supercow Posted September 11, 2015 Share Posted September 11, 2015 (edited) ...Like the amount of traffic, rubbish, foreigners and the worry about what it would be like in the future there for our children. We had Australia in our minds and wanted to give it a go rather than have regrets. Not here to pick a fight @Kellie23 , as I'm just sat here browsing this subforum, while bored at work I just can't believe no one's pointed out the supreme irony of this statement ... unless I read that wrong, and you were tired about the people moaning about said foreigners, as opposed to you being tired of foreigners? Edited September 11, 2015 by supercow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MARYROSE02 Posted September 11, 2015 Share Posted September 11, 2015 Hi everyone, those who are thinking about emigrating, those who have done it and those who have gone back to UK. Here's my opinions and feelings so far..... so me, hubby and our 3 children 9,8 and 1 emigrated to the Gold Coast in September last year. We sold our house (big mistake) and we left our jobs and we set off for a "better life down under"! Our lifes in the UK were not bad at all but the normal stuff everyone moans about in Kent where we came from did do our heads in. Like the amount of traffic, rubbish, foreigners and the worry about what it would be like in the future there for our children. We had Australia in our minds and wanted to give it a go rather than have regrets. So we have been here six months. Kids are loving school now but we have been concerned how far behind the UK education system it is here. This we have now decided doesn't matter if the kids stay here and finish all there schooling here it's only a problem if you keep comparing. we have made friends really easily. hubby happy at work but has to do overtime to be able to get by. we have found cost of living really expensive. Especially things like Internet, mobile phones and tv packages. There's just not the choice here and unless you go with Telstra the signal can be non existent! We shop in aldi a lot but can't get everything in there, so quite annoying going to lots of different stores. I really miss my tesco's online shop. You can online shop here with Coles or woolies but it's def more expensive for groceries here. we have bought a house here already as the renting malarkey I just hated! If anyone wants more info on that then inbox me but in reflection we probably should of carried on renting. Soon as you buy you lose rental assist from centrelink and you have to pay water rates as well as water usage and also council rates. So a big difference it ends up being between renting and buying. plus the upkeep of house. Lots to consider there. We decided to buy to see if that helped us feel more settled. The weather! Well sept, October and November were perfect. But since December it has rained ALOT and been very hot and humid. This weekend has been rubbish as it's just rained the whole weekend and we find ourselves with less to do here than in the UK. As when it rain it's torrential not just drizzle. Im actually missing the seasons already! Never thought I'd say that. I'm also missing our sun holidays staying in different parts of the UK at caravan parks. I'm missing lots about the UK that I totally took for granted whilst there. Especially how close everything was as here we are totally reliant on cars. we have had visitors already. My brother and then my cousins which was lovely but hated the goodbyes. We have my in laws coming in June for three weeks which we can't wait for and then my parents coming at Christmas. I hate the bugs here! Especially the Mozzies, the flies and don't get me started on the huntsman spiders! I've also had the worst luck and had a snake in the garden! I was then ready to get back on a plane! The hardest part of all is having no family support and dealing with the guilt of taking the kids away from there grandparents. Really missing family and friends loads. the beaches here are amazing, the amount of space we love, the many parks for the kids is great and it is a more outdoor lifestyle when the weathers ok. But then again the UK can be just as outdoors but you need to be more prepared I guess. There are lots of sport on offer here for the kids which is good. So so have we done the right thing? You tell me because I'm fed up with constantly thinking is this for us or not? Is this forever? I still can't imagine this being forever. By time our visitors have all been we would of been here 16 months so I'm wondering will I know the answer by then. The worst thing for us now is if we decided to go back and then regret it! The same problems will still be there (mainly too many people living in a small place) or maybe if we tried somewhere diff to kent be interesting to hear if others have had same feelings as me? How have others felt after moving back? The cost of migrating from visas, shipping, flights and setting up here is unreal! I'm just hoping it's all been worth it! be good to hear others opinions take care and happy easter Kellie I made frequent trips back to see my parents in England and they made frequent trips here to see us, and I moved back to England for 12 years but that was just circumstances as I always intended to live in OZ again. It takes time to settle and sometimes you go back and it unsettles you more, and sometimes you go back and realize that OZ is home. There are no rules and no right or wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spangley Posted September 28, 2015 Share Posted September 28, 2015 If you're a native Irish or Brit, then Australians are your cousins even brothers and sisters. We have a shared history, shared legal systems, shared values, Christian heritage. We fought together in two world wars. Whereas, an Eritrean Muslim does not have that shared background. So if I understand Kellie right, then she is less a foreigner in Australia than say the Eritrean Muslim is in London. The concept of closed borders between Britain and it's former dependencies is only recent history. So yes, in the technical/legal sense Kellie is a "foreigner" in Australia, but culturally and genetically she's almost the identical. What's happening in Europe at the moment is truly terrifying. I live in Switzerland and spend much time in Germany and am witnessing shocking changes in demographics. Our European identity is going to be cleansed within a couple of generations at this rate. I also fear that Europe is invariably heading to yet another massive conflict. Tensions are on a knife edge. Not here to pick a fight @Kellie23 , as I'm just sat here browsing this subforum, while bored at work I just can't believe no one's pointed out the supreme irony of this statement ... unless I read that wrong, and you were tired about the people moaning about said foreigners, as opposed to you being tired of foreigners? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akiralx Posted September 28, 2015 Share Posted September 28, 2015 If you're a native Irish or Brit, then Australians are your cousins even brothers and sisters. We have a shared history, shared legal systems, shared values, Christian heritage. We fought together in two world wars. Whereas, an Eritrean Muslim does not have that shared background. So if I understand Kellie right, then she is less a foreigner in Australia than say the Eritrean Muslim is in London. The concept of closed borders between Britain and it's former dependencies is only recent history. So yes, in the technical/legal sense Kellie is a "foreigner" in Australia, but culturally and genetically she's almost the identical. Well, you made a decent fist of explaining her comment but I'm not convinced. So as a recent newcomer she should regard herself as 'more Australian' than the third- or fourth-generation Malaysian/Thai/Chinese citizen (who has different 'values'), owing to her 'genetic' resemblance and vague shared kinship to other white Australians... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spangley Posted September 28, 2015 Share Posted September 28, 2015 There's no black and white distinction. Of course a fourth generation Malaysian/Thai/Chinese is identifiably Australian. Genetics still plays a part in identity whether you like it or not. BTW, I'm fourth generation East European Jew, and 2nd Generation Irish. So my genes aren't so "British" yet I identify as culturally British. Well, you made a decent fist of explaining her comment but I'm not convinced. So as a recent newcomer she should regard herself as 'more Australian' than the third- or fourth-generation Malaysian/Thai/Chinese citizen (who has different 'values'), owing to her 'genetic' resemblance and vague shared kinship to other white Australians... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supercow Posted September 28, 2015 Share Posted September 28, 2015 (edited) You're born elsewhere to the country you're living in, particularly within the first couple of years or so (shes not even been there a year) ... then you're foreign. It's easy as that. I can understand the point of view that you might be "more" foreign, if you don't share common ancestry / speak the same language / same beliefs... but that's just nit picking for the sake of it. I didn't mean this to divert into some existential conversation about xenophobia and/or the European crisis ... just found her comment ironic. ....kinda like Polish people in the UK sharing "Britain first" posts on Facebook (which I see all too often) lol Edited September 28, 2015 by supercow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted September 28, 2015 Share Posted September 28, 2015 If you're a native Irish or Brit, then Australians are your cousins even brothers and sisters. We have a shared history, shared legal systems, shared values, Christian heritage. We fought together in two world wars. Whereas, an Eritrean Muslim does not have that shared background. So if I understand Kellie right, then she is less a foreigner in Australia than say the Eritrean Muslim is in London.. Shared history or not, most British people would call themselves as a foreigner in France or Austria. And most of the foreigners Brits complain about these days are Polish! Although Australians speak English, it is still a foreign country, i.e. it's not Britain. And personally, I find the culture of Sydney and Melbourne is much more European than British, regardless of the language. That's why I'm finding it so hard to settle back in the UK - I went to Vienna recently and felt so much more at home, it was far more like Sydney than any city I've found in the UK so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MARYROSE02 Posted September 30, 2015 Share Posted September 30, 2015 Shared history or not, most British people would call themselves as a foreigner in France or Austria. And most of the foreigners Brits complain about these days are Polish! Although Australians speak English, it is still a foreign country, i.e. it's not Britain. And personally, I find the culture of Sydney and Melbourne is much more European than British, regardless of the language. That's why I'm finding it so hard to settle back in the UK - I went to Vienna recently and felt so much more at home, it was far more like Sydney than any city I've found in the UK so far. Odd thing for me is that reading your post, I'm thinking that England is a @@:@@ hole, which is exactly how I felt before returning to England in 1983 after five years here, and reading about riots and three million unemployed and long lines of desperate Brits queuing at Australia House for visas to escape. When I got back it was just the same as I left it, same in 96 when I stayed for 12 years. You are right about cosmopolitan Sydney though. I know very sophisticated Turkish lady who loves Sydney and has no desire to live in Europe. And Katy from S Korea in the Cafe would never move from Sydney either. I guess Aussies still like to play up to the image of beer and footie, which is one reality, but the other just as real is opera and concerts and theatre. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JockinTas Posted September 30, 2015 Share Posted September 30, 2015 Odd thing for me is that reading your post, I'm thinking that England is a @@:@@ hole, which is exactly how I felt before returning to England in 1983 after five years here, and reading about riots and three million unemployed and long lines of desperate Brits queuing at Australia House for visas to escape. When I got back it was just the same as I left it, same in 96 when I stayed for 12 years. You are right about cosmopolitan Sydney though. I know very sophisticated Turkish lady who loves Sydney and has no desire to live in Europe. And Katy from S Korea in the Cafe would never move from Sydney either. I guess Aussies still like to play up to the image of beer and footie, which is one reality, but the other just as real is opera and concerts and theatre. We went at least 3 times a year to concerts at the Opera House and I was a member of the Art Gallery NSW. The Art Gallery had great Christmas parties too. Also went to some good concerts at the Enmore Theatre, Newtown. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JockinTas Posted September 30, 2015 Share Posted September 30, 2015 Shared history or not, most British people would call themselves as a foreigner in France or Austria. And most of the foreigners Brits complain about these days are Polish! Although Australians speak English, it is still a foreign country, i.e. it's not Britain. And personally, I find the culture of Sydney and Melbourne is much more European than British, regardless of the language. That's why I'm finding it so hard to settle back in the UK - I went to Vienna recently and felt so much more at home, it was far more like Sydney than any city I've found in the UK so far. I do too Marisa - not British but European. So many migrants from all over Europe running coffee shops and restaurants even the Melbourne fashion is more European. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MARYROSE02 Posted October 1, 2015 Share Posted October 1, 2015 We went at least 3 times a year to concerts at the Opera House and I was a member of the Art Gallery NSW. The Art Gallery had great Christmas parties too. Also went to some good concerts at the Enmore Theatre, Newtown. I've never been to Enmore theatre! OH and Art Gallery yes. There is gallery I like called White Rabbit Chinese art, confronting some of it too, and free to get in, between Regent St and Broadway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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