagined. They hurt, if you move here from the US like me. But I have different reasons to think Melbourne is the “most liveable” city I’ve lived in, and they are entirely different from those published by The Economist. I can afford to have a huge garden often visited by wild life in a peaceful neighbourhood just 15 km from the city center. My kid can walk to school. I had 4 weeks of vacation when I started my first job. When I go to the beach, which is 10-15 km away, I can easily put my towel where I cannot hear anyone else’s conversations. I can go hand-feed a wild parrot when I want to. So, was it a good move? I still don’t know, but it has been an awesome adventure!