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Near Sydney Opera House in 2009
In March, Sydney will be my home for 3 years.
Three years is a very long time for a person like myself to call one place their home, but really I’m beginning to feel as if the true meaning of “home” will never be applied to my life in Australia.
As stated in my introductory post, I met my wonderful Australian boyfriend while traveling in the Baltics back in 2008.
Because of him, I decided to try my hand at a working holiday in the land down under and see where the relationship went.
Obviously, the relationship has gone well, and we are now tied together with the defacto partner visa which allows me to stay in this gorgeous country to live, work and travel freely.
A beach near Sydney on the Bondi to Bronte walk
Australia isn’t called the “lucky country” for nothing. The people and the nature can’t be beat! Still, visiting a place and planning to call the place home are two very different things.
Although my situation was more play it by ear and see what happens, there have been a number of things that have really caught me off guard.
Perhaps, knowing some of these things in advance could have influenced my decision to come in the first place.
Ok… definitely not. I was too focused on chasing love to really care about anything else, but perhaps knowing some of these things could have just helped to lessen the shock after arriving.
1. Australia will be an expensive place to live
When I was younger and planning where I wanted to go for university, California was at the top of my list.
However, after researching into the fees and the cost of living for the places I wanted to attend, the idea quickly got crossed off the list.
Although I hated Midwestern Winters, the fact of the matter is that you pay good money to live in mild and warm climates. The same goes for Australia.
In my book, you pay for nice weather, and even if it is not the case, you do pay to live in Australia.
Luckily, the minimum wage is quite high, and hourly wages are representative of the higher cost of living.
Just be aware that even then, the money can go quickly, especially if planning to travel in the country.
Christmas in Australia takes place in the Summer
2. Christmas will never feel like Christmas
I’ve now had the pleasure of participating in 3 Christmas holidays in Australia. Then why is it that I don’t feel like I’ve had a Christmas since about 2007?
Because Christmas down under is just not the same. Yeah, sure, I despise Winter weather and prefer to be living in a warmer climate, but where’s the holiday build up?
Where are the cold nights drinking hot cocoa while watching Christmas movies playing on TV?
Instead, the big day falls right smack in the Aussie Summer, so forget your red wine and traditional roast dinners — it’s too hot!
Aussies and tourists (and even Santa) head down to the beach for a relaxing day in the sun, which is not a bad thing, but when it is all said and done, you kind of wonder where Christmas actually went.
3. Visiting home in America will become more of an ordeal.
For me, it was easy to think that home is only a flight (or two) away, but the price of flights coming from Australia to the USA, as well as the length, have made it more of an ordeal than I initially expected.
Maybe the problem is more of a problem for individuals with wanderlust, as I’m constantly torn between the idea of spending the $1,500 to fly to Illinois, or to spend that money, or way less, on a trip to somewhere more exotic.
I do love my family and miss seeing them at times, but booking that rather pricey ticket home when the inner travel demon inside me is spouting off lists of destinations I could be traveling to instead makes it very hard.
Beach lounging -- an integral part of the Aussie culture
4. There will be culture shock
Australians speak English, so culture shock won’t exist, right? Wrong. Australians have a culture all their own — albeit subtle in differences, but still something worth mentioning.
One of the main attributes to the culture is also one I despise: the laid-back attitude. For my anxious little mind, I love the idea of not being in a rush to do things, having loads of holiday time and just being able to brush stuff off my shoulder.
On the other hand, when you need something done — like in the evening, on the weekend or during the holidays — you can forget about it.
And, of course, there are other bits of culture shock, like adjusting to holidays in the opposite seasons (and how locals prepare and celebrate), deciphering the way people talk (both in word choice and the way they talk to each other) and dealing with the popular Aussie meet-and-greet of cheek-kissing (I like my personal space).
All of these examples are small, yet add up to be a point on this list since prolonged exposure can put emphasis on even minor details.
5. Taxes will become complicated
I can’t talk for other expats not from America, but taxes are a complete pain.
If you continue to keep your citizenship, you will have to file taxes in the USA forever, claiming income being made overseas and dealing with special rules and regulations (that hopefully keep you from having to pay).
I’m no accountant, and I don’t want to steer anyone wrong, but you will want the advice of a trained individual so you don’t get burned down the road.
[From the Editor: If you spend 330+ days per year outside the USA, check out the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion]
These are just five of the things I wish I’d known before becoming an expat in Australia – some of which can be applied to expats in other locations around the world.
Living in Australia is a dream for me; that doesn’t mean it can’t be difficult at times.
18 Comments
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Christine
One thing I’m super grateful for: it’s pretty easy and cheap to go home to California from Australia since they all route via LAX. Can’t imagine having to home to the whole other side of the country! Haven’t dealt with the taxes thing yet…not looking forward to sorting that sitch out soon. Good round-up of the cons of Australia–but all illustrated with such pretty and enticing photos!
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I so agree with Christine. Love being a west coaster for how easy it is to get to Australia. I can’t even imagine how the rest of the country deals with it. Now Europe, that is where I want to kill myself after I get there. And even with the weather/holidays and laidbackness, I always said, both Australia and New Zealand remind me of what California was probably like in the 50′s and 60′s. So while I did love Australia, for those that can’t afford it (time or money-wise), just come to California! Pretty much, kind of, sort of the same thing:-). A big reason on why I ended up coming home.
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Hey there! Followed a link from Twitter. I’ve lived in Australia (Sydney and Darwin) for over 8 years now and I completely agree with all of this. Great post. I’ll be sharing it. (feel free to check out my site as well..)
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Oh, you do the Yanks Down Under site?! I have definitely come across that one before. Cool — glad you could relate.
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Nicely stitched Kangaroo. If only we all had an easy life like him :)
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If only is right, Tony!
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Great post. I just returned to the US last year after 6 years living in Tokyo. I was working and paying taxes over there, so I thought I was fine not filing in the US… not the case. I did a bunch of searching and finally found this company in LA that specifically handles expat taxes: http://www.expatcpa.com/ I had to file 4 years at once, so they gave me a discount, but it was still pricy. Note to all expats, you still need to file in the US, even if you do not make any money here. Christmas in San Diego is in “winter”, but still mostly sunny and warm… you’re not missing much here at least.
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Simon Says
Well Happy Australia Day to you too! Wow. What an opportunity you have and what a lame attitude you have towards it. You know what – there are loads of people who would love an opportunity to live in Australia for a period, so feel free not to bother coming.
Sadly American culture is infecting our unique Australian culture strongly, so I’m sure you’ll find all your favourite rubbish TV shows available here as well, so you can sit inside all the time escaping the beautiful weather.
And if you don’t want to experience something new then seriously – why are you travelling? Being scared of a new tax system is a ridiculous downside to all the fantastic new things you’ll see and experience, this is probably the reason why so few Americans have passports. You’ve picked one of the easiest countries in the world to be an expat in – you don’t even have to learn a language and the money is still called the same thing! It’s pretty pathetic consider what some of the people who contribute to this blog have done.
And P.S. the cheek kissing is European.
So basically all your points just want to make me tell you to get over yourself!-
Hey Simon, thanks for your comments.
To clarify, Brooke wasn’t criticizing the Australian tax system. If anything, she was criticizing the American system and how you can’t escape it just because you choose to live in another country.
A lot of Americans living abroad, especially the young ones, assume you don’t have to file taxes in the USA if you’re spending the year outside the country. It can be a very costly mistake as the years add up.
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Hi Simon, Thanks for your input. I just want to reiterate the parts of the post that explain that Australia is beautiful and I do love living here.
There is no negativity towards Australia, but as living in any other country does, it does make you miss home at times — to miss your holiday celebrations and the systems you’re accustomed to. There is a misconception that just because you move abroad that your life becomes easy… “But you live in Australia, you’re life is awesome!” Living abroad and traveling are two VERY different things.
The tax portion, as I’m sure you can see by rereading the section, was clearly talking about the need to continue to file US taxes while abroad, which is something most people don’t know about.
And I live in Sydney where cheek-kissing is definitely part of the culture ;)
I guess there’s always the factor of internet tone coming off wrong, which I definitely think is the case here. Sorry to offend you; that wasn’t the goal in the least.
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Proud Australian
How do you think it would go down if I was able to live in the US for three years and on Independence Day or Thanksgiving, or whatever, I made disparaging comments about your tax system and culture! I reckon you lot would be pretty miffed and ready to ship me off home!
It’s a very cultural imperialist position you’re taking. And an incredibly childish and shortsighted view of culture that you have. Lying on the beach is part of Australian culture is it? Like eating massive portions is part of American culture? I think it would be a good idea to try an get an understanding about what culture is and means, and hopefully that will help you get the most out of your travels. I hope you learn a lot during your time in Australia.-
Again, Brooke isn’t criticizing the Aussie tax code, she’s warning American expats that you’ll still have to file taxes in the USA even if you choose to live in Australia (unless you’ve researched your situation and meet specific criteria according to the IRS). The problem is most young expats assume they don’t need to file, and that leaves them open to having to pay back taxes for a year or more.
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Hi, Proud Australian, thanks for reading. I think I give both sides of the situation in my article. I’m sorry that you found this to be negative, but it was not intended so. Please see Dave’s comment above as I was referring to this and not the tax system in Oz.
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I am so lucky to have called both Canada and Australia home. I agree – Christmas without the white stuff is different – took me a couple of years. The distances are far – took me nearly 30 hours to get home to visit my family, but luckily, they were happy to come visit too!!! Didn’t have to make the choice between family and exploring! Australia is such a lucky country – the place is gorgeous and diverse, and the people are cool! I lived there for 7 years – my life must have agreed with me! There was a small culture shock and language barrier – it was more just the accents! Some of the expressions were different – now back in Canada – I use them without even realizing it and people are always saying “huh?” But it was no different than when I first moved to the Coast – I got asked to repeat myself a lot! Glad I can call both Canada and Australia home – looking forward to going back! I still have a lot of family over there!
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Haha, some of the expressions are incredible :) I still find myself discovering new ones after almost 3 years. When you get back this way, give me a shout.
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Hi Brooke, the good news is that it at least it will be sunny when you’re away from home at Christmas! Hopefully that will make it a bit easier. Going the other way as an expat in London it’s a miserable time of year as well… And if you’re around one of the big travelling hubs you’ll find that there are plenty of orphan’s Christmas events on, so you can share your day with other travellers – usually at a sunny beach BBQ or similar – which will hopefully take the edge off for you!
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I totally agree with you – especially about the taxes issue. Not only do we pay more in Australia but having to fill out the double returns is a huge pain. I’ve been a full-time Australian resident since the start of 2006 and a citizen for almost two years now and I still have conflicts over the things you mention. You’d think I’d have gotten over those by now, eh?
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Chris
“dealing with the popular Aussie meet-and-greet of cheek-kissing”
Sorry but it isn’t popular with most Aussies. I would highly recommend travelling outside Sydney. Not only will you personal space be respected but the rest of the country is cheaper.
“Christmas will never feel like Christmas”
That’s funny because having xmas on the beach feels normal to me.
