Left Of Way

So, I just had to add a little something here about the weirdness of living in a "left of way" place. You know what I mean, I country w/ drivers on the left side of the road. Not only is this an interesting phenomenon in itself, but it has some implications that extend even further than the road.

First of all, I haven't been behind a wheel in a car here, so I don't fully know what it's like. Of course, the steering wheel in on the "wrong" side, so I have, as a passenger, embarrassed myself a few times by trying to climb into the driver's side of the vehicle. The scooter we drive doesn't "feel" like an Australian scooter because it's just "normal". This can be tricky because one can easily lapse and forget where one is ("Ah, Jonathan! Left side of the road!" I've been known to scream as we turn onto a new street, holding on for dear life...).

I think what's far more interesting, is how this "left" business affects all traffic situations. On our first run here together, we (naturally) started out on the right side of the path. We soon realized, however, that people gave us funny looks before yielding to us; they were all running straight at us. We were supposed to run on left side too! We are far more intentional now as we go on runs. At the grocery store the same rules are followed. When passing, unless stopping to look for items, of course, keep left.

It's still tricky though, even thinking through "passing" situations. Hmmm. If we pass on the left in America, we should pass on the right here in Aussieland. I feel like I'm always doing that here. Thinking to myself -- "well, if I normally look left first before crossing a street, I should now look right first" and so on. It is still far from being natural, let me tell you. Usually I end up looking "left, right, left again, right again" before crossing the street. Then I stop halfway across and try to remember from what direction a car would come in that next lane. I am not very good at this left way of thinking!

Jonny's Dream Come True

Jonathan's dream of owning a surfboard is now a reality. This week he purchased this board from a surf shop just down the street. Although they mostly sell new boards, they occasionally get used ones to resell. This fine 7 foot 6 inch board was just sold to the shop from a surfer who was leaving to return home after a holiday. That made for perfect timing -- since the store owner says that used boards rarely hang around for more than a few days before they're taken.

You may not have to do more than glance at these pictures to feel the joy that my husband is experiencing:). We'll just say that not all athletic endeavors involving this board have produced the same quantity of joy (he's been throttled a couple of times). However, he is getting better all the time and it's fun to watch. I plan on busting a move on the board pretty soon myself. While he's been rocking the waves of Maroochydore Beach, I've been enjoying swimming and my leisurely reading on the beach (we're both currently devouring Harry Potter -- I admit, I have taught for almost three years and hadn't cracked open a cover from the series). Stay tuned for more surfing news to come -- hopefully none that involve the sh--k word!

Waterfall Hike

Here are a few pictures from the little hike we took this past weekend. We are already thankful about our scooter purchase because it has made little trips like this one possible. This rain forest is located about ten minutes away by scooter, in the little area where Jonathan works on Tuesdays and Thursdays. We plan to go back again and swim in the pools below the falls. When we went it was Australia Day weekend and there were lots of families enjoying it too. I bet it's quieter on a weekday.

Australia Day!

Did anyone know that there was such a thing as "Australia Day"? We sure didn't until we got here and found out what it was this weekend. It is the day that Australians celebrate the landing of of the first British explorers on Australia, or rather, the day they celebrate what it means to be Australian (as no one we talked to really knew the historical significance). It's similar to the 4th of July to us Americans, and since it falls in the summertime here, it is a day to be spent with family and friends around the old "barbie" -- with a few beers as well. The official day was the 26th, which fell on a Saturday. We had quite the day that day.

It all started with an exciting new purchase. The day before, Friday, we happened upon a motorcycle dealership and decided to snoop around a bit. We walked over to the scooter section and immediately began dreaming of all the cool places a scooter could take us. After all, we were surviving on foot mostly (and on the public transportation system on Tues/Thurs. for Jonathan) and were obviously limited as far as how much we could see. After a little conversation with an employee there, we left with an intense desire to purchase one. After all, we reckoned, we could sell it in May for a little bit less (or more -- mostly kidding) and get some incredible perks while we're here. We thought about it, prayed about it, and decided to go for it on Saturday, Australia Day! We are now proud owners of a 2006 Hyosung Rally Scooter (see picture above) + two matching helmets! We have taken it to the store a few times, to an awesome rainforest hike, and to the beach down south. It'll sure be fun to see what adventures lie ahead for us on the adventuremobile!

Okay, so after our early afternoon purchase, we headed south to Mooloolaba with some housemates of ours to celebrate Australia Day. We brought along some sausages, or "snags" as they call them to grill on the pretty intense public grills (they know how to do it right here in the Oz -- see photo above). We hung out there for a bit and watched the fireworks over the water. As you can see from the other picture, there were a few other people that decided to join us!

The Maroochy Shire

Yes, we are officially on Australian turf! We have actually been here five days now and they’ve been a bit wild and crazy. To begin with, we didn’t fly out of Fiji on the 18th until 1:30am (our departure time was 8:40pm). That put is into the Brisbane airport at about 3:30 in the morning. Instead of figuring out public transportation to our hostile, we slept at the airport for an hour or so before boarding the first bus headed north to Maroochydore.

Maroochydore is a coastal city of about 18,000, or so it says on the little website I just visited. It sits right at the mouth of the Maroochy River and it definitely has the feel of a beach town. We’ve spent time at the ocean every day so far (from body-boarding and swimming to Jonathan’s first attempt at surfing) and it is certainly part of the culture here. There are tons of surfers in the water all day long, and we’ve both witnessed lots of swimming groups and even a rowing practice with at least a hundred kids (from probably kindergarten to high schoolers). There is definitely a laid back atmosphere here, as this is the spot that many Australian families come to celebrate holidays (we call them vacations).

As soon as we arrived we began the search for housing. We’d booked a few nights at a hostile here but were hoping to get into a place right away. It’s amazing how after only a week we were both dying to get out of our suitcases and feel settled. Well, the house hunt proved a bit overwhelming. We told everyone we talked with (real estate agents here handle rental & holiday bookings too – which is interesting) that we wanted three things: a furnished place, a place located as close to Jonathan’s work as possible, and a rental for as little money as possible. Most everyone laughed when they heard what we hoped to pay. We realized after a day of hunting that our “ideal” might not exist, sadly☺. So we started looking for shared accommodation. Of course, this was not what we initially had planned, but we soon realized it was our only realistic option. A few phone calls, visits, and an hour (at least) of lugging our belongings through the streets of Maroochydore (all done by Amy while Jonathan was at work on Monday!), and we are finally settled in our “home” for the next 3 ½ months.

We live in a lovely beach house literally on the same block as Jonathan’s PT clinic. Jonathan just walks around the corner and can make it to work in a minute or two. This is such a huge blessing, especially coming from long commutes!! There are a few great perks of living here (besides, obviously, the location, which also happens to be a block from the beach – the PT clinic is across the street from it). The perks include: air-conditioning, free laundry, and free wireless internet (yahoo!!!). So, we feel like the Lord really did answer our prayers. He is proving himself faithful, yet again. This place is perfect. Even if we do share it with a few people (some really nice Aussies), we are starting to feel at home already.

Another huge answer to prayer happened yesterday. After a day and half of job hunting, I found a job! I was getting pretty discouraging because I was visiting just about every shop along the Esplanade (there is this great street here with tons of shops, restaurants and boutiques right near where we live) and everyone asked two questions first: Are you looking for a permanent job? Are you willing to work weekends? Of course, my answer to both was “no” and this was not helping my job prospects. Yesterday, however, I stopped back into a little sandwich/coffee shop and brought my resume. I had the opportunity to sit down with the owner (a native of Nebraska of all places!) and was hired on the spot. The best part is that the café shares a wall with Jonathan’s PT clinic, so we’re literally right next door! It is funny, in hind sight, how I ever even doubt for a second that the Lord will provide. Needless to say, I am excited to start work (I start next Tuesday) and I am learning new things about myself every day (the first being that I am much better at being busy than being quiet and relaxing). I will save that for another blog, however☺. For now, I am going to take my sister’s advice and go for a long “adventure trek”, or whatever she calls them. I’m going to get my ipod rolling, bring along a little snack, and see how far I can walk and what I can observe as I walk the path towards Mooloolaba. It should be interesting☺…

Life in Fiji

Life is very “chill” here. “Fiji time” is what locals refer to the tendency everyone has towards being at least fifteen minutes late. We have certainly been enjoying the change of pace. We’ve both spent more time in the last few days reading and relaxing than we have during the entire time we spent in Frisco. I finished The Kite Runner (thanks, Aunt Gayle) and am now midway through The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (thanks, Janie). Jonathan has been glued to his new Mechanical Shoulder Disorders book. Right now he has busted into his second “best seller”, Orthopaedic Clinical Examination: An Evidenced-Based Approach for Physical Therapists. Sounds great, huh?

In addition to reading to our hearts content, we’ve been able to snorkel a couple of times (we go straight out from the Beachouse to the coral reef). We’ve also taken the sea kayaks for a few whirls. Each afternoon we have 4:00 tea & scones followed by an intense few hours of volleyball. I, of course, have loved this (as has Jonathan). There are absolutely no rules. Kind of like the “Fiji time”, there is “Fiji volleyball”. You can hang all over the net if you want to, swat the ball with open hands, and you’ll never hear the “tweet” of a whistle. This has obviously taken some getting used to, but what can you do? I’ve just enjoyed the chance to touch a volleyball. And there is nothing quite like a volleyball court with the ocean as the backdrop!

Trekking Through the Rainforest

A few days ago we thought we’d go for a hike. We went and asked the lady at the front desk where we could go, thinking we’d just jump on some marked trail or something. She said that what we were looking for was nonexistent, but that we should join one of the jungle treks departing from the Beachouse. Today we took the trek with our tour guide, Jutah. We now understand that we could never have explored the jungles of Fiji on our own!

Jutah was an excellent guide. After all, he takes guests from the Beachouse nearly six days a week and has done so for the last six years! In addition to knowing his way perfectly through the maze of foliage, Jutah knew all about using the plants in the jungle for survival. “Fiji jungle: grocery store and pharmacy,” he said. He showed us how roots of certain plants can be ground, boiled, and used to cure the cough. He told us about the plant that you eat for breakfast and you get so full, you don’t need lunch or dinner. Of course he had dozens of other things he shared. He was very excited when he learned I was a teacher and might share some of his information with my students. I don’t know if he was as excited to hear that Jonathan is studying to become a kind of doctor. He pointed out how his ancestors, surviving off of natural products, lived long, healthy lives. With the existence of hospitals and modern medicine now days, his people are surprisingly less healthy. As you can tell, the entire trip was certainly more than just a hike; it was a cultural experience!

I’m sure you can tell from the pictures, the ground of this entire three-hour trek was mud – and Jutah did it all barefoot! I (Amy) have always had this “thing” about being barefoot. It sends shivers up my spine! I don’t think I would have done this hike for $1,000 without shoes! So, of course, it made it all the more amazing that this man has done it thousands of time without shoes! Jonathan and I were happy in our chaco sandles…and we still got PLENTY of mud all over ourselves!

We ended up at a beautiful waterfall were Jutah, despite my protesting, made us climb up into the middle of the waterfall. I kept looking back over my shoulder to where he was waiting with our camera to take our picture. He kept pointing and motioning for me to continue climbing and he wouldn’t take no for an answer. I’m glad we did it and I’m even more glad that I survivedJ. What an adventure…