BadgeIsBack

It's that time of year when I get all philosophical. I've just had a quick sortie into the Moving Back forum to find a good post on What Made you go to Australia in the first place. There's a few people clearly very disillusioned with Australia and I don't blame them one bit - I am in 100pc agreement with them. The difference is that they couldn't do what I call 'square the circle' : achieve what they expected, or got a shock or a surprise.

So what do people think they are 'in for' when they sat on a winter's night in a dark cold (sorry heated) house in the shires and think of migrating.

People seem to think they are going to live in a beautiful roomy house on something like a quarter of an acre (they may not know it as that size then) with, basically a slower pace of life. A beach is less than 30mins away, or a major forest or sporting location. I think that sums it up quite well. You don't picture a hovel, hardly - you're more likely to complain that your place back there is a hovel...

Getting a bit more realistic, they look at realestate.com and see massive new houses and don't seem to realise that these don't come with huge blocks ordinarily or are not near a beach. The size of the rooms seem to do it.

So what did you think you were going to get? Not just a material thing, just a lifestyle thing. Did the expectation meet the reality. It doesn't even matter if you're sad or happy about it, did you see it coming?

I've been here long enough to not remember my initial thoughts or how I grew to like it here, but I do remember thinking that parts of it were more American than I realised.

cheers

B

Dorothy

I don't think we can say what we expected here, but came with open minds as to what it would be like. After a while the palm trees and different birds seem to fade into the background and become routine just like the maple trees and blue jays back in Canada. The Australian accent becomes the norm and I notice when people don't have it. If there is another person speaking from North America, I pick up on the accent right away. We watch American TV mostly because that's what seems to be on Foxtel. We watched American TV back home, too, seeing how we were 30 minutes to the border. I still get up at 6 to go to work and still get home at 6 to cook my evening meal. Things are not really that different to where I came from, except that the sun seems to shine a little more brightly here without the pollution that surrounded us in Southern Ontario. The city we left had the worst air pollution of any place in Canada due to the prevailing winds from the US.
Can't say whether or not we're happy here, but this is where we chose to be. There are times when I have to wonder what we were thinking but other times when it all seems so normal.
Not really sure what I'm trying to say, but I do try to stay out of the going back section. Some of those posts are heartbreaking and others are filled with such rage and hate. It upsets me to read them.

jad n rich

Cant say i've found the moving back forum full of rage and hate , (well bar the occasional troll) more well balanced as you would expect from people who have the wisdom of having lived in both countries.

Think its an excellent read for anyone emigrating.

eatstatic

I expected better than I found. Hence my return tho the UK.

The UK is far from perfect, but at least it can find fault with itself and (gasp) maybe try to improve its shortcomings.

Just like Aus hey Badge?

Dorothy

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=408906 I rest my case with the hate and rage against anything/everything Australian.

jad n rich

But thats in the australia forum, not the moving to UK one.

Occasional extreme posts pop up anywhere, just really cant see anything in the moving to UK one to scare off anyone reading it

Jimmy Cliff

I came out expecting the worst.

(Expensive food and housing, hard to get friends, too hot, miss home, unfamiliar, too American etc, etc)

I was pleasantly surprised. But emigration is such an individual thing and I just think we were suited to change. Some are not.

I was hoping that we would be near enough to the city for Huzz to commute, we are 30 minutes by car, near enough to a beach, we are just under ten minutes. Near enough to an airport (we are 15 mins away) and would be able to afford a spacious house (not extravagant) with a pool for the kids on an average block size, in a decent suburban estate. We have achieved this. We have come out with a cushion but not a large one by any means.

Our location/situation is a good improvement to what we had in the uk without a doubt. The kids are enjoying a great life here.

But to all at home in the process, take some serious time out and do some serious all costs involved planning, without this you could get quite a shock. Keep it real and remember what you had back home as not to get carried away with what you could have out here. You do look at stuff on the net and think wow, but be warned, it is usually not the best area or on a tiny block, as with anywhere in the world, you pay for what you get.

So, where we are has met our expectations, there have been no surprises only an adjustment to the Australian way which we have taken in our stride. I personally can't see why some are bothered by bare feet, ZZ top beards and sexist attitudes from some men folk here, not all are like it and so what if they are. Also I could not care less if the chocolate does not taste the same and you cant get proper gravy. There is lovely chocolate here, you just have to want to find it. That the tv is crap, as we dont watch a lot anyway. That is why I say you have to be 'up for the change' before you even think about changing your circumstance.

These are purely my thoughts and opinions and I give great respect to all others, what ever they are.

Vics x

iPom

I'm not sure I'm qualified to answer this because I've been here many times before so in many ways, I knew what to expect.
I can't say that the expectations have met the reality because I'm not sure I came here with expectations.
I came here with hope though, that this would be better than what we had in the UK..
Business collapse after the 9/11 thing, losing clients and friends in the WTC collapse, then battling to make some money whilst all our clients went bust and not having the cash to afford the grocery bills... Nearly dying having my son and then three weeks later him getting viral meningitis and nearly dying again... and yet not having one member of my family who came to visit or help...
I mean, all that's really just a couple of the more memorable things which stick in my mind, probably because they hurt still somewhere... So my expectations if any, were that it HAD to be better than that and so far, it has been.

I have a MIL here who's a lovely person and my kids regularly have family dropping in or meeting for a BBQ, or popping over for dinner or something. The sense of community here is so much better just because of that. We're happier and have lost our huge mortgage so we don't have a chain around our necks any more... The environment is beautiful... The kids are flourishing...

So I didn't expect, but I did dare to hope.

Australia_bound?

Know what I want and what it's like, spent a few weeks in Aus, saw lots of good and some not so good. Know the area I want to live in and have lots of family there. Only require a modest 3/4 bed house and 2 smallish cars and I'm happy, will be 20 mins from nearest beach, so will spend lots of time fishing and chilling out! Oh and will have to get PS3 to fill in the LONG cold dark winter evenings in Aus

rossifumi

I expected to meet a parochial attitude here and there and have not been disappointed.

On the flip side, I have Aussie mates who are even sick of it.

BadgeIsBack

Wouldn't say rage and hate, but there are some very bitter people feeling very sorry for themselves which is kind of consuming them.

BadgeIsBack

There's always been cross-posting. People often acuse people of 'raining on their parade' on both forums.

I think people are more interested in discussion of Tesco and Sainsbury and house prices.

BadgeIsBack

Quite a good response from you. But, you never cease to amaze me: (your last point):you've never read the letters/editorial pages in the Age, or even the casual letters in a free rag like Mx? They are full of critics and suggestions.

Dorothy

Yes, sorry it is in the Australia forum. The reason I posted that particular link was that the OP posts the same type of things in the moving back forum. I have intended to link one of those posts, but I didn't paste it properly.
Maybe I was wrong to say rage. However, I do stick by my use of the word hate. They hate everything and anything having to do with Australia when in fact it is like Badge says more bitterness that things didn't work out the way they thought it would be. Self pity and bitterness make otherwise nice people not so nice sometimes.

The S's

One of the best posts I have ever read on here. Honest, emotional yet not controversial, fantastic. We came out her having never been before.
We expected Kylie minogue and Alf and got Liam Gallagher and more fatties than a Big Dads Pie eating contest.
The place often seems to be so scruffy I am embarrassed to ask my MIL to come visit us, feel like I am living on the worlds largest council estate.
Then realise the Aussies couldn't give a toss about the things that bother me.
If you pay $10 million for your house you are not exempt from hoons in your street.
The best thing said about this place is that it is a "class less society" and that is so true, no one here has any class what so ever