Bailers
25th April 2006, 02:53 PM
...it's been 8 weeks since I left my job in the UK and in that time I've spent a couple of weeks in Plymouth saying farewell to family and friends, a week vegging in Singapore with friends and 5 weeks at the in-laws in Auckland settling in but tomorrow I start work again, a job I saw advertised when I was in Singapore.
After the nightmare 6 months of the house sale the last two months have flown by and in the last month we've settled the kids into Kindecare, swimming lessons and ballet (for Gemma not for Cam), bought a couple of cars, got a couple of jobs, visited Debs' family in ChCh, bought a house (get the keys Friday week), bought a new road bike to train for the round Taupo and basically just re-assembled our lives over here.
It's all going well to date and the kids are thriving with the contact they're getting with grand-parents, aunties and uncle and their cousin Olivia - they also love pre-school.
I know it's early days but to date I have no regrets about packing up and coming over, sure I miss my family but I only saw them 2 or 3 times a year and I probably talk to them more now than I did back in the UK. The thing I miss most (apart from family and friends) is my old squash club in Bromley but once we're settled I'll check out a couple of local clubs here.
Recommendations so far: Singapore Airlines; my mate and his family's hospitality in Singapore; ASB in Westgate; Harcourts Realty; Sapphire Technologies; general customer service in stores.
Shockers: Price of books; I thought drivers in London were bad but....; earning less in NZD than I did in GBP; holiday/sick allowance and general lack of benefits - but I guess that's job specific.
..right, time to chill with the kids before I jump back onto the work treadmill.
Mark
After the nightmare 6 months of the house sale the last two months have flown by and in the last month we've settled the kids into Kindecare, swimming lessons and ballet (for Gemma not for Cam), bought a couple of cars, got a couple of jobs, visited Debs' family in ChCh, bought a house (get the keys Friday week), bought a new road bike to train for the round Taupo and basically just re-assembled our lives over here.
It's all going well to date and the kids are thriving with the contact they're getting with grand-parents, aunties and uncle and their cousin Olivia - they also love pre-school.
I know it's early days but to date I have no regrets about packing up and coming over, sure I miss my family but I only saw them 2 or 3 times a year and I probably talk to them more now than I did back in the UK. The thing I miss most (apart from family and friends) is my old squash club in Bromley but once we're settled I'll check out a couple of local clubs here.
Recommendations so far: Singapore Airlines; my mate and his family's hospitality in Singapore; ASB in Westgate; Harcourts Realty; Sapphire Technologies; general customer service in stores.
Shockers: Price of books; I thought drivers in London were bad but....; earning less in NZD than I did in GBP; holiday/sick allowance and general lack of benefits - but I guess that's job specific.
..right, time to chill with the kids before I jump back onto the work treadmill.
Mark