Kooky.

...I wasn't going to do an update 'cos I don't have anything interesting to tell you, but we've been here a year today.

So I've written one and, um, it's 4 pages on Word. Does anyone want to read it? Or shall I just say, all is good, thanks?

caliburn

I want to read it.... hurry, put it up!

MeinMel

Teaser, please do put it up its always interesting to read someone's stories... for me at least...

The ones who are not interested wont bother coming to this thread

louie

Go on, tell us. We've had our PR visas 2 years and 2 days now but are still firmly planted in Kent despite pining for Kirribilli. C'est la vie I guess

Kooky.

Ohhkay, here it is in all its unedited glory. You have been warned.


So...a year today since we landed in Sydney about 6 on a Friday morning for the start of our next adventure. What can I tell you? Nothing very interesting or helpful but I'll have a go.

No huge story to tell about visas - The Geek's employer sponsored us (457) and relocated us from Singapore where we'd been for six years. Our choice to move and hopefully a long-term plan but having their financial and logistical support was certainly a bonus. I know the 457 has risks but in our situation it was a means to an end, to get us here quickly, and far less risky than the similar visa we had when we moved lock stock and barrel from the UK.

We'd been to Sydney a few times but came over on a looksee about a month before we moved, primarily to walk around potential suburbs and view a few properties with a relocation agent. As it turned out, we saw a property we liked with a landlord who would accept our cats, so we put in an application before we left. We took invaluable advice from BE about the paperwork we needed to have ready. (Being lucky enough to have a relo agent meant we did get to see a couple of properties privately but we also went through the Saturday viewings hell and I don't envy anyone about to.)

Between us applying and the landlord accepting, he put down the rent, which was rather kind of him. The Geek was back in Sydney on business a week later so did all the formalities then and also put a suitcase full of bedding in our new home. Shame it didn't include a doona but we'd got out of touch with non-Asia temperatures. Ah, lesson learned.

We'd planned for a month in a serviced apartment and the idea was hell (company tightwads would only pay for a 1-bedder, which would have been full with my luggage alone) so I was very happy to have a house, and we managed to switch the budget around to help pay for some rent and car rental.

The move itself was fairly uneventful (translation: oh how glad I am for a failing memory!) apart from my meltdown as the pet movers came to pick up my 3 cats. I think I scared the packers who were waiting outside to start putting all our worldly goods into a big tin can. Two of the kits were hand-reared and all three had a bad start in life, so are totally neurotic. Just a trip to the vet's freaks one of them out for a week so I felt guilty for putting them through all this, but of course there was no way I was putting them back in the gutter in Singapore; they're my child substitutes. I'm glad I didn't know until much later that the youngster cut his face quite badly, trying to get out of his crate, or I might have called off the whole thing. I'm serious.

The packers (from UTS) were fantastic - we'd got the budget for a 20ft container and initial estimates said we'd need 40ft. We could have paid the extra ourselves but, with the size of the house we've moved to, we knew we needed to offload or store some items, so friends didn't do badly out of us! A couple of huge sofas, an outdoor set and two sun loungers along with numerous other smaller things now have loving new homes. Even so, we were still very close to the limit and I watched the packers with amazement - no space wasted, drawers and cabinets filled with bedding, etc. Our 6ft mattress was last to go in with about 4" to spare. Even the Christmas tree made it - and was moved all this way only to be given away.

We also sent some items airfreight (as the packers put it, about 6 coffin-sized boxes). This was great as we packed all our clothes, shoes, handbags (erm, rather a lot) and more bedding and linen; also two collapsible clothes rails which came in very handy until we bought some wardrobes. The box containing shoes was the only box of our whole shipping to be opened, but came through no problem Those hours spent sitting on the bathroom floor scrubbing them with bathroom cleaner and a toothbrush were not in vain!

We had arranged some basic rental furniture for a month (through Living Edge) and the van was at the new house, waiting for us, when we pulled up in our rental car about 8am. Let's just say it was functional. The kitchen and laundry kits were most useful; things you don't realise you need until you haven't got them. And god did I need the cleaning equipment; the house was filthy despite having allegedly been professionally cleaned. Not really what you need after an overnight flight but had to be done.

Freezing. We were freezing. Acclimatised to Singapore and without any winter clothing, we landed in Autumn into a house with tiled floors and no heating. A wall full of single-glazed patio doors looks great when you view a place in sunshine.

Anyway, after cleaning up we decided to head off to Ikea for some essentials. A 20 minute journey took us about an hour and a half so we headed straight into Dick Smith and bought a satnav, quickly christened Simon. Simon is our saviour and I would say an essential purchase for the sake of any new migrant's sanity. I can't remember what we bought in Ikea but it was obviously something that made the first few weeks easier, and Ikea is an easy place to shop when you don't know your way around.

We phoned quarantine - the cats had landed a couple of days before us. The petmovers had told us about Fu's "scratch" but the Q station told us it was considerably more, which freaked me a bit. (Freaked me more when I saw it a few days later as it was quite deep and very close to his eye, but thankfully it healed fully.)

Ok so a bit about quarantine - prepare to cry. You will think you have done the most terrible thing to your beloved pets but, unless they are old and unwell, you really have not and they will recover from it. I cried when I arrived, especially when I saw my little girl Bo. Sarah the Carer had been unable to handle her and she wasn't going to the loo (erm, I said, try putting more than an ounce of litter in her tray, she's as anal as I am about cleanliness) but she came out of her bed for me and we had such a cuddle. I needed it as much as she did. My boys were over the corridor, next door to each other (we decided not to put them together but asked Sarah to let placid Han visit his sister Bo, Han visit his pal Fu, but not put Fu and Bo anywhere near each other because they fight.) The Geek and I spent time with all of them individually and then helped Han do some visiting, but Bo was so spooked that she spat at him. We persevered on our next visit as we didn't want the experience to spoil their special bond.

So…The Geek started work on the Monday and, IIRC, went away on business that week! I was left to settle in as much as one can in an almost empty house. I went shopping for boots and warm clothes. Oh and to Good Guys for white goods and heaters. Everyone says pay cash to get discount; I say just buy it all at once and whop it on your CC, still get discount. Also mention on subsequent shopping trips. They reward loyalty.

The next couple of weeks are a bit hazy (that'll be the cheap wine) but we had friends here already (some from the UK, some we met in Singapore) so we never felt alone. In fact we turned down party invitations and were so tired that we didn't really sparkle at one thrown in our honour even though my GBF's friends all made us feel incredibly welcome.

The airfreight arrived a couple of days before the seafreight, which was about 3 weeks from Singapore door to door. Two doonas went straight on the bed - bliss. Kent delivered and unpacked our container, and did a very good and very quick job. There were things I didn't want unpacking as I had nowhere to put them so I had to keep my eyes peeled or they'd be unwrapped and in a cupboard. Just getting the rugs down on these cheap grey tiles made the house feel more like home. I've had to farm out a couple of my antique Chinese cabinets to a friend and we're still rather cosy. We looked at storing some items (Spare Room looked favourite) but in the end we didn't really have enough to justify it - which is how the Christmas tree ended up being put up for adoption.

I was so glad we got unpacked before bringing home the kits; I wanted them to have familiar things around them. It may seem like madness but we brought a couple of their cat trees, their toys and even their litter tray from Singapore (all well cleaned of course!) so that they knew they were home. The journey from the Q station was incredibly noisy and I'm sure they thought they were going back on a plane, but it was wonderful to see them explore the house and recognise things and smells. Of course they were as cold as we were (they're Singapore drain cats) and microwaveable Frisbees from the pet store have proven invaluable - they're back out right now. I had registered them with the local council and gotten new tags ready for their arrival.

We'd had huge debates about whether or not to let them out after a couple of weeks; in Singapore they could go out into our courtyard and visit other courtyards but didn't go into the street. Here we have a garden we can't fully fence in. Well in the end we decided to take the risk. We've had a couple of upsets but I still think we've done the right thing. Only one goes out of the garden and even he comes in at bed time (well apart from the incident involving the fire brigade, but we won't go there…). Thankfully we have a six foot wide bed but it can still get a bit cramped.

Well The Geek settled into work very easily (he knew most of his colleagues and had previously reported from afar to his current boss) and I settled into finding doctors and suchlike. Having some medical issues and requiring a certain kind of doctor, I did have a few false starts. I quickly sacked the GP who, on our second meeting, offered me anti-Ds and counselling when I said I was having trouble sleeping - a standard reply from somebody who doesn't know the slightest thing about thyroid problems, so I'm told. (Or did she spot something else about which I'm in denial?) However with the help of some wonderful BEers and my Singapore doc I found somebody just a short train ride away. She's not cheap (and we're on a 457) and she's not easy to see but she knows her stuff. She's also happy to advise by phone or email, which is a bonus.

I did struggle terribly with the cold but I'll put that down to the Singapore and thyroid factors. Hoping to cope better this year and also building up the winter wardrobe! Any excuse to buy boots. (The 4th pair is waiting for collection; gimme a break, ok, I didn't have much opportunity in Singapore to wear boots.)

No gripes or disappointment apart from being cold, really. We came here knowing Sydney, knowing the company, knowing people. It quickly became home; nowhere is perfect but we're both easy-going, no children to worry about, and view life as an adventure. We live close to the Harbour Bridge and I still get a buzz from seeing it as I walk down the hill from the station or over it on the train. Sydney is supposed to be a long-term plan first dreamed up in 2001 but forgotten about for a while due to copious amounts of gin and too good a time in Asia.

I haven't mentioned cars; we're leasing and paying out of pre-tax salary. We wanted a manual Golf and it would appear that manuals are like rocking horse droppings over here; it took us weeks to get it. We went through 3 hire cars in the meantime - one of which broke.

The Geek is thriving; he previously travelled way too much (about 75% of his time was spent out of the country and he had no time or energy for anything else. Here, he's just completed the first module of an MBA (got a Distinction!), has colleagues who get his humour, and is fatter than he's been in years - which is in no way fat; just normal. He's healthy for the first time in a long time.

I had an easy first 9 months or so but always knew I wanted to go back to work, just didn't know what I wanted to do. I knew what I didn't want to do, which was to go back into corporate life working 12 hours a day. I did some freelancing in Singapore but nothing that really constituted a "career". I also did some voluntary work and decided I wanted to go work for a non-profit and not to work too hard.

So New Year, New Seasider. In January I had a few sessions with a career coach to help me decide what I wanted and how to achieve it. I also had some confidence issues - who would employ me, and would I be as good as I think I used to be? Just revising my resume was a huge step and my coach said she saw a change in me from one week to the next; I remembered just what I'd achieved and it gave me renewed confidence in my abilities.

Of course applying for jobs soon knocked that out of me. I knew I couldn't limit my activities to non-profits as suitable vacancies would be few and far between, so I started applying for jobs on MyCareer that I knew I could do, over a certain (not too ambitious) salary level, that would not take over my life like the old days. From Administrator to Project Manager, I applied for 15 jobs over about 3 weeks. My coach was pushing me to do more (and to do it differently - join the dreaded women's organisations and hustle, hustle, hustle) but I have to be honest, my heart wasn't in most of them. Spending a full day writing a Response to Criteria - essentially rewording my resume - for an organisation I suspected I wouldn't like just seemed a chronic waste of time, so I will be eternally thankful for the one organisation that offered me an interview and then offered me a job the next day. Better still - it was the one job I wanted to get, working for a non-profit whose values I share. Even then I didn't accept straight away - well you don't, do you?

I also had another little crisis of confidence, but my new manager soon put me at ease. I had a handful of short refresher courses booked so agreed to start work two weeks later. I've just completed my first month and hate to tempt fate but I'm loving it. I hope they love me too and I get through my probationary period! The role itself is a bit dry but there is the opportunity to get involved in other things (I'm already doing so), I work with interesting and diverse people and almost every day there is something exciting going on. I'm trying to stick to my 9 to 5 plan but I'm very good at getting involved so I don't have much hope.

So here we are; how a year has flown! The Geek has his papers in with the ACS, we're waiting to get the Singapore police checks back and then it will be full steam ahead, ENS in progress. Will be sad to see the back of the LAFHA but we are so over having to ask permission to put up a picture and want to get back on the property ladder, put down roots, etc. Live a normal life - something that is tough in Singapore where you are forever an "expat".

I am however in no way complacent - these are tough times for everyone - so if it all goes horribly wrong, well we'll go on to Plan B. We'll have to think of one first, of course.


So there you have it. I had a friend read over it and he said it was too personal to post on a forum, but I think that's the point, isn't it?



(Please, if you comment - don't quote the whole damn thing! )

Sally Simpson

Karma sent.
I love it when people make an effort to post more than 2 lines!

rosscov1970

Thanks for that. I always enjoy reading other people's 'journeys.'

Gibbo

A very good post. Yes, it is very personal, but what else should an update be? Glad you are happy and settled in Sydney. I hope that that continues for many years. Ofcourse, I'm pretty biased!

louie

I reckon life's what you make it mostly. And you seem to be making the most of it! Good luck with the PR process.

MeinMel

Great Post!!! I am so happy for you to have found the job you actually love as well!

All the best and lets see in 12 months what another year brought you

Hopefully I will be settled in Oz with a job I will love as well.....

Aussie4me

Loved reading your post. Glad to know you are both happy and settled. It's great to hear how people are getting on. Look forward to reading the 2 year update!!!

suebrennan

Great and positive post - thanks and good luck!

suebrennan

Sorry - forgot to untick the damm box!

Kooky.

Thanks all - I think we are both positive people, but realists with it. I've had quite a bit of crap in my life and I think it makes you appreciate the good stuff, however small, and not sweat the small stuff.

Rudi

Great read....will look forward to the next update........from Brisbane

Love

Rudi
xxx