Closure

Finally after six weeks of searching, we've finally secured a house to rent albeit not from a real estate agent but direct from the owner. God is good! We moved our stuff to our new house at Hamilton Hill last October 6.

God is indeed good. You see, real estate agents here have been dictating to us how we should live, i.e., for a family with three children you should have a three bedroom house. We did apply for a house as big as that even though we've been living in a studio or one bedroom house for the last six years but still our application had been rejected again and again.

Not that I'm being personal but there seems to be a trend that these agents have a preference for tenancy applicants without children. While I realize that Perth receives an average of 125 emigrating people each day, the glaring trend was simply irrestably obvious.

Anyway, enough with the ranting and back to praising . Ironically, just when I became a student, God has provided us everything that we need--a car and a comfortable home. The house is four bedroom! and reasonably priced.

We've been also blessed by brethren-in-Christ and friends here in Perth. Two friend gave us three single bed and matresses--one for each of my daughter. Some gave electric fans, pots, plates and all the necessary things to start a comfortable living.

Our Muslim friends, the families of Siti and Maswati, helped us in moving our stuff. Maswati's husband, Niza, was also kind enough to drive their family car and attach a trailer to move all the stuff.

We still have to fill the house with other furnitures but at least we have the rest of the year to do that. Thanks to everybody who contributed one way or another to securing our house. By the way, on a not so bright note on the day we moved--there was a police car chase that ended up right in front of our house! (a case of drunk driving) The suspect and the police were both calm and the apprehension went peacefully without further incident.

God is good and I know the "welcome salvo" is still a sign of good things ahead! God is great, to God be the glory!

Exciting Day

Nique turned 6 last month. At her age here in Australia, she is required to go to school. I'm blessed that as a full time student at Murdoch University, my children are entitled to free schooling in any WA public school.

Nique is quite excited to go to school again especially here in Australia where she'll attend a regular and bigger school. I, too, am very excited for her as she slowly ventures to independence in learning.

In the processing of my children's admission to a WA public school, I have to submit the necessary papers to Murdoch International. This office handles all issues relating to international students. From visa, health cover, school issues among others. I was told by a staff that upon submission of our papers to the Department of Education and Training, it will take about a month for DET to reply. The DET has to ascertain where there is still a vacancy near our declared residential address. So, we waited.

However, a friend suggested that we go straight to the nearest school in our suburb to inquire. Inquire we did and voila, today Nique and Nira are enrolled. Nique is in pre-primary while Nira is in kindergarten.

Hopefully, Nique won't be bored with the activities that she'll do as she's a bit advanced in terms of reading and numbers. As to Nira, I'm sure she'll have a very good time using her creative skills in drawing and coloring into action. :)

Week's wrap

Our first week was very busy as I had to formalize my enrollment, try to find a house, open accounts, meet people among others. It was indeed very good that we have Elaine on hand to accommodate us even on a temporary basis. She was also kind enough to be my mentor for almost a week, showing me around the campus and directing me where to go.

We also attended our first Sunday service at Subiaco Church of Christ and it was great!

Nel misses Thailand, Nique and Nira loves going out with their winter clothes and Dei is going berserk as she tries to secure a place for us (well, both of us are looking for a house online). It was quite hard to find a house at this time as some students have earlier arrived and most of the best houses are already taken, the rental prices has also increased.

We've finalized also our banking requirements, God willing we will have enough savings to get us through on another chapter of adjustment when we leave Australia after three years. We've set aside an account dedicated to savings and emergency funds while I have another student account to receive my allowance and where we will get our fortnightly living allowance.

If we're able to find a house within the month, I'll convert my Thai licence and buy us a car. It's quite hard to find a taxi for a family of five and while public transport is reliable, it is time bound so if you miss the last trip--it's the Maxi-taxi (a taxi that can accommodate more than 5 people) for us.

Well, that's all for now. Please continue to pray for us as we venture to our new life here in Perth, Australia.

Pursuit of a suitable home

I finished my enrollment at the Uni, now our task is to find a house and subsequently a school for Nique and Nira.

We are living with my friend and kumare, Elaine. It was good she and her good friend Stephii allowed us to stay in their house while Stephii's away on data gathering. But she's returning by November. We learned that we must declare to have a permanent place so that Murdoch International could forward my children's placement application with the Department of Education and Training.

Finding a home at this time of the year in Perth was hard as finding a needle in a haystack as rental prices could go high as Aus$550 per week. So, with the prospect that it might take a while for us to find a permanent place, we decided to forward our children's application with the school and see how it would go.

Nique is required by law to go to school while Nira could skip school we submitted her name just in case the Uni will be able to find a vacancy for her. As a full time Uni student, my dependents are entitled to free education in public schools in Australia. The cost of their education comes from a part of the visa application charge. So, whether you're single or not, part of your visa application charge goes to the Department of Education and Training (reason that Elaine was "bragging" that she's contributing to our children's education--eheheh!).

We're glad that it was alright with the Uni to submit my children's application. The second school term has already started late July and will finish by end of November, so barely just in time when Stephii returns. Now, we'll wait for the DETs response to our application. The process is for them to find a vacancy at the nearest public school from our place, otherwise they will forward the application to the next nearest and so on.

I'm quite excited for Nique going to school,a more formal one compared to the one she attended in Bangkok, which has a home-school-based curriculum. God willing we'll be able to find a house nearby with a reasonable price. For now, I'm trying to cope up with the winter weather and find my way around the Uni. :)

Of Perth and Delays

After months became weeks, weeks became days and days became hours, the time came for our travel to Perth. We flew via Brunei Air, which was the cheapest flight to Perth from Bangkok.

We maximized every opportunity that was given to us for this travel. We tried to say goodbye to most of our friends in Bangkok, chasing time and cherising every moment with them. We even maximized our baggage allotment--125 kilos in checked in baggage (we actually had 127.7 kilos after finally weighing it in at the airport) and more than 35 kilos in hand-carried luggages.

We left Thailand and arrived Brunei on time. However, the plane that would take us to Perth had to be delayed for further maintenance check in Kulala Lumpur. We were told that it will be delayed for five hours.

Nique, Nira and Nel (as seasoned travelers as they are) tried their best to maximize and enjoy Brunei International Airport--for a child, the airport was a bore, not too much to see although Nel had an interesting chase to observe how the cleaners brush the corrals in an aquarium. :)

I failed to get a wi-fi signal at the airport that I had to go to the Internet cafe to inform Elaine of our delay. Time passed by, we were then instructed to go for our final security check only to be told that the flight will be delayed for another hour--most of the passengers who originally flew from Europe gave the loudest howl of protest.

As if giving in to their request, less than 5 minutes we were instructed to board the plane but it was only able to taxi to the runway after almost 30 minutes.

We are excited and a bit anxious of what will be our life in Perth but we look forward to enjoying it. We've heard so many good things about the city and the people and we look forward that this will be better than Newcastle or Sydney.

We arrived in Perth at around 12 midnight and finished disembarkation procedures at around 1am. It was raining hard and I hardly left the airport when my hands became numb--it was freezing cold!

Anyway, the following day, we're up off to the Uni to formalize my enrollment, meet my supervisors and familiarize ourselves with my new University.

It was nice, with almost similar landscapes as with the University of Newcastle.

Next assignment after finishing Uni matters will be finding a house, a school for Nique, Nira and Nel, and buying a car. :)
Cheers 'mate!

Chasing time

Less than two weeks before we head to Perth, we are racing against time to catch up with Bangkok--savor the food, the air, the warmth of people we meet everywhere. We will definitely miss our favorite places here from Banglumpoo (where the famous Khao San Road is) to the clean and savvy Loft Restaurant at Central Chidlom in Sukhumvit.

Thailand has indeed been our second home and given the chance (well, I do hope everybody speaks English!) to live here, it will be a unanimous decision in the family.

We know God has greater plans ahead and we will definitely be coming back to this place sooner or later. :)

Countdown

As months become weeks, it is really apparent that our trip Down Under is almost around the corner. However, just as with other exciting development in your life there are little hang-ups sometimes.

Nique recently caught some eye infection last week then Nira recently developed a little fever. As always Nel is the strongest among our kids as she fights off any sickness despite her seemingly puny body.

Nique and Nira are recovering. Maybe just some excitement about their trip to Australia--they just finished packing one box of their stuff. :-)

See the countdown to our trip to Perth here.

Shopping Galore

This early, we are already preparing our stuff for Australia. It pays that we've been there before, so we quite have an idea what to bring.

Clothes are especially expensive there that we've invested some money for clothes especially winter clothes. We are arriving in August when winter is just winding down. For Asian people or maybe just us, winter could be very punishing (but I think not for our kids who, I remember, perspires a lot even in 10 degree celcius temperature). I usually suffer from dry skin during winter that I have to put on lotion right after taking a bath otherwise my skin cracks up and become very itchy, then my lips will follow and my legs...

Anyway, today we almost completed shopping the winter clothes of our children. I've written--almost--as you know Nel's in the Philippines but in two weeks time, she's joining us again!

Nique and Nira enjoyed shopping today at Pratunam, where we hunted for winter clothes. Clothes here are a bargain and they usually give it to you at wholesale price, well, according to them. Wholesale to them is when you buy three or more--even if it is 200 pieces they would still give you the price as they will give to a customer who's just buying three pieces of clothes.

After almost a day of searching, we're glad that we were able to secure the clothing needs of Nique and Nira--and they sure enjoyed shopping. Dei plans to buy Nel's winter clothes in the Philippines as it is quite hard to find a size for her here.

Here's a winter dress rehearsal from the sisters.

Perth, here we come!

Waiting Game is over!

After twelve weeks and four days of waiting (with one week due to unavoidable circumstances--my wife had her period that we failed to take the medical exam immediately), the waiting game is finally over. We've received our freshly stamped passports with a four-year visa!

It was Monday morning when I first learned about the news. I just thought of checking the AVFS website to see the status of our passport--I was scheduled to check on it on May 16 as I've written in a previous post. It was an easy morning anyway, holiday in Bangkok--but we have a regular office day, so no harm, I checked the site. To my surprise it was already in the Visa Application Centre since Friday (4 May), to think that we've just completed our medical examination last May 1.

OK, it was already with the AVAC but, call me pessimistic, I'm not sure whether it was with a stamp or not. So, I decided to keep the news to myself and did not break it to my wife. It was a holiday in lieu of the coronation day last Saturday so, I had to wait Tuesday afternoon to collect the passports.

I had a meeting nearby so, it was also a good opportunity to visit the place. After collecting the passport, I never opened it--might as well share it (the joy or grief) with the family. I went on with the meeting--it was exhausting. Finally, on my way home, I called Dei and asked her to check the website of AVFS, the website of the centre where we lodged our visa application. She still has to open the laptop. The other night I was telling her that I was worried about the status of our visa--cruel me!!--when I already knew that I'll be collecting it the following day.

Then when I stepped in at our unit--I flashed a print out of the passport tracking status. Dei literally jumped and shout for joy! Then I showed her the sealed envelopes with our passports. The kids were sleeping and I was shouting to wake them up but they didn't move a finger. So, we proceeded to open the big envelope, I hurriedly read it and it says

I am pleased to advise you that your application has been approved

So, my joy was complete upon seeing the letter and more so, when I saw the fresh, crisp stamp on our passports. At least, this cup has passed--now the serious work begins--research, research, research.

God is definitely good!

We are greatly indebted to my Aunt, Ms. Loida Caro, for expressing her support for our stay in Australia by lending her bank accounts, to my advisory committee who expressed willingness to assist and to all friends and colleagues who lend their hands and knees in prayer.

Many thanks, maraming salamat po, khob jai, khob khun maak khrup, merci!