Cold Feet

I'm suddenly getting cold feet about Australia. After reading some expatriate testimonies of their impressions of the locals and surroundings, the land down under did not sound like the happiest place on Earth, as I originally thought. On top of that, one co-worker keeps saying to me, "Don't go (to Australia)," like the ominous raven personified by Edgar Allen Poe. I find myself justifying my reasons to him and then realizing I didn't owe him an explanation so much as myself. I don't know why anyone would say that to someone leaving a job in search of new opportunities, especially to someone he/she didn't know well. It's like telling someone their baby isn't the cutest creature on earth when it's just mediocre, or God forbid downright fugly.

But seriously, am I making a huge mistake? While most people say, "Oh if I weren't tied down, blah blah blah, I'd take it in a heartbeat," but do they really mean it? I mean, have they truly given the whole thing as much serious stressful thought as moi? Do they know the consequences and implications down the road? It's like unprotected sex, seems like a good idea at first but in hindsight a horrible mistake.