# Settling In?



## IrishStew (Sep 25, 2008)

Hi all.
I have been reading with interest the post re baby75s decision to return home (keep the Irish eyes smiling baby75). The comments have made me post a new thread with the questions below.

Setting aside personality and personal circumstances, which nationality/culture settles into the Australian way of life best? Irish, Scots, English, SA, Americans etc.
And secondly why?

IrishStew – Northern Ireland

PS. To all you Irish living in Australia – it’s cold, grey, wet, miserable, windy here, just another typical Irish day.


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## kaz101 (Nov 29, 2007)

Personally I think it's attitude (and before Halo disagrees  ) and acceptance regardless of nationality. 

We researched the area and knew before we moved here that there were clubs that we could go out and join so we went out and joined them  We mix with Aussies most of the time both professionally (well my husband does but I work fro home) and personally. 

We stopped calling the UK 'home' as soon as we got here. Aussies will ask do I miss 'home' and say why it's just 10 minutes away  

We made sure that we would be able to contact family and friends because that is important to me. 

We made sure that we wouldn't be struggling financially because moving is stressful enough! And even then there are surprises because I didn't realise how expensive it was to fly anywhere from Oz so I would have included that in my planning if I had known it. 

Neither of us are particularly patriotic so I can't say that I've ever missed the UK itself. Sometimes I can get frustrated that I don't know how things work here but then I just explain that I have no idea how things work and someone usually explains it to me 

I'm part of a skilled migrant group here and I've seen people from the same country love it here and others I wonder why they moved since they seem to look down their noses at everything and everyone Australian. Maybe they were like that in their other country too. 

To anyone thinking of moving over here be open minded. This is not the country that you just left behind. It's not the UK with sunshine either. Things are done differently - not better or worse than where you came from - just different. If you've left people behind that are important to you, make sure you can contact them (phone, skype whatever) and know how you're going to do this before you move. 

It can be a new start, a way to create the life that you've always wanted so make the most of it!

Regards,
Karen


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## IrishStew (Sep 25, 2008)

Thanks Kaz,
I do agree with so much you said, especially calling Australia home from the start and mingling with as many of the ‘locals’ as possible.

I do struggle to understand why people assume they can leave all there troubles behind when they move ‘down under’. For the most part we bring our biggest problem with us – ourselves.

Would you say that research, being prepared and being realistic is key to settling in?

IrishStew
Oz-Maybe someday


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## karlom (Dec 15, 2008)

Hi IrishStew,

I think its a great idea for a thread. I too am Irish and I lived in Oz for a year about 10 years ago (my Godm can't believe it's been so long!), but I absolutely loved it and have been thinking about it since. I have always wondered why some people go to Oz and hate it.

Now, 10 years on Im married with a little girl, and this month I can't believe it, I will actually be submitting my application for a visa. My wife has certainly agreed to trying it out for a couple of years, but my fear is that after 6 months or so that she says, "it's nice but I couldn't live here long term".

I would be very interested in hearing the reasons people want to return home, probably so that I could work on those factors with herself, before we go!

My dream would be to live somewhere in the Mornington area of Melbourne, close to the sea, house with a pool and spend my days (when I am not working) outside cooking up tiger prawns on the BBQ with chilli, lime and corinander and drinking a fine bottle of white wine or bottle of suds!

I'll keep at it and maybe make it some day out of this rain and grey skies!

Karl


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## kaz101 (Nov 29, 2007)

IrishStew said:


> I do struggle to understand why people assume they can leave all there troubles behind when they move ‘down under’. For the most part we bring our biggest problem with us – ourselves.


EXACTLY! 

I think some people may get confused with being on holiday when we tend to leave our troubles behind and actually living in a place. 



IrishStew said:


> Would you say that research, being prepared and being realistic is key to settling in?


I am a control freak anyway  So yes I did lots of research into areas but we also thought about what we wanted for our lives. We say this as a way of creating what we wanted so we sat down and actually wrote out what we wanted and what was important to us. 

If you know what you want you've got a better chance of getting it 

I think that people have to consider why they are moving. 

We knew that we wanted a better lifestyle more than anything else. Driving 2 hours to work and another 2 hours from work wasn't what we wanted - my husband had been doing that for years and it wasn't fun! When we moved he was walking 7 minutes to work and now he drives about 15 minutes maximum to some clients. 

Regards,
Karen


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## karlom (Dec 15, 2008)

kaz101 said:


> EXACTLY!
> 
> I think some people may get confused with being on holiday when we tend to leave our troubles behind and actually living in a place.
> 
> ...



Hi Karen, 

I see you are from the UK, are you living in SA Adelaide? We have Melbourne in our minds as being where we would settle, with nice warm weather , but not too hot/cold.

Is the climate in Adelaide colder than Melbourne, is it warm in summer and cold in winter?

thanks

Karl


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## kaz101 (Nov 29, 2007)

karlom said:


> Is the climate in Adelaide colder than Melbourne, is it warm in summer and cold in winter?
> 
> thanks
> 
> Karl


No we don't live in Adelaide - there are other areas in South Australia  We are in Mount Gambier which is SE South Australia. 

Adelaide tends to be it warmer than Melbourne. If you check out Elders weather (Elders Weather - Australia & World Weather Forecast, Live Bom Radar) you'll be able to check out the differences. 

Regards,
Karen


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## Tiffani (Dec 4, 2007)

everywhere except Hobart it warmer than Melbourne 

To answer the original question, I'm fairly sure that's not Americans or Canadians who adjust the easiest because the ones I know here all say that after 5-6+ years, they still don't feel totally at home (that's a bit disconcerting). Probably the hardest thing is being so far away from everything,not just family and friends but also the rest of the world. There are no more weekend road trips to cool cities nearby (there are no cities nearby), and even getting from the US to Europe was about an 8 hour flight whereas to get anywhere now apart from NZ is about that long. I feel very isolated from everything else going on in the world.


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## Dolly (Feb 17, 2008)

In my humble opinion, it doesn't have anything to do with which country you come from, and all to do with having a good mental attitude. 

If you are willing to adapt to the way of life here you will be absolutely fine. Those who don't settle will find that it's either because they miss their family and friends or they can't/won't adapt.

Have a look at this recent thread on melbourne weather: http://www.expatforum.com/expats/au...living-australia/15232-melbourne-climate.html

We live along the Mornington Peninsula (about 40kms south of Melbourne) and absolutely love it here. We chose this part of the country because of it's weather. It is very akin to UK weather but much better....we have the 4 seasons, further North we get snow in winter, we can get really hot days in summer (but thankfully only for a few days at a time so we get some respite from it)...actually to have a few more hot days would be nice...but I'm not complaing!! When we had our first winter here, we were waiting for bitterly cold temperatures, drab overcast days, rain rain rain..and it wasn't like that at all. Even when it rains, it's not 'cold' in the UK sense of cold.

Dolly


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## irishfamily (Nov 14, 2008)

Kaz101 loved the post but 1 thing i will disagree on is that ireland will always be my home australia is were i live and i have fitted well into the australian lifestyle and culture but i will always be a norn iron gurl lmao


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## kaz101 (Nov 29, 2007)

irishfamily said:


> Kaz101 loved the post but 1 thing i will disagree on is that ireland will always be my home australia is were i live and i have fitted well into the australian lifestyle and culture but i will always be a norn iron gurl lmao


Maybe it's because I'm half Jamaican and half English that I've never really felt British (whatever that is). I have never missed the place of England at all although I have missed family and friends. 

My home is always where I am now - I take it with me and don't leave it behind so I can't miss it


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## irishfamily (Nov 14, 2008)

True kaz101 my grandfather was welsh and he lived in norn iron for 50 years and always called wales his home . The only thing i miss is those green fileds and mountains don`t get to many of those her in oz lmao


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## scottishcelts (Aug 5, 2007)

kaz101 said:


> Personally I think it's attitude (and before Halo disagrees  ) and acceptance regardless of nationality.
> 
> We researched the area and knew before we moved here that there were clubs that we could go out and join so we went out and joined them  We mix with Aussies most of the time both professionally (well my husband does but I work fro home) and personally.
> 
> ...


Excellent post Kaz, i agree with everything you said, only i am very patriotic and sometimes i think that can be to a migrants disadvantage! 

I feel torn between Scotland and Australia, my heart is telling me to go home where i belong and my heads says otherwise!


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## kaz101 (Nov 29, 2007)

scottishcelts said:


> Excellent post Kaz, i agree with everything you said, only i am very patriotic and sometimes i think that can be to a migrants disadvantage!
> 
> I feel torn between Scotland and Australia, my heart is telling me to go home where i belong and my heads says otherwise!


And that's it. I have never felt patriotic at all. I actually don't understand it - that's how much I don't feel it  

If you feel that you belong elsewhere then I think it's going to be tough to settle here or anywhere that you don't feel is 'home'. 

I feel more at home here than I have anywhere else (except maybe Spain but that was before the Brit invasions).


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## The Campbells (Feb 7, 2009)

To Kaz and Scottish Celts,

Your discussion has been great for us as we had worked out why we wanted to move. Basically we want to work to live, not the other way round! Our view is that as long as we are prepared to go and join clubs and organisations to meet people, we will get there , even if it takes a few years. Yes, we will miss our families, but as far as we are concerned Perth is going to be home.


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## irishfamily (Nov 14, 2008)

As i said b4 its what u make of it .Personally i think australian people justlike to say hello and leave me alone they r very privatepeople they like there own space people. All my friends r irish,welsh and english ooh and italian sorry no scottish yet(scottishcelts lol) .What part of perth r use goin 2 or r use here ?(the campbells)


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## scottishcelts (Aug 5, 2007)

kaz101 said:


> And that's it. I have never felt patriotic at all. I actually don't understand it - that's how much I don't feel it
> 
> If you feel that you belong elsewhere then I think it's going to be tough to settle here or anywhere that you don't feel is 'home'.
> 
> I feel more at home here than I have anywhere else (except maybe Spain but that was before the Brit invasions).


Yeah you're right, i think it's always going to be tough for anyone who's heart is torn between two places, and i think that is why some people 'yo-yo' between two countries once the migration starts but i really don't want to be going down that road, i'm not the nomad type.

Spain - hmm, i would love to had lived in Spain but it would have to had been somewhere with loads of culture and locals and NOT a holiday town where all the Brits do go to live!


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## scottishcelts (Aug 5, 2007)

The Campbells said:


> To Kaz and Scottish Celts,
> 
> Your discussion has been great for us as we had worked out why we wanted to move. Basically we want to work to live, not the other way round! Our view is that as long as we are prepared to go and join clubs and organisations to meet people, we will get there , even if it takes a few years. Yes, we will miss our families, but as far as we are concerned Perth is going to be home.


Hello The Campbell's and welcome!


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## The Campbells (Feb 7, 2009)

irishfamily said:


> As i said b4 its what u make of it .Personally i think australian people justlike to say hello and leave me alone they r very privatepeople they like there own space people. All my friends r irish,welsh and english ooh and italian sorry no scottish yet(scottishcelts lol) .What part of perth r use goin 2 or r use here ?(the campbells)


Hi Sharon,

We are just getting ready to come over, and we arrive on Feb 19th. We are looking to stay south of the river but not quite sure where. My husband Michael will be based in Cannington. Initially we will be staying in Victoria Park till we decide where to live. We are really excited but totally scared as well! Sitting looking out at the snow as I type and can't wait to see some sun. Whereabouts are you? 

Catherine


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## The Campbells (Feb 7, 2009)

scottishcelts said:


> Hello The Campbell's and welcome!


Hello Scottish Celts!

Thanks for making us welcome - we wish we'd found this site earlier. Whereabouts in Brisbane do you live and how long have you been there? My husband Michael's aunt lives in Carina Heights and has been there for over 30 years now. We visited Brisbane 3 years ago and it is a really lovely place. We thought about coming to live there but Perth stole our hearts from the moment we landed! 

Catherine


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## scottishcelts (Aug 5, 2007)

The Campbells said:


> Hello Scottish Celts!
> 
> Thanks for making us welcome - we wish we'd found this site earlier. Whereabouts in Brisbane do you live and how long have you been there? My husband Michael's aunt lives in Carina Heights and has been there for over 30 years now. We visited Brisbane 3 years ago and it is a really lovely place. We thought about coming to live there but Perth stole our hearts from the moment we landed!
> 
> Catherine


Hello Catherine, we are in Cleveland on the bayside and been here since October 08 so newbies ourselves!

It's hot 

Bet you can't wait to start your new life in Perth but expect to feel very strange when you first land and arrive here - your emotions will be a wee bit out of sync for the first couple of weeks.


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## The Campbells (Feb 7, 2009)

scottishcelts said:


> Hello Catherine, we are in Cleveland on the bayside and been here since October 08 so newbies ourselves!
> 
> It's hot
> 
> Bet you can't wait to start your new life in Perth but expect to feel very strange when you first land and arrive here - your emotions will be a wee bit out of sync for the first couple of weeks.


It's FREEZING here  but we've seen all the news about the heatwave in Oz. We have been trying to find out about life insurance for when we are there - how did you go about that?

Catherine


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## scottishcelts (Aug 5, 2007)

The Campbells said:


> It's FREEZING here  but we've seen all the news about the heatwave in Oz. We have been trying to find out about life insurance for when we are there - how did you go about that?
> 
> Catherine


We haven't got round to it yet  to be honest. It takes months to finally settle before you will start to consider things like that. We are going to be completing our 6 months rental at the end of March and can't wait as we hope to have our foot on the property ladder by then (we have just started looking around) but if not we will take another 6 months rental (really don't want to as i hate renting and miss having a mortgage) but can't be helped if nothing comes along. 

Then we will think about insurances etc.

Try not to worry yourselves about things like that just now - just concentrate on getting here first  - then take a big deep breath (cos you will need one) and start your journey here.


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## irishfamily (Nov 14, 2008)

We r north of the river woodvale .I have friends in thornlie near cannington.Some areas can be pretty rough but alot of suburbs r like that even here up north .


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## scottishcelts (Aug 5, 2007)

Hey Sharon how long ye been in Australia yer self


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## matjones (Jan 30, 2009)

IrishStew said:


> Would you say that research, being prepared and being realistic is key to settling in?


I would have to say research is one of the biggest things. In 2006 we decided that we wanted to move to AU and have been researching it ever since. (hoping to finally make the move at end of 2009) I spend an awful lot of time online. I studied everything I could about moving there. I think to blindly move to any country would be foolish.


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## irishfamily (Nov 14, 2008)

We have been here 16 months and loving it .I think no matter how much u research u will never find out what it is like till u get here


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## scottishcelts (Aug 5, 2007)

Hey i agree with you, we done 2 years of no stop research and i would say i still wasn't fully prepared for the move here (emotionally).


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## The Campbells (Feb 7, 2009)

scottishcelts said:


> We haven't got round to it yet  to be honest. It takes months to finally settle before you will start to consider things like that. We are going to be completing our 6 months rental at the end of March and can't wait as we hope to have our foot on the property ladder by then (we have just started looking around) but if not we will take another 6 months rental (really don't want to as i hate renting and miss having a mortgage) but can't be helped if nothing comes along.
> 
> Then we will think about insurances etc.
> 
> Try not to worry yourselves about things like that just now - just concentrate on getting here first  - then take a big deep breath (cos you will need one) and start your journey here.



Thanks for the advice - I'm not happy unless I'm worrying about something!!  We are quite happy to rent for a couple of years as we are going to take our time getting to know all the different areas of the city before we finally settle


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## irishfamily (Nov 14, 2008)

It was`nt the emotional part that got to me it was being unfamiliar with everything and a massive culture shock. I would be a bubbly,jokey basically a big mouth and trying 2 have a joke with the aussies was a no no it went straight over there head in a manner of speaking im not saying that australian people r thick (please don`t start arguing ) but they r so different from the irish i miss r irish banter lmao


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## scottishcelts (Aug 5, 2007)

I know what you mean Sharon, the unfamiliarity still freaks me out a little and having to rely on the sat nav too at first was a bit of a pain but thank god it exists lol

On the aussie sense of humour thing.....i am with YOU on this one  I miss the dry sense of humour from back home.


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## irishfamily (Nov 14, 2008)

Please no advertising it gets to be a pain in the A**


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## scottishcelts (Aug 5, 2007)

irishfamily said:


> Please no advertising it gets to be a pain in the A**


I know, wtf is going on?


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## kaz101 (Nov 29, 2007)

What advertising? If you are not happy with a post you can always report it and one of the mods will deal with it.


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