I had my interview with my case officer and I think everything went well.¬† I am delaying the visa being issued until I have gotten a new passport that will be valid for the whole two years.¬† This will save me the trouble of having to transfer it later when my visa runs out.¬† I don’t know for sure that I will be granted residency straight away but it seemed very likely once another case officer verifies.

For now I am just looking for a three month temp/contract job here in Melbourne.¬† I really like the hostel here.¬† There is a great group of people and I have somehow managed to get dinner cooked for me most every night.¬† I think I will stay here because of the location (10 min from beach, quick tram into the city if I need).¬† I finally bought a suit which isn’t an item most backpackers have with them.¬† I am trying to figure out how I will store it when I go traveling again, maybe just a long term locker at a train station.

So I know it is a little late but I wanted to mention that I went to the Grand Prix.¬† Saw a great race, couple crashes and an awesome finish.¬† Hamilton won by a long shot but his car was fast the whole race.¬† He consistently had a huge lead except for the crashes.¬† After the race everyone went out on the track to walk over to the Kiss concert.¬† Great show with lots of fireworks, of course all of their classical songs were played.¬† They finished with Rock-n-Roll All Night.¬† On the way to the tram we were told to stop and they were passing in a car when KISS passed.¬† Of course some drunk idiot jumped in front and they stopped for a while as pictures were taken.¬† I was there so I tried to get a couple, shitty camera didn’t get any though.¬† Overall it was a great night.

After three and a half months my visa application has a case officer.¬† I should have planned and read the requirements better and I would have had the application in at the beginning of October instead of the end of November.¬† Two months isn’t that bad and I have seen some nice things.¬† I wouldn’t have been able to travel to Australia and met everyone I have over here.

I still think I will work and travel over here in Australia for a while before I go over to New Zealand.¬† There are several places I still need to see like Cairns and Tasmania. I don’t have exact plans yet but I will have a better idea next week after I talk with my case officer.

Yesterday was the first day of the grand prix. It was mostly just time trials but still fun to see the cars going around.  Pictures are hard to take when the car is going 200 kph.  I tried to take some videos and will post them when I find out if they are any good.  The formula 1 cars are so loud and that was only one while it was showing off how much faster they are.  When there are all 14 going it will be loud enough to wear earplugs.  I skipped out on going today because of the heat and so I will be able to go Saturday and Sunday when the formula 1 cars are running.
I found out that the sun really can still burn me.  I was out for several hours at the track then went to the beach for 2 or 3 hours and was a very slightly tinted pink.  It has all but gone now but I know that I am not immune.

I have been craving a pizza for the last couple days but there is nowhere close to walk to that I found online.¬† I was walking though a food court and saw a small pizza place so I was excited and looked over their menu.¬† The obvious missing pizza was the standard pepperoni.¬† I figured every pizza place has to have it, even if it isn’t on the menu and I just ordered it. The first person (the owner) says ok and goes back to make it.

The second person who is taking the order and payment asks what pepperoni is.¬† Oh, they call it salami over here but they don’t have any spicy salami.¬† I tell them it is ok and just to make it a little spicy with herbs for me.¬† They did an amazing job and it was a great pizza, but I will miss not having anymore pepperoni.

So I am down here hoping to get away from winter for a while.¬† I know it isn’t that cold but the high here in Christchurch was only 15 C (59 F) today.¬† I can’t wait till Wednesday when I go back to Melbourne and it is supposed to be 35 C (95 F) on Thursday.¬† I am going to be sweating a ton watching the Grand Prix.

I am tempted to get a better camera before going to the Grand Prix so I can get some great pictures.¬† I haven’t done enough research to know what I really need for my level (beginner, casual use).¬† I would love an DSLR but I know I wouldn’t use it enough to justify the cost.¬† I also shouldn’t try to fill up my bags anymore than they already are until I have a place to settle for a while.

I am going to try to find a short job in Melbourne but my lack of foresight has left me with only a backpacker’s wardrobe. I need to buy a suit before I start interviewing (ok, so I didn’t have one before leaving Boise either).¬† Seeing as it has been years since I have worn a suit I think shopping could be fun.¬† I need to convince someone to come help me so I don’t end up looking like Dumb and Dumber, not that their suits didn’t kick ass.

So I finally found the right link for US Citizens to apply for a working holiday visa in Australia. For those of you that are still looking it is called a “Work and Holiday” visa and can be found here. It took them all of 12 hours to approve me. I will head back over to Melbourne on Wednesday. Just in time for the Grand Prix and St. Patrick’s Day. Now if only I had a visa officer for New Zealand.

Wow. What a messed up trip this ended up being. In the future I suggest more than 24 hours of planning to fly internationally.

I booked an airport shuttle so I would arrive at the airport with 110 minutes. Plenty of time. Turns out it was during rush hour and it was delayed by twenty minutes. I still have 90 minutes to check in and get to the flight so it won’t be a problem, but any later and I wouldn’t have made it. I go to check in and the ticket agent goes through the normal routine; have you packed your own bags? do you have any explosives?

Then because I am flying to New Zealand he asks if I have an onward ticket. I knew this was required last time I went but I didn’t have one. I said I have sufficient funds and I think that is all I need. He asked another agent and they agreed. Now, this is true if I am going on a working holiday visa, but not for visa free entry. I didn’t realize this at the time.

My luggage is checked and I go up to security. They have several large signs saying no aerosols so I go through my bag and remove my sunscreen. I check everything else, put all my liquids in a plastic bag and throw away my water bottle. I walked through the first security checkpoint and into a large room. I see the normal belted off queue lines and head towards one then notice they require an exit form. I head back to fill it out then prepare for the metal detectors. There are only three people in front of me but it still takes five minutes until it is my turn. I hold my breath as I walk through and…. nothing. Big surprise.

I wait at the other side for my bags and laptop. The laptop comes out first and I start putting it away then the operator asks if that is my bag. Yes. Do I have any aerosols in it? She points to the screen. No, I threw it away. She hassles me for a couple minutes as I dig through my bag and find nothing. Another agent comes up again and looks at the picture and at the outside mesh pocket it should be in. All that is there is a book. I tell him knowledge can be dangerous and he just says to run the bag again. Fine. Everything is good so I pack up thinking I am done with security.

Five steps later I am stopped and asked to step to the side. I am told I am going to undergo an explosives scan and pat down. Read these cards. If you answer no you won’t fly today. So I get rubbed down with a chemical nose and felt up by security (actually he had a very gentle touch). Yeah! Finally through. I grab a bite to eat before getting on the plane.

The flight was boring. I just put my iPod on and tried to relax. I filled out my customs form quickly and queued up in the line. My turn. I answered all the questions that were on the card in front of him. How long are you staying? 7 days. Where are you staying? Hostel in Christchurch. What kind of food do you have? Candy and cookies. Can I see your onward ticket? No. I don’t have one but I have sufficient funds. Crap, he pressed the red button. Another agent collects my passport and escorts me to the side to discuss my situation.

He is highly skeptical and says the situation sounds a bit too bazaar. You have applied for residency and are coming here before you are approved for “7 days” with no onward ticket? I explain that I am just here to change my visa in Australia to a Work and Holiday one because I can’t apply for it inside Australia. He understands this because New Zealand has the same program. I ask if they have wireless and can I just purchase my ticket online? He agrees and I spend 30 minutes trying to deal with the website. I try to search for a ticket. The results come up in Chinese. I go to the Australia website. It works. I buy a ticket, it asks me for 10 more dollars. The internet dies and I have to start over. I buy a ticket, it asks me for 10 more dollars again (the ticket price went up 10 dollars). I finally get a receipt and show the agent. Yes that will work. It would have been easier just to write the webpage from scratch based on my last receipt.

I go back to the first agent and start the process again. Crap, he pushed the red button again. The flight had been closed, not my fault. He verified everything and sent me through. Now to collect my luggage which had been pulled off to the side 30 minutes prior. I start to queue up for luggage inspection. I got in the wrong line again and stand there for 10 minutes as the agent goes and talks with some other people. Finally I get to him and he sends me over to have my shoes looked at. I had been hiking in Australia within the last month and they needed to make sure there were no parasites. It only takes five minutes even though my shoes were buried in my bag. The rest of my luggage is X-Rayed and I leave. About time. I go get on the shuttle to my hostel, check in, and try to be quiet as all seven of the other people in my room are sleeping and I have a top bunk.

I have known for a while that I am leaving tomorrow to go… somewhere. I didn’t know where. I have had some excellent suggestions from several people. Go spend a while in Tasmania. Go to Alice Springs and Uluru. Go to Adelaide and sit on a beach. Turns out as I was pricing my options I ended up deciding to go to Christchurch, New Zealand. It ends up being the same price or cheaper to do this.
My visa is taking longer than I wanted and I will have to get a new passport before I can get it. That means I need to stay in one place for a month as the consulate processes my application. I figured that I might as well just hop over to New Zealand and get a working holiday visa for Australia and travel for a bit more over here.

I think I will travel Australia until September or so (beginning of spring) then fly over to New Zealand and get a real career. This will give me time to travel much more of Australia and I will have income so my budget won’t be as tight. I would love to get up to Cains but it is the wet season so the scuba isn’t great right now. I will let you all know more later when I do!