india

hi all

quick background... born in Oz, moved to UK when i was 3, went back this year for the first time on holiday and have just booked a one way to go back to Sydney to give it a proper go..

My question really is for all those that have got through the homesickness issue. One half of my brain is saying 'what are you worrying about, sun,, sea etc' but there is something in the back of my head which is questioning whether I am doing the right thing. I loved Sydney but I read another message which mentioned that 'gut feeling'. mine was there, but has since gone...

I am a graphic designer and as yet have not got any work lined up (hint hint!!) so I am starting from scratch, which is exciting!

so if anyone could offer advice as to the feelings you experience once you are there, i would be very grateful!

Oh, and of course, any freelance...

gunitm

Well mate, listen to that 1/2 of ur brain which gives u +ve thoughts.
Best of luck,
gunit

shamer

Uncanny!!!, I am also a Graphic Designer, my wife and I are moving to Sydney in March, without work lined up.

We are going through the same emotions you have just described. We both have great jobs in Scotland that pay well, and are jumping into unceranty. She is from a large Irish family, and I know she will miss them greatly.

We feel these are things that we can overcome, just like the problems we would have to face if we stayed in Glasgow.

I am sure things will work out just the way they are supposed to. Nobody said it was going to be easy, its just part of the fun.

Cheers and Good Luck with the Job hunting, see you at the interviews.

Shamer

teresa.c

Hi India
I think I know where you are coming from!!
I was born in England but went to Australia at a year old. Came back here when I was 7, but always missed it. I was brought up out there, and I always felt I would go back one day! When I went travelling 94-95 I visited all my old haunts, and felt quite at home, which was bizarre as lot of years had passed! Anyway, am now heading to Perth (hopefully) and my 'gut' feeling has now up and left and I have the 'half brain' problem too!! For me, I think it is just nerves about starting over, new experiences etc, and the finality of it all. I take it that you didnt have to go through all the palava that the rest of us have with visas and waiting etc,etc? And look at it this way.......you can always come back!!! The world is a lot smaller than it used to be!
Anyway, good luck, and I hope all goes well for you.

Teresa

india

It's so relieving to know that I am not the only person worrying about what is bound to be a fantastic experieince for all of us!

Like you say, 'home' is only 24 hours away but probably the atmosphere will make yearning for home a distant memory.

Thanks guys, good luck with all your plans too, it must be really hard leaving a close knit Irish family : ( at least you have each other.. and as you say, see you at the interviews...eek!

Theresa, hopefully the 'go for it' side of the brain will take over! Do you have family in Perth? Good luck...

At least we can look back and say we gave it a good go!

India

Herman

We, and a few of our English friends here in Sydney tend to live by 'decision' deadlines. That kind of helps - you agree that at a certain date, maybe after 2 years, you will make a decision about the next 2 years and so on. It may sound hard but it reinforces the fact that at ANY time you can go back and nothing is final. We have decided to return to England but equally have friends who we met on the plane on the way here who reached the same decision date and decided to stay for 2 more years and then think again. I'm not sure if you ever stop parcelling up the future into blocks of time - my step sister has been here for nearly 6 years and still does the '2 years at a time' thing and an English guy I work with has been here for 11 years and says he still does it!

pommiesheila

Herman,

I was so glad to read your post about the "parcelling of time". We too, have decided to give it at least 1 year, and then reassess the situation. We are having an interesting time (that's the only way I can objectively describe it!) here, but at the moment, we're still very uncertain about our long term future.

Whatever happens, if we go back, we WON'T have failed. We will have had a life-enriching experience (and the worry lines that go with it) and thats a hell of a lot more than most people.

Good luck for the next 2 years!!!