Six Things I Love About Adelaide

It has been two years since our move to Adelaide. I strongly believe that it takes you up to a minimum of 2 years to understand a new place. So, if you are new here and things do not make sense... don't worry they eventually will and if you have been here two years and things still do not make sense, do not worry - just know that it is absolutely normal to take time when you migrate. 

But, in all honesty, Adelaide is a great place to start your life as a new immigrant. Migration comes with its set of issues and while job and income are one of the major concerns but, quality of life, security, a strong community, ease of movement and peace of mind are also very important factors. In Adelaide, you can tick off many boxes. I might have found myself struggling harder in a fast-paced city trying to find an identity and stability compared to the ease with which my husband and I were accepted by Adelaide, in fact, South Australia. 

We have come a long way in these two years and I can now say that it feels home. 

Here are six things that make Adelaide a good choice:

Heart Talk: Always Choose Happiness

Hello Friends, Chai Pi loo… 

Welcome 2019

Tears and smiles, pains and gains, failures and successes; from a rocky start to a complete meltdown in the mid of the year to picking up myself and ending the year with a heart ever so grateful for this beautiful life, for opportunities, for lessons, for people who came and people who left. For the constants in life who never change and the constant changes that shape our lives…. 2018 was all THIS and MORE.

Immigration Diary: Wardrobe Blues

In Pakistan, it is a norm to get custom-made clothes for yourself. People find it fascinating when I tell them that I used to design make my own clothes. Buy material, get some embroidery done on it, get a scarf dyed with it, get some embellishments for the scarf and then get a tailor to stitch it with the style and fitting of my choice and also within my budget 💁‍♀️. Sounds tedious but, this was like the ONLY way of buying clothes that I knew of. (Leaving tailor blues for another day…. 😜)

The Ordinary Girl is Three!

This month marks 3 years of this blogging journey! I had no clue that I would make it this far because back in 2015 when I started this blog it was just another way for me to stay connected with my loved ones back home and space for me to exhibit my love for chai and food in general. I had no goals for it, to be honest, except to keep writing and I had no idea which direction this blog was headed to. I took several breaks on and off because life was happening but, I made sure that I come back here and keep writing. 

Immigration Diary: Friendships

One thing that many of us go through after moving to a new country or city is the challenge of making friends and finding the right people to connect with, especially in the beginning. 

Immigration Diary: Volunteer Work While Job Hunt

While you are job hunting, it is always a good idea to do some volunteer work. Though, it may not give you anything financially but, It will help you stay occupied and keep you away from brewing negative thoughts. A volunteer experience can be added to your CV and may have a good impact on the potential employer. 

Immigration Diary: One Good Resume is not Enough

One Good Resume/CV is not enough. 

I always thought that you just make one resume and list all your work experience, job tasks and achievements and use it while applying for relevant jobs. I assumed that the reader will go through my resume and understand my skills based on the information and assess that I suit the role or not. 

Immigration Diary: Recruitment Cycle In Australia

Heart Talk: My Growing Tribe

When I entered the world of blogging I was expecting to fill this space with my thoughts and ideas. But, I realized once into it, that it is not that easy to create content and sometimes filling even a small portion of this space takes a lot of time and effort. Figuring out the right words, the right time, the right way and ensuring that I am giving right information is not as easy as I thought when I began. I am mostly criticizing myself on how I could have worded something better after I have posted it. It is a constant battle, trust me.

Also, I did not expect this space to reach so many people and that my words, whether I am pleased with them or not, would one day encourage or help someone. A rewarding experience that makes me happy beyond words. Recently, I have made some beautiful friends through this platform. I am ‘discovering’ friends in people and places I had never imagined. The world is getting smaller and my little tribe is growing bigger!

How beautiful is this journey of life full of unimaginable struggles and rewards which may not be what you expected but only much, much better!

Happy Friday, my growing tribe

Job Hunting - Stay Motivated & Focussed

Job Hunting is the most stressful and demotivating experience for most of us. You apply for tons of jobs while all you need is just ONE. So, during the whole experience, the only thing you face is rejection. Wait and rejection can leave you demotivated and stressed. I have been through this stage and have been around friends and family going through this. It is tougher when you move to a new country and look for jobs as it takes double the effort to prove yourself from scratch. I wrote about it a few days ago here. 

While I may not be experienced enough to give you tips on how to find jobs, I can at least give you some tried tips on how to deal with demotivation during this whole phase and stay focussed. 

Heart Talk: Working in Foreign Country

The most difficult thing that you face when you move or migrate to a new country is building your identity from scratch. No matter what school/university you have studied from, no matter what famous companies you have on your CV and no matter how many recommendation letters you carry, all these have very little weight in most cases, if not all. That is why it is very difficult to find the right job. And If you find a job relevant to your field, even then you need to work really hard to build your credibility and prove your worth. The hard work doubles because you have to prove yourself as a professional and get accepted socially as well and there are many other issues on a personal level that keep building on. You will feel that people at work hesitate to talk to you because you are from a different cultural background. It mostly happens because they try to be cautious to not say/do something that may upset you but, you start feeling socially isolated at work and all this is emotionally draining.  

The only way to go through all of this without letting it demotivate you is to EXPECT it and ACCEPT it as soon as you can. Walk your way through it with optimism and hope. Don’t take rejections personally and do not let them shatter your confidence. 

It is one of the toughest phases but, it does not last forever. 

Monthly Journal

Welcome 2018

I am terribly late I know! I usually have such posts ready well in advance and I can't even wait for the new years eve to post it. But, this year end I was occupied with so many things that I couldn't complete this post... But, here I am, better late than never!

Guest Post: Canadian Diaries

Salwa, one of my strongest (read blind) supporter has started a new journey similar to my new journey. She landed in Canada a month after I landed in Australia. We have been comparing our notes on and off and I thought it would be good to have some information and her experiences on the blog as she explores her part of the world. 

She is a guest blogger on my blog (again) for now unless she realizes her potential and starts her own blog which I would love to see soon!

Before you are lost in her story, on the right is our last photograph that we took before we both got separated by distance! 

Now, we look forward to where our next photograph will be taken!




Over to Salwa!