Australia - The other place I call home

It's been a while and I apologize. I've been consumed by the warm spaces that fill the hearts of each member of my Australian family. Who with open arms welcomed a tired traveller with a dirty backpack into their homes, sharing meals and joyous memories. I'll share a few tales from the Land Down Under...

It was 2002 when I first visited Australia - studying abroad at the University of Newcastle two hours North of Sydney. For those of you who know Canuck, Brett, Lolo, Joel Barnes (JB), Sordze, Large, Woody, Jason Lewis and Mclease (to name a few) this is where I met them. I had no idea coming to Australia in 2002 would completely reshape my life. The beauty of this land manifests from the sea to the sky, but truly the most incredible gift I received are THE PEOPLE. Others close to my family are also cherished, foremost the gorgeous children of my Dad's best friend who passed away many years ago. The friendship my Dad shared with his dear friend Mokbil will forever live on. Years ago, Dad left Egypt and Mokbil stayed becoming a Coptic Priest. Once a Priest, a new identity is given as 'Father' and Mokbil became know as Abouna (Father in Arabic) Boulos. Both families kept in touch over oceans and time zones. Two of Abouna's children now reside in Sydney, Australia with their own sweet families. I was greeted at the Sydney airport by the family just the way it happened six years ago. Within an hour we gathered around a beautiful Egyptian spread catching up over the past few years. The chidlren were excited for their new friend (or should I say Uncle) and I was excited to hang with 4 and 7 year olds. I stayed most of the weekend enjoying the energetic spirits of the children, the sights of Sydney and the amazing hospitality of my family.

With brilliant timing I arrived on 'Australia Day' weekend and the entire Country was a buzz. Sydney Harbor was electric. We ventured into the heart of Darling Harbor after a short ferry ride. My good mates JB & Sordz also joined the family affair that afternoon. Such a pleasure to see them and reminisce about old times at Uni, our famous Whistler reunions, the time we met in San Diego and when Sordz came to Seattle. We made plans to reunite the following day and JB graciously offered me a ride and a bed at his house in Tumut (4 hours SW of Sydney) for a few days until we'd travel to Melbourne the next weekend. JB lives with his sensational girlfriend Sandy, a true gem with all the right ingredients for delightful meals and a welcoming home. We arrived Tumut just after midnight and had wonderful sleeps. The following days we enjoyed JB's BBQ breakfasts, a trip to Yarrangobilly Caves (home to the most stunning and remarkable cave decorations and stalagmite) swimming in fresh water Dams and a wake surf behind JB's boat. With a few days of work ahead of JB and Sandy, I made myself at home in Tumut taking in the comforts of internet, yoga, running, relaxing, movies and good food. It was already Friday and we were again on the road heading to Melbourne.


A short night stop along the way led us into the town of Albury 3 hours North of Melbourne. JB's friend Waz lives in an amazing house, which only compliments an amazing guy. Waz prepared BBQ, brews, beds and a great evening of laughs. The following morning we were treated to a gourmet breaky and decided to hit some wineries before our drive to Melbourne. The historic town of Beechworth was a perfect place for some tastings, leaving us nice and rosy for our trek. Thanks to Sandy, we safely arrived Melbourne and checked into UniLodge, our accommodation. The evening was spent around the city doing what we do best; indulging. We checked out the next morning, had a bite and hit the shops on Bridge Rd. in Richmond. I bought a shirt and Sandy bought out all the shops :-). We were down to our last few hours approaching a sad see-ya-later to my dear friends. What an amazing time it was. Words can not describe how grateful I am for our time together, the energy you took driving me around and all the laughs we shared. I look forward to our next reunion and can't wait to host JB and Sandy in May 2009 for Ski-to-Sea!


A simultaneous hand-off left me in good hands as Peter my favourite Aussie Artist was there to greet me and spend the rest of the day showing me the sights of his home town. We walked along Chapel St. staring inside shops where jeans cost $300, had kebabs, went to his friend Fatima's Moroccan import shop, and ended up in the hip streets of St. Kilda where he and Fatima reside. I was happy to be in an exciting city with such good company. That evening I had dinner with a dear friend Maha who is the daughter of another one of Dad's friends. Maha lives and works in Melbourne and has recently been engaged to Basam. The connections continue...


In December of 2005, I travelled to Egypt, Jordan & Israel just before meeting my family for Christmas in Egypt. While staying outside the wall of Petra in Jordan, I was acquainted with a family from Ballarat, a city just 100 Kilometres outside of Melbourne. The Parents James and Anne have three boys and travelling with them was their youngest Mark. We shared a special experience in Jordan and left each other with the promise to visit whenever possible. Just two years later I am fortunate to re-visit their beautiful Country. I rang Mark the first night I arrived and he joined JB, Sandy, John, Bennie, Jason and I while we roamed around. Mark lives in the city finishing up his Uni program. We made a plan to ride the train to Ballarat to visit his parents in the next few days. Before I knew it, we were gathered at their beautiful home reminiscing of our trip and sharing in more wonderful food. Again I am blessed and filled with abundant joy as I reconnected with dear friends. In the morning, Mark skipped yet another day of Uni to show me around Melbourne on bikes. We rode through the city stopping at Hosier lane - allys of graffiti art -, then had a lunch at Hare Krishna - $5 all you can eat Indian food!- then onto Sydney road (or little Lebanon) where we shared Turkish coffee, bag-gammon and sheesha, which of course was only the second one Mark had ever had. (The first being with me in Jordan) We then rode to his mate Andrew's house and then back to Mark's place. I highly recommend a full day city riding - A great way to see glorious Melbourne.

Dinner that evening was a huge success as all gathered for my final evening. Mark and Nadira, Peter and Fatima, Maha and Basam and I all dined at an exceptional seafood restaurant called 'Claypot' in St. Kilda. We shared tapas and a gigantic snapper cooked to perfection enjoying good conversation and worlds of experiences. Peter kindly escorted me to the airport shuttle the next morning and I departed for my return to Sydney. Upon arrival I took the train to meet Sordz, his roommates and house guests. I was entertained and laughed the nights away and returned back to my Egyptian host family for my final nights in Australia. Maher kindly drove me to Sydney Harbor one last time and arranged a tour of the Opera House, one of the worlds most famous structures ever created. We learned its history, unique architecture and symbolic presence here in Sydney.

Another THANKS to Madlaine, Maher, Mary, Magad, Aunt Renee, the kids, JB, Sandy, Mark, Nadira, James, Anne, Sordze, Bennie, Waz, Peter, Fatima, Maha and Basam. Without you Australia isn't complete. Cheers and God Bless. -Fadi