It's Getting Close...

In exactly two weeks from today I'll be hopping on board a Singapore Airlines plane and heading for Sydney. I'm moving back to Australia for good. This journey is one I've been thinking about for months, and now that it's so close I can't quite believe that it is actually happening. The days at the moment are going incredibly quickly, and I'm starting to say my goodbye's to friends both here in Milan and also in London where I was last week. My week in London flew by with both seeing friends and colleagues plus being busy at work, and I think I was kind of almost in a state of shock that I won't be heading back to London in a month, like I have been for the past couple of years. Saying goodbye to Milan and everyone here is going to be even tougher.

I have been living in Italy for five years, and although it's had some challenging moments, like for example this morning when I had to deal with a really rude lady working at my local post office, and living with an incredible amount of bureaucracy (like you could never imagine!), my overall experience has been incredibly rewarding and unforgettable. I couldn't even tell you the number of times I've been asked by Italians why I'm living in Milan and in Italy, and what brought me here in the first place. Well, I have to say I left Australia and told my family and friends that I'd be back in 3-6 months! I wanted to experience living in Italy and to learn a new language. I studied Italian in Bologna for my first three months, and then because I was enjoying myself so much I decided to stay. I found a job in Milan during the month of August (which is almost unheard of), because in August Italy completely closes down. Everyone goes on their summer holiday, including businesses shutting up shop for weeks, and cities like Milan, Bologna and Turin become ghost town's. You have to witness this phenomenon to truly understand how a bustling city like Milan just becomes empty. It's actually not such a bad thing IF you know what is actually open because Milan becomes really calm and mellow and those that do stay in the city find it to be not so bad. If you have a car its great, because suddenly you can have your pick of parking places!

So after working in my first job for about 9 months I changed jobs and started working for an online marketing company called 77Agency. For me this was a significant change. I had been working for a small recruitment company in Milan, and after being there for a few months I realised that this company wasn't one I wanted to work for long-term and also that I actually wasn't enjoying the work. I had already thought about looking for a new job but my decision was made for me when my bosses sacked me and told me to leave that day. That was a shock to the system! I had never lost a job, and also made to feel like I was completely useless. So although I was upset, in the end it was the best thing that could of happened to me. I started working at 77 less than a week later, and have an Aussie friend to thank for it. I had never actually worked in the online marketing / advertising industry before, and I have to say now four years on, its an industry that I really enjoy and find challenging and one where I learn something new every day. In these four years I have witnessed the huge growth of for example Facebook which now has over 680 million users, and one that I use every day for work and also personal reasons. The online industry is definitely booming, and there are so many new channels and companies constantly popping up, it actually at times feels hard to keep up! I'm also going to be starting up 77 in Sydney, and focusing specifically on social media and Facebook. So it's going to be exciting to be back working in Sydney and working in an industry which is really dynamic - setting up and introducing 77 into the market in Australia.

I have been incredibly lucky throughout my time in Italy to have met and made some wonderful friends, and these are the people who made my time here so memorable. When I arrived in Milan I knew two people, and thought to myself, right, I need to get out there and start networking and making friends, because they are not going to come knocking at my front door. I joined a couple of ex-pat networks which I started to regularly attend, and this is how I met so many of my friends and created my social life. I've danced, laughed, travelled, cried, talked for hours and drunk myself silly with these people who are now unforgettable and incredibly special to me. I realise that amazing people are key to any experience, and how good it becomes. Also I think a positive attitude doesn't hurt either!

My decision to return home to Australia wasn't easy. In the end though I realised that I am missing my family, I'd like to save some cash and buy a property (yes, I need to save a lot to buy in Sydney!), I'm ready to get back into the Sydney swing of things, and to top it off wouldn't it be lovely to be a bit more financially secure....plus well, yes, I'm going to admit it here, I'd also like to meet a nice man...which yes, could happen anywhere in the world and I've met some amazing, interesting men here who I want to keep in touch with...but perhaps it could be good to meet a guy in Australia. My friends are already joking that I'm going to meet an Italian in Sydney! So in the end some pretty big reasons to return back to Australia, and I'm just going to take it day by day, and see what happens. As they say, Rome wasn't built in a day...but fingers crossed it doesn't take too long to settle back into Sydney.

It's a whole new chapter of my life, and one I'm ready for.