scratchey

for all those who have made the return journey to the uk. have you made the right choice in returning? would you do anything different? have you any regrets about returning?
i hope this brings out a good insight into the "moving back" scenerio.


scratchey

Reading fan

Would I do anything different - Yes not move back in the first place - after the first flush of seeing everyone you realise no-one really gives a toss !
We are booked to return to Oz on 3rd Nov 8 weeks and counting.

Returning has made me realise a few things - I WANT to live in Australia and enjoy everything I can whilst living there. I thought I missed choice in the supermarkets but now realise despite the choice my trolley contents probably doesn't change from week to week -I hate Tescos, Next and M&S - I will not be a slave to supermarkets.The only people that matter to me are my husband and children - family and friends will always exist but my familys happiness are what matter

scratchey

great reply this is the kind of insight i want to provoke. good solid honest stuff. good luck with your return, return. lol

scratchey

scbrit

Regrets about moving back? No, I guess as I hadn't lived here in the UK since I left college, so its been good for me to be working over here, wanted my USC hubby to know what its really like to live in the UK, and its been good that my kids have spent time with the grandparents. Looks like we are going back to the US soon, so in a way seems like a waste of time but it wasn't, saw and experienced lots. I feel bad that it will break my parents hearts for us to leave (and mine), but they will have had two years with the grand kids that if we hadn't have tried this, they wouldn't have had. We weren't losing anything by leaving the US at the time, and we only rented our house out. Dread all the hassle of moving again, just after I finally have felt "settled"...

I guess my only regret is that hubby doesn't love the place as much as me, so leaving is going to be so hard!

LouiseD

No regrets whatsoever. Well maybe one - that I didn't come home sooner. I dithered for about 6 months wondering if I was being stupid to leave the beautiful sunshine, pristine beaches and amazing city of Melbourne.

I can honestly say hand on heart that wild horses wouldn't drag me back to Australia. While some may love it, it's not for me or my family. Give me England any day - the leafy lanes, country pubs, historic buildings, hilarious humour and the unpredictable, crappy weather any day

TaraC

After a year back, no regrets at all. Do I miss certain things about the US, definitely (particularly my OH but hopefully not for too much longer), but I missed more things here. Life does seem as though it was a little easier in the US - wider roads, bigger houses, great shopping, but I've also realised how much money I continually spent there just trying to fill up holes in my heart. I've become a lot more frugal here, but mainly because I don't feel this intense urge to constantly go out and shop (well, that, and I'm now a student and don't have any money). Now I take long walks on my way home from the station - went along the canal last week and saw mayflies, ate blackberries off the hedgerows, etc., I see friends for a meal for an hour instead of planning weeklong vacations three months in advance, and I'm happy to grab a cup of coffee and go sit by the canal for an hour with a good book.

I think as an expat that there are bound to be tugs on the heartstrings of all the places you live, but ultimately you have to make a decision. If my OH can make the move permanent once he decides to come, then the UK will definitely be where I want to grow old. I feel for SCBrit, as I may well be in the position that she is in a few years down the line. Hopefully my OH will be able to make the move, but if not then I'll be back in the States but always with this little bit of yearning to be home.

Bijilo123

Now this is interesting and quite contrary to most peoples view on returning. I think it is a refreshing and honest view. I respect it and admire your reaction to the UK of going back to Oz.

I think that people who are glad to be back have an equally valid reaction when they are overjoyed to be there.

However what you have shown is that returning to the UK is not a guarantee of happiness.

Well done and good luck.

DebraH

Yep I have huge regrets in coming back and agree with Reading fan - I loved oz, I always have done right from my first holiday there 14 years ago. I only really came back here as it was too damn hard out there on my own with no family support. I also wanted a social life -that's not really happening here either. I have some great mates in oz and i miss them terribly. I can't say a bad thing about the place actually. But I've got to get on with life here and I will look forward to my long holiday next year.

JRB

Been back nearly 2 years - no regrets. Wouldn't go back to Aus, sometimes think about maybe retiring in France or a Greek island when I'm much older but see myself being here for the next 20 years or so. My only regret is that we spent 2 years dithering too and we should have come back much sooner.

Pugsy

Definately would sync. accomodation with military precision, living with relatives even for a short space of time is a no no!

Poss. may move away again, no doubt to the sun, but when the kids are older and I don't have to take them!

sans

We have been back in the Uk for about 10 wks............Definitly Know regrets other then leaving here in the first place

Elaine B.

We moved back on July 14th and so far no regrets The best thing right now is having family around especially as my OH works overseas for weeks and months at a time so it's great to have help with the kids.

Irish Guinness

Sounds like you are ready to return..are you returning to the same place in OZ? or have you deceided to go to a different city this time around ?

franki

We've been back for about a year and a half. Now we're going to start the process of returning to US. My hubby has already started packing while I'm still coming to terms with it. I know it's the best thing for us but it's not easy. It's been pretty tough over the last year but I'm not sure I regret it. I regret having to spend the money and now struggle to find the money to return. I'm not sure if it's even going to be possible. I'm glad we came back though. If we hadn't, I'd always be wondering but now I know we just can't afford to live in England, as sad as it sounds. I'm glad that my kids have come to know my family and are at an age where they'll remember. It'll be really difficult leaving everyone but I think it has to be done.

Emma M

lol, only been back a week, so I don't think I qualify to give my opinion on this thread, but you're going to have it anyway, so there
I am glad to be back. I have come back with a "fresh" pair of eyes, grown up a lot, and I can see the UK as it really is, not as people like to portray it.
Where people see "bloody illegals", I see wonderful diversity. Where people see "sodding rain again", I see an opportunity to splash in puddles with my son.
I love being so close to my family again. Literally everyone in my family is within 2 miles of me, apart from my wonderful husband who is in the US, I'm glad he is actually, his dad is in very poor health and we're worried about him. I told him last night that we have forever to be together, but his priority right now is his dad. It's weird the way things happen, but it's like he was meant to be there for his dad right now.
Bacon is wonderful, as are Galaxy bars, and despite me making up for lost time with food, I have lost 7 pounds in weight this week, just shows what sort of crap I must have exposed myself to in the US!
I am a lot more outspoken than I used to be, but in a direct way instead of a nasty way. A lot of people have commented on that I seem more sure of myself now. All in all, it did me good, but I'm glad to be home