Im home !

[newjez]

I've actually been blown away with how friendly everyone has been since weo moved into our house in Frenchs Forest in Sydney 10 days ago - I've had two neighbours come over to welcome us to the street, one came back with toys once when she learnt our boys toys were still in the shipping container. I have spoken to so many friendly mums at the school drop off and my older son (7) has already been over to a new friend's house on a play date and he only started school a week ago!

Different areas etc obviously are more friendly, but I have to say I have never felt so welcomed into a new community as I have done here (and we've moved about a fair bit).

I am so pleased the OP is glad to be home and is feeling so content with their decision. It's nice to scratch an itch and then know where you belong. As for us - we're ping pongers (I am from UK, hubby Aus) so we move back and forth and I am not sure I will ever really know where home is, but for now, very happy to call Australia home. :-)

 

I loved Frenches forest. My parents still exchange Xmas cards with friends they made there nearly fifty years ago.

[Cracked Actor]

Yeah Oz isn't like a Holiday at all, as my wife says, same ****, shinier bucket. But you can get into holiday mode at the weekends without too much effort.

 

Depends what you call holiday mode and what you want from an holiday. I just call weekends 2 days off work (if I was lucky) wherever I have lived.

[Aorange]

Really pleased for you - relocating is mentally and physically consuming let alone moving back. Being happy and content is priceless (and a relief to get the children settled I can understand). Interesting post and goes to show how subjective our experiences are - we have settled in Oz (nearly 4 yrs in), had our dramas, work is work where ever you reside, totally absorb (and as a family) inhale and take advantage of the outdoor lifestyle opportunities and blue skies which Oz has to offer and personally would not contemplate moving back to the UK.

[jasepom]

Depends what you call holiday mode and what you want from an holiday. I just call weekends 2 days off work (if I was lucky) wherever I have lived.

 

Well if you have two days off work why not make the most of it? Be it golf, scuba diving, or going to a local waterpark, you can find all the things you'd normally expect from an overseas vacation.

[Aunt Agatha]

Congratulations Bora your happiness shines off the page (screen)!

 

If you don't mind sharing, what have you done about accommodation? We are tossing up whether to rent a furnished place or stay with family until our stuff arrives (job dependent) and then renting an unfurnished place.

[kimsdu]

Pleased for you as you sound very happy.. However i just want to say and this is not a dig at you.....im in WA and its like one big street party where i live everybody chats and hangs out playing cricket on Bank holidays etc, Kids roam the neighbourhood and i know them all by name including the many dogs!... I guess it all depends where you were living and if you too even made an effort to befriend your neighbours.

[jasepom]

Hope it works out for you bora and you don't become a ping-ponger.

[FOL]

Interesting to see how a "I'm home" topic is immediately followed by a "I move back to the UK 1 year ago... Oh my, I really wish I hadn't bothered!". Good on ya that you are enjoying life in the UK (again)

[beanbear]

We are going back in a few months and it is heartening to hear you got work quickly. Can I ask what field you are in?

[ali]

So happy to hear that it's worked out for you

[Guest Bora]

Hello everyone, firstly thank you enormously for all the positive comments, I was astonished to see how many of you had replied and followed the post through. There's a great feeling of camaraderie and 'were all in this together' vibe. Rather than reply to everyone's individual questions, I thought I'd tie it all together and summarise in one go.

 

I am originally from the SE of the England but moved to Portishead in North Somerset which is where we moved from, and where we have moved back to. The reason we went was because of a job offer and the job was in Canberra. I had been to AU many years ago and presumed Canberra (naively) was going to be like what I remembered (why wouldn't it be...!). How wrong was I, but I was not to know. Nothing amount of research will ever allow you to understand how you will FEEL when you get there. However we gave it a good go, and did our best, (and made efforts with our neighbours - we are Brits so we'll talk to anyone !) but quickly we knew it was not for us. Unfortunately Canberra was not right for us, my work was not right for me, and we saw a decline in our Sons schooling and development so effectively the decision was made for us, and all you need to do is recognise the signs and act. I know Canberra is not highly thought of at all in AU but I wont slate it as it gave us the opportunity to go there and fulfil an ambition living and working in OZ. Things may have turned out differently maybe in another part of AU famed for what we see in brochures and WDU, but it was what it was and I could not control where we ended up.

 

There maybe a few things I'll miss, the sense of space was nice, the different animals to see and learn about, and Tasmanian Honey yoghurt was to die for!. Unfortunately there is little else I think I will miss.

 

Re the School for my Son, I got into my mind we would not get him back into School but after a short flurry of email exchange with the head we got the news we wanted that he could be re-introduced into School. I asked her why this happened for us, and it helped that we played a supportive role in the School before we left. The phrase never burn your bridges comes to mind, but by being actively ENGAGED with the School where we contributed and participated in the community no doubt helped swing it into our favour.

 

Ref Accomodation, we decided to go into a fully furnished Bungalow which is warm, cosy, and comes well equipped while we live out suitcases. Our shipment is still a month away, and although it is quite pricey it is better than staying with family for a significant period of time. We did not want to be under each others feet, I don't think is healthy in the short term, and takes away the feeling of quality time when the time does come to spend time with each other, now were home.

 

Funnily enough I work in the Relocating industry (which is where I probably developed my itch), moving people for many many years all over the world probably made me think I'd like to do this myself one day.

 

For us, we have learned that home is where we feel we belong. I feel we are living again, and not just existing. I for one wont be ping ponging, I cant begin to even imagine where anyone would get the strength from to come and go and flit, although I can understand why this might happen to others.

[Guest Guest40285]

Happy, Happy days, good on ya champ and all the best for what ever lies in front of you

[Aunt Agatha]

Thanks for updating. I hadn't thought of about living with family taking some of the shine off later but it's a good point! I think a furnished, cosy rental is the way for us to go too.

[Guest]

Thats a good post (to the OP).

I do believe the UK, Europe and the States is a good 20 years ahead of Australia in terms of development but in many ways being 20 years behind is on many occasions a nice thing. WA is much more animated in this department as its 10 years behind the east coast.

 

Its a double edged sword with worse customer service everything way overpriced and everyone just doing half a job and expecting full pay etc but life is generally much easier over here, no traffic and less competitive.

 

It all depends on what you want out of life, Oz is great for chilling out and exercise being healthy etc.. The weather is great for it in WA especially but as its so spread out it isn't as sociable and people aren't as friendly especially to foreigners just like the English aren't to the Polish. The place - especially WA is quiet and is boring at times but again you have to adapt and do different things to what you did in the UK.

 

Being British you will always miss the way British people communicate with each other which is different to ozzies, being born and growing up there and living there for years you build up a sense of one with the place, wit and humour is much less over here and done in a different way (that's what I miss most).

 

You have to change as you are the one coming from somewhere else, if you dont you wont blend in and become at one with the place. This will take a while and you dont notice it at first but you soon realise your more comfortable being here and as you have made a few friends it gets better.....

 

I have lived in numerous places and its the same every time, this place got me due to the expense compared to your take home pay but if I was that bothered I could just pack up and leave couldn't I.

[Cracked Actor]

Well if you have two days off work why not make the most of it? Be it golf, scuba diving, or going to a local waterpark, you can find all the things you'd normally expect from an overseas vacation.

 

I do make the most of the two days off work. I can play golf if I want and go scuba diving, after all I live on a island! I don't need to go overseas to do them. I go overseas for a change and to see new things. I also travel around the UK enjoy everything on offer here.

 

Like I said, depends on your idea of an holiday. For me it's to see new things, not do the same things I can do here (with better weather)

[jasepom]

I do make the most of the two days off work. I can play golf if I want and go scuba diving, after all I live on a island! I don't need to go overseas to do them. I go overseas for a change and to see new things. I also travel around the UK enjoy everything on offer here.

 

Like I said, depends on your idea of an holiday. For me it's to see new things, not do the same things I can do here (with better weather)

 

Oh ok, so you know how to enjoy your time off then. From the sound of it I thought you were struggling to do that.

[Cracked Actor]

Oh ok, so you know how to enjoy your time off then. From the sound of it I thought you were struggling to do that.

 

I can see how you got the wrong end of the stick there. I do plenty of things during the week, so weekends are not something I especially look forward to. The break from work is nice, but I don't live for the weekends as such. I like to have fun in-between too.