Finally, I finished my study! After many sleepless nights and countless group meetings, I finished my last class of my last semester, completing a Master’s degree at Swinburne University in Melbourne. I was not getting my final result until later, but I’m quite determined to let it all go and enjoy Australia while I’m still here.
Photo: Nadia (second from left) with friends in Melbourne
I planned to go back to my home country after my graduation ceremony, which gave me months to relax. It’s a good thing my student visa doesn’t expire straight away, otherwise I’d have to register for a tourist visa to extend my stay in Australia. Preparing for my graduation was quite easy. You’ll need to register quickly because the closing date is usually right after your last class. After you've received your ‘letter of completion’, you’ll have to make the graduation payment and you’re registered. The university usually gives out two free tickets for whoever wants to come to the ceremony and you can apply for or buy extra tickets for remaining guests.
Time to relax
While waiting for my graduation, I decided to take a look at a few cities in Australia. I didn’t get a chance to do this while I was studying, so this is the time! For a start, I went to places in my state. I enjoyed a winery tour, Sunday markets and places I never got the time to visit. Nearing my graduation, my family came over for a holiday. This was the perfect opportunity for me to see Australia. We rented a car and traveled to New South Wales and Queensland. On our way, we visited many small towns and it was a lot of fun.
After my trip, I had to start packing my stuff to bring back to my home country. This was not an easy task because I’m a girl that shops a lot and in two years of study, I managed to collect too many things! Besides bringing home my clothes, books and other stuff, I want to send most of my furniture as well, as I was getting married and I needed furniture for my new house.
I got started with looking for boxes, lots of them. I stumbled upon a website (
Mini Movers) that sells different sized boxes and other packing necessities for a cheap price. It took quite some time to pack, luckily I had a lot of friends to help me out!
Pack strategically
You need to strategically pack your items as well because you don’t want to have one box weighing over 25kg, because most international couriers have a maximum amount of weight they can carry for one box.
Choosing an international courier service is another item on your ‘going-home’ checklist. Through a friend, I chose a courier service that specialises in moving out students. They were clear on what documents I needed to prepare and the rate is cheaper compared to others. The more kilograms you send, the cheaper the rate/kg gets. I decided to ask my friends if they want to send stuff back home, because if we would combine our boxes, we could get more kg’s and cheaper price/kg.
Clean appartment
After the boxes were cleared, I had to clean my apartment. Cleaning your apartment is necessary before moving out or having a take-over. Usually, people moving out hire professional cleaners to make sure that they get their bond back. Professional cleaning includes carpet steam, cleaning walls, stove-tops, windows and balconies. The price varies from just under $100 to $300 depending on your apartment size.
Contract
When planning to move out of your apartment, pay attention to your rental contract. Usually you have to pay a fine if you break your contract, meaning if you move out before your contract ends. I moved out before my contract expires, but fortunately a couple of my friends were looking for a place to stay and I managed to arrange for them to take-over my apartment. I didn’t have to pay a fine for that, just administration fee.
Among all the hassle of moving out, don’t forget to book your flight ticket. I got mine about two months before my departure date. You can save quite a lot if you book not to close to your departure date.
Nadia, Melbourne
Master of Entrepreneurship & Innovation, Swinburne University, Melbourne
Very good advice. Was it hard to adjust to being back in Indonesia?
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