here.

I haven't been harassed by anyone back home, so I don't feel too bad about my tardiness in posting. but now I'm ready to make a real and true post...

I have arrived. I'm here. and it's real. sometimes I have to remind myself of that fact. it could just be a dream that I'll wake up from. I mean, people don't really live on the other side of the world in the summers sunshine, whilst we enter into our annual ice age. not really... right? but I am here. and typing. so it can't be a dream... (although, on an enormous side note: last night was silly and fun, and I'll tell you about all that later, but as it ended up, several people went to McDonalds around midnight and there was a TV show on, in McDonalds, that was about people who have weight issues... but even more so.... sleep issues! this one woman would get up four times in the night to eat.... she'd eat frozen pizza, or anything she could find... if there wasn't food around, she'd find an alternative. AND ALL IN HER SLEEP! so interesting! anyway....)

I'm not sure how to do this whole "travel adventure" portion of the blog. shall I give you a play by play of what my days look like? the things I've been filling them with? or maybe I should instead give you a window into my mind, and share the feelings my heart has been feeling, or the thoughts my mind has been thinking? should I write about the funny things or the interesting things? I'm not really certain which avenue is the right one to take, so I'll just sort of share a tad bit of it all.... BUT.. if you have any questions you'd like answered... at all... just ask away!

alright. I boarded the plan on January 4th and landed here in Sydney on January 6th. fourteen hours is a long time. just let me tell you that, straight off. the flights were boring and uneventful. the very best kind of flights I suppose. one thing that was interesting to me was the yawning. you know how yawns are contagious? well they are. but there were a couple times on the flights that I caught a strangers yawn, or they caught mine... and it was.... awkward. awkward, yet interesting. anyway. the plane landed over an hour early, what with the wind working to our advantage, which was alright. it means you have to wait for them to find a spot to let you off, and maybe your ride won't be there yet, but I was quite alright with it. I had time to get my bearings and even freshen up just a bit. my dear friend Alanna was the one to pick me up and it's actually her family's home that I'm staying at. things are backwards here. (although they would probably say the same thing about us...) they drive on the left side of the road and the drivers side in the car is on the right. it makes your heart race a little at first, when you're sitting in the (north american) drivers seat with no control and they turn into the (north american) oncoming traffic lane. maybe it teaches you trust or something... I'm sure someone clever could work that into a lesson or something...

so that thursday morning, Alanna and I went for a coffee.... and I have to say a latte is just better here. I'm not sure what it is... the type of milk they use or the way they steam it, but something makes them wonderful. then we went back "home" and I showered and felt human again. THEN, we went and had a very tasty Thai lunch. There are heaps of Thai restaurants around here and it's fairly affordable. I suppose Thailand is closer to Australia than Canada. After lunch, Alanna had a wedding to go to, so I took the opportunity to I adventure around in this area where I'm staying. it's a really fun area to live... there's a close street that is chocked full of cafe's and bookstores, and secondhand clothing shops. and it was so lovely to be able to stretch my legs after such a long time of sitting. I did some unpacking and setting up my room.... and managed to stay awake until seven pm. but I simply could not keep my eyes open any longer. so from seven till about nine, I slept. napped. whichever you'd like to call it. after that I had a late dinner and a good visit with Alanna's dad. He's cool. Her whole family is pretty cool actually. I was in bed by 10:30 and it wasn't hard to convince my body to go back to sleep when it tried to wake up at 5:30 in the morning. I slept until 8:30.... and was/am pretty proud of how well I've adjusted to the change.

friday was a full day, and in a really nice way. we (Alanna's mum, Alanna and I) drove up the coast a couple of hours to visit Alanna's grandma. she's cute. we got to eat fish 'n chips and I had a wonderful smoothie that was comprised of banana's and honey and toasted almonds. I'd like to figure out that recipe when I go home! Alanna and I got dropped off at the beach for a while and it was basically a miracle that we could have a beach day. it had rained the whole time we drove up the coast, but once we arrived, it was a perfect sort of day. it was somewhat busy since this is their summer break from school. we went in the water for maybe 10 minutes and I realized that I am, indeed from the prairies. one wave finally got the better of me and I was done for the time being.... content to lay in the sweet sunshine and soak in the warmth it gives. about 15 minutes later, the lifeguard (or "lifesaver" as they're commonly referred to here) made an announcement, but we couldn't make out what he was saying. it wasn't until we were walking back to the cafe to meet Alanna'a mum, that we saw that no one was in the water anymore. and all along the shoreline were "blue bottles". google it. they're a wicked little thing... similar to a jellyfish with a long string thing that they wrap around you. and it hurts like heck. from what I hear. I missed out on experiencing that firsthand... and I'm more than okay with that. it also clouded right over as we walked off the beach. I'm not even kidding you. I also got to see a beautiful rainbow bird... I'm not sure what they're actually called. but they sure are amazing. I also got to do some grocery shopping. which is always fun in a new place. that sounded sarcastic, but I'm being very serious.

mmm... on saturday I went to a market.... thing. like a flea market. and I bought a dress and a top. ....

this post has begun to feel long....

so I'd like to wrap it up. so that I can post again on another day.

just a few more highlights.

sunday evening I went to church, and it was so lovely. it's a pretty young crowd and the teacing was very Bible-based. we're learning about Jonah. I love that story. after church we went to a cafe and I had a milkshake. (and yesterday I realized, to my horror, that I hadn't paid when I left the cafe!! the dine and dasher strikes again! so I went back and explained my story to them... offering to pay. they were very kind and told me not to worry about it. but just the same.... I couldn't bring myself to leave a resume there.) after the cafe we went to the beach.... and there was this amazing thing happening. the waves that were crashing a ways out had a blue light coming from within. I should do some research. it was so neat. THEN, after the beach, we went to McDonalds. all in all, a very good evening. so yesterday I handed out ten resumes and tonight I'm going into the city with Alanna, and I'll drop some off there too. anyway, I polished yesterday off by going for a very brief run with Alanna and then we painted our nails afterwards.

ok. I'm all worded out for now.

peace.