Why Moving to Australia Changed My Life (in surprising ways)

Thank you for tuning in. I'd love to hear from you if you've experienced anything similar, or if you're a South African living abroad, have you noticed any cultural differences ?

Thank you, great little video. I’ve also experienced being very grateful for living in Australia and feel I don’t take it for granted. Being in a safe, healthy, thriving society has made a huge impact on my life and allowed me to live in a way I never could have imagined. Growing up in South Africa was traumatic and has influenced me, making me a little more resilient probably protective and maybe a little quick to go directly to a decisive response. I feel lucky to be able to pause now, and reflect on all the possible ways of being, and to have more choices out of life. Thriving and opposed to surviving. I’ve been here 11 years now, the thought of living in SA is not even close to being on the cards. I just hope my siblings will find a safe, beautiful place to live too.

Yeah I met a bloke from South Africa, when he pulled up at the traffic lights he asked everyone to lock their doors, I never asked how long he'd been living in Australia but that really hit home for me. I thought it must of be like living in a war zone over there. Yes Yes Yes a lot of Australians don't really know how lucky we are living in this great country.

one of my in laws is an American and she always tells me...that on the surface Aust & US are similar..ie English..Consumer goods..etc...but when she started living here she realised under the surface there are huge differences.

Sunshine, your living in Australia now, you can say what ever you bloody well like. We're all good with that.

Very true. Aussies have no idea how lucky we are having clean running water, an efficient infrastructure and a relatively crime-less society. The transition from a third world to a first world culture must be a shock.

Her accent has totally changed from South African

Accurate 💯 The best thing is interacting with another immigrant who has the same deep appreciation. It’s like a mutual understanding within the first few words of meeting.

Hi, I am a South African, but I grew up in Australia for 10 years. My formative years of development and an immigration clerical error on paperwork caused our family to have to immigrate back. But this is immaterial. I have now spent 10 years back in South Africa. And to be honest, I have seen the decline in SA as you have articulated. And likewise, when I speak to my Aussie friends, we often discuss how Aussies are so very, very lucky. As you will know, that was a statement made on news broadcasts in the 07 to 09 era (Australia is referred to as a lucky country) The interesting thing, however, is that the community has changed in SA. We do actually care about our friends and neighbours. Living through the July 21 riots, we saw the communities of SA stand up against the injustices that were occurring at the time, not the police force, and certainly not the military, but the citizens of this nation said not on our watch. I am also a community volunteer, but this was fostered by Australian culture and not SA culture, that being said being a community volunteer here, also means to a certain extent you see and witness the beating heart of the nation. The one that the news doesn't cover. I have done a fair bit of traveling around the country and spoken to many different people from many different walks of life. What is heartbreaking is we as a whole, immaterial of socio-economic background, demographic, race, religion, etc. We all often want the same thing. It's so strange to bear witness to, but juxtapositioned to that is this government has created an acceptance to corruption and theft, with no accountability. To the extent that the everyday South African will just accept an act of crime and not even report the incident because of a lack of trust and faith in a system. The heartbreaking point is that good people at times have been forced into desperate measures from a place of despair, and at times even with good intentions, an opportunity may present itself and resorting to that opportunity is a better outcome than the path one was on, or in a constant fight with a corrupt system. In brief, to answer your question on community, like a country that is both first and 3rd world simultaneously, so to is the nations sense of community both a yes and no answer. An American youtuber I watched referred to the American community based on hobbies, and at times, I feel I see this similar outcome in the South African society mearly as a point of my own observation.

Welcome to Australia Arianna 😁 Great to hear someone moving over here to actually show some appreciation of what we have to offer and embrace our way of life . THAT is the type of integration that love to see here , this is what makes us Australian- Together 👍 🇦🇺

Omg loved this video! I’m also a South African who lives in the Netherlands, thinking about Australia :))))

You didn't mention how clean the council's keep the streets. Im proud now how well Australia is run. As a Aussie it's taken a long time for me to feel that way.

Much that happens to us growing up does impact on our behaviour and attitudes. I think that after 16 years that you haven’t lost your recognition of your blessings that others take for granted, speaks positively of you as a person. This was a very educational video, thank you for reminding us of our blessings, especially at this time.

I’m Aussie and when I worked for many years as cabin crew for EK, I flew with many ZA girls as colleagues My conclusion back then was “ woah, they look like me, but they are not like me” I surmised back then, that they come from a dog eat dog world so the way we conduct ourselves is different. I always got on with them, but I used my head and let them have their way the whole flight. They were fine as long as you didn’t challenge them.

I’ve been in Aus for almost seven years. We (South Africans) are often seen as rude just because we don’t beat around the bush. Must be our Dutch, German and French blood.

This was very interesting. The points raised is generally the most common ones we all know about, but it would be very interesting if you can dig deeper into those differences that you've experienced. Cheers

I’m a 48 year old Aussie and couldn’t agree more with you we a so blessed 🇦🇺❤️ THANK YOU.

Hi Arianna, I have a "history" which is just the opposite of yours. In 1970 I left Australia to be with my girlfriend who came from Windhoek. So I moved to Cape Town to try to find work. It was difficult and the opportunities in WIndhoek were few and far between, so I spent 18 months in Cape Town. I then returned to Sydney for a few years and finally in 1977 I got my permanent residence for SA and went back to WIndhoek. We got married in 1979. After 10 wonderful years my wife passed away in 1989 and I then moved to Germany for 5 years. We had been planning this move before her passing. When I returned to Windhoek, I managed to find employment in Luderitz on the south coast of Namibia.That's where I met my second wife. We married in 1997. She was originally from Germany, but came to South West Africa (Namibia) in 1962 with her first husband. She later moved to Cape Town. We met when she was spending a short holiday with her nephew in Luderitz. But Luderitz is quite a way away from everything and she was not so happy there, although the German-speaking community was/is very strong. So in 2000 we came down to Cape Town. After 25 marvelous years she also unfortunately passed away in 2022. So I've been here on or off for over 50 years. We did make several trips to my parents in Sydney, but I must say that there is not much difference between the two countries - apart from language.

good onya young lady,hope you have a great live here,all the best

Australia became British penal colony when America got independence. British convicts were transported to Australia to live or die. The culture of reliance on each other to survive the harsh realities of the condition was developed. Where do you think the very iconic greeting of “G’Day Mate” originate from? To not only survive but to build new life for themselves, the convicts, laid down the foundation for modern Australia through blood, sweat and tears. Today people from all over the world want to come and live in Australia. Listen to the song “I am Australian” by The Seekers, perfectly captures the story and the spirit of Australia. Australian mateship is something more than just a passing greeting.