Mad Cow Posted May 10, 2011 Report Share Posted May 10, 2011 I know this has been done to death but am genuinely interested if anyone on here has done it or have friends that have? We have friends returning to Perth next month who moved back to the uk a year ago, after 3 and a half years here! Top and bottom is he was homesick and they went back. He had to do it, though costly, to satisfy his hunger of living back in the uk! I understand he would never have settled here had he not gone back! It was upsetting at the time but it happened! On the plus side they are coming to leave with us initially on their return so looking forward to that!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest4182 Posted May 10, 2011 Report Share Posted May 10, 2011 I know this has been done to death but am genuinely interested if anyone on here has done it or have friends that have? We have friends returning to Perth next month who moved back to the uk a year ago, after 3 and a half years here! Top and bottom is he was homesick and they went back. He had to do it, though costly, to satisfy his hunger of living back in the uk! I understand he would never have settled here had he not gone back! It was upsetting at the time but it happened! On the plus side they are coming to leave with us initially on their return so looking forward to that!! Hi MC...my mum and dad have been pingpommers for over 22 years now...they have spent a fortune trying to establish where they want to live, the upshot was that they missed family in the UK although they had a daughter here, now they have two daughters here. I think my mum just used to remember things through 'rose tinted glasses' when we were all kids at home and life was alot simpler in the UK then...I guess it boils down to having some inner peace with yourself really....I think she has that now that she has two daughters here, but still two sons in the UK...Mum and Dad are too old to be tooing and froing now....but it has cost them dearly in terms of cash!!...I think she realises they have a better social life here even for seniors there is so much more to do...and a great bunch of friends!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
awildsmith Posted May 10, 2011 Report Share Posted May 10, 2011 Yes, thats us! We lived here for almost nine years and had 2 beautiful children here. We bought a house and had a full and lovely life here but there was still always those feelings of needing to be connected to family back in the UK and the "what if's"! It was mostly me wanting to go back as we are split with Steve's family living in Perth. So we did. For four years we lived in a lovely village in Essex and although for me it felt like home, it wasn't home for Steve. As well as that a career working for the NHS was a nightmare for Steve and our village school although apearing idillic was in fact an awful experience for one of our children. For us we learnt that the grass always seems greener on the other side and that we are never going to have everything all in one place. We needed to make peace with ourselves too and also to be quite pragmatic about where would offer the 4 of us the best opportunities. Needless to say we have been back in Perth for 6 months now, many tears and much money spent later! We have accepted that sometimes we may have feelings of sadness about the things that we miss and that is to be expected but we have made the commitment fully this time and you can only think forwards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest4182 Posted May 10, 2011 Report Share Posted May 10, 2011 Yes, thats us! We lived here for almost nine years and had 2 beautiful children here. We bought a house and had a full and lovely life here but there was still always those feelings of needing to be connected to family back in the UK and the "what if's"! It was mostly me wanting to go back as we are split with Steve's family living in Perth. So we did. For four years we lived in a lovely village in Essex and although for me it felt like home, it wasn't home for Steve. As well as that a career working for the NHS was a nightmare for Steve and our village school although apearing idillic was in fact an awful experience for one of our children. For us we learnt that the grass always seems greener on the other side and that we are never going to have everything all in one place. We needed to make peace with ourselves too and also to be quite pragmatic about where would offer the 4 of us the best opportunities. Needless to say we have been back in Perth for 6 months now, many tears and much money spent later! We have accepted that sometimes we may have feelings of sadness about the things that we miss and that is to be expected but we have made the commitment fully this time and you can only think forwards. Thanks for sharing your heartfelt and informative experience AWildsmith...I'm sure it will help alot of people come to terms with feelings that they may have! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad Cow Posted May 10, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 10, 2011 It cant be an easy decision to make whether here or in the uk but some have to go back costly or not and thats admirable! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Liz B Posted May 10, 2011 Report Share Posted May 10, 2011 Yep we have done after spending just a few months in Perth back in 2004, went back to the Uk. Felt like Aliens arriving in Perth back then and husband was struggling. We then spent just over 2 1/2 years back in the UK living near my sister in Ashford Kent and he kept saying that he felt to blame for coming back and couldn't settle there. We came back in August 2007 and this time round it has hit me bloody hard. We came first time and second time round with just enough to get a car and rental set up, we now have a mortgage as we bought 2 years ago. Daughter is always mentioning my sister and cousins which pulls at the heart strings, she is an English rose through and through. I am now trying my best to keep positive and live for the moment instead of worrying too much. Good luck for anyone Ping ponging! Liz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackboots Posted May 10, 2011 Report Share Posted May 10, 2011 good wishes to all that go through this , its not an easy process at the best of times, we have been here a couple of years and i( thats moi) have had the wobbles quite a bit ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
awildsmith Posted May 10, 2011 Report Share Posted May 10, 2011 I understand all that you are saying. We are stuggling financially now due to our massive moves and have bought in an area that we wouln't necessarily have chosen. But the kids are doing great in their new school which is fab. My daughter, who will be 13 this year is alrady collecting her money in a tin entitled her traveling money. Already she is planning to go travelling back to England and through Europe with her best friend who is of course English. So yes, you have to feel for the kids But I think in the end you have made the decision for a better life for them in the long run. Who knows wether they will thank us in the end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest4182 Posted May 10, 2011 Report Share Posted May 10, 2011 good wishes to all that go through this , its not an easy process at the best of times, we have been here a couple of years and i( thats moi) have had the wobbles quite a bit ... Sad to hear you have had the wobbles JB....I have them too, but thats just me jiggly bits wobbling... ......No but seriously, I felt elated when we got here and never thought I would feel homesick (well people sick really) but it hits you like a tonne of bricks.....out of the blue, and I think even the diehard Aussie fans must at some point, be it in 2 years, 3 years or even 10 years, get a feeling of homesickness (sickness for family, friends, food, familiarity)....its part of the process!!! Chins up!!! Stay Positive!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Singos Posted May 10, 2011 Report Share Posted May 10, 2011 Brave ping pongers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackboots Posted May 10, 2011 Report Share Posted May 10, 2011 Thanks ER .. im better now , we have moved 4 times in two years not a good thing for getting settled , but a good thing for experiencing different subburbs .. we have been lucky that we have live in 3 really lovely ones and would not hesitate to move into any of them again .. but we bought our first house here 2 months ago ..AND IM NOT MOVING AGAIN:arghh: lol so hopefully putting down some roots . I do believe you can have hassles over here and its very easy to say BAH its Australia's fault.. ( its not ..).. I love Australia , but if im a wee bit stressed it can make you feel ooooh what did we do ? for the most part i think we were very lucky to have this chance here .. but its not for everybody .. as the saying goes * my lifes not your life * ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deanhewitt Posted May 10, 2011 Report Share Posted May 10, 2011 Hi Jackboots That is good advice. I am concerned that after 12 years of building my career in the UK and getting well established in my line of business that I will have to start all over again with the same dedication and enthusiasm as I did 12 years ago. As most people will be aware when you build your own personal brand in one place life and work seems a lot easier or just falls in to place. When you move to a new country you are just a statistic. Regards, Dean & Margaret Ann Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pingpongpom2 Posted May 10, 2011 Report Share Posted May 10, 2011 Good thread:notworthy:.. it's something many experience, and helpful i think for those to hear about, who are embarking on this move themselves..for some people it is hard to settle and homesickness kicks in, which is hard to deal with in itself, without all the things that go with moving to a new country..it takes you completely out of your comfort zone..for my hubby who had lived in one place for 35 years it was huge!..i have always admired him for even doing it, as i do everyone and thankful because i returned to Perth, which had been my home and i had missed for many years..the last 12 years have been trying to get a UK/Aus balance..my hubby after many experiences has changed in his perspective..he has said he use to sit on the beach fishing and that was his world, but now he's crossed the water and lived away, he's knows there's so much more to experience..when he arrived in Perth i remember the isolation he felt, as he had no family or friends of his own and didn't know where anything was..on the flip side, he now has many friends through work and socialising, and to be fair probably knows Perth better than me:err:..he misses Aus now and so we hope to be back soon..i would not judge anyone for the decisions they make in this move, as it is a big deal!..my respect goes to all who give it a go..i love Australia with a passion..it has brought heartache and tears at times, but so much other good stuff too (especially our own lil' Aus boy:wubclub:)..wishing everyone good luck and happiness.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
awildsmith Posted May 11, 2011 Report Share Posted May 11, 2011 I can totally identify with what you were saying about starting again and I think that is something that is really hard to quite prepare yourself for. In the past in the UK, as far as work, I was so lucky, I had my own very small business and the work just seemed to come my way. Now in Perth and I am struggling to find any work at all and to break into something different. For the past 4 months I have been sending off my CV left, right and centre. I believe totaly that the right thing will come along and in the mean time I am available to the kids when they are not at school which has been great for supporting them with the major adjustment to Perth. Its like you have to carve out a whole new niche/life for yourself and that takes alot of bravery, patience and resiliance. Good luck guys. Stick together as a family, support each other and enjoy Perth for what it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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