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From Sydney to San Francisco: 12,000km

lifesan-franciscomoving

i've been in san francisco for a month now. the boxes are mostly unpacked. the jet lag is mostly gone. the homesickness is... still there.

let me talk about moving 12,000 kilometers for a job.

the logistics

visa: H-1B process, sponsored by anthropic. paperwork nightmare. took months to sort out.

packing: my life reduced to two suitcases and one carry-on. everything else: sold, donated, or left with family.

apartment hunting: did it remotely. stressful. ended up in a small studio in the mission. it's fine. it has walls.

bank account, phone plan, SSN: american bureaucracy is its own adventure.

the flight

14 hours. sydney ā†’ los angeles ā†’ san francisco.

i cried at the sydney airport. hugged my parents. hugged my friends. my mom kept pushing food containers into my bag until the last second. "you won't find good adobo there." she was right.

then sat on a plane and watched australia get smaller until it disappeared.

first impressions of san francisco

weather: fog. lots of fog. people warned me. they were right. (also surprisingly cold for california.)

boba: honestly not bad. found a few decent spots. boba guys is solid.

tech vibes: everywhere. startups in every coffee shop. ai discourse at every corner.

beaches: exist, but the water is FREEZING. i miss bondi so much. ay nako.

the adjustment

things that are fine:

  • work (keeping me busy)
  • the apartment (small but functional)
  • making acquaintances (coworkers are friendly)

things that are hard:

  • time zones (17-18 hours ahead means calling home at weird times)
  • no old friends nearby (starting over socially)
  • missing comfort places (my boba spot, the beach, my walks)
  • holidays (australian calendar vs american holidays)

the emotions

week 1: excited, overwhelmed, running on adrenaline

week 2: tired, homesick, questioning everything

week 3: finding a rhythm, still lonely

week 4: better. not good, but better.

they say culture shock has stages. i'm somewhere in the middle. (second time doing this, actually. moving from the philippines to sydney as a kid was its own journey.)

was it worth it?

ask me in a year.

right now: yes. but also hard.

i left everything familiar for an opportunity i couldn't pass up. that's a choice i'd make again. but it comes with weight.

what i tell myself

this is temporary discomfort for long-term growth.

i'll make new friends. i'll find new comfort places. i'll build a life here.

and if i don't? i can always go back.

but i think i'll be okay.

bought a plant today. his name is geoffrey (after hinton). i'm not alone anymore.