What sucks about Australia?

[sammyjo]

Hi guys!

We have booked our tickets for the 29th of April to Brisbane.

I grew up in Brisbane and I'm really excited about going home. I've found lots of things awesome in RSA but some things have really sucked and I wish I knew about them before I came here.

So... I'd love to hear from South Africans settled in aus.. What sucks about Aus? I'd love to get an idea of what my husband may find odd or annoying and difficult etc.

Look forward to hearing from you all!

S

[LizM]

The trolley's apparently

The bogan's.

The fact that there can be a lot of red tape and there's no way of getting round it - you just have to stick to the rules.

And there's just something about Africa that get's in your blood that isn't there in Oz and you can't quite put it into words.

[sammyjo]

Ooohh I love following the rules! That's why I've struggled here actually! I'm a sucker for rule following. Hehe.

Omg... Trolleys. They do suck. You need a licence to operate them.

And...the worst thing ever: Bogans... Have you seen the Facebook pages about Australia such as "Like this Page if ur an Aussie" etc? Those pages are frequented by the most racist, sexist, idiotic, moronic ferals. They make me feel ashamed to be Australian. Oh.. And those stickers people put on their cars "if you don't like it leave". Ugh. Makes me mad. Yes Liz... Bogans suck! Big time!

Thank you Liz! This is a good start to the "warning list".

S

[sianvz]

I can honestly say that there is nothing that I really don't like about Australia. Yes the bogans are not so pleasant when you're in the bad areas, but I live in Stellenbosch, so bergies are the norm and bogans are the same as bergies. In regional areas, the very level social class it something that you have to get used to if you've been raised in a more upper-class culture because although most Australians are fairly well off or at least get by easily, they're very simple people and many of them are not interested in frills and fuss. It's actually very humbling though to be around such down-to-earth people.

I am of course generalising here so please take with a pinch of salt.

Edited March 6, 2013 by sianvz

[LizM]

hashaha S - not following the rules in South Africa has taken me some getting used to too. I don't wait for the little green man anymore

[LizM]

Oh something that may bother him is not being able to have fire wood braai's with an open "flame" in most places (due to fire bans)? Being a vegie I don't care and far prefer the quickness of a gas BBQ, but Saffer men care about these things lol

And the inevitable having to do your own house work and gardening may bother him?

I love that there's no frills and fuss with most Ozzies personally - I'm not one for airs and graces

[sammyjo]

Sianvz I'm so glad that you haven't found anything sucky in Aus! Bergies-ive never heard this term before! Hehe.

Lizm... I'm sorry to say but I have been spoiled during my time in sa. I don't know how I'm going to cope without the aunties to help me in the house! My husband never asks the aunties for help with anything and says he has no problem with housework.

Oh... The braai thing... It's one of the things I've really lived about sa!! I've even started calling it a braai not a BBQ!

I'm planning on brokering a deal with hubby... I cook if he cleans and irons. Will let you know how it goes down! Hehe.

S

[sianvz]

Haha bergies is an Afrikaans word for a homeless person in the Cape. They are drunken and stinky and have a filthy mouth on them. I remember when I moved to University in Stellenbosch from living in Durban, and I was completely disgusted at how they walk around the streets shouting profanities at each other about their mom's private parts. They push trollies around with their life belongings in, which is usually cardboard boxes and poles and random things.

My husband and I were travelling by train in NSW to visit a friend inland from Newcastle. We got off at the wrong stop and where most people would be frightened by the bogans around there, we were completely at ease because it was familiar to us.

[sammyjo]

Ohh... And as an Aussie in SA something I've found bizarre is that it is often socially acceptable to have airs and graces. Lol. I guess it's the whole business of Australia being described as an egalitarian society.

Hubby wants to study when we get to Australia and was looking at casual jobs. Says he's going to get rich packing shelves at Aldi. Lol.

[sammyjo]

Haha bergies is an Afrikaans word for a homeless person in the Cape. They are drunken and stinky and have a filthy mouth on them. I remember when I moved to University in Stellenbosch from living in Durban, and I was completely disgusted at how they walk around the streets shouting profanities at each other about their mom's private parts. They push trollies around with their life belongings in, which is usually cardboard boxes and poles and random things.

My husband and I were travelling by train in NSW to visit a friend inland from Newcastle. We got off at the wrong stop and where most people would be frightened by the bogans around there, we were completely at ease because it was familiar to us.

Oh goodness.. I didn't know that's what the term meant.

My heart bleeds to see people suffer homelessness and addiction without much support. In aus we have homelessness services, addiction services etc. In SA there isn't such support services.

Bogans are different to homeless people. They make a concious choice to live in ignorance and uphold racist values.

I used to do work for Centrelink assessing people who were not working for various reasons and homelessness was a major barrier... After hearing the life stories from such people I learned to never ever judge because I have never had to walk even a minute in their shoes.

I also got to meet my fair share of dole bludgers. Hehe. It takes all kinds huh!

S

[sianvz]

Ok I understand a bit better now, I understood the term Bogan to be broader.

It's tough in SA because most "bergies" do not have much chance of a normal life even if they were given the opportunity. Their mothers were probably abusing alcohol and drugs during pregnancy and they are exposed to this lifestyle from a young age. The problem is a cultural one that is going to take decades to fix.

[21yearsoutofrsa]

The wasteful 3 tier system of government.

state and Federal pollies who keep saying "It's them, not us"

[sammyjo]

In grade 7 the focus of our social studies was to learn about how the government functions... We even went on a trip to Canberra... And I still don't get it! Hehe.

[HadEnoughofJuju]

I know this is a bit tongue in cheek but for me the only thing that sucks about Australia right now is the fact that we aren't there yet. I would take these bogans and dole bludgers over the blatant disrespect for human life here in South Africa any day.

[sammyjo]

HEofJ you are on your way! Yeah I'm just having a whine about bogans... Hehe. You choose your friends so you don't need to worry about bogans.

Don't get me wrong I love Australia... Crappy trolleys and all! Was just wondering if there are any things that I haven't considered that might be a challenge for hubby.

S

[HadEnoughofJuju]

@SammyJo, I think your hubby is going to love the silence (although it may take some getting used to) without that two way radio around.

It's really sad how used to crime we get in this country. Things that would seem traumatic to your average Australian are common place her in South Africa, some crimes are even viewed more as an inconvenience than an actual crime.

[sammyjo]

I think I clicked something I shouldn't have and clicked my own post as best answer or something... Using a touch screen phone probably isn't clever hey!

HEofJ... It's definitely going to take some getting used to!

We are going to miss our nephews and nieces the most I think! And kruger park...

And muchachos!

S

[HadEnoughofJuju]

I marked the post as unresolved for you. The hardest this is leaving family behind but I figure that we are now just giving them an excuse to go on holiday in a country they never would have considered before.

[Brad76]

Good thing you're not taking him to WA, the Western Force would be a real disappointment to him

[AndreaL]

O.K. So I see you are going to Brisbane so what might suck for your hubby? All tongue in cheek of course

Mould in your house during the wet season, I'm constantly on mould patrol!

He might find that it takes a while for his tastebuds to adapt to the different foods and products

Feeling like an alien when doing things for the first time, like going on a train and paying in one of those machines or standing in the queue at Subway and everyone else *knows* how it works and you don't.

Slowing down...in Africa you are always rushing somewhere and wanting things done now, here you have to be prepared for people to not have the same sense of urgency, everyone has a friendly chat ( you should see how long it takes me to get round the supermarket). So he will have to get used to the "she'll be right" or " no worries mate" mentality.

Pedestrians! They always have right of way, so they pop out from everywhere, watch for them, it is frowned on to run them over....lol

Driving at the speed limit....When my Dad was here visiting I could see he felt that we all drove so slowly....mind you he does contend with Cape Town traffic.

The fact that there aren't kangaroos all over the place and his first sighting of one will likely be a stiff Skippy at the side of the road.

Remembering to take your shoes off when you go into someone's house

Servo food....does it all come from the same factory and must it always be battered and fried?

Hoons in their juiced up cars doing burn outs on suburban streets............

I have to qualify all this for those that don't get I am having a gentle poke at things....I think that when you live somewhere that you don't have major worries about your personal safety everyday, or the absolute chaos of the government, or the appalling crimes that are a daily occurance, you have more time to focus on the silly inconsequential things above. You are not going to be talking about the horrible murder that happened to someone you know, the shooting that occurred in tha mall that you had just left.

You are going to be talking about your neighbour Stevo revving his Harley at 8.30 in the evening....shock, horror.

I actually couldn't think of anything that majorly sucked, so had to pick minor annoyances or experiences you are not used to....oh wait, house prices suck, the Australian market is definitely over priced......see I found one

Edit: Bogans are a totally different . It is more like the people in the UK who always wore she'll suits and insisted on eating fish and chips when they holidayed in Majorca.

Bogans here sometimes have a mullet and where jeans and a checked shirt, they are usually not well travelled or particularly educated, they have loads of kids so they can get the * plasma * bonus, but they are still warm hearted kind people.

The best ones are " cashed up bogans* you get a lot of them in mining towns, so you might have a woman who can now afford a $500 dress and to have gel nails a hideous orange spray tan, the kids are all in designer kids wear....and then they open their mouths and you would swear they had come from a school for sailors.....lol...but they are still lovely people who would most likely give you the shirt off their back.

Dole bludgers are a different species, if only they could put all that talent and scheming to get maximum benefits ( while working for cash on the side) to actually getting a job....well there would be less bludgers.

coming to Australia is not about placing yourself in the camp of being pro Australia or anti South Africa, it's about absorbing yourself in the culture, the people and the country, which I believe is just as beautiful as Africa, or it will be once you have had the same history and connection with the land.

I have noticed on the saaustralia Facebook forum that anyone who dares to say anything slightly negative is shot down with " if you don't like it here why don't you go back to South Africa" which isn't fair.

As a taxpayer and settled member of Australian society you have earned the right to comment on politics, have a whinge about the state of the hospitals or the hoons up the road It's your society, you are proud and protective of it and want to have a say about its future.

[Eyebrow]

sammyjo,

being in the unique position that you are in, you should tell us what sucked for you here in SA as opposed to Oz.

Is it just crime that is making you want to leave?

Or is it just more a pulling factor to the place that you grew up in?

I would be interested to know..

[sammyjo]

Thank you for all the posts!

AndreaL I've been reading too much trolling on those Facebook pages. Lol. I live your description of bogans

Well... We are headed off to Australia for better opportunities. Study and work prospects are better there. The crime wasn't a big factor for us in moving actually. Hubby plans to come back here one day.

Thanks again for taking the time to post everyone.

S

[AndreaL]

I have to agree, everyone in Australia has and is often presented with the chance to study and better their prospects, study is not just for the wealthy or those that fit into certain quotas. I think your hubby is very lucky to have you with him to help him with some of the stranger things he may encounter.....you can be like his own personal tour guide

[Donovan83]

I love it here... but things that suck? Ummm.. well, there are a few things (I'll list them below). Most of the things that "suck" are so inconsequential that when I find myself getting irritated (which is extremely rare), I just listen to 702 on streaming audio or imagine my life in Joburg.

• In Perth more than in certain other cities over on the East coast the prices of property, especially apartments near the CBD, are disgustingly overpriced. You will never meet anyone that will tell you anything other than that you REALLY NEED to buy a property RIGHT NOW because prices are just going to skyrocket - when the reality is that they've dropped 10 to 15% in some areas since the boom in 2009. Even my australian friends can't justify the prices of some of the places.
  
• Bogans and crazies, especially on public transit. I don't care but a few friends find their use of the C-word quite crazy. Thankfully, growing up with a Scottish father, the word doesn't even shock me... last night I witnessed a bogan couple trying to "out-c*nt" each other at the Joondalup train station. Then they got arrested (I think for drunken behavour in public). It was great entertainment while I waited for the bus
  
• Probably WA specific, but it does get really, really dry. It's not rained properly in Perth since October/November. I honestly don't know how the flora survives here... can't wait for winter to finally get some rain I did notice that Melbourne is so green and lush compared to Perth... but from the whingeing from the locals about the weather there's obviously a reason for that

There are lots of other small things but none of them even remotely make me unhappy here. I love that it's safe, clean and I don't miss South Africa even slightly. I feel nothing but contempt for the country - however, I do truly miss my family and friends. Thank goodness for Skype, which has really helped to bridge the distance so well that I literally feel like I've visited my parents after our weekly video call

[Lyn]

You guys crack me up -

I have recently discovered that I have entrenched myself so much in Aussie culture that I am what you call a "nouveau-bogue" -

Nouveau-bogue like things like large plasma TV's, Deltra Goodrem, Tiffany and Co, Pandora, WiiFit, sushi, wine tours, investment props, post xmas sales, discount airlines, cruise ships, Andre Rieu, Bunnings Warehouse, reality TV, Moet et Hennessy, self help books, the Melbourne Cup ..................

I went to a charity book sale, and bought a stack of books that were tied up together for a few dollars. In this stack was a book called " Things bogans like - how to identify the 21st century bogan" - and after reading a few pages discovered my family and friends are all nouveau-bogues.

So this is not a bad thing about Aus - its the ferals that you have to beware of.