Day 1: Brisbane [Not in Kansas Anymore]

The journey has officially begun.

I'm still coming to terms that I am going to be sailing on a ship making coffee around Australia for 3 months. Despite having only left Adelaide last night, even arriving in Brisbane couldn't secure some guarantee that this really is happening. I even went into town today and yet for some reason feel like I've wagged a day of work. Its a rather strange feeling! Added to that is the great blessing to already be updating this.

At the airport I had a wonderful send of by some dedicated N'worthians who really wanted me on that plane - delayed or not! As I was walking the gangplank to the plane I obviously had something stuck in my eye, because it began to weep, but God busted a move and let me sit next to this cool 6y/o called Jennifer. Jennifer is vibrant, bubbly, entertaining - and has Scoliosis. She has had one lot of surgery to correct her back last year, and in 5 years time she has 2 more operations. Her Mum, Amanda, is legally blind and her brother who is 13 [not on the plane] had his feet amputated as a baby. Talk about wow! Jennifer and I exchanged drawings and we watched cartoons and laughed. And then I was in Brisbane!
Trav wonderfully collected me and my delayed flight from the aiport, drove me and my luggage back to greet his lovely wife who was waiting in the warmth of their very Queenslander-esque home [one of those houses on stilts kinda things]. The Mad-Oxes and myself then chat for an hour or so. Night owls much? It was great to catch up with them!

Finally calling it a night I haul my slightly over-weight [hahah] suitcase onto my bed where the top handle decides that its previous attached location does not suit its style any more and therefore detatches itself. Nice.

Bed. Ah. Bliss. I wake only to hear Trav & Jo tip-toe out the house about 7:45am and I roll back to sleep. 45minutes later I receive a text message which I begin to reply to before accidently falling back to sleep [I really didn't mean to!]. I wake half hour later discovering I'd not finished the text - consider doing so - before rolling over and falling back to sleep. I wake at about 9:45am.

After pottering around and trying to fix my suitcase I have some breakfast and consider the days events. I should get out and explore, though the ankle isn't terribly excited by this:


Lovely. Who sprains their angkle 5 days before leaving on a new adventure anyway. Oh right. Me!



Proof that I am actually here in Brisbane. And if you sit outside on the CitiCat's you look like this:



And now for some random snaps from the day to tie you over till the next post.

XOX Carola


Countdown...

1 Week before M&P move to "Face Mask"

Kaos.
Insane-ness.
The want to do everything with recognition that that is not possible.
The want to see everyone with the recognition that that is not possible.
The want to stop time just for a moment with the recognition that that is not possible.
Having faith that all will be well, but in my weak human nature, still doubting that.

2 Weeks before P.Andy moves to VIC

Exciting!
Nervousness!
To have no idea what to expect, but expecting the unexpected all the same!
To know that this is only but one small step into a bigger journey called life!
To be slightly scared about where exactly my life IS going...!!!
To be more excited about what amazing things might happen in my life!
To understand that I don't need to take everything in order to 'have it all'...!

3 Weeks till I leave Adelaide bound for Brisbane...

Because I have nothing really to tell about what is happening with me - I have instead been telling you all the crazy weird things that have been running through my head instead!

Forgive me...

But I will admit to having dual emotions running round. Not doubt that i'm doing the right thing, I'm 99.98% certain of that. Its just sadness to be leaving friends who mean the world to me mixed with excitedness to be making new ones! Sadness to not have as much contact with my family while i'm away, but excitedness that in my absence they might just blossom in their own relationships with each other! Sadness to not see the funny people I work with now, but excitedness with what my job might be when I come back [and find it!].

What a big ball of crazy energy!

*grabs her earlobes and begins rubbing them between her fingers...*

Ciao-whoops groovers...

People, Places & Passports

Just a random update about random things for all my readers who possibly read this... [yep, thanks for reading, Alihsee... :)]

In relation to my trip on the MV Doulos, I've had the pleasure of meeting 3 wonderful gals.
It's actually been really - surprising!

I met Cara B when the short term co-ordinator Jane suggested that I say hello to one of my soon to be fellow co-Baristas. So I did. Little did I know that in saying hello I would find my twin! Okay not overly really - but the similarities between Cara and myself are many. Our main name initials are both CB. We both use the 'car' analogy when explaining our names. We're both 23. Both of us are overly bubbly with seemingly infectious personalities. I could go on... I am very excited to meet Cara - and hope we get along famously!

Then there's Rhea - who found me via a Google search [woohoo!] with words including "fundraising" & "Doulos" because she was trying to find some information about how to raise money while being away on the ship, and came upon my lil blog here. Little did I know that from her simple enquirey we'd become email buddies!

Then we come to Bev - the 3rd and final gal out of the 4 Barista's for the Doulos. Bev & I have spoken briefly but already I feel like we have a connection - or just both have excellent sense of humour! The granny of the team she claims, but I think she is very young at heart and i'm really excited to chat to her!

Its been pretty cool! I cant wait to find out who the bloke is in our team - and where he's from. He'd probably really like to know now too since its only 3 weeks away - TODAY!!!! It would be nice to know where he's coming from and what he's been doing ministry wise up till coming onto the Doulos. Its just facinating to know why each of us are doing it!

In other news - everything has pretty much fallen into place - thankyou God!
  • My passport arrived swiftly [and it is sooo exciting to have one that i've embarrasingly been sleeping with it under my pillow... hahaah... hmm tho now that i've mentioned this on the net, I think i'll stash it away somewhere safe... hahaah].
  • My total in money to raise was raised with a month spare - which was just such a blessing and made my heart literally burst with joy! Its really awesome to have so many people excited and encouraged by this little adventure I'm going on!
  • I have my suitcase and backpack ready to pack...
  • Flight to Brisvegas booked...
  • A place to stay in Brisvegas from arrival in the city till arrival on the ship 4 days later...

Its all really just made me more and more aware and impressed that when God wants you to do something - it will happen! Even if you never thought something like this would be or could be possible! Amazing! Exciting!

Oh... i am so excited to be going on this adventure - but I'm also really quite sad - and scared! July is the month of departures for my lil niche of groovy friends. M&P move to the town of "Face Mask" so M can be a full time teacher, which is SOOO exciting for them! But that happens on the 12th of July. P.Andy's last Sunday as our Pastor is on the 13th of July, and then himself and his delightful wife are making a new adventure in VIC, she's already there as her new job started 8 weeks ago?, and P.Andy's official leaving town date is the 18th of July.

And I leave on the evening of 27th of July... for 3 months... crap! When i say crap, what I mean is, whoa-crap! I've not been away from somewhere for so long - so that kinda scares me. And the idea that many changes will take place between now and when I come back with people, places, personalities, picturesqueness [no, not exactly a real word but run with it!]... just the changes that will probably occur. And it will be hard to fit back into life here I think, because i'll have changed too. But then, were the changes for good or bad? Or what about if something hasn't changed, when it could - or should've. What will reactions be like? It will be interesting to say the least...

But the friends i'm going to be missing when i'm away. Their characters. Their spark. Their quirkyness. The fact they actually slightly understand my crazyness - or atleast recognise it as just a part of me. I have to train a ship-load of people to realise that I often make NO sense... and its best if they just nod, point, and laugh. My friends here think its funny that I have different laughs, and that often when I laugh I stream a fountain of tears down my face - and that is funny. My "Angry eyes". NO ONE WILL GET THAT! But - that definately comforts me to know that when I return, those funny little things are likely to have not changed. Or worse - they've had time to think up really good jokes, or pranks, and i'll provide the perfect victim...

ahahahaahahahaha...

Hmmm well thats about it...
Ciao just for now...
Carola xxx