Getting from A to B in Sydney
by Dina Zavrski-Makaric

Sydney is a unique and beautiful city. When it became my home 18 years ago, I felt quite overwhelmed by its size and, of course, the left side driving rules. Initially I thought I’d let my husband deal with the driving, but after three months it became obvious that he won’t be able to be the only official driver in our family with two children. read full article

Moving With a Teen
by Dina Zavrski-Makaric

Moving countries is a great challenge for adults, but for teenagers it’s even harder. That shouldn’t discourage you from moving, particularly if relocation opens new opportunities for the whole family. What you will need is awareness of what to expect, planning, extra effort and lots of patience. read full article

The Land of Oz
by Dina Zavrski-Makaric

The 20,000 additional skilled migrants set to come to Australia in 2005-06 may love our weather and lifestyle, but they will still find it a daunting experience.

The recent increase by 20,000 of skilled workforce clearly shows that migrants are becoming more important to Australia’s future. In total, more than 250,000 (non-humanitarian) migrants will arrive on these shores over the next two years. read full article

Deciding on a Home When Moving to Sydney - Rent or Buy, Where and How?
by Dina Zavrski-Makaric

The beauty of Sydney is largely due to the generosity of nature. The loveliest harbour in the world started to be carved by its first settlers who dropped anchor at Sydney Cove on the afternoon of 26 January 1788.

Today, there are clear signs of these early years in the landscape of Sydney. The map of Sydney looks like a large bowl of spaghetti, with its ‘unruly crooked streets’.

Finding a home in this city is just one in the series of potential nightmares for newcomers. read full article

Who am I if I’m not from here?
by Dina Zavrski-Makaric

I am an expatriate, and will remain one, unless I am in my country of birth, in which case I am a repatriate. I guess, once you move countries, you acquire a tag of some kind to being a 'patriate'.

I landed in Sydney on 13th November 1988. I was 30 years old, with two children, 1 and 2 years old, and 5 suitcases. I was greeted by temperature in low thirties, humidity close to a 100% and my husband, who arrived in Sydney two weeks before, to ‘settle us in’. read full article

Where to go in Sydney and Melbourne
by Dina Zavrski-Makaric

When we migrate from one country to another we are often very soon faced with difficulties of starting to create our life and our living in the new surroundings. This quest can be easier for some, and harder for the others. We are all unique in how we go about living our lives; however, most of us are likely to fall into the trap of neglecting our social life for the sake of everyday tasks. What we also often forget is that we need to nurture our exploratory side, and that holidays and overseas visitors are not the only time when we should go and discover what our new surrounding has to offer. Read more about Where to go in Sydney and Where to go in Melbourne.

Life Begins With Separation
by Dina Zavrski-Makaric

I am on the plane, going to my mother’s funeral. Last time I saw her was two years ago, and last time we spoke was 2 weeks ago. I am trying to remember what I said to her and how we ended our conversation.

There were three separations in the relationship with my mother: when she gave birth to me, when I moved to Australia, and when she died. read full article

How to Make a Friend?
by Dina Zavrski-Makaric

Good social relationships play a key role in a good quality of life. In fact, the recent study from Flinders University in South Australia shows that meaningful reciprocal relations with friends are more important to our well-being than spending time with our family! Newcomers are in the best position to start working on staying well and healthy until very old age. read the rest

Many of us who relocated countries felt that our social networks were stirred from the bottom up. For most of us relocation means that our old social networks have come to an abrupt end, and starting new ones is often filled with anxiety of the unknown. Our connections to the wider world, our deepest feelings of being accepted and safe are gone. Leaving family and friends behind, coming to an environment where we don’t know anyone is an unsafe and challenging experience. read full article

The Dog and the Clothes Line
by Dina Zavrski-Makaric

I was amused the other day listening to a guy on tv saying how it causes him real stress when his dog attacks the washing on the clothes line. The visiting expert on the show offered a solution to the problem; put your clothes line up higher and keep your dog away from the back garden. Sensible advice. It reminded me of my own stress levels 18 years ago when we relocated to Sydney. Finding accommodation, looking for childcare, husband not able to find a job, me having to go look for one, sleeping on rented furniture, eating from borrowed plates… just some of the life events causing us stress. If back then we had a dog attacking the clothes line, maybe we would be able to put all this other stuff into perspective. Or would we just give the dog away?

I am not good at keeping scores, but the number of articles over the years on ‘how to manage stress’ must be up with the winners. Newspapers, magazines, tv and radio programs, week in week out give sensible advice on how to cope with life’s day-to-day events: work life, love life, family problems, health, financial challenges… You ask people what causes them stress and they usually name one or two things. That is until you ask a newcomer who relocated to another country in the past twelve months. Then you’ll see a person whose work, family, health, social, financial and all other aspects of life changed greatly at the same time, over a short period, away from familiar surroundings and known support systems. read full article

Asian expansion: take your time
by Sarah O'Carroll

SUCCESSFULLY EXPANDING a business into Asia requires time, slowly building relationships, proper investment and adopting an indirect communication style, according to Rosemary Urbon, CEO of Singapore-based People and Culture Development Pte Ltd.

Business transactions in Asia happen at a slower pace than Australians expect, and where it would take six months to close a deal in Australia, it could take 18 months to two years in Asia. To this end, Australian companies need to be prepared for the long haul before embarking on Asian expansion. read full article

When Home Feels Foreign
by Dina Zavrski-Makaric

Most people are prepared to experience some effects of ‘culture shock’ when they embark on an assignment abroad. However, not many are prepared to experience similar effects when they return to their home country. What is a ‘reverse culture shock’? Does it really exist, what are the signs, do we need to prepare for it and how

Over the years, as a professional coach for people on the move, I’ve learned a lot about expatriates; people on international assignments that everyone in the office looks at with a certain dose of envy as their life is just taking off in some more or less exciting country. For those who stay behind, an international assignment is associated with travel, visiting new, sometimes exotic places, meeting interesting people, earning comfortable income, allowances, and all other benefits that those who stay at home don’t get. read full article