Eleonor Collins

So it's been a few months since I've posted and a lot has happened since then. Really exciting events have unfolded and I'm proud to say I'm definitely looking forward to the next adventure! In June, I travelled through parts of Europe with my husband Daniel. We did a driving holiday through Germany, Italy and Switzerland which was picturesque and exhilarating; particularly driving on the autobahns through Germany at 210KM/hr! We then visited Berlin and flew to London where we celebrated my father-in-law's 60th with the UK side of the family. We also visited Singapore on the way back to Australia. Before we left our home in Sydney, Australia I was nervous about driving through Europe. The thought of driving a manual and on the other side of the road was the least of my worries though, as we found out the day before we left that I was pregnant! We knew it would be a challenging holiday but a rewarding one! Apart from feeling sick almost everywhere we went, w

I've been home for two weeks now after some extended time away for some much needed health treatment. I'm miles ahead of where I was a few weeks ago and I'm feeling a lot stronger. It feels good to be home...to be surrounded by my family again. I'm on a new journey and it's been good so far. Mingling with family and friends again has been really nice and I feel so grateful to know so many kind and generous people. I'm hopeful for what my future entails and I'll face it with a stronger mindset and with a fierce determination to try my best in everything I do.

So the start of this year saw me focusing on my health, there were some signs of improvement but in the most recent days my health has plummeted. There's a multitude of reasons contributing to my health problems but I'm prepared to face them with the right support from family and friends. Thankfully I have the right medical doctors helping me also. I'd like to acknowledge the support from my husband Daniel who has never failed to be by my side. He helps me find strength when things aren't looking so good. We'll face the next stage together, even when it feels heavy. Watch this space, I will be back!

Today has been a very sad day for dad, my brother Chris and I, as we said our final goodbye to our beloved dog Spot who has been a huge part of our lives for the past 17 years (c.1990-13/05/07). Spot began taking medicine for his failing heart at the start of this year, but unfortunately his condition was not curable and his health was rapidly declining. We made the tough decision to end his suffering and took him to the vet today for one last time. Before Spot was laid to sleep, even in the midst of o ur sadness Spot did manage to make us all laugh when he did a little fart as dad lifted him on the veterinary table. :) Memories such as this and many others we have shared with him over the past years will never be forgotten. They have been some of the most unforgettable years of my childhood, adolescence and adulthood. From the first day we picked him up as a puppy at the beginning of 1990, he made his mark of ownership when he peed on my jumper. He later grew to be a feisty young

I've been back in Australia for a little over a week now and I'm finally reaquinted with my home surroundings and well over the jet lag as well. :) Last Sunday I caught up with some of the family over a small get together that was held to wish my brother Henry and his girlfriend Megan, all the best for their fantastic 6 month world trip which they begin next Monday, the 20th of November. They finish their trip in London, UK where they will work for a year or two. It's no doubt going to be the adventure of a lifetime for them (especially when they get to South America :)) but we're going to miss them extremely! :( However I can't wait to read up on Henry and Megan 's adventures! Whilst they've been busy wrapping up and relocating their belongings, I've been busy organising my CV and applying for numerous jobs. However I'm happy to say I no longer have to search because tomorrow I start a new job with Strategic Campaign Associates after a succe

Yesterday evening was when dad and I said farewell to our family in Ecuador. It was extremely hard to let go of the family which I had only just started to get to know. I shed many tears with some members of the family at the airport but promised to return very soon and not every 30 years, which is the length of time dad hadn´t returned to South America. Next time I hope we can come for Christmas and New Year for a BIG family reunion and bring everyone from Australia, which is what I originally wanted this trip to be. We made the most of the time we did have and shared some great weekends with the family and travelled to some very exciting places in Ecuador during the working week. We especially enjoyed our relasing time with the family in Papallacta´s natural hot springs on the second last day in Ecuador. We´d like to take this opportunity to publicly thank our family in Ecuador for everything and for spending time with us over the past month. We have really enjoyed our time with e

Hi Everyone! In the last few days in Ecuador, Dad and I have been visiting some of the local cities near Quito, Ecuador. Our family have been showing us around to many beautiful places. Yesterday Dad and I went to Baños which was about 3 hrs drive from Quito. My uncle Marco, his wife (Lucia) and his son (Mauricio's) family invited us out for the day. It was difficult to wake up in the morning because the previous day we went to my cousin's son's Baptism celebration which was in the evening and went through till early hours of the morning. We did manage to wriggle out of bed though. On the way we passed a volcano that errupted 3 months ago, Tunguragua. The whole city had to be evacuated at the time. We stopped to have a look at the destruction that it caused which was incredible. Many tourists were there picking up some of the rocks that were left there. We also passed a town (forgive me for not remembering the name) where they mainly manufacture jeans clothing. There

¡Hola todos! Dad and I have been in Quito, Ecuador for the past four days, since 21st of September. We came from our very brief stay in La Paz, Bolivia where the shopping was cheap and the traffic plenty. On arrival at Quito airport we weren´t sure if we´d be greeted by anyone in the family. Upon our exit from customs we didn´t see anyone from the family so we were quite disappointed. Dad then proceeded to go to one of the phone booths at the airport when I noticed a young man with aviation sunglasses walking towards me with another lady beside him. I was my cousin Carlos Alberto who had come to Australia to study a few years ago with his mother Susanna! Some of our family was there! We were so happy because it turned out that a lot of our family had come to the airport to see us! About 10 people! I just wish I knew a lot more Spanish because most of them don´t speak English. I´ve been trying to speak in Spanish most of the time. It´s been quite trying and funny at the same time. W

It’s hard to believe that today is my last day at work here at uni (I’m on my lunch break so I have an excuse for this post). ☺ Due to changing circumstances that can’t be over turned at the university, I will no longer be working here. I feel a little sad that the future of the Centre is changing but more importantly many people that I have had the pleasure of working with are having to leave as well because of the change. To all the colleagues that I leave behind, I wish you all the best in the changing face of the Centre. May it continue to strive for excellence in support for academic staff and their students. To all the colleagues leaving, I wish you all the best in your future and may wherever you go be an exciting experience for you. So where do I go from here? Overseas! Hehe, yes I’m leaving again! This time overseas! At the moment I’m in the final packing stage for my holiday to Peru and Ecuador! I’m not thinking about me being jobless at all really. I suppose if I had de