So I've obviously dropped the ball on finishing this blog, apologies. I am home now!! I finished up my time in Australia, with one last trip to the Gold Coast (north of Brisbane). I met up with Andy Scalas for his wedding! He got married to Amy-Joy, and I was just lucky to get invited and meet up with them. I also spent a few days with my friend JT, who I actually met in NZ. Had a few wild nights, was fun!
I came back to Jervis Bay and enjoyed my last few weeks before I returned back to CA. I couldn't have been more grateful for my time in OZ and the great friends I made. I'm so glad I made the decision to go and have another fantastic experience. I was lucky enough to land another amazing family and really just walk away with memories to last a life time. Fiona and Simon are now living in Virginia since Simon got deployed to Quantico, near Washington DC. I hope to see them soon!
Now I'm home and starting my life...well trying to get my feet down and settle somewhere. I'll never be finished traveling, and I can't wait to continue on. Hope you've enjoyed my notes and traveling with me on my last two years!
Find the joy in your life...I definitely have! God bless
Jani the Nanny
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
New Zealand!!
Hello everyone!
I just got back recently from a week holiday traveling New Zealand!! I had the best time, and highly recommend coming to this country! It really is a nature-lovers beautiful country, and everyone is super nice and helpful (a lot like Oz).
I flew in to Auckland in the North Island, and spent a day touring the city. It's kinda like a mini-SF, and I covered it quicker than I thought. Being an American, I'm not used to these so called "cities" that are the size of Santa Barbara or smaller. Weather was kinda crummy, so this day wasn't all that exciting, but was just nice to be out and doing something different. I did meet up with my friend Jordan for dinner that night, and that was great. She was the Bonavita's previous Au Pair from a year ago, who is now living in NZ.
Sunday Morning, I took a very early flight down to Queenstown on the bottom of the South Island. I LOVED Queenstown! It's like a small Lake Tahoe with obvious adventurous attractions. There was still snow on the mountains, but not in the valleys where I was staying. This small town is truly beautiful and would definitely go back there if I can. I quickly located my hostel, which basically was a small cabin close to town, and very social. I immediately met lots of people. The moment I dropped my bags, I asked the guy who checked me in, to see about Bungy Jumping...yes! It was 11am at the time, and I was then signed up for a 2o'clock jump. I knew I just HAD to do it this day, because if I waited, I would have more time to think and probably would have backed out. This was a challenge for me of course, more than anything. When else in my life and where will the timing be better!?! Life is great and I wanted to celebrate that by doing something totally crazy and rewarding! Of course, I did not tell my mom or family because bringing on that worry is just totally unnecessary! Even though I'm safe now, I still don't think she approves that ;) Sorry mom. As I was waiting to be taken to the jump, I sat down and met 2 other Americans going on the same jump. Instantly, it's like you have new best friends because you're in the same boat together. Or in this case, the same pod or rope. Becoming each other's cheer squad, we road up to the Nevis Bungy Jump which stands at 134 meters!! It's the biggest in the world, and the 3rd I think in the world. Totally and utterly crazy, I know. Luckily, I was pumped and too excited to really realize what was going on to freak out and back out. I was proud of myself, just went through the motions and thought "okay, this is it...this is really happening! Lets go!!" We went out there, and took care of business. With my new friends and rockin' music, I did it!! I actually did it and the feeling the whole time is just priceless, like nothing else. It goes against everything in your heart, mind and body to do this and that was the challenge I overcame. I physically had to push myself and do this. Just me. Who knows if I'll ever do it again, but I'm so glad I did it then and there. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.
Monday, I took a day tour to Milford Sound which is one of nature's beauty highlights. I took a long tour bus ride west to this location where glaciers passed though (and are still passing) thousands of years ago. The weather wasn't clear, but at least it wasn't raining. Don't think my pictures do any justice, but it was really breathtaking and spectacular. Ironically, I was joined by my two roommates that I was staying with at the hostel in Queenstown. So, it was nice having someone to talk to. They were from Germany and very nice.
Tuesday, I shopped and walked around town with my other new friend Vicky. We were told that we just HAD to eat a burger at the FergBurger. I can never pass up a burger, so we did. It was huge, and delicious, but I still think the In and Out, or my Dad's burgers are the best! ;) That afternoon, I took a flight back up to Auckland. I wish I had one more day in Queenstown, I just loved it!
Wednesday, I had a full tour day. I was picked up very early to then drive down to Rotorua, which is where the Mudpools and Natural Springs and Geysers are. Supposedly, the earths lava is only about 7km from the surface here, which is very shallow in comparison to how big our earth is. I know, it's just "mud," but to see it actually seeping out of the ground on it's own, is pretty cool and weird. The geysers are continuously shooting into the air releasing pressure. The natural springs are like huge spas, but most are waaaaay too hot to soak up in. There was definitely a smell of sulfur in the area...not so lovely. In this small town, we also went through a NZ wildlife zoo. I got to see an actually Kiwi animal. It's very small and not really what I was expecting, but cool! Fun to say I got to see one ;) Then, I was taken to Waitamo Caves a few hours away. On the drive there, I met this really cool guy who was my tour guide. He was a NZ local, has been married for almost 50 years, and does these tours for fun. Just a very cool guy to talk to and reminded me of my Grandpa Irelan with the good positive outlook on life. Very uplifting and nice to see in a complete stranger! Anyways, Waitamo Caves is a place where you can go on a boat on water through these caves underground and see glowwarms everywhere. Reminded me of a Disneyland trip. Unfortunately and obviously, I couldn't take pictures since everything there is so delicate and old. Was a very quick tour, but very unique and awesome. This tour was great because not only did I see these locations, but I saw a lot of the country by just driving. Lots of sheep, cows, wineries, and just green country. My guides were very helpful and informative with so much "Kiwi" information.
Thursday, I was supposed to take a sail around Auckland, since it is know as the city of sails, but it was raining and my tour got canceled. It was okay though, because I thought it'd then be nice just to have a day of no tours/activities. I quickly made friends with a girl from Ireland, one from Germany, and Finland. We all just spent the day shopping, and went and saw a movie. Was nice just being with people my age, doing what I do and like. Made me miss my friends at home... That night, we went out to a few bars and had a grand old time. Felt good and I know I needed a day like that. Jordan, my other friend, also met up for a bit.
Friday afternoon, I flew back to Sydney. At this point, I was just tired and broke and was looking forward to being home. Saturday morning, I got up early and went and toured around the Sydney Opera House and harbor. Took some pictures too, since I haven't even done that yet! I'll be back there soon though to really spend more time, as the weather gets better. That afternoon, I took the train back home. Good to be home after a crazy, busy but fun week on my own. The girls were in Melbourne at the grandparents, and Fiona was picking them up, and Simon was away for work...so I had 3 whole days of the house to myself. So nice!
Overall, I just had the BEST time in NZ. I really needed a trip like that! It reminded me again why I love to travel so much and do all these crazy things. I made so many new friends, that I know I'll be in touch with for who knows how long, but made some great memories with them! I really feel like I got a great grip of the country, and did what I went to do.
Now I'm home, back in Jervis Bay!! Well....tomorrow, we are actually off to Queensland again. Fiona has her highschool reunion, so we are all going up for a long holiday. I'm really excited, as it's going to be warm, beautiful beaches, and I'll possibly get to get out on the islands! It's the most southern part of the Great Barrier Reef. Should be beautiful! After this trip, we're all here for good. I'll be reporting on that as soon as I can after I get back!! Cheers!
Can you believe I'm coming home in 9 weeks!!?
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Long overdue update!
G'day all!
I'm so guilty of not writing on here lately, especially since it's been a crazy and fun last 2 months! Apologies for the wait ;)
So July, yes we celebrated Independence Day here with the Aussies! It was so cool to get together with Australian Navy officers to celebrate my American holiday! A large group of our friends on the base got together, and we had a mini potluck at the bar here. I brought bacon wrapped sausages, and mississippi caviar, and everyone else brought some other finger food. Most everyone was dressed up in their "American" attire, wearing our flag, colors, etc. They were totally into it, and I was very impressed and happy they were. Figure they know how important that day is to America, and knowing I'm here, they made the best of it all. What fun!
Soon after the 4th, my family here received some awesome news!! They are being relocated to AMERICA!!! They move to Quantico (by Washington D.C.) just after the New Year. They are very excited to move alllllll the way to America. Jasmine couldn't be happier about the move, she wants to go today! To her, America is where all the movies, shows and fashion comes from (true). She asks me questions all the time about how kids are in America, what we eat, do for fun, weather, etc. JJ gets it, and Anise is looking at it like she's going to the restaurant down the road...exciting, but doesn't get the whole scope of it, of course. I'm stoked for the family! I told them, they don't even know what they are in for! Definitely will make it out to see them over the 2-3 years they will be there. And, I'll obviously get to go see my cousins Lori, Gary and kids in Virginia Beach! So, we're all getting exciting for Christmas and that time already....great news!
I got to join the family for a week holiday on the Sunshine Coast, mid-July. I loved it! Knew nothing about this area, but it turned into such a simple, relaxing, good shopping and food holiday. It's about 2 hours north of Brisbane in Queensland (about 10 hours driving from JB). We actually stayed in a small town called Noosa. It reminded me of a very small and tropical Santa Barbara. Tons of cute boutiques, coffee shops, palm trees, beach, cool people and just all around fun! My luck though, when we arrived, I found my camera battery was dead :( Fiona took a lot of pictures, so I'll hopefully put up a few. It was nice to still be with the family, but on "holiday." Fiona and I really bonded through all the shopping, great times! We did stay a night in Brisbane to hang out with Fiona's brother, but didn't get to see too much of that. How cool is it though to say I went to the Sunshine Coast! Although, I still like our Sunshine CA Coast ;)
The latest big trip I have done is, I went up to Cairns and saw the Great Barrier Reef!! Cairns in in the northeastern Queensland part of Australia, where it's humid, humid, humid. My cousin Gordan's friend Chris was there from Scotland for work, so it was a nice excuse to get up there to meet him and see Cairns. I went up early on a Thursday morning, to enjoy a long weekend. This city, isn't really a city...but kinda is just because it's know for the starting point for a lot of Reef sightseeing and tours. Thursday, I pretty much covered the whole town and just shopped around and figuring out what to do the next few days. I stayed at a really cool hostel where they helped me make all my connections and tours. Friday, I took an old train about 2 hours up into the Daintree Rainforest to another smaller town called Kuranda. Very very, tropical and is supposed to be the oldest rainforest in the world. Kuranda had lots of hippy like shops, and lots of souveniers to gather. The only thing I bought was a scarf, thank goodness. I was already spending money on getting there, my flights up, accomodations, etc. Then, I took the skyrail back. This was like a floating ride at Disneyland it felt. Had my own little compartment, and it was very peacefull floating over the rainforest, and seeing the skyline of Cairns and out over the ocean. It was a great day, and I'm glad I discovered this!
Saturday, I took a very early shuttle up to Port Douglas (about 1.5 hours), to meet up with Chris and his friend to take a Reef Tour that day. Was all fun because Chris and I had never met before, but once we did, it was if we had all along. As soon as we get on the boat to head out to sea, we find that the boat ride is about 2 hours out. Not 20 minutes out, Chris and his friend Jason knew they were going to be sick :( Had a late night before, and the sea was definitely rough. Poor guys! Fortunately, I was good to go! I just joined up with everyone else, and became the Scuba Girl I've always wanted to be! I enjoyed one dive, with the oxygen tank, mask and all. It's pretty serious stuff, but once you get down and used to the feeling, it's absolutely awesome! Had a little problem with one of my ears and the equalibrium of the pressure, but I just took it slow and it wasn't a problem. I had a very nice instructor that helped me adjust, and show me around. We got about 25 minutes or so in the water, and omg, the fish and color is amazing! Was overcast mostly that day, so don't think I had the optimal climate, but even though...it was beautiful! Then I got 2 more scuba dives in, where I just floated and go to look around the reef. On the second dive, I saw a reef shark! Totally harmless, but it was about 12 feet or so from me....very cool. Saw amazing fish and sea life! After my last dive, I enjoyed chomping it up with the crew and just enjoyed jumping off the boat. Since my buddies were sick, I quickly made friends with the crew members who were really fun and cool! We then took shuttle back to Cairns that evening, and we were tired. I was still up for a good night, and Chris had some other friends in town, so we met up with them for dinner and drinks. Had a good time, and had a few brews with them, but nothing crazy. Sunday, I joined the guys again and just had lunch and toured around some more before my flight home. All is all, I had a fantastic trip to Cairns and am so glad I went. Kinda was a bummer my friends were sick and couldn't live up to the full potential...but it was still great and I got to do what I wanted to do! Definitely recommend going to see this Natural Wonder, the Great Barrier Reef. Truly amazing!
I just can't believe it is August 27th already. I'm officially half way through my job and time here in Australia..can you believe it!? Only about 16 weeks until I come home to CA. I have just booked tickets to New Zealand next month, so that's cool! Leaving Sept. 24th-Oct.1st. Have a few friends in Auckland that I'll meet up with, and see most of the north island. Very exciting! Spring officially starts next week, so things are starting to look up for weather. Although, like CA, Australia can't complain too much...pretty mild. August is the month of wind though, annoying! Only going to get better though! I'm also joining the family up to Mackay, another trip up to Queensland, mid-Oct. Fiona has her highschool reunion, so I'm going up to work one night and hang out the others. Hoping to take another day out on the reef, since the Whitsundays are right there. That's where all the official photos of the reef come from, and that's how we picture it. So, should be another fun and tropical trip. But really, that's all I left planned at the moment. Of course hope to see more of Sydney and the Snowy Mountains (east of Sydney), once the weather gets better. Obviously though, I'm just going to enjoy my time here in Jervis Bay once it gets closer to Christmas. Pretty spectacular here during the summer, and I'm so looking forward to it. We all think it's beautiful now, just wait! More pictures were also posted on FB, so hopefully you've seen those too!
Australia is treating me very well as you can see, and I'm still SO happy to be here. The girls and family and friends are doing great. Jasmine and Anise make me laugh everyday :) Also, in memory of our family friend Moe Jones, tell the people you love that you love them at every chance. Take nothing for granted and enjoy your life!! Very unfortunate and sad, but remind yourself to take care and appreciate everything you have. Missing everyone everday and love to you all!
Cheers!
Jani
I'm so guilty of not writing on here lately, especially since it's been a crazy and fun last 2 months! Apologies for the wait ;)
So July, yes we celebrated Independence Day here with the Aussies! It was so cool to get together with Australian Navy officers to celebrate my American holiday! A large group of our friends on the base got together, and we had a mini potluck at the bar here. I brought bacon wrapped sausages, and mississippi caviar, and everyone else brought some other finger food. Most everyone was dressed up in their "American" attire, wearing our flag, colors, etc. They were totally into it, and I was very impressed and happy they were. Figure they know how important that day is to America, and knowing I'm here, they made the best of it all. What fun!
Soon after the 4th, my family here received some awesome news!! They are being relocated to AMERICA!!! They move to Quantico (by Washington D.C.) just after the New Year. They are very excited to move alllllll the way to America. Jasmine couldn't be happier about the move, she wants to go today! To her, America is where all the movies, shows and fashion comes from (true). She asks me questions all the time about how kids are in America, what we eat, do for fun, weather, etc. JJ gets it, and Anise is looking at it like she's going to the restaurant down the road...exciting, but doesn't get the whole scope of it, of course. I'm stoked for the family! I told them, they don't even know what they are in for! Definitely will make it out to see them over the 2-3 years they will be there. And, I'll obviously get to go see my cousins Lori, Gary and kids in Virginia Beach! So, we're all getting exciting for Christmas and that time already....great news!
I got to join the family for a week holiday on the Sunshine Coast, mid-July. I loved it! Knew nothing about this area, but it turned into such a simple, relaxing, good shopping and food holiday. It's about 2 hours north of Brisbane in Queensland (about 10 hours driving from JB). We actually stayed in a small town called Noosa. It reminded me of a very small and tropical Santa Barbara. Tons of cute boutiques, coffee shops, palm trees, beach, cool people and just all around fun! My luck though, when we arrived, I found my camera battery was dead :( Fiona took a lot of pictures, so I'll hopefully put up a few. It was nice to still be with the family, but on "holiday." Fiona and I really bonded through all the shopping, great times! We did stay a night in Brisbane to hang out with Fiona's brother, but didn't get to see too much of that. How cool is it though to say I went to the Sunshine Coast! Although, I still like our Sunshine CA Coast ;)
The latest big trip I have done is, I went up to Cairns and saw the Great Barrier Reef!! Cairns in in the northeastern Queensland part of Australia, where it's humid, humid, humid. My cousin Gordan's friend Chris was there from Scotland for work, so it was a nice excuse to get up there to meet him and see Cairns. I went up early on a Thursday morning, to enjoy a long weekend. This city, isn't really a city...but kinda is just because it's know for the starting point for a lot of Reef sightseeing and tours. Thursday, I pretty much covered the whole town and just shopped around and figuring out what to do the next few days. I stayed at a really cool hostel where they helped me make all my connections and tours. Friday, I took an old train about 2 hours up into the Daintree Rainforest to another smaller town called Kuranda. Very very, tropical and is supposed to be the oldest rainforest in the world. Kuranda had lots of hippy like shops, and lots of souveniers to gather. The only thing I bought was a scarf, thank goodness. I was already spending money on getting there, my flights up, accomodations, etc. Then, I took the skyrail back. This was like a floating ride at Disneyland it felt. Had my own little compartment, and it was very peacefull floating over the rainforest, and seeing the skyline of Cairns and out over the ocean. It was a great day, and I'm glad I discovered this!
Saturday, I took a very early shuttle up to Port Douglas (about 1.5 hours), to meet up with Chris and his friend to take a Reef Tour that day. Was all fun because Chris and I had never met before, but once we did, it was if we had all along. As soon as we get on the boat to head out to sea, we find that the boat ride is about 2 hours out. Not 20 minutes out, Chris and his friend Jason knew they were going to be sick :( Had a late night before, and the sea was definitely rough. Poor guys! Fortunately, I was good to go! I just joined up with everyone else, and became the Scuba Girl I've always wanted to be! I enjoyed one dive, with the oxygen tank, mask and all. It's pretty serious stuff, but once you get down and used to the feeling, it's absolutely awesome! Had a little problem with one of my ears and the equalibrium of the pressure, but I just took it slow and it wasn't a problem. I had a very nice instructor that helped me adjust, and show me around. We got about 25 minutes or so in the water, and omg, the fish and color is amazing! Was overcast mostly that day, so don't think I had the optimal climate, but even though...it was beautiful! Then I got 2 more scuba dives in, where I just floated and go to look around the reef. On the second dive, I saw a reef shark! Totally harmless, but it was about 12 feet or so from me....very cool. Saw amazing fish and sea life! After my last dive, I enjoyed chomping it up with the crew and just enjoyed jumping off the boat. Since my buddies were sick, I quickly made friends with the crew members who were really fun and cool! We then took shuttle back to Cairns that evening, and we were tired. I was still up for a good night, and Chris had some other friends in town, so we met up with them for dinner and drinks. Had a good time, and had a few brews with them, but nothing crazy. Sunday, I joined the guys again and just had lunch and toured around some more before my flight home. All is all, I had a fantastic trip to Cairns and am so glad I went. Kinda was a bummer my friends were sick and couldn't live up to the full potential...but it was still great and I got to do what I wanted to do! Definitely recommend going to see this Natural Wonder, the Great Barrier Reef. Truly amazing!
I just can't believe it is August 27th already. I'm officially half way through my job and time here in Australia..can you believe it!? Only about 16 weeks until I come home to CA. I have just booked tickets to New Zealand next month, so that's cool! Leaving Sept. 24th-Oct.1st. Have a few friends in Auckland that I'll meet up with, and see most of the north island. Very exciting! Spring officially starts next week, so things are starting to look up for weather. Although, like CA, Australia can't complain too much...pretty mild. August is the month of wind though, annoying! Only going to get better though! I'm also joining the family up to Mackay, another trip up to Queensland, mid-Oct. Fiona has her highschool reunion, so I'm going up to work one night and hang out the others. Hoping to take another day out on the reef, since the Whitsundays are right there. That's where all the official photos of the reef come from, and that's how we picture it. So, should be another fun and tropical trip. But really, that's all I left planned at the moment. Of course hope to see more of Sydney and the Snowy Mountains (east of Sydney), once the weather gets better. Obviously though, I'm just going to enjoy my time here in Jervis Bay once it gets closer to Christmas. Pretty spectacular here during the summer, and I'm so looking forward to it. We all think it's beautiful now, just wait! More pictures were also posted on FB, so hopefully you've seen those too!
Australia is treating me very well as you can see, and I'm still SO happy to be here. The girls and family and friends are doing great. Jasmine and Anise make me laugh everyday :) Also, in memory of our family friend Moe Jones, tell the people you love that you love them at every chance. Take nothing for granted and enjoy your life!! Very unfortunate and sad, but remind yourself to take care and appreciate everything you have. Missing everyone everday and love to you all!
Cheers!
Jani
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Sunshine Coast!
G'day!
We leave for the Sunshine Coast tomorrow for a week! The family and are fly into Brisbane for a night, then going to the coast for a few days. This coast is north of Sydney in Queensland, and is supposed to be very nice and a lot warmer than here. Just a week of relaxing and exploring, can't wait. Will be great to actually wear a skirt or tank top!
All is good here...however I've sprained my foot while running on the beach. Guess that was my pinch of reality :( Small setback, but minor to what's in store for me this month. Have another trip planned to Cairns soon after this trip. I'll get into that on my next blog.
Hope everyone had a safe and fun 4th of July! Miss lots!
Jani
Friday, June 4, 2010
Forgot to mention...
I realized I forgot to mention a few points that you might find interesting...
Kangaroos are EVERYWHERE! There are literally hundreds of them, that run in packs, and come within feet of me everyday. Very interesting animals and supposedly very dumb. Not dangerous, but they'll stand a stare at you even if you're 5 feet away. Anise always comments on how cute they are...she thinks everything is cute ;)
The seasons are the complete opposite here than home. Winter has just begun, so it is stormy and cold. Nothing like Sweden, but it's weird to not be going through a summer right now. We're staying pretty warm with fires and heaters in our rooms, but still strange to hear about the 90 degree weather at home, and not have that here. I hear that Sept/Oct. will start to warm up since that will be the Spring time here. There are a lot of opposites here that I'm still getting used to.
This includes the driving...yes, they drive on the left side of the road. The steering wheel is on the right side of the car also. It was really only weird the first few times I drove, then it just became normal I guess. I just have to think about it constantly, as I'm getting into the car , turning, parking, new lanes, etc. Basically all the time. But it's not too bad. I still have to learn how to drive manually their way...oh what a scary challenge! Wish me luck...
I'm loving the accents of course! Still boggles me to be living in a foreign country where everyone speaks english. Following Sweden, this is a HUGE change and convenience for me. I'm still half expecting to hit a language barrier when I go to the grocery store or something. So easy now!! And yes, it's a very attractive language ;) I asked Chloe (one Anise's friends) what language she thought I spoke where I come from, and she replied "Bonjourn??" Love it...
Fishing, fishing, fishing!! It's huge here, and I love it. There is a fishing pole here for me that I use, and I'm loving it! Have only gone a few times, but a lot of people are very successful just fishing right here on our beaches. This morning, Simon's mom caught about 5 huge fish! Dinner tonight! Going out with a group to try my fishing soon today...hopefully I'll be lucky too!
Think that's it for now...thought I'd include these little interesting bits. Cheers mate!
Kangaroos are EVERYWHERE! There are literally hundreds of them, that run in packs, and come within feet of me everyday. Very interesting animals and supposedly very dumb. Not dangerous, but they'll stand a stare at you even if you're 5 feet away. Anise always comments on how cute they are...she thinks everything is cute ;)
The seasons are the complete opposite here than home. Winter has just begun, so it is stormy and cold. Nothing like Sweden, but it's weird to not be going through a summer right now. We're staying pretty warm with fires and heaters in our rooms, but still strange to hear about the 90 degree weather at home, and not have that here. I hear that Sept/Oct. will start to warm up since that will be the Spring time here. There are a lot of opposites here that I'm still getting used to.
This includes the driving...yes, they drive on the left side of the road. The steering wheel is on the right side of the car also. It was really only weird the first few times I drove, then it just became normal I guess. I just have to think about it constantly, as I'm getting into the car , turning, parking, new lanes, etc. Basically all the time. But it's not too bad. I still have to learn how to drive manually their way...oh what a scary challenge! Wish me luck...
I'm loving the accents of course! Still boggles me to be living in a foreign country where everyone speaks english. Following Sweden, this is a HUGE change and convenience for me. I'm still half expecting to hit a language barrier when I go to the grocery store or something. So easy now!! And yes, it's a very attractive language ;) I asked Chloe (one Anise's friends) what language she thought I spoke where I come from, and she replied "Bonjourn??" Love it...
Fishing, fishing, fishing!! It's huge here, and I love it. There is a fishing pole here for me that I use, and I'm loving it! Have only gone a few times, but a lot of people are very successful just fishing right here on our beaches. This morning, Simon's mom caught about 5 huge fish! Dinner tonight! Going out with a group to try my fishing soon today...hopefully I'll be lucky too!
Think that's it for now...thought I'd include these little interesting bits. Cheers mate!
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Life has begun down under!
G'Day everyone!
I appologize for the delay on getting this Australian blog started, but everything has just been so exciting and busy! No excuse, because I know you all like to hear the latest and you know I love to share these experiences.
After 4 months of living at home with Mom and Dad, I made the long long journey to Jervis Bay on April 23rd, 2010. As luck would have it, I came on one of the biggest party days in Australia...Anzac Day, which is basically equivalent to our Memorial Day or 4th of July. Huge celebration and ordeal. It actually really worked out for the best, when dealing with the jetlag. I had a great non-stop flight and arrived at 6am Sydney time Sunday morning. I stayed up until 9pm that night (this is basically sleeping about 3 hrs in 24 hrs), then slept for 12 hours. Suddenly, I was just fine and right on schedule, no problems. This loooooong day on my arrival was great! We all still talk about how I made my entrance and met everyone. Worked out for the best.
I'm living with Simon and Fiona Bonavita, and their daughters Jasmine (JJ) 6yrs, and Anise 4. Fiona and I have actually been in touch since before Sweden, so when we all met, it was almost like seeing an old friend. It was just simple, like this is where I'm supposed to be and with them. Jervis Bay is located about 3 hours south of Sydney on the eastern coast of Austrlaia. Man, did I pick an incredible location!! Feel like I've won the lottery!! I'm listening to the waves outside as I'm writing this blog...so rough. The beaches really are "that" incredible. I basically cried the first time I saw the beach, because it was like "ahhhh, I made it!!" Jervis Bay is a Navy Base, so the beaches are private and you hardly see anyone. Feels like a strange dream....empty beautiful beach? Feels like I'm in the series Lost (which I'm catching up on finally). The base is extremely extremely small. Small like 600 people max. But, there are a little larger towns close by to go see a show, the girls have swim or dancing, shopping, food, etc. The base is quiet, but the people here that I've met are outstanding and fun people. I immediately became great friends with the other moms here and their kids. Like my dad says, I'm new blood, so everyone is interested and already knew my name before I arrived.
Fiona is an Executive Officer and does a lot of training of navy leaders...basically very important! She's very smart (of course), logical, likes to cook, dance, exercise, drink wine, etc. Which of course, I'm interested in all those, so we get along just fine. She's very professional and knows how to have fun at the same time. Simon is in the Army in Nowra, about 30 minutes away. He is a Parachute Jumper trainer for the army, very cool huh! Not sure of his exact title, but he loves what he does. Both Fiona and Simon are very fun loving, affectionate parents and love to spend every second available with the girls. There is a LOT of laughing and smiles in this house, I love that! Jasmine is 6 and is very much like Fiona. She's very smart and always likes things done a certain way. Loves to ask me questions about America and loves to point out how I talk funny and say words incorrectly. She and Reese Hobby have started a pen-pal letter exchange! Anise really is "Little Miss Sunshine." One of the happiest girls I've ever met, and I can't help but giggle even as I write about her. Everything in this world is good through her eyes. She'll ask me "is that cool?" Both girls are incredibly loving with cuddles and kisses, and just a delight to know and be around. They are definitely girly girls who love anything with princesses, pink, Hannah Montana, Taylor Swift, flowers, sugar, fashion, music, etc. I get to take them to their swimming and dance lessons, and it really is beyond cute.
Haven't really done too much to report yet, really just getting my feet wet...literally. Sorry, but I'll never get sick of simple runs on the beaches here. I've tried surfing once (better luck next time), lots of fishing, happy hours with new friends, went down to Melbourne for a quick weekend to see Simon's family....but have a few things planned in the next few months. Have a friend living in Sydney that I hope to go see and stay with soon, and another friend coming in July that I'm hoping to meet up with ;)
Once again, I have been extremely blessed with another amazing family and location. Everday, I have a "Life is good today" attitude. Hard not to when you live in a place like this and everyone around you is so positive and laid back. I'm literally still pinching myself. Only 7 more months left! Who's coming out here??
Miss everyone at home and hope all is happy and healthy!! Enjoy everyday, because it's a day and a gift ;) Aussie Aussie Aussie!! Oi oi oi!!
Jani the Nanny
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