Four years in Adelaide

[Sankari]

Last week my wife and I celebrated the fourth anniversary of our arrival in Adelaide and the eighth anniversary of our wedding.

We've now spent four years each in the UK and Australia. The time has simply rocketed past.

 

[Sankari]

So, a few things we've done this year... let's start with the courtyard.

Before:

After:

 

[Sankari]

Wifi antenna!

This was a courtesy installation by a mate of a mate, who provided all equipment (and an entire day's work) free of charge. I helped with the final stage—inserting and securing the antenna mast—which was arguably the hardest.

The wireless mast taps into my mate's spare internet account, which is unmetered and does not cost us a cent (I use it exclusively for torrents via our media PC). It also connects to Air-Stream, a free community wifi network spanning the South Australian suburbs.

We also have a separate fixed line connection with another ISP, which costs us $£35 a month for phone and unlimited broadband. This provides bandwidth for our other two PCs and three tablets.

 

[Sankari]

Spa!

It's been looking rather sorry for itself, so we spruced it up with a lick of paint and a pair of brass door knobs (not shown here, as they weren't attached yet).

The wood is warped and will need replacing eventually, but it's good for a few years yet.

 

[Sankari]

Ducted reverse cycle aircon!

We purchased a 10.5kW Fujitsu inverter (ARTG36) with four zones and five outlets. The the cost was £4,325.

The house has three bedrooms, one of which I'm using as a study. There's a split system inverter in the master bedroom, so we didn't need an outlet there.

We can run any single zone by itself, all four zones simultaneously, and every combination in between. The outside unit is very quiet. The interior is dead silent. The temperature difference is amazing.

We were very pleased with the efficiency and courtesy of the installers.

 

[Sankari]

USA!

As a pastor in my local Christian community I am occasionally invited to speak interstate... and even further afield.

Last year a church in the USA flew me over to Texas as the leading speaker at their annual Bible study weekend. This year another church flew me over to Chicago as a leading speaker at their annual Bible study week in Wisconsin. I also gave a sermon at a church in Lombard, Illinois, and helped out with their weekly charity dinner night.

The Americans were friendly and hospitable, as always. I stayed with a family in Carol Stream (IL) but also spent time with their relatives in West Chicago.

 

[Sankari]

Carol Stream:

 

[Sankari]

West Chicago. I stayed in this house:

The neighbourhood was quite nice:

 

[Sankari]

The local park wasn't too shabby either:

 

[Sankari]

One of my friends is studying at Wheaton College. It's historically significant, so I wandered down for a look:

 

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Morton Arboretum was also worth visiting:

 

[Sankari]

It's been an interesting year. I'm looking forward to the next one.

 

[Sankari]

Cheers mate. Swings and roundabouts, but overall we're in a good place.

 

[Sankari]

If you liked these, you might appreciate this thread as well: http://bit.ly/1ckRDbd

 

[Sankari]

Less than you might think, but more than you'd feel comfortable with.

 

[Sankari]

We need a numpty bub update, or am I thinking of the other FM who emigrated down under?

You've got the right guy. Numpty bub is my little girl alright. But these days she's called Pup.

Her brother is coming along nicely as well:

Here they are together; Pup on the left, Wibbly Pig on the right:

 

[Sankari]

Hope they are enjoying it as much as you all are.

They are.

Have they got proper Australian accents?

Fortunately not.

 

[Sankari]

Yeah, amazing how it flashes past. One day you wake up and the kids are going to school. Incredible.

 

[Sankari]

Looks like an awesome place. I loved the look of the neighbourhoods in USA, I'd love to live there but not sure about living alongside Americans in general.

Generally speaking Americans are lovely people, but there is something fundamentally wrong with their culture and society, and whatever it is, it affects their brains quite badly. I spent a lot of time politely biting my tongue.

Can you briefly summarise your pro's and con's of living in Australia compared to the UK?

A few things off the top of my head:

Pros:
* High wages with a minimum 12% superannuation
* High tax free threshold (£10,807)
* Insurance, real estate, and private school education are all much cheaper
* Huge amount of space; nice big roads, plenty of parking (often free, even in the capital cities)
* Clean, modern infrastructure in good condition
* Diverse climate & geography; everything from desert to rainforest to snow-covered mountains

Cons:
* Higher cost of living (mainly consumer items like food, books, whitegoods, cars, etc.)
* Summers are killers, and so are most forms of Australian wildlife
* Career setback for people in some industries

Actually I think I can say it better with pictures.

Our house and street in the UK:

Our house and street in Australia:

I live in the northern Adelaide suburbs, just 10 minutes' drive from open countryside. Within 20 minutes I can be sipping wine at the cellar door of a local vineyard.

Having said that, here's my advice for people considering emigration: Australia is not for everyone. If you have no compelling reason to go... don't. Australia won't necessarily change your life for the better; it's not a magic wheel that spins straw into gold.

You can find my other update threads here:

* 12 months in Adelaide
* Two years in Adelaide
* Three years in Adelaide

 

[Sankari]

Also, you are a VERY long way away from family even with the wonders of technology.

^^ This.

Scythe, it's important to consider your relationships with family and friends. Are you so close that you can't live without each other? Are you fairly independent? Could you cope effectively without your usual support network for months on end? Do you make friends easily, or are you happy to have quality over quantity?

For the first few years British immigrants have get the impression that friendships in Australia are more superficial than friendships in the UK. This isn't actually true; it's just a symptom of the fact that moving to a new country means building up a brand new circle of friends.

You will find yourself constantly comparing the depth of your UK friendships to the depth of your Australia ones. Don't do this; it's an unfair and unrealistic comparison. Your UK friendships are only deep because you spent many years working on them. You can't replace that overnight. I found the same when I moved to the UK after three decades of life in Australia.

The most important thing is to be happy wherever you are.

Australia's not the best place in the world. It's just the best place for me.