What to pack for migration?
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Siiiigh... sounds like the men can just pack up and go, and travel super light.
Harder for females! 
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again, it's cheap.. but if you rent a small apartment, you're going to encounter clutter when it gets there...
frankly, what you should have done with the "cookbooks" was to collect the stuff you wanted and put them in your HDD...
and make sure you use them coz if not, it's just going to be wasted money, space and time..
(sorry.. but when it comes to these things, you MUST be brutal about it)Originally posted by Rhonda:Wow... thanks for the advice, TehJarVu! Very very useful!
Hmm... I have been thinking of getting most of my Asian cookbooks, esp the tried and tested ones, over.
I am going to separate my cookbooks into the 'Die Die MUST bring over' stack, and the rest shall belong to the 'Store First, Ship Later' stack.
Wow... ink cartridge prices are soo incredibly expensive over there! But, I have no printer now, and don't think I wanna buy one and then subject it to the rigorous shaking and throwing about during shipping, so will just have to bear with purchasing the ink cartridges there till I return home.
I heard from SL that it's pretty economical to pack stuff in boxes and send them over via sea mail? It takes more than a month for the stuff to reach you, but it's cheap? -
That was why a few months back, I asked about the best way to store recipes using an electronic medium. The conclusion was that it's not that great to scan them for storage because of the time taken and all that.Originally posted by the Bear:again, it's cheap.. but if you rent a small apartment, you're going to encounter clutter when it gets there...
frankly, what you should have done with the "cookbooks" was to collect the stuff you wanted and put them in your HDD...
and make sure you use them coz if not, it's just going to be wasted money, space and time..
(sorry.. but when it comes to these things, you MUST be brutal about it)
Gee, all your moves must have made you very wise to stuff like that.
I guess I have to 'shave off' my cookbook collection and, yeah... start to select those that can be given away!
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if you die die wanna bring your things (people are telling you to part with them!), yes go by sea mailOriginally posted by Rhonda:Wow... thanks for the advice, TehJarVu! Very very useful!
Hmm... I have been thinking of getting most of my Asian cookbooks, esp the tried and tested ones, over. I am going to separate my cookbooks into the 'Die Die MUST bring over' stack, and the rest shall belong to the 'Store First, Ship Later' stack.
Wow... ink cartridge prices are soo incredibly expensive over there! But, I have no printer now, and don't think I wanna buy one and then subject it to the rigorous shaking and throwing about during shipping, so will just have to bear with purchasing the ink cartridges there till I return home.
I heard from SL that it's pretty economical to pack stuff in boxes and send them over via sea mail? It takes more than a month for the stuff to reach you, but it's cheap?
i shipped my books to myself via sea mail during my first home trip. but i can't quite remember how much it cost already. i must say you feel so happy when you see your things arrive, it's like meeting your old friends -
It's good that your agency has good support and orientation program for new comers. Being kept busy and well adjusted will definitely lessen the feeling of homesickness.Originally posted by Rhonda:Plus, the minute I land there, I'll be met by a Singaporean nurse and the agency will give me a list of other Singaporean nurses working there so there's a neat little community over there already.
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I think it's acceptable to bring over SOME load . The question is , how much ? One crate? Two? One full containerload is out of the question Unless you have assets like antique furniture or paintings.
I think local cookbooks are OK if you use them frequently because some information are just impossible to find in a different location. Same goes for chinese medicine, and asian herbs and spices.
Perhaps limit yourself to one (small) bookshelf worth of stuff? -
just sharing some experience when i went abroad for uni...
i went there with just clothes and shoes, one ball-point pen to write the immigration card, my passport, a walkman and some money..
others were loaded down with crap like paper, stationery, cooking utensils (i am NOT kidding!), whole desktop computer systems, printers.. you should have seen them!
eventually, i went there, and got settled in really quickly..
they went there, tried to make everything like their own home, and failed dismally as they never used any of that crap they brough with them like cooking utensils and stuff..
remember.. you are in another country.. embrace the culture there and see what the natives live like... it is a chance one rarely gets.. instead of holding on and struggling to do stuff like "eat chinese food at every meal", they looked bloody miserable after one semester...
one of them gave up and went home after a month!
while a few of us were having a grand ol' time mixing with the locals and learning from them the ways and culture of the people there.. while occasionally showing them glimpses of our culture...
ultimately, both are enriched...
you're making a new start somewhere.. why be bogged down by the material stuff when one can start totally anew? -
Yeah. I won't be bringing over any Western cookbooks because they can be found aplenty over there.Originally posted by choco B:I think it's acceptable to bring over SOME load . The question is , how much ? One crate? Two? One full containerload is out of the question Unless you have assets like antique furniture or paintings.
I think local cookbooks are OK if you use them frequently because some information are just impossible to find in a different location. Same goes for chinese medicine, and asian herbs and spices.
Perhaps limit yourself to one (small) bookshelf worth of stuff?
What would be really priceless would be my Asian cookbooks.
choco, you realise how tough it is to pack your entire life's belongings in just ONE crate, right? Man, I'm going to have it really tough the next few months! Mom has been harping for the past few months to take the opportunity to start packing slowly already, because she knows me too well. -
Hmm... wow... point taken.Originally posted by the Bear:just sharing some experience when i went abroad for uni...
i went there with just clothes and shoes, one ball-point pen to write the immigration card, my passport, a walkman and some money..
others were loaded down with crap like paper, stationery, cooking utensils (i am NOT kidding!), whole desktop computer systems, printers.. you should have seen them!
eventually, i went there, and got settled in really quickly..
they went there, tried to make everything like their own home, and failed dismally as they never used any of that crap they brough with them like cooking utensils and stuff..
remember.. you are in another country.. embrace the culture there and see what the natives live like... it is a chance one rarely gets.. instead of holding on and struggling to do stuff like "eat chinese food at every meal", they looked bloody miserable after one semester...
one of them gave up and went home after a month!
while a few of us were having a grand ol' time mixing with the locals and learning from them the ways and culture of the people there.. while occasionally showing them glimpses of our culture...
ultimately, both are enriched...
you're making a new start somewhere.. why be bogged down by the material stuff when one can start totally anew?
Will have to ponder over this. *looks at the pens around... -
OK, Bear, you've made me think...
Cooking utensils... maybe just pack the barest minimum, then come home and get the whole rigmarole that isn't available there later. -
actually i prefer to travel light.... everything can be buy thr mah....Originally posted by Rhonda:Siiiigh... sounds like the men can just pack up and go, and travel super light.
Harder for females!
hunting for best bargains overseas is the BEST orientation programme u ever needed! -
Bear's right - travel light.
There's a lot of stuff that you'll find you won't need, so it's best to go with the essentials: clothes, computer (if it's a laptop), and since you won't be driving initially, your walkman/discman/MP3 player and music.
As for things like printer cartridges and such, there are ways around that sort of thing. Don't worry too much about it - once you get a hang of the place you'll be able to sort it out.
Shipping: surface shipping is cheaper, but be warned that ship cargo is a lot more roughly handled than air cargo. If it's books, fine, but I wouldn't recommend shipping a stereo via surface cargo. Also, make sure that your books are packed in a waterproof lining within the carton.
One thing: SUNGLASSES. When the sky's clear the sunlight can be quite dazzling. -
Ged!!!!Originally posted by Gedanken:Bear's right - travel light.
There's a lot of stuff that you'll find you won't need, so it's best to go with the essentials: clothes, computer (if it's a laptop), and since you won't be driving initially, your walkman/discman/MP3 player and music.
As for things like printer cartridges and such, there are ways around that sort of thing. Don't worry too much about it - once you get a hang of the place you'll be able to sort it out.
Shipping: surface shipping is cheaper, but be warned that ship cargo is a lot more roughly handled than air cargo. If it's books, fine, but I wouldn't recommend shipping a stereo via surface cargo. Also, make sure that your books are packed in a waterproof lining within the carton.
One thing: SUNGLASSES. When the sky's clear the sunlight can be quite dazzling.
OK, advice noted! Thanks, especially, for the tip about packing books with waterproof lining.
And, I only have my cellphone, MP3 player, Discman, and maybe, a pair of speakers to bring... the rest of the electrical / electronic appliances, will have to purchase there. -
Oh yeah!Originally posted by TehJarVu:if you die die wanna bring your things (people are telling you to part with them!), yes go by sea mail
i shipped my books to myself via sea mail during my first home trip. but i can't quite remember how much it cost already. i must say you feel so happy when you see your things arrive, it's like meeting your old friends
I shipped two small boxes back home to Singapore when I was in the US on my clinical attachment.
One box was packed to the brim with notes and clinical materials I accummulated in Johns Hopkins Hospital. The other, a JH windbreaker, two stuffed toys , and miscellaneous what-nots.
When the boxes finally arrived after almost three months, I was ecstatic! -
Wow Rhonda....when is this migration happening? And for how long?
Does it mean that once you taste the "foreign fruits of your labour", you won't come back or accept local salary levels here?
For me, I'll bring Tiger Balm (good for lotsa things), sambal, and bak kut teh soup packets. -
4 weeks bond, 2 weeks advance, total bond = 6 weeks.
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dunno how realistic this is... but can scan n burn onto cds for storage? bring cds are sure to be lighter, right?Originally posted by Rhonda:Hmm... I have been thinking of getting most of my Asian cookbooks, esp the tried and tested ones, over. I am going to separate my cookbooks into the 'Die Die MUST bring over' stack, and the rest shall belong to the 'Store First, Ship Later' stack.
but if you have a lot of them cookbooks then might have to spend ages at the scanner tho... -
don't sabo her
the sambal will be destroyed by australian customs
with that, i'm going off to work to destroy other people's stuff they bring in
Originally posted by Wanda:Wow Rhonda....when is this migration happening? And for how long?
Does it mean that once you taste the "foreign fruits of your labour", you won't come back or accept local salary levels here?
For me, I'll bring Tiger Balm (good for lotsa things), sambal, and bak kut teh soup packets. -
Sorry - been running about like a blue-arse fly trying to wind everything up before I take off on Friday, or I would have weighed in on this thread sooner.Originally posted by Rhonda:Ged!!!!
OK, advice noted! Thanks, especially, for the tip about packing books with waterproof lining.
And, I only have my cellphone, MP3 player, Discman, and maybe, a pair of speakers to bring... the rest of the electrical / electronic appliances, will have to purchase there.
You should be able to get a reasonable PC for under a grand, which will serve your usual surfing purposes with no problems. With programs like Skype, you can also cut down on your overseas call costs - these days I talk with all my business contacts using Skype for free. Depending on your level of usage, you can get broadband access at a reasonable price, and ADSL modems are reasonably cheap too. I brought an ADSL modem over from Singapore and somehow it didn't like the Australian network, so I picked up a new one locally for about $80.
As for appliances, secondhand ywould probably be the best way to go. If you arrive in May or November, you should be able to pick up quite a few bargains from overseas students who have graduated and are shipping out. -
You're with ICA?Originally posted by the Bear:with that, i'm going off to work to destroy other people's stuff they bring in -
Ah yes, my TV and bar fridge need new owners!Originally posted by Gedanken:As for appliances, secondhand ywould probably be the best way to go. If you arrive in May or November, you should be able to pick up quite a few bargains from overseas students who have graduated and are shipping out. -
Hmm... Bear doesn't seem to be around now. Yoohoo! Bear!!!Originally posted by Wanda:You're with ICA? -
Huh? What bond are you talking about??Originally posted by ditzy:4 weeks bond, 2 weeks advance, total bond = 6 weeks. -
when exactly are you leaving, Rhonda ? ...
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Wanda, I would be able to leave by January 2006, but mom insists that I remain for my brother's Chinese Wedding Dinner, so the earliest I'd be able to jet off would be March 2006.Originally posted by Wanda:Wow Rhonda....when is this migration happening? And for how long?
Does it mean that once you taste the "foreign fruits of your labour", you won't come back or accept local salary levels here?
For me, I'll bring Tiger Balm (good for lotsa things), sambal, and bak kut teh soup packets.
I'm migrating for good. Not sure if I'll remain in Australia permanently, but I'll definitely be there for the next three years at least, because I need to get my PR after working six months there, then save up and enroll for further studies.
I might stay on after my studies are completed, or move on to the US to hone my clinical skills and/or further my further studies.
Will return now and then to meet friends and family, but nope... do not wish to be on the pay scale here again, and especially not the yucky treatment to nurses here.
This much, I promise myself.
(Noooooo... banish the 'famous last words' curse!! )