soon to be ping ponger

[Guest mayjess]

Hi everyone, as the title says, Im hoping to become a ping ponger back to Adelaide, lived over there in 2006 for just over a year, homesickness, bereavement and other things brought us home! we are silly enought o have bought another house to settle back here, but its never happened, we miss Adelaide so much, just waiting for eldest to complete A levels (nxt yr), then head back over! hopefully it`l feel like coming home this time.

 

Mayjess

[Guest cunnah10]

Hi everyone, as the title says, Im hoping to become a ping ponger back to Adelaide, lived over there in 2006 for just over a year, homesickness, bereavement and other things brought us home! we are silly enought o have bought another house to settle back here, but its never happened, we miss Adelaide so much, just waiting for eldest to complete A levels (nxt yr), then head back over! hopefully it`l feel like coming home this time.

 

Mayjess

good luck....i have heard of so many PING PONG POMS....apparently this is quite normal!

We returned to the UK just 6 weeks ago for very similar reasons.....can't quite believe i am missing Adelaide already so much!!!

[Guest mayjess]

Hi Gill, you thinking of becoming a ping ponger to? atleast we know what to expect now,lol. How long did you live out there?

 

I also met many ping pongers out there, funny really as when I was leaving Adelaide, work collegaues who had come from the Uk said to me `see you soon, you`l be back`, I was adamant obviously that I wouldnt, funny how we change our minds haha

 

Mayjess

[Rachiegarlo]

A Greek old man once said to me that you end up living with your feet in two countries. Both end up belonging to you. he used to go back to his village every couple of years as he got older. It's not just a phenomenon akin to the English. It's to do with what you leave behind, once you have lived significantly elsewhere a little piece of it is always with you. Hence the ping ponging. Some people do this a few times before circumstances change and allow them to feel settlred somewhere. For me I feel neither fully English, I'm clearly not that when I visit, but then I 'm not truly Aus either even though I've lived here a long time. Bit of a global gypsy.

[Guest ade&emma]

I had the same experience a couple of years ago in England. I was born and lived all my life in the North of England. Circumstances lead me to move down South where I lived for some years however i ran into some problems and just wanted to "move home". I was only back "home" for about 6 months when it dawned on me that just because I had been born somewhere it didn't necessarily mean that it was home and moved back down South. I think this is why I haven't felt as homesick moving to the other side of the world and felt at home almost straight away. As they say home is where the heart is and all that.

 

Emma

[Guest Guest75]

Ping Ponging is a tough call.

 

I doubt if anyone ever feels as if their adopted country in fully home if you understand me.

 

It's easy enough to get over and cope with though.

 

Some good friends of ours are Ping Pongers - they love it here now and are very committed to staying.

[Guest mayjess]

I agree with you all on the homesickness side of emmigrating,, its tough for some, and yep, a little piece of you is left werever you`ve lived for a length of time, I needed to come back to the UK, it has not been a waste of time for us, we have achieved so much more since coming back, ready for our return back to Adelaide! just found out that the degree course my daughter has always wanted to do is offered at Flinders, so she`s well pleased!

 

Mayjess

[Guest Shaggy]

Been there.....Done that ........and got the T-shirt...in my best Boyce from only fools and horses .....voice.

 

Most expensive t-shirt i've ever had.....

 

but best of luck anyway.

[Guest mayjess]

Haha, thanks Shaggy, I appreciate that,, how did you find it 2nd time round,, harder? easier? much the same?

 

Mayjess

[Anne B]

I'm going to be a ping ponger after 12 years in the UK.

 

My Australian husband has already ping ponged himself back to the UK, now he'll be ping ponging back home again!! One of us is always physically away from home, and our family is a mixture of 2 cultures. I found that after 3 and a half years living outside the UK, I never felt 100% 'at home' again. There was a huge sense of relief to be back on familiar territory but you see things with an outsider's perspective and realise that you've missed out on lots of national events and news stories. There was no internet when I lived in Adelaide so it was easy to lose touch with what was going on back in the UK. I also found that I missed things about Australia, so you can't win.

 

We just see it that we have 2 potential 'homes' now and you just have to live in the one which is best for you at a particular time of your life. The UK has been fine up to now, but we want the children to be teenagers in Australia and I certainly don't want to be old in the UK (our dream is to spend our retirement driving round Australia in a camper van) - so we're heading back !!!

 

Funnily enough, one of my husband's Italian aunties who emigrated to Adelaide 50 years ago, has Australian children and grandchildren and is now a widow, is seriously considering moving back to Italy. She says every visit back she finds it harder to leave, and every year she is getting more homesick - after 50 years !!!

 

I hope it works out for everyone, whichever direction they are heading in.

[thearmchairdetective]

Haha, thanks Shaggy, I appreciate that,, how did you find it 2nd time round,, harder? easier? much the same?

 

Mayjess

 

We met some pingpongers when we were last in Adelaide.

Really nice people, had their reasons to be pinpongers and now back in Adelaide I think they have found their "nest".

Good luck to you and your plans mayjess.

[Guest familygood]

I found that after 3 and a half years living outside the UK, I never felt 100% 'at home' again. There was a huge sense of relief to be back on familiar territory but you see things with an outsider's perspective and realise that you've missed out on lots of national events and news stories.

 

 

God I totally understand this. We travelled round the world for only 10 months ( 6 months in Aus) and yet after nearly 3 years back 'home' I always feel like I am an outsider viewing life in Britain but dont really feel part of it anymore. One of my Australian friends when I told them we got the visa said Welcome Home and thats really how I see it. Cant wait to get back!!!

[Guest graandjac]

good luck....i have heard of so many PING PONG POMS....apparently this is quite normal!

We returned to the UK just 6 weeks ago for very similar reasons.....can't quite believe i am missing Adelaide already so much!!!

 

 

Jill , we give you 10/10 for honesty, its a shame your journey came to an abrupt end......or maybe just a pause..............

[Guest mayjess]

OMG 50yrs and still homesick,, well that can happen, if you love your old home and rememeber those fond memeories of family and school,community etc,,

 

be nice to afford to live 6mths each country haha

 

Mayjess

[Guest mayjess]

Jill , we give you 10/10 for honesty, its a shame your journey came to an abrupt end......or maybe just a pause..............

 

I agree with you Graham, shes been very honest! Ive admitted I came back when I wish I hadnt, but at least im trying my hardest to get back over. I hate it when ppl come back & slag the place off, one thing Ive not done- even though I moaned & moaned whilst I was over there haha

 

Mayjess

[Guest redfoxy]

I found that after 3 and a half years living outside the UK, I never felt 100% 'at home' again. There was a huge sense of relief to be back on familiar territory but you see things with an outsider's perspective and realise that you've missed out on lots of national events and news stories.

 

 

God I totally understand this. We travelled round the world for only 10 months ( 6 months in Aus) and yet after nearly 3 years back 'home' I always feel like I am an outsider viewing life in Britain but dont really feel part of it anymore. One of my Australian friends when I told them we got the visa said Welcome Home and thats really how I see it. Cant wait to get back!!!

 

These post make me smile..and yes there is no utopia ! but i reckon that those who go back to UK and stay there miss family too much !! I suppose the problem is its such a long way !!

Good luck with your plans ! and welcome back to OZ xx

[Guest Shaggy]

Haha, thanks Shaggy, I appreciate that,, how did you find it 2nd time round,, harder? easier? much the same?

 

Mayjess

 

It was a lot easier the 2 time around as we have come back to the same area,and we had friends here which was a god send compared to the first time as like most emigrating we knew no one.

 

Good luck

[Guest mayjess]

Hi Shaggy thanks for that, feel better now haha, I would love to go bk around Hallett cove, or seacliff or Brighton, id be very pleased then!

 

MayJess