Day 2 – Flight to Australia & “Orientation” Day

Hey all!

Well I finally made it to the land of Oz! The flight was quite long, 14 hours. I was worried I wouldn’t sleep; when Scott and I honeymooned in Egypt the day we got there I was like a zombie, I nearly fell asleep in my chicken curry. Mostly it was because I got very little sleep on our first flight from Toronto to Frankfurt (8 hours). So THIS time I came prepared, namely, DRUGS. I got myself some sleeping pills to help my flight go quicker.

The thing you need to know about me and medication is, I don’t react to a lot of them very well. So I get nervous when I’m on a new medication for whatever reason. This was no different. There I am, in a dark plane, popping sleeping pills. Once it starts to kick in (“uh oh, that’s not normal…”) then the worry hits. Am I supposed to feel like this? Is my throat closing? Maybe I should call the flight attendant and explain myself. Panic, panic, swallowing water hard as I’m still convinced my throat is closing and swallowing water feels like glue. My whole body is getting hot (more from me panicking in silence than the meds I think), and I’m getting drowsy, but now I’m fighting it. Only 11 more hours to go… Oh God. But, the next thing I notice is I only have 9 hours to go, hmm I just slept 2 hours? Ok good! I close my eyes, open them and suddenly only 6 hours to go, then 3, and that’s when it wore off. Pretty good I’d say!!

So, I landed safely and was met by my family down here – both women were crying! How touching!! It’s so good to see them again, and we can’t believe it’s been 3 years since their visit to Canada.

Today was “Orientation Day” on my schedule made for me by Lori. Basically her mandate is to drive me around, show me things, and keep me awake!! So we drove around suburbs of Brisbane, we saw Redcliffe where we had breakfast on a patio – I ordered the “American” breakfast which was 2 fried eggs, a pancake and bacon all smothered in maple syrup! Ascot & Clayfield (the she-she-foo-foo area) and we stopped at the Clayfield Market for fresh fruits and veggies. We also went to a liquor store where I learned that liquor here is VERY pricy! $40 for a 26er of Smirnoff Vodka?? You’ve got to be kidding me!

Now we are just getting ready for supper. As I log off I’ll teach you a new word I learned today! Bogan: person who takes little pride in his appearance, spends his days slacking and drinking beer. LOL!!