Pyrpolizer wrote:Paphitis, don’t forget you were born and raised there.
Perhaps we could get a better understanding if your father was doing the talking instead of you.
For people like GR or myself who had a choice of living in a foreign country or Cyprus the choice was clearer. Cyprus is not the best place in the world but not total shit either. It’s a matter of weighing the pros and cons. Surely for most young mainland Greeks today the balance would tilt towards Austrialia.
It looks for GR the balance was tilting slightly as he managed to stay there for 15 years which is quite a long time. I think (from things he said in the past) what pushed the button was the safety of his child. For myself though the balance was clear after the first couple of years as there was too much racism.
After so many years I still have nightmares of having to live in that country ever again. No way …
if you are looking for information because a relative is thinking of moving to Australia, you will need to advise them to come to Australia.
The reason for that is simple. Australia is a pretty top notch country. In my opinion it is a better country to live in than Cyprus by far. There really is no comparison between living in Cyprus or living in Sydney or Melbourne which are great international cities that look amazing. You can live a lifestyle similar to Cyprus in Australia as the climates are similar and Aussies love their beeches. But it is such a vast country, it offers a lot more that is too difficult to explain or describe.
Opportunities are amazing. Cypriots or Greeks will not experience much racism I would say as they are largely accepted into the fold these days. That wasn't the case in the old days like back in the 1950s. People like my Dad did face bad challenges but Greeks today just won't.
Just some advice though. Don't act too woggy or Greek. Try and interact. Australians will generally help out and will establish friendships quite easily.
Your friend would easily make friends among the Greek community as well. There are Greek Church's, community centers, and schools.
If they end up not liking Australia they can move back very easily. But not many do.
The working week is 38 hours per week. Wages are much higher. Infrastructure is way better. there is so much to see and do.
It is pretty much one of the best countries to be in. I am not saying this because I lived here all my live or out of bias. This is generally the accepted opinion of most people who have lived in Australia and traveled and it is also the opinion of foreigners like Europeans and Americans who have lived in Australia.
Socially and economically, Australia is very much right up there with the very best of Scandinavian countries and Switzerland. It is a much better country than all European countries, USA and UK. I am not joking. We have the best of pretty much everything.
Economically and politically - well they don't get much better than Australia. It is a very affluent country plush with jobs and opportunities. The political system is very stable and it is a very democratic and free society. It is a liberal country too. That could be a shock to some Cypriots who only know Cyprus. Not so much if you lived in New York, LA or most of Western Europe.
People are very privileged to live in Australia.
