A Venezuelan wacky guy living his Australian dream

It had been sort of a month and a bit from the physicals and this stage of the process is a silent killer. Awful…
Anyway, giving you an update of the process, the day when the physicals were sent to the immigration medical office my doctor told me to send the exams to the embassy of Australia in Chile… I wasn’t so sure but I said ok.
A couple of weeks later my case manager told me it was a big mistake… More than a mistake, an issue. So, I decided to write to the embassy of Oz in Chile querying some information about my medical examination status. Thankfully the response reached me no time saying my package was about to be sent to Oz.
Kind of silly, hun?
Anyway, if you are about to do the medical examinations, double check the direction and send it directly to Australia.
That’s all for now. Cya maties

The same day of the VA’s client cocktail we planned the farewell party of Melanie, David, Luisa and Roberto. The voted menu was Pizza and the provider was an excellent restaurant near the block’s corner… 14 pizzas was required to fulfill the appetite of the guests (and the hosts of course which is me, hehe) plus the common snacks and beverages… Soda, beer, some wine, water, etc.

After odd 2 hours I got the incoming call of Victor and the surprise was on. My close mate Raúl and I planned to start a video conference with him (which currently is living in Perth) to give some motivation to the take off… more hope and less sadness to the moment.

Sort of at the end, I made public the launching of the blog’s forum and old forum renovation into a single forum of Latin-Americans (for now, anyone is welcome). The forum is hosted on freeforums.org (excellent services) and the url is: http://aussieneighbor.freeforums.org. This forum is the product of new ideas with the old community GotoAu hosted previously on Yahoo Groups... Just on step closer to community.

I am not going to extend so much on chatting…
Images speaks better than words.

Everyone knows what a farewell party is. A couple of your closest friends gathering together to say goodbye / trip to those how are starting a new journey. As I said before (in other post named “meeting new people”) the idea of organize reunions are to meet new people; but in this parties the idea is to get even more close with those whom you want to become neighbor of.

When you start the migration process you start feeling a bit lonely and out of the planet, not many people share your same ideas and realities; so a way to deal with it is to find more friends, share your picture and open up your mind. But this isn’t enough, you need to find those whom fulfill you somehow, whom you feel comfortable with and as the time goes by you start to have some connection and friendship.

The same thing happened to us with other couples and families way ahead of us in the process and we could not let them go ahead without a proper reunion and “have a nice trip and see you soon…” the good see you soon.

Those with a path already walked invited us to share a night with them, something small but nice, just family and closest friends, it was our first farewell party, saying goodbye to Ricardo and his family as well to Jea, and it was so nice that we started the feeling to organized something alike. The first experiment was the Reinaldo’s farewell on hooters (also mentioned in other post). Everything was ok and another date was set to another reunion, another friend on its way (Victor and Betzy family).

The Victor’s family farewell party was hosted on my house. It started Sunday at 10 am and ended Monday at 1am, all day menus was subs sandwiches, beer, coke, snacks, etc. It was amazing the quality of the people… everyone took anything to the party, it didn’t matter so much what it was, but at least something to eat or to get distracted made the reunion memorable and thanks god the party showed exactly how I wanted to say goodbye to these dear friends. Again at the end of the party another reunion was set; same place, same channel (hehe, Spanish way to say same hour, location and conditions) this time was Moira’s family (my dear and liberated Moira, Alfonso and Guille).

The Moira’s family farewell was planed Saturday morning till Sarvo (Saturday afternoon) but again the night came, everyone chatting and having a great time. This time menu was meat and chicken skewers, “guasacaca pico e’ perico” (a sauce made with advocado, onions, tomato and parsley finely chopped and mixed with a little bit of pepper and salt) and cassava with milk cream sauce. It was simply magnificent and hopefully they liked it.

In the end, another party was on its way and the arrangement was to organize these parties once every month to say goodbye to our closest friend and those you are on its way to become close.

If you want to organize this kind of reunions all you need is.

• Proper clean location, not too cold, not to hot.
• Chairs… Unless you want to torture your guests you need chairs for them to rest. Tables are not required unless you’re menus requires it.
• Background music isn’t required and in some cases, will be not desired. In our case wasn’t necessary.
• Flexible menus… It means, if you are going to prepare food, make different flavors, variety is the key point to make everyone happy.
• Plenty of snacks… the people is going to be more distracted than hungry and need something easy to eat but constant. Snacks will do it. Bring some nachos, cheese balls and stuff like that. Try also some sweet but remember, sweet will be over first, so keep it out side of the stares until you know everyone invited has arrived.
• Plenty of drinks… this is vital, have sodas, water, beers, ice… everything needed to have a nice refreshing drink made in less than 10 seconds because people will talk a lot… and we you talk a lot you mouth turns into a hot and dry desert.
• Reservoirs. Other key points are the reservoirs because you don’t know exactly how much time the reunion will take (unless you start kicking out people out your home). Have anything for an emergency in case you ran out of food and your guests are a little at the expectation of something to eat.
  

We had to be at the hospital at 8 a.m to start with the examination and my wife and I thought we could be out and get a brunch at 11... Once there, the nurse gave us the examination order for the blood test, urine test and x-rays... Every order a big bold and red word "urgent". The nurse asked for the form 26, form 160, two pictures and passport copies and before everyone moved a finger remarked "you have to make the lab responsible to sign those papers before 12 pm else you will have to come other day... Once the results are done the doctor will check you up... hopefully at 4PM you will be done."

Wordless to say my wife face; we could not do anything else to wait. Went down to basement 2 (where the lab is) to pay for the tests and to wait till are finished. While in the line we started to have the nature call... and someone near us had a waterfall sound as ringtone... a total torture...

Anyway, at 10 am we had all the preliminary examination done, when to get the brunch done before the physical with the doctor Jacques Dennis, there the doc asked us for every disease or medical record... I was asked for a detailed report of my general doctor (I suffer of migraine) and my wife's gynecologist report.

My suggestion is, if you have had any medical record of anything persistent issue; ask for the reports before going to the physical examination.

As extra information, check the doctor panel allowed by Australia government to determine who’s near you plus; download all the information required by the forms (such as the office requiring the examination and so on).
Link to health requirements (here you will find forms, Panel doctors and other information)
Link to Panel Doctors

Triple check the given information, passport ID, dates and everything else to avoid any problem with your case (as explained in the DIAC’s web page). Everything cool? Hit the next button and you will see some abstract information of your case… It might take you a couple of minutes to understand what is being show.

In your final stage of the process, you can feel a little exasperated, stressed or disoriented but checking as often as you want might gives you a better idea of how everything goes and calm you a little.

This post is related to: "Check your case status (Updated)"

The criminal background check is a list of past crimes an individual has been convicted or accused of it or the free of charge letter if no crime has been registered.

Here in Venezuela there are several types of crimes similar to those in the United Stated... Such as drug possession/consumption, homicide, illegal weapon registration or porting, robbery (except for needing, which means that if you rob someone and take them food is ok… at least for this bizarre government), and the list goes on and on. Except here the people related to power figures or corruption usually gets out of jail for free or takes the guy who didn't do anything...

Saying for short, the Justice system doesn't work that much.... Anyway, isn't the time nor the space to be complaining about…

In order to get the visa, you must probe you had been an excellent citizen by not committing any crime or being accused of committed one or what so ever. These are extremely important because are your credential for the Australian government that according to your file is clean and you aren’t going to be a trouble for your soon-new nation.

So, the journey started late in December last year, when I called the Ministry of Justice (currently called differently but is too long and I don’t want to make any reference of it at the moment) just to get an unpleasant,

“we are too busy this days and it is appropriate to tell you don’t come here till January…”

which means,

“we’re talking holydays vacations, do not bother!”

So, I decided to back off during holydays and call again at the beginning of the year 2008, just to receive another excuse

“sorry Sr. but we got to tell you the vice minister was changed… again… The request will take a little more than 8 days for you to get your background checks, it may take 1 full month till the minister consign another candidate for the position, who is the responsible for signing the paper.. We’ll call you back once your file comes out, ok?”

Thanks goodness, it only took 15 days (again Venezuelan government isn’t effective or efficient… and this has been since always) and by now the only thing left are the medical examination and I am done and ready to get my case reviewed by an officer and get the expected visa.

One good thing about these checks is you can request ‘em a couple of months before introducing your file in the department of immigration of Australia, and doesn’t make any harm to your timing or review if you make the request a little before is required. Remember that governmental departments may take a while to give you the file meanwhile they check and recheck every source of information.

Next post I will be showing a sample of the document you have to take to the law authority in order to get your papers.

The last few days, my wife and I had been going to a bunch of reunions saying farewell to some friends and talking about our life plans.

In the very first reunion with Raul, we were talking about how easily was for anyone to connect with others doing the very same process. This thought was exposed by himself because of his encounter with another Venezuelan family in a pizza place... They didn’t knew each other, only knew both family were doing to same long process and they were planning to talk for dinner time, but as the night went by, the chatting became more deep and satisfactory; they were fully exposing themselves, their life, plans, even their perceptions and thoughts regarding to the current government and how things should change for everyone, Australia… And the key on all this is we are all doing the very same process, so it is easy to match thoughts, hopes and even expectations. Well the very same thing happened during the evening; Raul just did the very same thing opening his own feelings about his job and even family attitudes. The entire night he, my wife and I keep going on and on about so different topics, it was a very pleasant feeling being chatting with a mate about our worries, wishes and hopes… The very same feeling when I am around friends that I know for years; except in this case, we have being talking for months instead.

The second reunion was shortly after the agency client cocktail (on the previous post); it was meant as a farewell party for two families intended to go to Sydney at the end of this and upcoming month. Everything started a little cold, because all of the sudden three strangers came in the room (those were us arriving at the party) but the ice went down five minute after that. Little by little the same process of exposing yourself as you are came out to play the connecting cases between families. The party initially was supposed to last for about 2 or 3 hours, but it took 6 hours when someone said “Hey, I am a little tired and I think I’m going to rest, who was the time?... What? 1:30AM???? Gosh, time flies!”
Everyone was so comfortable in such a charming ambient that none of us realize the time. Thanks god the party was nearby and took no time to jump into the bed, but reminding what a pleasant feeling again, engage our beings... it just feels as a family…

Later, coming back home, we were doing some thinking about why these connections happen so fast till we pin pointed it. Many factors would or could came into play to make the families to take the decision of migrate, but they will become your neighbors or backup in an emergency or just the more family alike members around the corner in the not so distant future; far from the lands which were for so many years our home. Having a family look-like mental picture is just unavoidable.

As you might read in other posts, we’re doing everything backed up with a migration agency. And one cool thing about doing it this way is, you have the change to meet some other people in a cocktail arranged by the agency itself. These cocktails are the perfect opportunity for meeting new people; find those others sharing your vision, the same not so distant future. So, We started the morning already with some short information about those I had meet in the forums but this time was going to be for real, so many expectations to be fulfilled in the cocktail.

Well, today at noon (almost, just a little over 12) the cocktail started and I was anxious to meet the bunch… the gang… these families with the same connection. Little by little everyone showed up and the chatting, laughing and saluting was totally on. I couldn’t imagine that in a year and a half the people doing the same project was multiplied by 400%.... When my wife and I took the solid decision to migrate to Australia there were little more than 100 families and as today there are more than 450 families doing it. Sad thing Venezuela had become an emigrant country (which is different of a country of emigrants)… Anyway, here are some photos of the event.