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Our first trip back to SA


sianvz

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Hi Sianvz,

 

Glad to hear you went and came back all okay! Loved your post, Aus is a great place, it is instructive to hear how people are sort of asking for advice on making the move....in case. 

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The first time back is always an eye-opener as you realize that people and the country have moved on even though you have left. People forget about you very quickly, family less though. They move on just as one should when you move to and start out in a new country. With regards to ones old home country changing, SA seems to be doing just that, rapidly.(Unfortunately for the worse).

Now you can compare and see that moving was the right choice, due to being able to see both sides of the fence. There will always be some regrets about moving but these fade into insignificance once you are settled in here and start leading a normal life.

I wouldn't spend any time in Jo'burg if I were to go back for a visit. Anyway, this won't be happening any time soon as there are a lot of other places to see here and abroad.

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I also went back for the first time (my father passed away suddenly) since we moved , and that is more than 6 years ago.

 

im not going to sugarcoat it, I was HORRIFIED! Dirty, lawless, everyone in a bad mood, unfriendly and looking to make a buck any which way. I spent 1 night in fourways at my brothers house then 7 nights at a friend in Pretoria in a posh security estate. A good friend lent me a car for the week and I caught up with close friends.

 

I found eating out waaaaay cheaper...I took 13 people out for lunch at ocean basket and with tip it cost me $180! That's what it costs hubby and I here for a decent dinner out with 1 bottle of wine.

 

clothes ..depends where u shop, witchery at woollies is almost half what u pay here, loved that!

 

i went alone and I would think twice before taking my daughter with. Couldn't wait to get back home to Sydney, even told my mom don't think I'll be back for her funeral lol.

 

That being said, I might go to Cape Town to visit friends if I was forced.....but I could very easily go another 6 years without seeing what I now consider a real dump.

 

now back to dreaming about my next trip to New Orleans.."

 

 

Edited by elleneo
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I found the same things as you, sianvz, we stayed with my parents in Jhb and I couldn't sleep without the panic button under my pillow! The kids (teenagers) insisted on sleeping in the same room as me! It was fantastic being with family and friends, but yes, everyone has moved on with their lives and we now have our new life to come back to.  Sadly I had to go back in July for my sister-in-law's funeral- she was shot in a botched hijacking- nothing taken from her, just murdered.  So many people at the funeral commented to me that we had definitely done the right thing ... but of course we will always feel badly for our loved ones who cant move over here, for whatever reasons and we count our blessings each day ?

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Sian, for that reason, I cough up for Dec/Jan visits there. Even then its really difficult to pin people down. My family still live in the same house they built in 1969, so you will think there are tons of old friends around. I would say, of my school friends, more than 50% live overseas.  The rest is a collection of typical sad stories you will only hear in RSA.  Some have died  on the roads, many more divorces than I am used to in my Sydney life, LOTS of problem drinking, the usual drug suspects, even a old flatmate (middle class lawyer, mum) on Tik! I met with lots of kids that are medicated, lots of adults on anti depressants, many kids looked stressed, lots of Call of Duty kinds of video games being played by kids under 8, etc. We live in Sydney and my kids looked like country bumpkins in comparison. People are restless, jealous, paranoid, pushy, unhealty and very fat. And this is just among my old friends! Without sounding like the Dalai Lama, I can only sum it up as to say "They are not at peace".  Not with anybody around them and definitely not with them selves. My dear parents are in the over 70 bracket, so I feel obliged to see them while the opportunity is still there and there is also a precious bond between them and my kids. Not wishing them a speedy end, but the moment they pass, I cant see myself going there again. 

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I have to say the posts are resonating with me. While I have not been back so cannot claim first hand experience with how much the country has slide, like many here I have stayed in tune with the news and most is not good. One of my 2016 resolutions is to wean myself off of SA news websites. I have started doing this and fins myself relaxing even more than I already am. 

 

I also admit to fondling my citizenship certificate a bit much.....:P

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I hear you Rozellem-now that all our parents have passed I never want to go back again. Saving to visit new places on my bucket list.........

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6 hours ago, SurferMan said:

 One of my 2016 resolutions is to wean myself off of SA news websites.

 

I check the news in ZA everyday and after so many years I still like to know what is going on. It is a little pointless because I don't know who many of the people are. Perhaps it is also time for me to let go.

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I observed the same Rozelle, I remember thinking while I was there...it doesn't seem to be going very well with any of my friends, financially, health wise..love life..just overall it's like they in a downward spiral :(

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4 hours ago, elleneo said:

I observed the same Rozelle, I remember thinking while I was there...it doesn't seem to be going very well with any of my friends, financially, health wise..love life..just overall it's like they in a downward spiral :(

 

I think people under-estimate the effect of all the background stress here and it has a negative effect on their lives. :(

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On 1/4/2016 at 5:25 AM, sianvz said:

We also got a fair bit of 'so how did you guys get into Australia, can you give us some info in case the you-know-what hits the fan'.

Yup people in SA ask this a lot, like you fill in a form, buy your air tickets and head here....:blink:

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BrendaH I agree, we went back after like 9 years last Dec and found much the same as the other postings on this thread. Like everyone else, even though I have family there, I have no intention of rushing back anytime soon. There are so many other fascinating places on this planet to see, why would I expose myself and more importantly my family to that level of stress and all that goes with it. Yes its a beautiful country, but Australia is home for us now and I counting it among my blessing to be here. 

 

Peace my friends

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On 6 January 2016 at 11:08 AM, SurferMan said:

like many here I have stayed in tune with the news and most is not good. One of my 2016 resolutions is to wean myself off of SA news websites.

I don't read any of the news, there's enough of it all over Facebook! I am so tired of all the hashtags and petitions and 'letters to the president' that makes everyone feel like they are doing something. My husband laughed at a story on The Project last night about people being filmed jumping over a big puddle in the UK and I said to him is t it great to see something so silly and fun on the news!

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On 6 January 2016 at 10:50 PM, elleneo said:

I observed the same Rozelle, I remember thinking while I was there...it doesn't seem to be going very well with any of my friends, financially, health wise..love life..just overall it's like they in a downward spiral :(

We found two categories, those who are very well off due to old money and family companies living in security estates thinking they're living the life! Then those who are either struggling financially or just drinking whenever they et the chance cause they are in a rut 

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We had some good times, we had some bad times. Have been out of SA for almost 16 years, with never more than 2 years between visits and this was the first time we seriously contemplated never returning. That in itself was quite a heart wrenching thing to admit.....

 

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Hi BXB2OZ,

 

I have never been back since I left in 2010 and even now do not feel ANY desire to even fly over that patch of earth. Not even a country nearby like Tanzania. Too many other places on earth I can take the family to see and enjoy. Like, Fiji, Cook Islands, Bora Bora, Tahiti, Hawaii, Cuba, the Keys, Trinidad, Samoa, Lord Howe, Koro, Bahamas, St. Croix the Grenadines...sigh. 

 

 

Edited by SurferMan
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Lord Howe-just one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. A bit pricey but worth every cent! 

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I cant wait to take my family there. But I suspect a trip to Noosa will be first, then the Mamanucas Islands in Fiji. Then Bora Bora, my sons dream. 

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- packed with local tourists, never mind real tourists

- very small waves - great if you have small kids but not when you have 3 surfers in your family

- overdressed and over made up ladies - all dressed to kill not to relax

- it has been overdeveloped

- there are so many people on main beach it reminded me of trying to get a piece of sand on Durban beach in Summer holidays when we were kids.

 

On the plus side, it is very pretty.  If you have a young one who wants to learn to surf there are a number of surf schools and nice small waves for the newbie to learn on.  You won't die of hunger with the number of restaurants and food courts.  It is also very close to Eumundi, and on certain days the Eumundi market runs so you can enjoy that. 

 

We have just come back from 10 days on a quiet beach where the surf worked every day, we stayed 80 metres from the beach, and the dog could run around.  That was a small piece of heaven.

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On ‎15‎/‎01‎/‎2016 at 7:24 PM, Sunnyskies said:

very small waves - great if you have small kids but not when you have 3 surfers in your family

Anything northwards up the Queensland coast, from probably about Hervey Bay, is not good for surfing. No waves except when there is a cyclone blowing. This is due to the Barrier Reef sheltering the coast. Great for snorkelling, fishing, diving, etc. Lot of islands to explore if you've got a boat.

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Haven't been back to SA for over 5 years and in no hurry. We used to go back regularly and then my husband was sent to a conference in the US and we did a little travelling to the west coast - and I realised, why the hell are we spending ridiculous amounts to go to Johannesburg ffs when there is a whole world to see. So unless SAA starts giving away plane tickets probably next trip will be when my brother gets married...(hoping not too soon).

 

 

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On 1/5/2016 at 1:09 AM, beval2011 said:

Sadly I had to go back in July for my sister-in-law's funeral- she was shot in a botched hijacking- nothing taken from her, just murdered.  

God - how awful

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