Being used to living in Australia

There are many phases that a migrant goes through when moving into another country until they can say that they have adapted themselves totally to it. To get there you have to embrace and adapt to the culture, to the regulations and policies, to the people, and to the fact that you're not in your country of origin.

All of this doesn't sound that difficult, in fact it seems quite obvious... And it is. However, it takes time to accomplish.

In this post I'm only discussing the last one: realising you're not in your country of origin.

There are a few characteristics that I've noticed in me and in others that scream out: ok, we live in Australia, and that's embedded in us.

1.- Looking  to the right: it gets a point that when crossing the street you just don't look to your left anymore. It

becomes natural looking to the right and expecting cars to come that way... And you really get a hold on this when you travel overseas and try to cross a street and notice that everyone is going the other way (and that's what you thought when you got to Oz); and you look directly to the right, even get conscious about the fact that you have to look to the other side because cars come from the left, and even after that, you look to the left and get surprised because a car is coming that way!!!

2.- Saying "here in Australia": when you arrive to Australia and you refer to things of your country, unconsciously we say "here in Vzla" or "here in Caracas" and just notice that "here" is no longer there, but "here" is Sydney; but you keep saying that because its what you're used to and what unconsciously "here" is for you. After a time (and it can be very long), your unconscious "here" shifts to become Australia. You also notice that really clearly when you're abroad and when talking about Oz, you say "here in Oz".

3.- "I come from Australia": I still haven't got to this fully, but when people ask you where are you from or where do you come from, eventually your answer is: "from Oz". Right now I'm still in an in-between, I answer to that question "I'm originally from Venezuela, but I live in Sydney".

4.- Being innocent: there comes a time when you forget all of your previous bad experiences from your origin country regarding safety, and start feeling relaxed (and innocent): you leave your bag on the chair and leave the table to get something, you go to the beach and go for a swim leaving all your stuff on the sand without even looking back, you talk to any stranger without worrying, and so on and on.

5.- Loud people and noises: us Latin-American are really loud people, and we are really used to having a lot of noise around us. Well, even if we are still loud  under Aussie standards, you get to a point where loud people and loud noises annoy you. I noticed this also overseas, in Greece, walking around and realising that I was thinking and complaining in my mind of the loudness of people.

I could continue on and on about other little details such as the beep of the pedestrian traffic lights when you want to cross, the cars stopping BEFORE the pedestrian limit line, the not-touching culture, the kindness and politeness... And on and on...

... The thing is that it's really nice when you notice that Oz is not only the place where you live, but that it's your home, and that it's embedded in you.

One year and some months later...

After a lot of months that I haven't been writing here in my blog, I'm taking a break from work (yes, I'm working now, in a paper that is due on Monday) to really synthesise my life in this year and some months of my life in Oz.

Professional life - job: As you already know, I'm one of the lucky and particular cases of a migrant who found a good job within the firsts 3 months after arriving... and yes, in this year, I've found out that that's a very uncommon thing to happen. But, I'm not going to repeat how I got the job (post 1 + post 2). The only thing I'm saying is that I just love it.

Place to live: Well, as you know I was looking for a place after I arrived. Well, to make it short, I found a fabulous flatmate through Gumtree (you can find almost anything there). She is a czech girl, around my age, and we lived together until about 2 months ago. For reasons I won't go into here, on 1 March I moved into a fantastic place in Randwick. That was the area I wanted to move in since a long time ago, really close to the beach and really close to the city. As soon as I got into my new place (during the inspection) it felt perfect, it felt like home. Getting a place here in Sydney is neither easy nor cheap, even more in Randwick, but is totally worth the effort.

Relationships - friends: Not much to say... not only have I had awesome friends since I arrived (friends I met in Venezuela during the migration process), but also I have met some terrific people... friends that have become family. 

Relationships - partner: This part has 2 sides of it. I'm sure you remember when I started the migration process I was married, and then that I got separated. Well, about that side of the story, the conclusion is that currently we're good friends, and we just got our divorce (we did all the paperwork here in Sydney - a lot easier than in Venezuela). The other side of this topic is the pretty one. In this year and so I got an incredible boyfriend. We met in that trip to Canberra that I mentioned in a previous post. He's a venezuelan, though I never imagined I'd end up with a venezuelan here, he's my age and IT. Besides that I only have to say that I'm completely happy :D

Relationships - family: Since I got here I haven't seen my family rather than on skype. Everyone asks me when I'm going back to Venezuela to see them, and my answer always is: I don't know, I don't want to go back, not even for holidays. So, that leaves the question: what about my family? All I know and care for now is that in a couple of months my mummy is going to be here for a while :D

The language: Bfffffff... what can I say???? The longer I'm here, the more I feel I have TONS to learn!!!!... Somedays are super fluent, somedays I feel I cannot even say "Hello"... so, yes, you get a lot better in your speaking, listening, writing and reading while being here, and at the same time you realise, as I already said, all the room you still have to improve.

Other activities - living: Besides hanging out with friends, going to tons of events, and doing outdoors things most of the times, the most relevant thing I'd like to share with you is that this year I became a Surf Livesaver. Yes, I can rescue people on the beach :D... after a long and hard training I became a member of Maroubra Surf Live Saving Club, which is an organisation associated to Surf Live Saving Australia. This is the largest volunteer institution in Australia, and it's a HUGE deal of aussie lifestyle. This is as aussie as it can get.


So to synthesise: this year has been filled with ups and downs (thankfully a lot more ups), and living in Australia, and specifically Sydney, has been one of the best decisions I've ever made. I know (I'm really aware) that not all cases are the same, and that I've been really lucky, but living here is a wonderful thing to do. This country has provided me a lot of opportunities and happiness, hence I see myself living all my life here.


Write to you soon... hopefully I don't take that much time in writing again here.

Expectations, attitude and migration – Part II (re-posted)

Ok, my previous post, the first one about this important topic (please read it before reading this one), talked about the expectations we have about Australia (or other country we want to “live” in) and about migration.

The last issue I addressed was about how we think we’re going to adapt sooooo quick to the new culture and to our new country, and I pointed out that it actually depended on us and some factors linked to our own attitudes, and that’s the main focus of this post.

Why? Because once we arrive in Australia, we get hit by reality and there are lots of things that we didn’t know or just didn’t want to know, or that just didn’t even crossed our minds… and how we react to those is key to a really successful or painful migration process.

Variables relating to adaptation (and how they relate to your attitude):

(1) personal strength: well, not everyone can take migration and what it involves. So, keep a close look on how you really are. If something happens that affects you emotionally, how quickly do you come out of the sadness / pain? What personal resources do you have to manage stress? How long does it take you to feel good after a “down”? Do you usually rely on other people to solve your problems? Do you usually need family support to get over things? Well… if you answer yes to the last couple of questions and it takes you a while to feel better after bad things happen, and if you don’t cope well with stress, so in synthesis, if you are not built up with a lot of personal stress, the migration process is not going to be that easy.

(2) self-esteem: if you have low self-esteem, or at some point of your life you had issues with this, be careful. Being rejected in the professional area, finding yourself alone, being stressed about having to support yourself and your family and finding yourself struggling with this, are matter that is going to affect your self esteem… FOR SURE. So, you have to be really confident in yourself (not cocky) and believe in yourself so much that no matter what comes in the way, you can stay still.

(3) self economic situation: this is very simple… if you don’t have enough money to support yourself (and your family if it applies), just don’t come here… and if you come, you HAVE TO be aware and be really comfortable to actually do whatever is necessary to survive, without any regrets and without letting it affect your self-esteem.

(4) family and friends’ support: this is very important, but not vital. Talk to your family and try to make them understand (if you don’t have their support) how important this is for you and if still the don’t support you, well, take a positive attitude and just remind yourself how vital this process is for you. Besides that not only generate a social network, work hard to maintain it, you have to nurture it and really have the willing to have new friends and a new family.

(5) openness to new situations and people: if you are arriving to a new country, to a new culture, OF COURSE you have to be open to new experiences!!! If you have an attitude that you’re going to keep your own culture no matter what, well, you are not going to do well… and I don’t mean you have to leave your culture behind (e.g.: I still dance salsa and eat arepas), however, you should want to meet other people, you should want to get to know and understand how things are done here, you have to adapt (and it goes till basic things as the pronunciation of “TOMATO” [tə-ˈmā-(ˌ)tō] – and not as in US English “tomeiro” [təˈmeɪ.t ̬oʊ])

(6) a flexible plan and goals for your new life: when you migrate COME WITH A PLAN and GOALS… but it needs to be flexible, because since you’re starting your life from scratch, you can’t be sure what it going to happen. You could relocate, you could get a job later or sooner than you wanted, you can begin having couple’s problems (yes it happens… and A LOT)… so… be flexible.

(7) knowledge about the country/city you’re migrating to: ok, not all places are the same, not all cultures are similar… soooooo, getting to know about where you’re getting into, is always a good idea because you are vulnerable to have a “Cultural Shock”. You may feel disoriented not only regarding the physical aspect of the place, but regarding the locals and most important of all, within yourself. Reading and talking to people won’t guarantee this won’t happen to you, however it’ll help in your understanding on what to expect from the new place, and how to react and behave in it.

(8) visa type: although it’s not a vital issue, the visa type you have when migrating to Australia makes a huge difference. E.g., if you have a 175 (now 189) which allows you to live wherever you want to for how long you decide, it’s a lot easier because you don’t have the constraint of deciding what you want for your life. Now, if you have a regional visa (whether permanent or temporary) it starts to get a bit constraining because you have to stay at the sponsoring city (or town) for 2 years, so if you don’t like… well, you’ll still get to be stuck in it. How to fight this feeling? Simple, research about the place (relates to the prior point), start loving it before even arriving, look for and focus only on the positive aspects on the place… and if there’s an ideal city in Australia you’d like to live, that is not the one that sponsored you, well, DON’T GO THERE, not even for a couple of days before going to you final destination… it’ll do no good. And nowwwwwwww if you came as a student, be aware that you’re gonna live in constant stress and distress, because of the uncertainty about your future.

(9) detachment to your origin place + attachment to your new city: ok, I think this puts altogether the prior points… and adds a little bit more… in order to make the aforementioned process a bit easier (liking the place you’re going to move into), you have to detach from your home town / country… and I don’t mean forgetting about it, talk trash about it, deny that part of what you are is because of that place… I mean that you have to say goodbye, embrace the reasons why you’re leaving, and most of all, be open to call a new place “home”.

(10) living in the right place for you (considering your way of living): first of all, if you’re planning to migrate, within your possibilities, chose a place that suits you... first of all the country: I always tell this example about myself… I wanted to live in a place with a better quality of life, where I didn’t need a car, where I could ride a bicycle as a transportation mean, close to the ocean, with a non-extreme weather, with employment opportunities in my area, and with a culture not so far from mine in regards as extroversion and friendliness, in addition to aspects such as respect for authorities and rules, openness to different cultural backgrounds, etc…. Soooooo…. the best country for me was (IS) Australia… then, when choosing cities, it’s just the same… look thoroughly at your lifestyle and at what you really want for yourself, and then find a cityy that matches that ideal.

(11) detachment / attachment to your family/friends/activities/things: as with places, you also have to go through a process of detachment from your family and friends… it doesn’t mean that you don’t love them, and that you wont miss them from time to time, but it’s realising that you have your own life, and that you have to follow what’s best for you and the ones migrating with you (if you’re not moving by yourselves as I did). At the same time you have to be open to relate to new people, things and friends, that may become your new family… and that in the end is going to be part of your new life.

To conclude, as important as having grounded expectation, is having a positive attitude regarding your future and all the things that may come along, but the ones that at first sight seem perfect, as the ones that ar first sight seem too difficult and horrible… we have to be aware, and keep in mind that every that happens is not only because you chose that, but also, because in the end it’s going to be the best thing for you.

Expectations, attitude and migration – Part I

From tons of posts I want to write (that I started but left them pending for a while… I know, a very long while), this one is the one I consider most important… so I'd like to break my absence from here talking about a vital issue related to migration, which is the expectation when coming here and the attitudes we take towards the expectations and the reality of migrating to Australia.

Why am I writing about this? and why is it so important?

Well, first of all, I write about this, because even though my experience in these 5 months (yes, it has been 5 months already!!!!) has been great in every single way, it is not like that for everybody, it is not like that for most people. In fact I have seen friends of mine struggle not only to get a job, but also to adapt to the country and the culture… and it affects me because they are important to me, and I believe this happens due to several reasons, being one of those really high and unrealistic expectations + lack of good attitude towards “reality”.

Expectations:

When we decide to come to Australia, whether we want it or not, we start building expectations about several things such as living a better life, giving our families a safer place to grow, having better jobs, having more spending power than in our own countries, some even changing our lifestyles… but definitely we all want to have a better quality of life.

Some of us are lucky enough to apply for a skilled independent visa, where we can choose were we want to life, and some of not so lucky, have to apply for a regional visa and live in that area for 2 years, even if there isn’t our dream city (and when we begin this migration process we think it doesn’t matter where we’d live, because we’re just going to be there for 2 years at most).

Then we get our visas, and those expectations keep growing and growing, and even more if our origin countries are not doing so well themselves… and we keep adding other things to the expectation list, such as (some of us didn’t add these expectations to our lists, but there are some people who do): (1) in no more than 6 months I’m getting my perfect job… which means in reality that we think that in no more than 3 months we’re getting our perfect jobs; (2) the week I arrive, I’ll start looking for a job, and just after that everybody is going to be calling me back; (3) Australians are really open to migration, so I wont have racism and segregation issues; (4) Australia doesn’t have social nor economic issues; (5) Everything in Australia is better and more advanced (technology, transportation, and others); (6) Adapting to Australia is going to be a piece of cake!!!…. and on and on…

Well, I can’t say ALL this expectations are incorrect, BUT most of all are, and all of them are subjected to the circumstances.

Writing a bit about one by one:

(1) Ok, lots of people get their FIRST (and I didn’t say “perfect”, I said “first”) job within 6 months, some people get their first job even within 3 months, and I can even say that some people (but REALLY a tiny few) get their perfect jobs within that timeframe (I’m one of the lucky ones who did)… HOWEVER, there are also lots of people that get their FIRST job in a longer timeframe than 6 months. So, we have to be aware that it might happen!!! If you’re IT, I believe it’s a bit easier to find that job, but for engineers and architects, and accountants, and other very specialised areas, getting that first one is NOT EASY… why??? Just because we don’t have local experience. So, be prepared, and don’t have such pretend expectations that high (6 months) and even less try to avoid the 3-months-REAL expectation that we create to ourselves.

(2) The week we arrive we are just doing some primary things, and the week after, and also the next one… and that gets even worse if you are not in severe economical conditions (I mean if you have enough savings for a few months). Time passes by very quickly, and before you know it a month has passed by… and settling is not such a fast action… I’ve been here 5 months and I feel I’m still settling (and I have a nice place to live, terrific friends, my perfect job… sooooo not so easy). Anyway, the thing is, not only finding the job, but looking for a job takes time, and ironically, it doesn’t become THE priority the firsts few weeks. So, be aware that happens also.

(3) Ok, yes, Australian policies are really open to migration from everywhere… and a GREAT DEAL of Australians are open to migration (meaning they live with it and are nice to migrants), but all Australians are human beings, soooo, there are Australians that just don’t like migrants, they just don’t!!! And in some cities you can “feel” that more than in other… the least “world city” it is, the most rejection you might see/feel… so, any other city than Sydney (and I’m not saying there aren’t any racist and xenophobic people in Sydney,but not that much) you could run into that kind of behaviour.

(4) What we know of Australia is that it is a thriving country, with lots of opportunities… and that’s true when you see the big picture and analyse the whole planet. However, Australia is not the same country it was a few  years ago regarding its economy. There are a lot of industries that are suffering from delayed consequences of the 2008’s world crisis. Of course, we don’t see here so much struggling as we can see in other countries, I repeat, however, the employment rate in some industries has decreased a lot. For example, in architecture, it’s quite hard to find a first job, because the sector is not as prosperous as it used to be, so there’s less employment offers, and the ones that are out there, are being taken by people with local experience, or with this first connection that gets you the interview (networking)… the thing is that: yes, Australia also has economic problems. Now, about the social issues, there are here a lot of low-income people… ok, they don’t live in barrios, perfect, and they live a lot better lives than poor people in Latin America, that’s also true, in fact I think it’s not comparable, but there are still social issues, with refugees, with Austrian indigenous aboriginals, and with people who can’t get jobs. What does it bring? well, it brings crime and segregation… and side consequences to newly arrived migrants.

(5) Well, this is an expectation that is not so untrue, but it depends on your way of living. For example, for the internet heavy users, here it’s not so good, the say it’s not quite good and fast as it was in Venezuela (sorry I can’t explain more, but I don’t know a thing about these topics). The same happens with mobile coverage; well, I’ll just say it’s not so good… Anyway, it’ll affect you depending on how keen on technology you are (as you see I’m not that affected by it. Another topic is the transport system, it is not as punctual as you could imagine, and the longer you live here, the more local you become, the more you complain about it… you get to complain about the bus being 5 minutes late. The thing is that this expectation will affect you or not depending on how important that is to you.

(6) Well, this is I believe the greatest expectation of all, that we will adapt to Australia not only quickly, but also easily… and well, it also depends… but this depends only on you… and that’s the next part that I want to write about in the next post: ATTITUDE… but, a bit about this expectation… I know, I am aware that not for everybody the process is the same, so, before writing the next post regarding the attitudes towards migration, I’d like to tell you that you should also be aware of this, it may be your case, hopefully not, one of those on which adaptation doesn’t come that easily. There are many variables to this: personal strength, self-esteem, self economic situation, openness to new situations and people, family and friends’ support, a flexible plan and goals for your new life, knowledge about the country/city you’re migrating to, visa type, detachment to your origin place + attachment to your new city, living in the right place for you (considering your way of living), detachment / attachment to your family/friends/activities/things… and those are the few off the top of my head.

Think a little bit of what you just have read, you could also read the post of my namesake (Gaby) that talks a bit about this issue… While you think, I’ll be writing the second part of this VITAL topic… the attitude we assume!!!

Blog’s 2nd birthday

This is a really short post. It’s just to acknowledge that my blog has been online for two years now.

Two years that have brought a lot and have taken away a lot too. With several ups and downs; with happy moments and not so happy ones; with lots of news and changes, but the most important thing, two years of sharing with all of you all my anecdotes in this path that is migrating to Australia.

Finally, I’m writing from my new and gorgeous home: Sydney!!!

This is what I wrote last year, and I think I’ve accomplished every aim I set myself with this blog. From now on, my only goal is to keep writing about the settling process and about life here, in order to keep helping people who want to address this exciting adventure.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY BLOG AND READERS!!!!!

Finding a job!!! – Part II

Ok…. in my last post I talked about how I found a job, well, actually started writing about it, but I never finished it, so this is the second and last part on how I found my full time job.

Continuing…

4.- The interview:

The day of the interview arrived, Thursday 3 May. I had prepared everything during the previous days. I also went to the place where the interview was a couple of days before just to know for sure where it was so I wasn’t going to be late.

That morning, Ale, a friend, went to my place and helped me with lunch (bought sushi and brought it home hehehe), talked with me in English for me to be a bit more fluent, and came with me to the place of my interview. We arrived at Central at 2pm (my interview was at 3), and sat until 2:35 in a nearby coffee shop, talked for a while and had a chamomile (for the nervousness).

I arrived at 2:45 at the Dean’s Unit (always show up for an interview 15 min before, not more than that), sat for 5 minutes there until the Head of School, Heather, came out, introduced herself and invited me to follow her. While walking she said: “We will have about 30 minutes to talk”… Meaning: the interview was going to last half an hour.

We arrived at a conference room, where three other people were: the Director of the program in Urban Planning, the Director of the research centre “Centre for Contemporary Design Practices” and one leading Senior Lecturer. I sat down and the interview formally started.

They went directly to the point, so the questions were really focused on their selection criteria. What did they ask me (you could use them and relate them to your own work field after some “adaptations") and what did I answer (a tiny summary of the answer) – remember that all the answers are CLOSELY related to the job ad and the selection criteria:

1.- Tell me three strengths you have and how can they relate to the Urban Planning Program? What can you bring to the program?

I am flexible enough to adapt to different multidisciplinary backgrounds and to work with different projects and assignments at the same time.

Since I am a non-English background lecturer I can relate with the needs of non-English background students, and help them understand more easily the subjects we are discussing.

I am really organised and a good planner, which is appropriate in lecturing and researching when trying to achieve goals such as publications.

2.- Tell me about a time you had a problem working in a multidisciplinary team; and what do you think is the greatest challenge in working in multidisciplinary teams?

I described a STAR response:

Situation: In my last job in a participatory design meeting a social worker was encouraging the community to make more demands, creating a disruption in the design process.

Task: I had to control the situation, neutralise the social worker and make the participatory design process to continue smoothly.

Action: I assigned one of the team member to continuo with the design process. I took aside the social worker, explained to him what we were doing and how he could work with us, which he fully understood.

Result: After the quick discussion the social worker apologised, got in track with what we were doing and collaborated with all. In the end, we successfully finalised the participatory design process, in which both the community and the technical teams were happy with the proposed house. [always a happy and positive ending].

In conclusion the most challenging thing about working in multidisciplinary teams is for each member to fully understand what the other professionals are doing in the project.

3.- Do you have a specific research area and focus? Because I see here in your resume that you are finalising Psychology.

For this answer I asked if I could tell a bit about myself and my professional development because it related to my research focus. (Always ask for feedback)… they said “ok, of course”, and they I started telling on how since my master I always cared about designing for people, and after that working in a research with environmental psychologists and how that was vital for me to define my working interest. So, I studied psychology to get a better understanding on the processes relating the human being and their built environment.

Since all that, my research interest is the relationship between culture and cultural expressions and the built environment, specially the public space.

4.- Tell me about you teaching approach and what do you think it is the challenge in teaching nowadays?

My teaching approach is student-centred… and the challenge nowadays is to jump from a traditional approach where the teacher is the expert to an more equalitarian education where every person in the class contribute to the learning experience.

5.- When are you finalising your PhD?

In the last trimester of this year. [btw, I have to work HARD to achieve that, but now I just HAVE to, and I WILL].

6.- If you were the chosen candidate, when would you be able to start?

I am currently available, so I could start whenever it suits the institution.

…………………………………………………………………………………………..

After that they asked me if I had any questions, and that my friends is THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF THE INTERVIEW. Why? Because there you can not only show that you’re interested to get to know more about the position, but also it’s the opportunity to demonstrate what you researched about the company / university.

In my case I asked three questions:

1. I read on your website that you have three postgraduate courses and that in two of them you have sustainability, urban design and planning theories courses. Is the lecturer position related to any of those subjects?
2. I also got to know that you have several research centres in the Faculty of Architecture, Design and Building. Would the chosen candidate be able to affiliate to any of those centres? How does research work here at UTS regarding that?
3. What are the next steps in the selection process?

To the last question they answered they were going to take a few days to review their notes from the interview process and the reference letters.

The interview lasted for 20 minutes in total. So I left happy about it, but with just one thing on my mind: they didn’t like me so it ended really quickly or they were dazzled by me and they didn’t need more time to make up their mind to hire me.

5.- The call:

The next morning at 8 am, I wrote an email to Heather to thank her and the panel for the interview… and at 8:30 I got a call on my mobile that I couldn’t get at the time…. As soon as I could, I listened to the voice message (it was Heather) and I called her back right away.

She said: “Hi Gabriela, I am calling regarding your interview yesterday. We thought it was really great and we are quite impressed with your teaching experience and your research background, so we’d like to offer you the job”.

As you can imagine I started jumping of happiness all over the unit!!!!!

We talked for a few minutes and arranged a meeting the following Wednesday. 

6.- The contract and beginning to work:

This week HR sent to me by email and post my contract package. So I  am officially contracted by UTS as a Lecturer in Urban Planning… well, actually I’m still in the process of it, filling out all the forms and getting to understand about UniSuper (which manages academic staff’s superannuation).

I’m starting late June, so I have enough time to prepare for classes, which start in August.

Despite that, I already had a work meeting with Heather and next week I’m going to attend as a juror to the pre-final presentation of “Group Project A: Urban Renewals” (one of the courses I’m teaching next semester). I’m really looking forward to that.

And as you imagine: I’m really excited and happy about my new job.

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To finalise this post, I’d like to make a balance of this three months here and the things I said I should have already done by now:

• Start the skillmax course: started, finished it and found it really helpfull.

• Elaborate my portfolio: also did it… I finished it for my UTS interview (because they asked for professional practice experience), and didn’t use it. However, I don’t regret one bit investing time in this task.

• Work on my thesis: haven’t done that jet… but going to start really soon… at most Monday next week…. full steam ahead!!!

• Look and apply for jobs on a daily bases: didn’t do that either… Instead I focused on giving the best of me in my tutorial at UNSW and in applying the best I could for jobs that fit me.

• Look for a place to move: did that!!! I have to write the post about it. However I’ll give you a little glance of that… I live a lot closer to the city, where I can ride a bike almost everywhere (I will ride to go to UTS), and I live with the most amazing czech girl.

• Socialise with my friends here: ok… doing that!!!! hahahahaha…. every time I can.

• Buy some things for when I move: did that… thankfully my roomie had lots of stuff so I didn’t have much to buy.

• Go to yoga classes: did that, but right now I’m waiting to start at UTS, because the have a Fitness Centre (right across the street from my office) that offers yoga classes, and that have really good prices.

That’s it for now…. it’s been a really long post so far … hope you enjoyed it.

 

Finding a job!!! – Part I

Well, after 82 days (almost 3 months), six job applications and one interview:

I GOT A JOB!!!!

Now… a friend just asked me last week, before my interview, if I thought I have invested my time properly in the job seeking issue, and my answer at that time was: I’ll tell you after I know whether I got this job or not.

As you can imagine, now my answer is: Ok, yes, I think I’ve invested my time properly regarding the job search.

You may think, that was luck!!! And it may be a little bit of that involved, but I’ll tell you what happened and how I did it.

1.- Looking ahead in time:

As I told you in a previous post, networking is an important factor in the job search process in Australia, so, last year even prior I had my visa, I took the opportunity to come here and let myself to be known in my discipline. If you don’t have such an opportunity, well, create it yourselves. It’s not easy, but it’s possible.

From that I got my first casual job (local experience) and one of my referees.

So (again) networking works!!!!!! Be on top of that!!!!

2.- Applying for jobs:

I’m not going to talk about how to look for a job and how to apply for them, because there are too many blogs and forums that provide that information in a very detailed way. However I’m going to lay out some tips about it while letting you know my personal experience.

As I said before, I only applied in total for 6 jobs. The first two was as an Urban Designer in the City of Sydney. One of them was a little bit out of my league, and the other one was perfect (I applied the second day I was here). However, when applying for Local Government job (as well as other institutions such as universities) besides from the cover letter and the resume, you have to address the “Selection Criteria”.

What is that? what is the selection criteria? Well, the institutional ads are quite longer than private industry ones, because the have to give an extensive description of the position and the selection criteria they are going to use to select the chosen candidate. For that you have to write (sometimes also in an extensive way) why and how you have each one of the criteria they ask for.

So, in the City of Sydney application I didn’t know how extensive that had to be, so, after finishing the Skillmax course (for more info read: Skillmax and finding a place to live), I look at that application and I wouldn’t have hired me either. Why? The resume wasn’t completely in the Aussie way, the cover letter didn’t EXACTLY address what they were asking for, and the selection criteria document I sent, well, I’m not even commenting on that. So, bottom line: the Skillmax course does help!!!

The third job I applied was also PERFECT for me: it was a a Lecturer in Urban Planning in UTS. It was the perfect fit for me. A 2,5 years contract, doing exactly what I did in Venezuela: teaching Planning Theories and Urban Planning Studio (workshops), researching, and occasionally external consulting. For that I applied EVERYTHING I had learnt so far in the Skillmax course (we had just finished with resumes and cover letters), and addressed a lot better the selection criteria, not really great, but at least a lot better. That was on the 23 March.

Then in the 2nd and 3rd weeks of April, I applied for 4 jobs: one of Project Architect, one of Interior Designer, one of Revit Documenter and one of Interior Design documenter. The two latter were basic jobs, but I still applied, and the other two were alright, not perfect, not even close, but alright. Well, for those applications I took under consideration everything I learnt in the Skillmax course, however, no responses yet.

Regarding architectural related jobs:

• It’s not that easy… not impossible, but definitely not easy.
• Recruiters don’t usually work with people that have no local experience, so it’s better to do some cold canvasing or to try to get in touch with other working architects (networking once again)
• Bring your portfolio done when you come to Australia
• Learn how to use Revit (a program)… 80% of positions require it!!!
• Start researching and learning about the BCAs (Building Codes of Australia). This depending on what you want to do as an architect.

In general the moral of this part of the story is: apply for different jobs, even if they are not the perfect fit for you, but also you have to look for a job that says “YOU” all over the ad and really make a huge effort in that application. Remember: the resume gets you the interview, not the job… but you HAVE to get the interview first.

3.- Getting an email / call + preparing for the interview:

Of the 6 jobs I applied, I only got one positive response: I was contacted by UTS via email (Tuesday two weeks ago) to attend the 3 May (Thursday last week) an interview at the Dean’s Unit. That same day they contacted me, the Head of School, Heather, contacted via email all my referees asking for some references.

From that day on (for a bit more than a week) I only did one thing: PREPARE FOR THE INTERVIEW.

How to do that (what I did regarding UTS):

1. Research about the selection process. From that I knew it was only going to be ONE interview, and that it had to be minimum of half an hour.
2. Research about the company. In my case, I read EVERYTHING on the website about UTS; about the Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building; about the School of Built Environment (where the position was); about the programs and courses they offered; about how I could fit into those courses; about the staff that worked there…. EVERYTHING!!!
3. Prepare a list of possible questions they may ask you… and write the answers to them. In this case I had a list of 30 questions, from which the first 10 were related to the selection criteria. In the answers always give examples, and if they are behavioural questions (they assume past behaviour predicts future actions) use the S.T.A.R method: Situation – Task – Action – Result… and the result always MUST be a positive one.
4. Prepare a list of possible question you may ask. This is even more important than the previous point, because it shows your interest in the position and in the company.
5. Role-play the interview with a friend. I thank Yoshkar a great time for doing this for me. I emailed him the position description, the selection criteria, my entire application and the 30 questions (without the answers), and we spent all Saturday afternoon practising and revising some important tips about the interview process, such as during the interview it’s good to ask for feedback (f.e.: “Did I answer your question?” “Is it ok this level of details or do you want me to discuss this a bit further?” “Would it be ok if I give an example on that area?”).
6. Prepare your portfolio. This is not only for architects: it is highly recommended for you to bring to the interview a nice folder with the job ad, your resume, well the entire application) and some examples of your work. In architecture this grows by adding your professional portfolio. I must say I did this, but I didn’t use it at all. However, I don’t regret spending a long time in this, because it helped me prepare a bit more, and helped me feel a bit calmer during the interview.
7. Prepare what you’re going to wear: not a silly thing. You have to be dressed properly. So think about it and don’t leave it to the last day, just in case. (Thanks Tocaya)
8. Try to speak only (or mostly) in English the days prior to the interview… and most of all the actual day of the interview… Try not to speak in your mother tongue that day.

Bottom line: PREPARE FOR THE INTERVIEW!!!!!

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Now, this post is getting too long, so I’ll leave this first part until here. For the next post (coming really soon), I’ll describe the rest of the process, from the interview until now.

Third time is a charm... Getting an iPhone

Well... I know it's been a long time since I wrote in my blog... And I also know that I've owed you this post on how to get a mobile since a very long time.

Well, after three attempts of getting a smart phone, well I did, I bought myself an iPhone.

Just for you to know, in my case I wanted an iPhone, since in Venezuela I limited myself a lot due to insecurity, and as simple as I didn't want to pay SUCH an amount of money just to won't be able to use my mobile freely. And of course there was this issue called: saving to come to Australia. Well, the thing is I wanted to get an iPhone just as a present to myself for all the accomplishments I made by "just" coming here with a PR.

How did I do it? Well, as I told you in some previous posts, it's not as easy as we imagine to get a mobile plan when you just arrive (if you don't have a lot of luck like Cari and Arturo -2 friends of mine- that got theirs within a week)... Why is that? Because you don't have a job!!!

How does mobiles work here?:

Ok... As in the rest of the world, here you have prepaid and postpaid plans you can enrol to. If you get a prepaid, no matter the operator, you can bring your own phone or buy a new one. If you want this last option you can get pretty decent phones like the Samsung Nexus f.e.

You can get decent prepaid (plans) for A$ 30-40 including credit to talk, SMS and data.

If you want to get some other mobiles as the Samsung Galaxy II or the so mentioned iPhone, you have two options: buy it (the latter of 16 GB costs about A$ 799) or enrol with a (postpaid) plan.

Plans here work that you pay a monthly fee for 12 or 24 months with a specific operator and within the cost you pay, you are buying the mobile.
Just to give you an idea, f.e. an iPhone 4S of 16Gb plan can cost aprox. A$ 65-70 (getting almost the same credit and data than the prepaid one wrote about).

First attempt:

The day after I got here I went with really high hopes to the Telstra store in Parramatta to get my mobile plan. I brought all the documentation some friends had told me I needed:
- Passport
- Bank statement with current address
- Medicare receipt (because I didn't have the card yet)

I got to the store, and the clerk said that I needed another Aussie ID document because the Medicare receipt wasn't enough. So he couldn't do anything about it, and advised me to get a Photo ID from the RTA... And that that was going to be the only thing I needed to get the phone. He even saved it for me in the counter!!!

The next day I went to the RTA, got my Photo ID, and went back to the Telstra store.

Talked to another clerk that was in charge of my application, gave her all the documentation, and... It was all perfect, I passed the identification test!!!

We went down to the computer started filling out all the application fields, I even selected my mobile number... It was all going PERFECT until we hit the financial section.

It doesn't matter if you have a loaded bank account; if you don't have a job, you don't have financial reliability. So went she wrote "self employed"... And she clicked the "next" button, a buzzer came off and what? "application denied". She called the financial area of Telstra and they told her to recommend me a prepaid plan.

So, no iPhone for me.
I picked up at Libertad's my old SIM, I borrowed from Kathy and Rod a Nokia mobile an that was it.

Second attempt:

Ok, now I got a job, I work as a Tutor at UNSW. There shouldn't be any problem with the application at this point.

This time I went to Vodafone, just because of 2 reasons:
1.- I got a Vodafone SIM
2.- I was a bit resentful with Telstra (I'm aware it's not a nice thing to say)

So... Once again: I gave the girl m documentation, I passed the identification test, we went to the computer, got to the financial section, pointed out my new job at the UNSW... anddddddd... Buzzer once again...
Why??? Well again "financial reliability"... But why? Well you have to work AT LEAST 15 hours a week for the system to allow you getting a plan.

So I kept my prepaid plan with my friends' phone.

Third and final attempt:

Well, my employment situation hasn't changed so far. So what do you think I did?

I friend posted on Facebook that Vodafone gave her a brand new iPhone just for her to renew her postpaid plan with them and she didn't want it because she has a Blackberry that she uses to talk to her family in Venezuela. Oh, and the phone was unlocked!!!

So I contacted her, found out she was selling it at a really good price and that she could let me pay her in three parts... As you can imagine that was a deal I couldn't say no to.

In the end we met at the Vodafone shop, she gave me the phone, the guy in the store put in my prepaid SIM (after cutting it). And that was it.

I got my iPhone, I still pay 30$ a month (instead of 69$), I could change to any other company if I wanted to, and when doing some maths, I'm saving like 300$... So I'm a happy girl jajajaja

With the iPhone: a month after

Yes, it's been a month since I got the phone. But I can tell you it's amazing. Not only because of all the apps that you can install and use, such as the Knowledge Practice Test of the RTA (to practice for the exam), Trip View and Transit Info (to know what transport and connections you have to make within Sydney), Urbanspoon (to find restaurants nearby you with a price or speciality criteria) and so on and on... But also because you can chat and talk with family and friends anywhere.

In fact, I'm writing this post in my mobile... Just to see how this app works (Blogger) and what does this look like after publishing because you can't edit text and stuff here.

I know you can do it with any smartphone, but I really love this one.

Changing the electoral registry - Finally

After several attempts to change my residential address to Australia so I can vote here in the Venezuelan presidential elections this October (post 1 and post 2), finally today I could do it.

As I got here to Australia one of the things I had on my mind I had (should) do before getting a full time job was this: changing my electoral registry, so I started evaluating the options all of them to go by myself:

1. Staying in Canberra over night: regarding that there were two options; the first one was paying for a hotel or hostel, at least that was going to be at least 50$, so NO; the second option was waiting for a friend who is arriving in Canberra in about 2 weeks, and that option was also out of the question (in fact I even didn't tell this option to my friend, she may find about this as she reads this post) because I thought she and her family were just going to be settling and I was going to be in their way.
2. Going and returning in the same day: well that was the only option so I started looking for a way to go...
   1. By plane: around 220$as cheap each way, so in total 440$, so NO
   2. By train: around 80$ a return trip, more affordable, so COULD BE
   3. By bus: a return trip in 50$... THAT WAS IT
      

Besides that I had to think about the transport expenses in Canberra, and in the possibility of having to take a taxi home from Parramatta, because of the hour the bus gets to Sydney. In the end it was going to be quite a bit of money but I was going to go for it because I think it's an important thing to do.

The day I decided this I got from 3 different friends (Kathy. Arturo and Carlos) a mail saying that the guys that organised the "Operativo" in Sydney in December, were organising another "Operativo" but this time to go to Canberra to register ourselves.
It was 50$ a piece, for renting a bus that was going to take us straight to the embassy and back.

Today, Saturday, was that day. I have to say that this was also possible because the embassy opened their doors a Saturday for us to come in to do this errand.
From Sydney in the bus we were 14 people, from Melbourne were around 80 something, there were people from Perth and Brisbane who went by themselves, as well as others from Sydney... in total we were around 190 people changing our voting address to Australia... we did it!!!

Here are some pics of the event and the group.

On our way… a little bit of rain

Still on our way

A glimpse of Canberra

The Parliament

The entrance of the Embassy

The embassy and the Venezuelans waiting to come in…

Playing one of the national sports (Domino) while waiting

On the bus…the group

More of Canberra

More of Canberra

Some estrange sheep on our way back home

One month after arriving - some impressions II

Ok... last post the only thing I did was write about time. In this one I'm going to address some other aspects (with no particular order)

SKILLMAX course:
Some people say it's a wonder and you MUST take it... some other people say it's useless to attend to it. MY OPINION so far (just finished my 2nd week there)  is: do it!!! and do it for several reasons: (1) They teach you things about recruiters and the Australian job Market that you just don't know; they even teach you about if the recruiters like or don't like bold and underlined resumes; (2) Your teacher not only corrects your resume like a hundred times (so far I've corrected mine 3 times) but also advises you what to say word by word in an interview depending on your work experience; (3) at least 12 hours a week you HAVE TO practise your English; (4) this is a very good opportunity to listen to other accents and try to understand them; and (5) you get to socialise a bit... and even maybe get a job through networking (you never know).

The distances: although you may have noticed from my previous posts, Sydney is a really LARGE city, so you have to evaluate before moving, where do you want to live (ask around about the suburbs), prioritise what is important to you: time?, money?, your own body? I'm assuming all of the above, but sadly you can't have it all in Sydney.

It can take you up to 2 hours to go from a place to another, easily!!! and may be even more at night depending on where you life. So, if you're short of money there's something you'll need to sacrifice.

Transport system: in general, for a newly arrived, Sydney had a pretty decent transport system (if you have more than 5 years you'll say the system is DREADFUL*) jejeje... well anyway... even I that come from a country with a really DREADFUL transport system, notice that this one has a lot of flaws, that it can be easily improved. For example there are places where you can. only access by bus... when you think about it it's not bad at all, the problem comes when you have to leave early in the morning or arrive late at night... the farther* away and less connection you have with the city the more the chances if having a working bus decreases.

The language - talking and understanding the Englishes: no, that isn't a mistake or a typo, I'm aware there is a spelling and grammar mistake, but I did it on purpose!!! Because here there isn't just one English, there are LOTS of different Englishes!!!! jajaja, the Aussie, the British, the American, the Latin-American, the Chinese, the Korean, the Thai, the Iranian, and so on and on. It's a little bit tricky to understand all of them, but sincerely so far (until today) I didn't have so much trouble understanding people... of course with some people you have to be more attentive*, but in general it was ok; sometimes there were things I didn't understand but nothing out of this world... UNTIL TODAY!!!! Today at my tutorial I had the most hard time understanding my students!!! Since this week we changed our groups into are definitive* ones, and in mine I have like 10 Asians (got the feeling all of them Chinese) from which I couldn't understand 3 of them at all!!! I just nodded :S and there was also this Australian guy that seemed he had a potato in his mouth!!! he was the worst of all, the most difficult one for me to understand... I wanted to run away from there!!! :( But well, next week I'll come a lot more prepared (psychologically) and I know it'll be a lot easier and better.

The odours: well it's not like some may say that everyone in the train stinks, in fact I haven't had so many encounters* of that type; but what I can say with property is that the few people with b.o. (body odour) they don't just smell bad, they REALLY STINK!!! Stink in a way even if you keep your breath, you still can smell them!!! The worst that's happened to me so far was my first day of classes 2 weeks ago. I was walking from home to get the bus and this odour came to me, I didn't know where it was coming from. I couldn't believe it when I realised it was a man more than a block away from me!!! Do you want to know the worst part? He took the same bus I took... you can imagine the rest.

Looking for a place to share: ok, this is the most difficult thing ever!!! jajaja... what I was talking before about sacrifice, well in order for me to live near the city, so it doesn't take me 2 hours at night to come home or stay as a refugee on weekends, and most of all that I can afford, well I have to let go for a while the idea of living by myself... I have to share a flat. So far I've looked at 5 places... and well I'm still looking. In another post I'll write specifically about that.

Well that's it for tonight!!! This post is getting a larger than I planned

One month after arriving - some impressions I

Yes, I know... I've been lost; out if the picture; away... whatever you want to call it... it has been a while since I've written on my blog.

The truth is I've been busy... doing what? REALLY I don't know!!!

Time: here in Oz, I don't know why, but time seems to pass by a LOT faster. In a blink of an eye it's already noon, and in the next one it's 9 pm. All the things I told myself I was going to do this first month, well I haven't done half of it. In this first month I told myself I was going to:

• Start the skillmax course
• Elaborate my portfolio
• Work on my thesis
• Look and apply for jobs on a daily bases
• Look for a place to move
• Socialise with my friends here
• Buy some things for when I move
• Go to yoga classes

What of those have I actually done?

Well, I'm going to yoga classes, I started the skillmax course, I socialised too much, I've looked for a place to live (hopefully tomorrow I'll know where), only bought a printer and some towels... and that's it!!! I haven't look for a job on a daily bases (only have so far applied for one position... not very good statistics for me), haven't even looked at my thesis files and haven't finished my portfolio... so, all the important things I have left behind.

Well it's not that I have the best timetable, and living far from the city doesn't help.

	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
Morning				READING
	Going 2 skillmax	Going 2 skillmax	Going 2 skillmax
Afternoon	Skillmax	Skillmax	Skillmax	Going to UNSW
				UNWS
Night	Yoga	Yoga	Yoga
	Arriving home	Arriving home	Arriving home	Arriving home

Besides that, for the course I'm tutoring, I have to read A LOT, so all my train rides and my Thursday mornings are only for reading (and tonight writing this post).

The day I turned one month here I realised all of the above... so I told myself to change that, though it's not going to be that easy these 2 next weeks.

This Saturday I'm going to Canberra to register myself to vote in October; on Sunday Clau comes to Sydney for a few days; then on Tuesday Javi comes for a while... and then I have to move.

At nights I'm too tired, and it's too late, to turn the computer on to work. I usually arrive Mon-Wed at 9 pm - today at 11; and on Thursdays I arrive at 11... on the weekends I feel like a refugee, 'cause I stay with friends because of the transport issue to get home - f.e. this Friday I'm staying with a friend in order to be in Central at 7am Saturday, because the first bus I can catch to get to the Parramatta Station is at 6:40 am, which doesn't work for me, because I'd arrive at Central aprox at 7:40am)

Anyway, stop complaining!!! The thing is I have to kick myself in order to finish my portfolio, start applying for jobs on daily bases and finish my thesis.

I'll let you know how that worked :-)