Since this past Thursday, all the plans for Australia have turned into a whirlwind of money, planning, tickets, photos, phone calls, and e-mails... For now, the whirlwind has calmed leaving behind some wonderful things:
1) My Visa application was accepted and approved!
2) My ticket to Australia has been purchased!!! I am leaving the afternoon of Monday, July 16th and arriving in Melbourne on the morning of Wednesday, July 18th. (Closer to the date I will give more information on my flight and the amazing, luxurious plane I'll be on for the last 15.5 hours of my trip)
3) The family informed me that they have officially purchased my plane ticket for the family vacation to Port Douglas, Queensland, Australia and sent me copies of the tickets!!!
What is Port Douglas?? Well, it is a tropical town far north on the east coast of Australia. It is known in Australia as the place where the rainforest meets the reef. It is the only place on earth where two World Heritage listed jewels exist - the Great Barrier Reef and the rainforest of Daintree and Cape Tribulation. The Daintree National Park is the site of the oldest living rainforest on earth and is owned by the Eastern Kuku Yalanji Aboriginal people and contains many rare plant and animal species. During our stay at Port Douglas we will be staying in a seaside luxury apartment/condo where I will have my own room. The adventures available include horseback riding, biking, hiking, ziplining, learning about Aboriginal culture, 4 wheeling, kayaking, helicopter tours, snorkeling, swimming with whales, chasing Marlins, and so much more!!! I never even imagined I would have the opportunity to see and do this!!! Here is a sneak peek:
Note: Move the cursor off the slideshow to see the captions.
Monday, April 23, 2012
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Say Hello to My Australian Family and Home
Since posting yesterday, the family has given me permission to use their names and pictures on my blog!! I am seriously excited about this because I feel as though it will help keep those of you at home more involved as you take this journey with me!!! So here are the first official pictures of my Australian family and home. =]
NOTE: Move the cursor off of the slideshow to see captions and sorry for the blurriness as these were taken from the au pair site.
I am officially 100% excited about this journey as this is what the mom wrote to me in an e-mail earlier today:
"We told Michelle tonight and she is over the moon. We did not want to
mention it to you before, but Michelle saw your picture early on (I think
you were one of the first people that we favourited on the Great Au
Pair website). We also read out to her your interests from your
webpage. Michelle decided then that she wanted Nikki "because she
likes what I like". So your decision has made one five year old very
happy."
Knowing that I am able to have an impact on a child from the other side of the world leaves me smiling from ear to ear and makes my heart just completely overjoyed. I simply cannot wait for July 18th (my start date)!!!
NOTE: Move the cursor off of the slideshow to see captions and sorry for the blurriness as these were taken from the au pair site.
I am officially 100% excited about this journey as this is what the mom wrote to me in an e-mail earlier today:
"We told Michelle tonight and she is over the moon. We did not want to
mention it to you before, but Michelle saw your picture early on (I think
you were one of the first people that we favourited on the Great Au
Pair website). We also read out to her your interests from your
webpage. Michelle decided then that she wanted Nikki "because she
likes what I like". So your decision has made one five year old very
happy."
Knowing that I am able to have an impact on a child from the other side of the world leaves me smiling from ear to ear and makes my heart just completely overjoyed. I simply cannot wait for July 18th (my start date)!!!
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Feels Unreal
Since my last post, I have been patiently but diligently searching for a family that I could see myself easily fitting in with and that met most, if not all, of my criteria. I did my part in searching and applying and trusted God to take care of the rest and as always, He did.
I found a family that I was interested in from the get-go. I favorited them, waited for them to favorite me back and say they were interested, and then I sent them an e-mail. From there, through e-mail, I answered their set of interview questions, they liked my answers, so I sent them my questions. Once they responded and I liked their answers, we decided to take the process further with a Skype interview yesterday (4/16) morning. At the end of the interview they offered me the position. I took 24 hours to think it over (although I knew I was going to ultimately accept anyway) and accepted the offer this morning (4/17). Here it goes, what we've all been waiting for... The details on my family, the location, and the job. =]
The Family: Jewish, family oriented, enjoy quality time together, Mom, Dad, 2.5 year old boy, 5.5 year old girl, and a newborn in late June... Oh yeah, can't forget Ollie, the poodle
The Location: A small suburb with a population of 4,085 in Melbourne, Australia. Melbourne has a total population of 4,077,036 (half of NYC's). The suburb is located about 11 km / 7 mi south-east from Melbourne's central business district and about 15 minutes from the beach (public transportation and I are going to become really good friends).
The House: 2 story, 5 bedrooms, garden in backyard, own bedroom with corner floor to ceiling windows looking into backyard, bathroom shared with children, internet access
The Job: Mid-July - February or May of 2013, Getting the two older children up and ready for school, driving the two children to school and activities, picking the children up from school and activities, caring for the 2.5 year old boy on the two days a week he doesn't go to school, helping the mom with the newborn when needed, general house tidying (dishes, straightening up, picking up toys, etc), helping in the evenings with meals, baths, and bedtime routines
The Benefits: Weekly pay (in addition to free food, rooming, internet, cable, etc), over time paid additionally, time off when needed to explore Australia, all expenses paid family vacations to Sydney, Port Douglas, and possibly Philip Island, time off to come home for Christmas, use of a car (part of the time)
Oh gosh, there is just so much more to share!!! I will save it for the next post though which will include my start date, flight information, and my next steps. I love that God knew all along what he had for me. He knows me so well. It definitely has not sunk in yet that I am really going to do this... in 3 short months I am really going to be living on the other side of the world in Melbourne, Australia. I think once I graduate and am able to focus solely on this journey it will all start sinking in....
I found a family that I was interested in from the get-go. I favorited them, waited for them to favorite me back and say they were interested, and then I sent them an e-mail. From there, through e-mail, I answered their set of interview questions, they liked my answers, so I sent them my questions. Once they responded and I liked their answers, we decided to take the process further with a Skype interview yesterday (4/16) morning. At the end of the interview they offered me the position. I took 24 hours to think it over (although I knew I was going to ultimately accept anyway) and accepted the offer this morning (4/17). Here it goes, what we've all been waiting for... The details on my family, the location, and the job. =]
The Family: Jewish, family oriented, enjoy quality time together, Mom, Dad, 2.5 year old boy, 5.5 year old girl, and a newborn in late June... Oh yeah, can't forget Ollie, the poodle
The Location: A small suburb with a population of 4,085 in Melbourne, Australia. Melbourne has a total population of 4,077,036 (half of NYC's). The suburb is located about 11 km / 7 mi south-east from Melbourne's central business district and about 15 minutes from the beach (public transportation and I are going to become really good friends).
The House: 2 story, 5 bedrooms, garden in backyard, own bedroom with corner floor to ceiling windows looking into backyard, bathroom shared with children, internet access
The Job: Mid-July - February or May of 2013, Getting the two older children up and ready for school, driving the two children to school and activities, picking the children up from school and activities, caring for the 2.5 year old boy on the two days a week he doesn't go to school, helping the mom with the newborn when needed, general house tidying (dishes, straightening up, picking up toys, etc), helping in the evenings with meals, baths, and bedtime routines
The Benefits: Weekly pay (in addition to free food, rooming, internet, cable, etc), over time paid additionally, time off when needed to explore Australia, all expenses paid family vacations to Sydney, Port Douglas, and possibly Philip Island, time off to come home for Christmas, use of a car (part of the time)
Oh gosh, there is just so much more to share!!! I will save it for the next post though which will include my start date, flight information, and my next steps. I love that God knew all along what he had for me. He knows me so well. It definitely has not sunk in yet that I am really going to do this... in 3 short months I am really going to be living on the other side of the world in Melbourne, Australia. I think once I graduate and am able to focus solely on this journey it will all start sinking in....
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