It's official! We are moving to Brisbane, Australia this summer. In case you have never moved to another country before (like my wife has), you need to know that there is a freaking huge amount of things to do:
-sell the house in 3 months
-sell nearly everything we own, as we don't have much of a budget to move things
-get rid of nearly all the electrical appliances
-apply for visas (which begins with fingerprinting and FBI background checks)
-get quotes from different international moving companies
-figure out how to transfer money and maintain U.S. accounts after we leave
-get our cat ready for the quarantine process
-enjoying our last chances of eating good Tex-Mex (but looking forward to an abundance of excellent Indian food)
-telling everyone we know that we are going to the other side of the planet, and then waving them all goodbye
and trying to "smell the roses" along the way.
Oh my!!
*I took the picture above in Oct 2006 from a cafe in South Bank, along the Brisbane river. Australia is incredibly caffeine-friendly...
4 comments:
Hi there! I saw your comment on Mooselet's blog and thought I'd have a look.
Good luck with the move! Will it be temporary or permanent?
I have something for you and your entire family to read BEFORE you get here ok? This is extremely funny, but serious as well. http://humour.200ok.com.au/diary_brisbane_summer.html
it's entirely true. Hope you have rented an entirely air conditioned house or apartment. At least you will be getting here during our winter, but that won't really make it any easier when your wife wants to make Thanksgiving dinner, the turkey alone is $50 and the heat is so bad you just want to sit in a pool and sip on pina coladas. lol.
Tors- Thanks for the support! We are moving to Brisbane for at least 5 years (my initial contract at UQ). I really do love the Yanks Down Under site...I am finding much useful information there.
Kitten- That diary has me a bit nervous! However, I have lived in Hotlanta for the last 10 years, and it really seems like months of June-Sept are similar to those in Brisbane's summers in terms of temps and humidity. We definitely want A/C, especially if central air is available!!! Thanksgiving in the 80s, however, sounds like another matter to deal with...
Hey, glad you're finding YDU useful! :) Who knows...5 years may become forever!
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