three words have prominently arisen from my weekend activities: property inspections suck.
as you would have it, i spend yesterday morning wandering the streets of randwick in search of suitable accommodation for Rach and myself in this big, new city. funnily enough - before yesterday morning, i was actually looking forward to it! now? i am educated for the better.
what's so good about walking around for hours and hours, waiting in the hot blazing sun for a tardy real estate agent to show up and open house for 15 minutes or less. not only that, but then you end up going inside and realising that your first intuitions were correct. yesterday, i viewed seven different apartments. five of which i had significant doubts, judging by the photos online. in addition to the really hot afternoon weather yesterday, to make matters worse, each second property on my list was on the same street. i thought - oh how cool - it means that most of the properties are in the same area. in reality it just meant that i walked from one property to the next, then back past that first property to see the second, then back past the second to go see the third, and so on and so forth. by the end of it, i had tan lines on my feet and shoulders and now, i feel that i can confidently say that i know the apartment buildings along avoca st, randwick straight off the back of my hand.
funnily enough, with each passing inspection, i found myself getting more and more confused. when i was trying to describe the properties to rach, details of each of the apartments started getting melded together. i mean, which one had the black skirting? or the renovated kitchen? or the toilet that made me feel really depressed? honestly, apart from the two below, without photos to jog my memory, i honestly can't remember what i thought about the rest! the one good thing that came out of yesterday however, is that we found one good property at a "reasonable" sydney price, and so with our fingers crossed, we're going to pray that our application is successful.
so check out the two properties below... =)
apartment 1
apartment 2
in all honesty, my prayers are going towards not only a successful application so that we won't be homeless over here... but i would be lying if i said that i didn't have hopes to never have to live through another day of seven property inspections again!!
*new chapter, new city*
phew!
one month later and it's helloooo to sydney! so no, i didn't back out last minute... and yes, i still am quite terrified.
i suppose that this move has been all the more terrifying because of the abounding support that i've received from all of my loved ones back home. given any expression of doubt, uncertainty or dubiousness, i was met with unequivocal confidence and assurance that no, i would be fine. now... if only i could be as sure as them!
leaving was hard. it was great having a final farewell party though - and i'm really grateful that so many people showed up - especially those who i hadn't seen for yonks and yonks!
the chubs @ my farewell... with jas there in spirit..!
the last "sisters" shot we took. *sadface*
purposefully, i procrastinated throughout the entire last week of packing though... but to my own credit, i did finally finish and i must say that i think i did a pretty good job of being thorough! i ended up side-cataloguing everything, just to be sure that in the case that i need some obscure object that was sitting covered in dust on the fourth shelf down of my bookcase, i'm pretty sure i could tell you which archive box it's in and whereabouts in the box it is (i.e. how far down!).
i marvel at my pedanticity (i know this is not a word, but really... it should be, because everyone knows what it means!!). and i really didn't know i was so anal about particular things until i started packing. but the real skill that i displayed throughout that entire last week was my ability to get side-tracked by things of age. seriously, i spent 5 minutes packing a few books and cataloguing them, and then i'd come across a photo album from primary school and spend the next half an hour laughing at how stupid people's hair cuts were. in most cases i then proceeded to find whoever else was at home to show them my findings.
one word: sigh.
the hardest part about leaving was being at the airport. although it was great having my besties & family send me off, it was tragic looking back. i will admit, my record of countless months without tears was broken by a few stray tears as i was walking along the tarmac. (to the chubs: at least i now know i'm not completely emotionless!!)
one last chubs group hug.
it's not exactly hard being here alone. i mean, i always have been a person who likes being on my own for periods of time (but yes, i do also have a need to be around people!). but i think i feel more affected now because i left home when things were really good. back in 2007 when i left for canada (okay, i know this isn't exactly an ideal comparison given the temporary nature of study exchange), the world of opportunity for travel and experiences completed enveloped me. you might even say i felt beckoned. but now? things are completely different! there were so many different opportunities, so many different roads to take, many of which didn't require moving interstate. i could've done honours, i could've gotten a job, i could've even done grad law back home at UWA.
so amongst the big questions puddling around inside my mind, i wonder, did i make the right decision or not? my faith tells me that after much perseverance in prayer, the fact that my move interstate was relatively easy and straightforward, i'm most likely on the right path. but still, right now i can feel i tiny little flicker of apprehension.
as my mum so rightly said, i need to give it a couple of months. and that, i am gung-ho willing to do. =)
so a few tales since i've gotten here.
[1] the walk across the UNSW campus is killer. those basser steps make you want to die. and really, good luck if you're not wearing comfortable shoes. i myself, was lucky enough to have forgone wearing flappy charles & keith flats in favour of my good ol' billabong thongs. i'm pretty sure that if i had worn the C&K's, it'd be welcome to blister-town by now!
the captions (if you can read them), say it all... it really is a dreaded walk
[2] the sydney bus system is crazy/ultra-confusing/AND awesome all at the same time
it took me this entire first week to really figure out how the whole bus thing works and to remember which buses take me where. after a good five years since needed to rely on public transport system, i can heartily say that (a) i reeeealllly miss my car and (2) carrying groceries home on a bus just plain sucks.
just a glimpse of the quandary known as the sydney eastern region bus service
[3] pidgeons. what a lovely way to wake up every morning. without fail, these two little birdies have come to chirp me awake... EVERY morning. how pleasant. =.=
but hey, they know me so well they even stayed around for me to take a photo of them.
okay, and here's a glimpse of what my room looks/looked like after my boxes of stuff arrived. =)
for those of you who were readers back in 2007 during my exchange in toronto, the duvet sheets probably look really familiar. =p
markedly, i think i'll stop here. i'm sure that there'll be heaps to blog about over the next few days as classes start. but i make no promises.
if you're reading this, thanks - coz you're probably even more faithful to this blog than i am at this point!!
*hi-5*
- pheebs.
one month later and it's helloooo to sydney! so no, i didn't back out last minute... and yes, i still am quite terrified.
i suppose that this move has been all the more terrifying because of the abounding support that i've received from all of my loved ones back home. given any expression of doubt, uncertainty or dubiousness, i was met with unequivocal confidence and assurance that no, i would be fine. now... if only i could be as sure as them!
leaving was hard. it was great having a final farewell party though - and i'm really grateful that so many people showed up - especially those who i hadn't seen for yonks and yonks!
the chubs @ my farewell... with jas there in spirit..!
the last "sisters" shot we took. *sadface*
purposefully, i procrastinated throughout the entire last week of packing though... but to my own credit, i did finally finish and i must say that i think i did a pretty good job of being thorough! i ended up side-cataloguing everything, just to be sure that in the case that i need some obscure object that was sitting covered in dust on the fourth shelf down of my bookcase, i'm pretty sure i could tell you which archive box it's in and whereabouts in the box it is (i.e. how far down!).
i marvel at my pedanticity (i know this is not a word, but really... it should be, because everyone knows what it means!!). and i really didn't know i was so anal about particular things until i started packing. but the real skill that i displayed throughout that entire last week was my ability to get side-tracked by things of age. seriously, i spent 5 minutes packing a few books and cataloguing them, and then i'd come across a photo album from primary school and spend the next half an hour laughing at how stupid people's hair cuts were. in most cases i then proceeded to find whoever else was at home to show them my findings.
one word: sigh.
the hardest part about leaving was being at the airport. although it was great having my besties & family send me off, it was tragic looking back. i will admit, my record of countless months without tears was broken by a few stray tears as i was walking along the tarmac. (to the chubs: at least i now know i'm not completely emotionless!!)
one last chubs group hug.
it's not exactly hard being here alone. i mean, i always have been a person who likes being on my own for periods of time (but yes, i do also have a need to be around people!). but i think i feel more affected now because i left home when things were really good. back in 2007 when i left for canada (okay, i know this isn't exactly an ideal comparison given the temporary nature of study exchange), the world of opportunity for travel and experiences completed enveloped me. you might even say i felt beckoned. but now? things are completely different! there were so many different opportunities, so many different roads to take, many of which didn't require moving interstate. i could've done honours, i could've gotten a job, i could've even done grad law back home at UWA.
so amongst the big questions puddling around inside my mind, i wonder, did i make the right decision or not? my faith tells me that after much perseverance in prayer, the fact that my move interstate was relatively easy and straightforward, i'm most likely on the right path. but still, right now i can feel i tiny little flicker of apprehension.
as my mum so rightly said, i need to give it a couple of months. and that, i am gung-ho willing to do. =)
so a few tales since i've gotten here.
[1] the walk across the UNSW campus is killer. those basser steps make you want to die. and really, good luck if you're not wearing comfortable shoes. i myself, was lucky enough to have forgone wearing flappy charles & keith flats in favour of my good ol' billabong thongs. i'm pretty sure that if i had worn the C&K's, it'd be welcome to blister-town by now!
the captions (if you can read them), say it all... it really is a dreaded walk
[2] the sydney bus system is crazy/ultra-confusing/AND awesome all at the same time
it took me this entire first week to really figure out how the whole bus thing works and to remember which buses take me where. after a good five years since needed to rely on public transport system, i can heartily say that (a) i reeeealllly miss my car and (2) carrying groceries home on a bus just plain sucks.
just a glimpse of the quandary known as the sydney eastern region bus service
[3] pidgeons. what a lovely way to wake up every morning. without fail, these two little birdies have come to chirp me awake... EVERY morning. how pleasant. =.=
but hey, they know me so well they even stayed around for me to take a photo of them.
okay, and here's a glimpse of what my room looks/looked like after my boxes of stuff arrived. =)
for those of you who were readers back in 2007 during my exchange in toronto, the duvet sheets probably look really familiar. =p
markedly, i think i'll stop here. i'm sure that there'll be heaps to blog about over the next few days as classes start. but i make no promises.
if you're reading this, thanks - coz you're probably even more faithful to this blog than i am at this point!!
*hi-5*
- pheebs.
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