Originally Posted by IAN.K (Post 4987426)

Hi All, this is my first post on british Ex Pats so be kind please.

We are a lot different from most of you and we live in Antalya Turkey.No going back. We love it here.Bought the house 5 years ago and took early retirement at 55 , 3 years ago and here we are.Kids are all grown up and living in the UK. So we do not have the problems that you young familys have.
I do feel for those of you that have gone, experienced and now want to come back.I travelled all over the world when I was working so I got used to living abroard so not to difficult for us to settle in Turkey.also of course Turkey is only 4 hours away and much cheaper so I do feel for you.

hope that I have Posted on the right forum and that I may talk to you again.

Ian

Originally Posted by leeds lass (Post 4970505)

Hi All

I know its been a long time since I posted but I thought I should come on and let you know how things went.

I dont know if any of you rember me but I was living in New Zealand for 3 years, and i left to go back to Uk in February. Well I travelled around Australia for 3 weeks spent a week travelling through Singapore and Dubai the holiday was fantastic and just what we all needed after all the stress we had been under.

Well we are now back in the UK we got back in April we have moved into a rented house for now and all our furniture arrived here a few weeks ago. Hubby is working i start work next week. Eldest daughter starts school next week also and my little one starts school in spetember.

Well after worrying about coming back and had we made the right discission there was actually nothing to worry about in my opinion englad has not changed one bit and its great to be back, you can tell the difference coming back has had on my family, we have gone back to been the happy people we were before we left england to go to NZ.

On the odd day you do get the odd pang of regret and you most definately miss the space of the big houses, and yes i feel a bit bitter that i cannot afford to get on the property ladder, but as the weeks go by the memory of NZ is fading fast and you do actually begin to forget that you were ever away for such a length of time.

Things are going ok, I have got a place at university to start in september which i am looking forward to. i have had no hassles with anything apart from the odd occassion when i have had to show my passport to prove im english.

As for all the immigrants that are supposed to be here, I am in Leeds and to be quite honest with you i have not noticed any difference in the different cultures since I left.

Life in england is good for us and for all you out there who are making themsleves ill like I did with worry homesickness etc trust em the moment you land in manchester airport it all disappears and you feel like you have come home and you belong again (if you know what I mean).

I wish you all good luck in coming back and even if you come back with no finances at all like we did after loosing it all going/moving back, its ok because money and big houses isnt everything, feeling at ease with yourself like i do know is worth all the money in the world.

If anyone needs any info please dont hesitate to ask

Good luck all its worth it :D

Mel (original leeds lass :p)

Originally Posted by truditjh (Post 4987553)

Reading your post was almost like looking at a mirror of myself, we came back from NZ nearly 5 years ago now, we were there 14months, and just wasnt right place right time for us, I do feel more like I should be here, andyet 5 years on we still get the "we should have stayed longer" " should have tried Aus", but to be honest if it doesnt feel right then you are the only ones who have the power to change it. I think you know deep down if its right or not, its just choosing whether to act on it or not. We even had this conversation just recently OH's family are all in NZ which doesnt make it easy, mine are all here. But you have to deal with what suits you. Good luck to you being back in blighty. BTW where were you in NZ ??? We were in West Auckland..

:eek::eek:

Originally Posted by leeds lass (Post 4979463)

Hi Leeds

Gal I actually ended up just ont he outskirts of leeds in Thorpe its classed as wakefield but its in between rothwell and miggy!!!!:D

Originally Posted by jumping doris (Post 4987627)

I'm from Leeds originally. My grandma lived in Rothwell...how that has changed. I was born in Bramley and my other Gran was in Armley.
Anyway, glad you are happy to be back.

Originally Posted by LeedsGirl (Post 4987660)

All around Leeds then, jumping doris. I grew up in Roundhay!

Originally Posted by jumping doris (Post 4987676)

Both of my parents were from Leeds, so we have family all over the area.
My OH had never been there until he met me and now he loves the place!

Originally Posted by jumping doris (Post 4988095)

Have you seen that You tube clip about Yorkshire Airlines?
I love it.

Originally Posted by leeds lass (Post 4970505)

Hi All



Things are going ok, I have got a place at university to start in september which i am looking forward to. i have had no hassles with anything apart from the odd occassion when i have had to show my passport to prove im english.


(original leeds lass :p)

Originally Posted by leeds lass (Post 4987561)

me too I was a westie lol Glendene to be exact.

Originally Posted by truditjh (Post 4988770)

We were in Titirangi, well Woodlands Park to be exact, beautiful and quiet. hop skip and a jump from Cornwallis beach, one of our favourite places to go, and Armour bay for that matter, was very quiet and peaceful. And Titrangi was almost a place unto itself, it seemed very different from most places we had seen. Was a great take away place there that did fab roast potatoes .... Strange the odd things you remember. Any way good to be back in real life again, middle earth just wasnt right for us. :thumbsup:

Originally Posted by Ozzidoc (Post 4988228)

Good luck with uni course. Presumably you'll be paying the overseas student fees, as you haven't resided in the UK for the last three years.....just a heads up if they haven't ask you for all of the details yet......had a friend who got caught out on week 2 of his course :( He was going to have to pay something like 8000 a year.