THE
ZIMBABWE CONNECTION

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 CONTACTS:

Department of Immigration: http://www.immi.gov.au

 

South Australian Dept of Skilled Migration : http://www.immigration.sa.gov.au

 

You WILL cope with a move ... because Zims have been through the mill one way and another and we are used to coping without a cushion to catch us if we fail.

 

 

Australians are certainly not out to get you!   There are good and bad in every community and coming into a new society you MUST do your due diligence on anything you might be considering.

 

It is a great adventure - one which, had times been different, probably few of us would have made.   But one which, having done so, very few of us would ever look back over our shoulders or wish to change.

 

WHAT TO EXPECT

It must be said that most of these are the personal thoughts and collected anecdotes of Jill Lambert but if they help anyone avoid the mistakes we made when we first came, it may be worth while reading through!

There is often an unrealistic level of expectation about migration - some expect it to be far easier than it is, others imagine it is going to be much worse.   It seems always to be somewhere in between - and in retrospect, something you wouldn't necessarily want to do again  - but well worth it in the long run.

These are just some of the recurring themes we have heard from others, or been through ourselves:

  • things are so tough in Zim everything will be perfect when we get there

  • I don't think we could ever possibly cope with a move

  • the schooling is inferior 

  • the kids are badly behaved

  • everyone in Australia is going to do us down, they'll just see us coming

  • we're good at what we do, we'll show the Australians

  • how can we ever cope or match up with their expertise

  • the Aussie worker doesn't know how to work

  • will we ever manage all the housework and cooking

  • we want to become Australians so we don't want to be near Zims

  • we want to go where there are lots of Zims

All are wrong - and right - to a certain degree ... the best thing to do, is try not to pre-judge or criticise in the early stages.    Things are not the same - but because they are not done the way we are used to them being done, it doesn't mean to say they are wrong.   Many of us have found out that things seem over bureaucratic and bogged down - but in fact the Aussie way of doing things has usually been meticulously (and in many cases over-meticulously!) thought through ... but it is usually pretty good - just ... different - 

You WILL cope with a move because Zims have been through it one way and another and we are used to coping without a cushion to catch us if we fail.   And after the euphoria of arriving and setting things in motion in your new life, things are not always perfect - so just be prepared for it and rationalise it for what it is. 

When you first come, you are likely to be bowled over by the kindness and friendliness of everyone.   Australians are open and caring people in general - but they expect the same back and do not like being taken advantage of - or criticised.  You will no doubt have heard of the term "whingeing Poms ..."  - it is alive and well and with such a huge migrant population, Aussies get pretty sick of it.

The schooling is inferior - no, it's different!  By the time they leave school, Zim kids and Aussie kids would probably be much of a muchness.   Zim has a far greater insistence on the three "r's" in the early stages and as a result, our kids frequently go in to schools in Aus, very competitively - useful for morale as they settle in.   

Kids don't show the same respect that we demand of our children and some can be absolute brats (the first school sports day will probably shock you rigid!) - but see the 15 and 16 year olds working in the fast food shops and supermarkets, and you will see open, outgoing, friendly, well behaved young people.

Australians are certainly not out to get you!   There are good and bad in every community and coming into a new society you MUST do your due diligence on any thing you might be considering.   Don't take things at face value - it is so competitive here that there are many small businesses that simply don't make it.   Do everything you can to make sure you don't get involved in one.   

The best advice we can give is to repeat : if your visa allows - make an arrangement whereby you are employed for a while before you invest any precious external dollars you might have.

We ARE good at what we do - but we also did it in a very different environment.   You will bring with you entrepreneurial get up and go and may feel frustrated by the bureaucracies and safeguards imposed in Australia - but the balance is very strong and can lead to great outcomes. You will find your own level - whatever that was in Zim, will probably be much the same in Aus ... the expertise here is different, and the strength is in the huge meeting of experiences and cultures which make up this multi-faceted society.    The opportunities for you and your kids are enormous, take advantage of the systems which are in place - and see some of our "settling in stories."

The Aussie worker doesn't know how to work - in general - WRONG!   It is one thing we all have to learn - our lives in Zim, by comparison, were leisurely!   But on the other hand, the housework is not a nightmare - you just learn that it is not really necessary to iron the tea-towels and that using mugs for tea and coffee means you don't have to wash up a saucer ... !

Other things it is worth popping into your memo bank - 

  • you cant rort the system here - and don't try because you will be caught.   

  • you are unlikely to be able to rake in the millions quite so easily as a result - but at least the thousands hold their value.   

  • when you first come - ask and ask and ask again ... find out everything you can about everyone and every aspect of society 

  • don't go all Australian or all Zimbabwean - if you do the first you wont find anyone who knows, understands and empathises, and if you do the latter, you will never grow

  • it will take you two years to really settle.   Don't make the mistake of giving up before that.   Widen your options, particularly for your children - and treat the two years before getting your citizenship as a great adventure and only a very small chunk of your lives.

In general - it IS a great adventure - one which, had times been different, probably few of us would have made.   But one which, having done so, very few of us would ever look back over our shoulders or wish to change.