An Australian, a Canadian and Three Americans

G'Day! There's so much to say! (yes, I did enjoy that little rhyme :)

It's been about a week and half since I've been here in Australia and if feels like I've been part of this country forever! I just moved in a few days ago to my 5 person apartment. We've got an Australian from the Sunshine coast, which is about 1 hr north of Brisbane. When we met him he had just woken from a nap and told us all he really does is Eat, Sleep, and Surf. Our other room mate is from Vancouver and he has got one great Canadian accent. My other two room mates are from South Carolina who I met in the airport at LAX. They are going through the same program as I am. We really are quite a happy bunch and I couldn't be more thrilled about that. Speaking of happy...I've been dubbed as "The Most Excited American" by the building manager. When he showed us up to our room I couldn't contain my squeals and thrills of everything. Brisbane is a glorious city entwined with the biggest trees I've ever seen. To live in a city where more than 1,000 people come to live every week they sure have done a great job at incorporating natural beauty into it. & wow, God really did welcome me with the trees! They are incredible. 

There have been parts where I can see the aftermath of the floods, though the effects are minuscule and will be repaired quickly.  

Tomorrow we are headed an hour south to the Gold Coast to enjoy the great Australian beaches! 

Toodles!

Airports and Luggage Tags

4 hours of packing and 84 lbs. later and I think I'm ready to head off. Packing was quite the event and if I were doing this for a game show I would totally have just gotten 500+ bonus points for creativity alone! After passing the "Have You Packed This..." quiz with flying colors courtesy of my great father I feel I'm set and ready to leave. I mean, I even thought of the nail clipper ;) It'll be 82 degrees and rainy when I arrive quite different from the sub zero temperatures and heavy snow we've gotten so accustomed too this winter. I'm getting most excited to start classes and stop drifting, I feel like I've been limboing between stages and meaninglessly filling my time with nothing long lasting.

My flight departs at 1:45 on Feb 11th and I arrive in Brisbane at 7:45 Feb 13th. Skippin' a day, how's that for a mind warp. If anybody tries to convince you that time travel isn't possible I'd like to show them different. I really do have to thank my gracious parents, caring grandparents, lovely aunt and Godmother Nancy, along with the rest of my family and friends for the support they've given and shown me for this Aussie commence.


Be great, be blessed, be happy!

Here's to hoping the luggage doesn't get lost,
Cheers!

Go! Go! Go! Pack! Pack! Pack!

One week ago I would have told you I may not be going to Australia, five months ago I would have told you that I would not be going to Australia. Today, five days before departure, I'm telling you I'm going to Australia! When I say this has been an emotional roller coaster, in those cliche words I couldn't mean anything more. 


This past summer it had merely been an idea and by the end of fall I had made it into reality. Once the acceptance was in, my mind started flying with a check list of "To Do"s. In the beginning I wasn't sure if loans would go through, then I couldn't even be sure I'd get school credit. That'd be a dud. Unexpectedly, it all got sorted out as the list got smaller. January 11th rolls around, my birthday and also exactly one month before I was to leave. Everything was wonderful and going as planned. I thought "what could go wrong in one month?" A lot actually, but I couldn't imagine anything that would set me back. 


January 16th rolls around, or as I've come to think of it, Dooms Day. I unknowingly rammed a sewing needle in my toe (see January post). Though, what's more is the day that follows. Monday, bloody Monday. We've all come to hate Mondays right? Early mornings...double espresso dosage...and the weekly stress to deliver your best is back on. Well, not to demean your Mondays, but the past three Mondays of mine had gotten exceedingly worse than typical. 


Monday, January 17th, I woke up with a throbbing, swollen toe. Knowing it was gonna be okay (I had just stubbed it right?) I continued to drive to work and earn some money for my Australian fund. I work while standing and walking so while that wasn't quite conducive to comfort, I stood for another 4 or so hours volunteering at Feed My Starving Children. Point of this is that at the end of the day my Monday had ended worse than it began.  


Please don't get me wrong while I write this, I take myself as quite the optimist, I'm just trying to convey to you what sort of rejoicing I'm doing right now. 


Monday, January 24th, I got news that I will go into surgery. Full out surgery; I'm talking anesthesia and all. For a freaking toe!...or Hallux as I've come to learn. I had never even had stitches before! Well...maybe there's something wrong with that too. In my fear of knives and objects relentlessly piercing into my skin, I was not excited. 


Monday, January 31st, a week after surgery, the toe is still swollen, still red, still infected. Ugh, with things not looking good I knew I would have to take this into the doctors hands. Scheduled the appointment Wednesday only for him to be in shock. My toe SHOULD NOT have been in the condition it was. To put this into perspective for you, my podiatrist basically ran out of the room running to call the infectious diseases doctor. Not something a patient wants to see or hear but I couldn't help but chuckle to myself at the scene. Needless to say, that appointment ended with "Well, I'll see you next Monday and we'll go from there, whether it be IV antibiotics or...worst case scenario...quite frankly, you may lose your toe." Shrieking inside, I obediently nodded and walked out. 


Monday, February 7th, a few days before departure, I woke up not knowing whether I'd have to leave late, not go at all, or even to keep my toe. Happy to report the friggen antibiotics worked. Thank you all you medical prodigies for staying up late studying and passing your examinations (though there isn't time passing that I'm not thanking God for that all to be possible) because I AM KEEPING MY TOE and getting on that plane! Horay! Horah! Please pop the champaign!


Now that my worst Mondays are over I can't wait to see where Monday the 14th takes me. Scuba diving? Rain-forest hiking? I don't know, but for what I can hope, not another toe fiasco. 




Funny, I've been playing my iTunes on random throughout this blog post and as it closes to an end "The Adventure" by Angels and Airwaves comes on. If any of you are avid iTunes listeners and have your settings on random through a combination of 3,000+ songs, you know that getting a song like that at timing like this sVeeet! A song I usually skip by is now taking on another feeling of anticipation. Geesh, leave it up to me to make such an over used graduation theme song a sentimental moment. 


Well, if you've just read that all; thanks and congrats, I'm off to go pack!


Mungu Anabariki! (God Bless!)

My repeated prayer

I had written this prayer in October 2010 during a retreat I had been part of. It is still my most said prayer. 

Lord, for you I don't want to be comfortable. Place challenges in my life that continue to lead me too you so that I may begin to lead others with my power and passion for you Lord Jesus. I wish for nothing more than you. I want others to feel content with you and peace in themselves; please give me the words of your Holy Spirit to be a light and SHINE in so many different ways for you. I promise to be diligent with my thoughts and actions for no one else bu you. You are to be in the forefront of my thinking. 


I'm reminding myself how much I need this prayer as the turbulence in my life is picking up and as I do this I'm reminded of how I yearned for the difficulties that bring me closer to my God. I'm reminded of how much unseen influence my life may have on others.
I have particular reasons for the words I used in this prayer and I hope someone finds it special for them as well. 




Last night, as I was reading to calm my thoughts I re read a very known Proverb and couldn't have found it more meaningful as I did while dwelling on every word. 

Proverbs 3: 1-12 

Admonition to Trust and Honor God

My child, do not forget my teaching, 

but let your heart keep my

commandments;

for length of days and years of life 

and abundant welfare they will give

you. 

Do not let loyalty and faithfulness

forsake you;

bind them around your neck,

write them on the tablet of your heart. 

So you will find favor and good repute 

in the sight of God and of people. 

[Trust in the LORD with all your heart, 

and do not rely on your own insight.]

[In all your ways acknowledge him, 

and he will make straight your paths.

Do not be wise in your own eyes;

fear the LORD, and turn away from 

evil.]

Honor the LORD with your substance 

and with the first fruits of all your

produce;

then your barns will be filled with plenty,

and your vats will be bursting with wine.

My child, do not despise the LORD'S 

discipline

or be weary of his reproof,

for the LORD reproved the one he loves, 

as a father the son in whom he

delights. 

The words strike me, comfort me, and humble me. 

I've got a needle in my toe

Alright so I'm new to this whole "blogger thing" but I just have to let out the hilariousness that is my toe. It's Thursday January 20th, four days after I had a sewing needle relentlessly submerge itself into my Hallux, or commonly as we know it, by big toe. Yes, a sewing needle. Honestly, I just thought I jammed it on the head of a pin and stubbed it just enough to sprain it with the amount of pressure that was applied. Contrary to my thoughts, my toe merely grew to the size of a gulf ball. I kid you not.

"How did you manage to do this Leah?"

"Oh, good question."

Well, my family is a family of do-it-yourself'ers' we tent to mend, so I guess it did not strike me that I ran my foot into what I thought was a pin on my frantic way to the bathroom.
*Reader discretion advised: Language and Images*
I don't know why, but when I have to pee, I don't just have to pee, I HAVE TO PEE! (sorry for the potty language ;) Thus, running into a pin was the least of my worries at that current moment. I went back to check the pin out and take it out of the carpet so no one else would have such a catastrophe happen to their poor foot. I bent down, picked it up, briefly glanced at it's evil point and was thankful I did not have the tip in my toe. I threw that evil piece of metal with the utmost angered ambition to return the same fate it gave me: pain. That was that I thought.
Tuesday night then rolled around and through working and volunteering all day on it I thought it was getting quite enormous. After talking about it to my level headed mother in some side conversation, we decided I should get an x-ray just in case there was something more to it, as I was to leave the country in a week or two and didn't want it to get in the way of anything.

Wednesday morning, I called the doc before I take my grandfather to his eye appointment, got a scheduled appointment with the doctor that day and went in more out of annoyance than concern.

After taking the x-ray, my doctor comes in to ask, "So...did Gloria (the x-rayer's name) use a pointer while x-raying your toe?" Confused, I replied no; only to receive a reply from an also very confused doctor remarking, "Well...ahh...good news, it's not sprained or fractured, but we have what seems to be a...ummm...needle? in your toe." He pulled up the image of my x-ray to show me what he meant.
I couldn't help but burst into laughter and ask permission to take a photo of this uncommon situation, which seemed to confuse the doctor even more. After explaining what happened and many failed attempts to try and push the bugger out, he decided surgery was the best thing to do. SURGERY! Haha, is there even a procedure for this!?
Left the office with a scheduled surgery on Monday the 24th, leaving the stickler in there for a week! oh boy.
And after all this, I can only think of the numerous other situations my poor foot has been in, that's a whole other post though. Until Monday, keep my poor little toe in your thoughts and prayers, but above all DON'T let this happen to you and KEEP TRACK of all your sharp objects please. (*ehm ehm, MIRIAM*)