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| Things to REALLY think about; before moving overseas | |
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| Topic Started: Feb 20 2007, 05:10:54 AM (5,567 Views) | |
| Nanook | Jun 28 2010, 05:37:17 PM Post #21 |
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True Blue Mate
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All aspects are catching on quickly here in the north Sydney 'burbs. The hard part is finding affordable candy. 
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| phoenixgs | Aug 16 2010, 04:52:50 AM Post #22 |
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Anklebiter
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LOL. I am actually one of those people who is moving to Australia without ever visiting. BUT Im coming there to have an adventure and to see different things that i have never seen, taste many wonderful things i have never tasted and to just experience life on a whole new and different level. I am ready for negativity, and to be judged as an American from all different view points. But i am also ready for all the wonderful positive experiences that i know i will have. So i do think that things will balance out, you just have to take the good with the bad. and besides if i want good mexican food, i can just make the tortillas myself and substitute other ingredients and make something wonderful. I think the only way im going to flip out is if yall don't have chili powder or cayenne pepper...if thats the case then ill just have to unpack my bags right now! |
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| Janda | Aug 16 2010, 06:57:06 AM Post #23 |
True Blue Mate
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LOL I am also one of those people who came to Australia without ever visiting. In fact, I had never even been on a plane before :P . I can tell you that living here in Tasmania, I have never personally had anything negative said to me by anyone here in Australia. Maybe they have said it behind my back...LOL, but not to my face. I miss more than Mexican food here though. I mean we make tacos all the time and so hey, I can live with that but what I miss most is Good Old Fashioned Southern BBQ. Like Sonny's BBQ. I mean I would die for some. Just thinking about it kills me actually..haha. I wish someone from back home would at least send me a bottle of Sonny's BBQ sauce but I am still having to basically pull teeth to even get some of my things that I left behind when I came over almost 3 years ago. My family members don't find it important to help me out in those departments...LOL. Maybe I'll find out if they ship internationally but I guess I have to find out if you can even get BBQ sauces through customs. I did get some Grits from the All Treats store here and they lasted for about a year...haha. I savoured them. Sadly I was down to my last small pot and I made them knowing I was about to have my last bowl of grits for a long time and damn if I didn't put too much salt and ruined them. I wanted to cry...LOL. Oh well, I love Australia even though I hate the food for the most part. Wouldn't change this life I'm living for anything! Alisa (Janda) Edited by Janda, Aug 16 2010, 06:57:27 AM.
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 "I tried sniffing Coke once, but the ice cubes got stuck in my nose" www.JandaDesigns.com.au - Custom Web Design, Web Site Hosting, Cheap Domain Name Registration. | |
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| shylady | Aug 16 2010, 10:15:27 AM Post #24 |
oldYank
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 hi Alisa,YES WE CAN! LOL My son sends me bbq sauces and rib rubs, and I've ordered directly from Famous Dave's and a couple other places.  Lisa |
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"I could’ve turned a different corner, I could’ve gone another place... " ku,'09 | |
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| TerritorianTori | Aug 16 2010, 10:56:37 AM Post #25 |
Dance to disco
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Sounds like you've got a very positive attitude!  I do think it's important to at least be aware of the potential issues that come with migrating to another country. As the article says, it's easy to get caught up in all the excitement of the newness and fail to consider that, at some point, the 'adventure' will end! Many people on this forum (including myself) can tell of a specific moment where we realised that, "Hey, I actually LIVE HERE!" Discovering that you have to survive in this culture, shop for groceries and pay bills and deal with other people like everyone else... it's a completely different mindset. If you're not prepared for that, the adjustment can be brutal. BTW, no one is poo-pooing anyone who comes to live in Australia (or anywhere else) without visiting first. The point of the article is that you need to be sure you have realistic expectations. That's all.  |
 South Texas to the Northern Territory - since 2004 I'm a huge fan of... Angry Video Game Nerd | The Big Bang Theory | Doctor Who | Pet Shop Boys | Yanks Down Under ~ Americans living in Australia Avatar by Sketch Shop Boys | |
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| beckagator | Aug 18 2010, 11:37:01 AM Post #26 |
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True Blue Mate
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I really appreciated this post actually, it helped confirm I was making a smart decision, I had come to many of those conclusions on my own, and my biggest fear now after dropping thousands of dollars in fees and paperwork and flights, and going through this whole process, leaving my friends and family behind, is not getting good mexican food. I plan on making some, so stop by my place in melbourne when I arrive if you want some! I know I can honestly say I have felt the full gamut of emotions in this process, but I love my fiance and I am very excited to be on the same continent, the same time zone, the same soil as him, he's totally worth it, and it is a big exciting adventure, but all of life is whether you are living in USA or OZ or Timbuktu! |
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| denverman | Jan 30 2012, 02:22:23 PM Post #27 |
Piker
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There was some great info in this string. I've never joined any sort of message board site before, so apologies in advance for any gaffs I might make. Mexican food seems to be a uniting craving. I'm trying to prepare as much as I possibly can for all the things I'll miss, for all the strangeness I'll experience in the new surroundings, for the emotional and physical distance from my home country, etc etc. All that being said, I look forward to living in a wonderful country that is new and different, and somehow more POSITIVE than the U.S.! Has someone made a list of (portable) things to take with you? (i.e. chili powder) Going out for dinner was a shocking experience expense-wise! $40 for very iffy burgers and fries kinda freaked me out. Cooking at home is certainly going to be a focus. Petrol prices as well. Conversely, I made a Dr. appointment in one day, he was on time, and he charged me $30 w/ no insurance, and the prescription was deemed expensive at $25! That was awesome. Socialized medicine...what a novel concept! I met a wonderful woman that happened to live on the other side of the world. I'd live in Siberia to be with her, and Australia is a wonderful place, filled with fantastic people. I cannot wait. -richard. p.s. I'm thinking I might open a Mexican restaurant in Perth. Anyone interested?  Edited by denverman, Jan 30 2012, 02:30:02 PM.
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| SanDiablo | Jan 30 2012, 11:05:22 PM Post #28 |
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True Blue Mate
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Problem with a good Mexican restaurant is that there aren't enough Americans to float it and, evidently, Australians prefer lousy imitation Mexican food...surprised they don't put a fried egg and beetroot on their taos... |
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| josetann | Jan 31 2012, 04:13:50 PM Post #29 |
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Chinwagger
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There's a list floating around somewhere on things to bring with you. Several things we brought, ended up not being so important. If you have a prescription, might want to get the maximum refills you're allowed (I "think" you're allowed up to a six month supply, but don't quote me). The pharmacist did want to charge us nearly $30 for a tube of steroid cream (similar to hydrocortisone, an anti-itch cream). The OTC stuff is weaker and more expensive, so that's something we should have brought more of. Restaurants...completely underwhelmed by the more upscale ones. Best meal I had so far was a $5 fish and chips "snack" near a Salvo store we visited (plus $0.20 for a thing of tartar sauce). Two smallish pieces of fish, a dim sum (sp?), and lots of fries/chips. Much better than what I had at a bistro later on (still had skin, tartar sauce had some lemon flavor in it...just wasn't right). Found a Mexican/Spanish restaurant, it was so-so. Bit better (and cheaper) Mexican restaurant, as long as you don't go on the weekend. One thing I miss is the unlimited chips and salsa we'd get back in the US. Oh...if you want good Pizza, I'd avoid Pizza Hut. Tastes like they use condensed tomato soup for their sauce, and they're expensive (but the kids like it, so we go for the buffet). There is a place called Pepperoni's in Melbourne CBD (near one of the train stations) that had decent pizza. I think Tuesday was their half-price day. I think the important thing is to be flexible. If you HAVE to have everything be just like home...you'll be sorely disappointed. If you can take the good with the bad, and are willing to adapt to a different lifestyle, you'll likely be fine. |
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| jayde | Feb 1 2012, 10:24:30 AM Post #30 |
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Yacker
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Most things can be found at a price and some legwork, we find we have to travel to quite a few different places to get items that would have all been available in one store in the States. Things we found necessary were converters for plugs, ie camera and phone chargers could use the power but the plug shape is different. All the Americans that I talk to are amazed at the prices we pay so prepare yourself for some sticker shock. I think Australians are more used to seasonal produce and buying what is in season and making from scratch. The locals are often more likely to use fruit barns for fruit and vege, and a butchers for meat too, rather than the one stop concept. As pp said you cant come to a different (Foreign) country and find everything is the same. |
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N400 approved Sep 2009. Australian Spouse Visa 309/100 applied for 21 Dec 2009 Medical criteria not met, so waiver application sent Medical Waived and 100 visa approved 12 July 2010  | |
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| Cimexus | Feb 1 2012, 12:03:03 PM Post #31 |
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Chinwagger
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I'm not sure about that ... I think it's just because we don't really have any Mexican influence (and few Mexican people) here. Mexican just isn't something that springs to mind when we think "let's go out to eat tonight". So good Mexican restaurants you can count on one hand here, simply because the market isn't that big. And of course, unless you've had good Mexican food, you don't know what you're missing, so aren't likely to think about it much. In some respects it's like that with Asian food in America. Excellent quality food from almost any Asian culture is available everywhere in Australia. But in a lot of America, it's not very common. Sure you can get good Asian food on the West coast and in the big cities like NY and Chicago. But once you leave those areas ... well, I've spent a lot of time in the Midwest and what passes for Asian food out there is scary (even worse, they tend to lump it in a single category just called 'Asian', rather than Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Malaysian etc.) |
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| Melinda | Feb 2 2012, 05:43:29 PM Post #32 |
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Anklebiter
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I'm looking forward to good Asian food! I've lived in the Rocky Mountains my entire life, and while I'll miss Mexican food terribly, I'm looking forward to having Asian food that isn't all sugary and full of msg. I remember being just startled at the food on a trip to Hong Kong! Wow! |
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