Hi There.
It’s been a while since the last update, so I thought I’d better do a brief post about what is happening. We have moved back to Australia, bidding farewell to HangZhou and Shanghai, our stomping grounds for the past year. Hopefully it isn’t farewell, but instead a “until next time”.
We are presently in Canberra with my folks until the next stage of our lives is determined. As you might suspect, the determination is work based – we have limited our scope to either Canberra or Sydney, and at the moment the likelihood is that we’ll be offered good positions in Sydney. However, we are pursuing opportunities in both locations so that we can make an informed decision about where to restart our lives in the land down under.
Each location has merit.
Canberra offers us close proximity to my immediate family, and to Toni’s mother (south coast) – which we have not enjoyed for many years – as well as an opportunity to eventually send for all of our belongings which are currently languishing in a storage facility on the Gold Coast in Queensland. We’d also enjoy a slightly cheaper cost of living and shorter commute times to and from home and office. The city also offers a much better environment with cleaner water and better air quality. There are also more cycling and outdoor options.
Sydney has the obvious upside of a more cosmopolitan lifestyle. Pay is usually a little better, but it is offset by the slightly higher cost of living. Transport is a nightmare, with the average commute from home to the workplace approaching at a minimum of half an hour in both directions, unless you happen to live close to the workplace. Entertainment options far outweigh those offered in Canberra and we have far more friends living in Sydney. There are much better golf courses (which are cheaper) and it is more central to the ACT and the Central Coast (where we have relatives).
As you can see, it is hard to pick one location over another. From a pure location perspective, Canberra is slightly better for us at this time, and we have a couple of advantages here, especially in relation to finding a new place to live. Our main problem is networking, as we have been away for more than a decade. We are slowly rebuilding and getting to know people through friends and family which may hopefully reintegrate us into the landscape.
So.. at this stage we don’t have any answers yet. We should hopefully have a clearer view of what is to follow in the coming weeks. At the moment, we are faced with the daunting realization that we can’t predict the future and we could end up in any number of interesting scenarios. As I said earlier, we are pursuing options in both locations. Time will tell which location wins out.