Big Deal

So something I should clarify. William Creek is a big deal out here. It's the only spot you can stay for miles around and when you're crossing the desert that's priceless. Also, Lake Eyre is full of water for the first time in 30 years, so there are a lot of tourists going out there to see it. There are flights daily that bring people up over it too. So the place is pretty bustling with campers, hotel guests, and cabin guests. It keeps all of us busy from 8 in the morning to 9 at night!!!

The Stars

How ya going?

Typical greeting from Aussie land. Except it sounds more like one long word "howyegoin."

I'm still working my tail off everyday but things are getting a bit easier as I figure out the routine and the jobs. I learned how to drive a manuel shift four wheeler yesterday. Tara and I laughed because riding it together was the only time we've felt even remotely sexy since being here. Hahaha. We're dusty and disheveled with little to no makeup most of the time. The water we shower with is from the bore (underground lake) and smells pretty bad. We can't drink it if that says anything. Our toilet is an old outhouse made into a toilet with plumbing. Yup.

Three stories for you:

1. Sam Neil and entourage (Jurassic Park anyone?) came into William Creek for drinks two days ago and lunch yesterday. Yes that is right. I served him his toasted tomato, ham, and cheese sandwhich and he spoke to me when ordering his cappaccino. Also, some famous Australian rugby player was with him...George something. Crazy right?

2. Our friends Dianne, Leon, and Tracy are really into zodiac and astrology stuff. It's interesting to hear them talk about it all the time because it's such a natural part of their existence. I hope that my love for Christ is just as easily noticed. Tara and I are going to have our star charts done by them soon I think. I'm looking forward to using it as a self reflection tool. Needless to say, I've been hearing a lot about my Saggitauruas (how is that spelled anyway) qualities and who I mix well with, etc. We're all a very tight knit community here. There is about 11 of us that our "on staff" at the moment. Dianne and Leon will be leaving soon and it will be so sad to have a part of our community leave. But Tara and I have each other. We are each other's "base," the nucleus of each other's family while here.

3. The last story has nothing to do with stars, except we saw it out under a starry sky. Tara and I were sitting outside swinging, when we saw a dingo!!!!! I scrambled up on top of the swing thinking that it would save me. Hahaha! We ran back inside. When we were safe, we laughed at our silliness. It was heaps more scared of us and had ran away almost immediately. If there's a whole pack of them surrounding you, then you need to be scared.

Ok. So I was able to get on here for a few minutes but I don't know when the next opportunity will arise! We have to ask the "boss" very very nicely and very very sparingly. The pay phone isn't working at the moment either. Basically, we're cut off. I kind of like it. It'll provide me with some time to process. But I'm so busy I'm not sure if I even have time for that!!

I love you. Miss you. Give me the skinny on your lives too!

William's Creek

Okay. We're alive and well. There is hardly any internet access (we don't really have time) and no phone reception....if that gives you any idea of what it is like! So the blog will be slowing down here for a few weeks. Here's a few things to help you understand what William's Creek is like:

1. Our drive from Coober Pedy took about 1 1/2 hours at about 60 miles an hour in a four wheel drive car. The landscape was sand dunes with sparse shrubbery. The sand is a beautiful red. Tara spotted a mob of Kangaroos (a lot of time you don't see them in the wild). There was a male with his harem and a joey!!! There were broken cars (some of them 40 years old!) and some tragic stories of the people who lost their lives walking in the heat after breaking down. We saw the longest man made structure...a dingo fence...over 9,000 km when it was at it's largest...now 5,000 km (if I remember Merv correctly).

2. Here's what you see when you pull into W.C.: On the left...campground, pub/dining room/kitchen/staff quarters, cabins, small airstrip and on the right....more campground, cabins, piolet's office, and house for the owners....and that's it!!! Takes about three minutes to walk. Tara said it best when she said looking out to the desert you feel like you're looking at the ocean...it's unending and you feel so small.

3. Tara and I laugh often because we feel like God is either punishing us for not wanting to be housewives either/or preparing us to be housewives. We are a stange mix of Little House on the Prairie women/Cinderella. Our duties so far include but are not limited to: Cooking, busing tables, waitressing, bartending, working the till, laundary (hanging it up too...no dryer!), housekeeping, moping, dusting, stocking.....and the list grows!!! We start our days by 7:30 or so and end them around 9:30...then we all sit down and have a drink. We also dance (the to Outback country western with the owner and other staff member and the two French girls we work with). Then we fall into bed...sometimes we read aloud to each other first...and then do it all over again!!!

4. It's waaaayyyy cold in the desert at night!!!!!!!!!

5. Last night, we went out to visit our friends Russ and Roz who are walking from Darwin to Melbourne with camels to raise money for kids with cancer....it will take them 8 months in all. We ate camel meat with them over the fire, traded stories, petted their pet camels (weird that we ate camel too but soooo good), and gazed at the most dramatic starry sky....nothing to tarnish that sky. We got home at 2 in the morning and woke up our boss...oooppppsss...at least we joked about it (kind of) in the morning.

Coober Pedy

We had a quick stop over in Adelaide yesterday. We enjoyed catching up on our journaling and reading in the park (Tara and I decided to read some classics that we hadn't gotten to yet..she's working on "Great Expectations" and I'm getting to "Age of Innocence.") The best moment was when we were swinging and spontaneously began singing a few songs. Euphoric. We heard some shouting nearby and discovered a footie game (Australian football), a game I actually had to play for a couple of weeks during high school gym class! We were easily entertained by its fast pace and constant activity, not to mention brutal interactions, between the players.

We took off for Coober Pedy at about 6 p.m. The small city lights quickly faded away to red sand and sparse shrubbery. Also, our phone reception quickly faded. One elderly lady we met, Evelyn, in Adelaide, said that Coober Pedy is often considered "the end of the world." A lot of movies are shot here for that reason...

We met Merv Richards at the station in Coober and he brought us to his home, which is an old opal mine and completely underground!!! He's a fascinating character and has many connections to the film industry. He'll be taken us out to William's Creek shortly. William's Creek is the smallest town in Australia...three permanent residents...let the adventure begin! Needless to say, internet and phone will be a bit sketchy for the next month and half, so don't worry overly much...it is "the end of the world."

Here is Merv's website with pictures of the area and his home, where I am currently.

http://www.aridzone.net

Miss you all and love you!

Melbourne

We are heading out to the Outback this evening at six (like 2 in the morning central US time...I think...I always do that math wrong somehow...). Melbourne has been quite an adventure itself, as Tara and I fretted about if we truly had this hotel job or not. It was a holiday weekend and the Outback people run on what we call "Native Time" back home (apparently when there is a public holiday here it really means that no one does anything and nothing is open). Nevertheless, Tara and I kept ourselves busy...here is some of our adventures in the cold, very rainy city of Melbourne...

1. This city is known for it's little cafe culture...there are a lot of hidden alleyways chalk full of good little coffee shops and bistros. I wanted to have that true Melbourne coffee experience at least once so I dragged Tara to one of these streets the other day. The first place we went, the barista's ignored us for at about 6 or 7 minutes and all we wanted to know is if we order from the counter or sit down and wait for them to come to us. They were sooooo snooty. So we left. The next day we tried again in a different location. We knew we needed to sit down and they would come to us for this one but we were seated there for at least 15 minutes before we flagged down a waitress (the place was not that big either). Then our chai tea latte orders didn't come for at least a half an hour. We even noticed our snooty waitress hanging out with friends smoking while we were waiting for our drinks. Sooo weird. So then we went to Starbucks later and the people there are sooo friendly. They ALWAYS want to know our names (of course that's for the order but still....). Our accents are hard to understand I guess because the names on the cups always come back slightly off. Like for instance "Tara" has been "Tera" or "Terah" or "Kiara" and "Joy" has been "Joan" and "Joice" and "Joey." Today we did totally fake names. I did "Evie" and it came back "Ivy." Oh the little things that entertain us. Needless to say, we've enjoyed our coffee expereince more at good ol' Starbucks than if the famous cafe's.

2. Our roomie this time around was from Spain. Her name is Christina. We had great fun going out with her one night. We met up with our Irish friends we met in Sydney (after a very frigid couple mile walk...yeah we're still trying to live cheaply but I for sure thought I was going to be hospitalized with frostbite)...and they took us to this very small bar/venue where a gypsie band was playing. I'm always astounded at how people can be so creative and share such beauty with others. They seemed to be just making it up as they go (pretty sure they were ) and even our Irish friend, Stephen, starting adding his own stuff on the piano, having never played with them before. For some of the songs, a man rapped too and it was just such an interesting mix of genres but meshed somehow. Wish you could have experienced it. It was glorious to listen to and watch all the VERY colorful characters that gathered there.

3. Tara and I mastered the public transportation, the Tram, and proceeded to take it everywhere. It rains spontaneously here and so we were often caught in a sudden downpour. We'd find either a store to shop in or a tram to ride around to wait out the horrid weather. We took the Tram to St. Kildra one day and walked the seashore. It was windy but the sea was refreshing. We ate a cute little place where we agreed could have been our best meal yet. Nothing too fancy. But of course, as we rarely eat "real food," anything tastes pretty spectacular! We met some older aussie men cleaning their boat and had a nice chat. They thought we were a bit crazy going out to the Outback.

Well we're not really sure when the next time we'll have internet so this might be the update here for a bit. We'll be in Adelaide tomorrow and then Coober Peddy on Sunday. Then we'll be picked up there either Sunday or Monday. THEN we'll finally be "home" for the next 5-7 weeks. Cheers! Wish us luck!

Shout out

Here's a shout out to our friends we left in Sydney:

Marjan (Holland!)...roomie we'll miss you!
Patrick (German...ha!)...thanks for being the best free tour guide
And Franzes (Austria =0))...you made Sydney a "happy" place

The Outback

Here is a very quick update...our lives are soooo prone to change on the dime. Adriana from William Creek Hotel in South Australia contacted us yesterday morning and asked us to come work out there for a time. We'll be doing housekeeping, bar work, and other physical labor. They provide accomodation and food and pay by the hour. We plan on being there between 5-7 weeks. First we're going to Melbourne for a couple of nights, then to Adelaide, then taking a bus to Coober Peddy where they will finally pick us up. So here is our next adventure!!! Here is a websited to check out William Creek....quite an adventure...

http://www.williamcreekhotel.net.au/

The Luck of the Irish

Well we really aren't that lucky in the whole department of jobs. We have this SEMA thing but the start date is undetermined (sometime in the next 2 weeks) and the duration is undetermined...approximately 5 but who knows. So once again Tara and I are unsure about what we are going to do...we aren't sure if it is worth it to hold out for this job with so many unclear variables (I guess it depends on "other aspects of the project" and when they get done before we can do what we were hired for). We were having a frustrated moment and luckily they called us before we signed a lease for an apartment for five weeks. We were going to mourn the night away with Tim Tam's and hot chocolate but we got a text from a gentleman we had met the previous night....a Irish folk musician. His band was playing at a local venue and he wanted us to come check it out...our names were on the list...how can you pass up a free folk Irish show??? So with little information to help us find the bus to get there and a few queasy moments (the bus ride was a little rough on my stomach...Tara thought for sure I was going to lose my Tim Tam's all over her), we found our way to this little Irish pub in a laid back suburb. Best decision in Sydney so far. The band Grada was phenomenal (check them out) and we danced our little hearts out of melancholy! The guys in the band chatted us up afterwards (which I personally loved hearing their Irish accent) and we laughed and made merry. One of our best little adventures yet.

We aren't going to starve!

Tara and I had an interview at this place called SEMA today. They do different projects for different clients...don't really know. But anyway, the interview consisted of ten of us sitting in a room, filling out paperwork, then taking and watching everyone take a typing test (sooo nerve racking and I know how to type!), and then take a short multiple choice test about some instructions they gave us. Ummm yeah. We have college degrees. We were laughing at ourselves for even being nervous. On our walk home, they called us and offered us the job!!! It is temporary, about 5 weeks, pays decently, and we can work together. We'll be correcting standardized tests for the Education Department. Lots of data entry. We don't care though. It's just nice to have something and be able to move on from our hostel living. Also, this morning, a woman we've been in contact with from the Outback called and was talking about us job sharing out there (as there is only one spot open). She said she'd be in contact with us. She sounds like a chummy momma character. That would give us a way different experience for sure. So we for sure have something but if we have both then who knows what we'll do!!! Thank you for all your prayers. We certainly are feeling pretty blessed after our slump there for a bit. Hope all is well. Hit me back and let me know what's going on in your lives. corjoy@bethel.edu or facebook or post below. Love!!

Small Boat, Big Sea and Big Boat Aussie

A couple of things we've experienced thus far are a couple of interesting worship services. We were sitting on the steps of a huge library looking at a map the first day we were in Sydney and someone passing by asked if we needed help. We were trying to find where Hillsong Church was located. The woman helped us and then invited us to her church called Small Boat Big Sea in Manly. We just happened to be in Manly the next evening so we decided to seek it out as we were feeling the need for spiritual renewal. The church was like a house church. There were about 30 adults and a handful of kids. Everyone rotated with doing during aspects of church like praying, giving a message (more like leading a bible study discussion). They start every service by having a potluck meal together. Everyone was so incredible welcoming and engaged us and made us feel very welcome. People were offering their services and encouragement. They fed us even though we brought nothing (we didn't know). The coolest part was when they had someone share their testimony of sorts or just more like their background and what they are doing now. Then, different people piped up and affirmed them in who they were and how they saw that person sharing God's love (they called it "sending" the person). Very beautiful to witness. The second service we were part of was this last Sunday. We finally made it to Hillsong Church. Very Mega Church like and an exact opposite of Small Boat. It was cool to walk into the foyer and hear all of these different languages and people mingling from all walks of life. The service was almost like a theater production. The graphics and visuals were astounding. The worship was very good and there were at least twenty people on stage. At one point they went "online" with the other campuses for some announcements and I thought I was watching a news show with news anchors. The pastor's message was more like hearing a motivational speaker at a conference...not bad, just different. The people were once again very welcoming and accomodating. It was of course to fly under the radar there but we connected with a couple of people to get more info.

Anyway, Tara and I awoke with some tentative good news. A data entry temp job called me and asked us to come in tomorrow for an interview/typing test. We are trying not to be too hopeful but if it does work, we'd be very grateful. We don't know much about it. Sounds a little brain numbing but we are definitely NOT picky. We're still throwing out apps and calling places. Last night we went to the Opera House to witness the light show they are putting on. It was pretty and a good walk. Tonight we're thinking of going down Oxford Street, a funky/alternative part of town. We trying to keep it cheap and just people watch for the most part. We did get a free pass to go to the Sydney Aquarium and we did that on Sunday. It was fun to see Sydney's sea life up close and personal. Tara loved it, as she is a more passionate animal lover than I but I must admit I was getting into it a bit.

We continue to have crazy little moments. Like when Tara and I were crossing the street and a bus breezed by here and missed her literally by inches. As a delayed and dismayed reaction, I reached out and pulled her to me. Really if she had tripped or stumbled to her left at all she would have been laid out flat...crazy Sydney drivers!!!!