1. The Olympics started at 5:30 am, which meant watching the reairing at 2:00 in the afternoon. Due do a 4 hour long opening ceremony I got 4 hours of warm cuddles with a sweet little 6 year old. The kids are very excited about the Olympics and have lots of questions. I almost never get to watch the Olympics because they are on over night while I have to sleep.
2. A girl from church brought me more hangers so I officially have all of my clothes hung up or folded and in a spot in the room. I also have my white board and calendar hung up so I am starting to feel more settled.
3. Driving is going way better than ever expected. In fact, it feels practically normal now. I talked to the mom about my uncertainty with packing lunches and morning and afternoon tea and she said she would love to give me a run down, some lists, and a meal orientation. As for meals that I eat, I never go hungry. There is always plenty to choose from and I am finding it isn't all that different. It just takes a little adjusting.
4. I Skype with my family daily and my 2nd family 2 or 3 times a week. Other than them I have only talked with 2 other friends (shout out to my Birthday Twin Manda and my Little Dinosaur Kait!!) and my Grandma Carolyn. Finding a time to Skype is posing a challenge as well as finding THE time to Skype as it is rather time consuming. I hope to get the chance to chat with a few other people over the next couple of weeks.
5. Jen (the mom) has nicknamed me Niks and also "My Sanity". She gave me a hug the other day... I can sense the warming up from all of the family members.
6. Church: The church is a lot like my Greensboro church (shout out to my PIC family blog readers!!!) which makes the transition that much easier. It is a smaller group and is a contemporary service. The pastor and other "elders" all crack jokes. It is very laid back and personal, while still keeping the focus of God. We did communion, praise and worship, tithe, and the sermon. They sang 4 songs during praise and worship and I only knew one which was "Nothing but the Blood". It was so nice to know a song and for it to be that one reminded me a lot of home. I talked with one of the girls there who is a regular member and that is the only one she knew too, so they were new songs for everyone. The sermon was wonderful and I took tons of notes. The sermon was about rebuilding, playing your part, and carrying out the tasks God has given you with a passionate attitude. The girls from my small group go to the church so it was nice to actually know people before I even got there. I met a couple other people as well who are just as warm and welcoming as the girls.
7. I met the winner of Australia's Got Talent. He is a regular member at the church I am attending.
8. I went to the largest shopping centre in the southern hemisphere and it has over 530 stores (Megan/Roomie I found your heaven!!). It has stores like Prada, Giorgio Armani, Tiffanys, Burberry, Chanel, etc. It also has more regular stores though including Target, K-Mart, and Toys-R-Us. At this mall I purchased 2 amazing bookmarks (dork, I know) and... A BUILD A BEAR ELMO!!! When the US stores were selling them I missed my opportunity. He is my best friend in Australia!! We snuggle, hold hands, write together, ride in the car together, etc. His little face just makes me smile!! =D Also, while at this mall I found Bananas in Pajamas merchandise! It is ridiculously expensive, but I WILL have some before I leave here.
9. Some know that it has been a dream of mine to go shark cage diving with the Great Whites off the coast of Australia. However, this is a very expensive excursion and there is no guarantee whatsoever. Instead, I will be going to the Melbourne aquarium and taking part in their "Ultimate Experience" which involves behind the scenes tours, fish feeding, hanging out in the penguin exhibit, and diving with the sharks in their large 2.2 million litre oceanarium.
10. I am slowly but surely coming into a routine here, settling in, feeling comfortable, forming relationships and falling madly in love with this city and this country. I can see why people would come here to visit and never go back home, no worries though, I will be returning... Although returning home will be so very exciting, I can already tell that it will be hard to leave this wonderful place.
Blog Note: There will be two different regular posts on my blog. One will be weekly (Fridays) of new/different words and phrases. The second will be bi-weekly (Tuesdays) of photos I have taken over those two weeks. Uploading pictures to the blog takes so long that if I want several they have to be done on a slideshow on a different site and then embedded to the blog. Also, if you want to see ALL of my pictures, they are on facebook.
Nikki, I feel so loved for the shout out. I cannot wait to skype you again. Elena asked me when are we skyping nikki? lol and my cousins thought it was cool that it was the next day for you over there when it was the day before for us. (I know still confusing) Oh well, it was great skyping you and let me know what days you are able to skype next week, I want to. Also I read that you have your white board, so that means magnets are put up!? YAY, I hope they work good and help you see familiar faces in your room.
ReplyDeletePrayers are always flowing your way from our HUGE house. lol I love ya and am glad to see that you are having a great time and that you have an aussie elmo to keep you company!