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2 and a half years on the Gold Coast

2 and a half years on the Gold Coast

Old Jul 16th 2010, 10:47 am
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Default 2 and a half years on the Gold Coast

I'm going to TRY and keep this short and sweet

We've always been pretty happy in Aus, we have no financial problems and work has never been a problem for either of us but our 13yr old daughter has had her ups and downs with school/teenage life.
We were never really sure it was school and environmental factors, we always wondered if it was her approach to her new australian life- she didn't want to accept it or the people. This did (obviously) bring us down too as we thought we'd done the wrong thing for her
She would keep in contact with old friends from England more than she would with friends here- thanks to facebook.

Last month we went back to the UK for a month which was well overdue, i hadn't seen my family since we left 2 and a half years ago (we were dreading getting our daughter back to aus) It was great and we had a lovely time and the sun actually shone all month. Our daughter met up with her old friends and although the odd one was 'as much fun as before' the rest of them were very different. Infact England wasn't quite as she'd imagined in her 'rose tinted glasses'.

We've since returned to aus and we actually have an enthusiastic teenager who's been given a new lease of life. She's been socialising nonstop since we've been back. The phone rings for her a couple of times a night and she said the other day 'i'm really enjoying school!' (to which i nearly fainted!)
So we do feel we were right all along and it was her approach, not her fault of course. She was taken right out of her comfort zone and put into a completely alien environment. But it's soooo good that she's happier - it was always the missing link.
If only i knew that taking her back to the uk would make her settle i'd have done 2 years ago!!

Therefore, we are all happy bunnys OH is a QLd police officer (which he LOVES), i'm a pre school teacher in beautiful Cabarita Beach NSW (love the drive to work and my job). We still live in Varsity Lakes, 10 mins from Burleigh beach and 5 mins to Robina which has everything you ever need. I love my morning walks watching the sunrise at Burleigh Headlands.

We've had the experience of owning a boat - had some lovely days out to strady but boating is not for us and that was sold 6 months later.

Monday to Friday our lifestyle in winter is not much different to living in the UK - work and all the boring stuff but the weekends here are what makes our life very different.In summer however, going for a swim in the pool with a fresh mango frappe before work and then after is priceless.

Last sunday we went down to the surf club had a few COLD (the beer and wine in england is warmer) wines and a delicious meal at Rainbow Bay and then stood at Point Danger watching dolphins...it felt really special and it felt like home

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Old Jul 16th 2010, 12:47 pm
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Default Re: 2 and a half years on the Gold Coast

Hi Sammy, good to hear you are OK, doesn't seem that long since we were all excited at our UK meets, we are all settled and very happy down here in Melbourne, 2 1/2 years just passed for us to, have you heard anything from SJ?

Look after yourself, Rob, Helen & Caitlain.
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Old Jul 16th 2010, 1:01 pm
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Default Re: 2 and a half years on the Gold Coast

Lovely update and sounds a wonderful new life you have achieved for you all
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Old Jul 17th 2010, 12:30 am
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Default Re: 2 and a half years on the Gold Coast

Great to hear / good post
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Old Jul 17th 2010, 5:54 am
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Default Re: 2 and a half years on the Gold Coast

What a really lovely update & so glad that your daughter has realised where she is happy & is now really finding her feet
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Old Jul 17th 2010, 6:00 am
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Default Re: 2 and a half years on the Gold Coast

Great post, I am pleased that your daughter is more settled. We actually did go back to the UK for a holiday after a year (long story) and the first 2 weeks our youngest daughter thought that it was all wonderful, her friends made a fuss of her etc, then it all died down and in the end she could not wait to 'go home' to Australia.
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Old Jul 18th 2010, 5:11 am
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Default Re: 2 and a half years on the Gold Coast

thanks guys!

Good to see you're still here Rob and Helen and enjoying aus
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Old Jul 18th 2010, 7:06 pm
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Default Re: 2 and a half years on the Gold Coast

Great post, hopefully we might feel the same. We fly out on Wednesday and looking at rentals in Varsity/Robina area so
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Old Jul 19th 2010, 10:13 am
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Default Re: 2 and a half years on the Gold Coast

Great update - thanks for sharing!
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Old Jul 19th 2010, 8:49 pm
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Default Re: 2 and a half years on the Gold Coast

Great post! I know what you mean about 'rose tinted' - Mrs Carbery & our 2 went back to UK in May for a family wedding and although they loved catching up with family and had a great time at the wedding they did not feel a pull by 'old blighty'.
Congratulations to Sam & Stu (& daughter).
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Old Jul 24th 2010, 11:50 pm
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Default Re: 2 and a half years on the Gold Coast

Your story sounds a lot like ours Sammi. Our daughter had lots of unhappy times at her school when we were in Queensland and i think it was also her attitude towards everything (especially because she never wanted to move to Aus) that started putting a strain on us being in Aus. It wasn't just our daughter though, we were on a student visa and we felt it would be in our best interest to come back to the UK and start again! (long story) But getting back to the story, we have now been back in England for 13 months and about a month ago, my daughter said she misses Australia and would love to move back! - shock! she also said that all her friends had changed quite a lot and they didn't really have the same sense of humour or way of thinking, it seems hard to believe that people can change so much in a year! I've got to say though, i've noticed it too, some people seem the same as they always were and some just seem totally different. I think that it's not just everyone else that has changed, but that we have changed so much too and for the better i hope. We hope that we can eventually move back to Aus. Glad everything has finally turned out right for you, best of luck
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Old Jul 25th 2010, 6:56 am
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Default Re: 2 and a half years on the Gold Coast

Originally Posted by Carbery
Great post! I know what you mean about 'rose tinted' - Mrs Carbery & our 2 went back to UK in May for a family wedding and although they loved catching up with family and had a great time at the wedding they did not feel a pull by 'old blighty'.
Congratulations to Sam & Stu (& daughter).
Thanks Carbs

Originally Posted by bradburns2
Your story sounds a lot like ours Sammi. Our daughter had lots of unhappy times at her school when we were in Queensland and i think it was also her attitude towards everything (especially because she never wanted to move to Aus) that started putting a strain on us being in Aus. It wasn't just our daughter though, we were on a student visa and we felt it would be in our best interest to come back to the UK and start again! (long story) But getting back to the story, we have now been back in England for 13 months and about a month ago, my daughter said she misses Australia and would love to move back! - shock! she also said that all her friends had changed quite a lot and they didn't really have the same sense of humour or way of thinking, it seems hard to believe that people can change so much in a year! I've got to say though, i've noticed it too, some people seem the same as they always were and some just seem totally different. I think that it's not just everyone else that has changed, but that we have changed so much too and for the better i hope. We hope that we can eventually move back to Aus. Glad everything has finally turned out right for you, best of luck
Wow, it does sound similar! It was really though at times and about 6 months ago, I (not hubby) had thoughts of returning to the UK. So glad we had our trip booked as that was a 'lets see how it is' trip. We loved parts of our old UK life but it wasn't enough for us to live back there at the moment. Just so glad she changed her own thought pattern when we returned.

Yes, i think you're right. it wasn't just them that had changed. We all had and it took the trip to realise.

Well, i really hope you get back to aus kids!!!
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Old Jul 26th 2010, 10:52 pm
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Default Re: 2 and a half years on the Gold Coast

Hi sammy,

Why did you decide to give the boat up ?
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Old Jul 27th 2010, 9:38 am
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Default Re: 2 and a half years on the Gold Coast

Originally Posted by themerlin
Hi sammy,

Why did you decide to give the boat up ?
It was probably because stu had a feeble women as his assistant.
Whenever another male went out with him he had a pretty organised trip (apart from hitting sand banks etc - which i know is all normal boating stuff). Whenever i went out with him we had STRESS!! Safety chains snapping, alarms going off for unknown reasons, plugs being forgotten, giant waves coming in because we just didn't have a clue..so on and so on... . In the end there was just more stress associated with it than fun.
Especially when stu tried hooning- very scary!!

We have great memories of going out to strady, pulling up having a picnic and sand boarding down the giant dunes and fishing in tallebudgera creek in the turquoise water at high tide but in the end we were just glad to get rid.
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Old Jul 27th 2010, 1:07 pm
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Default Re: 2 and a half years on the Gold Coast

Hey Sam,

So good to hear that R is now feeling settled and happy

Lovely update and blimey doesn't time fly - 3 years for us!!!
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