Four years in Adelaide
- Thread starter Sankari
- Start date
Being hot all around would be a pro I suppose.
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.
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
^^ 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.
Yeah, I personally hate the heat. UK weather was like a dream come true for me. South Australia is the driest state, and summers here regularly exceed 40°C.
The spa helps, though.
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I used to go to Carol Stream on business.
All I ever saw was the factory and the hotel, I didn't realise how pretty the area was.
Which factory? The residential area is quite stunning. I like the style of the houses, too.
Congratulations on your move. It takes a lot of guts to undertake such a big change, especially with kids involved. Nothing ventured, nothing gained! Glad it's proving fruitful
That comes across as a very judgemental and ignorant comment, especially from a man of God.
Congratulations on your move. It takes a lot of guts to undertake such a big change, especially with kids involved. Nothing ventured, nothing gained! Glad it's proving fruitful
Thanks.
It's tongue in cheek. I have plenty of American friends and relatives, and if I really was judgemental and ignorant, they wouldn't keep inviting me back.
Company was called Vickers on St Paul Blvd, think they closed it down and moved the production to Mexico.