4 and a bit years in. Update on how its going.

[snifter 124]

I wrote this a few months ago now but only just getting round to posting it 

So, a while back we ticked round the 4 year mark since arriving in Australia and Adelaide. 

Hubby is from here so for him it was coming home after a very settled 8 years in the UK with me. For me it was moving here after a number of visits. For our child it was the second time here after a holiday when he was younger. 

From the off we've been settled and enjoying our lives. Husband has worked since soon after we arrived, it took a while longer for me as I was the one doing all the other stuff, making sure I was around for our son for activities and play dates etc while he settled in. We'd planned on this though so it wasn't an issue for us and we got through it all. 

We bought a house about 7 months after arriving. It took a while to settle on areas we liked enough to want to live in and find a house that ticked all our boxes within those places. I was pretty ruthless, ruled out huge chunks of the city and outlying areas and took our short list of areas based around the top 100 ranked primary schools. Its not for everyone to go about it this way but we knew what we did and didn't want from an area and so to save time we simply ruled out suburbs that didn't have schools in that list. We had plenty left to choose from. And I then could strike off all the ones down on the flat, too far out etc till we ended up with a short list of suburbs/areas and small towns we liked the look of and with decent school options. We were always looking to be a bit more up in the hills with the gum trees, koalas and roos so it wasn't too difficult to rule out many areas due to being more built up or on the flat. 

Fast forward 3 and a half years or so and we are all still very content with where we chose. I love driving up the hill heading home. The roads become more and more gum tree lined, you see the open hills in the distance, fields and trees all over the place and I always feel happy to be here. Son loves his school (so do we), has made some great friends, embraced Aussie rules and cricket and has tried out a fair few other sports. We've gotten stuck in to local sports clubs also and help out where we can at those. Hubby plays Aus rules again and cycles lots up in the hills. 

Work wise, hubby has changed jobs twice since we arrived. The second time he wasn't really looking but had applied for a few posts that sounded interesting and then somehow he and his current company found each other and lo, job offer and sorted and he was away. Me, it's been a bit more hit and miss, mainly as I prefer to work part time in school hours where possible. I've been picky, work about 20 hours a week all up. Still, its more than enough and we are all happier for it. 

Homesick? No. Never really, not at all. Since moving here I've had two trips back to the UK to visit my parents and took my son both times. He had fab holidays and we did loads but like me was ready to come home and so glad to be back in Adelaide after a few weeks in the UK. 

Friends and social aspect? Done ok there. TBH we tend to be pretty similar to how we were in the UK in this respect. Made a few good friends, some Aussie, some from elsewhere and see them when I/we can. Admittedly due to us all having busy lives and some living further away we don't always see each other as often as we would like but when we do, its good. We do lots as a family, go out on day trips, social stuff, sports, even if its just grabbing the basketball or tennis racquets and hitting the courts in the evenings. We are making more use of the beach as our son gets older now too. Have got boogie boards and go enjoy a swim, usually down at Seacliff or Port Noarlunga quite often in the evenings, especially in summer hols and on hot evenings. 

See husbands family a fair bit but try to not over do it as we like our own space also. We are not bar types or late night social bugs and prefer to be more chilled, spend time together and enjoy what we do. We get out plenty to the cinema, theatre, occasional gig or concert, are Crows members so go to all the home games, go see the cricket in summer and more. 

For us its been a great move. We knew what we wanted from a life here and we've pretty much achieved it. It hasn't always been plain sailing or wonderful, sometimes its been a bit of a slog but never regretted it or wanted to go back. If we did decide to move on from Adelaide it may be for elsewhere in Aus or possibly NZ but not got the slightest desire to be back in the UK. Australia has been the place I call home since we first arrived. I don't do the leaving one foot back in the country we left or keep looking over my shoulder or anything like that. For me I embrace it fully and get on and live life here. Its good, we're happy and its home. 

Thats me and my update done 
 

[Lewis_CW_ 0]

Awesome update. I'm talking to a couple of companies about sponsorship and i'm really hoping if it's successful that they'll base me in Adelaide. I loved it there on our travels last year.