The Eagle has landed

September 15, 1998 The Eagle has landed.

It has been about two and a half days since I left the sunny shores of Wellington, venturing into the big wide world. I have got to my port of destination without any major hiccups, except a dent in my pride and ego as I shed a few tears on the flight from Wellington to Auckland - realising that I wasn't the hard man I thought I was. The first tracks down my cheeks since I stubbed my toe at age five, were forced along by the fact that the last picture that I had in my head were Charlotte's big brown crying eyes from airport, and then a nice letter from her mother, with photos, which I read on the plane helped inflame my soft side. My tearful times must have been quite obvious as the air hostess asked me if I had had an emotional farewell. After realising that 'it takes a real man to cry', I finally pulled myself together and thought about the exciting time I had ahead of me in Vancouver.

The international flights were trouble free, the food was good, as were the movies, and I sat next to an really funny Canadian guy who had a girlfriend in Melbourne, and had been to see here twice in the last three months. The flight attendants were friendly, although one didn't quite understand my accent, and answered a question I asked her in French, presuming that was the tongue I had chosen to speak with. Apart from this the language differences haven't been to bad, with most of my words being understood well, and I think that I am mumbling less.

I arrived in Vancouver to discover a really lovely town with lots of trees. The weather has been great and warm, and I was barefoot and in shorts last night. Flatmates are cool, the flat has a dishwasher. People are very friendly, job is great.