If you can discount the 16 hours that I lost when traveling, I left the
USA 1 week ago. I wasn't able to really put this whole relocation into
perspective before I left, when something this big goes into motion I
certainly did the best I could to understand my reasons for doing it,
and once that decision was made, I got busy making it happen,
regardless of the potential misgivings I may have felt after settling
in here. The reality of what it means, or how it will effect me only
comes slowly with time, as I realize what parts of home I miss, and
what parts of my transplanted life I really enjoy. The downside caused
by the apprehension of making such a large shift in my life was equaled
by the positive side of the empowerment that comes along with taking
such a risk. Not everyone gets a chance to live so far away, and I've
always tried to appreciate the positive. My first week away has helped
me to breakdown what I love about home in the USA and see what is
maintained here in Tasmania, and what is truly 10,000 miles away.
My opinion will forever be biased, of course. I married a
Tasmanian, and my initial impression of it was a wild and rough land
that was at first very mysterious and intriguing. Now that I am a
resident I can see close at hand the differences to living here versus
living in the United States. Firstly I have to state that the process
of migrating to Australia was 1/10th as difficult and confusing as it
was to move Lucy to the USA. Both countries requires essentially every
major document you've ever had, combined with every type of background
check you can imagine. Documents are documents, and they are always
difficult to get if you don't have them, but the instructions, and the
level of support available to you is much different when undergoing
migration to Australia. When Lucy and I had questions regarding US
immigration we called the help line, where we would be forced to wait
for a long time until we were able to finally squeeze an answer out of
the person on the other end. It was time consuming, and required
constant repetitive questioning and verification. It happened several
times where the representative of the US Government told us the wrong
information, causing us delay, and increasing an already large
expense. For immigration to America it was in our interests to get
attorney which cost us several thousand dollars, we were able to do the
the Australian immigration on our own. Australian immigration took 6
weeks from start to finish, the US immigration took 9 months. When I
sent in my paperwork to immigrate I received an email from an agent,
and was instructed to inquire with him about any questions I might
have. I couldn't believe it. I had a phone number and an email address
of one person who was tasked to help me, whereas if we had questions we
had to call the US government, and if we called 20 times, each time we
would get someone different. There is an accountability that you
appreciate with such a one on one type of transaction. It would be
unfair of me not to mention that the number of people immigrating to
Australia is significantly less than those attempting to move to
America. I don't believe it is only a question of volume however, but
symptoms of a massive system that isn't geared toward resolving
problems, but towards sustaining itself. Enough about immigration,
what is it it really like here?
Tasmania, I have found is populated in large part with the same
kind of people I have seen almost everywhere I have lived or traveled
(with the exception being major metropolitan cities), they are
conscientious individuals focused on their own lives, and working
towards modest goals, and to improved their lifestyle. The people
aren't vastly different than they are in a similarly sized city.
Tasmania is an island, and therefore a bit isolated. You don't just
show up here on accident, you arrive here on purpose, either by ferry
or by jet. Tasmania's populace is affected by its isolation, and in
large part a more condensed version of the Australian Persona at
large. Australians love Australia, and Tasmanians for the most part
love Tasmania. It isn't assumed that you belong to a specific
political party if you wear the national flag. Being proud to be an
Aussie is a feeling claimed by all types of people. Tasmania shares a
lot of similarities with Maine, the state in the US where I grew up.
Tasmania has always had a bit of a frontier feel to it, like Maine, it
has always been out of the way of the normal modes of traffic, also
like Maine. Australians travel quite a bit, and Tasmanians do also.
Like Maine the youth tend to leave and explore before coming back and
settling in their home state. Once you leave you get a sense of what
else is out there, and you generally realize how unique your background
is. I assume this is the same for a lot of people (with Detroit being
the obvious exception). Tasmanians like Mainers appreciate the solitude
and isolation they once escaped.
The footprint of life here is smaller. I have been here for 5 days
and I haven't generated 1/10 of the garbage I would have in the
states. I've used less water, driven less, and even consumed far less
electricity. I'm not sure what this means yet, I'm still wrapping my
head around the implications of doing things a bit differently. Cars
are generally smaller, the suburban streets are wide, clean, and the
lawns well manicured (albeit not as green). In town, parking is still
an issue, and I have to admit I was kind of hoping it wouldn't be. The
Economy here is better than the states, there is business all around,
and since there isn't a pool of immigrant labor to abuse you pay more
than you would for services, but they are well done and you don't have
that big box store feeling that you are paying in to some huge
collective, but to a craftsman. I can't help but think how far things
have gone in the states when it comes to big business. I don't know if
that means that in 10 years there will be Wal-mart on every corner
here, and a Home Depot also, but I certainly hope not. There are so
many small business's here and the community seems to be far better for
it. YES, you do pay more, but as stated above, it goes to someone who
might be your neighbor, and not siphoned off to an account overseas.
My Father-in-law has a garden, and I couldn't believe how sweet the
cherry tomatoes were that came out of it. I can now understand that a
tomato is actually a fruit. In Tasmania a good part of the fruit,
vegetables, and meat that you see at the store are from the island.
They cost more, but they are made here under the same conditions that
we live in. This is massively appealing to me.
I miss my friends and family of course, this goes without saying,
but so far, I kind of like how they do things here. The few issue's
I've run into that aren't great are the taxes, and of course the way
they limit your broadband connection to a certain amount. Right now we
have used our 5GB/month plan in the first week. Lest you think I would
be throwing away my US Passport, remember that this is.. a huge
difference to what we have in the states. I cannot watch many video's
online, post all my images, or unconsciously browse all those facebook
photos that people post. I hope this part of Tasmania gets better...
and soon.
Matt
More Photos of the Gorge The Cataract Gorge is a wonderful natural phenomenon located only 10 minutes from where we live. It is so close that Lucy and I drove there this morning and went for a jog around the perimeter of it. It is a well used feature of Launceston, and on a summer day families and children will spend the day swimming in the in-ground pool at the site, or in the cold and deep waters of the Gorge itself. There is also a cafe, a restaurant, and even a chairlift going over the site. You have to pay to park, but entrance is free. There are very well made paths throughout the area that you will see runners on at all hours. You can do a complete loop around the gorge, crossing over the walking bridge and following the paths to where the river comes into the valley where you cross a larger bridge to the other side and then follow the steep "Zig zag track" over the hills and back to the basin. 
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