We're Here!

After a long and complicated and providential day- or days, I suppose- we arrived in Sydney at 6:00 this morning.  Following a hurried progression through immigration and quarantine, we were met by John and Kathy Blahut, who have graciously agreed to let us stay with them until we can arrange accommodations.  But for now, let me briefly recount why today can properly be described as divinely fortuitous.  

This morning, after saying good-bye to our respective families, we boarded a flight from Birmingham to Atlanta that was promptly struck by lightning.  The resulting chaos that ensued at the Delta counter was incredibly frustrating, but thanks to a Delta ticketing agent, two free seats on a Northwest flight to Memphis, and a group of U.S. soldiers, we were able to navigate our way to Los Angeles in time to catch Qantas flight number twelve to Sydney.  Not coincidentally, our flight was also the same flight of innumerable Catholic youth who will be in Sydney for World Youth Day, which is a week-long celebration of Catholicism that has locals in a bit of a fuss because it involves shutting down major sections of the central city. 

Nevertheless, we arrived without further major incident and spent most of the day getting to know Sydney and the Blahuts.  We inspected several rental properties- an incredibly competitive 15-minute process in which potential renters crowd into an overpriced apartment to decide whether or not to file an application.  And, we meandered through the northern suburbs of Sydney to become familiar with the city which we will enjoy this next year. 

There will certainly be more to come soon, but for now, our initial- albeit anecdotal- impression is that Sydney is an attractive, playful, witty, easy-going city full of charming and gracious people, which promises to make for an unbelievable experience.