-11 and maybe...possibly....hopefully getting used to it...for now!

Getting better now…on the mend from my paralysing sickness!! Not really. After feeling sorry for myself all of last Friday night and hearing about all the craziness from my friends the next day, I decided to venture out as well on Saturday….Mike, Tom, Martha and I started walking at 4pm and I didn't arrive home until 5am the next morning! What an adventure we had!

The boys decided to cure their hangover and my sickness, a nature walk was in order! Of course there was no nature in order, it was more to examine the fine specimens of wood bar tables they came across in each pub as they walked the distance into town! The first mistake they made was bringing us, the girls…! Martha and I made it to the first pub no problem. We found a dingy little sports bar that served cheap beer and a dubbed movie with Owen Wilson but that was about it. We downed our beers and ventured back out as poor little me still couldn't stand the indoor smoking with the cough I had.

About a block down the complaining began….Martha and I were not going to survive this cold! So we hopped across the road and caught the first bus that looked like it was going in the direction of Prague 1. We then hopped off when we realised it wasn't! We kept walking! Tom was insistent he knew where we were going…but it turned out we were in residential Prague 10 with no idea how to get out! So we found another pub!

It was definitely a site to see…it was a family pub with kids running around dressed up as fairies and what not. We found a quiet seat in an alcove and proceeded to order some food! I think the lady was a bit confused as to why we were ordering so much fried cheese…but the cheese came and some other random dish I had picked which turned out to be chicken breast, cheese and spinach! That's it!!  A few beers and drinks later we sat there wondering how we were going to get either home or to prague 1. We sms'd a taxi - no reply; we called a taxi - no answer. Our last resort was to start walking back. We walked outside and were impaled by the blast of cold air! There was NO way I was walking home. So we decided to catch the random bus that was going in a similar direction as home….but poor tom was too slow to board and there was no remorse from the bus driver….off we drove, Mike, Martha and I leaving poor Tom shrugging in the cold! Not too sure what happened to him from here but he surfaced the next day…very resourceful our Tom. Has been from the start!

Miracle of all miracles! Our bus took us HOME!! To the very stop we needed to get to! So we jumped off and went on our merry way! Some of our other guys were at a nearby hotel so after a stop at the local supermarket and bakery for some supplies, we trekked over to Pete's apartment to chill and have a few drinks before heading out to a club another chicky recommended!

The club was having RnB, Hip Hop night…so I was gonna be there sick or not! I have missed that type of music in Brisbane sooooooo much so I was nostalgic to the core and danced some of the night away on the smoky, skeezy dance floor! But I was in my element. With music from high school and beyond I was reminiscing the night away! It was the first time I have ever been asked "Do you speak English" in a club! Wow, it's usually just a given in Aus!! Haha! But I was amazed to see how many Nigerian, Ethiopian….all other ian's who were there. They all seemed to play basketball for different countries too…mmm….interesting. But they were fascinated to hear all about Australia so it was hard to shake the few that struck up conversation! 

4:30 came and I was a tinsy bit tired so I was kindly driven home by a friend of one of my classmates and crawled into bed about 5am. In Brisbane, the sun would have been out and I would have been regretting not getting any sleep but it was still dark as night I was a happy little munchkin!

So that is the story of my miraculous recovery! Some good old Czech beer and fresh air cured me of my sickness! I still certainly have a horrible cough, especially when I have been walking in the cold but I feel alive again!!

School is still full on and isn't looking at easing up! I taught again today so 2 down and 5 to go! I am sure it gets easier! There is so much to learn but I know I will feel better equipped in another 3 weeks time!

I got confirmation from Australian International School in Dubai are happy to have me for my university placement in Oct/Nov this year! So that is exciting and a relief! They have been really supportive of helping me with my placement. So I will go there after six months of teaching English and then on to India after that! If I like it I will check in with the local international schools and see if there is any teachers aid positions I could to for six months and stay in Dubai after India…but if not, back to China I will go….maybe! :)

I am really loving hearing from my family and friends at the moment! Your emails are really comforting..so keep them coming! :)

You all know how I get into my laughing/can't breath/coughing fits at the best of times? Well I have this hacking cough and have just spent the last 2 hours 'not being able to breath' laughing  with my girls Martha and Stephanie. They are disgraced at my inappropriate Australian comments that really don't seem to faze us too much but are wildly inappropriate to my American comrades! They are going to give me lessons in sensitivity and political correctness!! Was good for a laugh though!! I can finally breath again! Haha!

Love to all…..from -11 degree Prague!!

HJ xx

Overdue..but still valid!

Hey All, I wrote this a couple of days ago but never got a chance to post. I will post the update ASAP.

I'm sick!! It was bound to happen. My body can't cope with mild weather change in Australia let alone moving to a minus degree Celsius climate. I was fine for the first week and then the effects of the freezing cold air rushing into my lungs each day took its toll! I got home from school on Thursday afternoon and fell straight into bed and couldn't move for 4.5 hours apart from the occasional coughing fit. So between school being so full on and being sick…I really haven't had the energy or opportunity to blog.

Although school has been intense, it has been fantastic. I am learning so much and I know I am going to feel very prepared by the end of the month! Lots of people asked me how the heck do you teach English to students who don't speak it when you also don't speak their language….well now I know!! The very first lesson on Monday we walked into a Czech lesson, we hadn't met the teacher or anything…just straight into a czech lesson by immersion. And guess what? We learnt some czech!

There is a tonne of work to plough through in the next three weeks….graded lesson plans and lessons (we teach Czech students who come to the language school to learn English)….one on one's with Czech students….assignments  and class work everyday also! By the time it got to Friday afternoon we were all exhausted…although I had to teach also…as well as being sick as!

Everyone went out last night to celebrate making it through the week but I was so sick I had to stay home with my hot bath, tea, chocolate and tv on the internet…thank God for tv on the internet. I got to catch up on all my favourite shows I haven't seen in months and months due to spending all my time studying and working and now here!

It has been such an amazing feeling sitting  in class knowing that this is just the beginning of doing what I have dreamed of doing and planned for, for so long. No more office job, no more uni on top of the office job. Just teaching, travelling, studying and everything in between! Pretty happy about that.

I need to get my glasses again! I lost them in the mayhem of the floods on that evacuation Tuesday and now I need to get them  again cause I can't read anything!!  :(  haha! I will have to try my luck here trying to get them. So annoying!

I am still not feeling well and this cough isn't easing up by any means but everyone is going into town again tonight…the cold air is lethal to me right now so I will have to definitely  figure out if it is worth it!!

HJ xx

School is in for the Winter!

School is in for the Winter! First day yesterday and I reckon from the gist of it, this is going to be the most full on month of my life! This course is meant to be intense and I believe it already! It's all good! It is a great feeling to know that sitting in that class is my ticket to teaching and travel and all the things I have dreamt of for so long. It beats sitting in an office building any day. It is such a freeing feeling to not have to go to work in an office anymore…Suncorp people don't get me wrong - I loved you all…but this is way more fun! :)

I am really excited to teach. Although teaching English is a little different to teaching primary school in Aus….it is going to be an amazing experience and add to my learnings and study as I go along. I know I complain about having to study as I travel, but I don't mind so much! At least I get to travel and study earlier than anticipated which is amazing.  I really hope it is going to be doable. I suppose though, that if I have done it so far…it's not going to be a problem! We adapt so well us humans.

Heaps of people have asked me about this crazy 2.5 yr itinerary that I have schemed over the last 10 months….it has changed a lot but always so that it works in with my uni and being able to travel certain places at certain times. So even though everyone thinks I am crazy for knowing where I want to be in a couple of years…it's all very thought out and necessary to complete uni in the best amount of time whilst making the most of my time overseas in the places I want to be!! So I thought I would post a glance at what it would look like…..!!

When	Where	Why
Feb - Mar 2011	Prague	School
Mar 2011	London, Paris, Rome	Travel
Apr - Oct 2011	China	Teaching ESL and studying
Oct - Nov 2011	Dubai	university placement @ an Australian International School
Nov - Dec 2011	India	Volunteering with a friend's street school program and backpacking With some fellow aussies.
Jan - July 2012	China or ???	Teaching ESL or travelling - possibly gain a contract somewhere else
Aug 2012	Thailand	university placement @ an Australian International School
Sep - Nov 2012	SE Asia	Backpacking around SE Asia and studying
Dec - May 2013	Undecided	Will be undertaking another 6 month contract. Thinking coming back to Europe and teaching in Spain followed by travel or staying in Asia and then Coming back for the last 3 months for pure travel. Will decide that closer to time.
June - Aug 2013	Europe	NO STUDY - Pure travel before I come home to graduate!!
Sept 2013	Australia	Back on my home soil to graduate and see what else is in store for me! :)

So that's me! It's all very exciting!

It is Tuesday morning here! I am scoffing down my Nutella toast (really need to stop eating it and find a healthy breakfast alternative) and coffee before school! We are teaching straight up today! How scary! But all good!  We had a dinner with a bunch of the crew last night in our villa! CRAZY town! One of the boys cooked which was awesome but our kitchen is now suffering the aftermath! Will deal with it later! Haha!

HJ xx

SNOW, SPICED WINE and all things INDIAN!

It snowed today!! Albeit very little…but it snowed! My throat nearly seized up and froze over with how cold it was today! I have never experienced anything like it. I have spent more time putting on and taking off layers than any other activity here! I try not to think about it too much and try to remind myself this is a novelty for the little Australian girl but it chills me to my bones. I am not minding the boots and coats and hats….it's comfy….and covers up my 2010 food hangover! Not that fried cheese, beer and Czech food in general is helping eliminate the damage done in 2010.

Today was the last day of frivolous fun and activities as we start school tomorrow for the month and it is supposed to be pretty intense. The school put on a tour today for all the students, I decided to go down and check it out but I kinda just stuck around to meet those I hadn't as yet and took of with one of my friends to just chill. After all, 4 days of walking around Prague, one with a Czech local meant we were gonna be ok! :)

A few of us went out last night for dinner….to an Italian restaurant. I had the most amazing pasta which was great but not very authentic. However, there is plenty more time for authentic…there is only so much fried cheese and potato dumplings these hips are going to be able to handle! I have two months in Europe I must remember! Then we took off into prague zig zagging our way through to find a pub that was once a bomb shelter…crazy! Many floors down in this dingy pub/bar thing we  ordered a few more beers! Picture no windows….smoking (all kinds of things inside)….and thanks to Aussie laws that prohibit smoking inside or within metres of drinking and eating….my eyes were on fire and my throat still recovering! Oh, poor little me! So I bid farewell and made my way home to bed!

This morning was the first morning I didn't wake up to see the sunrise…must have been due to my passive smoke coma!

I woke up to my clothes smelling like an ashtray, so I went to air them on the balcony and what do you know? White stuff falling from the sky…I double checked with my flatmate to make sure I wasn't imagining it…but sure enough it was SNOWING!

Traipsing through Prague today, a friend and I found a cute little cafe with WIFI and sat down to espresso, croissants and spiced wine! Ummm, YUM!! I have finally found a way to drink red wine…a tonne of sugar and spices! :) Sounds like a way to eat or drink anything really! That was great though. Martha doesn't really have a plan for where she wants to go…so my 10 months of freakish planning (as some of you tolerated listening about) paid off big time as I sat there and regurgitated all things I have learned about different countries to teach English! It was fun talking to her as she is so fancy free and easy about not really having a plan! A far cry from the OCD planning freak I have become over the past 10 months! But hey, it has paid off as I am digging my plan! Although, there could be some alterations…I am thinking I would LOVE to come back to Europe at some stage….maybe SPAIN! (which was the original plan anyway! Haha). I enrolled in Uni today to start again in June this year! I sooooo wish I could just travel and do nothing. Everyone here has graduated and doing this to just travel but I am still in a position where I will have to continue working hard to get to the end goal. It's all good though! I count my blessings that I can do this at the same time as working towards it. No matter how hard it will be! I have made it this far!

Martha and I went to this pub where I discovered the most amazing fried cheese a few days ago (pictures on facebook)…but the were OUT OF CHEESE!! How does that happen in a country where you eat so much cheese. Crazy! So we traipsed around but couldn't seem to find and good Cesky haunts. So we went to the mall and our options were limited to every other cuisine in the world about from Czech! Admittedly, the restaurants were amazing…not your average food court….they were themed and classy and cost similar to what we would pay in Oz…but good food! We chose Indian - my favourite of course and argued with the French waiter in the Indian restaurant in Prague how spicy we wanted our food. I hate that they never listen to me. My taste buds were burned off many years ago. But I think he just tried to prove a point by making it the hottest Indian meal I have ever tastes and needless to say I ate it, loved it and didn't flinch when he asked if it was satisfactory! :) Love it! It was great though, I got to continue conversations with Martha about India and continue this parallel journey I feel I am taking my being surrounded by all things India…bring on November! I will be a pro! :)

We did a lot of talking today. I love learning about how people got to this same point as myself…here in Prague in Feb 2011, ready to embark on a similar journey. There are so many different people here with so many different plans. It has been so fun learning about them over the last couple of days!!

 Early night for me tonight…school in the morning! I suppose I need to learn how to teach these kiddies real English…haha!

H xx

Amazing History...and Beer....Amazing Architectue...and Beer!

What a day yesterday! I have just woken up from the longest deepest sleep of my life due to the fact Chelsea and I had our very own personal Czech tour guide who was relentless in showing us around, feeding us and stopping for beer to quench the thirst! Beer consumption yesterday = a fraction off 2 Litres!  Czech's can drink! And as beer is cheaper than water…if your thirsty! You drink beer!!  The trouble is that Czech's also like to EAT. So if you are drinking you are eating.

After a hearty breakfast of miniature croissant and coffee, we met Raddick (a family friend of Chelsea's. Score) at 11am and took the metro back into the city centre. Prague 1. By 12 we were drinking a stein of beer and feasting on marinated cheese and some sort of marinated sausage with pickle! Oh, and a tonne of bread! Amazing. Except then we had to consume another beer and a shot of some sort of herbal digestive. Very Czech. I was already stuffed! Raddick assured us it's all good we will walk it off! Boy was he right. However what we thought would be a good walk around the town to aid digestion ended up being a walk around the corner for lunch! We stopped at this place that only the locals dine at………a kind of canteen complete with lining up, trays and tickets to mark what you have ordered. We sat it the wooden booths and shared the three traditional Czech meals to see which one we like best. The roast pork with Sauerkraut, potato dumplings and some amazing sauce won hands down for me. I never knew I could love cabbage…all the days of cooking it up in butter just never cut it for me. I will have to show my Dad how to make this stuff. Amazing.

Raddick was always insistent on always paying for us and cause we couldn't protest as we don't know a word of Czech we were helpless. So as he ducked of to the amenities we quickly covered the 400CZK ($20) it cost to feed the three of us….oh yes, complete with beer! So unbelievably cheap!

Raddick was fantastic in sharing all the history, fairy tales and legends with us about the hot spots in Prague. It truly is a magical city and so rich in history. It was nice to hear it from a local. And yes, he answered all my questions too…I can't help myself! I LOVE history!

After feeling so stuffed full that I felt they would have to roll me around the rest of the way…we walked all the way up to Prague Castle. It is like nothing I have ever seen up there and the view is just spectacular. I have lots of snaps…! Being winter it isn't as busy so it was nice to have some moments where you were kinda alone.

On the way down, we came across some statues of men peeing…you can even swivel their hips to change the direction of their flow. Needless to say, every teenager tourist in Prague was up there swivelling hips and giggling away. It's ok though, I pushed in enough for a photo opportunity! Haha!

On the way back down we went to check out one of Raddicks favourite drinking spots. The entrance and stairs down is so narrow that you have to push the traffic light and wait for green as only one person can fit down at a time. Imagine a few too many Pilsners and trying to get back up!! Claustrophobic much? Unfortunately it was closed for renovations. Shame.

Not to worry, we found another place to sit and have another Pilsner….Oh…and some cheese too. This place had a great atmosphere. Very Czech with it's chunky wooden furniture  and fittings, dark atmosphere, and smoking patrons. Yes, the Czech Republic still allow their patrons to smoke inside. The table came complete with a stand of pretzels. I wasn't game to partake. So we quenched our thirst with yet another beer and more cheese and bread to give us the energy for the journey home. 

By the time we made it home and up the gigantic hill we have to climb daily, we were beyond exhausted and if it wasn't for our other American friend to chat away with and keep us company I would have passed out from exhaustion…or a food and beer coma….either one!  Needless to say I made it to bed at 9pm and woke this morning at 7:30am without stirring the whole night.

I learnt some great things today. There was a huge statue in one of the town squares of a protestant who was burned for his beliefs. That brought me to question what faith the majority of Czechs adhere to. According to the statistics it is Catholicism but Raddick assures me that most Czechs just believe in themselves….oh and Beer.

Another interesting tid bit was years ago women were burned or killed by other means if they were found to be guilty of witchcraft. An accused witch would be held for torture as to get the names of others in the craft. A witch facing torture would give any name she could think of to escape it. To test if the nominated women were guilty or not, they would clamp their hands and head in some sort of wooden device and throw them to the water. If they floated to the top they were guilty and burned. If the drowned, they were innocent of being a witch. How CRAZY!! History is fascinating. 

We start school on Monday so we are just making the most of doing whatever we feel. We have more of our fellow students coming this week so there will be more food and beer to accompany all the life stories and investigations they will all endure! Haha!

It's been fun talking to my new American friends and learning more about the states. Chelsea is from Long Beach in California and Martha from Wyoming…(which sounds like an ice hell to me it is so cold). They all tease me for being such a wimp in the cold. And while I am getting around in my snow get up, they are just wearing sweaters! OMG!!! Oh yeah, it is supposed to snow this weekend….just as a side note. Martha spent a semester in India so she is sharing her experience with me, what to expect, what to do and not to do. It's very insightful and knowing she survived just fine (sort of) gives me the hope that I will too! I can't believe I will be there by the end of the year! 10 months away! I have ten months to harden the hell up! Haha!

Having such a surreal, amazing time. I just wish I could have packed up all those who I love and brought them along for the ride.

H xx

Second Impressions........Prague! AMAZING!

Today I discovered beautiful, magical Prague…and oh my goodness was it magical and beautiful! From what I had seen so far I was beginning to doubt…but I knew every person who had ever spoken of it couldn't all be wrong.

We walked and walked and walked the cobble stone streets, across bridges taking tonnes of photos along the way. It was a sight to be marvelled at and even managing to keep my mind from the freezing cold that I was exposed too. We met Matthew today. He is another American joining our class who decided to make a permanent move here. He has been here a couple of weeks already so he was more than happy to help us learn the metro and guide us through Wenceslas Square and Old Town. We walked and walked and finally settled in for dinner at a local pub. We wanted some genuine czech food to tantalise our taste buds so some fried cheese and potatoes was in order for starters! OMG! You haven't lived until you have tried crumbed and fried cheese Czech style! I was in heaven! Big triangles of gooey goodness! I could have stopped there but we had already ordered our mains….lamb shank and more potato! Amazing. I was planning on another option that sounded a bit like a mixed grill until I read it was 900g of meat so I decided that would probably be overdoing my first taste of Czech goodness. My American friends shared that. I managed to drink the 1/2 Litre of beer that was placed in front of me and when I rejected the waiter for a second he just laughed at me…clearly still a lightweight…after all, my coronas are only what? 375 ml? Anyway….I will get there…still have a month to go!

To get home we have a disastrous hill to climb….we are going to be smashing it by the end…but for the second time today on very full stomachs and sore feet from the cobblestones (magical, yes! Practical, no!) we lumbered our way up the hill to met at the top by another new student who moved in while we were away. Yet another American…we gathered in Chelsea and my apartment and gave the low down on our life stories.  She spent a semester in India so very comically gave me the rundown on what I should expect later this year!

So, so far 3 Americans to one Aussie. I did hear the familiar sound of an Australian accent today as I wandered over the Charles Bridge…it was coming from a very cute one indeed! But I was far too fascinated with the wander of Prague to stop and engage in any conversation.

It is amazing how many strange stares I get with my loud booming Aussie accent and girly laugh! People seem fascinated or just frown! Yes, frowning is very common here…I have been hard pressed to incite a smile from any local yet, except for a couple of young, male hospitality staff who probably just don't know what to do with me.

The internet at our apartment isn't working which is frustrating to all but we will go down tomorrow to try and sort it out. For now I just drink Kava (coffee) in the local cafe and use the free wifi which is everywhere here.

Oh, yes, Chelsea and I managed to learn the four most important beverages in Czech today also:

Kava = coffee

Pisa = Beer

Vino = Wine (clearly universal))

Vodka = Vodka (very clearly universal)

So we think we will be pretty right when it comes to ordering the staple beverages! :)

Cheers,

H xx

First Impressions....Prague

AM

 I'm not sure what I was expecting…maybe a warm sunny welcoming stepping out from the airport and straight into a castle. But that wasn't quite how it happened.  It's cold but sunny. I walked out and was hit by the sting of the cold and the bleakness of the Prague  airport and surrounds. I had to take a reality check in that every airport in the world has bleak surrounds…there needs to be nothing around so the planes actually have room to take off! Haha! Anyway, after wandering around aimlessly for sometime looking for the transport booth and asking the information booth lady for help (although she wasn't very helpful)  I noticed a chubby guy about my age with a big laminated sign saying 'Helen Jones' - I joked a bit with him which he clearly didn't get, grabbed my bags and led me to the big transport van that was picking up me and only me….eeek! The whole time, driving on the wrong (but right) side of the road, speaking on his phone in a very stressed manner and not daring to say a word to me, I sung along to the likes of the black eyed peas and other various new release songs and looked out at Prague as we drove along. Prague is huge! For some reason I thought it to be a cute little quaint town with a couple of castles but somewhere along the way I forgot it is the capital of the Czech Republic so should be somewhat sizeable.

For the most part it was ugly, dirty, boxy and industrial with the harshness of winter showing on the trees and foliage around but then you would get glimpses of its beauty with villas on hills and a huge sweeping river with huge bridges and a mini waterfall.

But then the magic abruptly ended when I was dropped off at the hotel at which I am staying with my 40kgs of luggage and made to climb a huge set of stairs while the chubby boy drove off!! Man I shoulda kept my gym workouts up whilst in Aus or brought a muscle bound assistant to help me.  I am yet to see a castle.

I have read and heard that the Czech are particularly rude….so far I haven't experienced it to the full extent but my bubbly Aussie girl act hasn't yet got much reciprocation. Not with the welcoming staff at the airport, the guard on exit, the information clerk, the chubby transport boys…at least the hotel staff were lovely. Which is where I am sitting now…It's 10:40 here in Prague whilst it's 7:40pm in Aus on a Wednesday! I am waiting for one of the chickies from the TEFL school to show me around a bit! :)

Zurich airport…AMAZING by the way. I have never seen such a beautiful airport before…everything and everyone looked and smelt amazing! Very classy! I felt like the biggest slob walking through with all my mishmashed clothes from what I had taken off and put on on the plane. At least I remembered to take off my eye mask before disembarking. Haha! I am in desperate need of a shower and fresh clothes….I suppose this is welcome to the life of a traveller…Oh…and I really should think about culling more luggage…I thought I had the necessities…but four kilos of excess necessities cost me a very very very pretty penny!! But as my friend re-assured me….it's just money! Well at least those excess kilos made it here through 3 different flights.

PM

It's 7:40 pm here in Prague in 4:40am in Aus! No one is up to chat to but my Californian flat mate has just arrived and she is great! I have had a few hrs head start so my room is completely set up and organised. Love it! Haha! Got my hot shower and made it down to the shopping centre for groceries and free wifi in the cafe…yep…all cafes have free wifi! !How awesome!

Grocery shopping was an experience…but I made it out with a tonne of stuff and some pre-made dinners so I didn't have to decipher ingredients straight up…oh..and I found Australian white wine in the supermarket….yet to see if it is in Prague cause it's good or because that's the only place who takes it. Haha! At least I recognised salami and cheese! Yum…it is good too. The supermarket was like a gourmet deli - my Dad would have been in heaven!

I tried not to sleep but I ended up having a nap…a 4 hour nap! Oh well….I have a few days to get into routine before I start class…until then I will sleep until my heart's content!

So far loving it here!! Really can't believe I am in a completely different country across the other side of the world to begin this teaching and travelling journey! :)

Cheers all,

H xx

T-9

Wow, time has flown!
So I am currently in Melbourne town visiting old friends to say Hi and Bye before I shoot out of here for a couple of years. I thought it would be a great opportunity to catch up with some of the people that I haven't seen for a LONG time because I live in Brissy and get a chance to reconnect before I leave.
So far it has been so amazing. Seeing old friends who I have known for well over 15 years is something so special! It gives me a little boost too because they are so excited for  me also.

I spent some great time with my parents and brothers and nephews....my boys have grown up way too quick....and I am just about to miss another couple of years! The oldest nephew who is 19 also wants to teach English overseas but he is thinking Japan so I may not see him either!

I have been so overwhelmed by the generosity and well wishes from all those at Suncorp. Leaving, I realised that I really loved the people there and it has been by far the best place to work in my 'very long' work life haha! Considering I was only there for a year, I have met some amazing people and hope to do life with them again in the future.

I even got a farewell from my old workplace in Albury...that was awesome. I haven't worked there since 2008 and I was very touched that they put on a morning tea for me to say goodbye etc. Wow, this farewell business has been amazing! Feeling the love all around.

Everything has fallen into place nicely and I am ready to go! Just a couple more goodbyes and some serious packing and repacking and I will be ready for this new adventure. More than ready me thinks! My biggest challenge I face right now is keeping my luggage to 20kgs...seriously who can pack up their life into 20kgs. Ridiculous!!

Anayway, this is the last pre-trip post I will make...I will save my ramble for the action.

First Stop.....Prague!


Cheers,
H xx