Return date changed!

posted on Jul 19 by Floris in the Blog, Sydney category

Hello everyone. Some interesting news today. I’ve rescheduled my return flight to The Netherlands… to February next year.

That’s right, I’m staying in Australia for 7 additional months.

Let me explain why. I’m working at a company where fresh experiences are served on a daily basis. I may not earn much, but the real value does not come from the money anyway. Besides that I have settled in Sydney. I have a car here, a house, a job and even some friends. I can leave Sydney now, but I may not return for a very long time, if ever at all. I fear that, should I leave in September, I’ll regret it for a long time. That last point has been the deciding factor in my decision.

My return date is definite. Here’s why:

• My arriving flight was on the 3rd of February. I’ve got a ticket that’s valid for a year, so my departing flight has to arrive in Schiphol before the 3rd of February ends. That means I have to leave Australia on the 2nd, or I forfeit my ticket (a very pricy business indeed).
• My visa ends on the 4th of February 2011, a year after the day I entered Australia. I don’t know what’ll happen if I stay here beyond then, but it won’t be very good. The Australian government loves to see you come here and work for free for a few months (it’s good for their economy), but they’re just as happy to see you leave after.

So that’s the story! I’ve updated the countdown in the sidebar. I’ll answer any questions in the comments.

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