Arrival

Jun 24, 2010 by Daniel Ross-Jones

I’m here!  One of the ways I know I’m in this part of the southern hemisphere is that for some reason each time I’m here, Australia has a political leadership transition of some sort.  In 2006, it was preparation for the general election, Labour coming to power and Kevin Rudd becoming Prime Minister.  In November/December of last year, the Liberal opposition changed leaders in a voting row.  And now today, Kevin Rudd has stepped down as PM in order to stave off a leadership challenge.

It’s interesting how that all happens… Anyway.

The flights were pretty OK.  The Minneapolis to Chicago-Midway flight was nowhere near full, yet I ended up stuck in the only full row because some rather annoying, obnoxious sales guy refused to walk to any of the rows behind us that had up to two empty seats in them.  And then proceeded to ignore the flight attendants’ instructions to turn cell phones off.  Moron.  The flight from MDW to Los Angeles hit some nasty weather over Nebraska that apparently turned into nastier weather today in Chicago, so it was a bit bumpy, and the fasten seat belts sign was lit most of the flight.  The crew was awesome, though, and otherwise was a great flight.

But nothing beat the flight from LAX to Auckland: full row.  All to myself.

As the kids say, hells to the yeahs.

I kicked all the armrests up and sprawled horizontal style for a full seven hours of mostly uninterrupted sleep.  When I finally did wake up, I felt fully rested and ready to take on the day that was just beginning.  (I found out from one of the flight attendants that apparently someone had tried to move up to the seats but saw me laying there and took pity.  Such niceties.  If I had been flying a U.S. airline, you know those seats would have been rebooked at the gate, and if there had been a full empty row, I’d have been charged extra for taking up the room.  But no, on this airline, they don’t even want to interrupt me.  Love it!)

I arrived with little fanfare, and met David Clark, the minister of St. Luke’s, at arrivals.  We went to the house I’m sitting for three weeks before stopping by a plant shop cafe for — appropriately named — Kiwi breakfast.  Eggs on toast, sausage, bacon, a salad concoction, and a cup of hot chai.  Minus the salad, I couldn’t complain.  It was quite good.  (Though the idea of a $15 breakfast still rubs this dollar menu extraordinare the wrong way.)

Also: the kiwis love their plant shops.  They’re not completely like the outdoor shops in the States, but more of a hybrid of a few different concepts.  For the Minnesotans, it’s like if Bachman’s merged with the Menards patio department and threw in a Panera Bread for good measure.

After brekkie, David went to the church and I went back home to settle in and get acclimated to Auckland living.  I’ve found the grocery store, the closest dairy (a.k.a. convenience store), and the mall.  I topped up my mobile phone, got some cash from an ATM, and hooked up the Internet connection at the house.  I drove during the beginning part of rush hour across town from where I’m staying to the church, and the only error I made was to turn on the windshield wipers when I was trying to use the blinker to turn.

Tonight is my first night “on,” being introduced around and getting a feel for the ministry here.  The youth group is meeting, followed by a theological discussion group centered around progressive Christianity.  Tomorrow I’m off for the full day to continue getting acclimated and rest.  Saturday I’ll be attending a New Zealand wedding, and Sunday they have a morning tea planned in my honor after worship.

Related Posts

Tags

Share This