I love this, it's great.

I'm surprised at just how easily I can tell where places are, in general.

The only thing I keep confusing, somehow, is Australia and South America, specifically the non-mountainous region around Brazil etc.

The other problem with Australia, is that 90% of the country looks exactly the same. Dusty, dry, and full of things that want to kill you.

 

Got 9090. Screwed up that South Africa one completely

 

It's easy to tell the difference. Australia's the one full of Kiwis lining up outside the dole office.

Seriously, left vs. right hand drive, quality of roads, line paint on roads, and regular red/white reflective posts on the side of roads are things to look for to tell the difference. Not to mention the vegetation.

 

The vegetation was quite similar to where I was in Northern Queensland. None of the 4 places I was given featured Tarmac on the roads. Let alone cars. Apparently South America has red dirt too.

And as a kiwi living in Aus with major heart problems, I can confirm that no social assistance is available for Kiwis no matter the situation.

 

That's because you're fresh off the boat. You're eligible for the dole two years after permanent residency. It used to be open to all New Zealanders here, but the NZ gov dicked us on backdoor immigration [non-NZ'ers using NZ as a gateway to Australian residency] a decade ago and so we cut off the easy access to welfare for NZ'ers. The system was being abused by foreigners and the NZ gov was, if not encouraging then at the least enabling them in their abuse of the process.

Right now you're eligible for an Australian Healthcare Card [and a smattering of other benefits and tax breaks] though. That gets you on the Pharmaceutical Benefit Scheme which grants you cheap meds so long as they're listed on the PBS. Your pharmacist should know if there's a generic or PBS-listed med which is the equivalent of whatever the doc has prescribed.

I assume you're earning enough in Australia to cover your med expenses or at least a trip back home for treatment.

Also: You were in Northern Queensland? You bastard. I love it there. I want to retire to FNQ when I reach that age. Somewhere up on the Atherton Tablelands most likely.

 

I spent 6 days on a boat on the Great Barrier Reef. Specifically, the Whitsunday Islands. It remains the best experience of my life. Absolutely stunning up there.