"See you in the Under Down" - our journey of arrival after drifting

[Toitjie]

Jip...a bottle pink bubbly and kids may stay up late

[Skinierkie]

Congratulations Toitjie

[HadEnoughofJuju]

Yippee. See you were worth it after all. Now don't doubt yourself and tackle the bull by the horns and wow them all.

They say, fake it till you make it. I know I still am.

[Ericadslv]

So thrillec for you Toitjie. Congratulations........

[shannonc4]

Awesome Toitjie, well done!

[HansaPlease]

That is fantastic. Congratulations, and well done... Not only for getting the job but also staying sane!

[OubaasDik]

Jip...a bottle pink bubbly and kids may stay up late

If we wanted to treat our kids we'd shout "Wil julle vuil gaan slaap?" and they'd love the idea of going to bed dirty.

Well done. Congrats.

[Toitjie]

If we wanted to treat our kids we'd shout "Wil julle vuil gaan slaap?" and they'd love the idea of going to bed dirty.

we have the same habit...usually over weekends when we have nowhere to go...they call it a "varkie-dag" and they dont bathe, dont dress and they love it!

[followmylead]

Yay! I am very happy for you. Enjoy those first $$$

[Batsie]

Congratulations Toitjie, happy for you. Gives us hope.

[Bronwyn&Co]

Fantastic news Toitjie!! I'm chuffed for you.

[KalahariHarry]

Toitjie,

That's great news!!! The rewards of a positive attitude! Congrats.

T

[Tazzn]

YAY YAY YAY congratulations

[Marmotte]

great news Toitjie, hope you have a blessed time settling in, in the new job.

[Toitjie]

8 May

Last night I went to a seminar called "Career Confidence Workshop"....first one..we were sort of guinea pigs...where 3 ladies presented a little of the overall presentation. I think it was quite good, something that is needed. The first lady is a career coach and spoke about your brand, how to market yourself, finding opportunities etc. The 2nd lady spoke about your resume and how it should look and shouldn't look and gave a few tips and lastly there was a fashion stylist that gave a few tips on fashion and how to dress for work.

I enjoyed being with other people, I think I was of the youngest there which was interesting, but it was really nice. The fashion stylist I think was a little of a let down. I expected more. And today the theme of style was further pushed on the foreground when I ventured to the mall in search of decent work clothes.

The black pants and jackets and shoes I have. The trouble is with blouses and shirts. I simply do not like the fashion lines they have available. In another thread I mentioned Truworths..I adored their lines. It was tasteful, vibrant and current. The lines I saw today really didnt do it for me. The colours are old! White gold and blue together are so 80's! And if I look at some of the shirts I think my grandmother would love them...it's just a style and pattern and colour combination that seems dated to me. So Im still in search of that line that will fit me perfectly.

I mean...I will admit, Im not an easy customer. Im very finicky when it comes to clothes. I have a.....robust and vivacious body...ah bleh... who am I kidding? I am not a thin person ok? So I really struggle to find clothes that I feel really brings out what I want to bring out and hides what I want hidden

Target...well, black pants ok. Jackets too. Blouses definitely no. I hate this new trend of mixing the fabric with faux leather...like in nice blouse but leather collar...looks awful.

Then I went to Myer...just to see. And there were better things, admittedly also dated lines, but so pricey! Im not going to pay $150 for a shirt. That's just ridiculous. Also tried a few smaller shops but really didnt find anything.

so back to Cotton-On. Cheap shirts and if you mix accessories wisely, it will look good. I love their loose hanging shirts. They make me appear slim and I like that!

Big thing in our household happened today - hubby resigned from Big-W today. He is going to start his own business, he saw an opportunity and he is going to give it all his attention. He started a little while ago but it went nowhere because he could not commit to it full-time. Now we took a big leap, and he will put all his energy into this, and hopefully make something of it! My nerves! At least I have a job so hopefully everything will work out fine.

This weekend, I spoiled myself and bought tickets for our family to go to Nataniel's show on Sunday in Sydney. So we will stay over in Sydney on Saturday, explore a little, have a nice brekkie and then off to see the show. I can hardly wait..he is such a talented artist.

To all the moms, have a wonderful and blessed mother's day (may we all have a little peace and quiet somewhere too )

[joweni]

All the best with your new business. It was only when my husband started his business that we could really start saving so hope that your venture will also be successful.

[Bronwyn&Co]

Toitjie it's always the way - when you have money and need to buy, you can't find anything. When you are skint the shops have nice stuff

Do you maybe have a Millers or a Rockmans there? Sometimes you can find good things (in between).

If you don't mind spending a bit more than Target average, Flower has nice things (a bit more modern, usually).

I also find nice stuff sometimes at Sussans.

I don't really shop high-end. I look for sales and I like op-shopping too.

Edited May 8, 2014 by Bronwyn&Co

[Toitjie]

12 May

We had a really interesting weekend. In January I bought us tickets for the whole family to go to a Nataniel show for Mother's day, and we decided to make a weekend out of it and stay over in Sydney on Saturday night. The show of course was awesome. I got to meet a few forumites and I was amazed at how weird it sounded that all around me strangers were talking in Afrikaans. My mind kept telling me it's not happening strange indeed...but the show, oh wow...he is hilariously funny and Im so happy we got to see him.

Something happened on the Saturday that I cannot get out of my mind. Have you ever thought and wondered how close you actually came to being a victim of crime but then for whatever reason it didn't happen and you were none the wiser - yet it was moments away? I have thought about that a lot while working in the Pretoria CBD. I have never been attacked but I sometimes wondered if it was close and I just didnt know it.

On Saturday we got onto the ferry to Manly and when we got on the return back to Sydney, we moved into an aisle where there was a man sitting in the corner and we sat opposite him. I glanced him over and would have looked away but suddenly I saw his reaction when he saw my 10 year old daughter sitting down opposite him. Im not making this up, but I swear, he is the exact way I would cast a predator and pedophile. He is slight of build and very very non-descript. Nothing stands out about him, except his eyes. He had the most dead and dark eyes I have ever seen. I get goosebumps just seeing what Im writing. He took notice of Kayla and was literally undressing her with his eyes (never bought into that concept, always thought it was only good for cheap novels, but now I have seen it firsthand). He could not take his eyes of her, as if he was feasting on her...very very creepy.

I have never ever in my whole entire life had to fight so hard not to punch someone in his bloody face. I had to restrain myself from hitting him. I knew this was not a can of worms I wanted to open and I said to hubby lets move away. This happened in less than a minute but it felt like the longest time. If I was not there...he would have done something. Those dead eyes...I keep wondering what crimes have he committed and whether I should have taken a pic of him. Im so angry that there are predators out there that would harm little children. At least the tiniest of silver lining is that Kayla was aware of him looking at her and she understands what a predator and pedophile is and that they dont have to be big or scary... it was a really nasty experience..and what is even weirder is that we got onto the 555 bus back to our hotel, and we saw him boarding a bus right next to us.

Other than that..Sydney was great. But I appreciate Canberra more and more every time. There is no comparison for me. I love my laidback little town more than anything. I loved driving home, seeing the beautiful green landscape before me, leaving the busy city behind

the trip home of course was also not without incident. There was a really serious accident and it happened literally 100m in front of us on the highway just on the outskirts of Sydney. A man with his wife in a very nice car wanted to go over all the lanes from the slow lane to the fast lane and just made a turn right into oncoming cars and the car that hit him was a young couple in a very old car. The man who caused the accident had airbags and he and his wife were ok although they pretended to be hurt badly. The young couple were seriously injured as the whole front of their car was smashed in and they had no airbags. The guy had his legs broken in 2 places and she was just covered in blood and scratches and in shock. If it happened 45 seconds later it would have been us. So we stopped as hubby has first aid and tried to help but they were stuck. The emergency services were there in a matter of minutes and by the time they stopped, a doctor and three nurses have also stopped. Im really impressed with how quickly that was and how efficiently they handled it.

I have also started to work today...but more about that in "My first job in Australia" journal

Edited May 12, 2014 by Toitjie

[Bronwyn&Co]

Wow Toitjie your updates are always interesting!!!

[Toitjie]

17 May

The accent is not really an issue for me, I was really scared because i have to talk to a lot of people over the phone and so far its really ok. When I cant hear I just ask them to repeat, usually with their surnames, but overall it was good.

The thing that i realised more than anything else this weekend is how hard I have been acting This is going to sound a little strange...but that's what you do to fit in

I am by nature an introvert and quite proud of it. But I have also learned many years ago to be able to overcome any shyness and just do my work and to actually have very good relationships with people around me. It’s not debilitating at all, it’s just, if you HAVE to put me in a category, I would lean towards the more introverted.

The ozzies are LOUD! Gosh…they scare me sometimes. The ladies I work with is a really nice bunch and they do smile and laugh a lot. I don’t know if that’s because of me or if it’s a regular thing, although I got the feeling that is how they usually interact. They are fairly laidback in terms of rules although all work is done and they don’t leave early etc. Very busy desk I inherited. So off to a couple of meetings to meet clients and introduce me to them. In every meeting it really becomes so loud! And I realised by Thursday that Im quite a good actress because I have to act like Im extroverted, loud-talking (cannot really talk that loud ) and that Im just like them. If you want to get a word in you have to raise your voice. Simple as that. And it’s not that they are yelling or anything, it’s all very professional, just so damn loud!

Has anyone else experienced this?

And no topic is off-limits  I know all about menopause, a 29 year old virgin cousin and heaps more  I know I have been told in the past that sometimes my emotions show on my face (I don’t have a poker face) and I wondered if they saw my sheer amazement and disbelief on my face sometimes  It’s not that I don’t like it…I am just a little more private than they are I guess.

So Wednesday I was in Sydney for a whole day of training. Ughh…I cannot sit still for that long!!! It was really good, and really boring at the same time. The CEO and some general managers each presented a module. The CEO is one of those extremely energetic, outgoing, ambitious and hugely successful young males. I got tired just being in the same room as him, but he made this company successful so really admirable. It was in George street so I got to walk around a little and it’s really beautiful. I discovered a trendy little shopping centre called The Strand which was gorgeous. Still don’t want to live in Sydney though 

The last 2 days were all about training, especially safety training. They really do take safety training very seriously, to the extreme. I guess I understand why, every injury costs them thousands of dollars and lost revenue but it’s scary too because a lot depends on me. I have to ensure the candidate is not someone who will do stupid things, do risk assessments and injury investigations. I didn’t know that I would be doing this too so Im a little awed by the responsibility, but excited to, OHS is a field I like and I will be getting my safety boots on Monday  (purple ones)

I have never been looking forward to a weekend as much as I have this one! I remember when I was so stressed about not finding work, so I try to remember that feeling, because I have had moments when I thought to myself – what will happen if I just get in my car and drive away? Of course I didn’t, but I wont deny, I felt it. It really is an incredible adjustment to work in another country.

They had an office gathering at a fabulous restaurant called Tilly’s on Thursday after work, and I enjoyed mingling with my colleagues out of work context. They seem interested in me, hubby and South Africa. I have had a few questions about SA and the issues there…bit of a tricky one. They know about the stories..and I said I don’t want to diss SA but wont deny there are serious issues. They talk about us living in compounds (I remember that discussion on the forum) and don’t believe it’s not safe to drive at night. It’s such a different world for them, they simply cannot comprehend the concept of being in danger.

My one colleague told me she had been to South Africa before and she asked what it is with South Africans and clean restrooms and toilets? Because where they were it was so extremely clean! I asked her where they went…Cape Town and some or other fancy safari resort  I had to chuckle….people see one tiny bit of a country, whether it be good or bad, clean or dirty, SA or Oz, and judge the whole country by that standard.

[Bronwyn&Co]

Great update Toitjie. Yes they are LOUD!! People were always asking me to repeat myself, I couldn't keep up with them (I actually think my next door neighbor has a loudspeaker built into his throat). And the moms at a gatho! Omg.

Also, they are right about South Africans & bathrooms (in my case, anyway), I am continually grossed out here. I make sure I finish my food before I go to the bathrooms in a restaurant here, because if I go early, I start to wonder if the bathroom looks like that, how does the kitchen look? Next thing I can't eat.

Shame it is full- on in any new job. I bet you are sleeping like a log

Thanks for the nice update.

[Bigvan07]

TTTTOOOOOOOOOOOOIIIIIIITTTJJJIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!

Come back!!! I need updates, it has been 2 months since your last entry, I am suffering from big time withdrawal symptoms here...

[Fish]

Great update Toitjie. Yes they are LOUD!! People were always asking me to repeat myself, I couldn't keep up with them (I actually think my next door neighbor has a loudspeaker built into his throat). And the moms at a gatho! Omg.

Also, they are right about South Africans & bathrooms (in my case, anyway), I am continually grossed out here. I make sure I finish my food before I go to the bathrooms in a restaurant here, because if I go early, I start to wonder if the bathroom looks like that, how does the kitchen look? Next thing I can't eat.

Shame it is full- on in any new job. I bet you are sleeping like a log

Thanks for the nice update.

Omg Bronwyn, did you say "gatho" ... oh my

[Bronwyn&Co]

Lol Fish you forget I have kids aged 16, 19 & 21 hehe. My life revolves around such things...?

[Toitjie]

lol...ok ok Bigvan...Im coming...let me just get my glass of red and I'l start writing again.

right...where was I. Things have been hectic the past couple of months. It's probably better to write this in my job journal but no worries...it fits anywhere

For the first couple of weeks after starting work at a recruitment agency I got home every night, shell-shocked. Every morning I yearned to drive onto the Tuggeranong highway and keep going south. If you know this highway...there is a stretch where you see fields and then the mountains, and if you use your imagination, it looks like the Western Cape...white snowcapped peaks included. I just wanted to drive and drive and drive and never go back to work.

That has thankfully passed and I am happy and settled in my new job. I enjoy it immensely. I have found that after a couple of site visits, wearing my steelcap boots and high vis vest, all the clients, mostly men, like me, seek me out in conversations, trust me and generally accept me. More than I can say I was accepted in SA. I am one of them!!

My ears have adjusted too...or I have become louder but either way, I talk just as loud just to be heard and now it doesnt bother me at all!

I am still very emotional..I think more so now that I work, for some strange reason. When I was unemployed, although worried, I was still on holiday and in holiday mode. I pottered around the house. Now..with a bang, the routine started again and because of this routine I think...I miss SA more. I cannot really pinpoint exactly what it is that I miss, because I dont want to go back, it's maybe just the "IDEA" of home that I miss. For this reason I got really attached to my team members and we are a close knit little group of 3. I dont know if they feel the same about me but I have adopted them as my family. I dont think they do realise how hard it is to be here without family and your friends and old colleagues. i cannot talk about my family issues without tearing up so I never mention them. This will come later.

We have been invited to our first ozzie party on Saturday which Im very excited about. It's a colleague (one of my group) and she is an incredible person. No issues or dramas, always ready to help with whatever I ask and I felt really privileged that we were invited to a private party with their children and friends.

We have not discovered much more of Canbera lately...just went to Corin forest for the snow for the kids which was most enjoyable! And on weekends we take the X-Trail and the kids and Lucy and drive around the winefarms just north of Canberra. this is mostly for Lucy's benefit (the Scottie dog) because she is crazy about driving on these roads, where I put the window down, she is on my lap while Im driving and she sticks her little black nose into the wind and you can actually see the ecstacy on her face! And if she sees sheep or cows she barks like mad at them. Its really such a pleasure to watch her.

I have a colleague that rescues Malamoots (they look like husky's, just bigger) so one night I googled rescue Scottie's and lo' and behold, there is a site. I could not believe that Scotties would need rescuing but they do, as do many others. So I enlisted to be a rescue or adoption mom for Scotties in need of a new home. We also joined a Scottie group in Canberra and hope to join them and all their Scotties for a walk soon.

I am surprised by how many new arrivals and arrivals to be there are just for Canberra. At this rate there wont be a lot of south africans left in South Africa but seriously though....with the job market as it is I dont know whether its such a good idea to let so many people come over. But of course, this is only from my own perspective, it might be that there are more jobs available in other sectors, but the industrial sector is really quiet.

I am still waiting for winter its cold but really, not that cold. I remember the winter in Pretoria, granted only for a couple of day, but it was so cold my bones ached. Here I have not felt that bone aching cold. Maybe its still coming, but some ozzies told me that this is freezing! That this is way colder than last year. Other (SA's) says this is a warm winter and the cold is still coming...so who do I believe? so far Im happy...this type of cold is bearable and I can handle it.

I recently acquired a fitbit, mainly because everyone at the office has one and they are so damned insistent on walking 10 000 steps a day that I decided to join in. And its really working for me. Where I was in the habit of never taking lunch but just sit and work and eat while I work, I now take my lunch by going for a 4km walk in Lyneham where my office is...and its beautiful. The air is crisp and clear, the parks are green and I feel great for walking every day.

I have baked my famous beskuit with all the nice ingedients like buttermilk, coconut, bran, oats, nuts etc and took it to work to test on the ozzies. They love it! I cannot stay ahead...I have to bake another couple of batches to keep the wolves at bay I told them upfront that this is not everyone's cup of tea (pardon the pun) and I would take no offense if they didnt like it. But I told them that it had to be dipped in coffee and eaten soggy...and they now want some beskuit every day!

My boss told me that if I worked as hard as I do now and keep on growing my desk, I would be promoted in October, so that is something to look forward to. I know we all say we know we have to start again at the bottom but it's not a nice feeling, to be honest, to be at the bottom, and although I appreciate the work, I also have the fire in me to progress and work upwards again. One thing is hard work and dedication is both recognised and rewarded. Refreshing change!

My kids are still happy and healthy. this is the main reason I havent searched for jobs elsewhere and now wouldnt dream of moving. They are so happy in their school, I cannot say enough how grateful I am for Gold Creek and what they do there. They never cease to amaze me with the things they learn..the level of the work is so much higher that what I thought it would be, and yet my kids is not finding it difficult at all, they excel! and they got such good reports, Im really proud of them. They didnt have the luxury I had of being at home for 6 months...they had to go to school and were literally thrown in the deep end.. and they swam!

We had our 6 month inspection today. I have always said we were so happy with PRD because our agent is an angel. But today they sent the devil in prada, no idea where our angel is. this lady almost knocked the door off, then came in and when sweet Lucy jumped up to get a petting, she scolded Lucy and told hubby to keep his dog in check because she had no manners. How can anyone say Lucy is a rude dog? She was just saying hello! Then she went on and on about a couple of weeds in the back of the garden...not saying a word about how beautiful the rest of the garden is (when we moved in it was a dump. No plants, no grass). I literally reseeded both front and back lawns, planted plants in all the beds and made the garden something to look at. I fixed the oven at my own cost (ok it was my fault the fan broke but still), I cleaned the filthy oven that we got with thick years old grease, we did pest control, we replaced a faucet that was leaking etc. no word about that.

I always wonder, do these "types" become agents or is it any person doing this work, become like this due to the nature of the work? Surely when you see you have good tenants that is looking after the property, you treat them better as they cause you much less stress than the ones that pay late and break down the house!

Anyway....I think I have to go and lie down now....it feels like midnight, but it's only almost 9pm...with the sun setting so early the nights are so long...I cannot wait for the summer months to come and just to have a little more sunlight!