It’s the day to go to Australia. I got up early in the morning, had breakfast, and headed to the airport. After checking my baggage, there are many people when I head to the security checkpoint. I forgot to remove the laptop from my bag at baggage inspection, so I had to be re-examined. Be careful next time…I went through immigration, finally boarding. I was called my name in an announcement when I waited at the boarding gate. The USB port in the seat I booked was broken, so my seat was changed. I’m glad that the ground staff and the CA were very polite to me. I watched a lot of variety programs, dramas, and movies on the airplane. So I was not bored even long flight. I chose oyakodon as an in-flight meal. The egg was fluffy, and the chiken was soft, it was good. I was very excited to go to Australia yesterday, but as soon as I boarded the plane, I was suddenly overcome with anxiety and nervousness. I wondered if this was really the right path for me?, Would everything go well?, Would I find a job?, Would I make friends? The realization that I wouldn’t be able to return to Japan for a while made me feel anxious. At the same time, I realized I needed to prepare myself. I didn’t choose to get a job, as many people do immediately after graduating from university. In the four months since graduation, I’ve met many people in many places and had many different experiences, but it’s by no means a stable path. Since I chose the working holiday, I need to make a good experience that I can look back on when I return home. I also want to fulfill my dream of working in childcare in Australia. I’m truly blessed that none of my family or friends opposed my decision to go to Australia. They’ve been so supportive. So I want to stay grateful and work hard to pursue the path I’ve chosen. It’s impossible to avoid regrets, but I want to enjoy myself and do my best to minimize them.
And then I arrived in Perth. With my immigration card in hand, facial recognition, I was able to enter the country in no time. Nothing was too difficult. As soon as I left the gate, I went to Optus and bought a SIM card. The staff handled everything from the procedure to registering the app and inserting the SIM card, and after a bit of chat, it was all done without any problems. When I headed to the train station to go to the hotel, it was very quiet and there were very few people around. The staff kindly explained everything to me when I bought a Smart Rider card, which is similar to Japan’s Suica, and when I arrived in Perth, I was reminded of one of the things I love about Australia – the kindness of the people. It’s been two years since my last visit to Australia, and my first time in Perth, so it may take me a while to get used to it. I’ll try my best here for a while.
P.S. The technology in toilets and baths really makes me feel how amazing Japan is. lol
いよいよオーストラリアへ出発する日がきた。朝早く起きて、朝食食べて空港に向かった。荷物も無事預けて、検査場に向かうと、たくさんの人が並んでいた。手荷物検査でパソコンをカバンから出すのを忘れて再検査になった。次は気をつけよう…。出国審査も無事通り、いよいよ搭乗へ。搭乗口で待っている時、アナウンスで自分の名前が呼ばれた。予約してた席のUSBポートが不調で、座席変更になった。グランドスタッフさんもCAさんも丁寧に対応してくださって嬉しかった。飛行機の中ではいろんなバラエティー番組とか映画をみた。いろいろあって長時間フライトも退屈しなかった。機内食は親子丼を選んだ。卵ふわふわでお肉は柔らかくて美味しかった。昨日までワクワクでいっぱいだったのに、いざ飛行機に乗ると急に不安と緊張に襲われた。この道でほんとによかったのだろうか、上手くいくだろうか、仕事は見つかるだろうか、友だちはできるだろうか。もうしばらくは日本に戻れないと思うと、そんな不安に駆られた。それと同時に覚悟を持たないといけないと思った。大学卒業すぐに多くの人が進む就職を選ばなかった自分。卒業後の4ヶ月間、いろんな場所でたくさんの人に出会っていろんな経験ができたけれども、それは決して安定な道ではない。そうしてまでワーホリを選んだのだから、帰国する時に良かったと思える経験にしないといけない。オーストラリアで保育に携わる、この夢も叶えたい。自分は家族や友だちがこうしてオーストラリアに行くことを誰ひとり反対することはなく、むしろ応援してくれて本当に恵まれていると思う。だから感謝の気持ちを忘れないで、自分の選んだ道に覚悟を持って頑張りたい。後悔をしないなんてきっとできないけど、なるべく後悔は少ないように楽しみながらいろいろ頑張りたいと思う。
そしてパースへ到着。入国カードを持って顔認証してあっという間に入国完了。何も難しいことはなかった。ゲートを出てすぐにオプタスに行ってSIMカードを買った。手続きからアプリの登録、SIMカード挿入まで全部店員さんがやってくれて、ちょっと雑談して、ここもまた何も難しいことはなく完了。ホテルに向かうために電車の駅に向かうと、人は本当に少なくて静かだった。日本のSuicaみたいなスマートライダーというカードを買う時も店員さんが優しく説明してくれて、パース到着してオーストラリアの好きなところである人の優しさにたくさん触れた。2年ぶりのオーストラリア、初めての土地のパースだから、慣れるまでに少し時間が必要かもしれない。ここでしばらく頑張ろう。
p.s. トイレとお風呂の技術は本当に日本の凄さを感じる。笑
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