Observation from the land of Oz!
“How ya going mates?”
It’s probably long past time to add another chapter to this “sabbatical report”. Debbie and I are currently enjoying the warm weather, beautiful beaches and kind hospitality of Australia. We landed in Sydney just over 2 weeks ago and after a few days in that large but charming city we rented a car and took a 4 day journey up the eastern coast stopping in quaint ocean-side towns to wander around and sample the sights and tastes. Almost a week ago now we stopped in Coolangatta for a one week stay on the Gold Coast. What we didn’t know when we booked this place months ago, was that the latter weeks of November are known as “schoolies week”. This is when the graduating seniors from high school celebrate the end of their school year by partying for a week, non-stop!!! They come from all over Australia and land on the beaches of the Gold Coast where they commit themselves to 24 hour partying. Fortunately, our accommodation is on the south end of the Coast and the epi-centre is 30 kms north of here…so we’ve been spared the rowdiness.
So far, we’ve visited quite a few folks that we know from Calgary…Chris Perkins and his girl-friend Sarah toured us around Sydney one day; John & Sylvia Nowlan who once worked with Wycliffe in Calgary and were our neighbors in Sandstone took us to Hillsong Church for a Sunday evening service; the Sbrocchi’s (Libby Moore’s parents) hosted us one evening and overnight in Terrigal; we dropped in for coffee on the Denne’s (friends of Jody Elliott) while in Brisbane and Glen and Glori Gill, who attended BVCC and whose son played hockey with Ryan,fed us, showed us around and put us up for the night at their place in the Glass House Mts! So we’ve enjoyed a nice mix of touring on our own and meeting old friends.
Tomorrow we leave Coolangatta and fly up to Cairns for a few days around the Great Barrier Reef and then we’ll head down to Adelaide where we’ll spend the remainder of our time, staying with John and Wendy Perkins and visiting more friends and seeing more of this beautiful country.
Just a few random observations…driving on the left-hand side of the road has been a “sharpening experience”. It really sharpens your attention and you find yourself glancing in the wrong mirror and feeling very awkward when backing up, turning corners, passing on the highway and just about everything else, including trying to get into the wrong side of the car on occasion. But we’re adapting. It reminds me a little about any kind of change that gets introduced into our world…it takes some getting used to and while one could complain all the time about how it shouldn’t have to be this way…it is…so pay attention…change your behavior and get used to it!
When one travels you discover that there are a lot of little things that are different from home. Again, you can complain and gripe and question why all the time or you can enjoy the difference…appreciate the variations and realize that if everything was the same as home there would be no use leaving! It’s the differences that make travel fun and exciting and also help you either appreciate the familiarity of home or evaluate what should be changed when you get back there.
I must say that the plethora of flowering trees and the beautiful birds over here leave me feeling a little blue about returning to the bleakness of winter and the long wait for Calgary’s spring-time. But by the end of December I think I’ll be prepared even for that.
We miss each one of you and despite visiting a different church every Sunday, I must say, that BV is tops! I’ll tell you more about that when I return. We trust you’re all “going well” and we’ll see you in a few weeks! -Rick