Special Gifts

I believe that my best Christmas present came early this year. My dear friend, Catherine came to visit me for a whole week! We were fully aware of how perfectly timed this visit was...a gift all in itself. Catherine had to book her flights way back in March (she also went to Perth to spend Christmas with her sister), before I was even accepted into Uni or even knew for sure if I was moving to Australia. But I did and had finished my first semester and moved to a new house just in time to welcome my friend to my little world. I didn't have a summer job yet, so other than a few students, I was totally free to be with Catherine and have some great adventures.

(picking up Catherine @ Brisbane Airport)

It was fun showing someone from home where I live and go to Uni and meet some people in my life here. Catherine said that she had pictured me in a Canadian version of Australia, but that this is truly a different world.

We did a lot in our 6 days together. I had the pleasure of being Catherine's personal shopper as I gladly spent her money on new clothes since she forgot her suitcase back in Canada. A minor setback that barely phased us and any sorrows that remained were drowned at Max Brenner, the BEST chocolate restaurant in the world (it's American, so if you find one on our continent, GO!). Despite rainy weather, we managed to get some beach time in at Byron Bay, Surfers Paradise and Marcoola Beach on the Sunshine Coast. The rain stopped long enough for us to walk around, enjoy the view, and play in the waves. We hit the markets, randomly found a glow worm cave tour, hiked through some rain forest, enjoyed some seafood, looked over the Glass House Mountains, and drove scooters around a small island (C also fell off the scooter on the small island...). We enjoyed my new home, cooking some Aussie treats, swimming in the pool, and watching the evening come in as the birds go to sleep, crickets and frogs sing and fruit bats start flying in.

(@ the Big Pineapple on the Sunshine Coast)

How did we get around, you may ask? Why the Datsun Sunny plugged along the coast quite nicely. We bought defogger for the windshield as the air vents didn't do the job of keeping the windshield clear. Turns out neither did the defogger...we used towels. Catherine also discovered a massive water leak on the passenger side as her feet were soaked by the end of a rainy day. We had a couple of hot days and were once again grateful for the invention of air conditioning...in our vehicles back in Canada. Windows rolled down and fluids checked daily, we made our mark on the Eastern Coast of Australia.

Lots of laughter and really cherishing the little things in life, it was an unforgettable week! Catherine is one of the people who has walked with me from the beginning of this journey. It was a cool gift for both of us to celebrate and see how God has blessed and provided, both in direction, dreams and friendship.

(@ Byron Bay)