Category — sydney web design

A year in the life of an Englishman living the dream in Sydney Australia

by Gregory Brine

I’m writing this in some what of a daze. I just can’t believe it’s been a year already! I arrived in Sydney in mid April 2006, and was only meant to stay for 3 months. That just goes to show what a wonderful place this is and how easy it is to get stuck here.

In fact, it was just the other day that an Australian friend asked me why so many English want to come here, when so many Australians want to go to London. That’s a tough question to answer in all honesty, and I still find myself trying to come up with an answer. It’s not just Sydney that draws us with it’s amazing Harbour, Bridge and beaches. We seem to be drawn to other parts of the country too - on that note, I’ve decided Australia should be a continent, and the states countries, as they all do their own thing anyway and find it hard to talk. I think it’s a combination of the lifestyle, the weather and, well, as much as it pains me to say it, and as much as I’m proud of my country, it’s not the UK I was starting to get fed-up with. I won’t talk about that, but there’s a feeling I’m getting from a lot of people that they feel the same way as me.

But, I digress… I’ve been here a year. Why? Well, to be honest, life’s been pretty good to me in a lot of ways. My original plan was to work for 3 months, then carry on my trip around the world. But, thanks to my friend Martin, I got a great job at Wiliam, which has seen me rise from the html guy, to a team leader, to Technical Director.

There’s also been the people I’ve met! I’ve had the pleasure of meeting some of the most amazing, wonderful people, from all walks of life. The house I currently live in is very transient, and as a result I’ve lived with 14 different people in that time. 14 people! That’s a lot by any stretch of the imagination! But, as I say, some of them will be friends for life I think.

As I write those last paragraphs, it makes me wonder what else there is. Obviously friends and a job you enjoy are really important to you, but there’s got to more hasn’t there? I mean, what else is honestly keeping me here? My friends back home all miss me - although they seem to have forgotten how to write more than 3 lines in an email. What else do I have here that’s not back in England?

The culture here is a mish-mash of those that have emigrated here. The national food is Kangaroo I think, although most Australians don’t eat it. Drinking is quite prolific - and as everyone who knows me, knows that I’m a sucker for going out and drinking. It’s sunny here a lot - although not as much as you’d be led to believe by the brochures. It’s also beautiful here! That’s a vague comment worthy of a little justification. I live 20mins from the beach, or 1 hours walk. And the coast here is amazing!

And there’s other things to do. Most weekends there’s something cultural going on. And there’s the golf, although I fear that it’s lost some of it’s appeal due to people not knowing basic rules - such as playing in 4 balls and shouting “FORE” if a balls going flying towards someone! Instead they stand there looking stupid to the point where you almost feel sorry for them as they have no comprehension of what they’re meant to do in that situation.

But, I’ll say it again. I do love it here. The lifestyle is undeniably great, as is the weather and most of the people. There are a few things that were getting to me, but they’re now forgotten. So, come and live here, it’s not too expensive, but you’ll have a tought time stretching your dollars back in England - although the Dollar is getting stronger.

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