Dear friends,

Date: July 18 2012

Finally, we received our skilled migrant visa and have started getting ready to leave for Mandurah. Mandurah is a small town, which is a one-hour drive from Perth, the largest city in Western Australia. Before sending lock, stock, and barrel down under, I want to learn as much as possible about it. The entries I read from the link (http://cerenmus.blogspot.com/2010/10/bat-avustralya-i-perth-ve-yakn-cevresi.html?m=1#comment-form) were encouraging in terms of nature; however, I am a bit worried that the town has only a population of 70,000, which might make it a bit of a hassle to find a proper job in such a small place.

The 13th of August is probably the date we will be flying to Perth. We made some friends there, and we will depend on their guidance for a while until we get to know the area.

It is not easy to change nearly everything about your life, but we just hope that it will be worth it. This is my last week with my family, and I don't think I will be able to see them until this time next year. I am just hoping to see them unchanged. I wish I could find the people in the places where I left them—you know what I mean.

I would like to thank my precious friends: Maria Sonia, Maria Elena, Joel, Mark, Victoria, Gulcan, and Nihan, for their friendship and encouragement; they inspired me in my quest for a more meaningful life. I hope things go smoothly and that this experience enriches our lives. May God be with us all along the way.