The End of the Beginning.

Rotten chicken heads smell better than rotten pig's heart. Flip flops and shorts, although comfortable and dry, are not ideal working attire. You can never use too much sunblock and going to church is always a good idea. These are a few things I've learned since I've been here. Some are simply trivia whereas others are lifelong lessons never to be forgotten.

I apologize for not posting more pictures. There have been some exciting times on and off the farm in the last couple of months. There have been several encounters with crocodiles recently, both large and small, a few more nest raids-including my second time personally collecting the eggs. The novelty of working with crocodiles isn't gone but I don't run for cameras anymore before a catch or take much time to recount the events in my journal at the end of the day. It's simply become what I do. I still love it, and the thought of my departure is difficult to swallow.

Life outside of the farm has become a lot of fun. I've been going to church every week and my church family here is great. I've really been blessed. Lunch invitations never get old and Ben and I get quite a few of them. The first person I met at church Mark, took us out on his boat to a nearby island to go fishing and relax. The silt and debris from the nearby river made visibility poor and spearfishing impossible. It was wonderful to be out on the water though and the beaches are beautiful around Keppel Island where we were.

Another weekend was spent camping in the national forest and lounging on the beach. Last week I went with one of the deacons Shane, pig hunting. Australia is full of feral, non-endemic animals and wild pigs are one of them. I had been interested in going ever since I heard about it. They hunt them with dogs and kill them by holding their tails and stabbing them through the lungs with a knife! I thought, 'This I gotta see!' Unfortunately, we didn't see any pigs that day but brought home a few rabbits, another introduced animal to Australia.

As I write this, less than two weeks remain before I leave Australia. Early next week I'm making my way up to Cairns to SCUBA dive on the Great Barrier Reef. After that I'll be flying to Bali, Indonesia where I'll meet up with my friend Adi whom I met working in Wamsutter last year. As excited as I am to see Asia and fill up my passport with stamps I am reluctant to leave Rockhampton. Recently, people have asked me when I'll be coming back to Australia and the earliest date I can think of doesn't seem soon enough. It's been such a great experience and I've fallen in love with the animals, the climate, the church and especially the people.

My visa expires at the end of March. If that wasn't the case, I probably wouldn't be leaving. That's the catch-22 I'm in. If you scroll up to the top of the page, it says Terry's World Tour, not Terry's Tour of Eastern Australia. Therefore, I'm trying to think of my expiring visa as a good thing. It's the boost needed to move on, when it would be so easy to stay. I'm comfortable here, I'm happy here. Why would I willingly throw myself into countries where I'll most likely be uncomfortable again, scared again and lonely again? I think this quote from Churchill given at my high school graduation sums up my situation well, "Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning."