Ons Storie

[Kanniewagnie]

The past week I had to drive 20 km from where we stay in Mt Lawley to the school in Duncraig each day. The kids still struggle a bit with the new culture and language at school, but I trust it will soon get better.

Hubby starts to enjoy the bus drive to work, although he complains his feet are sore (not used to all the walking). He too, has to get used to the new work environment, but it has only been 2 weeks now, so I pray for him to be happy in his work.

I started to explore our new environment close to the rental which we can only occupy by end April, while I'm waiting for the school to come out (15:00).

So there, in KMart, I heard the most beautiful thing: 2 ladies talking Afrikaans! I immediately interrupted them, and I'm so glad I did! They invited me for coffee, and the next day to their home (one is in Perth for a few years already and the other is her aunt, visiting from South Africa). There I met a whole bunch of other Afrikaans ladies from Pretoria, Kimberley, Centurion, PE and all over! I start to feel a bit more 'home' with a wonderful bunch of friends who support each other and who became family, looking out for each other's children, and through illness, teenage problems, etc.

I think to myself: This has to work out. If we can make this work, life will be so different than it is now. If we can only get to that 'place' where the kids are settled and adapted at school and where Hubby feels comfortable and secure in his work environment, then I too, will look back and think: it was worth it.

So... Apparantly, 'our ship' will come in by approx 9 April, whereafter it has to be cleared by customs, etc. We now have to pay $500 towards quarantine inspection PLUS R1640 due to the weakened Rand. How I wish the Rand will get stronger!!!

Edited March 27, 2015 by Kanniewagnie

[Neels]

Thanks for your posts and updates Kanniewagnie. It is a good guide for my wife and I of what to expect once we all arrive there.

Keep it up and all the best.

[Kanniewagnie]

We met a couple from Sydney when we were looking for a rental. They are originally from Stellenbosch and it feels like they are immigrating for a 2nd time. It is good to know people who are in more or less the same boat. Last week I helped a bit with cleaning cupboards before their furniture arrived. It really helped to keep busy and have company.

It seems like the rainy season starts with Easter weekend! Luckily we had a chance to visit a few beaches and parks while it was sunny.

Now we are looking forward to our container with the beach umbrellas and cooler box (with sandwiches and cold drinks, not beer...) - we'll camp on the beach from dusk 'till dawn! Weather permitting, of course....

PS: I was a 'unpleasantly' surprised with all the broken glass bottles at Citybeach near the older ablusion block. I picked up every piece of glass I could find (and my daughter even picked up a $2, lol!)

There is a spray painted message: $5 'ice' coffee sold here... and I could not help to wonder if they don't deal drugs there after hours? It is a pitty, such a beautiful place and people are so blind and selfish to litter.

[Kanniewagnie]

Liewe €£¥?#%! Yesterday we received an e-mail to pay "The Port & Terminal charges" in the amount of A$688.49 .

I really hope that this will be the last payment towards receiving our container. Now I know why, when I posted this question

http://www.saaustralia.org/index.php/topic/44343-moving-company-costs-excluded/

no-one answered my question... they are probably still in denial! Well, now I know, in our case the answer is in total: about R13000,00...

[Kanniewagnie]

We moved into the rental on 24 April. Be prepared, it is hectic when the container arrives.

It makes it even more difficult, because I could not get access a day earlier to clean. I was fortunate to have met a few wonderful SA ladies who really helped getting through the hecticness!

The past week was tiring. Unpacking boxes without space to place the 'stuff', is not lekker.

A lot of my favourite ornaments / vases, matching sugar pot & milk jug, glass bowls were broken.

The fridge looks like it was hit by a hailstorm.

A lot of plastic things are so bended and pushed in that it cannot be used. Bed lamps were a bit dented. Some shoes with foam rubber soles were totally crumbled and had to be thrown away.

Suitcase plastic handle that pull out to wheel it is totally cracked, splitted in halve.

I did not unpack everything yet and decided to rest a bit today.

Note that everything packed into the fridge / freezer / washing mashine will be mouldy. So do not pack clothes / linnen in there.

I wonder if they see that you do not have comprehensive insurance, they work with less care?

Nonetheless, it is good to be surrounded by our own things. The furniture is OK, a few small bumps, but if you don't know where, you won't notice. The TV was boxed, so all good there.

My candles did not melt. Any food stuffs that were not properly sealed, will be full of mould. ( yes I know food should not have been packed, but I guess the packers did not notice the tea bags. The sealed spices was fine though, so I'm glad that came)

Remember if you have carpets to take, to vacume, roll it up before the packers arrive and to remind the packers to pack it before the container is too full, otherwise they wait untill last and by then your carpet is dirty with all the 'feet'work and your vacume cleaner is already washed and packed and they have to bend it in half to squeeze it in and needless to say it is damaged permanently.

Well, that too, is not really noticed if you don't know about it... I'm just thankful we're here and most of our things made it. I look at the fridge and thinks: immigration bumped me too.... We all turn out a bit 'damaged' after this ordeal called immigration. So I feel perfectly home between my 'not so perfect things'.

Winter creeped up on us. I think the wooden floors makes the house a bit colder.

The kids started to adapt at school. Their spelling are still terrible! I guess things will work out eventually.

The WA government has cut funding towards assistant teachers, so the struggling kids do not get as much one-on-one attention as previous years.

I'm a bit disappointed about that, but I'll just stay on my knees.

We've made it this far, I feel very fortunate, but we realise that there are still a lot of hurdles to overcome.

I've noticed that a lot of forumites quiets down after arrival, and I hope that I'll find the time to keep 'Ons Storie' going.

It helps to keep in touch with family & friends via FaceBook, Scype, WhatsApp, telephone, etc. just hearing my Mom's voice is so good.

I keep on wondering if it was really necessary to go through this. Was I not over reacting to all the 'bad news' in SA, why did I have to leave? We could have stayed. But we did not. We have to make this work!!

[Sunnyskies]

Oh my word I can't believe the lack of care with your worldly possessions. Who moved you?

[Batsie]

Sorry to hear about the rough handling of your shipment. Good luck with unpacking.

[Neels]

Yes, please tell us which company handled your relocation? Warn the other guys not to make use of them... Sorry to hear about the damages, we hope you all come out smiling on the other side of this..

[EmNew]

So sorry to hear about the multiple damages to your possessions

One thing I do get from reading your posts is that you persevere, no matter what is thrown your way. I take my hat off to you............

[Mara]

We had been warned about this, that is why we packed our own stuff 22 years ago when we left RSA. Yes, we could not get insurance for breakages, just for total loss of a box. We did not care, we are excellent packers, the only broken items was one kitchen glass and a mug! They just packed our furniture. The moving company told us to fill the fridge with plastic stuff.

[miran]

We used Execumove, brilliant! Minimal damage and we knew before they even packed about the $520 clearance fee. Good luck with everything, especially your doubts, hubby and kids. We had a relatively soft landing, but that was thanx to great support in the beginning and still going on. So glad you found a support group!

[AndreCarla]

Jou storie is beautiful en ongelooflik behulpsaam. Bid vir julle en veral vir die kids.

Carla

[Kanniewagnie]

I think a lot of the 'rough handling' happens at the port / boat / customs. I am a bit disappointed by small things that in my view could have been done better by the Moving Company (Brittish International).

1.

Remember we moved out of our house into a small town house, so some of my crockery was still packed and because the Rep told me that they have to unpack everything anyway and repack it again according to their standards and in their own boxes, I did not bother to unpack those items to make sure it is packed better to survive 3 months on a boat and because any items packed by ourselves will be marked PBO (packed by owner) and customs will investigate those under a magnifying glass.

In the end the packers did not finish packing in time and on Friday, they had to rush so they did not unpack some off the boxes packed by me and simply wrapped the whole PBO box in a layer of bubble wrap not even looking if the stuff inside was packed tightly enough with enough packaging around the individual items to buffer possible bumps. If I knew this beforehand, I would have packed differently.

2.

Well, the carpet I've told you about.

3.

I feel they could have had more time to finish properly if they did not arrive at 9:30 each morning and left at 14:50 and they took an hour lunch each day, so effectively only packing 4 hours 20 min a day...

But that's only me and some may argue that because they came from Jhb, that's a fair time to knock on and off.

OK, I have to go now and look for a stationary shop to get some things needed for the kids school. I 'll tell you about that (school etc) a bit later on.

[rozellem]

I feel they could have had more time to finish properly if they did not arrive at 9:30 each morning and left at 14:50 and they took an hour lunch each day, so effectively only packing 4 hours 20 min a day...

OK, I have to go now and look for a stationary shop to get some things needed for the kids school. I 'll tell you about that (school etc) a bit later on.

Wow, cant believe the pace at which they packed! Shocking. So different here.

Go to OfficeWorks, if you have one close to you. One of my fave shops.

[Kanniewagnie]

After 8 months things slowed down a bit (thankfully). We all have our routines and I can honestly say things are going better. Hubby still have some worries at work, but he is doing his best to pull through. It is not easy to find other work. His contract was renewed until end Feb 2016 and although we hoped that he would be appointed permanently, we are thankful.

I really pray that he will find a permanent position which fits his skills better, or that his current employer will at least appoint him permanently, because the uncertainty each time the contract period comes to an end is nerve wrecking.

We worked out that to buy a house and land package in a new area a bit further from the city will cost us less than what we are renting for at the moment. We are busy with the home loan application and hopefully this will work out. I'll have to drive about 15 km to school each day if I want to keep the kids in their current school, because the new area is in a "bad" school zone. Choice of High schools in 2017 will be a challenge, because we are not in the catchment, but we'll cross that bridge when we get there.

Next year we'll have to try to get my oldest into better high schools and I do not fully understand the system yet (all sorts of tests each school have that you have to register for and also tests for gifted and talented, it is just a bit overwhelming for me - the way I understand, it is not really the end of the world if your child is not part of this gifted and talented, unless you want him/her to go to a specific school based on a specific program like music or arts or sports or exceptional academic performance?)

I just want her to be happy and do her best and still be able to go to Uni at the end of Year 12. If anyone knows the high schools here closer to the Clarkson / Mindarie area and if any of you are able to give advise of my options as to where and how to apply, I'll appreciate it, because Clarkson Snr High is apparently not the way to go.

I still volunteer in the Year 2 classroom each morning and it helps me to understand how to assist my youngest. I do a lot of extra work with him at home, because his English is not "there yet".

Do any of you have any specific task book to recommend that I can purchase to help him with writing language, because he really struggles with writing activities.

Thus far I can sum up our journey as "much more difficult than anticipated". I can also add that "at least we've made it, and we try to keep it that way".

To every one that still have to come or who recently arrived, I can say that you will keep on doubting your decision. You will more often than you are willing to acknowledge, wish that you never did this and that you could wake up to your old life back in "good old" SA. You will forget all the bad things like the load shedding and the beggars at the street corners and the bad service. You will miss your domestic worker and your gardener and even your in-laws. You will mostly miss your children's Afrikaans schooling. I truly miss their singing. Our kids do not learn songs here. They only sing the Anthem and maybe one extra song every second Thursday morning.

At assembly I have to bite back the tears when they sing their Anthem. I now try to learn the words (Oh, I struggle!) If I want to teach my kids any old songs I remember from my school days, they are SOOOO not interested. I miss hearing them sing. Even at church, I miss that singing "uit volle bors" old Hallelujah and Psalm & Gesange liedjies. In that sense, I feel a void.

Hubby learnt last week that contractors are not working for 3 weeks over December. So in December we are not going to have an income. That's a bummer, but we'll survive. At least the beach and parks are for free. Christmas is going to be without presents, we've already told the kids, but they are convinced that "Kersvader" will still bring them something - oh my...

Both our Mother's health deteriorated during the past few months. This is causing us to have feelings of guilt for not being there during their frail years. It feels as if we have abandoned them. The other day my youngest heroically declared: "Mamma, ek gaan by jou bly totdat ek 'n Oupa is!" I immediately felt that I do not deserve this, because I am not there for MY mother, so I do not deserve my kids to be there for me in my old age.

Other than that, things are good. We try to keep our eyes on the goal (citizenship) and by then the 1000 days are over and hopefully we'll be fully settled.

Edited November 2, 2015 by Kanniewagnie

[Eyebrow]

Both our Mother's health deteriorated during the past few months. This is causing us to have feelings of guilt for not being there during their frail years. It feels as if we have abandoned them. The other day my youngest heroically declared: "Mamma, ek gaan by jou bly totdat ek 'n Oupa is!" I immediately felt that I do not deserve this, because I am not there for MY mother, so I do not deserve my kids to be there for me in my old age.

Other than that, things are good. We try to keep our eyes on the goal (citizenship) and by then the 1000 days are over and hopefully we'll be fully settled.

I feel the same way... When my kids do something or say something unexpectedly nice, that I dont deserve it because I am not there for my own mother... Have not worked it out in my mind yet, so can't help you there, other than you are not alone.

And I am also waiting for the 1000 day thing ;-)

[Kanniewagnie]

It's hard to believe that we are here for just over 1 year.  I think that the first few months are 'easier', because you run on the momentum from home, the enthusiasm strong and it is exciting to explore the new area, proving to yourself and everyone else that you 'made it'. After 6 months, you experience intense emotional turmoil, but manage to work through and with the added stress to get the work contract renewed every 6 months, there is a continuous stress-factor we did not realise would take so much energy. I experienced that this 'emotional' cycle repeats again every 6 months and that it becomes even more intense. Job security and health are THE 2 major things that will make or break the success story, because in a forreign country one does not have that support system (family & friends).

 

We are busy building a house - further from the city, so from end of this year, the commute to work will be longer.  Next year my oldest will go to High School - another change which is seemingly small, but because we move to a new suburb, the friends she made in Primary School will not be going to the same HS.  She is very anxious about that.  My son will also have to change to a new PS.  

 

We had a bullying problem with a boy in my son's class, but I hope it is something of the past now.  I became so fed-up with the situation, that I called the parents and asked them to tell their kid NOT to play with my son untill he learned how to behave /play without kicking and scratching.  

 

It seems to be going better now.  

 

We sometimes wonder if we were not too hasty to buy so soon, as the financial commitment adds to the stress that we do not have a permanent position yet and the other day someone told my husband that his boss never renewed a contract for longer than 2 years.  Our 2 years will run out by end March next year!  So in the mean time he applies for work and hope to find something with a longer term.  A lot of work is advertised for 3 month or 6 month contract periods.  Of course he'll go for those in an emergency, but currently it does not help.

 

We enjoy the beach, the freedom, the general safety, the fact that everything works, etc, but it is true that one very soon forget why you left in the first place.  

 

Although I still remember how I felt at the intersections with all the beggars and taxis and hawkers, the street sleepers, the terrible stories in the news in comparrison to what we see here- I remember the schlep  of the alarm, the security gates and guards, the crime the load schedding etc., I really really sometimes think we shouldn't have left.  I miss our Afrikaans School.  I miss my parents.  I miss our dogs.  I miss my confident, happy husband ( he had a very good position and worked for almost 20 years at the same company with collegues he dearly miss - and he finds it extremely hard now to adjust to this work culture).

 

So where are we now, after 1 year?  We're OK.  We're one year closer to citizenship.  We're wiser.  We've met wonderful people.

 

Oh yes and I started to work 3 days a week.  I hope that it will help a bit to relieve the financial worries.

 

So here's to the next year!  

 

 

 

 

[Caz]

Thanks for your update and sharing your views.  It is so refreshing to read such an honest post.  Good luck for all the changes ahead.

Edited April 19, 2016 by cmh

[Dora]

Dear Kanniewagnie,

 

I only recently started following this forum again and yesterday I stumbled across your "Storie" and it caught my interest and I could not help to read the thread from the beginning.  The thing is that when I read your post, it felt like I'm reading my own journal. 

 

We moved to Australia in 2010 and at that stage we already had our PR visas since July 2008 (activated visas Dec 2008 with our LSD trip....just because we had to).  At that stage we weren't too rushed to take off to Australia and we thought that we would rather go towards the end of the 5 year. In '08 we only had one child and planned a second one and thought that we would still give the grandparents in SA chance to get to know the kids before we make the big move.  So in 2010, when my second baby was just 3 months old, my husband got a job offer at a good company who paid for our container and tickets.  Wow! An offer we certainly could not refuse.  So we packed for Brisbane and landed in September '10 with a 2,5 yo and a 5 month old....

 

I can so relate with the dents in your fridge and the miss shaped lamp shades, the part about your husband who had to get use to using the bus and all the walking in the heat and the rain, the guilt trips that you constantly put yourself on about the family in SA and the kids, the fact that memories about the unpleasant stuff about SA are starting to fade, the doubt whether you did the right thing - was it really so bad in SA?...

 

So I can honestly tell you that because of the above, but I also think because we were not set on finally leaving SA when we came over, plus I am sure also un-diagnosed post natal depression, caused me to to hit a depression about 6 month in.  I finally got treatment for the depression and things got better.  I'd say it took me close to 3 years before I could say to myself that I am content with my life there.

 

We regularly made a pro's and con's list about staying in Aus vs moving back to SA (because neither my husband or I was fixed on leaving SA forever and we always thought that if we could only get our citizenship, we can come back to SA and spend more time with the family and then we can always come back when the kids have to go to Uni).

 

The problem with making these lists are that, what is good in Aus, is bad in SA and what is good in SA, is bad in Aus and you just end up with 2 lists that doesn't help at all.  The only thing that helped us decide was the day when we decided what specific point on our list was THE most importing thing and then see where you will get that one thing, and then go there...For us at stage it was family..

 

So at the end of 2013 we qualified for citizenship and by that time, decided that my husband will look for work back in SA.  We were happy to stay in Aus if we could not go back, but if we got an opportunity to go back to SA we would do that.  I will always testify about this time in our journey because I gave this decision to God and He made the one miracle after the other happen for us.  Needless to say, my husband got the first and only job he applied for at the previous SA company that he worked for.  Not only was he the only suitable candidate for the job, but they also paid for our container.  That was kind off our sign that we have to go back. (In fact, everything went so smooth that at one stage I was wondering if anyone in my family are going to get sick or die and that's why God made it so easy for us to come back. So I waited for something bad to strike any time)...#God's favor is all it is...

 

But, this is not the end of our story...the reason why I am following this forum again, is because 2 years down the line  we want to move back to Aus again.  (I am so grateful that I can skip all the posts about visas.)  Now about the why?  Well that's another long post, but the short and the sweet of it is, we realised that our kids will have to go and study in Aus after school...I want better for my kids than the standards and disruptions of our tertiary institutions and the fact that my kids will be labeled as bad, previously advanced, racist, white trash. But I don't want to go to negative town now...The sooner we go, the sooner we can start contributing to super over there and prepare for our retirement.  The sooner we go, the sooner the kids can start to build on lifetime friendships and just have an uncomplicated life. So interesting times for us...

 

Yes it is bad to leave the family behind, and yes, my parents will soon have 4 kids on 4 continents. They will never really know any of their grand children. And I do worry about a time when they will get too old to look after themselves. And I do feel a little guilt, but for the first time it is crystal clear to me. Now is the time to think about the future of our kids. And yes, there are still good schools in SA.  And yes, some kids do still study successfully at our universities, but we have an option to give them something better.

 

Sometimes I can't believe that I took so many things in this process for granted back then, but today I'm just exceedingly grateful for the options that we have due to this whole process.  No regrets!

 

(I actually thought I just wanted to say something short about the similarities about our journey, and the next moment I poured my heart out)...

 

Just know, that there is more people out there who have the same thoughts and feelings that you have.

 

All the best with your continuous journey.

 

 

[Mara]

@DoraI am happy for you that you have now reached clarification... I am also impressed that you held out, the first time round, until you got your citizenship, wise move!

[Kanniewagnie]

Our next big step in Oz - buying / building a house is in progress.  The builders surprised us with a much earlier completion date and we will be able to move in by middle August!  We gave notice at the real estate agency and I started making a list of the companies where our address should be changed.  I try to pack a box or six every day and we got quotes from moving companies and made an appointment to wash the carpets.  The kids' new schools are thankfully now sorted:  AGAIN forms upon forms had to be completed to get this far!!!  My youngest are visibly stressed about the change in schools and I am (again) feeling guilty.  I grew up in ONE house, left that SAME house to get married.  I went to ONE Primary and ONE Secondary school.  My life was simple and I did not have to deal with these type of things.  My kids have to deal with all of these losses and changes AND with their stressed parents. 

 

Hubby was busy dismantling the bed in the spare bedroom yesterday, and when he got up from the floor, he must have slipped a disk or pinched a nerve or something, he can hardly walk. I'll have to make an appointment at the chiro for tomorrow after work.

 

One thing that I should have done with all the "things to do after landing-stuff", was to print the form from the Centrelink website and take my children's immunization records to the GP and let it be recorded onto their "system".  Until now, I simply gave a copy of the immunization cards to the schools where we enrolled them, but the moment you want to make a claim (i.e. for holiday care which almost equals your monthly salary without the rebate), the Centrelink will pick up that your immunization records are not recorded on their system and you won't be able to receive a rebate.

 

So I've made an appointment to do this and hopefully they won't have to receive any injections...

 

The coming weeks are going to get busier and I hope that the whole transition will be quick and painless.

 

Hubby started a new job a month ago and he is still trying to cope with that adjustment as well.  I wish I could do something to make everything better.  All I can say is that who ever sold the Checkpoint 41 K's to all of these big Perth companies should be criminally charged, because that product is one big %^&@#-up.  Those of you who knows a bit about network engineering should know what I'm talking about!!! Working until late at night and again going in early the very next morning is starting to take it's toll.

 

OK, I'll just say like Auntie Stienie:  "Ek weet ook nie hoekom ek so moet suffer nie", and "That's all for now"

 

Chao

Edited August 1, 2016 by Kanniewagnie
grammar

[RedPanda]

...at least the new house was finished early  

[Kanniewagnie]

It's been a while since I've updated and since I can't sleep, it's a good time...

 

We moved into our house by end August 2016.  The movers did an impressive job and unpacking was a challenge since the house does not have many cupboards.  We kept a lot of stuff from the container in boxes and only unpacked them  here.  The garage is much smaller than what we've been used to, but it's so good to have a double garage, since our rental only had one carport. It took hard work and $$$ to make a garden in the sand!  The front garden was included in the land price, but not the back.

 

In the mean time, hubby got a 12 month contract at his first employer again - he is much more settled now and we are still praying for a permanent position.  He is still missing his SA work and colleagues, but since many of them changed companies too, things would probably not be the same there anymore...

 

The children are now in their new schools with my eldest in her first year of high school.  It has been difficult for them to make new friends all over again and since we're not in the catchment area, playdates are a challenge.  Going from no homework in PS to an overload in HS, my daughter is coping really well.  She is determined and motivated to do her best - I'm so proud of her! I made an appointment with the English teacher on the Parent/Teacher interview day to determine how things are going, and she was so surprised when I told her that we do not speak a word of English at home.  Apparently her English is above class average (!). I still do some extra work with my son, but I must admit, not as much as that first year.  He too, grew a lot as a person and he now chooses his friends better.   Bullying really is a problem -although the school has programs to educate the kids, it sometimes feels like he is a magnet for those and it takes a lot of effort to teach him how to handle difficult situations.  He still gets very emotional when someone makes fun of his name, or when the boy sitting next to him in class keeps on poking him - but hopefully it will get better.

 

Today was WA day and it was so good to take the bikes and drive around the neighbourhood, along quiet foot paths, without the fear of being robbed.  

 

I appreciate everything about our new life and this journey made us grow so much.  We're closer to God and to each other.

 

I feel sad when I notice people who do not value what they have here. Some of the young people's behaviour is shocking (and I do realise that this is a world wide thing).

 

It feels good to see how many South African people are making a good, honest living here - and believe me, they are around every corner!  Some of them, for some reason, do not like to be associated with other Saffas(?).  But you can hear them from a mile with that distinguishing accent, né?

 

Most of them are trying their best to help out fellow Saffas wherever help is needed.  There are groups of friends who take turns to take dinner to people who are going through illness or even clean each other's houses if needed.  Amazing!!

 

I've heard about quite a few people on 457 visas who are now going through stressful times as things went wrong with their sponsors and who's applications for PR were rejected.  This makes me so much more thankful for our PR and I cannot wait to apply for citizenship.

 

Things have turned out good - All glory to our Heavenly Father!

 

 

 

 

Edited June 5, 2017 by Kanniewagnie
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