CarolPat

I'll be moving back in October or November, from Atlanta to North London, initially and then to, who knows where?

pompeyblonde

Much more expensive on the whole, shockingly so, consequently I dont buy anything! clothes CDs etc refuse to pay silly prices for tat....

I have had a lot of defining moments...my dad dying last year.... Aussie culture (or lack of it) Aussie men....I am totally poor...I havenet had a holiday since Ive been here...last one was on the way out... travel is mega expensive even within Oz....

I guess you know I remember thinking beofere I came over, what are you doing? you're perfectly happy here etc etc....but i went for it and have to say I havent really been happy in 5 years.... Im not one of those people who will stay here to make a piont... Maybe I will forever appreciate England and indeed Europe in a way I wouldnt have before...Thought of trying the US, but peoples complaints seem similar.... dull dull dull.....

and the worry of getting sick, no sick pay...no free healthcare... thats something you dont always appreciate relief from in the UK....

At the end of the day you have to follow your heart!

kooga61

Haven't quit reached the "moment" yet, but not far off. We've become very disenchanted with NZ. We sold up and moved out here after both getting the best jobs we've ever had. Life was really good for a time, then the recession hit, my wife lost her job, and government cut backs and mismanagement have frustrated me. I've looked at Oz, but it wasn't our first choice years ago, so can't see it being any better now. Funny thing is most Kiwi's think Oz is the land of milk and honey!!!

The only thing that worries me about the UK is the job situation. My job is a bit specialized to NZ, so I'd have to start from scratch in another field. My wife has recently passed her BSc and was doing her masters, and has no experience in that field. We've looked at jobs for her but they only seem to pay about 25,000 - 32,000 (I've been told that just an average wage now in the UK?), it wouldn't be enough on it's own, and I have no idea how long it would take me to get a job at my age (50!!! ). I really dont know what to do for the best.

Stitch

For me it was standing at the airport saying yet another goodbye and realised that I didn't have to do this....I also had a health scare and despite having health insurance was about $2000 lighter! The kids while having spent five years hear miss their family so much. The cost of living is killing us here too.

There will be lots I miss here but we will gain more from being back in the UK than what we have here. The house may be bigger but somehow it's emptier....

Paul B

We lived in the Midlands for eight years, just north of Birmingham. I remember a cool crisp bright March morning last year, about 8am, walking out to my garage in the back yard, there were birds singing, the sky was clear and blue, you could smell flowers, the cows, the memory of a frost, the start of a brave new spring arriving, a magical moment. You won't feel that anywhere else on earth.

At that time we were on the cusp of making the decision about whether to leave the country again and move back to the Philippines. I think I was having a little homesickness for the good old UK before we'd even left the place.