A trip recap so far

*edited to add* I couldn't get the pics to post, but check my previous post and you can see things on my flickr site.

It's 10:18pm as I write this and I should be in bed getting rest while I can, but I thought I'd try for an update. We arrived on Saturday to lovely weather to us, but our Australian hosts said we were not finding WA at its best with the skies a bit overcast. Still, we loved it and were so happy to FINALLY be out of the airport and off a plane for the first time in over 30 hours.

We were taken to over motel for the night and left on our own and the team headed out for some dinner. We made it to Clancy's Fish Pub to enjoy some fish and chips and then headed back to the motel to get some rest. On Sunday, we met up with the GSE coordinators for our stay and learn what we'd be doing the rest of the week and the rest of the trip. Around noon we met our host families and Lindsey and I headed out with John and Melodie Kevan to get settled in and have some lunch. Afterwards, we went out to Kings Park for a look around and then on a drive to Freemantle, finally meeting up with Scott and Lori and their host families for another fish and chips dinner at Cicerello's. While there we saw a huge pellican - I named him Petey - just walking on the pier. He tried to take a nip out of one of our hosts, but Ralph bravely soldiered on and got out of old Petey's way.

Monday we were up and going with some of us having vocational days and others of us taking it a bit easy. Scott had an interesting day with the local police and promises to blog when he remembers to make me give him the password to the blog. haha In my defense, I have given it to everyone previously, but it's kind of hard to remember, so I do need to write it down again for him and for Grant so they can blog for you all. As you can see from the pictures I posted earlier, Lindsey, Lori and I had a fun day petting and feeding the kangaroos and petting a koala at Caversham Wildlife Park. Then it was back home for a lovely dinner with Melodie and John and their son Mike, his wife Cecelia and their 12-day-old son Lucas, plus Melodie's mother and friend Sue. We had a lovely evening. Melodie and John have been wonderful hosts and yes Bernie, we are on our best behavior!

Today was our first presentation and it went well, though we have some things we want to cut and to shape up for the future. I know Lindsey has some pictures and will post them soon. She's feeling a tad under the weather tonight and seems to have caught the cold that I brought over with me from the States, but she has some medicine and is off to bed now. No worries though as we are being very well taken care of.

This afternoon there was a reception for us with the Mayor of the city of Melville, Katherine Jackson. You will see that picture posted at the top of this entry of the team with the Mayor. Lindsey and I then headed off for the Mandurah District Rotary Club's meeting where the first female member was being inducted this evening with John doing the honors. We'll be back with those lovely folks in about 4 weeks and Lindsey and I were each about to meet out host families tonight.

The rest of the team headed off for some kangaroo watching at a local golf course where those wacky marsupials live. I'm sure we'll see lots of pictures about it tomorrow when the team re-groups at 9am before heading to Notre Dame University (yes, a branch of the US Notre Dame) and I will have my first vocational visit with the Student Services department there.

It's much too late for me to still be up, so I will sign off. Everyone is well here and if your loved one is not blogging, do not worry, they will be soon. I promise!

Shannon