The Outback

Friday Sept 24, 2011      Ron and I took a little trip out in the country.  As soon as you leave Orange you are out in the country, or what they call the Outback.   We were looking for a good place to take a family we know on a picnic.

We saw fields of horses

fields with cows

lots of fields of sheep

three little lambs have lost their way, ba ba ba

(they were out on the road)

Ducks flying into a small pond

AND FINALLY!!! YA HOO, WE SAW SOME KANGAOOS!!

a whole mob of them

This Big fella was out hitchen for a ride

Notice the roads while you're at it. 

This is what we travel a lot.

No we never found a picnic place going this direction.

We were only 20 k (12 miles) from Orange, that is how close the kangaroos are.

I want to see a Kangaroo

 

We decided that the only place we might get to see a

Kangaroo is at the zoo in Dubbo.

This is all we saw, turned around and left.   

I don't want to see a Kangaroo for $46 each.

Dubbo Apartment (our summer cabin)

Tuesday Sept 21, 2011   We were asked to go check out the apartment in Dubbo that the Elders had been transferred out of about 6 weeks earlier.   We were to get it into shape for whoever.   Right now we can use it when we come to Dubbo to visit the members.      

It was a real tight squeeze to get into the garage.    

Boy was the garage small.    I thought our garage in Orange was small.   This one was SMALL.   Dad had to go back and forth and turn slightly several time before being able to finagle his way into the garage.

Besides being small, there was a fence that ran along side of the driveway giving you absolutely no room to finagle. He finally made it though.    Now to open the doors of the car.    The doors on both sides of the car hit the walls of the garage.    These people here in Australia sure think small.    Or at least they build small.

Here is the kitchen and the living room.   Three bedrooms, bathroom, and laundry room is up stairs.

Up the tall stairs

1 bedroom to the left, yellow door to laundry room and bathroom on right.



My first driving lesson

Ron says he wants me to learn to drive in case of an emergency. I tell him if I do drive there will be an emergency. The driving is all backwards. They drive on the left side of the road. Can you imagine how scary that is to see a car coming at you from the right side of the street. Well, let me tell you from experience. It is SCARY. It has been 3 weeks and I haven't dared to drive yet. Oh, it frightens me so much. I just can't. I'm not even a very good rider let alone to be a driver.
On Monday Sept 19th I thought we were to head out to go traveling when Ron made me get into the drivers seat. NOOOOOOOO! I can't do it.

Ok, Ok, So I got in the drivers seat and I drove. I can now say that I drove in Australia. Even if it was only forward and backwards in our driveway. I mean we have a long driveway. Well maybe only 1/4 the length of our Rexburg driveway, but I drove it. I came to the edge of the driveway just before turning onto the the road and turned on the turning signal. Just to figure out which way to flip the turning signal that is on the right side of the steering wheel is a great accomplishment.

I then backed up into our little area next to our back door. I drove back and forth 5 times. Ron's orders. I have to admit that this little car of ours does seem solid and drives nice (in the driveway). I hope to keep it that way ( I mean solid and drives nice) There I did it. That counts doesn’t it? I drove in Australia.

Yippy for me,

kangaroos

Saturday we went to visit some people in towns 60 to 80 miles away.   Several people told us not to drive that road at night because the kangaroos come out and dash across the road.   Ok, as if I am not already tense enough about driving on the wrong side of the road, the roads being so narrow, bumpy, curvy, driving with one wheel on the center white line and the other on the pot holes at the outside edge of the road and now the kangaroos.  Gulp. Then to top it all off the speed limit is 100 to 110 km-h. (62-68 mph).

Ron told me that if I get so nervous than I should close my eyes and go to sleep. I took some crocheting with me.  I did not keep my eyes too glued to the crocheting or dared to go to sleep and was glad because I had to tell him 3 times to get back into the left lane.    I have to admit that, once, I headed to the wrong side of the car to get in.    Mind you, only once.   

When traveling, I start finding myself as tense as when sitting in the dentist chair and have to tell myself to relax.  I wouldn't dare drive though. I already have my claw marks embedded in my seat and I would not fit in the drivers seat.

The picture shows the closest that I hope to get to a kangaroo while driving.  We did make it back home by about 8 pm and it was dark all the way. Whew, we made it home safe again.

We are having winter right now

This is what winter looks like here.   Enjoy.   We are.

Our Flat (apartment) is the one in the middle.   I will get more pictures and send later. 

Our New Flat

On our way to our flat, Ron drove and we followed behind 3 Elders.   We followed them clear to Orange which is a 3 hr drive.   We did get lost once when Ron wasn't paying attention and turned when they went straight, but thank goodness for cell-phones we got found.   So the trip took us longer than the usual 3 hrs that it should have taken.    Ron commented that it was no fun to drive because you have to concentrate so hard.    He's getting the hang of it (a little).    I still have to guide him alot.   But don't ask me to drive.   No way. 

 

We made it here safe and have moved in.   We are still unloading suitcases.   Our flat is really cute, I like it.  It is completely furnished with furniture, dishes and kitchen stuff.    The sister missionaries used to live here, but Pres. simmons moved them someplace else.   

 

It has a laundry room, kitchen, livingroom/dining room, 1 bath, and 2 bedrooms. Ron said I can have the one extra bedroom for sewing and art.   There was a table out in the garage (ya, we got a garage too) that we brought into that room for me.   There was an extra sewing machine at the mission home that Sister Simmons let me bring.  She did not know much about it so I will have to unpack it and see if it works.   I sure hope so.   

 

The Elders brought a trailer to pick up all the stuff left in the garage.    There were bikes, a mattress and other stuff.    They stuck around long enough to show us where to go to get the internet, where the church is, and where K-mart is.   We are set, right?   We took them to lunch at Pizza hut.   It cost $50.    I am so amazed at the prices here.    I just can't hardly stand it they are so high.   

 

After the Elders left we went back to town and went to K-Mart.   Now those prices were bearable.   But they were a small K-Mart and did not have a huge selection.     But this town is small.    I am so glad to get out of Sydney.    It is huge and the roads are a maze.  

We are in Sydney

Sorry it has taken us so long to post, but we have been drug all over Sydney to see the sites and then to buy a car.   They were hoping that we could buy a car before Friday and we could follow some Elders out to our new home about 3 hrs away from the mission home.   

We are here safe though.   Sister Byram drove us all over today and we did find a car but had to come back to the Mission home to transfer some money  and we will go back tomorrow to buy it.

 

We were told that they would take us to lunch but they never got around to it.   it is now supper time here, so we will go eat now.  I am starving. 

 

The Mission President and his wife decided that all new couples should get their picture taken right off in front of the  Sydney Opera house.   I have attached a couple of pictures.   So that was our first trip.    And what do you think of these weird trees?    

 

We then went to the mission office for an interview with President Simmons.   

 

We are being put up at a motel for a couple of nights before being taken out to Orange.   You can find it on the map.   We will be living there.   It is out in the country.    Whew, the city driving on the wrong side of the street is scaring me to death.   We can learn out in the country where there are no overpasses and underpasses and all that fun stuff.       

 

I slept about 3 hours straight on the plane and then just now and then, so I am totally brain dead, that I am getting numb, but they want to keep us up until 9 pm here to get us on the right schedule.    It is only 5pm  now.   I don't know if I'm going to make it.

At the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah

We just finished our 1st day of training.

Everything is going well

We have been assigned to stay at the Marriot Hotel a few blocks from the MTC

We can use the internet at the MTC but we would have to pay extra to use it at the hotel so we will porbably only be able to check our email in the late afternoons. We also have our cell phones which we can use in the evenings and at noon.

 

We have attached 2 pictures

One is with 2 missionaries we asked to take our picture

It just happend that they are leaving in 2 hours for the Sydney Mission so we may see them there.

 

Sister & Elder Tietjen

 

 

Sydney, Australia Temple

We are getting excited

We recieved our call to the Sydney Australia Mission on May 12, 2011. It originally stated that we would enter the Missionary Training Center on Sept 26, 2011.
However, our Visa came quickly and because our Mission President needs us to come earlier, we are now scheduled to enter the Missionary Training Center In Provo, Utah on August 22, 2011.