AaronS

Pintpot is right about that for sure. There are also the ones that log on to their emails at like 10pm at night and send out messages copying the entire company so they'll see they were working from home and late. Of course some of that is needed in my industry because we work with manufactures in China.

No slamming, but that is kind of the US attitude. My job (the one I just got back) expects you to be on call after hours and weekends. I will get the occasional call and there is a good chance I'll have had a few beers but they are actually OK with that as well. I'll also be expected to go in at any given time to perform 1st off inspections from the manufacturing we do....again, not to often after hours but it will happen.

Thanks very much! Yes, I've been looking at the temps and it's looking nice right now! Got my first week fairly planned out. Hitting my favorite places to eat, heading to my parents for the first weekend for a family reunion and then having some pub time with my friends! Within the first month I'm going to go to Port Aransas (gulf coast) for a little Texas beach time before the brutal heat sets in.....oh man, going to get fish and chips at a place called Snoopy's that is under the JFK Causeway....soooooo good! Wash it down with 3 or 4 Corona's with lime.

Don't remind me! I'm gonna bury my head in the sand and wait for Obama to win.

All of this hits home. Since we decided it was time to go things seem to have turned to enjoying being here...but because the thought of going home was there. It was just a suprised it happened so fast (just as much as how fast we got here). Since being here the negativity I had toward the US has lifted as well. Mainly because I disengaged from the politics there....which I fully intended to continue avoiding.

Sometimes I wonder if we would have faired better here living out in the bush. I'm not a city boy and Sydney is most definitely a city!

Started sorting through things to take now and things to ship. It took two years of work to get here. Not to mention putting all my friends and family through emotional hell and turning my wife and kiddos lives upside down. My wife spoke to her director today and mentioned our situation to her. Funny thing is she is going through the same thing. She's abroad in Singapore and she wants to go home as well. So she was sympathetic to our situation. She told my wife in 6 month (thats when the obligation to the relocation is up) that she'll work with her to have the same position but work from the US. That's great news for us. Makes me a little sad knowing this is the end of the dream. I've probably had my toes in the sand for the last time this past weekend. This Wednesday will probably be my last BBQ with the friends we have made here (only one family). I'll probably have my last run through the forest next to our house this weekend. I hope the skies are clear next Tuesday night so I can step outside and see the southern cross one last time as well.

Thanks all. This next week and a half need to fly by. I get tears in my eyes looking at my little ones knowing I want be able to wrap my arms around them for a good year. Not liking that thought at all....but it's what has to be done.

Nervous but happy. Leaving my wife and two little ones here. My oldest and I are going. Feeling useful again.

I've been re-hired at my previous employer. VP of Operations found out I wanted to come back and made it so. I leave on the 2nd.

Glad to here things are what you want back home! Bet nothing feels better that feeling like you are where you belong.

The L90 ride has nice views up in Palm Beach.

I prefer the Northern Beaches to Sydney proper. Much less city like and loads of green areas. Best of luck on the jobs.

Fair enough. I'll gracefully bow out of this one. :biggrin:

I personally love Nissan. Had 3 total back in the US and they were all rock solid even into high kms. One of them was the US version of the X-trail. Had it for 10 years and around 200,000km. Only had to replace the clutch on it (was a standard).

Oh, the only real advice I have on the luggage and customs situation is have patience....lots and lots of patience. You are going to be tired and the kids will be whincing. Five of us (2 adults and 3 kiddos) had 15 bags in the airport and it took every ounce of my resolve not to go completely insane waiting to go through customs. Poor kids just wanted to get out of there....and so did I.

Something I'd recommend is bringing a full change of clothes for them AND for you on board. If one gets sick you can guarantee that it will be as you are rushing them to the toilet resulting in you needing a change as well. Maybe a plastic rubbish bag to put the potentially soiled clothing in as well so they don't stink up the cabin. As far as entertainment for them all I'll say is if you bring small items be prepared to constantly have to fish them off the cabin floor as they drop them......crayons will never fly with me! :-) Best of luck!

Yes, both are patriotic and putting a patriotic US citizen on Aussie soil will lead to nothing good. It's actually insulting to both countries in my mind. Taking advantage of US citizens in the short term while ignoring the need for employing Australians long term. For the record, not that many US citizens are fluent in Spanish. Hell, most Mexican Americans (US citizens) I know don't even speak it.

I could go off on the Unions in the US and Union workers...who think that turning the same two bolts on an assembly line for 20 years makes them a "skilled" worker deserving of $60 an hour and full pension by age 40....but I won't. :wink:

True, true.

Not entirely true. If they work in a lower tax country the amount paid in that country is subtracted from the amount owed in the US and they pay the difference. If the country has a higher tax rate (as in the case with Australia) then the amount paid beyond what would have been owed in the US is a tax credit that can be used anytime in the US. Such as liquidating investments and using the tax credit to negate taxes on that, etc, etc.

I'll throw this out there for consideration....with the job market being not so good in the US competition is high for the jobs there....so the best of the best are the ones getting those jobs. Which means the, well, not so best are the ones looking for employment and most likely would make this move. This won't attract quality, it will attract desparate.

You make a valid point....every guy with a hammer claims he can build a house over there and Mexicans (illegal into the country) are really the true tradies there now.

hehe...just joking around really.

Yes, that's only a recent change too. Also, I know what ya'll mean by saying "Americans" but remember that Canadians and Mexicans are also Americans. :biggrin: