...Into my fourth week in Glasgow, and I've got myself a job, a flat, a flatmate, a church, a laptop, a (borrowed) mobile, a bike, a cricket team and a slowly growing list of social engagements. It's been a tough journey to get to this stage:

The authorities in the UK have tightened their criteria for overseas arrivals. I even had to apply to the cricket authorities to allow me to play since I haven't lived in an EU country for at least 8 months. After all the other complications I'd experienced from banks, flat hunting, mobile phone companies, computer companies, airlines, a national insurance application and setting up things at work, all I could do was laugh!

It's been two months since I left Australia, and the first month was probably the most interesting - I travelled through Hawaii, Santiago (in the Dominican Republic), Boston, New York and Paris, before arriving in Edinburgh. I spent one week in Edinburgh catching up with old friends, four days in Glasgow finding a flat (and being disappointed by banks!), one week in Exeter with Harry and Sarah in pre-wedding organisation, a few days as best man in wedding festivities, and then a settled life in Glasgow in a new job.

Here are a few photos that summarise my trip to date:
When I was in Hawaii, I spent time with my friend (Ben's girlfriend) Ruth. She graciously allowed me to use her car, so I had the opportunity to cruise around Oahu in a convertible. The picture to the left was taken on the North Shore, near Pipeline. As you can see, the surf wasn't particularly big, and the weather wasn't particularly sunny (it rained virtually every day), but it was still an amazing experience. The island has a vast amount of natural beauty given it's small size.

One day, Ruth and I decided to climb up Koko Crater, in the south-east of the island. We'd driven past it previously, and I decided we should climb it. It took us a while to find our way up, and it was pretty tiring trekking up hundreds of stairs, but the view was worth it! It had been raining that morning, and there was a rainbow out to sea that you can see in the picture below. The crater itself was quite steeply sided, and when we stood near the edge, the wind was almost strong enough to blow you over.

During most days, Ruth had to work, so I discovered some of the island's sights on my own, like the Bishop Museum of Hawaiian culture, Pearl Harbour, and Diamond Head crater. Fortunately she had a couple of days off, where she acted as tour guide. We got lost in one of the largest mazes in the world, saw a free movie on the sands of Waikiki Beach 'March of the Penguins' (quite ironic, given the location), and drank cocktails on the beachfront (see photo below).

While the Hawaiian experience was not quite as sunny as expected, it was much more cosmopolitan and urbanised than anticipated. It was valuable having a car, and sensational to have a great companion like Ruth.

I then flew to the Dominican Republic to visit my sponsor child, also called Michael. Knowing very little Spanish, it was quite difficult to communicate with the locals, but I was fortunate to have a 'Compassion' representative who acted as a chaperone and translator when I visited the school project and my sponsor child's family.

I visited the school that has been set-up entirely through donations and a whole lot of volunteer labour. The local church is supportive of the project, although there is still only half the resources required to keep each student there for a full day. Instead, they go for a half-day and spend the rest of the day at home helping the family. There are constraints mainly on the size of the school, but also in the number of teachers. When I visited the family, I was struck by the joy and appreciation shown by Michael's parents. They had hoped that I would come and visit, and were so glad to speak with me in person.

They rent a very small house near the school, mainly funded by the father's job in construction. He had recently become a Christian, largely as a result of working with Christians on the building of the school. Michael's two younger brothers were very cute and loved getting attention, while Michael himself is quite shy but a good kid. He wants to be a professional baseballer, but if he doesn't make it, he'd love to be a civil engineer! Given his size (for a 12-year-old), he must do OK on the baseball field. It was a privilege to share this time with the family and to see the project first-hand. It has motivated me even more to support, write to them and pray for them.

My next stop was Boston, where I spent time with my school friend Liang, who is studying at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He was very hospitable, and we explored some of the more cultured aspects of American society - Harvard, MIT, trendy eateries, a classical string quartet performance, the JFK museum and a student comedy revue. Boston seems like a very liveable city and Liang seems to have a great set-up. He also introduced me to blogging and skype. If it wasn't for him, you might not be reading this blog! While I was in the area, I decided to pop into New York for a couple of days.

New York is certainly a happening place. I felt as though if I wasn't in New York, then I was missing something. I did an ultra-quick tour, visiting the Statue of Liberty, the World Trade Centre, Central Park, the American Natural History Museum, the Empire State Building, Grand Central Station, the UN building, the Guggenheim Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art (the Met), the Rockefeller Centre, and the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). Obviously, in two days, I hardly did any of them justice!

From New York to Paris, and I spent 5 days with Nat who is nannying there. I really enjoyed hanging out with her, and she certainly appreciated a familiar face. Her apartment is in an incredible location - alongside the Champs Elysees and in view of the Eiffel Tower. I visited both the Louvre and the Musee D'Orsay, two of the places I missed out on during my previous visit to Paris five years earlier. We attended a Saturday evening church service at Sacre Coeur, spent a day at the Palace of Versailles, visited the Lukins family (pictured), ate snails, crepes, croissants & baguettes, and went to her local English-speaking church service. It was great to spend time with Nat, and I can understand how difficult it must be for her, with far more language and cultural difficulties than I have in Scotland.

The day after I arrived in Scotland, I went ice-climbing with my Edinburgh uni friend Tom and his flatmate Laura. There was amazing snow up in the Cairngorm mountains, and we actually experienced a whiteout at the top, and were forced to navigate by map and compass. I struggled with the cold, but it was a satisfying journey.

I might finish my blog here, because my camera broke while ice-climbing, and I haven't taken any photos since. Hopefully I'll have another camera at some stage in the near future, and I will post some photos of the wedding (and a more detailed description) shortly.