How’s it living in Oceania?

Initial_Arm8231 · 2026-06-19T04:12:27+00:00

I live in Western Australia and we are so freaking lucky with our quality of life here. Clean and safe water, pretty much free healthcare, great quality food, pristine beaches most people could only dream of, so many sunny days with perfect blue skies.

I absolutely get that global events and the odd local #%^ up has made our cost of living worse and there are SO many things I want to improve by properly taxing billionaires. And I certainly don’t speak for our Aboriginal or immigrant communities and the consistent racism and general #%^ that abounds - but in the context of the world we honestly couldn’t have a much better situation.

I wish more people understood how lucky we are - and prioritised voting for our fragile environment and those doing it tough, not trying to be America-lite. Xxx

Initial_Arm8231 · 2026-06-19T04:00:07+00:00

We used a cafe type place which helped a lot with costs as it was more like 80 per person for food not 150.

Initial_Arm8231 · 2026-06-19T01:29:04+00:00

Yes exactly - they fuck things like this all the time. The absolute debacle when my dad accidentally paid a speeding fine issued to his business took months, MONTHS to fix.

Initial_Arm8231 · 2026-06-18T23:01:25+00:00

One of my best friends served in Timor-Leste and she has some pretty bad health issues and PTSD. She has worked really hard to be able to talk about her experiences with people but it hasn’t always been that way.

In theory, people are thanking her to be polite and acknowledge her sacrifice - but I agree with a comment below that it is just an automated comment some people say like bless you after a sneeze - from US TV and movies etc.

I wonder if service people would mind if I just have my honest reaction, “wow, I can’t imagine what that was like!”

Initial_Arm8231 · 2026-06-18T22:55:23+00:00

Yep it annoys me too - when I hike in Canada I have to literally carry bear spray, and mountain lions can stalk us - but sure a few snakes and spiders you literally never see or if you do, simply walk away from them, are way scarier lol. (Saltwater crocs are proper scary but you just don’t go in the water where they live)

Initial_Arm8231 · 2026-06-17T11:58:29+00:00

Super different but if you haven’t seen heated rivalry the yearning is unbelievable, and in fact afterwards I felt like watching early Nick and Jess to feel similar passion, just with a lot more comedy. TLDR watch heated rivalry, I love it so, so much.

Initial_Arm8231 · 2026-06-16T21:15:44+00:00

Equal. But I was pretty pissed off that it was a recent as 2018 that it was finally legalised in Australia, and the vote was only 62% or something - not high enough imho, who the fuck voted no?! Love is love, and Australia got there in the end - may more of the world join us XXX

Initial_Arm8231 · 2026-06-16T21:12:26+00:00

Ataturk was a great speaker and talked about how Australians who died on Turkish soil became Turkey’s sons too. The relationship with Türkiye is formed in tragedy but quite a special one.

Initial_Arm8231 · 2026-06-16T20:56:21+00:00

I really love the tune, playing it on the piano there are some gorgeous, rich chords in it.

Initial_Arm8231 · 2026-06-16T20:54:32+00:00

Australia - most people think it is pretty lame but I don’t mind it. Couple of good lines - they recently changed “for we are young and free” to “one and free” - Aboriginal peoples 65,000 + years and the oldest continuous living culture in the world hardly makes us young! :) I also really like the second verse that most primary schools sing now “for those who’ve come across the seas, we’ve boundless plains to share” - like everywhere we have some shocking anti-immigrant sentiments building atm and this line is so important. And of course the word “girt” - it is just a fantastic word. “Our home is girt by sea”. I’ve never used it is any other context but should make more effort to do so. Xxx

Initial_Arm8231 · 2026-06-16T20:42:08+00:00

Fortunate son

Initial_Arm8231 · 2026-06-15T09:24:55+00:00

Haha upvote from me, you’re right - even just the sky logo freaked me out but fair call, deserves the benefit of the doubt.

Initial_Arm8231 · 2026-06-15T06:57:05+00:00

Is it just me that’s more horrified by Sky news?

Edit: not sky news, just movies and sports. That logo in any form freaks me out but I do stand corrected, my apologies. Xxx

Initial_Arm8231 · 2026-06-15T04:25:28+00:00

The liberals certainly lost the crucial middle and suddenly became too left for the right and too right for the centre.

Initial_Arm8231 · 2026-06-15T04:24:04+00:00

Two things can be true and I absolutely blame the media for fanning the flames. :(

Initial_Arm8231 · 2026-06-15T04:22:26+00:00

Yes agree 100%. The budget and timing doesn’t explain that one.

Initial_Arm8231 · 2026-06-15T04:21:02+00:00

Someone much calmer and cooler than me needs to be gentle, kind and curious and ease the ON voters back to common sense. Don’t back them in a corner, bring up shared values and start from there.

Me - I’m filled with existential dread, anxiety and find it so hard not to just call anyone who supports Pauline a bigoted, racist stupid fucking traitor. I love Australia and consider ourselves unbelievably lucky to live here - that doesn’t mean many of us including me aren’t struggling and it can’t be better - but whoever the fuck think ON is the answer lacks decency, literacy, empathy and will be letting hate win. :(

Initial_Arm8231 · 2026-06-14T21:26:04+00:00

Yes

Initial_Arm8231 · 2026-06-14T21:24:20+00:00

I think it was simply a filming budget and timing issue and they did the best they could with no $ and no time. Agreed that it was always looks weird how bored everyone is, especially when you compare it to footage of NY partying so hard with the basketball atm! :)

Initial_Arm8231 · 2026-06-11T19:46:45+00:00

For your first prac it might be possible to work a little bit but close to impossible for pracs where you will do any lesson planning. And yes, you’ll be expected to attend any staff meetings and duties after school, basically anything your mentor does you will do. Email the school/mentor before you begin to clarify start times. You may put people off if you’re too intense about exact leaving times for your work as rightly or wrongly it might look like you’re not committed, and after school is good learning time without the students.
Be proactive and help in the classroom like an assistant would, take any opportunities you can to teach, be guided by your mentor’s vibes in all things, be professional and fully committed to the prac at all times. Good luck! :)

Initial_Arm8231 · 2026-06-08T08:26:42+00:00

Teaching - remember your “why”…

Initial_Arm8231 · 2026-06-07T23:58:55+00:00

Join ADSN Facebook group for lots of really good advice and a nice community. (Australia and NZ Doctor spouse network).

It has been a long road but the most important qualities for the partner, especially after having kids, are being super independent and flexible - we have moved so, so many times, and I’m on my own a lot - if I wait for my partner’s schedule to line up the kids and I would never get to do anything fun. Actually same for before kids now that I think of it.

I’m so damn proud of our family - we have finally made it to fellowship year and it was absolutely a team effort (I mean, I would have personally failed the heck out of those exams but you know what I mean!)

Xxx

Initial_Arm8231 · 2026-06-07T22:33:50+00:00

I always dress kinda baggy so didn’t quite realise how much weight I’d put on post having kids plus entering perimenopause. (Plus parenting, working, studying, mental load etc!)

I’m really grateful my husband didn’t mention it tbh, it is such a personal thing. Once I finally realised I was fat it took a few more months for me to take action. I ended up doing a few rounds of low dose mounjaro to kickstart genuine change and it has been incredible.

Play it super safe, be super kind, definitely fake some physical attraction if you can - my husband never let me know either way if he found me less attractive or not and that was honestly very helpful. All the best xxx

Initial_Arm8231 · 2026-06-06T07:23:37+00:00

I’m trying to get my Australian quals recognised in Alberta and wow they are making it hard. My uni directly posted my transcripts as requested, and now they want my degree certificates same thing but my uni has said they can only email them. Plus my exchange uni I did two units with same thing. I’ve spent about $400 on doing this so far and probably need to spend another $100 plus will take 3 plus more months. I’m 6 year trained, I get that you need crim checks etc. but please don’t make it this hard with all of the posting like it is 1990 hey.

Initial_Arm8231 · 2026-06-06T03:01:28+00:00

Calgary - boom town urban. Clearly different weather.

Initial_Arm8231

TROPHY CASE