i landed in australia on Jan 4th, my dad's birthday, at 7:30am. but even before i landed, on the plane i already slowly started falling in love. there were about 10-12 of us all from Canada sitting together about to embark on this adventure called UQ Meds. unlike what i've heard about the ppl at canadian medschools, these guys and gals were so chill, so helpful, so nice! I know i'll love this place because i'm confident the ppl in our meds class will be supportive of each other... none of that awful backstabbing or 'fakeness' or masked intentions, etc.
after landing, Auntie Yin Leng picked me up from the airport. She had even sent me a picture of her car and herself, what she'd be wearing, her license plate number, etc. Her being so thorough completely put me at ease. She was a godsend, being the first lady I met in Australia. What a wonderful lady who gave me a crash course in aussie culture and brisbane landmarks.
We drove immediately to the church, and there i fell in love yet again, this time with the preaching. During service, the pastor (Pastor Steve) said something so quotable. It reminded me of what I myself need to be and do. "There is a time to walk away, there is a time to rebuke, but always and in all things there is a time to love." and then he also talked about what the condition of our head and heart were at. That we all need to be hard-headed but soft-hearted. no other combination will do. I pray that in all I do, i would be able to do it with the love of Christ in my heart, yet at the same time, my morals and values, my way of thinking, my roots in the Lord would never be uprooted. May I be grounded. Lord grant me thy strength to persevere and grow even stronger in your Word and love.
After church, I met many wonderful people who were so welcoming. I truly felt at home. Yet all the while, i felt so surreal about everything. I had just landed and already i was worshipping with Christians here in Australia. God is good in that no matter the distance, the blood of your Son has connected us all into your kingdom... and there need not be fear about foreign places so long as your Word still is thriving here.
After church, Keiyeng (the pastor's wife, and one really cool lady) brought me out. we bought a cellphone. went shopping at wooly's (short for woolworths - a grocery store). Everything looked the same yet different! take for example:
After shopping, I got ahold of Eleasa and went to stay with her and her parents at the Rydges hotel in south banks. What a deal! We stayed at the king suite which normally would've cost ~$400, but cuz Uncle Simon is awesome, found a deal online, then upgraded, we only had to pay ~$200 for the room. WOW! We walked around for a bit by the bank. and wow, I fell in love with australia right then and there i think. I breathed in the air, looked around at the people who were all leisurely walking and just enjoying life, then looked out to the beauty of the city perfectly mixed with the beauty of nature. It was glorious!
We had dinner that night at Ginga (trademark restaurant for the South Bank). It was delicious! And afterwards, we all went to see The Curious Case of Benjamin Button at the movie theatre. tix were CHEAP! only $5.50 for students, which then would translate to only $5 canadian? wow eh? its double in canada! but then again, it was no silvercity. the movie screen was quite tiny, and the theatre where we sat at was also quite tiny. i must admit though, i totally slept through the whole movie! given 10pm here in brissy was 4am in victoria! After the movie, I don't really remember how i got home.. must've stumbled my way through. but i do remember landing on the bed and being knocked out after that.
The next day, ie. my 2nd day in australia! WE FOUND A HOUSE!!!! it is a beautiful house! in fact I'm writing this blog entry from my new room. God is so good :) What would normally take a week or 2 to find the perfect house, not to settle, etc. took us only ONE DAY!!!!! How crazy is that?! Let me describe this house: its a 5 minute walk away from campus (maybe even closer cuz i can SEE one of UQ's buildings from here!), there's "the village" (a collection of stores - grocery store (i.e. Coles.. nope not the bookstore! it sells Food for body not food for thought lol).... the postoffice, the beer store (lol), and various restaurants in case we students don't feel like cooking) this village is only a 4 minute walk away from our place!!! crazy no?! that and all the bus stations are there at the village, so it'll be easy for us to get out into the city :) Also to note, the average renting price in this area (called St. Lucia) is $200+. guess how much we're paying? keep in mind its a FULLY furnished place! has everything - even cooking/eating utensils, TV (that has cable! for FREE i might add lol), couches, beds, desks, chairs, lamps) well it costs $165!! wow no? i think so! Then to add more, our landlady is ALSO a Christian!! a very devout one who has been praying for nice Christian girls to rent out her place. Apparently she replied to my email because my name "grace" sounded very nice lol. Lucky us :) So God was absolutely smiling down on us with His favour that day (i guess it would be yesterday). In total there are 5 girls living here, no boys so i don't have to worry my parents or myself ! They are very nice from what i've seen so far! Also did i mention the house was gorgeous? here are a few pics i took last night!
So yes, now it is 8:19am on January 6th, 2009. My third day here in Brisbane. Today we have a welcome/international student seminar + barbecue (btw, they call bbqs, "barbie's" here! strange! lol) i shall write more later :)
