Leaving from Montreal, East of Canada, is a long way - 5½ hours to Vancouver, then 15½ hours to Sydney. After waiting 4 hours at the airport, there is another 2½-hour flight to Adelaide, South Australia.
Recovering from the trip is one thing; getting used to time difference is another. Indeed, Adelaide is 13½ hours ahead of Montreal. Morning in Adelaide is last night in Montreal.
In any case, I am finally here for a year or so, and I plan on seeing as much of this country as I can. Beaches and learning to surf are a priority, as are the outback and Uluru.
There are many ways to come to Australia, and I chose the "working holiday visa" option - which allows me to legally work anywhere in the country, although I can stay a maximum of 6 months with one employer. Best case scenario: I will work at two different places throughout the year.
Applying for a working-holiday visa costs about CAN$200 and it is non-refundable. You have a month to send in all the required documents. In my case, it was medical forms and this is at your own expense.
There are about 5 panel doctors in the province of Quebec (certified by the Australian embassy) and you must see them; no other doctor will do. That's where the CAN$60 game starts: $60 to see the doctor, $60 for a chest x-ray, $60 for an HIV test, $60 for a blood test, and so on. On top of that, there is a $60 fee just for the doctor to "fill out" your forms - which is plain ridiculous since the patient has to fill most of them out, and the panel doctor I saw in Quebec City, Dr. Jean Tremblay, wouldn't help me out with those. He said it wasn't part of his job description, that his office rarely does Australian visas, and that when he does, it always confuses him. Of course all medical expenses must be paid cash. The only exception to the $60 rule is a full medical examination, which ranges between CAN$150-175.
Once everything was done, I got an email within a week giving me my visa number - which is automatically assigned to the passport number. Thus I didn't need any special document or stamp - they saw the info on the computer at customs.
Now the hardest part is finding a job. I'm afraid I may have to be a waitress for a while since no one is looking for ESL teachers in an English-speaking country, and no one is hiring French teachers since the semester has already begun. In the meantime I sleep like a log and go for walks with the dogs in order to familiarize myself with the area.
Cheers big ears!
