Caution!! This entire series is not using proper grammar and sentence structure. This is just a depiction of how I would sound in real life. Read at your own risk! Enjoy :D

[8 Jan 2021] Astaga!

Delapan January 2021. Exactly a week before I went through the immigration border at Soekarno Hatta airport. My family and I had our monthly dim sum lunch ordering food like siomai, dumplings, meat and of course rice, while casually chatting about the reopening of borders for the stranded international students of some countries. Since My university, the University of Queensland, was heavily impacted by the closure, my journey was halted for two years. I know, y’all might think “why would you stay and not move?” And I can honestly say that it is because I fell in love with my university. From the dream-like campus, diverse people, and warm community. My thirst for my fantasy of university life was not satisfied so I stayed and just believe. 

In December, suddenly there were news about Australia reopening for some visa holders (students, skilled migrant workers, and PRs) and my mom decided to just go by February the 5th because it would be just in time for my sister’s birthday but suddenly, my mom said: 

“Iel, kamu pergi tanggal 15 Januari ya. Takut border tutup lagi”. 

TBH, i almost dropped my siomay karena its too soon. It was in a week, but I just said cooly: “yea sure” but internally, I was panicking. I haven’t pack, changed the date of accommodation, and buy all the necessary stuff that i needed. 

So, in this first series, i want to include the list of things you might want to bring from Indonesia as some of the things are hard to find: 

• Guling 
• Sepre (check the measurements of your accommodation)
• Covid-test (Its expensive here dan tidak seperti di Indo satu pack banyak. Disini jual cuma 2-5 tests per box) 
• Medicines (terutama tolak angin/antangin) vitamin disini banyak yang bagus but do as you please 
• Cebokan 
• Kacamata (please buy glasses just in case you broke your glasses here) 
• Phone accessories i.e. cases (lmao) 

Here are the things i really found useful to bring from Indonesia and I hope this list would be a great starter list for you. I know that you might find this article and the rest of this series to be weird as they are not traditional and formal like other articles. But, I want this article to be a reflection of the advices I would give to a friend who wants to join me in the Brisbane adventure. 

    Preparing for the pre-departure, you need to make sure of the important documents that you need to print and keep. I will share the documents that I print and keep close: 

For the things that you need to do before entering UQ, you need to understand your websites and do your online ID card registration, so when you come here, you can already collect your ID card!! That’s it for now! I will see you again next month to talk about my UQ and Brisbane journey with the help of InterestEd of course.

• Visa
• Birth certificate
• International vaccination certificate 
• OSHC
• Passport
• KTP
• CoE
• IELTS/any other English tests
• Letter of Offer 

Best,

Brigitta