RedPanda Posted March 31, 2016 Report Share Posted March 31, 2016 Sterkte!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackoFam Posted April 1, 2016 Report Share Posted April 1, 2016 All the best for your travels and may you land softly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charne Posted April 7, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 7, 2016 We're here! Most things have gone as expected. We were picked up from the airport by the lady we are staying with. We don't have a bathroom to ourselves as we expected, it's a toilet only so there's more sharing than we initially thought there would be. That might shorten our stay here. Emotionally I'm very easy to tears. There's nothing specific that's making me sad. Just a little bit raw from leaving the family and familiarity behind I suppose. When we landed I also had this moment of:"oh gosh, what did we do... is this really necessary and is it sustainable?" I'll receive a message from my mum about our dog or my little brother and then I tear up. And listening to music is not an option. There's a whole lot of little things we would not have figured out ourselves with Google. Trollies at some supermarkets work with tokens that you insert into the trolly, once you put the tolly back the token is released. Also at some supermarkets there's a sign you put before your groceries to indicate to the cashier that the next person's groceries starts. The conveyer counter at the cashier is so long that three people could unpack their groceries at once. After your stuff is rung up you put it back in your trolly and take it to the packing counter where you pack your stuff into your bags. So far we haven't yet used public transport, we've waked everywhere or the people we stay with have taken us shopping. With regards to walking, it's such a pleasure, so far there are sidewalks everywhere. You don't have to worry to keep your phone hidden either. In Woodcroft there's a lot of older buildings but everything is well looked after and clean. I'm keen to explore but there is so much admin to do (and my fiancé is studying) so no running wild and going to the beach just yet. We're still on South African time, it's really hard to get up in the mornings. But we will have to force ourselves to get up to get out of the time difference. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phil g Posted April 7, 2016 Report Share Posted April 7, 2016 Welcome in Adelaide, whish we were there still,been there 2 weeks back,missing the place like crazy ! Enjoy your new surroundings, Adelaide is GREAT!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chips Posted April 7, 2016 Report Share Posted April 7, 2016 Welcome to Australia Charne, still trying to figure out some things too ? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B0nB0n Posted April 8, 2016 Report Share Posted April 8, 2016 Thinking of you!!! Wishing you all the best! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedPanda Posted April 9, 2016 Report Share Posted April 9, 2016 Haha..so she wasn't psycho after all! ? (We'll meet our landlady in a month's time) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charne Posted April 10, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 10, 2016 @RedPanda No not psycho at all. She has such a sweet heart. Before we arrived she asked what food we'd prefer in the house for the first dinner and breakfast so that we have something in the house to eat before we have a chance to go shopping. She has gone out of her way to tell us about the ways of Adelaide. I hope your landlady is just as nice as ours is. We took a walk down to Woodcroft park (caravan park) to go see the Kangaroos and Alpacas yesterday. We even got to touch the kangaroos and had a nice chat with the animal carer there. On the way there we walked through a new development that used to be a mushroom farm. So beautiful, It looks like a real neighborhood, the ones you see on movies. With the houses just right and the grass just right and the park where the children play just right. Think Cat in the Hat type neighborhood... I still feel like i'm holiday here. And the days are flying by. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 10, 2016 Report Share Posted April 10, 2016 Enjoy Adelaide Charne. Wish you all the very best for the future? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoleneW Posted April 14, 2016 Report Share Posted April 14, 2016 All the best Charne, loved reading you posts. We are leaving for Adelaide on the 16th June, so maybe we'll bump into each other 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charne Posted April 14, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2016 @JoleneW Most definitely! I'm sure by then we'd be more settled, I might be sane enough to have coffee by then The accredian trip and holiday to Melbourne Today was my first day, after arriving in Melbourne on Tuesday, that I felt like I was on holiday. Up untill yesterday it was all huffing and puffing to get groceries sorted for the trip and my partner had the accreditation exam hanging over his head so things weren't exactly cheery. We booked accommodation through AirBnB in Sunshine West after doing the usual Google search of the area. Oh my, we were not prepared for the area, it's dodgy even by South African standards. There's graffiti eveywhere and trollys lying next to the street. And if you see dodgy get onto the train in the city you know where they are going... But hey it was cheap accommodation, we paid R2000 (aka $174) for 5 nights for the both of us. When the people we stayed with picked us up their car smelt like someone stepped in doggy doodoo before getting in but I didn't say anything. Good thing I didn't because the second day that we were driving to Deakin University with this guy I notices the poop smell coincided with his talking. So it was his breath I was smelling. From the back seat... Roger's exam went well but were awaiting his results. Should have that in another week. My job hunt hasn't really turned up much in the last week (Except two rejection emails informing me I was not successful). Hoping that now that I'm onshore the people will actually give my CV a look through cause I'm actually damn good at what I do. They don't know what they're missing. Melbourne city is so beautiful with so much buzz but not an unbearable one. I definitely recommend to stay away from Southern Cross station if you're unfamiliar with public transport. We were very intimidated by it and could not find our platform without consulting a lady at customer care. We've used 2 other stations without a problem after that though so it's the station that's the problem and not us. Anyway, that is my report for now... One full day of holiday left for us. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedPanda Posted April 14, 2016 Report Share Posted April 14, 2016 Glad you like Melbourne! If you are into forest walks, see what you can find in and around Sherbrooke Forest. Or visit the William Ricketts sanctuary. Very pretty, very very green! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charne Posted April 27, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 27, 2016 So we are 3 weeks in... The list of rejected job applications is much longer for me but my fiancé has an interview lined up for later today. He successfully completed his accreditation. Whoohoo!! We bought a second hand car for $2,750.00 which includes a 3 month registration. So far we're spending an average of $80 a week on groceries for the two of us. The tip to getting the bill down is to buy the brands that are on special. We're fortunate enough not to recognise most of the brands so we don't have a preference. So we get the meat that is on special. Lamb is usually much cheaper beef. We stick to frozen vedge and buy the fruits that are on special (usually bananas, apples, oranges). So far so good... 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charne Posted May 3, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 3, 2016 So much good news!!! At this point I feel like I could set everyone who is thinking of immigrating's mind at ease and act as an example of when things go right when you make the big move. (sounds a bit pompous but i'm in a good mood!). My partner's interview went so well. He was informed that he would probably be the most experienced Exercise Physiologist to join this company's team. It turns out that The University of South Australia only introduced an Exercise Physiology course around 4 or 5 years ago. So all the EP's applying for jobs are graduates with little to no practical experience. But he wasn't offered the position... He was offered a whole branch!!! The interviewer was the proprietor of the company which has branches all around Adelaide, with plans to expand. He went on to explain how they would act as a safe environment for my partner to learn the ropes about how things are done here until he is ready to practice in a location on his own. We've already reviewed the contract and everything he said in the interview was in there. We've also been looking for a place of our own. It seems like most places are either old and large with out of date bulky dusty furniture or small and modern and out of our price range. Looking online there were almost no places that made me want to go have a look. It was important for me to have a place that we absolutely love and want to spend time in (not just a place to sleep and endure cause it's all we can afford). We came over with nothing but our clothes and a few personal effects so we needed something fully furnished (like just pack your bag and you're in furnished). Those seem to be few and far between. But after only viewing 3 places we applied to THE one that we absolutely loved. The real-estate agent called us yesterday to let us know we've been approved!! We're moving in, in June! So hopefully i'll have a job by then too. We've got our Medical Insurance through Bupa and our Car Insurance through RAA. All sorted. I've been having a good few laughs at the Ozzy's pronunciation of things! Like the one guy was speaking about the happy children: "The smiles on the children's feces" Or the foot file advert: "My fate are so soft after using this device" and the air fryer food cooker that they advertise: "It circulates the ear around the device" Last but not least after 3 weeks we realised that we no longer feel like foreigners. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 3, 2016 Report Share Posted May 3, 2016 congrats on your hubby's new job. Glad things are slotting into place ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chips Posted May 3, 2016 Report Share Posted May 3, 2016 Congratulations Charne that's fantastic news Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rozellem Posted May 3, 2016 Report Share Posted May 3, 2016 7 hours ago, Charne said: I've been having a good few laughs at the Ozzy's pronunciation of things! Like the one guy was speaking about the happy children: "The smiles on the children's feces" Or the foot file advert: "My fate are so soft after using this device" and the air fryer food cooker that they advertise: "It circulates the ear around the device" Step away from the day time TV, Charne! Before you buy yourself some diet pills or a steam mop you dont want/need. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RYLC Posted May 3, 2016 Report Share Posted May 3, 2016 Good to have a laugh at things. Just keep it in house cos actually you are the one with the accent LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrendanH Posted May 3, 2016 Report Share Posted May 3, 2016 (edited) 21 minutes ago, RYLC said: Good to have a laugh at things. Just keep it in house cos actually you are the one with the accent LOL This is exactly it. I had a Eureka moment when I was talking to an agent on the phone for the first time and he remarked that I had an accent. Suddenly I was the foreigner. One thing that does drive me a bit nuts is prowjekt. Edited May 3, 2016 by BrendanH 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedPanda Posted May 3, 2016 Report Share Posted May 3, 2016 What a wonderful post! Thanks for sharing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunnyskies Posted May 4, 2016 Report Share Posted May 4, 2016 On 03/05/2016 at 9:10 PM, BrendanH said: This is exactly it. I had a Eureka moment when I was talking to an agent on the phone for the first time and he remarked that I had an accent. Suddenly I was the foreigner. One thing that does drive me a bit nuts is prowjekt. Pro-ject used to drive me bonkers too but now I just pro-ject with the rest. Sometimes I catch myself saying a word and then I have to think whether I've used Aussie pronunciation or South African and then I'm just confused! That must be assimilation! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rozellem Posted May 4, 2016 Report Share Posted May 4, 2016 10 hours ago, Sunnyskies said: Pro-ject used to drive me bonkers too but now I just pro-ject with the rest. Sometimes I catch myself saying a word and then I have to think whether I've used Aussie pronunciation or South African and then I'm just confused! That must be assimilation! I refuse to say marone instead of maroon, so now only use the word burgundy when I refer to that specific colour. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charne Posted May 28, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 28, 2016 7 Weeks and 4 Days in Hello errybody, I'm just popping an update on here. So last Monday I went for another interview. I got a call back before I got home from the interview to let me know the people loved me and they'd like me to start the very next day. So my first day of work was exactly 7 weeks after we arrived (for those who want to know how long it could take to get a job). I'm loving taking the bus to work every morning and the train back home. I sometimes forget I'm a foreigner and then I get asked where my accent is from... Then I remember. Haha The days are flying by and I'm a little worried that I don't have a coat warm enough for the cold walk to and from the bus stops and train station. But will definitely go shopping. So far so good. Soldiering on. Loving the land sooo much! 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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