The Pack-King

Tomorrow is the day! I fly out at 6:45pm from YYZ. In light of the chaos of the past week here is a post to catch everyone up.
My goodbye parties in Ottawa and my hometown went a little something like this...

I said goodbye, and had a lot of fun! Especially on Canada day in the capital.

Then my parents had the joy of taking me home and helping me un pack and re pack my life to fit into 2 suitcases (each allowed to weigh 50 lbs) and 2 carry-ons. 

As this is the eleventh time I've moved in 4 years, and the 15th time over all, packing do's and don'ts are now my specialty. However, I had to get creative as I've never moved without using a vehicle.

I bought 3 lovely, hard case, United Colours of Bennetton suitcases in bright red, so that I know they are mine in the airport. So far they've done a great job at being light weight, having 4 wheels to move around easily (as when I arrive I'll be on my own to carry them) and protect my belongings. They come with programmable locks, so that only I know the combination to open my suitcases, which is very comforting if your luggage is standard looking.

 I also have a red Roots back pack to use for carry on and school, and I can represent some Canadian brands down under.

Suitcases I had to pack my life into

The other amazing packing tools are these vaccumm bags that take all the air out and make all your clothes and stuff smaller. They are super amazing! These ones are from the dollar store and I didn't think they would actually work but they did.

hands courtesy of my momma

As I'm flying into LAX in the United States and then into Australia, my dad got my some money so that I could buy food in the airport. I don't know if I've mentioned this but I'm a diabetic, so being able to get food is always a necessity.

This is Australian money, which I love because A) it's coloured like Canadian and B) it's designed smartly as the smaller the denomination, the smaller the bill. Makes sense right? 

Fun fact: Australian prices round everything to the nearest 5 cents, pennies do not exist there! Also, their money is PLASTIC- which is a trend Canada will be moving to also.

American, Australian, Canadian $10.00

Next steps: So when I arrive the "To Do" list goes as follows-
- Let La Trobe and the government officals know I have arrived
- Go cash in my travellers cheques and get my debit/mastercard
- Get a cell phone!! I pre-researched this and found a cheaper plan than the one I have in Canada, now I just need to pick out a phone. I found it odd that Blackberry is not as popular down there, but I only need a cheap one that will let me make local calls and texts and email my international friends for a decent rate. ALSO- it pays to ask questions! When I called Bell Canada to cancel my contract (which I was devastated about because I've been with Bell for years and have the perfect contract) the lady told me I could SUSPEND my contract for up to 6 months at a time. This means that instead of my bill, I pay $15 per month as long as I don't use my services until a set date, instead of my full plan rate. Then when you come back, everything goes back to normal, so I don't lose any services or pay the $400.00 for cancellation!
- Hopefully sleep at some point




For now I have to sleep before I have a last lunch with my family, and my parents and I set out on a 2 hour drive to the airport. Peace out Canada! I'll write you when I arrive!