ponyrama

I arrived in Oz on 1st December 2008. I arrived back in the UK on 6th October 2009 for a 3 week trip due to family illness (yes I got the dreaded call less than 8 months after arriving in Oz - my worst nightmare).

I am so depressed. If it wasn't for the fact my Dad is still in hospital and I'm staying till he is home and back on his feet again - I'd be ringing the airline and changing my ticket for the first flight back home (to Oz).

Everyone is so miserable (maybe cos i'm spending most of my time in the heart ward of the local hospital) but it just seems so "bleak". The weather hasn't been that bad - its only rained 5 days out of the 8 i have been here, but everything on the news is depressing, everyone in the shops is miserable, no ones got any money and they are all trading in their old gold for a bit of extra cash (actually that did cause a minor bit of excitement when my auntie got £50 for a broken bracelet and a bent ring).

Maybe i have become Australianised without realising - so much so that the irritating things that annoyed me when I first arrived - like the upbeat trivial nature of the news (nothing bad ever happens in Oz) and the smiley overbearing attitude of shop assistants - I'm now actually quite thankful for.

Cant wait to be back on that plane in two weeks time - otherwise I'll be needing some Prozac to make it through!

sunbather

Interesting reading. I too went back for a 3 week visit after jsut a year away and was shocked by how much appeared to have changed or by how stressed people were in such a short time.

Whereabouts in the UK are you staying?

ponyrama

I'm in St Helens in the North West.

SBOZ

Blimey it's not that bad ...
What did make me chuckle though was the false pommes on GMTV in Sydney earlier this week making and rubbing in the fact that Oz was best, I feel sorry for all the people who get sucked in over here and think "look at it over there" .
It's a great place to say you've been/lived (nearly 5 years for us) but its a bit naughty to give the false impression sometimes that its the do and end all.
Best wishes to your family we to had the call, and decided in the end home is home ..
Cheers Simon.

ponyrama

Thanks Simon. Its a hard call to make but we just do our best and hope that its the right thing in the end.

I think the difference for me is that my life in the UK was good, no complaints, no worries and no real reason to escape other than a wish to try something new and have an adventure along the way. Made it much easier to settle in Oz and I still feel like I am on holiday. I left England just as the 'recession' hit and it does feel very different being back, especially because no one has really noticed the global recession in Oz.

I do think its wrong to portray Oz as the answer to all your prayers as 9 times out of 10, if your life is rubbish here, its likely to be rubbish in Oz too.

Good luck to you and yours - hope it works out for you all. xox

irishbloo

Hope your Dad feels better soon.We had the cal three times when we lived in Uk to dash to my Mum in Ireland.Shes still with us..We went back to Uk for a wedding after 7 months and found it really weird.Was quiet happy to fly to Ireland to see all my family again.Saying good bye to them again was way harder than saying goodbye the first time.All The best.

mohogony

You did'nt notice the recession in OZ because there is no recession in OZ its the only western country not to have one becasue of its massive mineral wealth.

ponyrama

Yes i know that - I actually said no one is Oz has noticed the global recession.

merleoberon

how selfish of these people to get ill and make you leave this wonderful land. 8 months and its home. well done you.

ponyrama

Thank you for your comment. I dont think I will bother trying to explain or justify as you have clearly already judged me and therefore my efforts would obviously prove futile.

RenShen

We have been here 9 months and its home. Yes, well done us. It has been bloody hard work. If we got "the call" we would have to go home for a visit and yes, we would probably be looking forward to getting back to Australia as its where we are happy and where we want to spend out future.

WHAT ON EARTH IS WRONG WITH THAT ?????

Nu-Shooz

Funny how we all see things differently...come with a negative mind and you will see everything as you want to see it. Generalisation is a funny thing too.

ponyrama

I think I came with a positive mind. Granted I was anxious because of the situation and it was an unscheduled trip but I was really excited to be coming back to see all my old friends and catch up with people as well as have an opportunity to spend time with my Dad as he was recovering.

I'm not sure I'm generalising either - just speaking from my own experience. I am well aware that it will be different for everyone. It is interesting though that one of the first questions people have asked me is 'So when are you coming back for good then?' and when you say you're not they then lose interest in anything you've got to say beyond that. Very strange! Just more confirmation that the decision I made to live life for me was the right one!

happy4

if your life is rubbish here, its likely to be rubbish in Oz too.

Not necessarily. Our lives weren't rubbish in the UK, they were pretty good and I didn't think oz was that great at all, but glad you have settled there. This is your viewpoint of the UK, I see it very differently, I love the variation, the weather and the opportunities here, I guess it's where you return to in the UK and what you are returning to. I guess if your father is ill, things might seem and look more bleak. All the best to you.

Fleaflyfloflum

I have been back in UK since April. I am that depressed i sold all my gold and spent it on the new internet bingo websites.
I am now considering throwing myself off the white cliffs of Dover, especially now its heading for winter, which will mean spending too much time indoors in front of the fire, contemplating christmas with all my grandchildren and the huge family gathering that will ensue. How will i cope i ask myself?