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January 14th, 2005
 | 02:29 am - Seeing things from the other side ...
One of the many Discovery channels shows a lot of programs to do with property - buying, developing, renovating, finding, selling, etc. One sub-series of these all have names starting with "A Place" - I suspect it started with "A Place In The Sun", but there's also "A Place in France", "A Place In Greece", and so on (Googling suggests that they originate from Channel 4, but we usually see them on one of the many Discoverys). Lately, there's been "A Place Down Under", which is less about the property market, and more about the experiences of families who've made the Big Move from the UK to Australia. It is interesting to watch, mostly because we've done the move in the other direction.
I think some of these families didn't think through their plan as well as they should have, and some of them didn't have particularly good reasons for making the move. For example, one family did it "to bring their family closer together". If they have communication problems in the UK, what makes them think they'll magically go away being in Australia ? A few of the families seemed to take along a lot more baggage than just physical belongings, so it doesn't surprise me seeing them struggle to adapt.
Some families, though, seemed to cope with the change very well - probably no coincidence that they had more idea what Australia was like (e.g. they'd visited before), and no delusions about the magical effects of Australian sunshine, as some people seemed to have. Also, it seemed like they were more easy-going to begin with, and more likely to fit in.
For us, I think we had a clear idea of why we wanted to move to the UK from Oz, and a pretty good idea of what life would be like here. Of course, there are many little differences, some even grumble-worthy, but life here is mostly good, and after just over six months here, I'm certainly glad we came.
Many people on my friendlist have made similar moves - some have returned to Australia eventually, and some seem permanently settled. What are your thoughts on moving such distances ?
Current Mood:  thoughtful
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Well, it's not doubt about the fact that the act of moving to the other side of our planet is, in general, a big pain in the rear. Just getting everything organized is not the most pleasant experience. And no matter how prepared you are, there'll always be a bit of a cultureshock happening before you manage to settle in.
Having said that, moving down to Oz is easily one of the best decisions I've made. Pretty much everything in my life has improved as a direct or indirect consequence of that move, and I'm extremely happy that I did so.
In my case, I don't think anything short on a move like this could have gotten me out of the rut I was stuck in. On my brief visits back, I'm clearly noticed and felt how easy it would be to fall back into that same ol' routine, and I've been feeling very happy once I back in Oz, leaving Tullamarine Airport heading for what I now consider to be home.
So, yay for moving :) |
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