I returned to Australia after 5 years in New York City. Moving home has been harder than leaving.

Coming home after living in another country for five years was harder than I thought.

Ashling Lee Last year, I moved back home to Australia after living in New York for five years.

I thought my familiarity with Sydney would make returning easy, but it's been harder than expected.

I'm still getting adjusted, but I'm embracing the slower pace of life and being closer to my family.

When I moved from Australia to New York City in my mid-20s, I had no idea it would be the best five years of my life.

I couldn't have scripted my time living in the city if I'd tried.

I'd lived through the COVID-19 pandemic, learned a lot about my professional craft in communications, and made new friends who have truly cemented a place in my life.

During my time there, I'd stood beside a best friend as her maid of honor, watched others welcome their first children and navigate a new season of parenthood, and built a day-to-day that was ordinary in the best sense — weekly pickleball matches, dinner parties , and girls' nights watching "The Bachelorette." In the summer evenings, I'd frequently take walks to Brooklyn Bridge Park from my apartment.

Looking out at the Lower Manhattan skyline from the pier, I'd always feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude and awe — that this was really my life, a dream I had for over a decade, finally coming true.

As great as it was living there, after five years of soaking in the city, I made the tough decision to return to my hometown of Sydney.

Even though I loved New York, I was finding it hard to plant roots, especially since my work visa was tied to my employment, which made settling down long-term feel risky.

I thought going back home would be relatively simple.

Unfortunately, settling back in has been more complicated than moving away.

I thought the familiarity of Sydney would be enough to help me immediately feel at home For many months after returning to Australia, I was very uneasy.