How My Working Holiday Changed Me

By Hayley

1 Now that I havebeen home for a while and have had time to reflect on my working holiday inVancouver, I've thought a lot about who I was before I left for Canada and whoI am presently.

2 Prior to leaving, I was not in a good place. I had suffered a lot of personal blows andfelt emotionally stretched. I lost my grandma, my job and had two car crashesin five months. I needed something to change in my life, and that came in theform of a working holiday visa.

3 In less than three months I filled out the necessary paperwork, booked my plane ticket andfled Brisbane. I spent fifteen months living and working in Vancouver, Canadaand eighteen months in total away from Australia. This is how that working holiday changed me and my life.

I Grew (Like a Beanstalk)

4 I have always been a quiet, shy person and meeting people and making friends has always beena constant struggle. I've always had a few friends but never a large socialcircle. Then I moved to Vancouver and began working at Starbucks. My co-worker swere so welcoming and it wasn't long before we were meeting up after work for dinner, ladies night and sightseeing excursions. I taught them an Australian word of the day and they helped me understand the Canadian lingo, eh? Oh, how I laughed whenever someone ended their sentence with those two letters.

5 My time in Vancouver was the most social in my life and for once I didn’t hate it. I enjoyed seeing new places and doing new things with new friends. I loved that they accepted me for my socially awkward self. I finally felt comfortable within myself and felt that I belonged, which was the biggest personal gain.

I Had Fun at Work

6 I know what youare thinking, who actually enjoys their job? Well, I did. For the first ninemonths I worked two jobs: at Starbucks and on the Aussie Pie Guy food truck.Then for the final five months of my working holiday I worked full time on thefood truck and I loved my job.

7 Yes, there were times and people that stressed me out, but for the majority of my employment Ienjoyed going to work every day. I worked alongside great people who were morethan my co-workers, they were my friends. We had fun at work listening to trashy 90s music, drinking our daily Starbucks and serving our friendlyregulars.

8 I also met other great people through this job, including the employees at the breweries weregularly parked outside and other food truck owners. We traded food and beerand stories and most days it didn’t feel like my job.

9 Now I want that feeling again. I don’t want to work somewhere that I hate and that slowly sucksthe life out of me. I honestly have no clue what this job will be — I neverexpected to enjoy working on a food truck in Vancouver — but I’ll let you knowonce I do.

I Travelled

10 During my stayin Vancouver I managed to visit Seattle, Portland, Squamish and Whistler for weekends, but that was it.

11 But I couldn't live in North America and not see more of it, so I saved up what I could(thanks mum and dad for the extra loan) and spent just under three months traversing Canada and the United States (with an afternoon in Mexico). I did amassive circle from Vancouver over to the East Coast, across Southern USA andup the West Coast.

12 I gained confidence with each stop and each hostel. I adored seeing a new city every fewdays. I loved walking around and capturing places with my new DSLR. I was proudof myself for constantly stepping out of my comfort zone and embracing the unknown. This solo adventure changed me in a lot of good ways, including ensuring my wanderlust is still running strong through me.

I Could Do It Again

13 My hear t andmy head are constantly torn between what they want in the future. Now that Ihave lived the expat life, I feel I’d like to do it again somewhere else in theworld. It doesn’t have to be right now, but in the future I would love to livein a different country again — perhaps with a special someone by my side?

14 But then thereis also the part of me that would like to have a home and nest for a while. Irealised recently that in the past six years I have lived in six different houses. And although this doesn’t bother me much, I think settling down for alittle bit wouldn’t be so bad. I am that girl who constantly browses craft and design blogs (hello, A Beautiful Mess) and has become obsessed with watchingthe Lifestyle channel on Australia's version of cable. I imagine all thewonderful things I could do with my own apartment. Oh, and I kind of want a dog. Now that's nesting.

Thank You, Working Holiday

15 My working holiday changed my perspective on life. It helped me to grow personally, have fun professionally and realise that I can do and be anything I desire. It allowed me to realise that from now on, I will always follow my heart and do what makes me happy. Thank you, Vancouver, for helping me become a better version of myself.