To The Beach!

Greetings from Down Under,

                Another week and a half has gone by and believe it or not, I still enjoy it here! J  Thank you so much for all of your prayers and support; the recovery is going great and I have been at full strength for the last couple of days.  Congratulations to the Hawks for winning state!  I was able to stream the game from over here and it was so fun cheering along with all the fans.  Unfortunately I can’t watch any U.S. sports and I have been going through NBA and NCAA withdrawals; I don’t know how I am going to survive without March Madness and the NBA Finals. 

The first week of classes went well and despite the unusual schedule, I should have plenty of free time to explore Fremantle and the surrounding cities and beaches.  Mondays and Tuesdays are great because I don’t have class until the afternoon and so I’ve been able to visit places while it’s still relatively cool.  Wednesdays and Thursdays are more filled up for me, but there are still nice gaps where I can head to the beach for a quick cool off. 

                I was able to go exploring a bit this last week and it was great.  I visited Kings Park in Perth, WA, which is the largest park, within city limits, in the world!  There is a fantastic war memorial as well as many kilometres of paths, showing off the colourful and numerous plants and animals that are unique to Australia.  I would have to say that my favourite place that I have been thus far is definitely Cottesloe.  It’s only a 10 minute train ride from Fremantle and the beaches and water are amazing.  It is a very popular beach because it is the beach that Heath Ledger grew up at and where his ashes were spread.  It is by far my favourite beach and I have been there several times already, including a trip earlier today. 

                The next several weeks should be rather busy, with organised trips to Caversham, Penguin Island, and Rottnest Island filling up the weekends.  I am really excited because we are going to be able to see a bunch of wildlife and we get to go snorkelling!  In less than a month our group is travelling up north to Broome, where we will be staying in the outback with Aborigines, learning about their culture and history.  I have only heard amazing things about this trip and I can hardly wait.

                Well that’s about it for now, if you have any questions please feel free to email me or message me on Facebook.  Thanks again for all of your prayers and support, I’m looking forward to talking with you soon.

Philip