{"id":210503,"date":"2025-11-25T12:30:52","date_gmt":"2025-11-25T10:30:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wereldwyd.co.za\/?p=210503"},"modified":"2025-11-25T12:30:57","modified_gmt":"2025-11-25T10:30:57","slug":"out-and-about-an-email-from-the-sunshine-coast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wereldwyd.co.za\/en\/out-and-about-an-email-from-the-sunshine-coast\/","title":{"rendered":"Out and about: an email from the Sunshine Coast"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

From Pretoria to Sunshine Coast: Michelle Strydom on new weather, new job and the confidence that emigration builds<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Out and about is a column where we talk to people who currently live abroad, or who used to live and work there. This week we talk to Michelle Strydom, who lives in Australia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hello Michelle, it\u2019s great to chat with you! Where in South Africa are you originally from, and why did you decide to emigrate first to New Zealand and later to Australia?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are originally from Pretoria. It\u2019s quite a long story, but the short version is that my husband, Marco, out of the blue received a job offer from New Zealand. After discussing it thoroughly, we decided it was an opportunity we couldn\u2019t pass up. Four months later \u2013 visas in hand \u2013 we were on our way to start our new chapter overseas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After nine years we became citizens of New Zealand and then decided to emigrate for the second time, this time to Australia. With our new passports we were able to do so without visas. The main reasons for our decision were a better climate and more opportunities. We currently live on the Sunshine Coast, about 45 minutes north of Brisbane \u2013 almost the same climate we were used to in Pretoria. New Zealand is an incredibly safe and beautiful country, but the predominantly wet, cold weather became a big challenge for us.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Tell us more about your family.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marco and I got married in November 2015. Two months later he got the job offer from New Zealand and our lives changed overnight. He went over in May 2016, and I followed two weeks later \u2013 after some documentation challenges and quite a few questions, because we were newlyweds!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Was the work culture a big adjustment?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes and no. For Marco it wasn\u2019t a big adjustment at all, he settled in very quickly and his colleagues made him feel very welcome. For me it was a different experience. In New Zealand I worked at three companies, and at two of them I didn’t really feel like I belonged. The third was an international company where I really felt part of the team. In our experience it often comes down to who your supervisor is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The so-called tall poppy syndrome <\/em>is something I experienced in New Zealand, but not in Australia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Little things were also new to us, such as a fixed \u201cmorning tea\u201d break that everyone takes at the same time, and lunches that are enjoyed together, outside in the fresh air.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Australia, the work culture feels much better for both of us. We feel welcome and genuinely enjoy our colleagues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are a lot of South Africans in Australia. Was it difficult to adapt?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not at all. We\u2019ve only been here for eight months now, but we\u2019re adjusting really well and have already bought our own house. It\u2019s literally been a hundred times easier than in New Zealand. Here people don\u2019t care where you come from, you\u2019re simply accepted as you are, and help is offered freely.<\/p>\n\n\n