Time is a flying and life is amazing. Life is SO GOOD, I can taste it in my spit. Finished my Chinese final and Epistemology essay yesterday and having said that, I am officially done for the semester. I have a nice long break until January 18th and in the meantime will be looking for a short term place to stay and then doing whatever traveling I can do before having to return to the grind of studying.
Because I was only here for 6 months in 2007, I opted out to getting a driver's license as I didn't feel the need to get one. I did however get my 18+ card which is basically a card that says you are old enough to buy alcohol and cigarettes. The 18+ card can also be used to gain entrance into bars and clubs. This is a far safer option than always carrying around a passport as well as cheaper too (passports are about $100, 18+ card is $20). This time around I figured I would go ahead and get an Australia driver's license just in case for whatever reason (good to always have it right?). What's amazing too is my 18+ card NEVER expires, so I am able to bust it out and continue using it from where I left off in 2007.
One of the great things about Australia is as long as you have an American driver's license, you can legally drive in Australia (as long as the license is not expired). However, because the Australian license can also be used for verification purposes in regards to age and address, I decided to get one.
The Australian system is a bit overwhelming. You start off on your learner's permit and then progress through 2 OTHER stages a provisional license before being awarded your open license. While under the provisional, you can only go a certain speed, cannot have passengers, cannot be driving at certain hours of the night, and the alcohol blood levels are .oo (.05 for open licenses). I was told applying for my license I would have to take the written and drivers test too. But, I spoke with someone else and they told me something different.
So I gathered my documents, headed to the Transportation office and in 15 mins was out of there with my open license! Easier said than done. I was looking towards getting a motorbike however, you must have an Aussie license for a year before you can apply for a motorbike license. So scratched that idea... Looking at cheap cars in the meantime!
Cheers and 再见！
-H
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