If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. |
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
I'm back, but not in spirit.
I just got home from Melbourne, we actually ended up staying another week.
I'm seriously considering a move, but I'm struggling with how much of an adjustment that would be for the boys, as well as myself. Although I was given many opportunities to stay, uprooting to the other side of the world is a huge step. I'll give it a few months, let them finish school and look at making an informed decision then, instead of flying by the seat of my pants... but part of me just wants to run and do it. Any thoughts/advice? Christine |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
On Sun, 24 Apr 2005 08:44:17 GMT, "CME"
wrote: I just got home from Melbourne, we actually ended up staying another week. I'm seriously considering a move, but I'm struggling with how much of an adjustment that would be for the boys, as well as myself. Although I was given many opportunities to stay, uprooting to the other side of the world is a huge step. I'll give it a few months, let them finish school and look at making an informed decision then, instead of flying by the seat of my pants... but part of me just wants to run and do it. Any thoughts/advice? When we went to live in Australia for a year, the girls were 12 & 14. They were initially not at all keen, because it was unfamiliar and they didn't know anything about Oz. Suffice it to say, ever since we went, they've wanted to go back. Both talk of living there some day. If you decide to do it, give them lots of information about what Oz is like. Talk about Little Athletics, if they're into sports. Talk about the beaches and the sun. Warn them about school uniforms (mine were vehemently opposed and now think that uniforms are the only way to go). Get them on the web, looking at pictures. Show them the websites for attractions in the area you want to go to. Also, consider that the Aussie dollar is smaller than ours. While you're there on Canadian money, you feel richer. If you moved there, you'd be earning their dollars, and it can be hard to get back to Canada if you don't think that one through. Be aware of the Australian-Canadian Association. I'm too lazy to look for links right now 'cause I'm off to church, but if you surf it you'll find it. Those guys are friendly and can help you settle in. And be grateful it's olympic year here instead of there. I was there for theirs, and now I'm here for ours. [sigh] Good luck, and keep us posted! Cele |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
"CME" wrote in message news:B%Iae.1580$tg1.422@edtnps84... I just got home from Melbourne, we actually ended up staying another week. I'm seriously considering a move, but I'm struggling with how much of an adjustment that would be for the boys, as well as myself. Although I was given many opportunities to stay, uprooting to the other side of the world is a huge step. I'll give it a few months, let them finish school and look at making an informed decision then, instead of flying by the seat of my pants... but part of me just wants to run and do it. Any thoughts/advice? Yeah.....if you do go, you have to get a place with a spare bedroom for us visitors :-) Christine |
#4
|
|||
|
|||
On Sun, 24 Apr 2005 08:44:17 GMT, "CME"
wrote: Any thoughts/advice? Christine, none of us can offer any certainty about how you and your family will react to such a move. By any measure, it's awesome. Paul Griffiths can tell you how it is for him, to be moving continents, and I can tell you a little of my experience. In the end tho, you have to accept that you will never do anything else more daunting, or more exciting. Moving from the UK to the United States is proving rewarding and frustrating in equal measure. I have found that all the solutions to problems we found in the UK, are just different enough here to be confusing. All the more because you would think that nearly sharing a language should make it easy. It's kinda like permenant *brain fog*. The bonus is that travel really does broaden the mind. You will find that accepting the fact that the answers to problems can be different, in different countries, helps you to realise that your own ideas aren't necessarily the ONLY ideas, and may not even be the best ideas. It's liberating. Australia is almost an English speaking country, and I imagine you will have some of these feelings yourself. For my part, I treasure them. The whole thing is a voyage of discovery that leaves me feeling *more* than I was before ... and priviledged too. The biggest single issue for me is the people I have left behind. Parents, siblings, friends and my children (it's a long story, best told another time) So having decided to put 5000 miles between us, the single most important issue was how to shorten the distance. In our case, it's a reasonable plane ride (10 hours incl. one change) and is affordable, so the kids can visit regularly. The journey to Aus. is a much longer and pricier one. We have set up a phone link so the boys (and anyone else) can call for the cost of a local call in the UK, and I can call them free. Email accounts help too .... but we are doing other things as well. I started an on-line journal which both kids, and the rest of the family enjoy reading and commenting on. Old fashoined letters and regular small parcels help .... I gave Tom an mp3 player, and he sends me the SD card to change the music for him .... we also set up a *Geocaching* Travel Bug (ask) to get from them to me. It all helps. In your case, do it your own way, but keep the communication open. To give the move a fair chance to work, I found I had to commit to it 100%, that is .... no going back. This doesn't mean I couldn't go back, simply that I abandoned any idea of doing so. None of that implies one needs to give up family and friends, nor to lose contact with them ..... but enjoy your new friends too. Don't allow *homesickness* any houseroom .... you ARE home In the end, as well as asking whether or not you should do this, ask yourself too how you will feel if you don't do it. If your answer is that you are, and should remain, happy in Canada, then stay and have no regrets. If not ...... hang on and enjoy the ride. hth steveb |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
"Cele" wrote in message ... On Sun, 24 Apr 2005 08:44:17 GMT, "CME" wrote: I just got home from Melbourne, we actually ended up staying another week. I'm seriously considering a move, but I'm struggling with how much of an adjustment that would be for the boys, as well as myself. Although I was given many opportunities to stay, uprooting to the other side of the world is a huge step. I'll give it a few months, let them finish school and look at making an informed decision then, instead of flying by the seat of my pants... but part of me just wants to run and do it. Any thoughts/advice? When we went to live in Australia for a year, the girls were 12 & 14. They were initially not at all keen, because it was unfamiliar and they didn't know anything about Oz. Suffice it to say, ever since we went, they've wanted to go back. Both talk of living there some day. If you decide to do it, give them lots of information about what Oz is like. Talk about Little Athletics, if they're into sports. Talk about the beaches and the sun. Warn them about school uniforms (mine were vehemently opposed and now think that uniforms are the only way to go). Get them on the web, looking at pictures. Show them the websites for attractions in the area you want to go to. Also, consider that the Aussie dollar is smaller than ours. While you're there on Canadian money, you feel richer. If you moved there, you'd be earning their dollars, and it can be hard to get back to Canada if you don't think that one through. Be aware of the Australian-Canadian Association. I'm too lazy to look for links right now 'cause I'm off to church, but if you surf it you'll find it. Those guys are friendly and can help you settle in. And be grateful it's olympic year here instead of there. I was there for theirs, and now I'm here for ours. [sigh] Good luck, and keep us posted! Cele Well I took them with me for the 3 weeks I was there and although they liked it, the things that are important to 9 year old boys, Oz lacked. The insignificant things like the cheese tastes different, granola bars, chicken noodle soup... you name it, it's different. I find Canada alot easier to live in, with conveniences like Superstores etc but I adjusted just fine, for a vacation... permanently... oi that's another matter I think. And dollar for dollar, it's roughly the same because I found items to be just as expensive if not more because instead of tipping and tax, they worked it in the final price. But what an exciting place to live, the weather, the nightlife, the traffic, the 4 million people, I had so much fun I'm just itching to go back. lol Christine |
#6
|
|||
|
|||
"P. Fritz" wrote in message ... "CME" wrote in message news:B%Iae.1580$tg1.422@edtnps84... I just got home from Melbourne, we actually ended up staying another week. I'm seriously considering a move, but I'm struggling with how much of an adjustment that would be for the boys, as well as myself. Although I was given many opportunities to stay, uprooting to the other side of the world is a huge step. I'll give it a few months, let them finish school and look at making an informed decision then, instead of flying by the seat of my pants... but part of me just wants to run and do it. Any thoughts/advice? Yeah.....if you do go, you have to get a place with a spare bedroom for us visitors :-) Christine Most definitely. I ended up staying with a friend for a couple weeks and it was so neat to see how they really live down under. I don't know if my gf's family was any real indication but they're so laid back and uncaring about the small stuff. Whereas I grew up in a household of organization, and to do lists. lol But yes if I do move, I'm a great host. Christine |
#7
|
|||
|
|||
"steveb" wrote in message ... On Sun, 24 Apr 2005 08:44:17 GMT, "CME" wrote: Any thoughts/advice? Christine, none of us can offer any certainty about how you and your family will react to such a move. By any measure, it's awesome. Paul Griffiths can tell you how it is for him, to be moving continents, and I can tell you a little of my experience. In the end tho, you have to accept that you will never do anything else more daunting, or more exciting. Moving from the UK to the United States is proving rewarding and frustrating in equal measure. I have found that all the solutions to problems we found in the UK, are just different enough here to be confusing. All the more because you would think that nearly sharing a language should make it easy. It's kinda like permenant *brain fog*. The bonus is that travel really does broaden the mind. You will find that accepting the fact that the answers to problems can be different, in different countries, helps you to realise that your own ideas aren't necessarily the ONLY ideas, and may not even be the best ideas. It's liberating. Australia is almost an English speaking country, and I imagine you will have some of these feelings yourself. For my part, I treasure them. The whole thing is a voyage of discovery that leaves me feeling *more* than I was before ... and priviledged too. The biggest single issue for me is the people I have left behind. Parents, siblings, friends and my children (it's a long story, best told another time) So having decided to put 5000 miles between us, the single most important issue was how to shorten the distance. In our case, it's a reasonable plane ride (10 hours incl. one change) and is affordable, so the kids can visit regularly. The journey to Aus. is a much longer and pricier one. We have set up a phone link so the boys (and anyone else) can call for the cost of a local call in the UK, and I can call them free. Email accounts help too .... but we are doing other things as well. I started an on-line journal which both kids, and the rest of the family enjoy reading and commenting on. Old fashoined letters and regular small parcels help .... I gave Tom an mp3 player, and he sends me the SD card to change the music for him .... we also set up a *Geocaching* Travel Bug (ask) to get from them to me. It all helps. In your case, do it your own way, but keep the communication open. To give the move a fair chance to work, I found I had to commit to it 100%, that is .... no going back. This doesn't mean I couldn't go back, simply that I abandoned any idea of doing so. None of that implies one needs to give up family and friends, nor to lose contact with them ..... but enjoy your new friends too. Don't allow *homesickness* any houseroom .... you ARE home In the end, as well as asking whether or not you should do this, ask yourself too how you will feel if you don't do it. If your answer is that you are, and should remain, happy in Canada, then stay and have no regrets. If not ...... hang on and enjoy the ride. hth steveb Fabulous post, thanks so much. You're dead on about those cultural differences even though it's an English speaking country. It took a full week and a bit of tears on my part because I felt like a fish out of water but after I got my bearings and stuck to it like a good little Canadian, I fell in love with the place and my thoughts are consumed with going back. However I need to think about my kids. I'd be ripping them away from family and friends and a whole way of life so I want to do what's right not only for myself but for them. Anyways, I have a couple months to make a decision but it's going to be huge if I do decide to move. I'd have to sell most of my belongings, which to some isn't such a big deal but to a single Mom, it's a big part of me. Oi. Christine |
#8
|
|||
|
|||
"CME" wrote in message news:IUhbe.557$0X6.473@edtnps90... "steveb" wrote in message ... On Sun, 24 Apr 2005 08:44:17 GMT, "CME" wrote: Any thoughts/advice? Christine, none of us can offer any certainty about how you and your family will react to such a move. By any measure, it's awesome. Paul Griffiths can tell you how it is for him, to be moving continents, and I can tell you a little of my experience. In the end tho, you have to accept that you will never do anything else more daunting, or more exciting. Moving from the UK to the United States is proving rewarding and frustrating in equal measure. I have found that all the solutions to problems we found in the UK, are just different enough here to be confusing. All the more because you would think that nearly sharing a language should make it easy. It's kinda like permenant *brain fog*. The bonus is that travel really does broaden the mind. You will find that accepting the fact that the answers to problems can be different, in different countries, helps you to realise that your own ideas aren't necessarily the ONLY ideas, and may not even be the best ideas. It's liberating. Australia is almost an English speaking country, and I imagine you will have some of these feelings yourself. For my part, I treasure them. The whole thing is a voyage of discovery that leaves me feeling *more* than I was before ... and priviledged too. The biggest single issue for me is the people I have left behind. Parents, siblings, friends and my children (it's a long story, best told another time) So having decided to put 5000 miles between us, the single most important issue was how to shorten the distance. In our case, it's a reasonable plane ride (10 hours incl. one change) and is affordable, so the kids can visit regularly. The journey to Aus. is a much longer and pricier one. We have set up a phone link so the boys (and anyone else) can call for the cost of a local call in the UK, and I can call them free. Email accounts help too .... but we are doing other things as well. I started an on-line journal which both kids, and the rest of the family enjoy reading and commenting on. Old fashoined letters and regular small parcels help .... I gave Tom an mp3 player, and he sends me the SD card to change the music for him .... we also set up a *Geocaching* Travel Bug (ask) to get from them to me. It all helps. In your case, do it your own way, but keep the communication open. To give the move a fair chance to work, I found I had to commit to it 100%, that is .... no going back. This doesn't mean I couldn't go back, simply that I abandoned any idea of doing so. None of that implies one needs to give up family and friends, nor to lose contact with them ..... but enjoy your new friends too. Don't allow *homesickness* any houseroom .... you ARE home In the end, as well as asking whether or not you should do this, ask yourself too how you will feel if you don't do it. If your answer is that you are, and should remain, happy in Canada, then stay and have no regrets. If not ...... hang on and enjoy the ride. hth steveb Fabulous post, thanks so much. You're dead on about those cultural differences even though it's an English speaking country. It took a full week and a bit of tears on my part because I felt like a fish out of water but after I got my bearings and stuck to it like a good little Canadian, I fell in love with the place and my thoughts are consumed with going back. However I need to think about my kids. I'd be ripping them away from family and friends and a whole way of life so I want to do what's right not only for myself but for them. Anyways, I have a couple months to make a decision but it's going to be huge if I do decide to move. I'd have to sell most of my belongings, which to some isn't such a big deal but to a single Mom, it's a big part of me. Oi. Christine Moving with your kids to try to provide a better life for them is far different from abandoning them and moving an ocean away. |
#9
|
|||
|
|||
On Tue, 26 Apr 2005 10:11:37 -0400, "P.Fritz"
wrote: Moving with your kids to try to provide a better life for them is far different from abandoning them and moving an ocean away. I don't recall anywhere in Christine's post her mentioning she was abandoning her kids. steveb -- off to re-read |
#10
|
|||
|
|||
"P.Fritz" wrote in message ... "CME" wrote in message news:IUhbe.557$0X6.473@edtnps90... "steveb" wrote in message ... On Sun, 24 Apr 2005 08:44:17 GMT, "CME" wrote: Any thoughts/advice? Christine, none of us can offer any certainty about how you and your family will react to such a move. By any measure, it's awesome. Paul Griffiths can tell you how it is for him, to be moving continents, and I can tell you a little of my experience. In the end tho, you have to accept that you will never do anything else more daunting, or more exciting. Moving from the UK to the United States is proving rewarding and frustrating in equal measure. I have found that all the solutions to problems we found in the UK, are just different enough here to be confusing. All the more because you would think that nearly sharing a language should make it easy. It's kinda like permenant *brain fog*. The bonus is that travel really does broaden the mind. You will find that accepting the fact that the answers to problems can be different, in different countries, helps you to realise that your own ideas aren't necessarily the ONLY ideas, and may not even be the best ideas. It's liberating. Australia is almost an English speaking country, and I imagine you will have some of these feelings yourself. For my part, I treasure them. The whole thing is a voyage of discovery that leaves me feeling *more* than I was before ... and priviledged too. The biggest single issue for me is the people I have left behind. Parents, siblings, friends and my children (it's a long story, best told another time) So having decided to put 5000 miles between us, the single most important issue was how to shorten the distance. In our case, it's a reasonable plane ride (10 hours incl. one change) and is affordable, so the kids can visit regularly. The journey to Aus. is a much longer and pricier one. We have set up a phone link so the boys (and anyone else) can call for the cost of a local call in the UK, and I can call them free. Email accounts help too .... but we are doing other things as well. I started an on-line journal which both kids, and the rest of the family enjoy reading and commenting on. Old fashoined letters and regular small parcels help .... I gave Tom an mp3 player, and he sends me the SD card to change the music for him .... we also set up a *Geocaching* Travel Bug (ask) to get from them to me. It all helps. In your case, do it your own way, but keep the communication open. To give the move a fair chance to work, I found I had to commit to it 100%, that is .... no going back. This doesn't mean I couldn't go back, simply that I abandoned any idea of doing so. None of that implies one needs to give up family and friends, nor to lose contact with them ..... but enjoy your new friends too. Don't allow *homesickness* any houseroom .... you ARE home In the end, as well as asking whether or not you should do this, ask yourself too how you will feel if you don't do it. If your answer is that you are, and should remain, happy in Canada, then stay and have no regrets. If not ...... hang on and enjoy the ride. hth steveb Fabulous post, thanks so much. You're dead on about those cultural differences even though it's an English speaking country. It took a full week and a bit of tears on my part because I felt like a fish out of water but after I got my bearings and stuck to it like a good little Canadian, I fell in love with the place and my thoughts are consumed with going back. However I need to think about my kids. I'd be ripping them away from family and friends and a whole way of life so I want to do what's right not only for myself but for them. Anyways, I have a couple months to make a decision but it's going to be huge if I do decide to move. I'd have to sell most of my belongings, which to some isn't such a big deal but to a single Mom, it's a big part of me. Oi. Christine Moving with your kids to try to provide a better life for them is far different from abandoning them and moving an ocean away. Ooo I missed reading that part. Eek. Christine |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
misc.kids FAQ on Breastfeeding Past the First Year | [email protected] | Info and FAQ's | 0 | September 29th 04 05:17 AM |
debunking the hysterical lies and downright deceit of the anti-circumcision cult. | decurian | Pregnancy | 0 | September 1st 04 04:42 AM |
misc.kids FAQ on Breastfeeding Past the First Year | [email protected] | Info and FAQ's | 0 | August 29th 04 05:28 AM |
Slouching relieves back pain? | Todd Gastaldo | Pregnancy | 0 | August 6th 04 02:55 PM |
misc.kids FAQ on Breastfeeding Past the First Year | [email protected] | Info and FAQ's | 0 | December 15th 03 09:42 AM |