We arrived in Oz one year ago today!

[Niki]

We landed at night on the 22nd August, were kindly met by friends, who had helped us buy our first car here, they found it for us basically! We sorted out payment, so it was all ready for when we arrived. We drove to Burleigh Heads needing 2 cars for all of our luggage! We were booked into a lovely apartment for a month, which Shiels (off BE) found for us.
In the first week we did all the normal stuff, applied for Driving Licenses, Medicare, TFN numbers etc. I do recall how our
youngest moaned about how hot he was and couldn’t cope, dragging his feet around everywhere! (He now wears fleeces as he’s freezing – at the same time of year!)

We then set about the mammoth task of where to live. I'll warn you folk who have yet to make the move,the kids get so sick and tired of driving around and around! So make sure you're armed with gameboys with new games
We decided to settle in the northern end of the Gold Coast.
We managed to secure a rental by the second week, through friends who we'd met in the UK. At the time rentals were few and far between, it was a case of word of mouth and pipping anyone else to the post, in other words getting your cash to the rental company first! the situation has eased now, and seems you can now pick and choose.

OH saw a job advertised in the paper, so off we went to the shopping mall to email, explaining we didn’t have any internet access etc. The company rang him and off he went for the interview and got the job
We bought me a fab little car, which I love.

In week 3 we also bought some land - fools maybe for rushing? not sure yet, but everyone kept telling us how quickly land prices were rising, so we should "get in quickly!" We bought a house and land package, which means we would only pay stamp duty on the land cost. The builder would also landscape the garden and fence it. The area we bought in was where the kids had got a vibe that they liked it, so I think in a way you go along with things to please them, rightly or wrongly, especially teens who didn't want to be there anyway!

Kids both started school in the area where we'd bought land, and where the rental was. This too is sometimes awkward as schools are 'zoned' and are very strict about you not living in the zoned area. Luckily the rental squeezed in by being on the border!

We then moved into the rental which was a new build and we started to relax, bit of a pain though as it wasn't really finished, so we had builder's working around us No not hunky ones either We didn't get fly screens fitted for 3 weeks, which was a nightmare keeping insects out, oh and the aircon units hadn't been fitted either Closed windows, no aircon, and us wimpy pommies struggling in the Aussie heat Kids whinged about being too hot! As soon as the fly screens were fitted it was gorgeous to have all the windows open, as the weather was so gorgeous


I dossed around for around 4 months not knowing what to do job wise. I have been a hairdresser all my working life, but had torn the ligaments in my thumb and wrist in the UK and thought it best to try a new career - new life new job and all that.

I needed to think of a job I could do around my youngest's holidays etc School jobs were obviously ideal, this is when you realise you have NO family to fall back on for kid-sitting! I heard though a friend about a company that did a Teacher Aide course locally, not bad fees, so decided to go for it, and started end of January. By this time the lovely Kath (Kafe, Kith, Supermodermotherbab) and her family had moved over too. I’d met Kath off BE, and we used to meet regularly for coffee in the UK, with a few others off BE too.

In January my youngest started a new school which was brand new (brand new eh Kath? ) It was a small school with modern technology, I liked the sound of it as the one he was at had over a 1000 students. The school was officially opened today, with Anna Bligh leading the ceremony and cutting the cake.


So, update to today – I graduated my course, even though at times I didn't think I could hack the assignments, the school I did my voluntary hours at offered me a job, where I am extremely happy, love the kids, love (all but one, s’pose there has to be one everywhere!) my work colleagues

My OH is still happy in his job, kids are loving their new life. Youngest swims twice a week – amazingly well, I’m so proud of how he’s come on. Eldest has just got a part time job, so he’s happy to be earning at last. He’s still at school, as we ‘pushed’ him into returning to do the final 2 years here. We thought it would help him make friends, and we thought it important to gain Aussie qualifications too. Anyone who has teenager's and they don't want to come, take heart, neither did ours! He told us he didn't want to move, but as he was only 16 understood he had no choice in the matter. He did tell us though that when he was 18 he would move back, we told him we couldn't stop him, but he would have to be able to pay for himself, inside I was thinking OMG
Now, all he says is in a couple of years he would like to visit for a holiday to see his old mates, but prefers it here! Phew!

Our house is almost complete; we get the keys on 2nd September.


So all in all life is good, no life is wonderful, my family are content, as am I, I have a lovely best mate around the corner (Kath) I don’t need anything else – my life is complete.

[Kath]

Aww that's a brilliant update Niki thank you hinky one

brand new will always make me giggle that phrase will

Woohoooo we live here

[Tommy]

It's good to read how things are working out well for you

[Fly Away]

Thanks for part 2 Niki. So pleased to hear that it is all working out for you. It must be a huge relief that your teenager has decided to stay.

I wanted to tell everyone that you passed so much of the kindness and help you recieved from other expats on to Kath - I remember reading her posts about how you helped her when they first arrived.

[Kath]

Originally Posted by Fly Away

Thanks for part 2 Niki. So pleased to hear that it is all working out for you. It must be a huge relief that your teenager has decided to stay.

I wanted to tell everyone that you passed so much of the kindness and help you recieved from other expats on to Kath - I remember reading her posts about how you helped her when they first arrived.

she's an absolute star, made us feel right at home, helped us out immensely

[Northernbird]

Well done, this emigration lark isn't easy. Congratulations for doing so well