Almost 11 months in Perth.....
May 18th 2008, 4:28 am
#1
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Thread Starter
Joined: Jun 2006
Location: Bonnie Scotland
Posts: 3,681
Almost 11 months in Perth.....
Okay – where do I start?
Been in Perth now for almost 11 months and it’s been a roller coaster.
Grab a cuppa or a glass of something, sit down and get ready for the bare facts.
After the long and stressful visa application process we finally made it here to Perth on 27th June 2007. We being Rob, Jan, daughter Kim (20) and son Craig (16). We left behind our daughter Carrie (22), who was living with her boyfriend in Aberdeen. She was in a rocky relationship so we hoped when she eventually made the split she would follow us over.
By the time we cleared customs it was 28th June and all we could think of was “where’s my bed?”
We left a sunny and warm Aberdeen at tea time on the 26th June and after a comfortable, pleasant, non eventful flight with Singapore Airlines we left Perth airport approx 1am on the 28th, stepping into dark, wet drizzle. We were full of hope and had great expectations.
We are a very down to Earth family and did not expect a walk in the park. We knew that this was going to be a struggle but we also told ourselves that this was our greatest adventure yet.
For those of you who don’t know me – we had done a reccie in Perth in January 2006. We stayed with my husband’s cousin for 3 weeks and had a lovely look around Perth.
We started the immigration process not long after our return home. His cousin had promised Rob and Craig work when we arrived back. Rob was given a job on our return but they decided they didn’t want Craig. He was told to get a job in Officeworks or get out of their house.
Mistake number 1 – Staying with family we barely knew.
His cousin turned out to be a psycho menopausal woman intent on breaking up our family. Her husband, a middle aged pervert, made lewd suggestions to our 20-year-old daughter. He also sat at the dinner table telling Rob that he needed sexual variety because monogamy wasn’t natural.
We managed to stay there for 8 weeks (going to bed each night after tea) until we put an offer in on our very own Australian property. Our entry date wasn’t for a few weeks so we found temporary accommodation to tide us over.
We moved into our own home 5th October 2007 full of hopes and dreams. We had sold our house in Scotland and my husband had wound down his roofing business before we left.
Although we had moved out of his cousin’s house, Rob was still working for her husband. This became impossible to continue as he started treating Rob like a 16-year-old apprentice. We decided to make a fresh start and Rob left his job.
We didn’t come here with masses of money. I had given up a good job in construction and hoped to get something similar here. In the meantime I got a job temping, doing admin work for the local council. The money wasn’t great but at least it was an income. I applied for construction jobs and couldn’t even get an interview. I called for feedback to be told, “They had men here who were trained to do that type of work”
Rob called local roofing companies looking for work. Many didn’t reply – the ones who did wanted someone with local knowledge. I think it crushed his spirit as he gave up looking for work. Craig got a casual job washing cars. They kept him on for 2 weeks. Once the work was up to date they no longer required him. He doesn’t drive and is also finding it hard to find something else.
In October Carrie called me. She was very upset, as she had split up from her boyfriend. I told her to book her flight over, as she was always welcome (and she could come on a WHV). She didn’t want to come without the dog. We had left her the family pet when we moved over. We agreed the dog would come too but Perth quarantine was fully booked until Feb 09. I arranged for dog to go to Sydney and then get shipped to Perth after quarantine. Although the bill for the dog shipping was over $10,000 I was delighted that the family were all going to be together.
The following week Kim’s boyfriend arrived from Scotland on a WHV and she moved out into a rental with him. Within 2 months he’d decided he hated it here and wanted to go home. Kim wanted to stay so he agreed to give it longer.
While we were waiting to get the dog’s blood tests etc completed Carrie’s boyfriend changed his mind and decided he wanted her back. Dog’s transport was cancelled. Carrie’s transport was cancelled. Our hearts were crushed.
Craig still hadn’t got work, never left the house, had no friends and was desperately unhappy.
Within weeks of us arriving here 2 family members died, my sister’s hubby ran off with someone else (after 30 years together), my sister attempted suicide 5 times, my Dad was desperately ill, my mum was showing worse signs of Alzheimer’s and my 31 year old cousin was diagnosed with a very aggressive form of testicular cancer. Meanwhile Carrie – back with awful boyfriend – was suffering from stress and signed off work.
Rob decided we needed to go back to the UK for a short break to make sure Carrie was okay and to see if Craig would get UK out of his system. I thought it was a bad idea and too soon to go back to Scotland, but eventually gave in as I could no longer stand the arguments here. We had a lovely relationship and have always been best friends but the stress here was taking its toll and I could no longer stand it.
I booked flights and at a week’s notice we flew back to Aberdeen to see the family. We all had a lovely break and my Dad cried when he saw us. He said he didn’t think he was ever going to see me again. Seeing Carrie was wonderful and she picked up in the 6 weeks we were there. She has now returned to work but is still with awful boyfriend.
Leaving the family a second time was far worse than going originally. I cried at the airport and on the flight back.
We arrived back here on 1st May.
While we were back in UK Kim’s boyfriend decided he’d had enough and convinced her to return to Scotland with him. She left 2 days ago. Our hearts were broken again. Her WHV expires next month and she won’t get back even if she changes her mind.
I still love it here but hate my family being torn apart. Rob and Craig want to go “Home”
I’m applying for permanent jobs. Rob and Craig are back looking for work.
We bought our house here and have a 2 year fixed rate mortgage. If we weren’t financially tied I’m sure that Rob would have had our return flights booked by now.
Any friends we made here were mutual friends of Rob’s cousin. She no longer talks to us and it makes it uncomfortable to see the mutual friends.
None of our neighbours talk to us, despite the fact I keep saying hello when I see them. We came here to live the dream but so far it’s been a nightmare.
I’m looking forward to the next King’s Park meet so that we can maybe make some new friends and move forward.
Been in Perth now for almost 11 months and it’s been a roller coaster.
Grab a cuppa or a glass of something, sit down and get ready for the bare facts.
After the long and stressful visa application process we finally made it here to Perth on 27th June 2007. We being Rob, Jan, daughter Kim (20) and son Craig (16). We left behind our daughter Carrie (22), who was living with her boyfriend in Aberdeen. She was in a rocky relationship so we hoped when she eventually made the split she would follow us over.
By the time we cleared customs it was 28th June and all we could think of was “where’s my bed?”
We left a sunny and warm Aberdeen at tea time on the 26th June and after a comfortable, pleasant, non eventful flight with Singapore Airlines we left Perth airport approx 1am on the 28th, stepping into dark, wet drizzle. We were full of hope and had great expectations.
We are a very down to Earth family and did not expect a walk in the park. We knew that this was going to be a struggle but we also told ourselves that this was our greatest adventure yet.
For those of you who don’t know me – we had done a reccie in Perth in January 2006. We stayed with my husband’s cousin for 3 weeks and had a lovely look around Perth.
We started the immigration process not long after our return home. His cousin had promised Rob and Craig work when we arrived back. Rob was given a job on our return but they decided they didn’t want Craig. He was told to get a job in Officeworks or get out of their house.
Mistake number 1 – Staying with family we barely knew.
His cousin turned out to be a psycho menopausal woman intent on breaking up our family. Her husband, a middle aged pervert, made lewd suggestions to our 20-year-old daughter. He also sat at the dinner table telling Rob that he needed sexual variety because monogamy wasn’t natural.
We managed to stay there for 8 weeks (going to bed each night after tea) until we put an offer in on our very own Australian property. Our entry date wasn’t for a few weeks so we found temporary accommodation to tide us over.
We moved into our own home 5th October 2007 full of hopes and dreams. We had sold our house in Scotland and my husband had wound down his roofing business before we left.
Although we had moved out of his cousin’s house, Rob was still working for her husband. This became impossible to continue as he started treating Rob like a 16-year-old apprentice. We decided to make a fresh start and Rob left his job.
We didn’t come here with masses of money. I had given up a good job in construction and hoped to get something similar here. In the meantime I got a job temping, doing admin work for the local council. The money wasn’t great but at least it was an income. I applied for construction jobs and couldn’t even get an interview. I called for feedback to be told, “They had men here who were trained to do that type of work”
Rob called local roofing companies looking for work. Many didn’t reply – the ones who did wanted someone with local knowledge. I think it crushed his spirit as he gave up looking for work. Craig got a casual job washing cars. They kept him on for 2 weeks. Once the work was up to date they no longer required him. He doesn’t drive and is also finding it hard to find something else.
In October Carrie called me. She was very upset, as she had split up from her boyfriend. I told her to book her flight over, as she was always welcome (and she could come on a WHV). She didn’t want to come without the dog. We had left her the family pet when we moved over. We agreed the dog would come too but Perth quarantine was fully booked until Feb 09. I arranged for dog to go to Sydney and then get shipped to Perth after quarantine. Although the bill for the dog shipping was over $10,000 I was delighted that the family were all going to be together.
The following week Kim’s boyfriend arrived from Scotland on a WHV and she moved out into a rental with him. Within 2 months he’d decided he hated it here and wanted to go home. Kim wanted to stay so he agreed to give it longer.
While we were waiting to get the dog’s blood tests etc completed Carrie’s boyfriend changed his mind and decided he wanted her back. Dog’s transport was cancelled. Carrie’s transport was cancelled. Our hearts were crushed.
Craig still hadn’t got work, never left the house, had no friends and was desperately unhappy.
Within weeks of us arriving here 2 family members died, my sister’s hubby ran off with someone else (after 30 years together), my sister attempted suicide 5 times, my Dad was desperately ill, my mum was showing worse signs of Alzheimer’s and my 31 year old cousin was diagnosed with a very aggressive form of testicular cancer. Meanwhile Carrie – back with awful boyfriend – was suffering from stress and signed off work.
Rob decided we needed to go back to the UK for a short break to make sure Carrie was okay and to see if Craig would get UK out of his system. I thought it was a bad idea and too soon to go back to Scotland, but eventually gave in as I could no longer stand the arguments here. We had a lovely relationship and have always been best friends but the stress here was taking its toll and I could no longer stand it.
I booked flights and at a week’s notice we flew back to Aberdeen to see the family. We all had a lovely break and my Dad cried when he saw us. He said he didn’t think he was ever going to see me again. Seeing Carrie was wonderful and she picked up in the 6 weeks we were there. She has now returned to work but is still with awful boyfriend.
Leaving the family a second time was far worse than going originally. I cried at the airport and on the flight back.
We arrived back here on 1st May.
While we were back in UK Kim’s boyfriend decided he’d had enough and convinced her to return to Scotland with him. She left 2 days ago. Our hearts were broken again. Her WHV expires next month and she won’t get back even if she changes her mind.
I still love it here but hate my family being torn apart. Rob and Craig want to go “Home”
I’m applying for permanent jobs. Rob and Craig are back looking for work.
We bought our house here and have a 2 year fixed rate mortgage. If we weren’t financially tied I’m sure that Rob would have had our return flights booked by now.
Any friends we made here were mutual friends of Rob’s cousin. She no longer talks to us and it makes it uncomfortable to see the mutual friends.
None of our neighbours talk to us, despite the fact I keep saying hello when I see them. We came here to live the dream but so far it’s been a nightmare.
I’m looking forward to the next King’s Park meet so that we can maybe make some new friends and move forward.
May 18th 2008, 6:35 am
#2
Account Closed
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 4,374
Re: Almost 11 months in Perth.....
the stress of it all sounds very similiar to us, however we are lucky that our girls are younger (16 and 9), so they are still just happy to be with us.
As i said in my 'on year in' update, we totally underestimated the stress we would be under, married 18 years and mostly happy, we have ended up at marriage guidence here , but it has helped so much. The guidence cousellor is so sympathetic to the strain of emigrating .
Goodluck whatever you decide, but many of us jocks have a hard time settling.
My good friend is moving from melbourne to perth, she has been through the mill a bit too, she has been seperated from her hubby almost a year now, as he is already in perth, and this has been due to visa restrictions. I will miss her terribly, but perhaps you could pm her for coffee (shazmac on here), she's a brummie but not fussy will talk to anyone
and she's been hanging out with us for so much so she can understand just about every scottish word we say now
As i said in my 'on year in' update, we totally underestimated the stress we would be under, married 18 years and mostly happy, we have ended up at marriage guidence here , but it has helped so much. The guidence cousellor is so sympathetic to the strain of emigrating .
Goodluck whatever you decide, but many of us jocks have a hard time settling.
My good friend is moving from melbourne to perth, she has been through the mill a bit too, she has been seperated from her hubby almost a year now, as he is already in perth, and this has been due to visa restrictions. I will miss her terribly, but perhaps you could pm her for coffee (shazmac on here), she's a brummie but not fussy will talk to anyone
and she's been hanging out with us for so much so she can understand just about every scottish word we say now
May 18th 2008, 7:11 am
#3
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 4,918
Re: Almost 11 months in Perth.....
Okay – where do I start?
Been in Perth now for almost 11 months and it’s been a roller coaster.
Grab a cuppa or a glass of something, sit down and get ready for the bare facts.
After the long and stressful visa application process we finally made it here to Perth on 27th June 2007. We being Rob, Jan, daughter Kim (20) and son Craig (16). We left behind our daughter Carrie (22), who was living with her boyfriend in Aberdeen. She was in a rocky relationship so we hoped when she eventually made the split she would follow us over.
By the time we cleared customs it was 28th June and all we could think of was “where’s my bed?”
We left a sunny and warm Aberdeen at tea time on the 26th June and after a comfortable, pleasant, non eventful flight with Singapore Airlines we left Perth airport approx 1am on the 28th, stepping into dark, wet drizzle. We were full of hope and had great expectations.
We are a very down to Earth family and did not expect a walk in the park. We knew that this was going to be a struggle but we also told ourselves that this was our greatest adventure yet.
For those of you who don’t know me – we had done a reccie in Perth in January 2006. We stayed with my husband’s cousin for 3 weeks and had a lovely look around Perth.
We started the immigration process not long after our return home. His cousin had promised Rob and Craig work when we arrived back. Rob was given a job on our return but they decided they didn’t want Craig. He was told to get a job in Officeworks or get out of their house.
Mistake number 1 – Staying with family we barely knew.
His cousin turned out to be a psycho menopausal woman intent on breaking up our family. Her husband, a middle aged pervert, made lewd suggestions to our 20-year-old daughter. He also sat at the dinner table telling Rob that he needed sexual variety because monogamy wasn’t natural.
We managed to stay there for 8 weeks (going to bed each night after tea) until we put an offer in on our very own Australian property. Our entry date wasn’t for a few weeks so we found temporary accommodation to tide us over.
We moved into our own home 5th October 2007 full of hopes and dreams. We had sold our house in Scotland and my husband had wound down his roofing business before we left.
Although we had moved out of his cousin’s house, Rob was still working for her husband. This became impossible to continue as he started treating Rob like a 16-year-old apprentice. We decided to make a fresh start and Rob left his job.
We didn’t come here with masses of money. I had given up a good job in construction and hoped to get something similar here. In the meantime I got a job temping, doing admin work for the local council. The money wasn’t great but at least it was an income. I applied for construction jobs and couldn’t even get an interview. I called for feedback to be told, “They had men here who were trained to do that type of work”
Rob called local roofing companies looking for work. Many didn’t reply – the ones who did wanted someone with local knowledge. I think it crushed his spirit as he gave up looking for work. Craig got a casual job washing cars. They kept him on for 2 weeks. Once the work was up to date they no longer required him. He doesn’t drive and is also finding it hard to find something else.
In October Carrie called me. She was very upset, as she had split up from her boyfriend. I told her to book her flight over, as she was always welcome (and she could come on a WHV). She didn’t want to come without the dog. We had left her the family pet when we moved over. We agreed the dog would come too but Perth quarantine was fully booked until Feb 09. I arranged for dog to go to Sydney and then get shipped to Perth after quarantine. Although the bill for the dog shipping was over $10,000 I was delighted that the family were all going to be together.
The following week Kim’s boyfriend arrived from Scotland on a WHV and she moved out into a rental with him. Within 2 months he’d decided he hated it here and wanted to go home. Kim wanted to stay so he agreed to give it longer.
While we were waiting to get the dog’s blood tests etc completed Carrie’s boyfriend changed his mind and decided he wanted her back. Dog’s transport was cancelled. Carrie’s transport was cancelled. Our hearts were crushed.
Craig still hadn’t got work, never left the house, had no friends and was desperately unhappy.
Within weeks of us arriving here 2 family members died, my sister’s hubby ran off with someone else (after 30 years together), my sister attempted suicide 5 times, my Dad was desperately ill, my mum was showing worse signs of Alzheimer’s and my 31 year old cousin was diagnosed with a very aggressive form of testicular cancer. Meanwhile Carrie – back with awful boyfriend – was suffering from stress and signed off work.
Rob decided we needed to go back to the UK for a short break to make sure Carrie was okay and to see if Craig would get UK out of his system. I thought it was a bad idea and too soon to go back to Scotland, but eventually gave in as I could no longer stand the arguments here. We had a lovely relationship and have always been best friends but the stress here was taking its toll and I could no longer stand it.
I booked flights and at a week’s notice we flew back to Aberdeen to see the family. We all had a lovely break and my Dad cried when he saw us. He said he didn’t think he was ever going to see me again. Seeing Carrie was wonderful and she picked up in the 6 weeks we were there. She has now returned to work but is still with awful boyfriend.
Leaving the family a second time was far worse than going originally. I cried at the airport and on the flight back.
We arrived back here on 1st May.
While we were back in UK Kim’s boyfriend decided he’d had enough and convinced her to return to Scotland with him. She left 2 days ago. Our hearts were broken again. Her WHV expires next month and she won’t get back even if she changes her mind.
I still love it here but hate my family being torn apart. Rob and Craig want to go “Home”
I’m applying for permanent jobs. Rob and Craig are back looking for work.
We bought our house here and have a 2 year fixed rate mortgage. If we weren’t financially tied I’m sure that Rob would have had our return flights booked by now.
Any friends we made here were mutual friends of Rob’s cousin. She no longer talks to us and it makes it uncomfortable to see the mutual friends.
None of our neighbours talk to us, despite the fact I keep saying hello when I see them. We came here to live the dream but so far it’s been a nightmare.
I’m looking forward to the next King’s Park meet so that we can maybe make some new friends and move forward.
Been in Perth now for almost 11 months and it’s been a roller coaster.
Grab a cuppa or a glass of something, sit down and get ready for the bare facts.
After the long and stressful visa application process we finally made it here to Perth on 27th June 2007. We being Rob, Jan, daughter Kim (20) and son Craig (16). We left behind our daughter Carrie (22), who was living with her boyfriend in Aberdeen. She was in a rocky relationship so we hoped when she eventually made the split she would follow us over.
By the time we cleared customs it was 28th June and all we could think of was “where’s my bed?”
We left a sunny and warm Aberdeen at tea time on the 26th June and after a comfortable, pleasant, non eventful flight with Singapore Airlines we left Perth airport approx 1am on the 28th, stepping into dark, wet drizzle. We were full of hope and had great expectations.
We are a very down to Earth family and did not expect a walk in the park. We knew that this was going to be a struggle but we also told ourselves that this was our greatest adventure yet.
For those of you who don’t know me – we had done a reccie in Perth in January 2006. We stayed with my husband’s cousin for 3 weeks and had a lovely look around Perth.
We started the immigration process not long after our return home. His cousin had promised Rob and Craig work when we arrived back. Rob was given a job on our return but they decided they didn’t want Craig. He was told to get a job in Officeworks or get out of their house.
Mistake number 1 – Staying with family we barely knew.
His cousin turned out to be a psycho menopausal woman intent on breaking up our family. Her husband, a middle aged pervert, made lewd suggestions to our 20-year-old daughter. He also sat at the dinner table telling Rob that he needed sexual variety because monogamy wasn’t natural.
We managed to stay there for 8 weeks (going to bed each night after tea) until we put an offer in on our very own Australian property. Our entry date wasn’t for a few weeks so we found temporary accommodation to tide us over.
We moved into our own home 5th October 2007 full of hopes and dreams. We had sold our house in Scotland and my husband had wound down his roofing business before we left.
Although we had moved out of his cousin’s house, Rob was still working for her husband. This became impossible to continue as he started treating Rob like a 16-year-old apprentice. We decided to make a fresh start and Rob left his job.
We didn’t come here with masses of money. I had given up a good job in construction and hoped to get something similar here. In the meantime I got a job temping, doing admin work for the local council. The money wasn’t great but at least it was an income. I applied for construction jobs and couldn’t even get an interview. I called for feedback to be told, “They had men here who were trained to do that type of work”
Rob called local roofing companies looking for work. Many didn’t reply – the ones who did wanted someone with local knowledge. I think it crushed his spirit as he gave up looking for work. Craig got a casual job washing cars. They kept him on for 2 weeks. Once the work was up to date they no longer required him. He doesn’t drive and is also finding it hard to find something else.
In October Carrie called me. She was very upset, as she had split up from her boyfriend. I told her to book her flight over, as she was always welcome (and she could come on a WHV). She didn’t want to come without the dog. We had left her the family pet when we moved over. We agreed the dog would come too but Perth quarantine was fully booked until Feb 09. I arranged for dog to go to Sydney and then get shipped to Perth after quarantine. Although the bill for the dog shipping was over $10,000 I was delighted that the family were all going to be together.
The following week Kim’s boyfriend arrived from Scotland on a WHV and she moved out into a rental with him. Within 2 months he’d decided he hated it here and wanted to go home. Kim wanted to stay so he agreed to give it longer.
While we were waiting to get the dog’s blood tests etc completed Carrie’s boyfriend changed his mind and decided he wanted her back. Dog’s transport was cancelled. Carrie’s transport was cancelled. Our hearts were crushed.
Craig still hadn’t got work, never left the house, had no friends and was desperately unhappy.
Within weeks of us arriving here 2 family members died, my sister’s hubby ran off with someone else (after 30 years together), my sister attempted suicide 5 times, my Dad was desperately ill, my mum was showing worse signs of Alzheimer’s and my 31 year old cousin was diagnosed with a very aggressive form of testicular cancer. Meanwhile Carrie – back with awful boyfriend – was suffering from stress and signed off work.
Rob decided we needed to go back to the UK for a short break to make sure Carrie was okay and to see if Craig would get UK out of his system. I thought it was a bad idea and too soon to go back to Scotland, but eventually gave in as I could no longer stand the arguments here. We had a lovely relationship and have always been best friends but the stress here was taking its toll and I could no longer stand it.
I booked flights and at a week’s notice we flew back to Aberdeen to see the family. We all had a lovely break and my Dad cried when he saw us. He said he didn’t think he was ever going to see me again. Seeing Carrie was wonderful and she picked up in the 6 weeks we were there. She has now returned to work but is still with awful boyfriend.
Leaving the family a second time was far worse than going originally. I cried at the airport and on the flight back.
We arrived back here on 1st May.
While we were back in UK Kim’s boyfriend decided he’d had enough and convinced her to return to Scotland with him. She left 2 days ago. Our hearts were broken again. Her WHV expires next month and she won’t get back even if she changes her mind.
I still love it here but hate my family being torn apart. Rob and Craig want to go “Home”
I’m applying for permanent jobs. Rob and Craig are back looking for work.
We bought our house here and have a 2 year fixed rate mortgage. If we weren’t financially tied I’m sure that Rob would have had our return flights booked by now.
Any friends we made here were mutual friends of Rob’s cousin. She no longer talks to us and it makes it uncomfortable to see the mutual friends.
None of our neighbours talk to us, despite the fact I keep saying hello when I see them. We came here to live the dream but so far it’s been a nightmare.
I’m looking forward to the next King’s Park meet so that we can maybe make some new friends and move forward.
I am in NOR so if you fancy a meet up for a coffee and a natter then give me a PM.
Take it easy...hope things start to look up for you guys, you certainly deserve it.
(((((( hug ))))))
D x
May 18th 2008, 8:15 am
#4
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Sep 2007
Location: Canberra
Posts: 8,378
Re: Almost 11 months in Perth.....
OMG what an experience for you all. I hope it all comes good for you somehow.
May 18th 2008, 8:17 am
#5
Just enjoying being here
Joined: Sep 2006
Location: Thornlands, Bayside Brisbane
Posts: 817
Re: Almost 11 months in Perth.....
You have had a bad start! Really hope things get better for you soon.
May 19th 2008, 2:06 am
#6
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 1,560
Re: Almost 11 months in Perth.....
Okay – where do I start?
Been in Perth now for almost 11 months and it’s been a roller coaster.
Grab a cuppa or a glass of something, sit down and get ready for the bare facts.
After the long and stressful visa application process we finally made it here to Perth on 27th June 2007. We being Rob, Jan, daughter Kim (20) and son Craig (16). We left behind our daughter Carrie (22), who was living with her boyfriend in Aberdeen. She was in a rocky relationship so we hoped when she eventually made the split she would follow us over.
By the time we cleared customs it was 28th June and all we could think of was “where’s my bed?”
We left a sunny and warm Aberdeen at tea time on the 26th June and after a comfortable, pleasant, non eventful flight with Singapore Airlines we left Perth airport approx 1am on the 28th, stepping into dark, wet drizzle. We were full of hope and had great expectations.
We are a very down to Earth family and did not expect a walk in the park. We knew that this was going to be a struggle but we also told ourselves that this was our greatest adventure yet.
For those of you who don’t know me – we had done a reccie in Perth in January 2006. We stayed with my husband’s cousin for 3 weeks and had a lovely look around Perth.
We started the immigration process not long after our return home. His cousin had promised Rob and Craig work when we arrived back. Rob was given a job on our return but they decided they didn’t want Craig. He was told to get a job in Officeworks or get out of their house.
Mistake number 1 – Staying with family we barely knew.
His cousin turned out to be a psycho menopausal woman intent on breaking up our family. Her husband, a middle aged pervert, made lewd suggestions to our 20-year-old daughter. He also sat at the dinner table telling Rob that he needed sexual variety because monogamy wasn’t natural.
We managed to stay there for 8 weeks (going to bed each night after tea) until we put an offer in on our very own Australian property. Our entry date wasn’t for a few weeks so we found temporary accommodation to tide us over.
We moved into our own home 5th October 2007 full of hopes and dreams. We had sold our house in Scotland and my husband had wound down his roofing business before we left.
Although we had moved out of his cousin’s house, Rob was still working for her husband. This became impossible to continue as he started treating Rob like a 16-year-old apprentice. We decided to make a fresh start and Rob left his job.
We didn’t come here with masses of money. I had given up a good job in construction and hoped to get something similar here. In the meantime I got a job temping, doing admin work for the local council. The money wasn’t great but at least it was an income. I applied for construction jobs and couldn’t even get an interview. I called for feedback to be told, “They had men here who were trained to do that type of work”
Rob called local roofing companies looking for work. Many didn’t reply – the ones who did wanted someone with local knowledge. I think it crushed his spirit as he gave up looking for work. Craig got a casual job washing cars. They kept him on for 2 weeks. Once the work was up to date they no longer required him. He doesn’t drive and is also finding it hard to find something else.
In October Carrie called me. She was very upset, as she had split up from her boyfriend. I told her to book her flight over, as she was always welcome (and she could come on a WHV). She didn’t want to come without the dog. We had left her the family pet when we moved over. We agreed the dog would come too but Perth quarantine was fully booked until Feb 09. I arranged for dog to go to Sydney and then get shipped to Perth after quarantine. Although the bill for the dog shipping was over $10,000 I was delighted that the family were all going to be together.
The following week Kim’s boyfriend arrived from Scotland on a WHV and she moved out into a rental with him. Within 2 months he’d decided he hated it here and wanted to go home. Kim wanted to stay so he agreed to give it longer.
While we were waiting to get the dog’s blood tests etc completed Carrie’s boyfriend changed his mind and decided he wanted her back. Dog’s transport was cancelled. Carrie’s transport was cancelled. Our hearts were crushed.
Craig still hadn’t got work, never left the house, had no friends and was desperately unhappy.
Within weeks of us arriving here 2 family members died, my sister’s hubby ran off with someone else (after 30 years together), my sister attempted suicide 5 times, my Dad was desperately ill, my mum was showing worse signs of Alzheimer’s and my 31 year old cousin was diagnosed with a very aggressive form of testicular cancer. Meanwhile Carrie – back with awful boyfriend – was suffering from stress and signed off work.
Rob decided we needed to go back to the UK for a short break to make sure Carrie was okay and to see if Craig would get UK out of his system. I thought it was a bad idea and too soon to go back to Scotland, but eventually gave in as I could no longer stand the arguments here. We had a lovely relationship and have always been best friends but the stress here was taking its toll and I could no longer stand it.
I booked flights and at a week’s notice we flew back to Aberdeen to see the family. We all had a lovely break and my Dad cried when he saw us. He said he didn’t think he was ever going to see me again. Seeing Carrie was wonderful and she picked up in the 6 weeks we were there. She has now returned to work but is still with awful boyfriend.
Leaving the family a second time was far worse than going originally. I cried at the airport and on the flight back.
We arrived back here on 1st May.
While we were back in UK Kim’s boyfriend decided he’d had enough and convinced her to return to Scotland with him. She left 2 days ago. Our hearts were broken again. Her WHV expires next month and she won’t get back even if she changes her mind.
I still love it here but hate my family being torn apart. Rob and Craig want to go “Home”
I’m applying for permanent jobs. Rob and Craig are back looking for work.
We bought our house here and have a 2 year fixed rate mortgage. If we weren’t financially tied I’m sure that Rob would have had our return flights booked by now.
Any friends we made here were mutual friends of Rob’s cousin. She no longer talks to us and it makes it uncomfortable to see the mutual friends.
None of our neighbours talk to us, despite the fact I keep saying hello when I see them. We came here to live the dream but so far it’s been a nightmare.
I’m looking forward to the next King’s Park meet so that we can maybe make some new friends and move forward.
Been in Perth now for almost 11 months and it’s been a roller coaster.
Grab a cuppa or a glass of something, sit down and get ready for the bare facts.
After the long and stressful visa application process we finally made it here to Perth on 27th June 2007. We being Rob, Jan, daughter Kim (20) and son Craig (16). We left behind our daughter Carrie (22), who was living with her boyfriend in Aberdeen. She was in a rocky relationship so we hoped when she eventually made the split she would follow us over.
By the time we cleared customs it was 28th June and all we could think of was “where’s my bed?”
We left a sunny and warm Aberdeen at tea time on the 26th June and after a comfortable, pleasant, non eventful flight with Singapore Airlines we left Perth airport approx 1am on the 28th, stepping into dark, wet drizzle. We were full of hope and had great expectations.
We are a very down to Earth family and did not expect a walk in the park. We knew that this was going to be a struggle but we also told ourselves that this was our greatest adventure yet.
For those of you who don’t know me – we had done a reccie in Perth in January 2006. We stayed with my husband’s cousin for 3 weeks and had a lovely look around Perth.
We started the immigration process not long after our return home. His cousin had promised Rob and Craig work when we arrived back. Rob was given a job on our return but they decided they didn’t want Craig. He was told to get a job in Officeworks or get out of their house.
Mistake number 1 – Staying with family we barely knew.
His cousin turned out to be a psycho menopausal woman intent on breaking up our family. Her husband, a middle aged pervert, made lewd suggestions to our 20-year-old daughter. He also sat at the dinner table telling Rob that he needed sexual variety because monogamy wasn’t natural.
We managed to stay there for 8 weeks (going to bed each night after tea) until we put an offer in on our very own Australian property. Our entry date wasn’t for a few weeks so we found temporary accommodation to tide us over.
We moved into our own home 5th October 2007 full of hopes and dreams. We had sold our house in Scotland and my husband had wound down his roofing business before we left.
Although we had moved out of his cousin’s house, Rob was still working for her husband. This became impossible to continue as he started treating Rob like a 16-year-old apprentice. We decided to make a fresh start and Rob left his job.
We didn’t come here with masses of money. I had given up a good job in construction and hoped to get something similar here. In the meantime I got a job temping, doing admin work for the local council. The money wasn’t great but at least it was an income. I applied for construction jobs and couldn’t even get an interview. I called for feedback to be told, “They had men here who were trained to do that type of work”
Rob called local roofing companies looking for work. Many didn’t reply – the ones who did wanted someone with local knowledge. I think it crushed his spirit as he gave up looking for work. Craig got a casual job washing cars. They kept him on for 2 weeks. Once the work was up to date they no longer required him. He doesn’t drive and is also finding it hard to find something else.
In October Carrie called me. She was very upset, as she had split up from her boyfriend. I told her to book her flight over, as she was always welcome (and she could come on a WHV). She didn’t want to come without the dog. We had left her the family pet when we moved over. We agreed the dog would come too but Perth quarantine was fully booked until Feb 09. I arranged for dog to go to Sydney and then get shipped to Perth after quarantine. Although the bill for the dog shipping was over $10,000 I was delighted that the family were all going to be together.
The following week Kim’s boyfriend arrived from Scotland on a WHV and she moved out into a rental with him. Within 2 months he’d decided he hated it here and wanted to go home. Kim wanted to stay so he agreed to give it longer.
While we were waiting to get the dog’s blood tests etc completed Carrie’s boyfriend changed his mind and decided he wanted her back. Dog’s transport was cancelled. Carrie’s transport was cancelled. Our hearts were crushed.
Craig still hadn’t got work, never left the house, had no friends and was desperately unhappy.
Within weeks of us arriving here 2 family members died, my sister’s hubby ran off with someone else (after 30 years together), my sister attempted suicide 5 times, my Dad was desperately ill, my mum was showing worse signs of Alzheimer’s and my 31 year old cousin was diagnosed with a very aggressive form of testicular cancer. Meanwhile Carrie – back with awful boyfriend – was suffering from stress and signed off work.
Rob decided we needed to go back to the UK for a short break to make sure Carrie was okay and to see if Craig would get UK out of his system. I thought it was a bad idea and too soon to go back to Scotland, but eventually gave in as I could no longer stand the arguments here. We had a lovely relationship and have always been best friends but the stress here was taking its toll and I could no longer stand it.
I booked flights and at a week’s notice we flew back to Aberdeen to see the family. We all had a lovely break and my Dad cried when he saw us. He said he didn’t think he was ever going to see me again. Seeing Carrie was wonderful and she picked up in the 6 weeks we were there. She has now returned to work but is still with awful boyfriend.
Leaving the family a second time was far worse than going originally. I cried at the airport and on the flight back.
We arrived back here on 1st May.
While we were back in UK Kim’s boyfriend decided he’d had enough and convinced her to return to Scotland with him. She left 2 days ago. Our hearts were broken again. Her WHV expires next month and she won’t get back even if she changes her mind.
I still love it here but hate my family being torn apart. Rob and Craig want to go “Home”
I’m applying for permanent jobs. Rob and Craig are back looking for work.
We bought our house here and have a 2 year fixed rate mortgage. If we weren’t financially tied I’m sure that Rob would have had our return flights booked by now.
Any friends we made here were mutual friends of Rob’s cousin. She no longer talks to us and it makes it uncomfortable to see the mutual friends.
None of our neighbours talk to us, despite the fact I keep saying hello when I see them. We came here to live the dream but so far it’s been a nightmare.
I’m looking forward to the next King’s Park meet so that we can maybe make some new friends and move forward.
join the club!! we also came to live the dream but 3 years on looking back our lives in aberdeen were much better, we were back there xmas just past and it just confirmed it for me people are too quick to bag aberdeen but i think its a young vibrant city with it problems yeh but so has perth, we are looking to returning in 2 years the good news is the housing market is slowing in aberdeen although people are still asking crazy money long may it continue slowing just in time for getting back!!
Good luck to you and your family hope things get better for you all.
May 20th 2008, 12:59 am
#7
BE Forum Addict
Thread Starter
Joined: Jun 2006
Location: Bonnie Scotland
Posts: 3,681
Re: Almost 11 months in Perth.....
Thanks for the replies and the offers of friendship. I'd love to meet you all for coffee.
I read through my post and I appear to be a real moaning minnie. Unfortunately I posted it just after my daughter flew home and I was at a very low point.
I've applied for another job - just waiting to hear. Maybe it will be a turning point?
I'll do my best to arrange coffee and meets with as many new friends as possible.
Thanks again
I read through my post and I appear to be a real moaning minnie. Unfortunately I posted it just after my daughter flew home and I was at a very low point.
I've applied for another job - just waiting to hear. Maybe it will be a turning point?
I'll do my best to arrange coffee and meets with as many new friends as possible.
Thanks again
May 20th 2008, 1:07 am
#8
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 9,668
Re: Almost 11 months in Perth.....
This is one of the rockiest starts I've ever read, and I'm so sorry Jan. You all sound like you've been through horrid trauma and I know it's probably inadequate to say this, but I hope everything gets better for you all. I hope in a year's time, none of you recognize the place you're in right now and that things improve beyond belief for you all.
Hugs.
x
Hugs.
x
May 20th 2008, 1:19 am
#9
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Thread Starter
Joined: Jun 2006
Location: Bonnie Scotland
Posts: 3,681
Re: Almost 11 months in Perth.....
Thanks.
I'm sure good jobs and new friends will help a lot. I also think if our daughters could see that we are happy and settled, they may join us here.
OH thinks I'm looking through rose coloured glasses. But it's better than sitting under a huge grey cloud.
Life is not a dress rehersal and I think we have to make the best of what we've chosen.
I'm sure good jobs and new friends will help a lot. I also think if our daughters could see that we are happy and settled, they may join us here.
OH thinks I'm looking through rose coloured glasses. But it's better than sitting under a huge grey cloud.
Life is not a dress rehersal and I think we have to make the best of what we've chosen.
May 20th 2008, 1:30 am
#10
Forum Regular
Joined: Jul 2006
Location: Perth
Posts: 195
Re: Almost 11 months in Perth.....
Hi Jan
I hope things really pick up for you soon. We left our son (21) behind, and were hoping he would have joined us by now. We know he is struggling on his own back home. It is a lot tougher than we could ever have imagined.
Tina x
I hope things really pick up for you soon. We left our son (21) behind, and were hoping he would have joined us by now. We know he is struggling on his own back home. It is a lot tougher than we could ever have imagined.
Tina x
May 20th 2008, 4:12 am
#11
broken but got a visa! :
Joined: Apr 2006
Location: seaford,adelaide
Posts: 1,515
Re: Almost 11 months in Perth.....
Sounds like youve had a nightmare journey so r. I hope things pick up for you all soon. xxxx
May 21st 2008, 4:36 am
#12
Forum Regular
Joined: Feb 2007
Location: was Preston now sunny Perth
Posts: 158
Re: Almost 11 months in Perth.....
What a nightmare start, i am also NOR in Perth like Issie and would love to meet for a coffee with you, we have only been here 7 months so would like to meet new people too.
sam. x
sam. x
May 21st 2008, 10:50 am
#13
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 470
Re: Almost 11 months in Perth.....
I dont think we realise when we emmigrate the problems we will incur!
The adapting, missing home and family on top of looking for work and housing etc etc, is traumatic to say the least!
Hang on in there it should & will get better once in work and have a routine in order, takes time, Rome was`nt built in a day as they say. Mt hubby btw went thru the depression stage, staying in the bedroom all day, not talking to anyone even me
but he came thru once in a regular job! Its so hard fiding the fight in you everyday to persue looking for work etc. Ease up on yourself and say ` all in good time`
as for you daughters, they`l eventually see a turning point for you all and will want to return!
wishing you loads of luck
Bluekipper
The adapting, missing home and family on top of looking for work and housing etc etc, is traumatic to say the least!
Hang on in there it should & will get better once in work and have a routine in order, takes time, Rome was`nt built in a day as they say. Mt hubby btw went thru the depression stage, staying in the bedroom all day, not talking to anyone even me
but he came thru once in a regular job! Its so hard fiding the fight in you everyday to persue looking for work etc. Ease up on yourself and say ` all in good time`as for you daughters, they`l eventually see a turning point for you all and will want to return!
wishing you loads of luck
Bluekipper
May 21st 2008, 9:24 pm
#14
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 10,375
Re: Almost 11 months in Perth.....
Okay – where do I start?
Been in Perth now for almost 11 months and it’s been a roller coaster.
Grab a cuppa or a glass of something, sit down and get ready for the bare facts.
After the long and stressful visa application process we finally made it here to Perth on 27th June 2007. We being Rob, Jan, daughter Kim (20) and son Craig (16). We left behind our daughter Carrie (22), who was living with her boyfriend in Aberdeen. She was in a rocky relationship so we hoped when she eventually made the split she would follow us over.
By the time we cleared customs it was 28th June and all we could think of was “where’s my bed?”
We left a sunny and warm Aberdeen at tea time on the 26th June and after a comfortable, pleasant, non eventful flight with Singapore Airlines we left Perth airport approx 1am on the 28th, stepping into dark, wet drizzle. We were full of hope and had great expectations.
We are a very down to Earth family and did not expect a walk in the park. We knew that this was going to be a struggle but we also told ourselves that this was our greatest adventure yet.
For those of you who don’t know me – we had done a reccie in Perth in January 2006. We stayed with my husband’s cousin for 3 weeks and had a lovely look around Perth.
We started the immigration process not long after our return home. His cousin had promised Rob and Craig work when we arrived back. Rob was given a job on our return but they decided they didn’t want Craig. He was told to get a job in Officeworks or get out of their house.
Mistake number 1 – Staying with family we barely knew.
His cousin turned out to be a psycho menopausal woman intent on breaking up our family. Her husband, a middle aged pervert, made lewd suggestions to our 20-year-old daughter. He also sat at the dinner table telling Rob that he needed sexual variety because monogamy wasn’t natural.
We managed to stay there for 8 weeks (going to bed each night after tea) until we put an offer in on our very own Australian property. Our entry date wasn’t for a few weeks so we found temporary accommodation to tide us over.
We moved into our own home 5th October 2007 full of hopes and dreams. We had sold our house in Scotland and my husband had wound down his roofing business before we left.
Although we had moved out of his cousin’s house, Rob was still working for her husband. This became impossible to continue as he started treating Rob like a 16-year-old apprentice. We decided to make a fresh start and Rob left his job.
We didn’t come here with masses of money. I had given up a good job in construction and hoped to get something similar here. In the meantime I got a job temping, doing admin work for the local council. The money wasn’t great but at least it was an income. I applied for construction jobs and couldn’t even get an interview. I called for feedback to be told, “They had men here who were trained to do that type of work”
Rob called local roofing companies looking for work. Many didn’t reply – the ones who did wanted someone with local knowledge. I think it crushed his spirit as he gave up looking for work. Craig got a casual job washing cars. They kept him on for 2 weeks. Once the work was up to date they no longer required him. He doesn’t drive and is also finding it hard to find something else.
In October Carrie called me. She was very upset, as she had split up from her boyfriend. I told her to book her flight over, as she was always welcome (and she could come on a WHV). She didn’t want to come without the dog. We had left her the family pet when we moved over. We agreed the dog would come too but Perth quarantine was fully booked until Feb 09. I arranged for dog to go to Sydney and then get shipped to Perth after quarantine. Although the bill for the dog shipping was over $10,000 I was delighted that the family were all going to be together.
The following week Kim’s boyfriend arrived from Scotland on a WHV and she moved out into a rental with him. Within 2 months he’d decided he hated it here and wanted to go home. Kim wanted to stay so he agreed to give it longer.
While we were waiting to get the dog’s blood tests etc completed Carrie’s boyfriend changed his mind and decided he wanted her back. Dog’s transport was cancelled. Carrie’s transport was cancelled. Our hearts were crushed.
Craig still hadn’t got work, never left the house, had no friends and was desperately unhappy.
Within weeks of us arriving here 2 family members died, my sister’s hubby ran off with someone else (after 30 years together), my sister attempted suicide 5 times, my Dad was desperately ill, my mum was showing worse signs of Alzheimer’s and my 31 year old cousin was diagnosed with a very aggressive form of testicular cancer. Meanwhile Carrie – back with awful boyfriend – was suffering from stress and signed off work.
Rob decided we needed to go back to the UK for a short break to make sure Carrie was okay and to see if Craig would get UK out of his system. I thought it was a bad idea and too soon to go back to Scotland, but eventually gave in as I could no longer stand the arguments here. We had a lovely relationship and have always been best friends but the stress here was taking its toll and I could no longer stand it.
I booked flights and at a week’s notice we flew back to Aberdeen to see the family. We all had a lovely break and my Dad cried when he saw us. He said he didn’t think he was ever going to see me again. Seeing Carrie was wonderful and she picked up in the 6 weeks we were there. She has now returned to work but is still with awful boyfriend.
Leaving the family a second time was far worse than going originally. I cried at the airport and on the flight back.
We arrived back here on 1st May.
While we were back in UK Kim’s boyfriend decided he’d had enough and convinced her to return to Scotland with him. She left 2 days ago. Our hearts were broken again. Her WHV expires next month and she won’t get back even if she changes her mind.
I still love it here but hate my family being torn apart. Rob and Craig want to go “Home”
I’m applying for permanent jobs. Rob and Craig are back looking for work.
We bought our house here and have a 2 year fixed rate mortgage. If we weren’t financially tied I’m sure that Rob would have had our return flights booked by now.
Any friends we made here were mutual friends of Rob’s cousin. She no longer talks to us and it makes it uncomfortable to see the mutual friends.
None of our neighbours talk to us, despite the fact I keep saying hello when I see them. We came here to live the dream but so far it’s been a nightmare.
I’m looking forward to the next King’s Park meet so that we can maybe make some new friends and move forward.
Been in Perth now for almost 11 months and it’s been a roller coaster.
Grab a cuppa or a glass of something, sit down and get ready for the bare facts.
After the long and stressful visa application process we finally made it here to Perth on 27th June 2007. We being Rob, Jan, daughter Kim (20) and son Craig (16). We left behind our daughter Carrie (22), who was living with her boyfriend in Aberdeen. She was in a rocky relationship so we hoped when she eventually made the split she would follow us over.
By the time we cleared customs it was 28th June and all we could think of was “where’s my bed?”
We left a sunny and warm Aberdeen at tea time on the 26th June and after a comfortable, pleasant, non eventful flight with Singapore Airlines we left Perth airport approx 1am on the 28th, stepping into dark, wet drizzle. We were full of hope and had great expectations.
We are a very down to Earth family and did not expect a walk in the park. We knew that this was going to be a struggle but we also told ourselves that this was our greatest adventure yet.
For those of you who don’t know me – we had done a reccie in Perth in January 2006. We stayed with my husband’s cousin for 3 weeks and had a lovely look around Perth.
We started the immigration process not long after our return home. His cousin had promised Rob and Craig work when we arrived back. Rob was given a job on our return but they decided they didn’t want Craig. He was told to get a job in Officeworks or get out of their house.
Mistake number 1 – Staying with family we barely knew.
His cousin turned out to be a psycho menopausal woman intent on breaking up our family. Her husband, a middle aged pervert, made lewd suggestions to our 20-year-old daughter. He also sat at the dinner table telling Rob that he needed sexual variety because monogamy wasn’t natural.
We managed to stay there for 8 weeks (going to bed each night after tea) until we put an offer in on our very own Australian property. Our entry date wasn’t for a few weeks so we found temporary accommodation to tide us over.
We moved into our own home 5th October 2007 full of hopes and dreams. We had sold our house in Scotland and my husband had wound down his roofing business before we left.
Although we had moved out of his cousin’s house, Rob was still working for her husband. This became impossible to continue as he started treating Rob like a 16-year-old apprentice. We decided to make a fresh start and Rob left his job.
We didn’t come here with masses of money. I had given up a good job in construction and hoped to get something similar here. In the meantime I got a job temping, doing admin work for the local council. The money wasn’t great but at least it was an income. I applied for construction jobs and couldn’t even get an interview. I called for feedback to be told, “They had men here who were trained to do that type of work”
Rob called local roofing companies looking for work. Many didn’t reply – the ones who did wanted someone with local knowledge. I think it crushed his spirit as he gave up looking for work. Craig got a casual job washing cars. They kept him on for 2 weeks. Once the work was up to date they no longer required him. He doesn’t drive and is also finding it hard to find something else.
In October Carrie called me. She was very upset, as she had split up from her boyfriend. I told her to book her flight over, as she was always welcome (and she could come on a WHV). She didn’t want to come without the dog. We had left her the family pet when we moved over. We agreed the dog would come too but Perth quarantine was fully booked until Feb 09. I arranged for dog to go to Sydney and then get shipped to Perth after quarantine. Although the bill for the dog shipping was over $10,000 I was delighted that the family were all going to be together.
The following week Kim’s boyfriend arrived from Scotland on a WHV and she moved out into a rental with him. Within 2 months he’d decided he hated it here and wanted to go home. Kim wanted to stay so he agreed to give it longer.
While we were waiting to get the dog’s blood tests etc completed Carrie’s boyfriend changed his mind and decided he wanted her back. Dog’s transport was cancelled. Carrie’s transport was cancelled. Our hearts were crushed.
Craig still hadn’t got work, never left the house, had no friends and was desperately unhappy.
Within weeks of us arriving here 2 family members died, my sister’s hubby ran off with someone else (after 30 years together), my sister attempted suicide 5 times, my Dad was desperately ill, my mum was showing worse signs of Alzheimer’s and my 31 year old cousin was diagnosed with a very aggressive form of testicular cancer. Meanwhile Carrie – back with awful boyfriend – was suffering from stress and signed off work.
Rob decided we needed to go back to the UK for a short break to make sure Carrie was okay and to see if Craig would get UK out of his system. I thought it was a bad idea and too soon to go back to Scotland, but eventually gave in as I could no longer stand the arguments here. We had a lovely relationship and have always been best friends but the stress here was taking its toll and I could no longer stand it.
I booked flights and at a week’s notice we flew back to Aberdeen to see the family. We all had a lovely break and my Dad cried when he saw us. He said he didn’t think he was ever going to see me again. Seeing Carrie was wonderful and she picked up in the 6 weeks we were there. She has now returned to work but is still with awful boyfriend.
Leaving the family a second time was far worse than going originally. I cried at the airport and on the flight back.
We arrived back here on 1st May.
While we were back in UK Kim’s boyfriend decided he’d had enough and convinced her to return to Scotland with him. She left 2 days ago. Our hearts were broken again. Her WHV expires next month and she won’t get back even if she changes her mind.
I still love it here but hate my family being torn apart. Rob and Craig want to go “Home”
I’m applying for permanent jobs. Rob and Craig are back looking for work.
We bought our house here and have a 2 year fixed rate mortgage. If we weren’t financially tied I’m sure that Rob would have had our return flights booked by now.
Any friends we made here were mutual friends of Rob’s cousin. She no longer talks to us and it makes it uncomfortable to see the mutual friends.
None of our neighbours talk to us, despite the fact I keep saying hello when I see them. We came here to live the dream but so far it’s been a nightmare.
I’m looking forward to the next King’s Park meet so that we can maybe make some new friends and move forward.
Emotional Stress
the bit we dont bargain for. Having older kids makes it so much harder weve been here since 2000, I really dont think there has been one time when all of us have been in agreement on where is best to live.
Frankly looking back I wouldnt have embarked on moving such a ridiculous distance, but one person is australian so it wasnt exactly a lifestyle whim we came on.
May 22nd 2008, 12:56 am
#15
BE Forum Addict
Thread Starter
Joined: Jun 2006
Location: Bonnie Scotland
Posts: 3,681
Re: Almost 11 months in Perth.....
Yeh - no one said it was going to be easy eh??