Friends??

[Guest d.s]

Hi we are hoping to move to Adelaide At the moment we are at the stage of deciding which visa to apply for but from what I have read I am fairly confident that we will be granted a permanent visa (skilled) One of the things that concerns me is will we make friends? We have 2 school age children and I will probably not work, (I have heard that child care is so expensive its not worth working part time?) Are people in Adelaide friendly? I would love to hear of any personal experiences of settling there and how you made friends, I don't want to go all thatw way and be lonelu cos hubby is working all day and the kids are at school!

 

Thanks

[Guest graandjac]

:)its down to you to make the effort , this is a great place to start (PIA) , go to some meets in the uk if there is not one near you then you can get one going, we travelled from the south east to birmingham for one but we made some good friends who we now see here, as a rule aussies are a really friendly bunch and more than happy to help with just about anything you need . But the bottom line i guess is you do need to get out there and just make friends which is not to hard to do in our oponion, good luck cheers Graham

[Rachiegarlo]

Hello and welcome and I get to answer your 1st post:D

 

Finding friends... well there are social events organised on here by the lads and ladettes, some are just simple things like walking together on the beach, others are day trips out. All these people share something in common with you...they moved here and know what you have done, and the feelings you may have. These people are also fairly new and setting up social networks too.

 

Your kids will make friends and there is a good chance that you will be invited to their houses to meet the parents.

 

Volunteer to help out at your kids school, you'll meet other parents.

 

Most people are friendly and when they find out you have only just arrived you will find they invite you to things. Accept all invitations, you have to push yourself a little. The people you get to know first may not be the people who become your friends, but they might introduce you to people who do.

Good luck with all.

 

You will

[Rachiegarlo]

Well hotfingers graham beat me to it while I was thinking.....

[Guest chippie74]

You will meet 100s of people here,familys ,couples ,single people ect you might only click or get on really well with a handfull its all down to yourself.dont be put off making new friends we are all in the same boat!!.

[Guest Django]

Well hotfingers graham beat me to it while I was thinking.....

 

He had loads of time to get his post in then. :biglaugh:

 

 

Hi d.s and welcome to PIA. Where abouts are you? It looks like a meet is happening in the Leicester and Liverpool areas next month. We are in Lincolnshire and will be at the leicester one. I was tempted to go to the Liverpool one as well but its on the same day.

As Gra says you can meet up and make friends with others before you leave the UK. Once there you can meet others through this site (always something going on) and through them you will meet others.

Before you know it you will have your own circle.

 

Pete

[JoanneV]

Hi we are hoping to move to Adelaide At the moment we are at the stage of deciding which visa to apply for but from what I have read I am fairly confident that we will be granted a permanent visa (skilled) One of the things that concerns me is will we make friends? We have 2 school age children and I will probably not work, (I have heard that child care is so expensive its not worth working part time?) Are people in Adelaide friendly? I would love to hear of any personal experiences of settling there and how you made friends, I don't want to go all thatw way and be lonelu cos hubby is working all day and the kids are at school!

 

Thanks

Hiya, I am curious to read the reponses for this one too. I will be in the same situation when we eventually get there, all but 1 will be full time school and OH working. I look forward to reading the replies.

 

Jo

[Rachiegarlo]

:pPete:p:p:biglaugh:

[ianb]

Welcome to PIA.

 

We have found everyone here to be so friendly, neighbours have been great, kids are out playing every chance they get. Rachel has been out to a neighbours for a coffee afternoon with cakes and all! Every one at the school has been friendly and even the young kids say hello as you walk in.

Making as many friends or contacts on PIA helps, although for the last two weeks we have been so busy that meeting up with ex pats has been near impossible, but we know when things settle down we wil have more time.

 

Make the most of the time in the uk attending any meets you can or speaking to people on PIA. Once you are here providing you dont just hide away generally every one will always make you feel welcome.

[Guest Libby1971]

Hello, welcome to PIA

 

Everyone is in the same position when they arrive.

 

You can probably read between the lines a bit when it comes to some of the other threads and work out who knows each other and more significantly who meets up with each other.

 

This forum has been a lifesaver for me. When I was feeling incredibly low, and needed to plea for help, there were some very kind somments and offers of support. 9 months later, it is touch and go whether I have time to work as my social calendar is bulging, more than ever it did in the UK. Mind you, we did come here and say that we were not going to live our lives at such a hectic pace and so work here had to fit in around the social stuff.

 

When it comes to meeting people, you remember everyone is in the same situation, trying to find and make friends. You get quite good at making swift decisions like do I want to talk to you again? Do I want to invite you to my home? And if you do, then fine, you become a bit quicker in inviting someone over.

 

It isn't always easy to be what seems a bit forward and say come on over or enter into a conversation with people you met 3 seconds earlier but you get used to it.

 

At the end of the day the choice is yours...you can either come down to one of the meets in the UK or one in Aus, or not. You can start pm'ing people on here and arrange to meet people for a coffee when you get here. Coffee? Now you've started something...I DOOOOOO miss my coffee mornings. I started work here at the start of this term having had a quite a few weeks of being on the coffee morning circuit. I am planning at least 2 in the next two weeks and I expect the other ladies to bake a cake at the very least.

 

You will make friends.

 

Libby

[Guest Deb17]

I think it's easy for Graham to say get out there and make friends, because he's a man and Adelaide (although I won't go so far as to say it's a totally sexist place) is a 'man' town. Men find it easier to talk to other guys generally, especially over a stubby or three! I think as a woman it's a lot harder to make friends and to get your head round the Aussie 'sense of humour'!!!. I've said it to others and I'll say it again, but if you have daughters it's a lot easier to make friends with other mums, simply because girlies play with other girlies and so you get chatting to their mumsies. I found, having only boys, that I was at a real disadvantage - they just don't have the same social circle! I make every effort to chat to people when I'm out and about but Aussies just look at me like I'm barking mad sometimes - whether it's the Brummie accent they can't get their lugholes round I don't know - but even being ordinarily polite to people seems to be beyond some of them! There are some lovely friendly Aussie folks around I know, but it depends on being fortunate enough to stumble across them!

[Guest donna T]

It can be really easy to make friends with other ex pats, through PIA or other forums and once you know a couple of people, the circle generally gets bigger. You will need to be a bit more 'out there' and invite people round or have an 'open' coffee morning or something at your house. As people have said, you won't get on with everyone but you should be able to find some people you connect with,

I have been soooo lucky in that I have found, not only acquaintances but real, solid friends for life and I am sure you will too.

 

It does take longer to make friends with the locals - only because they arent quite as desperate as we are:biglaugh:. But persevere and they are generally a friendly lot, some of whom will take you under their wings a bit and some who will have the odd coffee morning. It takes time - but it WILL happen

 

Good luck and if you need someone to talk to when you arrive - just pm me.

 

Donna x

[Guest Libby1971]

See what I mean? The woman above by the way is bl**dy brilliant. :notworthy:She calmed me down no end when I was so low I was nervous to leave the house without hubbie. She promoted a girls night out which to be truthful was a real turning point for me.

 

Bless our little Donna (she is taller than me) for the huge heart she has!

 

Libby

[The Monaghans]

Libby and Donna are right (but then they usually are...), it's a question of making an effort when you get here to meet people and make friends. We were in the fortunate position when we arrived of being able to meet other people from PIA, some we had pm'd before we left the UK and others we met through a playgroup in Hallett Cove (now sadly defunct:sad:). It really is up to you to get yourselves out there. We did and I can honestly say we have more friends here and a better social life than we did in the UK. I have to be totally honest and say that we haven't actually got any Australian friends as such yet, although I do meet up with one mum from playgroup every week (it's only taken a year for an Australian to acknowledge my existence...) but then I think it will be easier for you as you have school age children. None of us mean to sound patronizing (if that's how we've come across) but being shy here just isn't an option quite frankly!

[Guest Deb17]

Libby and Donna are right (but then they usually are...), it's a question of making an effort when you get here to meet people and make friends. We were in the fortunate position when we arrived of being able to meet other people from PIA, some we had pm'd before we left the UK and others we met through a playgroup in Hallett Cove (now sadly defunct:sad:). It really is up to you to get yourselves out there. We did and I can honestly say we have more friends here and a better social life than we did in the UK. I have to be totally honest and say that we haven't actually got any Australian friends as such yet, although I do meet up with one mum from playgroup every week (it's only taken a year for an Australian to acknowledge my existence...) but then I think it will be easier for you as you have school age children. None of us mean to sound patronizing (if that's how we've come across) but being shy here just isn't an option quite frankly!

You are completely correct Liz.

I wish I'd found PIA sooner and I wouldn't have felt so isolated. I thought Aussies were meant to be really friendly and would welcome us with open arms so we'd end up with this terrifically hectic social life --- sadly this has not been the case... or perhaps I got mixed up with kiwis?

[Guest sprayer]

Hi we are hoping to move to Adelaide At the moment we are at the stage of deciding which visa to apply for but from what I have read I am fairly confident that we will be granted a permanent visa (skilled) One of the things that concerns me is will we make friends? We have 2 school age children and I will probably not work, (I have heard that child care is so expensive its not worth working part time?) Are people in Adelaide friendly? I would love to hear of any personal experiences of settling there and how you made friends, I don't want to go all thatw way and be lonelu cos hubby is working all day and the kids are at school!

 

Thanks

 

Hi

I too am worried about making friends. I have school age children and wont be working for a while as I want to get kids settled and hubby settled. (the woman always comes last)

I try to come onto the site as often as I can but again, I have to wait for the computer because hubby and kids are either on MSN, EBay or Facebook.

When I arrive in Adelaide, although I am shy, I am going to put myself out there. I would love to meet up for the coffee mornings, walks, nights out etc....

I'm hoping I'll have a much better social life in Adelaide than what I have now.

This is one of the reasons we want to move.

In UK we spend most of our time working, paying high bills that we havent much time or money to socialize.

See you all soon

Jill

xxx

[Guest Deb17]

Give me a pm Jill when you arrive. I'm always happy to meet new people. I've always been almost painfully shy too and know how hard it is to make new pals over here. Although I sound like an ogress, I'm not really --- that's just the impression of slick bravado I'm trying to create!

Good luck with the big leap into the unknown,

Deb x

[Guest sprayer]

Give me a pm Jill when you arrive. I'm always happy to meet new people. I've always been almost painfully shy too and know how hard it is to make new pals over here. Although I sound like an ogress, I'm not really --- that's just the impression of slick bravado I'm trying to create!

Good luck with the big leap into the unknown,

Deb x

 

Thanks Deb

 

I will send you a pm and would love to meet up.

 

Thanks

Jill

[Guest Deb17]

Lovely Jill, will look forward to it!

[Guest d.s]

Thank you for all your replies, its good to know I'm not the only one! I really am hoping that if we ever get there our social life will be much better and revolve round families much more. My children are primary school age, one is really keen the other is really worried about missing friends and family (me too actually!) but I'm sure it will be worth it (hopefully)

 

Is it all really as good as it seems? The weather, the life style? Is it worth leaving family behind? (parents mainly)

[Guest hel&sam]

Jill, you sound like my twin, i'll buy you a coffee in adelaide!

 

Helen.

[Guest sprayer]

Jill, you sound like my twin, i'll buy you a coffee in adelaide!

 

Helen.

 

Thanks Helen. I will take you up on the coffee.

Congratulations on passing TRA. When are you hoping to be in OZ?

I notice you live in StalyVegas, Where abouts in Adelaide are you wanting to settle?

We have been reasearching Seaford and Aldinga Beach.

Jill

xxx

[Guest hel&sam]

well 175 application in now so that'll be about 12 months but at least i'm in the queue at last. then theres the selling of the house!!!! no point in putting it up for sale yet, nothings selling on our estate although i did see a sold sign the other day and nearly crashed the car. (oh an i've not finished painting yet either) hopefully towards the end of next year but we'll go in october for a recci if we have to. we've been looking at reynella, happy valley, that kind of area. sooooo excited cant wait, dont do patience :jiggy:

 

Helen.

x

[Guest ROBERT]

Hi, we have been here 10 weeks and every Aussie we have met has bent over backwards to welcome us.They are really interested and even amazed at the thought of moving your whole life to the other side of the world.

My wife is at home with our 2 children and our neighbours have been incredibly kind,even to the point of lending us furniture when they found out our stuff was going to be late.

Be realistic and always try and be positive,it is different but worth the effort of trying something new.There are also some great ex pats very willing to show you what is on offer if you want to find it.

Good luck and take the leap