PeteY

Really well thanks. Would love to get back into Geology, but for the time being this will do just fine. Long term plan is to get a mortgage here in the mount, live in it one year to get the 7k firsttime homebuyers grant, then rent it out and i will try to get geo work up north...

Florida_03

You sound like you have got a plan. The Geology work, as I imagine is difficult to get. What about the GIS side I know that is a growing business.

PeteY

Yes Geo work can be hard to come by, especially as a i have no experience in the Australian mining/resource environment. With persiverence i will hopefully get somthing. As a back-up, i would be very interested in getting work as a Park Ranger....i fancy wearing a big hat and being mates with Skippy...and all of the state governments bar WA will take you for this work without a vocational qualification....you just need some field of tertiary education. Would be quite an interesting job i reckon....

GIS is indeed a growing employment area, along with remote sensing. I did cover both to a small amount of detail in my degree, but as most of my work experience is in more fundemental geology i would need a fair bit of training before being able to use a GIS system to a professional standard. It certainly may be work looking at.....

PADDAD

Hi

I can really empathise with you. We've now been here 6 months. I note that you've been here 3 months, well I crash landed at the 3 month mark and from expats that I've spoken to it seems to be a significant mark. We even talked about returning home but then decided that it was normal to feel the way we did and it was just a matter of giving ourselves a bit of time to settle in.

We also left a rich circle of friends behind and very close family and it was very difficult. I think also when you first arrive it's all naturally very exciting and there's a lot to see and money to spend but once these things are out of the way your coping strategy dissolves and it all becomes a bit of a reality.

The good news is that for us it has got easier and we really feel we're starting to settle in. I don't miss people as much as I did (including family). Hubby finally started a permanent job in January and both of us working has kept us occupied and of course it helps that the children are now well settled in school.

The homesickness thing is part of the course and I personally think it gets a lot easier after 3 months. We still get pangs of 'missing people and things' but right now they're just pangs.

It isn't easy but hopefully it's just a matter of time so hang in there.

Florida_03

It is hard to get work in the ranger field, more and more of that stuff is volunteer work . May I suggest having a long and hard look at the spatial information and environmental technology markets.

DianeOZ

I've had a bad few days too so I can sympathise Not even the sight of the ocean has brought a smile to my face.. ho hum...another day in paradise...(referring to work here not Oz).

Hope you feel better soon.

Lany

I wouldn't say it gets easier as such but personally I feel I can now deal with it better. Despite the homesickness I'm glad I came here if only to make me appreciate the uk and what I had before! I know exactly what you mean about missing family and friends, When something bad or good happens I always go to ring them and then realise they'll be asleep, or I go somewhere nice and think I wish my mum could see this.

I have told my aussie husband that there is no way I'm staying here forever, maybe 2-3 years but after that I want to go home as the way I see it life's short enough and I'd rather be with my loved ones than on the other side of the world.

HUP

I have missed family and friends. The odd thing is when you make new friends over here they might not be the same sort of friends as you had back in the UK.

I think its probably when you come over here you have it in mind that you need to build up a social circle and you plunge into it.

Now we have met aussies and expats (many from this site) but the thing is they ain't your mates. Sure this sort of thing takes time and will grow but its not having the people there you can sit down with and totally let your guard down, not worry about saying the wrong thing etc. Hopefully over time this level of friendship will be forged.Now I am working I can see these bonds starting.

Often we find ourselves mixing with people who normally we would not have chosen to (i.e. personality difference, age difference, etc etc) and while we do have a good time it can sometimes feel a little hollow and incomplete.

I am having a good time though and still find the experience fresh and exciting. The problem and blessing (both at the same time) is there is so much to do and learn, to build your new life. Also another point on "new life" to bear in mind is that a lot of your "new life" will consist of many parts of your "old life" but with a different flavour.

jat

hi hup

where about in melbourne are you?

im in mel too.. been here 4 years - i can totally relate to having friends with people you would normally not hang out with - ive done it many a time

ive met some great like minded people who are my friends.. and some i just let go!

nothing in common and it becomes to hard work....

HUP

Hi Jat

We are out towards Berwick. Where are you I see you are returning to the UK. How long have you been here?

hevs

Feeling the same as me yesturday Pete.

I rang a pommy friend who now lives in Sydney last night and was on the phone for an hour, had a great laugh and felt tonnes better when i'd finished. They are feeling pretty much the same and finding the so called "new friend thing" a bit heavy going.
Like we said on the phone, "its not everyone you meet that you feel comfortable enough to go round their house, get totally p*ssed and gob off at their neighbours in hungarian, is it"
Time will tell, hang in there mate....

DianeOZ

Very true Hevs, I think my initiation will have to be who will partner me on the Karaoke???

Loopy & Lynnj (& Lynn wasn't even pissed) have already had that joy, anyone else who knows me...beware!!

hevs

whats your favorite wail then??
Hows Lynn? she able to get around a bit better yet? Give her my love please

DianeOZ

She is doing well, nether regions healing beautifully (sorry, too much information). I will pass on your good wishes.

Oh I'll wail anything (wail being the operative word)..the cornier the better.

hevs

OH GOD! the memories!!!!