• Howdy! Welcome to our community of more than 130.000 members devoted to web hosting. This is a great place to get special offers from web hosts and post your own requests or ads. To start posting sign up here. Cheers! /Peo, FreeWebSpace.net
managed wordpress hosting

It's official: I'm moving to Australia

Conscript

Conscript

NLC
NLC
Hey guys,

As some of you probably remember I asked a bunch of questions about life in Australia as I was considering moving there, at least for my masters degree.

Well it's official now, I WILL be attending Macquarie University for a year commencing this August.

I got almost everything set and I already obtained my student visa. The only thing left really is finding a place to live and buying the plane ticket. I applied for University accommodation but I will not find out whether or not I got a spot until June according to the people I spoke with over there.

I plan on visiting around July with my partner (trying to use Aussie lingo here) so we can explore a little bit and get used to the environment before I will be commencing studies. If all goes well I plan on arriving the first week of July. I got myself a book (Americans' Survival Guide to Australia) and I've been YouTubing and Googling anything I can find on life over there so I will try not to be ignorant (for example, I pronounce Z as "Zed" when spelling something, even though it feels weird doing it).

If anyone here is going to be in Sydney or in the Sydney area and wants to meet up, show me around, hang out, or help me get settled in I will appreciate the help. Dean, I am looking in your direction. :)

But seriously, if anyone wants to hang out or whatever and maybe do some Aussie things that'd be great. I want to make the most of my year in Sydney.
 
Cool...Welcome ot AU!

Maybe you should ask for a forum name change now.

Conscript - Convict :p
 
Well done conscript. Delighted for ya.
I am going to Oz in May as well. :)

@ fenix: :lol: Convict is right. But the most of the convicts in Australia came from Ireland during the great famine.
 
I've been wanting to come to Australia for quite a while now... For some reason I think it would be an interesting trip ;)
 
Thanks a lot guys!

Congrats I imagine all the paperwork was just oodles of fun
Click to expand...

Surprisingly it wasn't. The University application was 1 page that asked for just the vital info (compared to Uni applications here which require several letters of recommendations, entrance essays, ask for all kinds of weird things above and beyond academics, etc.).

Letter of Offer letters required merely a signature and a tick next to the box saying I accept.

The student visa application was the longest of any application as that required some more detail, but at least it was approved instantly by e-mail. This is far better than what people have to deal with when coming to the USA which is endless paperwork, odd questions, and unreasonable waiting periods.

I am thinking of starting a little blog to document my travels. I plan to go EVERYWHERE. I want to visit every major city (or at least as many as I can afford) and in Sydney I want to visit everything as well. I figure if I just go out on weekends, that's 104 days I will have to explore.
 
Sure she didn't go to New Zealand?

Conscript: Make sure you don't bring any fruits/plants or meat into the country - and if you bring ANY food (including food that you stole off the plane;) you declare it. EVERY Bag that enters the country gets screened.
 
Hm, I heard about the quarantine. My packing strategy will be to pack as few things as possible. I will only bring enough clothes for a week or two maybe and buy the rest there. I may also bring a toothbrush and some hygiene products but just enough for a few days until I get settled in. That way maybe I can look more like a local instead of looking like a tourist all year.

I also don't have a lot of things to bring in general. Maybe a few books and of course my laptop.
 
Bringing a lot of stuff could also mean you live there but went on vacation outside Australia for a while so it really wouldn't make you look like a tourist :]

Good luck to you mate, crickey.
 
When I went two summers ago, I had some prescription meds on me (was getting over being sick) and they hassled me about those for a good 20 minutes.

Customs .... jeebus.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top