British Expats - 3 and a half years on the Gold Coast!

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- - 3 and a half years on the Gold Coast! (https://britishexpats.com/forum/update-forum-107/3-half-years-gold-coast-482836/)

3 and a half years on the Gold Coast!

Well where do I start, firstly we would never have settled half as good without the people and information from this forum, I don't post much anymore as priorities change when you start a new life, but I will be forever grateful to Britishexpats.com

2002-2003 had been the worst 2 years of my personal life, Australia was calling me for a new life, new start, we had never been to Oz, it was a big decision to just pack up and go to somewhere we really knew nothing about except from the internet and this forum, but we knew if all else failed we could always come back home. So in Nov 2003 We applied for our PR in Scotland as hubby is a Joiner (carpenter here), our application was gone for 3months we thought it would be underway, when shock horror :ohmy: we got it back in the mail as we had not signed the declaration!!!!! after 3 months to say we were dissapointed was an understatement. We just wanted to get to Oz, so we started to look at other ways. In Feb 04 we applied for a student visa, I was going to do a hairdressing course, which would be a fall back if for some reason we couldn't get PR once we arrived in Oz through my hubbys trade. 4 Weeks later my student visa was granted and we arrived on the Gold Coast at the end of March 2004. As soon as we arrived I started my course, my hubby got work, my eldest daughter who was 6 at the time started school and my youngest who was 4 started kindy, we also applied for our PR. Finances were quickly running out, as we were living on 1 wage while I done my course, we got a rental in Arundel where we stayed for 3 years.

The first year had its ups and downs, we loved it here and met some great friends but had a lot of homesickness, we spent our first christmas just the 4 of us and that was hard, but I still would never have swapped it for anything, we had such a great quality of life. In may 2005 we were granted our PR, I finished my course that year, we had met loads of brilliant friends, a lot from this site through meets, life was great. My hubby has never been out of work as a carpenter here, he loves being able to get up at 6am the sun is shining and the birds are singing. I ended up getting a job in retail and was very lucky to get part time school hours, which fits in brill with the girls, I still keep my hand in at hairdressing by doing friends and family.

This year we built our own house, just behind Pacific Pines, something I could never have dreamed of doing in Scotland, my girls are just little ozzies and are so into the way of life, they really don't know how lucky they are! we have had so many visitors in the past 3 years, and its always hard when they go home, but we just get in the car have a drive around and take in everything that we now take for granted on a daily basis. I don't have 1 single regret in moving to Australia, it's the best thing I have ever done.

To anyone out there who is finding it tough, just stick in as it's all worth it, go to the meets and talk to people, I guarantee there will be 10 people you will have nothing in common with but there might be that one or 2 that will just click and change everything about your life here. I know we wouldn't have the life we do without the people we have met.

On Monday we have our Citizenship interview, we can't wait to become Citizens and give something back to this fantastic country!

Lisa X