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danianna: New to forum/Adelaide


danianna

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Hi Guys,

Well to the forum, not Adelaide.. We have been here 2 years now.. And yes we love it! We actually moved here from Turkey. Big change.. Twice in a lifetime - more than enough!!

After living in Turkey for 9 years - we decided we needed a change from the hectic lifestyle that comes with living in an overpopulated city.

My Hubby found a job here - through his networks and soon the ball was rolling, the company here got a migration agent to do all our paper work. In all it took about 8 months for our 457 visa to come through.

Us of course thinking this was the best option - that is what the agent says - he would know better ( you would think!). Only to get a call from the agent on arrival in Adelaide in Jan 08 to say he would happily do our residency paper work at a discount price cause with hubby's qualifications it would be easy..

Needless to say this just annoyed me no end - and (on principal) we did our residency's through a different agent. Yeah a little stubborn I know, but if only they had done permanent residency's first time round - would have saved a lot of money (it costs so much to move as it is!!), time and stress.. You know how hard it is getting all the paperwork together at the best of time! It took us about 5 months to get permanent residency. So really pretty quick!

The first year and a half of being here had the usual stresses, but having good friends to support us it was so much easier.. They now - to our distress packed up and left to move to Perth!! So not happy that they are gone, and we find ourselves fighting that dreaded loneliness that most people have to deal with in the first year or so of being here..

And now we find ourselves looking around for people who we can relate to - who have similar interests and background. I keep getting told that there are so many South Africans here in Adelaide - What is it?? I just dont seem to be meeting them?!

I was born and grew up in Zim (Harare), hubby is italian background but born and grew up in SA (Gauteng), we have two kids aged 7 and 9. We really would love to meet other families in Adelaide - (I think we were spoiled to have friends to come to in the first place! Seems to have made it harder to get out there and meet new people now.)

We will be going to the meet n great at the Hyatt on Friday night - see what comes of that! Has anyone been to it before? I might call there before hand and make sure its still on!!

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Hi danianna

Welcome, you will most certainly meet friends here on the forum, no doubt about that....wow, you have an interesting history....Turkey?? Yes so different! Could you speak the 'taal'? So you guys must be used to the hot weather. :unsure:

Good luck with all your plans..... :rolleyes:

Erica

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Hey Erica,

Yeah we had to learn the 'taal' in Turkey.. Not easy! :blink: ! But we got by!

sure has been an interesting journey! The hot weather here is shocking.. never experienced heat like this! Not even in Zim!! Well we do hope to meet some people through here.. would be good!

Not sure we will be going to that thing at the Hyatt Friday night now - the kids are wanting to have sleep overs. There goes that idea!! :)

So tell me.....What is the secret about Adelaide that everyone is keeping from us? Why does no one move here?? :ph34r: Ok - granted we havent had a chance to see anywhere else in Oz yet - but little Adelaide is quite nice once you get used to it..

:ilikeit:

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The Hackney hotel which is right by the river Torrens on Dequetteville Terrace has one Tuesday evening per month where South Africans get together. I believe it's held on the last Tuesday in the month, but do check on that.

Other than that, you could try your local church or go along to meetings or outings held by South Africans occasionally around the Adelaide area.

Adelaide's big secret is that it is not a big city and doesn't try to be. It has the "feel" of a large town out in the countryside . . . . . slow pace of Life and relaxed, unhurried with lots of parks and gardens giving it space and room. No high rise buildings to brag about.

Adelaide is also a "clicky" place, where friends are not made quickly. Folks in Adelaide already have their circle of mates and family and seem content to just move in those circles, making it hard for an outsider to break in.

It's also not like South Africa where you have cheap labour to do all the menial tasks such as cleaning, gardening or maintenance.

An Australian is kept busy, in their own time, doing these sorts of living necessities and you can't be cutting your lawn, washing your dishes up AND going out socialising like was done in South Africa.

You either choose to keep a clean tidy house, wash your dishes, keep your car in good nick, mow the lawn and water the flowers / vegetables OR go out.

If you constantly are going out all the time, expect the dishes to pile up, the lawn to look shabby, and your house to be untidy and dusty.

The trick here is to find newcomers who have no social network on arrival, and try to spend time together so that memories and events can begin to be built. This isn't usually with Australians but with other South Africans or Rhodesians or Poms who are trying to build a social network of their own. It becomes a bit stressful because you don't have any house help and still have to get out and socialise in the meantime.

That's the tough bit about living in Australia! . . . . . but that is what living in the First World is all about.

Many South Africans can't handle that and go back home. They miss socialising all the time, having their cake and eating it, but what they haven't come to realise is that the opportunities for their children won't be in South Africa.

Their kids will probably travel, get more money working overseas, find a wife / husband overseas and have grandchildren outside of South Africa, leaving the oldies to keep socialising back home, doing what they can't / won't give up.

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Sooooo true, Bob, soooo true. I like the idea of living in Adelaide more and more...

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The Hackney hotel which is right by the river Torrens on Dequetteville Terrace has one Tuesday evening per month where South Africans get together. I believe it's held on the last Tuesday in the month, but do check on that.

Other than that, you could try your local church or go along to meetings or outings held by South Africans occasionally around the Adelaide area.

Adelaide's big secret is that it is not a big city and doesn't try to be. It has the "feel" of a large town out in the countryside . . . . . slow pace of Life and relaxed, unhurried with lots of parks and gardens giving it space and room. No high rise buildings to brag about.

Adelaide is also a "clicky" place, where friends are not made quickly. Folks in Adelaide already have their circle of mates and family and seem content to just move in those circles, making it hard for an outsider to break in.

It's also not like South Africa where you have cheap labour to do all the menial tasks such as cleaning, gardening or maintenance.

An Australian is kept busy, in their own time, doing these sorts of living necessities and you can't be cutting your lawn, washing your dishes up AND going out socialising like was done in South Africa.

You either choose to keep a clean tidy house, wash your dishes, keep your car in good nick, mow the lawn and water the flowers / vegetables OR go out.

If you constantly are going out all the time, expect the dishes to pile up, the lawn to look shabby, and your house to be untidy and dusty.

The trick here is to find newcomers who have no social network on arrival, and try to spend time together so that memories and events can begin to be built. This isn't usually with Australians but with other South Africans or Rhodesians or Poms who are trying to build a social network of their own. It becomes a bit stressful because you don't have any house help and still have to get out and socialise in the meantime.

That's the tough bit about living in Australia! . . . . . but that is what living in the First World is all about.

Many South Africans can't handle that and go back home. They miss socialising all the time, having their cake and eating it, but what they haven't come to realise is that the opportunities for their children won't be in South Africa.

Their kids will probably travel, get more money working overseas, find a wife / husband overseas and have grandchildren outside of South Africa, leaving the oldies to keep socialising back home, doing what they can't / won't give up.

Hey Bob..

Yeah I hear what you are saying. I have learned that the house work is well trained enough to wait until I'm ready to do it! :lol:

It is a bit sad that some people dont feel like they can cut it here. There is allot of opportunity here. Personally I love it here in Adelaide - I like that fact that there is no high rise buildings and traffic to sit in for hours and hours. We are very happy here - other than finding that people are truly 'Clicky'!!

So at the Hackney hotel.. What happens with people who have kids? We have two -ages 7 and 9, and obviously no baby sitter! do kids go along too?

Anna

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Hey Bob..

Yeah I hear what you are saying. I have learned that the house work is well trained enough to wait until I'm ready to do it! :lol:

It is a bit sad that some people don't feel like they can cut it here. There is allot of opportunity here. Personally I love it here in Adelaide - I like that fact that there is no high rise buildings and traffic to sit in for hours and hours. We are very happy here - other than finding that people are truly 'Clicky'!!

So at the Hackney hotel.. What happens with people who have kids? We have two -ages 7 and 9, and obviously no baby sitter! do kids go along too?

Anna

Hi Anna

Hi Anna, Hackney hotel on the last Tuesday of every month, at 6:00 still happens - not generally well attended and generally no kids.

My I suggest that;

- You post a similar topic on the Communities Forum under Adelaide

- Join the South Africans in Adelaide, Australia group on Facebook

- Join the South African Moms in Adelaide group on Facebook

- Contact Hannelie Oldfield creator of the South Africans in Adelaide group on Facebook

- Contact monique Olivier creator of the South African Moms in Adelaide group on Facebook

There are approx 6000 South Africans/ex South Africans living in South Australia. Apparently about seventy ex Zimbabwe families living in the South in and around Keith, working in the farming community.

Pleased to hear that you love Adelaide. Don't forget South Australia is the only state that was not founded on a penal colony. :lol:

Enjoy!

Manny

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