For you the get the whole picture I have to go back in time a little bit.
In August 2022 I got all my things packed, my visa approved and a work contract already in my hand. I was off to Canada without a worry in the world. That‘s not quite right, there were a lot of worries and doubts, but that‘s part of it, if you‘re moving your whole life to the other side of the world.
I was living, working, laughing, playing, crying and loving for the next two years in Squamish, BC. A place I learned to call home (and still do). An environment I felt most alive in and which has taught me so much on life. And people I‘ve grown to love, without whom I wouldn‘t be where and who I am now.
At some point it was time to leave. My second visa was about to run out, most of my close friends were already back in their home country and the relationship I was in, wasn‘t progressing. It was probably time to see what home feels like after two years as well. I haven‘t seen my family in a while and the newest member, my nephew, not all.
There were tears leaving the place I now called home. There were tears arriving in a place I used to call home, but couldn‘t identify with anymore. I felt like I didn‘t fit anymore, even less now than before I left. But that‘s a whole different story.
I was in my hometown for four months and my mental health went down rapidly. Something needed to happen. I couldn‘t go back to Canada, because wounds of a heartbreak were still healing (and sometimes reopened- also a whole different story. Man, I got so many stories to tell.) and it was quite hard to get a visa now. So where to?
Skiing. I wanted to ski in the winter. It was a hobby I learned to love and appreciated in Canada. The freedom feels surreal when you fresh powder under your skies on a bluebird day. I wouldn‘t want to miss it this winter season.
So, after writing emails, applications and making a lot of phone calls, I got a job in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria, as a ski patrol. The season started December and ended in April. I was there for five months – enough time to make a plan for what happens afterwards. (By the way, also a whole different story to tell. Stay tuned – a book is coming soon.)
Now, during my time in Canada I made a lot of friends, technically my closest friends, from Australia. This helped my decision on what to do next. I knew I was going to visit them sooner or later, so what the heck – I applied for a Working-Holiday-Visa in Australia. They granted my the visa almost immediately. A flight got booked, family and friends informed and after spending three wonderful weeks with my family at home, I was off to a new adventure.
And that‘s where I am today. Sydney, Australia – reunited with some very special friends from overseas. For a week now, I‘ve been staying with Ollie and Jo, who are kind enough to share their apartment with me, until I find a job, flat and car. They‘ve been showing me around the Northern Beaches, where they live and been super helpful, with paperwork stuff for drivers licence, TFN, bank account.. and all the lovely stuff you have to organize and apply for, once you set foot in the country.
The 24 hour flight, with a layover in Doha for four hours, wasn‘t too bad. I wrote, read, listened to music and watched a couple movies. Still I was more than happy, to lie down in a real bed and catch up on some much needed sleep. There‘s something about airplanes that won‘t let me close my eyes for longer than thirty minutes – maybe there was too much emotional tension in my body. Wouldn‘t surprise me.
When I started packing, a couple days before the take-off, I couldn‘t help but think about Canada and one special person. (Let‘s just call him Dr Dre for possible future references.) Somehow my brain now wired packing bags and going on an adventure; leaving my hometown, with going back to Squamish. Even though, all the tickets, the visa and everything had Australia written on them – my wonderful brain thought „Yay, we‘re going back to Canada!“.
It still felt surreal when my friends picked me up from the airport. „What part of Canada is this?“, my brain still hadn‘t caught up. It took a couple of days. A couple of walks to and along the beach, to get my brain settled in as well. Now, I am.
At the moment days are filled with writing and sending out applications for jobs, looking at apartments or shared houses and trying to find a reliable car. Every now and then a small hike with some friends, a dip in the ocean, a sunrise or sunset by the water, a trivia or board game night, meting the families of the people I know here.
It‘s been a lovely start to this new chapter of my life and can‘t wait to see where it takes me, what I‘ll learn and who I‘ll meet along the way.
Stay tuned for more! So long.
marie louise travels 