In this issue

As winter is finally taking its leave, we can once more delight in the great Australian outdoors … and and there’s heaps to do!

Perthtonians are spoilt for choice with great entertainment options. Most of us at some stage or other are in a relationship, and you simply have to see Tim Plewman’s ‘Defending the Caveman’. This one-man comedy act will give you better insight into the complex world of relationships.

Those of you with vivid imaginations and a love for orchestral music will not want to miss the CineConcert featuring ‘Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets’. WASO performs the John Williams’ score which earned him a Grammy nomination, against a high-definition film screening on a 40-foot screen.

Dinner with friends will be even more enjoyable if you book a table at one of the ten restaurants in the trendy upmarket dining and entertainment area of the exciting new Whitfords Event Cinema complex. Read more on page 6.

Merise is often asked if there are ways to ease the migration process. We have identified seven important strategies to assist new arrivals. Feel free to share this with friends and family.

Happy reading, until next time!

Merise Magazine Description:

Merise is a digital family magazine initiated in 2011 to encourage and assist others, as well as to offer advice in facing the challenges of settling and integrating into our new community together. We talk openly about the different aspects of our lives that are under strain through the migration process – from helping our kids adjust to their new school environments, to leaving our parents behind and to changes in the dynamics of our personal relationships.

We provide valuable information about financial and visa requirements, encouraging specialists in various fields to submit articles on topics which we feel may be beneficial to our readers. Merise captures the beauty of our new countries by featuring different geographical areas in Australia and New Zealand, thereby giving would-be migrants or readers who are planning holidays or an interstate move, a better understanding of what to expect in their new domain.

Merise will become a friend to you and your family.

The ascending aircraft in the Logo is symbolic of our desire to reach for the stars. Even the name itself has meaning. By dividing the word ‘Merise e’ in two, it becomes ‘Me rise ’, accentuating our aspiration for life improvement. Merise embodies support and friendship and is such an essence in our lives that we feel inclined to personify the magazine. Merise is who we are.

It is important for Merise to support ‘her’ friends, not merely those who have recently arrived, but all expats in Australia and New Zealand who have left their home countries to find new direction ‘Down Under’.

Merise lends a hand in almost every way. Like anyone who has been through the immigration process and experienced it first hand, Merise is thoroughly aware of difficulties that may arise for both newcomers as well as experienced expats and knows how to help overcome, or should we say “survive”, these difficulties.

Merise explores different avenues and is vivacious and enthusiastic, living life to the full and is always on the lookout for new challenges and encounters. Merise's experiences and pleasures are shared with her friends, always encouraging and inspiring them.

Merise is fully bilingual and has English- as well as Afrikaans-speaking readers with whom time and information is equally shared.

It’s not that easy to find a friend as special as Merise . . .

Both versions of the English and Afrikaans editions of Merise are available on www.merisemag.com.