4th
of July! Happy Independence Day to the USA!
Anyway,
after a number of days, I finally gotten my student VISA approved by the
Australian High Commission.
Here
are a few things I realized after going through all these processes to go to
Australia. Firstly, Plane Ticket Prices vary where there is no one airline that
will be the cheapest. So, you have to do
your research online and find out which airline is cheapest and grab those! (Or use a travel agency like I did, where
they compare prices for you)
Also,
take note of check-in timings of the lodgings you are staying in. UniLodge only
allows check-ins from 12noon to 3pm while others such as Urbanest have more
flexible timings. I heard from my friend that he checked into Urbanest at 3am
the first time he entered Brisbane. Do
plan your flight timings to coincide with your check-in timings or you may have
to crash a night at the airport.
One
issue that I am unclear of is the condition of Brisbane’s tap water. Is it
potable or not? Well, there is one way to find out!
Things
you can do prior to leaving for Australia also include; setting up a bank
account so that you only need to confirm it over there. Purchasing and
recharging a phone number so you can
seamlessly switch over to an Australian number. This has the added benefit
of allowing you to chance to notify your friends in your home country your
number before you leave.
While
many things are cheaper in Singapore, I realize that I have no choice but to
purchase certain things over in Australia. This is especially so with bulky
objects. (Pillows, Cookery etc.) On
the bright side, I found out that there is a Daiso (Japanese $2 shop) located in the city where toiletries and other
basic items can be picked up! On that note, I realize I should find out where
all the bargain shops can be found! Compared to Singapore and her
NTUC-dominated market, I believe small shops overseas may contain hidden gems,
usually at discounted prices.
Well,
with my VISA and plane tickets confirmed, my schedule just became a whole lot
tighter.
-ARP
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