Three weeks ago today Dane and I arrived in Australia. They have been a very up and down 3 weeks....
I had a massive cry the other day because I feel lonely. I have left all of my friends in the UK, and all of my family in SA, and I feel very very alone here. I know you can't make new friends in just 3 weeks, especially when you aren't working and hardly leave the house, but that doesn't stop me from feeling lonely. After a good cry, I felt a lot better, but I know it's going to take some time before I feel 'normal' here.
On the plus side, I got called in for an interview on Tuesday, and then a second round interview on Thursday. Its an Account Coordinator position with an advertising agency in Brisbane, and they seem really great. Down side, the commute is an hour by train, and there are only 2 trains an hour, so I have to take the first train and get there early in order to get there on time. But, I commuted for 3 years in London, so I think once I refresh my book supply I will be fine.
I should hopefully hear about the job next week - holding thumbs. Actually in Aussie land they don't know the phrase 'holding thumbs' - it's crossing fingers. So, crossing fingers....
From the 6th of December, Dane and I are going to be housesitting for some friends' aunt and uncle while they are in the states. We met them yesterday, and their dalmation, and got a tour of the house. It's going to be good to have our own space for a while I think, but if I do start working soon, the commute is going to be extra long. But still, crossing fingers...
Saturday, 20 November 2010
Monday, 8 November 2010
My first week...
My first week living in Australia has come and gone.
I must admit that we haven't done anything terribly exciting. We have been doing the usual family visits that one must do when one has been away for so long, as well as popping in to see a few friends here and there. But, for the most part, we have been doing admin stuff. Sounds exciting doesn't it? Well, it is as exciting as it sounds.
This past week we sorted out:
- bank accounts
- medicare cards
- a tax file number for myself
- registering at a doctor
- registering with recruitment agencies
We are also in the process of sorting out car insurance for the little Toyota Dane's dad is lending me, and exchanging our UK driver's licenses.
My little car...
Today, we had the fun journey of driving into Brisbane - a good 50km's away - for a 15 minute meeting with my recruitment agent, just for her to tell me she doesn't actually have anything on offer at the moment. So, the job hunt isn't really off to a good start.
On the other hand, Dane should be starting work on Thursday this week. He needs to sit a test to renew his electrical license, but at least he can do it online and doesn't have to go to night class like he thought he would. So, at least one of us will be bringing some money in soon. I may just become a lady of leisure....
I must admit that we haven't done anything terribly exciting. We have been doing the usual family visits that one must do when one has been away for so long, as well as popping in to see a few friends here and there. But, for the most part, we have been doing admin stuff. Sounds exciting doesn't it? Well, it is as exciting as it sounds.
This past week we sorted out:
- bank accounts
- medicare cards
- a tax file number for myself
- registering at a doctor
- registering with recruitment agencies
We are also in the process of sorting out car insurance for the little Toyota Dane's dad is lending me, and exchanging our UK driver's licenses.
My little car...
Today, we had the fun journey of driving into Brisbane - a good 50km's away - for a 15 minute meeting with my recruitment agent, just for her to tell me she doesn't actually have anything on offer at the moment. So, the job hunt isn't really off to a good start.
On the other hand, Dane should be starting work on Thursday this week. He needs to sit a test to renew his electrical license, but at least he can do it online and doesn't have to go to night class like he thought he would. So, at least one of us will be bringing some money in soon. I may just become a lady of leisure....
Monday, 1 November 2010
And we have landed...
After a year and a half of trying to get a visa for Australia, I am finally here.
Dane and I left London on the 1st of October, and spent a glorious month with my family in South Africa. I loved every minute of it, but it also reminded me on what I have been missing out on while living in London. Family dinners, Christmases, meeting my brother's girlfriend, rugby games, braais - all the things I love about my home and my family. I started having doubts about my decision to move and things that I was once certain of became a little blurry. But on the 30th of October I boarded the plane from Durban to Johannesburg and stuck to my guns. I would never have known if this is the right decision or not if I hadn't gotten on the plane - only time will tell, but I need to be in Australia to know if moving to Australia was a good move or not.
So, after many tears and sad goodbyes, we left for Johannesburg. My rugby team, the Sharks, were playing in the Currie Cup Final against Western Province that afternoon, so Dane and I set up camp at the bar to watch the game. We didn't get to see the end, but we heard the cheers from our boarding gate - my team won :) After a long delay, we finally left Johannesburg for Sydney. Our flight had been delayed by 2 1/2 hours, so we had to change our connecting flight from Sydney to Brisbane too, and we nearly missed that one as well. We rushed as quickly as we could from the international terminal, through security and customs, got our luggage, checked it in again and with 20 minutes to spare before boarding started, we joined the queue for the shuttle bus to the domestic terminal. And there we waited. The buses weren't going because there was a storm coming. I have never heard anything so ridiculous, and I lived in London where sunshine seems to shut public transport down.
The bus collected us 5 minutes after our boarding started, and we only just made it to our flight in time. Luckily the 'storm' had also meant that our plane wasn't taking off until it cleared. We landed in good time, and were greated by Dane's brother and his kids, all dressed up for Halloween. In the hecticness of our flights, I had totally forgotten the date, but at least our delayed flights meant that the kids got to go trick-or-treating before coming to the airport.
And so, after 14 hours of flying, here we are. Day 1 in Australia is just about done and I need to find some way of making my new home just that - home...
Dane and I left London on the 1st of October, and spent a glorious month with my family in South Africa. I loved every minute of it, but it also reminded me on what I have been missing out on while living in London. Family dinners, Christmases, meeting my brother's girlfriend, rugby games, braais - all the things I love about my home and my family. I started having doubts about my decision to move and things that I was once certain of became a little blurry. But on the 30th of October I boarded the plane from Durban to Johannesburg and stuck to my guns. I would never have known if this is the right decision or not if I hadn't gotten on the plane - only time will tell, but I need to be in Australia to know if moving to Australia was a good move or not.
So, after many tears and sad goodbyes, we left for Johannesburg. My rugby team, the Sharks, were playing in the Currie Cup Final against Western Province that afternoon, so Dane and I set up camp at the bar to watch the game. We didn't get to see the end, but we heard the cheers from our boarding gate - my team won :) After a long delay, we finally left Johannesburg for Sydney. Our flight had been delayed by 2 1/2 hours, so we had to change our connecting flight from Sydney to Brisbane too, and we nearly missed that one as well. We rushed as quickly as we could from the international terminal, through security and customs, got our luggage, checked it in again and with 20 minutes to spare before boarding started, we joined the queue for the shuttle bus to the domestic terminal. And there we waited. The buses weren't going because there was a storm coming. I have never heard anything so ridiculous, and I lived in London where sunshine seems to shut public transport down.
The bus collected us 5 minutes after our boarding started, and we only just made it to our flight in time. Luckily the 'storm' had also meant that our plane wasn't taking off until it cleared. We landed in good time, and were greated by Dane's brother and his kids, all dressed up for Halloween. In the hecticness of our flights, I had totally forgotten the date, but at least our delayed flights meant that the kids got to go trick-or-treating before coming to the airport.
And so, after 14 hours of flying, here we are. Day 1 in Australia is just about done and I need to find some way of making my new home just that - home...
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)