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is this really the lucky country


Kilemim

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Well Robert, Even voting with feet may seem unpractical in my circumstance...If you were in my circumstance, with a child that is just entering High School, and with a Child that is about to start university; Im not playing the blame game, as many out it; even the host of this site stated that I will get 'shot down' If I post negative experiences Of this land. You are certainly not in my position to criticize; Many expats think that Milk and Honey is the profound sense of facilities in this country, for you and many other that maybe, but for the working class man, it may not. Robert, why dont you become a teacher, in my circumstance?

Hi Kile

Whilst I can empathise with your bad experiences over a 4 yr stint I can also empathise with a child about to finish high school and go to university, well that is the usa would let my child do that :blush: .. at the moment we have changed course as my child is nearly 19 and about to do her high school out of high school and we (her and i) are going to attempt to get our American high school equivalence Diploma together.. I dont know Sydney but my child has been educated in Two states in private and non private schooling and I can only say for my child that the TAFE in MORETON BAY rocks!!! geez now if I could only have the money back for schooling her privately I would have felt like winning the lotto :huh: as she was far more adjusted in the non private sector of education than she ever was in the private sector in Aus and this is her saying so and me seeing it.. The USA and education yes it can be done just dont try California..Milk and Honey well I know AUS has its faults and again I am not a Sydney sider, my perception is that the two states we lived in when we were home in Aus came really really close to being that .. not shooting you in the foot or mocking you just giving my take.. take care hope it works out

No Violence was not the issue for me . merely trying to give a view to your own personal dilemma oh and we we came to try a new country .. wanted to go to Canada and hubby wanted Australia.. now would not think of giving up Aus for quids

Edited by NorCalAussie
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Hey Brisbound, loved it .... chuckle chuckle - hope it was you that my wife was telling me re the bloody hijacking, else we had more than 1 in the area at the time

Kilemim

Definitely not attacking you or your post and respect & appreciate the fact that you wrote it - Please rather read the message than the manner in which it was conveyed

I'd hate to be in your position at the moment - sort of unemployed and no real prospects ... especially seen as I'd be doing it in SA, where we don't have the Aussie social structure to assist.

I don't believe anyone is attacking you on a personal basis, or if they were, I wouldn't believe that it was malicious, rather as a friendly jibe

I do, however, believe that you have become spoilt, based on the content of your post and also your reaction to the responses

You talk about Medicare & criticise it - over here, people stand in a queue for a full day, just to see a nursing sister

Naughty kids in school - try kids & adults putting a gun to your head, or assaulting your wife & kids (then consider yourself "lucky" that they came out alive)

No job - try society ostracising you before they even meet you, because of your sex & skin colour (I am also reasonably well qualified & a couple of years ago was looking for a job - took me about 6/7 months to realise that "white males need not apply" meant there was no job available for me, in the Western Cape (might have the qualifications, but I was a bit slow on that one)

Your reaction to the responses - you took them as a personal attack and an exaggeration of events, whereas it is the reality of life here, we were just trying to present our current circumstance, as opposed to those presented by you. (sure, we were being a bit sarcy, but in a friendly way!!)

I hope I haven't been too harsh & I know that unemployment is a killer (refer "white males need not apply" - it started 30 days before my youngest was born), but for me, the picture that you painted is merely the darker side of a well balanced society & hell, it not really dark at all, when compared to what we've got (not a reference to Eskom, but yes, that as well!!)

As far as 2010 is concerned, I can't believe you're serious ... has no-one explained load shedding to you?? Try hosting a soccer world cup & the lights go out ..... forget about the stadiums & TV broadcasting (can't even imagine the consequences!!), think about the spectators in the hotel lifts or on the roads, or walking in the city centre ........ & everything goes black!! Then add the crime in the darkness ...

On a more positive note - thanks again for the post, it reaffirmed my decision to move to aus & I will be reading it to my wife & no, I don't believe that she will take me seriously if I tried to tell her that we're not leaving because of it

Have you considered a change in career as a possible alternative - I know someone suggested starting your own extra-mural classes. I'm sure there are kids that are struggling, but who want to get ahead & it could lead to something bigger - if you don't try, you'll never know & it seems you have the time on your hands!!

Good luck

Jan

PS

Imagine not being able to give handouts because there would be nobody to feel guilty about?

Believe it or not, without any sarcasm or exaggeration - I'm really looking forward to being in that position

Edited by JanCpt
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Hey Brisbound, loved it .... chuckle chuckle - hope it was you that my wife was telling me re the bloody hijacking, else we had more than 1 in the area at the time

Hi Jan

My wifes name is Theresa. The way things are going I doubt I am the only one who have been hojacked in Pinelands recently :D

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Hey Brisbound

Spoke to the boss, it wasn't you - this happened 2 weeks ago, about 5/6 houses down (embarrassed to say that I don't know them personally)

She also said that there have been quite a few in the area recently!!

cheers

Jan

PS You do realise that, with the name changes for towns & other places, we now no longer stay in Pinelands .... it's Khayelitsha Mall!!!!

Edited by JanCpt
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No worry's Jan.

Just goes to show that even sleepy Pinelands is now a target for the hijacking community. Mine received absolutely no mention in the press, so I wonder how many others there have been that we just don't know about?

Which area of Pinelands are you? I am in Protea close just off ringwood.

Regards

Brisbound

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When that buddy of mine got robbed & reported it to the cops, they told him that his was the 6th in Pinelands that month (was about the 10th of the month)

When he asked them why they had not put out some kind of alert, he was told that Claremont was on about 60 /70 - nothing in the press

Nothing about "our" hijacking either!!!

kilemim - I guess we're the laymen or people that live below the poverty line, that you refer to in your post

Cheers

jan

Edited by JanCpt
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Kile,

I'm the sort of bloke who gets on with Life and tries to get around the problems confronting me.

I know we've all got different personalities, but if I were not employed on a permanent basis, I'd be sorting the problem out.

I think you feel that Australia is Sydney. . . . . not true. There are sooo many other great places out there just waiting for a bloke like yourself to fit the bill. You've just got to find it!

In my home State of Sth Australia, they're desperate for teachers especially with Maths / Science degrees.

I live in the Adelaide Hills part of South Australia, a particularly pretty part of the State, with its country towns dotted across the landscape, the major centres having High Schools that would suit your need. "Dax" has mentioned how to tackle the issue of cracking the teaching issue for getting permanency here.

As far as kids go, I have three of them, one being handicapped. If you think you know what running around for your kids is about, try having a handicapped kid sometime!

My youngest is also just "starting" University.

Last year she was at Newcastle University doing Occupational Therapy.

She was accepted to do Occupational Therapy back in Adelaide this year, because she was brilliant in her results.

She was ecstatic about that, but is now heading back to Newcastle in a couple of weeks to do another course there which she got into . . . Medicine. . . . she's not so happy anymore knowing that she won't be seeing all her old mates again like she first thought. I had to have a big talk with her one night this week sitting on the floor of her bedroom looking at all her options.

Mate! . . . . kids are tough and they survive. Don't let them be the reason you are going without all the time.

How do you know they won't shine with a change of place?

Don't put up with dissatisfaction . . . . . and don't keep making excuses for not tackling the problem.

That mentality wouldn't have made you leave South Africa for a better place . . . . and if Sydney isn't that "better place", try another place in Australia.

Be strong.

You can do it!

You've made it all this way from South Africa only to pull up a few inches from the goalpost.

Get in touch with "Dax".

Edited by Bob
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Kile, I feel sorry for you, but as many people on the forum has already done, we are trying to encourage you. Please take the positive out of the posts. Perhaps some people said some things you don't like, but isn't it possible that they are true and that's why you are offended by them? If that's not the reason, then forget about the things not applicable to you that upsets you.

SA, no, it's really that bad, not exaggerated. The estate agent was telling us about 2 doctors being robbed at gunpoint in their home just around the corner from us and it happened twice! A guy at my husband's work was shot in the arm. They were having a chat in their living room after a braai with friends. Sitting around with the security gate locked, but the door open due to the heat. A robber put his hand through the gate and just started shooting at random until the gun was empty. Only then did he speak, and obviously took what he wanted. Luckily only one person sustained a flesh wound. I think the examples are too many to name. We live in Bloemfontein with much less crime than Gauteng for example and this happens around me, in my very safe, very middle class suburb.

ALL the positions at my work gets filled by previously disadvantaged people.

My office is on the campus of the university of the Free State. It is a well known fact that there are more "coloured" students on campus than white students just as it is a fact that to be accepted to the medical school to become a doctor you have to have >90% in maths if you are white and 65% if you are of a darker colour. We have friends who lecture at the university. They are not allowed to fail black students.

2010: I love SA, but I doubt we can host the World Cup. Sorry, SA!

As said many times before, SA is not what it used to be 4 or 10 years ago. Well, it's not even the same as a year ago!

And then remember one thing: nothing will ever be perfect, because we as humans are not perfect and the moment we are involved in something you can be assured something will go wrong somewhere.

Good luck Kile and I salute you for putting up with your situation. I hope you get some ideas on this forum of how you can change your situation around for the better.

It is also possible that you are depressed. Get the necessary help by asking a doctor for antidepressants. They will do your wonders in lifting your mood and helping you to cope with life. It is not a shame to ask for them. I used them for a while a long time ago and they helped me to help myself.

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.

Hey girls and guys

I make no apology for either the tone or content of my earlier post. :D

The people that I have great empathy/(sympathy) with/(for) are those fellow South Africans who for, financial, personal or numerous other very good reasons cannot or are unable to emigrate. My heart goes out to those people and I will continue to assist those that seek help (if and when iI can) in their endeavours to move to Australia.

Especially Adelaide :)

I have no time for "whingers" who criticise their "hosts" and blame "others" for their personal circumstances. We all face our own personal challenges every day regardless of the country we live in. :blink:

Enjoy!

Manny

Edited by MannyT
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.

Hey girls and guys

I make no apology for either the tone or content of my earlier post. :D

The people that I have great empathy/(sympathy) with/(for) are those fellow South Africans who for, financial, personal or numerous other very good reasons cannot or are unable to emigrate. My heart goes out to those people and I will continue to assist those that seek help (if and when iI can) in their endeavours to move to Australia.

Especially Adelaide :)

I have no time for "whingers" who criticise their "hosts" and blame "others" for their personal circumstances. We all face our own personal challenges every day regardless of the country we live in. :blink:

Enjoy!

Manny

I also have no time for whingers however what can we do to support kile through this? maybe he could move to Adelaide like Bob suggested?

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.

Hey girls and guys

I make no apology for either the tone or content of my earlier post. ;)

The people that I have great empathy/(sympathy) with/(for) are those fellow South Africans who for, financial, personal or numerous other very good reasons cannot or are unable to emigrate. My heart goes out to those people and I will continue to assist those that seek help (if and when iI can) in their endeavours to move to Australia.

Especially Adelaide :blink:

I have no time for "whingers" who criticise their "hosts" and blame "others" for their personal circumstances. We all face our own personal challenges every day regardless of the country we live in. :D

Enjoy!

Manny

I agree 100% , give the visa to someone who really wants it!

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Wow, you guys are quite harsh

Guess I was wrong & some guys did have their knives out.

But get real, there's no way anybody could take a visa away from him, because of his opinion, and especially not be able to give it to someone else.

One of the things that has impressed me about aus was that they give each guy his space in life, be he a street cleaner or brain surgeon, whiner or worker, everybody has got his place in society & that's what makes a civilised society (my opinion)

Kilemim merely put his opinion on the table - he didn't attack or in any in any other way invade some else's personal space - the same as what we or anybody else has the right to

I don't apologise for the tone of my post, or the manner of presenting it, I but had no intention of kicking someone who was already down.

Kilemim - you're going to have identify the real problem, before you look for a solution & I reckon it's closer to home than you seem to think

Cheers

jan

Edited by JanCpt
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Kilemim merely put his opinion on the table - he didn't attack or in any in any other way invade some else's personal space - the same as what we or anybody else has the right to

Kilemim - you're going to have identify the real problem, before you look for a solution & I reckon it's closer to home than you seem to think

Cheers

jan

Yes i think that Kile has the freedom to post his OWN opinion just as we have the right to react to it how ever I do believe we need to support kile.. I am not "seeing" a sense of community .. please dont let this become another NT thread.. I did comment on what he said about schooling but only from my perspective of my DD and her being school over two states and her trying to be schooled here in the USA

Namaste Kile I really hope it works out for you` afterall you came so far with such expectations . just a word of encouragement to you to make it a little easier try not compare the South Sydney Kids to your SA kids and the education system that you were involved in . If DD and I compare her Aus schooling to the USA all the time we would go troppo

Take care

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Hey Kile

I’ve unfortunately got too much time on my hands, waiting for my visa, & decided to come to grips with your postings

You seem to be under the impression that we believe that it is all sunshine & roses in Aus & decided to try & balance the scale by presenting your situation, where things were not that dandy after landing.

You do, however, also seem to have accepted that your situation is not typical of Aus society, by your comments to the effect that:

1. “not to teach my subjects … rather to babysit a bunch of nitwits”

2. “i was considering that, sydney is not that a good place, maybe perth, Brisbane or Melbourne are better places”

3. “why not settle in my area with your kids and let them ride bikes in a 'melting pot', rather than your salad bowl. QLD is a different kettle of fish altogether than Sydney. The demographics, lifestyle and attitude of the people are different.”

4. If you were in my circumstance, with a child that

5. You are certainly not in my position to criticize

and despite that, still decided to post

Nowhere do you mention that you’ve taken any pro active steps / measures to rectify the situation or to improve your circumstances. Perhaps if you had mentioned anything that you’ve done in this regard, you might have had a more accepting audience

You also compare certain aspects of your life in SA, to those that you currently experience, specifically relating to the medical aid issues, without adjusting for the change in your circumstance – in SA you were employed in a well paid permanent post, while in Aus you are employed on a part time basis in what seems to be a menial position as far as you are concerned – rather ask yourself the question “what would your medical benefits have been like in SA, if you had the same circumstances of employment, as you are currently experiencing?”, or the question “what is the behaviour of the kids like, in SA schools located in the same RELATIVE social standing?” (at the moment you’re comparing what seems to be the lowest end on the social structure in Sydney, to the top schools in Cape Town – is that realistic?)

It, further, seems that your current financial position is causing you to make the comparison of the haves & have nots – people with money in Aus can buy the additional benefits, people without the excess funds, can’t buy the same … same as in SA, except that there are a helluva lot more have nots in SA than in Aus

Lastly, the reports of SA that have been posted don’t seem to equate to your memory of Cape Town – either circumstances have changed, or we are all lying, or your memory has faded …. You’ve got to decide!!

Looking to the future, it seems that you know where the problems lie, & also seem to know the answers, but you don’t seem to have made the effort to resolve them. They’re not going to fall in your lap, you’ll have to go looking – it’s been 4 years, don’t you think it’s about time??

& no amount of sympathy & assistance on this forum will help, unless YOU light that fire.

Hope you can read the positive in the message above, rather than merely the negative

Cheers

Jan

Edited by JanCpt
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Well, enough is enough. Some of you, or rather may of you, have just landed in this place, arriving here in 07, or thereabouts;

I think some of you are stuck in your own god damn LSD high, that you go far enough to criticize me, who is making a point; instead of a complaint or an attack.

Manny, if you have no time for whingers, I suggest that shutting up would be the best option. I try to promote a valid argument, and your criticism is totally unjustified- seems like you have the wool pulled over your eyes in your SA, where the capital seems to be Adelaide.

Edited by Kilemim
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No man, Kile, don't go there!! I do believe that most of the replies were very simpathetic and that many people just wanted to "help".

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Kile,

you're going to have to let some things in Life just wash over you without upset.

The main thing is that others have offered solutions.

Check them out!

If Sydney or Perth or Adelaide or Brisbane aren't delivering the lifestyle you thought you'd be getting, then Australia is big enough to look around and check out elsewhere.

Australia is a bl...y big country and each capital city has its own distinct "feel", pace of Life, job opportunites, style of housing, etc.

Don't just think that Sydney is it . . . . . there are other great places that offer lifestyles in this country.

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Kile

I, as one, do appreciate your honesty. I’ve even referred a couple of friends to this thread, so that they know there’s always the other side of the coin.

A friend of mine who has recently landed in New Zealand was very upset when she realised everyone has only concentrated on the bright side of things. What about being realistic?

Everyone has it different, and circumstances and even personalities play a huge part in how one will adapt to the Aussie lifestyle.

Sometimes we tend to forget how hard the initial settling-in period was, just like we tend to forget how bad things in South Africa is when we miss our family and friends.

I don’t want to offer more “solutions” because I don’t know your situation, but like others have mentioned – why don’t you give it one last shot in a different city? You might just be surprised.

All the best with your decisions.

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No man, Kile, don't go there!! I do believe that most of the replies were very simpathetic and that many people just wanted to "help".

Yup. i even asked if there were ways if we could support you and normally I would wouldnt give a rats and I know you were not referring to me but i will say we landed in the late 90s in aus and are aussies in the usa for a while dh is on secondment

take care.

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Kile you said

"Violence in many parts of SA is exaggerated, well most of the time it happens; when lats say 'high class' or wealthy people are affected, then it easily makes the headlines; when a layman or people below the poverty line are affected, no one seems to care;

Nevertheless, it is all a smear campaign to dethrone the biggest sporting competition on earth to be held for the first time in Africa. "

Up till then I took you seriously but now you sound like you have an agenda. The South African governments own crime statistics make SA the most violent country on earth.

As for the "smear campaign" you refer to please provide even one credible bit of proof or reporting thereof.

Michael

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My office is on the campus of the university of the Free State. It is a well known fact that there are more "coloured" students on campus than white students just as it is a fact that to be accepted to the medical school to become a doctor you have to have >90% in maths if you are white and 65% if you are of a darker colour. We have friends who lecture at the university. They are not allowed to fail black students.

This paragraph reminds me of an episode at a university somewhere in SA last year. There were medical students were performing the toy-toy, as they were not going to the next year of studies as they were black. But later it was found out that they had failed with results of 30% 32%, etc... I just wonder if our future doctors are toy-toying, or want to be promoted to the following year as it was their right, then sorry I do not know what is to happen with the future of this country. It not all only that set.

Then what about the students causing rampage at the Durban University this week, due to fees, disrupting all the other full-fee paying students who are there to study. Yes I understand university fees are high, but that's the cost of tertiary education. At least in Australia PR are subsided with studies!

I hope Kilemim finds happiness. In South Africa I was looking for a permanent position for a while, then decided that being a contractor was working out, and I had freedom. It took me a long time to get to that decision, but eventually I found happiness with it, as I had a job, and just had to look for a new one every year. Meet new people, work in various environments, etc.

As everyone is saying, perhaps move to another city! You may be surprised :lol:

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Come on Kile

You must remember how this goes from all the Gala's & Sportsdays you attended as a "teacher" (or even as a scholar)

Give us a "T"

"T"

Give us an "R"

"R"

Give us an "O"

"O" ...

P.S if you are really who & what you say you are then I apologise for my assumption but I should point out that your spelling & grammar are atrocious & if that is what you are teaching the "nitwits you babysit" then you are not doing them many favours !

Just my opinion you understand

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Guest mrs mupersan
Well, enough is enough. Some of you, or rather may of you, have just landed in this place, arriving here in 07, or thereabouts;

I think some of you are stuck in your own god damn LSD high, that you go far enough to criticize me, who is making a point; instead of a complaint or an attack.

Manny, if you have no time for whingers, I suggest that shutting up would be the best option. I try to promote a valid argument, and your criticism is totally unjustified- seems like you have the wool pulled over your eyes in your SA, where the capital seems to be Adelaide.

I've stayed away from this post because of its potential to turn into another NT post.

However, I really do now feel strongly enough to put pen to paper as it were.

Kile, yesterday you posted the above. On the 31st January, Jan wrote a brilliant, supportive and balanced post which had valuable solutions for your situation. There have been many more like it which you have completely ignored. Yet you latch on to the negative.

Now either you are a troll and I've been suckered...... Or you are a very depressed man. I have been there and I know that it is virtually impossible to see any positive in any situation. And it is certainly impossible to take supportive, sound advice from people who mean well. If I thought you'd take my advice, I'd tell you to make some time and sit in a queue at your doctor's for some mood stabilisers (not quite anti-depressants - rather something to stabilise your moods so that you can see the wood for the trees). I've been severely depressed in the past and didn't want anyone to spoil my pity party cos I was quite comfortable in my misery. That was until my husband and my mother banded together and took me to the doctor for help.

Your wife and kids must be going through hell. If you're not "hearing" our advice, then you're probably not hearing theirs either. If you don't go to the doctor of your own accord, then I can only hope that your wife logs on here and reads this thread so she can get an idea of your mental state. Hopefully she will be able to take charge like my hubby did.

Good luck Kile. No-one deserves to be in misery.

Cheers,

Mandy

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To the Johnsons

Please be aware you DO NOT get assistance with studies, after school that is, until you are a CITIZEN! Sorry but PR does not cut it! See this link.

http://www.saaustralia.org/index.php?showtopic=7310

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To the Johnsons

Please be aware you DO NOT get assistance with studies, after school

http://www.saaustralia.org/index.php?showtopic=7310

NO!!!!! ...... You can't be serious!!

How do they expect us to support and pay for our kids education, on our own, without unearned charity from others ...

Means that I'll have to lift a finger to earn a living AND to provide for my kids

Slowly but surely the beautiful picture, that I had of Aus, is being eroded & faded, into one where it's not paradise, but merely one where I'll be able to work, & my family will be able to live, in a safe enviroment, without the fear of being discriminated against, attacked, murded or worse ......

Back to rethinking some decisions ...

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