Sydney

I have been neglectful to this Blog while in Sydney. I arrived a week ago and none of my adapters worked here so my camera batteries died the first day (so only a few photos from Sydney), and William and I have been running around the city leaving very little time to write. Not to mention that when it comes to technology sweet Australia is a little behind. It is so expensive to have the Internet in general that most folks are still using dial up...you can imagine how long it takes to load newer sites and Facebook is a mess. They get charged by MBs downloaded so I generally tended to stay offline. Wireless is even less common, so I have been the relative hermit. Funny, I was sure Aus would be the one place I would have a regular connection.

Anyway, Sydney has been a wonderful trip. Seeing it as a resident far surpasses seeing it as a tourist. The food is lovely, the beach pools are cool, and the "bush" is lush and beautiful. I arrived during a heat wave, but without the humidity, it was bearable. We swam everyday at these really neat pools and and talked until we could no longer keep our eyes open. It has been 2.5 years since the last time I saw William at his going away party in SD. I have been reminded why I love him so much! Our time has been easy and relaxing...we have laughed a ton and had some deep moving discussions. There is nothing like being face to face ;-) I have been introduced to many of his wonderful friends and feel confident he is in good hands.

Unfortunately, Australia is in the midst of a tragedy with several bush fires burning around the east coast. Many lives have been lost unnecessarily. When I think that most of the fires were started by arson, I become so discouraged. I guess I will never understand how things like that are possible....it is truly beyond my comprehension. However, in tragedy we usually get to see great acts of kindness and that is also the case here. People are doing what they can to help the victims and there is a sense of "we are in this together," so everyone is pitching in. he weather has turned cooler in the last day and there has been a little rain which has helped a bit and allowed time for firefighters to catch their breath. My prayers are with them all.

Today I head back to the US and end this magical journey. I have experienced so many emotions on this trip. It has filled me up and offered me some insight into what my next step could be. I have reconnected with amazing people and have really seen how small our world is. I could not have imagined just how impacted the world would be by what Americans would consider a US financial crisis...if this does not prove we are interconnected then I do not know what does. We must begin to look out for and take care of one another...our future, our lives depend on it.