I didn't really blog again for a while because things were just too difficult. The reality of the cost of living in Australia and how buying a house in Sydney just seems too far out our reach, the reality of missing friends and family - all the time.
But life did settle down our new friends looked after us and friendships developed. Life settled into a bit of a routine.
We returned home for a holiday in February of this year and had a lovely time catching up with everyone and eating and drinking ourselves silly. When it came time to say our goodbyes I think we were ready to return to sunny Sydney.
However all was not right with our daughter. Her friends didn't seem to want to include her in their clique any more and we'll never know why. She spent more time alone in her bedroom and work was her only refuge. We visited the local school one Friday and by Monday morning she started. She was always my concern, if she was unhappy we would return to Scotland. She has now a nice little group of friends, a nice job and is getting good grades at school.
I have found work as a casual teacher but this means money is intermittent and its difficult to establish some sort of routine. I miss my friends and family most days but love the Sydney lifestyle.
We need some more friends to enjoy it with as we don't want to exhaust the our friends that we have. So we have joined some Meet up so that we can branch out. Not loving it so far but its a start.
I don't think long term we will live here but I do know we are here for the next two years until our daughter finishes school.
Were we too old to start a New Life Down Under - probably but we're here now and getting on with it for the moment.
Monday, 9 September 2013
Wednesday, 18 July 2012
Too expensive to live?
We arrived in February and friends kindly agreed to put us up until we found somewhere to live. We had an idea of area, which wouldn't be too far for Stuart to drive and beside the ocean. This would give us what we had so desperately wanted. Sun, sea and cafes to walk to. Our search was on.
However, the friendship wore thin. We were not compatible people and everything we did seemed to annoy them. We tried hard to fit in, cooking, cleaning and helping with the young child. But nothing was good enough. There were arguments, we weren't doing enough around the house, our cooking wasn't up to standards (theirs not mine, and our standards were poles apart). They were angry that we didn't want to spend weekends with them. Even when we said it was to give them time together - that wasn't good enough either. We were stressed beyond belief and desperate to move on and I just wanted to pack it in a go home every day.
The joy we found an affordable property. We moved out, our ex-friends had our things waiting at the door on the day of our departure and we have all but seen nothing of them now for months. I'm still don't know what we did. We were grateful to have people 'on the ground' and here to help us out.
We settled into a routine and my husband went to work and I walked and drank way too much coffee . Just to pass the time I would have lunch out and read a book. Coffees and lunches became my source of expenditure. Food prices were expensive, petrol was going up. House prices are beyond belief. How on earth are we every going to get our foot on the property ladder here. I don't think I relish the prospect of borrowing hundred of thousands of dollars. The property crash in the UK has seen every diminishing returns on properties and that's if you even manage to find a buyer.
However my daughter made friends and loves school. She loves the Aussie lifestyle. Through my daughter we met some parents who took us under their wing and I honestly think if it hadn't been for them I would have gone home. We have been to a party, enjoyed a card night, eaten meals out and generally enjoyed their company. We have two new friends through this meeting. We really have been very lucky in such a short time to find a lovely unit, friends and employment opportunities for me are now on the horizon.
Yet most days I feel so homesick and miss children, family and friends. My rose tinted glasses mean I have forgotten the reasons we wanted to try A New Life Down Under.
I find it hard to let go and can't easily make decisions. Too old for a new life......too old to change? Too expensive to have the life I want? Maybe. But I still want to try so hard. I love the sunshine here and the going into shops everyone is so pleasant and nice. Everyone has been helpful to us but the next challenge is selling our house and now we have an offer. My indecisiveness now has to stop.
However, the friendship wore thin. We were not compatible people and everything we did seemed to annoy them. We tried hard to fit in, cooking, cleaning and helping with the young child. But nothing was good enough. There were arguments, we weren't doing enough around the house, our cooking wasn't up to standards (theirs not mine, and our standards were poles apart). They were angry that we didn't want to spend weekends with them. Even when we said it was to give them time together - that wasn't good enough either. We were stressed beyond belief and desperate to move on and I just wanted to pack it in a go home every day.
The joy we found an affordable property. We moved out, our ex-friends had our things waiting at the door on the day of our departure and we have all but seen nothing of them now for months. I'm still don't know what we did. We were grateful to have people 'on the ground' and here to help us out.
We settled into a routine and my husband went to work and I walked and drank way too much coffee . Just to pass the time I would have lunch out and read a book. Coffees and lunches became my source of expenditure. Food prices were expensive, petrol was going up. House prices are beyond belief. How on earth are we every going to get our foot on the property ladder here. I don't think I relish the prospect of borrowing hundred of thousands of dollars. The property crash in the UK has seen every diminishing returns on properties and that's if you even manage to find a buyer.
However my daughter made friends and loves school. She loves the Aussie lifestyle. Through my daughter we met some parents who took us under their wing and I honestly think if it hadn't been for them I would have gone home. We have been to a party, enjoyed a card night, eaten meals out and generally enjoyed their company. We have two new friends through this meeting. We really have been very lucky in such a short time to find a lovely unit, friends and employment opportunities for me are now on the horizon.
Yet most days I feel so homesick and miss children, family and friends. My rose tinted glasses mean I have forgotten the reasons we wanted to try A New Life Down Under.
I find it hard to let go and can't easily make decisions. Too old for a new life......too old to change? Too expensive to have the life I want? Maybe. But I still want to try so hard. I love the sunshine here and the going into shops everyone is so pleasant and nice. Everyone has been helpful to us but the next challenge is selling our house and now we have an offer. My indecisiveness now has to stop.
Wednesday, 6 June 2012
The regrets begin
My eldest son went to Queensland to see what it was like and whether he was going to want to come eventually. He took off on a plane and disappeared for a few months.On arrival back in September 2011 it appeared that he had carried over some exams and that he had missed a vital chance in finishing his degree. Had he remained in Scotland and my wish for all things Australian not been so great I think he may have passed. He appealed his course but eventually was told he could not rejoin and after three years was asked to leave. But who knows? He may have failed anyway even if he had been there for the resit.
My husband's son had gone into hiding and refused to visit us from his mother's house in England and only communicated intermittently. Only surfacing every so often to tell us that "He didn't like the heat."
My husband's daughter cried every time we saw her while her boyfriend tried to console her.
My mother was determined to come to Australia so that she wouldn't be on her own and promptly put her house up for sale against all our advice.
Friends tried to hide their disappointment at the thought of never seeing us again. Crushing their plans of retiring together and going off for the weekend was disappearing.
But it would be okay - we were going to Australia the Land of Opportunity and the weather would be fantastic and see us through everything.
My husband's parents were stoic and told us that we were doing the right thing.
We continued packing, clearing, painting, repairing through all of this. Never quite committing to anything as we were going to be off soon.
In reality - two years had passed and some of our life had been put on hold so that we could follow our dream.
We both were stuck in a rut in our jobs and so we thought this would be the Holy Grail.
Finally we were granted our visa. We were so relieved, we could leave and start the next phase of our lives at 51 and 53. When the time came to give my notice - I thought I would be ecstatic - in truth, I was unsure, depressed about having to start again and leaving a familiar routine. But I still said I would be leaving.
Our world came crashing in a few weeks later when our daughter was diagnosed with a life threatening kidney disease which brought all of us to our knees. We couldn't understand any of it - it was genetic - our parents were still living. My mum was just about to celebrate her 80th birthday. Stuart's parents were both going strong at 76 and 78. It got worse we were told that we were the carriers and that in all likelihood one of us also had the kidney disease which eventually means your kidneys fails when transplant is the only option.
We had already given our notice to our employers, the container was booked and job confirmed. The next few weeks were a round of hospital appointments with our daughter, her blood pressure was sky high. Our daughter, the fit swimmer and runner was now too tired to get up the stairs.
My eldest son went to Queensland to see what it was like and whether he was going to want to come eventually. He took off on a plane and disappeared for a few months.On arrival back in September 2011 it appeared that he had carried over some exams and that he had missed a vital chance in finishing his degree. Had he remained in Scotland and my wish for all things Australian not been so great I think he may have passed. He appealed his course but eventually was told he could not rejoin and after three years was asked to leave. But who knows? He may have failed anyway even if he had been there for the resit.
My husband's son had gone into hiding and refused to visit us from his mother's house in England and only communicated intermittently. Only surfacing every so often to tell us that "He didn't like the heat."
My husband's daughter cried every time we saw her while her boyfriend tried to console her.
My mother was determined to come to Australia so that she wouldn't be on her own and promptly put her house up for sale against all our advice.
Friends tried to hide their disappointment at the thought of never seeing us again. Crushing their plans of retiring together and going off for the weekend was disappearing.
But it would be okay - we were going to Australia the Land of Opportunity and the weather would be fantastic and see us through everything.
My husband's parents were stoic and told us that we were doing the right thing.
We continued packing, clearing, painting, repairing through all of this. Never quite committing to anything as we were going to be off soon.
In reality - two years had passed and some of our life had been put on hold so that we could follow our dream.
We both were stuck in a rut in our jobs and so we thought this would be the Holy Grail.
Finally we were granted our visa. We were so relieved, we could leave and start the next phase of our lives at 51 and 53. When the time came to give my notice - I thought I would be ecstatic - in truth, I was unsure, depressed about having to start again and leaving a familiar routine. But I still said I would be leaving.
Our world came crashing in a few weeks later when our daughter was diagnosed with a life threatening kidney disease which brought all of us to our knees. We couldn't understand any of it - it was genetic - our parents were still living. My mum was just about to celebrate her 80th birthday. Stuart's parents were both going strong at 76 and 78. It got worse we were told that we were the carriers and that in all likelihood one of us also had the kidney disease which eventually means your kidneys fails when transplant is the only option.
We had already given our notice to our employers, the container was booked and job confirmed. The next few weeks were a round of hospital appointments with our daughter, her blood pressure was sky high. Our daughter, the fit swimmer and runner was now too tired to get up the stairs.
Thursday, 31 May 2012
In the beginning
In September 2010 a new job offer for my husband came from across the Ocean. It was a no-brainer. Change rainy, dark Scotland for a sunny climate and the chance to start again, swim in the Ocean - change it all for a new life in Australia. The job offer was good with the opportunity to grow the company and gain a lot of experience and I of course would get a job as a teacher. Easy We would live happily every after. So far so good.We sent off our application for a working visa which enabled us to stay permanently. We told friends and family and they were excited for us. We put the house up for sale. Christmas came and went, no visa. Some six months later we received an email for Immigration. We were almost too excited to open it up. But excitement turned to disappointment when we were told we had to withdraw our application as we had not included a skills assessment and the employer's sponsorship had expired. Winter was bleak and the outlook looked grim. The company withdrew their offer and we of course were disappointed. No new life Down Under.
A month or so later Stuart contacted them to see what their position was and after some discussion they decided to offer the job again, if Stuart was still interested. Why wouldn't we be? A new exciting life Down Under awaited. This time we sent off our Temporary Visa Application (March 2011) we were told this would be quicker. So again we told friends and family, who were again excited for us. "Yes go, we will be sorry to see you leave" "How exciting, the kids will love it".
Our preparations began in earnest: tidy the house, clear cupboards, live and eat daily, carry on with working, tidy the house, clear cupboards. "What will we take?" "Will we need this?" Go to work.
In the meantime some of our children were telling us they couldn't/wouldn't come as they had commitments at University, College, Work. That's okay we thought. We still have one child to take with us.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)