Why a Working Holiday in Canada is Totally Worth It! With Maddison S.
Well, how about at the beginning. If you’re considering taking this journey across the world in an unfamiliar country away from everything that’s comfortable and known, you’ve come to the right place. I’ve always wanted to travel, ever since being brought up in a small town in Australia. I’m 18 years old and I’m just beginning my many chapters of life.
Where do I start?
I stare at a blank white page waiting for me to fill it with words of inspiration, motivation and incredible adventures. I guess that’s what you were expecting when you read “Working Holiday in Canada”, right? Well, I can’t guarantee you any of that, but you can expect some real, raw and terrifying emotional rollercoasters throughout this crazy chapter of mine.
Now, I’m not here to talk about the exact moment I left my family at the airport, packed my entire life in a suitcase or what compelled me to make the decision to move to the other side of the world. I am here to discuss what I’ve learnt so far and the best advice I can give you about this experience.
Arriving in Canada
It’s been 3 months since I’ve moved out of my small town in Oz to Canada. It’s the first and longest time I’ve ever been away from my family and friends, the longest time I’ve ever gone without eating my mother’s brilliant potato bake and cooking, the first time I've hopped on an airplane, and the first time I’ve ever truly felt terrified.
First thing I thought stepping off that plane was “what did I get myself into”, it was so overwhelming. I had to try and hold myself together, otherwise, I risk breaking down in Vancouver Airport all by myself and I wasn’t about to make that my arrival story... By the time I got to the hostel, I was already thinking about booking flights back home.
THIS JOURNEY HAS CHANGED WHO I AM
To this day, I still feel scared. It should scare you; it means it’s worth it. Some nights I have been so homesick I thought it was going to swallow me whole, but here I am, still here. You just have to hold out until the storm passes and it will, trust me!
You will think you can’t do it, that you’re not strong enough, that something’s not right but you can. You can hold on long enough to make lasting memories and amazing experiences. There will be times you will want to go home and call it a day but remember that you’ve got time. One day, sooner or later, you will return. There’s no need to rush it.
There will be slumps, but there will also be highs and they will be worth all the perseverance in the world! Enjoy your time and the faces - ones that were once unfamiliar and now belong to the people you’re now travelling the country with.
This journey has been oddly freeing, it’s changed who I am for the better and made me realise you can do anything you want when you set your mind to it. I’ve learnt things about myself that I couldn’t have learnt in my small town.
Sometimes the emotions are too much to bear, but that’s what life is about - letting emotions consume you, feeling the best and worst parts of life. Just depends on how you look at it. Take it day by day and be present. Perspective is everything. You seriously won’t regret it!