WEEK FORTY ONE, CRANKY, CHRISTMAS, CRICKET
Trip Start
Mar 14, 2007
1
41
44
Trip End
Jan 16, 2008
Melbourne,
Victoria,
Australia
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Myself and Gavin got a lovely surprise at the start of the week when our buddy Niall turned up and didn't even tell us he was coming! So Gavin was in high spirits to have his partner in crime back. As they hit the clubs and pubs of Melbourne I hit the library and lane ways looking for that cosy hidden away coffee shop that nobody knows about, but everybody in Melbourne seem to know about everywhere so I am still looking!
We went down to St. Kilda's on the Tram, which is a lovely quaint old seaside town with funfair and beach front ice cream shops and lots of picture postcard views. It would have been prefect if it hadn't had been pouring down with rain and thunder and lighting! In fact the weather had been just like home since I got here! But Melbourne is renown for having four seasons in a day!
So Christmas Eve finally came around, not that you would have known about it here! Not very many lights or trees or drunk people in Santa hats singing we wish you a merry Christmas on the streets, it's the little things I miss about home! So I spent the night wrapping lots of little gifts for the boys and putting them in the stockings I bought for them and hanging candy canes and happy Christmas banners and the like. I then headed down to St. Patrick's Cathedral, Melbourne's biggest Gothic Cathedral, for midnight mass! http://www.melbourne.catholic.org.au... The mass actually started at midnight, which doesn't happen at home! And it was all sung and chanted in Gregorian chant and in Latin! When the Bishop came out to talk he had a really funny strong Aussie accent, which I wasn't expecting, and it really confused me! I thought all priests were Irish!!!
The Cathedral was huge but even still there was not enough room for everybody and we all had to sit on the floor around the alter and even stand outside listening! It was crazy but such a lovely mass! I really do like a good mass! I miss Father Ted! Anyways, the mass went on for ages and I didn't get out of there till 1.40 AM!!!! But it was Christmas morning so I decided to walk the hour back to the hostel. It was so great. The streets were empty and quite and I managed to walk the route home that actually had some Christmas lights that twinkled overhead all the way down the road. They were magical and made me very happy. They also magically seemed to lead me to the shop window of Tiffany's!!!!! What a lovely surprise! It must be a sign that my lovely parents have got me a gift from there and are keeping that little gift (MASSIVE BIG DIAMOND RING) all wrapped up till I come home!!
Christmas Morning was strange. I woke up in a top bunk of a very VERY warm room with 9 other people. There was no stocking on my door, no tree and no presents! I was gutted! But I had faith that my boys wouldn't let me down and when they got up they would shower me with gifts! So while they slept I tried to volunteer my time in the local children's hospital. Just reading or whatever to them but I was not allowed as I need a police check! It's getting quite hard to be nice in the world now a days, I tried to give blood the other day but they wouldn't let me cause I had a tattoo in the last 12 months. I don't think the dying people really care if I have a tat or not!
Then it was on to the beach to have our Christmas dinner of pork sausages, chicken wings, burgers, all cooked on a disposable barbecue, followed by mince pies and washed down with vodka and warm coke! So we picked our spot, lay down the sheets we stole from the hostel and settled in for our lunch. I spent the whole day swatting flies, eating sand and getting burnt! I have never missed home so much. Sure it was different and funny and a unique way to spend the day but I would never do it again, there is nothing better than being with your family and seeing everyone you love and all the traditions that go with my ideal Christmas. Sometimes the grass is not always greener!
This was really brought home when I spoke to everybody on Christmas day in my house. I wanted to be there so much! Everybody sounded like they were having a great time and lots of fun, something that I will never miss out on again, I will always be home for Christmas now, no matter where I am in the world! To top off my not so great Christmas day, I never did get a present off either of the boys. My hands never experienced opening a present this year.That joy giving sound of cheap paper tearing never entered my world this year! I was gutted, considering I didn't even get a present for my birthday! I think I will go and shred some paper now, just to make me happy!
The next day I struggled to get out of bed cause my feckin back was killing me and I was sun burnt to bits. But I did and I joined 70,000 people in the Melbourne Cricket Ground for the India V's Australia Boxing Day Test Match. It's quite a big thing over this side of the world, so they tell me. Lots of drunk loud tourists drinking beer in the sun wearing stupid hats and pretending to watch a sport that nobody knows a thing about! I couldn't tell you who even won! Thankfully Niall was hungover so we left early and went back to the hostel to sleep the boredom of cricket off!
What a crap Christmas this was, next year I am defiantly doing it Irish style, spending too much money, rushing about, wrapping paper 5 for 50, too much drink, too much food, not enough Quality Street, ham sambo's and brown sauce, crooked fake Christmas trees, cheap tinsel, not remembering the Christmas work parties, trying to forget the Christmas work parties, family and friends and lots of love and PRESENTS!!!!!!!
