A Year in Australia

Like seeds planted on my way, some of my friends, boyfriends and acquaintances had told me stories about their exotic adventures in the land down under. I always longed to go there (and everywhere that is not the country I live in), but never imagined it would really be possible. I was studying at the time, and I naïvely thought that I had to follow my “studies” path until the end before starting something else like traveling.

At the time, I had just finished my degree in fashion and textile design and wanted to continue 3 more years to secure myself a place in the world and a “good” salary. I began to apply to public design schools, in Paris because, for me, there was no other way. My future lay there, and I would become a fashion designer and live a cool expensive life in a big city. I think the courses I wanted in existed only in 3 schools, so I applied to every one of them. I was confident but also thought it would be wise to have a backup plan, aka a course I did not want but could get in easily.

In the end the only one I got in was, of course, the backup plan. I was disappointed but thought, alright, at least I have something. I had no real and strong interest in the courses. They were not creative at all, all about economics and marketing and production. I knew that it wasn’t for me. So, when the summer holidays arrived, my desire to enter the school vanished. In the meantime, the seeds from the many tales I heard about Australia grew fast and strong and the idea became a real intention. I also met someone who was to leave, alone, indefinitely to... Australia. That person made me realize that it was actually possible to leave everything, that life isn’t just about degrees and careers.

I began to wonder, what is it that I want from life? Lots of thinking was made (and is still in the making). Six months later I hopped on a plane to Melbourne, which is the second biggest city in Australia after Sydney. It’s located at the very south of the east coast and has cold winters and very hot, but dry, summers.

Melbourne resembles very much any big European city in the way that it has its own character and soul, and of course, feels European by the whole multicultural side and the melting pot that is this place. Funny enough, Australia is the size of Europe but has only 24 million inhabitants. It is huge.

You’ll find the best coffee in the world there (I am not joking), it is renowned for it. I actually worked as a barista, and I couldn’t believe how picky certain Melburnians are with their precious beverage. If you accidentally produce a bit of foam on your flat white, it will become a latte, and that sir, is a big mistake. I actually miss Australian coffee very much.

Melbourne is like an artsy, cool and edgy looking girl. You get the beach, you get the bustling city, and you get all these cute, one-of-a-kind neighborhoods surrounding the CBD. There is always something happening, a festival, a huge market, a public event, music on the streets, an art fair, a sudden rainstorm… anything that is cause for celebration seems to be celebrated, bringing people together amongst delicious street food and beers. Aussies are a lot more friendly, open, and chatty than the French in general, but still very hard working.

So here I am, on the other side of the world, starting my journey in a new wonderful place. It is especially enjoyable as I left France in the middle

of the winter to arrive in the heat of the summer there. Needless to say, I spent my first three months living my best life. I made many friends, but my friend Clara, I felt like meeting her was destiny.

We arrived on Australian soil the same evening, stayed at the same cool hostel by the beach, and there we were the next morning, hardly coping with the fact that we’re on our own in a country where nobody knows us, sitting on a bench in the hostel’s social room. I had missed breakfast and she was waiting to move into her room. We looked at each other, she came to me, and we started chatting.

Since that moment, we have been inseparable. We moved into a flat in the city and shared a little room, even a bed, and every moment of our time. We shared joy, fear, workouts, pain, laughter, deep conversations, food (lots of food), we watched each other fall in love with our actual boyfriends, and we especially shared the very same humor.

She is a sister to me, a soulmate. Clara only stayed 6 months in Australia and we were heartbroken when we had to say goodbye. We met again one and a half years later in Copenhagen where she lives. It was like we never left. Although she is away and we don’t share so much anymore, she is one of the most important people in my life. And if you know me, you know that this is true for more than one person.

I met another soul mate while I was there. He and I have now a very serious relationship, a long distance relationship nonetheless. Falling in love was not the plan at all, I wanted to live, travel and be free, tour Australia in a van, and surf every day.

This is cliché, but also what you expect from this trip. So, when the winter came, I was supposed to move north and follow the warmth. I was very clear with him about my plans, that I wanted to travel, and he respected my decision. But I guess life happens when you’re busy making plans.

I stayed in Melbourne, I moved in with him, the rest is history. I fell in love with the guy and the city. The second half of my gap year went by so fast. I lived like a local and enjoyed it so much. No wonder Melbourne has been voted for 7 consecutive years the most livable city in the world.

But don’t be fooled, my journey was not a perfect and harmonious experience filled with sunshine and breathtaking landscapes. Finding a job in a big city like Melbourne, and being a “backpacker” is not the easiest of tasks. Some of us find something good really quick, others don’t. I eventually

found one, but I was being illegally underpaid for the worst 3 months of my time there. The “manager” was an old Italian man who was obsessed with money and had the worst habit of making inappropriate jokes and sexist comments about us, the waitresses.

This habit grew into an everyday experience that my colleague and I had to suffer. At the end, they got caught by the authorities for everything they were doing illegally, but it left me very disturbed and helpless because we were sexually harassed by this disgusting man. I had such a hard time getting through this, but it showed me that Karma is for sure a real thing. The owner got a fine he could not pay unless he sold his house, which is ironic for him who wouldn’t even bother to pay certain employees as a blackmail to keep them working at his place. This experience opened a dark and sad hole in my heart. Anxiety and anger harbor a place too and, from

time to time, I still get this sensation of a threat over me. Sadly, this tends to happen a lot to foreigners who are in need of money and will be taken advantage of by greedy hospitality owners. Thankfully, systems exist in order to protect their rights and expose illegalities and other misbehaviors.

I quit before they had to close down the restaurant and secured myself a real job before leaving for a road trip along the east coast with my family. This trip was so beautiful. We hired a campingcar and drove more than 4000km. We made most of each day and visited mind blowing places. I became my family’s tour guide/event planner/ driver/interpreter. Also, it might’ve been the only opportunity for my parents and brothers to visit a country that far away, they had to take it. I am very grateful we made it, their hearts will be filled with memories forever.

In early September, I started my new job and felt much better. I could finally make a living, even working part time. The reason I didn’t search for a job in my field is that a working holiday visa is usually not welcomed for “serious” jobs. I didn’t mind.

I lived like a local during these months and wandered around Victoria with my boyfriend during long weekend road trips. We went to Tasmania and several other places, one of my favorites being Byron Bay.

You learn so much when you throw yourself out in the world, you grow and mature in ways only an experience like that can make you do. I think that every young person should go and see the world because it can change lives, it does. I hear so many stories from people who are transformed after travels abroad, saying they understand the world and their needs better. I do share this feeling.

I was always an observer and I saw how much worldwide problems affected me now, especially after spending a week in Bali. I was struck by how polluted this island was, it was truly a trigger for me. Before that, I became vegetarian in Australia and developed a strong will to

lead a more conscious and meaningful life. I read a lot, informed myself.

Having studied fashion, I knew that the clothing industry is the second largest polluter in the world. With globalization, the fast fashion trend has been feeding the rampant consumerism that is shopping for cheap, disposable items like single use plastics. I decided to cut them out. My love for vintage and secondhand shops grew, enjoying that satisfaction you get whenever finding a cool and unique piece of clothing. I am becoming more and more aware and open, I think sometimes you must reeducate yourself in order to evolve towards a better you, a better person.

This year definitely left a mark on me. I want to do much more in the future. Everything is more meaningful, including the way I live. Despite being in a long-distance relationship, I never felt happier on an everyday basis and in a romantic relationship. I am slowly reaching my goals and, if I ever work in the fashion industry, it will definitely be on the side that changes the way we see and produce clothing.

But for now, all that is on my mind is: travel some more and learn some more.