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Original poster

Jealousy of friend emigrating

174 replies

Bookridden · 22/12/2022 19:04

A friend is emigrating to Sydney, Australia in January. I'm pretty envious of her chance for a fresh start, life on the beach, apparently amazing standard of living etc etc. I really want to give my head a wobble and stop feeling jealous. Please point out some reasons why life in the UK might be better. (Should say that I hate the heat, am fat and menopausal, love culture and city life so probably am better suited to UK life. Aren't I? AREN'T I???)

Hit me with your best tips for any of the following:
Loving life in the UK
Not thinking life in Oz is perfect
Not feeling really dull in comparison with her jetsetter lifestyle

Thank you.

OP posts:
RambamThankyouMam · 22/12/2022 19:41

Australia is awful - full of racists, far from literally anywhere apart from the equally awful "New Zealand", and stuffed to the brim with horrible spiders and snakes. No thanks!

bellac11 · 22/12/2022 19:41

I dont know if this applies to Sydney but also someone told me that it gets dark early so all that fantastic weather (I hate the heat), can only be enjoyed some god awful time first thing in the morning, becuase later its too hot in the day and people are at work and then its not light in the evenings.

Startwithamimosa · 22/12/2022 19:42

Australia is really racist. Plus the accent

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Cheshiresun · 22/12/2022 19:43

Family came back again. After getting skin cancer in Aus.

MarshaBradyo · 22/12/2022 19:44

I’m from both countries and don’t sweat it. Pros and cons to both.

Aintnosupermum · 22/12/2022 19:47

You can’t swear like you can in the UK.

Say cuntychops or cocklodger in the US and OMg they all run for cover. It’s been 15 years and I am so so careful with the language I use. Grabby and uppity are apparently both racist terms. Not in the NW petal. Thank goodness it was someone else who made that mistake and no me.

LynetteScavo · 22/12/2022 19:48

I wouldn't want to move to Australia because you can visit Paris, Amsterdam, Rome etc so much more easily from the UK. Not that I do city breaks all that often, but I can if I want to. Grin

AkoraEdelherb · 22/12/2022 19:50

but I find it quite hard to listen

Tell her this if that's how you feel and it's making you feel upset.

Having said that, if you're not totally happy with your life in the UK, can you look into moving somewhere else? There's a middle ground between the UK and Australia.

AkoraEdelherb · 22/12/2022 19:51

Aintnosupermum · 22/12/2022 19:47

You can’t swear like you can in the UK.

Say cuntychops or cocklodger in the US and OMg they all run for cover. It’s been 15 years and I am so so careful with the language I use. Grabby and uppity are apparently both racist terms. Not in the NW petal. Thank goodness it was someone else who made that mistake and no me.

I swear (no pun intended) I heard they swear on live television in Australia?

Sometimeswinning · 22/12/2022 19:53

Startwithamimosa · 22/12/2022 19:42

Australia is really racist. Plus the accent

The irony!!

autienotnaughty · 22/12/2022 19:54

She may struggle when she gets there leaving everything behind.

GonnaGetGoingReturns · 22/12/2022 19:57

Sydney and Australia are expensive.

I’ve known quite a few Australians who’ve emigrated to the UK and Europe, the ones who’ve moved from eg Ireland or UK there were either Australian so heading home or now they’re too old to start a new life on the other side of the world.

I don’t know much about lifestyles there or work so can’t comment but Australians who do visit the UK and Europe comment on how easy it is to travel around these 2 parts of the world. Australians only have the Far East/New Zealand to travel to.

Cantstandbullshit · 22/12/2022 19:58

As expected this has become another bashing another country thread. You really need people to diss another country for you to feel Better about yourself?

Changechangychange · 22/12/2022 20:00

Aintnosupermum · 22/12/2022 19:47

You can’t swear like you can in the UK.

Say cuntychops or cocklodger in the US and OMg they all run for cover. It’s been 15 years and I am so so careful with the language I use. Grabby and uppity are apparently both racist terms. Not in the NW petal. Thank goodness it was someone else who made that mistake and no me.

She is going to Australia, not the US! They definitely swear there.

SnowAndFrostOutside · 22/12/2022 20:06

You have your family and friends here. That’s the thing you will miss most if you move half way across the world.

Aussiegirl123456 · 22/12/2022 20:08

PacificallyRequested · 22/12/2022 19:18

I used to live in Australia. I came home because I missed my family and friends. And Jaffa cakes.

We have Jaffa Cakes here!

Suzi888 · 22/12/2022 20:09

Boiling hot Christmas. The sweat, the heat …. the sand, everywhere and crowds.
The spiders.
Very long commutes.

I’m sure it’s lovely, but I couldn’t take the bugs!

thestringcheesemassacre · 22/12/2022 20:09

All the Australia is racist comments. Jesus wept, who voted Brexit, ran Megan Markle out of the country, or read Sadiq Khan replies to anything he posts on social media. It’s fine to say it’s not for me, but acknowledge it’s not all racial tolerance here.

Aussiegirl123456 · 22/12/2022 20:11

Startwithamimosa · 22/12/2022 19:42

Australia is really racist. Plus the accent

I am trying to work out if you’re an ironic genius or just really dumb.

Aussiegirl123456 · 22/12/2022 20:12

RambamThankyouMam · 22/12/2022 19:41

Australia is awful - full of racists, far from literally anywhere apart from the equally awful "New Zealand", and stuffed to the brim with horrible spiders and snakes. No thanks!

Take it from that comment that you’ve never set foot in the Southern Hemisphere…

SnowAndFrostOutside · 22/12/2022 20:13

Jaffa cakes
www.woolworths.com.au/shop/productdetails/739569/mcvitie-s-jaffa-cakes

I’m a kiwi and we have Jaffa cakes too. In fact, Aucklanders are nicknamed JAFAs.

VeryMoist · 22/12/2022 20:15

Racism, skin cancer, heavy drinking, expensive grocery bill.

Aussiegirl123456 · 22/12/2022 20:15

Winter789Mermaid · 22/12/2022 19:38

It’s very expensive and bloomin hot hot big impacts of climate change hitting, pretty sexist still…worst than UK. (My sis is married to a lovely Ozzie who prefers living in UK 😂). We considered it but on par we had a better quality of life here.
it used to be $50 just to visit GP even to take kids it’s probably gone up now. Everywhere is a really long way from everything so makes travel take days if you’re driving interstate. It’s vast. So great to live there for a couple of years but tricker to settle.

Visiting a GP is free unless you opt to go private.

The temperatures are actually decreasing, not increasing.

I personally find the UK the most sexist and racist country between Aus and UK, but ok…

spottygymbag · 22/12/2022 20:18

Your friend is excited and probably also nervous so justifying/reinforcing her decision by focusing on the positives. Personally I love Sydney- 4 years here and loving it.

But for the purpose of your post- she will be far from friends and family, will have to get her head around all the intricacies of how a new country works (tax, super, politics, culture, location, transport etc), and will have to build a whole new support system.

And yes the spiders- had a massive huntsman pop out of the kitchen sink this morning when I reached in to retrieve a coffee cup, and have caught and removed a skink that had ventured into the lounge. And it's only 7.15am.

Thereisnolight · 22/12/2022 20:18

It’s easier to leave than to be left behind. (Coldplay)