I have alot of random thoughts running around in my head; for some reason I've gotten this creative streak in the past few days that is just driving me CRAZY. So I'm going to just spit out what I've been scribbling on assorted pieces of paper and hope it makes sense to you all. (If you don't like disconnected ideas or nice tidy thought packages all wrapped up in constructed paragraphs...I apologize for what's about to happen.)
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~ There's an older guy who comes into the shop every weekday to get coffee and breakfast. He always gets the same thing, and he always gets a second cup. And when he does, he always tells the same joke: "You did so well on the first one, I think I'll have another go-around." BUT, this week we must've messed something up, because he didn't get a second cup.
~Yesterday was only the second time since I got here where I was truly wondering if a person was speaking to me in English. His accent was so strong that I couldn't understand a word he was saying.
~Then later yesterday, a younger guy came in with one of the most beautiful Australian accents I've heard. It was the makes-you-go-weak-at-the-knees kind of accent, the kind of accent that made me smile just because he was talking.
~Mark asked me if I needed sugar for my coffee, and I replied with, "Nope, don't need it. I AM sugar." He retorted, "Oh, wow, I think I threw up in my mouth a little."
~It has been cold and rainy for most of this week. Yesterday there was even sleet in the city center. YIKES.
~That racehorse Black Caviar is beautiful. I hope she wins her race in England tomorrow/tonight. And I think it's adorable how her handler got her a stablemate who is an 8-year-old gelding and she's "fallen in love with him, they're nearly inseparable."
~I read a newspaper article yesterday about the Australia Census that mentioned some statistics about things like religion that were fascinating. In the 2011 census, 4.8 million people (22%) claim that they have no religion (up from 18.7% in 2006). In South Australia (the state where I am), the numbers are even worse: 28% claim no religion. Another interesting statistic was on marriages; gay or straight, 3 out of 4 marriages are civil ceremonies rather than religious.
~Doppleganger: a stupid-sounding word with a weird idea behind it. I've been kicking around a screenplay idea for the past few weeks about a person besought with mistaken identity that isn't entirely mistaken; since the idea has come to me, I've had three different people in three different environments refer to me as a "doppleganger" for somebody they know. ODD. Am I really a doppleganger for multiple people? Is this...dopplegangerception?
~What IS ministry burnout? How do we get it and why? Is it failure to do God's will? A result of attempting to do something on your own power without God's help or the assistance of others? Is it continuing a ministry that God doesn't want to continue but we're too married to the idea of it and simply can't let it go? Is it a result of pressure and/or attacks from enemies or the devil? Is ministry burnout something to be endured, or something to be listened to and used as a tool for growth, or is it a symptom of a bigger problem, or should it be ignored?
~I finally reached a decision on my host home situation. I've gathered counsel from multiple people, and everyone comes back with the same reply. (I'll write about it when it's settled down.) Please pray that I will say the right things and do what's right for everyone involved. Thank God for His provision that I've got options and choices when it comes to my housing situation here.
~I've already been away from home for a month. I miss home alot; I miss my family, familiar food, spicy food, seafood, (okay fine enough about food), my dog, my room, clothes dryers, watching movies with my family/friends, going to the movie theater, working at the movie theater, my coworkers, my youth group and young adult group, playing Ultimate Frisbee with my coworkers, building relationships with friends that I've recently gotten close to, DRIVING, my car, Nintendo Wii, using my own cell phone, my church family, summer, wearing my Chacos, Netflix, New Orleans, Greek yogurt, the word "center" not being spelled "centre," and even knowing that I'm on the same sleep/daytime schedule as most of my family and friends.
~I miss seeing redheads. At home I have quite a few redhead friends (my "ginger posse"); here I've only seen two redheads the entire time I've been here, and I'm pretty sure neither of them were natural-born.
~They say alot of words really differently.
tomato We say "to-MAY-to," they say "to-MAH-to".
scone Us: "scone" (rhymes with "phone") Them: "sconn" (rhymes with "on")
mocha Us. "MOE-kah" (rhymes with "loca") Them: "MOCK-ah"
tangelo Us: "TAN-gel-oh" Them: "tan-GEL-oh"
nasty Us: "NAH-stee" (rhymes with "plasty") Them: "NOH-stee" (rhymes with "costy")
~They use alot of different words.
sweatshirt -- They say, "jumper"
trunk of car -- They say, "boot"
French Fries -- They say, "chips"
football -- They say, "American Football," then they have Aussie rules "footy"
candy -- They say, "lolly"
~I love Australia. I love the people, the accent, the different culture, my friends I'm acquiring here, the way you can turn electrical outlets on/off, Wheat Bix, Tim Tams, MasterChef, Hamish and Andy, shortening every word (like "arvo" and "lolly"), the style of humor, the combination of Old World feel with modern-day cosmopolitan/European influences, the history behind everything, and the excitement when I see a koala or kangaroo in the wild.
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I miss you all and hope to hear from you soon! Keep the prayers of encouragement for Soul Food coming!
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