When Ed Armstrong visited Australia, he didn’t plan to meet the woman who is now his wife. At the time, he was taking his dream vacation after opting to take an early buyout from his corporate job in New York City, as they began laying people off.
“I raised my hand because I had enough of the States at that point,” he told Travel Noire. “Not just because of racism, but because I never felt like I belonged.”
But when he visited New Castle for the first time, he didn’t immediately fall in love with the city.
“I had to get used to the culture because bars were closing at 5:00 in the afternoon. I wasn’t used to that. Another thing I remember, people were very blunt in the way they talked to you and I used to think this would get you in a fight in the Bronx,” he said jokingly.
But despite the adjustments, he met a woman who would eventually become his wife. He proposed while he was back in the U.S. and she abroad in Australia. During his short time living back in the U.S. in Florida, Armstrong realized just how much he loved Australia.
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“The weather here in New South Wales is like Florida, Texas, and California rolled into one,” he said. “What I really like about living here is that I just feel safe. I don’t feel tension, for example, when I am getting stopped by the police.”
Armstrong said moving to Australia was the best decision he’s done because not only has he started a family, but had the opportunity to develop a healthy work-life balance. He even got the chance to start his own business, an art gallery with his wife, which unfortunately closed down.
“But that’s what I love about living here because even though we fell back, we were able to pick to pick ourselves up because there’s actually a living wage here.”
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