Life in Alphabet - C

is for Cairns. Seeing as I live here, it's a pretty big part of my life! And how did I end up here, so far from family and friends?

Big Spring was ordained as a Lutheran Pastor at the end of 2010. His first assignment/placement was up here in Cairns. So, in January 2011, we moved up here, a week before Cyclone Yasi hit Far North Queensland. It was an interesting first week here, settling in and preparing for what the experts thought at the time to be a Category 5 (the highest category) Cyclone. I've never seen a supermarket so busy, or with shelves so empty.

We've been here almost a year now (wow! Where has that time gone?!)... each grocery shop I do for our weekly food, I'm stocking up on food as well, to have our cyclone kit ready in case of future cyclones and/or loss of power over the coming weeks/months. It's an interesting mind set to be in! I'm not worried about a cyclone coming... I just want to be prepared and not be one of the many people trying to find food at the last minute, that doesn't require electricity to cook/prepare.

So, cyclones aren't the only thing interesting up here in Cairns. It's actually a very beautiful part of Australia, especially during the dry season (~April/May - September/October). There is so much to do up here - there's the Tablelands to the west with coffee plantations and some wineries. To the north is the Daintree Rainforest, beaches and holiday resorts. To the south are beautiful beaches, a spanish castle ruin and to the east, the Great Barrier Reef. And that's just to name a few things. Locally, there's the Esplanade, the Skyrail taking you over the beautiful Kuranda ranges, the mangroves walk near the airport, not to mention the friendly, laid back lifestyle!

Personally, it's been an interesting year, adjusting to a very new lifestyle, climate and support circle. Aside from the humidity, I really love living up here. Yes, all our family live a great distance from us, and we had to leave some close friends behind, but over the past year, I've been making new friends and building those relationships into deep bonds. I now have people I miss when either they or we go on holidays! And, we've had friends and family come and visit us, so we're certainly not lonely!

(image credit)

If you aren't familiar with Australia and Queensland, Cairns is on the east coast, far north (just before you get to the top, right hand tip of Australia), as you can see on the above map.