Moving to Sydney – A time I felt courageous

~4 minute read.

Our guest blogger today is Jasmine Garbino who shares her story of “moving to the other side of the world.”

In her own words …

I believe there are many courageous moments in your day-to-day life. I also believe that if I were asked: “Tell me about a time when you felt courageous?,” this would definitely be the one I’d share.

My partner and I decided to move to Australia from Italy. This decision was mainly driven by our desire to grow old together and have stories to share with family and friends one day. We wanted to be able to say that “we tried.” Seems simplistic, but it enclosed such a deep meaning to us.

We wanted to feel like we were leading our lives the way we wanted and not just following the classic life milestones.

This picture was taken during the first days I was searching for our new home. I stopped to have a coffee between inspections.
Isn’t it funny how a coffee can be so memorable?

My partner is a civil engineer and one of the most driven people I know. Given my half-Australian background, we thought Australia would be a great place to move, where I could work with full legal rights, allowing us to focus solely on how to get him into the country.

“Why don’t you apply to an Italian construction company that has an Australian affiliate so they might sponsor you?”

This was our plan. He spent a couple of days researching potential opportunities until he found a great one in Australia through an Italian company. Needless to say, he applied. And got the job.

It took us months and months, almost a year, before we actually left Italy. Our families were up to date with all our intentions. The excitement was there but somehow faded as the big day approached. We had to share the news with our managers, colleagues, and friends. Everyone reacted in their own unique way, most often with sadness and tears … sometimes many tears.

This is the most courageous thing we’ve ever done—saying goodbye to family and friends without knowing what was next.

I will always remember the 21^st April, 2023, when we had to say goodbye to family to move home. We weren’t moving to a home nearby, not even to a close region or country. We were moving to the other side of the world knowing that we would not see them for a year. But we did it. We got on that plane and went on with a new adventure called … life.

I had to leave my job without any idea of what was coming next. This terrified me. We were moving to Sydney and didn’t know anyone there. We didn’t know where to stay, how to get around, which suburbs to avoid, where to buy things without getting ripped off … we knew nothing. Still, we were so happy.

“This is the most courageous thing we’ve ever done—saying goodbye to family and friends without knowing what was next.”

We were trying.

We promised ourselves that if we ever wanted to go back home, we would discuss it and make the best decision for us. We were ready to pack up everything again if needed, but we had to give it a go.

A couple of months later we were settling in, we found a nice place to stay, I found a job three weeks after I started looking, we made some friends, and we were exploring a different suburb, beach, shopping mall, or park every weekend.

We felt like we made it. We tried, and we were still trying.

We learned to embrace every opportunity life puts in front of us. It’s better to learn from a bold decision than to regret a missed opportunity.

Now, a year later, we still feel very courageous. We left our family and friends at a time when everyone else was moving to a new job, buying a new home, or having a child. I remember people saying to me, “You’re going to miss out on a lot of things here…”

“It’s better to learn from a bold decision than to regret a missed opportunity.”

True. My reply today, over a year since that day, would be:

“I might have missed many events and occasions—30th birthday parties, christenings, or even spending Easter with my family. But if I hadn’t been courageous enough to pack up my suitcase and leave, I would have missed out on learning how to live in a new country, in a new city where I didn’t know anyone. I would have missed the opportunity to prove myself in a new job. I was good at my job, but here I’m compared to 5.3 million other people in Sydney rather than 100,000 in Udine where I was working in Italy. I would have missed the opportunity to experience many different adventures and to meet so many interesting people from whom to learn and grow.

I would have missed the chance to do things on my own for my own, confirming that I am good enough and courageous enough to live in a way that allows me to have stories to share with family and friends when I grow old. This is actually what I would’ve missed out on.”

I did miss out on many things. I didn’t miss out on being courageous.

“Courage is not an absence of fear; courage is fear walking.” ~ Susan David.

A lovely park I stumbled upon while going from one apartment inspection to another.
I remember stopping here just to reflect on the changes we were going through.

I have had the privilege of knowing Jasmine her whole life. Over the years that Jasmine lived in Italy, I was fortunate to spend time with her every 2 years or so. Now, I am fortunate to spend considerably more time with her as the physical distance between us is significantly reduced. Living in the same time zone also means that we speak more on the phone, for which I am grateful; I look forward to our conversations and always leave them “thinking again.”

During the past 17 months or so that Jasmine has lived in Sydney, I have watched her go from strength to strength, learning more and more as she willingly steps out of her comfort zone – both professionally and personally. Not knowing what the outcome will be does not stop her; instead, it inspires her to be curious and to grow.

Jasmine mentions above, “I didn’t miss out on being courageous.” How inspiring. I’m wondering perhaps what I have missed during those times I chose not to be vulnerable, chose not to be courageous. Inspired by Jasmine’s words, I’ll be using the following as my mantra, “I will be courageous. I will not miss out on being courageous.”

Thank you Jasmine for all you have taught me. Thank you for being in my life,

Dindi xx (@CourageChick)