To migrate or not?
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I just read this article before stumbling onto this thread.
Best places to be born in 2013
http://sg.finance.yahoo.com/photos/best-places-to-be-born-in-2013-1359523947-slideshow/
Not only Singapore is in the Top 10 but at no 6 spot even!
I think most will say 'Wow, sure or not'??? :siao:
What do you think? -
coolbreeze:
I think Singapore has a lot going for her compared to other countries.I just read this article before stumbling onto this thread.
Best places to be born in 2013
http://sg.finance.yahoo.com/photos/best-places-to-be-born-in-2013-1359523947-slideshow/
Not only Singapore is in the Top 10 but at no 6 spot even!
I think most will say 'Wow, sure or not'??? :siao:
What do you think?
Infant mortality rate is low.
Crime rate is low
proximity to medical help is high
food and water is safe
weather is mild
no major natural calamities
you get all the convenience within your neighbourhood
Decent education at low cost for all
That is what I can think of, off the cuff. -
vinegar:
I was in Oz late Dec for hols and was reading their local papers. A number of newspaper articles have raised the issue of Oz kids becoming overweight and lethargic and not so interested in sports. In fact Oz did very badly in London Olympics and a lot of soul searching that not producing enough young Oz sportspeople because Oz kids losing interest in outdoor activities.I notice the children here r really soooo obsess wf computer/hp games.Almost everyhere we go,we see children as young as 4,playing ipad/hp. My son himself likes to play angry bird games but we set certain time limit for him,try to bring him out to play sports or exploring the nature.
U don't see this scenario in OZ.Children there enjoy feeding birds,cycling,running in the park,probably bcoz of their colder weather n more natural parks,open field n seaside to run ard.
Of course another MAJOR issue is the rapid rise in skin cancer in Oz because of thinner ozone layer over Oz. Many of my Oz friends put on so much sun tan lotion just to walk outside from house to car to office!!! But they are truly afraid of skin cancer!!! -
coolbreeze:
Yes, I read that too...was like :?I just read this article before stumbling onto this thread.
Best places to be born in 2013
http://sg.finance.yahoo.com/photos/best-places-to-be-born-in-2013-1359523947-slideshow/
Not only Singapore is in the Top 10 but at no 6 spot even!
I think most will say 'Wow, sure or not'??? :siao:
What do you think? -
vinegar:
Which part of Australia are you looking at?,I notice the children here r really soooo obsess wf computer/hp games.Almost everyhere we go,we see children as young as 4,playing ipad/hp. My son himself likes to play angry bird games but we set certain time limit for him,try to bring him out to play sports or exploring the nature.
U don't see this scenario in OZ.Children there enjoy feeding birds,cycling,running in the park,probably bcoz of their colder weather n more natural parks,open field n seaside to run ard. -
My sister emigrated to Melbourne some 20 years ago. Her hubby is a Singaporean and his whole family has been living in Oz for many years. For the last 10 years, husband and wife have been running a small bakery. It is enough for them to buy a $1 million house with many acres of land. Her two girls are now teenagers and one is working towards a medical degree.
My sister is diabetic. The state gives her a few thousand dollars a year to take care of the condition. She can use the money for dental or eye care. Her mother in law, who lives with them, was diagnosed with mild dementia in the last few years. A social work assistant drops by twice a week to take the mother-in-law out for a few hours of shopping at the nearby mall, at the state’s expense.
They work very hard to run the business but labour is an issue. They had their fair share of young Aussies who stole from them, closed the shop early and invited their friends over for a party. Making a police report did not seem to help. As older folks cost more to hire, they have to resort to hiring only students.
My brother-in-law has very traditional Asian beliefs. His 2 girls are pretty afraid of him. They are not allowed to have a facebook account nor to skip school for no good reason. Leave home at age 18? I don’t think my nieces would even dare to think of it.
As for the lack of hawker food, they are used to it now. My sister used to make her own hor fun, char siew, pandan cake and other local delicacies. Anyway, my brother in law said daily consumption of hawker food is bad for health, so they have no issue with it.
Just sharing my sister’s experience. -
Just to share, my close relation migrated to Oz with wife and 2 daughters. He and his wife had done their degrees in Oz b4 returning to SG to work and marry. They had their 2 DDs but unfortunately 1 DD needed special medical care. He tried his best to find the right sort of care in SG but after a few years decided to go to Oz as he knew would get the right sort of care and his wife had found a job there.
They live in a nice house with a pool and garden and a dog. Both DDs are doing well with 1 DD having her special needs well taken care of. He is happy because DD is looked after by the state and she has benefits and rights which a similar child and adult with a similar disability in SG will not get.
The trade off is that because of high taxes although both are professionals in Oz with Oz degrees, their disposable income is not high so they having little savings although their house would easily cost $8-10 million in SG and is a lovely and comfortable home with about 8,000 sq. ft of space.
He is happy but if had the chance after living in Oz for about 15 years in total, would have preferred SG. -
Well, I took the plunge and migrated to NZ since last May.
So far I am enjoying the life over here. I still eat out a fair bit and Asian food is so available here. Almost everything I can get in Singapore, I can get it here.
My dds are enjoying their high school life here. Doing things at their pace instead of being pressured to excel. Less stress and thank God, no more tuition. Now they take classes where they have interest in and want to instead of being forced to. Family life has improved leaps and bounds. Where previously the maid is around at our beck and call, now we all chipped in to help in household chores. Kids are more sensible and we talked more as a family. Where previously I am keeping to a 15 hour work schedule, now I am home at 6pm every day.
I guess you need to decide what is your reason for uprooting your family. You must have thought about it before applying for the PR. Will you regret a few years down the road? No one can tell but will you blame yourself for not trying out if you decided to stay put?
Take time to know friends and get to know your new country. If you hold the same expectations, you are bound to be disappointed. Move with the flow and you will be happier. -
Just relax:
The trade off is that because of high taxes although both are professionals in Oz with Oz degrees, their disposable income is not high so they having little savings.
That's actually quite interesting, because the reason so many Kiwis are heading to Australia is because wages are quite significantly higher there and so they are able to save a lot more. I have friends who have headed across the Tasman and have saved quite bit. In fact, they've said it's much easier to save there and are planning on staying for a few more years before coming back and using their savings to buy a house here. Although, to be fair, my friends have no children, but there are also articles in the paper almost weekly about families who have upped and gone to Australia and who seem to be doing quite well, savings-wise. But I guess it all depends on individual needs. -
lovejoypeace,
how did u plan for job,accomodation and schooling for ur DD b4 migrating? -
yes,i did saw lots of overweight aussie. Think is due to their diet,mainly,fast food,pasta,fish n chip,meaty stuff(steak).
in fact,we always hv a hard time looking for food coz we do nt like fast food n meaty food.Their chinese food oso not so nice,coz cook by china PRC or taiwanese,very salty,very oily.But it is not prob for us, coz I cook.
We went to Tasman last dec, the weather was a bit weird,very hot,hot n hot.Was told tasman weather supposes to be cool even during summer.When we were there, there was news on local or asian ladies being molested by young china PRC.We saw China PRC everywhere! They do biz such as selling asian food,chinese food,at hobart,sandy bay…etc… -
Attolia,
wages in OZ is higher? what abt the living expense in NZ as compared to OZ, i presume the OZ living expenses shld b higher than NZ. -
vinegar:
Wages are definitely higher, quite significantly so, in almost every field. The Aussie minimum wage is something like $16 an hour, and over here it's $13.50, I think. Also, I believe the first $15,000 of income in Aus is not taxed, whereas over here you're taxed on your first dollar, so that can make quite a significant difference. Cost of living... I know Sydney can be very expensive, especially with regards to housing - either renting or buying - but apparently food can be cheaper over there. I'm talking groceries, not eating out, though. Auckland has a combination of lower wages (comparatively) and quite expensive housing, which makes cost of living relatively high. Not sure if you saw my post earlier in the thread, but there's what everyone's calling a 'housing crisis' here right now, so houses are crazily expensive, especially in the sought-after inner-city suburbs. But, I mean, it's all relative. If you're on a good income, you'll be fine.Attolia,
wages in OZ is higher? what abt the living expense in NZ as compared to OZ, i presume the OZ living expenses shld b higher than NZ. -
thks for info.
auckland is chosen as one of the best cities to live in.So won’t be surprised that the housing price is ex.
do u see lots of china PRC in NZ? i hope not.
true,the food,parking n accomodation r ex in sydney as compared to some other cities in OZ. We were there for few days.nothing interesting except the opera hse.Been to few cities in OZ, find melbourne n adelaide r more liveable.but melbourne ppl r more racist as compared to other cities. -
vinegar:
Ha. Yes, there are LOTS of Chinese in Auckland, most of whom are from China. There are also huge numbers of Hong Kong and Taiwanese and Indians, but I think those from China outnumber them. There was a huge influx of china immigrants about 10 years or so ago. Since the English test was imposed, numbers have dropped, but there are still a lot of them. I honestly think you'd be hard pressed to find any major city without high numbers of PRC Chinese, most of whom are very very wealthy and so are buying up properties for investment and in desirable school zones and squeezing ordinary, less well to do Kiwis out of the market.thks for info.
auckland is chosen as one of the best cities to live in.So won't be surprised that the housing price is ex.
do u see lots of china PRC in NZ? i hope not.
true,the food,parking n accomodation r ex in sydney as compared to some other cities in OZ. We were there for few days.nothing interesting except the opera hse.Been to few cities in OZ, find melbourne n adelaide r more liveable.but melbourne ppl r more racist as compared to other cities.
Racism - I've heard that Australia is a notoriously racist country, but it's just what I've heard from others. I haven't encountered any problems here, probably because you can tell I'm local as soon as I open my mouth, but generally, I think kiwis are pretty good if you make the effort to assimilate into the culture here, cos the Chinese tend to stick together, and I think that can cause some resentment, and people think 'hey, you're in NZ. Learn English. Make an effort.' -
Hee hee, my hubby says his second nationality is Kiwi cos he LOVES the All Blacks.
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toddles:
Hee hee, my hubby says his second nationality is Kiwi cos he LOVES the All Blacks.
My friends and I went down to the wharf to watch all the All Blacks' Rugby World Cup games on the big screen. It was awesome. I thought about buying tickets to the actual matches, but I was too cheap to. Haha. -
u stay at auckland? Hv u experienced earthquake b4? Is there any city or countryside in NZ which is out of earthquake zone?
NZ is one of our choices to migrate.Coz i find OZ is too commercialise.Surprise to see a lot of developments even in the countryside.Oredi so sick of seeing crane n construction sites in SG,went OZ oso see...esp. now they're building lots of houses at brisbane n melbourne.
we traveled to Christchurch n dunedin 10yrs ago.No sight of PRC. U r right,ever since china opens up & they're getting richer in recent yrs,u can see them everywhere....even in an unknown town in Tassie.They r strong survivor.can survive everywhere.I ever watched how the china PRC becomes wealthy in south africa.Their houses there look like palace. :shock: -
National geographic channel has featured few shows how china PRC become rich in south africa n how locals detest or love them…in a way,they build factories in their countries but also create job opportunities for them.
The african says they’ll nvr buy chicken raised by china prc,coz those r not free range.
In SG, now we started to see china PRC drivers for SBS bus.Not to discriminate them,but they’re known to be not safety conscious. -
Racism - I’ve heard that Australia is a notoriously racist country, but it’s just what I’ve heard from others. I haven’t encountered any problems here, probably because you can tell I’m local as soon as I open my mouth, but generally, I think kiwis are pretty good if you make the effort to assimilate into the culture here, cos the Chinese tend to stick together, and I think that can cause some resentment, and people think ‘hey, you’re in NZ. Learn English. Make an effort.’[/quote]
I encountered that ‘hey, speaks english, you are in Australia.’
I was talking to a close friend in the bus, when the lady opposite me stared at me and said that. I don’t think that was very nice of her.
That was ten years ago, that is why migrating overseas was a no no.