hello

[Guest pushbutton]

hi. just wanted to say I've just discovered the site and think I'll be a regular visitor / poster if it's anywhere near as good as it looks!

 

Been in adelaide on and off for 20 long years (don't even like to think about it). Love some things about it, hate others. Have moved back to UK once but it didn't work out (long long long long story).

 

Still undecided. Still visit Britain every year. Still think about moving back every day.

 

Wouldn't recommend anyone in England to leave and come here. Not that it's a bad place, it's not. But it's way too far from home, and England always will be home. Trouble is, once you emigrate you may find that you never really feel totally settled and at home anywhere, ever again. That's how it is for me anyhow.

 

I'm very much looking forward to hearing about everyone elses experiences.

[Guest ReadyPenny]

Hi and welcome to the site!!! Been here since March and love it so far. You are right about the distance from England. Having recently suffered an unexpected family bereavement of our nephew aged 25, it kind of slams it home to you just how far away we actually are.

 

We knew this before we made the move though, another learning curve, you can't know how you will feel at times like this, until it happens.

 

We are hoping to go back every 2 years, money depending of course, but we no longer call it "home" because this is home now and in order to move on and start our new lives we have to consider Adelaide home.

 

Mandy

[Guest pushbutton]

Some people can manage to think that way, others can't. I suppose it depends on lots of things. I hope for your sake you can continue to regard Adelaide as home.

[Guest Brummie]

Hi Pushbutton,

 

I came out with my parents, as a 16 year old, have been here for nearly 40 years now. I'm forever grateful for my parents bringing us out here, I think we have a much better life here than we would have had back in England. I've only been back once in that time and that was in 2006, and it was a shock to see how it's changed so much. The area where we lived is shocking, I wouldn't want to walk around those streets in the day, so imagine what it would be like at night. We didn't know anyone when we came here and went straight into a migrant hostel. Dad was around 53 when we came (he was a carpenter) he got a job working for the Highways Dept. Dad passed away in 2006 aged 89 and he never went back to England. Mum was homesick, she went back for a holiday after we had been here for 5 years, when she came back she loved the place, the holiday made her realise just how good it was here. Mum only lived for 10 years here she died aged 52, but loved it in the end. My brothers and sisters, and myself have all married, got our own houses and cars, and are forever grateful for living in Australia.

 

Guess we are one of the lucky families.

 

Rita

[Guest pushbutton]

I think it really depends on how close you are to people back in England. Personally I was very close to my grandparents, aunts uncles and cousins and that's the thing that's made it most difficult to settle.

 

I also miss lots of things about England as a place, the culture, foods, particular buildings and streets where I grew up etc etc.

 

It also has a lot to do with the dynamics and relationships within my own family and that all makes it very complicated and difficult.

 

If you don't have those concerns, or don't have them much, then yes I'd say you're lucky!

 

Of course, the other thing that makes it hard for me is that I have some of my family HERE, and that I agree with you that in most ways the lifestyle I can have here is BETTER than in England. If that were not the case the decision for me would be easy, just move back to England!

 

For now I guess I've so far kept coming to the conclusion I'm better off here overall, all things considered. But the feelings of missing family and things in England doesn't ever go away.

 

I know lots of other people feel the same (I know from discussions with others on various forums and in with people I know here in Adelaide) so at least I can take comfort in knwing I'm not alone!