Just the same as the UK or wherever

[Shindig]

So people have this perception that living in another country is super duper and loads better than the UK.
Well I am sat here, 8:21 PM in a hotel room, New Plymouth. We have a ohh let me say it, bank holiday weekend so making the most.
BUT, is it any different to being in the UK.

I have a beach, a top view of the west coast and 27deg. BUT, reality hits. 2 1/2 yr old routine kicks in and he is in bed by 7:30pm. Resides me to the hotel room (single room) with the curtains drawn reading hairy mclairy from donalsons dairy.

Point being, living abroad sure gives you a better insight into new cultures, countries and ways of living. I still have to deal with the same old same old day in day out. Dilemma I have spending 6K English pounds to come back to the UK for 4 weeks... brothers wedding. Its a lot of cash to spend on "seeing people" . 1.5K English Pounds would get us to Samoa for 2 weeks.

Point being, the emotion side of being away and quantifying that to a financial cost, hard decision.

I love living in NZ, I have some good work opp and the lifestyle is alright... but it is far far far away from anywhere else.

If you are thinking about moving over seas, think about the little things that you think you can overcome. You will find they hit the hardest.

 

[Him Her]

So true. We often see the upside and miss the down - grass is greener on the other side kind of thing.

I had a great job, all over Europe fixing things, staying in hotels...

...started off locally, extended to UK-wide, mainly IT systems at first then they chucked other stuff in. While you're there check the accounts, review HR, find out this, project manage that. I ended up away most of the time but people only saw the salary, the hotel and the free dinners and beer.

I jacked a few years ago and I'm a lot poorer but I'm home every day, I just fix kitchens and bathrooms and stuff now. It took a while to adjust - maybe still haven't - but I'm richer in that I see a lot more of family and friends.

Well said Shindig - there's more to it than most people think...

 

[Exos]

I like in the UK and wouldn't leave, have a beach; kind of, views of the water; although that there Mersey is a little murky, and 27 degrees too......for one day in June.

My friends son has lived in Oz all his life, he emigrated out there with his mother when he was very young. Two years ago he came back to live in the UK to be with his father, half sisters and brothers and essentially be with the only family he has left (no more mother), but the stark reality has hit him in the last 6-8 months...

• Money has run out, he's having to sell all and any of his posessions
• He's not as "employable" as he was back in OZ (he could literally walk out on the same day, pick up a job chopping down some trees and walk home with $200) in the two years he's been here he's not managed to get any (to be fair he's also a bit of a lazy bugger)
• His lifestyle is completely different, he's forfeit many of the luxuries he had previously
• He's moving around staying in different locations just to stay afloat, because after all his father has his own life to lead and can't support his 22 year lad fully.

His view was that he could come over here, get a "reasonable" job, and settle into a life not that dissimilar.

 

[HappyH]

I'd definitely recommend trying it when you're young enough, preferably single. Go & work abroad, I don't just mean a gap year picking up the odd casual for beer money. Emigrating ain't for everybody but at least you will know for sure rather than wonder what if.
We went to America for 2 years but were in our mid-thirties & my missus couldn't work 'cos of the visa situation. Pain in the ass when there was a family emergency, airlines have you over a barrel for same/next day flights obviously even worse from the other side of the world.

@ Shindig, persuade your brother to honeymoon in Samoa & meet him over there roud:
HH.

 

[kegnkiwi]

Well I'm almost in the same situation shindig, I have to decide whether to head back to the uk very soon. I live in Russell in the bay of islands nz, I have fantastic views of russell and the beach and I have a nice rented house, when i came over to nz early august I managed to find a full time job in the motor industry within 2 weeks. I came to nz to chill out but I'm leaving the house at 7am and getting back 6pm 5 days a week. (now get weekends off). The other half is working in the tourism industry and the season will end at the end of march, when her contract will end. In the uk she's an area project manager (construction) with a really good salary. Partners son and soon to be wife decided to move there wedding forward a year even though they knew we were coming out to nz. This is in april and at the same time its my 40th birthday. I have a return flight booked and paid for but it was my intention to leave maybe august so now have to decide do I go back and then pay for return flights back to nz in the hope other half finds a good job. On top of that I have the daily battle with my 8 year old telling me he has no friends here and wants to go back to his old school. Easy thing for us is I have a house in the uk, and open jobs until august in the uk. Only problems is other half does not really want to go back to her old jobs as she was bored.

ps. check flight centre there showing flights to london @ $1500 return

 

[Shindig]

Cheers for the replies guys.
What I have learned as well is friendship over here can very much be a temporary thing. The people you meet along the way stay for a while but then move on, new ventures. Back in the UK you have your mates and you grow up with them.

Kegn, we have those feelings every now and then and find it hard to suppress at times, esp when there is emails in my inbox regarding stag do plans and suit fittings... it pains me to think that we might not be attending now!

I'll check flight centre and see what they can do. Cheers