Hi, as you can all see, this is in english because its David, not Milka, writing this. I didnt ask her permission because I didnt want to remind her how independant Finnish women are. I felt very strongly to say something here, because I think this forum topic is getting a little off track, and maybe this is a 'wake up' call from a fourth generation Australian/Victorian with pioneer family history, who spent a good part of his life working/travelling around Victoria, not some recent or maybe 18 year immigrant to this country. I understand that the history of this thread is Rayha in Finland wanted some opinions about locations around Melbourne, and there has been friendly discussions, opinions and advice - so why has it all of a sudden become personal? Do all ex-pat Finnish people lose their tolerance and patience when they move overseas?
Fact is, in every State there are nice places to live, and there are some places that are not so nice, based on the values of those making the observation, and qualified by police statistics. It could be that a suburb that has a bad reputation for drugs, crime, vandalism etc can also have 'nice pockets' in it where it is quite ok. But the question is: if you are moving from overseas, spending thousands to move, can anyone here HONESTLY suggest the people moving here should take the chance to find that 'pocket' that is nice within in a wider not-so-nice area? Or is it safer to generalise, for the sake of a 'virtual' stranger who wants some advice? Would I recommend to Rayha to live in Frankston/Broadmeadows/Dandenong? Hell no - they are not 'east' of Melbourne which is what she wanted!
Isn't this discussion about providing some friendly advice? So, my friendly advice Rayha, from a guy that grew up in working class suburb, attended public school, and doesnt have a fancy university education like an architect, is make up your mind from the average of opinions that stay above personal abuse. And yes, I've been to Finland 10 times, and I have seen shitty places there, and I'm sure there were some nice people living in those places too, maybe some were lucky to be architects. But would I recommend to an Aussie friend to live in that suburb? Hell no, I would generalise for their sake and say 'stay away from it'. Its all about what you want, and how much you want to spend to get it, and then being happy with your decision. By the way, I'm not covering for Milka, I was just too lazy to create my own Forum log in yet. Good Luck Rayha! p.s nice to see some socialist sentiments remain in ex-pat Finnish thinking here! Hooray for the working class (and architects)!