son of man, turn your ear

Please forgive. But I’m going to get a little nerdy right now. Really nerdy.
A lot of the time here I feel like Bilbo. Like, exactly like Bilbo in the very beginning of The Hobbit. Not the part where dwarves are invading his house and singing about buried treasure. But when Bilbo is pretty much pushed out the door and forced to join in an adventure. He’s riding along on his little pony in the sunshine and thinking ‘Hey, adventures are pretty fun. I kind of like them.’ But then it starts to rain, and they go into a dark forest, and their food gets all wet and no one is warm. Then Bilbo is like, ‘Okay, adventures maybe aren’t as excellent as I thought. This is pretty hard and not fun at all.’

This adventure that I’m on is hard. Harder than I expected. Maybe one of the hardest things I’ve done. It’s like, I knew what I was getting into, but I didn’t take it seriously. Phrases like “being challenged’ or ‘going out of your comfort zone’ or being ‘forced to rely on God’ all sound like good things you want to have until you actually have them. And then you realize that they are actually challenging, or really uncomfortable, or seriously only having God to rely on.

I know this is an experience that I am going to remember for the rest of my life, and I know that I’ll be so glad I got through this. But now I’m just in the getting-through-it part. I just want to be on the other side of this already.

current song: The Transfiguration by Sufjan Stevens

said the joker to the thief

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL TODAY! I'm in the library right now and in just a few minutes I'll be off to my first and only class today, Hip Hop dancing. Yeah, I know.

Saturday my host-dad Brian drove Kaylee (my roommate) and me all around Sydney. We got to see the famous Bondi Beach and Watson's Bay and La Perouse. Sydney is sooooo big. Sometime soon I hope to put some pictures up, I've only taken about 34822479234 of them already.

Saturday night I got to meet up with my cousins Andrew and Kate and it was so good! It was good to see familiar faces so far away from home. We hung at in Manly (a suburb with hilarious signs like 'Manly Souvenir Shop' and 'Manly Pharmacy') with Kate's brothers and friends. Some Thai food, some Rugby, good times.

current song: All Along the Watchtower by Bob Dylan, but the cover by Eddie Vedder & The Million Dollar Bashers is so good.

so what's the word

WRITTEN FRIDAY JULY 23:

Oh man. I don’t know where to begin.

Well, I’m in Sydney. It’s still hard to believe that I’m here. Even standing next to the Sydney Opera House it doesn’t feel real. I can even see the skyline from my bedroom window. But it’s still too crazy to believe.

We’ve been kept really busy since we’ve gotten here. Like, every minute of the day. We’ve done so much it feels like we’ve been here weeks instead of a few days. There’s a lot of orientation to get through, stuff on safety, classes, grades, money, everything you can think of. It’s exciting to hear about everything we’ll get to do but it’s starting to make me restless. Like, I want to stop hearing about the friends we’ll make and trip we’ll go on and just do it. At the same time, it’s been a little intimidating. There’s so much talk about being uncomfortable and being challenged. And I know that’s what I signed up for. And I appreciate that they aren’t trying to sugar coat the experience. But still. Also there’s so many things to worry about. Exchanging money, getting phones, keeping up with classes, spending enough time with our homestay, getting to know Australians, getting to know our group, doing service placements, trying to figure out the bus system. It’ll be hard getting used to all the differences and trying to keep up, but I’m really excited for like, a month from now when I’ll know what I’m doing and will be able to really enjoy the city.

Yesterday our group went into the city for a scavenger hunt and got to roam all over Sydney. Seeing the sights without really being tourists, although we did go on a sunset harbor cruise. It was really incredible. Everything I’m trying to describe sounds so boring when it’s written out. It’s like the word ‘incredible’ written down is just bland, and I can’t help but read it in a weird, monotone-Ben-Stein voice that makes anything sound boring. And maybe that’s because I’m still battling jet lag and can’t stay focused in orientation, let alone describe the crazy amazing experience walking around Circular Quay was. You’ll just have to take my word for it and see my pictures later.
current song: The East Coast by The Daredevil Christopher Wright

safe and sound

I MADE IT. I'M IN SYDNEY AUSTRALIA.

Pretty exciting stuff, really. And if I had time I would write all about it.
But I don't.
Just know that more is coming.
And for the time being rest assured that I am loving life down under.

day to day, where do you want to be

I was pressured into starting this.

Typico, I don't read blogs. I don't write blogs. I don't enjoy blogs. And I tend to be just a liiiiiittle bit judgy when I do read 'em. Starting this 'blog' makes me a bit of a hypocrite. Blogocrite. But also, I won't be able to be in touch with friends and family as often in a few days and this is just too convenient to pass up.

So here I am. Swallowing my pride, putting my foot in my mouth, biting the bullet, jumping the shark.

Anyway. The name of this thing is really from a book I like called A Million Miles in a Thousand Years. And it's basically about this guy who is writing a movie screenplay based on his own life, and he realizes he has to make some changes to make a good movie, because a lot of the time the life he is living isn't a good story. The whole point of the book is that our lives are just compilations of stories, and we should make them good ones. We should live stories worth hearing, you know? Like, no one wants to see the movie about a guy who desperately desires a new sedan and finally gets to drive off the lot, testing the windshield wipers as he goes. It's about creating inciting incidents that shape the character and writing passion and living life that is worth reading about.

So I guess that's why I'm going to Australia tomorrow.

current song: See the World by Gomez