SarahandCarlinginAU

Sarah's Home

2007-11-20T11:56:00.000+11:00

Carling and I are back in the US now, and have also parted ways. I have gone to stay in Bryn Athyn, PA over Thanksgiving and Carling to her house in Kempton. I thought I would write a little something about being home, sort of a final post for Sarah.

The plane flights weren't as bad, or as long, as they were going to Australia. Michelle, Angela and Margaret Heldon had seen us off at the airport and gave us some gifts for the flights home. The girls had made us a scrapbook of photos, with comments, of our good times spent together. Such a precious gift, thank you ladies. It is different being back because I no longer have Carling at my side. The first morning I woke up eating cereal and sitting on the couch just wasn't the same. I have my niece, Adara, to play with, she is such a joy. She had learned to walk while I was away so I've had lots of new tricks to catch up on. The weather is very cold here, and since all of my stuff is packed and distributed at different houses, I haven't found a coat warmer than a jacket. My sister Denielle, has kindly given me some gloves and a scarf, which I bring everywhere.

Thanksgiving is coming and I am thankful for it. Its great coming back to the States with over a week to adjust, get rid of jetlag, hang out with friends, and see my family. My parents are coming out from Michigan soon and I can't wait. I think getting back into the swing of school won't be as bad as I imagined, but we'll have to wait and see.

I do want to thank everyone who has read this blog. Carling and I loved putting up new posts and pictures, and looking to see if anyone had commented. I recommend making a blog, or at least keeping a journal, if you plan on traveling because it is a great way to look back and see all that you did and experienced. I also would recommend planning a visit to Australia one day. It is an amazing and beautiful country, with friendly and welcoming people. I'm just waiting for the next excuse I get to get back out there (possibly a wedding?).

Now a little note to my significant other while on this internship: Carling Wyncoll. If you don't know this girl, just imagine a talented, joyous, and relaxed person. She and I got along so well I couldn't have asked for a better person to have gone to Australia with. We knew each other before leaving the US, but not all that well. It turns out we are similar in many ways, we both love to dance and laugh. Our friendship is so strong now that I know we'll be there for each other in the years, hopefully decades, to come. Thank you Carling, for coming on this trip with me and for our many talks, laughs, dance parties, and cries. Keep a lookout for the wombat.

Glad to be back at home,
Sarah Marie Elder

Shoutouts:
To Michelle and Angela- thank you for the scrapbook, I will treasure it forever.
To Margaret- thank you for your love and wisdom.
One day we will meet again...

Sculptures by the Sea

2007-11-12T13:23:00.000+11:00

Our Last Weekend :(

2007-11-12T12:22:00.000+11:00

The time has come to fit in last minute trips and say our goodbyes. This past friday we went out dancing with our mates Angela and Michelle Heldon, a few gems among the rough. It was pouring rain but made it all the more memorable. The evening ended with us breaking out our Kevin Bacon Footloose moves in an 80's dance club.

Saturday we visited the National Art School where Michelle's art was on display. We are so proud of her. The school used to be a prison where England's convicts were sent due to the overflow in their own prisons. History could be seen by the bars still on the windows and chalk tallies counting the days a prisoner had been there. The cell walls and stairs are taken out, leaving the room perfect to display artwork. In the center of the jail is the chapel, where the convicts would go to repent. Unfortunetely, we were not able to go into the chapel but were told it is beautiful. We headed for what was once Sydney's red-light district, and hopped on a bus tour that gave us the history of streets, bridges and buildings of the area. We sat atop a double decker bus, much like those in London, and had a great view of the sights. Besides being informational, it was a good way to soak in and have closure on our amazing internship. We jumped off and went into the infamous Aquarium and got up close and personal with some sharks! The seal and shark tanks had underwater tunnels for people to walk through and get an incredible look at the many sea creatures. Along with the sharks were huge stingrays, giant turtles, and vibrant fish. We definitely recommend this aquarium and give it 5 stars.

Sunday was our last service in the Hurstville New Church. After singing we headed to our house with the congregation for a farewell party. Sad as it is to say goodbye to this society, we are looking forward to seeing our family and friends back in the States. We were very humbled by the nice speeches and thoughtful gifts we received from the society. We were given some Australian songbooks, cd's and beautiful charm bracelets. Carling's bracelet has a kangaroo charm, for her bouncy joy, and Sarah's has a kookaburra, for her love of birds and great laugh. We were so touched by the love from the community it is going to be an emotional farewell boarding the plane.

That was only the beginning to an amazing Sunday. We drove to the very well known, Bondi Beach, with Michelle, Angela and Kristen. For the month of November, an art exhibit called Sculptures by the Sea, was on display along the rocks of the beach. We cannot even begin to describe any of the sculptures, so make sure you look at our photos.

For the next 2 weeks a group of Aboriginal students are visiting the Sydney area and are staying in the church's Baringa. Sunday evening there was a welcoming ceremony where we were blessed with water and got the privilege of seeing an Aboriginal dance by a few women. The kids were a bit shy but a few came up to us and chatted about their first trip to Sydney. It was great to have the opportunity to meet some Aborigines before we left for the States. They still have many of their traditions and the dance was powerful because it showed the honor they feel for the land. By nightfall the mossies were coming out and everyone went back to their homes.

We are treasuring each final moment we have here in Australia. We have finished our 200 hours for the internship but there is still so much to do. We are thankful for the time we have spent here and the love we have felt from the society. They will all be missed.

Shoutouts:
#1 Margaret, for being the BEST supervisor ever.
#2 Michelle, for sharing her joy and beautiful artwork.
#3 Angela, for her love and affection.
These ladies are pure gems.

with love,
Sarah and Carling

Pancake Breakfast

2007-11-08T14:34:00.000+11:00

Here are some photos from the pancake breakfast that Sarah and I put on last Sunday before church. We were nicely helped by Angela and Michelle and it was a great success, as well as super delicious.

2007-11-08T14:31:00.000+11:00

2007-11-07T22:11:00.000+11:00

2007-11-07T22:02:00.000+11:00

Gold Coast

2007-11-07T21:19:00.000+11:00

G'day mates!

Sorry this blog is so long overdue. We have not forgotten you, we just haven't taken the time to write a new blog. So here is a good one to make up for it.
We took a week off of work last week to take a holiday to visit the Gold Coast, a.k.a. the beach! Starting bright and early monday morning we boarded JetStar along with our bags and their FANTASTIC music for our listening pleasure, the same six songs on repeat. Nice.
We were welcomed by two of our delightful hosts, Angus Glenn and his son Jake. They welcomed us with a cheery sign and balloons and took us back to their lovely abode where we met wife Kaylene and their youngest son Callum. It was raining on our arrival, so what better to do than to take a walk through the rainforest. Incredibly misty, as you can see from our photos, we saw lots of beautiful foliage, a waterfall, and one turkey that showed up at the last minute. After some scones and coffee we headed out for a kangaroo chase in a buggy, also known as a golfcart. Driven by the "florist" or is it "floorist?", Angus we madly ran down dozens of wallabies who were chilling out on the golfcourse. This was a blast! Lots of laughs and puddles and splashes.
Tuesday morning, we decided to take advantage of the sunny weather and go out on the river in Angus and Kaylene's motorboat. We zipped around on the water, swam, ate some lunch on the beach, made some sandcastles, and strolled around on the island. On the return journey, Carling, 1st time driver, took the wheel and steered us right into the bank, just kidding.
Wednesday we journeyed up to the city of Brisbane with Gaye Heldon to tour around and see the sights. Here we stopped in at three museums, two were art, and gaily frolicked through a flowered walkway with purple flowers. Though we didn't spend too long in Brisbane, we were happy to have the chance to explore it and see another of Australia's big cities up close and personal.
Most Australians don't celebrate Halloween, so we had figured we would just be skipping Halloween 2007. But we were dead wrong. Angus and Kaylene planned a get together with some of their friends to meet for a sausage sizzle and then golfcart around with their kids and trick-or-treat around the neighbourhood. The night was a success. Everyone got tons of candy and went to bed on a sugarhigh.
Thursday was the day of waiting for busses and going to Surfer's Paradise. Sufer's Paradise reminded us a lot of Florida and was filled with shops and surfers. It was too chilly to swim in the sea, but we still had some quality beach time reading books and enjoying the view.
Friday morning, we said goodbye to the Glenns and thanked them for the great visit. We were both very impressed by how quickly we felt comfortable in their home due mainly to their amazing hospitality.
Our days here are now numbered. Time is running out until we head back to the States. We are beginning to face the reality of coming back and finishing up our duties here. We are feeling sad to go, mainly because of the great friends we have made here, but know that our time here has been well spent and are looking forward to seeing our families and friends.

Shoutouts:
#1 Kaylene's shrimp dinner.
#2 Callum turning three years old.
#3 Kevin Bacon's Footloose moves.

See you in a week,
Carling and Sarah

Spit to Manly and IMAX!

2007-10-23T19:07:00.000+10:00

And here we are again back at you.

Since the excitement of the bridge climb, we have hunkered down in earnest and put in some time for the church. It is a great feeling to know that our efforts are actually being of use to the energetic Hurstville Society. Everyone in this society has to put in extra time to make it run smoothly and I have been especially impressed by the dedication of the church members here. This week, and last week, we made some "task cards" to give to the congregation with quotes on them that we decorated with suns and painted borders. The purpose of them was to give everyone at least one thing to take away from the service that they could remember during the next week. They were happily recieved which of course made us happy. This society has been so welcoming and friendly towards us and it has really made this internship a pleasure.
On Saturday we set out another hike, the Spit to Manly Walk. Our companions were Kristen, Angela, Naomi, and Nick who all made the experience much better and we shared a lot of laughs along the way. It was shorter than the other hikes we've done and ended at the beach which was exciting. On the walk, we saw about seven, unshy, lizards who had no fear and came right up to us. I almost stepped on one at one point but luckily avoided it at the last second. We had a beautiful day for our hike, nice and sunny, not too hot and not too cold, just like the littlest bear's porridge. The hike only took about four hours, which included a stop for lunch and a little lighthouse. Arriving at Manly Beach around 3:30, we tested the water and debated to swim or not. It was quite chilly, but I decided I couldn't pass up a chance to try out some Australian water and went in. I don't regret it, but I definately felt the cold once I got out. After hanging out on the beach we trooped back to catch the ferry back to Sydney. It was a HUGE ferry and fully loaded with people going to and returning to the city for Saturday night. Back in Sydney, Sarah and I decided to scoot around the corner to Darling Harbour to find some dinner. The last time we walked from Sydney to the Harbour turned out to be kind of a disaster, I don't know if you readers remember our famous three hour walk, but we sure do. We decided not to try and navigate our route ourselves so I decided to swallow my pride and just act like the tourist that I am and ask a woman at the information booth. She told us what to do- to catch another ferry in fifteen minutes- so we got some coffee from an Italian guy and jumped onto our next ride. On the ferry, Sarah decided that for the rest of the night we had to talk with Aussi accents which I thought was brilliant and that added a lot of extra laughs to the night. Walking around the harbour I remembered that there was an IMAX theatre nestled in with the cafes. I think it is because of my papa that I love IMAX. There is something about them I just can't resist. Luckily, Sarah likes them also and we decided, completely spontaneously, that we couldn't pass up this opportunity for fun. We decided at about 5:55 to watch Harry Potter 3D at 6:00. After hustling to buy some tickets we grabbed those some stylish 3D glasses and settled in for some 'Arry. The movie was terriffic and the whole experience was well worth it. The fight scene at the end in 3D, wow, right on (that's for you uncle garth). Once that was over, we got some fish and chips and ate it looking out at the harbour and observing the other citygoers around us.
Now it is Tuesday night and we are planning out yet another trip into the city tomorrow morning to deliver some books of the Writings to second hand bookstores. This is one of our internship jobs and I think it will be fun to meet some Sydney bookkeepers. It will be good practice for us to try and explain about the Writings and will test our navigation skills once again.
Well, that's all folks. We miss everyone at home and hope that all is well wherever you are reading this from,
love Carling and Sarah

Bridge Climb

2007-10-17T16:37:00.001+10:00

Recap of Bridge Climb.

2007-10-17T14:25:00.000+10:00

The Opera House.

Bridge Pictures

2007-10-17T14:20:00.000+10:00

Here we are on top of the bridge.

Bridge Climb and Opera House!

2007-10-17T13:41:00.000+10:00

G'day mates,

We are now officially certified Sydney Harbour Bridge climbers! Wahoo! We were even given certificate to prove it! The bridge is 503 metres long, 134 metres high and 49 metres wide. It is the crucial centerpiece of Sydney's transport network, and we climbed it!
Yesterday morning we got up early and rode the train into the city to find the bridge climb office which we found without any trouble. A staff member led us into a room and gave us an alcohol breath test and gave us waivers to sign saying that we wouldn't sue them if anything happened. After that we went into another room and got suited up. In order to climb the bridge, you have to wear a special suit that blends in with the bridge so you don't distract the drivers under the bridge. Yes, we felt a little goofy in the suits but everyone was wearing them so we quickly got over it. You had to make sure you weren't wearing any metal, including bobby pins and had to wear closed toe shoes for the climb which an instructor checked before leaving. Once we had our suits on, we walked through a metal detector and over to a station where we were allotted belts, hats, hankercheifs, and sunglasses chains. It was extremely hot, so our group leader suggested to us that we wet our handkerchiefs with water before leaving, which was a great suggestion because it was boiling! As we were gearing up we met our fellow climbers, 12 in total. We were with a couple from Montreal, Canada, and the rest of the group was from Melbourne. The next step was to climb up a simulation of the bridge to get a feel for what we would be experiencing on the climb. On the belt of our suits was a cable that clipped onto another cable on the railing of the bridge to keep us totally secure. Once that was finished, we were given our last piece of equipment which was a headset radio to keep us in touch with our instructor.
We were the last in the group, Sarah was very last in the whole line. We first climbed up the pylon and across a catwalk where you can see underneath you onto the road. That was a little scary, but really exciting at the same time. After the catwalk we started climbing up some ladders to the top. With every step, it got windier and windier. Finally, we surfaced at the bottom of the arch and began the climb up to the summit where the Australian flag waved. We took our time climbing up, getting photos taken and waiting for the groups in front of us to finish taking their photos. Our guide Doug explained some of the history of the city and bridge to us as we climbed up. The winds were so intense that you had to hold onto the railing for dear life so you didn't blow away down into the harbour! Just kidding, the climb felt extremely safe. We were hooked onto the cables the whole time and there was plenty of railing to hold onto also. At the very top the wind reading was 45 km an hour and increased as we made our descent. If the wind hadn't of been there though, we might have died in the heat so it was really a blessing.
Finishing the climb felt awesome! Our hair was a mess and we felt totally invigorated. We said goodbye to our fellow climbers and received a certificate from our instuctor. We were also given a group photo, so now we have an awesome picture of us with a bunch of people from Melbourne and Montreal, and then we bought an overpriced photo of both of us on the bridge. We are so glad that we did the climb. It was a great way to experience Sydney and we totally reccommend it to other Sydney visitors.
Doing some Christmas shopping along the way, we made our way around the harbour to the Opera House to take a tour. Unless you pay to take a tour inside the Opera House, you really can't see inside it so we booked ourselves in just in time and set off with our second guide of the day, Tom. We walked around the inside of the building and saw four of the five theatres. The first two were smallish and are used for comedy acts and children's productions. Then we proceeded to into the huge concert hall where they were setting up lights for a production that night. This hall is the largest of the theatres and the most spectacular. On the ceiling are huge plastic rings that rebound the sound back down to the audience and on the back wall is a huge pipe organ that took ten years to make. We were very impressed. Next, we went into the Opera stage where a crew was setting up scenery for the opera that night. It was large, but had an intimate feel to it and we could easily see how it was a great place to see a show. Our tour was finished in about an hour and after drinking some coffee along the water, we headed back home to Hurstville. By accident, we caught a train that was going nowhere near Hurstville, a bit of a problemo, which took us about half an hour to realize. Luckily, we navigated our way back to the right train and did make it home, just a bit later then we were planning on. No worries though.

Shoutouts:
#1 To all the tour guides of Sydney- you are doing a great job.
#2 To the builders of the bridge- without you we wouldn't have had "The Climb of our lives"

love,
Sarah and Carling

Old Featherdale Wildlife Pictures

2007-10-09T15:10:00.000+10:00

Canberra Pictures

2007-10-09T14:50:00.002+10:00

Canberra Pictures

2007-10-09T14:27:00.000+10:00

Canberra, Australia's Capitol

2007-10-09T13:30:00.000+10:00

The day began at 5 am. Carling and I would be taking a train to Central Sydney, about 30 min. and then a four hour train ride to Canberra. We had been advised not to pronounce the 'e' in Canberra and so say it 'CAN-brrah', accent on the CAN. We didn't want to embarrass ourselves so we took the advice seriously. The train wasn't that bad, besides the light not working in the bathroom, it was enjoyable. We had loads of foot space, about 3 ft actually. We would stay at Sylvia Heldon and her husband John's home. She picked us up from the station and we were off to Floriade.

Floriade is a flower show, that is an annual event in Canberra. This year, we were told, has made record number for the most people attending. It is a month long celebration of Spring, with a plethora of tulips, of every color, and other flowers making up pictures. The pictures the flowers made up were of stars, a pavlova (which is Australia's famous dessert), and rainbows of color. I was surprised to see no bugs, you would think bees and insects would be everywhere with the amount of potential pollen that could be collected, but no, no bugs. People were everywhere, we saw a couple getting their picture taken for about 20min. by some red flowers (we decided to do the same, see our pictures). Since Carling wants to be a flower guru, this event enriched her interest. They had typical flower music playing, Lilith Fair-esk women with guitars. There were some tents with students' floral art, a show about reptiles (with real snakes, Carling's favorite), and shops in which you could buy plants, expensive shawls, and garden-fun toys. We couldn't have asked for a better day, the sun was shining, luckily I had put on my 30 spf, and there was a slight breeze.

Yawning due to waking up so early, we headed back to John and Sylvia's home and had dinner and then went to the Telstra tower, also known as the Black Mountain tower. I forget how high up we went, but remember how cold it was and how beautiful the lights of the city below were. The sun had set, and the city was alive. Canberra is very different from Sydney. Sydney is jam-packed with streets, shops, and the like. Canberra is spaced out, clean, and surrounded, and I mean 360 degrees, by ravenous rolling hills. Hills make sunsets gorgeous, and the clouds not too shabby. Tired, we turned into bed around 9 o'clock, we were really tired!, with set plans to a very full day of being tourists.

There are few places one MUST-SEE when in Canberra, and those are the National Museum, Parliament House and the War Memorial. There are probably more but those were what we were told. We set out to the Museum at 10:30, perfect time because it wasn't packed and we could move with leisure from display to display. I can only speak for myself, but I loved the Aboriginal artwork, and one day will have replicas in my home. Its a good thing Carling and I are alike when it comes to Museum's, we flow at the same rate, read occasionally, and can handle them for roughly 2 hours. We went outside to enjoy the sun and soon Sylvia drove up to bring us to our next stop, the over-charged, but amusing, Cockington Green.

If you don't know what Cockington Green is, it is a menarie of dollhouse sized houses, with figurines of people playing soccer and tennis, fixing motorcycles or enjoying the summer breeze. They had an International display of real temples, and royal buildings found all over the world. This made me really want to travel. There is so much to see and these mini-castles are just a sample of what's out there. We stretched our visit to its limit of 20 min., did we mention it was $14.50?! Short and sweet, I guess. To get out we had to leave through the Gift Shop, terrible idea first of all, because we had to push our way through tons of sardine-packed pedestrians. Off to the Parliament House...

Parliament was superfine. We could tell the architect had put a lot into the building because of the lines: vertical and horizontal, oh...and because it was built into the hill! Awesome. There were skylights in almost every room, and very nice artwork. Here is where the Senate meet, their room decorated in reds, and the House of Reps, decorated in green hues. In the Great Hall is a gargantuan tapestry, one of the biggest in the world, featuring a eucalyptus forest, which took only 2 and a half years for 13 weavers to complete FYI. We took the lift to the roof, covered with grass and has an exceptional view of the city. From the top we could see it all, the rolling hills, the tower, museum, old Parliament house, and the War Memorial. Soon it was time to head home.

Another 4 hour train ride, then a 30 min. one, not including waiting time, and a 10 min. walk to our front step later, we were home, it was almost 10:30pm. We really enjoyed Canberra, the capitol seems like a great place to live, even if only for the view. Our thanks to John and Sylvia Hicks for hosting us.

Shout-outs:
To Fauve "Her Greatness" Bouchard: We wish you were here to experience the city life.

Sending our love,
Sarah and Carling

Canberra Pictures

2007-10-08T19:19:00.001+10:00

Sarah's Hiking Experience

2007-10-04T19:06:00.000+10:00

So now it is my turn to tell you the tale of two American girls going into the Australian bush, for three days and not much experience hiking.

Leading up to the Saturday when we would be leaving at 4:30am, I was feeling rather nervous. I don't have much hiking experience, and never have hiked with a pack that is half my size. My mom won't be too happy to read this, but my nervous feelings dissaparated when I tried on my pack and almost fainted. I learned a valuable lesson: the waistband on the pack should rest above my hips, not pinching their sides. After getting absolutely no sleep that night, the Heldon women, Carling and I began our hike. I like to think it started when we left the house, but the hike didn't actually start until you see 'Six Foot Track' signs. The hike was about 40 kilometres, which is about 26 miles, a marathon. Luckily we weren't running the SFT, which by the way has been done in a little over 2 hours, and we have three days to complete it. We kicked ourselves off the train at Katoomba and trekked towards what we would be calling home for the weekend.

Thank goodness the first day was relatively flat. Besides walking down some trecherous steps into the mountain farm lands that is. It was a great beginning because I felt really good about it and would need that motivation to get me through the second day, also known as the hardest part of the hike. Actually, let me repharse, I should change that to 'most challening part', it sounds better. Before crashing in a very beckoning sleeping bag, we toasted my favorite: marshmellows. Nothing like ending the day with toasted sugar.

We woke up at 6am, ate some breakfast to lighten our packs and set out on the most challenging day. I made sure to apply the sunscreen, especially after hearing Australia is #1 for skin cancer. This day was almost completely uphill, each step taking us higher and higher up the mountain. It got so windy up there that we weren't able to sweat. After reaching the top the view was amaz-azing. We could see the steep hills, the farmlands we had crossed, and the cliffs we had stepped down on the very first day.

It was so cold sleeping the second night I kept my winter hat on. I also had some nasty blisters on the back of my heels so I couldn't WAIT to finish this hike and slip on my flip-flops, or thongs as they call them here. The final slope to our 'finish line' was bittersweet. It was downhill so the blisters on my heels were having a break, but that meant it took a toll on the knees and toes. Just before walking down the mount we stopped for a rest and saw a wild kangaroo! We picked out some seeds from our trail mix that he would enjoy and he ate right out of our hands. He was very cute and grasped your hand with his while he ate.

We made it to the end and the feeling of accomplishment surged through my body. I didn't think I could make it but I think somewhere in the second day my legs had gone robotic and were in auto mode. We walked through some sweet caves after a delicious (and expensive) lunch. The caves had some nice stalagtites and stalagmites. We had to wait a while for the bus, and from there only minutes to jump on the train. Getting home and seeing my bed and a shower was nice, I don't think I have never smelled that bad. While on the hike you don't smell it, but on a train, you do.

One thing I learned from this trip was to stop and look up. I was so worried about where I was stepping, didn't want to roll my ankle or trip on a rock, but that made me miss out on what God's painted for us. I made sure after waking the second day to look around, and breathe it all in.

I don't have much to say other than thank you to the hiking group: you Heldon girls are amazing, couldn't have asked for a better gang to spend time with.

Hoping to bring some hiking spirit back to the States,

Sarah Marie

2007-10-03T13:13:00.000+10:00

Hiking the Six Foot Track

2007-10-03T12:17:00.000+10:00

Would you like to hear about our hiking trip?

I thought so. Since our hiking/camping trip was so long, Sarah and I decided to write separately about our experience on the Six Foot Track this weekend so that you will get a fuller picture of what happened.
For me, the trip began Friday night while I madly loaded up my pack with Angela and Carolyn's assistance on our living room floor. I had no idea what I was meant to take and how, once I had decided, I was supposed to fit it onto the pack on my back. I got a little worried as I stuffed it that I was going to crash under the weight, but luckily once I put it on I realized it wasn't bad at all. I guess carrying all those organic vegetables around in the summer paid off. It took us a long time to finish packing. Angela and Carolyn slept over for the night so we could catch the 4:30 train in the morning, and Michelle came over later to join us. When we finally got into bed, I was totally exhausted but couldn't sleep because of excitement/ nervousness. Sarah and I talked for awhile in bed trying to fall asleep, which completely didn't work. Then we tried to be quiet and sleep, then I called it quits and decided that it was impossible to sleep. End of the story is that when "morning" came, I had gotten no sleep and was extremely tired as I threw on my pack.
Once everyone was roused, we rushed out the door and walked to the train in the light of the moon. I felt this great, super excited, invigorating feeling of starting out on this unknown journey for a whole weekend. At the train we met up with the other Heldon girls, Donna and Rachel and Donna's husband Jason. Our group took up the whole handicapped area on the train and everyone was yawning their heads off. I don't think anyone got very much sleep. The train ride to the Blue Mountains took about 3 1/2 hours. I slept a little on the train, which was freezing cold, and tried to get up some energy for the rest of the day. We arrived at Katoomba station and then began. We had to hike maybe 15 minutes to where the real hike began. Up the first hill I started to really feel the weight of my pack and thought hey, you better get used to this because you have to carry this thing all weekend girl. Actually, once I adjusted it a few times I started to forget I was carrying it at all. After taking a group shot at the beginning of the trail, we started trekking through Nellie's Glenn which was a sort of ravine where you went down tons, and tons of stairs. It was slippery and wet, but the view up the sides of the rock wall was awesome. It took us awhile to get down the Glenn and when we finally did, it felt great to walk on even ground once again. The weather was amazing the whole weekend. The sun was out and their was a cool breeze that helped cool us down. Not too hot, not too cold, just right. During the hike I began to feel like I was really in Australia, and couldn't beleive it. The rolling hills of the mountains reminded me a bit of Pennyslvania, but at a closer look I realized it was totally different because of the flora and fauna. There were lots of eucalyputs trees and other trees with skinny trunks and most of the trees had thin leaves on them.
The most exciting part of day one for me came near the end. We had to cross a suspension bridge over a river to get to the campground. As we got nearer, I thought, no problem. I'm not afraid of heights, this will be not trouble. But as I stood at the top of the bridge, waiting for the person in front of me to finish crossing, I started to feel a bit aprehensive. When I got the okay wave to cross, I held onto the sides and started walking. My bit of fear immediately disappeared as I looked out at the beautiful view of the river on both sides. I crossed safely, except for a bit of turbulence near the end, with a big smile on my face, feeling totally alive and pumped up. I think everyone should cross one of the those bridges sometime in their life.
We reached the campsite around 3:45 and started setting up camp. Already the sun was weakening and it started to get cold. Luckily I was prepared and threw on a beanie and felt a lot warmer. Sarah, Michelle and I all shared a tent, the Himalaya, which was an awesome little tent, Carolyn, Rachel and Angela shared a tent and Donna and Jason shared a tent. We made a nice little circle of tents and set up our cookstoves in the center circle. For dinner we had some hot chocolate, yum, and some pasta that our gourmet chef Michelle the Belle made. We made a little fire, even though we weren't really allowed, and cooked some marshmallows over it and then got in bed around 7:30, totally tired and ready for sleep.
We woke up around 6 am to the birds and made some porridge for breakfast in a communal pot. Day two was the most intense day of hiking, we had been warned. I felt great when I woke up after a good night's sleep and was ready to take on the million hills we had to charge up. I band-aided up my feet and we got going. The sun came out in full force on day two. I started out the morning in longsleeves, but took them off really quickly after the first couple of hills. I knew it was going to be a long day but looked forward to making it through and feeling that sense of accomplishment and the end of the day. Now when I talk about hills, I mean some big hills. Hills that go on forever where you can't see the top. Hills where you climb up to a corner and think it must end soon, but then turn the corner and realize there is a lot more to go. We kept up a good, steady pace throughout the day which saved us and drank tons of water to stay hydrated. As we climbed up the hills to the Black Range, the view kept getting more and more beautiful. I was so glad I decided to come on the trip and decided that no matter how many blisters I had it was worth it. The last two hours of the day were the worst. We leveled out and walked through a foresty part of the trail. There wasn't much change of scenery and everyone was beginning to feel really sore. Rachel and I marched on a bit in front of everyone looking for the pine trees that would signal where the next campsite was. By the time we reached them, it felt like we had been walking in a never ending maze. I have never been so happy to see a pine tree in my whole life and we shared some hi-fives to celebrate. Once we reached the campsite, we crashed on the ground, got out of our uncomfortable shoes and started setting up the tents. It was much colder up in the mountains and I still felt cold in my leggings, pants, t-shirt, thermal shirt, sweatshirt, windbreaker, and beanie. We quickly made some dinner and jumped into our sleeping bags. I slept with my face tucked under the hood all night and actually felt pretty warm. I feel asleep listening to the "footy finals" on the radio that our camping neighbors were listening to. It was very windy during the night and next morning and it didn't take us long to repack and get back on the trail. Our task on day three was to descend the mountains to Jenolan Caves where we would end the trip and take a bus ride back to the train station that would return us home. Going downhill is tough work. The trail was very rocky and slippery and if you weren't careful, you could roll your ankle in a second. The view was amazing though as we went down to the caves. We saw lots of cliffs as we walked along on a skinny path. There is a marathon that goes on the whole of the Six Foot Track once a year, and I have no idea how those guys can run down the mountain without breaking their legs. We were dying going pretty slow. When we finally got to the end of the track, everyone was ready to be done. It couldn't have ended in more perfect timing. We had a celebration and hugs all around and then went down to where the buses were for some lunch. Our bus didn't depart until 3 pm, so we had some time to kill and decided to explore the caves. The caves were amazing as well. Lots of stalagmites and stalactites hung from the ceiling and rose from the floor. We also looked at this beautiful lake that was a bright blue color from the limestone in the caves. At three, we took the bus ride back, saw some more gorgeous scenery, ran to catch the train, and rode the train home sweaty and tired.
I loved this trip. It was a great way to really see Australia and to explore its nature. This was my first backpacking trip and it turned out better than I ever though it would. I couldn't have asked for better people to go with. Everyone had a PMA (positive mental attitude) and made it lots of fun.

Key things I learned:
Bandannas are the best.
Going uphill is better than downhill.
Water is delicious.
Wearing a beanie to bed will keep you super warm.
Laughter is the best medicne and will make you forget all your ailments.

Anyways, that is a brief, haha, overview of how the trip was for me.

Shoutouts go to:
Angela, Michelle, Donna, Jason, Sarah, Rachel, Carolyn for being awesome troopers.
Christian V.E. for being a bandanna wearing backpacker himself.
My parents Mark and Wendy for making me love to play outside.
Hope you can all do some hiking yourselves,
love,
Carling

Brazilian Festival

2007-09-27T13:38:00.001+10:00

Inside of Church

2007-09-26T18:35:00.000+10:00

Botanical Gardens

2007-09-26T18:27:00.001+10:00

Festival and Babysitting

2007-09-26T17:57:00.000+10:00

Hello Readers!

Sorry it has taken us so long to write another blog. We have been keeping busy with work, trips into Sydney, and just living life. Now we will try and catch you up on what's been happening.

Both last Saturday and Sunday we went into Sydney. On Saturday we visited the Botanical Gardens and the Art Museum with Owen and Margaret Heldon and their family. There was a special Islam exhibit at the Art Museum which was very impressive. There were lots of pages of the Quar'an decorated with extreme detail, Islamic tapestries, pottery, and paintings. It was quite an extensive collection and we felt almost drained by the end because of all we had seen.

Each weekend this month, Sydney is putting on a different festival so on Sunday, after singing for church, we decided to go check out the Brazilian festival at Darling Harbour. Sunday was a gorgeous, sunny day, perfect for walking around the city, which meant that everyone had the same idea as us and there were lots of people walking around with us. We saw two different bands singing brazilian songs and one of the bands was accompanied by a troop of acrobats who jumped around the stage doing karate-like moves. The other band had a lead woman singer who got the audience to repeat everything she said and clap along with the music. We were happy to join in, even though we had no idea what we were saying. Beside the Brazilian festivities there was a Chinese festival going on which we also visited. We watched a show of two men under a dragon suit who jumped up on posts of different heights all reaching above our heads. It was very impressive. By the time we got back to our house on Sunday night, we felt a sense of accomplishment that we had navigated our way around the city. We were also glad that we had a great day for only the cost of a five dollar train ticket.

Monday morning we awoke early, really early, to meet up with Margaret and catch the 7:04 am train to take us to Featherdale Wildlife Park. Our task for the day was to help Margaret babysit her niece and nephew, Babbette and Edward, at the park while their parents worked on plans for their new house. We had our hands full, but between the three of us we managed to keep an eye on the kids and have a great time. This park was different than Taronga Zoo because the animals were loose and you could walk right up to them and pet them. It was a very long day, but the kids did really well considering the fact that they didn't know us at all. By the end of the day were very tired and hungry but felt good knowing that we had helped out our neighbors and done one of the most New Church things you can do.

This weekend we are anticipating our first 3-day hike. The hike is in the infamous Blue Mountains and is on a 6 ft. track, hence the hike's title "the 6 foot track". We are a bit nervous because we will be carrying packs, full of tent peices, food, sleeping bags, the whole shabang. We are going with all of Margaret's daughters, which should be a blast. We are gearing up for this endeavor, we've got warm socks and rainjackets. The feeling when we have finished will be that of awesome triumph.

Now for some shout-outs:
To Aunt Jax, Happy Birthday!
To Dustiod Elder Happy Belated Birthday! Hope you got my message.

We love you and love hearing from you,
Carling and Sarah

Happy Birthday!

2007-09-19T13:20:00.000+10:00

Here is a special birthday post for Adara Schnarr.
Have a wonderful day and new year!

2007-09-19T13:17:00.000+10:00

The Baringa.

2007-09-19T13:15:00.001+10:00

This is the Church.

Pictures of Dudley Street

2007-09-19T13:11:00.000+10:00

This is our house.

Our House In The Middle of Dudley Street

2007-09-19T12:54:00.000+10:00

Hello Readers,

We have received many questions about our house. Where do you sleep? What does it look like? Is it attatched to another house? Do you have beds? Is there a sidewalk? Because of this persistant questioning, we have decided to write about our home sweet home in Australia.
Our is situated in the middle of Dudley Street, an uphill road that leads to the train station. Our house is the bottom of the three church buildings. In order it goes, the Manse (our house) the Church, then Baringa (the Church society building). Baringa is the Aboriginal word for "light", hence having a lot of spiritual meaning. In this building is the office where the minister usually works. We have done some filing and computer work in there. Next to this room is the bookroom which is filled with Swedenborg's writings and other New Church publications. In the back of Baringa is the kitchen and society room. This is where we had the Friday Social a few weeks ago. If a minister was here, we would have been living in Baringa.
The Church building is very lovely. It is small, but could probably hold about sixty people. There is lots of nice artwork on the walls and a beautiful stained glass window above the chancel. There are usually about fifteen people each sunday, but there can be more. Behind the church, is a beautiful garden that Grandpa Norman Heldon has put his love into. It if filled with beautiful flowers and there are wood burned plaques with correspondences on them that explain the flowers. He has also placed statues around the garden that add a uniqueness to it. We have done a lot of weeding in this garden. At the bottom of the property is the tennis court which is rented out to the public and is used daily, even as we write to you.
The manse is the next building over and this is where we live. It is quite spacious for two people and we feel very spoiled. This two story building has four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a living room dining room and nice big kitchen. On our arrival we moved two single beds into one of the bedrooms and this is where we sleep. It is great to have our own space and at least as of now, it is not too messy.
As we have said before, the people of the Hurstville Society have been extremely welcoming to us. On Monday night, we were invited one house down to the Lockhart's for a lovely dinner and visit, and last night we went our for Thai with the Murray Heldons.
Thanks to everyone for their emails and comments. We feel very loved to hear about your lives and it helps us not miss you so much.
Hope all is well,
Carling and Sarah

Sky Box at Zoo

2007-09-17T18:12:00.001+10:00

This is especially embarassing, but hilarious at the same time.

Rainforest Birds

2007-09-17T17:25:00.001+10:00

Otter Tank at Taronga Zoo

2007-09-17T16:51:00.001+10:00

Underwater in the otter tank.

Part Two Found in Sydney

2007-09-17T12:29:00.001+10:00

Found in Sydney

2007-09-15T17:23:00.000+10:00

Taronga Zoo

2007-09-15T16:45:00.000+10:00

Don't worry bloggers, we have not forgotten about you, we have just not written for awhile. We have heaps to tell you, so just hang in there. Hopefully by the videos we've posted you won't think we are getting too crazy, but if you do, just know that they are there for pure hilarity.
This morning we awoke with a plan to visit Taronga Zoo, for an adventure with just the two of us. We scrambled around the house looking at train timetables, packing lunch, and figuring out where we actually needed to go. After throwing our supplies into our trusty backpack we set out with excitement to board the train. We were successful in switching trains but when it came to boarding the ferry we ran into a bit of trouble. By accident, we got on the wrong dock after already punching in our tickets. Luckily the fates were on our side and the nice gatekeeper let us back out and directed us to the right dock. We used the fact that we are foreign to disguise our bad sense of direction.
The ferry ride was a blast. THe sun was shining bright and we got a great view of the Opera House and Harbor Bridge as we ferried across Sydney Harbor. After exiting the ferry we jumped onto the Sky Cable which was similar to a ski lift that took us to the top of the zoo. We looked down on some elephants on the ride up and got even more physched! The zoo was awesome!!! There were so many amazing animals and we saw them all! Koalas, kangaroos, dingos, tazmanian devil, tapirs, seals, you name it, we saw it today.
Our favorite part of the zoo was the spectacular birdshow. We were definately not prepared for how exciting it was. Potapov would have loved it! Birds flew inches over our heads to their trainers arms and did tricks for us. We saw one bird that opened an egg with a stone by throwing the stone with its beak at the rock. The crowd loved it, and we did too. We also saw a water show with seals that was a lot of fun, but we still preferred the birdshow above all else.
It is great to feel that we can navigate around the city comfortably. We are really liking it here. Working for the church is rewarding and we are enjoying making new friends. Last night, we went to a young people's class in Roseville, where the other New Church is. We met some people our age and had a nice time visiting.
Enjoy our pictures and have a laugh at our videos.
Now time for our shoutout-
To Maia Marie Wyncoll because she would loved the koalas we saw today.
To Denielle Schnarr for her joy.
To Yours, Potapov for ensuing an appreciation of ornithology in us.
Thanks for your comments.
We miss you all,
Carling and Sarah

Lost in Sydney Part One

2007-09-14T22:38:00.001+10:00

Here we are lost in Sydney.

Cronulla Spring Festival

2007-09-14T15:52:00.001+10:00

Being silly, once again, in Cronulla.

Rowing

2007-09-14T14:16:00.001+10:00

Kangaroo Creek.

Car Trip in Royal National Park

2007-09-14T13:12:00.001+10:00

Here we are again at Royal National Park.

2007-09-10T21:30:00.000+10:00

On the street in Cronulla

2007-09-10T21:26:00.000+10:00

Here we are at the beach at Cronulla.

2007-09-10T21:10:00.000+10:00

Our awesome Aussie outfits!

2007-09-10T21:07:00.000+10:00

Michelle, Carling, and Sarah at bowling.

2007-09-10T21:03:00.000+10:00

Sarah, Margaret and I rowing on the river.

Pictures

2007-09-10T21:00:00.000+10:00

This is Michelle and I having fun while taking a break from rowing

Rowing and Cronulla Beach

2007-09-09T19:03:00.000+10:00

Hello Faithful Bloggers,

Here we are again, reporting live from Australia. With a plan set to go rowing Saturday morning, Sarah and I awoke to find yet another downpour. Our spirits were a little down as we thought of being soaked on the river. But luckily, our the sun came out just in time and equipped with our backpack and a yummy lunch, we set forth to take the train from Penshurst to Sutherland, where we met up with Michelle and Margaret. We were meant to meet up with Michelle's cousin Kristen and her husband Sam, but unfortunately they had to take a raincheck at the last second.
Driving into the Royal National Park for a second time was different because this time it wasn't raining. We parked and "hired" an old row boat that looked a little shakey, but Margaret assured us that it would get us to our destination safely. We headed up the river which was quite high, about a foot more, due to all the recent rain. The row upriver was beautiful and we got a scenic view of Australian wildlife. There were many little waterfalls and birds which we enjoyed looking at and listening to. Except for hustling to avoid a few rocks, our paddle was calm and it was nice to visit with Margaret and Michelle. Our turnaround point was at two large waterfalls and we pulled the boat to shore and ate our lunch on a rock at their base. It was lovely to watch the water and bask in the sun. Except for a few interruptions by some teenaged kayakers who, on this freezing day, had purposedly flipped their boats in the waterfall, we didn't see many other people. Michelle was particularly annoyed at the kayakers when they pulled out some cigarettes because they were lighting up in a public place and ruining the serenity of nature. Recently, a law has been passed in Australia that you cannot smoke in any public place, be it a restaurant, pub, or park, which we appreciated last night when we went bowling.
Since we couldn't go back to the manse to change out of our shorts before bowling, Michelle had the time of her life dressing us in stylish Aussie outfits. After dinner with Margaret and her husband Owen and their daughter Carolyn, we headed out to bowling in style. Australian bowling is no different than American bowling, which was a relief. This time Kristen and Sam joined us along with Jeff. We had heaps of fun and laughed our heads off.
Beginning this morning with Fear and Courage, which was the sermon at church today, we had successfully made it a week in Australia. After church, we received a pleasant surprise in the form of a gift from the oldest member of the congregation, Norman Heldon. He is 90 years old and still hiking the Blue Mountains. He gave us a signed copy of his book A Literary Smorgasboard.
Michelle invited us to go visit the nearest beach in the town of Cronulla, or as the Australians say 'Cronullar'. When we arrived there was a plethora of people in the streets celebrating their Spring Festival. We saw some Bollywood dancing, and a South African eleven piece band drumming in the new season. We picnicked at the beach and saw some brave surfers out in the ocean. When the weather gets warmer we will be spending more time here. We wondered around the streets filled with vendors and soaked up the sights until we were hit with a bulldozer in the face of tiredness so we decided to catch the train homeward. Which brings us to now.
We can't believe we've made it a week! So much has happened. Each day we have met new people, explored new places and adjusted to the Australian lifestyle. We really feel at home here, although we miss everyone at home greatly.
Tangent: Did we mention how successful our dessert was? Well, it was a HUGE success. There were rave reviews and everyone remarked that the last time they ate strawberry shortcake was in the States. This we thought extremely humorous because we hadn't thought of it as an American dessert. By the way, our guacamole was...let's just say we made way too much, but it was enjoyed.
We have really enjoyed reading your comments on our blog. It inspires us to keep writing when we know that this is actually being read.
Hope your Sunday is as filled with fun as ours was.
Happy Holidays Folks!
Carling and Sarah

Beach at Royal National Park with Michelle and Sarah

2007-09-07T17:37:00.000+10:00

Photos from Royal National Park

2007-09-07T17:27:00.001+10:00

Royal National Park

2007-09-07T16:47:00.000+10:00

How ya goin' mates?

Rain, rain, and more rain. This has been the general state of the weather here in Hurstville, AU. But because of the rain, we saw our fourth rainbow this morning. The rain is much needed here as we are in the midst of a drought and the trees are looking a lot happier.
This morning we took our first trip to the Royal National Park, in spite of a torrential downpour. Our tour guide was Michelle Heldon and she did a fantastic job of driving us through the park on some steep and windy roads. We stopped at Garie Lookout and viewed some awesome cliffs near the ocean. The waves were big and bright blue and we saw some brave surfers riding the freezing water. We then drove down to the beach which was covered with blue "jellies" which Michelle said to watch out for because they will sting you. By the end of this month the water should be warm enough for swimming, without a wetsuit. Check out our video for some live coverage.
"Kookaburra sits in the old gumtree." True story! We saw our first kookaburra today sitting on a phoneline. We also saw an Australian rarity: the Lyre Bird. Michelle told us that most people don't get the chance to see these, so we were luckybirds, haha. The Lyre bird mimics any sound it hears, for instance a car horn, so ornithologists don't know what its natural call is. Another bird we see everyday out our back window, where we have a birdfeeder, is a very small and colorful parrot. They will supposedly eat straight out of your hand, but we haven't attempted that yet. We have also seen some white cockatoos. They are beautiful.
Tonight there is a Friday Social at the church. Margaret Heldon told us to expect about 14 people. Tonights activity is watching a movie on Helen Keller's life instead of a doctrinal class. In spite of the fact that there is no permanent pastor here, the society still makes an effort to gather and enjoy a night together apart from every Sunday. We volunteered to make some guacamole and strawberry shortcake for the event. Yummo! Everything turned out perfect which has us relieved since it for the entire congregation. We wouldn't want them to think that Americans can't cook.
Today was a national holiday because of APEC and the fact that half of Sydney is fenced off. Every morning on the news there is a segment about President Bush and how many bodyguards he has, and an important section about the young star, our own Zac Efron here in Sydney promoting the international release of his new movie Hairspray.
We are eagerly looking forward to our first full weekend in Australia and a break in the rain so we can play some tennis. It is great to help out the society here and to feel useful. There are lots of time consuming jobs for us to do and it is great to know that because we can do them we are freeing up others' time. We are also having a ton of fun on the side.
Shout out time:
#1 To Mary McQueen for the fantastic recipe.
#2 To our supportive families. We think of you everyday.
#3 To Michelle Heldon. You are our favorite guide.

Enjoy the videos and photos.
Reporting live from Australia,
Carling and Sarah

Daily Life September 5th

2007-09-06T12:29:00.000+10:00

G'day Mates!

Ta da! Our jet-lag is finally finished! Wow. It took longer than we expected. We were finally able to stay up later than 8:30 and sleep in longer than 6am.

We are really settling into a groove here in Hurstville. We did our first solo train ride with no problems and are learning how to navigate the town. Yesterday was our first day of official work for the society. Our task was to organize the Sunday School closets. It needed some serious love. We sorted through crayons, markers, tape, lessons, art supplies and paper. It wasn't too hard, just took some time. Luckily we have had plenty of experience with this type of work before so we were fully equiped to tackle the problem.

After working, we headed back to the manse and made some lunch realizing that our food supply was running low. We were excited for our first trip to the grocery store. Loading up our backpacks, we headed out the door towards Hurstville where Coles supermaket is located inside the shopping mall. We found the store, no problems, filled up our cart, and stuffed our backpacks full. One thing we've noticed is that Australians don't have regular mac'n cheese, they just have EasyMac. They also don't keep their eggs in the fridge, they just store them on the shelf.

It was a long haul back to the manse with all our groceries. They were quite heavy. For those of you who live in Bryn Athyn, we had to hike up a hill similar to Sleepy Hollow. Yikes!!

For dinner, we met the Murray Heldons in the city. This meant taking the train ALONE. We had been given a phone in case of emergencies, but unfortunately during the only emergency we had, it cut out. We were meant to get off at Town Hall, but by accident got off one stop early. We couldn't find any signs, so we naiively assumed that this was our stop. But as we stood just outside the train doors, we heard the overhead speakers saying, "Next stop, Town Hall." Panicking, we jumped back on the train as the loudspeaker said, "Stand clear, doors closing." Let's just say, we were lucky.

Once we finally reached Town Hall, we were met by Murray and Lori Heldon who walked us to Seoul-ria, a Korean Restaurant downtown Sydney. There was lots of traffic because of APEC. We met up there with Murray and Lori's daughter Naomi and their niece Angela. Naomi, knowing some Korean, ordered a delicious array of food for everyone. On the corner of the table is a button that rings a bell for the waitress so you don't have to wait long which was great because we were starving (note to self: don't go to the grocery store when really hungry!). The food was delicious. And there was nothing too scary.

After dinner, we split up and went off with Angela to purchase some gelato. That was also delicious. Then we met up with Angela's twin sister Michelle and took the train back together sharing some great laughs on the way. These girls are energetic and so much fun. They are great friends and we have felt comfortable with them since we met.

The past few days the weather has been extremely changeable. One minute the sun is shining, the next it is pouring rain. While at Margaret Heldon's for dinner on Tuesday, we witnessed the most beautiful rainbow. The colors were so bright and we could see where it touched the ground on both sides. Minutes later, another rainbow arched its way along this one, making a perfect double rainbow. Sarah and I had never seen anything like this. Margaret said that they often see rainbows with all six colors and with a full arch. Very different from the little sundogs we see in the US. On Wednesday we saw another rainbow which wasn't as impressive, but still quite lovely.

We now have a few shoutouts to our faithful blog readers.

#1 The ninth and tenth graders at KNCS. Study hard!

#2 Mr. B. for being the first to comment on our blog. Thank you!

#3 To Tony Griffin the R.A. Go Phillies! Make friends with the freshmen.

#4 To Jace Odhner. Stay happy and go on a bike ride.

Check back later for more updates.

We love you all,

Sarah and Carling

Panoramic View of Sydney

2007-09-06T11:48:00.000+10:00

Youth Hostel In Sydney

2007-09-06T10:57:00.000+10:00

First Trip to Syndey

2007-09-04T08:10:00.000+10:00

Our first trip into the beautiful city of Sydney began on the train. We bought a roundtrip ticket for $5. Our escort was Jeffrey Heldon, who, out of the goodness of his heart, guided us two uncitified Americans around this city.

We walked to the Art Gallery of New South Wales and saw only a fraction of the artwork it had to offer. One piece had about 100 bats hanging upsidedown on a clothesline. Their wings were decorated in the Aboriginal style that uses lots of small painted dots. We will definitely be going back to the museum to see what other pieces it has.

Our next stop was to visit Jeff's older sister, Naomi, who manages a youth hostel for travelling backpackers. There we went up the 'lift' and onto the roof. From the top of the building we could see the Sydney Tower, which used to be in the center of the city. The Sydney tower looks similar to the CN Tower in Toronto, CA. They both have revolving restaurants at the top, and hopefully we will make a visit.

Naomi gave us some maps and directed us to some highlights of the city via the TRAVELATOR (this is really just a long moving walkway seen in airports, just with an intense name). This deposited us in the heart of Sydney where we took a long stroll towards the Opera House. As we walked we soaked in the sights and sounds of Australia, particularly noticing their fashions, FYI: boys are really into skinny jeans and artistic hairdos.

As we drew closer to the Opera House we noticed high metal fences lining the sidewalks. These are in place because of APEC (Asia Pacific Economic Coorporation), and the world leaders it is bringing together, including George Bush who is arriving today. The president's visit is causing some protesting because of his views on the war. It is interesting to be an American in Australia during this time. When Carling went to buy water downtown, the cashier asked her, once hearing her American accent, if she was here to protest. Packs of Australian police patrolled the fenced areas keeping an eye out for any trouble.

The Opera House. When we saw that historic white building we knew we were really in Australia. It seemed quite unreal to actually be standing before it. Across the harbor from the Opera House we had a great view of the Harbor Bridge and some adventurous people scaling its arch. We weren't allowed onto the steps of the Opera House because of the fencing and APEC, but that didn't mean that we didn't feel in awe of it.

Craving icecream, we we took some final photos and headed home trying to beat the 4:30 train rush hour. Our trip back was crowded with businessmen returning home from the city, reading their magazines and newspapers. We felt a sense of accomplishment exiting the train at Hurstville due to our successful excursion into the city and the feeling that we could do it again without too much trouble.

Our jet-lag is on its way out the door, finally! It has taken a long time to feel normal. We are beginning to feel at home here although it is still unreal that we are on the other side of the world for another two months. We would like to end this post with a special shoutout to the Paul Schorran Family. After their insistant urging and hype, we visited the famous 'Cornerstore' to purchase some much wanted icecream. Don't worry Schorrans, it is still here and thriving, even though we believe it has a different owner than the one from your fables.

Don't worry parents, we are staying safe and sticking together.

Don't worry teachers, we are actually learning as well.

We love hearing people's comments, so keep them coming.

With love,

Carling and Sarah

Tribute to the Wright Brothers

2007-09-02T17:41:00.000+10:00

We would like to begin this blog with a tribute to Orville and Wilbur, the Wright Brothers. Without their invention of the plane, we would not now, at this very moment be posting to you from the Land Down Under.

At 3pm, our trip began from the Philadelphia Airport. We took off to San Fransisco which was about a 6 hour flight, no promblems except for a terrible movie which we recommend to no one. Flying into San Fran at night was awesome because we had a great view of the lights on the Golden Gate Bridge. We then had about an hour break at the airport where we stretched and walked around to prepare for the longest flight ever to the other side of the world. Yikes! When we got on the huge plane it was 2am our time so we were super tired. But luckily we had tons of No-Jet-Lag, a homeophathic remedy to prevent grogginess, from Sarah's mom :). The flight through the night seemed a bit endless while we tried to get comfortable in our seats and sleep. But we managed okay. Finally, we flew into Sydney at 6am getting a good view of the water at the same time. Customs were easy and once we were through, we were met by our hosts, Margaret, Jeffrey, and Lori Heldon. They gave us big hugs and welcomed us into their country. A nicer group of people could not be found. On our drive back to the church we noticed that Australians drive on the other side of the road and have great accents. We have been practicing ours...

Once we arrived at the church, Margaret gave us a grand tour around the church property. It is quite lovely. There are beautiful gardens and birds and a great tennis court. We are staying in the manse which is very luxurious for two people. Saturday was a very, very long day. Fighting jet lag is a beast. We managed to stay awake for the day, but just barely. Getting into bed at 8:30pm has never felt so good. This morning we attended church and met some more of the Hurstville Society. Everyone was extremely welcoming and seemed excited to see some new faces. Today was Father's Day, so after church, we had a nice lunch with the Heldon Family to celebrate and played lots and lots of tennis.

Now we are making our first dinner in Australia! Pasta! It is very exciting. It is strange to be so far away from the US, but a great experience. There is loads to do here and many ways in which we can be useful to the society, and have fun at the same time.

Lots of love to everyone back home,

Carling and Sarah