Avery Family

To those who have made the move (or indeed anyone who can help)......

...... was there anything you forgot to do prior to moving? Can anybody point to a definitive list of "do's and don't forgets" that may help vent some of the stress now begining to build in our household !!
Please fell free to state the obvious.... it may be so close I can't see it.

Thanks in anticipation

Merlot

Know the feelings well, I have 6 weeks left to come back to the UK. Sometimes I feel all in control, most of the time completely out of it!

Getting tricky now as told friends & family here we would prefer to see them in Feb as we fly 25 March, leaving us time to get everything sorted here and in our jobs.

Well blow me the Mother in Law wants to come for a week to stay, a week before we go. Picture this we are sitting on 2 garden chairs, have no spare bed or bedding and by then I will be up the curtains with stress!!!!

In between this a number of people want to see us in March, usually on the same weekend!

I am not sure what planet people are from!

Merlot, getting stressed by the minute

Pollster

Tell 'em all to bugger off and leave you and your nervous breakdown in peace!!

bondipom

Keep yourself busy so you forget to worry. Leave your time off for when you arrive as you'll find it easier to relax with everyone out of your earhole.

ANA123

Have you looked at Carriannes three part lists of things to do? Sorry, I dont know how to post the links but you'd find them on a search, they cover everything you could think of and more, we've found them invaluable!

shedu

I know exactly what you guys all mean. I have a book in which I have written down every letter I have sent, phone call made, in fact made some sort of note on every single move I have made over the last year if it has had anything remotely to do with our Australian move. Even dreams have been mentioned !!! I spend hours pouring over it and still manage to have panic attacks about who/what I have forgotten. I can be such a sad cow at times but its an addiction now.

Then to add insult to it all the Husband decides to book all the goodbye family visits the week before the removal people come!!! I could quite happily stab him at the moment. The parents in-law and my sister want to come to the airport to see us off but it is a friend who is giving us a lift. His Dad thought it might be a good idea to meet up at the airport 4 hrs before the flight so we can have a final, final family meal together - but does not want my friends who are giving us a lift to the airport to join us. Can you imagine saying to them "oh yes please give us a lift to the airport but we need to be there real early to meet the in-laws for a meal to which you are not invited"!! I don't think so dearest Dad-in-law.

I really would not mind so much but the most we have ever seen any of the family is twice a year!! Not exactly close knit you understand!! Still I have now managed to put my Sister off of the idea of coming to the airport but now she is sulking because I have only given her 6 potential dates for her to come and visit us because all the rest are taken up with work or his family. ARRGH!

Roll on 19th March when I will be (hopefully) flying high!!

Merlot

It has made me feel like I am not going mad as a hatter over here, that others have exactly the same issues.

Why is it the blokes say "Oh yes, come and see us when my wife will be having a breakdown sorting out removalists, packing, etc". They are certainly from Mars!

I am trying to be as orgainsed as poss this month as March is crap with visitors. As I said, I would not mind people visiting but staying in our home which is packed and has garden furniture and no bedding - a little selfish!

I wouldn't care but my Mother In Law migrated here in 1987 so she knows exactly what I am going through. And if she say to me once "Sit down, relax and have a glass of wine" I will be doing time!

Sorry, Merlot's moan for today

Good luck to all.
M

dracupg

Cancel your child benefit
Appoint a proxy voter in UK until you become a citizen in Oz
Move your accounts to a decent “internet only� bank
Get the IR forms about migrating overseas
Alphabetises your CDs by Artist. Sub index by Title & Genre

ABCDiamond

Make sure you know where the Passports are !

Check your credit cards aren't about to expire and that you have a way to pay them after you have left.

That's Passports and Credit Cards sorted, what else is important

Merlot

Don't forget the kids if you have them? You have seen the movie :scared:

Hope everything is moving smoothly for you? Will be here in no time.

M

jat

hi

as i was mugged within 2 weeks of arriving in sydney and had everything i needed stolen - this is what i would recomend - as you never know.......

photocopy of passport
numbers of credit card - to report stolen

bondipom

What a nightmare welcome to Oz. Where were you? I would recommend the above plus copy of visa.

jat

hi bondipom

yep i arrived in oct 99 and it was a nightmare... got a flat share in darlinghurst near crown street..... paid deposit - she was a pysco - looking back i think on drugs... came home one day and the hoover was being thrown across the room! moved out two weeks later - lost deposit etc etc... in process of moving - carrying double matress with friend up crown st (funny now but not then) got bag stolen - passport, all money and cards, mobile phone will all contacts, address book with all contacts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

had to take day off work - lost days pay - went to embassy - they said dont worry about passports usually turn up - went to bank and said i had no proof of who i was but needed money! they took pity - took me to office asked me a million questions and gave me cash ...... got call from police saying they found my passport on pavement at kings cross so to collect it from george st - went to collect it and policeman asked me for proof of id - i said ' your bloody holding it'!

then moved into house in paddington with oz girl - eng boy moved in same day..... woke up to find the house was literally infected with cockroaches - they were everywhere - in drawers, crawlling across the tv! in the shower,, in the cutlery drawer, i mean everywhere - i had to sleep under mosquito next (funny now not then).... i cooked once and couldnt cook again - i came home and there was a cockroach in my bag of pasta! yes the pasta bag was moving in the cupboard! we were paying decent money and we were all professionals - the other guy and me were freaking - the oz girl called us winging pommes ! go figure! then we get the place checked out to find out we have white ants - dont know what they are and dont want to know!

woke up one night to find the english boy standing in my room! told me to get f****d.. after 2 weeks moved out - so did he!

that all happened in the space of 2 months - im telling you i couldnt believe it - i moved to melbourne shortly after and things were pretty normal !

bondipom

I lived in Darlinghurst for a year and there are some funny characters there. The first place I lived was grim but had a pool and plenty of WHVs staying there. One neighbour was an ex alcoholic who changed his vice to copious amounts of strong weed.

The other side had 2 typical Darlinghurst ladies. I met them first and directed my mate to go in there to ask for sugar because I said they were fit. He opened the door to face a real butch lesbian with a huge arse and shaved head.

The sad part is they both had track marks and paid for their habit by prostituting themselves. One was a victim of child abuse and the other a victim of expensive private schools.

The heroin addicts seem a lot less visible now because of the shooting gallery in the X.

vanriet

hi, we just left on tuesday and the one thing I completely overlooked was travel insurance, ended up arranging it over the net with Outbackers just before we left.
Also make sure you have some good books to read in the plane: all the movies were crap.
Make sure you weigh your luggage in advance, we ended up having to drop off more boxes at our shipping company on our way to the airport as we had too much stuff...

good luck

annemarie