Celebrity Author!
- Alanna Maxwell
- Mar 18, 2019
- 3 min read
Today's blog post is written by the one and only Dave Maxwell, aka my dad. He and Joe flew in Saturday morning and have been hanging out in Geelong. I suggested they write a blog post to change things up a bit (and to allow me the time to catch up on some readings!), and therefore I will be copy and pasting exactly what was sent to me. So sit back, relax, and enjoy our celebrity author!
“You know what the funniest thing about Europe is? It’s the little differences. I mean they have the same stuff we have here, it’s just theirs is a little different.” Vincent Vega, Pulp Fiction.
This blog entry is from Dave and Joe Maxwell, Alanna’s dad and brother!! This visit has been extraordinary as we truly didn’t know what to expect visiting the land Down Under. What has surprised me the most is how different everything is. I knew to expect somethings different, but so much has caught me off guard. The taste of the food which is prepared the same way as I do in the US, the traffic flow, the steering wheels on the right side of the cars, Celsius vs. Fahrenheit, the accent (which Joe and I fight but eventually slip into doing everyday), the money, sports, television, everything!
The 15 hour flight was surprisingly tolerable. Joe has been a great travel partner and so easy...though I knew he would be. The sleep adjustment has been normal, though I believe when it’s time to head back I will have adjusted to Australia time!
It has been absolutely wonderful hanging out with Alanna the past few days. I’m so proud of how well she has navigated everything in her short time here. We have been walking and taking public transportation everywhere, and seeing the sights of Geelong (pronounced juh-LONG). Geelong is a beautiful city and what has impressed me of Australia is how inclusive the culture is. They publicly acknowledge the injustices and atrocities committed against the aboriginal population, and everyone is welcoming and kind. In fact, they fly the Aboriginal National flag alongside the Australian flag on government buildings and other important monuments.
Overall, I am so glad we took the trip to see Lawns, and I think she has enjoyed us being here as much as we are glad to be here.
We decided that we would let each day flow as it would and not have anything we ‘had’ to do. On Sunday, we accompanied Alanna to her new church, celebrated St. Patrick’s Day and then walked along the beach and had an awesome lunch.
Today we visited an Aboriginal Nature Reserve and hung out with the Wallabies and an Emu named Nigel. It was pretty cool being that close to live animals which were surprisingly docile…though when the Wallaby started hopping toward us, Alanna stated, “My heart started beating a little bit faster!”
While it has been a great visit hanging out with Joe and Alanna, I do miss my beautiful Kell and Nat, and am starting to look forward to being home with them on Friday.
Thanks for reading!!
For the record, Joe was scared of the emu and kangaroo. I would consider my feelings a respect/healthy fear. :) In the next couple of days I'll write another post about rock climbing, the Melbourne Grand Prix, and of course Joe and dad. I'll also add in some videos of the kangaroo and emu, because this picture does not do them justice!
Notice that no one was moving when the kangaroo approached -- dad included.
I can't believe how quickly this week has passed knowing this is our last full day in Geelong, though it also feels like we've had good quality time hanging out and seeing sights. Tomorrow we are going to head to Melbourne to spend the day and night as we have a morning flight Friday.