I've never been much of a traveler or a tourist. I don't get the thrill that others do from sightseeing or being away from home. But having said that, I've gotta say I'm a little disappointed with how not-foreign Adelaide, Australia is. I was hoping for a little adventure here on the opposite side of the world, but it's a lot like home. It's as adventurous as visiting Vancouver.
Of course, I'm not on vacation, and all I've seen of Australia so far is the office where I'm working, and some stuff within walking distance of the hotel. I'm hoping that next weekend I'll have a chance to see something outside the city.
I was flying over the Pacific on US Election Day, so I didn't get to vote or to watch what was going on. I caught a little coverage on CNN during my layover in Auckland. After arriving in Adelaide, it was straight to the office, but a couple of hours later, US networks started projecting the winner, and the Australians were all talking about it. All the Australians I've talked to are elated about the US election result. They don't understand the policy differences between the candidates or between the Democrat and Republican parties, but they are happy to see that America elected a black man to its highest office, and they are relieved that Bush's party will no longer be in power. I don't know what the media coverage is like back home, but over here it is overwhelmingly positive toward Obama, and there is hope that America will start being benevolent again.
My wife's been a trouper, complaining less than I expected about her new husband leaving her for three weeks on short notice. We're keeping in touch via Skype, instant messenger, text messages, and the occasional insanely-expensive phone call. Unfortunately, the timezone difference makes it difficult to keep in touch, as I'm sleeping during her day and vice versa. The only good time for a conversation during the week is when she's getting up at 5:30 AM her time and I've gotten back to the hotel at 9:00 PM my time.
Australia is a nice place, and the Australians are great people. But there's no place like home, and I look forward to getting back there.