marenmatt1 Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 My question is to those of you moving back (& those already moved) to the UK with an Australian partner/husband/wife/ etc. How hard was it for them adjusting to the UK & what if anything did they find the hardest? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flag of convenience Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 It depends on how travelled they are. Also if a city person or countryside sort of person. Main issues tend to be around weather, lack of space, smallness, wages where applicable and usual homesickness issues often exaggerated as we tend to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VERYSTORMY Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 It depends a bit on where in oz you are moving from. My wife moved to the UK from Peru - so a significant cultural difference. But, her only real issue was the weather as she came from a fairly hot climate and struggled with british winters. But, apart from that settled well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NicF Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 Well I'm not moving back but my Australian OH did move to the UK about 15 years ago (we met in the UK shortly after he moved there). The things he struggled with most were manual cars, the amount of traffic on the roads and motorways in particular and the darkness in winter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freckleface Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 My uncle has lived and worked all over the world but he really struggles with the weather in England. He has mostly lived in hot countries with big blue skies and I think it is the greyness and dull light even in summer as much as the cold that he finds depressing. He has also mentioned he finds the lack of space with so many people living on top of each other and in each other's business hard to take. He has persevered for around 10 years going to Greece etc for regular breaks but finds Europe just as crowded so has decided to come home for a few weeks a couple of times a year now to recharge. Thankfully he can afford to do that. Good luck with your move. It's nice that you are thinking about the things your OH might find challenging. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VERYSTORMY Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 My uncle has lived and worked all over the world but he really struggles with the weather in England. He has mostly lived in hot countries with big blue skies and I think it is the greyness and dull light even in summer as much as the cold that he finds depressing. He has also mentioned he finds the lack of space with so many people living on top of each other and in each other's business hard to take. He has persevered for around 10 years going to Greece etc for regular breaks but finds Europe just as crowded so has decided to come home for a few weeks a couple of times a year now to recharge. Thankfully he can afford to do that. Good luck with your move. It's nice that you are thinking about the things your OH might find challenging. Again though, it comes down to where moving from and too. I would defy anyone to stand on the moors of Yorkshire and not get a huge sense of space and freedom. That is where I grew up. Compare to new suburbs in most cities in oz where houses are so tightly packed together that neighbours can almost hear each other fart. Weather, I think can be an issue. In the same way as UK to Oz. I am sooooo over the 30+ days now - luckily I am off to the arctic for 10 weeks for a good fix of cold. Or I might go insane. My wife, though finds the weather perfect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 My DH hated the thought of living in England. When we came for holidays he could just about manage 2 weeks - 3 at a pinch before he needed to be going back to Aus. For about 10 years he knew that I was desperate to live in UK but no way on earth was he ever going to live there! He once said that if he had to live in UK he would be depressed! Fast forward nearly 4 years and he has been like a pig in mud since he saw that we needed to be here for my parents. Although we don't have our own space (we really do care for the aged ones!) and my demented mum makes things hard he is really enjoying life here. He's still wondering what all the Hoo haa about the weather is (always rides his bike in shorts no matter what!). His biggest issue, I think, would be the quality of the hardware shops and the people who serve in them - he misses Bunnings. He's really getting himself into the culture, history, community (this year we are twitching Cathedrals!) and though we are restricted because of the parents we get about as much as we can. He recently came back from a 3 week holiday where he had, unfortunately, to bury his mum - first words "it's so good to be home!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penelope Pitstop Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 My husband didn't struggle with anything, he missed hot weather and the beach at times but not too badly. We lived in a semi-rural area so it was less busy and built up than living in a city in Australia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perthbum Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 I meet a lot of aussies who work in the pub trade over here and they love the buzz of life in the UK, most say Oz is boring compared to the nightlife and things to do in the UK wit Europe also on the doorstep, it also depends what your partner likes? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacaranda Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 How can anyone complain about the lack of space?The UK is only around 94% urbanised!:laugh:I went on a 5 mile hike last Friday and didn't see a soul!Guess it depends where you live though?I don't do cities (for living anyway)and would find that hard going,just the amount of people,pollution etc.I don't do cities either in Oz.The weather?I accept it whatever it is,and did so in Australia,and I lived rurally in Aust,so wood burning chugging away 24/7 in winter,and no air con but I managed ok in summer without one.As I say to anyone relocating to Australia,best to keep an open mind and expectations realistic!:cute: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Booma Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 my hubby didnt struggle with anything except the weather. there were things that he didnt like ie small houses, overcrowding & pub culture but he just got on with it. he was happy to stay for a few years but not forever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marenmatt1 Posted March 12, 2015 Author Share Posted March 12, 2015 Thanks for all the advice so far everyone! We went & visited England in winter a couple of yrs ago & both loved it. I felt more at home there then I ever have in Aus. The weather is not really a problem for me as I actually hate the heat here & am not a real 'beach' person. While all my husband's extended family are excited at the prospect of us moving over the few ppl we know here from England (husband's parents included) have been very negative about it unfortunately Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 Thanks for all the advice so far everyone! We went & visited England in winter a couple of yrs ago & both loved it. I felt more at home there then I ever have in Aus. The weather is not really a problem for me as I actually hate the heat here & am not a real 'beach' person. While all my husband's extended family are excited at the prospect of us moving over the few ppl we know here from England (husband's parents included) have been very negative about it unfortunately Of course they've been negative! It denigrates their decision to move - they probably used the "better life" meme to justify their actions and now you are choosing the "better life" in the place they deserted. I wouldn't worry about it, it's your life adventure not theirs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gbye grey sky Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 Thanks for all the advice so far everyone! We went & visited England in winter a couple of yrs ago & both loved it. I felt more at home there then I ever have in Aus. The weather is not really a problem for me as I actually hate the heat here & am not a real 'beach' person. While all my husband's extended family are excited at the prospect of us moving over the few ppl we know here from England (husband's parents included) have been very negative about it unfortunately Which one of you is Australian? I assumed it was your partner but you say they are from England though I suppose they may have emigrated before he was born. I agree with Quoll in that case. They are bound to be negative about the UK as they probably don't want you to emigrate and it would also seem counter-intuitive to them. If you are both up for the adventure and assuming you can find work why not give it a proper go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bunbury61 Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 My question is to those of you moving back (& those already moved) to the UK with an Australian partner/husband/wife/ etc. How hard was it for them adjusting to the UK & what if anything did they find the hardest? Its all been covered with posts further down the board.....weather ( when its under a grey blanket ) .....traffic in the urban areas ..... But on the plus side the people here are generally decent ,some slightly eccentric....some bloody open and very funny . I meet hundreds of new people every year ,and I would say about 20% couldn't improve their lifestyle ,if they moved anywhere else. The happiest couple I met ,were a couple from Stourbridge who were living their dream ...small ,well decorated and furnished flat . Not overly worked or stressed....no debt ....harley Davison motorbike.....off here ,there and everywhere on a regular basis Day off ...fire up the Harley ,off to wales...or a stately home ....or a country pub for the day The key is no debt and no stress ...thats freedom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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