And the Answer Is: Hey, Hey, I Can Stay!

Lori's got her visa. Finally. That's right. They said yes! I am shocked, stunned, amazed, baffled. I thought for sure my working visa application would get stuck to the bottom of a drawer somewhere, but lo and behold, they said yes.

The FAQ:

So, what does this mean?

• The working visa is good for up to 2 years maximum, but lasts as long as my working contract.
  
• I'm not getting kicked out yet - MUHAHAHAHA!
  
• Immi.gration obviously read my blog on the celebration of my first real Aussie BBQ and decided to give me a break. (Obviously just regularly eating vegemite toast wasn't enough for them!)
  
• I'm not in limbo anymore. Seriously, I was going to change my address to 666 Limbo Road, Sydney, Post Code 000?
  
• When people ask what I'm here on I can just say, "Oh, I'm on a temporary working visa" and not have to say, "Well, you see, first I applied for X, and then two years later...and now I'm on my 8th visa...and...yadda yadda...(at this point most people have fallen asleep) etc"
  
• My father can stop writing letters to Immi.gration telling them to kick me out
  
• My parents can start planning their next trip to Australia and my Dad can sample the two benches he didn't get a chance to sit on in all of Sydney in 2000.

So, how do you feel?

• Relieved.
  
• Tired.
  
• Pleased.
  
• Happy.
  
• Excited.
  
• Surprised.
  
• Mostly relieved. ;-)

How are you going to celebrate?

• Well, I'd like to shout all my friends a drink, but I got a visa, I didn't win the lottery. Sorry, guys :-)
  
• I'm going to celebrate Sydney. I've been thinking about this for over a week now, but each week I'm going to do something or see something that I've never done before in Sydney. There are tons of things I haven't done here yet. I'm going to stop being a slacker. Last week I took the ferry to Balmain for the first time. This week I went to a Korean restaurant I've been meaning to try for the last year. These are only little things, but it's a start. I've compiled a list of slightly more exciting things to do, so now it's a matter of ticking things off and adding more items to the list. If you have any suggestions, just holler.

Thank you to all my friends, family, and poor strangers who didn't know what they were getting into when they asked me about my visa situation. :-)