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Returning home...


Crystal

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Hey everyone :)



Just wondering if anyone can share their experience/s re returning to SA? I have my own many brain-wobbles as I read the various posts on this and other social media sites, but it's still 'home' and I'd like to hear your comments too...



Thanks in advance



Crys


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I think most of us would say that you would be mad to return

I left my twin and my dying mother behind so I know how hard it can be (and still is some days) even after 15 years.

My advice is to join in (meetup.com is a great resource) and to get counselling on finding a new normal for yourself.

I always tell myself that if Viktor Frankl could get past Aushwitz and losing his family then I can adjust my thinking to be happy in Australia. My kids were born here and it is home now but it took some doing.

All the best with finding contentment (because permanent happiness is overrated).

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Crystal, not many of us on the forum have done the round trip.

I think ETO has, and is now planning his return to Aus, so a double boomerang. I have seen people on some Facebook pages return. Some very happy with their decision and others less so.

As has been said by others, if you have given it a fair go and want to go back then do so. You know what you are returning to and for. You don't need us to validate your return or staying. Aus is not for everyone.

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There are a few previous threads on exactly this question. Maybe use the search function to get to them. From memory they were quite lengthy so you may find your answers there - although many of the posts were arguing the point rather than actually sharing from people who returned.

Unfortunately not many people on the forum go back so the responses to your question may be limited. You could try forums for returning expats which would probably be a better source of the type of information you're after.

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Crystal, you could PM RosFam. They went back to SA (but recently returned to Sydney). Might be able to give you some insights.

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Sunnykisses is right. So many people go online these days to have their opinions validated.

We are probably the wrong people to talk to about returning to RSA. If you want to know some things you could do, so you can say, "I gave Aussie my best shot", then we can be really helpful.

But, I think there is one unanimous truth... The grass is greener where you water it. I have traveled the world and I can say I could be truly happy in a lot of countries. I choose Australia because it required the least effort for me to love living here..

When I say least effort, I don't mean " no effort" ;). I have had to make a ton of new friends and had to struggle to rebuild my career. Heck, I even had to learn how to invest in shares, so we can do a decent job of saving up for a deposit on an overpriced Sydney home.

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I think that most of the people who return end up back in auz once they have been back for a while and realize what they are giving up in auz, and most of the people who dont have lost the opportunity.

If you are thinking of doing it you should or it might haunt you for the rest of your live, HOWEVER, make sure you have the option of moving back to Auz, so PR or citizenship.

I would feel almost certain that one you have lived in SA again for a while you will miss the safety and comfort of a first world working country, in fact probably just after your dinner goes cold, half cooked, and you cant shower because the power went off (My sister the other night)

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Hello everyone and mega thanks for your responses.

Sorry for being vague before - I guess my reason for return is the only one that makes sense to a mother... FAMILY - I left my grown kids behind as I chased my heart across the Indian ocean but I can now no longer manage the void. Lifestyle and employment has been good to me here, and I wish I could miraculously have my kids give up their lives in SA with their new relationships, jobs etc, and follow me. Unfortunately my status will not fast-track immigration for them, as I am on a PR for 2 years, which means they will have to apply for immigration as individuals - considering the tedious process and costs and employment options, I'd be in a straight-jacket by the time they get here (phew!).

I guess I just needed to reach out to you lovely people who have some concept of the SAAustralia yinyang. I know lots has changed (for the worst) back home and the transition will be a trying one, but grateful to those who have come full circle, for their invaluable input.

:magic:

C

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Crystal, I totally get that. I'm very lucky that my kids got married in Australia. I have a little 5 month-old grandson and I can't imagine not seeing him all the time. Good luck with your life in South Africa. I hope you're doing the right thing for you and not for anyone else.

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I am quite happy to came back after spending several years in Australia. I was pregnant and missing South African food, sunshine, and that feeling for cleaner who used to clean for our house, even mug&bean cheesecake etc., So we packed our staff, shipped some stuff, we were back at the end of 2013. To be honest, load shedding here is terriable, water pipe interruptted also happend sometimes, and the worst thing is that RAND is getting weaker and weaker, otherwise, we are fine here. Most of people think we are really mad to come back. But I think we can always go back to Australia if we want. Sometimes, traveling between two countries is not bad, since no grass is greener than anyside. When baby getting bigger, we will move back. I found that young children quite enjoy ZA lifestyle, wildlife here is attracting, (like easy access to riding a horse etc.,) until they getting bigger, and they want to move back to OZ. Us as parents, only thing can offer them is that provide more options to them. We just make sure they can either stay in OZ and come back to ZA anytime.

I am pregnant again, people suggests me to having baby in OZ, so they can get OZ passport, but I will give birth here, passports can get it later....

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The only problem with having all these "plans" is something gets in the way......it's called life! We moved to Oz 15 years ago with the intention of experiencing living and working abroad, acquiring a 2nd citizenship and making sure that our kids get good education. The plan was always to return to SA if not permanently but certainly for a few months a year. We can tick all those boxes, except for returning to SA. We have our citizenship, beautiful home, great jobs, good kids who have been to good schools and they have unbelievable social lives. Now that we are at a stage of our lives where we want to spend time with our elderly (and often needy) folks, growing family of nieces and nephews and just get back to our roots.......bang, we run into a brick wall. Our kids are "Aussies" and their lives are her in Australia. They do not want to go back for anything longer than a 3 week holiday and even that is pushing it and my wife and I do not want to go back to SA for extended periods without our "kids". One thing is for certain, you cannot live in two places at the same time so choose, choose wisely and then live with that choice!

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My roots are firmly planted here now. My brothers are too old/not eligible to come over anymore so it's just us with a smattering of family on the wife's side. the plan is to buy a house in January and cement the bonds. We apply for citizenship in October.

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I think if we were settled in Oz and husband had a job and house sorted, there's no way I would think of coming back to SA. That being said most of my family is in the UK so missing family is something I have grown accustomed to anyway. I remember when I left the UK my mum saying to me (whilst crying) "you only have one life to live, live it for you and not for others" its something I will never forget. That being said I am now a mother and can really sympathize with you not seeing your children. But what if they ended up immigrating one day, and you are back in SA? That being said, I feel that this is a decision only you can make because it is your heart and your life and you have to live it for you no one else.

Good luck Crystal, I wish you all the very best. :-)

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Yup , we went back for about 18 months over a very trying period in our lives. There is no right and wrong in life, the journey is where your hopes and aspirations take you. We are now back in Sydney trying to make this work for a second time. Feel free to send me a PM if you want more details .... I can say if you are struggling to settle here , join the club ... it takes time. Give it time.

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This morning I really missed my old beaten-up fuel gusler Ford 4x4 that gave me headaches every day, but took me to the most beautiful places all over Western Australia. I miss moaning every morning about the fact that this car was costing a fortune to keep on the road, but most of all I miss to sights of awe in the evening when my "trusty steed" took me to a breath taking sunset somewhere along the coast.

We've been back in South Africa for three years now. We had to leave Australia, a land that we grew to love, because of unemployment. We had to leave family and friends there. When we got back in SA we found that our family and friends here had moved on and some didn't really know how to treat us. We have jobs here and family, but I'd give my left small toe this morning just to take my big blue Ford for a drive down to Busselton WA. I'm not sad about the decision we made three years ago to come back to SA, but I really hope that we can go back again. I also hope that the guy that bought my Ford is looking after it because one of these days I'm going to need it to drive up to Monkey Mia.

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Tussenstasies, thank you for your honest post. May I ask the reason for your return to RSA, you say unemployment, were you on a 457 visa?

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Hi Crystal,

In 2008, my wife and moved to the UK with the intention of applying for our Australian visa from the UK and then moving over when we got PR. When we did get PR, my wife got cold feet about Australia, and we decided to return to SA, as living in the UK permanently was not what we wanted - although we totally love the UK.

We came back to SA, got jobs, bought a house, car and settled in for a while. We regretted our decision with a few weeks!! The Rand just got worse, people were angry and everyones got a temper, traffic is a killer, crime is an issue, loadshedding is a joke, corruption and politics is just disgusting. Lots of shitty things about SA. But we love our maid, and how convenient many things actually are. Standards may be lower, but in a way it makes life a bit easier and cheaper. But these are all matters of the mind. The real problems are systemic, and are eating away at the core of our society and country.

So we're packing up now, and making our way across to Vic. We have family, so it helps a bit, but we'll still miss family and friends here, and the maid, and the conveniences and cheap prices. But we're looking forward. The short term will be hard for us, but we believe the long term future has a lot of upside. I cant say the same for SA.

Here's an article i received today which puts some things into perspective, and certainly describes the future you woudl be returning to if you cam back now:

Come back for a holiday - it may help you realise what you actually have back in Oz. We always say if we came back more often from the UK, and visited family more frequently, we'd never have come back to SA.

Prepare for the coming economic storm

2015-08-25 08:13

Max du Preez

The South African middle classes will have to take note of the imminent economic crisis that could cause much hardship, even destabilisation.

Ordinary citizens aren’t normally much interested in economic analysis and projections, but in this case it is in their own interest to at least understand the basic trends and developments so that they can prepare for the coming storm.

China’s economic growth has been weakening significantly in recent months. This has a direct impact on South Africa, especially because this is driving commodity prices lower – China is the world’s biggest consumer of raw materials. The country is also South Africa’s biggest single trading partner.

The indirect impact of China’s economic woes is that it has a negative influence on the global economy. Already there are predictions of a chain reaction and even a new global recession if China can’t quickly revive its economy.

China is the second biggest economy in the world.

Emerging markets such as South Africa usually get hurt most by global economic glitches. Our currency is already weakening to record lows.

Job losses

Lower commodity prices and competition between trade unions that are destablising the labour market can in the months ahead result in about a hundred thousand job losses in the mining, steel and manufacturing sectors.

In the South African reality this could mean that around a million people will be affected, because the typical worker in these industries have up to ten dependents.

The hardship of these people will affect everyone in South Africa, including business.

Analyst and commentator Moeletsi Mbeki famously warned four years ago that South Africa will face its “Tunisia Day” (the beginning of the Arab Spring) when China concluded its minerals-intensive industrialisation phase that had forced up the price of South Africa’s minerals.

We can’t blame China for all our problems, though. South Africa’s economic growth had already faded to less than one percent in 2015 as a result of the severe energy crisis, labour problems, investor reluctance, corruption, maladministration and wrong policies.

If these trends continue, the growth in the economy could decrease to close to zero by the end of next year.

Simmering anger

This economic decline couldn’t have come at a worse time for South Africa. There is a simmering anger among the unemployed, the workers and even the black middle class that poverty and inequality have persisted and that the pace of economic transformation has been painfully slow.
This manifests in increasing aggression, confrontation and even distabilisation.

The state simply can’t afford the plasters any longer that had so far been put on these sores.
We’re not the only country facing an economic crisis, but our government seems to be less able and willing than most others to navigate through the storm.

The discussion documents released by the ANC last week indeed warn against weak economic growth and raised expectations. But they are low on real solutions, mostly arguing for faster “radical economic transformation” and a stronger role for the state in the economy.

At least it appears that some state departments realise the importance of talking with the business and mining sector about ways to ameliorate the impacts of mass lay-offs by providing soft landings, training and alternative job opportunities.

It is high time the private sector tried much harder to get through to government and to play a more pro-active role in dealing with our serious challenges.

Time for cool heads

How should you and I, the ordinary middle class citizens, prepare for the tough times ahead?

It’s definitely not a time to live extravagantly or to get deeper into debt. It is time for consolidation and to get one’s house in order, financially and otherwise.

At the same time, paralysing negativity and wild prophecies of doom won’t help even a little bit. It is time for cool heads and a good understanding of the prevailing dynamics and undercurrents in South Africa’s politics and economy.

Unhappiness in one’s personal life undermines one’s ability to survive trying times. If the boat you’re sailing in is without leaks and has a reliable engine, your chances of getting to the other side of the storm in one piece is much greater.

I think people should start paying extra attention to their personal relationships, family life and friendships; they should ponder the ways they relate with their communities and the rest of society; and they should care about their own physical and spiritual health.

But we shouldn’t retreat so far into our cosy corners that we desist from having our voices heard and push back against those who are toying with our future, whether they are politicians, mine owners or business leaders.

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What can I say - this could just as well been written for the current economic conditions for Australia. Remember we are mainly exporters of raw materials and similarly affected by the mining industry. What is plan B - its is all happening. I have been yesterday to an agriculture show more than 2.5 hours drive just to get there. The scenery was an eye opener with hectares and hectares of green pastures, canola, sheep and cattle. The show was about showcasing the latest in high tech and didn't disappoint. Now I understand how a family can manage a ~11,000 hectare farm with next to no labour. Its all about GPS autosteering, smart software applications, computerization, connectivity, yield map interpretation and reducing input costs while optimizing production.

The best part - attendees all looked happy! But what was obvious and concerning was the age group. Not a lot of young people around from both the growers' side or the service providers' side. This may be an opportunity for young immigrants!

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The best part - attendees all looked happy! But what was obvious and concerning was the age group. Not a lot of young people around from both the growers' side or the service providers' side. This may be an opportunity for young immigrants!

I'd love to be a farmer. Seriously... my only problem is that any livestock would get names and I'd never be able to ready them for sale as meat!

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I'd love to be a farmer. Seriously... my only problem is that any livestock would get names and I'd never be able to ready them for sale as meat!

So grow crops.

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Love love live living in Australia. Ten years in and some huge ups and downs and financial hits (not funny when you are in your fifties.)But this week my daughter and I went for a walk with the grand baby tucked snug in his pram ,around the neighbourhood. We felt so safe, people stopped to chat and ask about the new arrival and congratulate my daughter on how well she looked as a brand new Mum. She replied saying she had such incrediblely good care in the hospital and we just celebrated the absolute pleasure of leading this simple, uncomplicated life in the Land of Oz where you don't have to be wealthy to have a wonderful quality of life.

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I just came through 6 months of no work with no reserves. God had our backs the whole way. I am now coining at a rate never before seen in my life. So grateful to be paying back all the debt, 2 credit cards down, 2 to go. The more I see of Aus the more I love it. We will be able to pay for our first holiday in 5 years shortly. And for the outlaws to come and visit.

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