Here comes the bride.... round 1

I took my time getting up this morning and getting ready for the wedding. I was quite excited to wear my sweet blue dress and heels, which I’d taken for a test run to the pub on Thursday night. Surprisingly enough, they did quite well. I wore black tights, which are actually quite the fashion here. I caught a ride to the wedding with one of Jess’ friends, Elise. Pretty cool name if I do say so myself. After the wedding, we all crowded around outside and took turns pouring a cone of rose petals on the bride to wish them well. The wedding party then headed off in old fashioned cars to take photos around the city. Meanwhile, I spent the time with a couple new friends Ros and Lance. Ros and Lance are actually both from South Africa and after we got some coffee we went to Ros’ home and her parents and grandparents were there. We visited with them and it was neat to hear about another place. There were actually some real conversations about industries and legal situations. When it was near time for the reception, we headed into the city to the Rydges Hotel. The reception was held on the top floor with a lovely view of the skyline. I got to sit with Vicki and meet her hubby Andrew.

At the table, we had an arts and crafts session and made hair pieces with the hot pink rose petals and ribbon on the table. There was some drinking and some dancing. When it was time for the bride and groom to leave, we formed a line to wish them well and give hugs on their way out. Pauline, Roz, Lance and I got ready and headed out to go out in the city not too long after. We ended up at a place called the Elysium Lounge. The music was LOUD but good, and we danced the night away. Since Pauline and Lance are together, and Ros found herself a dance partner for the night, I felt a bit 3rd wheelish by the end of the night. I decided to catch myself a taxi home at around 4:15am. The taxi driver made me a bit mad when he took me for a little extra drive after passing where he should have turned to take me home. I guess it’s just something one has to expect as a tourist. By the end of it I was just glad to be home and ready to go to bed.

Playing Hooky

I peeled myself out of bed at 7am with some difficulty. I got myself ready to go to Calvary as previously discussed in the week. It was only when I was about ready to walk out the door that I realized it was raining and icky outside. This is significantly annoying because of the fact that my commute to Calvary involves a walk to the bus stop and then walking in the city to the train station (which takes about 1 ½ hours total). There was also the fact that I really wanted to spend time with the girls and be a part of decorating the church. So, I played hooky. I spent time at McDonalds in the morning while the girls studied, and then we got ready and headed to the church to decorate and have the rehearsal. This took a bit longer than expected, and then we headed to supper. Hayley and I shared a HUGE bbq chicken pizza and potato wedges, which are served with sour cream and sweet chili sauce. After dinner, the bridesmaids and I headed to back to Hayley, where Jess was meeting us. We had a glass of champagne and some lollies while the girls touched up their nails before getting ready to go to bed.

We may or may not have spent some time playing with our food, which in my case were gummy teeth.......... It was impressive that they made it to midnight, since they had to leave the house to get their hair done by 7:30am the next morning. I, on the other hand got to sleep in. Between today and the day before, I also had the fun of making sure to take out quite a bit of cash from the ATM because of the fact I realized that my debit card would be expiring on the following day.

Dancing Qeens!

On Thursday morning, I made my way to Meals on Wheels to help there for the day. They were sending out a mailing to volunteers and I spent the day stuffing envelopes. I went to eat with Linda and Vicki at a Hotel, and even put a dollar in a Pokey (slot machine). Not that this will surprise anyone, but I didn’t win anything. After finishing up the day, I headed back to meet Adele at the shops near home to look for wedding gifts for Jess and some food for supper. We went to Target and I found some BONDS underoos, which is a common brand here. They have thicker bands which can often be seen (kind of a trend). There was a pair in a tie-dye pattern which we decided were the obvious choice for me since I have worn a tie-dye shirt and been
promptly informed that this was not a popular fashion in Australia. We went to three different grocery stores looking for something called Dukkah, which turned out to be ground up nuts and seasonings which you dip bread with olive oil in. The staff at the first two stores didn’t have a clue what she was talking about. After we’d found this we took our purchases back home to make something to eat. We made a beef stir fry and ate by candle light. We decided to go out to a pub hoping to find a chill place to hang out. We gave Beth and one of her friends a lift into North Adelaide as they were headed out to celebrate her completion of a teaching degree. We went to a bar called the Cambridge, as it was the only bar that appeared to have ANYONE in it. There were a couple of people there teaching Cuban dancing in between other music. We played a game of pool, which was slightly different than at home. Rather than solids and stripes, there were yellow and red balls besides the que ball. We spent time dancing and doing a “photo shoot” on some of the couches. Around midnight, we decided to leave, somewhat disappointed because the DJ had not played the song I requested. We spent some time talking before we got ready and went to bed. We checked in with Hayley as well and I was invited to be a part of getting the church ready for the ceremony on the following day. I told them that I was planning to go to Calvary but might meet them when I got back to the city.

Time for some catch up!

On Tuesday evening, Jared and Pam took me on a walk on the beach to watch the sunset. We ate supper and watched a bit of TV. I got some great pics of the sunset and we even got a decent one of us together using the timer. I got the great pick of their son Cael in his All Blacks (Pam and my favorite Rugby team together).

Its been a while since I had a chance to catch up, and I’m proud to say it’s because I’ve been busy. Last week, after spending Tuesday night with Jared and Pam, I spend the day at Calvary again. I helped more with entering information into their database and we all went out to lunch together near the beach. I had salt and pepper squid, which was delicious until I found a hair in it. As I have some experience in the food industry I know that unfortunately these things happen. It was only awkward because it meant that I was the only one eating while everyone else waited for me. At lunch, I spent time looking at the career section of the newspaper to look for job openings that might be a fit for me. I found a couple, such as a similar position to what I did when I worked for Lutheran Services in Iowa, as well as some at the college organizing student placements. (Unfortunately when I researched more information on these later it turned out that they were only part time positions.) The most interesting position that we discussed me applying for is one that would technically be “above” the program manager at the Calvary site. I swiftly reminded all the staff at lunch that they should be nice to me since I’ll soon be above them in the pecking order. After lunch we went back to the office and I finished up researching how to gain a police check from the US. Before lunch, this had included a phone call to the local police station, who told me to ring the consulate. I asked how to find the number for this and the officer I was speaking to told me to “google it.” I found this to be an interesting direction from such an official individual. After I phoned the consulate I was informed that the FBI would be who I needed to contact and that she would e-mail with the information how to do this. Of course this took until after lunch. In the meantime I found what I thought was how to do this, and printed off what I needed. Turns out, I was wrong. When I got the e-mail and printed off those instructions as well. Shirley, an admin staff from Calvary gave me a lift back to the city stopping at a few places on the way. We stopped a furniture repair place and then a store to find some new filing cabinets. We stopped at the Blair Athol site so I could pick up the volunteer information and then she dropped me at home since it was going to rain. I visited shortly with Beth, one of the housemates and then made supper while waiting for Hayley to get home and Adele to arrive. I proved that I can’t read military time, by having supper ready exactly an hour before Hayley said she’d be home. I made American style Chicken Parmesan (baked chicken over pasta vs. the breaded chicken over chips/fries). Luckily, Hayley arrived home about 45 minutes early so it worked out alright. We ate and before too long, Adele arrived for the night. They had plans to get their nails done for the wedding on the following day. We visited and went to bed before too long.

Grown up Working Girl... ok "volunteering girl"

After getting ready for the day, I made some more chocolate chip pancakes to cook them off and headed to the bus stop. I found my way to the tram I needed in the City and felt like a real grown up in my tennis shoes and business clothes. I was carrying my dress shoes in the bag to change into. This gives me an opportunity to pose a question that I have been asked and unable to answer. Why do we call them tennis shoes? Any answers might be helpful here…. Anyway, back to the day. It was actually a somewhat boring day. I spent time doing office tasks (I’m finding I’m actually quite proficient on the computer and have been impressing staff at Meals on Wheels with my efficiency…. Or they could be just saying that….) and then raced off to find the Lutheran Community Care Office at Sefton Park, which is a neighborhood very close to where I’m staying. This office is the main administrative office and is where Helen, the executive director and other similar staff work most of the time. I called them in the morning to ask about the volunteer packet I had been told I needed to get from them and was told they would have it ready for me, but that I needed to get there before 5pm as they closed promptly at that time. One can imagine my slight panic when I found myself a bit lost at 4:45pm knowing I was VERY close to my destination. Sadly, my printed off directions didn’t do me much good when they were wrong. I asked for directions from a woman and finally got set in the right direction. I found the office and rang the bell only to be told I was in the wrong place. I explained that I’d talked to someone earlier and they let me in. After a bit of confusion, I was able to leave with a volunteer application and a name and number to call to talk to on the following day. It was beautiful outside and I walked the rest of the way home. When I arrived home, Beth was there and asked if I’d like to join her for the Zumba class she planned to attend later. I (enthusiastically) said yes. I made spaghetti with veggies for supper and Beth had some as well. She even said she liked it.  We got ready and headed to the dance studio where the Zumba classes are held. I promptly pissed off the instructor by not knowing my own mobile number and clearly not reading the health and safety warnings on the form before signing it. The class was great and I was wiped at the end. (Becca: the instructor was WAY more like our initial instructor than the one who did the rest of the classes at the CWC.) I was pleasantly surprised when she acknowledged that I hadn’t looked at uncoordinated as I felt by telling me I’d looked like I’d done it before. After this, I have found my way to a table with my computer typing this blog in word since I don’t have access to the internet, hoping that I’ll be able to upload it tomorrow. I was thinking today about the fact that I’ve only been away for a week and a half, but I feel like I’ve settled in well here and am looking forward to each day and the new things I am experiencing and the new friends I am making. I miss my phone a lot, and feel very disconnected since I’m not able to text everyone I normally would back home each day or log on to e-mail or facebook instantly. I hope that everyone back home knows that I think about them all the time and miss them very much.

Sisterhood of the Travelling Dress!

In the morning, Jess came back over and we spent a wonderfully lazy day going to the shops and making a fantastic brunch, which was served around 1:30 or 2pm. Adele purchased a magical dress, which we dubbed the “Sisterhood of the traveling Dress” because it fit ALL of us. We had ham and cheese croissants, fruit bread, chocolate chip pancakes, strawberries and pineapple, sweet nuts, fruit bread, a spinach and chicken Florentine roll, and even baked salmon with spinach and sautéed mushrooms. Some of these choices were tastier than others.

We set ourselves up on a blanket outside and ate and visited for hours. I brought my computer out and played some music. Apparently, my computer is a brand (ASUS) that is well known and respected here. This is ironic because I purchased it, not recognizing the brand, because it was significantly less expensive than the others of similar type. We came back inside only when it was time for the girls to get ready to go to supper with their family. We talked about me joining in, but I decided that it would be a good time for me to catch up on laundry and do some dishes. Shortly after I finished the dishes, Helene got a hold of me and invited me to tea at their home for a chance to meet Jordan. I gladly accepted and she came to pick me up. Jordan is heading to Alice Springs this week to see some of the sights, but also learn about some of the newer programs that are up and running in the area. These programs were just in the VERY beginning stages when I was here last. It’s amazing to see how much the programs at Lutheran Community Care have been able to grow and expand the services they provide. Jordan is spending most of her time at Ingle Farm, and also a day at Blair Athol in their Oppe Shop (thrift store). This fact will probably only really mean something to either of the girls who were with me on the last trip. On the trip home, I also had a chance to ask a bit more about the position that Helene had called to tell me about in the Alternative Care/Foster Care program they have. She explained that a staff member has taken a position somewhere else and will be finishing up this week. She said that she thinks that they will need to hire someone because she doesn’t believe that anyone currently working part time will be looking to take on their hours. Apparently the program is one that is continuing to grow and that they haven’t had many applicants in the past with an interest or experience in the area. Ironically enough, because of my work with New Directions Counseling Services and Lutheran Services, I DO have experience in the area. It sounds like there needs to be some discussion with the program manager, though, about how they will handle filling the position before I get my hopes up too much. Helene dropped me off and I spent a bit of time working out how I’d get to the Meals on Wheel’s office in the morning.

Hen's Excursion!

After I left McDonalds, I went back to the house to finish getting ready for the exciting day ahead of me. As I said, I didn’t know much of what the plans for the day were, other than that we were starting with a Dolphin Cruise. With a little help from Jess’ sisters, Hayley and Adele, we decided what would be appropriate to wear since the day was a bit cooler than we might have liked. We headed to Port Adelaide for the Dolphin Cruise on the Port River. When I had mentioned this activity to Jared at Calvary, he had noted that it was strange that Dolphins inhabited this river (which he assured me that they did), because it was so polluted. When we got there we purchased our tickets, which we had the option to purchase lunch at that time and choose between a one or two course meal. The tickets with a one course meal were $20. Once we boarded our group found seats and settled in. A waitress came around to take orders and then we were able to walk around on the deck and look for Dolphins or at the surrounding sights, which was actually quite industrial. We were told when there were dolphins visible but I always seemed to miss them. By the end I was a bit disappointed I hadn’t seen any. A couple of the girls and I went to check out the back of the boat and the upper deck near the end of the trip. When we looked over into the water, TONS of jellyfish could be seen swimming (or whatever you would call how they move) around. I tried to take pictures to show this, but it didn’t really work out. You’ll have to trust me that they are there. While we were talking about them, one of the girls casually mentioned that when they were growing up they would find them on the beach and throw them at each other, much like we might have a snowball fight at home. She did say that they generally made sure to poke them with a stick and make sure they were dead first. Both girls admitted that they find it hard to imagine growing up without the ocean so close by. Here they have their swimming lessons in PE classes at the beach and it seems that no child grows up without being familiar with the ocean. While we were chatting away and the boat was coming back into port, we noticed a group of dolphins swimming nearby. I was ecstatic and of course made sure to take a picture or two. As it turns out, only one of them is really clear. We all got together for a picture before heading back onto land.

The next activity that was planned for us was a scavenger hunt in the city. Adele and Hayley divided us up into teams and gave us our first clue. The plot of the scavenger hunt was that we were planning a wedding and needed to find places to get things for the wedding (such as shoes, jewelry, a dress, and cake) and when we found the places our clues led us to, we got the next clue. Along the way, we had an extra challenge to take photos of where the ceremony and wedding photos could take place. Our group went above and beyond this, in order to make up for coming in dead last. We decided the ceremony could take place at town hall (like at the courthouse) and then the reception could take place at a nice banquet hall, where Hungry Jacks would cater the meal. For anyone who can’t guess from the appearance of Hungry Jacks, it’s Australian for Burger King. We chose lots of (tourist) sites for photos and even found a street musician to play at the reception. He allowed us to take his one displayed business card when I explained that I needed it so he could be the band at the make believe wedding I was planning. We decided that rather than a cake we would have crepes from a Japanese stand. I really do plan to go back and have one because they were really amazing looking. They were rolled up and served in a way that made them look like an ice cream cone. We decided that we would get roses from bushes on the side of the road. It was really quite a fun activity. At the end of the scavenger hunt, we found ourselves in a flower shop and everyone purchased flowers for the bride.

After it was finished, we had a drink at a pub while we waited for Jess’ sisters who had gone home to get ready for tea. While we were there, we saw 2 other Hen’s nights and one buck’s night just in the one pub. It was easy to tell that our day/night were different than most as the women at the other hen’s nights were dressed in their little dresses and heels and apparently planning to drink their supper. We ate at a European style café that was very nice. Jess and I shared a bruschetta with capsicum and eggplant on it. For my main course I had pasta that had anchovies, capers and chilies in it. Dessert was a shared dessert pizza which was served with Gelato on top, and was to die for. Interestingly enough, I was informed that Gelato has no dairy products in it… which makes me even more impressed with how awesome it tastes. After supper we presented our pictures and explained how we’d done at figuring out the clues. I’m quite proud to inform everyone that our group won, mostly for our creativity. The prizes were chocolate bars, which I’d been with Hayley when she purchased.

After supper, some of the girls left, and the rest of us headed to a pub. This part of the evening wasn’t really planned. We attempted to go to a pub nearby, which already had a line outside. Jess left to get something and returned to the line, which caused the woman manning the door to approach us and say that groups behind us were complaining and asking that we be told to go back to the end of the line. We thought this was a bit ridiculous and went off to find a different pub. We went to one that is apparently somewhat known of called the Lion. There was a band and we formed a protective circle around Jess to dance. There were a couple boys behind us that I talked to, mostly about hip hop, for part of the night. At the end of the night I was informed that one of them was 18 years old. It was crazy to me; one because he did NOT look that young, but also because I didn’t really think about that happening even though I knew that the legal drinking age is 18 here. A couple of us were still going after the band was finished and decided to catch a taxi into the city. We went to a bar/club called Supermild, which was down below a different bar. They played a specific type of music and most of the patrons wore vintage/period clothes. It was somewhat easy to picture being in someone’s dark basement while their parents were away in the 50’s or 60’s. It was a really interesting experience. The most interesting adventure of the night was trying to find a taxi home in the city. Most places that were intended to catch them had lines that seemed a mile long. We walked around trying to find one without waiting in line, but ended up in a line in the end. We stood behind a guy who was kind enough to share some of his KFC fries with us while we waited. We finally made it home and fell swiftly into our beds to sleep. I’d like to note it was around 4am when we got home, and that the city was still very much alive. People were even just arriving to the bars when we were leaving.