Thursday 17 October 2013

Australia - A Great Country

About 20 years ago, A mentions that he wants to leave South Africa - I say no.  There is no way I am going to leave my folks.  End of story - if you want to leave, that's fine, go, but without me, are the words I say to him. (Or at least words to that effect !)

Fast forward 3 years, and the National Party pull out of the coalition government and I realise that there really is no future for our then 4yo daughter (or for us for that matter) and I turn to A that Sunday night and say "Right - I'm ready to leave." which he finds rather strange as it's 8pm on a Sunday night and we weren't planning on going anywhere.

Then, I patiently explain that I am ready to look at moving countries and he does a happy dance - because he has been waiting 3 years for me to change my mind !!!  So we look in the paper, find an immigration agent who just happens to be advertising a seminar the next night.  So I phone the next morning and book us in.  We drop K with my in-laws and off we go.

Because A has a trade and is under 35, we qualify on points - it's just whether or not Australia actually want us.  And so the long, drawn out process begins.  We put in our application in May 1996 and we find out we had been accepted in March 1998.  We come out here on an LSD (look, see and decide) trip in October 1998, go back to South Africa, put our house on the market, tidy up our affairs (well as much as we could) and land here on 29 January 2000.

I cannot begin to express how thankful I am to have the opportunity to live in this wonderful country.  To be able to call this country home.  To raise our daughter in a country that has far less violence than we are used to.  To be able to let her ride her bike in the street and play outside without fear of what may happen to her.

Yes, I know that bad things happen in this country.  But they are far less frequent than what happens in SA.  The fact that I can go for a run at 8pm at night is something I am so thankful for.  The fact that I can drive around with my doors unlocked and my windows down are things I am thankful for.  The fact that I can wear my jewellery without fear of being strangled as someone tries to yank my necklace, or actually chop my hands off to get my rings and bracelets - these are things that I am thankful for.

Do I miss South Africa ?  Absolutely - it is one of the most beautiful countries I have ever travelled through.

Do I miss the violence and blood shed ?  Not a bit.

Would I ever go back ?  Highly unlikely because I am too scared I won't make it home.

Am I worried about the increasing violence in Australia ?  Absolutely - where would we move to from here to get away from it ? 

What are you thankful for today ? 
Why not join in with Francesca at Francesca Writes Here ?
 
Have the BEST day !
 
TFTD : You are a human who is not perfect. You will make mistakes. But life is not about the mistakes you make, it’s about what you learn from them, and the unique steps you take to rectify them.

14 comments:

  1. It's such a big decision that you made, but it has worked out so well for you. We take things like peace and safety for granted but their critical to our quality of life.

    Thanks for linking up :)

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    1. Absolutely - and I think it's only when you are out of the situation that you realise just how stressful life was.
      Thanks for hosting !!!
      Have a great day !
      Me

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  2. I didn't know you are from South Africa... I can say that I understand what a big decision that might have been to move to Australia because I took the same decision but for different reasons. My parents, also took the same decision for the same reasons as yours: to give security to their children. so they left Lebanon to go to Canada.

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    1. This truly is a great country to move to - I sometimes wonder how many born and bred Australians there are compared to imports !!! LOL Mind you, I believe myself to be Australian and certainly never say I am South African unless someone asks me where I was born !
      Have a great day !
      Me

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  3. New Zealand. New Zealand may be the last safe place on Earth! And it truly is beautiful! But I think we will be ok here, at least for a little while longer. I am grateful to live here and to be able to raise my son here, too. xo

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    1. Funny how you said NZ would be safe and then the next comment was from Rae who left NZ because of the violence - I guess it depends on what area you are in.
      I love it here and would be very sad if I felt I had to leave because it was too dangerous to stay.
      Have a wonderful weekend !
      Me

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  4. I know the feeling, we left NZ 26 years ago because of the violence, the rapes, robberies, interest rates and oh I forgot the Granny killer. I go home every other year, it's not as bad now but there was a time that it was dreadful, my dad always talked us out of going home as he said the girls would have a better life here (grandchildren) he's right. True, I want to go home but as my children were born here and have lives here, we won't.

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    1. I think there is a lot to be said for being close to family. I know how much I missed my folks when we first moved over and we were lucky because they would come here on holiday every year in July.
      Have the best day !
      Me

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  5. What a huge decision for you both. I've done a lot of travelling and every time I come home, as cliched as it sounds, I thank my lucky stars for being able to call Australia home.

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    1. I know what you mean - we have done some travelling overseas from Australia and I too am always glad to get home and am grateful that I can call Australia home.
      Thanks for stopping by - have a wonderful weekend !
      Me

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  6. I find it fascinating about what makes people decide to change countries. I love travel but I don't know if I could actually live any where else.
    I'm curious about the comment about the increase in violence in Australia. Has it increased? Or is it reported with more hysteria? I think there is definitely more drunken idiot violence. And glassing? What the hell is that about?

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    1. Maybe you ae right - maybe it is just being reported more. I remember when we first moved here, road rage was a big thing - in SA if there was any road rage, you were likely to be shot more than anything else. I just feel that there are more robberies and burglaries than I remember there being 14 years ago.
      Have the best weekend !
      Me

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  7. Wow. Thanks for sharing your interesting story. That must have been an absolutely massive decision, but it sounds like it was the right one for you and your family. I can't imagine living in a country with violence such as that. We really are lucky to live in this country. Have a great weekend!

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    1. For sure it was a huge decision - but it is one that we have never regretted. Someone told us to make up a file with cuttings out the paper of some of the horrific things that happened to remind us why we left if we felt homesick. We did this and brought the file over with us. After 5 years we had never opened that file and so, without opening it, we just threw it away.
      Have the best weekend !
      Me

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Have the best day.

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