3 Months in Brisbane!

[Pippa]

Hi Everyone,

I promised myself to give the forum an update on our life in Brisbane after 3 months... We celebrated our 3-month anniversary on Tuesday and I must say we’ve experience a lot of emotions over that period of time...

Every morning when I wake up I thank God for the privaledge and the opportunity of being here. Although I am going through an emotional "dip" at the moment , I realize that it is a great opportunity!!! Emigration is all about the right mindset!!!

Herewith my thoughts and experiences so far...

Arrival:

We arrived on 20 August 2007 on a very rainy day and were welcomed by Nilo and family who made us feel at home immediately . For the first 5 weeks, we stayed in Kangaroo Point Holiday Apartments, which I cannot recommend to anyone. It is situated on 2 VERY busy roads and they were busy with renovations during our stay. They were, however very accommodating, but I still would not recommend it. I think there are better places to stay upon arrival.

Settling In:

We’ve decided not to bring a container and to rather purchase new furniture here... BIG MISTAKE!!! Furniture is very expensive here if you want to buy good quality. In hindsight I would have bought everything new in SA and sent it in a container... I think it would have worked out much cheaper....!!! Fortunately we sent a lot of personal belongings, wedding gifts, crockery, cutlery, albums etc. via airfreight and it felt like Christmas when we opened the boxes!!!

To find a decent place to live in Brisbane is almost more difficult than emigration itself! We really struggled. Apart from our excellent references that we had from SA, we had 3 rejections on accommodation applications and my spirits were very low at that time. It is really a mission to find something decent, but then again, we were very specific and wanted to be close the city... We eventually found an apartment in Indooroopilly (relatively close to the city) and are 200m from a train station and 200m from a big shopping centre - very convenient!!

Work:

My husband started to work a week after our arrival. He is a person that will make anything work ! Although he completed his legal conversion exams while we were still in SA, he still found the legal system very different and it will take him a long time to understand all aspects of the Australian legal system. He recently completed his 3-month probation period and received fantastic feedback. The firm and colleagues have all been very good to us and they are really trying to make us feel at home . We’ve been invited to AFL, Turkish evenings, birthday parties etc. which were all fun and helped us to settle in .

I’ve only started looking for work about a month ago and haven’t found anything as yet. This is currently a huge frustration for me ! I do realise that it is probably the worst time of the year to look for work, but I never prepared myself for this . I am very career-orientated and would love to start getting into the job market ASAP.

Australians and life so far:

I find the Australians very friendly. A lot of them still ask me whether I am from Germany , but in the area where we live, there’s a lot of South Africans and shop attendants now recognise my accent...

The following might seem a bit blunt , but please bear with me, as I intend to share ALL aspects of the people in an effort to inform. When we were in Australia earlier this year for our LSD, I saw lovely and groomed people in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide, but I don’t find the same here in Brisbane... I often wonder if they have mirrors... I don’t necessarily think that it’s a bad thing; I just think that people here can look better after themselves .

Being a conservative Afrikaans “boerenooi”, I am surprised by the number of Australians that live together without being married. Seems like everyone is living with their partners and some of them even have children together. I don’t necessarily think that it is wrong, but it is certainly not something that I would encourage , and it will probably take some time to get used to it.

Housing:

Housing is a huge problem in South East Queensland and apart from immigrants, there are also a huge number of Australians moving from interstate to Sunny Queensland, which really increases the demand.

We made a mistake by not visiting the suburbs of Brisbane when we were here on our LSD earlier this year; I am pretty disappointed with some of the Brisbane suburbs. There’s no variety in the design of homes and although it is not that important to me, I find it pretty boring . (This is only my opinion and I don’t mean to offend anyone).

South Africans in Brisbane and Gold Coast:

I joined a group of South African women that get together every Wednesday morning for tea and they’ve been very supportive . We are all relatively young and it is just so wonderful to have people going through the same process and share the same views of life. Without the exception of anyone, I would like to thank everyone so far for their ongoing support !

Recreation:

We recently bought bicycles and what a amazing feeling to be safe on a bicycle and being able to stop in a park to experience God’s nature!!! I’ve never felt so close to nature before! There are thousands of bicycle paths in Brisbane and we try to explore as much as we can at the moment! We just love it!!!

Emotions:

I’ve experienced a lot of emotions during the past 3 months... To give you an example: on one particular Friday, I signed for our apartment where we are living in now, bumped our brand new car, had a coffee with about 6 packets of sugar to calm my nerves, then drove to Gold Coast to have lunch with a very dear friend. When I arrived, I fell into her arms and started crying, had a wonderful lunch in Mount Tamborine (thanks again QG!), filled my car with fuel and forgot to close the cap... then had a BBQ at friends’ house in the evening and when we arrived we realised that we had forgotten to take meat...! Needless to say, it is a Friday that I will never forget!!!

After we’ve been here for a month, my mom visited me from South Africa. It was lovely to have her here and we shared some very special moments – memories that I will always cherish. It almost killed me when she returned to South Africa after a 2-week visit and my heart was totally broken! Fortunately, my whole family is coming to visit in December 2007/January 2008 and cannot wait to have them here!!! 31 days to go !!!

We’ve always planned to bring our 2 adorable Yorkshire Terriers with us to Australia, but after our LSD this year, we realised that it might be impractical for us to bring them, as we would like to travel and explore Australia before starting with a family. We knew that we wanted to stay close to a CBD and that we might end up in an apartment where pets may not be allowed. Well, needless to say, we left them in South Africa and gave them to extended family. We receive regular updates from them and know that they are well looked after and very happy. I’ve had some good cries over them and really miss them a lot!!! One thing that I now know is that a dog really does make a house a home and I hope that I will one day have a home again...

There are days when I really miss my family and friends and cannot believe that we moved away from them. It will probably take a long time before I call Australia my home, but South Africa is also not home anymore. It is almost as if I lost my heart somewhere...it is no longer in Pretoria, but also not in Brisbane as yet... I don’t really know how to explain it... and I just hope that I will find my heart soon !

Lovies, Pippa! X

[Guest fishermanswife]

Hello Pippa.

Bring on the coffee club on a wed! Miskien moet ons dit na "n Wyn club verander dan kan ons ook lekker BBQ!(excuse the afrikaans)

New year , new beginnings hang in there you will find a job .God has the perfect one waiting for you , enjoy your Dec/Jan with your family rather and start looking again in the New Year.

LOL FMW

[berndt]

Hallo Pippa

We live on the other side of the great divide(Brisbane river) in Mansfield - in the South. We have been here 15 months now. I agree with the roller coaster ride anaolgy - it has been a lot of up and downs, but it is going well. We (my parner and I - speel net - my VROU !! en ek) have two little kids - oldest in year 1 and youngest in Kindy. We have met the niceset friends through the school and it has helped us to adapt very quickly.

We are now probably more Australian than South African. We have been living in Durbanville (Cape Town) before we came to Brisbane. We still miss Cape Town, and will alos have fond memories, but we like our new life here a lot. It takes time, every morning you wake up, feeling a bit more at home.

I am even helping a friend at this election (even though I cannot even vote - here on a 457) to distribute how to vote cards. He is standing as an Independant for the Senate.

My wife always says - 'get over it' in other words - "stap aan' - I agree that we are not fully Australian yet - we are not South African anymore either - but I think on a percentage scale we are probably more Australian than South African.

It takes time, but before you know it you are living in a place where they know your name (even though they cant say it yet - Berndt de Bruyn is not easy for Ocker Ozzies)

We have recently helped new arrivals (people I met via this forum) to settle in - the best way to feel more at home is to help some-one who is not.

So when you one day travel across the river - some say hello - 103 Pareena Crescent, Mansfield

Cheers

Berndt

[clarebear]

Hi Pippa

Thanks for sharing your journey with us! I hope in the coming months everything falls into place for you and the magic of Brisbane life and aussie culture can weave its way into your heart and you will really start to feel at home here. Hang in there through the tough days, the fantastic ones will soon start to outnumber them!

Love Clare

[Tracy]

Hey Pippa!

Well done on surviving so far!

Yes, I can well associate with your good days and bad days!

Glad to hear you've been invited to lots of social things; it makes a huge difference if you mix with Aussies as sson as possible.

And your comment about how people dress? I laughed! You should see the dress sense here in Alice!!! I find it generally appalling! Woman have NO idea how ridiculous they look. I'm sure they just haul out ANYTHING from the cupboard and throw it ALL on!! And I won't even mention the men! Long hair, long beards, tattoos....aarrgghh. Definitely not what I'm used to!

I think that we will experience more good days than bad days as time goes on - but you are so right; it's all about the attitude you have.

Here's wishing you an even better 3 months!

Tracy

[Jill]

hi Pippa

when I read your email it was like I wrote it, we arrived here on the 12th August, just a few days before you. I feel the same as you, very lost between SA and Australia and can't wait for the day my first thought isn't about SA. I am lucky enough to be in a half day job but sometimes when it gets rough wonder why am I hear. Then I just read the crime report in the Mercury, we are here for our children, if not for them I would have stayed in SA. I have a son of 20 ( who is still in SA till 4th Jan 2008 and has just completed a Degree, and a daughter of 15, who is actually battling to adapt here, which makes things a bit difficult for me. We are in Emerald in Queensland. I know what you mean about the tattoos and the dress sense, I see it everyday and if one more person refers to a partner I am going to scream. They don't seem to commit themselves to anything here, relationships, jobs etc.

There are pluses to being here, sometimes are just forget them and long for home (SA will always be my home) and just want to go back, then I think about leaving our cars parked outside, garages open and having peace of mind when I go walking. But saying that I have never seen as many drink drivers as I have heard of here, men don't seem to have the manners that our SA guys have, that is my own opinion, so please don't take offence if you are one that does, the girls are also very forward here if you know what I mean,and that is coming from my almost 16 year old who finds them very different to the girls in SA.

But we must vasbyt and just see how it goes. We miss our friends, 20 year friendships etc, family, etc.

But everyone says hang in there the good times will come, so I wait and hope one day to wake up and let my first thought now be of SA................... bye for now, Jill

[Sheila2oz]

Hi Pippa.

Dankie vir jou feedback. Ek raak nou net bietjie gestress hier oor die huis soekery. Ons is nog in SA en gaan Februarie oorkom Brisbane toe. Maar ons is al ouer en wil nie in die stad bly nie, so elke ou se behoeftes verskil.

Ek het Kangaroo Point Holiday Apartments oorweeg vir eers. Deel asb die ander plekke waar mens kan bly vir die eeste paar weke met ons.

Ek is bly vir jou dat jou familie kom kuier dit gaan lekker wees om die eerste kersfees bekendes om jou te hê. Hang in there, ek is seker alles word beter met die tyd.

Ek hoop jy kry gou 'n werk.

Cheers vir eers

Sheila2Oz

[Duane W]

I am starting to think there is something wrong with me after reading these posts.

I have been here 7 weeks and I dont think about South Africa with longing or regret at all.

Yes I miss my kids and my GF and I get lonely sometimes, I have made friends here both Australian and South African and get out a fair bit which helps and my son arrive soon which will help more.

I never think about what I have left behind because life here is way better than my life was in RSA.

My outlook is I made the decision to move here and I need to get on with it no point in thinking about what I left behind and being all miserable.

Yes the woman dress funny and look a bit rough with all the tattoos and yes the nanny government annoys me and yes the dobbing in culture irritates me.

However the overall way of life is much better and I would rather moan about that than carry a gun and always lock doors behind me and check ppl out standing near my car and so on.

[Queensland Girl]

Great post Pippa, and VERY important. The feeling of being "homeless" is overwhelming in the transition period.

Look, it still amazes me that women can be SO comfortable in their own skin to face the world in an ill fitting dress, uncombed hair, no make-up and thongs. I need my armour to face the world.

Ja, manners and men.... Well- blame some of it on the Aussie women themselves- sexism gone haywire. I can drink like a man, work like a man, so do not patronise me by opening a car door. What a shame that this has happened.

You are actually doing really well. yes- you can never really be prepared for this feeling of "belonging nowhere" but that in itself is indicative of how far you have actually come.-

Well done Girly! You can still get our of bed and write. There were times in our transition where I could not for the life of me get my sorry backside out of bed.

Vasbyt!

[Pippa]

Hi Everyone,

being all miserable.

Duane W, I am not being miserable; I am just being honest. We all have different experiences and I am just sharing mine...

say hello - 103 Pareena Crescent, Mansfield

Cheers

Berndt

Berndt, thanks for your encouraging words and I will definitely visit you and your wife (will PM first!)

Thanks for the replies and feedback ! I got my Queensland Driver's License today and I am VERY happy !

Have a great weekend and hope to see some of you at Nilo’s Braai on Sunday !

Lovies, Pippa! X

[Lindie]

Hi Pippa

Dankie vir jou post en jou eerlikheid oor jou ervaring in terme van aanpassing. Ek dink dit maak dit soveel makliker vir ons wat nog oppad is om te weet watter gevoelens en emosies ons kan verwag om te ervaar en moontlike maniere om dit te hanteer. Ek sien uit na 'n jou volgende update na nog 'n paar maande.

Baie geluk met jou Australiese bestuurders lisensie.

Groete

Lindie

[KathyW]

Hi Pippa,

Just wanted to know what visa you went on, because of the accommodation story.....

We are also still waiting for a CO and have applied for a Sub Class 136 Visa and have front loaded all our meds, PCC etc etc. We lodged on the 5th May 2007.

We now have had the house on the market for 2 months and have seen 2 people only, I am getting worried now what has happened to all the Buyers, have they gone to Auzzie? Had show day on Sunday and did not have ONE person stop by. Everyday I just pray for the cash buyer to come in and present an offer for the house.

We were also planning on selling all our Furniture and just bring the basic essentials on the Plane as well, now I am so confused because have heard that Furniture is so reasonable and you reckon expensive!!!...

Have you heard of Sheilagh Park, (Ithink that is how you spell it)?

Enjoy it while you are there because I would much rather be where you are with my Hubby and 2 children, times are getting really bad here now.

Cheerio

Kathy

[Queensland Girl]

Sorry Pippa-off thread. Just want to answer KathyW

I think you perhaps mean SHAILER PARK?

Suburb in South Brisbane.

Good value for money.

[Nilo]

Hi Pippa en ander Forumies,

Pippa dankie vir jou deel, dit is baie belangrik vir almal om die ondervindinge van ander te lees. Ek weet jy gaan sommer 'n baie lekker kersgety saam met jou familie he.

As daar een ding is wat ek geleer het die afgelope paar maande is dit dat ons almal dinge verskillend ondervind en hanteer. Dat daar nie 'n regte of verkeerde manier is nie en dat ons almal ons eie dinge moet "tailor make" soos dit ons pas.

Een ding wat ons almal wel dieselfde ondervind is die vreemdheid van die nuwe omgewing en die mense. In die begin is dit vreeslik "in your face" maar soos tyd loop raak mens gewoond daaraan en na 'n paar maande sien mens die verskille nie eers meer raak nie.

Die eerste paar maande is die moeilikste en daarna raak dinge makliker soos die tyd aanstap. Ek kan eerlik se na 10 maande is ons goed gesettle en baie baie gelukkig en dankbaar vir hierdie geleentheid.

So aan almal van julle wat nog moet kom of wat nog "nuut" is, vasbyt, dinge raak by die dag makliker.

Sien julle Sondag.

Lovies

Nilo

[Ajay]

Hey Pippa!!!

What a great post - thanks! It's always interesting to hear the different ways that people experience the big move - there are some radically different stories out there! You are one of the strongest, most determined women I have ever met and I just KNOW that things are going to get better and better and you'll be living in a sprawling house within 2 minutes of the city surrounded by a whole herd of dogs before any of us know. You are just one of those incredible people that makes things happen. I'm so proud of you!

Duane - you're not alone and there isn't anything wrong with you either I also made a remarkably easy transition here and pretty much never gave South Africa a second thought after I left. But we are in the extreme minority - my husband still gets homesick from time to time (although he would never trade what he has here for what we left behind) and most other people also struggle with that sense of loss. We're just lucky, I guess.

Ajay

[Guest Bronwyn]

Oh Pippies! You are such a special person! From our first cup of coffee in good old Brooklyn Mall I knew you would be fine. You are strong and determined, and you and Fred are both so hard-working!

Listen, girl. You are in the worst phase. Month 3 is where I cried every day. I thought I had landed up on Mars with a bad dress sense and crappy weather. I was horrified!!!

What's making it worse for you is the job situation, because that's how you measure yourself. I also used to be like that. Remember you are so much more than a career-woman. You are a wife, daughter, sister, and friend to so many. The job will sort itself out in time. Why don't you relax for the rest of the year, enjoy Christmas with family, and look again in January. Maybe do a course in the meantime to keep you busy and get an Australian certification. Anything in your field! Correspondence, or classes where you can meet more Aussies.

The other thing that contributes to the limbo is the constant communication with family in SA. I was often so tired because I would stay up late writing emails, talking to family or SMSing them at their time convenence. It's exhausting. I had to set some limits.

You could buy Aussie magazines, watch local TV, try to stay away from SA news a bit. I was obsessed with reading News24. It's bad for you. I am still guilty of this, it has definately slowed my transition.

One thing I can say, is that Australia does take some time to grow on you. Slowly, you will find the shops with the nice clothes (Let me know when you do, I'll fly up ), the nice places to eat, the good spots to relax, the events to attend. It's like the gems are there but they are hidden to you, and only come out slowly.

Mentally, I feel a lot better than I did a few months ago. But I can really identify with what you are going through. I realise now that the hype of moving and getting the Visa is not the hardest part. Surviving the first year is!

Thinking of you my friend, Bron xx

[Carlos Carvalho]

Hi Pippa

Thank you for your honest comments. I do hope that all forumites still in the RSA that are contemplating this adventure read and digest. This is not easy! It as been mentioned a number of times that it is important that mindset is adjusted for this adventure, because if it isn't, it will get difficult. Some accept the change and adjust better than others! Keep your chin up and look forward to spending some time with the family over the Dec/ Jan period.

Kind Regards

Carlos & Liza

[LeeInOz]

We have beeen here 3 years and like Duane after 3 months we were pretty settled, apart from the first crack, when we were looking for a rental house. After visiting every rental agency we saw, apply onmany homes, we thought we would get a beautiful rental because we saw it first and immediately sumitted our application. A week later, no feedback, we return. We were told no luck but sent to another and were told "this one you will get" by the agent.

On arrival we saw nothing like the photos and description. A run down hovel with long grass. As we approached hte house there were sand flys biting us. We went into the house and there was wall to wall rubbish on the floor. Beer bottles coke tins, take away food wrappers. And the tenants sat in hte lounge on the internet through this. In the laundry there was a pile of clothes and dirty dishes in the sink. A dog came walking through the house, and then I realised what the bad smell was, urine.

When we left my wife busrt into tears and said " Is this what we travelled half way around the world for"

People and dress sense. As you travel north up the coast I think there are more tatoos and bad dress sense. Ther are women here so badly dressed, covered in tatoos. My best is the really fat ones with waist (gut) exposed several hundred kilos overweight looking like they got out of bed and are in pygamas .

I was in a pub and there was a lady tatood from wrist to wrist, and all I could see of her legs, and studs in places I did not think possible to pierce.

We got a rental a while after that, then bought a home. My wife wants to go back to visit friends an family, but likes it here. The children love it, and dont even want to go back on a holiday.

I sometimes used to think to myself "why did we do this?" but as time passes I realise I have really got used to the way things are here.

What Duane says about dobbing mentality and nanny government is true, and bothered me, but at some point I realised that is why it is a first world country.

Jobs, just keep looking, many struggled to get the first job, but once in hte market you wil be fine. Gettign a job is one of the most important things, becuase it will give you backa sense of self value and fill the days with interaction.

Get togethers with South Africans. My wife has days off during the week and is invited to spend some time with a group of RSA ladies that meet. Her afrikaans is bad, so she does not get as heavily involved. At one they met for a birthday and she says they took a CD player and were playing afrikaans music, and many were crying. She said they were all feeding off each others unhappiness and decided no more.

We mix with Australians and South Africans but avoid the groups that complain continuously about how bad it is here and talk about being in South Afica There is a small

[martyn]

I have to say I don't understand the dobbing in business? We've all lived in a country where people had no respect for the law and it was not fun. Here people need to respect the law and those that don't deserve to get reported. I'm not talking silly things but if I saw somebody doing something serious I wouldn't hesitate to confront/report them. Maybe that's just me, or maybe I've misunderstood what people mean?

Sorry Pippa for temporarily hijacking your thread

[Claire]

Hi Pippa

i wanted to just say thank your post - it was great to read your experiences and emotions over the last couple of months.

My husband and i are in the process of applying for our 175 PR and it is a bit of a daunting experience. we are a young couple with no kids and very close to our families (who support but dont understand why we want to move) and as excited as i am i also know that i am going to have days when all i will want is to see my family and my puppy dog who will stay behind with her grandparents.

I think immigration is a very difficult emotion - i say this as i already feel like we have stopped thinking of South Africa as home but have not arrived or settled in Australia to be able to call it home - i think its the limbo that is the worst.

we have decided to move to Brisbane although that is not set in stone yet and we will decide i suppose once we get our visa.

i hope you starting feeling at home soon and settle in - we had a Christams party on Staurday for all our friends and i kept thinking - we wont have this support group in Australia! i just keep praying that God remains in control and he will go ahead and prepare a place for us.

Claire

[clarebear]

i hope you starting feeling at home soon and settle in - we had a Christams party on Staurday for all our friends and i kept thinking - we wont have this support group in Australia! i just keep praying that God remains in control and he will go ahead and prepare a place for us.

Hi Claire

Just wanted to throw my 2c of hope in and say that you'll be amazed just how quickly you grow an aussie 'family' - within a year of arriving I feel I have a stronger support network than I ever had in South Africa. Perhaps it helps that people realise we have no family here, so go out of their way to offer help.

But please don't be disheartened - there is no reason why you won't be fantastically happy in your new home, especially with the right attitude! Good luck on your journey.

Clare

[Delphi]

Hi Claire,

I couldn't agree more! We arrived in Brisbane 4 months ago and it has been amazing. We have made really good friends and the friendships you make "under these circumstances" is truly meaningful and it feels like family!! Yes--you will miss your family and friends in South Africa but I promise that is ALL you will miss!! And if you think how "small" the world has become there is no need to fret!!! I talk to my Mom AT LEAST 4/5 times a week and then we have a big family Skype session once a week! Skype is a lifesaver and to phone(using phone cards or landline) is not that expensive. If you miss them--call! Brisbane is really a great city and after living in Pretoria (and all that it entails) we really enjoy the "laid-back" lifestyle here. What is not to love--River city, great shops, great site-seeing, Gold and Sunshine Coasts and hour (give or take) up and down and the list goes on!!!

I really hope all your things pan out perfectly and that your family will become more supportive as the reality of it all creeps closer!!!

Good luck and see you in Brisbane soon!

[GraytoAuz]

Wow I tell you this is no easy choice to make!!!

So glad I can hear all this honesty - but hey it still does not make it a easier decision to make!!!

I pray and hope that the lord will give guide us and give us direction in order to make the right decision!!

Thank you so much for all your postings and comments.

It helps so much!!!

Melanie

[Pippa]

Hi Everyone,

Thank you once again for your kind words .

I have now received two offers of employment in Brisbane; one from the Queensland Government and another from a commercial company. Initially, I was under the impression that I am not allowed to work for the Qld Government whilst on a 457 visa... , but received confirmation that I am indeed allowed to work for a state government .

My husband and I will sit tonight to compare the offers and the long-term benefits . I am extremely excited and can’t wait to enter the Australian job market .

Thanks again for your support .

Lovies, Pippa! x

[GraytoAuz]

Wow that is great!!

This will help you tremendously!!!

Enjoy the last few days of freedom at home!!

Good luck with your choices!!!

Melanie