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Is life in Aus what you expected it to be?


Theunis

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Hi guys

I think we all pretty much have a picture in our minds of what we expect our new lives to be like in Aus. Obviously for myself whom is still applying I expect freedom and safety on the one hand, but expect the worst when it comes to finding a job, trying to balance the budget and probably working day and night just to pay rent and put food on the table.

What is it really like? The good, the bad and the ugly.

I sort of see myself working myself to death in the week and then lazing on the beach on the weekend and not eating out becasue its too expensive or only have one beer at a pub because thats all I can afford.

What type of hours do you really work? and what do you do on weekends?

I am worried that my mind may not be happy because of struggling financially and working crazy hours and when my mind isnt happy then I am pretty much a write off.

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Obviously depends on which life stage you are at and what job you do no matter which country you live in!

It looks like you are still quite young which is good! We are in our forties with kids aged between 2 and 12 so to be honest life is very hectic and a hard slog!!

My husband gets home between 7 and 8 pm. But that's always been the case with his type of job.

On Saturdays we have netball with our 8 year old at 8am, ballet at 9am with the 2 year old and ballet at 12pm for the 12 year old. I also keep the washing for Saturdays as it's a write off anyway.

We live in Melbourne and it's winter at the moment so no beach for us on Sunday. We might go to the city to visit the Melbourne Museum, a market, a gallery or something. Or go shopping somewhere like Westfield or (window) shopping at the Emporium in Melbourne. If it's a sunny day even in winter we go for a walk by the river and the kids play in the great playground at Warrandyte while we have a coffee and a pie / something sweet. Or we might visit the Yarra Valley or go up the Dandenong Ranges.

Eating out is very expensive but you learn very quickly that you can have a variety of delicious meals from food courts, bakeries, cafes or markets.

So that's all it is, just life as usual. But safe, not worrying, going on long walks in the evening around our neighbourhood. You have to make your own joy.

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I know things seem expensive when you are sitting in South Africa and converting the cost of everything to Rands. But when you earn in dollars you spend in dollars. To me, my life is exactly the same as it was in RSA except minus the ANC and all that goes with bad government, living in fear of crime, etc. Well I suppose that is not entirely true as life is much better. Our city council provides a tremendous amount of free public activities that always provide a half day of fun attending on many weekends.

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The thing that gets me really down in SA is the poverty. Seeing people walk km's in the pouring rain to get to their job, which doesn't pay well. People begging at the robots. Homeless people sleeping in doorways during the cold and wet winter. Stray, abused animals - which I cannot stop and help for fear of my safety. What I would like to know is - does this stuff exist in Oz? Because no country is perfect. Is it 'hidden away'? It breaks my heart every day to see the conditions under which so many people live in SA and their daiy struggle to stay alive and to not be raped or abused. This is a sad country for so many. I know it may be a cowards way out but I am looking forward to not having to see this kind of sadness every day. Or am I fooling myself and will I see it in Oz?

We all have our 'weird' questions/worries about Oz .... this is mine :blush:

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It is definitely not a cowards way out. The world belongs to everyone. We deserve better lives and if another country is willing to embrace us and accept us we should take it to better our own lives and those we care for.

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When you emmigrate you step a couple of years back, starting new, starting from the bottom, this is hard. If you perservere, you'll catch up very quickly, but this couple of years catching up is hard. Once you've catched up, yoy'll be ahead of the pack and you'll never turn back again... Stay strong, don't give up, it was worth it.

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Our lives are not very different to what they were like in RSA either, except better in all ways other than not have friends and family close by...

Financially we are no worse off, our kids schools were expensive in RSA, here they have been provided with good state educations, we have paid for uni for our eldest because as permanent residents we got 'commonwealth rates' not HECS, but we would have had to pay in RSA too, next son is at uni and he is HECSing his studies so will be taxed later on to pay the costs back after he is earning a reasonable salary/wage. We live in a nice house in a great area. We don't have the costs of security company/armed response etc and insurances are cheaper.

We eat and drink just as well as we ever did, maybe better! And talking about that, we had a bottle of 'good' South African wine a little while ago and didn't enjoy it, perhaps our palates have changed to the Aussie stuff?

And nothing beats the feeling of safety and security that is NORMAL here.

Our life is wonderful.

OK, we do our own housework and gardening, and I am not prepared to spend money paying someone to do it so that could be a negative if one is looking for them.

Of course not having the friends and family you love around you is the biggest negative. But you make friends and family visit.

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There are definitely not stray abused animals around. Also there is apparently homelessness but I have not seen it. Sometimes you might see a 'bergie' type person and I saw a few Aboriginals with glue bottles once, and brushing their teeth in the fountains, shame ;)

We did do a bit of adjusting to garden clean up and housework and that takes say 5-10 hours a week. Every night after supper we clean the kitchen and I do about 2 loads of washing every day. On Sundays we all work in the garden for about 3 hours, especially in Summer. We do have a cleaner for 4 hrs a fortnight but it's not enough by itself.

In a way it's nice having our house to ourselves and you get a sense of (surprised) achievement that you can actually do that stuff yourself :)

We don't have to spend our whole weekend in the mall any more. We socialise less at people's houses which is a bit unfortunate. But last weekend we spent the day on the Brisbane river with my sister's family. We made boerrie rolls on the free bbqs and took the tinny out fishing. It was a gorgeous day and the kids loved it. The little kids played in the park and the big kids lay on blankets & played their music etc. We would never have had a day like that back in SA.

For me, leaving the constant family visits behind was a bonus, it was getting too much as we have big families and spent all weekend in the car going to some damn thing, I am so grateful it's over (sorry!)

Edited by Bronwyn&Co
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The only aspect of our lives in RSA that we miss is also family and friends, for the rest, it is all better, much better, marvelously better, even in Melbourne's winters!

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Yes. It's pretty much exactly how I thought it would be. There's nothing that I wanted to get here that I haven't got. Except maybe a car... but I choose not to have one because I want to pay off my mortgage sooner.

It's not easy, but at least when things are difficult you don't feel like it's all pointless anyway because even if you manage to live your whole life successfully dodging the crime, you are still subject to the macro-level problems that come with having an African style government.

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I know it may be a cowards way out but I am looking forward to not having to see this kind of sadness every day. Or am I fooling myself and will I see it in Oz?

We all have our 'weird' questions/worries about Oz .... this is mine :blush:

Hey Magenta,

They have "Centerlink" payments here if you are unable to work. They also have "concession" cards which give the underprivileged cheaper public transport and health care. For example, if you have a "yellow health care card" (i.e. you earn below a certain amount) you can even get cheaper parking at the hospital parking lot.

And of course, there is medicare (a medical aid paid for by your taxes).

There is a huge problem here with Islanders moving to New Zealand and then eventually migrating to Australia because the benefits for poor people are so much better. Its becoming a lot harder for a NZ citizen to get a VISA to move to Australia because of that.

Are there people living on the streets? yes. The salvation army is very active in Australia and well funded. But those people living on the streets often have an addiction, mental disease or they are run away teens. i.e. they are people who for personal reasons can't apply for a government payment.

The single biggest complaint from poor people and even those earning minimum wage is everything costs here. Like I said above, the public hospital is covered by medicare, but you have to pay money to get there on the public transport or pay for parking. In Sydney, they also complain that there is a genuine lack of infrastructure like roads, public transport and homes (which hits them the hardest). Its whats made Sydney one of the most expensive cities to live in, in the world.

There are some interesting stats on how generous Aussies are -> http://www.ourcommunity.com.au/general/general_article.jsp?articleId=4381

So, would I rather be poor in RSA or Aus? I would agree with those Islanders and move to Aus.

It's not easy, but at least when things are difficult you don't feel like it's all pointless anyway because even if you manage to live your whole life successfully dodging the crime, you are still subject to the macro-level problems that come with having an African style government.

What about retirement? Speak to South Africans about to retire and over 50% of them will have been seriously caught off guard by how expensive things have become.

Also, I can't remember the exact figures... but if you invested your RRR in a bank account when apartheid ended, you would need to get around 4% return just to cover for the devaluation in the Rand. Remember when R3.50 bought an American Dollar? No.. well it used to.

My point is South Africa is going through so much change, that planning your future is a wild guess at best. At least Australia is well managed and you know what the country will be like in 20 years time.

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What about retirement? Speak to South Africans about to retire and over 50% of them will have been seriously caught off guard by how expensive things have become.

Well my folks are (or were) about 15 years away from retirement. They're in a goodish position in that their house is paid for, they own another house which isn't generating an income because it is currently housing family who for various reasons don't both work.

Their plans have changed such that they will sell up everything and move to Australia. What this means is that, in today's terms, they'll maybe be able to bring over enough to put down a 75% deposit on a unit in a retirement village, after deducting the cost of a contributory parent visa. That leaves me to be their welfare for 10 years until they can claim pension benefits (and probably beyond then because let's face it, the pension isn't much but if you own the roof over your head is should be enough for the basics). I feel like I would like to write a personal letter of thanks to the ANC for significantly limiting our prosperity as a family.

About 7 years ago they were flying high, new cars every few years, building properties for cash, business was booming and their retirement seemed fairly safe. I still remember telling my dad back then to start making a backup plan because the country was heading for trouble but he wouldn't listen. It just took one armed robbery to open his eyes to see RSA for what it is...

So now my task is to pay off my own home in the next decade so that when they arrive they will have my support - I'll probably need to cover the little mortgage they'll end up with (which shouldn't be too much with a biggish deposit) and support them. I'd like to think they will be able to find some work, even if it's just packing shelves or driving or working the checkout at a supermarket just to keep active and give them some independence. Thankfully they're also quite down to earth so they won't feel the need to have a flash car or house, as long as they have a little spot near a beach and "a garden for my doggies" (as my mom puts it) they'll be happy :)

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I sort of see myself working myself to death in the week and then lazing on the beach on the weekend and not eating out becasue its too expensive or only have one beer at a pub because thats all I can afford.

My husband and I love to eat out at least once or twice a month and we have fast become smarter at this. Portion sizes are huge and we honestly don't need to eat so much. We now more often than not decide on a meal that both of us would like (maybe a full rack of ribs) and then just order a side salad and then share this between the two of us. And if there's a little space left, we'll order a dessert (to share of course).

Just being smarter can save you heaps of money.

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I love Aus more every day just about. Love the mostly crime free society, cops that actually pitch when you call them. I've said it many times before, i wont go back. There is no chance that country can right itself. EFF have the covert support of the ruling lads cos they drive a radical agenda that the current guys could never get across. all mapped to the 10 point Marxist plan. very sad.

I love the beaches, the food, the people, the clear skies, alles. I don't like the killer rego fees they nail you for every year and the meter maids who are like ticket hawks. LOL. In Perth they cannot MERGE in traffic, and the lines on a roundabout are like colouring-in lines for kids, only a rough guide. Ahh, and when it becomes dual carriageway, it's KEEP LEFT PASS RIGHT you bumhug!!! :jester::jester::jester:

So in all, very minor things. The parks are many, clean and well kept. I can leave my garage open with expensive tools neatly packed on a shelf, and they will most likely be there in the morning. The garbage guy does not ask me for "Christmas" every time he picks up the garbage, like he isn't already paid! I have never seen a car guard, to watch your car even when you pay insurance. (Not that he is there or saw anything when you car gets stolen or broken into)

I have never had to go to the council offices and "pay" to get something fixed. To get my daughters Aussie birth certificate, I took $26 down to Births and Deaths Registry, and 10min later walked out with a full colour proof of birth. I did not have to grease the sod's hand at the door, take photos for extortionist fees, then pay another sod to get to the counter. Oh, I was at the wrong counter, no probs, He called the fellow over and sorted me out, no waiting for hours, get to the front, and be turned to another queue. Then get to the front of that one and be told you need to go back to queue No:1!!! Arggghh!

So yeah, I love this place and it is now home for me. It has its quirks and I have grown to accept them and love them. This is my view, now who would whinge with that?

yanchep-lagoon-beach.jpgrow3-photo2.jpg:jester:

Have a good weekend people!

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@Surferman

If only those pics had a couple of barrels in them hey?! :whome:

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Just to correct the advice about New Zealanders coming to Australia and living off handouts. That is no longer true. Like every one else arriving they have a two year wait before they can access welfare payments. The laws changed quite a number of years ago.

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We've been in Perth for 10 days now and managed to get a very nice rental, bought a car, found jobs, got bank account, Medicare, centrelink, new licence applications done and kids are in school. Boxes got ticked daily except for our furniture' ship that has been delayed and will now only arrive in three weeks time. This is going to be difficult as we only have our clothes and an empty house. Camping under cover with No camping equipment. BUT, last night we went to Freemantel to celebrate our new life and using public transportation for the first time. We had to walk through a park (at night) and whilst holding my 3year old daughter's hand a just smiled because I knew she was safe. my teenager boys, often referred to as my Google reps ((because they know mos everything)), washed the dishes for the first time, ever! Watching them performing Thembi' duties also made me smile because making them do things for themselves is a far better gift than all the PS3 games ever bought. They are about to become human again. My only regret coming to Perth is that I didn't do it earlier. Take any newspaper in SA and summarize all the headings and read through that, any paper, any day. Don't get me wrong, I have a deep love for SA. I am a boertjie that loved Madiba. I love my family more and I think this is the best thing I could do for them. So, I will perhaps work harder, have shorter visits at the pub, drive an old Maxima V6 and work in the garden (if I can find the manual for the lawnmower) but my family is safe and I don't have to pay R2 everytime I park my car. There was an old Afrikaans program when I was still a snotkop called "belade vir 'n enkeling" and the one guy always said "moenie dink nie, doen net!" perhaps a philosophy to be applied when considering Australia. Good luck!

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@Surferman

If only those pics had a couple of barrels in them hey?! :whome:

He's a surfer...would never be stupid enough to publicise the beach with all the good waves :)

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I loved 'Belade vir 'n enkeling' so much ☺️

Well done guys!

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Is life in Aus what we expected it to be? I never knew too much about Aus, to be honest. We were living in London when we got our PR visa for Aus. Did our first trip to validate the visa and go back to the UK for another two years. While living in London we came across a few Aussies. They were nice enough, but a Capetonian friend, living in London, had a female Aussie flatmate (called George), who drank beer all day and burped every 5 seconds. Deep down I was nervous as hell that the whole population would be like George. Turns out I am pleasantly surprised. I deal with and live among, decent, highly educated people with strong morals. They step in, help their community, rally around people in need and have become firm friends. I should not have worried.

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We have been here 9 months now and it is even better than we thought it would be. I cannot imagine ever ever going back. We are much better off financially and today I found real sparletta cream soda in Woolies. Aaahh.

On a more serious note. What I love most is that the country is efficient and the civil servants actually do their jobs and I find great comfort on the order and safety.

❤️ Australia

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He's a surfer...would never be stupid enough to publicise the beach with all the good waves :)

What. Was that Fish? LOL. It fires a great little right and left here, and if you don't mind dancing with Johnny Uptail (great whites) there are amazing reef breaks offshore. I am lying in bed now, listening to the waves breaking 200m. Paradise.

http://www.google.com.au/imgres?imgurl=http://static.panoramio.com/photos/large/7146129.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.panoramio.com/photo/7146129&h=768&w=1024&tbnid=uLr9CJmUmYhErM:&zoom=1&docid=PsWGE0vMwRQzDM&hl=en&ei=NHLdU9LcCIm58gWuyICwDA&tbm=isch&client=safari&ved=0CEsQMygeMB4

post-12037-0-65403300-1407021747_thumb.j

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Ok, heidim, now I'm curious!

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