Pay if Forward
I will make a handmade gift for the first 3 interested people who comment on this post. I have 365 days to do it in…What it will be and when it will arrive is a total surprise!The catch is that you must participate as well: you must have a blog and before you leave your comment here, write up a pay it forward post on your blog to keep the fun going. Just cut and paste this one if you like, which I did.
Now I invite you to do the same Click Here and join me Thank you.
Here's my story.
Now as some of you will know, we're exSouth Africans been in OZ about 15 years now. Time flies when you having fun. The whole Big Trek thing can be a very hard and lonely thing to do, but for the sake of our children's safety and our own it is worth it. We miss our families, our friends and even our animals we had to leave behind. Some are lucky to return for holidays, some not so lucky only to return to bury loved ones ....we miss going to happy events, births, engagements and weddings. We even miss having a cup of tea with our best friend. Love ya Rosie.
What we do make is new friends, nice people like Nick and Poppie (Adele) and my adopted granddaughters. I meet Nick on another forum for SAfricans, they were coming to OZ and he needed a place to stay for 2 weeks before his wife and kids arrived. Nick was my second person we welcomed to our home. We picked him up from the airport, gave him accommodation and feed him, drove him around looking for rentals and a car until he bought a car then he could come and go as he pleased.
At the time Nick asked for help on the forum, nobody replied, even those who said yeh they will help anybody blah blah blah, but when the time comes they forget all about helping..... I think they all suffer from short memories.... Anyway I replied and let me tell you, they are lovely people who promised to pay it forward and help somebody else coming over. That promise they kept and another family is settling in nicely.
We see Nick and Poppie regularly and they have become like our own kids. It's something about us all going through this Big Trek(Groot Trek) together, we understand the loss of friendships, love of grandparents and not being able to be there for the birth of a new baby.
I have moved on from that forum and am now a member of Twisted Sisters Ladies Lounge, here we support our new internet friends, all lovely ladies one even as far as Canada, some live in Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide. Some are still back home waiting for their visas to be approved. We share weddings, births and even join baby showers. We are the Twisted Sisters family.
A little chance to do some painting
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A friend posted a back to school photo of her and her mini me. It was a
perfect little snapshot of joy. I loved it so much, I just had to do a
quick mixed ...
1 year ago
I'm glad you've found a great place to be. How unnerving to read this though, when we're about to embark on a big move far away from anyone we know! lol
ReplyDeleteI loved your pay it forward story... I am an ex pat Kiwi (from New Zealand) and while I came from an English speaking country, not that far away, it was still a difficult move. Many said to me, oh but the two countries are so much alike..not so! It is not until you actually leave a country you have spent your life in, everything thats comforting and familiar, your family, many of your belongings, pets, friends and culture and have to learn things, like new employment contracts, tax laws etc that you get a full understanding of how difficult it is, but in saying that I have not regretted the move.
ReplyDeleteI am glad Nick had a wonderful family like yours to make his transition smoother.
Thank you for the nice replies Hear Mum Roar and Wendy. I think the move is that much easier if you are a positive person, but that still does bot prepare you for those days when the longing gets to much. My one son decided to return to SA and then got married there, had a son (Cobi) Who I saw for the first time when he was 11 months old. I can tell you how many parcels got sent overseas, nearly had shares in Australia Post. Now they are living in Brisbane and we can spend holidays together.
ReplyDeleteWendy are you my first Pay it Forward recipicant?
Yep Wendy is too, raising kids be it your own, foster kids or adopted is a wonderful thing. looking forward too reading your new Blog Butterflies and Breezers.
ReplyDeleteHi. I'm Emily. I am 9. I have my own sewing blog. I would like to participate in your Pay It Forward. I have already posted on my blog. My blog is www.sewingsister.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteHi Emily, so good to hear from you. I did go and check out your blog and it is great, really like it. Could Mom please email your address for me to rinaspostbox@live.com.au and I will pop something nice in the post for you. Have a lovely christmas Emily
ReplyDelete