The Right Choice: More Options To Save

So, having been discussed the living cost in Wollongong, and generally speaking in Australia, should not there be any better suggestion than having more options and perfect reasons to save, savings that will save you in times of need? :)

Two days ago, I went to Sydney for having a fun one daily trip. I went there with three of my fellow students from Indonesia. Before I tell you about all the excitements about Sydney, I guess it is about the time to introduce to you all: The Companion.

When I was assigned to study in Wollongong, I departed from Indonesia on Friday evening of May 16th 2014, with two other civil servants from my institution. Have I told you that I worked for the Directorate General of Taxes, Ministry of Finance, Republic of Indonesia? :)

I was awarded scholarship by the Australia Awards Scholarship to take Master's Degree Program of Business Administration Advanced, while my two other friends decided to take the Master of Forensic Accounting. They are Hendro Dwi Cahyono, or Mas Hendro as I call him, and Retnaning Ayu Hapsari, or Mbak Ayu as I address. They would study here at The Uni for one year, while I take the advance of living for another year longer. I am married. And my wife is coming down here within a month. Can hardly wait. But in the time being, I still need to learn more how to survive and save myself, a whole lot of saving! :D

Another luck I need to, and I have to tell. God is so kind, that even though at first we were accommodated by The Uni to stay in Keiraview Campus Accommodation, one of the many provided by Wollongong University for international students coming from overseas, which was quite costly, we were helped by one kind senior from Indonesia taking doctoral degree also at The Uni, Mister, or Pak, Syamsul Hadi. Having read one of our email, Mbak Ayu's actually, of requesting temporary or permanent accommodation information through the PPIA (Perhimpunan Pelajar Indonesia Australia), the Student Association for Indonesian scholars in Australia, Pak Syamsul eagerly picked us up the very next day and offered few choices of a good kind. Well that saves us another AU$34 for one night sleep in a room shared with four others on double racked extra beds! :D

But it was never about the money! It is a moral of again, a blissful bless! :)

Shortly said, Mbak Ayu was accommodated in a shared house near campus, in Braeside Avenue that is, just across the Botanical Garden, a lovely place to stay, while me and Mas Hendro temporarily stay with Pak Syamsul, who shared a flat with another Indonesian brilliant youth taking PhD, Dianta Ginting, or Mas Dianta as we call him, that is in Graham Avenue, until we move when the time comes.

Again, it really was another blissful bless! :) Abundant thanks to Pak Syamsul, Mas Dianta, and many other Indonesian who live in the surrounding: Pak Banu, Mbak Titik, Pak Agus, Mbak Alvi, and their kids too, Mas Saiful and his wife soon to be our classmate in IAS, Mbak Indri. Shortly speaking, me and Mas Hendro would have stayed for about two weeks, before we move to available room for two in Mbak Ayu's current, where I would then will live on and spend my long days here with my wife, and hopefully, alongside Mbak Ayu and Mas Hendro as well.

One of the advantage of having a good relationship is not that you would expect a return of the kindness in favor, but having mutual friends does helping a lot. In our religion belief, that is Islam, we use the term known as the Silaturahmi, meaning maintaining a good relationship with other people. Not only God would love and shower us with bless by doing so, He would also bless us with abundant of wealth as well a longer span of life as a promise. That is cited in the Hadits, that is spoken words or deeds done by the Prophet Muhammad SAW (Peace Be Upon Him).

So, if I can go back a little ward again to reasons to save more, not only would I save more cash to survive, but more important, it makes me realize the importance of saving more and more! Back to Sydney where we left it, by having a one day picnic all along with Mas Dianta, Mas Hendro and Mbak Ayu to the metropolitan city with high standards of living in style, hence, requires as high in respective for the cost, it just struck me in the head, that we are so lucky to have made the right choice by deciding to go down here instead, to study and enjoy living in Wollongong.

Just a little comparison. If it may cost approximately AU$10 for a pad of one time meal in Wollongong, then think twice for you will have to pay twice the price in Sydney, that would be AU$20, for regular plate of Pizza, Lasagna or Spaghetti, and another AU$5 to the least, for cuppa Chai Latte or having served Camomile Tea. That means, you may multiply it for having three times meal per day, times seven for a week, and again by four to cost you total of around AU$1.680, a month, just for food! Not yet the cuppa! :D

I guess that is another excellent reason to choose to stay in Wollongong. You can still go to Sydney every weekend for holiday, for it only takes one and a half hour by train departed from the North Wollongong Station. You have the many reasons to save more down here! And speaking of making the right choice, it simply gives you more options and opportunities, again, to save more! :D

What else could be better than that? :)