swallowbride

hi everyone hope all is well wherever you are.how hard was it when you first arrived in aussie land to cope with the change?did you and oh (if applicable)settle kids in ok whilst trying to find house, work, schools ect...my big worry being finding work.takes a lot of balls to up and go not knowing anyone,take my hat off to youalthough we are 100% committed to moving still cant help worring.
thanks us, five

JoolsB

Hi We arrived Melbourne end Jan, bought a nice house (moved in 2 weeks ago)-not our perfect area but prices have gone up etc so a compromise had to be made somewhere, OH found & started part time work a month in and the position is switching to full time next month (again not ideal-he's a photographer and the job is in photographic lighting and studio sales so not thrilling but in the right field!). We have even started to get friendly with a few people & had a drinks party at ours the other night . We dont have kids so cant comment there... I think the only thing I have struggled with is the usual-missing people, familiar places, my UK safety zone which has been surprisingly hard-God I swore I would never whinge about Aussie supermarkets but... get me to a Waitrose now!!

What I really mean it say is it can all work out as many will testify -you must allow yourself some time to grieve for your old life and the UK if you need to (however unsatisfactory it was)-dont panic and head for the plane back if you feel a bit depressed/panicked-give it time and get out there. Good luck!

swallowbride

thanks jools.the big worry for me is the wife missing family(very close to mum) also comfort zone of present jobs ect. i bet kids adapt better than us!hope we can make friends soon over there to make it a bit easier

JoolsB

In that case (and based on my experience) i would say expect lots of tears (normal!) & make sure you are ready with lots of cuddles, reassurances & Get Skype for free calls and webcam-we chatted to OH parents with webcam for first time the other day and it was great to actually see them. If you can stretch to it suggest a holiday back a year or so after arrival-if someone is feeling really homesick it is something to cling onto in those dark moments! The good thing is people here are generally much more chatty and open that in UK-esp if you are too Oh, and once you have your own place get Foxtel (equiv of Sky) if you can-it really helps to be able to watch familiar tv during daytime hours when Aus tv is crap!

swallowbride

thanks jools.webcam is a definite, oh uses it now and us and her family live in same city lol.we had lots of people saying we will visit but saying and doing two different things a!dont get me wrong we both determind to never come back once there.

kendalanita

Me and OH fly out this Saturday to start our new life in Canberra - is it possible to feel homesick before you've even left?!!! Think I'm cracking up or I've got to stop wearing those rose tinted specs cos now I'm wondering why I'm doing this at all!! One massive reason - my daughter lives there and I cannot live at the other side of the world from her any longer!

JoolsB

Yes it is normal-you may find the feeling abates when you arrive or you may find it gets worse for a while. Having your daughter will be a huge help though I am in Melbourne and my aunt in adelaide and when she came to stay with me recently I felt so much better and then when she left I felt a little lost again so I would say having a close family member nearby is a big plus!

Australia is a great country but emigrating is an enormous and stressful life change-it would be odd (I think) not to feel strange for a while-obviously the length of time and strength of feelings will vary from person to person. Just try to relax and focus on all the positives & give it time. Good luck in Canberra

kendalanita

Thanks for that darling, I'm sure given a few weeks (or months) I'll be fine, don't know what's wrong with me - had a total meltdown today, just cried all night, spoke to my mum and that gutted me, saying my goodbyes to her tomorrow and then drop the dogs off for their flight, can feel a few vodka and tonics coming on! Never thought I would feel like this, its been my dream for so long and now its nearly here I'm being pathetic but hopefully - quite normal! Once I see my daughter in two weeks time it will all be worth it - just wished I was closer to her but just give me time! x

JoolsB

You will be fine & I know exactly how you feel. Don't be worried to let your feelings show and have a good cry whenever you need to-I do as my OH will testify! You will be grieving for the life, people, places and things you are used to and why not-they have made up your world for a long time. I bet your daughter cant wait to see you PS try not to worry too much about your dogs either-my 2 were fine on flight and are even better behaved than before quarantine