“Don’t confuse having a career with having a life.”

Hillary Rodham Clinton

It’s time for me to make a confession.

For five months, I lost sight of the entire purpose of my Radical Sabbatical. 

Sure, I quit my career and packed up my life to relocate to Australia. 

However, what has occupied most of my mind is determining how I can build my career while in Australia vs. building memories in the country of my dreams.

Instead of asking myself, “what area of the country do you want to see next?”, it has been, “what company can I work at that’ll make my resume look good?”

You can ask the people who know me well, they’d tell you: “Zaighum lives to work.” 

They’re not wrong.

To put it frankly, I don’t know who I am without my career.

Putting a pause of my career and leaving the company I loved was and still is the hardest decision I’ve had to make. I grieve the loss of it everyday and continue to struggle letting it go – easier said then done for sure.

For most of my twenties, it’s been who I am – I lived and breathed those arches, and now they’re gone.

So, instead of enjoying the present … I find myself somewhere between losing myself in the past or panicking because I can’t figure out what my future will look like?

Kind of ridiculous, eh? Sound relatable at all?

As I’ve been spending so much time trying to find the next job to add to my resume, I’ve been more obsessed over online job boards than looking at flights and excursions.

The income that I have been earning from my job has been accumulating in my bank account, sitting there and serving zero purpose.

There’s hasn’t been anything “radical” about my sabbatical. Actually, it hasn’t been much of a sabbatical as I’ve consumed myself with everything but rest.

Then, the Christmas break arrived and our office closed.

I literally fell a part at the idea of taking a break.

Do you know what I did for the Christmas break?

I got a second job for a week.

I’m sure you’re looking at the screen and saying, “shit – this guy needs to get a grip.”

(Don’t worry – I promise, things get better!)

You’ll be happy to know, after four months of working in Australia, I finally decided to take a vacation!

My cousins rented a holiday home in Ballarat, Victoria and asked me if I wanted to join them?

When I was first asked about it, I was on the fence. After all, going on a vacation would mean spending money.

But, I had all of this money in my bank account serving no purpose other than sitting there accumulating the bare minimum interest that you receive by not touching your money.

If you read far back enough, the one thing I wanted to do when I got to Australia back in June was hire a car and drive down the Great Ocean Road and see the Twelve Apostles. However, when I finally arrived in Australia, I was crippled with fear of spending the money I brought from Canada while I looked for work. Since getting a job here in Australia and negotiating an amazing schedule (I work four days a week), I spent my weekly long weekend bumming around Sydney instead to doing what I wanted, which was to explore the country I’ve dreamed of living in for the last four years.

So, when I was asked to join my family in Ballarat, I did my research on where the place actually was and what they had to offer.

It’s about two hours away from the Melbourne Airport, which meant I had to hire a car. That wasn’t a problem though, I haven’t driven much since leaving Canada and somewhat missed the feeling of being on the road.

It’s a decent size town, developing quickly as more and more people move away from Melbourne for cheaper homes and bigger properties.

Ballarat is actually quite historic and they have quite a few attractions.

Something else caught my eye about Ballarat.

It’s a three hours north from the Great Ocean Road!

I was sold.

I took a risk, bought my plane ticket, hired my car and on January 3rd, I was flying down to Melbourne and was quickly on the road to Ballarat.

So, I haven’t been on many road trips, but I absolutely love them.

My first solo road trip was back in 2017 when I had an emotional breakdown and hopped in my car and drove up to Kelowna for an overnight getaway; you’ll have to ask me about that one.

Don’t you enjoy the feeling of driving on the freeway, cruise control on, windows down, wind running through your fingers, music blaring and looking ahead at the open road and scenery around?

Yes, the odd cuss word towards the car that cuts you off without using their blinkers, overtaking people who are going under the speed limit, honking your horn at someone stuck in the passing lane and questioning how people got their licenses tends to come up too.

Alas, the first part of my road trip was complete.

Our second day in Ballarat was one of the best days! We went to Ballarat Wildlife Park, where the kangaroos hop free around the park.

They’re so used to people – they hop right to you and wait for you to feed them.

The one kangaroo pictured below was a drooler; one of the caretakers mentioned he was a bit “slow”.

I think he was just high functioning:

He grabbed food out of the bag instead of my hand, started drinking out of my water bottle that was hanging from my backpack, and held my hand while we hung out …

He was a pretty smart Kangaroo if you ask me.

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The highlight for me at Ballarat Wildlife Park was being able to cuddle Billie the Wombat. I mean, c’mon – look at her. 

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Finally, on the fourth day, I was ready for the Great Ocean Road.

I woke up early and made my way down.

What surprised me the most were the roads to get there from where I was.

I drove through the farm country of Victoria. The roads were usually windy single lane roads in both directions and at one point point, it was just a gravel one lane road that and you had to pull over to the shoulder to let the other pass.

The fires were really bad in Victoria while I was there. You could smell the smoke from all over and the haziness blocked the sun; the A/C was my friend during that drive.

*On a side note – New South Wales and Victoria experienced seven days of torrential downpour which helped out the firefighters who are on the ground. 

Keep them in your thoughts and prayers; the devastation is absolutely tragic and it will take some people, especially farmers, years to rebuild.*

There were many points of the drive where I thought my GPS was not working as I was going through some of the most random country towns, however, signs told me to keep going. 

Then the moment I drove out of the farm country, the haze broke and I saw cliffs and the ocean.

As I rolled my windows down, the smell of salt water and the ocean breeze filled my car.

I can’t describe which emotions I was experiencing as I was overwhelmed the moment I was on the Great Ocean Road itself.

There was a mix of laughter, tears, and cheers.

Basically, I was a hot mess.

Six months of planning, dreaming, saying, “I’ll do this eventually” was finally happening.

To get to the Twelve Apostles, there’s a massive parking lot you’re directed to go to.

I parked at the back of the parking lot where the Info Centre was and got out and stretched – it really has been awhile since I’ve driven.

I turned around and saw the helicopter bunker that said, 12 Apostle Helicopters.

So, here’s the thing. 

I’ve never been in a helicopter, however, it’s something I’ve always wanted to do. 

It peaked my curiosity, so I walked in to see how much it would cost and if I needed to book in advanced.

The staff (who are amazing btw) informed me my best value was the trip for $235 for 25 minutes to do the Bay of Islands and that I could just hop on the next tour if I was ready.

Now, at first I saw the price and was uneasy. That’s a lot of money for a 25 minute experience. 

Then I told myself, “Zaighum. When will you get an opportunity to come back here?”

I bought the ticket and next thing I know, I’m being ushered into the front seat of the helicopter and we were off.

The arial view of the Twelve Apostles is breathtaking. I can’t even explain it and the pictures don’t do it justice.

What I will say is, you have to do it.

When we landed, we were encouraged to walk down to the lookout points to see them from outside.

It’s fascinating seeing all the tourists in the area taking selfies by themselves or with their families.

I’m all for a selfie, but heck – why not just ask someone to take the photo for you if there is someone around.

I was passing my phone to just about any person that looked like they knew how to use Portrait Mode on an iPhone.

(The best way to ask is by offering to take their photo first, then asking if they can do the same for you.

There was another outdoor walk that you’re encouraged to go on, which takes you down to a beach called Gibson Steps (note to self, bring Flip Flops if I go again).

I was walking down the beach and there was a turn off that not many people were taking, so I kept walking and was glad I did (if you go, you’ll understand what I mean).

To do the entire Great Ocean Road, it takes about nine hours. I didn’t plan on doing that drive, it’s best to stay in one of the accommodations in the area (which are super pricy, so book ahead) so, I saw what I wanted to see and I started heading back to Ballarat.

As I drove back, I saw a sign for Cheese Tastings at Apostle Whey Cheese, one of the local farms that are allowed to advertise on the roads back towards Melbourne (there’s a chocolate place too, it u couldn’t be bothered), so I obviously had to stop there. The cheese tastings were only $1 to try ALL of them!!!

On our last night in Ballarat, I received a message from an old friend who I went to high school with who lived a little over an hour from where I was and invited me to her place to catch up.

The next morning, I packed up the car and was on my way to Sunbury, Victoria. There were quite a few wineries advertised throughout the area; I will definitely be back.

My friend, Jordan met the love of her life, Andrew, while on her Working Holiday in Australia and they’re now married with two beautiful kids and counting. 

The last time we saw each other was over dinner in 2012 in Vancouver and now eight years later, I was in her living room, on the floor, playing with her kids and catching up like no time had passed.

She left me with two things as I was getting ready to leave:

1. Don’t let a moment of this experience be wasted.
2. Take any and every opportunity that presents itself, no matter what it is.

The next day, I flew out of Melbourne and was on my way home to Sydney. 

On the plane ride home, I reflected on the entire experience I just had. 

For the first time since arriving in Australia, I truly felt like I was embracing my Radical Sabbatical for what it was supposed to be.

So, I took out a pen and started writing out what I wanted to do and see next on a napkin (somethings are better written on some fork of stationary vs. a cellphone), the first being a road trip down to the countryside to see my cousin for the Australia Day Long Weekend.

The next morning, I was on the train to go to my work event and I took out the list of things I wanted to do and started looking up flights, car rentals and accommodations. I knew if I didn’t make a decision right then and there, I would risk going back to a pattern I did not want to go on.

So, fresh off my new perspective, I purchased two different weekend trips on a whim, excursions included! I can’t wait to share them with you!

Right now, I am on my current trip, visiting the countryside for Australia Day.

The trick to any Road Trip is:

1. Make sure your car is comfortable for the long drive
2. Iced Coffee – lots of it
3. A good playlist for “car-aoke”
4. Snacks
5. Pre-Determined Stops; I had to take a detour on my drive to visit the town: Yass, NSW … just so I could take a photo in front of the sign

I was able to write this entire post while we drove around the countryside from spot to spot in Albury\Wodonga and the surround areas.

Albury (where I am) is on the edge of New South Wales and Wodonga is the sister city on the other side of the river in Victoria.

Here are a few shots of the things I got do while down here:

In a few hours, I’ll make the trek back up to Sydney, attempting to beat the other travellers coming back from their road trips.

So, here’s my question for you:

Are you just building a career or are you building a life?

Don’t spend 40 years of building a career just to enjoy 20 years of your life in retirement.

There is so much more to this life than going to work.

Just spend the money.

Buy the ticket. Take the trip. Get the car you wanted. Move out on your own.

Oh, and take the vacation time, don’t “staycation” – get out of wherever it is you find familiar and get lost in the unknown.

You’ll be surprised who you meet when you’re out there; you might even meet yourself and learn something new.

I sure have.

Also, I’m not sure who needs to hear this … but please accept what I’m about to say because it was something I struggled to accept for a long time:

Your workplace will survive without you for a week (or two).

Now, get out there and live.

Onwards,

-Zaighum