Safe and sound in Bunbury

I don't know how managed it, but I have arrived in Bunbury and am currently sitting behind my desk in my room. The last few days have been crazy! I tried to catch up with as many people as possible, while packing as much as possible. Socializing is so much more fun then packing, so a lot of the packing still had to be done this morning. I hoped to leave at 12 and I wasn't much off!

While I was driving out of Albany I realized that this was the second time I drove out of Albany with a fully loaded car, ready to face the unknown. Feb 2009 I was on my way to Armadale. Amy and Paul lived in Armadale at that time and they were the only people I knew. How times have changed!

Did you find my note Brendon? I didn't have time to dry the dishes.

For all the people who didn't believe I can fit heaps in my car - O you of little faith! :)

I had a pretty good trip to Bunbury, although I'm pretty sure I had 5 years taken off my life! There were heaps of trucks on the road today. At one stage I was about to overtake a road train. I had been behind it for a while and I could finally overtake it! Just as I went into the other lane the road train blew a tyre. Before I knew it, it was hailing big pieces of black rubber! I was still behind the road train and I could break just on time. Thankfully the road train could quickly pull over on the side of the road. I'm pretty sure my heart skipped about 3 beats!

I also finally understand why people from Albany can't stand the heat! It is nearly unbearable to come from the cool climate of Albany to the heat of Bunbury! Although it has been really nice weather in Albany the last few days, my body wasn't ready for the heat! I had nearly melted by the time I arrived in Bunbury.

When I arrived at uni I had to go to the office of the person who runs the student village. It only took about 10 minutes for him to give me the key and go through a few things, but I didn't really want to leave his office again. The airco felt so good! When I arrived at my unit I met one of the other students who lives her. Thankfully she lend me one her cups so that I could have a few cups of water before unpacking my car! I am sharing a unit with 3 other girls and 2 other guys. 2 of them are social work students, 1 is a nursing student and 2 are education students. I have only met 2 of the girls so far and they seem to be very nice!

After I had finally unpacked my car I had no energy left to do anything constructive so I went to get some takeaway and ate it at the beach, while watching the sunset. I'm pretty sure I can get used to this life style! The beach is just a few minutes away from uni (by car). After driving around I now know where all the fast-food places are, I only still need to figure out where the shops are.

When I arrived at uni I received a welcomes bag which had cuppa soup and a little box of cereal in it, so I won't have to starve tomorrow morning. So the plan for tomorrow is:

- to set my alarm for once,

- catch up with Gerwin at his workshop

- buy a parking permit (I've got my fingers crossed that I won't receive a fine tonight. I have written the security guy a really nice note saying that I haven't been able to buy a parking permit yet)

- buy the uni books I will need for this semester

- go to centrelink to demand money (they should have gotten back to me at the beginning of this week - O centrelink, how I love thou! (sigh)

- go for a very long swim

- go to Busselton for dinner, for Kim van der Lugt's birthday.

It should be another good day!

God is good, life is good!

Wat de toekomst brengen moge,

mij geleidt des Heren hand;

moedig sla ik dus de ogen

naar het onbekende land.

Leer mij volgen zonder vragen;

Vader, wat Gij doet is goed!

Leer mij slechts het heden dragen

met een rustig, kalme moed!

Waar de weg mij brenge moge,

aan des Vaders trouwe hand,

loop ik met gesloten ogen

naar het onbekende land.

This is one of the praise-songs I sang with my family last night. We always try to sing after dinner on Sunday nights. When we lived in Holland we sang Australian psalms and hymns, but now that we live in Australia we mainly sing Dutch psalms, hymns and other songs. (So Rutch, it's safe for you to come over for Sunday night dinners.) Seeing it was my last Sunday night home for a while, we sang a few extra songs. There will be a few things I will miss about Albany, especially cause that is where my parents live, but I can't wait to move to Bunbury and see what the future holds.

Life has ups and downs and right now I am experiencing an 'up'. 2011 has been a crazy year. I was in Holland at the beginning of the year and in Canada and America in August and September for a wedding. My parents had to go to Holland a few times because my oma was very sick. I moved house twice and in the middle of all that I was busy just living my life as well.

2012 has proven to get crazy again! At the beginning of the year my oma past away and my dad went back to Holland, I have done a summer session at uni and all of a sudden decided to move to Bunbury to study a semester on-campus.

I am however full of energy and excitement to tackle the challenges that will arise in this coming year. Yesterday morning I heard an amazing sermon about thankfulness and I realized how much I have to be thankful for! First of all I can be thankful for the fact that I can call myself a child of the Almighty God. No matter what happens this year, I know he will be there with me! That is pretty much what the dutch song is about (for the people that can't read dutch).

Secondly I can be thankful for the amazing family I have been placed in. Although we are a bit crazy and I can't keep up with them all, I do feel blessed to be part of our family. It suck

s that some of my siblings live on the other side of the world, but thankfully we can keep in touch through skype, email and phone. And thankfully I still have my parents, Gerwin, April, Arjan and Brendon on this side of the world. April and Gerwin both live close to Bunbury, so I will be seeing a lot more of them!

Thirdly I can be thankful for the amazing friends God has given me! Although it sucks that they are spread over three different continents, it also brings along great holiday opportunities :) And thankfully some of them live on the same continent as me, so we can go camping or go to Dylan's and eat a VERY unhealthy piece of cake.

I am also very thankful for the opportunities God has given me over the last few years and for the opportunities that He continues to give me. I have been able to travel to different continents, have different jobs which I enjoyed, start a new study and I have had

the health to do all this!

I still have 3 years to go before I will receive my bachelor of social work. Coming semester I hope to do four units. These units will be:

- Human behavior in the social environment

- Addictions and Practice

- Aboriginal Histories of the Present

- Gender, Families and Professional Practice

All of them look pretty interesting, but the one unit I am very excited about it is the Aboriginal History one.

My plan is to leave Albany on Wednesday, so I have a few days to get settled before I start uni on the 27th.

The next time I check in I hope to be In Bunbury!

Annette

We were all pretty exciting about going camping!

I love the feeling of waking up on the beach.

Although even then I am so NOT a morning person!!!