Are you going to miss the UK at all??
Jul 12th 2003, 11:47 am
#16
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Last edited by The Tooth Fairy; Jul 12th 2003 at 12:07 pm.
Jul 12th 2003, 12:02 pm
#17
Forum Regular
Joined: Nov 2002
Location: Sunshine Coast
Posts: 256
Yes Pete the Uk is a great country.
The thing that no one has mentioned and that all Poms will miss when they go to Australia or any other country for that matter is Knowledge!
Everyone takes for granted the knowledge they have. What you need to do to legally keep a car on the road, ie MOT, Road fund licence, insurance, and how to get and pay for them, when you need to get them, how much it costs. What you can and can't do in a motor car on the road.
Try going into a DIY store and ask for rawl plugs and the chances are they dont call it a rawl plug. Thats a trade name and if They dont have that companys product ingrained in their society you are going to get a mighty strange look from the DIY assisstant.
How about where to go when you are ill? Do they have health centres, do chemists give medical advice? What can you get on prescription? Did you know Ashtma inahalers can be bought over the counter without presciption in Oz but not in UK?
Buying houses, christ how the hell do you go about that? How does Stamp duty come into it? Freehold, Leasehold, Solicitors, Estate agents, can you expect to get a mortgage after only being in work for a few weeks? Can you even open a bank account.
What should you wear at a job interview in Australia? Do u wear a suit, smart casuals, tousers/skirt/shorts? What is the etiquette of job interview wear?
In the UK I know almost exactly what to expect in all the above scenarios but not in Australia.
Dont take anything for granted, its going to be wierd and you will miss knowing what you know.
A great deal of your knowledge will be useless. I will miss all that knowledge.
The great things I will miss are, GREEN trees, grass etc.
Real ale. WARM BEER.
Only bad tasting beer is drunk cold, it disguises the soso taste. Thats why red wine is drunk at room temperature, its superior taste doesnt require refrigeration to mask an average flavour unlike white wine(yeuch).
I will miss understanding all the in-jokes due to references to past UK history etc. Aussies make references to previous politicians and celebrities etc in Australia that will just fly over our heads out there. You just wont get half their jokes. (comes back to knowledge again)
Family and friends.
Our amazing diversity of accents(and the characters attached to those accents) across this small nation. Hopefully I will still stumble across the odd Geordie, scouse, welsh, scottish, cockney, west country, brummie accent.
The thing that no one has mentioned and that all Poms will miss when they go to Australia or any other country for that matter is Knowledge!
Everyone takes for granted the knowledge they have. What you need to do to legally keep a car on the road, ie MOT, Road fund licence, insurance, and how to get and pay for them, when you need to get them, how much it costs. What you can and can't do in a motor car on the road.
Try going into a DIY store and ask for rawl plugs and the chances are they dont call it a rawl plug. Thats a trade name and if They dont have that companys product ingrained in their society you are going to get a mighty strange look from the DIY assisstant.
How about where to go when you are ill? Do they have health centres, do chemists give medical advice? What can you get on prescription? Did you know Ashtma inahalers can be bought over the counter without presciption in Oz but not in UK?
Buying houses, christ how the hell do you go about that? How does Stamp duty come into it? Freehold, Leasehold, Solicitors, Estate agents, can you expect to get a mortgage after only being in work for a few weeks? Can you even open a bank account.
What should you wear at a job interview in Australia? Do u wear a suit, smart casuals, tousers/skirt/shorts? What is the etiquette of job interview wear?
In the UK I know almost exactly what to expect in all the above scenarios but not in Australia.
Dont take anything for granted, its going to be wierd and you will miss knowing what you know.
A great deal of your knowledge will be useless. I will miss all that knowledge.
The great things I will miss are, GREEN trees, grass etc.
Real ale. WARM BEER.
Only bad tasting beer is drunk cold, it disguises the soso taste. Thats why red wine is drunk at room temperature, its superior taste doesnt require refrigeration to mask an average flavour unlike white wine(yeuch).
I will miss understanding all the in-jokes due to references to past UK history etc. Aussies make references to previous politicians and celebrities etc in Australia that will just fly over our heads out there. You just wont get half their jokes. (comes back to knowledge again)
Family and friends.
Our amazing diversity of accents(and the characters attached to those accents) across this small nation. Hopefully I will still stumble across the odd Geordie, scouse, welsh, scottish, cockney, west country, brummie accent.
Jul 12th 2003, 12:35 pm
#19
Banned
Joined: Apr 2003
Location: Angle vale Sth Australia
Posts: 5,353
Re: Are you going to miss the UK at all??
Originally posted by Jaykay
I've been living in the UK for the last 10 years, and last night really brought home to me that I am definitely going to miss lots of things about the UK that I've come to know and love.
1. The music. I absolutely love the music that they have here in the UK. I'm now into Hard House, which I had never heard when I was living in Oz. I had only heard 1/4 of the music that they play over here when I was living in Oz (any type of music that is) and I know that they definitely don't play much of it, even now, back in Oz. At least I can log into BBC1 or KISSFM when I get back to Oz.
Also going to miss going to the great nightclubs and DJ's in London, as the atmosphere is just fantastic. Never had that in Oz.
2. The culture. Went up to London last night for a friend's 30th birthday. Wandered through Leicester Square and Picadilly Circus when we left, got on the tube back to Waterloo to get the train home at and it went through my mind that I'm really going to miss all of this too. Have been up to Melbourne town tons of times in the past and it definitely didn't have the same vibe as what I felt last night.
3.Girls nights out. Even though I had lots of girlfriends in Oz, it's going to be strange not having my girlfriends around to hold my hair when I need it (girlie thing), go to the loo with me when I need it, dance around the handbags on the dance floor, drink shots like there's no tomorrow, stagger back to my place and do girlie chat till 4am in the morning.
4. Get up and go for a run when there's snow and ice on the ground, not knowing if you're going to get back in one piece. Hoping that you're wearing enough to keep you warm and also knowing that you can run a nice warm back when you get back.
Now please don't get me wrong, I'm so looking forward to going back home to Oz but there are still things that I'm going to miss about the UK.
Regards
I've been living in the UK for the last 10 years, and last night really brought home to me that I am definitely going to miss lots of things about the UK that I've come to know and love.
1. The music. I absolutely love the music that they have here in the UK. I'm now into Hard House, which I had never heard when I was living in Oz. I had only heard 1/4 of the music that they play over here when I was living in Oz (any type of music that is) and I know that they definitely don't play much of it, even now, back in Oz. At least I can log into BBC1 or KISSFM when I get back to Oz.
Also going to miss going to the great nightclubs and DJ's in London, as the atmosphere is just fantastic. Never had that in Oz.
2. The culture. Went up to London last night for a friend's 30th birthday. Wandered through Leicester Square and Picadilly Circus when we left, got on the tube back to Waterloo to get the train home at and it went through my mind that I'm really going to miss all of this too. Have been up to Melbourne town tons of times in the past and it definitely didn't have the same vibe as what I felt last night.
3.Girls nights out. Even though I had lots of girlfriends in Oz, it's going to be strange not having my girlfriends around to hold my hair when I need it (girlie thing), go to the loo with me when I need it, dance around the handbags on the dance floor, drink shots like there's no tomorrow, stagger back to my place and do girlie chat till 4am in the morning.
4. Get up and go for a run when there's snow and ice on the ground, not knowing if you're going to get back in one piece. Hoping that you're wearing enough to keep you warm and also knowing that you can run a nice warm back when you get back.
Now please don't get me wrong, I'm so looking forward to going back home to Oz but there are still things that I'm going to miss about the UK.
Regards
MM
Jul 12th 2003, 1:15 pm
#20
Forum Regular
Joined: Nov 2002
Location: Sunshine Coast
Posts: 256
Its not quite the green I had in mind tooth fairy, not like the green of Devon(read Bill Brysons Notes From a Small Island where he quotes Devon as seeming to be where the Worlds chlorophyll is manufactured). However encouraging none the less. Isnt Gippsland near Melbourne?
Jul 12th 2003, 4:17 pm
#21
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Posts: n/a
Originally posted by migrantoz
Its not quite the green I had in mind tooth fairy, not like the green of Devon(read Bill Brysons Notes From a Small Island where he quotes Devon as seeming to be where the Worlds chlorophyll is manufactured). However encouraging none the less. Isnt Gippsland near Melbourne?
Its not quite the green I had in mind tooth fairy, not like the green of Devon(read Bill Brysons Notes From a Small Island where he quotes Devon as seeming to be where the Worlds chlorophyll is manufactured). However encouraging none the less. Isnt Gippsland near Melbourne?
The Green Hills Of Tyrol
How's this:
Last edited by The Tooth Fairy; Jul 12th 2003 at 4:33 pm.
Jul 12th 2003, 6:21 pm
#22
Not here
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,621
I cannot speak of missing aspects of the UK (being a moron aussie), but merely wish to make an observation.
There are THINGS you may miss and there are THINGS. We all think fondly of the happy times we have experienced. Generally we associate things with these experiences. I don't think we miss these things but the experiences that they invoke.
Billy Connolly in his "World Tour of Scotland" (his homeland) was recounting a very funny story of his youth, about the times and the places and the people. He said:
"I don't miss those times of my youth, I miss my youth"
From a man born on the linoleum floor of a house in Dover Street, Glasgow, that says lot - to me.
There are THINGS you may miss and there are THINGS. We all think fondly of the happy times we have experienced. Generally we associate things with these experiences. I don't think we miss these things but the experiences that they invoke.
Billy Connolly in his "World Tour of Scotland" (his homeland) was recounting a very funny story of his youth, about the times and the places and the people. He said:
"I don't miss those times of my youth, I miss my youth"
From a man born on the linoleum floor of a house in Dover Street, Glasgow, that says lot - to me.
Jul 12th 2003, 6:40 pm
#23
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Thread Starter
Joined: Dec 2002
Location: Melbourne
Posts: 805
The thing that no one has mentioned and that all Poms will miss when they go to Australia or any other country for that matter is Knowledge!
When I first came to the UK I worked in a pub. First night behind the bar I was asked for the following:
Cider and black, Spritzer, Lager Top???? I must have looked like a stunned mullet as I had no idea what these people were talking about.
I would not drive on the road for a long time as I found them to be so small and the cars were so close when passing each other.
It also took me a while to get used to people's reserve. And then there's the thing about calling before you go over to someone's house to visit. It's just not the done thing here to drop by on the off chance that you're home.
I've got used to all this now so it doesn't phase me any more, and I'm lucky enough to already know the system in Australia and where to go for things, and how things work out there, but I'm sure it's still going to take me a bit of time to fit back in. Hopefully the english accent won't wear off too quick as it's nice being told that I speak "posh"
Jul 12th 2003, 6:49 pm
#24
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 350
Originally posted by PeteY
The UKs a great country !!
The NHS is actually VERY good. Have you ever experience another countries health service?
Schools...i would'nt know (no kids) but i doubt the standards of education vary significantly between the two countries
High house prices....aus houses are cheaper yes...dependent on location...but you will find they are only really any cheaper while you are earning pounds.
High immigration....immigration rate in UK is about 1.1, in oz its 2.6 ...
Crime rates....again very similar. To be honest they probably favor the UK.
Terror target....Bali bombing?
GM food....avaiable at all major supermarkets in oz as they are here.
I'm not trying to pick on anyone....sorry if it seems that way, or if i am coming accross as a PB...but the UK is a great country. One that we should be proud of. Theres loads about it I personally will miss....and i would'nt mind betting that after a year or two in oz/nz you will all miss them too...
Cheers
Pete.
The UKs a great country !!
The NHS is actually VERY good. Have you ever experience another countries health service?
Schools...i would'nt know (no kids) but i doubt the standards of education vary significantly between the two countries
High house prices....aus houses are cheaper yes...dependent on location...but you will find they are only really any cheaper while you are earning pounds.
High immigration....immigration rate in UK is about 1.1, in oz its 2.6 ...
Crime rates....again very similar. To be honest they probably favor the UK.
Terror target....Bali bombing?
GM food....avaiable at all major supermarkets in oz as they are here.
I'm not trying to pick on anyone....sorry if it seems that way, or if i am coming accross as a PB...but the UK is a great country. One that we should be proud of. Theres loads about it I personally will miss....and i would'nt mind betting that after a year or two in oz/nz you will all miss them too...
Cheers
Pete.
The NHS does have its problems, but so does the health service in Oz - like so many things here, if you have loads of money you`re OK, otherwise, forget it.
Schools - again - there are good and bad in both countries, but having had my two educated in both UK and Oz, I would say that Oz is definitely way behind the UK (by approx. 2/3 years once you reach year 6/7).
House prices - depends where you go in both countries - a flat in Sydney will cost you as much as a 4/5 bed detached with 2 acres of land in north queensland, but there again, if you want to live in the UK, you could buy a flat in some areas (and I`m not talking London here) for £250,000, but the same money would buy you a 5 bed detached with 6 acres in Lincolnshire -
Crime rates - depends where you live in BOTH countries - the crime rate where we are in Oz is lower than where we lived in the UK, but if we`d lived in different places in both countries, the comparison could have gone the other way.
Jul 12th 2003, 6:51 pm
#25
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 350
Re: Are you going to miss the UK at all??
Originally posted by Jaykay
I've been living in the UK for the last 10 years, and last night really brought home to me that I am definitely going to miss lots of things about the UK that I've come to know and love.
1. The music. I absolutely love the music that they have here in the UK. I'm now into Hard House, which I had never heard when I was living in Oz. I had only heard 1/4 of the music that they play over here when I was living in Oz (any type of music that is) and I know that they definitely don't play much of it, even now, back in Oz. At least I can log into BBC1 or KISSFM when I get back to Oz.
Also going to miss going to the great nightclubs and DJ's in London, as the atmosphere is just fantastic. Never had that in Oz.
2. The culture. Went up to London last night for a friend's 30th birthday. Wandered through Leicester Square and Picadilly Circus when we left, got on the tube back to Waterloo to get the train home at and it went through my mind that I'm really going to miss all of this too. Have been up to Melbourne town tons of times in the past and it definitely didn't have the same vibe as what I felt last night.
3.Girls nights out. Even though I had lots of girlfriends in Oz, it's going to be strange not having my girlfriends around to hold my hair when I need it (girlie thing), go to the loo with me when I need it, dance around the handbags on the dance floor, drink shots like there's no tomorrow, stagger back to my place and do girlie chat till 4am in the morning.
4. Get up and go for a run when there's snow and ice on the ground, not knowing if you're going to get back in one piece. Hoping that you're wearing enough to keep you warm and also knowing that you can run a nice warm back when you get back.
Now please don't get me wrong, I'm so looking forward to going back home to Oz but there are still things that I'm going to miss about the UK.
Regards
I've been living in the UK for the last 10 years, and last night really brought home to me that I am definitely going to miss lots of things about the UK that I've come to know and love.
1. The music. I absolutely love the music that they have here in the UK. I'm now into Hard House, which I had never heard when I was living in Oz. I had only heard 1/4 of the music that they play over here when I was living in Oz (any type of music that is) and I know that they definitely don't play much of it, even now, back in Oz. At least I can log into BBC1 or KISSFM when I get back to Oz.
Also going to miss going to the great nightclubs and DJ's in London, as the atmosphere is just fantastic. Never had that in Oz.
2. The culture. Went up to London last night for a friend's 30th birthday. Wandered through Leicester Square and Picadilly Circus when we left, got on the tube back to Waterloo to get the train home at and it went through my mind that I'm really going to miss all of this too. Have been up to Melbourne town tons of times in the past and it definitely didn't have the same vibe as what I felt last night.
3.Girls nights out. Even though I had lots of girlfriends in Oz, it's going to be strange not having my girlfriends around to hold my hair when I need it (girlie thing), go to the loo with me when I need it, dance around the handbags on the dance floor, drink shots like there's no tomorrow, stagger back to my place and do girlie chat till 4am in the morning.
4. Get up and go for a run when there's snow and ice on the ground, not knowing if you're going to get back in one piece. Hoping that you're wearing enough to keep you warm and also knowing that you can run a nice warm back when you get back.
Now please don't get me wrong, I'm so looking forward to going back home to Oz but there are still things that I'm going to miss about the UK.
Regards
Jul 13th 2003, 12:16 am
#26
Guest
Posts: n/a
food for thought!
I find that being single and having no kids that half the stuff I need to "know" in England I've never had to "know"..that and having lived overseas for the last 4 out of 5 years I find myself in England asking how much is a pint of milk etc..I'm used to having to think 'what country am I in'???? Mates take the piss because I ask "do you take cards?" - I have no idea what things cost etc.
I've never had to go to a doctor since I was a kid - never bought medecine on prescription...so going to Australia makes no odds for me!!
one of the things I like about Australia is that everyone moreorless talks the same - there's less snobbery I reckon as a result..over here there's all sorts of opportunity for someone to find an excuse to look down their nose at you because of your accent..
also on the going out - in Australia there seems to be less dressing up to go down to winebars etc - (not just a local pub) the only dressing up I saw was Brit backpackers in Bondi and Coogee.
I go out in SW London and every bloke is wearing his immaculate shirt outside his trousers (yawn!). I'm going out tonight and I'm dreading having to fart around with clothes.
badgers
I find that being single and having no kids that half the stuff I need to "know" in England I've never had to "know"..that and having lived overseas for the last 4 out of 5 years I find myself in England asking how much is a pint of milk etc..I'm used to having to think 'what country am I in'???? Mates take the piss because I ask "do you take cards?" - I have no idea what things cost etc.
I've never had to go to a doctor since I was a kid - never bought medecine on prescription...so going to Australia makes no odds for me!!
one of the things I like about Australia is that everyone moreorless talks the same - there's less snobbery I reckon as a result..over here there's all sorts of opportunity for someone to find an excuse to look down their nose at you because of your accent..
also on the going out - in Australia there seems to be less dressing up to go down to winebars etc - (not just a local pub) the only dressing up I saw was Brit backpackers in Bondi and Coogee.
I go out in SW London and every bloke is wearing his immaculate shirt outside his trousers (yawn!). I'm going out tonight and I'm dreading having to fart around with clothes.
badgers
Last edited by badgersmount; Jul 13th 2003 at 12:25 am.
Jul 13th 2003, 5:12 am
#27
High in the Dandenongs
Joined: Apr 2003
Location: Listening to Puffing Billy
Posts: 9,183
I'm going out tonight and I'm dreading having to fart around with clothes.
badgers [/QUOTE]
Don't wear any then Steve
badgers [/QUOTE]
Don't wear any then Steve
Jul 13th 2003, 6:55 am
#28
Be true to your skew
Joined: Apr 2003
Location: Wanneroo, WA
Posts: 373
Originally posted by Florida_03
I cannot speak of missing aspects of the UK (being a moron aussie), but merely wish to make an observation.
There are THINGS you may miss and there are THINGS. We all think fondly of the happy times we have experienced. Generally we associate things with these experiences. I don't think we miss these things but the experiences that they invoke.
Billy Connolly in his "World Tour of Scotland" (his homeland) was recounting a very funny story of his youth, about the times and the places and the people. He said:
"I don't miss those times of my youth, I miss my youth"
From a man born on the linoleum floor of a house in Dover Street, Glasgow, that says lot - to me.
I cannot speak of missing aspects of the UK (being a moron aussie), but merely wish to make an observation.
There are THINGS you may miss and there are THINGS. We all think fondly of the happy times we have experienced. Generally we associate things with these experiences. I don't think we miss these things but the experiences that they invoke.
Billy Connolly in his "World Tour of Scotland" (his homeland) was recounting a very funny story of his youth, about the times and the places and the people. He said:
"I don't miss those times of my youth, I miss my youth"
From a man born on the linoleum floor of a house in Dover Street, Glasgow, that says lot - to me.
Jul 13th 2003, 11:05 pm
#29
Here in Dunedin
Joined: May 2003
Location: Dunedin
Posts: 1,975
Jaykay,
Thanks for this post, it is thought provoking.
I am in a nearly identical situation to you. Have been in London 10 years and am returning to NZ later this year.
I am also thinking a bit philosophically about UK life, now I'm ready to leave.
On balance I will be glad to move back to the South Pacific, but there are a number things I think I'll miss (and probably a few more I won't recognise until I'm gone). What is clear to me is that I have really enjoyed my experience of the 'mother' country, and think of myself as much more knowledgeable now than before.
Things I will miss:
Range and specialities of career opportunities
English rural life (even though I only see it on visits in the weekends)
Diversity (especially London)
Physical Closeness to Europe (but wouldn't it be great if the English were more like the French or Italians in temperament - what a thought!!!)
Earning bloody good money without working ridiculous hours
Oh, and I also have the ultimate souvenirs of my life in England, an English wife and kids.
Thanks for this post, it is thought provoking.
I am in a nearly identical situation to you. Have been in London 10 years and am returning to NZ later this year.
I am also thinking a bit philosophically about UK life, now I'm ready to leave.
On balance I will be glad to move back to the South Pacific, but there are a number things I think I'll miss (and probably a few more I won't recognise until I'm gone). What is clear to me is that I have really enjoyed my experience of the 'mother' country, and think of myself as much more knowledgeable now than before.
Things I will miss:
Range and specialities of career opportunities
English rural life (even though I only see it on visits in the weekends)
Diversity (especially London)
Physical Closeness to Europe (but wouldn't it be great if the English were more like the French or Italians in temperament - what a thought!!!)
Earning bloody good money without working ridiculous hours
Oh, and I also have the ultimate souvenirs of my life in England, an English wife and kids.
Jul 13th 2003, 11:15 pm
#30
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Apr 2003
Location: Nelson Nz
Posts: 322
Physical Closeness to Europe (but wouldn't it be great if the English were more like the French or Italians in temperament - what a thought!!!)
I'm intrigued Blair.... Can you clarify what you mean by this comment?
Tori
I'm intrigued Blair.... Can you clarify what you mean by this comment?
Tori
