And, I'm Back...

So, I realize it has been an absolute dog's age since I have written on this thing....officially the worst blogger ever.  I have no excuses, just the usual "life is so busy", etc.  And there hasn't been too much happening apart from every day life happenings, which I don't know if people are actually interested in...so here are some random things that have been happening:

Firstly, we had our women's conference a month ago and it was AMAZING.  All students have to volunteer, so I worked but butt off for a week straight and I'm not sure how I got through it!  But I did and it was well worth it to see so many women have value placed on them and to meet with God on such a large scale.  I met so many amazing people and got to know myself a lot more through the experience as well.

Secondly, I got a car!!!  Whoopee!  I can't express how amazing it feels to have a vehicle.  To go for three months of driving was so foreign to me.  Then to have to start driving again on the other side of the road was definitely interesting.  And, yes, this is a commitment...I was not planning on getting a car because I was only going to be here for one year, but plans have changed as I would now like to stay for longer, so thought it was time to bite the bullet and get a car.  It's a pretty hot car...'88 Toyota Camry (white)....almost as nice as my '05 Honda Civic, almost.

Other than that, I've just been learning tons in my classes and having a great time building relationships and getting closer with God.  Overall, I'm extremely happy and content just living life one day at a time!  I'm going to work on getting some more pics up in the next couple of days so you can see a bit of my life (house, car, church, etc.)...I just have to make them smaller so that they will fit!

That's it for now.  Keep your prayers coming my way!

Carlye

Fingers crossed!!

I just had to put this picture in because I finally found my dream bouquet!!!  Those of you who know me best, know that I have always wanted yellow roses, orange tigerlilies, and red gerbs...and voila!  My imagination has come to life and completely by accident!

This is me and Christa who is actually from Fort McMurray where I lived and worked before I came here.  We spoke a bit online before we got here (she is also cousins with a friend at my home church) and finally got to meet in person...in Australia.  She is lovely :)
This is me with two of my house mates.  Sabrina is in the middle (She's from Malaysia) and Frances is on the end (She's a Brit!)

This is Frances again in the middle with Matt and Tiffany who are a married couple that live with us from Orlando, FL.

This is the world famous Bondi Beach...intense sun rays (the highest anywhere on the globe) and definitely easy to get a burn!!

A rooftop view in Sydney - Breathtaking!

Me at a cool viewpoint at the Taronga Zoo...It was  fun outing for me.  I took the subway to the harbour and then took a ferry to the zoo.  I then took a gondola up into the zoo...crazy, but worth it!

Figured everyone would want to see a pic of a kangaroo of course...

And a koala :)

A cool shot of the Opera House as I went by on the ferry!

And solid proof that I have indeed seen the Opera House in person!!

And of course the Sydney Bridge...

And last but not least...this is me after I had JUST flown in haha.  Lee came and picked me up and took me immediately to the beach...what else would you do in Australia??

Long Overdue

Well, here is the long awaited update that I know you have all been on the edge of your seats for...

So, I'm almost four weeks into school now and finally getting into the swing of things.  To say it's been a huge adjustment is probably the understatement of the year.  Firstly, it's been a while now since I have been in school, so it's been tough getting used to always having something to do, readings, homework, etc.  I guess it's strange to have to fulfill expectations....and not get paid for it :)

Another huge adjustment has been the church atmosphere!  It's an amazing atmosphere, but it's been such a long time since I have been constantly surrounded by it.  It's been good though.  I already feel like a new person (in a good way of course!).  I just feel happier and more content and I feel like big things for my life are going to happen this year (no, I do not mean marriage...haha).  I mean more in the personal growth realm.

Let's see, what else do I tell you all... well, as expected I am making lots of friends quickly and feel at home already in a sense.  Not quite, but I am feeling at ease here more quickly than I thought I would.  I love all of my classes...I am excited to be learning.  One of my favourite classes is Old Testament.  I never thought it would be something that I would be so excited about, but there is some interesting history that I had no idea existed and it's more pertinent to my life than I had thought in the past.  I also have a song writing class that I am really enjoying as well!

Hmmmm...some things that have been adjustments as well.   Two words: Customer Service.  If you ever have troubles with Telus / Bell / Rogers or in a restaurant, count your blessings!!!  It is a nightmare over here.  Telus seems like a dream compared to the phone companies over here.  Of course the driving on the other side of the road has been weird, but you get used to it quickly.  And you even get used to constantly hearing the Aussie accent.  Other than some random words, it's not a huge culture shock by any means.  Ooo, except that all the malls close at 5:30!!!!!!  That's right 5:30.  On Thursday they manage to stay open until 9, but man, what I wouldn't give for a trip to West Ed right now!!!!

I'm living in a house with 6 other people: a married couple from Orlando, a girl from London, a girl from Malaysia, a girl from Switzerland, and a girl from Norway...so we have quite the mix!  Everyone is awesome (so far!! haha)  and we have a great time together.  

OK, so I think I have rambled on enough.  I am going to work on downsizing some of my photos so that I can post a lot of them!!

More to come!!

OK, so it has been a LONG time with no update.  Let's just say that Australian telephone/internet companies are a disaster.  I need sleep right now, but I am committed to giving you all a thorough update in the next couple of days.  In short, I am alive and I do still care!!!

Finally

OK, firstly, my apologies for the short entry yesterday. Things like this get a bit tricky when you have no readily available internet.

Well, I seem to be settling in nicely. I love my housemates so far; there are still others to come, but I am sure it will be just fine. There are definitely challenges without having a car (getting groceries is always an adventure), but it is good for me as I am getting LOTS of excercise and am generally feeling good about that. The house I am in is in a gated community and there is a pool, so I have been going there atleast once a day (jealous yet???).

I have finally had a day at the beach - Bondi to be exact. I got a little bit of a suntan, but nothing too serious. It is definitely true that the Australia sun is different. Apparently there is no ozone above us so the sun's UV rays are quite potent. I can't express how beautiful the beaches are! And it is so much fun to go out and ride the waves (no, I am not surfing...). Thanks to my Native heritage, I have a wondeful colour right now and I am loving it!!

I'm starting to get more and more immersed in the Australian culture and am learning new words everyday. I'll have to keep a glossary of terms or something and share it with you. It's been fun also meeting so many people from other cultures and everyone I've met so far at the college has been absolutely lovely.

That's about it for now. I still have no internet to connect MY computer to, so again no pictures, but it will be my top priority when I get connected!

Thanks for all of your prayers!
Carlye

Internet fix

Sorry it's been a while folks! I have not had access to internet, but I am still alive!! My housemates and I should be getting internet connected soon and then I can finally upload some pics (I realize the last one didn't work). Again sorry for the quick update, but running out of time!!!

Getting Settled

OK, so it's been a couple days without internet, hence the lack of update.  Things are great!  I am having adventures and getting lots of sun (and managing to not burn!) and I have pretty much mastered the Sydney train system now.  I'm basically a local...  The biggest adventure I have had so far is I went to the zoo yesterday.  Took the ferry from Circular Quay past the opera house and took a gondola up to the zoo.  Amazing experience!  

I have a place to live which is exciting.  I just need to get my stuff there (the project for today, thanks again to Lee!!) and get some essentials.  I'm in a gated community with access to a pool...life's tough in Australia eh??

The hardest thing has been the heat.  The last two days have been about 40C which has been close to unbearable for me, but I remind myself that I could be in -40, right??  

That's it for now, but I will leave you with some pictures :)