People migrate to other countries because they are not happy with their mother country one way or the other. It can either be social, political or economical reasons. If you are happy with all those aspects, there’s no need for you to permanently leave the country that you were born. (Some of these people get hit with a strange sense of patriotism once they leave the country and I will write about that in a later post.) Australia is arguably the most favorite destination of all those skilled migrants from Sri Lanka for various reasons. The low paced life, widely available job opportunities and straight forward process of selection are said to be few of those.
Even though the outlook seems so serene, the inside story of most migrants is quite bitter and hardly revealed. The most likely scenario as soon as you land in Australia is that you are homeless and jobless. In theory, your profession may be in high demand but in practice, it is quite difficult to find a matching job for your qualifications. It is considered that being called for an interview is also some kind of an achievement here. No matter how qualified and experienced you are in your motherland, they would always look if you have got Australian experience. The current economical situation has made things worse.
I have met and heard of quite a few Sri Lankan skilled migrants who have spent 3-4 months without a proper job. I personally know someone who lived in one state for more than 4 months doing odd jobs and spending money he brought from Sri Lanka until he was offered a job in another state. Then he had to spend more money for the inter-state move and ended up being a debtor for various parties. Things would turn into a nightmare if you are with your family and you’ve got kids.
While you hunt for jobs, you have to find a place to live. People usually are reluctant to rent out a house to a person without a job or without any rental history. So in most cases your application is going to be rejected. Then you have no option but to offer a higher amount as the rent to stand out of the other applicants. At the end it all comes down to the money you bring from your home country. Until you find a place to live, you have to be a burden to someone else, either a relation or a friend, who is generous enough to offer you accommodation. You have to be a burden to someone for transport until you get hold of a vehicle, because in some states public transport is not as frequent as you would like.
Childcare facilities are increasingly becoming expensive and hard to find. In some states you have to be in a waiting list for more than a year to get your child in to a day care. Understandably there’s a huge demand for such facilities but very less on offer. If you look forward for a better life, both you and your partner need to earn which makes childcare facilities extremely critical. But when you consider the cost, it would be economical for one person to stay home rather than sending your kid/s to a daycare centre. The economical crisis has taken its toll on the childcare and pre-school institutes as well.
When you go through all this mess, you are most likely to rue the decision you made to migrate. Don’t be surprised if you feel like giving up everything and head back home; so many people have felt the same way before. It takes quite an effort to settle in, begin and build your life from the scratch. It’s not as easy as you would see from distance. It’s like being putting into bat on a bowling minefield kind of a pitch in a Cricket match. Once you get through that difficult patch, things will get better and better. Life is so easy, low paced and you will enjoy everything from driving to dining; seasonal bush fires and water restrictions excepted. But the challenge is to survive those tough times without crumbling.
Please note that this post is not to discourage or distract you but to just to provide you a picture of what it would be like, before you make the big decision. It will always be greatly helpful if you are mentally prepared for the big change. So think, think and think before you jump.
Sue said,
March 2, 2009 at 8:19 am
Hello there, nice account of “migration blues”..even though I was born in Australia, I can definitely relate to the reality of migrating from another country, as I have witnessed it from my cousins who did recently. It is tough, and if you dont have perserverance and the ability to be patient, it can destoy you.
I take it that you went through migrating to aussie yourself? Which state are you from?
Also I’d like to add that the employment and living expenses vary state to state. Sydney is way more expensive to live than Melbourne or Brisbane. It also really depends what kind of job you have and the demand for various jobs determines how quickly you can secure a job.
So have you found a job yet? How do you like Australia, besides the fact of having “bushfires”…Aussies are definitely more approachable than Europeans or Americans..
caesars said,
March 2, 2009 at 8:42 am
What can I say.. As usual you have talked about a topic not every one would like or think to speak on. All the things in here are true.
I know a family both the husband and wife are doctors in government hospitals in here, decided to return back to sl having spend a more than 9 months jobless in au.
Dilantha said,
March 2, 2009 at 4:54 pm
I’ve heard many of these stories myself. Fortunately I came down with a job in hand. Moving and finding work costs a ton of money. Most people ask for Aussie experience from people who just got here.
It takes a few years to settle and turn things around.
Vishvajith said,
March 6, 2009 at 9:09 pm
” Eheth Ehemada, Meheth Ehemai ” – traslated as ” Is it so ? There, It’s the same, Here “.
I stumbled across your blog wile surfing. Refreshing indeed. Your blog on migration is said ” as, is “. This is universal I guess. However there is an added advantage to us leaving for English speaking countries, we know we will land in an employment position soon.
Cheers.
V.
Kalpa B said,
March 7, 2009 at 2:22 am
Couple of years back, 4 people left the country (SL) heading to US. One friend, a student who lived in US at that time sent some valuable facts about the life they are going to face..
This will be a honer to him, who teach most of the things, providing everything he had at that time to the new comers including his vehicle and he start to walk to his school.
Here are his words –
(Hope this is relevant to the original post)
Thopi hithan inne Americawe awama okkoma hari kiyalada? Sapa windinna one nan Mehe enna epa, gedarata wela indapalla, mehe sapa windinna puluwan thanak nemei!! Aduwen wada karala shape padiyak aran inna nan ithin Americawata wada Lankaawa thamai hari yanne! Mehe awoth ithin adu ganane awurudu 2-3 k wath yana kan ambaanaka katta kanna ona. ethakan ithin, patta seethale, ude paandara, parana kabal car wala panthi gaane gihin, suddange part bala bala inna wenawa! kanna bonna hari haman kaamak na, ajapal sandwiches thiyenne, kaawath bada pirenne naha. nida ganne dawasata 3-4 hours withara. Lankaawe vatinaakama therenne mehe aawama. Thamange gedara inne, rent ekak mortgage ekak gewanne na, kama bima hadala denne amma, andum palandum kama bima anith wiyadan laabai…Lankaawe. Ewa okkoma anith paththa mehe! Salli naththan mukuth na! Manussakan anan manan mehe na. Salli witharai. Habai ithin Lankaaweth dan nan ewa kohomada kiyala mama hariyata danne naha! Mehe aapu hatiye umbalata apahu Lankaawata yanna hithune naththan ithin eka pudumayak. Mehe awith issellama ganna decision walin most important eka thamai eka. Mehe innawada naththan okkoma damala gahala apahu yanawada kiyala hamoma hithanna wenawa. Anna e decision eka ganna eka harima crucial. Mokada mehe 1-2-3-4 months indala mehe life ekata kamathi wena ekai, thawa awurudu 5kin life eka kohoma weida kiyana ekai dekama hithanna wenawa. Eth thawa awurudu 5kin mokak weida kiyana eka aapu gaman hitha ganna amaarui. Ithin awuruddak dekak indala balannama wenawa koi athatada ape bambare karakenne kiyala. Ithin oya athare mehe tikak kal hitapu aya kiyana dewal unath tikak ahuwata paadu wenne na. Monawa unath katta kanna bari nan mehe ena eka therumak na. Mehe udata yanna puluwan duk windala, katta kaala allan inna unta witharai. Habai eka dawasin udata yannath ba. Thawath ekak, mehe awith okkoma aluthin A,B,C indala igena ganna wenawa podi de indala. Kotinma kiyanawa nan aluthin ipaduna wage thamai(reborn). Kadeta gihin paan gediyak ganna ekath harima complicated wage thamai penne aluthen aawama! Condom packet ekak ganna paya gaanak yanawa issella eka thiyana thana hoya ganna! Eth ithin umbalata nan ewa danma wadak wena ekak na!! Mokada American English katha karanne nathuwa mona ganiyekwath thopi diha balanne wath naha! Aluthen baasaawak igena gannawa wage thamai mehe english igena ganna ekath. English katha karanna kamathi naththan Lankaawata wela indapan, mehe hingannoth katha karanne ingirisiyen!!! Hama dema apita amaru widiyata thamai mulin penne. eth tikak kal giyaama nan hamadema lesii wageth penna puluwan. kiyanna baha ithin eka thamange hatiyata thamai. Kohoma unath Americawe thamanta inne thaman witharai. Anith hamotama apiwa wadak naha, api gana balanneth naha, api kisima wadakata naha, kotinma api harima unimportant minissu mehedi!!………………………………………
Mechchara dewal kiyalath umbalata thaamath mehe enna oneda???? Ehenan ithuru tikath kiyawapalla……… Mama me liyuma ewanna hitiye hungak dawas indan. eka eka wada nisa parakku una. Mehema dewal kiyanna hethuwa: If you come here with a weak mind or mentality, the chances are that you will not survive in this fast moving world & end up going back home. Anika churu churu gaga, kendiri gaga inna kota inna anith untath ithin karadare. Mehe welaawak naha podi lamai nalawa nalawa inna. Only “pirimi” please! No “ponnayo” please! Airport eken plane ekata nagala seat eke waadi wela kalpana karala balapan……………. Lankaawe thibuna honda rassaawak damala gahala, demavpiyo, sahodara sahodariyo okkoma athaarala ‘half across the world’ fly karala, meheta enne hitiyata wadiya honda life ekakata nan, ekata tikak mahansi wenna wenawa. Tikak kiwwata ambaanak katta kanna wenawa,awurudu gaanak duk windinna wenawa. Umbala mehe airport eken bahina kotama $5000 padiyata rassa walata umbalawa ganna kawruwath awith balan inne na. “You gotta fight for it!’ (Anika $5000 padiyak gaththoth e wagema wiyadanuth thiyanawa, eken $500 wiyadan karala ithuru tika ithuru karanna nan baha ithin!!) Me tika tikak hithala ita passe flight eke serve karana whiskey hari arakku hari gahala aathal eke ena ekai aththe! Ithuru tika mehedi bala gamu. Balaagena oya kukkata wadiya gahanna denna epa, anthimata plane eka hodanna wei maga nathara karala!! Ah.. umbala bothal genawa nan issellama zip-lock bag ekaka daala, ewa redi wala othala, hariyatama bag eka madde daala genen. Mama eka paak gena kota arakku bothale kadila thibuna. (habai eda mata jeevithe anithya bhavaya vatahuna e arakku bothale katu dakala!!) Baya wenna epa kukka mehe ona tharan beema jathi thiyanawa. Bassa, mage address eka one unoth airline walata deepan, hamba unoth airline wala wada karana air hostess latath deepan Dallas aawoth nawathinna puluwan kiyala!! Me aathme karana pinak thamai ithin….
Me dawas wala ambaanak seethalai, jacket ehema aran waren. Light jacket ekakui, tikak thick jacket ekakui 2k aran warella. Odel eken thamai mama nan gaththe. Thada seethala wagema thada rasneth thiyanawa mehe Dallas wala. Dec-Mar puka irenna seethalai…May-Aug puka ginigannawa! Dekatama hariyanna andun ganilla. Ara ganja lamayagen ewa okkoma aha ganna puluwanne! Ehenan ithin mehedi hamba wemu. Ara mama issella kiyapu dewal ahala echcharama baya wennath epa ithin! ha ha onama nan ithin chuttak baya wunata kamak na.
Ah.. okkoma ona karana software aran warella. matath win…office ona. Ewage nam gahanne nathuwa aran waren.
meeta,
I