Back in the Saddle Again

Wow, it's been nearly 2 months since I've posted for you. I've missed the blog, which kind of surprised me- especially considering how I feel about “journalling”. It's hard to believe that DTS is over already and that I've left Fiji. Our outreach ended on Sunday, May 29 when we returned to Lautoka. I had 4 days there to debrief with the rest of the team, get organized, buy a few souvenirs, say goodbye to some good friends and pack for the next adventure. I also graduated from DTS that week...

Vinaka vaka levu Fiji for the most amazing 5 months... and thank you God for being there with me every step of the way.

Well, I haven't made it home yet. I'm in Ballarat, Australia, a small city about 1½ hours from Melbourne, where I am staying with some old friends- Angela and Leigh. I've known Angela for a long time- we met in church one day and bonded over a mutual annoyance of a certain somebody... and we've been friends ever since. We have had a lot of good times together and, despite the fact that we've spent the majority of our friendship in different cities, provinces and now, in different countries, our friendship continues. Angela went off to do her DTS shortly after we met and ended up as a missionary for YWAM Vancouver... and that is where she met her fabulous hubby, Leigh the Australian.

They're pretty cute, eh?!

They've been in Australia for 3 years now so, when I got to Fiji and finally clued in that I was ¾ of the way to Australia, I jumped at the chance to come and see them. And, now that I am here, I am so thankful to be here- this was the best thing I could have done after DTS. I'm just not ready to go home- at least not now. I've needed some time to process, get myself well (see below), ease myself back into western culture and just relax. As former DTS students and YWAMers, Angela and Leigh knew I was going to need some “decompression” time after DTS before heading back into my real life, so they have welcomed me with open arms. Thank you Angela and Leigh for welcoming me into your home- for making me feel as if I am home- you have been perfect, understanding and gracious hosts.

This is what I had waiting for me in my room when I arrived at Angela & Leigh's- hospitality at its finest!

As I alluded to above, I haven't been feeling 100%. I came back to Lautoka with vomiting, diarrhea and a nasty cough. I actually feel very fortunate because I have heard of many horror stories of traveller sicknesses and this is honestly the first time I've ever experienced anything. In fact, I am usually bragging about how I strong my stomach is... won't be doing that anymore! Truth be told, it hasn't been nearly as bad as some people experience and, even more gratefully, I didn't get sick until the last few days of outreach, so I've always had good “facilities”. However, I have had this cough for nearly 3 weeks now and while the vomiting has ceased, the other “problem” has not. I think it may be time to take advantage of my travellers insurance.

It's winter here in Australia, which means temperatures less than 15 celcius, wind and rain. The leaves have turned colours and are falling off of the trees- by the time I get back to summer in Canada, my body is not going to know what season it is! Needless to say, I arrived with no warm clothes- all I brought to Fiji was hot weather clothes and most of those clothes stayed in Fiji (mostly because there are people there who need them more than I do, but also because I've lost 17 pounds... woot woot! Here's hoping western convenience and my lack of will power will not call those pounds back... ). Angela has lent me a lot of clothes, but she also introduced me to a little department store called Target...

That's me, 100% happy.

... and I am now in love. I've never been to a Target before and I am impressed. And, more importantly, I am warm and stylish (as stylish as I can get, anyway)... especially after my hair cut today! I haven't had my hair cut since I left Canada and it was the longest it has been since I was a kid. And I looked like a mangy mutt...

But now...

cute as a button!

So, I just wanted to write a quick post to say “hi, remember me?” and let you know that I haven't forgotten about you. I've just needed some time to feel better, to process things and to motivate myself. I'm getting there, slowly, so over the next few days you will be seeing more posts and pictures about our outreach and other little thoughts and musings I've been having. And I will do my best to respond to the emails and Facebook messages you've been sending (thank you for your patience). So, keep your eyes open for more on my outreach adventures and more!

Thanks for reading,

Christy