mygirlies Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 For those of you (like me) who are living in Australia but not exactly 'living the dream', those who have struggled with life down under, and to those who going home isn't an option at the moment.... They say you have to make the best of your situation so I am planning our Australian future as best I can. After 3 years of being unhappy, I am finally trying to better mine and my daughters life. Doing what makes us happy, not trying to please others. And not getting swooped up in the rat race. So.... I am currently organising to move to a new area. Actually hoping for a small country town to get away from the aussie madness. Looking for new therapies, activities for my daughter. I will be starting a new job, new childcare for my daughter, finally learning to drive....and my hopes are that we can live a peaceful, quiet life. As sad as it may seem, I won't be planning/trying to make new friends, have a social circle, find a partner etc. I have, for now, accepted that I don't seem to connect with aussies so my goal is to dedicate my future to my daughter. What do you want to achieve living here in Aus? Do you have goals for whilst you are still here? Things that you want to change to make it easier? I'll love to know of others coping methods to better their life (as best we can) whilst we might struggle with being expats in this country. Thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thinker78 Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 hello. it's good to have goals, but it's also good to be open to possibilities in life Humans come in all forms and I'm sure you would not like all Brits ( i didn't haha) and you may one day find an aussie you click with. I am also stuck here- in a limbo- not sure for 12-24 months. Very hard. However, I am trying to a)appreciate on a daily basis all the things i do love here b) make a list of things i wish to do before i leave c) i have actually started making a lot of ex pat friends which i never, ever placed importance on. Just having some brits to socialise with occasionally makes a real difference to my mental health- it actually helps me stop missing my family in the UK for some reason- just comforting i guess. Dedication to your daughter is admirable, and it's not easy. However, you are also a person who deserves to have a life outside of parenting but you can't force this i feel. once you are settled and in a routine, perhaps play it by ear and try to connect with people. It may be of benefit to your daughter- with us, we have an only child and not many aussie friends at all (not through not trying, we have one lovely couple who connect with us and have an only) and now that we have social things planned with our ex pat group our daughter has made a lot of new friends and loves it. but we've been here 2 years, pretty lonely at points. i hope you find happiness in your new place x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chortlepuss Posted July 25, 2014 Share Posted July 25, 2014 My goal is to support my son through his final year of school and try to get him well, attempt to save some money for our trip back, possibly go on a holiday before we leave (currently scheduled for early 2016), but mostly to keep my head down and carry on and try not to get too barmy in the process! I wish I could start to think a little more positively but this is challenging given no solid friendships, insecurity of employment, being forced to move house for the 5th time in 8 years (little motivation to do this as weekly rents seem to have increased by $100 to $200 a week in Brisbane over the last year for anything decent). I think you are taking an excellent approach to relationships however. Since I stopped making an effort to be make friends with Australians which is a bit of a thankless task, I've become a lot calmer! If I need a social 'fix' I catch up at Pom/expat meets - always a friendly face and warm welcome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacaranda Posted July 26, 2014 Share Posted July 26, 2014 My goal (which I reached long ago lol)was to live a more simpler,less complicated life.I live the same lifestyle in the UK which I had in Australia.Lived both in small country towns,lived within our means (never did see the point of having a big house to show off)and never accumilated any debts.Grow my own food,am a law abiding citizen,practice meditation/yoga,plan nice quiet relaxing holidays.I only have friends who enhance my life,and shy away from people who have continual problems!lol We've even gone one step further and got rid of our cars.Not because we could'nt afford to run them,but just to add another demension to keeping ours lives as simple as possible. I think when you take the pressure off yourself re finding friends,they just happen!When we first moved to a country town years ago,I kept an open mind re the friend thing.Within a couple of weeks,I had more friends than I could shake a stick at!lol So........keep it simple is my advice!Just be happy!It really is that simple!xxx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sustain Posted August 3, 2014 Share Posted August 3, 2014 Billionaire by 50 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourcorners Posted August 3, 2014 Share Posted August 3, 2014 Our goals when we first moved here 3 years ago included paying our UK mortgage off. We've virtually done that, paid it down to £20k and have that money sitting in the bank ready to go. We just want to keep the mortgage active and just keep that money liquid for now in case it's needed. But we've achieved a whole lot more too. We've gained another house through inheritance although still needed to raise more cash to pay it off (though we'd much rather have the person back than have his house), we now have a 4 month old daughter (being a new mum over here with no family has been the hardest thing I've ever done), and apart from that £20k mortgage we are debt free having paid off student loans etc. Overall Australia has been very good to us but now we are in a new phase of life we want to live it in the UK closer to family and the places we love. Just a matter of finding the right job(s) now. I actually applied for one last week, waiting to hear if I've been shortlisted, and OH is having a phone call late this week. I have a sneaky feeling things may be starting to come together for us, but don't want to get my hopes too high! We've had a few false starts elsewhere like Cairns and Utah so fingers crossed third time lucky. We've even started selling surplus furniture that we don't want to ship back, and had a shipping quote done too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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