The “tangible” benefits of living in Australia are far and many – clean environment, great infrastructure, lovely weather (somehow I can’t stop raving about it), friendly locals, open culture, affordable health care, great opportunities for work and study and I could go on and on…
However, the biggest advantage that I wish to elaborate on, is theQuality of Life that I have in Australia – something that I could never imagine back home in India. I am an ordinary person – I work for a salary and that helps me pay my bills. In all probability that’s what I will continue to do for a long time to come. I studied and worked in India for a few years before migrating to Australia in 2015. I often get sucked into drawing comparisons between Australia and other countries. I will try and avoid it in my reply.
Here’s what I have to say about the unbeatable Quality of Life in Australia:
- Great Work-Life Balance– I work a regular day job 5 days a week. My commute to and from work takes 15 minutes (I live in an inner-suburb in Perth). Consequently, I am at home by 5 pm almost every day. I regularly get a lot of personal time to pursue sport, interests and hobbies. Coming from India, this has been a refreshing change for me.
- The power of a strong currency– It took me a while to find employment after coming to Australia. But once you are part of the workforce, life is Australia is pretty stress-free. How much money you make, is not critical to decide the quality of life that you can have. Even with an average salary one can lead a good-quality life – you can own a house (reminder: I live in Perth), buy a car and still keep aside money for that yearly vacation. Personally, I felt a sense of “financial comfort” as early as 8 weeks into my first job – something I could not feel for years, back in India.
- The Feeling that I Belong– When I arrived in Australia I fully understood thatI was the outsider hereso it was I who had to take the efforts to unlearn and then learn a new way of life. What made my journey pleasant, was the fact that I was never treated as an outsider. When you are new to the country people around you know that you have arrived recently. The biggest difference, to the credit of the Aussies, is that they never treat you like an outsider. In fact, they provide sympathy, acceptance and kind words of support – something that did my morale a world of good in my initial days here.
- Lawfulness and an abject fear of the law– Australians in general respect the law and live “within the framework”. You normally see people abiding by the law – especially on the roads. Corruption on a day-to-day basis is unseen, and offering or receiving bribes has strict penalties – another refreshing change for those coming from countries that see a high degree of corruption and other wrong-doings.
- Trust– Aussies inherently tend to trust each other. This brings about a certain level of openness in day-to-day dealings, that is difficult to explain. Take for instance, if you write on your résumé about a certain skill that you have, the recruiter and interviewer will trust you that you indeed possess that skill. It’s in Australia that I learnt that treating people with trust and respect is the way to go rather than treating someone with suspicion. [Be cautious, not suspicious].
If you have read till here, you might be interested inknowing why I do not regret moving to Australia.
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