Re: Thinking about returning (yep, another one!)
 

Its too far to keep up relationships, airfares back are extremely expensive, for a family a fortune, people should really address the issue of family before they come out, unfortunately you just cannot imagine the gut wrenching feelings of being that far away.

Before people shout oh er theres webcams and phones these days they should ask themselves would you give up your partner to have an internet/ chat room relationship? or this one made me laugh would you give up your sexlife to have a relationship with a vibrator :scared: A webcam is a simarly unsatisfactory substitute :D

Re: Thinking about returning (yep, another one!)
 

I was thinking that....uk is definitely better if you like a warmer climate for the winter....my husband happens to love the cold, snowy winters here in Michigan as where i'm more of a hermit and can't stand the cold....and i've lived in michigan all my life. I actually feel more at home in the UK at least the 4 times I've been there...it's weird actually.

Carey

Re: Thinking about returning (yep, another one!)
 

Errr....

Re: Thinking about returning (yep, another one!)
 

This poster is the only one who is seeing the real world--get a tattoo "You cannot go back to what was" and study it closely-for a long time.

Re: Thinking about returning (yep, another one!)
 

Decision, decisions...... :confused:

I really empathise with all the ex-pats who are feeling lonely, isolated, and totally out of their comfort zones. Not to mention CONFUSED!!

We were undoubtedly happier in the UK, but as I mentioned in a previous post, my husband was offered a job in Oz totally out of the blue and we were given 1 week to make a decision. 8 weeks later we arrived in Oz without knowing a soul!! The opportunity was too great to pass-up, and our only regret is that we sold our home in England, which we sold before the boom and wouldn't have a chance of affording if we went back. :( On the whole though, we don't regret moving here as it has been an experience that has made us much stronger.

We have spent 4 years doing the "should we stay / should we go" routine.
We hit a real low 2 months ago and decided that the answer was to go back to the UK & the quicker the better!!! However, it's strange because for 4 years I've thought about all the things that I can't seem to let go of about the UK, yet as soon as we make a decision to move back, my mind seems to focus on all the things that I will miss about Oz. Nobody could understand these bizarre emotions unless you have lived this life. Sadly, the upshot is that we are scared to make the wrong decisions in life.

Our situation is that after 4 years, we haven't even got PR, let alone citizenship. A long story, but basically my husbands 1st Aussie employer (& sponsor) was not financially stable and this did not put us in a position to apply for PR. Only since he changed jobs in the last year have we been able to get the application together. We are probably just a couple of months from getting our PR now.

After reading the threads and the pro's & con's, we have decided that we should get PR and then do another 2 years in order to apply for citizenship. The thought of staying here in Oz forever still doesn't feel right, but the fear of moving back & regretting it and then not being able to change our minds is too much of a risk for us and we are trying to do the sensible thing now. If we can leave Oz with the door wide open for the future, it gives us a feeling of security as we know we can always reverse the decision IF the UK doesn't work for us anymore.

We have decided that we will also take a trip back to the UK in Dec this year for 3 weeks (just 4 months away). I am excited & nervous at the same time about this, as I have read so many negative posts from the people who are just about to emigrate from the UK, that I just don't know what to expect once we get back there for the first time in almost four and a half years. :o People seem to paint such a bleak picture of England, that I think it is wise for us to see for ourselves. If we go back & love it....great!... we can spend the next 2 years saving to get back & looking forward to the future in the UK or if we don't like what we see, we can spend the next 2 years assessing our options. The hardest thing is that our new decision will mean that our son will be 14 by the time we get back. He will have spent 7 years in the UK and almost 7 years in Oz. I worry about him trying to integrate into high-school in England at 14.....like I said "decisions, decisions" - nothing is easy or straight-forward.

Good Luck to everyone trying to make the right decision!! :beer:

BAZ!

Re: Thinking about returning (yep, another one!)
 

Oh welcome to the Club! Soooooooooooooooo understand.

Seriously, no matter which way you go, you seem to be always in the wrong place.

Karma to you.

B :)

Re: Thinking about returning (yep, another one!)
 

Great post, Baz! I totally sympathize with you. As for reading negatives about England from people who are about to emigrate from the UK, I think that is to be expected. I concentrated on all the negatives of the UK before I left too, when I was looking at the US through rose tinted glasses. Also, the media in the UK tends to hype up everything that's bad about the country, but I plan on ignoring all that if/when I get back. What's the point getting stressed about stuff that doesn't affect my day to day life? I'm sure you have found exactly the same thing that there are bad parts about life in another country and that you'd rather put up with the bad in the UK because you've found out exactly what you love and miss about it.

I hope you have a great trip back in December and that it helps you to make a decision. I know that making the decision is the hardest thing to do. You are continually flip-flopping between going and staying. The fact that you do not have family in Australia makes me think that you would be happier in the UK (although it's not for me to say). We would be leaving my wife's family behind here in the US, and although we have problems with them it will be tough because my wife will go through all of the pining for family that I'm going through.

Waiting for citizenship is a real pain, but we're always saying how time flies, so once it's all over I'm sure we'll look back and think how quickly it went. Hang in there!!

Re: Thinking about returning (yep, another one!)
 

So you're back in the UK....yeh?

What's your story?

BAZ!! ;)

Re: Thinking about returning (yep, another one!)
 

Thanks Jeremai,

I think the holiday back will prove to be a major point in helping us to decide our future. I need to try to be open-minded for the visit, although if anything I've heard so many negative comments about the UK, that I may well be pleasantly surprised. :)

Waiting for citizenship won't be easy - a big part of me feels guilty towards my son, as I feel like the sooner we get him back home, the easier it will be for him to settle into life in the UK. He is happy here in Oz on the whole - even though we have moved around a bit with my husbands work (3 locations in 4 years) he really seems to like our current location (where we have been for just over 12 months). So I feel bad enough moving him back as it is, let alone delaying the move until we have our Aussie Passports.

I have read a few of your posts before - are you any closer to knowing what to do? :confused:

BAZ!!

Re: Thinking about returning (yep, another one!)
 

Hi Baz

Nothing is straight forward but I think you are wise to stay put another 2yrs to get PR.
I went through the same doubts once we decided to come back to UK and there are still days when I think why did we leave but that's easy to say when things are going wrong here.

We are here, we have to get on with living it and enjoying it for who knows how long...things change don't they !!I don't regret either decision..the one to go and the one to come back.!!All experience !!

Take care

all the best

P :)

Re: Thinking about returning (yep, another one!)
 

I'm pretty settled on the idea of going back. We're actually selling a lot of stuff on Amazon / Ebay at the moment to get rid of some junk to make the move easier! I am planning on starting to look for work as soon as I get my citizenship (but that's a long way off).

Our second baby is due in four weeks and so we had decided that we wouldn't try to make a definite decision just because my wife especially doesn't need that stress right now. However, she has told me a couple of times after her mother has stressed her out that she can't wait to move to the UK! So it's looking pretty likely at the moment that we will go, but obviously the baby has to be our priority for a while. Maybe that will help me to get my mind off of the move and stop refreshing this forum every five minutes to see if there are new posts. :D

Re: Thinking about returning (yep, another one!)
 

Hi Jeremai,

I only come on here every 3 - 4 weeks. Firstly, because we are so busy & also because I like to have time away to digest the advice that I've read. After my first ever post in late July, I came away & thought about the posts advising us to get our citizenship first. My first reaction was "No way - I don't wanna hang around any longer than it takes us to save the money for our shipping and a small house deposit for the UK!!" :eek:

Over the next couple of weeks, it slowly dawned on me that maybe we can stick it out and now I feel much better about our new plan. :)

The next time I come on the forum in a few weeks, you'll have your hands full!!! :D

All the best,

BAZ!!

Re: Thinking about returning (yep, another one!)
 

[QUOTE=Pants]Hi Baz

Nothing is straight forward but I think you are wise to stay put another 2yrs to get PR.
I went through the same doubts once we decided to come back to UK and there are still days when I think why did we leave but that's easy to say when things are going wrong here.

We are here, we have to get on with living it and enjoying it for who knows how long...things change don't they !!I don't regret either decision..the one to go and the one to come back.!!All experience !!

Take care

all the best

[QUOTE=Pants]


Hey Pants,

Are you back in UK now or still in Oz waiting to go back to UK?

:D

BAZ!!

Re: Thinking about returning (yep, another one!)
 

Remember also Baz on your trip back to UK, you will be catching up with people, parties etc, and you may go back feeling more homesick. Well it did me anyway on one of my trips. The thing was when I actually came back, (and I didn't intend to stay, and still don't live in the Uk) it was different also to those short trips back. After 12 months I felt very claustophobic being back after Oz. I now live in Spain, mainly because I like the lifestyle and am closer to UK for business and family and I was also able to afford a home and lifestyle better than I would in the UK.

Enjoy your trip back, and maybe if you're not totally happy in Australia maybe think of some other countries that are nearer to the UK if you feel it is too far away and may still get a similar lifestyle. The wonderful thing about the world is it is opening up more than it was and other opportunities. None of now have to live in any one place for the rest of our lives, and why should we have to.

Enjoy though the time that you decide you going to spend in Australia, so you don't have any regrets when you leave, if you do.

Re: Thinking about returning (yep, another one!)
 

Hey Pants,

Are you back in UK now or still in Oz waiting to go back to UK?

:D

BAZ!![/QUOTE]

In the UK now....been back 1yr come Sept. Spent 21/2yrs in Oz. Now back here settling down in Sunny Sussex!! Enjoying it but do miss certain things about Oz.!

Where are you in Oz?

P :D