moosey2canada

[QUOTE=3 go mad in Adelaide;6722139]We actually made up our minds very shortly after arriving - within the first couple of weeks I had that 'Oh god, what have I done feeling'. If I'm brutally honest I think I had reservations before we left England as the last few weeks, whenever anyone wanted to talk about it and ask me questions I tended to clam up, really didn't get excited.

This is exactly how i felt before moving to Nova Scotia 2 weeks ago - we have booked flights home. i didnt feel right when i left my parents at customs at heathrow i didn't cry- not me at all. I dont like it here i hate everyone telling me to give it more time like i dont know my own character and personality, i just want to go home. I have travelled all over the world and i cant find anything here to inspire me, not NS's fault its just me. i am not an emigrator.

LouiseD

When I realised that what I had back home was by far better than the "dream" life that we'd bought into.

The weather in Australia is superb no-one can deny that. The people are lovely and the beaches are fab.

But life is more than sunshine and beaches and when the holiday feeling wears off what is left?

I've been back for eighteen months now and still appreciate the UK so much more now.

I was delighted tonight when I watched an episode of Wanted Down Under - they showed a couple who echoed my thoughts completely. They said that you only appreciate what you have when you move away and that what they were searching for was probably just around the corner from where they used to live in the UK but that had to move across the world to realise that which was exactly what we found.

I guess that we all believed that there was something better out there to escape the daily grind, but then reality sets in and you find that you still have to work and pay the bills.

jamie677

Been thinking i m mad,we have been in canada 3 mths and i want to go home everyday but my OH is ok here,my 13year old son wants to go home too and my daughter told me a few days ago that she wants to go back aswell,my son has made no friends,we have put him in a few clubs but he just has not clicked with anyone,and my daughter gets made fun of in school because she is from the uk.
The reasons we want to go back are
Family,miss them all so much
Schools for the kids,they both loved school in the uk and had loads of friends
And then little things like tv,food,people who get me and can understand what i m saying.
So we have decided to go back in 6 mths when the dog is all sorted,going to see as much of canada as we can and try and treat it like a hols.
i m glad to see i m not the only one who feels like this.
Wishing you all good luck with whatever you decide x

Clangers

I'm totally there with you .....I've had one death last year, and think why wait for another one, I need to spend the quality time with the remainder of my family, rather than having to dash home when something serious happens. I'm also tired of the heat, and no matter how much Mum says the gray days are so bad and she'd give anything to see the blue sky... I'd rather see the gray sky for a change....it's not all that great after 19 years.

Tootsie Frickensprinkles

Seems there are at least some advantages to living in London then

Baby75

Im not here in Australia that long and I would go home tomorrow if we could

It was always my DH dream to come to Australia and when 3 companies closed down in less than two years he was made redundant 4 times on two years twice at Christmas with the same company I said Ild give it a go ( I have been regretting that decision a lot lately fist time ive admitted that) I did get involved in the process even encouraged DH with getting things done for the visa

but before we left I was having major doubts I was pregnant and felt a strong pull to stay at home i didn't get excited just dreaded it and when we were coming in to land I just had that sinking feeling What have we done which got worse as the days wore on I kept thinking Ill feel better when we have our own space we were sharing with friends and after I have the baby it my hormones even though I know it wasn't and in fact it worse now just want to be at home with my family close and have help don't even mind the rain

But feel stuck here now no jobs at home so DH wont go home on till he is 75% sure he will get work and with a recession at home the last one lasted over 3 years I cant stay here that long Ill lose my mind

I'm so scared ill get to the point were Ill go that's it I'm not waiting any more i have to go and DH will be no I'm not wait longer I really think Ill go ahead of him which is scary as i know it would be hard with out him he loves Australia and would happily stay here so I feel guilty for not being happy think he feels guilty because me and the kids are home sick we have always said we do it together and he has said he will go home but i can see his point about work

ok going off track my reason for going home is family and I want to belong and not feel like i stick out love my home country and want to go out and not feel like a total stranger some might say its to soon to be this sure I don't think so

meljor

I can't agree more, I lost my sister shortly after arriving here, very unexpectedly and then this year my Mum was diagnosed with cancer and passed away, fortunately I was able to go home for my Mum but I really need to be back before anything else happens. My OH doesn't want to return but the glimmer of hope is my eldest who wants to join the British army college, next year when he is 16 hopefully they will only accept him if his parents are in the country too. Also would love a grey day and maybe a bit of drizzle too.

andyvilla

nice one - yes I like that about being 'different' I can agree - alot of that comes from the level of speaking and writing - knowledge of history etc that puts us apart from north americans -

Marmalade

Just realized I didn't answer the original question ~ so fired up about the Olympics at the time


Until a few years ago I too felt like the US was home as compared to the UK. But, every visit back home now I feel more and more at home in the UK. Don't know if it is an age thing, with me hitting 40 not long ago (and hating that), or just me seeing back home with different eyes

.......but, as each annual visit to the UK came to an end, I found myself wanting to get on that plane less and less. Last year I would have gladly not got back on the plane to come back to the US. I just feel that I fit Scotland much, much better, and it fits me. I love my country and would hate not to ever move back there. I feel the pull more and more as the years pass by. There is so much I miss about Scotland that I don't want to miss being there anymore.

I will be moving back summer of 09 (after postponing it a year to get my US citizenship before i go back), and I can't wait

Lookin2Oz

Interesting thread,

Although my mind is pretty made up there is a fair bit of planning to be done and we feel our game plan should be to sit it out here ( in New Zealand) for another year due to all the current talk of global recession blah blah blah. Probably a good topic for a different thread !!

Having been in NZ nearly four years- a quick 20 reasons

1. The Kiwis have their way of letting you know that you are a foreigner and always will be and we feel our opportunities are restricted due to that.
2. Real houses – not wooden, cardboard, very expensive boxes
3. Being able to ENJOY a sense of humour – that is therapeutic and seriously lacking here
4. Quality of things, this seems to be the dumping ground for 2nd grade China products
5. Driving standards – young idiots with turbo charged cars, no insurance and monster trucks that want to push you off the road because they play Burnout Play Station.
6. No immigration hoops to jump through going back to UK.
7. Lack of opportunities here
8. Realising that I am Scottish and my roots are there
9. Realising that although Scottish weather can be grim, the winters here are VERY cold and DAMP.
10. Feeling very isolated here in the back-end of the world
11. Possibility of good friends – very difficult to make friends here. 95% of our friends are ex-Brit Ex-South African
12. Entertainment. We live 20 minutes north of Auckland and the place goes to sleep after 8 o’clock and has ZERO public transport.
13. We feel the challenges of raising children are just the same here as the UK, that is – the drugs, violent culture, possibilities of weirdo interfering with your kids
14. An international outlook ( not the world according to New Zealand)
15. HISTORY – Ahh – old buildings
16. Holiday opportunities – Greece, Spain, Italy blah blah
17. Plugging into our friends networks in Europe with the prospect of getting together.
18. The prospects of earning a really good wage
19. Not having to watch everything I say so as not to offend sensitive Kiwis
20. Not having to dumb-down my CV so as to not threaten people

ClaireM

The combination of the two quotes above sum it up for me perfectly. I have been here in Melbourne for two and a half months - I had misgivings before I came out here but had to try it. Glad I did but the flight home for Feb 09 (can't go before then due to the lease on the flat) is already booked.

I'm not going to bash this city because it's great, if it's what you are looking for. I moved out here alone and whilst I knew that would be hard, I didn't realise just how my friends and family were the most important thing in my life until I moved this far away from them.

I came into this with open eyes - I had travelled extensively, done the research, and put a lot of time into the planning. But some things you just know, and no amount of time or persuasion will change your mind. I belong in England and I can't wait to get back there.

deborahjane

We have been in Perth 5 years and not happy from the start. My parents (only in early 60's) were taken ill just after we left (Dad had stroke) and Mum knee replacement and wished we had been there. Although they have been out twice here they have no wishes to move here (think it's too boring)!

We all missed not only them but other members of our family.

We moved from the South of Perth after being in Perth for 12 months to here in North thinking it would be better but was a waste moving as no better and we should have made the move and gone back to the UK then.

Went back to the UK each year for a holiday since we have been here and all saw what we were missing.

Have three children and all missed the UK too.

Decided to let our eldest finish school. She does her TEE"S in a couple of weeks time, get's her results and then we are off back to the UK.

All of us can't wait to get back and our eldest girl (16 1/2) can't wait to go to university in the UK (she finds the education here bad) and she loves History, castles, museums etc and travel so can do so much more in the UK. She feels here she is really missing out on things.

Counting the weeks now!

meljor

Hope you have a lovely time, all the best to you and your family.