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Marsupilami going to Australia! Houba


Fidjet

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@Fidjet I've learned a few things in the nearly 4 years that I have been away regarding friends when you become an expat:

 

  1. Out of sight really is out of mind, you'll retain some friendships but honestly most will just fade away. Try not get too despondent about it or be too harsh on those left behind. You'll have your new life and they have theirs to get on with. 
  2. Be patient when it comes to making new friends and don't stick only with South Africans - integrate yourself with the locals!

 Good luck with the last stretch and enjoy it!

 

Edited by TamTam
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Sounds like you are making great progress. Focus on the goal and your why. It is natural for some doubts to arise.

Have you tried autotrader for your vehicle? We sold our car after only one week after posting an ad.

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@timtam  Thanks for the advice, the plan is to find like-minded people when we get there, South African/Australian don't matter much.  We will go out and do the things we like doing and chat with people there, this should help us make friends. We will also join a church group because some of my best friends come from Uni and Church, but Uni isn't really an option. 

 

@Husky jip we tried them, OLX and even Facebook. WAllot of people were interested but then they want to "arrange a payment plan" with us rather than the bank. Or they come for a test drive and say yes we want is but just never get back. We contacted we buy cars and CarZar and a couple of other places but everyone just looks at the trade in value (R260k, and it assumes 100=k on the clock) and then they make a ridiculous offer based on that. My husband's car only has 28 000km on the clock and allot of extras such as smash and grab anti-hijacking etc... but nope that means absolutely nothing. 

We dropped the car off a Mitsubishi dealer this morning, they are still robbing us but it is the best offer we have managed to get. The one dealer offered us R180 and when we asked why it was so low, they said it would have been R200 but they will have to get her washed (She was washed inside and out before we took her there) and they also deduct licensing fees and transfer fees from the seller.... Bull. Hubby is very sad to see his baby go, he has always wanted a bakkie and it is always sad to see precious items go. 
 

But that's all part of the immigration rollercoaster, big highs and big lows and some crazy loops that make you feel queasy. All in all, it is still going good with us.

 

I got the job I mentioned last time, and start Monday. For now, it is short-term (I finish end Feb) but we will renegotiate in Feb and maybe they will allow me to work remotely from Australia. They really want to open a branch in auz and they have allotted of contracts based in Auz, so the guy said if I am willing to attend meetings/ do site inspections etc and generally act as "local" representative for them it will be a massive help for them. A local flight from Melbourne to Perth is cheaper the one from SA to Perth or wherever... so if I manage to do a good job in the next 2 months I cant see why they won't make this a more permanent remote position. Here's hoping!

Edit: @TamTam, now she's tagged ;) 

Edited by RedPanda
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@Fidjet you answered the wrong person, I imagine you were replying to a post by @TamTam I am not suprised though, I always have to think clearly when I reply to any of her messages, the need to write Tim Tam is just too great.

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Ooops thanks @Mara and @RedPanda.

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Hi All,

 

I've had great fun following various couples journeys, my wife and I are really getting excited for what's to come.  @Fidjet congratulations on the Visa.  We're wishing you guys a beautiful journey. I thought maybe I could jump in and share a bit from our side!? (hope that's not too cheeky! Don't want to hijack your thread!) 

 

I joined the forum quite some time back. Haven't had much to say as we're still in the research phase. We have eventually made the decision... Australia it is!  This was our first choice but I let the idea stew for a while as I did extensive research into NZ (as close friends went over) and I really thought we could make it our home.

My wife was never too keen for NZ and thus Aus is back in front! (Personally, I don't really mind where we go, I'm just super keen for the adventure!)

My wife is a physiotherapist and I have my final semester of my BTech degree (civil engineering: water) next year.  We have two boys, our oldest 5 and a half years and youngest 3 months!

We have set ourselves a goal of trying to save and make the move in 3 to 4 years (we're starting from scratch financially!)

 

I look forward to following more success stories whilst learning the ins and outs of how to ultimately make our story a successful one!

Cheers.

 

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  • 1 month later...

75 days left in SA, can't wait anymore. We spent new year at friends in JHB, and although it was a great evening with friends, board games and a braai we missed fireworks, we are looking forward to see next years Melbourne firework show in person, my friend there sent me a SHORT video of the show and that made me google it, and that leads to a new bucket list item for Auz. We want to attend a new years eve show in each of the big cities, starting with Melbourne 2018/2019.

 

Christmas, or as 12 people insisted on reminding me, our last Sa Christmas, was good. We ended up having 3 parties, the first with friends on the 9th, this was very low key and relaxed. 9 good friends, good food and some relax time before silly season kicks off, this is the 2nd time the bunch of us had a party together and I will definitely miss it next year. On the 16th I planned and hosted our Church Bible Study group (20Somethings) Christmas party, what a blast. Some background, I LOVE to plan parties and I tend to get a tiny bit carried away. I am proud to say it went off wonderfully and everyone enjoyed themselves so much. One person made me feel very good by commenting that it was probably the most organised and well-planned social the 20Something has had. That was my Christmas party, or should I say the one I looked forward to ad that I felt happiest at.

 

On the 25th we had food with the entire family and again I helped with the planning and decorating, but like most family gatherings it wasn't allotted of fun. I don't even want to write about it because it will just make me angry all over again. Let's just say we are very glad it will be our last Christmas with Family. What hurt us most was that when we got our VISA’s in Sept both families asked us to stay until early 2018, so that we can give them one last Birthday and Christmas together. So we stayed, even after our house and cars were sold, and we technically have nothing keeping us in SA anymore we stayed because they asked us to. And for what, Hubbies mother refused to spend his birthday with him because her food allergies are imbaresing and Christmas was a disaster on both sides. On the 26th of December, I was in tears because I'm so unhappy about it. After a long walk and talk we both decided enough with them and we will no longer feel bad about "abandoning them in their old age" or any of that, we are looking forward to the next step in our lives, and if they cant be happy for us, who needs them, we are doing this for our future and our kids. My friends and the 20 Somethings have made me happy that we stayed and both our birthdays and Christmas parties that we spend with them have been wonderful. so not a total loss at least. 

 

On Wednesday my Husband had to head back into the office since we are saving his leave for March. we hoped to take a month long holiday giving us 2 weeks 2 finish up and 2 weeks that side to settle in before he had to start working again. Everything was arranged, Company gave permission for the international remote work, leave was approved. We were even starting to plan (luckily not book yet) our travelling trip around Auz ... On Wednesday hubbies work threw a spanner in the works. They are in the prosses of "changing direction of the company", and while this change is going on all international transfers and remote work opportunities will be put on hold. So on Wednesday morning, we find out that come End Feb we will both be unemployed. 

After we got over the shock, we are not to bummed out about it, better found out now and still have time to do something about it then find out once we are there. And this also simplifies things allot. It will make it a lot more stressful since now we will have to find Auz jobs ASAP, but we have enough savings to keep us going for about 6month (would have been used to buy a van and travel) it will be a tight budget but we can live since its only 2 of us and we have friends willing to help out with accommodation ect for a bit. So I'm stressed but not too worried about it yet. I am more bummed about the fact that we didn't go to the Kruger with my Fam in Sept because we had to save leave, we didn't go to the coast for Christmas with friends because we had to save leave. We didn't attend a friend in CPT wedding because we had to save leave, and now we find out that he has to resign anyway. 

Also, this changes plans, we were hoping to travel and then only ship our stuff in the second half of 2018, when we know where we want to settle. Now we are shipping everything end March beginning April and hoping for the best in Melbourne. So with 75 days left in SA, we all of a sudden have a lot more things to do. Most of our belongings are packed and in storage so now begins the big clean and sort so that we can get it all packed in March. We also have a lot of stuff that we have to finish before we can pack it. We have also started scheduling and planning farewell braais with people. After Christmas everyone suddenly realised that we are going in a couple of months, next year sounds so far away but now its no longer next year and they are all wanting a "pound of flesh" so to speak. 

 

So it's a new year and FB is flooded with people reflecting on 2017 and saying what they hope for 2018, and it got me thinking. 2017 was a good year for us, it was a year in with we learnt to listen and obey God and He has blesses us belong our wildest dreams. It was a stressful year, with us realising early in Jan that Hubby is turning 32 and will soon lose out on points on his VISA. Also, there were grumblings of taking our occupations off the list, so we felt it was now or never. It was a year with a lot of decisions being made and followed through on. 2018 will be an interesting year, I believe God will take care of us and it will be a good one again. It will definitely be a year full of change and new things. It will be a trying year but also a very exciting one. The first 2 months will be crazy buzzy and very bittersweet, with all the goodbyes, farewells and the final mad dash to get everything sorted and on the plain/ship heading for Auz. And then in March we officially start our next adventure, in a new land with new friends and hopefully allot of new opportunities. There will be new challenges too but we have never been scared to face those, with God and our friends on our side we know we can handle anything.  I am looking forward to the year and all its adventures. 
 

 

 

Edited by Fidjet
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Biiiiihhhg hug!

We're looking forward to March too ;) ready to welcome you to Melbourne. ( I hope the weather plays nice)

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@Fidjet oh dear, bad news that your plans have to be changed, but you are right... it may actually settle you faster! Good luck and look forward to meeting you soon!

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Thanks, @Mara and @RedPanda 69 days to go, as for weather being nice, with the heatwave and just general hotness of PTA lately I will appreciate nice cold weather in Melbourne. 

I spend most of this week in Hospital, Kidney stones aren't I lucky. But I am home now and on the mend. Rather get them now and remove them now then have them decide to say hello on the plain over or just before we are supposed to fly. we are cutting activation a bit short so that could potentially be disastrous. 

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@Fidjet Hope you are feeling better. I know what it is like to fall ill just before the big move. As you said, rather now than later. Get better soon.

P.S. One thing I am sorry we sold and did not pack (at this stage) were our small (low) beach chairs. 

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Hi @Husky im on thr mend. Went for checkup yesterday and doc sais it looks all clear, now I just need to drink, allot. She recomends 3-5L a day, depending on how hot ot is, bonkers no one can do that! Im managing about 3L at the moment. 

 

We met with Exequmove again on Thursday and will be using them. Origionally when we got  quotes we has about  80% full container, then family  went but this is yours and grampa made you that, so now the container is FULL, not complaining to much  the "new" furniture  is very nice!

 

One problem with not working remotely  is that we are shipping in March instead of September, so all of a sudden 65days feel very short. Originally  we would have  had March  to say goodbye, so we have 2 holidays already booked and payed for then already. My oupa is turning 85 2 days before we fly and the whole family  is going  to Little Eden  Resort that week, and the week before we have a hunting trip with inlaws. March should be allot of fun, crazy busy  but fun. 

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

55 days to go. 

 

My car is sold, well kinda. So for my Husbands car, we could not get anyone interested and ended up selling her at a loss. My car we had the opposite problem. I had 3 people very interested in buying her. First one gave me an offer, and then see second and third offered me more. Problem is the one who was willing to pay the most wanted the car this weekend, and we still need the car to get to work etc until March, so we sold it to the second offer. Having only one car is annoying enough, I don't want to have to try and borrow one every time.  (we are both used to having our own car 10+years now) They agreed to pay a non-refundable (if they change their minds) deposits now and then pay the rest a day or so before I give them the keys, and do the official transfer of mane ect. She is a lady from our Sell group and a good friend so I'm glad she took the car, I know she will take good care of her, although I will be very sad to see her go. -_-

 

We went back to my hometown on Saturday, had to go pick up a copy of my medical file from my Dr there and decided to take a bit of a drive around. Having food atVetkoekpaleis (yes my hometown is Nigel not sure who remembers the show) and show hubby where I went to school ect. It was a very bittersweet day, nice to be back and good to see the town prosper, some new places opening and allot of fixing up happening. but it was also sad knowing that it was probably my last visit there, my parents don't live there anymore and most of my friends have also moved out, so we have no real reason to go back. 

 

We spend the rest of the weekend sorting stuff and dismantling bookshelves. We have 5 big bookshelves and they take up a lot of space, so now they are all packed nice and flat, and the 5 and all the books take up less space then what the bookshelves did, we should now be able to fit everything into the container. Been a busy weekend. 

 

We booked, and they confirmed,  Execu move to come pack for us 13 and 14 March. We are now busy getting replacement values for everything for insurance... I make teddy bears and plushies, We were thinking of leaving my stash behind, saw what it costs to replace that side WHAW!!! I will be taking all of mine and maybe a couple more, there is a big bear fair on next weekend and usually, they sell the kits at stupidly cheap prices.  

 

This month is going to be crazy busy and very emotional, all our friends want to say goodbye so we have a lot of dinners and braais planed. We also have a couple of lasts coming up, and people insist on reminding us, "aww this was the last time I gave you a haircut" or someone at hubby's work "aww this was your last work social" we get it we are leaving, and you are sad, we are too. so can people please stop rubbing it in already... only 55 more days, you can take this for 55 more days. 

 

I also can't wait to have a public transport system that actually works. On Friday it took me 50+min to get past the first booms at the Centurion Gautrain station. Get there try and pass boom and it says "insufficient funds" go to load money stand in Q,  no card invalid, stand in an even longer Q to talk to a person, 10+min in this Q, she decides to go on a bathroom break, and there is only one teller so we all have to wait.; She gets back, my Card expired, I need to go stand in another Q to get a new one. I ask her what about the money on the card, no they guys there will help me. Stand in that Q, no they cant refund me any money on my card the lady who send me to them should have done that.... Go back to her Q 10+ min later get a refund. Back to the Q to get a new card. Get a card. Back to Q to load money on the card, "invalid card"  :censored: go to the person who gave me the card. No, he doesn't know what the problem is, I need to speak to his supervisor. He doesn't know what the problem is either, I can load money but not trips. Ok, I need to get to Sandton how much will that be, he said R49. I put R50 on and FINALLY, I can get past the booms to catch a train. The train was so full since now it is peak time, but it's a short hop so I stand and no problem. Get to Sandton try and swipe out, "insufficient funds" :censored:KILL IT WITH FIRE! :censored: another Q, the trip actually cost R52, she has no idea why the other guy said R49. Pay the extra and leave. That will hopefully be the last time I use the Bleeping Gautrain and good riddance!

 

 

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You are probably going to be so relieved to shed all that stress and aggravation when you get here, that you'll forget to be anxious or sad :lol: Sometimes it helps to be frustrated during the last period before a big change.
Not long to go now.

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  • 2 weeks later...

:jester: 40 days!!! I remember in Metric we made a big fuss about 40 days left in school. We "locked" the teachers in their meeting room, with snacks and cake so it really wasn't that bad for them. And the whole school had a 3hour long reses. after the "plebs" went back to class we had a braai on the rugby field. was a very fun day. So it makes sense that we celebrate 40 left in SA. well that was the plan at least, but last night came and we were so tired that we ended up going to a friends house (we call him our kid brother since he is like family) and he cooked us a roast chicken feast with apple tart pudding. It was a very relaxed and chilled evening, exactly what the doctor ordered. We will save the "fuss" and celebration for when we have our farewell, at Buffelspoort. 

 

Update on whats been happening, well 2018 is turning into a horrible/expensive year. First day back at work we hear hubby will not be working remotely, then kidney stones. And while in hosp for kidney stones they did a CT scan and found an "abnormal growth" on my hart, Lots of tests (as an outpatient so its out of our own pocket) later Dr is happy that it is nothing to be worried about. I work on an hourly contract base, so no work no pay, so between tests and meds and days missed we "spend" more than a months salary. EINA!!! 

While I was at home recovering from that, hubby found out his PC that died last in December cannot be fixed under warranty, luckily he will be refunded, but now he needs to upgrade his PC, it is 6+ years old, ancient for a gaming PC. And the problem is that he cant find a replacement component that will work with some of the rest of his PC. So before hubby can work (and game but that's not important) he will need to upgrade his pc... More money :(

 

We lost money when Capitecs stocks went belly up, well not us ut my parents did and they wanted to give us a portion of our inheritance now (duck the taxman, and it is needed now more than later) but thanks to Victor or whoever that cant happen anymore. So yes all in all our finances took a MASSIVE knock.

 

But chin up, God will take care of us He hasn't let us down yet and won't start now, so, for now, plans go ahead as scheduled, and we just put allot more emphases on getting jobs that side ASAP. When we started this last year person said it was a leap of faith, well after this month it really is a leap of faith, the comfortable buffer we had to live of till we get a job is basically gone. So CV's are being pollised and come April we will take the job hunt very seriously.

 

But strangely enough, I'm not too worried. I can't explain it but I feel and believe that God will take care of us, so we will do our bit and things will be fine. Mechanical Engineer and Software engineer, and we are both willing to do practically anything so we should be able to find something. We have friends there that agreed we can stay rent-free for the first bit (till our stuff gets there), if they read this THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU, we really appreciate it so very much.

Nothing else to report, we are still both happy and, yes getting a bit snippy (more me then hubby) but we are in love and our relationship is stronger now than ever before. Family driving me nuts but at the same time, we are enjoying spending time with them and doing things. Life is busy with cleaning, sorting and prepping for the movers 14&15  March. And every weekend is packed full of friends and family. So ja live is exhausting but we are both having to allot of fun. The first week in Melbourne might be spent catching up on lost sleep. but hay there is a 16hr flight to do that in ;-P

 

Cheers, for now, will see you guys in Melbourne soon. 

 

 

Edited by Fidjet
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@Fidjet

"And this too shall pass" .. keep praying and keep believing.. good friends are a blessing and new ones are always willing to help :D

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  • 3 weeks later...

19 bottles of beer on the wall... exited but dreading the last goodbyes. I finished work on Friday, and they baked me cake 😀🍰 (carrot cake, cheese cake x2, cremora tart, and I made milk tart) this was the first time I left a plase and the people actually cared. Evertone, even the ceo made a point to come down and shake my hand wishing me well. I worked with one "x for now' Auzzie and 4 first genetation poles so they all gave tips and explained how it was for them to imigrate. Was very good and made me feel special.

 

I finally finished the mountain of sewing and mending thats been piling up since forever. And a Toothless plushie I have been making for a friends bday.

 

We had a goodbye lunch with hubbies family, it went ok, food was amasing! And its finaly sinking in for mother in law that her son is leaving, spend time with him because soon he will br to far, this is a good thing because up till now she has beem very hurtfull an "dont care" aout it all. She even skieped his Bday and xmas (last in SA,so likely last with them) because she cant eat the food. That hurt hubbys feelings allot, so its nice to hear her say things like "we will miss you, wish we spend more time together" They are in there 70s so wont be able to visit all that often, and secretly (very open secret) Im very happy about that. 

 

On sunday hubby "got shot for fun" or paintball as he calls it. Hehad allot of fun and managed to get only one bruse. He is grumbeling about needing to go to work while I get to "laise about at home" hehe so happy we work (get payed) from 25th to 25th and not last day of the month like he does. I have 2 extra days of 😁. Scary thing is Im unimployed, again. And end March hubbt will be to, eeeeeekkk! Will be first time ever we both ended up jobless at tghe same time. Hoping it wont be for to long. 

 

Ok, thats enouth for now, coffee time!

 

 

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12Bottles of beer on the wall. This weekend we had out "proudly South African Farewell". We and about 20 Friends spend the weekend (or day for some) at ATKV Buffelspoort, played putput, had a braai and enjoyed most of our typical SA snacks, LOTS of biltong and koeksusters and nommy. It was very good and we will cherish the memories for a while. 

Saying goodbye on Sunday was very difficult, it just doesn't seem to get better. ANd to top it off when we got home the new owner of my car came to pick her up. She gave me 112400 k's of good memories and when I sold her I realised I never even needed to replace a flat tire. She's an amazing car and I would buy another Figo in a heartbeat. 

 

Hubby's work had a braai for him on Thursday and we all ended up playing Cards Against Humanity till close to midnight. Friday was his last day at the office and after 4.5 years he said it was like leaving the family. He is now "on leave" until end March and then we will both be unemployed. eeek!

 

Last night we were very down and both wondered if this was the right thing to do. The last 2 years in JHB we made some really good friends and for the first time in 10+years, it felt like home, and now we are choosing to throw it all away. Know it's the right "smart" thing to do, but damn it's not easy.

 

Feeling better tonight. We spend the day moving into the caravan and doing the last of the cleaning and prep work for the movers next week. Feels like things are moving again, and not just in a sad state of Limbo. I'm sure the next couple of days will fly by and then before we know it we will be on the plain. 

 

I went to the dentist AGAIN, and still, no joy with the tooth will go to a specialist or something on Wednesday. 

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Ofcourse it's the right thing to do, you just need get over the emotional goodbyes to see it more clearly. You don't have to listen to my advice but if I was you I would put the emotions aside sooner rather than later so that you can plan the tasks that will be coming up before you exit and for all those things you need to action in the first month you arrive. I know it's easier said than done but it is better to look forward to a new beginning and keep your mind busy with the tasks at hand. I'm not saying go cold, just switch on to your new focus, in a few months time you will be far less confused and will not question yourselves anymore.

 

Good luck, you will love Oz like the rest of us

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Thanks @TakeItOnTheChin The last two days were better. we have been crazy busy cleaning and it feels good to have things moving again.

 

I'm sure we will love it there. 

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Finally, my tooth is done. 4 trips to the normal dentist (nearly 3 hours altogether in his chair) and today a marathon (2:3hour sit) at the Endodontist. Apparently, the roots are very thin and hard to get to or something. I love my dentist he didn't charge me in the end, h said since he didn't finish and fix it he cant charge me, and he feels bad that I needed to go to the specialist and "hy gaan kla meer as genoeg vra"

 

So ja, day 10 done. And while I was getting it done, hubby and my mom's maids finished all the cleaning, all that we now have left to do it the PC's and pack clothing. Will pack for flights on Monday and then Tuesday and Wednesday Exequ move will pack. 

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Good news, that :ilikeit: 

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All packed. Execumove spend a day and a half unpacking boxes, wrappping everything and repacking boxes. And now our stuff will be in storage there for a while. It feels strange mot seeing the boxes or anything. I can devinatly recomend them, they are fast, neet a nd very carfull eith things. We have a glass top om our diningroom table and they subcontracted a company that arived here with a truck, circular saw, nail gun and wood. The glass top was 1st bubblewraped. Then wraped in foam. Then cardboard and then finalyplased in its own specially made wooden crate. 

 

Tomorrow is some mother dauter time, hopefully at a spa. And then Friday and Saterday the last goodbuys before we hop on a plain and see out new home for the first time ever. 

 

Interesting times. 

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