My friend is emigrating to Oz

[RedTiger]

She's been talking about emigrating for a few years now - they are expecting a big pay out and should receive it within the next couple of years. A couple of months ago she was talking about not emigrating and just buying a holiday home in the sun which sounded great, especially the bit about me being able to use it for nothing :ellie:

I was there yesterday and she's back to talking about emigrating :-( We've been friends since school - probably about 20 years now, I can't imagine her living at the opposite end of the world from me. Anyone got any horror stories I can tell her about Oz, or emigrating in general? :yeahright: :wink: I know I'll still be able to 'speak' to her by internet though she is a bit of a technophobe and hasn't managed to work MSN yet for me to chat to her! and we'll be able to visit (pennies permitting) as they'll have loads of space for friends & family to visit but it'll still not be the same as nipping over to her house for a blether :-(

[Mad Madam Mim]

I know how you feel. My best friend moved to Oz a few years ago and I do miss her a lot. She's very happy there and loves the lifestyle so I'm glad she's happy though. The good news is I can visit when I have the money and have a guide and a place to stay and when she comes over to visit - like she is at Christmas its incredibly exciting and a huge event for both of us.

:hugs: for you though Red - I know how hard it is when a friend moves so far away, but it might be very good for her if she decides to go.

[RedTiger]

I think the main reason they are moving there is the lifestyle, and also the farming community is apparantly better than here, more helpful. Must admit i'd LOVE the lifestyle but i'd miss my mammy too much to make the move :lol:

Oh and she said she doesn't want to be coming back here regularly - her words were along the lines of 'what is there to come back for except to see friends & family?' Cheers mate - if we're not worth the effort :tongue: :teehee:

[Mad Madam Mim]

She may think differently when she is there. My Bram doesn't come over regularly but when she does it's great!

[Angie]

You must feel really cr@p Redtiger :hug:

It'll get easier though with time and just think of how much fun you'll have catching up over cocktails on the beach in Australia while we are all moaning about the rain back home!

You might want to give your friend a crash course in MSN though :wink:

[book_lover]

aw poor you, of course you will miss her. :hugs: but think of the holidays :ellie:

xxx

[iGnome]

ah, tell her ignome lives in australia, that should keep her away :bwahaha:

[bisy backson]

i agree, insist that she learns how to use msn with a webcam as part of her conditions for going!

seriously though, try and focus on the positive - if she's going she's going and knowing you are trying to make her stay will make it a less pleasant experience for her.

i can totally understand her not wanting to go back and visit tbh, once you're here with the cost of the visit back to the uk it really just doesn't seem worth it. i would love love love to see my friends and family more regularly, but once you're earning aussie dollars the cost of going back to the uk is enormous.

i do feel for you RedTiger, but from the other side of it, its even worse going when you know people are trying their best to make you stay!

whereabouts is she thinking of moving to?

bbxx

[RedTiger]

ah, tell her ignome lives in australia, that should keep her away :bwahaha:

:teehee: I'll tell her that!

They're looking at New South Wales atm - they'll be buying a farm. I wouldn't try to make her stay, i've mentioned I don't want them to go (as in i'll miss seeing her) but I really wouldn't say or do anything to put her off or make her feel guilty. She's doing it for the benefit of her family - who can argue with that!

I'll need to spend a long time at her house teaching her how to use MSN - it'll be difficult - this is the person that's just bought a PC from Tesco and returned it a few weeks later because she was having problems with it hanging a lot but she didn't clear any of her files or photos off the PC :brainache:

[iGnome]

you know, I would SERIOUSLY make her and hubby do some research on farming in Australia, I'm sure they have but seriously, it's a great way to go broke and end up bankrupt.
Obviously, you'll need to bring it up casually in conversation ect

There is one show I like to watch on tele. It's about rural Australia, farming ect. Here is a link.
http://www.abc.net.au/landline/

I'm not trying to convince you to convince your friend to stay in UK, but seriously,....farming in Australia, it's not easy. Drought = dead sheep/cattle. They end up having to shoot them for kindness as they end up starving to death, heavy rains which ruin crops or drought and no crops, cyclones...current one wipped out 90% of the banana crop and we are paying about 8 times more per kilo that usual.

I admire people for taking it on. One of my friends has wheat and sheep...it's damn hard work with poor income and huge overheads.

[RedTiger]

They are doing / have done lots of research (they've looked at other countries too). They need to invest in agriculture for tax reasons, i'm not sure if their long term intentions are to continue farming - I think its quite a lot of money they're getting but I don't like to ask too much about it (and wouldn't post it on a public forum even if I knew :lol:)

[Teresa]

Its hard and I'm sure you'll really miss her. Don't try and convince her to stay though as it will make the move even harder for her.

My husband and I are in the process of applying to emmigrate to Oz. Its pretty long winded and we are looking at going in 12 months time but it could be longer than that.

We have done so much research and we believe that we will have a much better lifestyle over there and that it is the right thing for us. There are some great websites about too but I'm sure they've already found some of them.

We have found it very hard telling our family and friends. Its upset them and they are trying to convince us to stay. My inlaws are being a complete nightmare about the whole thing and I wish we hadn't told them yet. Its a hard thing to go through but it is something we really want to do. I hope we are doing the right thing but if not, at least we will know that we gave it a try. We won't spend the rest of our lives regretting that we didn't try it.

I would find it a lot easier if we weren't getting the emotional blackmail from everyone.

Give your friend lessons on msn so that you can stay in touch. Try and get involved in the move and be supportive. Most of our friends have been great as have my parents but my inlaws are a bit of a nightmare.

You'll miss her just as she will miss you but the world is getting smaller and you will be able to stay in touch quite easily.

[wotsit]

My best freind met a millionaire ( like you do!!!) and moved to the South of France.
I felt sort of rejected and a bit angry to start with, followed by sort of sadness and emptiness! A bit like a bereavement! I felt like this for about a year....and I still miss her.
We used to share a horse together and although I got another one after she moved, I don't enjoy riding as much as when she was here, and am considering selling it!
I've just been to visit her. She's really happy and we stillget on well

[Sparkly]

I do sympathise RT - my in-laws are in Oz & they're like, designer in-laws :tongue: - the kind you'd absolutely LOVE to be around the corner from. One of my closest friends, who introduced me to Mr S is also back there now. :-(

One day we will probably move there - and then we'll be torn from my family here. It's a very difficult situation and the cost of leaving loved ones will be huge for your friend too - she's prob just trying to focus on the positives.

On the positive side, it is a fabulous place to go on holiday! :grin: