'Ping-Pommers' ~ Please tell me your story

[cartertucker]

'Ping-Pommers' ~ Please tell me your story :chatterbox:

 

[fourcorners]

Hi Cartertucker,

 

You're obviously very torn at the moment judging by all your posts on MBTTUK!

 

I totally understand though, being a ping-pommer myself having moved to Australia twice now. However my story may not be as relevent as we have moved purely for work reasons and not because we hoped for a better 'life' or lifestyle. Especially the second time!

 

We first moved out to WA in 2006 after uni as it was and still is one of the best place for geology graduates to get their first job. Australia usually uses best practice in mining (or tries to), so it's a good place to come to learn how everything is done properly. So we moved out to Kal and both got decent jobs, our move was sponsored as well so we didn't have to worry about moving costs etc. I don't remember it taking very long to settle, it was more to do with settling financially as when we came we both had 500 pounds and that was it. But a year later we started to get pretty bored here and sick of the landscape. Though having said that we had great friends and were pretty active, but life was all just a bit too easy. So when in 2008 an opportunity for my OH to study for a Phd in Canada came up, we decided to go for it. We ended up having to move 6 months sooner than originally planned, which really annoyed us as we had wanted to stay a little longer to earn a bit more money. But off we toddled to Vancouver, where it felt freezing! OH started his studies and I got a FIFO job. I hated it! Hated living in Van, being away from home so much and unable to make real friends. Kept thinking 'life was so much simpler in Aus!). Due to one thing and another that didn't work out, and we decided to move back to the UK at the start of the GFC (which also prevented us from returning directly to Oz as they stopped hiring from abroad). We spent 3 years in the UK, most of it in Cornwall where we bought a cottage and I had a good job in a consultancy. My OH got a job with a drilling contractor and guess what? The first job they sent him on was in Karratha! So he started commuting to Australia, and we saw even less of each other. He was being paid a UK wage and was earning less than the cleaners at the camp in Karratha. Made us re-think things. So we started making plans to come back out here and make some hay whilst the gold bullion sun is still shining. It won't shine forever though, and in a few years (we're going to try and stay long enough this time to get citizenship), we're going to head back to the UK and start our own business.

 

I get homesick every week, for people and places. And I know that will get tougher when we start a family probably at the end of next year. But hopefully it'll be worth it in the end, as we'll be able to buy the kind of property we really want but would probably only be able to achieve in our 50's if we stayed in the UK. We have our plan, going to try and stick with it! It doesn't help that in May four of our friends are moving back to the UK, they're couples who have done 7yrs and 5yrs in Oz. When they're gone it will be a little emptier here.

 

So I guess in a few years we'll be ping-pom-ping-pommers! I don't regret any of our moves though, each one has made us stronger and made us realise what we want in life. We have moved strategically in order to be able to achieve those dreams. I understand how much harder it must be for folks with children, trying to decide how to give them the best future and opportunities. But even if you move back before getting citizenship all your lives will be richer for your experiences and you will look at things in a different way.

[Maruska]

I heard very nice things about Vancouver from our canadian neighbours:wink:.

[lebourvellec]

I went out on a WHV in 2004 - left 2005, when got back to Scotland in December hated it, got in touch with an employer that I worked for before and asked if the offer of sponsorship was still there. Went back September 2006 - things with sponsorship didnt work out retund back to Scotland 2007.....

 

Met my OH, did my postgrad at Uni, got married had a baby, now my OH is desperate (all his family live in France and we hardly see them - which suits me as I dont speak french and my MIL is a bit of a cow-bag) to move over he has already turned down a job. For me even though I loved Australia the first time - the second time I was ready to leave. We will go - (validating our visas in September) but Im just not in any hurry, coz I know how hard it is going to be to start again. Sometimes being in Oz is like stepping back in time 20 years(or maybe that was just living in the NT). We bought our first house after we got our visas as I wanted some stability if we go out and hate it, and now I sometimes dont care if we go or not. Also stupid the things I will miss apart from family and friends of course. Tesco and Asda open 24 hrs, and deliver, online shopping, the Next VIP sale!!

 

This time when we move for me its 4 years to get our citizenship then will decide from there.

[Peach]

Can someone ban cartertucker from asking questions for a month or so? For her own good. :wubclub:

[Love Shoes]

...

 

which suits me as I dont speak french and my MIL is a bit of a cow-bag)

Sorry hun, I know this is off topic, but your MIL comment really made me chuckle :biggrin: Je parle non Francais :wink:

[sharon h]

We moved back to the UK in August last year after just over 3 years in Oz, we regret it and cant believe how tough life is in the UK, we have never been so skint. Would love to move back to Oz but dont know if we can face putting our family through it again.