Sparrow Posted March 5, 2006 Report Share Posted March 5, 2006 Hi everyone,We have obtained our permanent resident visas for Australia (subclass 136) in March 2005 but haven't made the big move yet. As it turned out, I got pregnant shortly after we received our visas and this required us to put our plans on hold. Given our situation with the new comer, we did not want to move without having the security of work. We are however still committed to relocate and currently in process of including our new baby son to our visas. However, through this delay another door opened. My husband received an excellent opportunity to work in France for a while. We are all exited by this and although we had set our harts on Australia we are looking forward to experience Europe for a while. Is there anyone else who have gone through a similar situation? I don't suppose it fair to consider the two countries against one another but we would like to hear your experiences. Our alias, Sparrow, serves as a reflection to our desire to spread our wings and explore the world. Will we return to South Africa? We don't know. We do know however, that we are standing on the dawn of a new season and preparing ourselves for an exiting journey! Au revoir,Sanette Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Seoul Sister Posted March 5, 2006 Report Share Posted March 5, 2006 Bonjour Sanette, Good luck with your big move and with your life in France (and Europe). Do you know where in France you will be staying and for how long ? Indeed, I have to agree with you, there are very few similarities between France and Australia !I lived in Europe for a couple of years and have been to France on the odd occasion. Have you been to France before and do you speak any French ?Welcome to the forum. Hope you will find some answers and some inspiration here !Bienvenue au forum. Espoir vous trouverez quelques réponses et unecertaine inspiration ici ! Sentez-vous libre pour demander si je peux vous aider ! Respect de Séoul, La Corée du sudSeoul Sister Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riekie Posted March 6, 2006 Report Share Posted March 6, 2006 I've been to Europe, but only on holiday, so I can't say what it would be like to live there. One of the benefits of living in France would be the easy travel to all the other European Countries - no visas required and a quick hop away! Europe is beautiful and if this is a short term opportunity, I'd really consider it before settling in Aus. But that's me. Hope you find the answer, and whatever it is - ENJOY!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray51 Posted March 27, 2006 Report Share Posted March 27, 2006 Where in France are you going to live ?We are in Bruxelles , Belgium ( which is just about northern-est France , heh , heh ! ) and we come to Paris , Lille , Reims , Montpellier , Perpignan etc : frequently .Do let us know , about your progress or you can e-mail me privately :rmorrisimc[at]yahoo.co.ukBonne Chance et Bon Courage ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparrow Posted March 28, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 28, 2006 Hi Ray and Seoul Sister,Sorry for not responding earlier but I have just recently returned from Europe. We are moving to the south of France (Toulouse area). We hope to be there permanently begin May. We haven't got a place to stay yet but I will probably extend my next business trip to go house (or rather apartment) hunting. We are definitely looking forward to it.I must admit our French is not very good at the moment but we are working on it.Regards, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andie Posted March 29, 2006 Report Share Posted March 29, 2006 Lovely town , Toulouse is !Hi-tech abounds , many students , great shopping , easy access to the blue Med at Narbonne , so you can spend much time at Cap d'Agde beaches ; north-west , Bordeaux is another pleasure to visit - and that's before you've even started with the wine , St. Emillion , Medoc , Blaye...and the Pyrenees are close !Once you got sorted with the accommodation , be sure to invest in a comfy diesel cruiser as France is a large country with a huge number of interesting places to visit , learn and enjoy and with many excellent roads' infrastructure , to get to them all.So , the Huguenots are returning ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray51 Posted March 29, 2006 Report Share Posted March 29, 2006 Congratulations !You are going to a lovely and very civilised part of the world , with a lot of historical , cultural , ultra-modern , gastronomic , oenologic , fashion , markets ... and other varied interests ;snowy winters , hot summers , really distinct seasons , much happening throughout the year , lotsa expats , not only at AirbusIndustrie - and hundreds of thousands of Brits , retired or otherwise , all around that greater area , in any season , some even growing wine and organic foods professionally ;- a great choice , if you like good rugby , too !Also : a well-placed spot , as a base to do some extensive touring from , be it to up the Atlantic coast , or down to the Mediterranean sea , Le Languedoc , La Gironde , the Massif Central - all the road-links are excellent , even to Barcelona or Provence or Brittany or Normandy ...and you'll just love the quiet 320 km/h in the comfort of unique french world-beating TGVs ;in short : truly a magnificent place , that's really hard to beat , in many respects !and you are coming at a time when , for France as a whole , " things can only get better ! "if you adapt well , to their unique way of life and joie de vivre a la francaise , not least to their generous social networks and fab medical services , who knows : after a year , or 3 , you might not even be that keen anymore , to migrate again further , to any distant continents , in different time-zones ?Here's hoping you can obtain access to some good practical and educational info , to help you acclimatising and settling into the terrific place you're going to !Bonne Chance et Bon Courage ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparrow Posted June 29, 2006 Author Report Share Posted June 29, 2006 Hi everyone,It has been a while since we posted anything on the forum. We introduced ourselves on the forum as leaving for France. However, since the posting a lot of things have happened and I (Hubby speaking) did not feel it appropriate to publish my intentions on public domain (You never know who might be reading it). Things are pretty much now settled and I think its okay to set the record strait; Shortly after my wife and I had activated our PR visas, I received an offer by my (then) employer in SA to go to France and work there on a temporary basis for three years. This certainly came as a once in a lifetime opportunity and we thought it rather exciting and to give it a go. Needless to say, although the intentions were certainly there, things did not happen as planned. Last month out of the blue, I’ve received a job offer from Australia. We prayed an asked the Lord for guidance and received confirmation in a remarkable way. I’ve accepted the offer and we are now in process of relocating to Victoria. Our container is already on its way and we are flying out on 23 July 2006. It is a big move and certainly not everyone’s cup of tea. Things are now happening at lightning speed. We still need to sell our house and car but we firmly believe that the Lord will provide. At the moment, we are camping in our house. The house is very cold empty but at least our aspirations keep us warm. See ya in Australia soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dreamcatcher Posted June 29, 2006 Report Share Posted June 29, 2006 Whoohoo! You go! I'm so glad things worked out for you in the end. It is so good if you get that special confirmation that you are doing the right thing. I've had a few of those in my life! Enjoy the camping, it is a melancholy time that you are entering. You will think back on it many times, with a funny ache in your heart. However, there are so many exiting things in your new life up ahead, that you will not have much time for reflecting at first. Welcome to the scariest, most exciting rollercoaster ride of your life! All the time you are on it, you want to get off, but once it's over, you see that it was really worthwhile. GreetingsDreamy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chatterbug Posted July 2, 2006 Report Share Posted July 2, 2006 Hey Guys Wow!Sounds exciting! - so glad things worked out right for you in the end! Are you guys settling in Melbourne??CheersC'bug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparrow Posted July 3, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 3, 2006 Thanks DC and CBNo. We are moving to a small town called Traralgon. It’s about 2 hours drive east of Melbourne. It’s in the Gippsland area. I am starting my new job 1 August. We are all looking forward to our move.Sjean Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chatterbug Posted July 4, 2006 Report Share Posted July 4, 2006 Sheez I wouldn't want to try and pronounce that one after a couple! Good luck!See you guys aroundPsssst BUG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.