"Turkey was not at all what I expected", Nikki explained. "I know there is poverty everywhere but I just didn't expect it to be so blatant in Ankara. There is a big class divide - you either have it and flaunt it, or have nothing - and I mean nothing - at all
 
"The driving is absolutely insane! I actually refused to drive until Shane said one day 'Well Nik you are going to have to learn to drive or stay in the apartment all day' and so I learnt. But I was always terrified!"
 
Football families have to do a lot of adjusting. Kids have to leave schools and friends they love and adapt to ever-changing surroundings. For adults you have to ensure your kids are happy and safe and feel as much as home as possible - even if you are on the other side of the world.
 
"It was important to us that the girls went to Kindy - they missed their school on the Gold Coast and we wanted to find a good one so they can go and mingle and be with other kids. But the tricky thing was to get there!"
 
A few manic drives later, Nikki found out about the "Kindy Bus" where a private bus would take the girls to Kindy and back and it meant that she didn't have to drive the girls herself.
 
"They loved it. They loved the bus and the school. But of course being in a foreign country meant I did feel out of my comfort zone - I once woke Shane in the middle of the night panicking that perhaps my little blonde haired girls would get kidnapped!" she laughed. "But we got over it and they were fine and had the best time."
 
The Culture Shock in Turkey was not only limited to off the field though - including a gruesome ritual sacrifice to bring good luck.
 
Shane revealed "I had been at the team for about a month and they weren't doing so great.
 
"I came to training as usual and started kicking the ball around when I saw a goat tied up against a fence with a few older Turkish men near it, digging a hole.
 
"We got called into a huddle and without warning saw the goat's throat being slit with the blood flowing into the hole.
 
"I was then told they were sacrificing the goat to bring us luck and before you knew it, other Turkish players were touching the flow of the blood and rubbing their foreheads and their boots for good luck.
 
"All the foreigners were stunned. But this is their world - this is their culture. You have to accept other culture's beliefs and get on with it. I was there to focus on my football."
 
Shane and Nikki loved the idea of moving to Perth - it presented a lifestyle not dissimilar to the Gold Coast. 
 
"From a football perspective, Perth Glory had their sights set at achieving the heights they did in the NSL and I wanted to help them get there. It was a great challenge for me, and it was a beautiful place to bring the family."
 
Shane's first year at Perth saw him win the club's Golden Boot award, with the second year being somewhat marred with injury. 
 
"The last year has been a bit tough injury and health wise. I've just had keyhole surgery in my hip and I was recently diagnosed with Stage 1 melanoma when they found a suspicious mole on my leg."
 
Nikki adds that earliest stage is zero: "We got it at a good time, but still, it was frightening. We are still waiting on tests just to confirm they got it all and it hasn't spread but so far so good. Fingers crossed."
 
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