Oh boy, have these last couple of weeks been crazy-busy. Looking back on it, I can't believe I've done so much in a short period of time. However, the past couple of days have been sick days, and I'm writing this blog post inbetween naps. (I've been in bed trying to recover from a nasty stomach bug I had on Monday.) I'll try to sum up so as not to write a 1000-page novel that nobody will ever read. So, just the highlights:
25 June
I went to the Adelaide Botanical Gardens and spent a couple of hours just enjoying God's creativity through plants. (I also heard a real kookaburra call for the first time! Actually, there were two wild kookaburras and they were calling back and forth in the eucalyptus trees. I almost got weak-kneed because I couldn't believe I was hearing the real deal, something I've always dreamed about.) Even though I've known God for over 15 years, I'm still gob-smacked by His creativity and sense of humor.
After the Gardens, I walked around nearly the entire city center of Adelaide. I didn't realize how big it was...it's a square kilometer, which doesn't seem like much until you walk around the four sides of it.
27 June
We Christians in the United States have no idea how well resourced we are. If you're having a tough time with being single, you just go to the Christian bookstore and you can find 50 books on how to be a Christian single. If you're struggling with the American church, it's easy to go to any bookstore and pick up a book from a well-known Christian author or theologian that examines the problems and benefits of the modern church. If you need a spiritual pick-me-up, you can choose from thousands of Christian artists in every imaginable genre of music. The latest book from Francis Chan or music from Chris Tomlin is right at your fingertips. We take our Christian leaders, speakers, conferences, radio stations, and filmmakers for granted because they've always been there.
However, here in Australia, it's a different story. Sure, they have heard of "the greats" such as Billy Graham, Rich Mullins, and C.S. Lewis, but they don't know our "new breed" of pastors, authors, and music artists. Because I have been overly blessed in my fundraising to come here, I prayed about it and decided to use some of the extra money to purchase some of my favorite Christian books for the community here. I'm hoping that the books and authors who have helped me so much in my personal life can also encourage and strengthen the people here. (And it may not be any help at all, but it's the thought that counts, hey?)
I picked out the following books:
Crazy Love, by Francis Chan
Forgotten God, by Francis Chan
Erasing Hell, by Francis Chan (okay, fine, so I love Francis Chan, ok?)
Discipleship Essentials, by Greg Ogden
Wild at Heart, by John Eldredge
Captivating, by John and Stasi Eldredge
Indescribable, by Louie Giglio
They should arrive at my host home on 18 July.
28 June
One of the girls with whom I've really connected here is Ella. She's about my age and is fun-loving and always up for an adventure. I had mentioned that I wanted to go see the movie Brave (the summer 2012 offering from Disney*Pixar), and she agreed with me. We went out to eat dinner and went to the late show. (Of course, what would a trip to the movies be like without first stopping at a nearby candy shop? Locally known as "lollies.") Because Ella knew the girl who worked in the box office, we got the senior citizen discount and we didn't have to pay for 3D glasses (you have to pay to get a pair, but you can bring them again and not pay the upcharge). However, even though it should have been over $25 per person, it was STILL $16.50! To my American mind, that's ridiculous. Those are IMAX prices!
Along the way, I noticed alot of differences and many similarities between this Aussie theater and the typical American cinema. Some of them were from the operational side (they assign seating to you within the theater, the bathrooms were hard to find, they operate their ticket-tearing podium a little differently), and some of them were from a normal moviegoer's perspective. We sat in the top row of the auditorium, and from where we were, the auditorium looked like it was very long and narrow (which made the screen look like it was a tiny end of a shoebox). Also we had a slight echo, but most of the movie was so quick-moving that it didn't make much of a difference. It was a great movie with a terrific story and fantastic moral, and it delivered it in a way that was both poetic and realistic. It isn't quite up to snuff with the previous Pixar films in terms of explosive originality, but it's a heckuva lot better than their last outing (which, in its own way, was better than most of the other animated films of 2011--but I digress).
1 July
After church, I went to the Gibson's home. They're a family who is closely connected with the Soul Food family, including volunteering at the cafe once in a while. The family is made up of Steve, a home builder who loves food and has a nearly unhealthy obsession with footy; Paula, a precious lady who gives selflessly but isn't afraid to poke fun at people; Erin, who moved out of the house but still does things with the family once in a while; Clare, a recently-graduated nurse; and Adele, one of the funniest people I think I've met here. (Clare and Adele both date guys named Dan. It's kindof funny sometimes.) Their family is what I've always thought of as the typical Australian people; they love being outside, are fiercely patriotic (even when they don't agree with anything the government is doing), and deeply committed to family and community.
2 July
We rolled out of bed and warmed up around the woodburning stove before venturing outside. Clare walked the trail ascending Mount Lofty, the highest hill surrounding Adelaide. This trail is notoriously difficult, so I opted out of it--it was WAY too cold! Instead, Paula and I took the curvy drive up to the lookout plaza, where we enjoyed chatting with the gift shop employees (who taught us a new way to tie a scarf) and a hot cappuccino with a view.
We picked up Clare at the base of the trail and drove up to Hahndorf, the little German village in the Adelaide hills. There, I got my first chance to try a meal that I've been wanting to taste: Kangaroo steak. I know it sounds awful that I ate a cute little kangaroo, but my goodness was it good! It was juicy, tender, and full of meaty flavor. Before you lambast me as a horrible joey-killer, please understand that kangaroos are to Aussies what deer are to Americans. They think it's awful that we would eat Bambi, but truly it's just a creative way to exercise population control over a species that would otherwise be an ecological pest. The biggest difference: Bambi isn't one of our national icons.
3 July
Adele, Dan, and I walked to the Gorge Wildlife Park near the Gibson's home. It's a family-owned park that houses hundreds of Australian animal species, and many of them are in open pens where visitors can interact freely with them. I got to pet kangaroos and wallabies, hold a koala, and feed a wombat! (Funny story, I thought wombats were the size of guinea pigs. Imagine my surprise when I turn a corner and see a wombat the size of a pig!) Also spotted were the kookaburra (also WAY bigger than I imagined!), goana, little penguin, Tasmanian devil, multiple kinds of cockatoos and lorakeets, and dingoes. Let's just say my bucket list is much shorter now!
After our visit to the park, they drove me back to Flick and Glenn's house.
4 July
My American Independence Day wasn't much to write home about, besides the increasing homesickness. My red/white/blue ribbons in my hair sparked conversations with customers, and it helped me realize just how far away from home I really am. I don't know how people move away from their families. (They must not have as much fun with theirs as I do with mine.) No fireworks, no barbeque, no gathering with friends and family. Just a normal day in a normal place. It was the first July 4th that I've ever had away from the U.S.
6 July
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| L-R: Ella, Kara, Kate Z, and a crazy American |
7 July
After work, I headed over to the Johnson's, where I spent a couple of hours with the family before Michelle and I headed out to the AFL game. It was the annual Showdown game between the Adelaide Crows and the Port Adelaide Power. These two teams have a deep-seated rivalry, and twice every year they play against each other. It's interesting, because they share the same home stadium; one game is a Crows home, the other is a Power home (this was a Power). It's also one of the best-attended games of the season, so if I were to get a good footy experience, this would be it. The stadium was filled with people (over 38,000), and it was funny when I realized that it was a predominantly female crowd. It's like women's volleyball in the States; women watch it, but it's mostly watched by men. Same thing here. I have never seen such male athleticism as that in footy. I'm sorry, but compared to these guys, our American football "athletes" pale in comparison. These guys are running constantly over a 2-hour game (I've heard that the forwards run an estimated 8-10 miles per game), and the entire time they're smacking into each other, tripping, tackling, shoving, kicking, etc. It's incredible--these guys are at the top physical condition that is possible for the human body. Who wouldn't want to watch that, hey? I also have seen American football crowds that are involved in the game, but these fans put them to shame (with the exception of the Saints fans, because we're more awesome than everyone else). They were literally roaring the entire time, and nobody moved during the quarters. It was full attention from every person in the stadium. The Crows spanked the Power in a landslide win--so much so that the audience in the middle of the 4th quarter started doing the wave. (which was WAY cool looking) However, there was only friendly rivalry and jibing, and everyone was in good spirits (even the Power fans).
I stayed at the Johnson's.
8 July
I had the morning off from Soul Food so that I could go to Glen Osmond Baptist Church. GOBC is the church that officially "owns" Soul Food Espresso, and they are the "mother church" from which Soul Food Community was sprung. However, there's not much connection beyond that between the two communities. I went to the Sunday Morning service and had some interesting conversations with some of the congregation. It was very much a family feel, but not quite as casual as Soul Food. It was an older congregation, and there were only about 20 people there. For a church that is as influential as GOBC, I really expected it to be larger in numbers; but it was a good lesson to me that a church can have a deep impact in their community regardless of size or resources. You just need a select few who are dedicated to Christ and devoted to spreading the gospel in their community.
After church, I went to the first half of the SANFL game in Norwood with Steve G and Mark Ray (AFL is the pro football league, SANFL is the minor league). It was yet another deep rivalry game between the Norwood Redlegs and the Central Adelaide Bulldogs. (It was strange to be rooting against bulldogs...) From what we saw, it was a rough game that could have gone either way. We had to leave at halftime to get to Soul Food Church, but Steve told us later that Norwood won. So I'm on a lucky streak!
I stayed with Mark and Karen.
9 July
I woke up not feeling well. Somewhere in the night, I picked up a nasty little stomach bug that was wreaking havoc on me. But I decided to muscle through it and I went ahead with our plans for the day. Mark and Karen know a family in Port Augusta (which is a town about 3 hours north of Adelaide) who moved there to plant a church a while ago. They wanted to visit with them and connect with them, and they invited me and Adele G to go along for the ride.
On the way up, we drove through the hills and the Clare Valley, part of the Barossa wine region. It was beautiful country, with multiple small towns that have been there for generations. It was overcast and rainy, but every so often we would be able to see the bigger hills with low-lying clouds hanging over them. I wish I could have enjoyed it more, but if you know me, you know how I get with stomach bugs...
When we got to Port Augusta, we met with the planters at the Australian Arid Lands Botanical Gardens. It's a park area that is devoted to the flora of the region, and it's right at the foot of the Flinders Range region. Flinders is at the southern edge of the outback, and it's probably about as close as I'm going to get to it this time around. The cafe where we were had a beautiful panoramic view of the hills.
On the way back down, we took the freeway, which offered beautiful views of the hills and the plain between the hills and the ocean. We also were given a breathtaking sunset with stunning clouds.
They dropped me off at the Johnson's, where I was supposed to keep the kids along with Kate Z (Evan and Michelle were out of town on a well-deserved getaway). Unfortunately, I was not much help, but Kate had it all under control and the kids were well-behaved. We had a good ol' time and I enjoyed getting to know Kate more.
10 July
I woke up at nearly 11, Kate left at 1, and the kids' grandfather (Noel) came to get the kids at 2:45. I was so weary from the day before and had such a headache that I decided to just stay at the Johnson's on my own for the evening. I slept on and off, and I didn't feel much better for most of the day.
11 July
Okay, now we're all caught up! I woke up this morning and tried to go to work at the cafe, but I just wasn't up to it. Thankfully, Flick saw that I was having trouble and decided to send me home for rest. I've been in bed sleeping off and on all day, and I'm hoping a good night's rest tonight will help me feel better. (I'm at Flick and Glenn's.)
I also realized earlier that I am only here in Australia for 3 more weeks. That's not much time at all! I feel like I've been here for a long time, and I'm homesick for sure--I miss my friends, my family, spicy seafood, my dog, and my job. But I'm also seeing my window of experiences getting smaller. It's not much longer before I'll be waving this beautiful place with its beautiful people goodbye and heading back to the normal everyday haul. This place that is my temporary home won't be available to me much longer, and I need to make the most of every moment that I have. So I'm pushing the homesickness aside, and I'm just going to keep moving forward, expectant that God has come before me and that I'll leave here with no regrets!
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