Oh, Crap...

One final photo from Dubai: I brought new meaning to "Boxing Day" as Elise and David sit amidst my move-out mess.

From Last Three Weeks in Dubai

(They look repulsed, but really, they wanted to be there)

Now most of that mess has been dumped into my new digs in Perth, and I'll admit I'm still trying to get that mess organized. Maybe it's just me, but I tend to be naive and block out the mechanics of any move ahead or behind (I am a professional at this now), and in fact, I've almost blocked the first month out of my memory. But here is the abridged version.

But first... when I arrived in Dubai, my boss Clint collected me and took me to my company-provided apartment. Chris A took me to breakfast at the Inferno in Marina Walk and for groceries at Spinneys. Stephanie cooked for me and Gemma got me to work. Clint gave me a Treo and a company car and took me to get my driver's license. And they freely offered deep friendships, countless dinner parties, beach days, and nights out.

The arrival to Perth was the opposite in every way imaginable. I landed at a lonely terminal, bought a cheap prepaid phone, took a taxi to my hotel in the city, and tried to talk myself down. Outside the taxi window was an endless ocean of mundane suburbs, dead grass, Dad & Son mattress outlets. Oh, crap...

From Discovering Australia

From Discovering Australia

"I just made a huge mistake. Monumental. And I am here 'indefintely.' Trapped."

I took a breath, bought a gps unit, set up a bank account, rented a car, and taught myself to drive on the left (more on that later). I explored downtown Perth on New Years Eve. Wu from Clemson knew some friends visiting Perth for Christmas, so I met them for the Perth Cup (as with Dubai, I think it's now tradition to start off each new city with a horse race).

And I found the office, where I was thrown right into it. Over two weeks later, the part time office manager arrived to ask if I had moved in ok. I hadn't yet by that point, and I may be a little spoiled by Dubai, but the lack of any welcome felt ridiculous. Brush it off.

But God provided amazingly and transparently through all of this. I visited one church, and someone offered a room for a few days. Then a coworker asked me to house-sit while he traveled. I can't even list all the strangers from church that went out of their way to orient me, join me to scour yard sales and used car lots, help me find a residence, help me gather furniture for cheap or free, etc. I bought a car and rented a 2-bed. People from work are actually pretty fun as well, and they come from all over- South Africa, England, Wales, Australia, Brazil, NZ, Iran, Mauritius, and US (that'd be just me). That is one aspect I loved about Dubai.

Perth has reintroduced me to cool breezes, starlit nights, shape-shifting clouds, leafy plants and fruit-bearing trees, uncovered parking lots, and brilliant sunsets. Just off the beach, there are a few great snorkeling reefs full of new fish, where the underwater limestone formations are engulfed in colorful sea grasses. Sharks occasionally drop in for a nibble on someone's leg, but typically the beaches are pretty well patrolled.

From Discovering Australia

From Discovering Australia

From Discovering Australia

I found an encouraging gospel-centered church with excellent teaching, and I joined a small group. One of the guys from my group asked me my last name, and I wrote it down for him. He looked at it, paused, and remarked, "That looks like something from ALF." He was referring to the one where ALF slips in the tub, loses his memory, and thinks he is an insurance salesman. Then we briefly ran through a snippet of "You're the One That's Out of This World." If that isn't divine confirmation that I'm in the right place, I'm not sure what is.