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Lessons From the Land Down Under
November 15, 2000
If you read last issue's column, you may be wondering what happened with "Mr. Aussie Dream Man."
Did my week-long business trip to Sydney turn out to be the
rendezvous of my dreams?
Well, yes and no.
When I stumbled off the plane (after 18 hours in the air!),
cleared customs, and got reunited with my luggage, I was so
relieved to see my name scribbled on a piece of paper, it could
have been held by Quasimodo. Thankfully, there were no aged
bellringers in sight, just my smiling, bespectacled "chauffeur"
for the week, Brett (previously known as Mr. Aussie Dream Man).
He took my bags and we made small talk about plane travel and the
recent Olympics in Sydney while we wended our way to his car.
After a brief stop for coffee, he dropped me at my hotel, where I
fell into a deep, delightful sleep.
In between meetings over the next six days, I snuck in two days
of sightseeing, and Brett was my prearranged tour guide. We spent
the first day in downtown Sydney, stopping for coffee breaks and
breathtaking views of a city I never thought I'd get the
privilege of seeing in person. The other free day we drove two
hours away to Kangaroo Valley, where we saw amazing waterfalls,
quaint Aussie towns, the Pacific Ocean (from the other side!) —
but sadly, no kangaroos.
While walking the streets of Sydney and driving the winding roads
of the outback, I discovered Brett to be an adventurous little
boy at heart, who loves Bart Simpson, God, and serving others
(though not necessarily in that order). We enjoyed teaching each
other Aussie and American expressions, stopping often for ice
cream and coffee, and singing along to the radio together.
No, there was no spark of romance. But there was something that,
when I get beyond my hopeless romantic mindset, is even better
(and less complicated than a long-distance, love-at-first-sight
fling) — a budding friendship. As we exchanged laughter,
cultural lessons, and thoughts about God, work, and family, we
established a bond of friendship I truly hope we can keep alive
over time and distance.
Sure, it would have been fun to find my life-long love on this
week-long adventure Down Under. But when I'm honest, I realize
that not being focused solely on a blooming romance gave me the
ability to absorb this wonderful new-to-me country and some hit-
me-right-between-the-eyes sermons I heard at the church with
which I was working. I was able to do my job well and to accept
another work contact's offer of lunch in her home with her family
— a real Aussie barbie, no less! I was able to enjoy quiet
nights in my hotel room journaling on my balcony and watching the
Aussie version of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" It was a well-
rounded week — each person, place, and experience a gift from God.
It just happens that this week God opted to gift me in ways that
didn't include romance. And I never want my preconceived ideas
(or hopeless romanticism) to keep me from enjoying the ways he
does decide to bless me.
Of course, just when I was happy with my fun-filled week and was
on the plane home starting to write this follow-up column, a male
flight attendant started shamelessly flirting with me. He lent me
his fancy-schmancy pen so I could write a little easier and
smuggled me an amazing dessert from First Class.
Though he asked for my e-mail address, I doubt anything will come
of this. I suspect it's just God's sense of humor in action, a
funny reminder that he loves to bless us most when we least
expect it — not when we've beat him to the punch and mapped out
the whole scenario for him!
Blessings!
Camerin Courtney
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