Work Visa--APPROVED

This is all happening so fast. The to do list keeps on growing...

But I did cross of one major task of my list yesterday....I received official notification that my "Work and Holiday" visa has been approved :-) My electronic visa (so easy, saves trees!) provides me with permission to reside and work in Ausralia for up to 12 months. The biggest stipulation in my visa is that I can only work for one employer for up to 6 months (I am currently in the process of organizing my first 6 month stint).

For any USA citizen between the ages of 18 and 30 obtaining a visa is rather simple. The instructions and application can be found here. The whole online application takes about 30 minutes to complete. Note--you do not need to actually obtain any of the certified copies of documents listed on the checklist--however, you must meet all the criteria and can be asked to prove your eligibility at a later date.

Now onto the next big task...finding a replacement roommate for Lamont Hall...I'll keep you posted on my search, but please do get in touch if you know of someone who is interested in moving into a beautiful house (in DC) on August 1st.

The journey begins!

I knew I wanted to move to Australia since my visit in November. I knew I would be back to the land Down Under in exactly 9 months time...once the idea came to me, I knew it was the natural next step on my life's journey.

So today I've taken one giant leap closer to September...I've made it official with my boss. The opportunity to spend a year in Australia will give me that extra edge for my MBA application. My edge is to present myself as a global individual...thus far, I have had the amazing opportunity to spend 6 months in Berlin studying at the Freie Universitate and after graduation I spent 3 months working Siberia in my home city of Tomsk, Russia for the Tomsk Agency for Investment Promotion. This next adventure will provide the Southeast Asian perspective I am missing from my CV.

I have really enjoyed my last two years in Washington. I was blessed with an amazing job, fantastic co-workers, roommates, incredible friends and a supportive family. But now I am preparing to leave all this behind for an adventure of a lifetime!

I hope that this blog will help keep me on track with preparations and perhaps inspire others to follow their hearts in pursuit of their dreams!