Archive for the ‘Being Expat’ Category

Lost In Translation

Lost In Translation

I consider myself pretty good at English. I read newspapers, I devour novels, and I watch TV and movie, I speak and write quite well and make only small mistakes or have little trouble spelling difficult words. English is a language that I have conquered a long time a go. True, it took me several [...]

When The Reality Sinks In

When The Reality Sinks In

We have been living in Perth for almost 6 months now. Aberdeen feels like a dream, far away from here, and I realise I say “back in UK…” less often than before. I actually think I’ve been settling in here better than in Aberdeen. Perth is so easy. The weather, the people, the food, the [...]

Where We Belong

Where We Belong

When the idea of having a junior high school reunion was thrown into the discussion, I asked the self-appointed committee to set the date at least 3 months ahead so I (and others who now live out of town or country) would have time to plan the journey back. Alas, as normally Indonesians do, the [...]

Perth: Sunny Side Up!

Perth: Sunny Side Up!

Having read Ecky‘s post, I too have to reveal something that both mr.mck and I have found since the day we set our foot here in Perth. Everywhere we go, everybody who serves us, from the baker, the florist, the staffs at the shops and supermarkets, delivery people, guys at ticket box, the call centre [...]

And Life Has Just Begun

And Life Has Just Begun

I’ve been living in Perth for almost 2 months now, but it’s already felt like forever. Slowly but sure mr.mck and I begin to adjust with the new life in our new adopted city. We have finally moved to our home last month and although our stuff from Scotland hasn’t arrived yet, the rental furniture [...]

Hello From Down Under (3) – G'day!

Last Friday was the day of that marked our 2-week settlement in Perth.  But we are still in the adjustment phase, where we compare everything here with what we used to have back home. From what I’ve learned in my settlement course 2 years a go when I moved to Scotland, normally the first phase [...]

Hello From Down Under (2) – The First Shocking Moments

Hello From Down Under (2) – The First Shocking Moments

Shocked after landed in Perth under its glorious sunshine at 5 o’clock in the afternoon, I quickly reminded myself that we are no longer in Aberdeen, where it gets dark before 4 PM, where  it is cold, windy, and wet all day. We were discussing the best option to get into our temporary apartment (Emirates [...]

Hello From Down Under (1) – The Journey

The confirmation finally came when I was still enjoying my holiday in Indonesia. Yes, we’re moving to Perth, Australia (not Perth, near Glasgow!). The date was finally agreed. Yes, it’s 26 November. Lots of emails went back and forth about how we get there (they sent us a booking with Qantas, I wholeheartedly refused – [...]

New Home… Almost

New Home… Almost

The date is set, the flight is booked. We officially have only less than 1 month in Aberdeen. By end of this month we will start our new journey in Australia. The movers will come to pack everything away a few days before departure, and the list of what we can bring and how we [...]

An Overdue Update

Yes, it has been 19 days since my last posting, but I wouldn’t bore you with excuses. Instead, here is some stuff I could share by now: Moving – again! This is the first time I officially confirm that mr.mck and I are going to move down under. The news, of course, has been circulated [...]