Kuranda

Hello from Kuranda, Australia!

I am slightly sunburned and really sleepy, but I am having a great time. What an adventure. I've lost tracks of all the flights, boat rides, ferry rides, and trains we've taken...probably for the better. Here's Josh and I on one of our flights:

(Jenna my love, the length of this post is for you. Slightly more novel-like :) So much has happened, so it can’t be helped!)

It's going to be very difficult leaving sunny Cairnes. The weather has been perfect, and it's been an incredible couple of days. Our first day was spent out at the Great Barrier Reef and our second day was spent in the Kuranda Rainforest. I’m hesitant to try painting a picture of either – both were stunning and I won’t do them justice.

Great Barrier Reef:

Unfortunately, my camera couldn't come with me underwater, so I'll just tell you that it was like swimming in a massive aquarium...a massive aquarium with a 60 foot drop off? The coral was gigantic and the fish were unbelievably colorful. A funny story for your amusement (and at my expense): Box jellyfish are apparently in season right now so naturally, we all took the advised precautions. This meant dressing up in red and blue thin “wetsuits” that covered us from head to toe. Think “thing 1” or “thing 2” from Dr. Seuss. I’m not kidding. I saw no jellyfish, so I really think it's a ploy to make tourists look absolutely ridiculous. And no, you don’t get to see a picture. We took just one, and it will probably be burned. :)

Kuranda Rainforest:

Our second day we took the southern hemisphere's longest skyrail cableway through the Kuranda Rainforest. We walked through a park and found some friends:

We finished the day on a trainride back through the rainforest. Say hello to Mom and Dad at the Barron Falls:

We have maybe twenty people touring with us through Australia. My family is having fun either guessing at people’s life stories, or just asking. There’s a man in our tour group who's quite the oddball, but with a sad story that make his antics suddenly endearing. He’s traveling per request of his deceased wife. She apparently battled cancer for years, keeping them from their dream of traveling. He’s making up for time she felt she stole. It was a reminder for me that you never quite know when life will take a turn. It was a reminder to not take for granted the people in my life.

I'll leave you with this:

"I choose to believe that there is nothing more sacred or profound than this day. I choose to believe that there may be a thousand big moments embedded in this day, waiting to be discovered like tiny shards of gold. The big moments are the daily, tiny moments of courage and forgiveness and hope that we grab on to and extend to one another. That’s the drama of life, swirling all around us....The big moments are in every hour, every conversation, every meal, every meeting...”

I hope you have a wonderful day.

Love, Janae

Cairnes

Hello from Cairnes, Australia!

The last couple days have been full of sight-seeing. I should probably add shopping, too much walking, and getting lost to the list as well.

Sydney was beautiful and full of history, but it was time for us to move on. This morning, we took a three hour flight north to Cairnes, which is famous for its Great Barrier Reef. Cairnes actually flooded this past week, so we're crossing our fingers the rain is taking a break for the next few days.

Fun fact: Australians use the word “pop” in amusing ways. “Please pop up your hand.” “Let’s pop in over there.” I think I might adopt the word into my own vocabulary.



I couldn’t help but notice: 000 in Australia is equivalent to our 911. The paramedics here also drive around in oversized vans wearing blue jumpsuits. Yup. I imagined myself running around in a bright blue jumpsuit and I silently thanked my department for allowing us to wear t-shirts.

 

Tomorrow we take a catamaran cruise to Moore Reef to snorkel above the Great Barrier Reef. Ridiculously excited are two words that come to mind.

Always in the back of mind is Haiti. The death toll is nearing 3,000, with nearly 70,000 "hospitalizations". I feel almost guilty at times being on a vacation like this. I am thankful for both: the chance to relax and explore such a beautiful country...and the chance to help in a place that's hurting.

Hope everyone I left in Wilmington is doing wonderfully. I miss you all.

Love, Janae

Sydney

Hello from Sydney, Australia!

One never-ending 14 hour flight later, and one day lost (Christmas eve was sadly sacrificed due to the international dateline), we arrived in Sydney. The goal: say no to napping and say yes to exploring.

We started off the morning at an outdoor café:

I decided two things over the course of breakfast: Australians like their coffee strong and people here can somehow pull off any hat they want.

We went walking and discovered unbelievably blue water, the Opera House, and beautiful botanical gardens. Say hello to the brothers:

Merry Christmas everyone!

Love, Janae

journey

“If you’re brave enough to leave behind everything familiar and comforting…and set out on a truth seeking journey, either externally or internally, and if you are truly willing to regard everything that happens to you on that journey as a clue and if you accept everyone you meet along the way as a teacher and if you are prepared, most of all, to face and forgive some very difficult realities about yourself, then truth will not be withheld from you."

       So, there came a time during my last year at UNCW when I realized I had burned myself out juggling too many classes and too many jobs. Then, I did the unthinkable and promised myself to take time off before graduate school. Me. Take time off. Right...Well, I’ve managed to stay true to that promise, and I think it’s one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Not only have I been able to take my first deep breath in four years, my life has become quite the adventure. Between EMS, hospice, and traveling, sometimes I think I’m learning more now than I ever did sitting in some of my classes. I want to embrace what it is that God wants me to do in this life that is so fleeting. My strengths and passions have somehow translated into going into medicine. Where exactly this will take me, I’m not yet sure. For now, I’ve been learning as much as I can and using what I’ve learned to lend a helping hand.

       Lately I’ve realized just how many of my friends and family live outside of Wilmington. Thus, a blog seemed a wonderful solution to the difficulty of keeping in touch with everyone, especially as I venture to Australia and Haiti. So feel free to follow along! I’m not promising anything spectacular, but it’s a wonderful way for you all to know I’m safe and sound.