Viewing Single Post From: Moving

Viewing Single Post From: Moving
PC Pom	Jun 21 2009, 02:35 AM
Anyone for tennis? Posts: 654 Group: Admin Member #1 Joined: March 23, 2006	Hi Sarah. Of course you're nervous. Why wouldn't you be? Anyone moving to the other side of the planet wouldn't be human if they weren't nervous. I first came out to Australia shortly after finishing university. I'd just got engaged too! So I left my fiancee to finish her degree and jetted off with my parents in the days when Qantas planes were only half full between Singapore and Brisbane, and Changi airport was one-tenth the size it is now. I was nervous. My parents were nervous too. About 11 months after arrival I returned to the UK to get married, and promptly decided Australia wasn't for me. Well, where my parents had decided to live and what they expected of me wasn't for me. I re-settled into UK life and began married life. Every few years we'd fly out to Australia. First Sydney, then Brisbane, then Adelaide... Finally, after taming the country and discovering there was so much more to it than my first 11 months in the hot sticks had told me, we made the plunge and now have been resident for a little under five years. We're both very happy, both very settled, and looking forward to every new opportunity Australia throws our way. Life's good (especially if you don't buy LG products...) I guess there are a couple of messages here. Firstly, travelling too and from Australia isn't a big thing, and certainly not as big as it used to be - 24 hours and you're back where you started - almost. Yes, it's expensive but it's a small price to pay if you just can't settle. How long you give it to settle is the $69 million question. If you're thinking weeks, stretch it to months. If you're thinking months, stretch that to years. Secondly you should think about Australia as a whole. So many Bits and South Africans head to Perth you'd think they'd rename it Londonburg by now. Perhaps they secretly have. So many happy people. Alas, quite a few UKers return. Fact, not fiction. Next in popularity is Brisbane, and then Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney. It's like London, Birmingham, Manchester, Cardiff and Edinburgh. Just because one place doesn't suit you doesn't mean you have to head over to France! Internal air-travel is cheap and it's worth spending the time visiting other places in Australia if things don't work out the way you planned. Sydney is a great place to be. Virtually the capital of Australia it has to be one of the most exciting cities to live in. I'm going there for a holiday! The first month or two is the hardest. My advice is to go with the flow and occupy your mind with the bigger picture. Focus on what great things will happen tomorrow if today's events weren't quite as good. Talk to a whole range of bank managers for the best banking deal. They're full of confidence and great ideas people. Sounds crazy but you'll be surprised. Australians, I find, are "matter of fact" people. But they are also incredibly helpful if you show friendliness and willing. In years to come you'll look back on this moment in time as a special and thrilling part of your life. I know I do, and I've done it twice. I got a shock when I went for my driver's licence and they told me they still had me on their records - this, after I took the Road Rules test of course. The police don't have the same sense of humour as bank managers... Paul
	Koala Konnection UK to Australia and New Zealand. Migration Made Easy.

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