Arrived...41 hours later

21.02.2010

I have finally arrived in Australia! It took only 41 hours from when I left Minneapolis…I arrived in Kalgoorlie at 4:00 pm Western Australia time on Sunday afternoon. For those of you that are in the Midwest, you were likely leaving the bar on Saturday (early Sunday) as it closed. Now it was not 41 hours of flying (obviously, I hope) but about 23 hours and then many hours sitting in airports collecting baggage, checking into flights, people watching and watching my minute hand slowly take laps around the face of my watch. I took five flights on my way over, Minneapolis – Denver – Los Angeles – Sydney – Melbourne – Kalgoorlie. Some flights were packed with people and filled with movies, food and drink, while others were less filled and wanted to charge for everything from baggage, to peanuts, to just about being able to breathe. All in all, I am here and my entire luggage is with me.

I am now in the process of getting everything settled for my stay here. I am getting a new mobile (cell phone), need to open a bank account, get to the health club, pick up a car, and settle into an apartment. Right now I am staying with a teammate’s family until the apartment that I will be sharing with the other import becomes available. All the other thins will be taken care of in the next couple of days.

So, where am I? I am in Western Australia in a town called Kalgoorlie, later referred to as Kal. It is approximately 6 hours by car from Perth along the Great Eastern Highway, and 4 hours north of Esperance. It is desert-like, and home to one of the largest gold mining areas in the world. The team I am playing for is the Goldfields Giants. Quite fitting. The town is about 30,000 people and supports the basketball team immensely. I have training for the first time Tuesday night and again on Thursday before heading to Perth this weekend for a tournament.

I am truly excited for this experience, but will miss home and all the friends and family behind. I am looking forward to sharing stories about my experiences, travel, and basketball and just getting out and living in this beautiful world. I am also excited not to have to shovel snow, hang out at some beaches, sit by a pool (which I am currently doing), and enjoying the beautiful weather that I rarely see in Minnesota or Duluth more specifically. It is a cool and comfortable 88 degrees right now!

Back to Australia

I am flying back to Australia Friday! I am really excited to get back "down under" and begin playing basketball with the Goldfield's Giants. The Giants play in the State Basketball League of Western Australia against 13 other teams in Western Aus. The league begins in March and will conclude with playoffs in August. After spending time in Perth this fall, I am so excited to spend the next several months in Australia. The people are great, the weather is gorgeous, and this is an incredible experience to see more of this great world! I plan to blog regularly to keep people posted on the happenings, the season, and just to keep in touch. I hope you all enjoy.