Australia to Alaska :o/ (house, neighborhood, buying)

[beephonkbeep]

Hi! I am an Australian girl and I am moving for my fiance who lives in Alaska. I come from VERY sunny north Queensland lol... never gets under 80 and we have two seasons... hot and dry. My fiance loves Alaska, he has lived there all his life. It makes sense for me to move too because he has the better job. He goes on and on about how great it will be and I will fall in love with it but seriously. I want another opinion lol. We have a little girl who is 4 months old. I am worried she will never be able to go out of the house! I do love the outdoors and I love to ride my bike and camp and fish, but I have never lived in a cold climate.
I have been reading on here and a few people talked about depression during winter? Is that common and is there is anything you can do to deal with it? How do you deal with the constant cold? Is it really as nice as he says it is? I guess you can say I am a little worried about moving thats all. I just need people to tell me that I will be ok haha!

[sweetana3]

I lived there for the first 23 years of my life and it was a lot tougher then.

My mom's favorite saying was "go outside and play". Did not matter how cold or dark or light. You simply dress for the weather. We walked to the neighborhood elementary school, 1 1/2 miles to the junior high and 2 miles to the high school. Kids adapt far easier than their parents.

Now, since I did not know any different, the daylight late in the summer and early ending in the winter was normal to me. It is a big change for some people but the most important thing is to ensure enough inside light and to take a positive attitude.

I loved it there. Less materialistic and less keeping up with the Jone's family type of thing. My husband liked it less. His favorite saying is there are four seasons, June, July, August, and winter. We played baseball and swam in the lake in the summer and skated in the winter.

There are lots of things to do for families because everyone is in the same situation and when I was there the schools were very good. Kids have more time and less distraction in the winter.

Again, a positive attitude and humor will get you thru anything. Keep the benefits in mind and activily seek out support from new friends.

[Las Vegan Cajun]

Originally Posted by beephonkbeep

Is it really as nice as he says it is?

Pictures, TV shows, postcards are all fine but NOTHING you look at is like being in Alaska. I've only made three visits to Alsaka, two in the winter and one in the summer and no words can describe the beauty of the place until you set foot on Alasakan soil and see it for yourself.

I'm not the biggest fan of cold weather, unlike my Chicago born and raised wife who misses it, but for what Alaska has to offer, I'm willing to adapt to it so we both can enjoy our retired years up there.

I can do just fine staying in the southwest desert, same here with the brutal summer heat, we learn to adapt. For me that means an ice chest full of cold beer out on Lake Mead on my boat, OK so my boat does have central A/C that helps too.

Like the desert heat, the same with the cold of Alaska you can adapt. And when you see the beauty of the Last Frontier you'll forget about the cold.

[Rance]

What you don't want to do is get lazy and become a couch potatoe in the winter. There is plenty to do. And kids love snow.

[Liz1_06]

Beephonkbeep ~

Depression can be a real issue...

In Minnesota we have very short days of sunlight in the winter. The key to averting this is light time management...

Try to find activities outside or outside of the house where you can get alot of the light during the day; that will help because your mind and body will think it's gotten more light then it actually has.

Another tip is ~ if you find that time management doesn't work there are many different types of sun lamps... They do work ... but since the cost of electric can be way more expense in Alaska that's something you want to do alot of research on before buying one.

Like Sweetana3 said ~ A positive attitude and good humor....

Also about the cold ~ you will ajust, it just may take your body some time to readjust .... And lots of Warm clothes !!! *smile*

LL Bean, Eddie Bauer, Carhartts, Cabella's, these are just a few that have cataloges with very nice warm winter clothing and needs for women...

With jackets and boots make sure you pay attention to the below zero rating !!!! It does make a big difference....

Maybe some of the other women on here can give you some more names of companies you can order catalogues from and get started on your search for your new wardrobe.... *smile*

Good Luck ~

[Las Vegan Cajun]

And when dressing for cold weather - always remember to "dress in layers". One shirt and then one big heavy jacket won't do as good as 2-3 layers with that jacket.

[Liz1_06]

Thanks Las Vegan Cajun ~ I missed that BIG point ... Layers is very, very important...... *smile*

[Alaskagrl]

Depends on where you are moving to in Alaska...but yes, the winters can be hard. What you need to do is get outside on every nice day possible and soak it in. Take a day off work...lots of people do around here when it's nice and usually employers understand...we need to keep our sanity! No matter where u are in AK it will be a LOT different from Queensland, that's for sure. Lots of kids grow up and thrive here...make sure you get your baby outside and teach her outdoor stuff right away. You will have a period of adjustment, that's for sure; but if you kinda force yourself out and about, no matter what the weather, you will do better. Good luck! YOU WILL BE OK! lol

[beephonkbeep]

thankyou so much for you thoughts. Sun lamps sound great because I was a bit worried about the lack of sun... I am used to 12 hours of sunshine all year round and its a teeny bit worrying going to less than that. It sounds like a nice place. I am leaving in 3 months... now I feel so much better. I definately need to look at clothes... I have NOTHING warm to wear. I live in flip flops, shorts and tanktops... lol.

[Rance]

You can find everything you need for clothing here. Might save a bunch of hassle dragging alot of things along with you. In 3 months your not gonna need a bunch of cold weather gear. You can tan in the local sun and there are a zillion tanning places. But a room full of sand, sun lamps and Hawaiian music might come in handy next winter!