Upon arrival in Sydney, Australia I expected to easily find my way around and to have a fairly effortless transition to this new environment. The thought of no language barrier and the anticipation that it was a small, beach place similar to my hometown in Florida were the thoughts that I kept repeating in order to feel comfortable and stress-free. However, the minute that I landed in Sydney those initial thoughts disappeared and I was faced with reality.
The Australian accent got a little bit difficult to understand at times and the phrases that people would use in Sydney were confusing and difficult to process. I was in a large, busy city just like NYC and it was nothing like what I had expected. I soon came to the realization that everything in Sydney is spread out, and all of the places that I had previously looked up and marked down were at least twenty-five minutes away.
It was moments like this where I wished that I was back in New York City where I could just leave my apartment to go grab coffee, food, or visit friends all within a short walking distance. This large, unfamiliar city initially seemed like New York, but it was much more complicated. This meant that it was time to face my fear and anxiety of learning to find my way around.
The first couple days with my roommates were difficult as we ventured out into the streets, looking like a pack of tourists with google maps pulled up. We would venture out for hours in the heat, looking for one specific place. We had spent half the day going in accidental circles because we couldn't figure out the streets and crossroads. We would stand in one spot for a couple minutes at a time to try and figure out to which route maps was recalculating us.
Once we accepted the fact that this was a chance to explore new things and new places, though, everything became so much easier. Instead of spending hours trying to find one specific place that we had initially added to our Sydney bucket list, we decided to let ourselves get lost. Once I had come to terms with the fact that getting lost was part of the complicated adjustment to a new place, I felt relieved and finally opened my mind to more exploration.
Let yourself get lost and forge your own path day-to-day as you walk through unfamiliar streets and meet unfamiliar people. Don’t set your mind to one specific plan or place to go, either. Rather, head out and walk in the streets for hours without opening google maps.This is how you’ll find your new favorite little shops, record stores, cafes, or hidden parks.
Ever since I've started wandering the streets with no specific destination or sense of direction, I've found my new favorite local coffee shop and some local boutiques. Don’t limit yourself to the places that you know because then you’ll never get to step outside your comfort zone and find other hidden gems. Being in a new country, surrounded by a new culture, is the best opportunity to let loose and wander the unfamiliar streets with an open mind.
