The Last Days of Oz: The Work Chapter

A couple of my friends recently asked me about my blog, which reminded me of the fact that I hadn't updated it since late September. Although I haven't touched Australian soil since mid-November, I feel like I need to close that chapter of my life here before moving on to my more recent travels.

Friday night fun

Once I returned to Australia from home, I resumed my position at Percepta, a company near South Melbourne that had hired me a couple weeks before I left for Pennsylvania. This job was such a blessing in my life for a number of reasons, the most surprising being that they took me on as a new hire in the first place. When I was looking for a new job in August, it was a matter of not only finding a company that was willing to hire me despite the fact that my visa expired in October but also one that would pre-approve a two-week holiday I had already planned so I could return home for a wedding. Most of my friends and colleagues doubted I would be able to find any such company and after weeks of interviewing, registering with various recruitment agencies and hearing nothing back, I was beginning to fear it myself.

If I'm remembering correctly, Percepta was the last place at which I interviewed. I have to admit that I came too close to declining the the second interview since I was told during the first one that the position wouldn't start until two weeks before I would leave for America. In fact, one of my colleagues almost had me convinced that it would be a waste of my time and theirs to even go. He thought that as soon as they learned about my need to request time off at the end of the month, they would decide against hiring me. I knew my chances of employment with this company were slim.

My farewell

Since I'm more of a give-it-a-go-and-see-what-happens-type of person, I attended the second interview anyway. I figured at the very least, it would help me improve my interviewing skills. However, someone up there must have been watching over me because the interview went impossibly well and in the end, the director of human resources hired me despite my awkward situation. I could hardly believe it when I got that call!

Another reason I felt like this job was nothing short of a godsend was because of the people I connected with while I was there. Most of them were also foreigners, but it was a mix of travellers and those who had studied or were studying in Australia and had permanent residency. I met people from places like Pakistan, South Africa, India and Singapore, which was lucky for me since these were all places I was either planning or hoping to go in the near future. Not only did they turn out to be great friends and colleagues, but they were also excellent resources when it came to providing advice about these places.

Miss them

Mid-October seemed to approach at an alarmingly rapid pace so before I knew it, my visa was going to expire. Normally with this type of visa, working holiday and work and holiday participants are required by law to leave the country and then have the option of returning on a tourist visa. However, once I had returned to Australia from America, I had applied for my visa to go to Pakistan, which required sending my passport to the High Commission for Pakistan in Canberra. When I had spoken to someone on the phone about the visa processing time for an American living in Australia, I wasn't given a straight answer so for a few weeks, I played the nerve-wracking waiting game of "Will I Receive My Passport Before My Visa Expires?"

Fortunately, I did end up getting my passport before my visa expired, but since I hadn't booked a flight yet, I decided to go talk to an immigration officer about whether or not an exception could be made so I could apply for a tourist visa without leaving the country. Luckily, the officer was understanding and even approved my request for a seven-month tourist visa!

Since my visa situation worked out in my favour, which meant it wasn't necessary to book a last-minute flight to New Zealand, I was able to enjoy a fun evening out with my workmates. It was a great way to end a stressful day.