jenki

Its sooooo nice to know that others feel the same as me! We moved out in 2008, I was ready for the adventure but as soon as I got to oz friends and family in the uk started sharing their bad news with me and I felt like I needed to be 'home' with them. Its fair to say that early on I'd made up my mind. Such a shame! Hubby was happy and enjoying his easier work/home life so I decided that he should stay, we should separate (or something) but that I needed to be back in the uk. Thankfully he's a wonderful man and we're still together (although how bad to I feel for putting him through such hell?!?!?!). Now we hardly ever see him as he's working so hard and has a long commute, poor thing he's so stressed. I comment about the weather here being rubbish and how we're so over-crowded, too many people, too many cars etc and he mumbles about 'we had it better in oz' - he's so right. I suggested that we think about going back, its been on my mind for a while now. Coming back was great, seeing friends and family was lovely but that has all worn off, I hardly see the old friends that I'd missed and the family politics is getting worse as time goes on. Hubby would pack his bags tomorrow but he's worried that I'll go nuts again and doesn't want to go through that (me neither). We'll have to wait and see what we do...... I'll be following PIO to see how ping-pongers get on second time round. Good luck to the OP!!!!

When I got to oz I couldn't settle easily and felt very homesick. I was home with the kids and hubby out working, it was pretty lonely not being able to pick up the phone and hear a friend's voice or pop in for coffee. It didn't help that I kept looking at PIO and finding people who agreed with me (about the differences in oz v uk), even met with one girl and we'd meet and discuss how we didn't like oz - soooo not a clever thing to do. I've been back in the uk a few years now and we're discussing trying oz again. Truth is I know I didn't give it long enough and hubby loved it, for him it was a much better work/life balance than in the uk. I also followed my friends on facebook constantly and felt that I was missing out time with them. These days the friends that I missed so much I hardly ever see and its not because they live far away! Try to make the most of your time in oz, always remind yourself why you left the uk in the first place. I just think that if you don't give it long enough you'll end up wondering 'what if...' which isn't so great.

I don't think I'd call it a mistake but I know I didn't give oz long enough! I was in oz for about 7 months. Reasons for leaving were many inlcuding feeling a bit suffocated in my relationship, kids not being challenged in their oz nursery and missing friends, family and familiarity, especially when friends and family were going through ordeals in the uk and I was in oz unable to help and support them. Been back over three years now. Hubby loved oz and would have stayed had I been happy to but I didn't want to. The first year or so back were great but now we're thinking of going again. All the same issues are still here (uk) for us, including a lot of family politics. All the friends I was so busy missing are not really part of my life anymore. For hubby work in oz had a much better work/life balance and here we hardly see him. When I get the chance I'm on PIO trying to find out how ping-pong'ers feel!!!