Actually...

Animals: Um, so I used to think the wild cockatoo were cool, but now? Absolutely not! I'm a pretty deep sleeper, it takes a lot to wake me up once I'm asleep, but the big squawking things managed to awaken me early this morning! It must have been about 6:00am and it was soo loud and soo annoying, I tried burying my head under my pillow to no avail. I really don't know how it was possible except by the grace of God, but I did manage to get back to sleep. The comical thing is, once I was back asleep I managed to have this magnificent dream in which people were shooting the cockatoos with very large rubber-band guns! Actually, in my dream they were seagulls, it was at my home (sorta, you know how dreams do that), and Campbell was the one shooting them. It was glorious and we all celebrated :)

Accommodations: I was unaware that the halls and colleges (aka dorms) on Australian university campuses were actually just very large co-ed fraternities. They don't have a greek (sorority and fraternity) system in Australia and by the time kids come to uni they are typically of drinking age, which is 18 years old. This week is "O-Week" (short for Orientation Week. This week is general Orientation week for the whole uni where as last week was International Orientation week), and O-Week is essentially a week of partying. Each night is a different theme night. Last night, for Valentine's Day, appropriately (not) was "Drag and Diva".. uh, no thanks, I'll pass. I went and checked out another different church (more on that later). Tonight is ABC, short for Anything But Clothing, which means, everyone gets creative and comes up with a skimpy outfit made of trash bags, or caution tape, or cardboard, that sort of thing. Then everyone heads to the bar for dancing and drinking. I can't say which one there is more of, the dancing or the drinking. And it's all organized by the leadership team of the Hall. Organized partying. Huh? The only organized partying the States has is whatever fraternities come up with. But there are some differences. Typically, fraternity parties have free alcohol or maybe a $5 cover fee. Here, you have to buy your own beer and it ain't cheap! The "cheap" prices students get here at the Hall's bar is $3.50 for a Corona and such. The other difference is, a lot of the partying that goes on at fraternities is underaged and thus illegal. This is completely legal and encouraged.. that's what I find weird.

Attendance: I think I'll be happier once classes actually start and we've all got things to concentrate on. I need some structure to my life and a schedule I can follow... I haven't sat a class since the first week in December and I'm rusty on the whole thing.. I'd rather not spend the week before I start classes at a prestigious Australian university partying and getting drunk.

Agree?: Am I taking the wrong approach? Should I be embracing it since these are all new experiences for me to drink in? Should I fully immerse myself? Should I, as they say, "live it up"? I don't know. I may regret it later, but I'd rather stay true to myself and my convictions. Agree? Disagree? Let me know your thoughts.

Arnott's: You'll be happy to know there are some "Aussie" things after all! Arnott's is a food brand that is specifically Australian. They make a lot of snacky foods, but they're most famous for "Tim Tam"s, which if you haven't ever tried them... you need to! They are heaven in a cookie! They rank up there next to Thin Mints, Tagalongs and Samoas! There is even an "Aussie way" to eat them: bite off a bit at both end and then stick one end in a cup of tea and drink the tea through the cookie, er, I mean biscuit. Yummm... warm chocolatey taste!

Auditorium: So on the International Orientation day, I stopped by the C.I.F. (Crossroads International Fellowship) table and found out they are a Christian based club for international students that meets on Sunday afternoons for some snacks, games and fellowship. At USC there is a group called "Bridges" which is the Campus Crusade for Christ equivalent and some of the girls I live with in the Menlo house are quite involved. It's strange now to the BE the international one! Anyways, this group is sponsored by Crossroads In The City, a church that meets on campus in an auditorium or lecture hall at 6:30pm which is right after the CIF meeting. Some people from CIF then go to church, but it's not a requirement. I was happy to see two other American girls that I had met earlier in the week at the CIF meeting! It really was a pleasant surprise and filled my heart with joy! So then we headed into church. The actual church bit isn't what I'm used to, per-say, and it wasn't what I expected, but the people I met there and got connected with are fabulous. They're going to be running a mid-week Bible study in B&G, my dorm, which I'm excited about! And there is also a group that meets on Thursdays at lunch called FOCUS (Fellowship Of Christian University Students), and a weekend retreat camp on the beach called Getaway in March that I might go to! I think I'll definitely try to get involved in these groups and maybe more, but I might continue shopping around for another church. Then again, this one meets on campus, can't get closer than that! Would you mind joining me in prayer concerning Crossroads and my search? Thanks!

[Never] Alone: This is for all those beautiful single ladies out there! I know that Valentine's Day seems a little cruel when you have no one to share it with and you end up buying heaps of chocolate for yourself and eat it all day... or maybe that's just me, either way, they have excellent chocolate in Australia, so I don't mind buying tons of it! But see, that's just it, if you thought being single on Valentine's day was hard, trying being single in a foreign country! And that my friends, is V-day blues. It happens, but that doesn't mean we can't do something about it... in fact Jesus did something about it over 2,000 years ago. I think most of us would settle for a bouquet of flowers or a box of chocolates, but we certainly wouldn't require, or even want somebody to DIE for us! But that is the intensity to which we are loved by God and Jesus' death on the cross and His resurrection is what allows us to love Him back. Because of that, we are offered and ushered into a personal and intimate relationship with the God of the universe, the One who set the stars in the sky like diamonds and whispers to you in the gentle stillness. So, I'm reading this book called "His Princess: Love Letters From Your King" by Sheri Rose Shepherd, and I thought I'd share a letter with you since it brought me a lot of comfort yesterday on Valentine's Day:
"My Princess... You're never alone.
You never need to hold on to anyone out of fear of being alone, My precious princess. I am with you wherever you are. I am the friend who walks in when the world walks out. I created you to have strong relationships, My love, and I see your desire to be close to someone. If you will seek Me first and come to Me with your wants and needs, I will choose your friends for you. I also will bless those friendships abundantly. Don't settle for less than My best to fill your schedule with people to see and places to go. I want to reach you with the reality of My presence in you first, and then you will be ready for real relationships that are orchestrated by Me.
Love,
Your King and your Best Friend
(Matthew 28:20)

P.S. I love you too! :)