Greetings y'all! Wow, it's been 2 months since my last blog and 2 months of me living in far north Queensland! The days seem to be flying by with 7 months down and 5 to go. I can say I am 100% loving everything about my new family, home, "town/city" and just overall experience.
Melbourne and Far north Queensland are very different. For those of you who don't know, Melbourne is much more city with that "busy busy" vibe as opposed to living in FNQ. Melbourne has been rated one of the most livable cities in the world, however as much as I love the city, i've found the laid-back coastal life is where i'm meant to be. Cairns and the surrounding areas (palm cove, port douglas etc) are known as the tropical region. This area of Australia stays warm all year round, they have a "wet" and a "dry" season, where as Melbourne is more like Kansas in the fact that it has various seasons. (Weather is so unpredictable in Melbourne it's known it go through all 4 seasons daily, not too much different from Kansas, except for no tornadoes). While the days are getting cooler in Kansas, it's warming up across Australia and in the next few months FNQ will enter the wet season.
Aside from the weather the people tend to be different as well. Very, very laid back, no shoe wearing FNQ people differ from the city folks down south. In FNQ you will find many tourists, "back packers" and seasonal holiday go-ers. My family whom I live with now included. Both Ella and Nash are in school full time which allows me for a lot of "down time". During my time I do the majority of the house cleaning; laundry, dishes, overall upkeep of our beautiful home. When i'm not cleaning I spend my time next to the pool, toes in the sand, or just relaxing. You sometimes forget how good it can feel to just sit and relax.
I've continued to try new cuisines while living up north, it seems to be much more available (Kangaroo, Croc, emu, fresh prawns (not called shrimp here) etc). Kangaroo really does have a similar taste to beef, especially when you eat it as a burger or something with extra flavors. I love trying new things, still working on a taste for seafood, but overall loving the food experience. I've also tried a huge variety of wines and beer, some local, craft and foreign.
Australia has been on school holidays this past week and will continue throughout next week as well. Their holidays differ from ours, mostly because they go to school "all year round". I've been given the majority of the two week holidays off which has been a true relaxation time. I've purchased a few new books and have been spending time with friends/family. This past week I did a few "touristy" things. We went by train to Kuranda, which is a touristy area filled with zoos, shops, etc. This was my first time on a proper train so I was actually slightly nervous but the views were gorgeous (however slightly hard to capture pictures while moving). We spent the afternoon shopping and having a few scooners (beer). On our way down we choose to take the sky rail, the sky rail is a cable way that overlooks the tropical forest and surrounding areas. It was truly beautiful (if you are afraid of heights it might not be your best choice).
Overall i'm loving every minute of my precious time in Australia. It truly is flying by and although i'm missing friends and family dearly it will be so bittersweet counting down my days. But while i'm here I plan to make the most of it. I will be going to Sydney in November to see Chelsea Handler's Uganda be Kidding Me tour as well as doing a few touristy things while in Sydney. Plans to travel throughout the remainder of my last few months.
Thank you all again for being so loving and supportive, miss you all so much! Enjoy football season for me, as it's been very challenging being away from my favorite season, sport and memories i've made in the states.
LOVE YA!!!
Cheers
A
