I was on a world trip when I found out my sister was getting married!

I had finally graduated and was taking the trip I had promised myself after years of studying. I found out about the engagement at my first stop on the the world trip; Thailand. Once I found out, I knew I had a year to travel before I needed to be back so I managed to fit in Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, The Netherlands, England, Wales and Spain. It was definitely a wedding worth flying back for!

After a day of bouquet catching, rice throwing and champagne popping, my sister was off on her honey moon to Thailand and I finally had the chance to get over my jetlag as I settled into her apartment that I was minding while she was away. Saying I was surprised was an understatement when I got a call from her the following morning:

Sister: “Hey Jen”

Me: “Oh my god hey!! How’s your honey moon going?”

Sister: “Well about that.. I have something I need to tell you”

*Immediate thought: Oh my god are they calling it off already??*

Sister: “Well I just did a pregnancy test and it has come back positive.. on the first day of my honey moon!!”

Waves of shock and happiness washed over me. I was of course really excited for her but being the alcoholic that I am, I was mainly concerned about the fact that she wouldn’t be able to drink on her all expenses paid holiday haha

Unfortunately this was the least of her worries. The official Australian travel advice website had posted a notice at the time cautioning pregnant women travelling Thailand and other parts of South-East Asia. The website insisted that any traveller that was pregnant should immediately return to Australia as the Zika virus was a very serious threat and could cause babies to be born blind or deaf.

When she returned home, she calculated the date of conception and it worked out to be a few days before the big day. We laugh at it these days, because when my nephew is old enough, we agreed that we’re going to tell him,

“You were at the wedding too!”

– Jen Antipodean.