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Published: February 13th 2005
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I hope that you do not mind when I place photos on the web before an actual explanation of the activity. That’s just the way it’s working out at the moment.
I find myself with exactly three months left in Australia and about two months left at The Magdalene Centre. It is hard to believe that I have been working an entire month already. Things are very busy, as you would expect when providing emergency assistance. I am very thankful for the opportunity to gain such valuable experience and am finding myself in the working stages of my time there.
Last Tuesday, we all took an outing to the Botanic Gardens to watch a movie in the park. Moonlight Cinema shows movies beneath the night sky during the summer months. We had the opportunity to bring blankets and snacks and catch a view of the stars. As you browse through the photos you might also note that it was a cool evening which is why I wore my beanie. Even though it is summer here and we have experienced temperatures around 100 degrees, we have also dealt with chilly evenings. Many tell me that Adelaide has experienced an unusual summer season
as it is usually well above 100 most days. Even though I was expecting a summer similar to Texas, this has been a pleasant change.
I began my weekend with an early morning Saturday run. I have been attending exercise classes in the evenings at a local gym but this was my first time to venture out for a long run. Adelaide, like Austin (they are sister cities by the way), has a river which runs through a portion of the city. The Torrens River is bordered by parks and jogging trails much like Town Lake Park. On the way to the Torrens River I stopped by the International Rose Garden located just inside the Botanic Gardens. Adelaide has more rose gardens than any other nation and the International Rose Garden actually contains over 5000 roses.
Saturday, Kameron and I took the bus to Hahndorf (see Hahndorf photo blog). Hahndorf is a historic German village nestled away in the Adelaide Hills. We had a look at Hans Heysen’s (a famous Australian artist) historic home before taking a stroll down Main Street. Beerenberg Strawberry farm was located just at the eastern end of the street and it dates back to the
1830’s when the Paech family and a large number of German immigrants settled into the village of Hahndorf. Seven generations of the family have lived and worked on the farm. I have to mention that the smell of the strawberry farm was just BEAUTIFUL. After half an hour of labor (and really, I would hardly call it labor…it was the most pleasant picking experience) in the patch, Kameron and I treated ourselves to German tea at The Inn. My favorite was the fresh apple strudel. Yummy!
Sunday, I spent my day, independently, wandering through several free museums. This included a brief stop at the SA Library to view the Bradman Collection and Mortlock Wing. If you recall Donald Bradman from an earlier blog entry, I spoke of his contribution to the game of cricket. The collection gave an overview of Bradman’s life and more specifically momentous times in his game of cricket. I also had a look at the Mortlock Wing of the library. It was gorgeous.
I really enjoyed the SA Museum and I would say that the Yuendumu Doors (see SA Museum blog) and world mammal exhibitions were my favorites. The mammal exhibition was really quite amazing. I
am definitely a visual learner and seeing a display that represented each animal from so many nations was quite overwhelming. I was overtaken by the diversity and placement of such creatures…
The rest of the museum included exhibitions of the following :the aboriginal culture, pacific cultures, sea life, Australian fauna, marine fauna, minerals, fossils and ancient Egypt. Oh, yes, I was able to identify names of some of birds I included in previous blogs. I have made a note to venture back and place those names accordingly.
My last museum stop included the Art Museum. I really enjoyed the contemporary works of art displayed. It’s unfortunate that I cannot share those with all of you.
Culture Shock 101
There are two things in particular that I remember having a hard time accepting when I first arrived to Australia. The first was not having my cell phone as a source of communication. This took me a couple of days to accept. The other thing was managing with the fact that this country drives in the opposite seat and on the opposite side of the road. It’s a good thing I am in the habit of looking both ways before I
cross the road! It actually took me a couple of weeks to gain the courage to sit in the front seat of a vehicle. Now, I find myself adjusting to walking on the left side of the sidewalk, street, hallway, etc.
Word Bank
To ring- to call
Torch-flashlight
Knock off-to go (like “I am going to knock off now” instead of “I am leaving”)
Bonsa-great
Toilet or loo-restroom
Tic-a short while (“Be back in a tic” or “Can I speak to you for a tic?”)
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