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Introducing myself


In2mindsNoMore

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I have been what you call a lurker for the past few months and have found this forum incredibly informative and very comforting at the same time. This is our story:

In 1998 (this was before children) my OH and I went to the UK on two year working holiday visas and ended up staying for three years with sponsored work permits. In 2001 we decided to return to SA because at the time things were going very well in SA. Overseas investment was high at the time, our water quality was of the best in the world and our electricity was of the cheapest in the world. Some of our SA friends stayed behind in the UK, others also returned to SA and some decided to go to Australia. We happily settled back into life in SA, enjoyed being able to spend so much time with family.

Towards the end of 2013 the subject of immigration came up. One of the reasons for this was that the company my OH worked for started to do badly because of mining workers strikes and he felt unsure of his future with the company. Also we are both in our early 40’s and I said to him that time is running out if we are considering immigration. It is such a big step and the older you are the harder it must be. We visited the Opportunities Overseas Expo in February 2014 and there we met the guys from Migrate2Oz. They assisted us with our application for the 189 – Skilled visa and our application was lodged on 16 June 2014, on 5 September 2014 we were allocated a CO and on 3 November 2014 our visas were granted.

We have been very happy and fortunate in SA. However I feel that we were like a lot of other people ignoring the signs that things are rapidly deteriorating (my opinion). Also for the sake of our elderly parents we did not want to take such a drastic step as immigrating.

In June of this year my husband resigned due to too much stress and pressure which was as a direct result of the fact that the company he worked for were performing badly. For four months he struggled to find another job, this just confirmed what we have been thinking for the past few months, that our future in SA is no longer secure. He at last managed to find another job and started at the new company the beginning of November. Our plans at one stage were for him to go to Australia early 2015 on his own and to start looking for a job there. The kids and I would then follow at the end of 2015. We felt that he might as well put all the effort into finding a job there. But now that he has a new job here, there is no longer that matter of urgency. However our plans are definitely to migrate to Australia in the near future.

While we were still waiting for our visas to be granted it was easier, now that it has been granted the reality has hit home. And now on a daily basis I am on the emotional see saw, my head knows that it is the right decision to immigrate but my heart wants us to stay.

I have read a lot of the posts on the forum and I am under no illusion that it is very hard to settle permanently in a new country. In some of the posts you can read between the lines that there is a lot of sadness. Some people really miss that sense of belonging. But the majority of people says that it took time to settle, but that they are very happy now and do not regret their decision. I would like to thank all of you (people already in Aus and the ones still planning to go) for sharing and being so very honest, it makes it a lot easier to know that there are others out there who are going through the exact same emotions. One of the good things about social media!

I am not sure exactly when we will take the big step. We are planning a LSD / visa activation trip for April 2015. But I will keep you posted.

Best of luck to all of you.

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Hi. We are also early 40's. I also started looking at it last year due to work closing down. 189 visa granted in Sept. We, myself, wife and three small kids, are flying on 1 Feb 2015 ... no LSD ... no job ... we are going to my sister-in-law which helps but we are taking the leap! The sooner we start our new life the sooner we can all be settled and become Aussies! There is nothing wrong with missing home as I'm sure we will, but there is also more to see in life and more to discover. I am looking forward to my children being more free...

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Welcome In2minds, I do hope that after your LSD you will realise that Australia is where you want to be. Good luck with the journey forward.

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Welcome In2Minds! I'm sure it won't be too long before you have "only1mind" :jester: ..

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In2minds,

I think it is part of the process to doubt your decision. I am sure we have all had doubts, but once your visa is granted and you take off your African shades it becomes scarier and scarier.... Loadshedding, water shortages, POT holes, new schools in the Eastern Cape stripped down to the support structures in 2 months..... Etc etc start to break your heart... Not to mention Zuma.... He and his wife owe a good friend of mine over half a million rand ( not 100% sure of the figure but it's true!) .... He of all men can't settle a now long standing debt.... I am sad for SA .... Truly sad.... And my 'gentleman' of a friend won't bring it to the light....

And in light of this I know it's time to go, get going quickly to bounce back and get settled, which may take/will take years. As sore as it may be I think we will all make it work, migrating is in our blood after all! Saying that you have to give it your all!

Wishing you all the best!

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Thanks for the kind and encouraging words Crossingover. Everything you say is so very true.

All the best to you too.

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Hi In2minds, you are going through a very normal phase in this process. We all yearn for something better, but in known and beloved surroundings. That's how it is supposed to be. But we don't have that in South Africa. Our known and beloved surroundings are overshadowed by a system that is killing all those belonging to this known and beloved. I've had the same. We're in OZ only for one week now, but now I can already tell you, that I can sense an understanding difficult to describe to anybody who has never been here before. We came over as parents over 40, with 4 young children, no job, no home but my brother to live with ad infinitum, till the LORD gives us direction. Very much the same as you are having, except for your hubby having a job already. It's not that bad. Having family over here has immeasurable value. The last week before we came over, I was very much in two minds as well, but since landing here, it was quite a revelation to me how limited my perspective was. I learned that life is good on this side of the globe, too, no matter that it's a different country. The sun still rises in the East and sets in the West. The plants and clouds looks the same. I understand most of the language [grin]. I still pay with money and still drive on tar roads on the left hand side in a normal car. Google Maps tell me where I am. The difference is, we don't lock the door when we go out, the childrens' bikes waits for them on the front lawn during the day for an impromptu dash down the street. Nobody jumps when a dog barks, for he barks not for an intruder.

My take on things at this stage is: we fear the unknown as much as we fear loosing our lives to a hijacking or robbery shootout. How silly. The unknown has no life threat in it. The known has. The unknown might be different and maybe a bit difficult in the beginning, but staying in the known world will be known, but you'll be fortunate/blessed to stay alive and thrive during what lies ahead for South Africa. Rather face the unknown than the life threatening known.

Our emotions are only that. Emotion. It does not change facts or reality, it merely reacts on our personal perception of what we think is true, hence it is not really reliable in making decisions for us. I felt like turning the plane around the moment I saw the first patch of brown Ozzie earth from the plane window, but as soon as we put our feet on Ozzie soil, the excitement began to take over all tears and fears. Sometimes we just have to bite the bullet and go for the unknown !

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In2minds,

The common factor for absolutely everyone on this Forum, has been the doubt which has followed the decision to emigrate. It is completely natural; to degree that I would say there is something wrong with you if you don't go through "Emigre's Remorse"

I know it is rather stating the obvious, but it is vitally important to keep in mind that this decision is as much about your children, as it is about you and hubby. You have witnessed the deterioration in the country in the 13 years since your return to SA in 2001. Project that trend forward by another 13 years, and try and visualise the world your children will have to live in!

A Rational decision is simple....provided you can get Emotions out of the way

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@Alida

Thank you for the reply! You have a gift for writing and I love reading your posts, have read some of them with tears in my eyes.

What you say is true and very encouraging, thanks!

@Orphan

Thank you for the wise words! Sometimes we need to hear someone stating the obvious again.

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  • 1 month later...

Wonderful wonderful thread everyone. Welcome In2minds, this community is awesome!!

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Welcome to the forum!

You have the benefit that you've already lived and worked in another country, so the adjustment should not be as hard on you as on many other people. If you've survived 3 years in grey, rainy UK, you'll flourish in sunny Australia!

Don't overthink it too much - you'll be fine :)

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Hi Riekie

Thanks for the reply! Yes, 3 years in grey, rainy UK was more than enough for me! :)

You hit the nail on the head, overthinking things is something I do very well. I am actually now in a relaxed emotional state about everything. I am praying about it and know that things will work out how they should.

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