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Will you like Aus or not - let me tell you

Will you like Aus or not - let me tell you

Old Jun 1st 2003, 12:12 pm
  #46  
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Phall is not a foodstuff, it is a weapon to punish the weak !
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Old Jun 1st 2003, 6:37 pm
  #47  
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Default Re: Will you like Aus or not - let me tell you

Enjoyed the post Badger ....nice one!!

I honestly think everyone going to Oz, or anywhere else, is doing so to escape or change something they're not happy with, what else would drive somebody to make such a huge decision!?!

Personally I want to live my life with a smile on my face, maybe not everyday, but i'm game to give it a try.I don't understand how anyone can put that amount of time, effort & money into emigrating and then when they finally achieve this, they stop putting in the effort to fit into their chosen surroundings. How hard is it to be yourself with the people you meet? If things don't turn out the way you wanted or expected, then you adapt. Surely this is the feeling that drove us all to emmigrate in the first place? Or do I have it all wrong!!

Life isn't rosy all the time, don't all adults know this anyway. My wife lived in Oz as a child and has always wanted to return. I personally have never set foot there, but I can't see me not liking it! We weren't happy with our lives in the UK so we decided to give it a go in Oz. I fully expect all the crap life has thrown at me here to be thrown at me over there, why wouldn't I? I haven't suddenly won the lottery or anything. Life is still life in Oz. You still have to get on with it as you do anywhere else.

Maybe I see things black & white too much, but you can waste forever moaning your way through all the gray. Life is too short, make your decisions and live with them. If you make a mistake, as we all do, you learn from it and move on. If it all fails, you've lost nothing. At least you gave it a go which is more than most people have the bottle to do.

Sorry to drag on. One last thing, PB can kiss my arse, he is the biggest whinging pom I have never had the pleasure to meet! All the best to the smilers out there.

Nelly
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Old Jun 1st 2003, 6:56 pm
  #48  
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I don't like phall, it is too rich too gloopy and my bottom can't handle the afterburn,
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Old Jun 2nd 2003, 2:45 am
  #49  
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Default Re: Will you like Aus or not - let me tell you

Originally posted by badgersmount
Another long post from badgers!!

I look at the people on this forum for whom Oz was not a success and I can only make the following conclusions:

If you go to Oz JUST for any of the following:

1) To 'escape' something crime, drugs, bad schools
2) Because you want to not have a mortgage
3) For weather
4) think life will be all bbqs and beer and skittles

or if you are a natural 'worrier/whinger' or if you like clothes, fashion, keeping up with the Joneses, gossiping, comparing, have 'difficult' tastes, are blinkered etc

or if you go to:
a) Perth (lets face it - it is isolated - but you can still enjoy)
b) Gold Coast (retirees paradise - the novelty of the beaches I suppose soon wear off)

It MAY not work out for you. Because these people generally buy a huge house in suburbia, spend all their time with English expats, and generally try to export their UK lives over to another country. Hardly surprising when they notice there is still crime etc and realise that they can't figure out why Aussies are not accepting them.

Aussies love Poms, but only ones that make an effort to fit in, or do happen to fit in. Someone said on this group that that's the issue with the UK we change everything to allow migrants to fit in, where they should be doing the changing.

I can't believe it when people have only been in Australia 5 minutes, and they're up all night trying to get bloody soccer on SBS, or missing marmite, or missing this or missing that. Potential expat bad experience alert!!! I spent my first 5 mins REVELLING in the differences - noticing how everything seemed 'normal.' It was like finally coming home after having been locked up for a generation. I can imagine what Nelson Mandela and Terry Waite must have felt. Australian life seemed to me to be...what I always thought life would be like when I reached adulthood as seen from a child's perspective.....

(Of course you can miss things! - I didn't miss a thing about the UK cos I had it in some shape or form in Aus - or it was better!!! I missed wearing decent clothes but I was mobile all year and so couldn't wash stuff etc change on a whim etc)

However if you are going because you like AUSTRALIA and the AUSTRALIANS then it probably almost certainly work out for you.
Any issues you have will be the same amywhere. But whilst your 'battling' along - things will be more laid back. I noticed that all my problems seemed solvable in Aus - whereas in the UK I would have got really wound up.

My view for success is to get on with being Australian and in Australia. I certainly did.

A few examples :My cousin has lived in Sydney for 10 years and admits that he occasionally finds Australians 'boring' and a bit 'vacant' - but he still loves it there. I told him to stick with it whatever and he agreed. But this is the same man that is very quiet and to be frank needs to get out of his shell a bit and make more effort. Sometimes he seems so 'English'. His Dad hates Aus - he's there too - but he is the ARCHETYPAL rigdy-didge whinging Pom - it would be embarassing if it wasn't so funny - he even talks about the cost of potatoes, paint etc. I had been there 5 mins and got on like a house on fire with my cousin's mates - because I loved their culture and shared their interests in the kind of ways my cousin doesn't.

I'm glad some of you liked my "What i miss about Aus" thread, and I particularly liked Carianne's reference to how people in shops serving you smile and are polite WHETHER THEY MEAN IT OR NOT. Someone before criticised the "how's your Day going" stuff as what kids are taught to say by their employers - BUT they still DO, don't they!!! I mean kids are taught to say hello in Sainsbury - but they don't - not consistently anyway.

anyone got any questions about culture in Aus, and worry whether or not they will fit it - fire them at me - cos I feel I really understand it over there.

One last story: I hadn't seen an English person for 3 months in Aus - I then met English people for the first time - tourists - who had every reason to be in good form and happy - and I saw them as an Australian might. Well to be honest, the first thing I noticed was how "whingy" they were and instantly realised that I never wanted to go back to England. Their accents were heavy and 'tense', they talked about 'negative' things - albeit positively(!). Everything about them seemed all subtlely wrong.

That was the day I realised I was 'Australian'!!!

yours aye badgers

PS Incidentally, if you answered YES to any of the questions
go to SPAIN..you'll love it there with the stacks of english people who have turned it in to little England living it LARGE on the costa del howsyoufather etc

cynical eh?
well nice theory, because we don't fit in with your nicely boxed perceptive - life is not like that!.

We came to Aus for a look. Actually we asked for a transfer from Sing to here in Aus. My friends mostly consist of Australians, and not expats. We did not emigrate in the first place to escape anything or for a better life. I emigrated because I like travelling, besides the money aspect which is irrelevant to us (am on an expat wage minus the house paid for perk which we had in Sing)

I spend my weekends here either fishing, boating, walking, travelling. I hate shopping, sunbathing on a beach etc, etc. And yet Australia isn't for either of us (been here 6 years)

And as for 'all aussies love poms" - who are you kidding?? , that's so generalising. About two years ago we put in an offer on a property (the asking price), the estate agent let it slip that we were a Brit couple, the owner of the house turned around and said "I'm not selling to bl**dy foreigners" He was a right racist old git. So saying "All" is absolutely ridiculous.Are you speaking for each and every Australian individual. We are Welsh and no we haven't suffered racism from "white" Aussies here during the past 6 years besides the above incident, but plenty of "English" people in work with us have

Nice theory - but here's two people that do not fit into your boxed theory

" .things will be more laid back. I noticed that all my problems seemed solvable in Aus - whereas in the UK I would have got really wound up." Quote.

Again the nature of our work revolves around safety, The laid back attitude "she'll be right" is dangerous in our line of work (that's why we are here!)- Do you fancy seeing some of the oil refineries blow up and hundreds of lives lost?? no.. well "she won't be alright" will she? sigh it's hard work aye! Ok if you're sitting in a safe job with that attitude - but somehow I don't fancy seeing my hubby being killed on a site job because of this attitude by certain people here. We've actually had more bad mistakes/workmanship here (which could have caused deaths if it was left) by Australian workers than we had from Thai workers/labourers who we employed in Sing. It all comes down to this laid back attitude which is dangerous!.

Cheers - don't give up your day job, what is it lorry driving or was it playing at pretend action man ?(you're hopeless at analysing people and life in general - you don't put people into neat little boxes)
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Old Jun 2nd 2003, 2:55 am
  #50  
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I am beginning to think Badgers Is PB sending evreyone up.

First Bdadgers is in the Outback then hes off to live in suburban Melbourne. Hes bragging about the Brothels near the mines, then hes off to pick up the Spouse Visa! Hes an IT consultant in the UK, then a agricultural pilot in OZ.

Plus nobody from OZ uses phrases like Ridgey didge, fair dinkum, no worries unless they want to look like total Pratts.

PB snuck in a line last Friday, that it may have been his last day at work, wonder if PB is still having fun being BB. Still somebodies got to keep up the entertainment.

Last edited by dotty; Jun 2nd 2003 at 3:16 am.
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Old Jun 2nd 2003, 3:00 am
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As all UKanese are "pratts", then one would think he would be right at home in the UK.
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Old Jun 2nd 2003, 4:50 am
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You could be right Dotty, though I'm not totally convinced.
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Old Jun 2nd 2003, 4:59 am
  #53  
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I liked this useful insight:


"I spent my first 5 mins REVELLING in the differences - noticing how everything seemed 'normal.' It was like finally coming home after having been locked up for a generation. I can imagine what Nelson Mandela and Terry Waite must have felt."

So Badgers can understand what it was like for Nelson Mandela and Terry Waite? Hmmm...maybe not!
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Old Jun 2nd 2003, 5:05 am
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Originally posted by dotty
I am beginning to think Badgers Is PB sending evreyone up.

First Bdadgers is in the Outback then hes off to live in suburban Melbourne. Hes bragging about the Brothels near the mines, then hes off to pick up the Spouse Visa! Hes an IT consultant in the UK, then a agricultural pilot in OZ.

Plus nobody from OZ uses phrases like Ridgey didge, fair dinkum, no worries unless they want to look like total Pratts.

PB snuck in a line last Friday, that it may have been his last day at work, wonder if PB is still having fun being BB. Still somebodies got to keep up the entertainment.
Try Badgers, PB, Meg in the same sentence and fling in Florida while you're at it - I've actually thought (maybe wrong - but I have an inkling) Meg and PB are the same person (arguing with themselves - split personality) - just little things which they say.
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Old Jun 2nd 2003, 5:32 am
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Meg is just bizarre!! I guess that's the part of PB's personality that even he doesn't want to associate with !
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Old Jun 2nd 2003, 6:59 am
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Old Jun 2nd 2003, 8:20 am
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[QUOTE]Originally posted by dotty
I am beginning to think Badgers Is PB sending evreyone up.

First Bdadgers is in the Outback then hes off to live in suburban Melbourne. Hes bragging about the Brothels near the mines, then hes off to pick up the Spouse Visa! Hes an IT consultant in the UK, then a agricultural pilot in OZ.
QUOTE>

I am just keeping my options open. It never seems to amaze me that just because you lived abit people don't believe you. I have stacks of mates that have lived similarly and they would think it fairly average. Now I'm embarassed admittedly for my over enthusiasm. I have squeezed a few things in to 30 odd years. I am not PB. there are a few people on this site who have met me in person who can vouch...

"Plus nobody from OZ uses phrases like Ridgey didge, fair dinkum, no worries unless they want to look like total Pratts."

I thought those phrases would have been archaic myself until I heard them in use in QLD and NSW, WA...most amused myself! My driller employer was one, my mate "Bruce" (yes!) was another. As for the boys on the farm...jesus..


No spouse visa - just a normal one. I never bragged about the brothels - just mentioned them in a reply to a post. I was living opposite two!!

remember guys most of you live in suburbia!!! as i said I'm just trying to give another perspective based on another aus which believe it or not is still out there......much to my surprise as well..amazing what happens when you leave the cities and the tourist trails..the people you meet and take you in..the aussies that are still very much aussie.

I enjoyed my time in Aus - and what a time!!! I can't help but feel I was luckly to meet aussies that defy all the stereotypes. ..funny...that's why I wrote a book when I came back which I have considered publishing here.. Some of you have seen it but I am now too bashful to print the URL. i dont like being too much of a 'celeb'..


cheers and thanks dotty, cheers to all on this site - its the characters that keep it alive - PB - keep it up mate. sorry I was a bit harsh. we all get emotive behind this internet thing. one of the beauties of it. it allows us to be.

Im not posting any more unless it is to answer a genuine question.


badgers

Last edited by badgersmount; Jun 2nd 2003 at 9:00 am.
 
Old Jun 2nd 2003, 8:44 am
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We are Welsh
That explains a lot.
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Old Jun 2nd 2003, 9:04 am
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Originally posted by karawara88
That explains a lot.
LAND OF OUR FATHERS ,are you a evans or a jones .........
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Old Jun 2nd 2003, 9:18 am
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Originally posted by badgersmount
It never seems to amaze me that just because you lived abit people don't believe you. I have stacks of mates that have lived similarly and they would think it fairly average. Now I'm embarassed admittedly for my over enthusiasm.

remember guys most of you live in suburbia!!! as i said I'm just trying to give another perspective based on another aus which believe it or not is still out there......much to my surprise as well..amazing what happens when you leave the cities and the tourist trails..the people you meet and take you in..the aussies that are still very much aussie.

I enjoyed my time in Aus - and what a time!!! I can't help but feel I was luckly to meet aussies that defy all the stereotypes. ..funny...that's why I wrote a book when I came back which I have considered publishing here.. Some of you have seen it but I am now too bashful to print the URL. i dont like being too much of a 'celeb'..


cheers and thanks dotty, cheers to all on this site - its the characters that keep it alive - PB - keep it up mate. sorry I was a bit harsh. we all get emotive behind this internet thing. one of the beauties of it. it allows us to be.

Im not posting any more unless it is to answer a genuine question.

badgers
Bully for you mate! I'm amazed that you have the strength of character to keep your composure. I can't be bothered keeping mine with this mob of useless boring bastards.
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