Welcome to our blog! Wow! I can't believe I am actually writing this blog! This is crazy... I have always dreamt of living in the sun but I never thought I'd consider Australia! We moved to Spain a few years ago but that didn't work out for various reasons I won't go in to right now but now we are actually considering Australia. I am still in shock that my lovely wife has agreed to consider it and I have been doing loads of research so that we don't repeat some of the mistakes we made when we moved to Spain. My reason for setting up this blog is two fold. One reason is to share and log the journey from the beginning so that if we do take the leap to Oz, we have a record that we can look back on and see our journey. We did this when we moved to Spain and even though it didn't quite work out, it is still nice to look back at that blog and remember all the good times and challenges we met on the way. The second reason for this blog is to hopefully make some connections with some Aussies or Expats who can share their experiences with us or offer advice through any trouble spots we may encounter. Of course, this may all remain a pipeline dream if all the boxes are not ticked... So, a bit of background history to fill in the blanks...
I am a 35 year old male from Spain who has lived in the UK all his life. I dream of a life in the sun with lots of family time as my family are my life. I am married to a 30 year old qualified primary school teacher who is British. My wife is currently working as a special needs co-ordinator. We have two wonderful daughters aged 4 and 3. We also have a dog who has been our family pet since 2007. My wife has also dreamed of life abroad and always enjoyed all things foreign (I suppose thats one of the reasons she found me interesting...). As I mentioned above, we did live in Spain for 1.5 years but had to return to the UK for various reasons. We always said we would return to Spain when the girls were older but back in September, at a birthday gathering, the idea of Oz was planted in my head and I have not managed to shake it since. One day in November, when we were both having a bad day, I approached the subject and to my surprise, she didn't say no. Before the idea went cold, I decided to research flights to Oz for a family holiday and research trip combined. Within 3 days we had researched it all, booked the flights / accommodation and were talking about a move as a possibility. In the last fortnight I have done extensive research into property around Sydney, the cost of living, exporting our car, house swap schemes for a year, visas, etc. So far we have worked out that we would be in much the same financial situation in Oz as we are now which is good. The advantage to us would be the lifestyle and climate. I hate the cold with a vengeance! I mean it... I don't just dislike it, I really really hate it! Anyway, the main problem I can foresee is my wife leaving her family behind which will be difficult for her but we'll take one step at a time. First we need to see if we like it, then if we do, we need to see if we can get the Visa. If both boxes are ticked, we can then take it from there. In the last week we have been watching the BBC programme "Wanted Down Under" which has been interesting and I have just spotted that 4oD have available the programme by Phil Spencer "Relocation Down Under" which I think we will start watching as well. I have also just finished reading "Jump Down Under" which was a fantastic read and offered a lot of valuable information that we can use if we decide to give it a go. I must get the wife to have a read of this book as it would be useful for her too.
Phew! So, if any of you feel you want to share your experiences with us or that you could benefit in following our experiences, feel free to join in the conversation, add your thoughts and views and lets see how we all get on from here.
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