February 19, 2011

Can heat and humidity be deafening? It sure seems so. The air is positively thick here. It smells green and blue. Like vegetation and ocean – blended together.

Its good to finally arrive. I have travelled almost 11,000 miles over the past 24+ hours. And I was grateful for the friendly face of my colleague, Dr. Siddique, who took time out of his busy weekend to pick me up from the airport.

I still haven’t gotten my ‘land legs’ yet. But I am settled in at my accommodations at Trinity College at the University of Western Australia. They aren’t fancy (“…less than palacial…” as a colleague describes them) but they are clean. But no wifi til Monday. Ack!!!! So, I am enjoying a latte and taking advantage of the wifi hookup at Dome, a little cafe down the street from Trinity.

Tomorrow I have the day to myself before a busy week of meetings. I might take in King’s Park or head to Cottesloe (sp?) beach. We will see. For now, I am going to just read and relax and try to keep my eyes open for another few hours. It’s Saturday the 19th here right now. So, when I say ‘I am WAY ahead of you’, I really mean it!!!

Highlight of the day: watching ‘Mork and Mindy’ reruns while jet-lagged

I want to wish my stepdad a very happy birthday. Happy birthday, Tes! I am celebrating it today here in Australia and you can celebrate it again tomorrow in Canada!