Chillin Out in my Country Town, Dubbo

I just reread my last post and realized that I was going to post part 2 after lunch with friends... hee hee, sorry about that.  I must get more regular with posting.  There was so much to say when I first got here but I feel like now people might be sick of hearing about my adventures... I don't want to be like "Oh, look at me in Australia."  Hope it hasn't ever come across like that and hopefully, you're still enjoying the posts.  I have set aside time each week to blog from now until I leave.  So, check back once a week, on Thursday or Friday as I'll update from the week before.  Mom and Dad will be here soon and the adventures will start up all over again!

Diana and I had an amazing month while she was here, but I was exhausted and emotional when she left.  It was harder saying goodbye than I thought it would be, for sure.  Harder because we had so much fun road tripping around New South Wales that when I left her and had to drive that long drive back to Dubbo, all alone, it kind of sucked!  I missed my road trip buddy and my friend, what can I say?!  However, I am so grateful that she came to visit and it means so much that she came to share this with me.  What would we do without our friends and family?

On that drive home from the airport, I got over the Blue Mountains and into the rolling hills that is the Central West and where I've been calling my Aussie home for the last 7 months. Sydney is great and I enjoy my weekends there, but coming back over those mountains and seeing nothing but the big blue sky and hills and trees... well I take great comfort in that because it reminds me of home.  The one big difference, and one that reminds me I'm in Australia, is to see a paddock full of kangaroos eating or hopping around.  I will never get over the awe and beauty of that moment and those Aussie creatures that I love so much!

My plan, after Diana left, was to take some down time and enjoy friends and time around Dubbo.  I've been so busy taking off to other places, that I don't always get to just chill out here.  I spent some time watching rugby with my Aussie foster parents, Bridget and Geoff, this month.  They truly have taken me under their wings and even have a room ready for me, and a glass of wine, whenever I need a little family time.

I teach with Bridget and Geoff is well known for his many talents, one of which is as a sports announcer and weekend radio host.  Because of that, he got invited to the Bledisloe Cup Test Game #1 in Sydney (Rugby Union Wallabies vs All Blacks).  Since I'm their foster daughter, I got to go along for the ride and even got to attend a pre game event put on by Castrol.

This is Mike Harris, an Inside Center, with the Wallabies.

This is Saia Faingaa, a Hooker, with the Wallabies.

Not only did I get to have a little cuddle and get a photo with these 2 cuties, which believe me, was hard to top, but I got to see new exchange teacher friends too!!!

Robyn, Scott and Leanne have all been to visit me in Dubbo and we were all able to meet up at the game together! It seriously was the best night I've had in Australia, right up there, tied with seeing the little penguins  :)

So, as you can see, it has been a month full of friends and good times, both in Dubbo and in Sydney.  It's been nice though to take things a bit slower and just really take in this whole experience and all of the joys the exchange and Dubbo have brought.


No matter where I've been in Australia, I always get the same response when I tell them I'm living in Dubbo.  "Dubbo?!  What the #@*% are you doing in Dubbo?"  My response is always the same: "I love Dubbo, you be nice to my country town."  Ha ha!  We are basically only known for the zoo, which is amazing, but it's more than that.  Dubbo has a small town feel where I can walk into the store for my morning paper and get a "G'day, how ya goin?"  and a "Enjoy your day." It's also where I can walk into shops and they just stare in awe at my accent and usually have to ask me to repeat my question, most often because they got lost in the accent  :)  I usually get asked if I'm American because it's all they're exposed to here (TV and music), but when I say I'm Canadian, it's always an excited, happy response!  I see my students and their parents uptown and walking down the street, I sometimes get a "Steph!!!" hollared at me by a friend passing by, and I always get a big hug and kiss when I see friends.  That's just how it is here!

I do love it here and the people I've met have been incredible.  As I've said before, I never thought that would be a part of this experience.  I was fairly withdrawn before I came and everyone here, the small town feel, and the incredible country hospitality and kindness has changed all of that.  The year is going to come to an end pretty quickly, with only 4 months left, but I know that Dubbo will always have a special place in my heart and I know I'll be back to visit the incredible people I've met and am now lucky enough to call my friends.

Busy busy!

Well, the busy-ness of this experience has not slowed down again until this weekend.  I find myself constantly doing things, seeing new places, spending time with new friends and I do love it. When I go through the drive-thru for my morning coffee, they have taken to asking me what I've been up to each weekend.  They know I've always been somewhere and they said they love hearing what I'm seeing and doing.  The joke at school is that no one can get time with me on the weekends because I'm always gone.  What can I say?  I've been making the absolute most of my time here.

In May and June, I was lucky enough to spend time with some of the exchange teachers that are over here.  Robyn is from Lethbridge and is living in Wagga Wagga, about 5 hours south of Dubbo.  She came to visit me and shared her amazing cooking talents and healthy recipes with me.  I in turn went to visit her where we took a Henna Tattoo workshop.  In June, Scott and Leanne came to visit me for the long weekend.  They are from Calgary and are here teaching in Cessnock, in the Hunter Valley (wine central!!).  We enjoyed a weekend of footy and the Dubbo Zoo.  I have been so incredibly fortunate to meet these wonderful people!  I've enjoyed our time together here and am looking forward to more time together before we leave.

Diana was here with me touring around for July holidays and then spent 2 weeks in Dubbo, seeing my real Aussie life.  It was so wonderful having her here and I just can't thank her enough for coming to visit.  Sharing this journey with my friends and family is what I've been looking forward to the most. 

We saw heaps as we headed north from Sydney on Canada Day.  We made stops in Port Macquarie, Woolgoolga (one of my favorite little beach towns that even some Aussies have no idea where it is), The Gold Coast, Byron Bay, Surfer's Paradise, the Australia Zoo, Hervey Bay, Fraser Island, the Blue Mountains and Orange.  It was a very full 2 weeks but awesome!!

Port Macquarie is a beautiful little spot with incredible beaches.  Woolgoolga was a highlight for us because as we were walking along the beach we spotted 4 dolphins (2 adults and 2 babies) playing in the waves.  We could have stayed there for hours watching them "surf".  The Gold Coast was time spent with friends of Cam's from uni.  They were gracious enough to welcome us into their home for a few days and toured us around Surfer's, Byron Bay and the Gold Coast.   Standing at Surfer's Paradise one day, it was 24C and back in Dubbo it had been -5C that same morning.  Just goes to show you that the temperatures, like Canada, can be so different from one area to another.

After leaving our hosts in the Gold Coast, we headed further north to Steve Irwin's Australia Zoo.  This was definitely one of the highlights of my trip so far.  The Zoo is all about education and so it's so much more hands on than other zoos.  The animals are up close and personal!  I did an Echidna Encounter where I got to feed a few echidnas (one of only 2 monetremes that live in Australia, mammals that lay eggs and close in apperances to our porcupines).  Diana did a koala encounter where she got to cuddle and learn about these adorable marsupials.

We then spent 3 nights in Hervey Way, where we were a little too early for the whale migration, but were happy we had seen some in Byron Bay.  We did a day trip to Fraser Island which is known for its dingoes and for being the largest sand island in the world.  We saw some amazing sights including a shipwreck, a beached whale, dingoes, a turtle, bird life and one of the most spectacular beach highways I've ever seen  :)

We made a quick trip back down the coast, traveling as far as we could to get closer to home.  The weather turned for the worse and we were in rain the whole way home.  The weather actually made for some amazing photos in the Blue Mountains!!  We made a stopover in Orange and stayed with friends there.

It was an incredible 2 weeks and I am so lucky that I had Diana to share it with!  Here are some photos to enjoy and then I will post part 2 of this blog when I return from lunch with friends  :)
TTFN