Chrisbower

Hi there, i imagine alot of you have experienced this but im 6 months into living in NZ after moving from the UK, and im really starting to feel down. Im 20, and moved here alone as none of my family could come over and theyre visas have now expired. Nothing seems to be going right at the moment:

>Didnt like polytech course i originally came out here to do.
>Unsure what to do next year
>Cant get goverment funding for study anymore because of the new rule they have brought into place.
>Missing all my family at home

There just seems to be no structure to my life at the moment. Im having to rely on my parents to fund everything which i dont want to do. Dont get me wrong, NZ is a lovely place and iv met some awesome friends but im starting to realise how much you miss family when your not around them. Something i took for granted before i moved here.

My original plan was to stick it out for 5 years to get my nz passport but i just cant see that happening at the moment.

Who else has felt like this after their move? Did you decide to carry on in NZ or go back to UK?

Expat Kiwi

I just read your previous post, a few months ago you were loving it. What went wrong?

Look, it's coming up to Christmas get yourself on the next standby flight back home and stay there, at least until term starts again next year.

Give yourself time to think over what you want and what's best for you, but for now you need to be with your family.

luvwelly

Go home for Xmas - nothing to keep you here - then decide whether to come back.

Justcol

look at whats REALLY important for you.
Life isnt supposed to a miserable thing, dont be afraid
of going home if thats what you want. Its not a sign of failure.
You've already done what millions of people like you will never have the
balls to do. that in itself is an achievment.
I emigrated to OZ in 1991, the plan was to stay forever, we lasted less
than a year and went home. We were VERY happy in the uk for the next
16 years before things changed and we decided to move to NZ. This time
round we are older, wiser and want different things from life compared to then.
You never know what round the corner but dont ever feel tied to a place
that doesnt make you happy.

Tomsk

Hey, it's tough. Moving away from friends & family & everything familiar to the other side of the world is hard. Full stop. There's positives & negatives for sure & for some the positives outweigh the negatives, for others it;s the other way round...but this move isn't easy. And don't get me started on StudyLink & their new rules for immigrants & funding...even though we've been here 2 years & my son should qualify. Grrrr
All I can say is good luck. Christmas is one heck of a difficult time of year to be away from friends & family, & I'd follow the comments of the others & suggest you try to get away back "home" for the holidays & take that time to reassess where you want to be.
You're young enough to be flexible, I know it sometimes feels like things are set in stone, but you'd be amazed what can change, and how easily, if that's what you want. You might feel like you've "lost" time, but believe me you'll have gained some incredible life skills simply by moving over here & getting on with life, & at 20 you seriously can afford to take a step back & start again. Huge respect to you for everything you've done so far, & huge respect for wherever you go from here. Sounds like you've hit a stumbling block, so time to step back, & work out what you want from life.... change is always a possibility & usually a good thing.
If going home is not a goer for whatever reason I'd be very happy to offer you a great expat Christmas dinner with us. Roast ham, salad & sunshine in glorious Rotorua
Good luck whatever you decide.

shirl

Yes I got homesick too, less than 6 months in and because we had return tickets I was tempted to use them right up until the last minute. I am glad I didn't cause I don't think I would have returned here! That said, life is ok at the moment, although I really don't feel that this is home yet even after 4 years here! OH loves it and would not contemplate moving back but my view is never say never and that keeps me comfortable about being here knowing that if all else fails, I can actually go home and just be! Although I could probably try another country having moved this far away from the UK, something else would be much easier now we have done it once. I too think you should try and get home for Christmas as you have no family here. I had my kids here when I came and that for me was a pull in itself. One went back to the UK and one is still here! Air Asia had some great deals this week. Good luck whatever you decide to do. Don't beat yourself up about your feelings, it is perfectly natural and not a sign of failure or weakness.