Good Evening
Time is flying. Saturday evening I left the US from San Francisco bound for Sydney, Australia arriving Monday early morning. My third time to Australia and yet different from any other travel I have taken before. I have been arriving to start my new job and to take up permanent residency in a lovely country - my new home.
Arriving at Sydney airport I was nicely greeted by Australia. I passed through custom like any other time. I handed my entry form with the cross on A - Migrating permanently to Australia. The custom officer - Gabrielle - a beautiful blond Aussie woman - asked me a few questions, stamped my passport and welcomed me to Australia with a big warm hearted smile. Just a little gesture and I had become a permanent resident of Australia.
What a feeling - taking up residency in a new country - When I moved to the US almost 12 years ago I had no intention to live there for ever. The original plan of mine was to do my Ph.D. in the US quickly, take up a temporary position and apply for university positions back in Germany returning as professor.
As planned I relatively quickly went through my Ph.D.. However instead of returning to Germany I remained in the US first as postdoctoral fellow at the Byrd Polar Research Center (Ohio State University) than on a research position at Northern Illinois University.
Now twelve years later I was waiting for my 4 bags to appear on the baggage claim and to clear custom. The secret to clearing custom efficiently is to follow the instruction - declare everything, and if you uncertain declare it and talk with the custom officer, as much as they are working to protect their country they also working with you as long as you honest and truthful. I declared my 10 bottles of wine and 1 bottle of rum, my chocolatte and Haribo Gummibears, showed them my hiking boots, which were all clean and showed my few rock samples I had with me, which were also clean. Another Big Welcome to Australia I cleared custom heading out into the Lobby with my big cart of luggage.
On my way to the Quantas luggage drop off I stopped at the Optus telephone shop got a new Sim card and reloaded my pre payed phone with $30. Still the same number I received last year - ready to rock and roll.
Checking in with Quantas I had to reorganize my luggage. Quantas has a much stricter luggage policy than United. 32 kg - not more. Also your cabin luggage will have to be less than 7 kg. Well on the first a bit annoying - on the second it forces you to be smarter. After reorganizing my checked luggage I checked one of my two carry-ons. The good news - a supplemental piece of luggage was only AU $30. Much less than the $100 United charges for the same. I guess one can get used to the stricter rules.
Before paying for the bill I dropped off the large bag at the odd size baggage drop off and returned the cart to the others. As usual I pushed a couple of them standing all across the area together and into line with the others. This got me a big big smile and Thank You from the counter agent. Yeah we both have no idea why people can't return their carts properly and leave the work for others.
Next stop - changing terminal. On the bus a nice lady mistook me for one of her travel partners and all four of us chatted first about autism and later about energy and the future of clean energy. They had just arrived from Calgary working in the energy business and heading onward to Perth for some business meeting.
5 hours, a good unhealthy breakfast and 2 hour nap later I headed onward to Hobart.
At Hobart I only had to wait a few minutes for my luggage to arrive and a few more for my host Theresa to arrive. Off we went to a lovely place on the eastern shore of the river in Tranmere, I will call home until I decided where around Hobart I will set down my roots.
Greetings from Down Under with a lovely sun set enhanced in color through the ash lingering in the air.
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