inch vs mile

Confirmation has come through regarding Maddie's medical, and NZIS are now happy that she doesn't pose any financial risk to the already precarious New Zealand economy.

This is obviously a massive relief to us all as it now means that all obstacles have been removed and that the relevant visas can now be processed. Well, they will be once all documents have been compiled and have been reviewed by someone other than our visa officer to ensure that all is present and correct. This is likely to be nothing more than a formality but, well, we're still a distance (albeit a small one) from the final, absolute, gratifying long awaited "yes!". Let's just say we're 99.9% of the way there...

The most frustrating aspect of the delays is that it's hard to move on and organise flights, accomodation, house-buying and school enrollment without knowing an exact date of departure. We've already revised our likely leaving date as now somewhere around the 20th december, but until I get the tickets booked (and these will be the hideously expensive and scarce tickets due to the popular time we'll be travelling) we're still in limbo.

However, we did get some good news regarding accomodation today; a holiday home we enquired about in the Christchurch suburbs has been offered to us for free on the condition that we feed the cats, doves and horses. Apparently the owner is just pleased that a family with kids will be around to do this, and the girls will be absolutely ecstatic about the horses. The house will also be big enough to accomodate our NZ friends who will be coming to stay for Christmas. Which is great.

finally there. finally here

It's been a while (as per usual), but that's because things have finally started moving, and - at long last - I'm in New Zealand.

I've started doing some training at my new workplace in preparation for a start date of January 5th 2009 and all appears to be going well so far. There's plenty to learn and investigate, and it's vital preparation for when I start work proper. It also doesn't hurt to meet my future colleagues and attempt to integrate into the work environment. Anyway, so far so good, and everyone has gone out of their way to be friendly and helpful.

This has been interspersed with living in a bach, sussing out Sumner and Redcliffs (where we're hoping to live), searching for accomodation for when we all finally get over here, and checking out the local schools. Oh, and getting as much local knowledge as possible.

Of course, things can't be totally perfect, and we (as a family) still aren't completely sorted with regards to our residency. NZIS as *still* stalling over Maddie's medicals, and we're having to harras the already over-helpful and appreciative-of-our-plight consultants at York Hospital for even more information.

I've had to come over on a work permit rather than residency, so as ever we're nearly there, but as ever not quite there yet.

Video Skype has been my salvation in the lonely weeks that I've been away, but I'm desperately looking forward to getting back home on the 30th October and giving the girls a long and well-missed cuddle.