One of the most important things this journey taught me was that one day if I lose everything I own, I can restart and build a life all over again. This took away my anxiety about trying to preserve the things that I have and own. I became more driven to pursue new ventures with excitement and only positive feelings, without any worry about anything. If I fail, I can start all over again. I have done that once and it was actually fun.

The list is big, but 3 major lessons Australia and the last 3 years taught me are:

1. Nothing is irreplaceable in life, including us – I left my family, team, friends, and colleagues behind. Although, there were initial tears, life went on both sides and everyone moved on. Whenever I was back, life was almost the same with its good news and bad news.

2. There is no room for rigidity, you must be formless – I learned this when I experienced some of my previous patterns that made me successful in Turkey did not work in Australia. For example, I learned to be more diplomatic in my interactions with people where previous me would be outspoken and directly criticise, a culturally unsuitable behaviour. I had to change and adapt. I started waking up earlier with the sun rise, just like many Australians do to make the most of the day. I learned the rules of the AFL and started surfing :).

3. Human nature is same everywhere – Coming to a country where people are happy and respectful definitely has a calming effect, an effect that makes you feel safe and welcomed. Since my arrival, I made so many great friends, friends I feel lucky about having our paths crossed. However, not all people with smiles in their faces are friends. Being in a new environment you are vulnerable to false sincerity of some envious people, who may act as a friend first but then plot behind your back with their toxic motives. Assuming everyone had great personalities was one of the mistakes I made in my earlier years. I eventually learned how to keep my heart open to everyone without lowering my guard to cute smiles.

Bonus Lesson: Cooking and enjoying poached eggs :) – I haven’t heard or tasted poached eggs before coming to Australia and I absolutely love eggs. Later on I learned that Turkey also had a meal with poach eggs, which is called Çılbır (poached eggs with yoghurt). Although I have never eaten the Turkish version, I am absolutely loving the Aussie poached eggs. Here the breakfasts are all about avocado and poached eggs and they taste like a piece from heaven…

Thank you Australia for helping me grow up and sharing with me your outstanding beauties. You cannot know how grateful I am. I am looking forward to the wins and lessons of 2019!..