Australia

I'm back and this time it hasn't been 5 months since my last post. Not bad.

So, Australia. Yes, we are going. On January 31st. Why? You ask. It's like this:

Our original plan, when we first got married, was for us to live here while Andrew worked and study part-time until he finished his degree. Then, we would start making plans to move to Canada. Sometimes, though, circumstances change. And plans change as a result.

Andrew finds it really difficult to work full-time and have a family and study part-time. He has only been taking one course a term, but he hasn't been able to allocate as much study time to it as he would like. The result: grades that aren't that great - a real blow when you are trying your best but know that you don't have the time to put into that you like.

The cost of living here (auckland especially) is very high. I mean, we rent a very, very, small two bedrooom unit with a garage and a strip of grass that holds our laundry line on it for $380 a week. Yes, you heard me right. $380 A WEEK. This includes nothing. We pay electricity, phone, water on top of that. Well, we are growing out of our home - the kids need more space and a yard and we just can't afford a bigger place here on one income. Aside from rent, groceries are also expensive. Why don't we move somewhere else in Auckland? Well the lower rent would probably be offset by bus fare (the public transport system here is ridiculous and ridiculously expensive) for Andrew to travel to work. Plus, it would take him sooooo long to get there depending on where we lived.

So, after much thought and prayer, we decided to put our Australia plan in action. I applied for Australian Residency in Feb/March and it was accepted this past September (an expensive, gruelling process with A LOT of paperwork - I am never dealing with immigration into another country again - next time it is Andrew's turn).  Andrew plans to go to school full-time (It takes 3 years full-time study for him to finish his degree as opposed to 8 or so years it would take him part-time) so we will be a poor family on a student budget. Because he IS Australian, he can apply for certain study grants and study assistance over there as opposed to studying here so is more beneficial for him to be there. Plus, the cost of living is lower in Australia and your dollar goes much further than it does here. Andrew is from Sydney, but we are moving to Melbourne - mostly because the universities that he wants to try and get into are there but also because it is cheaper to live in Melbourne than in Sydney.

So, there it is. In a nutshell. The reasons why we are moving.

How do I feel about it? I have mixed emotions. I know that it is the best thing to do for our family right now - especially since the kids are still little. I've good things about how beautiful and well laid out Melbourne is as a city and how the public transportation system there is really good. These are definitely pluses! I've heard mixed things about the education system. Some say that the system there is not good - that the education in NZ is better (A disagrees, but he is an Australian so I don't think he can really give a fair opinion). Some say that it depends what school your kids get into. Who knows? I'm not too worried about it though because I can always teach them myself if worse comes to worse.  I've been told (from kiwis) that it gets really, really hot there and I'll have to wear lots of sunscreen (ummm,....hello? there is a hole in the ozone layer over NZ so I already wear lots of sunscreen). And I've been told about great big flies that fly into your face and spiders etc. Ok, so this doesn't really explain how I feel about going so here it is. I'm glad and kind of relieved in a way because Andrew will be going to school=faster time finishing degree and apprenticeship and then hopefully secure a decent job so we can pay off loans and save up to move to Canada. I'm also relieved because this is something that Andrew wants to do and I think that it will make him more happy to be in his country and less stressed.

But a HUGE part of me feels sad about going because I'm going to miss it here. I've been here for nearly 5 years and I have roots now. I have friends who are dear to me. Bethany is in a great preschool and I know the teachers there and they love her. I "know" where things are here and how everything works. I live near the beach and it is beautiful. I "know" how to live in New Zealand.

 When I go to Melbourne, I will have to start all over again. Everything will be new and I will have to find my way somehow and get things set-up. And a lot of this will fall on my shoulders (finding a family doctor, finding a preschool for Bethany, finding out where the local parks are and rec centre and where the best place is to buy groceries etc. making friends in church etc. ) because Andrew pretty much leaves this stuff up to me. Yes, new things and places are exciting, but sometimes I feel too old to be moving around again. A selfish part of me is tired of sacrificing these things so that Andrew can go to school. I mean, I am even sacrificing my cat!!!!! (He is going to live with a friend's Aunty because he will cost too much money to take to Australia and we don't have that kind of money to spare. Believe me, I am heartbroken about this. I don't think that I am ever going to get another cat again because I just can't leave any more pets. It is too hard.)

I know that sacrifice is important but I am just tired of doing it, you know? Especially when it means, yet again, I am going to be even farther from my family and support network.