Hope all of your holidays were enjoyable! I want to fill you in on my holidays from Down Under. On Christmas Eve, I went to the St. Patrick’s children’s mass with Michael’s sister, Linda, and their father Conway. It was great being able to see some of the children I use to teach and the children’s nativity play accompanying the gospel was adorable. After mass we met the rest of the family, extended family, and friends at the Gosford Sailing Club just down the road for some drinks. It was beautiful to be able to sit outside at sunset along the waterfront with great company. The lot of us returned back to the Goodways for an amazing dinner outside on the veranda listening to Christmas music and enjoying our time together. Here is a photo of Emily’s friend Mel, Emily, Me, Emily’s friend Emma, and their cousin Sally.
Christmas morning we all opened our Santa stockings at the Goodways. Don’t worry, Santa did not forget me all the way around the world as I received my own stocking full of goodies too. The family then loaded up the yute, hauling up heaps of prezzies to Michael’s Mum’s house where family Christmas was held. We all enjoyed opening presents together and I was able to give my special presents I had gotten for the Goodways. Then, we made brekky outside on the veranda enjoying the warm weather and sunshine. It was in the high 70’s and not a cloud in the sky. This allowed for an afternoon of lunch where I was able to try for my first time Australian trifle, a desert of jelly rolls, red and green Jello cubes (called jelly here), and vanilla custard. I hope to make it with the family once back home as I have gotten the recipe from Cherie. Delicious! There was also a lot of swimming in the pool and taking a scenic walk along the ocean that afternoon. Swimming in the ocean on Christmas was definitely a first! We then all sat down for a dinner together outside where people enjoyed a variety of meats from the barbie and I had a delicious salmon.
Four Generations of Family
Elvis and I, aka Uncle Cruizy
I'm at the ocean on Christmas!!
Cherie and I
The next day, 26th, is Boxing Day in Australia. It is a public holiday for those members of the Commonwealth of Nations where traditionally wealthy people would give a box containing a gift to their servants. This obviously has since changed in meaning, but workers today have this day off and still receive pay. Many important sports events are held on Boxing Day, with the Boxing Day test match of cricket held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground being what most sport-loving Aussies would find themselves watching all day. This involved the national cricket team of Australia playing India and the match lasts for five entire days! Can you believe it? As a sport cricket is very similar to our American past time of baseball. There was also the Sydney to Hobart yacht race where competing yachts sail a distance of 630 miles from Sydney to Hobart over the course of about 2 days. Family watched both events periodically on the television. Other Australians find themselves on Boxing Day hitting the shopping malls and stores, as there are gigantic sales and discounts on items and the shopping atmosphere is very similar to that of our Black Friday traditionally after Thanksgiving. I did go shopping for a bit with some of the girls, but quickly decided it was time to leave after experiencing all the shopping madness! We then returned to Michael’s Mum’s house for a prawn and oyster lunch outside on the veranda. It was sure a day filled of Australian traditions.
The following day my friend Elizabeth, who was also over from Indiana University teaching in Mosman, and her family traveled up to the Goodways for an adventure to the Hunter Valley. Elizabeth’s family had come over a few weeks ago to spend the Christmas holidays with her and we were fortunate enough to have an adventure together! Michael was our excellent authentic tour guide for the day and Elizabeth’s family got on great with the Goodways! The Hunter Valley is Australia’s oldest wine region, encompassing selective and discerning wine styles from fifth generation winemaking families as well as up and coming young winemakers. Consider this the Napa Valley of Australia people! For you wine connoisseurs out there, the Hunter Valley produces the world benchmark for Semillon and it is something not replicated in any other wine region. Other impressive varieties included Chardonnays, Verdelhos, Shirazes, Cabernet Sauvignons, and Merlots. The first winery we went to was Lake’s Folly Vineyard, Australia’s first boutique winery where only two wines are made- a Cabernet blend and a Chardonnay in limited quantity. We were lucky enough to taste the 2009 Cabernet and bring home a bottle upping $125. (Yours truly did not buy this obviously.)
Our next stop was to Scarborough Wine Co., which is established as a leading Hunter Valley Wine producer. The cellar door here invites your party in for a classy wine tasting with a delicious cheese and cracker platter at a dining room table overlooking the vineyard. It was great to be able to have the wine scholars there educate you on the varieties of grapes grown on site in order to produce the wines.
Michael and I
Mr. & Mrs. Walsh, Michael, Elizabeth, and I
Next, we went to Brookenwood Wines, established in 1970 and located on an iconic Graveyard Vineyard. Its mission was, “to make great wine and have fun.” Sounds like a brilliant motto to me! This was my favorite place as the cellar door had such authentic Australian character and it is home to the Cricket Pitch vineyard. This wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Merlot, and Petit Verdot. I had bought a bottle of this as well as a Cab Sav in order to ship home in my boxes as gifts for my wine-loving fam, but came to realize today at the post office this was not allowed! So sorry family :(
We all then had lunch at Harrigan’s Irish Pub before ending our afternoon in the Hunter at Krinklewood Vineyard. This winery was beautiful and WOW’ed me by being a family owned Biodynamic vineyard and farm valuing sustainability and viticulture. What was also interesting about this winery was that there were wild peacocks that had flown in two years ago and loved it so much, they never left.
Next, we began out drive home to the Goodways and stopped at a bar in Wollombi that had a lot of… how do I put it? Unique Character, as it was sort of off the beaten path and full of interesting individuals with few teeth.
We had a lovely barbie and dinner outside on the Goodway’s veranda and Emily joined us for the meal and games afterwards. Elizabeth’s parents and the Goodways had a blast together and I was pleased at the new friendships formed. It was a great day by all.
On Wednesday I had lunch with my teacher Fiona from St. Patrick’s. We went to a vegetarian café and then had a nice walk at Pearl Beach together. It was a lovely day just chatting back and forth about our time together and what my future my hold. She has inspired me in so many ways, and encouraged me to keep traveling and teaching in new places. I thanked her again for welcoming me so warmly to Australia and I know we will keep in touch.
Today has been busy packing up my room and shipping things back home to the USA that I will no longer need on my future excursions. I am having a “Last Supper” with Michael and Cherie tonight, as I told them I owe them a nice dinner out! They will take me to the airport tomorrow where I will say goodbye to them and Emily. I hope this will only be a “see ya later,” rather than goodbye because they have become family to me. I would have been absolutely lost without them in first coming over to Australia. They not only shared their home with me, but their family, friends, and traditions as well. I could not have asked for a more suitable host family and I know that one day I will want to open my home to students from other countries to give someone else the opportunity for such a life-changing opportunity.
I will fly from Sydney to Alice Springs where my Outback excursion will begin. I will be seeing the heart of Australia’s Red Centre including Uluru, where Aryes Rock is located, Kata Tjuta, Palm Valley, the West MacDonnell Ranges and Kings Canyon. I will be having quite the authentic experience in the outback by bushcamping at remote campsites, driving on bush tracks through old cattle station, and visiting the Oak Valley Aboriginal community. It will sure be an interesting New Years Eve in the Outback! Then on the 5th of January I will say farewell to Australia and fly from Alice Springs to Auckland, New Zealand. I will do a 9-day tour around the north island including a meaningful volunteer project working directly with critically endangered Kiwi; New Zealand’s most famous native animal and national icon. I will be involved in a hands-on conservation project designed to aid in breeding programs and habitat rejuvenation in order to ensure the Kiwi’s long-term survival. The conservation project will include working along side the native Maori people of New Zealand as well. This adventure will also highlight my highly anticipated Waitomo Glowworm Caves!!!!!!!!! Then on the 15th of January I will fly from Auckland to Nelson, in the Southern Island to begin my next excursion around the Bay of Islands, Coromandel, Rotorua, Tongariro National Park, Wellington, Christchurch, Lake Ohau, an overnight cruise around the Milford Sound, Queenstown, Fox Glacier, and Greymouth. WOW!
On Tuesday, January 24th I will fly from Christchurch to Auckland, Auckland to LAX, then LAX to ORD and finally be home in Chicago! I believe I leave Auckland that day at 3:05 pm and arrive into Chicago that same “day” at 3:30 p.m. WEIRD! Grace and Biff- I'll see YOU then!
I wanted to give you all this big update now, as I am not sure how much internet access I will be able to utilize in the future on my excursions. I will be staying in hostels and camping so my blog updates will not be nearly as much or as frequent by any means, but I will try to send you news when feasible. Thank you all so very much for following along with me throughout this experience thus far, and I look forward to sharing more of my upcoming adventures with you in the future.
The adventure of living out of a backpack for about the next month begins NOW!
Love,
Jules
No comments:
Post a Comment