Well, I made it - have now been living in Australia since 5-30am on Sunday. To say that I'd never previously flown or even been abroad, I found the journey to be epic - although I didn't like it when I was on the first plane taking off.
I think I'm in charge of co-ordinating two of the modules at the uni. I've never done anything like this before, and have been told that I have full creative license. Mmm...I'm sure this'll be fun, but it is a baptism of fire given that I've been working in the private sector for almost a year and a half. Still, I suppose when we're pushed we find out how fast was can run.
Everyone here seems to be really nice and friendly, which is great since I'm alone. In all honesty, things don't seem that much different from the UK culturally. Things are a little more expensive in comparison, like food, drink and rent, but a lot of other things are cheaper, such as insurance and phone contacts.
Academically there are parallels and difference concerning the Uk and Australia. For instance, things like Blackboard and teaching styles are very similar, but not all undergrads do degrees with honours (i.e. a dissertation). The greatest similarity is that things move sllloowwwwlllllyyy: I'm still waiting for my own staff login details and doing battle with the payroll department. A big difference is that compared to most unis in the UK, the unis ins Australia seem to be much better resourced. The one I am at is sort of middle-ranking (like the uni I was at in the UK) and it appears to have masses of specialist equipment for the sciences. So far, no spiders, snakes or any creepy crawlies!
It's early days, so I can't say I've made the right decision yet. They say the first few months you are in holiday mode (I'm really trying to avoid feeling like this - seeing it as just a place where I am doing my job), several months after are the hardest (homesickness, and missing friends and family) but then it gets easier. I do worry about things like Christmas and birthdays, but I'll try not to think of that for now - cross that bride when I come to it!
