Hello from sunny Prince George! That's right people Canada isn't snowy and cold all year...yesterday it got up to the low 20's (that'slow 70's for those of you who don't understand Celsius) and ended with a glorious hailstorm!
Wow...life as I know it has been pretty busy since I got back to Canada. I spent some time in Enderby catching up on sleep and my mom, dad, and brother Gordon as well as with a few friends and then spent a few more family days in Summerland. It was really special to be there with my Grandma and the rest of our family to remember my Grandpa. He's one of the people I've always looked up to and the only person who still got away with calling me Julie Bulie. Even though I had time to prepare myself for not seeing him again before I got home, it was still hard to be in familiar places and know that he wouldn't be there.
My mom asked me to help out with the memorial by putting together a video with photos from his life...even though it took a long time I loved seeing his personality shine through each image. The slideshow was meant to be 6 minutes long and it got me thinking....95 years of life show in 6 minutes...what kind of pictures end up in that kind of a video? How do you accurately represent a life in images over 6 minutes? And then of course...what do I want to have in my 6minutes...as I'm thinking about the next stage in my life I've been keeping that question in mind (and also my Grandpa's example...).
2 days after the memorial service I found myself back in Prince George. I'd forgotten how places find a way to my heart and how much this one has become a home. It's been so wonderful catching up with friends and seeing what God has been doing in their lives. Before I left I remember saying, "A lot can happen in 8 months!" and it surely has....both here and overseas where I was.
Immediately after I went in to the school board office I was back on the Teacher on Call (substitute teacher) list and within 5 minutes of leaving had work for the next day! More than I had dreamed of....nothing like jumping in the deep end! God is so faithful, answering my prayers for work and the transition entering life at a different point where I left it 8 months ago.
After a full weekend and a self-imposed mental health day I'm starting to get back into the groove of things...still praying I'll have time for all those projects I was sure I'd get to when I was barely working (not looking so likely now...ha!), but people are a priority. After all it's through our relationships that we really live our lives...sharing them with others....our pastor challenged us on Sunday in his sermon on Phillippians 2: Is your life going to end in a testimony or a title? I'm hoping my 6 minutes is going to be a testimony to my God!
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Oceans apart
I left you in Rotorua on my way to Taupo, but that seems like ages ago now that I am back in Canada! I'll try to remember what I got up to...
Taupo is home of the largest freshwater lake in Australasia and tons of adventure activities (skydiving, whitewater rafting, bungee jumping....). It looks a lot like the Okanagan and it felt a lot like home. In the summer the population more than doubles, but in the autumn it's quite quiet. The weather was once again gorgeous and after the non-stop activities in Rotorua we enjoyed a slower pace during the 24hrs we spent in Taupo. We went to a local market where I stumbled across an amazing ministry out of the Philippines called Threads of Hope http://www.threadsofhope.com.ph/ It's so encouraging to find other people who are stepping out in faith and building relationship through small things like a friendship bracelet. Reminded me of the incredibly generous hearts of the YWAM team from the Philippines we met in Battambang who helped us with a couple of our gardening projects. Also in Taupo we enjoyed wandering around the town and sitting by the lake in the sunshine, a fancy (and delicious) dinner out at an Indian restaurant, and a boat trip to see some Maori carvings.
The next day we were off to Tongariro National Park where, although we had decided against hiking the crossing, we planned to do some day hikes. Tongariro is home to Peter Jackson's "Mt Doom" shooting location in the Lord of the Rings...volcanic mountains and wide open plains. A very different landscape yet again. Lindsay and I did a couple short hikes, but unfortunately the weather fogged in the peaks for our last hike so we made an earlier departure than we were expecting....off to the Waitomo Caves.
Waitomo is famous for its glow worms and also for adventure caving. Unfortunately with my broken thumb I wasn't able to do any blackwater rafting, climbing, abseiling, or caving. Jo and Lindsay were happy to take the dry route as well after their whitewater rafting experience in Rotorua so we did a short tour of the Spellbound caves and saw some stalagmites and glow worms.
The next day we drove to Auckland with a stopover in Hamilton to see the New Zealand-made movie Boy about a Maori family in the '80s. We spent two nights in Auckland and enjoyed visiting the Skytower and Rangitoto Island (a volcanic island only a 30min ferry ride from downtown Auckland. We also found some half-price tickets to see part of the Comedy Festival.
Before we knew it we were saying our goodbyes to each other and to New Zealand. I flew home via LA and visited my roomate Allison from university on my layover. We had a great time catching up and I can say I've driven down Hollywood Blvd (well ok I wasn't driving, but close enough!). During my layover in Vancouver I was welcomed back with dinner at Tim Hortons, playoffs on TV (hockey), and a glimpse of the snowcapped coastal mountains from the airport.
Now back in Enderby with my family things are a bit strange, but it's great to be home...life is a mix between sorting out the practical part of going back to work and settling in one place for a bit, catching up with friends and family which I haven't had time for lately, sleeping off my jet lag, and grieving for my Grandpa who passed away two days before I flew home.
My plan for the time being is to move back up to Prince George after my Grandpa's funeral (which should be around next Wednesday). I'm praying that I'll get some work before the school year ends. I'll be staying with my friend Josie (who travelled in Australia with me back in September and did her DTS there) and her family which I am so grateful for. My summer will probably be spent on the farm with my parents for the most part, hopefully including some side trips to the island and Alberta. I'm planning to teach a vacation bible school for a week and also to spend some time working with my dad on the farm....maybe I'll finally learn how to drive the tractor!
The fall is still a bit of an unknown and I would appreciate your prayers over my next step.
The thumb seems to be healing ok, and hopefully won't be too much trouble if I go back to teaching. I'm in a cast for the next 3 weeks and then will probably need some physiotherapy (praying for a teaching contract so that I can get medical coverage for this treatment).
Thanks again for all your encouragement and support over the past 8 months. I will continue to update you (although life will probably be a little less dramatic now) as I settle into a new rhythm. I'm in the process of sorting through about 17GB of photos, and am hoping to do some sort of slideshow in Prince George when I get back and will definitely be doing one in July in Enderby. I will try and post a few on Facebook and the blog once I'm a bit more settled (especially if I don't get much TOC work in PG!).
I do have a cell phone number for those of you in Canada, and I'd love to get back in touch. I seem to have misplaced a lot of people's phone numbers with all my moving and also because I got a new cell phone so send me a message!
Blessings, Julie
Taupo is home of the largest freshwater lake in Australasia and tons of adventure activities (skydiving, whitewater rafting, bungee jumping....). It looks a lot like the Okanagan and it felt a lot like home. In the summer the population more than doubles, but in the autumn it's quite quiet. The weather was once again gorgeous and after the non-stop activities in Rotorua we enjoyed a slower pace during the 24hrs we spent in Taupo. We went to a local market where I stumbled across an amazing ministry out of the Philippines called Threads of Hope http://www.threadsofhope.com.ph/ It's so encouraging to find other people who are stepping out in faith and building relationship through small things like a friendship bracelet. Reminded me of the incredibly generous hearts of the YWAM team from the Philippines we met in Battambang who helped us with a couple of our gardening projects. Also in Taupo we enjoyed wandering around the town and sitting by the lake in the sunshine, a fancy (and delicious) dinner out at an Indian restaurant, and a boat trip to see some Maori carvings.
The next day we were off to Tongariro National Park where, although we had decided against hiking the crossing, we planned to do some day hikes. Tongariro is home to Peter Jackson's "Mt Doom" shooting location in the Lord of the Rings...volcanic mountains and wide open plains. A very different landscape yet again. Lindsay and I did a couple short hikes, but unfortunately the weather fogged in the peaks for our last hike so we made an earlier departure than we were expecting....off to the Waitomo Caves.
Waitomo is famous for its glow worms and also for adventure caving. Unfortunately with my broken thumb I wasn't able to do any blackwater rafting, climbing, abseiling, or caving. Jo and Lindsay were happy to take the dry route as well after their whitewater rafting experience in Rotorua so we did a short tour of the Spellbound caves and saw some stalagmites and glow worms.
The next day we drove to Auckland with a stopover in Hamilton to see the New Zealand-made movie Boy about a Maori family in the '80s. We spent two nights in Auckland and enjoyed visiting the Skytower and Rangitoto Island (a volcanic island only a 30min ferry ride from downtown Auckland. We also found some half-price tickets to see part of the Comedy Festival.
Before we knew it we were saying our goodbyes to each other and to New Zealand. I flew home via LA and visited my roomate Allison from university on my layover. We had a great time catching up and I can say I've driven down Hollywood Blvd (well ok I wasn't driving, but close enough!). During my layover in Vancouver I was welcomed back with dinner at Tim Hortons, playoffs on TV (hockey), and a glimpse of the snowcapped coastal mountains from the airport.
Now back in Enderby with my family things are a bit strange, but it's great to be home...life is a mix between sorting out the practical part of going back to work and settling in one place for a bit, catching up with friends and family which I haven't had time for lately, sleeping off my jet lag, and grieving for my Grandpa who passed away two days before I flew home.
My plan for the time being is to move back up to Prince George after my Grandpa's funeral (which should be around next Wednesday). I'm praying that I'll get some work before the school year ends. I'll be staying with my friend Josie (who travelled in Australia with me back in September and did her DTS there) and her family which I am so grateful for. My summer will probably be spent on the farm with my parents for the most part, hopefully including some side trips to the island and Alberta. I'm planning to teach a vacation bible school for a week and also to spend some time working with my dad on the farm....maybe I'll finally learn how to drive the tractor!
The fall is still a bit of an unknown and I would appreciate your prayers over my next step.
The thumb seems to be healing ok, and hopefully won't be too much trouble if I go back to teaching. I'm in a cast for the next 3 weeks and then will probably need some physiotherapy (praying for a teaching contract so that I can get medical coverage for this treatment).
Thanks again for all your encouragement and support over the past 8 months. I will continue to update you (although life will probably be a little less dramatic now) as I settle into a new rhythm. I'm in the process of sorting through about 17GB of photos, and am hoping to do some sort of slideshow in Prince George when I get back and will definitely be doing one in July in Enderby. I will try and post a few on Facebook and the blog once I'm a bit more settled (especially if I don't get much TOC work in PG!).
I do have a cell phone number for those of you in Canada, and I'd love to get back in touch. I seem to have misplaced a lot of people's phone numbers with all my moving and also because I got a new cell phone so send me a message!
Blessings, Julie
Friday, April 23, 2010
It's the final countdown!
Oooops! Apparently I haven't updated the blog in quite some time...
Since I wrote last I made it safely to Oxford, said goodbyes to Laura and Julica and was sent off at the airport with the most gorgeous sunset courtesy of God and Joanna (she drove me)...I arrived in Auckland and met up with Lindsay (my penpal since we were 7 from England) and her friend Jo.
From Auckland we rented a car and drove up to the Bay of Islands which was absolutely stunning and didn't disappoint even after 7 years of dreaming of coming here. We visited Waitangi where the Maori and Pakehas (white people) signed the treaty, went on a boat cruise and saw dolphins, enjoyed some stone-cooked kebabs, started the cider tally on my cast, and got a bit of brain overload from all the information we learned.
We made our way south and then east to the Coromandel peninsula after a stop to see the largest Kauri tree, Tane Mahuta and to eat some delicious pizza at Pizza Barn in Waipu (pronounced why-poo...hehe). Visited beautiful beaches on the Coromandel and enjoyed meeting Lindsay's netball team mate Karen who we stayed with. Did a little hike outside Te Aroha and then soaked in the spa and ate more delicious pizza and drank more cider.
Left Te Aroha yesterday and stopped in Hobbiton on the way to Rotorua. Went to a Maori traditional presentation last night which included a delicious hangi (meal cooked over stones), haka (war dance) and other Maori stuff. Today went to see a geyser and geothermal pools/. It's crazy how steam just randomly comes up from the ground here and there is bubbling mud in places. Jo and Lindsay went white water rafting this afternoon while I got my stitches out and got a new hand-sized cast which is much nicer.
Tomorrow off to Taupo.
Prayer requests for continued safe travels, healing in my thumb, and preparation for the journey home.
Since I wrote last I made it safely to Oxford, said goodbyes to Laura and Julica and was sent off at the airport with the most gorgeous sunset courtesy of God and Joanna (she drove me)...I arrived in Auckland and met up with Lindsay (my penpal since we were 7 from England) and her friend Jo.
From Auckland we rented a car and drove up to the Bay of Islands which was absolutely stunning and didn't disappoint even after 7 years of dreaming of coming here. We visited Waitangi where the Maori and Pakehas (white people) signed the treaty, went on a boat cruise and saw dolphins, enjoyed some stone-cooked kebabs, started the cider tally on my cast, and got a bit of brain overload from all the information we learned.
We made our way south and then east to the Coromandel peninsula after a stop to see the largest Kauri tree, Tane Mahuta and to eat some delicious pizza at Pizza Barn in Waipu (pronounced why-poo...hehe). Visited beautiful beaches on the Coromandel and enjoyed meeting Lindsay's netball team mate Karen who we stayed with. Did a little hike outside Te Aroha and then soaked in the spa and ate more delicious pizza and drank more cider.
Left Te Aroha yesterday and stopped in Hobbiton on the way to Rotorua. Went to a Maori traditional presentation last night which included a delicious hangi (meal cooked over stones), haka (war dance) and other Maori stuff. Today went to see a geyser and geothermal pools/. It's crazy how steam just randomly comes up from the ground here and there is bubbling mud in places. Jo and Lindsay went white water rafting this afternoon while I got my stitches out and got a new hand-sized cast which is much nicer.
Tomorrow off to Taupo.
Prayer requests for continued safe travels, healing in my thumb, and preparation for the journey home.
Monday, April 12, 2010
On the importance of opposable thumbs!
So life has had some ups and downs over the past 5 or 6 days and I hope I'm sorted medically for the next two weeks! After discovering my broken thumb needed surgery, I also discovered that my travel medical coverage would not pay for it and advised that I fly home....which I did not want to do! I still have 2 weeks of my trip left which includes travelling round the North Island with my friend/pen pal/third cousin Lindsay from England who I haven't seen for 4 years!!
After a frantic phonecall home and to a friend who lives here in New Zealand some prayer, and a chat with the receptionist at emergency, I concluded that ACC which covers accidental injuries in New Zealand should cover my surgery and I was going to stay and pray for the best.
I spent the weekend enjoying the Nelson Market which reminded me of Saltspring down at the coast, an awesome church service at the Nelson City Church, and a walk up to the Centre of New Zealand overlooking Nelson city and then continuing the walk down to the white sandy beach.
On Monday morning I was off to the hospital where I spent most of the day waiting around for my turn. When I was finally up on the table in my ridiculous hospital gown and booties they filled one arm with general anesthetic and sawed off my cast on the other and the next thing I knew I was in recovery. I decided to spend the night in hospital instead of the backpackers and finally was discharged at 11am on Tuesday. Slightly sore and with a new plaster cast.
Hoping to get down to Christchurch via Oxford to fly to Auckland tomorrow and meet up with Lindsay.
Have been blessed with so many kind people in the backpackers who have been helping me cook, and even drove me to the hospital! It's amazing just how many things you use your thumb for. My teacher printing is pretty sad at the moment, although the receptionists in the hospital assure me it's still legible! Whenever I pay for something with my credit card I pray that the PIN will work and I don't have to sign!!
Prayer requests for quick healing of the incision, and safe travels tomorrow as well as continuing to prepare to return home, not too many sad goodbyes in Oxford and also meeting great people along my travels.
After a frantic phonecall home and to a friend who lives here in New Zealand some prayer, and a chat with the receptionist at emergency, I concluded that ACC which covers accidental injuries in New Zealand should cover my surgery and I was going to stay and pray for the best.
I spent the weekend enjoying the Nelson Market which reminded me of Saltspring down at the coast, an awesome church service at the Nelson City Church, and a walk up to the Centre of New Zealand overlooking Nelson city and then continuing the walk down to the white sandy beach.
On Monday morning I was off to the hospital where I spent most of the day waiting around for my turn. When I was finally up on the table in my ridiculous hospital gown and booties they filled one arm with general anesthetic and sawed off my cast on the other and the next thing I knew I was in recovery. I decided to spend the night in hospital instead of the backpackers and finally was discharged at 11am on Tuesday. Slightly sore and with a new plaster cast.
Hoping to get down to Christchurch via Oxford to fly to Auckland tomorrow and meet up with Lindsay.
Have been blessed with so many kind people in the backpackers who have been helping me cook, and even drove me to the hospital! It's amazing just how many things you use your thumb for. My teacher printing is pretty sad at the moment, although the receptionists in the hospital assure me it's still legible! Whenever I pay for something with my credit card I pray that the PIN will work and I don't have to sign!!
Prayer requests for quick healing of the incision, and safe travels tomorrow as well as continuing to prepare to return home, not too many sad goodbyes in Oxford and also meeting great people along my travels.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Apparently you get more fragile when you're old...
This is a blog post with a crazy twist so I would recommend reading to the end if you don't usually...!
So you left me relaxing in Wanaka last week....didn't end up horseback riding, but did go for a short bike ride along the lakeshore with Adam from New Brunswick who definitely has an Eastcoast Canadian accent!
I thoroughly enjoyed my day in Mt Cook where I hiked out to the Hooker glacier and was rewarded with amazing views of the elusive Aoraki (Mt Cook). Met a couple nice guys at the YHA hostel...Guy from Israel and Malte from Germany. We hiked out to the Tasman glacier the next morning and then Malte was kind enough to drop me off in Queenstown after we both enjoyed our first Fergburger on the lakeshore and some Patagonia ice cream...yummy!
From Queenstown I was off to Franz Josef glacier town the next morning which took most of the day. I hustled out to the glacier (being too cheap to pay for the shuttle it was a 40min walk just to the car park!!). Was rewarded with some sunshine over the top as i got close, but I definitely preferred my Mt Cook experience!
Next morning, with a sore throat that has turned into a cold I still haven't gotten rid of, I was off for the west coast to meet up with my friends Sam and Liz from DTS for Easter and my birthday. I met them in Hokitika where I was surprised to see that Ben and Katie from the Backpacker DTS were around as well. We stayed the night together in Pukekura and enjoyed our wildfood dinner at the character dripping Puke Pub. Had a great visit with Wayne, Eileen, and Andrew Jones who we met on our first trip to Ounatai. Especially enjoyed watching Andrew help Liz and Sam fix up their somewhat mixed up YWAM-borrowed tent and seeing the tadpoles living in the Jones' boat.
On Easter Sunday we were off to the Baptist church in Hokitika where we spoke waay back in October during our Ounatai week. A great time of worship together and also an opportunity for Sam, Liz and I to share a bit about our time overseas since this group prayed for us before we left and while we were gone. That afternoon the five of us set off for an epic birthday adventure in glacier country.
We stayed in an ensuite at a house in Fox Glacier (so nice to be in a home instead of a backpackers for a change!) Sunday night where Liz and Katie made me a birthday cake and sang to me (and also forced me to blow out a lighter as a candle....no boyfriends this year!). The next morning we were off to the Copland track for my birthday hike.
After forging over a large stream (taking off my shoes) and missing the trailhead we were off to a great start (oh wait I forgot that the morning actually started with a lovely special breakfast of eggs, raisin-free hot cross buns, and birthday cupcakes as well as presents!!). Eventually we found the trail and luckily enough our missing bit was actually easier than that part of the trail which we realized on our way out.
With 7-8.5 hours of hiking behind us, wet muddy boots and shoes and aching muscles we were very grateful to relax in the natural hotpools outside the hut and the space for us to sleep indoors in the hut instead of outside under a rock overhang. Enjoyed my first peanut butter sandwiches since the beginning of Lent and also some very delicious Easter eggs....I was going to hide them and have a hunt, but after 7 hrs of hiking that was way too much work!
The next day we hiked out without too much drama...except for Sam's feet getting so sore from her wet and shrinking hiking boots that she hiked the last 3 hours barefoot....oh and also when I managed to break my thumb! That's right, I broke my thumb hiking! I was leaning my hand on a rock and lost my footing and bent it round well with a big snap. Luckily it was only an hour from the car park. We weren't sure if it was broken or just sprained and there wasn't much to do at that point so we just continued on with plans--ate a delcious dinner, did laundry and I packed up to head north to Nelson the next day to get my thumb checked out.
So yesterday I arrived in Nelson and today was spent investigating my thumb injury. So after a trip to the after hours dr, and the radiologist for x-rays the conclusion was that it is indeed broken. (did I mention that it's my right thumb...I had no idea I used it for so many things!!) The radiologist sent me off to the hospital where I waited around and then found out that the little fragment of bone I've broken is quite a bad thing to do and actually requires surgery. So I'm in Nelson until Monday at least when I'm booked in to get surgery on my thumb...there was some talk of a screw or something to keep the wee chip in place...anyway apparently I don't do anything half way including my first broken bone! Now I have a cast up to my forearm for the weekend and look quite pathetic. Hooray for being old.
Luckily for me I'm staying at my favourite hostel in NZ and Nelson is quite a nice place. I needed some time (and free internet) to catch up on emails and to do some laundry anyway. Guess kayaking in Marlborough is out, but I'm sure I can find plenty to entertain myself with before I hustle back to Oxford to collect my things and then fly up to Auckland to meet my friend Lindsay from England to tour the North Island. The dr did suggest that I could fly home and get the surgery done there, but that means missing the second half of my trip which I thought would be too tragic, after all it's just my thumb!
Hope you are all well. xoxo
Oh, I almost forgot...prayer requests for healing and continued not too much pain, people to connect with since I'm here for a while and smooth travel planning for the next little while, as well as planning and preparations for my transition back to Canada which is coming up soon!
So you left me relaxing in Wanaka last week....didn't end up horseback riding, but did go for a short bike ride along the lakeshore with Adam from New Brunswick who definitely has an Eastcoast Canadian accent!
I thoroughly enjoyed my day in Mt Cook where I hiked out to the Hooker glacier and was rewarded with amazing views of the elusive Aoraki (Mt Cook). Met a couple nice guys at the YHA hostel...Guy from Israel and Malte from Germany. We hiked out to the Tasman glacier the next morning and then Malte was kind enough to drop me off in Queenstown after we both enjoyed our first Fergburger on the lakeshore and some Patagonia ice cream...yummy!
From Queenstown I was off to Franz Josef glacier town the next morning which took most of the day. I hustled out to the glacier (being too cheap to pay for the shuttle it was a 40min walk just to the car park!!). Was rewarded with some sunshine over the top as i got close, but I definitely preferred my Mt Cook experience!
Next morning, with a sore throat that has turned into a cold I still haven't gotten rid of, I was off for the west coast to meet up with my friends Sam and Liz from DTS for Easter and my birthday. I met them in Hokitika where I was surprised to see that Ben and Katie from the Backpacker DTS were around as well. We stayed the night together in Pukekura and enjoyed our wildfood dinner at the character dripping Puke Pub. Had a great visit with Wayne, Eileen, and Andrew Jones who we met on our first trip to Ounatai. Especially enjoyed watching Andrew help Liz and Sam fix up their somewhat mixed up YWAM-borrowed tent and seeing the tadpoles living in the Jones' boat.
On Easter Sunday we were off to the Baptist church in Hokitika where we spoke waay back in October during our Ounatai week. A great time of worship together and also an opportunity for Sam, Liz and I to share a bit about our time overseas since this group prayed for us before we left and while we were gone. That afternoon the five of us set off for an epic birthday adventure in glacier country.
We stayed in an ensuite at a house in Fox Glacier (so nice to be in a home instead of a backpackers for a change!) Sunday night where Liz and Katie made me a birthday cake and sang to me (and also forced me to blow out a lighter as a candle....no boyfriends this year!). The next morning we were off to the Copland track for my birthday hike.
After forging over a large stream (taking off my shoes) and missing the trailhead we were off to a great start (oh wait I forgot that the morning actually started with a lovely special breakfast of eggs, raisin-free hot cross buns, and birthday cupcakes as well as presents!!). Eventually we found the trail and luckily enough our missing bit was actually easier than that part of the trail which we realized on our way out.
With 7-8.5 hours of hiking behind us, wet muddy boots and shoes and aching muscles we were very grateful to relax in the natural hotpools outside the hut and the space for us to sleep indoors in the hut instead of outside under a rock overhang. Enjoyed my first peanut butter sandwiches since the beginning of Lent and also some very delicious Easter eggs....I was going to hide them and have a hunt, but after 7 hrs of hiking that was way too much work!
The next day we hiked out without too much drama...except for Sam's feet getting so sore from her wet and shrinking hiking boots that she hiked the last 3 hours barefoot....oh and also when I managed to break my thumb! That's right, I broke my thumb hiking! I was leaning my hand on a rock and lost my footing and bent it round well with a big snap. Luckily it was only an hour from the car park. We weren't sure if it was broken or just sprained and there wasn't much to do at that point so we just continued on with plans--ate a delcious dinner, did laundry and I packed up to head north to Nelson the next day to get my thumb checked out.
So yesterday I arrived in Nelson and today was spent investigating my thumb injury. So after a trip to the after hours dr, and the radiologist for x-rays the conclusion was that it is indeed broken. (did I mention that it's my right thumb...I had no idea I used it for so many things!!) The radiologist sent me off to the hospital where I waited around and then found out that the little fragment of bone I've broken is quite a bad thing to do and actually requires surgery. So I'm in Nelson until Monday at least when I'm booked in to get surgery on my thumb...there was some talk of a screw or something to keep the wee chip in place...anyway apparently I don't do anything half way including my first broken bone! Now I have a cast up to my forearm for the weekend and look quite pathetic. Hooray for being old.
Luckily for me I'm staying at my favourite hostel in NZ and Nelson is quite a nice place. I needed some time (and free internet) to catch up on emails and to do some laundry anyway. Guess kayaking in Marlborough is out, but I'm sure I can find plenty to entertain myself with before I hustle back to Oxford to collect my things and then fly up to Auckland to meet my friend Lindsay from England to tour the North Island. The dr did suggest that I could fly home and get the surgery done there, but that means missing the second half of my trip which I thought would be too tragic, after all it's just my thumb!
Hope you are all well. xoxo
Oh, I almost forgot...prayer requests for healing and continued not too much pain, people to connect with since I'm here for a while and smooth travel planning for the next little while, as well as planning and preparations for my transition back to Canada which is coming up soon!
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Sunshine, fresh air, ocean, lakes, and mountains!
So apparently I haven't updated for two weeks again....will try and catch you up with the life of Julie over that span of time.
The 15-19 made up our debriefing time on base for DTS. We spent time praying for the ministries we worked on in Bali and Cambodia, talked over and prayed about our post-DTS plans, went on a solo trip to Christchurch, and visited with some of our Backpacker and Crossroads friends as they stopped by the base and came to our graduation. We had a lovely dinner out at Dave Askins farm with fresh sweet corn from the Earthcare garden (which we didn't actually plant even though we were meant to...) and pizza from his outdoor pizza oven. We wrote letters to ourselves and team members to receive in September and ended the week with a big celebration of our graduation. We clean up real good apparently and some people didn't recognize us in nice clothes, makeup and hairdos that weren't ponytails. Ally spoiled us with a delicious meal and Anna made a couple great movies about our dts (serious and fun...just like us!).
We spent our weekend branching out and becoming more independent and enjoying our last bit of time altogether as a team and celebrated with a glass of wine and delicious meal at Seagers...well the girls anyway. We said our goodbyes to Mark on Friday night and to each other on Monday morning when we parted ways: Angela and Anna back to America, Nathan back to Christchurch, Me and Nicki off to Invercargill, Monja staying on base for her last bit of time in NZ, and Liz and Sam off to do some Woofing in Takaka (northern South Island).
So Monday was the beginning of my LONG awaited New Zealand adventure! Nicki and I hitched all the way to Invercargill and were so blessed along the way (but don't worry mom and dad, I've been bussing ever since then). Nicki (who is awesome!) is from Oregon and was one of the staff on the backpacker DTS and we visited Kieran (another BDTS staffer) and stayed with Kieran's family in Invercargill....waaay down south. We didn't wait more than 15 minutes for a hitch and made it down in just about the same amount of time it would have taken to drive ourselves. Met some really generous kiwis (Marty who was a livestock truckie who took us from Christchurch to Timaru, Allen who had been golfing in Timaru and dropped us outside Dunedin, Richard who was off to visit his daughter and picked us up before we had even turned around to put our thumbs out, and Jason who drove a tow truck and brought us right into Invercargill). The weather was glorious (not usual for Invercargill apparently) and we enjoyed playing in the park (they have the best playgrounds in NZ!!), driving out to Bluff, having dinner with her Nan and Poppa, going to the Youth Group she leads, eating skillet cookie, hiking the Daffodil loop trail on Sandy Point, and visiting Riverton. It was a good transition for me from being with the team and these wise women were really encouraging and had lots of tips for backpacking.
On Wednesday afternoon Kieran and Nicki dropped me off at the bus and I was off to Te Anau in the Fiordlands. After a 2.5km walk with my overstuffed backpack I made my first big decisions of my solo travel: what to make for dinner! Met a retired teacher from Oregon who was travelling with her daughter in my hostel room who goes to the Alliance church there. She has been on a few mission trips herself since she has retired and was really encouraging. It was great to have someone around who sort of understood where I was at and it also made me miss travelling with my mom. She was an amazing travel buddy! Unlike most visitors to Te Anau, I didn't make it out to Milford Sound because it was quite expensive and I didn't feel like it was the right time. On Thursday I did some errands and trip planning and walked along the lake out to the trailhead to the Keplar Track. Once again the weather was gorgeous and my body and mind are starting to get used to all the fresh air and exercise (plus my new shoes!).
Friday morning I was off to Queenstown, the tourist capital of the South Island I'm pretty sure. Met up with Mary a friend of George's who is a teacher at the primary school there (which was right down the street from my hostel). Had some great roomates and am getting used to sharing rooms with boys again. Had some laughs with Christian from Germany, and the next day did my first big hike up Ben Lomond mtn with Stephano from England (and enjoyed the free gondola ride down the last bit), had a delicious dinner with Mary and her husband Steve that night and then hung out in the hostel room which even had a kitchen of its own with Stephano and our new Canadian roomate Garrett (who had met Christian earlier in his travels...but unfortunately missed Christian by a day as he had left Queenstown that morning). The only sad news about Queenstown is my lack of time to taste the legendary Ferg Burger. The weather (did I mention it was amazing in Queenstown?) and the new friendships were such an answer to prayer. I feel like God is showing off a bit here in New Zealand!
Early Sunday morning I was off again, this time to Wanaka. Enjoyed relaxing by the lake in the sunshine (weather is still gorgeous) and checking out what I think is probably THE most amazing movie theatre I've ever been to. Paradiso Cinema only has couches to sit on inside, except for the car and even has an intermission when you can go and get snacks like homemade cookies or ice cream. I saw Invictus and really enjoyed it. Finished the movie just in time to go to Lighthouse Church's evening service in a cafe by the waterfront. Was pleasantly surprised to find they had a guest speaker from Bethel Church in California there for the service and was completely refuelled after feeling a bit lonely that morning after saying goodbye to all my new acquaintances.
I've decided to stayin Wanaka for 2 more nights and will hopefully get in some more hiking, a bike ride along the lakeshore and maybe even some horseback riding before heading to Mt. Cook.
Prayer requests for continuing to make new friends, great weather, safe travels, daily devotions time, and God-led decision making!
Although I'm thoroughly enjoying my time in New Zealand, I am definitely starting to really look forward to returning to Canada.
The 15-19 made up our debriefing time on base for DTS. We spent time praying for the ministries we worked on in Bali and Cambodia, talked over and prayed about our post-DTS plans, went on a solo trip to Christchurch, and visited with some of our Backpacker and Crossroads friends as they stopped by the base and came to our graduation. We had a lovely dinner out at Dave Askins farm with fresh sweet corn from the Earthcare garden (which we didn't actually plant even though we were meant to...) and pizza from his outdoor pizza oven. We wrote letters to ourselves and team members to receive in September and ended the week with a big celebration of our graduation. We clean up real good apparently and some people didn't recognize us in nice clothes, makeup and hairdos that weren't ponytails. Ally spoiled us with a delicious meal and Anna made a couple great movies about our dts (serious and fun...just like us!).
We spent our weekend branching out and becoming more independent and enjoying our last bit of time altogether as a team and celebrated with a glass of wine and delicious meal at Seagers...well the girls anyway. We said our goodbyes to Mark on Friday night and to each other on Monday morning when we parted ways: Angela and Anna back to America, Nathan back to Christchurch, Me and Nicki off to Invercargill, Monja staying on base for her last bit of time in NZ, and Liz and Sam off to do some Woofing in Takaka (northern South Island).
So Monday was the beginning of my LONG awaited New Zealand adventure! Nicki and I hitched all the way to Invercargill and were so blessed along the way (but don't worry mom and dad, I've been bussing ever since then). Nicki (who is awesome!) is from Oregon and was one of the staff on the backpacker DTS and we visited Kieran (another BDTS staffer) and stayed with Kieran's family in Invercargill....waaay down south. We didn't wait more than 15 minutes for a hitch and made it down in just about the same amount of time it would have taken to drive ourselves. Met some really generous kiwis (Marty who was a livestock truckie who took us from Christchurch to Timaru, Allen who had been golfing in Timaru and dropped us outside Dunedin, Richard who was off to visit his daughter and picked us up before we had even turned around to put our thumbs out, and Jason who drove a tow truck and brought us right into Invercargill). The weather was glorious (not usual for Invercargill apparently) and we enjoyed playing in the park (they have the best playgrounds in NZ!!), driving out to Bluff, having dinner with her Nan and Poppa, going to the Youth Group she leads, eating skillet cookie, hiking the Daffodil loop trail on Sandy Point, and visiting Riverton. It was a good transition for me from being with the team and these wise women were really encouraging and had lots of tips for backpacking.
On Wednesday afternoon Kieran and Nicki dropped me off at the bus and I was off to Te Anau in the Fiordlands. After a 2.5km walk with my overstuffed backpack I made my first big decisions of my solo travel: what to make for dinner! Met a retired teacher from Oregon who was travelling with her daughter in my hostel room who goes to the Alliance church there. She has been on a few mission trips herself since she has retired and was really encouraging. It was great to have someone around who sort of understood where I was at and it also made me miss travelling with my mom. She was an amazing travel buddy! Unlike most visitors to Te Anau, I didn't make it out to Milford Sound because it was quite expensive and I didn't feel like it was the right time. On Thursday I did some errands and trip planning and walked along the lake out to the trailhead to the Keplar Track. Once again the weather was gorgeous and my body and mind are starting to get used to all the fresh air and exercise (plus my new shoes!).
Friday morning I was off to Queenstown, the tourist capital of the South Island I'm pretty sure. Met up with Mary a friend of George's who is a teacher at the primary school there (which was right down the street from my hostel). Had some great roomates and am getting used to sharing rooms with boys again. Had some laughs with Christian from Germany, and the next day did my first big hike up Ben Lomond mtn with Stephano from England (and enjoyed the free gondola ride down the last bit), had a delicious dinner with Mary and her husband Steve that night and then hung out in the hostel room which even had a kitchen of its own with Stephano and our new Canadian roomate Garrett (who had met Christian earlier in his travels...but unfortunately missed Christian by a day as he had left Queenstown that morning). The only sad news about Queenstown is my lack of time to taste the legendary Ferg Burger. The weather (did I mention it was amazing in Queenstown?) and the new friendships were such an answer to prayer. I feel like God is showing off a bit here in New Zealand!
Early Sunday morning I was off again, this time to Wanaka. Enjoyed relaxing by the lake in the sunshine (weather is still gorgeous) and checking out what I think is probably THE most amazing movie theatre I've ever been to. Paradiso Cinema only has couches to sit on inside, except for the car and even has an intermission when you can go and get snacks like homemade cookies or ice cream. I saw Invictus and really enjoyed it. Finished the movie just in time to go to Lighthouse Church's evening service in a cafe by the waterfront. Was pleasantly surprised to find they had a guest speaker from Bethel Church in California there for the service and was completely refuelled after feeling a bit lonely that morning after saying goodbye to all my new acquaintances.
I've decided to stayin Wanaka for 2 more nights and will hopefully get in some more hiking, a bike ride along the lakeshore and maybe even some horseback riding before heading to Mt. Cook.
Prayer requests for continuing to make new friends, great weather, safe travels, daily devotions time, and God-led decision making!
Although I'm thoroughly enjoying my time in New Zealand, I am definitely starting to really look forward to returning to Canada.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Of sunburns and airplanes...
Our time in Sihanoukville (which seems like another lifetime now that I am back in New Zealand) was relaxing and good mental preparation for goodbyes and re-entry into western culture. We made a giant map of our outreach time and filled up an entire whiteboard plus a small one as well which was pretty amazing to see. Our lives have been very full for the past three months!
We enjoyed airconditioning in our rooms and lounging by the pool. I did manage to get out to see some islands and do some snorkelling. The coral was actually quite nice, but if tourists continue to step on it and more and more people come to the area....hopefully someone will help to look after it before it gets bleached out! The beach was lovely and relaxing and we were even served fresh BBQed barracuda (which was delicious!). Unfortunately we all managed to get quite sunburnt since most of our skin has been modestly covering our knees and shoulders for the past 3 months. The hard thing about Sihanoukville was seeing all the "rent-a-girlfriends" (young Khmer women) with western men....it seemed that everywhere we looked we saw these odd couples.
We returned to Phnom Penh for one night before we flew back to New Zealand....I even got to talk to my parents for the first time in two months which was really exciting!! We said goodbye to Seang at the airport, but it was really sad. Continue to pray for him please...
Our trip back to New Zealand was pretty lengthy: we started with a four hour flight to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia where we discovered that Americans and Germans need transit visas for Australia (our next layover) so managed, after the last call for our flight, to apply for and pay for (luckily we still had an emergency fund in the budget!) the visas and make it through security before our plane was even boarding. I even had time to buy myself an early birthday present....a new Camera!! The flight to the Gold Coast was 7 hours of Asian-sized legroom and non-reclining seats....in other words basically the same as first class (can you hear the sarcasm dripping off my words...). Arriving at 8am on the Gold Coast we spent the morning relaxing (and getting really sunburnt) on the squeaky white sand beach. Lovely. Were welcomed by some Blakelys and Joanna, the base registrar at the airport with balloons and great big hugs.
On Sunday morning Angela and I shared a short overview of our trip at the Anglican church in Cust (which is about 10 or 15minutes from Oxford) and spent the rest of the day enjoying western cooking, washing machines, and ice cream from the Blue House (two GIANT scoops of deliciousness for only $2!!). Today was our first day of Oxford debriefing and so we heard updates from Nathan who did his outreach in New Zealand after we said goodbye to him in Bali, and then we updated the Blakelys, George and Nathan on the time we've been apart. Right back into base life though....schedules galore and even work duty this afternoon. The low point of the day was when I dumped a stranger's coffee (one of the new DTS students' french press) all over myself, the cupboard, fridge, and floor while trying to get my breakfast and in the process of cleaning myself up almost missed breakfast! I felt like Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day :( Luckily the day got much better after that point.
Please continue to pray for all the goodbyes coming up and adjusting back to culture here. A couple people on the team are sick (colds) so please pray for quick recovery. Also lift up my time after DTS...I have 6 weeks of travel in New Zealand and no plans except for a flight from Christchurch to Auckland on April 14 and some vague ideas of what I want to do. Also pray for guidance on what to do on returning to Canada.
We enjoyed airconditioning in our rooms and lounging by the pool. I did manage to get out to see some islands and do some snorkelling. The coral was actually quite nice, but if tourists continue to step on it and more and more people come to the area....hopefully someone will help to look after it before it gets bleached out! The beach was lovely and relaxing and we were even served fresh BBQed barracuda (which was delicious!). Unfortunately we all managed to get quite sunburnt since most of our skin has been modestly covering our knees and shoulders for the past 3 months. The hard thing about Sihanoukville was seeing all the "rent-a-girlfriends" (young Khmer women) with western men....it seemed that everywhere we looked we saw these odd couples.
We returned to Phnom Penh for one night before we flew back to New Zealand....I even got to talk to my parents for the first time in two months which was really exciting!! We said goodbye to Seang at the airport, but it was really sad. Continue to pray for him please...
Our trip back to New Zealand was pretty lengthy: we started with a four hour flight to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia where we discovered that Americans and Germans need transit visas for Australia (our next layover) so managed, after the last call for our flight, to apply for and pay for (luckily we still had an emergency fund in the budget!) the visas and make it through security before our plane was even boarding. I even had time to buy myself an early birthday present....a new Camera!! The flight to the Gold Coast was 7 hours of Asian-sized legroom and non-reclining seats....in other words basically the same as first class (can you hear the sarcasm dripping off my words...). Arriving at 8am on the Gold Coast we spent the morning relaxing (and getting really sunburnt) on the squeaky white sand beach. Lovely. Were welcomed by some Blakelys and Joanna, the base registrar at the airport with balloons and great big hugs.
On Sunday morning Angela and I shared a short overview of our trip at the Anglican church in Cust (which is about 10 or 15minutes from Oxford) and spent the rest of the day enjoying western cooking, washing machines, and ice cream from the Blue House (two GIANT scoops of deliciousness for only $2!!). Today was our first day of Oxford debriefing and so we heard updates from Nathan who did his outreach in New Zealand after we said goodbye to him in Bali, and then we updated the Blakelys, George and Nathan on the time we've been apart. Right back into base life though....schedules galore and even work duty this afternoon. The low point of the day was when I dumped a stranger's coffee (one of the new DTS students' french press) all over myself, the cupboard, fridge, and floor while trying to get my breakfast and in the process of cleaning myself up almost missed breakfast! I felt like Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day :( Luckily the day got much better after that point.
Please continue to pray for all the goodbyes coming up and adjusting back to culture here. A couple people on the team are sick (colds) so please pray for quick recovery. Also lift up my time after DTS...I have 6 weeks of travel in New Zealand and no plans except for a flight from Christchurch to Auckland on April 14 and some vague ideas of what I want to do. Also pray for guidance on what to do on returning to Canada.
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