Author Topic: I wish I knew (Read 1393 times)

aniena · « **Reply #45 on:** July 24, 2009, 12:07:17 AM »

Hi Sakiwiboer

My broer het so 'n paar woorde bygelas en weggelaat so onderlangs met die afle van die eed - in London so 'n paar jaar terug. Hoop ons kan dit ook doen.

groete

aniena

SaKiwiBoer · « **Reply #46 on:** July 24, 2009, 04:03:43 AM »

Hi aniena,
Dalk met ek gedeeltes in Afrikaans afle' wanneer die tyd kom ....

,
Hoop nie iemand sal die verskil agterkom nie....

.
Thanx aniena,
Groetnis,
SAKB

SA Going to NZ Advice Forum · « **Reply #46 on:** July 24, 2009, 04:03:43 AM »

Shirls · « **Reply #47 on:** July 26, 2009, 04:50:49 AM »

Its been ages since I last posted on any thread so here goes!

I am only going to comment the medical side of things let me tell you my experience....

Before we left SA 18 months ago I suffered a miscarriage. Thank goodness we had medical aid because the subsequent D&C would have set us back R10 000 .... OUCH
I am now 7 months pregnant with our "little kiwi" and all my medical care has been free. I have had 2 sets of blood tests, 2 scans, monthly mid wife visits, 2 Dr visits and they are all FREE...
How much would this have cost back in SA?? Even with a Medical Aid.

My 1st job in NZ was working for a DHB that managed funding for disability services... anyone who was eligible was entitled to equipment FOR FREE - hospital beds, wheels chairs, hearing aid subsidies etc - to check if you are eligible go to MOH's website and look it up.
Now tell me what support does the SA governmunt offer it's disabled people?
I am now working for another DHB where kids get FREE vaccinations (this is applicable across NZ)...

If you are on a 2 year work permit or longer you are entitled to the same treatment as Kiwi's for medical care... if you are been charged $75 for a Dr's visit then your Dr is ripping you off. The most we have paid is $30.

Working in the health industry is so different - the nurses don't even wear gloves!

Yes NZ is not all petals and roses, yes it is hard to make new friends, it is expensive to keep your house warm in winter, the weather can been very depressing, that finding a job has become harder and harder - but the job situation is NOT unique to NZ - just ask anyone living in the UK at the moment!

Would I trade the negatives to go back to SA?? Not on your life, and now more than ever not on my child's life. The lucky little bugger even gets his NZ passport when he is born! We still have 4 years to wait.... that reminds me we have had our PR now for a year !!!

You have to be realistic and understand that immigration is not for sissies. If you have any relationship problems, any health problems any doubts at all, trust me immigration will make you face those and deal with them!

Our biggest regret? Not coming out sooner!

Hopeful · « **Reply #48 on:** July 26, 2009, 07:24:58 AM »

I'm an immigrant in SA and there are many times when I've felt like I didn't belong. I was 4 yrs old when my parents moved from UK to SA, so I grew up here and I consider myself South African, but still sometimes I feel like something is missing. I hear about my UK family and they're strangers to me. I never had cousins growing up, no aunts and uncles and I only saw my grandparents every couple of years. You can't build a relationship based on that. The only contact between visits were phone calls at Christmas, where we struggled to understand each other due to our different accents and what on earth do you talk about to a stranger? I hope that Skype will make it easier for my kids to have a relationship with their family once we're in NZ.

I went to an English school - I didn't have any Afrikaans friends, so when I started working at Tygerberg Hospital it was a culture shock to say the least! I suddenly had to start speaking Afrikaans to lots of people! It was pretty awful (to hear). There were many times when I felt like a bit of an outsider. People would talk about TV programs that I didn't know, talk about food that I'd never had, talk about the Boer War and make me feel so guilty - it wasn't my fault you know (that's why I hate the song De la Rey). I'd never even eaten soetpatats because my mum never made it.

So, I decided one day that I need to change. Get involved in Afrikaans culture and enjoy it. I started speaking Afrikaans as much as possible so that I could practise it and now I'm fluent. I learnt to langarm (but I draw the line at sokkies - I can't handle the music), I started making more boerekos - divine! I decided to fully embrace the Afrikaans culture so I married an Afrikaner!

What I'm trying to say is - embrace your heritage, but embrace your new one too. The two don't exclude the other. I have the best of two worlds and soon the best of another one when I'm in NZ. You will always feel different, but what's wrong with different. I think it's cool. There are things about my English heritage that I love, and things that I don't. Same goes for the Afrikaans culture. But I survived and I'm proud of my UK and SA heritage and I don't like it when people insult either of them. You can't change where you come from, but you can change how you deal with it. If you want to be happy you have to adapt your attitude - for your and your kid's sakes. Otherwise you'll always be an outsider.

I will be embracing Kiwi culture but not forgetting my past either. In SA I support SA in sport, not UK - not sure what I'll do in NZ.

Good luck to everyone with their adapting.

Clarikdeens · « **Reply #49 on:** July 26, 2009, 09:12:21 AM »

So, I decided one day that I need to change. Get involved in Afrikaans culture and enjoy it. I started speaking Afrikaans as much as possible so that I could practise it and now I'm fluent. I learnt to langarm (but I draw the line at sokkies - I can't handle the music), I started making more boerekos - divine! I decided to fully embrace the Afrikaans culture so I married an Afrikaner! Grin

What I'm trying to say is - embrace your heritage, but embrace your new one too. The two don't exclude the other. I have the best of two worlds and soon the best of another one when I'm in NZ. You will always feel different, but what's wrong with different. I think it's cool. There are things about my English heritage that I love, and things that I don't. Same goes for the Afrikaans culture. But I survived and I'm proud of my UK and SA heritage and I don't like it when people insult either of them. You can't change where you come from, but you can change how you deal with it. If you want to be happy you have to adapt your attitude - for your and your kid's sakes. Otherwise you'll always be an outsider.

I will be embracing Kiwi culture but not forgetting my past either. In SA I support SA in sport, not UK - not sure what I'll do in NZ.

Thank you Hopeful

SaKiwiBoer · « **Reply #50 on:** July 26, 2009, 08:43:05 PM »

Thanx Hopeful, well said.
There are a few SA'ns that would like to carve out a piece of SA in NZ and I think that is a bit to much because some of them do NOT want to integrate into NZ and that is what is wrong to me. My kids should grow up to be kiwi's (with funny unprenouncible surnames, maybe), but kiwi's none the less. And if I keep them away from anything NZ and into anything SA they will always be "different" from the kiwi's and that is not what we want.... We took them away from SA to "give" them a life, and we brought them here FOR that life, why would we then "deny" them THIS life??? Just my 2c worth as usual, cheers, SAKB.

Anna007 · « **Reply #51 on:** July 26, 2009, 10:26:31 PM »

Thanks for the lovely post Hopeful.

I do agree with you on “embrace your heritage, but embrace your new one too. The two don't exclude the other”

From your post it’s also clear that immigration is a process, not a McDonalds drive-through, which is my point exactly.

SA Going to NZ Advice Forum · « **Reply #51 on:** July 26, 2009, 10:26:31 PM »

Hopeful · « **Reply #52 on:** July 27, 2009, 04:51:03 PM »

I'm glad you see my point that you need to adapt for your kid's sakes otherwise they will always feel like outsiders. I feel that my parents could have done more to integrate and I will make sure that I do once in NZ. Yes, it is an almost never-ending process, but for me it's actually been quite fun. It's nice to learn new things all the time. My husband always comes up with these (new to me) unusual Afrikaans sayings that you just can't translate into English and I kill myself laughing. Where have I been all this time!

Also, now my parents are forced to integrate a lot more because they have 2 Afrikaans sons-in-law!

nosyparkers · « **Reply #53 on:** July 29, 2009, 06:28:09 AM »

I have just been a victim of major fraud yesterday. some %*^&*% pretended to be from SARS, told me that they paid a cheque into my account by accident, and that I need to repay SARS otherwise face penalties. I checked my account and yes the money was there, so I refunded SARS, and then the cheque bounced. R60 000. The police and banks are working on it now, but this leaves SUCH a bitter taste in my mouth. I cannot WAIT to get out of SA. I'm not saying NZ is crime free - but is a lot better than here.

Snoozy · « **Reply #54 on:** July 31, 2009, 09:21:01 PM »

Awa · « **Reply #55 on:** August 03, 2009, 07:50:27 AM »

Just a bit of good news. Friends of ours came over about three months ago cowboy style (Tickets were booked and paid for before the economic crisis hit). He had TWO job offers and countless interviews. The best part is his job is not on the skills shortage list but he has lots of experience in his field (Admin and accounts - no degrees or diplomas, just experience). There are jobs out there guys as long as you have the time and money to wait it out. AND people are still getting work visas without being on the skills shortage list. It's not all doom and gloom - it's just harder. Make sure you have enough money and enough time to wait it out. Also brush up on your interviewing skills and apply for EVERYTHING in your field no matter where in NZ it is. Saffers are still very much regarded as good workers so 'byt vas'!!

alwyn · « **Reply #56 on:** January 03, 2010, 10:44:24 AM »

Well you get these coloured (and white) folks in Cape Town, who you know are Afrikaans but who force their children to speak only English. In the end the child will end up with 1 badly spoken language instead of 1 good (and original) and one thats good enough (or bad for some).

Whether I'm in NZ, CA, US or Europe my kids will hear Afrikaans at home, its their heritage. That's what we did in Asia, they spoke English to others, Afrikaans to family. I don't believe its fair to limit your children by being closed minded. If I come to NZ they will be part Kiwi, part Afrikaner, part Asian, the sum of their life experiences and most importantly their choice and not mine.

SA Going to NZ Advice Forum · « **Reply #56 on:** January 03, 2010, 10:44:24 AM »

robcraignz · « **Reply #57 on:** February 08, 2010, 01:15:49 AM »

Hopeful, I like what you have said here. I have similar situations, have Afrikaans and English ancestry. One great Grand father = colour sergeant in the Cameron Highlanders (UK forces in the Boer war), the other was the only one of thriteen children to survive the Bethulie death camp. who the heck am I suppsoed to hate. I have an Afrikaans wife and two Afrikaans stepsons. They are awesome in every way, have their faults, probably far less than I have, but just magic people. Kiwis said I should read "The Power of One" by Bruce Courtenay, damn, it was though he was telling my own story, of boarding school in Pietersburg, trains to and from, the only 'Engelsmanne tussen Pretoria en die Rhodesie se grens' etc. I could ramble on ad infinitum, but suffice to say, when we arrived in NZ, I said I wanted to integrate into their way of life. It is no easy task, but a wothwhile one if you want your sanity. It is fine to bring one's culture and see where two may meet and become one. But, we are the foreigners here and need to treat the Kiwis with the courtesy they deserve for giving us 'asylum'. I have a work collegue who is from Sierra Leone - you don't want to hear his life story prior to NZ. My own personal belief is that 'tribalism' is the cancer for any culture and society, no matter your colour, creed, religion or country. My Scottish heraldry bears wonderful tesimony to this. When people can set aside 'tribalism' for the greater good of the majority, there is potential for growth and acceptance. You have put a really good point forward with your story in SA. Hope(ful) NZ is a load kinder to you.

SA Going to NZ Advice Forum