Guest daisydeeds Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 Well said spray21. Buy the man a Beer! Daisydeeds Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest IanL Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 About becoming Australian - Whilst I will always have grown up in Britain I do think that it will be possible for me to get to a point where I consider myself Australian, for the follwing reasons: I am 25 now. Will be 26 and 2 days when I arrive in Oz, at 28 can apply for citizenship. Hypothetically. should I stay in Oz permanently, I could have children and a family there and still be there at age 60. By then, I would have lived more years in Oz than in UK, and have held citizenship and been part of my community there for over 30 years. Could I not then say that I was as much Australian as British? I know it won't happen overnight, but I hold out hope that it can happen eventually. Well funnily enough for Brits (and a few others) becoming a citizen makes it even harder to identify. Why? because we are allowed dual passports (I'm a dual citizen), and we do not have to go through the heart wrenching decision of giving up the passport of our birth country (like my wife did) so in general Brits don't have to think about becoming a citizen, as to be honest all it really means is an extra passport and shorter queues at airports, depending on where you fly. So you get stuck in this sort of 'twilight zone' of belonging. You can say you're an Aussie the day after getting your citizenship if you want. It's more about how you feel. I don't feel I belong here or there now (but that's just me). Maybe we analyse this too much? "Too much thinking make Homer's brain hurt" :lol: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest IanL Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 as to be honest all it really means is an extra passport and shorter queues at airports, depending on where you fly. hmm not true, it means much more than that of course. What I'm trying to say is that you won't wake up one day and feel like an Aussie, more like you'll slowly adapt to a point where you feel less British, and more in tune with your adopted country. And ironically enough for newbies (under 5 yrs here) nothing highlights this more than a trip back home to Britain 8) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest daisydeeds Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 We have family in Australia, who have been there for twenty odd years and are by definition Australian in my eyes. Its going to be interesting how we settle in coming from the British way of life. Obviously you cant adapt overnight, in a way, some of the fundamental australian attitudes are already within us - those who want to go to Oz. Does that make sense? Daisydeeds Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest spray21 Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 Daisydeeds - I think I know what you mean - we must have certain attitudes/values that make us want to go to Oz in the first place, so that might help us to settle in and integrate successfully once we are there. For example, I know so many people who talk about going abroad - well everyone on this site is actually doing it! Or giving it a go any way. I am not so worried about my legal status (although I will certainly apply for citz asap, just to make life easier) I'm more concerned about becoming part of my adopted community and not permanantly feeling foreign. But then I love travelling, and meeting people - home is where I hang my hat! I can't wait for the adventure to begin. (PS Daisydeeds, buy the man a beer - me? I'm a LADY!!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest daisydeeds Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 Many apologies Madam! Buy a glass of wine for the Lady! Daisydeeds, who is partial to a pint of beer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest daisydeeds Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 Ma Heeds mince! Am cooped up in a flat with three bairns! and Ive got a sore mooth cos I got a tooth oot the other day. Many many apologies spray21. Daisydeeds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest IanL Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 Obviously you cant adapt overnight, in a way, some of the fundamental australian attitudes are already within us - those who want to go to Oz. Does that make sense? Yes it makes perfect sense and we all thought like that 'at first'. Hmm, maybe I've been here too long is I'm well and truly out of my honeymoon period :lol: and maybe I'm not the best person to comment given that I didn't really want to come back here, and had an extremely painful and expensive divorce here. But in 'my' experience I seem to arrived at a place where I have transitioned out of feeling at home in Britain, but not fully connected with it here either. Hey maybe it's just me. I guess the bottom line is that no-one will roll out the red carpet for you here, but no-one will make it difficult either. Just come and be yourselves, you'll get along fine. many many people feel as I do here (not just ex pat Brits) and many many people wouldn't dream of being anywhere else. most of us fall into one category or the other. Don't try hard to be Australian (whatever that is, as it's definition is rapidly changing) just work hard to make your life here successful and Aussiness wil 'creep' up on you as it has for many 8) Good luck to you all and welcome BTW if any of you are triathletes PM me :wink: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest spray21 Posted September 1, 2006 Share Posted September 1, 2006 Why thank you Daisydeeds! (Feed all the bairns beer and they'll go to sleep!! !) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jordan Posted September 1, 2006 Share Posted September 1, 2006 There was a time when I called myself British, a time that I was proud of our country..Now I am ENGLISH..I was born In ENGLAND> I will always remain ENGLISH and will instill into our children that they are ENGLISH too..It seems that nowadays anyone can be british.. We will go to Australia being English and it will remain that way..However when there I will adapt to their way of life however hard it may be at times..We are choosing to live there...This country now doesnt give a stuff about it's own...and many people realise that... We will not go to Australia moaning about their way of life..and if at times it is tough I will embrace it as a challenge and we as a family look forward to something positive..and hope we can give something positive back to Australia... Well said. Stacey xx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest fatpom Posted September 1, 2006 Share Posted September 1, 2006 IanL I think is pretty right in saying that you'll slowly start to feel less British as the years go by and he's also right to say don't try too hard to assume an aussie identity - you're unlikely to pull it off anyway. In general (very general) aussies don't like "little britishers" but they wouldn't trust or feel comfortable with someone trying to 'go too native' either. I've worked with lots of poms who've been here 30-40+ years. Surprisingly few want to abandon their british identity even those who came here whilst still very young (pre-teens). I suppose they simply don't see the need or point in doing so. What worries me a bit is that some appear to want to come to Australia because of their negative feelings toward blighty rather than a positive attitude to living in Australia. It's not a good basis for emigration I suspect? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest IanL Posted September 1, 2006 Share Posted September 1, 2006 Too bloomin right I wanna escape this country and given half the chance most would...It isnt just because I am dissatisfied with England but it does play a huge part..I want a safe place for my children to live, I want them to have a life where they are treated fairly and with respect, and have raised them to be respectful of everyone regardless of their colour or creed..What I do feel is unfair is that my children have no chance here...Paul and I go with a positive attitude and it will remain that way..Something we havent had here in a long time.. Nothing wrong at all with your sentiment. But some of things you are trying to get away from here, exist as well. Not everyone is treated fairly or equally. Oz probably is better than the UK but it's not the perfect situation you're describing above. I'm not trying to burst anyone's bubble, but you do need to start listening to the people that live here. You'll have a great time here, but the place has faults, and thinking you'll be living in a place the exudes those attributes listed above everyday is simply setting yourself up for a fall, which I would hate to see happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest IanL Posted September 3, 2006 Share Posted September 3, 2006 Thanks for your comments Ian.. life..We have Australian friends who also can't wiat to see us there..So with family and friends working with us we should be ok Smile You'll be fine mate, come and enjoy. In many ways this site has been good for me, as most on here know I don't particularly enjoy it here, but we'll stay in Sydney until my wife's degree is done. But reading some of the other posts I'm starting to feel that I haven't checked out the other cities properly, so I'll make sure we do that before deciding on Canada. But even if we go, we're gonna make more of being here. Something we haven't done in the last few years. (I've been here 17yrs and my wife 10 and neither of us have been to the Barrier Reef! ) See, you can teach an old dod new tricks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest page Posted September 3, 2006 Share Posted September 3, 2006 Someone at work told me the exact same thing , he was a good old £10 pom years ago but has come back to England now, to be with family. He said do not say things like Oh we don't get steak like that in the Uk or compare anything to the Uk as yes they will hate it, I do think that most brits do have the attitude that they will adapt there lifestlyle to the way people live in whatever country they are going to, because they get very cross when people come to England and carry on living in the way they are accustomed and sometimes not even bothering to speak or learn the English Language, If you are going to live in another country you should adapt there ways to a certain extent as I would consider it rude not too, and I can understand why they would get annoyed and upset as a lot of us do Frances Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest IanL Posted September 3, 2006 Share Posted September 3, 2006 because they get very cross when people come to England and carry on living in the way they are accustomed and sometimes not even bothering to speak or learn the English Language, If that's the case then they'll have a big problem with Australia (mostly Sydney) I hear languages spoken daily from countries I barely knew existed. There are whole suburbs here where you will not hear English, see an shop sign written in English, or any product description written in English. Some of these suburbs are no go areas, but most of them are friendly, vibrant and very colourful, especially for food. Sydneysiders are very adventurous in their culinary discoveries, and I'd strongly urge you to do likewise. For sure you'll eat some stuff you never want to taste again, but spread your wings a little and get past the Indian and Chinese (which btw will be like no Chinese you ever had in England, no pancake roll and gravy :lol: ) and you'll discover loads of great foods, and cheap in most cases. We go to a (Christian) Korean church in Sydney (I'm not religious but it makes my wife happy if we show once a month or so). There are so many people that it's held in a school assembly hall. Approx 800 people for every service, and there are three services every Sunday. The service is all in Korean but 'foreigners' ( as in non Koreans) can grab a set of headphones and get a live translation which is simulcast. It's pretty funny actually as the translations are literal rather than contextual 8) There are loads of churches like this in Sydney. Korean schools, Japanese schools, Muslim schools, Jewish schools, etc etc and all the suburbs to match. If not speaking English makes you angry, definitely stay away from Sydney. Personally I quite like it, as you get a little piece of the world around every corner, but (in general) the further west in Sydney you go, the less desirable aspects of these types of communities tend to show through. Beats me how these nationalities find each other. I'm flat out finding Poms sometimes :lol: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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