Once Upon a Time…There Were Some Frusterations

Signing up for my Bank Account

My New Bank

When moving to a new county a lot of starting over happens. I haven’t made a big move in over 9 years, so I had forgotten all the things that need to get done. It’s overwhelming. Setting up a new bank account, getting on a new cell phone plan, shopping, shopping, shopping. Moving is expensive! I have been here a week and yet I have been to the mall 4 times. I don’t even remember the last time I spent 4 days in one week at a mall. To much mall time. Setting up a bank account was no big deal. quite easy in fact. Yay for that! Obtaining a cell phone on the other hand has been quite challenging. Stupid me, I thought it would be easy. Just walk into a store set up a one year plan and be done. Easy right? Wrong! Not easy, a giant headache in fact. My being stubborn does not help things either. You see I am part of the elitist iPhone club. I love my iPhone. It helps to keep my sanity in tact. It does everything for me. And now that I am so far away from my friends and family, I feel like I need it even more. It is my lifeline. I know, it is a sickness. 🙂

The first two days of my time here was spent sight seeing. The rest of the week has been about running errands. So by the time I had reached day 4 we were off to set up a cell plan for me. Step one…I needed a band account. Easy, I don’t even have any money in it, but at least I have one. Step two sign up for a cell, or mobile, as they call it here, plan. After researching the best options I walked into the Vodaphone store all ready to sign up for an iPhone 4 plan. I have a 3gs and have spent countless hours trying to unlock the thing, but the software is to up to date and a jailbreak does not yet exist for it. We spent about 3 hours the first day in that blasted store. Their system was down, but they didn’t know that yet so we waited…and waited…and waited. Finally we were told to come back

Yay! I have a phone!

the next day and all should be fine. Well, it wasn’t and to my astonishment I was declined a plan. I have excellent credit in the states and have never been denied anything before, but here I have nothing, so no plan. At that point I was on a mission to unlock my iPhone 3GS…a stubborn stubborn mission. I figured well, if I have to have a prepaid plan, at least I will get to keep my phone. I spent hour trying to find some sort of loop hole and every time I thought I had finally found a solution, it wouldn’t work. After many days of trying I finally coincided walked into Optus and purchased one of their prepaid plans with a Samsung galaxy mini, android based smart phone. I don’t like the phone. It’s OK, but it is no iPhone.

That has been my first road block and frustration upon moving. I felt helpless and I know that is not the last time I will feel that way. I am so used to being on top of my game. Of having everything down, I’m not used to feeling so helpless and out of control. I know it is silly, it is just a phone, but when you don’t know anyone (minus Kelsey and Andrew) or anything, when just getting around town can be intimidating, that phone connects me to home. Starting over is hard, it is good, but it is hard. I look forward to the day when I feel like I understand, at a least a little bit, and no longer feel helpless and lost in this big city.