One Step Forward, Two Steps Back!

These last few days have been something of a rollercoaster, one minute we get some good news, the next nothing but. Sitting here today writing this blog, I have literally given up on predicting the future, because it is so bloody difficult at the moment.

After being told by The Commonwealth Bank that we could both get a mortgage, we decided to start looking for properties to buy. Within a few short days, we found a one bedroom unit not far from where we are now. The tiny house was small but perfectly formed, offering everything we needed and more. It was freshly decorated, had a sizeable garden and security shutters back and front. Situated in a small cul-de-sac of seven similar properties, well maintained and looked after, it would have been the perfect bolthole for us. When travelling, we could have just locked up and left, knowing the unit would be secure in our absence. To say I was quite excited would be an understatement; this was a home I wanted for us both, so we did our very best to secure it, without delay.

This was Sunday afternoon, but I duly emailed our Mortgage Advisor at the bank, and he said he would do some figure work for us when he returned from a Barbecue later that evening. In the meantime, the Real Estate Agent came over, and we made an offer of $229,000 on the property, after filling out pages and pages of paperwork. All going well, we should have been in within a few weeks - yes, that is how fast things are done here.

The next morning, I awoke with bad news; Darrell had not been in his job long enough to secure the Mortgage we wanted. He was told to submit payslips over the next few months, so they had more of an idea of his wages, and then they would think again, hopefully making us an offer for the full amount. This was not the answer we wanted, and we were both pretty deflated as we headed for a day out in Perth. Immediately we pulled out of the deal and will just have to wait a little longer before we find somewhere else to call home. In many respects it was our own wishful thinking that got us here, we were so focused on getting out of my Mothers-in-law's house, that we didn't really think about how long we had been back in Australia. It was after all only two months ago we were travelling around Thailand. The fact they offered us a Mortgage at all was a surprise. For now, we will just take one step at a time!

It wasn't all bad news yesterday. While sitting on the train to Perth I received a message from my lawyer, who said my partner application had been lodged with the Government and I needed to pay the $8085.00 (£4511.43) fee to ensure the application would not have to be resubmitted. Yes, that was a shocking amount of money to lose in one day, but I was finally on the road to residency and within a year I should be able to call Australia home. It is great news everything has started to move in the right direction, despite the high costs involved.

Within a few weeks, I should hear about my medical examination and will have to spend yet money to have it done. I was also told I could apply for my Medicare Card straight away, which I did this morning, at Centrelink in Midland. I suppose I was expecting it to be hard, having dealt with the official side of Australia before, but it was actually straight forward. After booking in at the front desk, (oddly I had an active Centrelink account) I waited no more than ten minutes to be seen, by Darlene, who spent most of the appointment coughing her guts up, to my horror. With COVID on the rise here again, I just got on with it, what else can you do now. I asked if she was alright, to which she replied (I hope so), which didn't instil much confidence in me.

She took my details and immediately told me I already had a Medicare card, and I just needed to reactivate it. This card was from 1997 and my second trip down under. I couldn't actually believe how easy it was to reinstate it. After a lot of questions about my marital status, I was good to go with immediate effect. She duly wished me luck and politely asked me to return to the office once my bridging visa kicks in, so they could make 'everything permanent,' whatever that means. Anyway, by that time, I just wanted to leave; her coughing was just getting worse and worse and I thought it was best to take my leave, no matter how chatty and agreeable she was!

With my Tax File Number also being processed, and the Bridging Visa now activated, but remaining inactive until 28th December, I am hoping the process of getting a job will be more or less pain free. The biggest concern for me now is the impending medical. As someone who tends to suffer from health anxiety on occasion, I am understandably worried about the outcome. At my age they could find anything wrong, but the hope is, I've done enough to avoid any difficulties obtaining a visa on health grounds. Putting all worries aside, I hope to live a relatively normal life until my permanent residency is granted. Then I will have the freedom to leave and go as I please; I am counting down the days until this happens, after all, travel is my life. In the meantime, it's sit tight for now, keep my nose clean and follow the rules, to ensure my transition to Australian life is as trouble free as possible. I have done as much as I can to make sure that happens; the hard bit comes next!

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