joebloggs

Now lets think....



Having family and friends all around us, seeing them whenever we want, instead of having to catch a flight for about three days once a year or so .............well, whatever.
All the entertainment, shows, theatre, concerts etc that are constantly on over here, compared to Perth ....yawn, don't want to know.

Historic buildings, beautiful countryside ....boring, boring, boring
Going to a pub with yer pals and knocking back a few pints ...is that it???
Being able to afford oversea holidays, instead of earning weak Ozzie dollar and paying big money to fly anywhere .....whats the deal!!!
Going to the match on Saturdays....no biggie
visiting the Highlands, the most beautiful area of the world ....are you still going on???
Did I mention being near family, so the kids can visit all their relatives?
All the other three hundred things that you miss when you don't take them for granted .....enough already!
Now, why did we move back again?

cinderella

So are you pleased to be back or not?

Not to sure about your sarcasm, so just wondered.

Regards,

Cinderella

joebloggs

Yes!!! Very much. I guess sarcasm doesn't translate onto the screen.

cinderella

So you are pleased to be back. Sometimes the grass is NOT always greener on the otherside of the fence. But at least you had a go and now know that it is not for you and your family. A lot more than some people will ever do.

Good luck with life back here.

Regards,

Cinderella

penzer

hello jo,
can you tell us if oz wasnt what you expected and why, do you think you could convince someone to stay in uk from experiences youve had. i want to go 110%, the wife 90. theres more posts saying "better life" and lifes a downward spiral here in uk.
if youve allready posted before with experiences then what date?
thanks.

penzer

sorry me again......five years is a good go.....was it just homesickness that brought you back or did you expect more from going?

joebloggs

boy this is a toughie.
Let me start by stating the obvious ...everyone has their own reasons/outlook/motivation to do things, so this is just my experience, but this is how things went for me and my wife.
Left Scotland about five and a half years ago now as were feeling a bit tired of life here. Moved to Perth as had been there on holiday and liked it alot ...wifes a teacher, I'm in IT support services. Initially all was good...there was the burst of excitement/nervousness about moving, then the thrill of living somewhere new, discovering new places, etc.
Then after a year or so things started to feel a bit flat. We really started to notice how far away Oz is, for us to visit family in UK or for them to visit us. Our kids in particular really started to notice this, were missing their aunts, uncles grandparents. and also we were missing pur own parents/family. Its surprising how it can get you.
Being away really made appreciate home more. Many of the problems you notice at home don't just disappear..they simply get moved to new surroundings ...moans about crime, waiting lists and so ...well all that stuff exists in OZ too. Not that its a bad place at all...I don't want to sound too negativ, but when it comes to it its not home, and we were really missing Scotland in a way that surprised us both. lots of little things that get taken for granted when at home. We really missed the choice we ahd in the UK ..entertainment wise, to go places, seeing stuff, our home family and friends. Australia is a great place to visit, but not to live in...thats how it seemed to us anyway.
certainly we're a lot happier now we're back here, as are our relatives (forget all that stuff about having somewhere where they can visit!) and you know Scotlands a pretty damn fine place to be ...maybe we've been lucky jobs wise, but we've noticed no big drop in our standard of living...in some ways its better.
Don't know if this helped

penzer

nice one, at least you went. cant see life improving here.
thanks for that.

Perthguy1

How long have you been back???

Sandra

Hi JoeBloggs

Did you take out citizenship so you have the option of returning easily? Just interested, as this might be one of our options for the future.

Cheers

pommie bastard

Nice one son but it will go over the heads of most on here , its far easier to go on and on and on about beaches , weather and BBQs.
The old saying you never know what you had until its gone applies for us , we intend to try and get it back god willing.

Ceri

Hi,
This is what I will being too before I leave. I do think it is sensible to do so.

Although I dislike Aus, this is one thing that I will be doing before returning.

My reason for not doing this now, at this moment (I can apply now if I want - I’ve had my PR visa for two years - the said time) is I don't want it at this moment in time.
No 1: I resent the fact that by law in Aus (citizens) you MUST vote or face a fine, jail or both - to me this is not true democracy, a non vote can also mean a vote within itself - I don't think it is very democratic to be made to vote if you dislike the views of every party. (do any other "western" countries in the world have this law? or is it just Aus)


The reason that I will be taking out citizenship before I finally leave is "I'm leaving the door open" - if not for me (I can’t ever see myself returning here after leaving), then for any future children I may have - call it selfish if you want, but I call it sensible - you never know what the future may bring do you?

If you didn't already know, you can apply online (for those in Aus), submit the forms online and they then call you in for an interview etc http://www.immi.gov.au/e_visa/citizen.htm#applications

cheers

Thylacoleo

The locals get around this by registering an "invalid" or a "donkey" vote. In electorates using the preference system, one must number all candidates by preference.

Miss one, its "invalid". Number from the top as 1 to the bottom is a "donkey" vote. Statistics are kept on both.

captaincook

i agree with ceri

i am a citizen but have not registered to vote. my wife is oz but lived in uk for a few years and made an enquiry on her return and was told she had been deleted from the register. She did'nt bother registering again either.

i hate being told what to do by the state and australia seems to excel at that. rules for this rules for that.

the other issue is the ridiculoulsly completed voting system adopted here. preferences, numbering its just silly having to choose your 20th or so most likely candidate to be elected. having lived here it is so typical of australia making everything overly complicated. presumably thats the reason you have to vote because as nobody seems to understand the system here then not many people would bother otherwise.

onlyme

Hi Sandra, how long have you been here now ? Are you enjoying it ?

Dave.