One of the nuisances of moving to a different country is all the administrative tasks that go along with it. No wait, just about ALL the nuisance revolves around paperwork and forms and more forms. And just when you're done with the one lot on the one side, the next list builts up on the other side! Bank account. Driver's license. Telephone. Medical. Well that's the ones we started with anyway.
Different to South Africa, it turned out that opening a bank account was the easiest of the lot! Friendly, efficient, helpful staff at a small branch of the Commonwealth bank. Also different to SA, The Critical Document To Have is a driver's license. It is the one piece of plastic that define Who you are. It is a Category A proof of you are who you claim to be, and clearly you are a responsible person because you managed to get It. You can't get a cellphone contract without It. You can't get medical without It. You can't open bank accounts without It. But in order to get It, you need to proof Who you are. Which is rather difficult without IT!! The ONLY reason we managed to exit the circular loop, is that we stay with family who, thankfully! are in posession of the all-critical piece of plastic, and could give sworn statements that they really really do know us..... Phew!
First step in converting our SA licenses: write Learner's Test. Done. Next step: book and go for Driver's Test. Now just to put things in perspective: if you are an Aussie getting a license, it would take anything from about 3 years to 7 years to progress through all the different levels of provisional licenses and log books to finally having the coveted Open License. SEVEN YEARS.
Small wonder they put so much value on it!
(Sorry, no pic today. Don't have IT yet!)
Different to South Africa, it turned out that opening a bank account was the easiest of the lot! Friendly, efficient, helpful staff at a small branch of the Commonwealth bank. Also different to SA, The Critical Document To Have is a driver's license. It is the one piece of plastic that define Who you are. It is a Category A proof of you are who you claim to be, and clearly you are a responsible person because you managed to get It. You can't get a cellphone contract without It. You can't get medical without It. You can't open bank accounts without It. But in order to get It, you need to proof Who you are. Which is rather difficult without IT!! The ONLY reason we managed to exit the circular loop, is that we stay with family who, thankfully! are in posession of the all-critical piece of plastic, and could give sworn statements that they really really do know us..... Phew!
First step in converting our SA licenses: write Learner's Test. Done. Next step: book and go for Driver's Test. Now just to put things in perspective: if you are an Aussie getting a license, it would take anything from about 3 years to 7 years to progress through all the different levels of provisional licenses and log books to finally having the coveted Open License. SEVEN YEARS.
Small wonder they put so much value on it!
(Sorry, no pic today. Don't have IT yet!)
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