Australia (part 1): G'day, mate!

We have been in Australia for about forty hours now, and yes, someone has greeted me by saying
"G'day!" But I suppose I should back up to before we left America. The two days of training were intense. The weather was hot and muggy, the rehearsal hours exhausting. But those two days were precious; our group laughed and bonded over devotions and Chucks meals. The morning that we left, the ladies from Christian ministries served us a delicious brunch that we followed with a thank-you concert that drew over 100 people. After wrapping miles of microphone and instrument cables and loading our luggage in the trailer, we piled into vans and drove to the airport. We couldn't believe it; we were actually going.


The flight went on. And on. And on. I commented to Hope while we ate dinner in the Dayton airport about how strange it was to think that in 24 hours, we would STILL be en route to Melbourne. We were right; it was strange. First, we bombarded through several  unexpected obstacles. As soon as we entered the Dayton airport to check our bags and fly to Dallas, we were told that the 75 lb. weight limit for checked luggage was a myth; all of our bags could weigh no more than 50 lbs. Thus, the nineteen of us spent 30 minutes sitting on the floor next to the American Airlines desk exchanging belongings to fill the light suitcases and empty the heavy ones. Later, our 16 hour flight from Dallas to Brisbane was delayed 45 minutes because the bus transporting the flight crew to the airport broke down. No matter; we spent the time exploring the HUGE airport and drinking smoothies. The flight itself was LONG, but not awful. Brandon and I were in the same row with an empty seat in between us, which we used to stow our extra stuff. Since the flight was overnight, we slept for several hours and spent the remainder reading, talking, and watching movies. The food wasn’t half-bad either, although we all had swollen ankles by the time we disembarked. Which brings us to our next obstacle. Taylor and Brandon had been told in Dallas that they could not bring their guitars on board the plane, and were forced to gate-check their instruments. Upon our landing in Brisbane, however, the guitars did not arrive with the rest of our baggage at customs. After several discussions with airport personnel, no one seemed to know what had happened to the guitars. To complicate matters, our previous flight delay bumped us back onto the next flight into Melbourne with not enough seats for all 19 of us, splitting us up onto two separate flights. Thank God, we all landed in Melbourne safely (eventually), and so did the guitars.


So Australia. After over 24 hours of travel, we made it! Our bus driver, Danny, picked us up at the airport and took us to the Victorian Markets in downtown Melbourne for lunch. Then, we went to Suburban Church to meet our host families. Sarah and I are staying with Paul and Fiona, their four kids (the youngest is 10, oldest 17), a cat, and a guide-dog in training. The oldest three are camping for the weekend, although we did get to meet them today. After getting settled in at the house, Fiona served “authentic Australian fish and chips” before we drove back to Suburban for a family fun night. It reminded me of a church lock-in, partially because my body was telling me that it was six o’clock in the morning rather than eight o’clock in the evening. Justin, Darris, Shaun and I were all on the same team, and had a great time creating an impromptu Mexican hat dance, shooting plastic animals with “blowdarts,” and wrapping Shaun in toilet paper with the rest of our team. Our group was also asked to sing, which didn’t sound so pretty because we were all super tired and had no rehearsal to mix our sound. Hopefully, we didn’t drive anyone away with that particular performance; but it was fun nonetheless. Once the night was over, Sarah and I arrived back at the house around 9:30 and went straight to bed.


This morning, I woke up very stiff and sore, but surprisingly rested. Sarah and I both slept so soundly that the dog barking at 7:00 did not even cause us to stir. Fiona served sticky buns with currents for breakfast, and then Paul drove us to Suburban for our first rehearsal with our rental equipment. We were supposed to be finished by one in the afternoon, but due to some difficulties with our sound equipment, we didn’t start singing until then. However, as is the trend, everything worked out fine. The extra time gave us a chance to chat, take a few pictures, and enjoy relaxing. After rehearsal, Sarah and I went out to the Australian bush with Paul, Fiona, and their youngest daughter, Alyssa. The older three kids are on a camping trip out in the bush – similar to Boy and Girl Scouts – but today was Karen’s thirteenth birthday. We brought her a cake and walked around for a while looking at eucalyptus trees and talking to some of the camp workers. One young girl commented about my accent; it’s strange to be the one speaking with an accent. It is almost humbling in a way, because it reminds me that not everyone on earth is just like me.


We drove home, slowly to look for kangaroos lurking in the trees. (We didn’t find one yet; I’ll be sure to tell you at the first sighting.) Dinner was delicious; Fiona made corned beef and vegetables, but it tasted very different from the corned beef in America. Afterwards, we sat around chatting over fresh fruit and toffee ice cream before Sarah and I decided that it was bed time. Even though it is only a little after 9:30, we are exhausted and have to leave the house close to seven tomorrow morning. Sleep it is. Thanks for reading! Leave a comment :)


Random Australia fact #1: On the roads, Australia has “Give Way” signs instead of yield signs, and drivers “overtake” slow-moving cars rather than pass them.


Random Australia fact #2: Tipping only happens in Australian restaurants that are very fancy and extremely expensive, and only if the customer is feeling generous. That’s okay though, because servers make around $20/hr.


Random Australia fact #3: A chicken in Australia, particularly a hen, is called a “chook.”


Random Australia fact #4: In Australian homes, bathrooms and toilets are not the same thing. The toilet is called, well, a toilet, and is in a room separate from the shower and the sink.


Random Australia fact #5: Store-bought birthday cake is SO GOOD. Very unlike store-bought American cake...


That’s all for now. Goodnight, Australia. Good morning, America!