To all of you already living in Oz - would you mind letting me know two things that you think are great about Australia :D and two things that you think that are not so great :(
There are many good and bad things where ever you go in the world but as far as living in Australia is concerned-
THE WEATHER is a BIG bonus, to wake up every morning and to see the sun shining is just beutiful, not having to look at the weather forcast to see if its ok to go for a picnic or a BBQ (this depends where you live in AUS)
CHEAPER WAY OF LIFE some things are slightly cheaper than back home, for instance what we used to pay out a month ie council tax, tv licence the list goes on. compared to what we pay out here. but over all it is cheaper.
BAD THINGS- its a long way from home, yes its cheap these days to keep intouch, but i find it hard at times to think all my family are soooo far away.
THE INSECTS- Ive lived here in Aus on/off all my life (long story) and still hate the blasted things, cockys, spiders, mozzies,snakes you dont get them everywhere you go but i just hate them. but its a small sacrifice when you live in such a beutiful and proud country like Australia. there are many more good and bad but these are the ones i feel stick out the most in my mind, everyone is different.
Two good things: 1. The weather 2. The possibilities for 'families'*
Two bad things: 1. I miss architecture 2. The lack of social hubs in affordable communities. i.e. the 'villages' such as Williamstown, Brunswick, Malvern, Brighton, Fitzroy, Brunswick etc have a wonderful ambience but I would have to drop my living standard considerably in order to make it affordable. It is always 'the penny or the bun' and sometimes I wish I could just have both and be one with it. We have chosen to sacrifice pubs, deli's on the doorstep and so on for space, a higher living standard, a golf course, gym and swimming pool in front of the house. If I could afford it though, I would still want all those things - but in the aforementioned villages!
On balance though, I still love it here! :D
* could explain, but would take a whole post in itself and could get very political!
Two good things: 1. The weather 2. The possibilities for 'families'*
* could explain, but would take a whole post in itself and could get very political!
Hi Krista..... sorry I am intrigued now :)
Thanks everyone - one thing that does seem to be consistant is the weather and the way of life! Sounds good to me :P
Ha! ...Well.. it might just be that I am more familiar with the red tape and so on in the U.K. but, to me, it SEEMS that there is much more on the bias of quality family interaction here. For example, I worked my butt off in the U.K. to ensure that the children had a nice home, good education, nice things... blah, blah, blah ... BUT.. I was never at home to share it!! We have found here - and I feel I have to be a bit careful (because I'm sure many people will disagree!) - that from the Government down, there seems to be a much more 'family friendly' atmosphere. To elaborate, I personally like the fact that things close early.. Yes, is it a tad inconvenient that I sometimes want a jar of Branston for a butty at midnight and Tescos is nowhere to be found... but it warms the cockles of my heart to think that people who would normally be working there are at home with their loved ones or enjoying affordable evenings and weekends out.
We COULD have afforded to go to Wimbledon for the day when we were in the U.K. but a week long holiday in Egypt would have cost about the same! Guess which I chose.. Here, I feel we have the penny and the bun. We can do a lot more spontaneously as a family because we have the time and the money. We can go the Open, the Grand Prix, whatever, whatever and it's not a major expense. It costs about the same as a curry out in the U.K.!!!
I don't know what I'm trying to say really, but I do know that the life we live now, with regards to the time we spend as a family, doing things all together is much more representative of the hopes and dreams I had of family life than we managed to achieve in U.K.
Being brutally honest, we were also caught up in a right social whirl in U.K. which I am, quite frankly, relieved to be rid of. It is very possible that the same result would have been achieved if we'd moved to a farmstead in Loch Lomond or something. I am not under any illusions..
I miss my friends and family but, on the other hand, I don't miss the obligatory visits, phone calls, social events and so on.. I love the opportunity to, once more, be what I consider to be a good mum, a mum who is around a whole lot more and a mum who can, at long last, put the family where I always wanted it to be but failed miserably in the U.K... and that is first.
I love the way OZ people celebrate...any excuse for a party and the whole country join in.Anzac day,melbourne cup,tennis,rugby,australia day.... you even get a day off for the the queen's birthday!
It is also nice to take my baby to a park with no vandalism...yep...the swings work,nothing burnt out ect.
BUT It is a long way from home and if like me you miss your family and friends it can be tough.
And because its soooo hot I tend to drink more beer.
Location: From Bury,Manchester To Jimboomba, Brisbane
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Good on you Krista ,i totally agree with what your saying ,everywere and eveything seems much more family orientated here ,and you dont get screwed for a hot dog and a drink if you go to a tourist attraction.Our reasons for being here are partly what you have wrote about but im not going into anymore in fear of upsetting someone.basically id put Oz over the Uk anyday for family fun and general life.
Cal x
Good 1: Being able to let the kids play outside in the garden (yes we got one here) more than 3 months of the year.
2: Early Sunday morning brekkies down on the broadwater on the free bbqs watching the kids play in the immaculate playgrounds.
Bad
1:For those of you who havent been to Queensland forget those long lazy summer evenings, you dont get them.
2:The obligitory family missing.After 10 months it still hasn't hit me,but my parents are over next month so i'm expecting it to kick in then.
BUT we will never go back we will allways go forward.
