Taste of Kiwi

Wednesday I took a train into Elizabeth and hung out with Sarah, Emmanuel, and James. We got lunch at a sushi train place and did some errands, then spent the afternoon chatting, watching movies, and eating Australia junk food.     I made Hannah Mexican food for dinner and I think she was thoroughly impressed!   Thursday I called my grandma and parents on the phone. I went to volleyball where several people remembered me (haha yay) and I helped out in a game with Hannah and Emma.     Friday I cleaned and did laundry and carefully packed my bag so I could fit everything back. Marie, Sam, and Isabelle came out to Gawler to meet us for dinner, and Emma came by after she got off from work to pick me up. We had dinner with others at a local pub, and I talked to Emma’s father in law about New Zealand. He had many suggestions about places to check out. It was a nice evening and I was glad I got to hang out with everyone one l...

Marie, Isabelle and I spent our day in Hahndorf today. I met Marie in the city around 10:30 and took the highway to the little historic German settlement outside the city. Hahndorf is a nice little tourist spot with lots of shops and little restaurants, most with a German twist. We got lunch at German Arms and Marie and I both got a delicious salad with grilled kangaroo! We got salami and cheeses and after walking the streets, we stopped for coffee and to feed Isabelle. It was a nice day!      For dinner, I partook in various south Australian goodies and a Brussels sprout salad.

Saturday was spent being lazy, I don’t think I left Hannah’s house 😂 Sunday we went to Geoff and Heidi’s house to watch volleyball (Australia lost). We had traditional Aussie BBQ, which is sausage on the grill, served on white bread with onions and some kind of sauce (usually ketchup or BBQ sauce). Sara and James and their kids also came. It was nice to see everyone and see how big the kids had gotten. Monday I did laundry and ran some errands in the city. I experienced inebriated people on the noon train, which made me understand why morning trains are best. I went to Haighs, the gift shop, and the bottle shop. I also got Vietnamese noodles for lunch. Tomorrow is Hahndorf!

Thursday Sarah and James picked me up from Hannah’s house and we went to Tanunda to have lunch. James was shy at first, and wasn’t very interested in sitting down for lunch. The drive out was lovely though, and I got to see the hostel where I lived for a month while working in the potato factory. Everything looked the same, though a few more shops have popped up on the Main Street. We stayed home and chatted the rest of the afternoon, and had dinner once Emmanuel got home from work. James is so sweet and cuddly and I look forward to playing with him again before I leave.   Friday I met Marie and Sam at a train station closer to the city to have breakfast with Roger. After a brief delay due to a train being stuck up the tracks and difficulties locating each other at the station, we met Roger at a restaurant called Watershed. After breakfast, we went for a walk on the grounds nearby and it was beautiful. Roger gave me a ride back to Gawler and it was so nice to catch ...

Tuesday I took a train from Gawler to the city (after Hannah dropped me off at the station on her way to work) to meet Marie. I had about an hour to kill so I got a flat white and had a seat at a cafe for a while. Marie picked me up out front of the Intercontinental Hotel at 10am and we went to Henley Beach for the day. It was very similar to what I remembered, even the drive over seemed familiar. They had redone the pavilion and were working on the Jetty. After a break to feed Isabelle, we walked a good ways down the beach on the sidewalk just chatting.   We had lunch at a local restaurant and it was yummy.   After lunch, we packed up and headed back to the city. We walked around Rundle Mall a bit (after feeding Isabelle again) and I bought my Mom some opal earrings (after managing to accidentally haggle the seller down $60). We decided with the short amount of time we had left (I needed to catch the 3:30pm train back to Gawler in order to beat the sunset...

I finally made it to Australia! My flight was probably the best flight ever had. I had three seats to myself, so I was able to lay down and sleep for an extended period of time. Marie met me at the airport with Isabelle to pick me up, and we grabbed lunch on the way to the house. I stayed at Sam and Marie’s house that night and I ended up going to bed by 8:30, but I haven’t had much trouble adjusting to the time other than that.     On Saturday,  Marie, Isabelle, Sarah,  Emma, Melease, and I went to the impressionism exhibit at the  art museum and Adelaide. First we got lunch at a restaurant called Bar 9. The exhibit was nice and it was great to be reunited with everyone. It’s so great how everyone seems exactly the same, although lots of things have changed. We had a nice adventure trying to locate our car at the end of the day (malls close at 5 and you have to contact after hours people to get cars out of parking decks).     ...

Howdy from Dallas, Texas! I’ve been here since late Friday night, and my delightful and generous hosts have kept me busy ever since. The first thing you notice about Dallas is the HEAT 🔥. Sure, North Carolina is also fairly unpleasant in the temperature department for most of the summer, but it usually takes until July and August to have sustained temperatures in the late 90’s, which is what it has been all week. We haven’t had any rain, which has been nice since lots of our activities have been outdoors. I only have one full day left to get the rest of my Texas experience in and I fly out around 10pm tomorrow night for AUSTRALIA!l Saturday : We visited the 6th Floor Museum (commemorating the assassination of JFK) along with, I suspect, most of the other tourists in Dallas. It’s a self guided museum with audio commentary. It was fascinating to see how it all went down and hear all the possible conspiracy theories surrounding it.             ...