Now THAT'S more like it

Alice Springs is about where the red dot is

Finally received my written letter of offer from Australia today. Actually, it came in during the wee hours of the morning. I was up browsing through the Northern Territory government website, reading an action plan that has resulted in the positions being created that I am being hired for. It was such an interesting and important document, I couldn't understand why we hadn't been sent it before, as the recruitment agency sure sent us enough to read. In any event, I wrote to the recruiter about the report and suggested that recruits be sent this, and the one in London, England wrote back quite quickly - it may have been 2am my time but it was the beginning of her workday there. She then forwarded me all of the documentation - written letter of offer with terms, my reference documents (what my references had to say about me) and my interview assessment report.

Today I put in a request for a Criminal Record check with the RCMP to the tune of $50. The desk clerk said there has not been an increase, but that is so not true. I have been getting these criminal record checks for years, ever since I have been volunteering and working with vulnerable populations and have NEVER paid more than $25 if anything at all. Whatever, I didn't have much choice, and the Aussie gov will be reimbursing me for all of these fees when I arrive, so I just have to keep all of my receipts.

I also faxed her certified copies of my 3 degrees. I'm not sure what comes next. The visa nomination has to be made sometime within the next few weeks, once they receive the CRC and other documentation. The CRC is to be completed within 2-5 business days, so probably sometime next week.

My last stop was at the library where I signed up for a library card so I could check out some books regarding Australia. They were pretty limited with what they had onsite as it is a rather small library, but I found a couple of interesting ones, including a book titled "Cold Beer and Crocodiles: A bicycle journey into Australia." Should be good for a laugh.

My proposed arrival date in Australia is May 1st, and beginning work on May 4th. That is exactly 2 months away - holy cow. I hope time flies as I am sooooo ready to return to work!