Bye Adelaide, Hello Brum!

[Guest LynziC]

Well the time has come, in less than 2 weeks me and my hubby will be getting on a plane back to the UK…..but not for good.

This will be my first return in 14 months and because I never intended to stay out here longer than 3, it’s going to be a BIG reunion.

 

I flew out in absolute desperation last August, I quit my job on the spot, packed my bags and had stepped aboard a plane to oz within a week. Pretty much told my family I’d be home for Christmas, and I guess I didn’t lie, I’m just a year late…..

 

After being separated from my fiancé for 6 months with no chance of him getting to the UK, I had to make the decision that would probably change my life forever (sorry be so cliché!) I left everyone to arrive here – no job, money, visa, friends or family but I had my man and a bag full of clothes!

 

And here I am today with a great job, a nice house, a wonderful in-law family, a lovely group of friends and a year of marriage under my belt! I’ve never looked back.

 

I do however miss my mom, dad, bro, sis & nan SOOOOO much, and that really is the only thing that sucks about oz, the fact that they can’t be here.

 

I spoke to some fellow poms at the weekend that have not been here long and the resounding agreement was they had no long or desire to return to the UK. Maybe it’s only after a long separation from the mother country you actually want to go back and remember it.

 

I guess what I’m really writing about and wondering is how I will feel when that day comes on the 23rd of Jan to step back on the plane to oz. The first time I left, I never had time to think, it all happened so fast. Now I have to actually say goodbye to my family, for real. I don’t know when I’ll see them again – I’m the stay-at-home girl who went backpacking on a whim and wound up staying here!

 

But I reckon in the end, I’ll miss my family and not the country. Australia has become my life and I couldn’t imagine giving it up or making my koala bear live in wet and windy Birmingham….

 

Lynz xxxx

[Guest mysnix]

Must admit that we found leaving family harder after the first visit back than we did when we moved. We went back in the summer though and were lucky to catch the UK's only week of summer that year. We had to remember though that we were on holiday and not experiencing normal life. We had packed in probably 2 years worth of weekends and days out into a 2 week holiday. After we got back we were really low for quite a few months and weren't really sure where we would end up - but then the summer came and we knew!

 

Stepping back is so surreal. We found that absolutely nothing had changed in two years, I met an old neighbour on the street and she had a conversation with me about her son as if I hadn't been anywhere, it was REALLY weird. The same people were still there, driving the same cars, same shop keepers, same moans. Not sure what I was expecting but it was as though time had stood still for everyone else.

 

I still miss my family and friends heaps and heaps, but I know we are way better off here.

 

Say 'Hi' to Brum for me - I do miss it in many ways. If you are flying into Birmingham Inter, you get to see my whole previous life suspended just as you are about to touch down - my kids school, my workplace and our house - my son's bedroom had a direct view of the control tower! (selling point )

Make sure you fit in a trip down Ladypool Road, we didn't have time

 

My advice don't have rellies at the airport - just doesn't work and makes it heartbreaking for everyone!

 

Have a great trip,

 

Nikki

x

[Denise]

Hi

 

I think once your plane starts to descend over Birmingham and you see the grey skies and the smog over your home town you will have no problems returning to AUS!!!

Enjoy your holiday but get back quick to the sunshine and the blue skies.

Denise

[scooterdan]

Hey Lynzi,

 

Was great readin that little article....!!

 

Bet you looking forward it after you whirlwind arrival!!

 

Good luck and have a great time over there....(no doubt we'll see ya b4 anyway)

 

Dan and Steph

[Anne B]

It's impossible to know exactly how you will feel. Probably not a good idea to come back to England in the middle of winter, as it will seem very dark and cold and claustrophobic. When I came back to the UK after a year in Adelaide it was in midsummer, the days were long and we had fantastic weather (this was in 1995!), went to Glastonbury and had a great time. It was weird going 'home' to Australia, somehow it didn't seem quite right. Two years later my Australian husband and I came back to live in England (he had already spent a year here before we were married), and he didn't mind at all, although now he is keen to get back to some sunshine. It will seem weird, because some things here won't have changed at all. You realise that people get on with their lives quite happily without you, somehow because you have done so much yourself while you've been away you feel that everybody else's lives should have changed too, but they don't. It works the same way whenever we go back to Adelaide and nothing much has changed. Saying goodbye will be hard but I do think it gets easier. We have found that we have had some big emotional goodbyes, then a couple of years later you see the people again, then again, then again and you wonder why you made such a big fuss in the first place! Now it's just bye, see you next time.

 

Just try and enjoy the time you spend with your family, I'm sure they are really looking forward to seeing you again. Have an open mind on England. Try not to compare the two places too much. They are different and there are good things and bad things about both countries. Don't feel guilty about leaving your family. You have to follow your heart and live your own life and I'm sure your family want to see you happy. I don't regret for a minute marrying my husband, even though life would have been a lot simpler if I'd married a guy from down the road !

 

Good luck

[Guest ade&emma]

I know you will have a great time in englan and it will be really hard leaving all those you love again but you know what you will be coming back to ad that will make it much easier. Do all the things you miss from england like the curry and the chinese and prawn cocktail crisps. Just so long as you know you have people who will miss you here. And it will be so nice coming back and not being freezing.

 

Good luck with it all and see you soon.

[Guest jen&ian]

Enjoy your hols, say g'day to the Rotunda for me! Oh and New Street Station, when I think of the hours I spent waiting for trains there...oh me...good old Brum.

 

Jen

[Andrew from Vista Financial]

Hey Lynz.

 

Good read, have a great time over there. We'll have a coldie waiting for you on your arrival home.

 

Andy & Stacey

[The Monaghans]

Well if you're going back to Brum, could you pop into Tang's Garden, Chester Rd, New Oscott and bring me back a chicken chow mein please and some prawn crackers!!! Then zoom into town and have a drink in Bar Estilo at the Mailbox and smuggle me back the chicken nachos...mmmmm! Seriously, have a great trip and say hello to my hometown for me.:emoticon-signxmas:

[Guest LynziC]

THANK YOU so much everyone who posted replies! you made me cry! I'm such a girl - I got upset last night writing that post so I rang my mom she said "blumin el' bab you'll be ere in a week - don't get homesick yet!"

She's right, I need to remember I've been looking forward to this trip for about 6 months and I'm going to enjoy every minute!

 

I have decided I'm never going to say goodbye, I'm just going to arrange the next meet up, be it here or in the UK, and I'm going to do that forever....bye mom see you soon:biggrinxmas:

 

I just have to say I've also made some of the nicest friends (alot of you on here!) Who I will really miss for that month!!! You've all brightened up my (and rog's) lives (ahhhhhh) oh and shared not nearly enough beers yet!

 

Right I'm going to stop being gay and wish you all a bloomin' very merry christmas!

 

Bring on the curries, speckled hen, scotch eggs and big ass pickled onions.

 

Lynz xxxxxx

 

Oh and for those of you interested - here's the antics of my crazy but wonderful family last year:- http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=D5IqFCN653M

[Denise]

Oh and for those of you interested - here's the antics of my crazy but wonderful family last year:- http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=D5IqFCN653M

 

 

That is the nicest / funniest video, how sweet that they did that for you, I had a smile from ear to ear watching that and a giggle at the flash zooming in and out of the food!! You have a lovely family to do something like that, its great.

Did you drink the JD with them??

[Liz and Kris UK]

Hope you have a great trip in Brum. I hope Rog will supp some carling for me. Look forward to some beers and a catchup when you get back.

 

Kris and Liz

[The Monaghans]

I bet you cried your eyes out watching that that didn't you??

[Guest Vicks&Stu]

Hi Lynz

 

I think you'll have a great time back in Brum, but hopefully when you get back it will be lovely and sunny. I know what you mean about missing family, but maybe you can get them to visit you next time!

 

See you soon.

Vicks

[Guest LynziC]

The video was so unexpected last year but a wonderful surprise. They reckon they'll make part 2 with us in this year! We'll be drinking those JD's for real.

 

Keep you posted x

[Guest lastboyscout]

That vid was quality, it had me filling up :frownxmas:

 

 

With tears, not wine for a change :laughxmas: