Right from the beginning

[Tazzn]

My brake pedal is clearly not working because we got the invite today. All our docs are pretty much in hand so it's now time to come up with a heap load of bucks in 60days to lodge our application. To say that I am terrified is an understatement. The money side is probably what is worrying me the most. Big outlay for ViSA and flights. Will we have enough to live off when we get there while finding jobs.

I wish there could be a little voice that could reassure me that this is the right thing to do.

[1982]

You almost there - no stopping now Tazzn..............otherwise what you have already spent would be a waste! It was a HEAP of cash for us to part form as well and we also going over with minimal, maybe enough for 4 months , scary thought but it MUST be done!

Your visa grant is around the corner! Be prepared for the additional doubt that kicks in after grant - but remind yourself of the reasons you chose to do this!! One day soon we can have a glass of vino in Aus and smile with relief.

[Tazzn]

Thanks 1982.. I know there is definitely more doubt to come but I ahve to get into the mindset of "nothing ventured nothing gained". Think this may become my new motto !!!!!!!!

[Tazzn]

Life is moving swiftly forward. Hubby and I have decided to wait a bit on our VISA application (taking advantage of most of the 60days allowed between invite and lodging). There is still lots to do and as we know we aren't going to do an activation trip we only have one year to get our lives together and ourselves on a plane.

So plan at the moment is to lodge mid September. If all goes well we aim to leave next year Julyish. We had an estate agent come look at our house over the weekend so that will go on the market shortly. We may be spending a few months renting something small or livng with parents i know that's going to a be a toughy as I haven't lived at home (full time) since I was 19 but at the moment any extra savings we can have are hugely beneficial!

So many scary but exciting opportunites to come!

[Tazzn]

It's official there is NO turning back now. VISA has just been paid for. OMG.........................................

[DXB2OZ]

There is Dutch comfort in being at the point of no return - before that you have a realistic chance to change your mind so are tormented with doubts. Now you are stuck with it and forced to make it work - it's easier on the mental state.

Fingers crossed.

[Tazzn]

Yesterday was a bit of a crazy day for me, rather a busy one work wise hence my very short post but to be honest I wasn't quite sure how to explain what I was feeling yesterday. I have always been the person that can't wait for the next step up. Bought a house, now to get a bigger one. Got a job now to move to the next level up. I have felt for a few years now that I am chasing my tail. Wanting something, working for it and when I get it not hanging in to revel in the glory but rather onto to the next "want". I have never felt very fulfilled. I feel like this whole decision around immigration has really made me open my eyes and take stock of what I have and what I truly need and not what I want. Yesterday I sat and looked around and felt a bit overwhelmed with the things I am happy with here. If you asked me a couple of months ago I would have said I wasn't happy. I wanted more from my life but in this moment knowing that I am about to leave it all behind, no longer maybe/possibly/we might but definitely it's made me realise what I have.

I am not sorry about the decision we have made and I am not upset that we are at the point of no return, in the bigger picture of RSA there is too much to ignore and our greater reasons for making this decision are still has strong has they were 8 months ago. I am though a little sad that I have not spent more time enjoying what I have and what I have achieved. We're going to have to start all over again. It might be a while before we own our own house again, it might be a while before I am in a "management" position. It might be a while before I make new friends. All the things that I take for granted (besides my friends ) and want to improve on I will probably not have at all.

Sorry about my slightly morbid post. My head is a jumble of emotions that range from crawl under a rock and hide to absolute elation that we are doing this.

Edited August 28, 2014 by Tazzn

[Bronwyn&Co]

Don't be sad Tazz. It's all part of the same journey (((hugs)))

[Tazzn]

Time for a little update on what's happening on our immigration journey.

VISA application was lodged at the end of August, we've jsut a message saying our PCC's are ready. Courier been sent to collect them and hopefully they will be in our hands tomorrow (and all be correct!!!). I was impressed with how quickly it happened, got our sms to say they were in the system on the 9th and the were ready today... let's jsut hope my praise doesn't come too quickly and they ahve gotten something wrong

Medicals have been booked for the first of October. Still need to fill in the damn form 80 but that shouldn't take too long once we sit down with it. Then I suppose we are in the "sit and wait phase".

My husbands boss has just arrived from Aus for a short stint in RSA (checking up on the business etc...) so hopefully we will be able to get finalisation on a job for my husband when we land in Aus (boss has started a new business on the Gold coast).

House is on the market but no luck yet. I am a bit worried but in the same breath hoping all is for a good reason. We didn't want to be without a house before Christmas. Trying to take a deep breath and let go. if all is meant to be it will fall into place when the time is right.

Otherwise we plod on with our normal everyday lives and wait for the golden ticket to arrive!

[SurferMan]

Ahh TazzN,

It will all end well, trust me.

[Tazzn]

Not quite the light at the end of the tunnel

.... but definitely the bend in the path. As of yesterday we officially finished the last step in the VISA application process, the medicals. So all info should be loaded by next week sometime and then we wait. Application was lodged at the end of August so here's hoping we receive an early Christmas present

Unfortunately as Murphy would have it a good old spanner has been thrown in the works. My hubby's boss is out from Aus and we were hoping that this visit would serve to confirm date of our move, salary indication for hubby in Aus etc... instead he's thrown the bone of 'buy into the RSA business" mmmmmmm.........

So now one of our big 3 reasons for leaving was the hubby as a "trady" didn't feel like he was getting any where in SA. Earning relatively :censored: salary with little or no scope to go anywhere now with the opportunity to own/part own a lucrative business.

So the stool of immigration (3 legs and all that) has been a bit wobbly but aptly (though sadly for those involved) the nature of the beast has widened at least one of those legs to balance out the decision.

Maybe I should outline the other 2 legs before I explain. Leg 1. Our daughter (her future, education, safety and all round well being) this was a big factor in our decision to stat this process. We really don't know what education will be like in 5 years time when she starts school and what about 15 years time when she hits varsity. The future is the future but based on the current (Uni strikes etc..) lets just say the path doesn't look clear. Leg 2. Our general safety and security. This is the leg that has "conveniently" broadened to remind us why we made the decision in the first place. In the last week 3 large businesses/retailers have had armed robberies. Middle of the day at times when we could have been frequently the establishment.

So yes we have been "knocked" by the offer to improve our financial stability and the opportunity to "buy" ourselves more safety but at the end of the day you can build a bubble and put it behind a 10 foot electric fence but at some stage you have to go out for food and water and that bubble just ain't so easy to carry with you.

So the journey continues. Phase one is almost complete and then I suppose it's onto the most daunting phase. THE MOVE

[NiniJ]

Hahaha Tazzn you sound exactly like I'm feeling right now - one day YES, LET'S GO NOW and then next EEK, WHAT ARE WE DOING?!? hahahaha but in the end we are both super excited for an adventure and to LIVE a little. Also want to give our baby boy a good chance at a great future. Hope the process is going well! We are still feeling so lost.

1982 - we are also in Ballito :-)

[Tazzn]

I want I want I want to hear some news on our VISA application. I really thought the waiting wouldn't get to me because our plan is only to leave mid next year but damn the little bit of lingering doubt in mind just want to be quieted with a the all clear message. SIGH oh well. Suppose not much I can do.

On another note and another reminder to put into my scrapebook. yes I don't know Aus - even though I plan to make it my home I have never been there. Maybe someone is going to put a spanner in my works and deflate my balloon on this but anyway.... my next "note" on why we are leaving = filth!!!!!!!!!! Sunday morning we took a cycle along the Durban beachfront (for those that are familiar from near UShaka to blue lagoon and back). Well as we were around the blue lagoon area we noticed lots of people having a braai in and around the car park area all well and good but the mess left behind! Glass bottles, charcoal bags and just general rubbish. How to people justify in their minds that it okay to leave all their mess and filth just lying around. Made me so angry because it is really just a lovely stretch of coast and surprisingly the SA government has actually done quite a bit to make it a pleasant area to be in but some have just gone and ruined it for others. Hopefully this time next year we can enjoy our morning cycle along a clean fresh coastline!

[Tazzn]

And so the breaking down the one life in order to start a new one begins. We got an offer on our house at the end of last week and have just received news that the buyers bond has been approved in principle, just the home evaluation left to do. WOW seems 2015 is going to start with packing up our home, though at this stage I am not sure where too.

Still waiting for the elusive VISA (though agent promises we're next in line), our plan was only to move mid 2015 so we'll still have a couple of months to stay somewhere after the house is sold. Suppose we're in for a bit of upheaval and the start of this emotional journey of migration.

The tag line for 2015... the only thing certain is change!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Tazzn]

A tickle of excitement... still no news on the VISA BUT on Friday whilst browsing seek I came upon 2 job adverts in my line of work. This has been the first time I have seen ads specifically for what I am looking for so I gave it a whirl and I have already heard back from one of the companies. WOO HOO. I know there is absolutely no guarantee but it was reassuring to know that even though I specifically said that we haven't got the VISA yet they still took the time to get back to me and they want to make a time to "chat" to me :)

The position is in a completely different part of Aus than we were intending on going to but we go where the jobs are!

[Tazzn]

Well..... today has been a day and a half for me and though I am left excited there is SO much to think about in the next few weeks.

1) Yesterday we officially sold our house

2) This morning had a great chat to a prospective employer

3) We got a CO!!!!!!!!

Now the decision...

Our plan all along was to get VISA, do a final family holiday (already booked) in May, Have my daughter's 3rd birthday in RSA (end of May) and make our way to Oz in June/July/August depending on jobs/money etc...

Now the conversation this morning was positive with the prospective employer BUT he needs someone urgently (Jan/Feb next year) so while the VISA still felt far from our grasp this was just an impossible date and I was prepared to let the job slide but now with a CO and a VISA in our sights it is for all intents and purpose doable to be in Aus in Jan.

EEEEKKKKKKKK now what. Do I rush like a mad women to get everything together for this job and we leave early next year. To be honest my heart says no. I need time to pack up and say my good byes and be prepared for this move but am I mad to turn down a perfectly good potential job offer.

Just as one weight lifts off in this emotional roller coaster, two others take it's place

[RYLC]

Take the job!! Spending time "saying your goodbyes" will seem wasted if you turn it down, arrive here and then struggle to find a job. Landing a job before arrival is gold. It focuses where to live, money coming in straight away etc etc. it's just apprehension and putting off the move that might be stopping you. You'll never feel ready - just jump in.

[rozellem]

Take the job!!!! Like they say " a bird in the hand is worth more than two in the bush". Do it now. Plenty of time to say good bye over Xmas time. You have done the biggies like house sold, job and just about there with visa.

Edited December 4, 2014 by rozellem

[leeferg1]

Take the job and go! Those 3 things happening....I'd take it as a sign - your time is obviously now.

We had our visa approved on the 11th December and we flew out on the 16th January - it can be done!

[qwerty]

Take the job! I landed a job while still in SA and arrived here mid-May. Hubby and daughter only arrived 6 weeks later. He packed up and tied up all the loose ends on that side, while I started work and set up things on this side. Was a very long 6 weeks, but we survived!

[Tazzn]

Suppose the time is now ... take the bull by the horns

[Tazzn]

Lots is happening in our lives though still no report on a VISA.

We've had a small hiccup with my husbands Form 80 which has been fixed and resubmitted, so hoping we'll hear back soon! On the home front our house is sold and we are waiting for the transfer etc.. to go through.

I feel a bit shell shocked when I think about what January has in store for us. Cleaning out and packing up our house, moving in family, my daughter starts pre-school and once we get over that hurdle we'll be working towards the next one.

I have had 2 interviews with companies in Australia so far and though both have been positive timing is an issue. We had planned to move in June/July and that is obviously a long way off for someone interviewing for a position now. I am trying to take it one day at a time and when we have a VISA job offer in hand we will make the decision on if we move earlier.

To be brutally honest my heart doesn't want to, I am a person that loves having everything planned and the whole Australia move is already testing my boundaries and my abilities to "let it go" but my head knows that a job is a job and if one is on offer we take it and run.

For the first time a feel on the tipping edge of this emotional roller coaster that everyone talks about. When you are in the depth of the whole "VISA thing" you worry and wonder and stress, it's like that slow chug up the roller coaster incline. Every move is a desperate attempt to get to the top but as you start reaching the top you realize that the journey up is just the beginning and with your heart in your throat you come to see that there is still a wild ride down the other side.

The end of this year and brought many emotions for me...please forgive me as I unload on your "shoulders" as it's hard to find a friend to chat with that understands or is willing to understand everything that is going on. There is the normal silly season end of year (shopping, crowds, social commitments), a long year at work drawing to an end and the desperate need for a break. In amongst this there is selling a house, getting ready to clean/pack and move your worldly belongings, thought of living with my parents after so many years being independent (even though they are great and I owe them so much I know it will be testing), my daughter starts pre-school in Jan in amongst our house move so I am so worried about how the upheaval will affect her and let's not even mention changing jobs and moving to another country.

Flip I am finding things tough at the moment.

[BriD]

Awww Tazz...this is such a difficult time. I remember it like it was yesterday. We also planned to leave later and suddenly moved up our plans considerably...by about a year actually. And I remember being so torn...one hand wanting to go and start our new life...but wanting more time with everyone.

I know it sounds strange...but there will never be a time...whether you plan it perfectly or not that you feel absolutely ready to leave. You will have conflicting feelings right up until the moment you get into that plane...and sometimes even beyond the time you have landed.

Try not to be too hard on yourself. It is AWESOME that you have had interviews!! That is something many people will try and try for from SA and never achieve. If you get the opportunity to have a job when you land...that is like a gift. It sounds bad...but honestly...coming to a new country with no job and trying and trying to find one is a huge strain...I remember being the sickest I have ever been during that time of uncertainty...and if I had any advice would be to take a job offered as if it were a pot of gold. It will give such stability to your family.

However, I do know and understand the need to plan things properly. I am totally like that. But do know that there are only so many things you can control...and sometimes this journey for control freaks that you and me...this is part of the lesson...learning to loosen the reigns a bit and accept that some things you are going to just have to leap into without much control at all.

As far as your daughter goes...children slot in so easily when they are young. I think the kiddies also help their adults slot in too. You are forced to establish a routine as soon as possible for them...and in doing so...you stabilise yourself aswell.

If you ever need to chat or vent or whatever...I am always here. Been where you are and have lived to tell the tail. it's ok to be feeling overwhelmed and confused...it is totally normal and expected.

Huge hugs!

Bri

[Tazzn]

A little update from my side........

Took some time out from emigration, work and life in general over the festive season and now we are back into it full swing. House sale is progressing and transfer should happen end of Feb. We started the clear out process on Sunday. Was cathartic in the beginning but had me holding back the tears yesterday as I packed up all my daughter's baby things to be sold/donated. I so easily put them in the cupboard for one day but it wasn't so easy knowing they and those baby days are gone

Still no VISA seems my oopsie on the forms caused a rather lengthy delay. Migration agents opened yesterday and are following up so I hope we'll hear soon and that I didn't muck this all thing up properly

I received an email this morning from the second company that interviewed me and they have asked me to do an online psychometric test. Just waiting for the external company that managers this for them to contact me and then I will do that. Holding my thumbs and crossing fingers that this works out and we can arrive with a job in hand.

In the mean time the packing and sorting will continue... oh what fun

[Tazzn]

WOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOO

So much to be thankful for this week. I can't help walking around with a stupid grin on my face!

The week started well with the notification that we FINALLY had our visa. We lodged end of August and with 75 points I honestly thought it would be a walk in the park. Well clearly my faith needed to be tested. Took just over 3 months for a CO to be assigned and then with some hassle with the Form 80 for my husband and we sat for another 2 months waiting for the grant letter.

Now this morning I receive an email from a company that I have had 2 interviews with saying that now that I have my visa that can inform me that I am their preferred candidate and we will be discussing an offer tomorrow morning.

can anyone say ECSATATIC!!!!

Still lots to do in terms of moving out of our house, selling cars, cancelling contracts and booking flights but it's there and it's tangible and they only thing standing in our way is us... so time to move our @$&es