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Re: Going back? 50/50
[QUOTE=blowers]
Originally Posted by dunroving
They're in the pub, snoozing in the baby carrier under the table. Britain doesn't have it reputation for being one of the most "child unfriendly" places in the world for nothing. |
Re: Going back? 50/50
Originally Posted by goldcoastblue
Never thought i'd ever think it but yes I am, after 14months.
As a person, i have often been pretty rude to the pommy returnee's but thats just young upstarted agression, but now I am considering going back due to a few reasons, which may boil down to I was generally happier with my life in the UK more than I thought, and I believe I had a far superior standard of living, socially and materialistically. Appernetly I have a very good job for so i am told, ask me if its a load of shite and I was better off 10 years ago, but thats me. I own a modest house, pool etc, and live in a good suburb, not a lot more i can say, the country is good, bordering on brilliant, and i have embraced it well, but i have missing links i cannot put my finger on precisly, such as, Personally i think the social scene and our jobs are major factor, both boring and non-eventful and are a drain when we get home, we whinge like hell as we basically dont have anything in common with the people. I thought is this me, but i was the works social animal in my previous jobs and always oganised events piss ups etc, and managed to get money off the companies but cant get anywhere with the people i work with. non -eventful. The other is no friends, family, and a lack or disposable cash, which at 30 is very important, to us. Another is , what is the thing of going to bed early, question is, am i being too hard on myself expecting something that isnt here, do i change jobs, or just basically wind everything up and sod off back where i know is home, and put closure on this little adventure, and get on with what I know best, enjoying myself, as i aint doing it at the moment. My relatives lived in Arizona for 12 years and I could never understand why they moved back to the UK. They had the beautiful house, sports car, 4x4, and boat. They said over the years it just lost its appeal (I could never understand it at the time) and they missed socialising with people similar to them. Despite being very social people and having lots of acquaintances they never particularly clicked with anyone in all the time they were there. It made life difficult as most of the people they met just didn't get their English sense of humour and they were considered alcoholics for having a few glasses of wine. I still haven't got used to going to bed early, which can be handy as I'm always chatting to UK friends because of the time difference anyway. We went to our local restaurant just outside Brisbane and were too late to get served at 8.05 pm! People go out here to eat at 6.00 pm and the restaurant, which is a very popular one, is empty by 7.45 pm. |
Re: Going back? 50/50
Originally Posted by Breezey
my prognosis-you are one of the many people that come on this forum and fail to understand one thing about Australia-the divide between Sydney/Melbourne and everywhere else.
A good portion of residents of Sydney and Melbourne would never ever live anywhere else for all the reasons you stated When are the British going to let go of this overiding need to have a large house and pool when they move to Oz. There are far more things which are crucial to your happiness in a new country than this. |
Re: Going back? 50/50
Originally Posted by hubbard
This is so true but unfortunately it would appear a vast majority of Brit Expats place the 4 bed house and the pool above getting a good job and living in a vibrant city whilst making do with an apartment. If you are youngish, want night life and a career that is going places you need to head for Sydney or Melbourne, and you need to put the big house and pool out of the equation.
When are the British going to let go of this overiding need to have a large house and pool when they move to Oz. There are far more things which are crucial to your happiness in a new country than this. |
Re: Going back? 50/50
[QUOTE=OzSheila]
Originally Posted by blowers
I recall not even being allowed into a pub and also a restaurant in the UK because we had a baby in tow! I think we gave up after then. Britain doesn't have it reputation for being one of the most "child unfriendly" places in the world for nothing. |
Re: Going back? 50/50
Geez, this is an interesting conversation as me and the Mrs spend most nights talking about going home oz we're bored here. Where on the GC are you GCBlue?
Paul. |
Re: Going back? 50/50
Originally Posted by diddy
Geez, this is an interesting conversation as me and the Mrs spend most nights talking about going home oz we're bored here.
Paul. I do echo the sentiments of others who have advised the OP to try a big city if you want a bigger social variety. We had a big works social scene in Melbourne. Maybe not so much mid-week, but certainly on a friday & Saturday night, there was always a big crowd of people going to the pub. The CBD bars would be packed to breaking point, or we would would go off to the footy from work. Out in the burbs, the bars were definately quieter, even at the weekend. |
Re: Going back? 50/50
Originally Posted by HiddenPaw
Really? Haven't seen you post on this part of forum before but nice to read your thoughts. :)
I do echo the sentiments of others who have advised the OP to try a big city if you want a bigger social variety. We had a big works social scene in Melbourne. Maybe not so much mid-week, but certainly on a friday & Saturday night, there was always a big crowd of people going to the pub. The CBD bars would be packed to breaking point, or we would would go off to the footy from work. Out in the burbs, the bars were definately quieter, even at the weekend. I have a friend here who lived close to the CBD - they had a great social life as a young couple. She got pregnant, then they came home to be nearer family and friends. After 3 or 4 years in the UK, and with 2 young children she yearned to be back in Oz. Now she is here, she said it's not like it was before, and with a young family the social scene she had before isn't possible!!! So now, she is hoping to go back to the UK!!! |
Re: Going back? 50/50
Originally Posted by kendodd
Are you still undecided about returning to Oz HP?
I have a friend here who lived close to the CBD - they had a great social life as a young couple. She got pregnant, then they came home to be nearer family and friends. After 3 or 4 years in the UK, and with 2 young children she yearned to be back in Oz. Now she is here, she said it's not like it was before, and with a young family the social scene she had before isn't possible!!! So now, she is hoping to go back to the UK!!! Socializing is done in the coffee shops after school drop off. I tried to do a Mums night out many times at our school and the only ones to go happen to be British and Dutch! No Oz Mums go out after dark - most said that their husbands would divirce them if they went out - they are not kidding... these husbands by the way happen to go for lads weekends and go boozing with work mates! things here are very sexist when you look at the role of the Mum. God let me get back this year so I can go down the pub with a wedding ring on and not be treated like a slapper. Have a chat to Scottish Mark about life in the city! She can advise what it is like.... |
Re: Going back? 50/50
Originally Posted by goldcoastblue
Never thought i'd ever think it but yes I am, after 14months.
As a person, i have often been pretty rude to the pommy returnee's but thats just young upstarted agression, but now I am considering going back due to a few reasons, which may boil down to I was generally happier with my life in the UK more than I thought, and I believe I had a far superior standard of living, socially and materialistically. Appernetly I have a very good job for so i am told, ask me if its a load of shite and I was better off 10 years ago, but thats me. I own a modest house, pool etc, and live in a good suburb, not a lot more i can say, the country is good, bordering on brilliant, and i have embraced it well, but i have missing links i cannot put my finger on precisly, such as, Personally i think the social scene and our jobs are major factor, both boring and non-eventful and are a drain when we get home, we whinge like hell as we basically dont have anything in common with the people. I thought is this me, but i was the works social animal in my previous jobs and always oganised events piss ups etc, and managed to get money off the companies but cant get anywhere with the people i work with. non -eventful. The other is no friends, family, and a lack or disposable cash, which at 30 is very important, to us. Another is , what is the thing of going to bed early, question is, am i being too hard on myself expecting something that isnt here, do i change jobs, or just basically wind everything up and sod off back where i know is home, and put closure on this little adventure, and get on with what I know best, enjoying myself, as i aint doing it at the moment. I totally agree with many of the comments from posters on here. I left a really good and very well paid (but stressful) job in London with UBS and a vibrant and full lifestyle living in Brighton to come to Australia and try it out here. I guess I was really sold by my Aussie GF's enthusiasm for her country, and I really thought that I had had enough of the 'rat race' in the UK and wanted a more chilled way of life. Two funny things have come from this : 1. I actually totally miss the rushing around and stress in my lifestyle ! I feel drained of energy somewhat here beacuse theres nothing to drive me and keep me on my toes and active. This is not a joke, but in our 12 months here, I have actually started to go a little grey. Quite a few grey hairs on my head coming through all of a sudden and loads on my chin. I feel a bit like Australia has sapped some of the life out of me, and like a chameleon I've started to go grey to try and fit in with my surroundings peers here. 2. My GF has actually been the driving force in us GOING BACK to the UK (despite her sort of getting me out here, which she feels quite guilty for). I've been the one pushing for us to stay and work it out here. After her living in London and Brighton for 6 years and making full use of all the things going on there, and meeting a wide cross section of all sorts of funny/gay/extrovert/travelleing/odd people (most of who have become her lifelong friends), she actually now finds Australia a bit stagnant in this area. By her own admission, she's come to realise that she doesn't like the 'Aussie mentality', and doesn't really get it anymore. Poor girl - this is her home country she has grown to fall out of love with. Our experience so far hasn't really given us a proper view of this great country as we have spent all of our time in Gimpy (second head optional) and the Sunshine Coast, we realise this. Our plan after renovating her property here was to get ourselves down to Melbourne and start a proper life here in a more cosmopolitan city, but we know that whilst this will give us some of the things we pine for (restaurants, bars, clubs, people), we still know that we are going to have a hard time meeting 'our' kind of people. The guys we left back in the UK are all lifelong friendships that can never be replaced, purely through all the slightly crazy times we shared with them. Melbourne is off the cards now anyway. We have spent most of our months here trying to be positive, working hard on the house, looking forward to what we plan to do here, and then every so often we have these drunken meltdowns where it all comes out about how unhappy we really are and how we miss our mates and how we miss Brighton and how we'd go back tomorrow etc...etc... After each of these we would return to our normal optimistic selves and try and get on with life here. But I can't do it anymore, I'm tired of trying to make myself think that its going to be alright here. I'm tired of waking up each day and thinking of myself as a square peg trying to fit into a round hole. In a way, I think we have been a bit spoilt with our previous UK life, in getting to have excellent well paid jobs fall in our laps, fantastic friends who are like our soul mates and a really good lifestyle full of all the things we love (travelling, eating, drinking, socializing). To try and live without these just seems too hard - of couse we will get fragments of these back over time here, but why should we have to waste 2 years of our lives trying to get back to something like this (which won't be the same anyway). Sorry if I'm blahing here, but this has been on our backs for ages driving us a little bit mad, and is why we are planning to pack it all in and go 'home'. The only thing I really wanted to do before we go is to pack the ute up and take it into the red centre and then drive up to Darwin on a 6/8 week camping trip - to see some of what this amazing country has to offer. I feel like I owe it to Australia to see what it really has to offer before leaving. And I also don't want to leave the place with grumpy memories !!! We're off in about 4 weeks when the house here goes on the market, and we can't wait. |
Re: Going back? 50/50
Originally Posted by lostpom
Joining the thread a bit late here, but some honest words there.
I totally agree with many of the comments from posters on here. I left a really good and very well paid (but stressful) job in London with UBS and a vibrant and full lifestyle living in Brighton to come to Australia and try it out here. I guess I was really sold by my Aussie GF's enthusiasm for her country, and I really thought that I had had enough of the 'rat race' in the UK and wanted a more chilled way of life. Two funny things have come from this : 1. I actually totally miss the rushing around and stress in my lifestyle ! I feel drained of energy somewhat here beacuse theres nothing to drive me and keep me on my toes and active. This is not a joke, but in our 12 months here, I have actually started to go a little grey. Quite a few grey hairs on my head coming through all of a sudden and loads on my chin. I feel a bit like Australia has sapped some of the life out of me, and like a chameleon I've started to go grey to try and fit in with my surroundings peers here. 2. My GF has actually been the driving force in us GOING BACK to the UK (despite her sort of getting me out here, which she feels quite guilty for). I've been the one pushing for us to stay and work it out here. After her living in London and Brighton for 6 years and making full use of all the things going on there, and meeting a wide cross section of all sorts of funny/gay/extrovert/travelleing/odd people (most of who have become her lifelong friends), she actually now finds Australia a bit stagnant in this area. By her own admission, she's come to realise that she doesn't like the 'Aussie mentality', and doesn't really get it anymore. Poor girl - this is her home country she has grown to fall out of love with. Our experience so far hasn't really given us a proper view of this great country as we have spent all of our time in Gimpy (second head optional) and the Sunshine Coast, we realise this. Our plan after renovating her property here was to get ourselves down to Melbourne and start a proper life here in a more cosmopolitan city, but we know that whilst this will give us some of the things we pine for (restaurants, bars, clubs, people), we still know that we are going to have a hard time meeting 'our' kind of people. The guys we left back in the UK are all lifelong friendships that can never be replaced, purely through all the slightly crazy times we shared with them. Melbourne is off the cards now anyway. We have spent most of our months here trying to be positive, working hard on the house, looking forward to what we plan to do here, and then every so often we have these drunken meltdowns where it all comes out about how unhappy we really are and how we miss our mates and how we miss Brighton and how we'd go back tomorrow etc...etc... After each of these we would return to our normal optimistic selves and try and get on with life here. But I can't do it anymore, I'm tired of trying to make myself think that its going to be alright here. I'm tired of waking up each day and thinking of myself as a square peg trying to fit into a round hole. In a way, I think we have been a bit spoilt with our previous UK life, in getting to have excellent well paid jobs fall in our laps, fantastic friends who are like our soul mates and a really good lifestyle full of all the things we love (travelling, eating, drinking, socializing). To try and live without these just seems too hard - of couse we will get fragments of these back over time here, but why should we have to waste 2 years of our lives trying to get back to something like this (which won't be the same anyway). Sorry if I'm blahing here, but this has been on our backs for ages driving us a little bit mad, and is why we are planning to pack it all in and go 'home'. The only thing I really wanted to do before we go is to pack the ute up and take it into the red centre and then drive up to Darwin on a 6/8 week camping trip - to see some of what this amazing country has to offer. I feel like I owe it to Australia to see what it really has to offer before leaving. And I also don't want to leave the place with grumpy memories !!! We're off in about 4 weeks when the house here goes on the market, and we can't wait. Great idea to travel a bit before you go. Good luck with your house sale and go and create those happy memories :) |
Re: Going back? 50/50
Good luck to you LostPom. I too am headed back into the rat race so can identify with all the above.
Enjoy the Red Centre! Its is truly spectacular and its those places that I truly love in this country - such stark beauty and a sense of wilderness that you don't get in the UK. Not to mention the night sky out in the desert - oh dear, am talking myself out of the move!!! Enjoy and good luck with yr move |
Re: Going back? 50/50
What a great post lostpom, I hope you have a fab trip around Oz, its important you do that or else you would only regret it later. Good luck going back to the UK it sounds like thats where you should be.
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Re: Going back? 50/50
Originally Posted by lostpom
Joining the thread a bit late here, but some honest words there.
But I can't do it anymore, I'm tired of trying to make myself think that its going to be alright here. I'm tired of waking up each day and thinking of myself as a square peg trying to fit into a round hole. In a way, I think we have been a bit spoilt with our previous UK life, in getting to have excellent well paid jobs fall in our laps, fantastic friends who are like our soul mates and a really good lifestyle full of all the things we love (travelling, eating, drinking, socializing). To try and live without these just seems too hard - of couse we will get fragments of these back over time here, but why should we have to waste 2 years of our lives trying to get back to something like this (which won't be the same anyway). . Good luck with your house sale and I wish you all the best with your return - Brighton is a fantastic place, we often used to go there for a good day out, get back and enjoy! :beer: |
Re: Going back? 50/50
Originally Posted by lostpom
Joining the thread a bit late here, but some honest words there.
............ But I can't do it anymore, I'm tired of trying to make myself think that its going to be alright here. I'm tired of waking up each day and thinking of myself as a square peg trying to fit into a round hole. In a way, I think we have been a bit spoilt with our previous UK life, in getting to have excellent well paid jobs fall in our laps, fantastic friends who are like our soul mates and a really good lifestyle full of all the things we love (travelling, eating, drinking, socializing). To try and live without these just seems too hard - of couse we will get fragments of these back over time here, but why should we have to waste 2 years of our lives trying to get back to something like this (which won't be the same anyway). . good luck to you c |
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