59 Days Left!

[AmandioJNR]

So, since my mother (Ericadslv) hasn't done any journal entries covering our journey thus far... I took it upon myself to write something explaining our story

So we're only 59 days away from our flight out (I've installed an app on my phone to count down the days haha!). It seems like just last week we went for our medicals. Our house was sold (not sure of the date :/ sorry mum...) and we began to plan to get rid of most of the stuff we had managed to accumulate over the years... It was A LOT!!! Bike parts, car parts, waste wood, scrap steel (which my brother and I managed to make a buck or two from again... Sorry mum), animals (found great homes for all of them. Not only our 5 dogs... sheep, ducks, geese, a tortoise and a few chickens), the engineering workshop that my father had set up at home (including quite a few large machines!), the boxes and boxes of household items and clothing that I had to cart to KZN over four weekends consecutively!!! (death!). We were basically forced to move out because of the date we had set for the movers to come and pack all our stuff for the container (you may ask my mum about the company, I was just the slave labor hahaha). Anyway... As my father had finished getting rid of most of his junk in the workshop and packing what he wanted to take (A LOT!) He fell ill and was hospitalized (appendicitis). We weren't sure what to leave and what to take because he was not 100% done so we used our discretion. We managed to get everything sorted (my mother and I while my brother slept...) and moved ourselves to a very small 2 bedroom unit that we were gonna be in for the last 4 months. It was a HUGE adjustment for us all... We went from a large plot to a tiny apartment that we have to share... Noise is the hardest thing to deal with in my opinion... (and not having my own TV...). Now we are here almost at the end, we had to rent a storage unit when we moved out of our house because we just had too much stuff even after giving away so much. This week Friday we make our last trip to KZN ever!!! (more boxes to take for the container) we will be spending Christmas and new years eve there then on the 9th January it's back to Johannesburg for us. (by the way it's just mum, the two smaller siblings and I doing this last haulage again... Dad is doing shut down work in KZN and my brother is on holiday... Again). We still have 4 cars to sell which is a bit stressful but we will manage (I hope) then we are free to fly. I think we are gonna have some issues with weight when we fly... We will have to see closer to the time. I want to take my ps4 on the plane with me as carry on luggage as I am scared of it getting damaged in the container or in the cargo section on the plane. Crossing fingers that comes in under 7kg with my studio microphone.(I feel like getting a pouch to carry around my neck to put the microphone in, I'm terrified someone might squash it with their carry on luggage... I always cringe when I see the air hosts and hostesses push the compartments closed with force :/)

The things I will miss about Sa:

-Tyson the chiwawa :'( and fatty the bull terrier.

-The South African humor.

-My ONE cousin and ONE friend hahaha! (family have seemed to pull away since we started the process, talking about us, bad mouthing us and just being ridiculous... Our family friends have been more helpful and caring than our actual family)

-that's about it...

Things I will not miss about SA:

-inefficiency

-load shedding

-crime

-chancers! (my father has been taken for a ride many times, still dealing with lawyers to no avail...)

-snobbish people (people who think that they are better than everyone else... Ie. Johannesburg)

I'm trying not to stress so much anymore and just enjoy the festive season, but it's not easy

I've decided to leave the University stress for when I arrive in Australia.

I just cannot wait to meet new people! It's an exciting thought moving to a whole new country! We fly to Sydney from Johannesburg on the 7th February

The ONE thing I am not looking forward to is not having a car because I am going to be so broke from paying for university :/ AND I can't exchange my license as I have only had it for 2 years :'(

I have one question I would like to throw into this journal if anyone can help answer... I have some schedule 4 medication that I have to take until April 2015. I have a script, what do I have to do when I go through the airport to insure that I do not get into trouble and end up on border patrol on TV...

I will keep adding as we go along, cannot wait to leave SA! bring on the 7th of February!!!!

P.S. None of us have been to Australia hahaha!

Edited December 10, 2014 by AmandioJNR

[HadEnoughofJuju]

@AmandioJNR, thanks for sharing your families story. It is a big adjustment for everyone but it sounds like you have your head screwed on just fine so I think you'll be okay.

If you like the South African sense of humor then I think you'll enjoy the Aussie's just as much once you learn the local lingo.

I wouldn't worry about the weight of your hand luggage too much. We had three pieces of and the only one that weighed 7kgs was my daughters because it was filled with her stuff and she had to pull it. The other two were packed to capacity and we just carried them and made it look like we weren't struggling with them (wheels is the secret).

As for the meds, just make sure you declare them on the passenger info card you get given on the plane to complete anf have a script with you and you'll be fine.

[AmandioJNR]

@HadEnoughOfJuju thank you very much, I will remember to do that. The ps4 won't be that heavy but I don't know what I would do if they do weigh it and say that it is slightly overweight. I can't just leave that in the trash hahaha.

[HadEnoughofJuju]

If they do weigh it you will only end up paying for excess luggage at worst.

[TammyP]

^​Hi AmandioJNR

Great post:) I remember writing somewhere that we had 60 days to go.... and now in a blink of an eye we have been here two weeks already:)

Where are you guys headed (in case I missed it in a previous post) we are in Sydney at the moment but will be driving up to QLD on Sunday to stay with the lovely gentleman in the above post

Its like a family on this forum!

We walked straight through the arrivals at Sydney airport and no one gave us a second look, just declare everything so if they do ask you have it covered but Border Control is definitely made for Television.

And they weighed our hold luggage and were very strict about it (I think the quote was about R500 per kg over) but they didn't weigh our hand luggage thank goodness, because my "hand" Luggage weighed 11kg

Anyway, enjoy these last few months in RSA, time will fly, and we had never been to Australia either (well, I came in the 80's when it was very different) but we LOVE it so far!! Definitely living up to its expectations!

[AmandioJNR]

Hey @TammyP,

You're one of the people I have been tracking on the forum hahaha. I guess anyone that has written a pack up story.

We are going to Canberra after we land in Sydney. I know time is flying because just the other day it was the beginning of December and now we are 11 days in. It's like it's going faster the closer we get to the date.

I've seen some very kind and generous people on this forum, it's nice to see the South African spirit I knew when I was a little boy (only about 15 years ago when I started primary school hahaha).

The weight of our main luggage is something that is probably going to be a bigger problem for the rest of my family as they have a lot more clothes than I do, I don't know why... So I guess it will be smooth sailing for me hahaha

I'm glad to hear that you are enjoying Australia, it's a scary thought to be uprooting yourself and your family to move to a new country that you don't really know but I guess it makes the adventure that much more colourful. I'm sure people must be thinking I have huge expectations for Australia but to be honest, all I want is to live in a place that has a town I can walk through and not worry about my cellphone being ripped from hands or my younger siblings getting abducted while playing (a bit dramatic, I know, but it's a real fear). It will all work out, I look forward to settling and to start exploring. When I lived in KZN I use to love going fishing on the weekends at Midmar dam, but it started to deteriorate so much that I just lost interest in the place before we moved to gauteng. I'm hoping to feel that feeling again, early morning at the water (I sound like an old man I know, I'm only 21 hahaha)

Anyway, I have way too much time on my hands and this forum is always opened on my browser so I'm keeping track of a lot. Thanks for the responses guys, keep enjoying Australia and look after yourselves

Edited December 11, 2014 by AmandioJNR

[Mara]

Armandio, you had better check on the item you want to carry as hand luggage. Regardless of what was said above, when you do a local flight, Sydney to Canberra, if the flight is full, they may well weigh your hand luggage... it has happened to me before. This could also be true for your international flight, they can become sticky with it.

When we left the USA in 1993, my youngest son went shopping, bought a slimline desktop computer. We packed the CPU, in the middle of his big suitcase, jerseys, t-shirts etc wrapped around it. Absolutely no harm came to it! Just thought I would mention that.

[AmandioJNR]

Hi Mara,

I don't think we are going to be flying from Sydney to Canberra. My parents plan on buying a car in Sydney and we would drive with it to Canberra. When I start packing I will see if it would work out better for me to put the ps4 into my main suitcase or my hand luggage depending on whether it comes in underweight or overweight. Thanks for the idea

[zoot]

Remember pockets!! My luggage was overweight so went to one side redistributed a few items into pockets and hey presto no longer overweight. Be strategic in your packing so you limit the need to drag heavy or awkward hand luggage through endless airport corridors. You can always carry a warm jacket which cuts down on weight. Good luck with your new adventures.

[AmandioJNR]

Hey Zoot,

You know I actually did that once on a local flight. My luggage was just about the right weight after removing a heavy jacket that I had in my suitcase. So I opted to wear it, problem was that it was as hot as hell outside and the people who worked for the airline said I'm not allowed to carry anything except my hand luggage so I had to wear the jacket. I was sweating beads! Eventually took it off when the plane took off hahaha. (I think they were just trying to make me pay for the extra weight one way or another)