Leaving and Finding A New Home
But first of all …
Sorry guys for not being able to continue my report these past two months. It was a very stressful but also cool time, where I didn’t have the time to write about my time here. Besides, the Internet in my hostel was just too horrible and a way too slow.. But that is normal in Australia;) So I try now to catch the last two months and will start where I stopped the last time: Departure … and the Arrival in Down Under.
Leaving one home, one country, one family, close friends behind…
10 July 2009
I departed from Frankfurt at 22:30 pm on the 10th of July. Since the flight takes usually more than 20 hours you always stop somewhere. My journey took me through two countries and two continents: Dubai and Singapore. I had a lot of fun on my first flight with Emirates. The food and the service are really good, so the nice flight attendants. The in-flight-entertainment system with hundreds of movies, albums and games was pretty impressive. So on my way to Dubai I played games with my German neighbor and enjoyed a good Heineken beer.
After 6 hours and 20 minutes we finally landed at the Dubai International Airport at 6 : 30 am. Coming out of the airplane and meeting up with the heat of 45 Celsius was a really interesting experience. Leaving Germany’s cold and rainy weather, stepping into a different time and weather zone after just a couple of hours was quite challenging. It’s like two different seasons in one day. Luckily I spent my 3 hours stop in the hall of terminal 3, the new terminal of the airport. Dubai’s International Airport is very, very big and modern. But also busy. Like every airport, I guess. Unfortunately there were not so many seats for the waiting passengers. So I had to spend my stop- over with a cup of coffee in my hands on the cold ground in front of my gate.
I left Dubai at 9:30 am in the morning and arrived at the Changi International Airport in Singapore at 21:00 pm in the late evening. After 1 and half hour of waiting I leaved the airport and continued my journey to my final destination: Melbourne, Australia. The 6 hours in the airplane seemed to be like a whole never ending eternity.
ARRIVAL AT THE END OF THE WORLD: MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA
After the second night flight (different time zone: Dubai & Singapore) we finally landed at 7 am in the morning at the Melbourne Tullamarine Airport on the 12th of July. The first thing I noticed while watching through the small airplane windows was the amazing color of the sky. Though it was cloudy, there were these small parts where you could see the bright blue sky which seemed like a piece of a painted landscape.
After tumbling through the immigration, quarantine bins, the baggage collection and at last the customer service with too many things in my hands, I came out into the Arrivals Hall and was picked up by the university’s driver. He took me and other international students to our initial addresses. It was nice to see other students with the same heavy luggage and the same situation. We didn’t know the city nor the traffic system etc etc etc. So we were in the same position, coming to a continent at the end of the world and had no control over the situation except the idea of taking everything as it comes.
But that isn’t that scary if you don’t think about it. Actually you don’t have the time to think about every detail you see and experience. That’s happened to me. The driver brought me to my hostel, “The Greenhouse Backpacker Hostel”, which I booked before I came to Australia and I was standing in a crowded street, alone and with a heavy luggage, a small but heavy flight case, an XXL bag, and two other bags, which contained my SLR and presents from my friends from Germany. So to put it short: I knew that from now on I would by myself. Then I took the elevator to Level 6, the reception, was asked to wait till 11 am before I could get the keys to my room. And while I was waiting on Level 6, where you had the kitchen, the meeting hall, the Internet section etc etc I met so many nice folks from so many different countries. Japanese, Koreans, Brazils, Taiwanese, French, Germans, and many other nationalities were at the Backpacker hostel and it was really cool to meet these guys.
I only can say to my hostel time, that you meet a lot of interesting people, which of course depends on how long you want to stay there. I stayed maybe too long at the hostel, since I couldn’t find a cheap accommodation, what is really difficult in the very expensive city like Melbourne. But I met so many cool people with whom I still stay in touch. If you come down to Melbourne, the best decision you can make to book the hostel I stayed at. It’s has a cool atmosphere which you won’t find at other hostels. The people are so nice and always open for a talk or a cup of GUN, the Australian cheap but good wine. I think I drank maybe too much of it during my stay at the hostel, so now I prefer more Carlton Draught, the Australian beerJ
If you want to know where to search for an accommodation, here you go:
And here the website from where I booked my Emirates flight: www.emirates.com
It’s a good prize, fantastic service and a safe aircraft. Comparable to others, Emirates is one of the best. So you decide if you want pay ca. 1200 Euro incl. return(Fra-DBX-SIN-MEL), yummy food and free drinks(!) during the flight. Plus ICE! In-Flight-Entertainment System!
In the next days, I’ll write more about my days here in Down Under and how fast money can slip through your fingers. Stay up to date with me!
See you these days!!!
Angelasbonvoyage has started;-) Cheers!!
Some nice pics of Melbourne:
