Arrived safely in Perth

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!

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