Going home after 3 years

[Guest Guest26012]

Even after all my years here I now tend to think of Australia as one of those places you go on holiday, you have a great time but in the end you are looking forward to going home. I love where we are here but as many others have said it lacks the buzz that we love about the UK.

 

 

Hi I think if oz has not got the 'buzz' for you then its not where you want to be! We have friends that have gone back to the uk but still not found that 'buzz'! Its a sad place to be and im glad we are settled and certain that we made the right decision coming here! It must be difficult to make the decision to go back? To us, its like being on holiday every weekend, trips to the beach, time with friends. Not for everyone but suits us. I think its very brave for anyone making the decision to go back to the uk. Its a big culture shock and you either love it or hate it?

[tonyman]

Interesting to see that old chestnut for beating depression - pull yourself together!!! say nothing.

 

and what are you on about pal ......if your going to post then dont talk in riddles ........i will say something ............

[mrsindecision]

and what are you on about pal ......if your going to post then dont talk in riddles ........i will say something ............

 

Dear Tonyman there's no need to be rude - I wouldn't normally get into these sorts of discussions but I did make that post so for clarification my point is that commonly people misguidedly think that telling someone with depression to pull themselves together is the answer. That might work if you're a bit down but when you're suffering with clinical depression - you are fighting everyday to hold it together and if only it were that simple. It's a real and serious condition that needs professional help and support and my heart goes out to those currently suffering - especially if they feel alienated from home.

 

Hope this is clearer - my mistake for commenting - I usually don't and will try to resist in future.

[Guest christi]

Hi Christi

 

Yes I have been ill for the last 5 years and tried to keep a happy front on for the rest of the family but eventually,your body just shuts down. That in itself was a wake up call for me especially when the doctor wanted to put me into hospital to rest. I was taking Valium and Anti Depressants to get me through the day and that is no way to live. I feel I am not living in Australia just existing.

 

We have to wait 6 months because of the Rabies injection that the dogs have to have. We don't want to put them into Quarantine so have to wait till they are given the all clear.

 

Poor you, I know where you are coming from,,,,,,,theres so many of us who feel the same, and it is a comfort to know we are not the only ones, who feel this way

Im convinced I was so ill, because of the stress, of all of this

We will have the same problem as you, with the pets though, we have 2 cats and a dog. This rabies jab is a pain, especially as Aus is a rabies free country

6 months will fly though once you start all your planning

:cute:

[Petals]

Depression can strike anyone anywhere at any time of their life and until its happened to us we are all experts.

 

It happened to me and no I did not feel down in the dumps, the opposite in fact. Its very serious and needs attention.

 

I however do not believe moving or living somewhere else affects the illness at all. I am very happy where I live and my life but it still happened to me.

 

Just a note though, having just returned to the UK its not expensive here, what we found was that we thought it was cheap because its in pounds then we converted it and not much difference in prices. Clothes I bought a pair of light weight slacks from M and S 12 pound I could have bought the same here for $24.00 horses for courses. Eating out we found more expensive, talking ordinary type stuff.

 

Looked at electronic gear no difference at all. We were looking at lap tops etc just the same.

 

Power was more expensive. We self catered for two and a half months so got a good idea of how much it cost to live.

[Guest christi]

Hi Christi

Your post sounds so similar to me and my family... we have been here 2 years in August and I too fell ill last year.. pulled through thank fully but still reg check ups..very scary and makes you realise that you only have one life... Hubby and I are considering going back to UK. I have set up my own business (just taking off now!) and hubby in work that he hates... kids (15 and 13) youngest very unhappy... we are so confused about what to do... I too do not want to live out my final days here. We live on the Sunshine Coast but very quiet and work for hubby not around... I am an RN but hold alot of teaching quals, everything here is so expensive and there is no night life... there is only so much ocean I can take..dont get me wrong beautiful place but we left a beautiful place (Devon) and we wonder why we ever moved..I suppose you have to move away before you realise what you had and took for granted. We too cannot move straight away as we bought a plot of land.. the build was suppose to start this week but we have pulled out our hearts are not in it... so we have to sell the land first. and I wont go back until we both have jobs.... so know where you are coming from

 

I know exactly where you are coming from. We left the UK, cos we thought it was so bad, and really thought Oz was the answer to everything. We do have a good quality of life here, but as you say, its expensive and especially in Tas, nothing to do. Going out for a meal is a chore, because theres not much choice, and so expensive

We left a beautiful part of England, with so much in the way of shops, resturants and great theatres and concerts,,,,,how I miss all that.

My friend went to NZ at the same time, we came to oz, and she has been exactly the same as us, depressed, really sick, and she is a shadow of the person I used to know. Needless to say, shes making plans to get home

Hopefully you shouldent have any probs selling your land, my main worry is selling our cars, I just hope we dont loose tons of money on them.

We will just have to take our time going back, so as we dont loose money, and make sure we dont rush into choosing removals etc, and get the best prices.

Just think, you will get home, and it will be so good,once you are back

It may take a while, but you will get there

I would love to hear how it all goes for you

Good Luck:biggrin:

[Guest christi]

Even after all my years here I now tend to think of Australia as one of those places you go on holiday, you have a great time but in the end you are looking forward to going home. I love where we are here but as many others have said it lacks the buzz that we love about the UK.

 

I totaly agree with what you say Chris,,,,,,,I wonder if we had come on holiday here first, would we have emigrated???? I really dont think we would of done

We were blinded by what we read, about perfect Australia, but It is interesting to see how many people are going home,,,,at least we know its just not us

:confused:

[mrsindecision]

Depression can strike anyone anywhere at any time of their life and until its happened to us we are all experts.

 

It happened to me and no I did not feel down in the dumps, the opposite in fact. Its very serious and needs attention.

 

I however do not believe moving or living somewhere else affects the illness at all. I am very happy where I live and my life but it still happened to me.

 

Just a note though, having just returned to the UK its not expensive here, what we found was that we thought it was cheap because its in pounds then we converted it and not much difference in prices. Clothes I bought a pair of light weight slacks from M and S 12 pound I could have bought the same here for $24.00 horses for courses. Eating out we found more expensive, talking ordinary type stuff.

 

Looked at electronic gear no difference at all. We were looking at lap tops etc just the same.

 

Power was more expensive. We self catered for two and a half months so got a good idea of how much it cost to live.

 

It is of course swings and roundabouts - but have just come back from japanese meal with my son including wine and sake - 26 pounds ($52) the exact same meal in Oz would normally cost him alone $35 (x 2 $70 = 35 pounds) am finding this consistently with most things except housing which is more expensive. Petrol not as bad as we thought because we have diesel cars so price high but fuel economy also high. evens itself out overall i think but earning power for us much better here.

[Guest chris955]

Yes it is definitely swings and roundabouts for sure, most things we have been looking at seem more expensive here, as I said in another thread 50% seem cheaper in the UK, 25% about the same and 25% more.

An example is I went in this morning for some new glasses, went into Specsavers and was quoted $849 for 2 pairs, multifocal, one pair sunnies etc. The exact same in the UK using a 2:1 exchange is $600 all up. Same company, same everything. We have found from research this isn't isolated. Having said that these things aren't our motivation at all but a bonus for sure. Fast food (McDonalds etc) is more expensive over there which is a good thing as we will eat less of it. :biggrin:

[Guest guest30038]

 

I however do not believe moving or living somewhere else affects the illness at all. I am very happy where I live and my life but it still happened to me.

 

 

 

I agree. Although I had it very bad at times in the UK, to the point where I was barbarically given courses of ECT on two occasions, I have also not escaped it here, despite being outwardly quite happy and comfortable with my life. Mis-diagnosed on no less than 3 occasions I have finally "pulled myself together" by dumping the psychs, albeit still requiring medication. I still have highs and lows, but nowadays, I don't inflict them on others.......I think/hope? :wubclub:

 

kev

[Guest footballmad]

Hi Christi

Thanks for your reply... you are absolutely spot on about everything mentioned... both countries are beautiful and its what suits your personal circumstances... I am kicking myself because I was given a carrer break (2 or 5 yrs) decided to go with the first option but because our visa took so long I had only 18 mths decide whether I wanted my job back.. oh how i wish i took the latter but hey... life is here to trial us and at least I have been given a second chance of life.. and thats what I am grateful for with my everloving family around me... we have each other..so doesnt matter where we are.. but we have tried Australia and deep down it is not for us and we have to make sure our kids are ok aswell. This is from personal experience but the education here for my 2 is not adequate. our daughter (13) is in the top classes for all her subjects she is a naturally bright academic child but even she states that what she is learning now is what she learnt 2 years ago in the UK. Our 15 yr old I fear for him.... he has always wanted to go into the police but a few months ago decided on army ... fully support him but here or UK... decisions... decisions ... decisions

Christi and everyone else going through this I applaud you all, this is no easy ride but at least we are not on our own... good luck to all....:wubclub:

[Guest Bettyboop]

Hi Christi

 

Just wanted to say good luck with your move back and I am sure you feel so much better now you have made the decision and are actively making plans for the future. I lived in Leighton Buzzard and worked at a high school in Milton Keynes!!!! I miss the Centre MK desperately and just cannot find anything that compares to it so have sadly stopped shopping!! although my hubby is pleased with that!!!!! I have only been here for 9 months and so far my experience has been mostly positive but I do get very homesick and long for that beautiful countryside that you speak of, I do not yet know if we will be here permanently as we are here on a temporary visa at the moment home is still Leighton Buzzard - warts and all!!!!!!! that small town that I couldnt wait to get out of I find myself missing it :-) anyway just wanted to say good luck to you and let you know that it gave me a buzz to hear you speak of MK!!

 

love

 

Angie xx

[Verulam]

Only YOU know whats best for your own circumstances. For some its Australia, for others its the UK. Some poor souls are torn between the two and cant seem to settle anywhere.

I do agree that real life in Australia can be so different to what is shown on TV. If you can afford to buy or pay a high rental you can get one of those homes that they show where everyone walks in and goes "Wow! we could never afford this in the UK", but if youre on a low wage or havent much money, or, in the future find yourself unemployed, your housing options may be totally different, and WORSE than you may have had in the UK.

My husband was born in Melbourne and lived in tassie and Adelaide, where his family live now, and where we lived for a good while before deciding that the UK was the place for us. he is now a british citizen, and we have no plans to return to aus except for holidays. we were there in june and although it was good to visit family, we were both pleased to get back on the big silver bird to get home to England.

I think people should say to themselves where would they want to be if (God forbid) they lost their partner. If the answer is still Australia then thats where they should be, but if they would want to be back in the UK then thats the answer.wont apply to everyone I know. We have one life...do what makes you HAPPIEST x

[Guest funkymonkey]

Hi Christi

 

Just wanted to say good luck with your move back and I am sure you feel so much better now you have made the decision and are actively making plans for the future. I lived in Leighton Buzzard and worked at a high school in Milton Keynes!!!! I miss the Centre MK desperately and just cannot find anything that compares to it so have sadly stopped shopping!! although my hubby is pleased with that!!!!! I have only been here for 9 months and so far my experience has been mostly positive but I do get very homesick and long for that beautiful countryside that you speak of, I do not yet know if we will be here permanently as we are here on a temporary visa at the moment home is still Leighton Buzzard - warts and all!!!!!!! that small town that I couldnt wait to get out of I find myself missing it :-) anyway just wanted to say good luck to you and let you know that it gave me a buzz to hear you speak of MK!!

 

love

 

Angie xx

 

Small world, my brother and his family live in Leighton Buzzard, we were there lst summer on holiday..We lived in Dunstable before moving to Perth nearly 6 years ago, we are heading back in January and we have a school place for our son in Leighton Buzzard so will be moving back there to begin with. I found it a lovely little town and they love living there.

[bunbury61]

Small world, my brother and his family live in Leighton Buzzard, we were there lst summer on holiday..We lived in Dunstable before moving to Perth nearly 6 years ago, we are heading back in January and we have a school place for our son in Leighton Buzzard so will be moving back there to begin with. I found it a lovely little town and they love living there.

 

Funky monkey , i hope you dont mind me throwing my opinion in .......i work all over England , and i come from Brum ,so iam in no position to tell you where i think is good and where isnt .......but iam going to anyway:biglaugh:

 

I get my vehicles on the London Rd in Dunstable .......Dunstable and Luton are ****e......but i do like Milton Keynes.

My brothers were brought up in Loughton ? ......which has now been consumed by MK .

Some fantastic little villages within 10 miles ,anyway

[Guest Bettyboop]

Leighton Buzzard is a nice little town but it is growing fast!!!! just in the time we were there so many new housing estates were built and the lovely open space between Leighton and its surrounding villages is getting smaller and smaller :-( some very good schools though, my children went to a fantastic Lower school there and I didnt realise how good it was until we moved away!!!!!!

 

love Angie x

[Guest christi]

Hi Christi

 

Just wanted to say good luck with your move back and I am sure you feel so much better now you have made the decision and are actively making plans for the future. I lived in Leighton Buzzard and worked at a high school in Milton Keynes!!!! I miss the Centre MK desperately and just cannot find anything that compares to it so have sadly stopped shopping!! although my hubby is pleased with that!!!!! I have only been here for 9 months and so far my experience has been mostly positive but I do get very homesick and long for that beautiful countryside that you speak of, I do not yet know if we will be here permanently as we are here on a temporary visa at the moment home is still Leighton Buzzard - warts and all!!!!!!! that small town that I couldnt wait to get out of I find myself missing it :-) anyway just wanted to say good luck to you and let you know that it gave me a buzz to hear you speak of MK!!

 

love

 

Angie xx

 

Hi Angie

It gives me a buzz when I think of MK shops,,,,,how I loved that place, especially at Christmas.My son is all grown up, but I could still stand and look at the fantastic christmas display they had for ages

And the shops are just amazing, my poor hubby used to dread our trips there, because he knew we would be there for hours.

Leighton Buzzard is a nice little town, as you say warts and all, but it was good for everyday essentials, everything you need is there, plus the huge supermarkets that are there.We used to go often

Thanks for your message, its great to hear from people who know the same areas,

Good Luck with your life in Aus, I hope all your dreams come true:daydreaming:

[Guest christi]

Leighton Buzzard is a nice little town but it is growing fast!!!! just in the time we were there so many new housing estates were built and the lovely open space between Leighton and its surrounding villages is getting smaller and smaller :-( some very good schools though, my children went to a fantastic Lower school there and I didnt realise how good it was until we moved away!!!!!!

 

love Angie x

 

Why do we never realise what we had, till we move away, we are all the same arent we???:laugh:

[Guest christi]

Funky monkey , i hope you dont mind me throwing my opinion in .......i work all over England , and i come from Brum ,so iam in no position to tell you where i think is good and where isnt .......but iam going to anyway:biglaugh:

 

I get my vehicles on the London Rd in Dunstable .......Dunstable and Luton are ****e......but i do like Milton Keynes.

My brothers were brought up in Loughton ? ......which has now been consumed by MK .

Some fantastic little villages within 10 miles ,anyway

 

We got our cars on the London Road in Dunstable as welll,,,,,,,,,,,,,,such a small world:biggrin:

[Guest christi]

Small world, my brother and his family live in Leighton Buzzard, we were there lst summer on holiday..We lived in Dunstable before moving to Perth nearly 6 years ago, we are heading back in January and we have a school place for our son in Leighton Buzzard so will be moving back there to begin with. I found it a lovely little town and they love living there.

 

wish you lots of luck with the move,it really is a small world, we think Leighton Buzzard is a lovely little town, some of the out-lying villages are very pretty, Heath & Reach ,is very nice, and we like Stanbridge, and Eddlesborough and Eaton Bray as well

I keep checking out Rightmove, just wish we could go right now:smile:

[Guest christi]

Hi Christi

Thanks for your reply... you are absolutely spot on about everything mentioned... both countries are beautiful and its what suits your personal circumstances... I am kicking myself because I was given a carrer break (2 or 5 yrs) decided to go with the first option but because our visa took so long I had only 18 mths decide whether I wanted my job back.. oh how i wish i took the latter but hey... life is here to trial us and at least I have been given a second chance of life.. and thats what I am grateful for with my everloving family around me... we have each other..so doesnt matter where we are.. but we have tried Australia and deep down it is not for us and we have to make sure our kids are ok aswell. This is from personal experience but the education here for my 2 is not adequate. our daughter (13) is in the top classes for all her subjects she is a naturally bright academic child but even she states that what she is learning now is what she learnt 2 years ago in the UK. Our 15 yr old I fear for him.... he has always wanted to go into the police but a few months ago decided on army ... fully support him but here or UK... decisions... decisions ... decisions

Christi and everyone else going through this I applaud you all, this is no easy ride but at least we are not on our own... good luck to all....:wubclub:

 

My poor Son, never wanted to come, he left behind a beautiful girlfriend who we planned would join us, but of course they split up, because the distance thing was a problem.How bad I feel about that , I can never forgive myself.

My Son has hated it, from the minute we landed, and I think to be honest I did too

I really thought that he woluld have a better life here, so many opportunities, as he is a whizz-kid, with IT, computers etc. Hes jobless, he is on the dole,,,,,just great. Nothing here in Tas for him, I know he could get something on the mainland, but its finding accomodation, and to be honest, hes like us now, his heart is not in it, and he just wants to go home.

I think if he can find accomodation, back home, he will be on the first flight out

Such a shame, because we promised him the land of opportunity here, and his life is just a mess.Its bad enough that we feel how we do, but to thin k we have taken him away from everything he knew, and dragged him to the other side of the world, to be a dole-bum,its a real shame

But we must be positive, and look forward to going home.I know the UK is far from fantastic, but as long as we have each other, we can get through anything, and we will treat this as a learning curb,the motto being "the grass is not greener":arghh:

[Conniebygaslight]

My poor Son, never wanted to come, he left behind a beautiful girlfriend who we planned would join us, but of course they split up, because the distance thing was a problem.How bad I feel about that , I can never forgive myself.

My Son has hated it, from the minute we landed, and I think to be honest I did too

I really thought that he woluld have a better life here, so many opportunities, as he is a whizz-kid, with IT, computers etc. Hes jobless, he is on the dole,,,,,just great. Nothing here in Tas for him, I know he could get something on the mainland, but its finding accomodation, and to be honest, hes like us now, his heart is not in it, and he just wants to go home.

I think if he can find accomodation, back home, he will be on the first flight out

Such a shame, because we promised him the land of opportunity here, and his life is just a mess.Its bad enough that we feel how we do, but to thin k we have taken him away from everything he knew, and dragged him to the other side of the world, to be a dole-bum,its a real shame

But we must be positive, and look forward to going home.I know the UK is far from fantastic, but as long as we have each other, we can get through anything, and we will treat this as a learning curb,the motto being "the grass is not greener":arghh:

 

You know Christi- everyne talks about this great opportunty here and I just can't see it. It seems to me that the opportunity is just to see something new. I think Oz is a great place to travel andsee bu I really feel that the opportunities for children are limited-especially if the children are high academic achievers-if they are sporty then that may be different. I wouldn't advise anyone to come here wanting a better life for their children if they have a good life in the UK (obviously if they don't then that is a different thing). I honestly believe that Australia equips children for Australia. I'm sure there will be far more opportunities for your son- he will have a greater work choice in the UK as the amount of cities that are accessible will offer that before you even start.

 

Good luck to you all- we all come here with the best of intentions but it is a very hard lesson both emotionally and financially. We leave in 4 weeks can't wait to feel like I'm in the real world again...good luck to you:hug:

[Parley]

My poor Son, never wanted to come, he left behind a beautiful girlfriend who we planned would join us, but of course they split up, because the distance thing was a problem.How bad I feel about that , I can never forgive myself.

My Son has hated it, from the minute we landed, and I think to be honest I did too

I really thought that he woluld have a better life here, so many opportunities, as he is a whizz-kid, with IT, computers etc. Hes jobless, he is on the dole,,,,,just great. Nothing here in Tas for him, I know he could get something on the mainland, but its finding accomodation, and to be honest, hes like us now, his heart is not in it, and he just wants to go home.

I think if he can find accomodation, back home, he will be on the first flight out

Such a shame, because we promised him the land of opportunity here, and his life is just a mess.Its bad enough that we feel how we do, but to thin k we have taken him away from everything he knew, and dragged him to the other side of the world, to be a dole-bum,its a real shame

But we must be positive, and look forward to going home.I know the UK is far from fantastic, but as long as we have each other, we can get through anything, and we will treat this as a learning curb,the motto being "the grass is not greener":arghh:

 

The lesson is that opportunities will not be handed to you on a silver platter.

You will have to work for them, be it finding a job, friends, place to live etc.

As the old saying goes "The harder you work, the luckier you will get"

[Guest christi]

The lesson is that opportunities will not be handed to you on a silver platter.

You will have to work for them, be it finding a job, friends, place to live etc.

As the old saying goes "The harder you work, the luckier you will get"

 

Beleive me, we are all very hard workers and dont expect anything handed on a silver platter,,my Son is a seriously hard worker, who has more qualifications than you can imagine. However if there is not the job availability in a place, then its pretty impossible to get a job, no matter how hard a worker you are

[Guest christi]

You know Christi- everyne talks about this great opportunty here and I just can't see it. It seems to me that the opportunity is just to see something new. I think Oz is a great place to travel andsee bu I really feel that the opportunities for children are limited-especially if the children are high academic achievers-if they are sporty then that may be different. I wouldn't advise anyone to come here wanting a better life for their children if they have a good life in the UK (obviously if they don't then that is a different thing). I honestly believe that Australia equips children for Australia. I'm sure there will be far more opportunities for your son- he will have a greater work choice in the UK as the amount of cities that are accessible will offer that before you even start.

 

Good luck to you all- we all come here with the best of intentions but it is a very hard lesson both emotionally and financially. We leave in 4 weeks can't wait to feel like I'm in the real world again...good luck to you:hug:

 

Connie, I wish you a great trip home, I am so jealous, wish I was 4 weeks away.I :biggrin: agree with everything you say in your post. I do now see there were far more opportunities for us, in the UK, but we came here, gave it a go, did not like it, and now we are going home. Its been an experience, from all the thousands of pounds our visas cost, the stress, arriving in Oz, with our suitcases, not knowing a soul, and wondering what on earth we had done

And now, we have to plan the trip home,lots more expense, but we will be home, with our friends and family,and know that Oz was not for us, and like you Connie, we cant wait to be back in the real world.

Good Luck, and we hope you keep us posted,on your journey home, and life in good old England