tfarrell

Just a quick update.. We left for Oz in Aug with 3 young children... a week after arriving I realised I had made a massive mistake. Only lasted 6 months. So back home since mid January and I know I made the right decision to come home. I see where I live in a whole new light and look at it as a lesson learned - a very bloody expensive lesson at that! My husband who is a chippie had got a job as a site manager which is what he was doing before he left. We have been lucky in that regard. Altho work wise things are starting to get better here for sure. Long way to go yet but things are deffo picking up. We are back living with my Mam as we sold up hook line and sinker. So next step is to buy a house. Havent seen anything we like just yet and of course we come one of the most expensive places in Dublin to live. But Im positive that it will all happen in time. Kids are loving life since we got home. My eldest who is 7 is back in her old school and couldnt be happier. She loves it there. My little boy who is 4 is in playschool and will start in the same big school as his sis in September. They are in so much after school activities I dont get a minute. With them and playdates we are kept very busy! I love seeing kids playing out together.. something I couldnt quite grasp in Oz. I see everything in a whole new light and I love Dublin. The people the place. You just cannot beat it. I am making the most of everything now since I get back. We find things to do every weekend. Hail rain or snow! I appreciate my life and the people that are in it and I wouldnt change it for the world. I love that Im going out with my friends twice a month good Irish pubs and that my kids have their grannys and grandad around them along with Aunites and Uncles and some of my old friends that are my family. I love that I get to see their kids grow up too. My Mam is so happy to have us home and I know I can be there for her whenever she needs me. Same goes for my nephew who I missed alot. People thought I was crazy to come back home but I think you just know when something isnt for you and no amount of time will change that. I got sucked into the dream of Oz and how fantastic it would be with the beaches and sunshine etc. But it wasnt for me. Not at all and I am sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo happy to be home. Life is good. I can understand why some people love Oz dont get me wrong but its a completely different culture and way of life and in my opinion I like our way of life here in Ireland and Im glad my kids will grow up here. No question about it. Fingers crossed we come across a house soon! Will try update this as we go. If anyone has any questions I will try answer as honest as I can!

your post sounds like many of mine... after just a few days in Oz it didnt feel right.. when our stuff arrived I had a bit of meltdown (not crazy meltdown but just really feeling sorry we came) all the memories from our old house etc etc. So everyone told me it was perfectly normal.. I threw myself into things.. but each day I just felt the same.. that oz just wasnt for me... I met lots of new friends all of which told me they had some bad days here and there but that was normal too... But everyday was like that for me... just didnt like it here at all. I missed my family (mainly my mam & nephew) I missed my mates.. even though we wouldnt live in each others pockets it was always the same every time we met up... just having craic... no pretence.... I missed Ireland... the buildings the weather the people. 3 months in and me and my hubbie sat down and talked... it was hard as we had to deal with what it took us to get here... but we said right if we want to go home we will just go home but lets see it out till xmas.... that made things easier... we were off every weekend touring the whole place and doing everything we could possibly do.. but all the time knowing it wasnt for me. We sold up everything back home (including our lovely family home) so going home would be basically starting all over again... we have lost quite alot of money coming here but I look at it like a 6 month working holiday... and I know if I didnt come here I would always thing the grass is greener. We are flying home on Wednesday to go live with my mam till my hubbie or myself get a job so we can get a small mortgage to buy a house. We made a good profit from the sale of our house back in Ireland so while it cost us alot making this move we are going home and are in a good position so I cant be too sad about things. We only lasted 6 months but in my case I just knew its not for me. Everyone says we didnt give it long enough but only time will tell. I know how you are feeling but my advice is to do what we did... think of it as a working holiday... try and pack in as much as you possibly can and keep yourself busy. Re-evaluate things every say 2 months... and go from there... but just remember you can always go home.. its not a prision sentence... and things are never as bad as you think they will be. We didnt have finance on our cars, we bought them outright... and while we lost money selling them on it wasnt too bad. The resale on cars is good so Im sure you can pay the finance off. Regarding mobiles.. we signed up for a 2 year contract... when I booked our flights I contacted the phone company saying we were getting no coverage... i had a bit of battle but finally we get to hand our phones back and are out of the contract... you can contact the TIO and complain to them... just keep hassling them bout coverage... you will get out of it eventually. As for rental lease if you put ads up on the likes of gumtree you will be able to get someone to take on your lease.. I done this and got loads of replies and applications... was very easy. Basically what I am trying to say is things are not as bad as you think. There are ways around things if you really want to come home. But please try and give it as long as you possibly can so you can come home and say you tried your best. Facebook is great for meeting people. Im from Ireland and theres lots of irish mums groups.. brisbane meet ups on there.. you just need to put yourself out there and make friends... it does help alot. I know its hard with kids... my eldest was in school and I had two smallies with me then aswell. So that was hard. My eldest hates it here. I thought she would love it but she misses family and friends from home. Its funny cos she keeps going around wearing little ireland tshirts... her favourite colour is now green and I swear if she draws another Irish flag I will kill her hahah. Best of luck... and try to enjoy it.. see the sights... and re-evaluate things every so often. Will let you know how I get on at home! Take care!

I agree if you can sell stuff that you dont really like to lighten the load then do it in Oz... Ive sold stuff over Christmas and have made some money back... deffo more than it would cost to ship and store. I used OSS worldwide movers.. they handled our stuff from here... best quote I got... but I did bargain with 3 companies so dont be afraid to do that.

No bought in Harvey Norman in Ireland :-O

really good quality and sturdy double bed with 2 matching lockers (3 drawers) pick up albany creek also selling oak dining room table n chairs $250 microwave toaster fridge freezer highchair car seat toddler bed

Ikea blue toddler mammoth bed some slight scratches with mattress pick up albany creek also selling high chair, fridge freezer, dining room table and chairs, microwave, toaster, kettle

bought 5 months ago from harvey norman pick up albany creek excellent condition few months left on warranty also selling dining room table n chairs, microwave, kettle, toaster, highchair, ikea toddler bed, car seat

view and test drive in Albany Creek, Brisbane North Great family car 7 seater very low milage gold metallic rego till feb bought only 6 months ago from garage warranty in place till 2012

WOW kangeroo bruce has alot of time on his hands... but appreciate the replies... thanks everyone :-))

I haven't forgotten the reasons why I left at all.

Only arrived in Oz on the 6th of August and returning home to Dublin on the 16th of Jan. I am so happy and excited to get back home to see all my family and friends and to start life again. My eldest who is 6 is really looking forward to going back to her little school and see all her school friends and my 3 year old will be going into playschool soon as we are back. My husband has now got a few contacts for work so fingers crossed he gets something but I have also been offered some work in my old job so Im hoping things are going to go well for us once we return. Just a few things left to sell here and then we are off. We have a lump sum of savings from when we sold our house so we just need a small mortgage when we get home. Hopefully the right house comes up for us as I know it will be tricky staying in my Mams till we are on our feet. But we will get through it. I know some may say we havent given it enough time but the fact is I dont like it here in Australia. I prefare Ireland. It has some great things about it but its not home for me. Im glad I came as I know I would have also wondered if the grass is greener. So roll on Jan 16th.

MINT CONDITION Holden Captiva gold met 7 seater wagon 3.2 petrol only 54,000kms - $21,000 ready from 14 dec Mitsubishi Triton Ute Dual cab 4x2 2008 - $13000 - available from 14th Jan 50" Sanyo LCD TV - $550 - available now 32" Sony Bravia LCD TV - $300 - available now Solid Oak Double wooden bed with two matching 3 drawer lockers - $600 - available now Solid Oak 6 seater dining room table with 6 chairs with brown leather seats - $700 - available 14 jan LG front load 6.5kg washing machine - $400 - avail 14 jan Highchair with adjustable heights - $40 - available 14 jan Car seat - $40 - available 14 jan Ikea boys blue toddler beed - $40 - avail 14 jan Hisense compact fridge freezer - $300 - avail 14 jan Microwave - $40 - avail 14 jan Kettle & Toaster -$20 - avail 14 jan Two lovely heavy ornaments - $20 - avail 14 jan I am open to all reasonable offers on any of the above.. and will obviously do a deal if buying more than one item. I have an email on file if anyone wants pics please send me a private mail with your email address. And also if you are looking for any other items just ask as I may have more to sell :-) Thanks!

Im not much help but just lettting you know I felt the same as you. And still do nearly 5 months on. I had a good life at home packed it all in thinking the grass is always greener. Its not for us tho! I was nearly on a flight home back in Oct after 2 months here but everyone told me to give it more time. Which Im glad I did but I still feel the same and Im looking to return in January. I miss things I never thought I would. And things I took for granted. Silly things but all adds up. I feel like Ive gone back 10 years living here. Feels so souless and backwards. But I would try give it more time tho just so you can say to yourself it is deffo the right choice. After speaking to lots of people bout homesickness and wanting to return everyone said they had off days here and there. But I dont just get days here and there... its like everyday I wake up feeling 'nah this isnt for me' Can you set a date after Christmas to say right give it a good go and if you still feel the same by that stage you can just return? I done that back in Oct. Made my life easier but Im still 100% certain I want to go home. I think everyone will agree that 2 months is a very short amount of time. And they will prob think Im mad going home after 6 months. But like you I have made friends... we are kept very busy.. my kids have made friends so we have put ourselves out there. But basically its not home. Took us to come all this way to realise we had a good aul life back in Ireland. Good luck in whatever you decide x

I miss my Mammy! I miss my family. I also miss my friends even tho I would prob only see them maybe twice/three times a month, you just pick up where you left off. My friends are from primary school so we know each other inside and out. I miss the fresh cool air. I miss the buildings / surroundings of Dublin. I miss the diversity of Ireland. I miss being only 10 mins drive into the city (or 25 mins walk) with all the great shops / cafes / restaurants / proper pubs. I miss being 5 mins walk to the beach, even in the cold rainy days. I miss walking to school each morning with the kids and seeing all the neighbours and other kids on their scooters and bikes. I miss good spuds. I miss Irish tv. I miss my Indian takeaway. I miss the local butchers for good value deals (im a veggie but the rest of the clan are complete carnivores! The list goes on and on. Apart from family and friends I will agree the rest seems so petty.. but put them all together its our day to day life. We came here thinking the grass would be greener. And I completely underestimated the homesickness. While I do love the sunshine and the beaches unfortunately its not enough for me. I do not see what we will gain from being here compared to what we gave up. My husbands wages are much higher here but the cost of living I feel is more expensive so it evens out. My kids desparately miss having family surrounding them and being part of a community. My eldest misses both her Nannas, her best friend, her lovely small school, her drama club. (my other to are too small to understand or miss anything) They had a good quality of life back home, we werent forced to leave Ireland cos of the recession we just thought there was something better out there for us. Took us to come here to realise what we had back home. So we hope to head back in January and start again. Its tough when I think bout how much it has cost us to get here but I keep reminding myself that money is not everything. Being happy and healthy is. I could say all the things I dislike about Australia but theres good and bad everywhere so whats the point. Its just not for us.

Solid oak double bed with 2 matching lockers Solid Oak table and chairs Holden captiva 7 sweater family car Highchair Sanyo 50" TV Sony 36" TV Boys IKEA blue toddler bed LG washing machine Small fridge freezer We move out on the 15th of January If anyone is coming out then and looking for a rental I can try secure this place for you.

I can't believe your kids were bullied in that was. Shocked and appalled. I admire everything you have done. I'm going home after 6 months here. Everyone thinks we are mad but like you said they don't know how hard it is . We have spent a fortune too but I think if we never came we would always wonder what if. Best of luck to you and your family.

We are here 5 months.. my husband is working away.. I'm at home with the kids which I love. I've made lots of friends but its not the same. The pull of family and old friends is just too strong to cope with. And while I like some things bout oz there's a lot I dislike. And I have a greater appreciation of home.

Its so hard to know what to do. But I know if I stay here I will be miserable. I am putting a brave face on things now but I can't keep it up for much longer. Only doing it for the sake of the kids. But even my eldest wants to go home. And its hard telling her how 'great' it is here when I feel exactly the same. Who knows what will happen when we return but I do know I will have a lot of family and friends that will support us when we return.

I'm very worried. But if I can't stay in oz. Its effecting me too much. I do not know what my husband will do as he's a carpenter. I just feel like I'm suffocating here. We have a lump sum from the sale of our house so I keep reminding myself of that. Abut finding work is cause for concern. Especially with three kids to look after.

Im returning for good. I can see why alot of people love Oz but its deffo not for us. Im not sure what I thought I would gain from moving here but I feel we are better off back in Ireland. While my husband is working out here and getting paid more than at home I feel everything is so expensive so our quality of life would be pretty much the same. Which would be fine if I wasnt missing everyone from home so much. Theres lots of pros and cons to both places really but my heart is in Ireland and I cant change that. I know we must be mad going home to our winter but our lease is up then so it just feels right. We will have the novelty sunny xmas and do a bit of sightseeing but I really and truly cannot wait to go home. Cost us a bomb to move over here and sold our lovely home so Im kicking myself for that but I know if I hadnt of done it I would always be in the frame of mind that the grass is greener. Took me to come here to realise whats important to me I guess. If I could take the sun home with me I would be soooooooooooooooooooooo much happier. Everyone tells me to stay for two years. But life is too short.. I want to be home like yesterday!!! Nice to hear from a few thats done it / planning to do it. Its going to be very tough tho for my husband to get work at home as he is a carpenter. But I am contacting alot of companies and trying to get some contacts. My husband is very experienced and was with his previous employer in Ireland for over 12 years. Has great refs. And even moved up to Supervisor role before he left so I am hoping.. really hoping someone somewhere wants him. Once hes working then we will get a small mortgage to get a nice house in the area with were living, where we both grew up... and we will start again. Ive already contacted schools... so my eldest will be back in her lovely little school with all her friends and family and my 3 year old will get his free childcare place for the year and will then join my eldest in school. So that side is all sorted. And my mum and mother in law said they will take my youngest if I can get myself a job. Just say a prayer the job situation wont be as hard as we think. To be honest I dont think we had a great start here as just before I left my Mum had a scan of her brain as she was getting dizzy spells and they had to do further tests to rule out a brain tumor (what my granny died of) So only 3 weeks before we were to fly out she got the all clear. But it took 7 weeks for the results and in that time I already had doubts. Strange as it was me that pushed to move out here from the start. I just want to go home and be surrounded by family and friends that love us and know us inside and out.

We are going home in January. Just wondering if anyone has returned back to Ireland? Not entirely sure why ya would be still on this website if you were but would be nice to hear from any paddys :-)

Complete change of plan. We are now moving into a house in two weeks (got someone to take over our lease on this townhouse) we are taking over someone elses lease which is up in mid Jan. So we are gonna see it out till then... do all the touristy stuff... and make the most of our time here as I know once we go home to Ireland I wont come back here for a holiday so may aswell see the sights and have a novelty xmas on the beach! Im feeling so much better now. Alot of people I meet tells me Im mental to want to go home. Altho in the same breath tell me how they also still struggle with homesickness. But Im looking forward to going back to Ireland, I love it. And yes its going through some tough times now but its not some feckin third world country we are talking about. And it will get better. Most of the Irish I have met really put the Ireland down. I dont know why this is... part of me thinks its to make their time here justified in some way. Maybe Im wrong. Its funny as we watched the Australian news last night it was just like watching Irish news... all doom and gloom. And while Oz isnt for me I wont be going home and giving out bout the place. I can see why some people love it here but all the sun and beaches in the world will not replace my family and friends around me and my kids. I dont know what I thought Oz would offer us to be honest but its certainly not for me. Anyway Im happy now. Back home in January. See my Mam & nephew who I dearly miss. Schools & playschools all sorted and even got some contacts for jobs for my husband when he gets home which is great. Thanks for all your advice tho. I really went though some strong emotions over the past few months. Hubbie thought I was going mental at one stage haha.

Hi... sent ya a pm... Im in aspley x

Returning back to Ireland so need it sold asap Only bought 2 months ago for top garage for $25k all servicing and checks done then rego till feb 2012 gold metallic free gps included its in mint condition and is a great family car 7 seats and the 2 back seats fold down when not in use to make a huge boot open to all reasonable offers

MINT condition 7 seater family car back 2 seats fold down to make a huge boot when not in use gold metallic only bought 2 months ago from top car garage for $26k.. so full service and checks done rego till feb 2013 will also throw in gps open to all reasonable offers asking $22k only selling as we are returning home :-(