School with Teacher Jana

I got to go to school with Jana on Thursday and Friday and help out. What an experience! She works at an international school that caters for students between 2-7 years old. She has a nursery class, not too dissimilar from Australian preschool, which educates and develops children between 2 and 3 years old. When we were waiting for all of the students to arrive on the first day of the school year, I was able to look around the sweet school grounds and observe the children playing and interacting with one another. My ovaries were bursting with joy at the sight of these beautiful small children. So sweet, so many nationalities and so many I could take home with me. When we finally got all of our class upstairs and taken their shoes off, we were trying to distract the criers with play dough and the play kitchen. I was getting right in among it all, eating all of the delicious pretend food that was being made on the play kitchen stove. Before long, I had a massive line of children, taking turns to feed me their pretend food. It was so adorable to see that each child had something different. For one, it was hot corn ("Hot, hot, need to blow"), for another, it was eggs ("Shake shake shake some salt, yummy!"), for another it was popcorn-  It was all a real delight. 

I tried to take as many pictures to capture the day, but it was just too enjoyable to be in it to be behind the camera too much. 

 

Wednesday ponderings

It sucks that I came at a time when Jana is stuck at work. She feels the same way, especially when I'm still asleep when she has to leave. We have evenings together and weekends- I just wish we had more time together! It's a whole new dynamic of friendship having to share Jana with Sorm. It's fine for the most part, but usually when it's Emma/Jana time, it's just the two of us except for the odd occasion of being social with others- Not the other way around. It's taking some getting used to. What makes it all ok is seeing Jana so happy here. She really is where she's meant to be. She speaks Thai with the locals at the fresh produce market and the cab drivers, she weaves in and out of labyrinth-like paths of large markets and streets, knowing exactly where she's going and she is just glowing. Probably a mixture of pregnancy hormones as well as being totally in love and just so darn content with her life here. I couldn't be prouder. Thailand suits her.  

Tomorrow marks a whole week away from home and already I'm starting to feel a deep pang of missing Shane. Great- two months to go.

Here are some view shots from Jana's balcony. If only photographs could capture smell, atmosphere, sounds, moods and feelings of being from an entirely different world. I am an alien. 

Saturday Celebrations

Today, we found out that Jana is having a boy!!!


So naturally, we baked a blue cake and had a party.

 After:

Before:

Numbers. Friday.

Time difference: 3 hours behind Sydney

Hours awake before going to bed: 21 

Time awake: 4:30am

Jana's alarm went off: 6:30am

Jana left for work: 7:10am 

Ready to go out and explore: 7:10am 

Bank to change money opened: 10am

New SIM card and Internet: 7:30am 

Ready for lunch: 8am

Train to enormous shopping mall: 8am

Time until shops opened: 2 hours 

Time until Jana finished work: 7 hours

Time spent shopping on my feet without stopping: 8 hours

Number of trains caught independently: 2

Number of devastatingly awful smells: 10 

Number of amazing smells: 1000000 

Games of Yahtzee played: 2

Games of Yahtzee won by Jana: 2 

Times Sorm tried to cheat: 6

Number of husbands I'm missing back home: 1

Slices of Thai pizza eaten: 3

Winnie the Pooh puzzle pieces assembled: 200

At last

I really rate Qantas! The menu, the staff, the entertainment and the three seats I was spread across for my 9 hour flight was a perfect formula for the start of my adventure. 

The day before, my delightful pal Kristen drove me to Canberra to pick up my long awaited visa and passport from the Nigerian Embassy. Praise The Lord that I didn't have to wait longer for the little bugger to be processed. I was starting to think that this trip wouldn't happen at all. Never have I called my mum so much within the space of 3 days- all with anxiety, high stress, irrational thinking and more often than not, constant sobbing. She would have loved it. 

Anyway, of course- God pulled through. So there I was, aboard the plane, spread out, complete with music, colouring in and puzzle book, card-making and travel journal- not to mention the mounds of pillows and blankets I managed to collect from the empty seats around me. 

The moment I stepped off the plane at Bangkok (Suvarnabumi) airport, the waft of heat, humidity and the perfume of Thailand greeted me like a warm hug and left me beaming from ear to ear right through to the long line of immigration. Finding Jana on the other side was not an easy feat. There was over an hour of her waiting for me at the arrival gate and me waiting for her near the public transport. I had no Thai money, no internet, no working pay phone and my recently unworking iPhone. Unable to contact her was really just another catastrophe to add to the already saga that has been leading up to this trip. Thank heavens that my pal Laura loaned me her old iPhone to use as an iPod (which had plenty of battery). I found an information sign with instructions on how to set up the airport's free wifi to let Jana know where I was and at long last, a pair of the strongest arms had me locked in the tightest hug I've ever received. The immense feeling of being home was encapsulated in this embrace and the tears flooding our eyes only confirmed it. Relief. Comfort. Exhaustion. Twenty one years of friendship. Home. 

Pre travel blues

There have been a lot of complications and delays with receiving my Nigerian visa. The consulate is in Canberra and they also have my passport. Even though I paid for a 3 business day service and an overnight courier weeks and weeks ago, it still has not arrived. After numerous phone calls, emails and being consistently told to stop calling, I'm feeling extremely taken advantage of and really just down in the dumps. 

I've since cancelled my Monday morning flight to Bangkok and now I'm playing the waiting game until my passport arrives and I can book another flight to Thailand. 

There are so many sucky parts about this. The big deal is that Jana has the first few days of my visit off work and would have been prime time to catch up and enjoy each other's company without the thought of work luring in the backs of our minds. I'm only in Thailand for 2 weeks, as opposed to the whole month I'll be spending in each of the other continents. 

Jana is understandably devastated, as am I, about the whole situation and we are trying desperately just to hold it together. Admittedly, I have lost it on a couple of occasions, and because my passport is still not in my hand the day before I was supposed to fly out, I am almost certain that I can only hold it together for so much longer. 

Amidst this, God has shown that he has not left me stranded. A beautiful couple from bible study have just handed me $200 towards a new flight and spoke the same words my mum did when trying to calm me down; that God has a good reason for not giving me my visa/passport on time. I may never know why, but I just need to trust that He is good. I have been saying Psalm 23 over and over in my head from last week's church service. "The Lord is my shepherd, I have everything I need. He makes me rest in His pastures. He restores my soul." 

And another beaut little detail is that tonight's sermon is on God's perfect timing. 

This should be good. 

Another world-wide adventure

Hello world (namely Mum),

It is that time again where I count down the days until departing on another life-changing trip overseas. This one is almost entirely a family voyage and only the travelling parts will be done alone. 
For those of you who aren't my mum, here is a bit of context. (Don't worry, Mum- the itinerary is here too.)

The first stop is Bangkok, Thailand, where my best girlfriend has been living for about 9 months with her Cambodian man, Sorm. Speaking of 9 months, Jana is pregnant with my Godchild, so this visit will be ultra special. In April of last year, Jana and I went to Thailand together to celebrate 20 years of best friendship, and this marked as a catalyst in Jana's decision to be bold and move there for good- A decision I stupidly encouraged, as she had always talked about it (and is practically Thai at heart anyway).

Next, I'll be heading to continent number two: Africa. Specifically Jos, Nigeria. My sister, brother-in-law and their three beautiful girls left Australia a year ago and the heartache is still fresh. Although Jos wasn't their intended destination, they have been working the Ministry Centre there until they get the green light to go to Liberia (which won't be long after I leave them). It would have been incredible to go to Liberia and see the place we have been praying them into, but it's going to be so great to see where they have been living and calling 'home' so far.

After Africa, I'll be going to the USA. My brother, sister-in-law and their two gorgeous kids have been living in Michigan for (is it?) 7 years(?)! This will be my third time visiting them in their beautiful home. The last time I saw them was Christmas 2012 and it was my first real snow encounter! The Summer will be just about over so the kids will be at school and Nath will be working but it doesn't matter because this is real life. 

It may seem like I am bitter about my whole family living abroad. Yes, there are a lot of selfish reasons why I wish they were still in Australia, but I also supported and encouraged their decisions to move overseas because essentially, I know they are exactly where they need to be. Whether it is the culture or God's calling, it is also home. And because my family are my heart, I now have a piece of home in every corner of the world.

A big c(hunk) of home, my other half, will be coming to Michigan in my last week away and then we will head to New York before coming home together. It will be my third time to New York and Shane's second. You can't go just once because you fall in love with a specific food dish and daydream about it every minute of every day until you go to New York and eat it again. For Shane, it's mac and cheese from Mac Bar. For me, a burger from Shake Shack.

 So here we are at 10 days to go.
I have bought my own luggage this time, as everyone I have ever borrowed from is now living overseas. (I guess I'll just have to go and visit them.. What a right shame.) I have attempted to pack a few times now.. If I could just stop buying Aussie gifts and supplies for everyone, maybe I could remember to pack some clothes for myself. My Nigerian visa still hasn't come through, so if we could pray that and my passport over before my departure date, that would be swell.

Itinerary (Here you go, Mum):

17th August 
depart Sydney 9:45am
arrive Bangkok 4:35pm

3rd September
depart Bangkok 2:40am
arrive Dubai 5:45am

depart Dubai 10:50am
arrive Abuja (Nigeria) 3:10pm

28th September
depart Abuja 10:10pm


29th September
arrive Frankfurt 5:25am

depart Frankfurt 10:15am
arrive Detroit 1:35pm

16th October
depart Detroit (tba)
arrive New York (tba)

19th October
depart New York (early)
arrive Detroit (tba)

depart Detroit 5:50pm
arrive Los Angeles 7:55pm

depart Los Angeles 10:20pm
arrive Sydney 7:20am