And I have no good excuse for my lack of blogging over the past 2 weeks...unless you consider the factors of jetlag, culture shock, homesickness, and a little bit of nervous anticipation thrown in there as well. It has been exactly two weeks since my first day in Perth, but I feel like I have been here a lot longer. This is probably because I have ridden more buses and trains than I have in my whole lifetime, moved into the home of an unknown family whom I am a part-time nanny for, started classes at a new university, fallen into fellowship with a completely new church (95% asian!) and tried to become "left-oriented" so that I am adjusted to walking, driving and jogging on the left side! I really do feel like I am on the other side of the world. I am so thankful that there is no language barrier apart from the weird sayings of the Aussies (more to come about that!) It has definitely been a full two weeks in which I have had a ton of "self time" and have felt the crazy feeling of being completely on my own in a foreign country. It has made me miss my family, my friends, my dog, my house, my school, my church...EVERYTHING FAMILIAR, like crazy!...But it has also shown me a new and greater sense of what it means to rely on and wait for the Lord each day, hour, minute of my life. And that I am really not in control of everything (thankfully!) but that His hand is on my life each step of the way.
As far as my current residence goes, I am living with an Australian family in a beautiful area of Perth, right next to the Swan River. It has made for some really great jogs alongside a gorgeous view. Once I figure out how to post some pics, I will be sure to include some. I am looking after two girls, Isabella (2 1/2 yrs) and Alexia (4 months) who are probably the cutest kids in the world, but are also quite a handful! Their parents are a mix of Italian and Persian so when you throw an Australian accent on a little dark haired 2 year old, it is absolutely adorable.
Classes are underway and the Aussies are living up to their laidback stereotype. My professors ask me to call them by their first names, classes take on a conversational tone, and the students seem to feel very at ease in the classroom setting. Surprisingly I look forward to going to my classes each day (will be interesting to see how long this lasts though!). Curtin University (or Uni, as the Aussies call it) is a culturally rich and diverse school. It is rare for me to see another white face in the classroom, as most of my classes have students from Malaysia, Africa, Europe, Australia, China, just to name a few. The diversity of the school is refreshing as well as stretching because I have realized how different it is to feel like a minority! As I mentioned earlier, the church I have been going to on Sundays is predominantly asian students from different asian countries around Australia. I have tasted more asian food than ever and have had the amazing opportunity to worship with some of the most lively and passionate worshippers I have ever met! So encouraging.
That's all for now, but I promise more to come. I used to be a computer tech when the most complex command was loading up a game of Packman, so it may take me some time to figure out how to embed some pics....but they're coming! I miss you all so much and hope to chat with each of you individually while I am over here! Ciau!
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