who is sick of Australia?
Oct 17th 2008, 4:16 pm
#197
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Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 197
Re: who is sick of Australia?
OMG yes!! I hate the place 
The people are just too friendly - who do they think they are talking to you when you just want to be left alone.
The weather is too predictable - I hate being able to predict that it'll be cold in winter and hot in the summer. Makes life just too easy.
There's nothing to do here - it's so boring being able to nip down to the beach, or have a BBQ with your friends at the drop of a hat. I don't want to be able to go the zoo and get in for free because I have red hair. I don't want to watch the RAAF show, or go to the Royal show every year with the kids.
The food is really crap - who wants to be able to grow their own veggies in their back yard, or be able to pick a fresh orange or lemon off of the tree every morning.
Customer Service - now don't get me started on this :curse: who wants to be asked how they are when they go to the supermarket? I mean don't they have better things to do like talk to their mate at the next till while chewing gum!! Or totally ignore you and hope you'll go to the next checkout. Also I hate the way they pack your groceries for you - do they not like to see if they can scan it through faster than you can pack it over here? they just arern't normal!!
What is it with this country, I'm going back at the first opportunity.
The people are just too friendly - who do they think they are talking to you when you just want to be left alone.
The weather is too predictable - I hate being able to predict that it'll be cold in winter and hot in the summer. Makes life just too easy.
There's nothing to do here - it's so boring being able to nip down to the beach, or have a BBQ with your friends at the drop of a hat. I don't want to be able to go the zoo and get in for free because I have red hair. I don't want to watch the RAAF show, or go to the Royal show every year with the kids.
The food is really crap - who wants to be able to grow their own veggies in their back yard, or be able to pick a fresh orange or lemon off of the tree every morning.
Customer Service - now don't get me started on this :curse: who wants to be asked how they are when they go to the supermarket? I mean don't they have better things to do like talk to their mate at the next till while chewing gum!! Or totally ignore you and hope you'll go to the next checkout. Also I hate the way they pack your groceries for you - do they not like to see if they can scan it through faster than you can pack it over here? they just arern't normal!!
What is it with this country, I'm going back at the first opportunity.
when i get served at a checkout here i encounter more "formal politeness"
i.e - "hello sir how was your day"(so predictable) , in a very monotone voice with no eye contact usually
if i make small talk in return i get a blank stare, and then - "enjoy your meal"
in englkand i don't get the "formal politeness" as much, but if i say something i don't get the blank stare and i do get a switched on comment in return/and or a giggle
when i go to a pub here i won't encounter any rude people, and people may smile at me or say g'day, but won't offer me a drink, or offer to come out them and with their mates on the weekend(or won't take up my offers cos they live by a so called busy schedule)
or i go up to a few girls for the sake of socialising and they assume i'm tryin g to f... them, and put up their typical girlie barriers(cos the women sit in one corner with their female friends and the males sit in the other corner with their male friends)
and in a pub in england i may encounter people who won't say "g'day", but will engage in a broad range of conversation, and spontaneously ask me to go out wioth them somewhere even tho i don't know them
FACT - aussies are much more cliquey, but more polite
FACT - more brits are rude, but more sociable
all i'm saying is aussies are more neutral, and brits tend to be more one extreme or the other
it all balances out at the end of the day and it's just a matter of preference
Oct 17th 2008, 9:59 pm
#198
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Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 1,043
Re: who is sick of Australia?
"There's nothing to do here - it's so boring being able to nip down to the beach, or have a BBQ with your friends at the drop of a hat. I don't want to be able to go the zoo and get in for free because I have red hair. I don't want to watch the RAAF show, or go to the Royal show every year with the kids."
So what your saying is that unless you have kids there is nothing to do apart from beaches and BBQs?
So what your saying is that unless you have kids there is nothing to do apart from beaches and BBQs?
Oct 18th 2008, 12:49 am
#199
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Joined: Mar 2007
Location: Kallaroo, Perth
Posts: 451
Re: who is sick of Australia?
Why? Do you need to have kids to go to the beach?
We love it here, I actually find I dont have enough hours in the day to do everything we want to do.
Life is what you make of it.
Personally I wish we had come here years ago.
We love it here, I actually find I dont have enough hours in the day to do everything we want to do.
Life is what you make of it.
Personally I wish we had come here years ago.
Oct 18th 2008, 2:19 am
#200
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Oct 2005
Location: Hill overlooking the SE Melbourne suburbs
Posts: 16,622
Re: who is sick of Australia?
when it comes to the way the people are, i think it all comes down to what you consider friendly
when i get served at a checkout here i encounter more "formal politeness"
i.e - "hello sir how was your day"(so predictable) , in a very monotone voice with no eye contact usually
if i make small talk in return i get a blank stare, and then - "enjoy your meal"
in englkand i don't get the "formal politeness" as much, but if i say something i don't get the blank stare and i do get a switched on comment in return/and or a giggle
when i go to a pub here i won't encounter any rude people, and people may smile at me or say g'day, but won't offer me a drink, or offer to come out them and with their mates on the weekend(or won't take up my offers cos they live by a so called busy schedule)
or i go up to a few girls for the sake of socialising and they assume i'm tryin g to f... them, and put up their typical girlie barriers(cos the women sit in one corner with their female friends and the males sit in the other corner with their male friends)
and in a pub in england i may encounter people who won't say "g'day", but will engage in a broad range of conversation, and spontaneously ask me to go out wioth them somewhere even tho i don't know them
FACT - aussies are much more cliquey, but more polite
FACT - more brits are rude, but more sociable
all i'm saying is aussies are more neutral, and brits tend to be more one extreme or the other
it all balances out at the end of the day and it's just a matter of preference
when i get served at a checkout here i encounter more "formal politeness"
i.e - "hello sir how was your day"(so predictable) , in a very monotone voice with no eye contact usually
if i make small talk in return i get a blank stare, and then - "enjoy your meal"
in englkand i don't get the "formal politeness" as much, but if i say something i don't get the blank stare and i do get a switched on comment in return/and or a giggle
when i go to a pub here i won't encounter any rude people, and people may smile at me or say g'day, but won't offer me a drink, or offer to come out them and with their mates on the weekend(or won't take up my offers cos they live by a so called busy schedule)
or i go up to a few girls for the sake of socialising and they assume i'm tryin g to f... them, and put up their typical girlie barriers(cos the women sit in one corner with their female friends and the males sit in the other corner with their male friends)
and in a pub in england i may encounter people who won't say "g'day", but will engage in a broad range of conversation, and spontaneously ask me to go out wioth them somewhere even tho i don't know them
FACT - aussies are much more cliquey, but more polite
FACT - more brits are rude, but more sociable
all i'm saying is aussies are more neutral, and brits tend to be more one extreme or the other
it all balances out at the end of the day and it's just a matter of preference
Mate I agree here with most of what you've said. Some Australians are more reserved than just about what the rest of the world thinks of them. (And the rest of the world picks on the English as being reserved - there's no rhyme or reason.)
Recently arriving expats tend to see the laid back politeness and think - now that's a NICE person. They see an extrovert and think - now that's a FRIENDLY person.
At its best, this reserve is formed out of the slower pace of life here, is a form of tolerance, politeness - at it's worst - it's annoying for the single man like yourself.
Having said that, you should be able to use your accent to some sort of effect, and I get plenty of response from Australians in supermarkets etc. I find Australians like dry wit, cheeky wit, but not smart alecs.
Treating people as people is the thing at the end of the day.
Oct 18th 2008, 12:38 pm
#201
Forum Regular
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 197
Re: who is sick of Australia?
i wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy it's not a very nice situation to be in
i was 13 when i first came here with parents,brother/sister (who have been here permanently since 1987), and i've been back and forth a few times
Oct 18th 2008, 1:19 pm
#203
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Nov 2005
Location: at the bottom of a wine glass
Posts: 28,176
Re: who is sick of Australia?
when it comes to the way the people are, i think it all comes down to what you consider friendly
when i get served at a checkout here i encounter more "formal politeness"
i.e - "hello sir how was your day"(so predictable) , in a very monotone voice with no eye contact usually
if i make small talk in return i get a blank stare, and then - "enjoy your meal"
in englkand i don't get the "formal politeness" as much, but if i say something i don't get the blank stare and i do get a switched on comment in return/and or a giggle
when i go to a pub here i won't encounter any rude people, and people may smile at me or say g'day, but won't offer me a drink, or offer to come out them and with their mates on the weekend(or won't take up my offers cos they live by a so called busy schedule)
or i go up to a few girls for the sake of socialising and they assume i'm tryin g to f... them, and put up their typical girlie barriers(cos the women sit in one corner with their female friends and the males sit in the other corner with their male friends)
and in a pub in england i may encounter people who won't say "g'day", but will engage in a broad range of conversation, and spontaneously ask me to go out wioth them somewhere even tho i don't know them
FACT - aussies are much more cliquey, but more polite
FACT - more brits are rude, but more sociable
all i'm saying is aussies are more neutral, and brits tend to be more one extreme or the other
it all balances out at the end of the day and it's just a matter of preference
when i get served at a checkout here i encounter more "formal politeness"
i.e - "hello sir how was your day"(so predictable) , in a very monotone voice with no eye contact usually
if i make small talk in return i get a blank stare, and then - "enjoy your meal"
in englkand i don't get the "formal politeness" as much, but if i say something i don't get the blank stare and i do get a switched on comment in return/and or a giggle
when i go to a pub here i won't encounter any rude people, and people may smile at me or say g'day, but won't offer me a drink, or offer to come out them and with their mates on the weekend(or won't take up my offers cos they live by a so called busy schedule)
or i go up to a few girls for the sake of socialising and they assume i'm tryin g to f... them, and put up their typical girlie barriers(cos the women sit in one corner with their female friends and the males sit in the other corner with their male friends)
and in a pub in england i may encounter people who won't say "g'day", but will engage in a broad range of conversation, and spontaneously ask me to go out wioth them somewhere even tho i don't know them
FACT - aussies are much more cliquey, but more polite
FACT - more brits are rude, but more sociable
all i'm saying is aussies are more neutral, and brits tend to be more one extreme or the other
it all balances out at the end of the day and it's just a matter of preference
I worked in Morissons a few years before I came here and was actually told off for talking to a customer too much, she had finished packing her own shopping and I was still talking to her...a strict no no apparently!
I left after 3 weeks to go work somewhere more customer friendly. Maybe I'm just the type of gal people can talk to?
I'd ask you to clarify, but I can't be arsed 
Oct 18th 2008, 11:32 pm
#205
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Oct 19th 2008, 1:39 am
#207
Forum Regular
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 197
Re: who is sick of Australia?
Maybe South Aussies are more friendly than they are where you are? I don't know. But I do know that I can strike up a conversation with the check out guys and be talking to them for ages. Same as I can be stood in a queue and strike up a conversation with the person next to me.
I worked in Morissons a few years before I came here and was actually told off for talking to a customer too much, she had finished packing her own shopping and I was still talking to her...a strict no no apparently! I left after 3 weeks to go work somewhere more customer friendly.
Maybe I'm just the type of gal people can talk to?
That sentence doesn't really make sense I'd ask you to clarify, but I can't be arsed
I worked in Morissons a few years before I came here and was actually told off for talking to a customer too much, she had finished packing her own shopping and I was still talking to her...a strict no no apparently!
I left after 3 weeks to go work somewhere more customer friendly. Maybe I'm just the type of gal people can talk to?
That sentence doesn't really make sense
I'd ask you to clarify, but I can't be arsed you do come across more unfriendly rudeness in england
but i also found england much less cliquey
i just find sydney people polite, but very apathetic
Oct 19th 2008, 1:47 am
#208
Auntie Fa
Joined: Nov 2006
Location: Seattle
Posts: 7,344
Re: who is sick of Australia?
I have lengthy conversations with people in Sydney shops, be it the large department store or the corner butcher.
It could be that I give off a "daft old bat, humour her", vibe, of course, and I'm still at the stage where I answer the, "Hi how are ya today?", with, "good, thanks, and how are you?", so they have to talk to me.
It could be that I give off a "daft old bat, humour her", vibe, of course, and I'm still at the stage where I answer the, "Hi how are ya today?", with, "good, thanks, and how are you?", so they have to talk to me.
Oct 19th 2008, 1:53 am
#209
Account Closed
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Posts: 14,188
Re: who is sick of Australia?
People the world over like to unload how shit they are feeling that day.
Oct 19th 2008, 2:06 am
#210
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Joined: May 2004
Location: Umina, NSW
Posts: 2,453
Re: who is sick of Australia?
By the way the health system in the UK seems way better than we've experienced so far in Aussie. Having said that though we have not experienced serious problems so far so don't know what the emergency room is like. So you over in the UK to be frank don't know how lucky you are except for maybe the waiting lists. Here - as we are on a provisional VISA we can only get a MEDICARE RECIPROCAL card which means the doc has to put on anything we need as MEDICALLY URGENT or we don't get the refund.
If we earn over a certain amount we have to contribute to Medicare as a small percentage not so different to the NI contributions I guess. But, even with that we still have to pay for care. We have a doc who bulk bills so we pay $15.00 EVERY time we see the doc. OH recently had a cat scan which proved normal by the way but that cost $265. He got a good proportion of that back from Medicare which meant is had actually cost $110. The blood tests seem to be free as doc also does bulk billing for those too. If you need pills that will cost every time too. I think its even higher without PBS but on average OH coughs up $50 for a months worth of BP tabs.
As for dental - that costs for every visit. We DO have some private insurance but that is difficult to get as none residents and only a couple of companies would entertain us. We're with IMAN which covers emergency admission to hospital and ALL aftercare incl physio. This also covers AMBULANCE cover - bear in mind you MUST take out your own ambo cover of get stung $2500-$3000 for the trip in the ambo if you have an accident or crash or anything else.
I know this is not the health thread but it is something to THINK about when comparing the pro's / con's - sick of UK - sick of Aussie costs.
You still will not get me going back to the UK though!!!!!!
If we earn over a certain amount we have to contribute to Medicare as a small percentage not so different to the NI contributions I guess. But, even with that we still have to pay for care. We have a doc who bulk bills so we pay $15.00 EVERY time we see the doc. OH recently had a cat scan which proved normal by the way but that cost $265. He got a good proportion of that back from Medicare which meant is had actually cost $110. The blood tests seem to be free as doc also does bulk billing for those too. If you need pills that will cost every time too. I think its even higher without PBS but on average OH coughs up $50 for a months worth of BP tabs.
As for dental - that costs for every visit. We DO have some private insurance but that is difficult to get as none residents and only a couple of companies would entertain us. We're with IMAN which covers emergency admission to hospital and ALL aftercare incl physio. This also covers AMBULANCE cover - bear in mind you MUST take out your own ambo cover of get stung $2500-$3000 for the trip in the ambo if you have an accident or crash or anything else.
I know this is not the health thread but it is something to THINK about when comparing the pro's / con's - sick of UK - sick of Aussie costs.
You still will not get me going back to the UK though!!!!!!
People who come on the temp visas (or similar) are aware before they come of the health payments, so I think that it is unfair to speculate on this. Its really compared to the Immigrants who come to the UK and may or may not (cause we dont know) be intitled to health care and us UK people saying that why do they get benefits etc but then expect the same in return when they move to another country. (I am just using your reply as an example of many in a simialr theme so not a dig personnally).
After living here for 3.5 years now, I actually like the system better here. Ok you are out of pocket more, but if you hit a certain amount you can claim tax back, even on perscriptions. You can book for tests really quickly and if you look around you can get a lot for free, if you go to docs ask to be refered to the hospital for tests, normally free, you may have to wait maybe 3 weeks instead. I work in Diagnostic Cardiology and we bulk bill for all our heart tests, echos, stress test, holter monitors etc and not many GPs refer to us but they can.
I have had a major health problem come up that will be with me for life and ongoing medical costs each month, regular MRIs, specialist appts. Probably be free in UK. I have had the best care I could have, cost my health ins a fortune in payments to the hospital for my holidays. But I am sure in the UK I would have had the same or similar care. I needed it I would get it.
I think emergancy care is probably the same, you need it then so you get it then. Ambulance I believe is only $250-$300 but maybe different on different visas, I know cause Ive had a bill.
There are some things I think are bad like childrens stuff, contreception, scripts for permantent health probs (eg diabetes not sure if this is free or not, and other ailments that require ongoing medical costs) there should be a sys in place like UK for a year perscription or similar.
Totally agree on dental but for kids, this should be heavly subsidised or something if not free, especially braces, my god I am in the wrong job.
At the end of the day Australia is not for some people and thats the bottom line. I like it here, I liked the UK. Same shit different bucket. I like the bucket better here.
I do agree that you have to take into account everything, including the posters comments on health on temp visas. And I am glad they have managed to see past it all and still remain positive.
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