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| From Toronto... |
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| ...to Sydney |
What would make a busy family decide to trade everything they have- house, car, job, even friends for a year? In our case we had been hearing about the experience from several of our friends who did just that and we were frankly getting a bit envious. They all had had interesting adventures and were able to see a part of world much more cheaply than if they had been doing the normal travel routine. We heard about an exchange fair coming up and after a bottle of wine or two decided to attend.
There are many agencies that arrange for such exchanges and they all have their rules. In our case we got to pick three countries from a list but from there on it would be luck. For awhile it didn't look like anything was really going to happen and we were among the last to be placed. We found out that it was going to be Australia but since Oz is a huge and diverse country we didn't really know what we were getting into until we got there.
If you wait for the perfect time in your life to do it, you never will. There are no perfect times. Spouses and children will adapt. Older parents will not want to hold you back, and yes you may need to find some extra support for them. The biggest reason why I have seen people hold back is and I quote,"But they'll be touching our stuff!" Yup and you will be touching theirs too. When you get too old to be adventurous you don't want to be sitting around thinking that stuff you probably no longer have stopped you from a perhaps once in a life time experience. I say perhaps once because some people love the concept so much that they start as early as they can and keep doing it as much as they can.
Most people's travel experience is seasonal short term holidaying where you hit the highlights and then go home. Actually residing and working in a community for a year is a far different and fuller experience. However we had a few things to do before we set out.
Preparing for new family who will be living in our home:
- sort everything - discard, store, or keep out for exchange family's use
- remove personal family photos, heirlooms
- clean every cupboard, closet and drawer
- clean stove and refrigerator
- replace worn or missing essentials - e.g. coffee maker, steak knives, cookie sheet
- complete minor household repairs - e.g. squeaky doors, dripping taps, sticky drawers
- take car in for tune-up and detailing
- sell other car
- inform car and house insurance company of change in occupants/drivers - provide driver's abstract from Australian family
- arrange for a friend, neighbour to act as community support and leave contact information
- arrange for a work colleague to serve as mentor
- arrange for mail pickup by a relative
- leave notes on how "things" work - e.g. VCR, stereo, TV, dishwasher, oven, BBQ, jacuzzi, lawnmower, trimmer, water softener, AC, humidifier, furnace, sump pump, garage door opener
- leave contact names/numbers for plumber, electrician, appliance repair, snow removal
- leave payment information for hydro, water, phone, cable TV, internet, gas
- leave list of local banks, grocery stores, banks, restaurants, doctor, dentist
- leave instructions for feeding fish in aquarium and pond
Preparing for departure:
- plan flights and stops/destinations for travel en route to Australia
- arrange for visas for family members
- arrange for letter from bank manager to give to new bank in Australia
- arrange for foster family for cats - leave money for cat food/vet
- leave Australia contact info and travel itinerary with family members
- renew driver's license if expiring during year away
- provide driver's abstract for Australian insurance company
- have an early Christmas with both sides of family
- determine clothes for packing - must fit in 2 suitcases each
- arrange for sons to take everything from house they will want for the whole year
- arrange for financial power of attorney for relative in case of emergency e.g. roof repair, flood, unforeseen bills
- provide health certificate for exchange agency
- arrange for health insurance to cover any medical costs in Australia
- arrange for flights for sons to come to Australia
- exchange currency for countries visiting (Fiji, New Zealand)
- arrange for travel to airport
- put fresh linen on all beds
- complete final laundry
- make sure house is thoroughly clean top to bottom
- vacuum on way out the door!
These stories evolved as way to tell family and friends back home about what we found interesting being on the other side of the world. Luckily a number of people liked the stories enough to save them as what I didn't know was that the programme I was using would automatically delete my work a few months after it was written. It took the effort of many people to restore all of my stories and then quite a bit of time to put them all back in order. Many thanks chiefly to Art and Janice Vernon, Thomas and Debbie Searay-Gaston, Marj Bellingham, Margaret and Sam Axford, and Kathryn McLeod. From these I have selected the ones that I feel will give you a good sense of what it is like to step out of our comfort zone and into a unique life. I hope to post two or three a week so please keep checking back. Ken
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