There is nothing quite like a terrible bushfire season followed by a global pandemic, to make you seriously consider whether moving to the other side of the world, away from family and friends was a wise move.
Somehow we find ourselves here… living and working in Canberra for 18 months – 1.5 years down the track of living in Australia.
We feel extremely grateful about living here in Canberra, the beautiful bush capital of Australia. Yet so far this year we have found ourselves having to adapt to new challenges and face obstacles far away from family and friends in Europe.
The first summer we were living in Canberra we were so excited and lucky to be able to explore this beautiful part of the world. Weekends away visiting Sydney, taking trips to explore the nearby Mountains, Aussie towns, beaches and stunning coastline. Those clear blue skies of Canberra were so incredible compared to what can often be a very mixed Spring and Summer in the UK. That first summer we sweltered through heatwaves of 40+ degrees and learnt how to go out to air-conditioned buildings in the heat of the day!
The summer just gone has not been such a pleasant experience. We are lucky that we were not directly affected by the bushfires – so many people lost their homes, people died and so many animals were injured or died, it is hard to comprehend. In Canberra the summer days were often impacted by smoke from bushfires in surrounding areas. I remember one morning waking to the smell of smoke seeping under our front door. Through the bathroom window I could see a weird orange glow. Feeling slightly panicked I opened the front door gingerly to see if there was a house on fire nearby. I will never forget the sight that greeted me – the eerie silence in our street, the orange smoke-filled sky. And that was from bushfires that were burning many kms away. I can not imagine what it was like for people close to the fires.
The COVID-19 pandemic has hit Australia off the back of a long hot smoky summer. So it’s no surprise really that within a matter of days of coronavirus breaking out in Australia, the shelves in the supermarkets were stripped bare, as Aussies did what they could to prepare their family for the days ahead.
Initially we laughed about the “great toilet paper crisis” but week after week went by with no toilet paper to be found! It became a running joke and a hot topic of conversation. Have you seen any toilet paper anywhere?
It wasn’t long before other items vanished off the shelves – tissues, rice, flour. handwash, cleaning products. When we got down to our last couple of toilet rolls I was definitely getting twitchy. But having experienced the reality of having to use a public toilet in a remote part of Ghana – paying for toilet paper which turned out to be a single sheet of newspaper, I knew that although it would be inconvenient we could survive without toilet paper.
So now we are all living and working at home, where possible. Meaning that our lives have become more socially distant, but in some ways more connected. I’ve enjoyed video calls with friends that I hadn’t talked to or seen in years, and enjoyed the chance for walks in nature and chatting to neighbours. But these are strange times. It is certainly anxiety-inducing to consider the fact that we can not fly to the UK, and nobody can fly here. Hopefully this won’t be a major issue for now, but just the thought of anything happening to our nearest and dearest and us being on the opposite side of the world, with no way for any of us to meet, is almost too much to think about.
What have we learnt in our 18 months in Canberra?
That many of the Aussies we have encountered are a friendly bunch. That you can easily see Kangaroos, Echidnas, Possums and a variety of parrots in the wild in Canberra. That the bushland, scenery and wildlife here are spectacular.
We have seen the beauty of all 4 seasons in Canberra and have sweltered through 2 summers. One of which was a very smoky one which we hope never to repeat. We are now entering into our 2nd Autumn here and have already had the heating on.
We have also encountered a number of creepy crawlies that still make me shiver to think about, including a giant redback spider, more blue bottles on the beach than you would care to imagine, a zillion earwigs, giant huntsmen spiders (apparently great to have around, but still look a bit too big and hairy for my liking!)
I personally have learnt that there is nothing more difficult than moving to the opposite side of the world to all your family and friends. Especially when it is always the wrong time of the day for a phonecall! But that the world can seem a smaller place when you manage to coordinate catch up calls and video calls, or receive actual letters or cards in the post, emails or messages.