Things I love about living in a new country

Ever since moving to England, one of the most common questions I get asked is: why?

Why on earth would you want to leave Australia and move halfway across the world, away from family and friends?

Now, I'm the first to admit, the experience hasn't been all "Susie Sunshine" (so to speak)...there are things that I miss about home (but I might save that for another post...)

Some of the things that I love about living in a new country are:

1. New opportunities
Now this sounds quite broad I know, but its the overall experience that I do really love. Getting to live in a place that is both similar and different to what I have previously known is, I think, a memory that will always stay with me.

2. Travel
This is probably one of my favourite parts of the experience. The opportunities for travel (both within the United Kingdom and within Europe) are endless. I have the chance to see things I've only read about, and to 'soak up' as much atmosphere and culture as I can possibly manage. And the relatively cheap flights to get around Europe really help too.....(where I lived in Australia was a 1.5 hour flight from where my family lived. It cost A$400 return (approximately 200 pounds). When I visited Berlin last year, the return flights were about half that cost....

3. The history
As a country, Australia is relatively young on the world stage - only 200 years or so of history (I'm taking that from when the country was first settled by the English, Aboriginal Australian history stretches back much further than that). In both the UK and Europe, I've visited buildings that are several hundred years old - built well and truly before the advent of modern technology. Many of them are incredibly beautiful....and still standing! It is something we just don't have in Australia.

4. Weather
People who know me in real life, would probably be scratching their heads and trying to work out just why I've included this on the 'things I like' list. And in some respects I would agree......but at least I've had the chance to experience different weather to what I grew up with (the fact that last winter was the coldest in the UK for 30 years, and was somewhat of a shock to me, is a moot point, really!)

5. Accents
If asked what are my favourite accents to listen, the answer would be: Scottish and Irish. The fact that I'm living in a country where I get to hear them regularly is just an added bonus to all the other wonderful things I have the opportunity to experience.

That's the main things.......hmmm only five things on the list? I'm sure there's more in my head that I'm just not thinking of right now. If other things should come to mind, I will share them at a later time.