3 months in and starting to feel homesick

[Petkula73]

Change your shopping habits. If you shop like a pom, only in supercraps, it can be expensive

 

Absolutely correct.

 

It's so boring hearing people moaning how expensive things are over here. You'd think stuff in the UK was being given away for free if you believed what people wrote on here.

 

Yes, you can buy utter shite, such as a budget lasagna, in ASDA and Tesco filled with horse meat, starch and salt for a pound and I'm sure plenty of people think this is normal. It amazes me how many people can't see beyond ready meals and processed junk when they talk about how expensive Australia is. Is it really a bad thing that you can't get rubbish like this in Australia? Things are cheap for a reason. People in the UK have a completely unrealistic view of the value of food. How do you think Tesco can sell a rotisserie chicken for £2.99 for example? Or how can ASDA sell robotic looking bananas for 30p a kilo? And how many small businesses have gone under in the UK, how many farmers work for basically nothing and how many people in the developing world are being kept in poverty because the average moron who shops in Tesco thinks "Every Little Helps"? Coles and Woolworths are not much better. Get out and support your local butcher, baker and candlestick maker!!

[wattsy1982]

When you have been here half a century you learn a thing or two. Take heed!

 

Were you implying I should take heed at how grumpy, narrow minded, rude and obnoxious you are after being here "half a century" and that I shouldn't let the same happen to me?

 

If so, great advise, probably the best I will receive on here...EVER!

[Guest Ptp113]

Were you implying I should take heed at how grumpy, narrow minded, rude and obnoxious you are after being here "half a century" and that I shouldn't let the same happen to me?

 

If so, great advise, probably the best I will receive on here...EVER!

Good. Result as intended. Now how many more can we enlighten?

[paul1977]

Absolutely correct.

 

It's so boring hearing people moaning how expensive things are over here. You'd think stuff in the UK was being given away for free if you believed what people wrote on here.

 

Yes, you can buy utter shite, such as a budget lasagna, in ASDA and Tesco filled with horse meat, starch and salt for a pound and I'm sure plenty of people think this is normal. It amazes me how many people can't see beyond ready meals and processed junk when they talk about how expensive Australia is. Is it really a bad thing that you can't get rubbish like this in Australia? Things are cheap for a reason. People in the UK have a completely unrealistic view of the value of food. How do you think Tesco can sell a rotisserie chicken for £2.99 for example? Or how can ASDA sell robotic looking bananas for 30p a kilo? And how many small businesses have gone under in the UK, how many farmers work for basically nothing and how many people in the developing world are being kept in poverty because the average moron who shops in Tesco thinks "Every Little Helps"? Coles and Woolworths are not much better. Get out and support your local butcher, baker and candlestick maker!!

it's called competition.. Something Australia lacks. And get off your high horse about people in the developing world, Australia's filled of products from china

[wattsy1982]

Absolutely correct.

 

It's so boring hearing people moaning how expensive things are over here. You'd think stuff in the UK was being given away for free if you believed what people wrote on here.

 

Yes, you can buy utter shite, such as a budget lasagna, in ASDA and Tesco filled with horse meat, starch and salt for a pound and I'm sure plenty of people think this is normal. It amazes me how many people can't see beyond ready meals and processed junk when they talk about how expensive Australia is. Is it really a bad thing that you can't get rubbish like this in Australia? Things are cheap for a reason. People in the UK have a completely unrealistic view of the value of food. How do you think Tesco can sell a rotisserie chicken for £2.99 for example? Or how can ASDA sell robotic looking bananas for 30p a kilo? And how many small businesses have gone under in the UK, how many farmers work for basically nothing and how many people in the developing world are being kept in poverty because the average moron who shops in Tesco thinks "Every Little Helps"? Coles and Woolworths are not much better. Get out and support your local butcher, baker and candlestick maker!!

 

I love the way that this forum is seen by some people.

 

Basically, if replies to peoples posts dont agree with the OP opinion then they are seen as wrong...thats narrow minded by the OP (i am sometimes guilty of this)

 

BUT

 

It also and more often than not works TOTALLY the other way. If the OP opinion doesnt match other peoples opinion then the OP is wrong and THEIR feelings are wrong and THEY are wrong to feel that....works both ways people!

 

As for the ridiculous post above I have quoted, I would like you to explain how you know that I buy/eat "utter shite" "ready meals and processed junk" "robotic looking bananas" or was in fact even referring/comparing to this......seems you know a lot about someone just from the computer!

 

Its a known fact (as many others, not just me have said) that it is expensive to live in Australia...it is, simple. But f you get a good job here you can have a great life!

 

But what SO many people dont listen to/or appreciate is that what one person says is THEIR opinion and its not a dig at anyone else living here and really doesnt need for half of the snappy, aggressive replies that are posted on here.

 

I am assuming by the name of this forum that the majority of people on here are british....so why all the hatrid towards the country/people that want to return or think that the UK is better (IN THEIR OPINION)

 

From what I can also make out, most people on here (ex pats) havent been back in X years......so arent really able to comment on what the UK is like at present but people like myself and other newly migrants can comment on what oz is like because we are actually here!

 

I could go on all day but I wont...cos I would only be wrong!

[Guest Ptp113]

Absolutely correct.

 

It's so boring hearing people moaning how expensive things are over here. You'd think stuff in the UK was being given away for free if you believed what people wrote on here.

 

Yes, you can buy utter shite, such as a budget lasagna, in ASDA and Tesco filled with horse meat, starch and salt for a pound and I'm sure plenty of people think this is normal. It amazes me how many people can't see beyond ready meals and processed junk when they talk about how expensive Australia is. Is it really a bad thing that you can't get rubbish like this in Australia? Things are cheap for a reason. People in the UK have a completely unrealistic view of the value of food. How do you think Tesco can sell a rotisserie chicken for £2.99 for example? Or how can ASDA sell robotic looking bananas for 30p a kilo? And how many small businesses have gone under in the UK, how many farmers work for basically nothing and how many people in the developing world are being kept in poverty because the average moron who shops in Tesco thinks "Every Little Helps"? Coles and Woolworths are not much better. Get out and support your local butcher, baker and candlestick maker!!

You sure you're a pom?

[Guest Ptp113]

I love the way that this forum is seen by some people.

 

Basically, if replies to peoples posts dont agree with the OP opinion then they are seen as wrong...thats narrow minded by the OP (i am sometimes guilty of this)

 

BUT

 

It also and more often than not works TOTALLY the other way. If the OP opinion doesnt match other peoples opinion then the OP is wrong and THEIR feelings are wrong and THEY are wrong to feel that....works both ways people!

 

As for the ridiculous post above I have quoted, I would like you to explain how you know that I buy/eat "utter shite" "ready meals and processed junk" "robotic looking bananas" or was in fact even referring/comparing to this......seems you know a lot about someone just from the computer!

 

Its a known fact (as many others, not just me have said) that it is expensive to live in Australia...it is, simple. But f you get a good job here you can have a great life!

 

But what SO many people dont listen to/or appreciate is that what one person says is THEIR opinion and its not a dig at anyone else living here and really doesnt need for half of the snappy, aggressive replies that are posted on here.

 

I am assuming by the name of this forum that the majority of people on here are british....so why all the hatrid towards the country/people that want to return or think that the UK is better (IN THEIR OPINION)

 

From what I can also make out, most people on here (ex pats) havent been back in X years......so arent really able to comment on what the UK is like at present but people like myself and other newly migrants can comment on what oz is like because we are actually here!

 

I could go on all day but I wont...cos I would only be wrong!

Your are wrong, get over it. If you think you're going to live here, exactly as you did in Blighty, you are very much mistaken. The only place on the planet you can live like a pom, is in pommyland. Why that comes as a surprise is in itself a surprise!

[Guest]

As other people have said, before this thread degenerated 3 months is a very typical time to feel as you do. It isn't predictive in whether you'll end up loving it or loathing it, staying or going. It is simply a phase of culture shock, some people do panic and start planning to return, I personally wouldn't - your 2 years plus 2 years plan sounds sound to me. The only thing to bear in mind it can take almost a year to get citizenship - we became eligible end of November and got our Australian passports in June and we were quite lucky with our ceremony.

 

I was in the end homesick for the UK (not people the actual culture, landscape, way of life) Australia was not for me. Somethings took me by surprise, I never considered that you would spend more time indoors because it was too hot than you would in the UK because it was too wet/cold, others were obvious but I didn't realise how much it would matter, like not being four hours from some of the best snow fields in the world.

 

I think you have to be the kind of person with a fairly limited outlook and want nothing more than a good food and a cold beer with friends or be prepared to adopt an entirely different way of life - swap the snowboard for a surfboard, the mountain bile for a road bike, get a boat and so on (depends where you are but that's the Perth lifestyle). I think if I'd been younger and/or my son was older I could have done it but with extremely limited free time I didn't have the time to dedicate to learning new hobbies and I missed the ones I used to do! And the expense made it difficult too - I would have loved a boat but that was never going to happen anyway

 

It's a pointless exercise comparing, they are two completely different cultures. Neither is perfect and in the end you have to decide which is the best fit for you - work very hard at keeping communication with your partner open though as it can put a big strain on a lot of marriages.

[Petkula73]

it's called competition.. Something Australia lacks. And get off your high horse about people in the developing world, Australia's filled of products from china

 

I disagree. The situation in the UK has gone beyond competition and in to exploitation. Given the market share, the UK supermarkets can pretty much treat their suppliers in any way they want. If Tesco decides it's going to pay 10% less for Brand X this year, then the supplier has a choice - either take the hit, or lose the customer. That's fine with in the larger manufacturers and has driven efficiency. But there's a wider picture. The farmer who has been told Tesco will pay him 4p a litre less for milk can't become 4p a litre more efficient. Magnify this across a range of suppliers, and to their suppliers and all we see is soaring profits for supermarkets, whilst everyone else loses out. And where is the cost cutting from the supermarkets going? One place it's not going is to the customers. Supermarkets have all number of tricks to convince shoppers what a great deal they are getting, whilst at the same time raising prices on non-known value items to compensate for the loss leaders and discounts. The customers save very little, despite the spin from the supermarkets. How many bogus deals do Tesco have for example? How many bottles of very average Hardy's or Oxford Landing wine were £9.99 but are miraculously reduced to £4.99? How much was that wine ever actually worth and how many bottles were sold at the "original" price? Yet, the average Tesco customer sees this as a great deal, despite the fact that their local wine shop sells better quality products at the same price. Of course, the Tesco shopper is "too busy" to venture to their local shop, so they don't know this.

 

"Competition" has also limited choice. If you go to the largest Tesco, how much choice do they actually have? How many types of cheese would they stock for example? Not as many as you'd think. UK supermarkets carry something like 30,000 lines on average, but most of it is very similar stuff that sells in high volumes, all bought in huge quantities. If you can find a local cheese shop, you'll find 10 times more variety than Tesco could ever stock as the retailer can take smaller volumes. But, there average high street no longer has a cheese shop, a fish monger, a butcher, a baker, a greengrocer thanks to Tesco. Bulk buying economy mild cheddar (and Tesco has row of rubbish like this) and selling off for £2 a block has put the little guys out of business.

 

Australia doesn't have competition like this at the moment and therefore in my local high street we still have all of these shops. Yes, we pay a bit more, but is that really such a bad thing to keep the choice and give someone a living?

[Guest Ptp113]

I disagree. The situation in the UK has gone beyond competition and in to exploitation. Given the market share, the UK supermarkets can pretty much treat their suppliers in any way they want. If Tesco decides it's going to pay 10% less for Brand X this year, then the supplier has a choice - either take the hit, or lose the customer. That's fine with in the larger manufacturers and has driven efficiency. But there's a wider picture. The farmer who has been told Tesco will pay him 4p a litre less for milk can't become 4p a litre more efficient. Magnify this across a range of suppliers, and to their suppliers and all we see is soaring profits for supermarkets, whilst everyone else loses out. And where is the cost cutting from the supermarkets going? One place it's not going is to the customers. Supermarkets have all number of tricks to convince shoppers what a great deal they are getting, whilst at the same time raising prices on non-known value items to compensate for the loss leaders and discounts. The customers save very little, despite the spin from the supermarkets. How many bogus deals do Tesco have for example? How many bottles of very average Hardy's or Oxford Landing wine were £9.99 but are miraculously reduced to £4.99? How much was that wine ever actually worth and how many bottles were sold at the "original" price? Yet, the average Tesco customer sees this as a great deal, despite the fact that their local wine shop sells better quality products at the same price. Of course, the Tesco shopper is "too busy" to venture to their local shop, so they don't know this.

 

"Competition" has also limited choice. If you go to the largest Tesco, how much choice do they actually have? How many types of cheese would they stock for example? Not as many as you'd think. UK supermarkets carry something like 30,000 lines on average, but most of it is very similar stuff that sells in high volumes, all bought in huge quantities. If you can find a local cheese shop, you'll find 10 times more variety than Tesco could ever stock as the retailer can take smaller volumes. But, there average high street no longer has a cheese shop, a fish monger, a butcher, a baker, a greengrocer thanks to Tesco. Bulk buying economy mild cheddar (and Tesco has row of rubbish like this) and selling off for £2 a block has put the little guys out of business.

 

Australia doesn't have competition like this at the moment and therefore in my local high street we still have all of these shops. Yes, we pay a bit more, but is that really such a bad thing to keep the choice and give someone a living?

And less rubbish. We buy quality organic, most poms want cheap commercial grade. Different concept entirely.

[Petkula73]

As for the ridiculous post above I have quoted, I would like you to explain how you know that I buy/eat "utter shite" "ready meals and processed junk" "robotic looking bananas" or was in fact even referring/comparing to this......seems you know a lot about someone just from the computer!

 

Comment was not aimed at you specifically. Don't be so touchy.

 

A general bit of advice though. If you post comments in a public forum, people have the right to post their opinions back, regardless of whether you agree or disagree with them.

 

I doubt that anyone on here would not feel sympathetic to your predicament as most of us have been in similar situations. Some stay and some go back to the UK. Neither is right or wrong.

[Petkula73]

Not referring to China, more to the runner beans flown in from Kenya and so on.

[Keith and Linda]

Comment was not aimed at you specifically. Don't be so touchy.

 

A general bit of advice though. If you post comments in a public forum, people have the right to post their opinions back, regardless of whether you agree or disagree with them.

 

I doubt that anyone on here would not feel sympathetic to your predicament as most of us have been in similar situations. Some stay and some go back to the UK. Neither is right or wrong.

 

Well said Petkula73, the op did ask that "if anybody had anything to add then go for it" from then he has just picked out to comment on the ones he likes which in general are the posts which mirror his own situation, But home sickness would tend to make people act in this manner.

But forums are notorious for going off at tangents and end up really with nothing to do about the op.

[Xenon4017]

The issue of relative cost is complicated because not all items are of the same qualitye. Like food. Not all countries make a loaf of bread the same. Other goods which are identical, like petrol, are heavily influenced by tax.

 

I _believe_ there is a legitimate economic measure which is used to index the affordability of a country. It calculates the number of minutes the average worker must work in order to buy a local McDonalds burger. Since Maccas is more or less the same quality everywhere, the goods are seen as geographically agnostic. Using the minutes worked rather than the dollar amount normalises the effort required to purchase.

 

Of course, 56.8% of statistics are useless, but here is the link if anyone wants to fuel the debate further:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Mac_Index

[Guest The Pom Queen]

I love the way that this forum is seen by some people.

 

Basically, if replies to peoples posts dont agree with the OP opinion then they are seen as wrong...thats narrow minded by the OP (i am sometimes guilty of this)

 

BUT

 

It also and more often than not works TOTALLY the other way. If the OP opinion doesnt match other peoples opinion then the OP is wrong and THEIR feelings are wrong and THEY are wrong to feel that....works both ways people!

 

As for the ridiculous post above I have quoted, I would like you to explain how you know that I buy/eat "utter shite" "ready meals and processed junk" "robotic looking bananas" or was in fact even referring/comparing to this......seems you know a lot about someone just from the computer!

 

Its a known fact (as many others, not just me have said) that it is expensive to live in Australia...it is, simple. But f you get a good job here you can have a great life!

 

But what SO many people dont listen to/or appreciate is that what one person says is THEIR opinion and its not a dig at anyone else living here and really doesnt need for half of the snappy, aggressive replies that are posted on here.

 

I am assuming by the name of this forum that the majority of people on here are british....so why all the hatrid towards the country/people that want to return or think that the UK is better (IN THEIR OPINION)

 

From what I can also make out, most people on here (ex pats) havent been back in X years......so arent really able to comment on what the UK is like at present but people like myself and other newly migrants can comment on what oz is like because we are actually here!

 

I could go on all day but I wont...cos I would only be wrong!

 

At the end of the day for people who don't like Australia there are two forums dedicated to just that, one is even hidden from the other members and only people who feel like yourself are able to join. However, you made this post in the news, chat and dilemmas section of the forum which is open for all members to comment. May I suggest if you want to only hear thoughts similar to your own you join the private group. Email admin@pomsinoz.com and this can be done.

[ajs604]

My advice is go back for a holiday. Not been back myself yet but everyone I have spoken to says that they cant wait to get back on a plane to Australia after being back in the UK for only a few days!!

 

Look at the long term picture. You will make friends (takes time), the kids will also have a much better childhood as Aus is much more of an outdoor country in comparison to England. Also looking at economic growth, Australia is one of the best countries to be in at present.

 

Good luck!

[Melbkitty]

I felt like this for about 3/4 months and made a trip home which confused me further - I came back Aus though & started working, became settled and almost 4 years later I'm struggling to find the motivation to pay the UK a visit. I couldn't even imagine living in the UK now & of course there will be so many things you miss as they have been part of your life for so long. I find a good Aussie bashing rant with fellow Poms helps when we miss the British culture

 

Why did you move to Aus, what were you hoping for? Remind yourself of that when you feel pants!

 

I'm having a baby next year & do sometimes feel guilty for my parents espcially that they will not be as involved in their grandson/daughter's life - however after visiting Aus several times, my mum would be the first to admit that Melbourne is a much nicer placer to raise kids than many parts of the UK - safer, better weather to enjoy outdoor spaces etc.

 

You could also look at other parts of Aus - I couldn't live anywhere other than Victoria for now - my partner is from QLD & we may eventually move there to be closer to his family, however I may well struggle.

[Paul1Perth]

As other people have said, before this thread degenerated 3 months is a very typical time to feel as you do. It isn't predictive in whether you'll end up loving it or loathing it, staying or going. It is simply a phase of culture shock, some people do panic and start planning to return, I personally wouldn't - your 2 years plus 2 years plan sounds sound to me. The only thing to bear in mind it can take almost a year to get citizenship - we became eligible end of November and got our Australian passports in June and we were quite lucky with our ceremony.

 

I was in the end homesick for the UK (not people the actual culture, landscape, way of life) Australia was not for me. Somethings took me by surprise, I never considered that you would spend more time indoors because it was too hot than you would in the UK because it was too wet/cold, others were obvious but I didn't realise how much it would matter, like not being four hours from some of the best snow fields in the world.

 

I think you have to be the kind of person with a fairly limited outlook and want nothing more than a good food and a cold beer with friends or be prepared to adopt an entirely different way of life - swap the snowboard for a surfboard, the mountain bile for a road bike, get a boat and so on (depends where you are but that's the Perth lifestyle). I think if I'd been younger and/or my son was older I could have done it but with extremely limited free time I didn't have the time to dedicate to learning new hobbies and I missed the ones I used to do! And the expense made it difficult too - I would have loved a boat but that was never going to happen anyway

 

It's a pointless exercise comparing, they are two completely different cultures. Neither is perfect and in the end you have to decide which is the best fit for you - work very hard at keeping communication with your partner open though as it can put a big strain on a lot of marriages.

 

While I agree with a lot of what LR says. There are a few things that I can put the opposite side to .

 

I never considered that you would spend more time indoors because it was too hot than you would in the UK because it was too wet/cold

 

I've been here 22 years and we have never stayed in because it's too hot. A lot of people do, we have some friends who close the curtains and don't let their kids out in the sun (or didn't until they became teenagers and made their own choices, we see them down the beach often now). We used to go to their house on a hot sunny day and it felt depressing, like walking into a church.

 

I didn't stay in because of the cold in the UK very much either but didn't enjoy wrapping up and freezing when I was out, or getting the nipper in the pram and trying to make sure he wouldn't be cold while we thought of somewhere we could take him for a walk.

 

like not being four hours from some of the best snow fields in the world.

 

Sure we were, for all those years, but the reality was did we have a few weeks in the sun for our annual holiday or have a go at skiing. In all the time we lived there I never got round to it. We could never afford to do both in the one year and we loved the sun and warm climates/beach too much.

I reckon you have to be pretty rich to go on a ski holiday. There are fantastic snowfields in Aus, believe it or not and I hear some of the best in the World in New Zealand and Japan. Have we been, No same reasons as we had in the UK, choice of spending a lot of money on a skiing holiday or spend lots of time down the beach. Now if we have holidays quite often we don't go away as we can have a fantastic time at home with the beach 2 mins away and all our gear (boards, surf skis, paddles) on hand.

 

My wife lived in Canada for a few years so can ski (or so she tells me I've never seen her do it) but she would still be in the sunshine.

 

swap the mountain bike for a road bike

 

Don't know why you wouldn't have both here. Some of the best mountain biking I've seen is available not very far from Perth. The cape to cape ride has just finished. Some of the best mountain bike terrain on the planet.

http://capetocapemtb.com/

 

We are going down to Augusta this weekend for the adventure race there and the mountain bike leg of that race is really testing.

 

Boating I find a bit boring tbh. We have friends with boats and get invited out quite a bit. I love the trip for the first hour or so then I want to be doing something. Swimming, snorkelling, just something. It's great when we go over to rotto and spend a bit of time there. Lovely sitting on a boat having a few beers and a barbie, but the kind of boat you need to be able to do that is way out of our price range. Luckily have a few friends with boats and a bit of money.

[Melbkitty]

Oh & another thing that helped me when I was experiencing homesickness - I stopped looking on this section of the forum! Whilst it was great to talk to people who could relate - negativity breeds negativity and when you're constantly reading posts about Aus Vs UK and what you feel you have 'lost' - it can keep you in that mindset to some extent, in my opinion.

[Petkula73]

Oh & another thing that helped me when I was experiencing homesickness - I stopped looking on this section of the forum! Whilst it was great to talk to people who could relate - negativity breeds negativity and when you're constantly reading posts about Aus Vs UK and what you feel you have 'lost' - it can keep you in that mindset to some extent, in my opinion.

 

 

How very true. We're known as Whinging Poms for a good reason! World class at moaning about everything.

[wattsy1982]

Your are wrong, get over it. If you think you're going to live, here exactly as you did in Blighty, you are very much mistaken. The only place on the planet you can live like a pom, is in pommyland. Why that comes as a surprise is in itself a surprise!

 

 

 

For every time a poster gets annoyed when the comments don't match their feelings there is always 1 if not 2 comments that get annoyed if the OP doesnt match how they feel.

 

I have never said I think im going to live here as I did in "blighty"......

 

I love the use/over use of the word Pom....or Pome as it should be written. Does it not stand for Prisoner Of Mother England?? Correct me if not.

 

Myself and other brit migrants on here are not prisoners.....although if my research (or lack of it :SLEEP:) serves me right, was Australia not originally populated by prisoners????

 

We are going to have to agree to disagree. In my mind how im feeling/thinking at the moment is right, after all im feeling it and others on here think that they know how im feeling, everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

 

Over and out!

[wattsy1982]

How very true. We're known as Whinging Poms for a good reason! World class at moaning about everything.

 

OR not putting up with things for years on end....

[Petkula73]

 

I love the use/over use of the word Pom....or Pome as it should be written. Does it not stand for Prisoner Of Mother England?? Correct me if not.

 

Nope, you're wrong about this. "Pom" is not an acronym for "Prisoner of Mother England", "Prisoner of the Motherland", "Prisoner of Her Majesty" or anything similar. The etymology is unknown, but the most plausible theory is it is a derivation of the word "Pomegranate" which was used as a kind a rhyming slang for immigrant.

 

By the way, if you want to lower yourself to childish comments about people's literacy skills, may I recommend you take a long, hard look at your own grammar first.

[Petkula73]

OR not putting up with things for years on end....

 

No-one is forcing you to stay.

[Paul1Perth]

No-one is forcing you to stay.

 

Jeez, the poor guy only came on to air how he was feeling and he got a real load of crap for it. Bet he feels a whole lot better now....not.

 

OR not putting up with things for years on end....

 

Someone wrote this in another post but as Pink Floyd sang. "Hanging on in quite desperation is the English way".