Now we are here... Making it work.

[GideonVD]

You are more than welcome.

[GideonVD]

27 September 2013

I received my VicRoads driver license today. So glad I finally have a form of Australian identification now

[GideonVD]

14 October 2013

LvD received her VIC drivers' license today also, so now we are all set for local identification

[MyAusJourneyIB]

Being new to this forum, i have really really enjoyed reading about your journey. All the best!!

[GideonVD]

Thanks

[GideonVD]

I apologise for not posting anything in a long time... been a bit busy of late.

28 October 2013

Wow... things have been busy. We are both working hard. I'm still struggling to get my groove and find the happy medium of not being too involved and not just being furniture in the office. Still struggling to make friends with the Ausies... but also more due to lack of time to go out and meet people.

Been to Armageddon and saw a whole side of crazy in Melbourne...

Getting used to everything is taking time. We still unpacking boxes here and there.

Booked a ticket for the Mother-In-Law to come visit us over Christmas, so looking forward to that.

So far no regrets, but still not 100% happy... we will get there.

[McCabes]

Hang in there, you guys have accomplished SO much, and to me, in very little time.

Hope you start getting closer to the 100% mark soon...

[Alida]

Wow, you can absolutely be 100% happy with what you've done and where you're at NOW !! Don't WAIT to be happy, be happy with NOW. Immigration takes tiiiiiiiiiime, emotionally as well. Enjoy even the transition, one day you'll look back and realize it's all been part of the fun of life. Transitional phases don't need to be UN happy. MHO

[GideonVD]

21 December 2013

G'day and how you going?

Yeah... long time no journal. Things have been busy indeed. Trying to fit in, and make it work is a bit tiring but we are still alive and kicking.

Work is work, I just don't like the client I'm currently working at as a consultant, but hey... hope to get a better assignment early next year... either that or find me something else that's more in line with what I want to do. We've been checking out locations also... so far Essendon is looking high on the list, but have checked out Mooney Ponds, Caulfield and Brighton also... still a couple left before we make a choice next year.

Looking forward to taking a couple of days off, even though not a long period... I need the break to recover emotionally and physically from what has happened the last year.

Here's hoping for a better 2014.

Merry Christmas and a Happy 2014 to you all... See you soon.

PS: When you finally make it to Oz... remember to keep an eye on the trees... the Drop Bears are a real menace... and they like Saffa blood it seems

Edited December 21, 2013 by GideonVD

[AndreaL]

Gideon

Thank you for bringing up a subject that is very rarely spoken about...........drop bears...............people need to know the truth. I've found some tips that people may find helpful in order to protect themselves from this national menace........

• Avoid walking under trees. If for some bizarre reason you feel a compelling urge to walk under every tree you see, attempt to avoid the chainsaw of natural selection by lying down under trees and spitting upward. Drop Bears will typically spit back down at you. If you successfully detect a Drop Bear - Move. Quickly.

• Do not camp or pitch tents under trees. Especially trees with long overhanging branches. If the drop bears don't get you, the eucalypt's annoying habit of shedding boughs during dry conditions will.

Drop bear, "Who's that walking under my Bridge?"

• Rub Vegemite (non kids) behind your ears. Drop Bears cannot abide the smell of Vegemite. Do not fall for the common mistake of rubbing toothpaste behind your ears: that's just silly. Stick to the Vegemite! Do not be lured by the misconception that rubbing the of an Australian politician behind your ears will prevent attack. It may stink but it's full of bullshit!
• Drop Bears have been known to be allergic to sub-machine gun rounds. It would be a good idea to carry a sub-machine gun on your next camping trip. Carry it in plain sight at all times, even in 'cities' and around coppas (the Australian term for what Americans call 'Pigs'.)

• If you really dont want to be attacked by a Drop Bear then try not to walk under trees that growl at you. or ones that say your a f!!!ing pussy

• If you see a drop bear and it sees you too there is very little that you can do, but some say that if you talk to the Drop Bear it may think you are a complete retard, some have never seen a retard before and they think it is a contagious disease, so acting like this may help... but if they have encountered someone with this tactic before they may just eat you anyway.
• Stick forks in your hat. While this may not actually prevent the Drop Bear from attacking you, it will certainly deter it from attacking you again.
• Before setting out on a bushwalk (aka Magic Roundabout) trickle rivulets of your own urine on your footwear.

• If you suspect an encroaching attack by a Drop Bear, walk on your hands. This totally confuses drop bears, as they begin to wonder if they are actually below you looking up through the ground. This is so distressing for the Bear that it often triggers an onset of SEHS.

• WARNING: Although drop bears prefer to live in the wild, the recent 7 year drought has driven many of them into the Central Business Areas of major cities. Although widely suppressed in the media, there have been a number of incidents of Drop Bears plummeting from city office blocks and killing pedestrians. No reports are yet confirmed as drops from as high as the 40th floor do not leave much of either the victim or the Drop Bear for the purposes of identification. Do not step on suspicious street substances as this may destroy vital evidence. Be careful under buildings, as 300 Drop Bears can live on a single building, and often hunt as a pack.

• Do NOT, I repeat, DO NOT take certain brands of beer or articles of food into the bush. Drop Bears have a supernatural smell gland which enables them to locate their favorite brands of beer and food. The definition of food may not be entirely obvious even if it is understood. It should be noted that the Common Drop Bear has a predilection for the Lesser Brained American Tourist, especially members of famous bands.

• For some weird reason, drop bears never eat Aussies. Pretending to be Australian doesn't help. Drop Bears are always suspicious of accents which sound like Paul Hogan.

• Wear goggles- Drop Bear's find the eyeball meat the most delicious, if they see that they cant get to their favourite part of the meal they may decide not to eat you.

• German WW I helmets with the spikes on the head were introduced in June of 1916 when the Australian 105th Laundry and Dirty Tricks Brigade started dropping drop bears into the enemy trenches from special "eucalyptus zeppelins," and to this day a more potent deterrent has yet to be found.

• if you want to prevent a drop bear from raiding you campsite spread a 6 pack of lite beer around your campsite. the scent of the lite beer repels the drop bear away from your campsite. WARNING:do not place XXXX beer around your campsite. This will only attract more drop bears and they will stay for hours more. If beer is essential (as it often is) only bring Fosters. The smell alone will knock out a healthy adult Drop Bear for up to 4 hours.

• Always have a shotgun in your hand. It is amusing to yell "that's what I thought!"

• Wear counterfeit items (fake watches, bags, etc). For some reason they scare Drop Bears off (possible allergy to intellectual property breach).

• Leave Australia! For some reason, 99% of attacks are on the continent. If you leave the Southern Hemisphere, your chance of being involved in a drop bear attack, drops by 87.6783%

• Wearing a cork hat after covering your face with Vegemite has been known to keep away Drop Bears. This may be because the scent of the Vegemite confuses the Drop Bears into thinking that you're Australian. Be careful though, because if the entire face isn't covered, it has been known to fail.

[McCabes]

ummm... seriously... what is a drop bear? A koala? Why are they called drop bears.

**please excuse my saffer ignorance!**

Glad you are feeling a little more settled

[Toitjie]

Glad you asked McCabes - I was wondering too but for fear of sounding stupid I didn't ask but very curious to know what this is about

[McCabes]

LOL, my guess would be it's an insider's joke - the Aussies all get it, but it draws blank faces in other countries...

Kind of like the MIIIEEEEEELLLLLIIIIIIEEEESSS lady who crops up in Madam & Eve cartoons...

[Hyperion]

Hi Toitjie & McCabes

McCabes, you would be quite correct.

Inside joke to get a laughable reaction from visitors who have had the "Deadly Oz" comments exaggerated and now check in all directions to make sure they have not been stung, dropped on, attacked, dive bombed (that one is real), etc.

Edited January 6, 2014 by Hyperion

[Eyebrow]

Hi there!

Whats been happening with you guys?

We miss you, please give us an update.

Most of us have followed your journey from the beginning, and want to hear what is happening now!

Cheers

[AndreaL]

Here you go, Drop bears (remember a koala is a marsupial and not a bear) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drop_bear

Don't worry, you can get your own back on the Aussies, my hubby has a few gullible souls at work convinced that the "wild haggis" is real, one of its legs is shorter than the other, causing it to go in circles..............

According to some sources, the wild haggis's left and right legs are of different lengths (cf. Sidehill gouger or Dahu), allowing it to run quickly around the steep mountains and hillsides which make up its natural habitat, but only in one direction.^[2][4] It is further claimed that there are two varieties of haggis, one with longer left legs and the other with longer right legs. The former variety can run clockwise around a mountain (as seen from above) while the latter can run anticlockwise.^[5] The two varieties coexist peacefully but are unable to interbreed in the wild because in order for the male of one variety to mate with a female of the other, he must turn to face in the same direction as his intended mate, causing him to lose his balance before he can mount her. As a result of this difficulty, differences in leg length among the haggis population are accentuated.^[2]