Queen of Altona

OK – We have done some seriously amazing things since we’ve been to Australia. We have met a ton of great people, seen some amazing sites and had way too much to eat – the list never ends. But Sunday was incredible.

We have been going hard since we landed in Melbourne nearly two weeks ago. Long days and long nights. It has been tons of fun, but it is safe to say we all kind of hit a wall in the last couple of days.

Our only commitment for the day was to represent Rotary in a parade in Altona, just down the road from Williamstown. We teamed up with the outbound GSE team that is coming to Nebraska in April and marched like rock stars through the hospitable town of Altona. As you can see, Judy got to ride like Royalty, while we walked along as humble delegates!

Afterwards, we were kind of on our own and this is where it got good.

We crashed.

Hard.

Matt took the afternoon to catch up on some much needed rest and had planned to get some work done for his presentation on Tuesday (did you get your homework done Matt?).

Jen’s host parents David and Noleen went to the movies and were nice enough to let Aaron tag along. We saw Run, Fatboy, Run – an amusing British comedy. It was a hot day (35C/93F), so it was nice to stay inside. The rest of the afternoon included some AWESOME naps.

Judy managed to shed the title of of Queen of Altona to take on the distinction of Captain later in the day, as she skippered a boat with a small crew that included Christina out on the harbor.

Tomorrow is a national holiday (Labour Day), so we’re all heading for a short drive to see the Great Ocean Road. We won’t have time to go far, but we’ll have a chance to see part of the greatest surf beaches in the world.

Tough, huh?

Sailboats & Sunshine

Today (Day 13) was transfer day between RC Essendon North and RC Point Gellibrand. The hand off was going to happen over lunch at the Pelican Landing restaurant in Williamstown. I know you’re thinking, “OMG…another hand off, how does this team do it?!” Well, aside from the fact that we’re TOTALLY amazing, this was the start of the long weekend, so we were looking forward to the next few days in Williamstown, a bay side community (translation: water, beaches, yachts, and lots of visitors enjoying their Labor Day weekend). Over lunch, we were informed that we were participating in the Altona parade the next morning. Of course, being Americans, we immediately needed to know if we were going to be throwing candy. FYI - pelting candy at small children is apparently not an Australian custom. However, the Club President was quick to embrace this American practice of ours and took me down to the Lolly Shop where, after sampling a couple of delightful bits of chocolate, we procured some candies for the parade. We’ll let you know how it turns out…

After a quick tour of Williamstown, we all went home with our host families and spent a few hours doing the exact same thing…napping. We were all reunited at my place (okay, my host family’s house) for an evening BBQ. It was a fanstastic night. The food was fabulous with something for everyone: prawns, oysters, fish, sausages, steak, salads and the biggest pavlova I have ever seen (kudos to the chef…it was light and fluffy and absolutely divine). It was another night spent laughing hysterically (with each passing day we seem to be getting funnier) and getting to know Rotary people (if you don’t know any Rotarians, I suggest you go out and meet a few… these are some good people and would definitely make a great addition to your next party.)

Some Real Aussie Footy

Aaron here with a quick Friday (Day 12) update -

So Friday was another vocational day, so everyone had a chance to get some work done before a long, holiday weekend. My day revolved around sports and more sports (I know, how horrible!). After a brief meeting with Jeff Slattery Publications, which handles all publications for the AFL (Australian Football League), my host Ben DeBolfo and I squeezed in a tour of the Telstra Dome. This is a gorgeous facility and has been the host of the city’s greatest concerts. While most arenas and stadiums don’t vary too much, this had a movable roof and their media interview room was easily the best of the 20-30 stadiums I have seen. Very cool.

As has been the case, the weather was fantastic, so it was a perfect night for football (or footy as its called here - for future reference our footbal is called gridiron over here). The entire group met up for a preseason AFL match between Carlton and Western Australia. Carlton, the home team, won, but we didn’t really care, as it was fun just to see the action.

Even though it was just the final preseason game, it was a notable game that drew over 10,000 fans. Of historical significance, part of these grandstands are scheduled to be demolished within the coming weeks. This stadium holds a lot of special memories for the community, as it’s nearly 100 years old. The WA Bulldogs (the white team) also saw the debut of their top draft pick from a year ago.

As for our impressions of footy — I think the ladies in the group might be lobbying for an AFL expansion team in Nebraska…. It could have been the uniforms, more than the strategy, but I’m not sure.

We capped off the night with a dinner at one of the local hotels. Unlike America, hotels are basically restaurants over here which serve full menus. We all had incredible food - which is safe to say, because Jen and Christine sampled everybody’s plates, then we all shared desserts (you have to try them all don’t you?).

This was our last night with the Essendon Rotary Club, so we wrapped up kind of early (especially since we had stayed up late the night before).