Over a decade in Oz - totally blonde part 1
Feb 11th 2011, 12:58 am
#1
Aussie Finn Mixture!
Thread Starter
Joined: May 2005
Location: Leschenault WA (after few locations around WA and Around Europe!)
Posts: 1,151
Over a decade in Oz - totally blonde part 1
I am regular reader of BE but as I am not British, albeit having lived in London for few years, I tend to lurk in the background, reading and only posting when
I post if I can only help or need help. Having thought about it though, I think after over a decade here, maybe I should tell my story and hopefully that helps someone.
I married my Aussie husband in 1998 in London, then made him live in Finland (my home country) for one year so he could learn my customs,
learn to know my family and get to know, all in all, where I came from. After that I would move to Oz, if all pans out. He lasted 362 days lol!!!
Main reason being that it was the coldest winter in Finnish history (minus 53C on a worst day!) and as we faced another winter he just couldn't take it!
Our process was made faster due to his grandfather getting alzheimeirs and we were worrying that OH would be forgotten, as he was very close to his grandpa.
We initially flew over with me, our 3mth old son and OH, with me and my son on holiday visa, as at this point we really had no plans to stay, we were young (early 20s)
and only worried about grandpa. We desperately wanted him to meet his great grandson and that was all. We landed in Perth with 3 suitcases, 2 of them filled with babyclothes,
rest were our clothes and nothing else. No money in bank account, instead, we begged and borrowed from OH family just to be able to come and see Pa.
First two weeks we spent with Pa, catching up with family and staying with inlaws. They do have a large family (OH is eldest of 6) so space was limited, being a new mum,
I found it hard and eventually we came to the decicion that we would stay in Oz, but to do so, we need to find out about getting visas and, more so, getting our own space (with no jobs, no money mind you).
I contacted what was then IMMI, put in application for spouse visa in April 2000, asking for waiver for the 2yr waiting period as we had a child and had been together for three years. I contacted
our old landlord in London to prove that we had lived together during that time, we had letters, phonebills, photos, family statements etc. Went through medical in Bunbury, all of the sudden totally freaked out as I passed the medical
but had to wait HIV results, supposedly 4 days, but turned out to be 18days. Having worked as a nurse and paramedic with HIV patients, all I could think, shite, I'm really gonna fail this, I'm gonna die....
All worked out fine in the end but the doubts were really big at the time, really freaked me out without any reason. This would come and bite me in the butt very shortly.
Within 2 mths IMMI called me (later on, I think they wanted to assess my English), 30min interview on the phone in regards to me asking for the waiver of temporary visa. I told them of the
engagement ad MIL had put into West Australian over 2yrs ago, they had me on hold, called West Australian, found the ad and told me I was now permanent resident, no need for temporary,
Yippee..... But as I was still at home with a baby (now 11mths old) I had never heard of Centrelink, playgroups, etc I was really lost in OZ. Funny how it works out, I really only landed knowing OHs family and that's it.
I had absolutely NO knowledge of OZ of whatsoever. I remember 2 weeks into it, watching morning tv, and they said "It's the first day of summer". All I could think was "bugger that, it's winter!!!!"
I simply had never known that seasons would be different. Nor did I know that the country was so large! I still remember when Sydney Olympics was on and we were living in Bunbury WA,
I called my (now) late grandfather and he asked me if I would walk over to watch the olympics every day!!! Only then did the size of the county hit me, when trying to explain it to my family!
So there I was, PR in country I knew nothing about. Initially we only had 1 car that OH took to work so I was left walking, didn't mind it as I was used to walking everywhere and on average day
I walked 10kms. One day sticks to mind though. We were living in a (really crappy now that I think of it) 2 bedroom furnished unit (as we had only brought clothes with us) and I decided to
walk to inlaws place (5kms away). Half way through, those that know Bunbury know the "swamp". It had no houses around it then, just a big swamp with a pedestrian way next to it. Half way
through I came across to big sign.... "Snakes are very active this time of the year, please take care as they have been known to leave the swamp to mate this time of the year...". 5km walk ended up
being 5km run after that! I also, as still reminded by inlaws, spent days rescuing drowning flies from inlaws pool!! HAHA, this was in December, everyone cursing the number of flies around and here's me,
plucking them from inlaws pool so they wouldn't drown! I will never live that down, as it's still BBQ highlight as to how blonde I was (I'm scandinavian so Blonde jokes are par course!).
So few months into it, cultural shock was overwhelming. Pre GST (early 2000), meeting with Centrelink was an experience. Walked away with all of $23.10 a fortnight (hubby was on "good wage" of $26k at the time).
Another thing thinking back, I was terrified of three things: spiders, sharks and snakes. OH told me not to worry, it would not effect the suburbian setting we were at. First week in Oz, we spent it in Perth.
During that time OH asked if I'd like to go for a swim in the ocean. "No thanks, I think the sharks can smell my bood and come after me". This was at 7am less than 1km from Cottesloe beach, we went to rellies house, with OH
telling them what a sook I was. Later that night we heard Ken Crew had been taken by shark at the same beach, same morning. Odd and not regular event I know but shook me to the core I tell you!!
Weeks later OH came home from work, face, throat and upper neck completely swelling up, trip to the emergency ward, turn out to be spider bite. Hmmmm, by this time I was freaking out! Number 3 fear was to be faced
few weeks later with a dugite on the front lawn! So, albeit may seem like I'm freaking people out, what I'm saying that I thought I would literally die from the sight of snakes, spiders or sharks but once living in Oz,
you quickly learn, especially with spiders, what are dangerous, how to deal with them and they become part of life. Spiders, that is. I am happy to say that after initial bad start I have not met any snakes since,
albeit we have had to deal with shark attacks (more to tell on that later).
Shopping..... well Asda or whatever was not part of my life in my time in UK (I stuck to local Safeways) and although finnish supermarkets were well equipt, shopping was never priority.
I'm forever amazed on BE how people literally move (sometimes) back to UK because of shopping (????? Sorry, I just don't get it). My attitude, always was and will be, make do with what you have.
In my case it was local Woollies. Every product was new, and I started from scratch. Trial and error to find the right pasta sauce, the right jam, etc. Especially with a baby, due to nappies and formula.
But instead of being disheartened, I treated it as of an adventure, something gained, something lost. Simplest things like signing up for movie rentals, ordering takeaway, buying a lotto ticket (took me ages to ask for slickpick)
were mammoth tasks, in foreign language mind you but had to be done to gain normality to life.
After 5mths we had saved enough money for furniture and decided to rent a house, instead of the small unit. That's when reality hit. New place, strange country, small baby and I knew absolutely no one!
Nor did I know anything of my new country. The only human contact I had was at the deli counter and checkout, plus OHs family. I absolutely struggled with that, ending with agoraphobia.
To those that don't understand agoraphobia, it is hard to understand that you cannot leave your home. You simply cannot exit your safe place. Panic attacks will hit if you even look at the front door.
For me, I think the migration, overwhelming of everything new got to me, and by then, I was pregnant with our 2nd baby and it all got to me. I have to point out that never ever was I homesick!!!
I never "belonged" to Finland, nor was my family close knit so that was never an issue. Simply the change got to me. This was also just before internet became popular, before Skype etc so
without a computer my contact with family was once a week emails at the local internet cafe.
Part 2 to follow...... If anyone is reading lol!
I post if I can only help or need help. Having thought about it though, I think after over a decade here, maybe I should tell my story and hopefully that helps someone.
I married my Aussie husband in 1998 in London, then made him live in Finland (my home country) for one year so he could learn my customs,
learn to know my family and get to know, all in all, where I came from. After that I would move to Oz, if all pans out. He lasted 362 days lol!!!
Main reason being that it was the coldest winter in Finnish history (minus 53C on a worst day!) and as we faced another winter he just couldn't take it!
Our process was made faster due to his grandfather getting alzheimeirs and we were worrying that OH would be forgotten, as he was very close to his grandpa.
We initially flew over with me, our 3mth old son and OH, with me and my son on holiday visa, as at this point we really had no plans to stay, we were young (early 20s)
and only worried about grandpa. We desperately wanted him to meet his great grandson and that was all. We landed in Perth with 3 suitcases, 2 of them filled with babyclothes,
rest were our clothes and nothing else. No money in bank account, instead, we begged and borrowed from OH family just to be able to come and see Pa.
First two weeks we spent with Pa, catching up with family and staying with inlaws. They do have a large family (OH is eldest of 6) so space was limited, being a new mum,
I found it hard and eventually we came to the decicion that we would stay in Oz, but to do so, we need to find out about getting visas and, more so, getting our own space (with no jobs, no money mind you).
I contacted what was then IMMI, put in application for spouse visa in April 2000, asking for waiver for the 2yr waiting period as we had a child and had been together for three years. I contacted
our old landlord in London to prove that we had lived together during that time, we had letters, phonebills, photos, family statements etc. Went through medical in Bunbury, all of the sudden totally freaked out as I passed the medical
but had to wait HIV results, supposedly 4 days, but turned out to be 18days. Having worked as a nurse and paramedic with HIV patients, all I could think, shite, I'm really gonna fail this, I'm gonna die....
All worked out fine in the end but the doubts were really big at the time, really freaked me out without any reason. This would come and bite me in the butt very shortly.
Within 2 mths IMMI called me (later on, I think they wanted to assess my English), 30min interview on the phone in regards to me asking for the waiver of temporary visa. I told them of the
engagement ad MIL had put into West Australian over 2yrs ago, they had me on hold, called West Australian, found the ad and told me I was now permanent resident, no need for temporary,
Yippee..... But as I was still at home with a baby (now 11mths old) I had never heard of Centrelink, playgroups, etc I was really lost in OZ. Funny how it works out, I really only landed knowing OHs family and that's it.
I had absolutely NO knowledge of OZ of whatsoever. I remember 2 weeks into it, watching morning tv, and they said "It's the first day of summer". All I could think was "bugger that, it's winter!!!!"
I simply had never known that seasons would be different. Nor did I know that the country was so large! I still remember when Sydney Olympics was on and we were living in Bunbury WA,
I called my (now) late grandfather and he asked me if I would walk over to watch the olympics every day!!! Only then did the size of the county hit me, when trying to explain it to my family!
So there I was, PR in country I knew nothing about. Initially we only had 1 car that OH took to work so I was left walking, didn't mind it as I was used to walking everywhere and on average day
I walked 10kms. One day sticks to mind though. We were living in a (really crappy now that I think of it) 2 bedroom furnished unit (as we had only brought clothes with us) and I decided to
walk to inlaws place (5kms away). Half way through, those that know Bunbury know the "swamp". It had no houses around it then, just a big swamp with a pedestrian way next to it. Half way
through I came across to big sign.... "Snakes are very active this time of the year, please take care as they have been known to leave the swamp to mate this time of the year...". 5km walk ended up
being 5km run after that! I also, as still reminded by inlaws, spent days rescuing drowning flies from inlaws pool!! HAHA, this was in December, everyone cursing the number of flies around and here's me,
plucking them from inlaws pool so they wouldn't drown! I will never live that down, as it's still BBQ highlight as to how blonde I was (I'm scandinavian so Blonde jokes are par course!).
So few months into it, cultural shock was overwhelming. Pre GST (early 2000), meeting with Centrelink was an experience. Walked away with all of $23.10 a fortnight (hubby was on "good wage" of $26k at the time).
Another thing thinking back, I was terrified of three things: spiders, sharks and snakes. OH told me not to worry, it would not effect the suburbian setting we were at. First week in Oz, we spent it in Perth.
During that time OH asked if I'd like to go for a swim in the ocean. "No thanks, I think the sharks can smell my bood and come after me". This was at 7am less than 1km from Cottesloe beach, we went to rellies house, with OH
telling them what a sook I was. Later that night we heard Ken Crew had been taken by shark at the same beach, same morning. Odd and not regular event I know but shook me to the core I tell you!!
Weeks later OH came home from work, face, throat and upper neck completely swelling up, trip to the emergency ward, turn out to be spider bite. Hmmmm, by this time I was freaking out! Number 3 fear was to be faced
few weeks later with a dugite on the front lawn! So, albeit may seem like I'm freaking people out, what I'm saying that I thought I would literally die from the sight of snakes, spiders or sharks but once living in Oz,
you quickly learn, especially with spiders, what are dangerous, how to deal with them and they become part of life. Spiders, that is. I am happy to say that after initial bad start I have not met any snakes since,
albeit we have had to deal with shark attacks (more to tell on that later).
Shopping..... well Asda or whatever was not part of my life in my time in UK (I stuck to local Safeways) and although finnish supermarkets were well equipt, shopping was never priority.
I'm forever amazed on BE how people literally move (sometimes) back to UK because of shopping (????? Sorry, I just don't get it). My attitude, always was and will be, make do with what you have.
In my case it was local Woollies. Every product was new, and I started from scratch. Trial and error to find the right pasta sauce, the right jam, etc. Especially with a baby, due to nappies and formula.
But instead of being disheartened, I treated it as of an adventure, something gained, something lost. Simplest things like signing up for movie rentals, ordering takeaway, buying a lotto ticket (took me ages to ask for slickpick)
were mammoth tasks, in foreign language mind you but had to be done to gain normality to life.
After 5mths we had saved enough money for furniture and decided to rent a house, instead of the small unit. That's when reality hit. New place, strange country, small baby and I knew absolutely no one!
Nor did I know anything of my new country. The only human contact I had was at the deli counter and checkout, plus OHs family. I absolutely struggled with that, ending with agoraphobia.
To those that don't understand agoraphobia, it is hard to understand that you cannot leave your home. You simply cannot exit your safe place. Panic attacks will hit if you even look at the front door.
For me, I think the migration, overwhelming of everything new got to me, and by then, I was pregnant with our 2nd baby and it all got to me. I have to point out that never ever was I homesick!!!
I never "belonged" to Finland, nor was my family close knit so that was never an issue. Simply the change got to me. This was also just before internet became popular, before Skype etc so
without a computer my contact with family was once a week emails at the local internet cafe.
Part 2 to follow...... If anyone is reading lol!
Last edited by teza; Feb 11th 2011 at 2:09 am.
Feb 11th 2011, 2:58 am
#2
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 681
Re: Over a decade in Oz - totally blonde part 1
What experiences you have to tell your children, Im looking forward to part 2
Last edited by GoldCoastMag; Feb 11th 2011 at 2:59 am. Reason: deleted quoted OP
Feb 11th 2011, 3:14 am
#3
Crazy Cat Lady
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 65,493
Re: Over a decade in Oz - totally blonde part 1
Waiting for Part 2. Great post. 
Feb 11th 2011, 3:33 am
#4
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Nov 2005
Location: Yorkshire - Queensland - NSW
Posts: 843
Re: Over a decade in Oz - totally blonde part 1
Great update cannot wait to read part 2 
Feb 11th 2011, 8:47 am
#5
Victorian Evangelist
Joined: Sep 2005
Location: Melbourne, by the beach, living the dream.
Posts: 7,704
Re: Over a decade in Oz - totally blonde part 1
errr do you miss the naked saunas?
BB
Feb 11th 2011, 10:18 am
#6
Banned
Joined: Jul 2010
Location: Queensland, Australia
Posts: 1,010
Re: Over a decade in Oz - totally blonde part 1
Great post, looking forward to the next installment 
Feb 11th 2011, 11:44 am
#7
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 213
Re: Over a decade in Oz - totally blonde part 1
Awaits part 2
Feb 12th 2011, 11:05 am
#8
no stressin no fussin....
Joined: Aug 2007
Location: Fantasy Island....
Posts: 12,616
Re: Over a decade in Oz - totally blonde part 1
great update mate keep em coming
Feb 12th 2011, 11:13 am
#9
Forum Regular
Joined: Apr 2007
Location: Wigan
Posts: 94
Re: Over a decade in Oz - totally blonde part 1
What a great read! Looking forward to part 2!
Feb 15th 2011, 2:23 am
#10
Forum Regular
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 202
Re: Over a decade in Oz - totally blonde part 1
Love reading your post! You write beautifully..it feels I am in a movie and this is happening to me 
)
Dont make us wait long!
)Dont make us wait long!
Feb 15th 2011, 1:07 pm
#11
Aussie Finn Mixture!
Thread Starter
Joined: May 2005
Location: Leschenault WA (after few locations around WA and Around Europe!)
Posts: 1,151
Re: Over a decade in Oz - totally blonde part 1
Thank you all, working on the part 2, should be up during the weekend
Feb 15th 2011, 1:18 pm
#12
Aussie Finn Mixture!
Thread Starter
Joined: May 2005
Location: Leschenault WA (after few locations around WA and Around Europe!)
Posts: 1,151
Re: Over a decade in Oz - totally blonde part 1
) into a sauna with 4 female rellies few years ago, lasted 2 seconds and walked out, whereas my (then) 3yr aussie daughter kept upping the heat and outlasted all (she'd never been in a sauna so guess aussie heat kicked in), had to drag her out 40mins later thinking she'd have a heart attack!!
Feb 16th 2011, 12:24 am
#13
Crazy Cat Lady
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 65,493
Re: Over a decade in Oz - totally blonde part 1
LOL, was never a big fan of saunas, freaked out when had to go (naked of course) into a sauna with 4 female rellies few years ago, lasted 2 seconds and walked out, whereas my (then) 3yr aussie daughter kept upping the heat and outlasted all (she'd never been in a sauna so guess aussie heat kicked in), had to drag her out 40mins later thinking she'd have a heart attack!!
) into a sauna with 4 female rellies few years ago, lasted 2 seconds and walked out, whereas my (then) 3yr aussie daughter kept upping the heat and outlasted all (she'd never been in a sauna so guess aussie heat kicked in), had to drag her out 40mins later thinking she'd have a heart attack!!
Feb 16th 2011, 7:57 am
#14
Aussie Finn Mixture!
Thread Starter
Joined: May 2005
Location: Leschenault WA (after few locations around WA and Around Europe!)
Posts: 1,151
Re: Over a decade in Oz - totally blonde part 1
, mind you I always hated it . Daughter was thrown cold water over her constantly but still wouldn't get out, we had to physically take her out, she wrapped herself in layers of towels and doonas and took off to the back door wanting to play in snow... hmm, youngest is, always has been, complete freak of nature, in more ways than one!
Feb 16th 2011, 9:56 am
#15
Former Resident Visa
Joined: Nov 2005
Location: Mornington Peninsula
Posts: 2,887
Re: Over a decade in Oz - totally blonde part 1
Oh yeah we are definately reading!!!
Part 2 please
J x
Part 2 please
J x