Birdey

Sorry guys in need of a cathartic moan, just getting it out will be enough.

AHHHHH
Here we are in beautiful Hawkes Bay for a year secondment (from Australia) with small child. It was supposed to be a big adventure, an opportunity to see lots of NZ and have a relaxing, family fun filled time.

O/H was promised no night shifts, plenty of weekends off and things looked rosey on the job front for me.

We have been here 3 months, child care (finding decent day care for 3 days) is an ongoing battle. So far have only manged to secure 1 day, with no other days likely until AUGUST!
O/H has just started a week of nights, (yes, that promise fell through) but because of the contract gets no extra shift payment for doing them.

The mortgage back in Australia is causing a big dent in our earnings here, as the promised minimum 70% occupancy of our "holiday let house" has failed to deliver for the 3rd mortgage payment on the run. Thus we are having to save money to send back.

The relocation fees we were promised 3 months ago havent materialised and now it seems becuase we are so skint, I will end up going back to work on a hospital casual pool 2 nights a week so that we can have the odd bottle of wine and pay for the car repairs. Incidently they may as well pay in toffees and buttons because the take home pay works out approx. 1/2 of my sacrificed salary in Australia for the same job I was doing 3 years and a Masters Degree ago. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
ADD TO THAT Its fricken freezin, the landlord hasnt yet fixed the window I asked him too 3 weeks ago and I picked my car up from the garage today having had it fitted with a new radiator, only to return home from doing some volenteer work (which I love) to find the thing pi*!@ng water again!!

AND AND ... Ive only made 1 drinking buddy, my O/H hasnt even got that yet, as all the miserable:curse: ers at his work are too wrapped up in their own lives to consider that it may be nice to invite a newly arrived family to some sort of social, or dinner or or or or or or.....:curse:

AND AND AND there is nothing to do in the evening here if you have small kids. Sorry about being a bad mother and all that, but perhaps it would be nice to go out for coffee and cake after tea one night? Forget it lady.. This town is closed.

Okay.. starting to feel calmer, tomorow I will complete the job application for the shitty job, just so I can drink a bottle of red and make it all seem a lots roseir and warmer around here.
Only 9 months to go on the secondment!!!!

and relax...

Thanks, sorry for the winge, I rarely do this, but it seemed really cruel to do it to the O/H again as he already has guilt +++ for bringing us here, even though I agreed it was a fab idea in the first place.

Thanks for listening, but Im off for a nice cup of camamile tea. (Cant afford the wine until the weekend)

SarahB

Oh dear, all of that doesnt sound very good..... I think youre entitled to a moan after having all that going on!!

I should think youll be pleased when the year is finally up!!

We have small kids too.... how old is your littlun? I tried to find a pre-school/Daycare for my DS last year but they all had waiting lists, one list was 12 months long. I did start a job and my friend had DS for me but I only did the job for 3 weeks..... the pay was so low it just wasnt worth me doing it after Id paid my friend for looking after DS and then petrol costs as well.

At least youve got it all off your chest now!! Hey they sell some really cheap wine at pacnSlave!

Birdey

Thanks darl
Just wasted a good hour or two surfing around expats, dishing out all kind of unsound advice and opinion but now feel purged.
Tommorow is another day and perhaps a great job with Creche will become available?????? Yeah Right.. Onto the cheap wines at Pacnsave, thats why we are allowed it at weekends!!!
Presently have $100 a week to spend on clothes, toys, outings, wine, car repairs, incidentals, phone cards, gas refills for the cooker so I can stick my head in!

Only JOKO. will be grand Im sure.. Thanks for listening.. Child care is a real pain the arse

cherry

Did you see the programme on the Pommie influx to NZ last night it was really good showed some footage from early days of immigration .I liked the joke the presenter said .How do you know when a plane load od pomies had arrived ..
The whining went on after the engines were stopped .


I liked that being a pommie myself .

SarahB

Oh I meant to watch that but I forgot it was on....it looked pretty good.

I gave up trying to get a part time job in the end.... just had another baby instead.... not really what I recommend though!

karonious

It sounds like you have had a really raw deal since coming to NZ That is SO unfair of your OH's employers to do that to you.
And childcare can be such a problem. We moved from Scotland to York over 4 years ago - up until that point I had my 'big' boys' at home (sons now being 24, 22 & 21) so really missed them and their on-call babysitting services. At least it toughened us up in that respect as we didn't know anybody here well enough to ask them to watch our daughter initially.
And once life throws you a few wobblies, it seems to go from bad to worse, doesn't it?
On the bright side, at least you have managed to ventilate you feelings on here rather than at your OH, takes the pressure off a bit eh?
My sincere good wishes and thoughts for a turnaround in your circumstances.
Karen B
Karma given

sky

You sound like you're having it pretty rough and are quite entitled to a good moan. Where in Oz do you come from, bet you can't wait to get back there .... can you go back early or is that not possible.
I would top myself if I couldn't afford wine ... it was the only thing that got me through the first year or so here
Sending you some cyber huggy karma

Leighlou

Hi Birdy,
Just wanted to say too, that it does sound like you do deserve a bit of whinge time!
I've a v. good friend who lives in Haverlock North. If you want a contact close to you, I'd be more than happy to put you in touch. She's a fantastic fountain of local knowledge, and may be able to help point you in the right direction for Kindies, drinking buddies (she sure can hold her own anyway!) etc. Let me know if you are intersted,
Hang on in there!
Leighlou.

danny.f

That is truely crap. Some of the most deserved karma I've ever given. Hope it works.

Birdey

Thanks everyone, its made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside..

Perhaps the Karma has worked a little already.

Cheers

In answer to some of the questions

My little man is 2 and a half,outrageoulsy funny and a non stop talker.

We were living in Fremantle, Western Australia, cant go home early as a) it would be giving up, b) have to accept that this is just a shitty period in our great adventure c) couldnt afford the flights!!! LOL

Thanks for the offer of friendship in Havelock, may well take you up on that cheers. Im pretty well orientated to the enviroment because of my volunteer work its just a really big ongoing problem of too many children for not enough places.

I have been offerred an interview today for a job I would like, its about an hours commute which isnt ideal, but if we can agree on some kind of transport assistance is nt out of the question.. The money is still crap, but at least I wouldnt have to go back to the hospital and it would look good on my CV for the return to Perth.

So thanks again, I definatly feel purged and ready to take it all on again.. Weebles wobble and all that..

Birdey