I am 26 and was very excited to move from London to Australia for a dream change in my lifestyle. It has only been 11 months and I want to go home

When Jezelle Smith-Thomas moved to Australia, she was excited to experience life abroad.

But almost 12 months later, the London expat began to doubt her decision and felt homesick.

The 26-year-old told FEMAIL that she misses the familiarity of home and the closeness of her loved ones.

Before she decided to move Down Under, Jezelle spent six months traveling through Asia. She was tired of living out of a suitcase and longed for a routine. To her great surprise, a stranger in Bali recommended Australia.

But now she realises how far the country actually is from London and the rest of the world.

“This living abroad was all fun and games at first, but I want to go home. It’s getting harder and harder to get out of bed every day,” she explained on TikTok.

Before her birthday, in mid-August, she felt “lonely and depressed,” being on the other side of the world from her loved ones.

Jezelle Smith-Thomas, 26, moved to Melbourne on September 3, 2023. But she has moments when she misses home very much

Before her birthday in mid-August, she felt “lonely and depressed” because she was on the other side of the world from her loved ones

“This is hard. I want to call my mom, I want to call my cousin, just to nag and ask what I should do… it’s like 4am (in the UK),” Jezelle said.

“I don’t know how much longer I can keep this up. My second year visa hasn’t come yet – maybe that’s for a reason. What am I trying to prove? I mean, I don’t know.

“I’m just over it. It doesn’t feel like fun anymore. It just feels like life, like I just live here. I work, I see my friends sometimes, I come home. It’s just life,” she continued.

“There are some advantages, but it’s kind of the same as when I was home. So now I’m just living abroad, a million miles away from everyone I love. Why am I here?”

Although Jezelle is homesick, she plans to live in Australia for another year. She now sees the advantages Down Under offers her, such as a better salary, a more relaxed work environment and how she can afford to live in an apartment in the city.

“This living abroad was all fun and games at first, but I want to go home. Every day it gets harder to get out of bed,” she explained in a TikTok

While Jezelle is homesick, she plans to live in Australia for another year and sees the benefits that living Down Under offers

And then we haven’t even mentioned the beauty of Australia and the better weather compared to London.

“I’ve seen the most beautiful coasts and beaches here. I also love the adventurous side of it,” Jezelle told FEMAIL.

‘Never in my life did I think I would ever go to Australia, let alone live here. So I try to remind myself that even though I miss my home country, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity that I am grateful for and can truly enjoy.

‘I really like my life here, to be honest. If I compare it to my life in London, the quality is better here and I’ve met some really nice people too.’

However, there are other aspects of home she misses, such as British slang, brunching with friends, knowing where to get the best Caribbean food in town and the British final of Love Island.

Jezelle hopes that her experiences will make it clear how difficult it is to move abroad alone.

“I want people to realize that it’s no small feat to start a completely new life on the other side of the world, where you don’t know anyone at all and you’re SO brave,” she said.

“There is no shame in missing home, just remember why you left in the first place and let that inspire you.”