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Every time I go outside Australia, I realise why I love living in Australia particularly Sydney so much. It reminds me what we have here and how lucky we are to live in this place.

In Nepal, there is a proverb “najjiko deuta hela” which roughly translates into “You neglect the temple closest to you”. I feel that happens to me as well when I think about Sydney.  I keep forgetting that I am living in one of the nicest places in the world. Coming back from Vanuatu I was amazed again (I tend to forget it from time to time) to see the beautiful view of Sydney from the plane. The amazingly beautiful blue water, lots of beaches and the landscape with a backdrop of Harbour Bridge and Opera House. I didn’t notice before but even our suburbs look nice and green from above.

So in the sprite of falling in love with Sydney again I decided to make a list of things that I love about living in Sydney.

1. Sydney is one of the most multicultural cities I have seen so wherever you are from, you don’t feel like an outsider. You will see people from all over the world living in harmony here
2. As it is multi-cuisine as well, you can get any food in the world easily and it is not that expensive either. You name food like Chinese, Mexican, South African, Cuban, Spanish or Italian and there are restaurants that will serve you your type of food.
3. If you are into music then you can find hippies, trans, punks, rockers, jazz , hip hop in the nightclubs so life is not boring.
4. Everyone is so nice and friendly (seriously if you have a smile on your face and walk around the city I bet more than 80% of the people will smile back at you. You know what they say about laid back Aussies.)
5. We have so many nice beaches here, like 100’s, from famous Bondi to Manly, you can pick one beach every weekend in summer and you will still have many beaches left to go for the next year.
6. There are so many nice places around Sydney for a day trip that your life can never be boring. Just jump in the car and drive away. Whichever direction you go, you will reach a nice destination.
7. Every time I go to any other country and even interstate, I remember why I love Sydney’s weather. I know it has been crazy lately but the weather is mostly beautiful. The beautiful sunshine right now is my witness 🙂
8. I don’t have to worry about what I wear as no one stares at you. (I have that problem every time I go to Nepal.)
9. You can wear thongs (flip-flops) everywhere in summer and it won’t be consider inappropriate. Ohoo my mum was not happy when I tried to wear tongs outside my house in Nepal. It is considered ghar ko jutaa(slippers for wearing in the house) there.
10. We protest with peace rallies about anything. It makes the point and no one is adversely affected. I really feel Nepali politicians need to learn this. This Nepal Bandh (Close Nepal) in Nepal is getting ridiculous. I can say it “Today is Nepal Bandh” because my favourite restaurant down the road closed down. (WTH)
11. Coming from Nepal, free health care is one of the perks of living here. I know people complain a lot about things that can better the health care system but if you have lived in a developing country like Nepal, you will appreciate the things you already have with the health care.
12. You can catch public transports everywhere. Choose from bus, train, ferry or monorail and you can reach your destination easily. I missed this when I was in US (except for New York). It is like you have to drive everywhere.
13. Imagine you run out of milk while trying to make tea. What do you do? I just take 3 dollars from my wallet and go down stairs to buy milk. Ya I love it that corner shops are everywhere in Sydney and most of them are open 24/7 so that you don’t have to worry too much about basic necessities. It might be a bit more expensive but it is worth the price in emergencies. I realised it is a perk only after I visited US where you mostly have to drive just to do your groceries.
14. You know how guys sit outside a corner store in a group and tease every woman who pass by the shop in Nepal, I am so glad it does not happen here. I used to fight with so many of them. They are always a rude crowd. Unfortunately, when I go back to Nepal, I still see such groups.
15. Being single, young or female is not looked down upon.  I am glad about it otherwise it would have been hell for me to survive here. I was so young and naive but I was able to get a job and a place to live without any problems.
16. Relationships are open so you can be single, partners living together without being married, a gay couple or just mates sharing a place. No one will judge you. People just accept you as you are.
17. I still feel safe even after dark in Sydney. Even at midnight I can catch a train home not being worried about my safety. In Nepal, my phone starts ringing as soon as the sun goes down to make sure that I am on my way home. I don’t blame my parents for their concern as it is really not safe after dark.
18. Religion is not a problem so even if you are Hindu, Muslim, Christian or Jew you are welcome in everyone’s home and can go to their kitchen and none will raise an eyebrow. I have seen in Nepal, they won’t let you into their house or kitchen if you are from a different cast and if you are from a different religion, they will treat you like an outsider.
19. One of the best things about living here is you don’t feel that you need to show off how much money you have. I am sure lots of people around me are millionaires but I really neither care nor know as it is not important how much you earn or how big your house is. Everyone seems equal when you are together and having fun.
20. I feel independent and capable while in Sydney. I don’t feel like I am a helpless female which Nepal used to make me feel.

P.S. Don’t get me wrong , I love my background, culture and Nepal but there are so many things I love about Australia particularly Sydney as well that I thought I would share them with you.