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lizzie_and_ariWe are in Melbourne. As Ari mentioned. The International Comedy Festival is on and we are trying to blag as many free tickets as possible by calling them 'industry comps'. Heh heh heh heh heh. Melbourne is cool. It is the city most like Edinburgh.
Ah, I miss home.
I never finished my big story about our Tasmanian trip but do still plan to. We have many photos that I will put up with stories about each. In a week or so the office will finally be moved into our place, giving us far freer internet access.
Ooh and last weekend we went to Rockhampton. With only a few months left now, we're trying to get up and down as much a possible to see folk. I have to say a had an amazing time. Looking back to those first few days is wierd. Ari's grandmother called the day before we arrived, to say that Lexie's room was a mess and would be mind just bunking up together. A conversation presumably purely for the benefit of Ari's grandad. So, we were in Rockhampton, Catholic Grandmother Central, sharing a bed.
I felt very confused and didn't look at Ari much.
Australia, Dockside, and home
OK, also: stuff has been going on over the past few weeks and we've been waiting until it was all clear and known before we said anything.
After he got back from holiday, we were talking to Dave about Dockside and the office and hours etc and he said that he really wanted me to stay working there, and would consider any arrangement, like us spending a few months in the UK every year but working permanently for Dockside. This took some thought. Homesickness versus financial security, luxury apartment and free access to Australian family.
We considered it over our holiday and decided to stay until Christmas, for the following reasons: Dave's wife is giving birth, now any day, everything will be manic over this period and by Christmas should be more settled; Christmas at Dockside is also manic, and January would be a quieter time for him to try and replace us; Dave's trying to open a new venue, we could help with the opening and the transition and then leave once it's all sorted, and be home for Christmas; we'd both have a year's worth of very good, high powered-type work experience on our CVs, thus making it easier to find a job back home and give us financial security; Ari could also potentially start a degree here whilst a citizen. So we made this decision, after much mulling.
The next stage was to apply for a visa. This turns out to have taken about a month and through that time has careered wildly from definitely going to get it, to definitely not going to. By the time the latest email was in, we realised (or I definitely did, anyway) that we really didn't want it. Fortunately the latest email said, yes you can have it, just as soon as you send evidence of your BA in Marketing or your 5 years experience as a marketing manager. I have neither of these. So the visa will be rejected.
Unfortunately I have to break this to Dave. He is wildly optimistic, even when I pointed out I didn't have what they need. I'm not prepared to lie to the immigration department. I don't want to go to prison, I do want to come back to Australia approximately another 50-odd times in my lifetime and being deported could seriously fuck up my life plan.
I'm sorry we didn't mention any of this before. We thought you'd all be terribly disappointed in us for not coming back when we said we would. So we figured we'd find out what was going on first.
That said, we're not coming back when we said we would. We owe Dave. He's been very good to both of us. So we're going to stay til my current visa expires at the end of August. So we'll be about a month later than originally planned, and will miss the festival, but then we promise to settle for ever and buy a kitten.
For those of you (like Ari's Dad) disappointed we're not staying, then we have out reasons for wanting that too. MAinly the kitten. And being back in Edinburgh. Edinburgh is home, for both of us. We miss it SO much and cannot wait to come home.
Oh, I'm getting all teary.
I've used we a lot in this post, obviously I can't totally speak for Ari, she I'm sure, will post stuff herself about it too, though we have discussed everything a lot.
Tired now. I think I may have conjunctivitis.
Bye,
Lizziexxx
Ah, I miss home.
I never finished my big story about our Tasmanian trip but do still plan to. We have many photos that I will put up with stories about each. In a week or so the office will finally be moved into our place, giving us far freer internet access.
Ooh and last weekend we went to Rockhampton. With only a few months left now, we're trying to get up and down as much a possible to see folk. I have to say a had an amazing time. Looking back to those first few days is wierd. Ari's grandmother called the day before we arrived, to say that Lexie's room was a mess and would be mind just bunking up together. A conversation presumably purely for the benefit of Ari's grandad. So, we were in Rockhampton, Catholic Grandmother Central, sharing a bed.
I felt very confused and didn't look at Ari much.
Australia, Dockside, and home
OK, also: stuff has been going on over the past few weeks and we've been waiting until it was all clear and known before we said anything.
After he got back from holiday, we were talking to Dave about Dockside and the office and hours etc and he said that he really wanted me to stay working there, and would consider any arrangement, like us spending a few months in the UK every year but working permanently for Dockside. This took some thought. Homesickness versus financial security, luxury apartment and free access to Australian family.
We considered it over our holiday and decided to stay until Christmas, for the following reasons: Dave's wife is giving birth, now any day, everything will be manic over this period and by Christmas should be more settled; Christmas at Dockside is also manic, and January would be a quieter time for him to try and replace us; Dave's trying to open a new venue, we could help with the opening and the transition and then leave once it's all sorted, and be home for Christmas; we'd both have a year's worth of very good, high powered-type work experience on our CVs, thus making it easier to find a job back home and give us financial security; Ari could also potentially start a degree here whilst a citizen. So we made this decision, after much mulling.
The next stage was to apply for a visa. This turns out to have taken about a month and through that time has careered wildly from definitely going to get it, to definitely not going to. By the time the latest email was in, we realised (or I definitely did, anyway) that we really didn't want it. Fortunately the latest email said, yes you can have it, just as soon as you send evidence of your BA in Marketing or your 5 years experience as a marketing manager. I have neither of these. So the visa will be rejected.
Unfortunately I have to break this to Dave. He is wildly optimistic, even when I pointed out I didn't have what they need. I'm not prepared to lie to the immigration department. I don't want to go to prison, I do want to come back to Australia approximately another 50-odd times in my lifetime and being deported could seriously fuck up my life plan.
I'm sorry we didn't mention any of this before. We thought you'd all be terribly disappointed in us for not coming back when we said we would. So we figured we'd find out what was going on first.
That said, we're not coming back when we said we would. We owe Dave. He's been very good to both of us. So we're going to stay til my current visa expires at the end of August. So we'll be about a month later than originally planned, and will miss the festival, but then we promise to settle for ever and buy a kitten.
For those of you (like Ari's Dad) disappointed we're not staying, then we have out reasons for wanting that too. MAinly the kitten. And being back in Edinburgh. Edinburgh is home, for both of us. We miss it SO much and cannot wait to come home.
Oh, I'm getting all teary.
I've used we a lot in this post, obviously I can't totally speak for Ari, she I'm sure, will post stuff herself about it too, though we have discussed everything a lot.
Tired now. I think I may have conjunctivitis.
Bye,
Lizziexxx
