For Irish Lil (pride has prevented me from sharing this with anyone).

When I was a little kid I was obsessed with Australia and everything Australian. I watched Neighbours and home and away from a young age, used to like Flying Doctors, everything Australian I loved.

When I was a teen we finally got the internet at home and I found myself searching Australian chat rooms and meeting Australian men online.

I became a penpal with one of the guys I met and we’ve been in contact ever since I was 17, he’s now married and I met him and his wife (who was girlfriend) when I was in Australia in 05.

Anyway, to cut this long story short I’d always wanted to go to Australia. I had high hopes of Australia: Blonde toned surfers, (that I imagined would be like Brad from Neighbours) Great weather, great beaches, good music, good night life, easy going life style, bbqs, relaxation, bush, rainforests, the 12 apostles, amazing views, the great barrier reef – seriously what wouldn’t there be to like about Australia.

However, no one seemed to want to come with me, none of my friends, none of my family – Australia was my dream and it turned out it was my dream alone. Therefore to get there I’d have to travel alone.

I’d never travelled alone before, I’d done a heap of travelling but always with best friend or other friends.

However, Australia was my dream and Australia I was going to go to.

I saved money, I booked my flight, I booked my hostel for when I arrived, I got my visa sorted, I was going.

I remember my mum being scared shitless about me travelling alone, I remember my dad being tremendously proud, telling me stories of how he hitchhiked round Europe when he was younger.

The day I was leaving I could hardly contain my excitement, I people watched at Heathrow airport, when I sat on the plane I’d already noted which seats the cute guys were in and let me tell you seat 36c was a hottie. I’d already text Best Friend a number of times describing seat 36c to her. This was it my adventure was about to start.

There was a guy in the seat next to me who was meeting his girlfriend in Australia who had already been working there, and we hit it off straight away and when we weren’t sleeping we chatted the whole way. His accommodation wasn’t too far from my hostel so we shared a taxi when we finally got out of the airport the 24 hours later.

It must have been about 5am when I arrived at my hostel and guess what…. They didn’t do early morning check in – I couldn’t believe it!!! I was stuck outside my hostel at 5am with the heaviest back pack in history, after a 24 hour flight, completely knackered not knowing what the crap I should do.

After about 30mins 2 guys came out of the hostel for a cigarette, to this day I have no idea what they were doing up at 5.30am smoking outside the hostel, it’s not as if they’d just returned from a wild night out but they let me in the hostel so I could wait in the hostel instead of outside.

This was when I realised that check in opened at 9am and I had hours to wait before I could get to my room and finally put my belongings some where safe.

I decided to have a shower I went into the bathroom with all my luggage, and figured it would be safe with it being so early in the morning, when I came out of the shower my nose started to bleed, I assumed it was because of the air pressure from flying but it just bled and bled and bled I thought it was never gona stop.

When it finally did stop I went to take a look at my watch, my watch had gone!!! I couldn’t find my watch, where the fuck was my watch???

I started to freak out everything just hit me all at once

I was in a hostel but couldn’t get to my room
I was a million miles from home
I was alone
I’d just had a mammoth nosebleed and probably lost about half the blood in my body
I was hungry
I was tired
I had no idea what the time was
I’d lost my watch.

I started to cry, I kept crying, I cried some more. I wanted to call home and say that’s it I’ve been in Australia for a few hours and I’m ready now to come home, I knew I couldn’t do that because this was always suppose to be my personal challenge but it was also my dream and my dream was rapidly turning into a nightmare.

After crying for what seemed like forever, I gave myself a prep talk, I found someone who worked at the hostel who let me get into my room early, I had a nap and then I booked a tour and went on a trip where I met some people and made some friends.

Soon enough, I was happy and during the time I was in Australia I missed home like crazy but during those times I’d give myself a prep talk and make sure I’d get around people. I found my watch a few weeks into my trip, I’d put it in my jacket pocket when I’d taken my jacket off to have a shower that day.

There were still lonely times during my trip, there were still times when I thought “Shit – I’ve really done this” or when I thought “Shit I can’t go home and I want my mum”.

Girls get emotional, girls get irrational, girls let the smallest of things upset them, I was so strong in mind until I lost that bloody watch, not knowing the time reduced me to tears.

But you know what it’s ok to be a girl, it ok to be emotional, it’s ok to be irrational because in those times you pick yourself up, you sort yourself out and you deal with whatever is thrown at you.

So Irish Lil, even though your new move has been tough, I know you’ll be just fine. Us girls, we always are.