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Posts Tagged ‘Expat’

Australian Skilled Visa Crackdown

Ten years a go when I was considering whether I should stay permanently in Australia and make a life here, I was shocked to find that my Australian master’s degree was valued less than a hairdressing certificate. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think being a hairdresser is less important than being a construction manager. [...]

May 20, 2010 News 1 Comment

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 [...]

May 13, 2010 Being Expat 6 Comments

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 [...]

April 14, 2010 Being Expat 11 Comments

7 Things I Notice About Perthians

Moving to another English speaking country, which basically is an almost exact copy of United Kingdom, shouldn’t be too shocking for mr.mck and I. Especially since I have lived in Australia before, and mr.mck has had visited the country for many times in his life. Driving is an obvious example. Australians drive on the left [...]

March 19, 2010 Australia 20 Comments

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 [...]

February 18, 2010 Being Expat 6 Comments

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 [...]

December 16, 2009 Australia, Being Expat, Life & Style 2 Comments

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 [...]

December 9, 2009 Australia, Being Expat, Life & Style 19 Comments

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 – [...]

December 7, 2009 Australia, Being Expat, Scotland, UK 8 Comments

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 [...]

November 2, 2009 Australia, Being Expat, Travel 12 Comments

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 [...]

September 29, 2009 Being Expat, Travel, Work 14 Comments