Cancelled our emigration - here's why.
Sep 22nd 2005, 1:07 pm
#1
BE Enthusiast
Thread Starter
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 532
Cancelled our emigration - here's why.
Having cancelled our proposed move to Oz, I thought it might be interesting for those about to go or those who are having second thoughts, an alternative point of view.
First thing to say is that we are not completely green to this and Australia would have been our second big move, having ‘emigrated’ from England to Germany some six years ago.
Secondly, the cancellation of our move has created an unbelievable amount of disruption as we had already gone a long part of the way down the road (visa granted, house sold, removals booked, job resigned etc.).
We had decided to move to Oz basically because after nearly six years of living in Germany we wanted to return to an English speaking environment and for the children to continue their education in English. In addition, we took a big holiday in Australia last year and really enjoyed it.
Anyway, over the last few months there were a couple of events that started to make me feel a little uncomfortable about going; some of them I’ll admit are very personal and a little bit ridiculous. Anyway here goes…..
1. Over the last few months I’ve had the good fortune to visit Oslo and Prague and, as anyone who has visited either place will confirm, they are incredibly beautiful cities. That got me thinking of all the other places in Europe that I hadn’t visited and made me think how difficult it would be to visit those places living so far away.
2. The summer arrived. I live in a small town in southern Germany which is surrounded by mountains (well more like hills really) and the summer is such a great time to go mountain biking. There would have been minimal opportunities in Perth.
3. The mountains got me thinking about skiing and whilst there are opportunities to ski in the southern hemisphere, they are not the places where (like now) I could leave after work on Friday and be back at my desk on Monday morning. I was also starting to have difficulties picturing the family eating Christmas dinner in shorts.
4. I would have had to give my car (a Porsche) back. Ok I could have had a reasonably nice car down under but even then no opportunity to drive like I can in Germany (I’m aware that to a lot of people this will sound really pathetic!)
5. This may be controversial and I am prepared to be flamed for it BUT one of the things I like about Germany is the lack of Brits and living in a culture which still has a strong sense of discipline and order and I really worry about British / American culture invading Australia. I am not saying that Germany is perfect but the hooligan element is certainly much reduced.
I had not shared my concerns with the family having committed so much time and effort to organizing the move and the catalyst came when our dog failed its final blood test. This really through things into chaos as there was no way I could ask the children to leave their dog behind. We had a second blood test done and a third before finally after two-weeks she was given the all-clear. But over those two weeks we had shared our concerns as a family and had collectively come to the conclusion that there were more reasons to stay than to go.
So over the last two weeks we have had to dial-ourselves back into our life. We have moved house, got the kids back into school and (luckily) managed to get my job back (I had remained on very good terms with my employer and they had told me that if ever I decided to come back then the door would be open for me).
I don’t regret the decision as I think it has given us the opportunity to take a step back and look at our lives and appreciate all the great things about it – as opposed to looking at the other side of the hill and thinking the grass is greener.
In 10-15 years when we retire, when I can no longer mountainbike and when I no longer wish to drive like a loon then we may decide to go but for the now the chapter is closed.
My message to other is make sure you weigh up all the pro’s and cons. Don’t try and sell yourself on a “getting a better life” in general ticket. Really sit down and think about what you will gain but more importantly, what you will lose and then evaluate whether that is an acceptable sacrifice.
First thing to say is that we are not completely green to this and Australia would have been our second big move, having ‘emigrated’ from England to Germany some six years ago.
Secondly, the cancellation of our move has created an unbelievable amount of disruption as we had already gone a long part of the way down the road (visa granted, house sold, removals booked, job resigned etc.).
We had decided to move to Oz basically because after nearly six years of living in Germany we wanted to return to an English speaking environment and for the children to continue their education in English. In addition, we took a big holiday in Australia last year and really enjoyed it.
Anyway, over the last few months there were a couple of events that started to make me feel a little uncomfortable about going; some of them I’ll admit are very personal and a little bit ridiculous. Anyway here goes…..
1. Over the last few months I’ve had the good fortune to visit Oslo and Prague and, as anyone who has visited either place will confirm, they are incredibly beautiful cities. That got me thinking of all the other places in Europe that I hadn’t visited and made me think how difficult it would be to visit those places living so far away.
2. The summer arrived. I live in a small town in southern Germany which is surrounded by mountains (well more like hills really) and the summer is such a great time to go mountain biking. There would have been minimal opportunities in Perth.
3. The mountains got me thinking about skiing and whilst there are opportunities to ski in the southern hemisphere, they are not the places where (like now) I could leave after work on Friday and be back at my desk on Monday morning. I was also starting to have difficulties picturing the family eating Christmas dinner in shorts.
4. I would have had to give my car (a Porsche) back. Ok I could have had a reasonably nice car down under but even then no opportunity to drive like I can in Germany (I’m aware that to a lot of people this will sound really pathetic!)
5. This may be controversial and I am prepared to be flamed for it BUT one of the things I like about Germany is the lack of Brits and living in a culture which still has a strong sense of discipline and order and I really worry about British / American culture invading Australia. I am not saying that Germany is perfect but the hooligan element is certainly much reduced.
I had not shared my concerns with the family having committed so much time and effort to organizing the move and the catalyst came when our dog failed its final blood test. This really through things into chaos as there was no way I could ask the children to leave their dog behind. We had a second blood test done and a third before finally after two-weeks she was given the all-clear. But over those two weeks we had shared our concerns as a family and had collectively come to the conclusion that there were more reasons to stay than to go.
So over the last two weeks we have had to dial-ourselves back into our life. We have moved house, got the kids back into school and (luckily) managed to get my job back (I had remained on very good terms with my employer and they had told me that if ever I decided to come back then the door would be open for me).
I don’t regret the decision as I think it has given us the opportunity to take a step back and look at our lives and appreciate all the great things about it – as opposed to looking at the other side of the hill and thinking the grass is greener.
In 10-15 years when we retire, when I can no longer mountainbike and when I no longer wish to drive like a loon then we may decide to go but for the now the chapter is closed.
My message to other is make sure you weigh up all the pro’s and cons. Don’t try and sell yourself on a “getting a better life” in general ticket. Really sit down and think about what you will gain but more importantly, what you will lose and then evaluate whether that is an acceptable sacrifice.
Sep 22nd 2005, 1:27 pm
#2
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Nov 2003
Location: Scotland
Posts: 7,949
Re: Cancelled our emigration - here's why.
Originally Posted by MartinH
Having cancelled our proposed move to Oz, I thought it might be interesting for those about to go or those who are having second thoughts, an alternative point of view.
First thing to say is that we are not completely green to this and Australia would have been our second big move, having ‘emigrated’ from England to Germany some six years ago.
Secondly, the cancellation of our move has created an unbelievable amount of disruption as we had already gone a long part of the way down the road (visa granted, house sold, removals booked, job resigned etc.).
We had decided to move to Oz basically because after nearly six years of living in Germany we wanted to return to an English speaking environment and for the children to continue their education in English. In addition, we took a big holiday in Australia last year and really enjoyed it.
Anyway, over the last few months there were a couple of events that started to make me feel a little uncomfortable about going; some of them I’ll admit are very personal and a little bit ridiculous. Anyway here goes…..
1. Over the last few months I’ve had the good fortune to visit Oslo and Prague and, as anyone who has visited either place will confirm, they are incredibly beautiful cities. That got me thinking of all the other places in Europe that I hadn’t visited and made me think how difficult it would be to visit those places living so far away.
2. The summer arrived. I live in a small town in southern Germany which is surrounded by mountains (well more like hills really) and the summer is such a great time to go mountain biking. There would have been minimal opportunities in Perth.
3. The mountains got me thinking about skiing and whilst there are opportunities to ski in the southern hemisphere, they are not the places where (like now) I could leave after work on Friday and be back at my desk on Monday morning. I was also starting to have difficulties picturing the family eating Christmas dinner in shorts.
4. I would have had to give my car (a Porsche) back. Ok I could have had a reasonably nice car down under but even then no opportunity to drive like I can in Germany (I’m aware that to a lot of people this will sound really pathetic!)
5. This may be controversial and I am prepared to be flamed for it BUT one of the things I like about Germany is the lack of Brits and living in a culture which still has a strong sense of discipline and order and I really worry about British / American culture invading Australia. I am not saying that Germany is perfect but the hooligan element is certainly much reduced.
I had not shared my concerns with the family having committed so much time and effort to organizing the move and the catalyst came when our dog failed its final blood test. This really through things into chaos as there was no way I could ask the children to leave their dog behind. We had a second blood test done and a third before finally after two-weeks she was given the all-clear. But over those two weeks we had shared our concerns as a family and had collectively come to the conclusion that there were more reasons to stay than to go.
So over the last two weeks we have had to dial-ourselves back into our life. We have moved house, got the kids back into school and (luckily) managed to get my job back (I had remained on very good terms with my employer and they had told me that if ever I decided to come back then the door would be open for me).
I don’t regret the decision as I think it has given us the opportunity to take a step back and look at our lives and appreciate all the great things about it – as opposed to looking at the other side of the hill and thinking the grass is greener.
In 10-15 years when we retire, when I can no longer mountainbike and when I no longer wish to drive like a loon then we may decide to go but for the now the chapter is closed.
My message to other is make sure you weigh up all the pro’s and cons. Don’t try and sell yourself on a “getting a better life” in general ticket. Really sit down and think about what you will gain but more importantly, what you will lose and then evaluate whether that is an acceptable sacrifice.
First thing to say is that we are not completely green to this and Australia would have been our second big move, having ‘emigrated’ from England to Germany some six years ago.
Secondly, the cancellation of our move has created an unbelievable amount of disruption as we had already gone a long part of the way down the road (visa granted, house sold, removals booked, job resigned etc.).
We had decided to move to Oz basically because after nearly six years of living in Germany we wanted to return to an English speaking environment and for the children to continue their education in English. In addition, we took a big holiday in Australia last year and really enjoyed it.
Anyway, over the last few months there were a couple of events that started to make me feel a little uncomfortable about going; some of them I’ll admit are very personal and a little bit ridiculous. Anyway here goes…..
1. Over the last few months I’ve had the good fortune to visit Oslo and Prague and, as anyone who has visited either place will confirm, they are incredibly beautiful cities. That got me thinking of all the other places in Europe that I hadn’t visited and made me think how difficult it would be to visit those places living so far away.
2. The summer arrived. I live in a small town in southern Germany which is surrounded by mountains (well more like hills really) and the summer is such a great time to go mountain biking. There would have been minimal opportunities in Perth.
3. The mountains got me thinking about skiing and whilst there are opportunities to ski in the southern hemisphere, they are not the places where (like now) I could leave after work on Friday and be back at my desk on Monday morning. I was also starting to have difficulties picturing the family eating Christmas dinner in shorts.
4. I would have had to give my car (a Porsche) back. Ok I could have had a reasonably nice car down under but even then no opportunity to drive like I can in Germany (I’m aware that to a lot of people this will sound really pathetic!)
5. This may be controversial and I am prepared to be flamed for it BUT one of the things I like about Germany is the lack of Brits and living in a culture which still has a strong sense of discipline and order and I really worry about British / American culture invading Australia. I am not saying that Germany is perfect but the hooligan element is certainly much reduced.
I had not shared my concerns with the family having committed so much time and effort to organizing the move and the catalyst came when our dog failed its final blood test. This really through things into chaos as there was no way I could ask the children to leave their dog behind. We had a second blood test done and a third before finally after two-weeks she was given the all-clear. But over those two weeks we had shared our concerns as a family and had collectively come to the conclusion that there were more reasons to stay than to go.
So over the last two weeks we have had to dial-ourselves back into our life. We have moved house, got the kids back into school and (luckily) managed to get my job back (I had remained on very good terms with my employer and they had told me that if ever I decided to come back then the door would be open for me).
I don’t regret the decision as I think it has given us the opportunity to take a step back and look at our lives and appreciate all the great things about it – as opposed to looking at the other side of the hill and thinking the grass is greener.
In 10-15 years when we retire, when I can no longer mountainbike and when I no longer wish to drive like a loon then we may decide to go but for the now the chapter is closed.
My message to other is make sure you weigh up all the pro’s and cons. Don’t try and sell yourself on a “getting a better life” in general ticket. Really sit down and think about what you will gain but more importantly, what you will lose and then evaluate whether that is an acceptable sacrifice.
P.S. We've holidayed a lot in Austria (Australia without the kangaroos) and in Bavaria (Garmisch Partenkirchen specifically) so I know why you would feel a wrench leaving such a beautiful area - we're summer visitors rather than winter visitors.
OzTennis
Sep 22nd 2005, 1:39 pm
#3
Account Closed
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 2,375
Re: Cancelled our emigration - here's why.
What a refreshing and well constructed post ... well done you.
For the record,
I don't blame you.
The Fatherland sounds wonderful
Three Legs
For the record,
I don't blame you.
The Fatherland sounds wonderful
Three Legs
Originally Posted by MartinH
Having cancelled our proposed move to Oz, I thought it might be interesting for those about to go or those who are having second thoughts, an alternative point of view.
First thing to say is that we are not completely green to this and Australia would have been our second big move, having ‘emigrated’ from England to Germany some six years ago.
Secondly, the cancellation of our move has created an unbelievable amount of disruption as we had already gone a long part of the way down the road (visa granted, house sold, removals booked, job resigned etc.).
We had decided to move to Oz basically because after nearly six years of living in Germany we wanted to return to an English speaking environment and for the children to continue their education in English. In addition, we took a big holiday in Australia last year and really enjoyed it.
Anyway, over the last few months there were a couple of events that started to make me feel a little uncomfortable about going; some of them I’ll admit are very personal and a little bit ridiculous. Anyway here goes…..
1. Over the last few months I’ve had the good fortune to visit Oslo and Prague and, as anyone who has visited either place will confirm, they are incredibly beautiful cities. That got me thinking of all the other places in Europe that I hadn’t visited and made me think how difficult it would be to visit those places living so far away.
2. The summer arrived. I live in a small town in southern Germany which is surrounded by mountains (well more like hills really) and the summer is such a great time to go mountain biking. There would have been minimal opportunities in Perth.
3. The mountains got me thinking about skiing and whilst there are opportunities to ski in the southern hemisphere, they are not the places where (like now) I could leave after work on Friday and be back at my desk on Monday morning. I was also starting to have difficulties picturing the family eating Christmas dinner in shorts.
4. I would have had to give my car (a Porsche) back. Ok I could have had a reasonably nice car down under but even then no opportunity to drive like I can in Germany (I’m aware that to a lot of people this will sound really pathetic!)
5. This may be controversial and I am prepared to be flamed for it BUT one of the things I like about Germany is the lack of Brits and living in a culture which still has a strong sense of discipline and order and I really worry about British / American culture invading Australia. I am not saying that Germany is perfect but the hooligan element is certainly much reduced.
I had not shared my concerns with the family having committed so much time and effort to organizing the move and the catalyst came when our dog failed its final blood test. This really through things into chaos as there was no way I could ask the children to leave their dog behind. We had a second blood test done and a third before finally after two-weeks she was given the all-clear. But over those two weeks we had shared our concerns as a family and had collectively come to the conclusion that there were more reasons to stay than to go.
So over the last two weeks we have had to dial-ourselves back into our life. We have moved house, got the kids back into school and (luckily) managed to get my job back (I had remained on very good terms with my employer and they had told me that if ever I decided to come back then the door would be open for me).
I don’t regret the decision as I think it has given us the opportunity to take a step back and look at our lives and appreciate all the great things about it – as opposed to looking at the other side of the hill and thinking the grass is greener.
In 10-15 years when we retire, when I can no longer mountainbike and when I no longer wish to drive like a loon then we may decide to go but for the now the chapter is closed.
My message to other is make sure you weigh up all the pro’s and cons. Don’t try and sell yourself on a “getting a better life” in general ticket. Really sit down and think about what you will gain but more importantly, what you will lose and then evaluate whether that is an acceptable sacrifice.
First thing to say is that we are not completely green to this and Australia would have been our second big move, having ‘emigrated’ from England to Germany some six years ago.
Secondly, the cancellation of our move has created an unbelievable amount of disruption as we had already gone a long part of the way down the road (visa granted, house sold, removals booked, job resigned etc.).
We had decided to move to Oz basically because after nearly six years of living in Germany we wanted to return to an English speaking environment and for the children to continue their education in English. In addition, we took a big holiday in Australia last year and really enjoyed it.
Anyway, over the last few months there were a couple of events that started to make me feel a little uncomfortable about going; some of them I’ll admit are very personal and a little bit ridiculous. Anyway here goes…..
1. Over the last few months I’ve had the good fortune to visit Oslo and Prague and, as anyone who has visited either place will confirm, they are incredibly beautiful cities. That got me thinking of all the other places in Europe that I hadn’t visited and made me think how difficult it would be to visit those places living so far away.
2. The summer arrived. I live in a small town in southern Germany which is surrounded by mountains (well more like hills really) and the summer is such a great time to go mountain biking. There would have been minimal opportunities in Perth.
3. The mountains got me thinking about skiing and whilst there are opportunities to ski in the southern hemisphere, they are not the places where (like now) I could leave after work on Friday and be back at my desk on Monday morning. I was also starting to have difficulties picturing the family eating Christmas dinner in shorts.
4. I would have had to give my car (a Porsche) back. Ok I could have had a reasonably nice car down under but even then no opportunity to drive like I can in Germany (I’m aware that to a lot of people this will sound really pathetic!)
5. This may be controversial and I am prepared to be flamed for it BUT one of the things I like about Germany is the lack of Brits and living in a culture which still has a strong sense of discipline and order and I really worry about British / American culture invading Australia. I am not saying that Germany is perfect but the hooligan element is certainly much reduced.
I had not shared my concerns with the family having committed so much time and effort to organizing the move and the catalyst came when our dog failed its final blood test. This really through things into chaos as there was no way I could ask the children to leave their dog behind. We had a second blood test done and a third before finally after two-weeks she was given the all-clear. But over those two weeks we had shared our concerns as a family and had collectively come to the conclusion that there were more reasons to stay than to go.
So over the last two weeks we have had to dial-ourselves back into our life. We have moved house, got the kids back into school and (luckily) managed to get my job back (I had remained on very good terms with my employer and they had told me that if ever I decided to come back then the door would be open for me).
I don’t regret the decision as I think it has given us the opportunity to take a step back and look at our lives and appreciate all the great things about it – as opposed to looking at the other side of the hill and thinking the grass is greener.
In 10-15 years when we retire, when I can no longer mountainbike and when I no longer wish to drive like a loon then we may decide to go but for the now the chapter is closed.
My message to other is make sure you weigh up all the pro’s and cons. Don’t try and sell yourself on a “getting a better life” in general ticket. Really sit down and think about what you will gain but more importantly, what you will lose and then evaluate whether that is an acceptable sacrifice.
Sep 22nd 2005, 1:43 pm
#4
Australia's Doorman
Joined: Jan 2005
Location: The Shoalhaven, New South Wales, Australia
Posts: 11,056
Re: Cancelled our emigration - here's why.
Yep - sounds like you made the right decision. Better to stop now than to get over there just because of the time and effort you'd put into it and be miserable. Horses for courses and all that
Sep 22nd 2005, 1:45 pm
#5
da Bonehead
Joined: Jan 2004
Location: Lion in da jungle
Posts: 22,767
Re: Cancelled our emigration - here's why.
Originally Posted by MartinH
In 10-15 years when we retire, when I can no longer mountainbike and when I no longer wish to drive like a loon then we may decide to go but for the now the chapter is closed.
Just be sure you understand that in a few years time you may not be able to go to Australia even if you want to. Your visa will be dead and it is possible the immigration of retirees will be restricted more than they are now.
So it's a clear message of no looking over your shoulder and live the life you have chosen. Good luck to you all.
Sep 22nd 2005, 1:47 pm
#6
Crazy Cat Lady
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 65,493
Re: Cancelled our emigration - here's why.
Wow, what a decision. Must have been really hard. Doesn't matter if some of the reasons seem a bit bizarre 
if they are important to you, then end of.
You must feel a great amount of relief now.
Just out of interest, did you validate your visas or just happily losing them?
The best of luck to you and yours.
if they are important to you, then end of.You must feel a great amount of relief now.
Just out of interest, did you validate your visas or just happily losing them?
The best of luck to you and yours.
Sep 22nd 2005, 1:59 pm
#7
BE Enthusiast
Thread Starter
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 532
Re: Cancelled our emigration - here's why.
Originally Posted by moneypen20
Wow, what a decision. Must have been really hard. Doesn't matter if some of the reasons seem a bit bizarre if they are important to you, then end of.
You must feel a great amount of relief now.
Just out of interest, did you validate your visas or just happily losing them?
The best of luck to you and yours.
if they are important to you, then end of.You must feel a great amount of relief now.
Just out of interest, did you validate your visas or just happily losing them?
The best of luck to you and yours.
Overall its a really strange feeling - like it was all a dream - but I will remember the day that I decided not to go. I was riding through the forest near where I live about three weeks before we were due to leave on a beautiful summers day. This is really corny.......but the birds were singing and there was that lovely smell of grass and pine needles in the air......and then I got this feeling in the pit of my stomach like 'this will be the last time I can do this' and I think it was then that I knew that I couldn't go through with it.
Winter is now coming and the nights seem to close in so quickly but now I'm looking forward to Val D'Isere the week before Christmas and sitting down to a turkey dinner with (hopefully) some snow on the ground outside.
Sep 22nd 2005, 2:14 pm
#8
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Aug 2004
Location: in a place near the river and the sea where the sun always shines
Posts: 3,155
Re: Cancelled our emigration - here's why.
Originally Posted by MartinH
Having cancelled our proposed move to Oz, I thought it might be interesting for those about to go or those who are having second thoughts, an alternative point of view.
First thing to say is that we are not completely green to this and Australia would have been our second big move, having ‘emigrated’ from England to Germany some six years ago.
Secondly, the cancellation of our move has created an unbelievable amount of disruption as we had already gone a long part of the way down the road (visa granted, house sold, removals booked, job resigned etc.).
We had decided to move to Oz basically because after nearly six years of living in Germany we wanted to return to an English speaking environment and for the children to continue their education in English. In addition, we took a big holiday in Australia last year and really enjoyed it.
Anyway, over the last few months there were a couple of events that started to make me feel a little uncomfortable about going; some of them I’ll admit are very personal and a little bit ridiculous. Anyway here goes…..
1. Over the last few months I’ve had the good fortune to visit Oslo and Prague and, as anyone who has visited either place will confirm, they are incredibly beautiful cities. That got me thinking of all the other places in Europe that I hadn’t visited and made me think how difficult it would be to visit those places living so far away.
2. The summer arrived. I live in a small town in southern Germany which is surrounded by mountains (well more like hills really) and the summer is such a great time to go mountain biking. There would have been minimal opportunities in Perth.
3. The mountains got me thinking about skiing and whilst there are opportunities to ski in the southern hemisphere, they are not the places where (like now) I could leave after work on Friday and be back at my desk on Monday morning. I was also starting to have difficulties picturing the family eating Christmas dinner in shorts.
4. I would have had to give my car (a Porsche) back. Ok I could have had a reasonably nice car down under but even then no opportunity to drive like I can in Germany (I’m aware that to a lot of people this will sound really pathetic!)
5. This may be controversial and I am prepared to be flamed for it BUT one of the things I like about Germany is the lack of Brits and living in a culture which still has a strong sense of discipline and order and I really worry about British / American culture invading Australia. I am not saying that Germany is perfect but the hooligan element is certainly much reduced.
I had not shared my concerns with the family having committed so much time and effort to organizing the move and the catalyst came when our dog failed its final blood test. This really through things into chaos as there was no way I could ask the children to leave their dog behind. We had a second blood test done and a third before finally after two-weeks she was given the all-clear. But over those two weeks we had shared our concerns as a family and had collectively come to the conclusion that there were more reasons to stay than to go.
So over the last two weeks we have had to dial-ourselves back into our life. We have moved house, got the kids back into school and (luckily) managed to get my job back (I had remained on very good terms with my employer and they had told me that if ever I decided to come back then the door would be open for me).
I don’t regret the decision as I think it has given us the opportunity to take a step back and look at our lives and appreciate all the great things about it – as opposed to looking at the other side of the hill and thinking the grass is greener.
In 10-15 years when we retire, when I can no longer mountainbike and when I no longer wish to drive like a loon then we may decide to go but for the now the chapter is closed.
My message to other is make sure you weigh up all the pro’s and cons. Don’t try and sell yourself on a “getting a better life” in general ticket. Really sit down and think about what you will gain but more importantly, what you will lose and then evaluate whether that is an acceptable sacrifice.
First thing to say is that we are not completely green to this and Australia would have been our second big move, having ‘emigrated’ from England to Germany some six years ago.
Secondly, the cancellation of our move has created an unbelievable amount of disruption as we had already gone a long part of the way down the road (visa granted, house sold, removals booked, job resigned etc.).
We had decided to move to Oz basically because after nearly six years of living in Germany we wanted to return to an English speaking environment and for the children to continue their education in English. In addition, we took a big holiday in Australia last year and really enjoyed it.
Anyway, over the last few months there were a couple of events that started to make me feel a little uncomfortable about going; some of them I’ll admit are very personal and a little bit ridiculous. Anyway here goes…..
1. Over the last few months I’ve had the good fortune to visit Oslo and Prague and, as anyone who has visited either place will confirm, they are incredibly beautiful cities. That got me thinking of all the other places in Europe that I hadn’t visited and made me think how difficult it would be to visit those places living so far away.
2. The summer arrived. I live in a small town in southern Germany which is surrounded by mountains (well more like hills really) and the summer is such a great time to go mountain biking. There would have been minimal opportunities in Perth.
3. The mountains got me thinking about skiing and whilst there are opportunities to ski in the southern hemisphere, they are not the places where (like now) I could leave after work on Friday and be back at my desk on Monday morning. I was also starting to have difficulties picturing the family eating Christmas dinner in shorts.
4. I would have had to give my car (a Porsche) back. Ok I could have had a reasonably nice car down under but even then no opportunity to drive like I can in Germany (I’m aware that to a lot of people this will sound really pathetic!)
5. This may be controversial and I am prepared to be flamed for it BUT one of the things I like about Germany is the lack of Brits and living in a culture which still has a strong sense of discipline and order and I really worry about British / American culture invading Australia. I am not saying that Germany is perfect but the hooligan element is certainly much reduced.
I had not shared my concerns with the family having committed so much time and effort to organizing the move and the catalyst came when our dog failed its final blood test. This really through things into chaos as there was no way I could ask the children to leave their dog behind. We had a second blood test done and a third before finally after two-weeks she was given the all-clear. But over those two weeks we had shared our concerns as a family and had collectively come to the conclusion that there were more reasons to stay than to go.
So over the last two weeks we have had to dial-ourselves back into our life. We have moved house, got the kids back into school and (luckily) managed to get my job back (I had remained on very good terms with my employer and they had told me that if ever I decided to come back then the door would be open for me).
I don’t regret the decision as I think it has given us the opportunity to take a step back and look at our lives and appreciate all the great things about it – as opposed to looking at the other side of the hill and thinking the grass is greener.
In 10-15 years when we retire, when I can no longer mountainbike and when I no longer wish to drive like a loon then we may decide to go but for the now the chapter is closed.
My message to other is make sure you weigh up all the pro’s and cons. Don’t try and sell yourself on a “getting a better life” in general ticket. Really sit down and think about what you will gain but more importantly, what you will lose and then evaluate whether that is an acceptable sacrifice.
an excellent post, thank you martin.
no doubt many of us have had the feelings 'why am i doing this.... is it the right thing?!' obviously for you, you have made a final decision.
now that things are under way for us, i have had the thoughts, OMG, i'll probably never go to Greece again, one of my favourite place in the whole world! and i've never visited austria, something else i've always wanted to do too. but, we all know that we are making the move to australia because things here in the uk, in our eyes are going from bad to worse and we hope that we will be able to change our lives for the better once we're there.
it sounds like you all have a great life in germany and i hope it continues for you,
good luck
debbie
Sep 22nd 2005, 2:23 pm
#9
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 1,347
Re: Cancelled our emigration - here's why.
Originally Posted by MartinH
Having cancelled our proposed move to Oz, I thought it might be interesting for those about to go or those who are having second thoughts, an alternative point of view.
First thing to say is that we are not completely green to this and Australia would have been our second big move, having ‘emigrated’ from England to Germany some six years ago.
Secondly, the cancellation of our move has created an unbelievable amount of disruption as we had already gone a long part of the way down the road (visa granted, house sold, removals booked, job resigned etc.).
We had decided to move to Oz basically because after nearly six years of living in Germany we wanted to return to an English speaking environment and for the children to continue their education in English. In addition, we took a big holiday in Australia last year and really enjoyed it.
Anyway, over the last few months there were a couple of events that started to make me feel a little uncomfortable about going; some of them I’ll admit are very personal and a little bit ridiculous. Anyway here goes…..
1. Over the last few months I’ve had the good fortune to visit Oslo and Prague and, as anyone who has visited either place will confirm, they are incredibly beautiful cities. That got me thinking of all the other places in Europe that I hadn’t visited and made me think how difficult it would be to visit those places living so far away.
2. The summer arrived. I live in a small town in southern Germany which is surrounded by mountains (well more like hills really) and the summer is such a great time to go mountain biking. There would have been minimal opportunities in Perth.
3. The mountains got me thinking about skiing and whilst there are opportunities to ski in the southern hemisphere, they are not the places where (like now) I could leave after work on Friday and be back at my desk on Monday morning. I was also starting to have difficulties picturing the family eating Christmas dinner in shorts.
4. I would have had to give my car (a Porsche) back. Ok I could have had a reasonably nice car down under but even then no opportunity to drive like I can in Germany (I’m aware that to a lot of people this will sound really pathetic!)
5. This may be controversial and I am prepared to be flamed for it BUT one of the things I like about Germany is the lack of Brits and living in a culture which still has a strong sense of discipline and order and I really worry about British / American culture invading Australia. I am not saying that Germany is perfect but the hooligan element is certainly much reduced.
I had not shared my concerns with the family having committed so much time and effort to organizing the move and the catalyst came when our dog failed its final blood test. This really through things into chaos as there was no way I could ask the children to leave their dog behind. We had a second blood test done and a third before finally after two-weeks she was given the all-clear. But over those two weeks we had shared our concerns as a family and had collectively come to the conclusion that there were more reasons to stay than to go.
So over the last two weeks we have had to dial-ourselves back into our life. We have moved house, got the kids back into school and (luckily) managed to get my job back (I had remained on very good terms with my employer and they had told me that if ever I decided to come back then the door would be open for me).
I don’t regret the decision as I think it has given us the opportunity to take a step back and look at our lives and appreciate all the great things about it – as opposed to looking at the other side of the hill and thinking the grass is greener.
In 10-15 years when we retire, when I can no longer mountainbike and when I no longer wish to drive like a loon then we may decide to go but for the now the chapter is closed.
My message to other is make sure you weigh up all the pro’s and cons. Don’t try and sell yourself on a “getting a better life” in general ticket. Really sit down and think about what you will gain but more importantly, what you will lose and then evaluate whether that is an acceptable sacrifice.
First thing to say is that we are not completely green to this and Australia would have been our second big move, having ‘emigrated’ from England to Germany some six years ago.
Secondly, the cancellation of our move has created an unbelievable amount of disruption as we had already gone a long part of the way down the road (visa granted, house sold, removals booked, job resigned etc.).
We had decided to move to Oz basically because after nearly six years of living in Germany we wanted to return to an English speaking environment and for the children to continue their education in English. In addition, we took a big holiday in Australia last year and really enjoyed it.
Anyway, over the last few months there were a couple of events that started to make me feel a little uncomfortable about going; some of them I’ll admit are very personal and a little bit ridiculous. Anyway here goes…..
1. Over the last few months I’ve had the good fortune to visit Oslo and Prague and, as anyone who has visited either place will confirm, they are incredibly beautiful cities. That got me thinking of all the other places in Europe that I hadn’t visited and made me think how difficult it would be to visit those places living so far away.
2. The summer arrived. I live in a small town in southern Germany which is surrounded by mountains (well more like hills really) and the summer is such a great time to go mountain biking. There would have been minimal opportunities in Perth.
3. The mountains got me thinking about skiing and whilst there are opportunities to ski in the southern hemisphere, they are not the places where (like now) I could leave after work on Friday and be back at my desk on Monday morning. I was also starting to have difficulties picturing the family eating Christmas dinner in shorts.
4. I would have had to give my car (a Porsche) back. Ok I could have had a reasonably nice car down under but even then no opportunity to drive like I can in Germany (I’m aware that to a lot of people this will sound really pathetic!)
5. This may be controversial and I am prepared to be flamed for it BUT one of the things I like about Germany is the lack of Brits and living in a culture which still has a strong sense of discipline and order and I really worry about British / American culture invading Australia. I am not saying that Germany is perfect but the hooligan element is certainly much reduced.
I had not shared my concerns with the family having committed so much time and effort to organizing the move and the catalyst came when our dog failed its final blood test. This really through things into chaos as there was no way I could ask the children to leave their dog behind. We had a second blood test done and a third before finally after two-weeks she was given the all-clear. But over those two weeks we had shared our concerns as a family and had collectively come to the conclusion that there were more reasons to stay than to go.
So over the last two weeks we have had to dial-ourselves back into our life. We have moved house, got the kids back into school and (luckily) managed to get my job back (I had remained on very good terms with my employer and they had told me that if ever I decided to come back then the door would be open for me).
I don’t regret the decision as I think it has given us the opportunity to take a step back and look at our lives and appreciate all the great things about it – as opposed to looking at the other side of the hill and thinking the grass is greener.
In 10-15 years when we retire, when I can no longer mountainbike and when I no longer wish to drive like a loon then we may decide to go but for the now the chapter is closed.
My message to other is make sure you weigh up all the pro’s and cons. Don’t try and sell yourself on a “getting a better life” in general ticket. Really sit down and think about what you will gain but more importantly, what you will lose and then evaluate whether that is an acceptable sacrifice.
Good luck to you all - wherever your future lies.
Sue
Sep 22nd 2005, 2:24 pm
#10
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Nov 2003
Location: Scotland
Posts: 7,949
Re: Cancelled our emigration - here's why.
Originally Posted by MartinH
It was a 457 employer sponsored visa so no we had not validated and now it will just lapse.
Overall its a really strange feeling - like it was all a dream - but I will remember the day that I decided not to go. I was riding through the forest near where I live about three weeks before we were due to leave on a beautiful summers day. This is really corny.......but the birds were singing and there was that lovely smell of grass and pine needles in the air......and then I got this feeling in the pit of my stomach like 'this will be the last time I can do this' and I think it was then that I knew that I couldn't go through with it.
Winter is now coming and the nights seem to close in so quickly but now I'm looking forward to Val D'Isere the week before Christmas and sitting down to a turkey dinner with (hopefully) some snow on the ground outside.
Overall its a really strange feeling - like it was all a dream - but I will remember the day that I decided not to go. I was riding through the forest near where I live about three weeks before we were due to leave on a beautiful summers day. This is really corny.......but the birds were singing and there was that lovely smell of grass and pine needles in the air......and then I got this feeling in the pit of my stomach like 'this will be the last time I can do this' and I think it was then that I knew that I couldn't go through with it.
Winter is now coming and the nights seem to close in so quickly but now I'm looking forward to Val D'Isere the week before Christmas and sitting down to a turkey dinner with (hopefully) some snow on the ground outside.
As we've all said, brave decision, right for you and your family, get on and enjoy the rest of your life. I know Australia would be grateful to have you and your family in the future if you still wish to go and can get a visa (I'm most sincere here, there isn't an emoticon for that).
OzTennis
Sep 22nd 2005, 2:24 pm
#11
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 1,487
Re: Cancelled our emigration - here's why.
5. This may be controversial and I am prepared to be flamed for it BUT one of the things I like about Germany is the lack of Brits and living in a culture which still has a strong sense of discipline and order and I really worry about British / American culture invading Australia. I am not saying that Germany is perfect but the hooligan element is certainly much reduced.
I'm not a fan of US culture either, but each to their own,
This isn't a flame by the way, good luck with your decision, and for having the balls to make it. I hope it works out well,
Sep 22nd 2005, 2:24 pm
#12
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Dec 2004
Location: montreal
Posts: 490
happy to be home
thank you for your post.I can relate as i just did the same thing., however i DID leave but came back again! It may not have been as far as you but all the psychological , financial and emotional factors of a move remain the same .
On august 27th 2005 , my 3 kids ( 12, 11, 7 ) and i packed up 18 bags and moved from Quebec city to toronto . The kids had all had emotional good bye parties with their friends and i had been given a huge fan fare of a farewell lunch with all of my friends , i had quit my job and was on the road to a divorce . We arrived in toronto and moved into my sisters apartment . I had applied and received my ontario nurses licence which would lead me to a job . infact , i was already hired in a major toronto hospital .I got the kids into the local schools and then took a deep breath.
what was i doing in toronto? my kids seemed ok . i had boosted them up so much about the move and they seemed fine . But , panic set in . a 3 bedroom apt couldnt be found at a reasonable price . those i could afford were in terrrible dirty run down neighborhoods.I started to miss my easy life in quebec, and i really realized how good i had it in quebec city . the last straw was when i found out a pedophile had escaped from a midway house down the road and i got a knock on the door by the cops giving us his description .
so on sept 5 t h 2005 we packed up our bags and headed home . the kids are back in their old schools and are telling me that they never wanted to leave in the first place .the older 2 said that they didnt want to upset me and tell me the truth.
I appreciate my life so much more . I love the french culture and the quebec way of life and am so glad i went so that i may nev er have the inclination to leave when the tough gets going . I will never run away from life again as no where is perfect. I had to physically leave to realize that .
so i got my job back and are going through marriage counselling . I love Toronto but would never live there.
when i arrived back , my friends welcomed me back . i must admit i did feel like a fool and i had a lot of explaining to do , but sometimes you have to lift your chin up high and admit you made a terrible mistake . anyway , no one is really judging you , you just think they are .
i am truly happy to be home
On august 27th 2005 , my 3 kids ( 12, 11, 7 ) and i packed up 18 bags and moved from Quebec city to toronto . The kids had all had emotional good bye parties with their friends and i had been given a huge fan fare of a farewell lunch with all of my friends , i had quit my job and was on the road to a divorce . We arrived in toronto and moved into my sisters apartment . I had applied and received my ontario nurses licence which would lead me to a job . infact , i was already hired in a major toronto hospital .I got the kids into the local schools and then took a deep breath.
what was i doing in toronto? my kids seemed ok . i had boosted them up so much about the move and they seemed fine . But , panic set in . a 3 bedroom apt couldnt be found at a reasonable price . those i could afford were in terrrible dirty run down neighborhoods.I started to miss my easy life in quebec, and i really realized how good i had it in quebec city . the last straw was when i found out a pedophile had escaped from a midway house down the road and i got a knock on the door by the cops giving us his description .
so on sept 5 t h 2005 we packed up our bags and headed home . the kids are back in their old schools and are telling me that they never wanted to leave in the first place .the older 2 said that they didnt want to upset me and tell me the truth.
I appreciate my life so much more . I love the french culture and the quebec way of life and am so glad i went so that i may nev er have the inclination to leave when the tough gets going . I will never run away from life again as no where is perfect. I had to physically leave to realize that .
so i got my job back and are going through marriage counselling . I love Toronto but would never live there.
when i arrived back , my friends welcomed me back . i must admit i did feel like a fool and i had a lot of explaining to do , but sometimes you have to lift your chin up high and admit you made a terrible mistake . anyway , no one is really judging you , you just think they are .
i am truly happy to be home
Sep 22nd 2005, 2:30 pm
#13
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Mar 2004
Location: Brisbane
Posts: 1,927
Re: Cancelled our emigration - here's why.
Yes great post. At first I wasn’t convinced, especially about the dog story, but upon rereading it, yes it makes sense.
You may well look back and wonder what if, but hey, as you say you have already exchanged your life and embraced a new culture. Something which I still need to do, so its Australia for me.
Having been to Germany I fully understand your desire to stay there, in fact I have to admit I am a bit jealous of your choice of domicile. I to would love the opportunity, but alas with children across an age band of 4 upto 15 and not one of them speaking German I would say it is a no go. Something I should of considered before I had children I guess, too late now though.
Good luck with everything and may your love of the of aroma pine needles equal the eucalyptus air which I shall breathe.
ManxFamily
You may well look back and wonder what if, but hey, as you say you have already exchanged your life and embraced a new culture. Something which I still need to do, so its Australia for me.
Having been to Germany I fully understand your desire to stay there, in fact I have to admit I am a bit jealous of your choice of domicile. I to would love the opportunity, but alas with children across an age band of 4 upto 15 and not one of them speaking German I would say it is a no go. Something I should of considered before I had children I guess, too late now though.
Good luck with everything and may your love of the of aroma pine needles equal the eucalyptus air which I shall breathe.
ManxFamily
Last edited by manxfamily; Sep 22nd 2005 at 2:32 pm.
Sep 22nd 2005, 2:35 pm
#14
Account Closed
Joined: Sep 2004
Location: Cairns, Qld.
Posts: 2,863
Re: Cancelled our emigration - here's why.
Originally Posted by MartinH
Having cancelled our proposed move to Oz, I thought it might be interesting for those about to go or those who are having second thoughts, an alternative point of view.
First thing to say is that we are not completely green to this and Australia would have been our second big move, having ‘emigrated’ from England to Germany some six years ago.
Secondly, the cancellation of our move has created an unbelievable amount of disruption as we had already gone a long part of the way down the road (visa granted, house sold, removals booked, job resigned etc.).
We had decided to move to Oz basically because after nearly six years of living in Germany we wanted to return to an English speaking environment and for the children to continue their education in English. In addition, we took a big holiday in Australia last year and really enjoyed it.
Anyway, over the last few months there were a couple of events that started to make me feel a little uncomfortable about going; some of them I’ll admit are very personal and a little bit ridiculous. Anyway here goes…..
1. Over the last few months I’ve had the good fortune to visit Oslo and Prague and, as anyone who has visited either place will confirm, they are incredibly beautiful cities. That got me thinking of all the other places in Europe that I hadn’t visited and made me think how difficult it would be to visit those places living so far away.
2. The summer arrived. I live in a small town in southern Germany which is surrounded by mountains (well more like hills really) and the summer is such a great time to go mountain biking. There would have been minimal opportunities in Perth.
3. The mountains got me thinking about skiing and whilst there are opportunities to ski in the southern hemisphere, they are not the places where (like now) I could leave after work on Friday and be back at my desk on Monday morning. I was also starting to have difficulties picturing the family eating Christmas dinner in shorts.
4. I would have had to give my car (a Porsche) back. Ok I could have had a reasonably nice car down under but even then no opportunity to drive like I can in Germany (I’m aware that to a lot of people this will sound really pathetic!)
5. This may be controversial and I am prepared to be flamed for it BUT one of the things I like about Germany is the lack of Brits and living in a culture which still has a strong sense of discipline and order and I really worry about British / American culture invading Australia. I am not saying that Germany is perfect but the hooligan element is certainly much reduced.
I had not shared my concerns with the family having committed so much time and effort to organizing the move and the catalyst came when our dog failed its final blood test. This really through things into chaos as there was no way I could ask the children to leave their dog behind. We had a second blood test done and a third before finally after two-weeks she was given the all-clear. But over those two weeks we had shared our concerns as a family and had collectively come to the conclusion that there were more reasons to stay than to go.
So over the last two weeks we have had to dial-ourselves back into our life. We have moved house, got the kids back into school and (luckily) managed to get my job back (I had remained on very good terms with my employer and they had told me that if ever I decided to come back then the door would be open for me).
I don’t regret the decision as I think it has given us the opportunity to take a step back and look at our lives and appreciate all the great things about it – as opposed to looking at the other side of the hill and thinking the grass is greener.
In 10-15 years when we retire, when I can no longer mountainbike and when I no longer wish to drive like a loon then we may decide to go but for the now the chapter is closed.
My message to other is make sure you weigh up all the pro’s and cons. Don’t try and sell yourself on a “getting a better life” in general ticket. Really sit down and think about what you will gain but more importantly, what you will lose and then evaluate whether that is an acceptable sacrifice.
First thing to say is that we are not completely green to this and Australia would have been our second big move, having ‘emigrated’ from England to Germany some six years ago.
Secondly, the cancellation of our move has created an unbelievable amount of disruption as we had already gone a long part of the way down the road (visa granted, house sold, removals booked, job resigned etc.).
We had decided to move to Oz basically because after nearly six years of living in Germany we wanted to return to an English speaking environment and for the children to continue their education in English. In addition, we took a big holiday in Australia last year and really enjoyed it.
Anyway, over the last few months there were a couple of events that started to make me feel a little uncomfortable about going; some of them I’ll admit are very personal and a little bit ridiculous. Anyway here goes…..
1. Over the last few months I’ve had the good fortune to visit Oslo and Prague and, as anyone who has visited either place will confirm, they are incredibly beautiful cities. That got me thinking of all the other places in Europe that I hadn’t visited and made me think how difficult it would be to visit those places living so far away.
2. The summer arrived. I live in a small town in southern Germany which is surrounded by mountains (well more like hills really) and the summer is such a great time to go mountain biking. There would have been minimal opportunities in Perth.
3. The mountains got me thinking about skiing and whilst there are opportunities to ski in the southern hemisphere, they are not the places where (like now) I could leave after work on Friday and be back at my desk on Monday morning. I was also starting to have difficulties picturing the family eating Christmas dinner in shorts.
4. I would have had to give my car (a Porsche) back. Ok I could have had a reasonably nice car down under but even then no opportunity to drive like I can in Germany (I’m aware that to a lot of people this will sound really pathetic!)
5. This may be controversial and I am prepared to be flamed for it BUT one of the things I like about Germany is the lack of Brits and living in a culture which still has a strong sense of discipline and order and I really worry about British / American culture invading Australia. I am not saying that Germany is perfect but the hooligan element is certainly much reduced.
I had not shared my concerns with the family having committed so much time and effort to organizing the move and the catalyst came when our dog failed its final blood test. This really through things into chaos as there was no way I could ask the children to leave their dog behind. We had a second blood test done and a third before finally after two-weeks she was given the all-clear. But over those two weeks we had shared our concerns as a family and had collectively come to the conclusion that there were more reasons to stay than to go.
So over the last two weeks we have had to dial-ourselves back into our life. We have moved house, got the kids back into school and (luckily) managed to get my job back (I had remained on very good terms with my employer and they had told me that if ever I decided to come back then the door would be open for me).
I don’t regret the decision as I think it has given us the opportunity to take a step back and look at our lives and appreciate all the great things about it – as opposed to looking at the other side of the hill and thinking the grass is greener.
In 10-15 years when we retire, when I can no longer mountainbike and when I no longer wish to drive like a loon then we may decide to go but for the now the chapter is closed.
My message to other is make sure you weigh up all the pro’s and cons. Don’t try and sell yourself on a “getting a better life” in general ticket. Really sit down and think about what you will gain but more importantly, what you will lose and then evaluate whether that is an acceptable sacrifice.
Well done you, and very best of luck!
Sep 22nd 2005, 2:53 pm
#15
BE Enthusiast
Thread Starter
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 532
Re: Cancelled our emigration - here's why.
Thanks to all for your really nice posts.
For those who have thought about moving to a continental European country and been worried because of the language thing - then you really shouldn't. Most international employers will consider you, provided you are willing to learn. Our children were in international school for the first two years here but - mainly because of the cost - we decided to put them into the local school system. This has proved to be an excellent decision and they are both (13 and 10) now perfectly bilingual. What really surprised me was that the local children were so friendly and interested in "auslanders" and to my knowledge they have never been teased or bullied because they were 'different'. They do have an advantage that they the schools teach English as a foreign language - so they are always top in something!
Anyway, thanks again for your kind messsages
For those who have thought about moving to a continental European country and been worried because of the language thing - then you really shouldn't. Most international employers will consider you, provided you are willing to learn. Our children were in international school for the first two years here but - mainly because of the cost - we decided to put them into the local school system. This has proved to be an excellent decision and they are both (13 and 10) now perfectly bilingual. What really surprised me was that the local children were so friendly and interested in "auslanders" and to my knowledge they have never been teased or bullied because they were 'different'. They do have an advantage that they the schools teach English as a foreign language - so they are always top in something!
Anyway, thanks again for your kind messsages