Monster weekend

I can't avoid it any longer. Today we head south for our monster weekend. This has been in the planning for several months, at least the logistics of it has. 

Here are the bones:

Tonight 8pm we fly to Sydney and will stay in an inner city hotel tonight (and tomorrow night) and the following events are also inner-city Sydney. A new experience for these Queenslanders.

Two of our speaking props.

On Friday we're attending a series of meetings with other OMF members and associates. A rare occasion when we get to connect with OMFers working in (or home assignees from) other parts of Australia.

Saturday is OMF's Australian national conference, which is open to whoever wants to come, so we're guessing we'll see people from the wider Sydney area, if not further afield. The keynote speaker is OMF International's General Director.

Saturday night we're catching a bus to Canberra—three and a half hours. Hopefully we can nap a little on this journey because after two big days, Sunday is also big.

On Sunday we're speaking at a church that has been supporting us since before we first went out in 2000. David's also speaking at the church in the evening. But I'm guessing that the main work of the three days will be in the one-on-one conversations. Staring down some exhaustion at the end!

We fly back to Queensland on Monday at noon where we'll try to regroup. I think it is these things that mess with me most on home assignment: our new and fragile routines are thrown out the window again. I do look forward to being with the wider OMF Australian family and also meeting people in Canberra, but it won't be easy.

Now I need to pack! The weather will be colder: high teens in Sydney (though we'll be on foot and walking during the colder parts of the day/evening) and not even making the teens in Canberra. I'm glad I brought a couple of pieces of my Tokyo winter wardrobe—long underwear! Though I'll be missing my winter jacket, scarf, and gloves! And my warm winter boots.