THE WAY TO FLY (AUSTRALIA)

(Thursday) I had my first cabbie ride in Australia today. We went to pick up the Nissan xtrail we’re renting for the duration of our stay there. The driver looked foreign and didn’t even speak fluent English. I’m assuming he’s a migrant from either Europe or Asia from his features.

Australia is multi-cultural. In the short time I’ve stayed there, I’ve seen and met a variety of people of different desent; Chinese, Dutch, Vietnamese, Indian, Malaysian, Italian etc. In my husband’s church alone (the “Christian Reformed church”) the diversity of race is apparent. And in fairness, all of them were very welcoming and accepting.

We picked up the car around 10:30 in the morning and drove off through the Dandenong ranges to a town called “Yea” to meet Russell’s (my husband) sister, Joan, and her husband, Stuart, for lunch. It was my turn to be inspected. I was nervous, “Would they accept me?” ‘Ate’ (big sister in Filipino) Joan was dressed in pink, oh, even at 80, she still looked beautiful. I must admit I felt a little insecure. She and

Stuart made me feel right at home though. It was a lovely meeting.

From here began a series of other meetings and introduction to families and friends, to lunch and dinner dates with people close to Russell’s heart. Some invited us to their home and some came over to ours. I might mention their names here and again on my blog but will respect their privacy so no pictures or video.

On my travel there and being exposed to different nationalities, I’ve come to conclude that people are the same everywhere. We may have different cultures and beliefs but we all want the same thing, to love and be loved, to need and be needed, to be with a loving family, to be surrounded by genuinely caring and loyal friends. We all long for the fellowship,

I realized also that a beautiful place is difficult to forget but it’s the people that make the more lasting memory. It’s the people that you relate to the places where you’ve been that leaves the imprint in the mind.

I won’t miss the cold weather or the spacious land and sky but I will definitely want to see the friends and family I’ve come to know there again. I will miss them certainly. I miss them already.

This article is dedicated to: Joan and Stuart, John and Lara, Geoff and Anthea, Peter and Eleanor, Barry and Peg, Jacky and Stewart, Frank and Shila, Peter and Donna, Stuart and Ros, Judy and Collin, Luca, Bella, Greg, Phil, Ted, Henni, Anekie, Core, Adri, Janice, Eric, Lynette, Bernadette, Chung, Cory, Monica, little connor, sheona, Vicki, Grahme, Aaron, Jeff, Graeme, Julie and Kevin, Mika, that little Indian woman whose name I didn’t get, all the staff and crew of Cathay pacific, everyone who personally assisted me from my flight to Australia and back.

Also read:

THE WAY TO FLY (AUSTRALIA)

17 DEGREES (Australia II)

The size of things (Australia III)

John 3:16 - For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.