Our six month update - life is beautiful

[Alida]

Hi all,

I haven't been around very much the past few months, not nearly as much as I would have liked to be here, because of LIFE happening ! Just a quick background again to give you a link to our existence in this cyberspace ...

After four years of waiting for our 'old system' 175 Skilled Independent PR visa to be approved, we arrived in Brisbane on 14th of December 2014 and went to stay with family in Bundaberg for two months, which proved to be a really good move for an initial integration into Aussie life, but also kind of a trying time because family being too long too close, can be ... errr ... difficult ?

So, after the two months, we departed from the family at EXACTLY the time and date - 1 pm, 14th of January, from their house, that we walked in - 1 pm, 14 Nov 2014. We got a reference from a friend for a Zimbabwean lady who is an estate agent in Morayfield just south of Sunshine Coast and through her, we got approved for taking over a lease break house in Morayfield. Our inquiry for a rental and the phone call of the previous tenants of this house, was ten minutes apart. Call that coincidence, I beg to differ. In the interim two weeks till the house would have been ready, we rented a nice, old Queenslander 50 m from the beach, on Bribie Island and knowing desperately little about Australia, we only later learned that Bribie Island is a much loved holiday and recreational destination, hehe. It was a good two weeks for us to become US again after being too closely integrated into another household that sometimes made us feel like our being family was threatened. We STEAMED in that house, since it had no insulation or aircon whatsoever. Fortunately children don't feel heat and had hubby out a few times every day to go swim in the warm sea. I was mostly babysitting at home, with youngest son just beginning to walk, making it no joke to constantly keeping him from the waves.

After two weeks we moved into this lovely little home in Morayfield. Cookie-cutter style like all the other in the street, but it suits us perfectly at the moment. Backyard just big enough for a trampoline, a tree, a water tank and to kick a ball around with toddler. Easy to maintain.

The one and only biggest asset of this whole process of settling in, was PEOPLE, PEOPLE, PEOPLE. Aussies AND South Africans. We got involved with a congregation and was immediately integrated into the little society they formed. They prayed for us, they cared for us, they went out of their way to make us feel a part. They basically doted on us. Got our numbers, befriended us on FB, one lady specifically, I'm still wondering if she is not an angel in disguise. She came to visit us every other day, to see what we need and within a day or two, she'll arrive with a car filled with things that we not only needed, but things that was just so thoughtful of her, and sometimes just so nice to have. She would always say: people give me stuff, you know, then I keep them and give them where I see people need something. Her garage is PACKED with stuff and her car sleeps outside, because she care more about other people than her car. Like toys for the children. Like a water fountain, a desk and chairs, even some home decorations and kitchen stuff. She organized a friend of hers to give me a needed haircut at home. She even gave the children a pet budgie. She brought us maps she got from the local information center and marked on it where all the shops and places are that we ask or wonder about. Where do you buy what. Where there is nice things to do and see and take the children to. She gave us numbers and names of people, mechanic, markets, whatever we needed, we only had to phone Monica.

So we got familiar with our surroundings quite quickly, we picked up SA friends in the region from this forum (thank you for contacting us, ERG, you're very much appreciated !). We found SA people having a stall on the local market on weekends, I 'accidently' started chatting to a nice Aussie lady at a market stall and we connected so immediately that we started visiting each other and our families have forged a wonderful friendship in a very short time. They had SA friends for a few years now, there again, we began a new contact.

Then Monica gave me another phone number a friend of hers gave her, and when I needed some mending to be done to clothes, I phoned another SA lady, doing mending for pocket money and another friendship came about. She knows quite a few other people, gave their numbers and so some more people are in the process of becoming acquaintances or friends, can't wait to meet them !

Through the congregation, we got involved in a local homeschooling activity group, where my daughter quickly picked up a nice young friend, so of course the moms had to meet. Of course !! And so a wonderful friendship began growing and there is still so much that needs to be shared.

You'll notice that I did not mention 'finding a job' once. We were quite anxious to do that initially, since we're living off the sales of the house in South Africa. Well after a few people who's insight we came to trust all said us basically the same thing: you still need to DO FAMILY, don't worry about a job yet, God knows what you need ! - we relaxed and DID FAMILY. We began to take the children weekly to our new SA friend from the market, to work in his nursery - we weeded, transplanted seedlings and next week, we're going to build bamboo trellis for climber plants. All good horticultural experience for homeschoolers, hehe.

Hubby has put out his resumé wherever he could and we kept a few hardcopies in the car just in case, but things have been really silent. About a month ago, I saw a post on the Aussiekaners - Jobs in Australia FB page that vaguely resemble his skillset and we contacted them. Afrikaans bloke, can you believe it. Heard nothing, so dismissed it and kept enjoying DOING FAMILY. Just yesterday a friend from the congregation contacted hubby, asking whether he saw this post ad on the said FB post. So it seems they reposted it. Hubby decided to pick up the cold trail again and within an hour a preliminary conversation on Skype turned into an interview tomorrow morning !!

To make the story even more interesting, hubby phoned the mechanic-contact of our angel Monica, just to ask whether they just maybe have a reliable cheap little car to take him to the possible job and back, if it might turn out he would need it soon. The admin lady told him immediately that there came in a nice car at a nice price JUST YESTERDAY and that SHE THOUGHT OF HUBBY when she saw the car !! Now could that be coincidence, or could I confess here boldly that I believe in the wonderful Hand of the Almighty God that is actively guiding our every step . Hubby went to view the car and decided to go through with the sale.

Oh yea, the lease break we took over, the owner of the house is happy for us to have a proper rental agreement for another set time !

Our children have the life we had as kids. We were blessed to find a dirt cheap, HUGE trampoline on a local FB site, now the whole street's kids file in after school and it's bigtime party for at least two hours each afternoon. It looks like a bike accident on our front lawn every day where between 8 and 15 kids leave their bikes, powerwings, scooters etc. on the lawn for the party. The children had to learn to deal with meannes and bullies, with immaturity and nastiness, but they also learning much in the friendships they are forging.

I've never been this intensely involved with people like we are now. We never had so much contact with people on a daily basis before. We never had friends just popping in unannounced just to say hallo and see how you're doing. Never had such a busy social calendar that we almost long for ourselves some days, haha.

We are SO HAPPY here. We feel part of life, part of a loving circle and we feel like we belong.

Life is good.

God is good, and I give Him all the honor for bring us through all the mountains and valleys to this day.

Baruch HaShem Adonai.

Blessed be the Name of the Lord.

Oh yea, PS: The 14th, that is in two days, we will be here exactly SIX MONTHS.

[SML]

Sounds fantastic! Good luck with the interview!!

[Eyebrow]

This is fantastic news! So happy for you!

[Batsie]

All the best to your husband on the job front.

[SurferMan]

Wow Alida.

That's just an awesome read. Nice one girl! I am so happy that you are diving right in and living the dream.

[monsta]

@Alida,

Move to Sydney and catch the public transport.. You will have plenty of time to post here

[Mara]

Excellent, I am so happy for you!

[Alida]

Hahaha Monsta, I don't think any other place will see us soon, unless something out of orbit happens . We just LOVE the weather here, it is so placid and mediocre and coming from what must be the most windy spot in all of Cape Town, we just so love the peaceful breeze that some days play through the house instead of the almost category 1 cyclones we had in Cape Town.

My time is taken/used by four little ones. If I ever hit the public transport - which is just around the corner from here, I'll have to use my time watching four children, hehe.

Oh, I almost forgot one part of our story that has been quite awesome to us. No one's story is as exiting to anyone else but yourself, but here goes. Three days before we could move into our current rental, we drove in from Bribie Island and hit Morayfield's main street, with NO knowledge of what is where whatsoever. We just drove and stopped wherever it seems like we might find something we need and asked for places and info wherever we talked to people. That way, we discovered RT Edwards and got ex-rental fridge, a laundry machine, vacuum cleaner and a PC at brilliant prices, even in Rand terms. When we accidentally drove past a place in our ignorant search, we stumbled upon a close down sale of BFO, a furniture shop. Yay for GPS . There we bought a full main bedroom set and beds for each of the children and a nice dining table with chairs, at reeeeaaaallly marked down prices. We felt so blessed !

So all deliveries was scheduled for the day of occupation. That was FUN ! We were still busy unloading our measly earthly belongings we accumulated over the first two months of stay together with what we brought with us, so it was not much. The deliveries was all early, so we had a feast unpacking and assembling all the - to us - brand new stuff. Man, what a feeling. To have a home of our own after two and a half months of floating. So nice to create a home again.

Hubby is at the moment at the interview, so we're praying ...

[EmNew]

What a lovely post - thanks for sharing. So much joy and positivism in your words and experience so far!

[miran]

We also had an angel here, Mara! With support and caring people around, the landing can really be supersoft! It feels like we've been here for years! Please keep us updated about your hubby! Opportunities really come at tte time we least expect them!

[Alida]

The interview went really well, two Afrikaans guys and one Ozzie, so they swopped between Eng/Afrikaans as was appropriate. We hope to hear the outcome soon, it seems like a setup where hubby would really like to become involved in, lots of innovative possibilities and an interesting variety of systems. I'll post as soon as we hear anything.

TODAY MARKS SIX MONTHS IN AUSTRALIA !!

We are SO thankful, grateful, happy and at peace to be here.

[SDTCPT]

Hi Alida,

I hope all went well with the interview and your husband secured the job.

[SurferMan]

Nice one Alida,

I am sure hubby will nail that job. Me, I go sign today after 6 months on the bench. About frigging time too! When the contract ens we will move over to Brissie to enjoy some of that sublime weather you are boasting about! By my timing it will either be end Sept or Jan/March. (depending on whether I get a renewal of 3 or 6 months) That way I can come over, have a month or two's break, and have cash for a house.

So happy for you guys!