mcgarnagle

We could all learn a thing or 2 from Tommy.

He knows.

BEVS

His view and he is entitled to it.

Some of us that have been here a while may not agree and think it a bit......naive.
Personally, I do.

There again. Were we naive back on 2003? We did our 'research' bigtime.
Made 2 reccies and were assured ,by the very little there was over an internet forum at that time ,that all would be good .

We'd already been here before - twice !

Gawd - I remember reading so much stuff about how it was all good and looking back, it was from people that would & could never, ever be in our position ...ever.
Heck. The people talking with us back then were

1 - cashed up TBH & hid the fact. Y'know. Toys . Boats. Rentals. Stuff !
2 - or had family here already or
3 - were married into kiwi &
4 - otherwise already here for ages before in some way.

We landed with a job offer. We thought it was a good job offer in a great place.

We learnt how it is to be on your complete and utterly on your own on the ground as a migrant not a tourist.
Then we discovered how folk felt about trade migrants coming in , which was also shite.

Meanwhile, those with their cushions in place carried on regardless.

I think the fact that we pair are still here and doing good against the NZ tide is a testament to us & who we are as people. I don't need anyone to tell me that what I write about my time in NZ is irrelevant or what I feel is inconsequential, misled, foolish or dim. I'm good. Thank you.

So.

My findings so far is that TommyLuck is entitled to his views. However, we all walk in our own shoes and he will never , ever, have had to walk in mine or my husband's.

For him, I am glad of that.

TommyLuck

I'm looking forward to discovering new things in the shops.

Although I don't have favourite brands, as such, I am stocking up on some decent clobber before heading out.

I will miss Tesco value peanut butter. It's the best. No joke.

Justcol

Whooooweee !!!!

Have just read through half of this thread, its certainly rattled a few cages.

All I would add is
Tommyluck, You are the one making the move and you are right to do whatever you feel necessary to ensure its a success.
However as I'm sure you know, life isn't black and white so don't forget to factor in the human element, sometimes we need to
react to things the way we do, let people have their say and respect their views, they have already walked in your shoes but
you have not yet walked in theirs, there is some wisdom in the things they are saying.

And you still owe me a pint

To Everybody Else, Just chill the f**k out

TommyLuck

All part of the plan, my good man.


I'm fully acceptant that I'm very much the 'grasshopper', which is why I'm on here.

My initial post wasn't a dig at anyone in particular, and in fact was largely fuelled by someone in 'real' life and not online, but the reaction has been interesting.

Everyday the move gets closer I realise the human element is something that you cannot prepare for, but this bears no relevance to how much it costs to get my teeth done in NZ.

Justcol

maddalenna

Agree with this paragraph.
We are leaving for Scotland on Wednesday after 3 years here in New Zealand. We have enjoyed many aspects of living here but now it is time to return home. We did research, we had a plan - with which we had to be very flexible! After our rental home was red stickered in the February quake
we had to be very flexible, but it has not worked out for us. Lack of good steady employment for my husband and me has really forced us to look at our quality of life here. We have just been surviving and that is not good for our young children. You never know what is in store for you and you just have to go with the flow and work through it. Every story is individual and I can understand why some people have negative stories and others have positive ones. That is life – you cannot judge a situation that is based upon someone else’s emotional journey. Walking in someone else’s shoes is difficult to do when we are wrapped up in our own lives.
For us we are moving on – we have jobs secured in the UK and we have very happy family and friends awaiting our return. The 3 years in NZ have been a roller coaster of fun, fear, happy times, sad times ending with a great big bump of reality – home is in Scotland.

We leave expat friends who will never return to the UK but they respect our feelings and our need to return. They saw our frustrations as they have gone through many themselves. For us it has been about being honest with ourselves and to borrow a phrase ‘NOT HANGING ON IN QUIET DESPERATION’ Thank you pink Floyd!
Being of flexible mind is a good starting point for anyone.

TommyLuck

Good luck on the move back to Scotland.

I salute your effort in moving abroad, I equally salute your admittance and honesty with yourself that it wasn't for you and instead of making yourself unhappy you're making the trip back.

If nothing else, it was an experiece you will build on.

scrubbedexpat094

I know Aussie doesn't have hamsters either but I definitely saw double cream in Brissy supermarkets

Sherlock Holmes

I've just checked and google tells me it's only 23 hours 19 minutes by car from here to Brissy. See you in a few days.