Hi! I'm Hazel....brand new to Oz. Been here 4 months now...I really do like it but I need to talk to other expats now and then just to share what I feel and to see whether some of you might feel similarly to me. I'm from South Africa and one of the crazy people who moved before even coming here on holiday! My husband came here for his work interviews and gave it the thumbs up..so my 6 yo daughter and I followed. I still can't believe we did it. We are in the process of applying for Permanent Residency. I don't want to go back to South Africa. But even so...sometimes I can't understand why people don't understand my English. English is my first language and I know I speak it properly, but it seems that I get many a "pardon"? And the weird thing is that it depends on who I'm talking to. Some Aussies have no problem understanding me while others really don't. I'm not used to being misunderstood...there are many British people in S. Africa and they never seem to struggle with my accent. I toyed with the idea of forcing an Aussie accent but it just won't "come" if you know what I mean. The thing I love most about Australia is how child friendly it is. I still get excited when I realise where I am in the world. I think it's the best decision we've ever made. Sorry this is so long.