Some things are worth the wait (like me)

There has been a lot of action in my life since my last blog. After a few weeks of waiting, I got the call on Monday, Feb 7 that my visa cleared. (I guess I should get used to the accepted international format of 07 Feb 11). Those of you that know me well, know that I’m not that, well, excitable. I don’t react often with squealing or giggles. But let me tell you that I actually jumped around my (empty) condo after I got the call from Australia!

The Global Mobility person wanted to check with my new team to make sure they didn’t need me right away (as if hopping on a flight the following day was an option!). After determining that they could wait a few weeks, I booked my ONE WAY ticket to Perth for the following Monday, leaving me 6 days to tie up all my loose ends. Shipping my items over, packing the rest of my belongings that I wanted to take with me in suitcases, and any other things to do in Chicago, etc. That was not an easy week. I’m still not quite sure how I got everything done. Not to mention I still wanted to see people. I was able to spend Saturday and Sunday in Madison with my Dad and Robin (who drove down to Madison from Rice Lake), my mom (who drove down from Crandon), and Tracey, Craig, and Grant. My new nephew Jackson is not quite here yet! (as of this writing, anyway). Then my mom drove me back to Chicago and we finished up my packing, chores, and cleaning the condo for my new renters to move in. (Here's a shout out to my awesome mom!) Thankfully the new renters didn’t want to move in until March 1, or I would’ve been homeless these last few weeks!

My flight left O’Hare at 6:30pm on Monday, Feb 14. I had a (too close for comfort) transfer in San Francisco, and just made my plane. Then I settled in for the long haul. Luckily I had an Ambien to assist me in this endeavour. Even so, this was a truly painful journey. However, I’ve continued my lucky streak of sitting next to cute guys on airplanes, and even scored his business card for my collection. Not really my type, but it feels good to know I’ve still got it. J

Unfortunately, Qantas did not allow enough time for Immigration and Customs in between my flights. Several other people and I all missed our connection to Perth (good to note for anyone coming to visit me). This caused me to use some international calls on my cell phone to contact my new boss and co-worker to delay their trip to the airport to pick me up. The delay did allow me to clean myself up and change clothes, which was badly needed. I really, really smelled. What is it about airplanes that does that? Finally, about 35 hours of travel later, I touched down in Perth. By then, everyone around me knew I was moving here and were so wonderful. People gave me lots of recommendations....however I was in such a fog by then that my brain didn't retain much.

It was a shock to literally walk off the plane and into two co-workers’ arms. Since the last leg was domestic, people can meet you at the gate! Victoria and Barbara were right there calling my name (side note – they go by Vic and Barb….everyone shortens their names here and I expect to be Trish in short order. And that’s ok by me, even though I don’t usually go by that in the work context. See, that's me being flexible.) It was also a shock to walk out of the airport and into 40C temperatures (104F!). That’s a little hot, but not out of the norm for summer here. Thankfully, the next few days didn’t quite get up to that temp (although still hot for this Wisconsin girl). Not only did Vic and Barb help me with my luggage from the airport and in the hotel, they also drove me around on a little tour of the city. After grabbing a few groceries to get me by and taking a little walk in the neighbourhood around my hotel, I basically crashed at like 8pm. Leading me to be wide awake at 3:30am! Everyday the jet lag has gotten a bit better, but it will likely take a few weeks to adjust completely. My next blog will focus more on what I’ve done in my first week here! More to come soon - and will be accompanied by some pictures.