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To just expand on my first post, There's alot of American Natural Wonders and Historical Sites, That I would dearly love to travel to and see, But I just can't see myself, Making a home over there! (No offence ).
There's certainly some aspects of Australia, That I really don't like, But, They are far outwieghted, By the things, That makes me proud, To say "I'm an Australian"
Having lived in both Australia and US, here are my personal experiences.
Note: I am a citizen of Australia by naturalization. After living in Australia for 3 years I got fed up and moved to the US. This was 2 years back.
I immigrated to Australia on the General Skilled Migration program and got my Permanent Resident visa in my country of origin before I went there. I work in the IT industry and have lived and worked in 3 different countries before moving to Australia and finally the US.
I lived in metropolitan Melbourne, (both in the CBD and inner suburbs) for all the 3 years I was there.
Here are my personal experiences:
General outlook of Australians towards "outsiders" (outsider = anyone who is not white):
1. Unless you are white, you are looked upon as "another one of those immigrants who is trying to take our jobs and is living on our welfare".
Note: Australia stopped giving out Centrelink (welfare) payments to new immigrants long back, there is a 2 year wait for that now.
In the US - people are more friendly irrespective of my color.
2. The media (both print and radio) makes a hype of anyone who is not an Australian by birth. It is common to read/hear the news saying "An Italian man was caught while ...." or "A Greek man was found doing ...", but when an Australian is convicted, the news doesnt say "An Australian man was found guilty of ...."
In the US - never heard this bias.
3. Australians love to stereotype people.
It is common to hear the following stereotypes:
All Chinese are considered as working and living in a noodle bar.
All Indians are considered as taxi drivers.
All Americans are considered as fat lazy idiots.
All British are worshipped.
4. Ignorance is rife: I have been told plenty of times "You are not white but you seem to speak English" or "I am surprised you have been in Australia only 3 years and you speak English" or "Do the teachers in your country come from the UK?"
In the US - never experienced this, and everyone seems to understand my accent or at least makes an effort to do so.
5. In all my 3 years in metropolitan Melbourne, I experienced this at least once a month. You walk on the street (even in the daytime) and you see people passing by in cars shouting "AAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRGGGGHHH!!!!" at you. I asked one of my local colleagues, he said it is an anti immigrant thing.
I never experienced this imbecile behaviour anywhere else in the other 4 countries I have lived in.
Real Estate:
1. It is a joke. Apartments are owned by individuals in a building and they all charge rent according to what they feel is right. I remember living in an
apartment with 16 units, and we were paying $1100 a month which was $320 more per month than the one exactly below us (exactly same size rooms).
Two of the units got sold within a month of each other, one for $378,000 and one for $435,000 !!! The older a house gets, the more it appreciates. So if you get a brand new house for say $250,000, you may find the house next door which was built 60 years ago selling for $450,000+, even though it is crumbling and looks like the next gust of wind will blow it down.
2. The last place I lived, it cost $1100 a month for a 2 bedroom house (the second bedroom could not even fit in a queen size bed), no central heating or air conditioning, no dishwasher, no kitchen appliances, and all maintenance requests got a reply "the landlord has had a lot of bills this month, they will address your request next month". And guess what, next month never comes.
In the US - I pay the same, but my apartment has central heating and air conditioning, dishwasher, all kitchen appliances, a health club with spa and
swimming pool and landscaped lawns with a lake and fountains.
For maintenance, I make a single phone call, and by the time I get home from work the problem is fixed and a satisfaction survey is lying on my kitchen table.
Medical System:
1. Absolutely the worst of all the places i have been in. If you dont pay for private health insurance, then you have to wait too long as ViralMD posted earlier. Private health insurance costs a lot lot more in Australia than in the US, and they only reimburse a percentage, not all of the expenses, even if you go to the doctors in their network.
2. Australian doctors seem to know the cure for any and all kinds of illnesses. This great wonder is called Panadol (paracetamol tablets).
You fall sick, you have panadol. Your eyes water, you take panadol. Your nose itches, you take panadol. You get a rash on your skin, you take panadol. You get sun burnt, you take panadol. And you have to wait 45 minutes to see the doctor who finally tells you to go take a panadol.
3. A supposedly well known Ob/Gyn in Melbourne CBD advised my wife that it is perfectly safe to start having babies after the age of 35 !!
Technology:
Australia is way behind the rest of the world when it comes to technology. Any kind of electronic gadgets are available in Australia about 6 months after they are available in the rest of the world. It is common to see people still using dial up internet, and wireless internet is almost non-existent.
Infrastructure:
I moved house twice, and the first time it took 12 days to get a phone and DSL internet connection. The second time it took 58 days to connect the phone and another 19 days to get the DSL internet, even though I moved from the suburbs to within 5 km of the CBD. Same national carrier, and both places already had the phone lines and wall jacks, etc. Truly appalling.
Cars:
The average car is about 15 years old. Almost everybody buys a beaten up used car, or they are inherited from family. Used cars that are driven between 200,000 and 250,000 kms are considered as "low kms driven" and sell for only $3,000 to $5,000 less than the price when new. Car insurance costs a lot ($1800 a year for a 2006 Toyota Corolla in Australia compared to $1100 a year for a Chevy Tahoe here in the US - this is what I paid there and what I am paying here now) and goes up each year, regardless of whether you have made a claim or not.
General Living:
It is impossible to go out for dinner on Mondays and Tuesdays because all the restaurants are closed!! Most of the supermarkets only work till 5 PM even on weekends but are open till 9 PM on Thu-Fri. Even in tourist destination it is hard to find a restaurant open on Mon-Tue. It is impossible to get pizza in the day time.
Vacations/Motels:
I paid $240 a night in a place near Melbourne in a very poorly maintained motel which didnt have a remote for the TV.
In the US - I have lived in motels and paid as low as $70 a night and they were great value for money.
Hygiene:
Permanent water restrictions are in effect in Melbourne (and possibly the rest of Australia as well) which restricts by law the amount of water you can use. All the Men's public toilets in Melbourne (including the ones in shopping malls, movie theatres, etc) do not flush!!! They just use a product called propygate or something which I believe is nothing but an odor remover and there are signs posted in toilets saying "Flushing is not required"
Moral of the story:
US gets a thumbs up and Australia gets two thumbs down.
I dont mind going to Australia for tourism, but I would never think of moving back there.
I welcome objections to what I have written from my personal experiences.
Having lived in both Australia and US, here are my personal experiences.
Note: I am a citizen of Australia by naturalization. After living in Australia for 3 years I got fed up and moved to the US. This was 2 years back.
I immigrated to Australia on the General Skilled Migration program and got my Permanent Resident visa in my country of origin before I went there. I work in the IT industry and have lived and worked in 3 different countries before moving to Australia and finally the US.
I lived in metropolitan Melbourne, (both in the CBD and inner suburbs) for all the 3 years I was there.
Here are my personal experiences:
General outlook of Australians towards "outsiders" (outsider = anyone who is not white):
1. Unless you are white, you are looked upon as "another one of those immigrants who is trying to take our jobs and is living on our welfare".
Note: Australia stopped giving out Centrelink (welfare) payments to new immigrants long back, there is a 2 year wait for that now.
In the US - people are more friendly irrespective of my color.
2. The media (both print and radio) makes a hype of anyone who is not an Australian by birth. It is common to read/hear the news saying "An Italian man was caught while ...." or "A Greek man was found doing ...", but when an Australian is convicted, the news doesnt say "An Australian man was found guilty of ...."
In the US - never heard this bias.
3. Australians love to stereotype people.
It is common to hear the following stereotypes:
All Chinese are considered as working and living in a noodle bar.
All Indians are considered as taxi drivers.
All Americans are considered as fat lazy idiots.
All British are worshipped.
4. Ignorance is rife: I have been told plenty of times "You are not white but you seem to speak English" or "I am surprised you have been in Australia only 3 years and you speak English" or "Do the teachers in your country come from the UK?"
In the US - never experienced this, and everyone seems to understand my accent or at least makes an effort to do so.
5. In all my 3 years in metropolitan Melbourne, I experienced this at least once a month. You walk on the street (even in the daytime) and you see people passing by in cars shouting "AAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRGGGGHHH!!!!" at you. I asked one of my local colleagues, he said it is an anti immigrant thing.
I never experienced this imbecile behaviour anywhere else in the other 4 countries I have lived in.
Real Estate:
1. It is a joke. Apartments are owned by individuals in a building and they all charge rent according to what they feel is right. I remember living in an
apartment with 16 units, and we were paying $1100 a month which was $320 more per month than the one exactly below us (exactly same size rooms).
Two of the units got sold within a month of each other, one for $378,000 and one for $435,000 !!! The older a house gets, the more it appreciates. So if you get a brand new house for say $250,000, you may find the house next door which was built 60 years ago selling for $450,000+, even though it is crumbling and looks like the next gust of wind will blow it down.
2. The last place I lived, it cost $1100 a month for a 2 bedroom house (the second bedroom could not even fit in a queen size bed), no central heating or air conditioning, no dishwasher, no kitchen appliances, and all maintenance requests got a reply "the landlord has had a lot of bills this month, they will address your request next month". And guess what, next month never comes.
In the US - I pay the same, but my apartment has central heating and air conditioning, dishwasher, all kitchen appliances, a health club with spa and
swimming pool and landscaped lawns with a lake and fountains.
For maintenance, I make a single phone call, and by the time I get home from work the problem is fixed and a satisfaction survey is lying on my kitchen table.
Medical System:
1. Absolutely the worst of all the places i have been in. If you dont pay for private health insurance, then you have to wait too long as ViralMD posted earlier. Private health insurance costs a lot lot more in Australia than in the US, and they only reimburse a percentage, not all of the expenses, even if you go to the doctors in their network.
2. Australian doctors seem to know the cure for any and all kinds of illnesses. This great wonder is called Panadol (paracetamol tablets).
You fall sick, you have panadol. Your eyes water, you take panadol. Your nose itches, you take panadol. You get a rash on your skin, you take panadol. You get sun burnt, you take panadol. And you have to wait 45 minutes to see the doctor who finally tells you to go take a panadol.
3. A supposedly well known Ob/Gyn in Melbourne CBD advised my wife that it is perfectly safe to start having babies after the age of 35 !!
Technology:
Australia is way behind the rest of the world when it comes to technology. Any kind of electronic gadgets are available in Australia about 6 months after they are available in the rest of the world. It is common to see people still using dial up internet, and wireless internet is almost non-existent.
Infrastructure:
I moved house twice, and the first time it took 12 days to get a phone and DSL internet connection. The second time it took 58 days to connect the phone and another 19 days to get the DSL internet, even though I moved from the suburbs to within 5 km of the CBD. Same national carrier, and both places already had the phone lines and wall jacks, etc. Truly appalling.
Cars:
The average car is about 15 years old. Almost everybody buys a beaten up used car, or they are inherited from family. Used cars that are driven between 200,000 and 250,000 kms are considered as "low kms driven" and sell for only $3,000 to $5,000 less than the price when new. Car insurance costs a lot ($1800 a year for a 2006 Toyota Corolla in Australia compared to $1100 a year for a Chevy Tahoe here in the US - this is what I paid there and what I am paying here now) and goes up each year, regardless of whether you have made a claim or not.
General Living:
It is impossible to go out for dinner on Mondays and Tuesdays because all the restaurants are closed!! Most of the supermarkets only work till 5 PM even on weekends but are open till 9 PM on Thu-Fri. Even in tourist destination it is hard to find a restaurant open on Mon-Tue. It is impossible to get pizza in the day time.
Vacations/Motels:
I paid $240 a night in a place near Melbourne in a very poorly maintained motel which didnt have a remote for the TV.
In the US - I have lived in motels and paid as low as $70 a night and they were great value for money.
Hygiene:
Permanent water restrictions are in effect in Melbourne (and possibly the rest of Australia as well) which restricts by law the amount of water you can use. All the Men's public toilets in Melbourne (including the ones in shopping malls, movie theatres, etc) do not flush!!! They just use a product called propygate or something which I believe is nothing but an odor remover and there are signs posted in toilets saying "Flushing is not required"
Moral of the story:
US gets a thumbs up and Australia gets two thumbs down.
I dont mind going to Australia for tourism, but I would never think of moving back there.
I welcome objections to what I have written from my personal experiences.
Fine, You can say those things, As some of them are true (Most are not! ), But what I can't understand, Is why people think, That Austarlia is some sort of Antipodean Utopia? and then feel the need, To mouth off, When they get disappointed?
Some people come here, With some rather wacky, preconceived notions, About Australia and Australians.
Last edited by Kangaroofarmer; 06-17-2008 at 07:06 PM..
I would love to live in the US for a time. Yes Australia ia great but I really would love to experience all the states over there. For instance the northern states verses the southern states, west coast verses east coast,city or the country, so many different diverse people, traditions, occasions, festivals,lifestyles, etc, I could go on all night. Hmm I really don't think I would leave once I got there...lol. I love american people!
Maybe we can house swap for a year..I live in Maine and would love to see Australia.
Australia. I just love it. I've only been twice for a total of close to 4 months. I have family and friends who live there and love it. I adore Sydney and could definitely live there.
DH and I do think about moving over there, but I think it's soon going to be too late (you get more points the younger you are).
I love the nature, love Sydney and the people are so friendly and down to earth.
I dream of moving to Oz.... who knows, maybe one day we will!
Having lived in both Australia and US, here are my personal experiences.
Note: I am a citizen of Australia by naturalization. After living in Australia for 3 years I got fed up and moved to the US. This was 2 years back.
I immigrated to Australia on the General Skilled Migration program and got my Permanent Resident visa in my country of origin before I went there. I work in the IT industry and have lived and worked in 3 different countries before moving to Australia and finally the US.
I lived in metropolitan Melbourne, (both in the CBD and inner suburbs) for all the 3 years I was there.
Here are my personal experiences:
General outlook of Australians towards "outsiders" (outsider = anyone who is not white):
1. Unless you are white, you are looked upon as "another one of those immigrants who is trying to take our jobs and is living on our welfare".
Note: Australia stopped giving out Centrelink (welfare) payments to new immigrants long back, there is a 2 year wait for that now.
In the US - people are more friendly irrespective of my color.
2. The media (both print and radio) makes a hype of anyone who is not an Australian by birth. It is common to read/hear the news saying "An Italian man was caught while ...." or "A Greek man was found doing ...", but when an Australian is convicted, the news doesnt say "An Australian man was found guilty of ...."
In the US - never heard this bias.
3. Australians love to stereotype people.
It is common to hear the following stereotypes:
All Chinese are considered as working and living in a noodle bar.
All Indians are considered as taxi drivers.
All Americans are considered as fat lazy idiots.
All British are worshipped.
4. Ignorance is rife: I have been told plenty of times "You are not white but you seem to speak English" or "I am surprised you have been in Australia only 3 years and you speak English" or "Do the teachers in your country come from the UK?"
In the US - never experienced this, and everyone seems to understand my accent or at least makes an effort to do so.
5. In all my 3 years in metropolitan Melbourne, I experienced this at least once a month. You walk on the street (even in the daytime) and you see people passing by in cars shouting "AAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRGGGGHHH!!!!" at you. I asked one of my local colleagues, he said it is an anti immigrant thing.
I never experienced this imbecile behaviour anywhere else in the other 4 countries I have lived in.
Real Estate:
1. It is a joke. Apartments are owned by individuals in a building and they all charge rent according to what they feel is right. I remember living in an
apartment with 16 units, and we were paying $1100 a month which was $320 more per month than the one exactly below us (exactly same size rooms).
Two of the units got sold within a month of each other, one for $378,000 and one for $435,000 !!! The older a house gets, the more it appreciates. So if you get a brand new house for say $250,000, you may find the house next door which was built 60 years ago selling for $450,000+, even though it is crumbling and looks like the next gust of wind will blow it down.
2. The last place I lived, it cost $1100 a month for a 2 bedroom house (the second bedroom could not even fit in a queen size bed), no central heating or air conditioning, no dishwasher, no kitchen appliances, and all maintenance requests got a reply "the landlord has had a lot of bills this month, they will address your request next month". And guess what, next month never comes.
In the US - I pay the same, but my apartment has central heating and air conditioning, dishwasher, all kitchen appliances, a health club with spa and
swimming pool and landscaped lawns with a lake and fountains.
For maintenance, I make a single phone call, and by the time I get home from work the problem is fixed and a satisfaction survey is lying on my kitchen table.
Medical System:
1. Absolutely the worst of all the places i have been in. If you dont pay for private health insurance, then you have to wait too long as ViralMD posted earlier. Private health insurance costs a lot lot more in Australia than in the US, and they only reimburse a percentage, not all of the expenses, even if you go to the doctors in their network.
2. Australian doctors seem to know the cure for any and all kinds of illnesses. This great wonder is called Panadol (paracetamol tablets).
You fall sick, you have panadol. Your eyes water, you take panadol. Your nose itches, you take panadol. You get a rash on your skin, you take panadol. You get sun burnt, you take panadol. And you have to wait 45 minutes to see the doctor who finally tells you to go take a panadol.
3. A supposedly well known Ob/Gyn in Melbourne CBD advised my wife that it is perfectly safe to start having babies after the age of 35 !!
Technology:
Australia is way behind the rest of the world when it comes to technology. Any kind of electronic gadgets are available in Australia about 6 months after they are available in the rest of the world. It is common to see people still using dial up internet, and wireless internet is almost non-existent.
Infrastructure:
I moved house twice, and the first time it took 12 days to get a phone and DSL internet connection. The second time it took 58 days to connect the phone and another 19 days to get the DSL internet, even though I moved from the suburbs to within 5 km of the CBD. Same national carrier, and both places already had the phone lines and wall jacks, etc. Truly appalling.
Cars:
The average car is about 15 years old. Almost everybody buys a beaten up used car, or they are inherited from family. Used cars that are driven between 200,000 and 250,000 kms are considered as "low kms driven" and sell for only $3,000 to $5,000 less than the price when new. Car insurance costs a lot ($1800 a year for a 2006 Toyota Corolla in Australia compared to $1100 a year for a Chevy Tahoe here in the US - this is what I paid there and what I am paying here now) and goes up each year, regardless of whether you have made a claim or not.
General Living:
It is impossible to go out for dinner on Mondays and Tuesdays because all the restaurants are closed!! Most of the supermarkets only work till 5 PM even on weekends but are open till 9 PM on Thu-Fri. Even in tourist destination it is hard to find a restaurant open on Mon-Tue. It is impossible to get pizza in the day time.
Vacations/Motels:
I paid $240 a night in a place near Melbourne in a very poorly maintained motel which didnt have a remote for the TV.
In the US - I have lived in motels and paid as low as $70 a night and they were great value for money.
Hygiene:
Permanent water restrictions are in effect in Melbourne (and possibly the rest of Australia as well) which restricts by law the amount of water you can use. All the Men's public toilets in Melbourne (including the ones in shopping malls, movie theatres, etc) do not flush!!! They just use a product called propygate or something which I believe is nothing but an odor remover and there are signs posted in toilets saying "Flushing is not required"
Moral of the story:
US gets a thumbs up and Australia gets two thumbs down.
I dont mind going to Australia for tourism, but I would never think of moving back there.
I welcome objections to what I have written from my personal experiences.
Aah! Sounds like Australia wasn't the place for you. I'm struggling not to say "don't let the door hit you on the way out" but seemingly that's all you'd expect from me. A lot of sweeping generalizations in your post, that's for sure, and I can't help wondering if the reason that it didn't work out for you here is you didn't want it to. It seems like you already had a point of view about the place and so you've filtered your experience through that.
1. I don't know where you worked or where you lived but please don't generalize about the attitudes of the people in this country based on your negative experience. I've spent my whole life here and I've worked and lived in all kinds of areas. I have worked with and made friends with people from all kinds of backgrounds, colours and creeds AND so have the people around me. As far as I can tell skin colour is only an issue if you wish to make it so. I don't, my friends and family don't, my colleagues don't, so my experience is very different from yours. As far as we're concerned it's a non issue. Obviously for you it is not.
2. I've NEVER heard the media say "an Italian man was caught or a Greek man was found doing" UNLESS they were in fact Italian or Greek and the police where hunting for them and therefore give a description. Actually I've never heard the media apply any bias about a person's heritage but then I generally only get my news and information from reputable sources. Anyone that pays too much attention to commercial radio, TV, or print media ANYWHERE in the world should be fully aware when they do so they may as well not bother.
3. Item 3 on your list is just plain offensive and reeks of your own bias and stereotypes and I'd go so far to say that I've rarely if EVER heard the "common" stereotypes you list. I'm starting to wonder if you're just making things up now.
4. Seems to me that you find what you're looking for in this life. If you want to interpret people asking questions about you and your life as them being ignorant, given what you've said here, perhaps that's why you find it to be so? If you have an accent and people ask you where you're from, why is that such a big deal? Whenever anyone has commented on my accent when I'm overseas I don't take it that they're belittling me, I take it that the way my voice sounds to them is different to what they're familiar with and this evokes questions from them. Of course I usually handle that kind of conversation with humour and answer in the spirit of good will. I'm sensing that's not your style.
5. I've walked the streets here and had people yell out of cars at me too. But I didn't go and ask a colleague why they were doing it and then take their answer as gospel. Who CARES why an idiot yells out of a car at you? I know I don't. And I certainly wouldn't take the biased opinion and explanation of ONE person as a general belief about the phenomenon. Face it if someone is yelling out of a car at you, why on earth would you even give their behaviour a second thought, LET ALONE attribute a blanket generalization about a whole population based on it.
REAL ESTATE:
1. What you've described as far as I can tell is the basis of the free market as it exists anywhere in the world. Including America. Private rental is just that, an AGREEMENT you make to pay WHATEVER the landlord asks. If you agreed to it, I'm really not sure why you're whinging about it now.
2. Again, you decided you'd rent the appartment and you decided you didn't like it, so you're best off out of it and looking for somewhere you're happy. Landlords can only behave in this manner if you ALLOW them to. If you don't like where you live and you're not happy with your rental agreement and maintenance contract then there are avenues you can pursue but ultimately you made the decision to enter into the contract. Sounds like you're much happier where you are now and that's great BUT you could have found somewhere else here that you were happier with also.
MEDICAL SYSTEM:
1. Depending on the severity of your illness you don't wait at all. And that's the medicare system that's bulk billed for the majority of people anyway. That's no out of pocket expenses, all medical bills paid for by the government. Of course there's a catch. You have to wait. If you don't want to be waiting then it's up to you to find the best private health insurer that suits your needs. Dental, which I believe is what ViralMD was posting about is a whole other issue but you can get private dental insurance. I don't know anyone that's waited if they are in an emergency situation and have maintained a good working relationship with their GP. If you're just going to walk in off the street, then things can take a little longer. There are good and bad things about the medical system in this country but there are good and bad things about the medical system in any country.
2. If you're going to walk in off the street with an illness, and see any doctor in a busy clinic and accept when they send you away advocating panadol as the answer then I'm not really sure that you should expect anything else. Finding and maintaining a good working relationship with your health provider just makes good sense ANYWHERE in the world. If you weren't happy to repeatedly be told "take a panadol" why on earth wouldn't you question it then and there? You are responsible for your health, not your doctor, or a line up of doctors. If you're not well and the answer you are provided with doesn't please you then I'd suggest you need to keep looking until you get the answers you seek. I know that's what I'd be doing AND I'd be doing it ANYWHERE in the world.
3. If you didn't agree with the OB/GYN and you're not planning on taking their advice anyway why is this even an issue? There are plenty of women that do have perfectly safe and healthy first pregnancies after the age of 35 in this country. If you and your wife had already decided that it was dangerous to have a first pregancy after the age of 35 why on earth were you even at the OB/GYN???? Obviously you didn't need one and weren't going to be agreeing with what they had to say anyway.
Technology:
I hardly think Australia is WAY BEHIND the REST of the world when it comes to technology. I bet we're doing a whole lot better than people in a lot of countries. Perhaps we're just not as obsessed with electronic gadgetry as the rest of the world because there's other things to do like getting outside and enjoying the environment? Wireless internet is almost non existent???? News to me!
Infrastructure:
No truly appaling is when people continue whining about things that really aren't that important in the general scheme of things when there are bigger injustices going on in the world and they refuse to do their homework on a company. So you had to wait for your internet and phone connection a little longer than anticipated? I really wouldn't have thought that would matter to you anyway on account our technology is so far behind the times! Surely with your love of gadgetry you had a mobile phone anyway?????
CARS:
The average car is 15 years old??? WHERE on earth were you driving? Not in Melbourne. The only person I know with a car 15 years old is me. If you're living in the inner city and inner suburbs and you're not housing your vehicle at night then yes you will pay higher premiums for your insurance. I don't think that's an Australian thing, it's an insurance thing. And frankly it sounds again, like you didn't do your homework and get the best insurance deal available because I don't know anyone paying the kind of premium that you are paying.
GENERAL LIVING:
I've never had any problem going out for dinner on a Monday or Tuesday night. Actually I do it quite often.
The supermarkets around me are all open 24 hours a day, 7 Days a week and only close on Christmas Day and Good Friday.
Are you sure you were living in Melbourne?????
I've never had a problem eating out at tourist destinations on a Monday or Friday either.
When I was working in the city and living in the inner city I could get a pizza delivered any time from 11.30am onwards any day of the week, so perhaps it was just impossible for you?
VACATIONS/MOTELS
Again with the not happy and didn't address the situation at the time. What's with that anyway? If you got the motel and didn't like it WHY stay there and whinge about it afterwards? I just don't get it???
If you're prepared to stay in a poorly maintained place AND give them $240 for the pleasure I'm really not sure, given how behind we are with gadgets in your experience, why you'd be expecting a remote control for the tele! I mean what's a remote control anyway? ONE BAD EXPERIENCE that you seemingly have brought upon yourself does not equate to hotels are better or worse in Australia compared to the US.
HYGIENE
Um it's called a drought, you might have heard of those? Of course there's water restrictions. You take your life into your own hands going to a public toilet anywhere in the world. I'm glad you haven't been to Bali!!
MORAL OF THE STORY???
You didn't like it here I get that, and clearly your expectations did not meet the reality for YOU. I find it interesting though that you're still prepared to come back to such a backward, heinous place for holidays! AND despite hating the place, bad mouthing it in a great long diatribe and moving to the other side of the world where clearly you're much happier, you've maintained your Australian citizenship. What's the deal with that?
It's a real shame you've not enjoyed your Australian experience and I hope you'll welcome my objections in the spirit they're given.
Last edited by Cornerguy1; 07-31-2008 at 09:37 PM..
Australia seems like a great country and I want to go there badly. If I could not live in the US any longer and had to choose another country to make my home, I would go with Australia. I'd even pick it over Canada, although it's also a great country.
USA for me, Australia is a nice place but I could'nt live there.
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