One month gone...

Happy March!

I have officially been here one month, and it has flown, but it's also felt like eternity...the US feels so far away some days. However, with the blessings of technology I can always feel connected!

Just so you can put some faces with some names, here is a picture of the team.

From left to right, starting in the back, there's John Nguyen (Vietnamese, 25), John Paul Saialafau (Samoan, 17), Chris Mika Evans (Samoan, 17), Sharon Varney (Australian, 21), Me (American, 20, DUH!), Rachel Webster (English, 22), Leoni (team manager!), Jean Piere Salgado-Miranda (Peruvian, 19), and Ana Maka (Tongan, 22). You can see just HOW diverse our team is, as well as how crazy...and I have no idea what I'm doing in this picture.


In this other one, we're all in the same positions, but I'm the only one making a crazy face. Now does that surprise you?

Monday we spent the day having one-on-one conversations with director of the CYS program, just checking up on how we were doing individually and then as a group, and the rest of the day was spent doddling around working on a retreat we have for the French community. I'm actually really looking forward to that retreat, seeing as our family is French (8 times removed, haha) and I know a few words in French. Now I'm beginning to wish I hadn't dropped that French class last semester! O well... c'est la vie. :)

Tuesday brought more retreat work during the day, and that evening, during dinner, was the first thunderstorm I think I've witnessed here in Australia in all time I've spent here. Last semester I do remember it rained a lot, but I do not recall actual thunder and lightning. It was exciting, really, being a change and all. The weather hasn't been terribly consistent, but this was definitely shaking it up!

That night we had planned to have 'hood' nights, or brotherhood and sisterhood time - so the guys had some marvelous plan of going to the beach and swimming (lame) and the girls were going to walk along the ocean to Bondi, which is two beaches over from us, and get a coffee or something, but that became impossible with the state of the weather. and we had a good laugh because the boys had already walked down to the water when the storm broke, so they got a bit stuck in it, haha :D However, we decided we would instead go to nearest store and load up on things like chocolate, ice cream, soft drinks...you know, the usual, and just watch a movie or something. We parked across the road from the centre the store was in and as we were walking down the sidewalk to get there, I didn't see the jogger approaching on my left. I was just yip-yapping away, about nothing of course, and so as the jogger tried to get around me and my big mouth, it surprised me so much I screamed in her face. I don't know if I gave the poor lady a heart attack or not, but I certainly had a stomachache because I laughed for about 10 minutes! I think it was one of those "you had to be there" moments, but my goodness, it kept me laughing the rest of the night, along with a few other events.

It was Ana, Sharon, Rachel, and myself that went (those are the 4 girls on team...I haven't told you their names yet, have I?) I ended up buying a big gallon tub of cheap ice cream, cuz I figured we would all share it, but Ana didn't realize I had bought that, and so had also bought a few packages of ice cream bars. We'll be eating this for a week - not a problem! She cracked open the boxes as we were walking out to the van, and my Drumstick was fine, but as Ana and Sharon opened their ice cream bars, a little waterfall of melted ice cream flowed onto the floor of the shopping centre, leaving only the chocolate shell and the stick in the wrapper. Well Ana would have none of that, so she marched back to the store and they gave them a new box. Wow, thanks customer service! Then we got lost on the way home. Mind you, this is the area we live in. Let's just say the night was full of laughter.

Over the sea that night, I was extremely fascinated by the bursts of orange light that were appearing. I fascinated in the first place anyway because it was a storm over the ocean, something in my life I have never witnessed. I couldn’t help but stare into the blackness which had enveloped the Pacific as the clouds were illuminated with a flash and then gone again, sucked back into the dark sky. My fascination was coupled with awe and extreme attraction, but in my heart, I knew it was wrong. I knew that what I was seeing, while a beautiful phenomenon of nature, was not good, because out there, far away where those lightning bolts were brighter, the sea was turbulent and dangerous, and if anyone was out there, they must have a different sense of awe, that of fear. Something awesome to me was awful to them. I said a quick prayer for any ships out at sea. It's something I had never really thought about before!

Wednesday was further filled with work on retreats, but that night we went down to the cathedral to set up for an annual event called the Penecostal Consultation. Basically, it's a time when many of the youth and youth leaders gather with the Cardinal to discuss issues within the Church and provide feedback from the youth's perspective. The Cardinal listens and takes notes on all we have to say and then writes a letter to the youth for the year. It was a nice evening - we heard a talk, had dinner and discussed in small groups and got to hear from the Cardinal a bit. Also, the CYS team was showcased doing our JESUS chant - it's more of a rap, and two of the guys on the team learned it in their youth group, but now we're all doing it at schools, and for the Cardinal, apparently! haha the crowd loved it. I got to see most of my friends (always lovely!) and meet a few new people, and a few people who I'd heard about but never met. Overall, good night.

We had our only retreat of the week on Thursday, and it was so relaxing and fun! It was for 27 year 6 students, so by far the easiest retreat we have had and probably will have. I was privileged to lead it with another guy, and overall, the day ran really smoothly. While the weather outside brought torrential downpours throughout the day, the weather inside was sunny! haha We had a great time - the kids were really great!

Thursday evening, Rachel, Ana, and I went over to Notre Dame (which, if I haven't already told you, is a university with three campuses in Australia: 2 in Western Australia and 1 in Sydney. It's affiliated with the Notre Dame in Indiana! Cool, huh?). That night, we had the immense privilege of attending "spiritual pampering," an evening retreat for women, put on by the Domincan Sisters from Nasville, Tennessee! Yes, all the way here in Australia from Nashville! Three of the women from that order are here working on World Youth Day (WYD) and about 10 more from the order came out for a visit over the past two weeks, including their Mother Superior! Mother Ann Marie gave a talk about the dignity and vocation of women, based primarily on Pope John Paul II's encyclical by the same name, in Latin: Mulieris Dignitatem. We also had adoration, said the rosary, reconciliation was available, and then had evening prayers with the Sisters. It was such a beautiful night, and of course there was a light meal and tea and coffee with desserts, so it was satisfying both physically and spiritually. For me, the evening had special significance. I have been feeling a little homesick lately, and it is times like Thursday night that make me feel so much better. I sat and talked with many of the nuns and of course when they first met me, they detected that I didn't sound like the rest of the girls. "I'm from Indianapolis!" I would exclaim, and of course, that would spark the conversation. One nun I was speaking with, Sister Luke, was telling me that three nuns from their order are in Indianapolis teaching at Our Lady of Mount Carmel! What a small world this is, I thought. I was also very excited to tell the sisters that I met two of the women in their order while I was in Washington DC in January for the March for Life - they sat just in front of me at the Youth Rally! I couldn't believe all the coincidences - or should I say, all the Providence! It was such a lovely evening, and all three of us girls (Rachel, Ana, and myself) agreed it was well worth it!

Funny thing is, the next morning, one of the chaplians for the CYS team, Fr. Michael de Stoop (the man who convinced me I should do the team), had planned for us to take a trip out to "woop woop" (aka the boondocks) to visit the Carmelites, an enclosed order of nuns. It was quite an interesting contrast to visit those nuns, many of whom were in their 60s and up, who are a contemplative order, very soft spoken and humble ladies, when just the night before we had been in the presence of an apostolic order, the young, vibrant Dominican nuns from Nashville. We had a lovely visit with the Carmelites though, and they spoke to us on what their lives are like, and showed us many of the crafts they spend their days making. It is truly impressive what those women create. Rosaries, sculptures, scapulars, jewelry, pins, candles, knitted bags, hats, and scarves...beautiful works of Catholic art! We all enjoyed the day.

Friday night, most of the house left either to go home or go to a few WYD events, but Rachel and I stayed in and had a quiet night, watching High School Musical (Colleen, I thought of you!). We also tried, in vain, to shut off the water to the house. The past few days, the water in one of the toilets has been running, constantly, and the plumber, when he came out, couldn't fix the problem - he was quite dodgy. So Rachel, the household manager, made an executive decision that to salvage some water, we would shut it off at nights. However, we found that it should NOT be the girls' job to do this - we spent some time trying to figure out how to do it, and then some time trying to do it, and in the end, I think we might have made it worse...*sigh* Dad, I wish you could just pop over here and fix it for us!! haha

Saturday was a relaxing day as well - Rachel and I went downtown to sort out her plane ticket, which ended up being a pointless trip. She couldn't book it farther in advance than six months, so according to her current itinerary, she was leaving next Saturday. Not good. She hadn't changed it yet though because both of us as waiting to hear whether our visas will be extended or not. She went ahead and just picked a date to leave and decided that would be that, for now anyway, but was told it would be xx amount of $$ to change it (I dunno the exact amount), so she needed to go the HQ for the airlines to pay it. So off to downtown Sydney we went and one 45 minute bus ride later, we found it! However, the building was for lease. Right....we could tell the airlines used to be there, but had moved to some other unknown location. She called the number she had for her travel agency, which gave her the number for the airlines, and after a 5 minute conversation, was informed that no, she didn't need to pay anything, the first change was free, and sorry that you were sent to that building, it had moved to another place, yadda, yadda, and no worries, everything's sorted, thanks for your business. Well! A relief and yet a wasted trip. Not really though - it was a nice day, and we enjoyed lunch in the city and then headed back! Why not?

That night we went to a WYD event for the Maronite community, mostly made up of Lebanese Catholics, but some Syrians too. It was quite fun - I got to see many of my Lebanese friends from last semester, which I hadn't gotten to do yet, and got to see more of their culture. They taught me quite a bit last year, but it was so much fun hearing their music, trying some Lebanese food, and praying with them. The prayer was familiar, but had some distinctly Middle Eastern twists to it - very fascinating! Overall, it was quite a fun night. Then driving home, Ana and I got a little lost, and ended up in the thick of Sydney's Saturday night traffic, which was intensified by the Mardi Gras, which was "celebrated" yesterday. Apparently it is an event known around the world - every year, Sydney hosts a gay and lesbian parade and call it Mardi Gras, even though it doesn't even come close to coinciding with the actual Mardi Gras. You know, I am constantly amazed at the intense diversity of this city. It is quite an accepting culture! Huge homosexual parades, the Olympics, people from every corner of the world in residence, and yes, even the largest Catholic event on the planet, coming this July!!!!!!! I am getting so excited. They're pretty much closing the entire city for the event, which includes the Harbor Bridge, which in it's time of existence has only been closed one other time. This is bigger than big!!! More on all that later... :)

As the weather cools, my homesickness grows a bit and my awarness of the changing seasons at home versus here is heightened. I'm starting to realize that Easter this year will be spent in a time when nature is not blooming, but recoiling for the approaching winter. I have come from winter in time to greet winter here, and of course, since my favorite season is summer, I'm feeling a bit jipped. Sydney has just had it's coldest summer in several years, and only three times in all of history has the temperature not topped 31C, or 87F. How lucky that I am here to experience this record! Just like last winter was the coldest winter Sydney had seen, and I was here for that as well! How grand...

As hard as it is to grasp the concept of cold in normally beautifully warm months, I am slightly consoled by the fact that, while I am half a world away from it, baseball is beginning, whether it's spring here or not!! You can bet that my homepage will now be set to mlb.com - GO CUBS!!!!!!

sorry for the length - bravo and thank you if you're still reading!!

Until I write again, may God bless you!

a dull lull of a week

Week 3, and still alive? It's getting harder and easier - and yes, definitely feeling contradictory. Just keep praying!

Last Sunday, the commissioning Mass went smoothly, for the most part, and my "family" brought me lilies and a card reminding me that whenever I needed anything they were there for me. Then we all went to dinner at a nice little Italian restaurant right by the Cathedral - it wasn't Carrabba's, but it sufficed. :)

Monday was busy with a retreat, led by yours truly! We worked with juniors from an all girls high school, and the girls were really great - cooperative, respectful, and enthusiastic. I was a little nervous, and while no day is ever perfect, I was pleased with the outcome of the day. The teachers were really great as well - they had made a salad for us to eat for lunch (quite tasty!) and we got to sit and talk with them...except they spent half the time talking about ticks, boils, and ringworms...YUCK! I'm not sure why I sat there as long as I did.

Tuesday we had lunch at the Catholic Education Office for our area, and got to hear a bit from one of the staff members there regarding retreats and more efficent running of them. Kinda boring, basically. That night I made dinner (yes, I cooked for 14 people!!!) and it turned out all right! No one died of food poisoning! I made spaghetti, diced beef in basil tomato sauce, and roasted vegetables (Mom, I know you don't believe this). Let's just say I was quite pleased with myself :)

That night the girls apparently decided to all go see the movie I had seen the last week on Valentine's Day, Jumper, and I was chatting with one of the ladies who lives in our house and so missed the invite and departure - which was fine, I didn't want to go anyway, but boy, did I feel a bit abandoned! However, it was quite positive because then I got to spend a night with the boys, and I learned a few things! Some of them I probably didn't need to know, but like they say, boys will be boys.

Wednesday and Thursday were pretty uneventful, just planning retreats and taking care of business. Wednesday, we made our way down to the Cathedral for a holy hour of adoration in the Crypt, something that's on every week. We usually try to go, but sometimes the team can be a bit resistant. I really like it because most of my friends head there as well, so it's a chance (sometimes the only one) that we can all catch up afterwards.

Thursday, per the usual itenerary, Rachel and I got ditched for footy, a Bible course, and meetings, so we coaxed a few of friends to come down to the next beach over from us, Coogee, and went for dinner, followed by some delicious ice cream and a nice lazy lounge on the beach - it was wonderful! The moon was beautiful that night, very full and bright.

Friday we had our first all boys retreat, and I was a little nervous, because when the boys walked in they seemed like a pretty rowdy bunch, but the little guys in my small group were angels! Year 7 - they were all still young and innocent. Lucky me :)

That night, some of the team went down to the beach for a late night swim in the pool. These pools are pretty cool in that they are filled by the waves - that night the waves were really rough and I was wondering if the pool would even be there because the tide was rising. It was, but it was too cold for me! Instead I just spent the evening chasing seagulls down the beach. Which, apparently is an American thing. So says Rachel, who also knew another American who did it. Therefore, because she's only seen Americans do it, it's an American thing. Eh, who cares who does it, it's fun!

Saturday I spent the day catching up with a few friends over breakfast, lunch, coffee, and gelato. Sarah, the friend who came to Indy in January, took me to her favorite cliff that overlooks the ocean, and below it the waves crash in from two sides - it's BEAUITFUL! I'll have to go back and take some pictures. Shame on me, I didn't have my camera!

That night, one of the guys I live with needed someone to drive him and his buddy in his car to the train station so they could head over to Kings Cross, a popular area on weekend nights in Sydney, and since I was the only one home, I did it!!!! I figured since I had drive in Perth for about 20 minutes, that qualified me for the roads of Sydney....EEK! I was pretty nervous, but the thing is, it's not terribly different to driving in the States. Just on the wrong side of the car and the wrong side of the road. But that's all fine, just use the wrong side of your brain! Honestly, with an intense amount of focus, I didn't find it too difficult. Except that his car, not the newest of vehicles, stalled on me twice. Hmm, so some power (God? do you reckon He'd take the time to affect our cars?) decided I was such a pro at driving in normal conditions that a trick of some sort must be thrown in to the works, just to make sure I didn't go thinking I was tough stuff, successfully driving on the left side of the road. So this is the part where I officially thank you, Dad, for making me drive that 1989 Chevy Celebrity, even which it stalled on me a lot (but only broke down once), because in such a time as when I was in a foreign country driving at weird relations to the center line, I could casually use the knowledge I gained from those Chevy experiences to avoid almost certain death on the Australian roadways. *phew*

Sunday morning I woke up with 7 minutes to get to Mass. Good thing the church is a hop, skip, and a jump (very literally) below our house, and also good thing I used to do this all the time at Millikin, waking up with 5 minutes to get to class. I'm a pro at that! Then I spent the day sort of lounging in the house, trying Vietnamese food that our in house Vietnamese man made, and avoiding my chores. Then I spent the night catching up with another friend. It was the weekend of socialization!

So now starts another week, one that should prove to be relaxing - probably the slowest week we'll have until after World Youth Day. Looking at our schedule, it is thoroughly packed! With prayers and some sleep now and then, we should make it. God willing!

Speaking of God's will, some people may be aware that I was, for no other reason than Divine Providence, filmed in a promotional DVD for World Youth Day last semester after I curiously wandered into the room in which they were filming it. Well, it just so happens that that DVD has been seen all over Australia, possibly throughout the world, especially in schools, because the information on it regards registering for the event. On the clip, Adrian, the guy who hosted it and a good friend, says, "Missy, you're coming to World Youth Day, aren't you?!" (now, please note, this was BEFORE, I knew I actually was) and lying through my teeth, I exclaimed, "I sure am! God willing!" Well, apparently that is a very American thing to say. Who knew? Well, this DVD was shown at a camp the CYS team went to just a week or two before I arrived (SO glad I wasn't here for that embarrassment!) and they all thought it was SO FUNNY that I said "God willing!" complete with an American accent. The point of my story is that it is the new catch phrase of the CYS team. Don't forget, they all put on the accent while saying it. Funny, but irritating? All I have to say is it won't last long. God willing.

Until I write again, may God bless you!

Beginnings

I've officially begun the ministry work I came here to do. It has already had its challenges and rewards, but overall, I like it. :)

Just here are some pictures of the view from the house we live in - isn't it beautiful?! I honestly am calmed by the presence of the ocean outside the window. Some days, especially when I am feeling down, I catch a glimpse of that beautiful blue landscape and I feel at peace. What am I going to do when I come back to Indiana?! I guess I'll just stare at lots of pictures. There's also a picture of a beauitful graveyard that's visible from our balcony - it overlooks the ocean, and while I haven't been there yet, I hear it's a peaceful escape.

Last weekend, I went to see a cricket game, but instead of watching cricket, I got to watch the team desperately try to dry the playing field - it had been raining all morning. Needless to say, the game did not actually happen. It was quite amuzing watching them try though! In an attempt to make up for the disappointment of their attempts, (Don't tell them I wasn't actually disappointed.) the cricket team took Rachel and I for pizza. Just as we finished our meal, the sun came out. What irony! Last year, the same thing happened when I went to see a professional cricket game - I'm slowing liking cricket less and less as a result of these terrible matches they are taking me to watch...exactly what kind of impression of this game do they want me to have?! How I miss baseball...

Monday, Feb. 11, was our first retreat - the beginning of a year of ministry! We worked with year 5 and 6 students and it was such a successful day. Everything went really smoothly, especially for it being our first retreat, and the kids really had a good time, that was apparent. At the end of the day a couple of the girls tried to get me to come on the bus with them back to their school, and I asked them how I would then get home. One girl said, "Well you'd take the bus back, of course!" Sure, like public transportation and I are best friends.

That night Rachel (the English girl) and I went into the city for Mass and had dinner. I unexpectedly ran into a few friends from last semester - the one girl said, "I was just asking if you were back in Australia, and HERE you are!" On the flip side of that, I still get a few messages now and then from people at Millikin wondering where I've been. Maybe I should have publically broadcast my plans?

Tuesday was my favorite day of the week - Some issues had been rolling in and out among the team and that day we had the opportunity to discuss some of them in an open environment, which was much needed for all of us. I felt so much better, being able to finally talk about a few of the things I have come across since being here that were getting under my skin, and I could feel the love and support in the room, and the willingness of everyone, including me, to work together to make things better. It's not that they're terrible, it's just that a few things here and there were in need of improvement. Our team manager gave us the rest of the day off for some team bonding time and after eating a lite lunch, we all headed down to the beach and played rugby! I was just sort of playing like it was American football, but there were a few times when that got me in trouble - "Missy, you're offsides AGAIN!" Maybe someone should actually explain the rules to me?! Eh, it was a great day at the beach anyway!

Valentine's Day was meant to be a day of team bonding, and we were all going to sit down for a nice dinner together and I was going to make zucchini bread (another delicacy the Australian culture knows nothing about) and the love was going to be felt all around! So why did it end up being just Rachel and I for dinner? The boys decided to join a rugby team who's first practice was Thursday, two of the girls had some course to go to, the rest of the house had meetings, and Rachel and I are international and have no lives...just kidding! A couple people ended up joining us for dinner, a pleasant surprise, and then even more pleasant, one of our team coordinators and a guy who works for World Youth Day (WYD) treated Rachel and I to a movie! We watched Jumper...not the most romantic film, but who cares. It was interesting, and it got us out of the house!

Friday was our second retreat, and while it was less of a success than the first one - year 7, all girls school - as a whole it went well, and was a good learning experience. We were on a high from our first triumph that we didn't spend as much time as we should have preparing it. However, it ended up just fine, and we can make improvements in the future! This is how it's going to be - up and down, all the time!

I've spent this weekend relaxing and trying to catch up on a few things here and there. It's been really nice not to have anything planned.

Tonight (Sunday) we have our commissioning Mass at the Cathedral. The Cardinal is saying the Mass and we'll be blessed and fully commissioned as a team. Most people from the team have their family coming, and they're reserving a special section for the families. When they asked how many people I would need seats reserved for, I smiled and said "Eight!" My Australian friends are coming to be my family :) They're so good to me! We're all going out for dinner after as well, so it should be an enjoyable night.

If you'd like updates on the blog, click on the link below next to subscribe to: Posts (Atom) - it will explain a bit about how the feed for the blog will automatically update your computer when I made another post. I'm still learning about all these methods of communication! If any problems arise with the blog, whethering reading or replying, let me know, I'll see what I can find out. Your guess might be as good as mine though!

I'll leave you with one last dilemma, one that was posed to me at the retreat on Friday. A girl in my small group asked me, "How do we talk like you?" A good question, I said - how do you teach the American accent? It'll take a professional to help these Australians!

Have a good week, and until I write again, may God bless you!

I've arrived!

I finally made it to Sydney!

I've been here for about a week now, and while that week has already presented a few struggles, they've also presented just as many joys.

I've...
*seen old friends
*made new friends
*met the CYS team I am part of
*gotten to know them, both the good and bad
*"learned" a bit more about what we'll be doing - and not entirely understood it
*unpacked and mostly settled into my room
*wondered where to fit my stuff in that room
*gotten lost in the city (big surprise)
*had dinner with the Cardinal
*stared at the ocean. which is right outside the window.

I landed pretty late last Friday night and a few friends from last semester (Jovina and Elise) met me at the airport and we all headed back to Jovina's house to catch up a bit. I had Elise stop on the way and get marshmallows, because I had brought graham crackers and Hershey bars ~ guess what we made?! Most of the Aussies (if not all of them) have never heard of s'mores, so I brought the ingredients they're missing down here so they could see what a piece of heaven tastes like :)

I only got a few hours sleep that night between the talking til 3AM and the waking up at 6AM unable to fall back asleep. Jovina dropped me by the CYS house, where I'll be living for the year, to drop off my stuff, even though the team (the rest of the people I'll be working with) were still off at drama training. It's a shame I missed the bonding time, but I'm pretty sure I don't need the actual training too much considering I studied it for 2 years. and then some.


I was a bit nervous about meeting the team and since they weren't there, and weren't going to be back at the house for like 8 hours, I tagged along with Jovina to an event she was helping with entitled "Walking with Love: Alternatives and Responses to Abortion." The symposium was not only an interesting distraction, but it kept me awake for the day as I attempted not to succumb to jetlag.


When I finally met the team and began settling in, I was pleasantly surprised with how much I immediately liked all of them. It's a diverse group - all are Australian except one, but within their Australian identities they have deeper ethnic backgrounds which are apparent in how we look and talk. One girl is English and she's 22, another pure Aussie and 21, and another Tongan and 22 also. Two of the boys are Samonan and both are 17, one is Peruvian, 19, and another is Vietnamese, and he's 25. So as you can tell it's a broad age range between us, which makes for a broad range of maturity. This will probably be our greatest struggle - especially mine. We all get along pretty well individually, but we're still working on unity as a whole. I've seen that our relationships aren't always going to be easy, but I'm sure that as the year goes on we'll continue to develop new ways of working with each other's little quirks. If nothing else, it will teach me patience and reserve.

On Monday we'll be going out to do our first retreat - nothing like jumping into the deep end upon arrival! This week we've been preparing that retreat, working on the schedule we're going to use and sorting out who will do what job. We're praying a lot together, which is important for our line of work of course, but we're also trying to eat meals together and have fun together, in order to really build the sense of community and our relationships.

The other day, I played cricket! I said I wasn't going to play, but you know I can't just sit there and watch something, especially since it's that close to baseball! I think with a little practice, I could be alright! :)

Thursday night, we had dinner with the Archbishop of Sydney, George Cardinal Pell, at his house by the Cathedral in downtown Sydney. It is a beautiful residence and the food and service was very nice. It was also wonderful being able to speak with the Cardinal, especially rregarding his thoughts on World Youth Day. It was quite a nice evening!

The weather, while it's in the 70s, has actually been quite crap, because it's rained nearly every day. Today was the first day it didn't rain too much, but it was still overcast. Ironically, the only day it was actually fairly nice during most of the day was Ash Wednesday! Very fittingly, a priest explained that the seasons down here do not match up to the liturgical celebrations. When Easter comes, so will Fall! Just one more thing to adjust to.

Overall, it's started off well. It's hard to believe that I'm down here, again, and I feel so much a part of Aussie life, I wonder where this year will take me, especially regarding my identity as an American! However, for now, my natural culture is still in tact - the English girl, Rachel, was telling one of her friends, "She's so very, very American." Quite honestly, that makes me very proud. :)

Until I write again, may God bless you!