Benettis?!?! In Australia?!?!

Okay, I probably should have started this blog earlier.  Sorry Mom (I know you and Grandma are probably the only readers).  I just had nothing to write about before I came here.  I tried to sit down and write something while I was in LAX, but as far as I got was a quote from the first line of "Party in the USA", by Miley Cyrus.  So here is a short intro: my name is Art and I'm a (male) engineering student studying abroad at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia.  My favorite movie is The Notebook and I enjoy long walks on the beach. 

I've never seen The Notebook.

Alright, let's get to the good stuff.

Contrary to what I have told many people, my middle name is not Spaghetti.  It is Benetti and it originates from Northern Italy (I think).  Now although Benettis are good Catholics, I haven't run into any other Benettis besides my immediate family...until now.  Hold on, rewind, let me go back to 2011.  In September of that year, Cathy Williams (née Benetti) visited Des Moines, Iowa to meet up with my Mom, Grandma, six of my Aunts and Uncles, and a handful of my cousins (I guesstimate about 12 of them).  This was their first meeting and they all fell in love with each other despite both sides being somewhat nervous about the encounter.  Okay, now fast forward to the winter of 2012 and I have just announced to my Mom that I'm going to Brisbane for the semester.  She immediately got online to message Cathy and tell her that I'm coming to Australia.  With an equal amount of haste, she responded by asking if I wanted to stay with them for a spell when I arrived.  I readily agreed because I had heard nothing but absolutely good things about these Aussie Benettis.

Fast forward again to a week ago.  Brisbane, Australia.  I am tremendously anxious about being in a new place.  I was picked up at the airport by the youngest of Cathy's two sons, and the third youngest of the family, Jack.  We chat on the car ride up from Brisbane to the Sunshine Coast where the Williams family lives.  Jack is somewhat of a clown and speaks with a good amount of Australian slang, which makes the car ride a good bit of fun.  It's striking to me how friendly he is despite having just met me; a characteristic I have found common in Australians so far.  When we arrive at the house I'm greeted by Cathy, who could fall into line with my Mom and her sister and not be picked as the odd one out.  She immediately hugs me and shows me around the house, which is beautiful.  Really, probably one of the most superb homes I've ever seen.  *See pictures*

Cathy is honestly one of the nicest people I have ever met.  I couldn't have imagined a more welcoming entrance into the country.  She treated me as if I was a family member who she hadn't seen in several years rather than a family member she has never met.  It was a form of hospitality I didn't think I would see outside of the havens of comfort I have back in the US.  She gave me vegemite on toast, and Australian candy, and cheese and crackers while we got to know each other.

Through the rest of the day I met the other members of the Williams as the family arrived home.  Colin, Cathy's husband, runs a business that designs and manufactures the interiors of buildings.  The quality of his work is apparent in his home, which he designed.  He was generous enough to drive me around to certain hotspots on the Sunshine Coast, and we had many good talks about sports, traveling, accents, and our native countries.  Three of the children work for the family business: Ben, who is the oldest child; Jack; and Chelsea, who is the youngest child.  Tegan, who got a science degree from QUT, works in Brisbane but spends a good amount of time in the Sunshine Coast as well.  Overall, the family spends a lot of time together, which makes the household absolutely delightful to be around.  I suppose that's what you miss the most when you leave home: the organized chaos of family.  A Williams family dinner has the same qualities of a Benetti family get together: good food, good conversation, good laughs...a respectable amount of alcohol.  Needless to say my first weekend in Australia was delightful and I can't thank the Willams family enough.

On Sunday, Tegan drove me down to Brisbane.  We went to South Bank with Jack and some of his friends, which is like a man-made sandy beach within the city.  I got sunburn almost immediately.  After that, Tegan was kind enough to take me around the University of Queensland campus while we waited for the landlord for the apartment I was staying at to get home.  I should take this time to say that Tegan is one cool lady and was super helpful when it came to getting situated in Brisbane.  For the rest of the week I just wandered around St. Lucia, which is the suburb where UQ resides, and looked for housing.

Here are some pictures I've taken so far.  I added captions on some of them.

Kangaroos at University of the Sunshine Coast.  They are wild animals but just sort of hang around the campus.

Super artsy photos in Montville.  We got coffee there.  It was pretty foggy that day, but you can see to the ocean when it's clear.

Proof that it's me

Beach down the road from where the Williams used to live.  The beach has been washed out due to flooding.  Still very beautiful.

I am about to move into a more permanent housing situation this afternoon.  I guess til next time.  Sullivan out.