Wednesday:
Today I got up and walked/ran to play group at Glynde church. This morning activity is a nice break in the middle of my week, I also enjoy chatting with the mothers, they are all so very nice. Lorinda, one of the mums dropped me off at the Magill site after playgroup. She has two daughters, Sophie (3) and Bethany (10mo) who were very excited that I got to ride with them in the car. :)
When I arrived at Magill I had lunch and set a room up for a training session called "Safe Place" in the afternoon. I then attended the session and it was about sexual harassment and sexual abuse in the work place. It was a good experience, however, I feel like I've learned it all in the past or it was common sense. The instructor, Wyane, had his birthday today and after the session the Magill workers, the interns, and a few other LCC staff had cake.
Hilary and Ellie then got a ride back to Hosanna Heights, while I stayed to blog and check my email. I then walked back to Hosanna and got ready really quickly before we got picked up by Helene and Jeremy for the Ash Wednesday service at Glynde. After the service Hil and El headed back to Helene's house where they hung out and played table tennis with Helene and Simon while Jeremy and I went to have coffee with the small group we met with last Wednesday.
At coffee I got to know Beck (Jeremy and Simon's cousin) a little better. She is a really, really interesting individual. Beck has dreadlocks, is a swimming teacher, and lives a lot by the "Simple Way" movement talked about in Shane Clayborn's book titled "The Irresistible Revolution." Beck is always thinking and asking very interesting/random questions. Throughout our conversation she asked me "If I had a magic carpet where would I go and with who," "What 3 things do I miss about home, and why," and many other interesting questions. After I answered her question about the magic carpet I asked her where she would go and she said that when she asks people that question they always think of a physical place, and she would to go "wonder, the state of wonder." hmm... I like the way she thinks. I am giving her the book "Jesus For President" by Shane Clayborn next week at small group.
After coffee Jeremy and I returned to his house where I proceeded to play Helene in table tennis, she is very good! aka, I ducked every time she went to attack the ball. haha.
Thursday:
Today Karen picked me up at Hosannah Heights and we went to Ingle Farm where I sat in on the Afghani women's support group again. It was a little more difficult this week because the speaker spoke Persian and there was no translator. So, the English speaking people had no idea what was being said unless one of the women briefly summarized what was said. Even though I don't know what was being said I think the women gained a lot from the group based on how much more they participated.
After the Afghani group I went on a walk until I met up with Kathlene who is in charge of the home visit services. In Australia when a woman has a baby they immediately ask her what type of support she has for raising the child. Then, every mother is put on a list and within the first few months of the babies life someone comes to her house to assess whether the mother needs assistance. If there seems to be a pressing need for support the mums are pushed to the front of the list. Anyways, if the mother wishes to receive assistance, someone comes into her home once a week for 3 hours to either take the baby while the mother sleeps, does house work, or just takes a break, or the mother could ask the helper to have coffee with her to socialize.
The mum we went to see is struggling and we interviewed her to see what types of assistance she could receive. Ingle Farm has a lot of free mummy and me groups, and other programs that she can get connected to. While we were speaking with the mother I held her child, who is sooo incredibly beautiful.
After the interview Kathlene and I caught coffee where we discussed our thought and concerns about the situation. We also chatted a bit and got to know each other more. I really like her a lot, and am looking forward to be working more with her next week! I am going to try to rearrange my schedule to be working more at Ingle Farm, and next week I can do home visits by myself and/or be the person who comes into the home for 3 hours to assist the mums. I really like these things! :)
After being dropped off at Hosanna Heights I got changed and walked to Magill where I met up with Emily (a counselor) and Ellie and we went to Bollywood dance lessons. It was hilarious! I can to the hand work alone, the foot work alone, but not the two together. It was good fun.
It was Felly's birthday today and I met up with her and some of her friends for a few minutes to celebrate before coming back to Hosanna and calling it a night.
P.S. We are moving to a new place!!! So, on Tuesday of next week it will be goodbye Hosanna! :)
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Self Defense, I can kick butt. :)
Today I walked to Magill and Emily and I left for the domestic violence self defense group. It was quite an experience, I really enjoyed it. There were about 10ish women there and at first we sat in a circle and went around and talked about any opportunities they had to say "no" or stand up for themselves over the past week. It was really neat to hear them share stories, one women was explaining how she texted the words "whatever" to her ex-husband while he was harassing/emotionally and verbally abusing her via text messages. She said she felt rude and like she shouldn't have said it, this was quite a step of progress for her. After each women speaks the group makes it a point to applauded each other and compliment them. It was a really awesome thing to see.
It was however, a bit emotionally draining to see all these women who come from a domestic violence shelter or have used the shelters resources recently. One woman had multiple stab wound scars on her arms from her husband, I can't imagine all the stories. The women had to stand up individually and give themselves an affirmation. I noticed that some women were very hesitant to this exercise, and perhaps didn't believe the things they were saying about themselves. We also practiced "making space" in the way they carried themselves and how they walked. We then learned different self-defense exercises involving poking out the eyes, breaking the nose/possibly killing a person (hopefully not) by hitting the nose upwards with your palm, striking the arteries just under one's jaw to temporarily stop the blood flow, crushing an attacker's windpipe, growing injuries, kicking one's knee with your heel, kicking the shin, and stomping on an attacker's feet. We also learned how to get yourself out of various holds that an attacker might use. It was intense, but we had a lot of fun. It was good to see the women laughing, learning, and having fun. Although, it was a bit depressing when my partner told me that this would have been helpful for her to know a couple months ago.
We took a tea break where we chatted with the women, they are all very sweet. This one women in particular (the one who texted "whatever" to her ex-husband) is very, very sweet and gentle. I really enjoyed getting to know her and hope to see her in the future when I go to the self defense lessons, I will be going every other week.
After the lessons I returned to the Magill office where I did my long 5 day update. Hilary and Ellie were at Blair Athol all day and came back to Magill with Helen when she returned from a day of meetings. Helene then dropped us off at Hosanna Heights.
I went to Felly's house to hang out with her and some of her friends. I got to know her a bit more, and really like her! We chatted via Facebook before I came over and she told me that her dad was a pastor in Malaysia. Felly explained to me that nobody around her cares about their faith, and that she was glad to meet someone else who is a Christian. She also commented that she wants to change some of the ways she is living, what a great opportunity to encourage her! She even invited me to church with her this Saturday morning, but I'm going to be in Renmark so I won't be able to join her. Hopefully I'll have the opportunity next weekend.
After hanging out with her for a while I walked to Helene's house because their family was hosting a game night for a small group from Glynde church. I arrived just in time for pancakes! I don't remember what they call it here, it isn't Fat Tuesday, but there is a tradition where everyone makes pancakes on this day. Simon talked me into trying this pancake that had sugar and lemon juice on it... I wasn't a big fan, but it is how some people eat them here! Everyone left about 30 mins after I arrived (I came late) but Hil, El, Simon, Jeremy and I played table tennis for a while. Jeremy is very competitive, he plays in tournaments, but he doesn't seem like the type of person who would be. It was quite funny seeing him being aggressive. Hil and El wanted to stay later, but I wanted to get back because I had wanted to have some energy to work with the children at the Glynde play group in the morning, so I walked home and they stayed at the Schulz house until 1:30ish.
It was however, a bit emotionally draining to see all these women who come from a domestic violence shelter or have used the shelters resources recently. One woman had multiple stab wound scars on her arms from her husband, I can't imagine all the stories. The women had to stand up individually and give themselves an affirmation. I noticed that some women were very hesitant to this exercise, and perhaps didn't believe the things they were saying about themselves. We also practiced "making space" in the way they carried themselves and how they walked. We then learned different self-defense exercises involving poking out the eyes, breaking the nose/possibly killing a person (hopefully not) by hitting the nose upwards with your palm, striking the arteries just under one's jaw to temporarily stop the blood flow, crushing an attacker's windpipe, growing injuries, kicking one's knee with your heel, kicking the shin, and stomping on an attacker's feet. We also learned how to get yourself out of various holds that an attacker might use. It was intense, but we had a lot of fun. It was good to see the women laughing, learning, and having fun. Although, it was a bit depressing when my partner told me that this would have been helpful for her to know a couple months ago.
We took a tea break where we chatted with the women, they are all very sweet. This one women in particular (the one who texted "whatever" to her ex-husband) is very, very sweet and gentle. I really enjoyed getting to know her and hope to see her in the future when I go to the self defense lessons, I will be going every other week.
After the lessons I returned to the Magill office where I did my long 5 day update. Hilary and Ellie were at Blair Athol all day and came back to Magill with Helen when she returned from a day of meetings. Helene then dropped us off at Hosanna Heights.
I went to Felly's house to hang out with her and some of her friends. I got to know her a bit more, and really like her! We chatted via Facebook before I came over and she told me that her dad was a pastor in Malaysia. Felly explained to me that nobody around her cares about their faith, and that she was glad to meet someone else who is a Christian. She also commented that she wants to change some of the ways she is living, what a great opportunity to encourage her! She even invited me to church with her this Saturday morning, but I'm going to be in Renmark so I won't be able to join her. Hopefully I'll have the opportunity next weekend.
After hanging out with her for a while I walked to Helene's house because their family was hosting a game night for a small group from Glynde church. I arrived just in time for pancakes! I don't remember what they call it here, it isn't Fat Tuesday, but there is a tradition where everyone makes pancakes on this day. Simon talked me into trying this pancake that had sugar and lemon juice on it... I wasn't a big fan, but it is how some people eat them here! Everyone left about 30 mins after I arrived (I came late) but Hil, El, Simon, Jeremy and I played table tennis for a while. Jeremy is very competitive, he plays in tournaments, but he doesn't seem like the type of person who would be. It was quite funny seeing him being aggressive. Hil and El wanted to stay later, but I wanted to get back because I had wanted to have some energy to work with the children at the Glynde play group in the morning, so I walked home and they stayed at the Schulz house until 1:30ish.
Monday, February 23, 2009
5 Day Catch Up...
I've been extremely busy and because my internet doesn't allow me to log on to my blog or my email at Hosanna Heights I was not able to blog about these past five days until now.
So, here goes...
p.s. I wasn't able to edit/spell check, so there may be quite a few errors.
Thursday
Today Karen picked the three of us up froim Hosanna Heights and took us to Ingle Farm, where she works. Hilary and Ellie decided to go to a "move and groove" class where parents brought their children and they all sang and did actions to songs like the wheels on the bus. They mentioned that there were 58 people in the room... that is a lot of kids!
While they were in their class I sat in on an Afghanistan women's support group. The group of women decided that they wanted to learn about mental illness and how to identify it and what to do when they find it within their Afghani community. Once Ingle Farm heard this request they found a speaker from a local agency to come and talk aobut these things with the group. There was an interpreter because there is a language barrier between the speakers who typically speak English and the Afghani language. However, Karen told me that the women actually know more English than what they lead on the know, but they lack the confidence to speak English with people who are fluent with the language- understandable.
It was very intersting to watch the way the women interacted with each other. All of the women wore head coverings (I should know the technical word) and clothing that covered most of their skin, some wore jeans and a modest shirt while others wore more traditional Afghani full length dresses (again, I dont' know the name). There were about 15-20 women who arrived for the session and they arrived anywhere between 9:45 and 10:30, although the session technically began at 10. When each woman entered the room she went around to every person there and greeted them with the word "hello" in their native language, and depending on how well they knew the person they either shook hands, hugged, or kissed the cheeks of the person they were greeting.
It appeared as if the speaker was going to come several weeks to discuss the topic at hand, and today was the first session. The speaker had a craft for the women to draw their hands on a sheet of paper and in each finger wrote the name of someone they care for. After a few minutes the spearker asked if anyone put their own name in the finger, surprisingly one women said yes. Then the speaker instructed the women to write their names in the palm of their hand explaining that they need to take care of themselves first before they can care for others. After discussing this the women decorated the sheet of paper with stickers, markers, crayons, foam stickies, etc. It was really interesting to watch the excitement the women had when they were decorating this paper for themselves. I feel like most women in America wouldn't spend a whole lot of time on a project like this, who knows, maybe I'm wrong. The speaker then finished the session discussing stigma, steretoypes, etc. and one Afghani women shared a story about a friend who suffered from depression after leaving Afghanistan to come to Australia. I was told about how open this popuation is, I wasn't expecting it completely, but it was refreshing to see people being real. I also noticed that the women left and entered the room as they pleased throughout the session to use the toilet, check on their chidren in the mobile creche (daycare), to anser phone calls, anything really. The other Afghani women didn't seem bothered by this commotion, but the speaker seemed to get disgracted quite a bit. I think it is a cultural thing.
In the room there were the Afghani women, the speaker, a translator, two uni (university) students, me, and a women named Estella who is from another organization like LCC. Estella asked me what I was studying and when I mentioned Spanish within my lengthy major list she immediately started speaking to me in Spanish. At fist I had a little difficulty understanding her because I'm not accustomed to her accent from Chile. However, very quickly I realized how much I missed the language. She told me I spoke very good Spanish, which was good to hear (although I don't believe it because it has been over a year since I've had a Spanish class or conversed on a regular basis in Spanish). I'm a little frightened for my Spanish composition class next year! Anyways, she told me about a festival in April where a group of Spanish speaking women get together and cook a lot of authentic food specific to their country. Not only did Estella invite me to the festival, buts he also invited me to come in and observe the Spanish speaking support group on Monday nights. So, as for right now I'll be going to Ingle Farom on Mondays from 6-9 pm where people will be speaking soley Spanish. This will be a great experience,but I'm a little nervous because I sometimes have a difficult time understanding different accents. Also, I'm not very confident in my Spanish right now and I will be going by myself. Oh well, it will be an adventure.
After the support group Hil, El, and I re-united for lunch. There must have been some sort of misunderstanding because we were instructed to help out at a mommy and me session, but the mothers decided that they didn't need any assistance. So, for the remainder of the afternoon some of us blogged, did a little office work, suduko, and just hung out. When we come back I'm sure some things will get straightened out and we will have a more solid schedule.
Diane who works at Ingle Farm took us home and we spent some time doing our own things. I went on a walk and mailed a letter, and when I got back we got ready to go out. We scarfed dinner (Egg drop-corn soup... it isn't as bad/weird as it sounds... in fact, it may have been one of my favorite things they've served at Hosanna Heights) and caught the bus. Helene's son, Simon, ment us a the bus stop and we went to a 40s swing band concert of one of Simon's friends. It was located in a bar in one of the casinos in Adelaide... I've never actually been to a casino, all the people who were gambling were older and looked sad, guess it wasn't a lucky night.
Anyways, the concert was really entertaining. The band was called Lucky 7, even though there were 8 people in the band :). They played really good music, an all the the pople there were really good swing dancers. It was interesting because it seemed like everybody was comforable dancing with everybody else... there were 70 year olds dancing with 20 year olds, and it didn't seem weird to anybody. I think they assumed that if you were there enjoying the music you also knew how to swing because this older gentleman asked me to dance, and even though I didn't want to, I told him I wasn't very good, he convinced me to join him, and I think he regretted it... really. haha. I know how to West coast swing dance where there are a lot of turns, twists, picking up your partner, etc. and everybody there was East coast dancing which concentrates on footwork. I didn't know any of the footwork and when he tried to teach me I just started to laugh, I'm sure it was annoying to him. When I observed everybody else dacning I'm pretty sure I was the only one who was asked to dance who didn't know how to. haha. oops.
Friday
Today we walked to Magill to find our that Helen and Helene had planned a rather intersteing day for us. They were both very busy working on a tender (grant) and wanted us to experience more of Australia and Adelaide's history. Our first destination was to visit the Magill Interpretive Trail. It is a small trail that explains some of this history of Adelaide and various other facts about the surrounding area. The trail iteself is outdoors and was built by members of the community. It was a nice little excursion on our way to the local art gallergy. We arrived before it opened so we stopped by the bakery and bought goodies, I bought some scones and hot cross buns to bring back to with the people at LCC Magill. We then toured the gallergy, it was the last day that one of the aritist's work was going to be on display/for sale, so soon we'll have to check out the next batch of work.
We then walked back to the Magill site where we had lunch, checked our emails, then took a bus into the city. We went to the Migration Museum located in Adelaide. I am not usually a museum person, but I really enjoyed learning about the history of Australia. However, we were only there about 1.5 hours because we were quite tired from the concert the night before and we felt like our brains were not able to take in all the information. We want to go again a few times to broaden what we know about Australia, and the buseum was free, so why not?! :)
We then went ot the state library... it was really funny because we went to the info desk to see about getting library cards and were told that they don't check out books at this libraray. What type of library doesn't let people check out books?! haha. We were directed to a sepate library in the basement of the same building where we could check out books, but we were unable to get cards because we don't have proof of where we're staying. Afer this discovery we went to the Mortlock Library. This was a wing off the state library, but was more like a museum exhibit that displayed a lot of cultural aspects of Australia. The second and third floors had walls of bookshelves that were packed with older looking books... and guess what, you can't check out these books either. I think this is silly... the books are just sitting there, not getting any use!
After gaining a wealth of information Hilary and Ellie caught a bus back to Hosanna Heights and did their own thing while I cauht a bus to the LCC Blair Ethol site. I did the same thing I did last week when I hung out with the at-risk youth at the afterschool program. It was a really tough week because the girls wanted to dance and there were some guys there who don't typically come who were obviously intoxicated, and it was clear that they were up to no good. When this happens they have to cancel the events because if they continue with the plans something will go down. I just hung out with the girls, but I left a little early because Matt (the guy form the 40s swing band) and Hilary made plans for us to hang out with some of his friends in the city.
I caught the bus into the city and got some take away (to go) sushi from a place called the Sushi Train, it wasn't bad. I then caught the next bus to Hosanna Heights.
It turns out that Matt's friend weren't able to make it, but the three of us hung out at a couple of places where there were tables to sit and chat, a bar, a DJ, and an outdoor patio. A few of Matt's uni friends happened to be there, so I got to meet a couple of girls, they were really nice. We decided after a bit to head to the Fringe. The Fringe is a festival that is in the city that lasts 2.5 weeks. There is a lot of food, tents to buy random things, some carnival rides, and a few tents that offered "freak shows." Matt got some nachos, the first Mexican food we've seen... there isn't much of it around here. Then we headed back to Hosanna Heights.
Saturday
I slept in today, and it was much needed! When I moseyed down for brekky (breakfast) I decided it was a beautiful day and that I wanted to go to the beach. I checked with Hil and she was game for the adventure, but El had to stay behind to chat with her boyfriend because they made plans to skype at 3pm. It took a while to get there because the busses aren't regular on the weekends, but we finally found our way to Grange Beach. We went shell hunding, read a little, got a bit wet, fed/ got attacked by the seagulls, and tanned. It was a peaceful day... it felt great to get away from everything and just bask in the sun, I want to go again soon! When we left we got a hold of Ellie and she met us in the city where we ate dinner at Cafe Primo. It was really good, and you get a free pancake with every entree you purchase, so we all had a pancake after dinner. It wasn't what you think of when you think of pancakles... it was cooked in a pizza oven and almost an inch thick. Each pancake was served with a side of syrup and a side of heavy whipping cream. It was actually really good... and it was wonderful because it was free! :) The three of us headed back to Hosanna Heights after dinner and just hung out until we crashed for the night.
Sunday
Helen picked us up this morning ot go to Glynde church with her and her family. Unfortunately, Hilary got burned really badly yesterday at the beach and needed some time to rest and recover from her burns so she stayed back from church. After the service Ellie and I joined in on the youth group meeting. The church is starting up a youth group and met to do some planning, and get some of our experiences and input. After the meeting we went to Helene's house for tea and coffee where we chatted for a while. Helene then took us back to Hosanna Heights where she wanted to make sure Hilary was okay. Helene was very sweet and switched on here "mum mode" and made sure Hil was applying aloe evey so often, using cold cloths over her burns, etc. Helene told us that there is a giant hold in the ozone later above Australia, so the sun is much more direct. While Hilary rested a bit more Ellie and I went to Kmart so she could purchase some random things for a care package. We walked home, had dinner, and I went on a walk to buy a phone card and got Ellie some Australian candy bars for the package. I got back and typed all this up (eventhough I have to re-type it in on my blog packe because copy/paste doesn't work).
Monday
Today Yvonne (the head of LCC) picked us up at Hosanna Heights and was planning on dropping us off at Blair Athold, but got lost along the way so we ended up at the Sefton Park LCC site. We had a meeting with Yvonne (who will be taking over our schedules for the upcoming month), Sharon, Hil, El, and me. We went through and examined our schedules and what we had going on until the End of March. It was good to get things set up and figure out what we will be doing individually.
After our meeting were dropped of at Blair Athol where I met with Joe who is in charge of the Friday night youth events there. He is having a meeting on Tuesday with Cathy who is in charge of the Refugee services, and a few other people to figure out a way to restructure the Friday night programs. Joe is from some where in Africa, and I noticed a big differences in the ways our cultures communicate. For instance, I was under the impression that we were going to be chatting breifly and our conversation lasted about 1.5 hours. I also spoke quickly and often had to repeat myself because even when I tried to slow down it was still difficult to understand. On the other hand, Joe thought, said a little, thought some more, finished what he was saying, then thought in silence. At first I honestly just wanted to get the converstion over with, but then I slowed down and tried to appreciate the differences in our cultures. After we discussed what we were planning on discussing he wanted to chat more and more, which was okay, but I felt like I was supposed to go because I was expected to be working in the op shop. I took the opportunity to get to know him better and realized as an American how I value some things that really don't matter all that much in the grand scheme of things.
I then returned to the op shop where we sorted heaps of clothes, and we also made a few purchases... haha, the things I've bought for myself are all from and op shop (thrift store) minus the hat I got on clearance the other weekend in the city.
After helping at the op shop we helped Jill, who does reception and emergency relief data entry at Blair Athol, and I met with Cathy about me working with refugee programs. Little did I know that the Afghani support group I am attending is actually put on by the people at Blair Athol. So, I was already involved in the programs. She referred me to someone who is trying to get a tender (grant) to put on a conference in the African community so that people from the ethnic enclave can learn about opportunties and ways of becoming leaders within their own communities. I think this is a wonderful idea because people who are not from the enclaves may not be able to properly identify the needs of the people in the community. I might be assisting him on writing a grant, another intmidiating, but wonderful opportunity.
I was bummed out because I was planning on going to the Spanish speaking support group tonight, but I found out that the bus system does a terrible job of reaching Ingle Farm. If I go it will take 2 hours for me to get home, so I would be up at 7am, working at 8:30am until 9 pm, and will not get home until 11:00 pm. I have a feeling that I would get burnt out very quickly, so I have to figure out if there is any other form of transportation for me to get home. Hopefully I can chat with Estella on Thursday to see if she has any ideas.
Instead of going to Ingle Farm Hilary, Ellie, and I had dinner and went to Helene's house to watch the Australian movie, Castle. I'm not going to lie, it may be close to the worst movie I've seen. Don't get me wrong, I like the opporunity of getting more of a cultural experience, but I will proabably never see it again. Helene and her family agree on the qualitity of the movie... it was an experience.
So, here goes...
p.s. I wasn't able to edit/spell check, so there may be quite a few errors.
Thursday
Today Karen picked the three of us up froim Hosanna Heights and took us to Ingle Farm, where she works. Hilary and Ellie decided to go to a "move and groove" class where parents brought their children and they all sang and did actions to songs like the wheels on the bus. They mentioned that there were 58 people in the room... that is a lot of kids!
While they were in their class I sat in on an Afghanistan women's support group. The group of women decided that they wanted to learn about mental illness and how to identify it and what to do when they find it within their Afghani community. Once Ingle Farm heard this request they found a speaker from a local agency to come and talk aobut these things with the group. There was an interpreter because there is a language barrier between the speakers who typically speak English and the Afghani language. However, Karen told me that the women actually know more English than what they lead on the know, but they lack the confidence to speak English with people who are fluent with the language- understandable.
It was very intersting to watch the way the women interacted with each other. All of the women wore head coverings (I should know the technical word) and clothing that covered most of their skin, some wore jeans and a modest shirt while others wore more traditional Afghani full length dresses (again, I dont' know the name). There were about 15-20 women who arrived for the session and they arrived anywhere between 9:45 and 10:30, although the session technically began at 10. When each woman entered the room she went around to every person there and greeted them with the word "hello" in their native language, and depending on how well they knew the person they either shook hands, hugged, or kissed the cheeks of the person they were greeting.
It appeared as if the speaker was going to come several weeks to discuss the topic at hand, and today was the first session. The speaker had a craft for the women to draw their hands on a sheet of paper and in each finger wrote the name of someone they care for. After a few minutes the spearker asked if anyone put their own name in the finger, surprisingly one women said yes. Then the speaker instructed the women to write their names in the palm of their hand explaining that they need to take care of themselves first before they can care for others. After discussing this the women decorated the sheet of paper with stickers, markers, crayons, foam stickies, etc. It was really interesting to watch the excitement the women had when they were decorating this paper for themselves. I feel like most women in America wouldn't spend a whole lot of time on a project like this, who knows, maybe I'm wrong. The speaker then finished the session discussing stigma, steretoypes, etc. and one Afghani women shared a story about a friend who suffered from depression after leaving Afghanistan to come to Australia. I was told about how open this popuation is, I wasn't expecting it completely, but it was refreshing to see people being real. I also noticed that the women left and entered the room as they pleased throughout the session to use the toilet, check on their chidren in the mobile creche (daycare), to anser phone calls, anything really. The other Afghani women didn't seem bothered by this commotion, but the speaker seemed to get disgracted quite a bit. I think it is a cultural thing.
In the room there were the Afghani women, the speaker, a translator, two uni (university) students, me, and a women named Estella who is from another organization like LCC. Estella asked me what I was studying and when I mentioned Spanish within my lengthy major list she immediately started speaking to me in Spanish. At fist I had a little difficulty understanding her because I'm not accustomed to her accent from Chile. However, very quickly I realized how much I missed the language. She told me I spoke very good Spanish, which was good to hear (although I don't believe it because it has been over a year since I've had a Spanish class or conversed on a regular basis in Spanish). I'm a little frightened for my Spanish composition class next year! Anyways, she told me about a festival in April where a group of Spanish speaking women get together and cook a lot of authentic food specific to their country. Not only did Estella invite me to the festival, buts he also invited me to come in and observe the Spanish speaking support group on Monday nights. So, as for right now I'll be going to Ingle Farom on Mondays from 6-9 pm where people will be speaking soley Spanish. This will be a great experience,but I'm a little nervous because I sometimes have a difficult time understanding different accents. Also, I'm not very confident in my Spanish right now and I will be going by myself. Oh well, it will be an adventure.
After the support group Hil, El, and I re-united for lunch. There must have been some sort of misunderstanding because we were instructed to help out at a mommy and me session, but the mothers decided that they didn't need any assistance. So, for the remainder of the afternoon some of us blogged, did a little office work, suduko, and just hung out. When we come back I'm sure some things will get straightened out and we will have a more solid schedule.
Diane who works at Ingle Farm took us home and we spent some time doing our own things. I went on a walk and mailed a letter, and when I got back we got ready to go out. We scarfed dinner (Egg drop-corn soup... it isn't as bad/weird as it sounds... in fact, it may have been one of my favorite things they've served at Hosanna Heights) and caught the bus. Helene's son, Simon, ment us a the bus stop and we went to a 40s swing band concert of one of Simon's friends. It was located in a bar in one of the casinos in Adelaide... I've never actually been to a casino, all the people who were gambling were older and looked sad, guess it wasn't a lucky night.
Anyways, the concert was really entertaining. The band was called Lucky 7, even though there were 8 people in the band :). They played really good music, an all the the pople there were really good swing dancers. It was interesting because it seemed like everybody was comforable dancing with everybody else... there were 70 year olds dancing with 20 year olds, and it didn't seem weird to anybody. I think they assumed that if you were there enjoying the music you also knew how to swing because this older gentleman asked me to dance, and even though I didn't want to, I told him I wasn't very good, he convinced me to join him, and I think he regretted it... really. haha. I know how to West coast swing dance where there are a lot of turns, twists, picking up your partner, etc. and everybody there was East coast dancing which concentrates on footwork. I didn't know any of the footwork and when he tried to teach me I just started to laugh, I'm sure it was annoying to him. When I observed everybody else dacning I'm pretty sure I was the only one who was asked to dance who didn't know how to. haha. oops.
Friday
Today we walked to Magill to find our that Helen and Helene had planned a rather intersteing day for us. They were both very busy working on a tender (grant) and wanted us to experience more of Australia and Adelaide's history. Our first destination was to visit the Magill Interpretive Trail. It is a small trail that explains some of this history of Adelaide and various other facts about the surrounding area. The trail iteself is outdoors and was built by members of the community. It was a nice little excursion on our way to the local art gallergy. We arrived before it opened so we stopped by the bakery and bought goodies, I bought some scones and hot cross buns to bring back to with the people at LCC Magill. We then toured the gallergy, it was the last day that one of the aritist's work was going to be on display/for sale, so soon we'll have to check out the next batch of work.
We then walked back to the Magill site where we had lunch, checked our emails, then took a bus into the city. We went to the Migration Museum located in Adelaide. I am not usually a museum person, but I really enjoyed learning about the history of Australia. However, we were only there about 1.5 hours because we were quite tired from the concert the night before and we felt like our brains were not able to take in all the information. We want to go again a few times to broaden what we know about Australia, and the buseum was free, so why not?! :)
We then went ot the state library... it was really funny because we went to the info desk to see about getting library cards and were told that they don't check out books at this libraray. What type of library doesn't let people check out books?! haha. We were directed to a sepate library in the basement of the same building where we could check out books, but we were unable to get cards because we don't have proof of where we're staying. Afer this discovery we went to the Mortlock Library. This was a wing off the state library, but was more like a museum exhibit that displayed a lot of cultural aspects of Australia. The second and third floors had walls of bookshelves that were packed with older looking books... and guess what, you can't check out these books either. I think this is silly... the books are just sitting there, not getting any use!
After gaining a wealth of information Hilary and Ellie caught a bus back to Hosanna Heights and did their own thing while I cauht a bus to the LCC Blair Ethol site. I did the same thing I did last week when I hung out with the at-risk youth at the afterschool program. It was a really tough week because the girls wanted to dance and there were some guys there who don't typically come who were obviously intoxicated, and it was clear that they were up to no good. When this happens they have to cancel the events because if they continue with the plans something will go down. I just hung out with the girls, but I left a little early because Matt (the guy form the 40s swing band) and Hilary made plans for us to hang out with some of his friends in the city.
I caught the bus into the city and got some take away (to go) sushi from a place called the Sushi Train, it wasn't bad. I then caught the next bus to Hosanna Heights.
It turns out that Matt's friend weren't able to make it, but the three of us hung out at a couple of places where there were tables to sit and chat, a bar, a DJ, and an outdoor patio. A few of Matt's uni friends happened to be there, so I got to meet a couple of girls, they were really nice. We decided after a bit to head to the Fringe. The Fringe is a festival that is in the city that lasts 2.5 weeks. There is a lot of food, tents to buy random things, some carnival rides, and a few tents that offered "freak shows." Matt got some nachos, the first Mexican food we've seen... there isn't much of it around here. Then we headed back to Hosanna Heights.
Saturday
I slept in today, and it was much needed! When I moseyed down for brekky (breakfast) I decided it was a beautiful day and that I wanted to go to the beach. I checked with Hil and she was game for the adventure, but El had to stay behind to chat with her boyfriend because they made plans to skype at 3pm. It took a while to get there because the busses aren't regular on the weekends, but we finally found our way to Grange Beach. We went shell hunding, read a little, got a bit wet, fed/ got attacked by the seagulls, and tanned. It was a peaceful day... it felt great to get away from everything and just bask in the sun, I want to go again soon! When we left we got a hold of Ellie and she met us in the city where we ate dinner at Cafe Primo. It was really good, and you get a free pancake with every entree you purchase, so we all had a pancake after dinner. It wasn't what you think of when you think of pancakles... it was cooked in a pizza oven and almost an inch thick. Each pancake was served with a side of syrup and a side of heavy whipping cream. It was actually really good... and it was wonderful because it was free! :) The three of us headed back to Hosanna Heights after dinner and just hung out until we crashed for the night.
Sunday
Helen picked us up this morning ot go to Glynde church with her and her family. Unfortunately, Hilary got burned really badly yesterday at the beach and needed some time to rest and recover from her burns so she stayed back from church. After the service Ellie and I joined in on the youth group meeting. The church is starting up a youth group and met to do some planning, and get some of our experiences and input. After the meeting we went to Helene's house for tea and coffee where we chatted for a while. Helene then took us back to Hosanna Heights where she wanted to make sure Hilary was okay. Helene was very sweet and switched on here "mum mode" and made sure Hil was applying aloe evey so often, using cold cloths over her burns, etc. Helene told us that there is a giant hold in the ozone later above Australia, so the sun is much more direct. While Hilary rested a bit more Ellie and I went to Kmart so she could purchase some random things for a care package. We walked home, had dinner, and I went on a walk to buy a phone card and got Ellie some Australian candy bars for the package. I got back and typed all this up (eventhough I have to re-type it in on my blog packe because copy/paste doesn't work).
Monday
Today Yvonne (the head of LCC) picked us up at Hosanna Heights and was planning on dropping us off at Blair Athold, but got lost along the way so we ended up at the Sefton Park LCC site. We had a meeting with Yvonne (who will be taking over our schedules for the upcoming month), Sharon, Hil, El, and me. We went through and examined our schedules and what we had going on until the End of March. It was good to get things set up and figure out what we will be doing individually.
After our meeting were dropped of at Blair Athol where I met with Joe who is in charge of the Friday night youth events there. He is having a meeting on Tuesday with Cathy who is in charge of the Refugee services, and a few other people to figure out a way to restructure the Friday night programs. Joe is from some where in Africa, and I noticed a big differences in the ways our cultures communicate. For instance, I was under the impression that we were going to be chatting breifly and our conversation lasted about 1.5 hours. I also spoke quickly and often had to repeat myself because even when I tried to slow down it was still difficult to understand. On the other hand, Joe thought, said a little, thought some more, finished what he was saying, then thought in silence. At first I honestly just wanted to get the converstion over with, but then I slowed down and tried to appreciate the differences in our cultures. After we discussed what we were planning on discussing he wanted to chat more and more, which was okay, but I felt like I was supposed to go because I was expected to be working in the op shop. I took the opportunity to get to know him better and realized as an American how I value some things that really don't matter all that much in the grand scheme of things.
I then returned to the op shop where we sorted heaps of clothes, and we also made a few purchases... haha, the things I've bought for myself are all from and op shop (thrift store) minus the hat I got on clearance the other weekend in the city.
After helping at the op shop we helped Jill, who does reception and emergency relief data entry at Blair Athol, and I met with Cathy about me working with refugee programs. Little did I know that the Afghani support group I am attending is actually put on by the people at Blair Athol. So, I was already involved in the programs. She referred me to someone who is trying to get a tender (grant) to put on a conference in the African community so that people from the ethnic enclave can learn about opportunties and ways of becoming leaders within their own communities. I think this is a wonderful idea because people who are not from the enclaves may not be able to properly identify the needs of the people in the community. I might be assisting him on writing a grant, another intmidiating, but wonderful opportunity.
I was bummed out because I was planning on going to the Spanish speaking support group tonight, but I found out that the bus system does a terrible job of reaching Ingle Farm. If I go it will take 2 hours for me to get home, so I would be up at 7am, working at 8:30am until 9 pm, and will not get home until 11:00 pm. I have a feeling that I would get burnt out very quickly, so I have to figure out if there is any other form of transportation for me to get home. Hopefully I can chat with Estella on Thursday to see if she has any ideas.
Instead of going to Ingle Farm Hilary, Ellie, and I had dinner and went to Helene's house to watch the Australian movie, Castle. I'm not going to lie, it may be close to the worst movie I've seen. Don't get me wrong, I like the opporunity of getting more of a cultural experience, but I will proabably never see it again. Helene and her family agree on the qualitity of the movie... it was an experience.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Power outages and new friends.
Tuesday
Today Hilary went to a church where people living in a domestic violence shelter came for self defense lessons. She said she had a blast, we are rotating every week so I'm looking forward to the experience in a couple of weeks. Ellie and I walked to Magill and after getting situated we met with Helen to talk more specifically what we wanted to learn from our experience in Australia. Hilary is focusing on the foster care system and is also interested in shadowing a very interesting woman my the name of Polly. Ellie is interested in emergency relief and may be spending some time in Barossa learning about how they provide emergency relief for the population there. I am excited for the opportunity to work with the after school program on Friday nights that I mentioned in a previous blog, but will also be working with a refugee program. I will be able to shadow a caseworker to do home visits to under-resourced and typically refugee families. After a bit of shadowing I will be able to do the home visits by myself which is a bit intimidating, but I am very much looking forward to it- what a great opportunity!
Ellie and I worked on finishing and printing the labels Hilary was working on earlier this week, unfortunately the technology at Magill was a bit behind and we were unable to get all the labels to print. So, Ellie went through and hand-wrote quite a few of the addresses on labels while I did some more wedding website research for Helen.
When Hilary returned later in the afternoon we had another meeting with Helen that explained the power hierarchy at LCC. After meeting quite a few people it was nice to see how it all fit together, we also discussed more about our particular roles and how to get a more personalized experience. I enjoy seeing and working with Ellie and Hilary, but I think we are all looking forward to spending time apart working on our own things.
The three of us then stuffed the envelopes that were labeled earlier today and got them ready to be sent off, it is interesting to see the amount of paper/office work that is required in this field.
Wednesday
Today Hilary went to a church where people living in a domestic violence shelter came for self defense lessons. She said she had a blast, we are rotating every week so I'm looking forward to the experience in a couple of weeks. Ellie and I walked to Magill and after getting situated we met with Helen to talk more specifically what we wanted to learn from our experience in Australia. Hilary is focusing on the foster care system and is also interested in shadowing a very interesting woman my the name of Polly. Ellie is interested in emergency relief and may be spending some time in Barossa learning about how they provide emergency relief for the population there. I am excited for the opportunity to work with the after school program on Friday nights that I mentioned in a previous blog, but will also be working with a refugee program. I will be able to shadow a caseworker to do home visits to under-resourced and typically refugee families. After a bit of shadowing I will be able to do the home visits by myself which is a bit intimidating, but I am very much looking forward to it- what a great opportunity!
Ellie and I worked on finishing and printing the labels Hilary was working on earlier this week, unfortunately the technology at Magill was a bit behind and we were unable to get all the labels to print. So, Ellie went through and hand-wrote quite a few of the addresses on labels while I did some more wedding website research for Helen.
When Hilary returned later in the afternoon we had another meeting with Helen that explained the power hierarchy at LCC. After meeting quite a few people it was nice to see how it all fit together, we also discussed more about our particular roles and how to get a more personalized experience. I enjoy seeing and working with Ellie and Hilary, but I think we are all looking forward to spending time apart working on our own things.
The three of us then stuffed the envelopes that were labeled earlier today and got them ready to be sent off, it is interesting to see the amount of paper/office work that is required in this field.
We then headed off to Hosanna Heights where we rested until dinner. It is quite funny, we explained to the people at Hosanna Heights that we prefer vegetarian meals and for dinner that night we were given two large t-bone steaks (one had chips, or fries), salad, and a Canadian bacon pizza. It was "American" food, but not very vegetarian. :) No worries, we aren't complaining about the meal... it was familiar food.
After dinner the electricity went out. I decided to go on a log run where I fell and skinned both of my knees, I feel a bit lame. Hilary and Ellie waited a bit then called Helene to see if they could go to her house to watch Madagascar 2, a movie Ellie's boyfriend sent her. They were picked up and ended up watching the movie twice! :) When I got back I wanted to get some reading done and the only lights that were working (sort of) were the emergency lights. I sat down under an emergency light in the hallway and began to read until it shortly went out, so much for emergency lights :). I went to the stairwell where there was one light still working, I plopped down and began to read until the electricity came back on around 10:30 pm.
Wednesday
Today Hilary was picked up at Hosanna Heights by Andrea (the woman she is working with about foster care) and they went to an extremely long meeting (5ish hours- I think). Ellie was picked up by Karen to go to Ingle Farm where she ended up helping out with a mobile creche (daycare) for parents who came for various classes and groups. Ellie also met a bunch of the staff members here and got more information about different opportunities for us while we're here. I walked to Glynde Church where I helped out at a play group. I really enjoy the mums (moms), they are so welcoming and are all very nice. Today we played outside in mini plastic pools filled with about an inch of water. The children range from 10 months- 4 years old. We washed the dolls, they made boats that they floated in the water, and got wet! After the pool activity even the spare inch of water at the bottom of the pool was not wasted, they used it to water the gardens.
After playgroup I met with the the pastor of Glynde Church, John, and the secretary to talk about our experiences with prison ministry and how the homeless population and under-resourced people receive assistance. It was interesting to talk about how the church is involved in this type of ministry in both countries. There are many similarities, and many differences. I really enjoyed the conversation... he mentioned something about me talking at some forum about my experiences. I'm honored, but I'm not much of a public speaker. If this happens I will need some time to prepare.
I got back to the office and did more research on the websites where Helen can advertise her "Dreams and Drama" workshop. After a bit Ellie and Hilary returned from their various activities then shortly afterwards we returned to Hosanna Heights. I decided that I was going to go on a walk to the Newton shopping center where there is an organic coffee shop, I brought a book and intended on staying for a bit. However, on my way out of Hosanna Heights three students asked me where I was going they said to wait for them because they were heading in the same direction. The girl's name is Felly (short for Felivira) and one of the guy's name was Allan (I don't remember the other guys name). The three of them are from Malaysia and study at Hosanna Heights, but moved out a while ago because they were not satisfied with what they were paying and the food/living conditions they were living in.
They lived very close to the Newton shopping center and invited me to their house because they were heading to Newton as well. I met some of their housemates then Felly and I continued on our walk to Newton, somehow or another she was invited to join me for coffee. By the time we got there the coffee shops had just closed so I picked up some take away (to go) sushi that I kept in my purse until later, and we headed to a Chinese restaurant where Felly knew the owner. At the Chinese restaurant we had coffee, and she really opened up about herself. It was really nice to be in conversation with someone who was being real and sharing her life with me. Felly turns 25 in a week and invited me to her birthday party, and to come and hang out at her house any time. She is very sweet, and we share the hobby of body piercings :).
I had to rush off because I was going to be late to a small group that I attended for the first time today. I walked and rode the bus part of the way to Simon and Jeremy's house (Helene Schulz's family) where the three of us went to a small group. I enjoyed my time there, the people were all very interesting.
I returned from the small group and Ellie and I chatted for a while, I ended up getting to bed around 2 am- ouch, 7:30am on Thursday came quickly.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Sunday
Today we went to St. Stephen's Lutheran Church, where Helen and her husband Peter are members. The music was good, but very different... the man who led worship takes hymns and puts them to different melodies to make them more contemporary. During the English church service there is also a Chinese service going on in the hall next door, and after the services the two groups of people join together for a lunch. It nice to meet more people, there were even some Asian students who live at Hosanna Heights that we ran into. After the meal we went to coffee with two church members at a place called Amore. I ordered a macchiato, which is very different than the types of macchiato I have received in the states. It was in a glass about an inch tall... and very strong, it almost reminded me of a espresso shot. On Sundays they block off a road in the city for people to put up stands and sell their goods, so the three of us went and looked around while Helen and Peter bought clothes for their daughters wedding in two weeks. I bought a new hat- surprised? :) We returned to Helen's house and finished our laundry, went on a walk, had dinner, then she took us back to Hosanna Heights. It was a nice weekend away.
Monday
Today we walked to Magill then were transported to the op shop (thrift store) at the Blair Athol location. We had heeps and heeps (lots) of donations to sift through because people are feeling the need to donate after an even like the bush fires in Victoria. So, we spend all day on our feet going through clothes and deciding if they were good enough to send to various op shops or missions, or if they were not good enough to pass down to people. It is interesting to see some of the things people give away, some are very nice and others I wonder why people thought somebody else would want them. There are quite a bit of things donated that are stained in blood or other things that cannot be removed.
After being at the op shop for about six hours we took a bus into the city. We ended up at a reasonably priced European clothing store where we all three made purchases. We then toured more along Rundel Mall, went into The Reject Shop (dollar store), and had our dinners that we packed before we went to The Underground. We arrived there early (where the Wednesday night church service was held) so Hilary and Ellie sat and read some books while I continued to walk around in the city, although nothing was open because everything closes at five besides grocery stores and only a few restaurants. Shortly after I returned from my walk the pastor arrived at the church and we set up for packing backpacks for O week.
O week is a weekend where all the people who graduate from college (high school in the states) to to various places, usually beaches, to celebrate their graduation. Unfortunately, almost all students there go crazy and get drunk because the legal drinking age is 18 here. The backpacks contained tea, hot coco mixes, snacks, free bowling passes, maps of Adelaide, etc., so students can have alternative things to do besides getting hammered at this event. After packing bags we caught a bus back to Hosanna Heights where yet again, my Internet wasn't working. So, I read a book and listened to music until I feel asleep.
I wish I had more time to write more than the basics, but I ought to be heading back to work.
Today we went to St. Stephen's Lutheran Church, where Helen and her husband Peter are members. The music was good, but very different... the man who led worship takes hymns and puts them to different melodies to make them more contemporary. During the English church service there is also a Chinese service going on in the hall next door, and after the services the two groups of people join together for a lunch. It nice to meet more people, there were even some Asian students who live at Hosanna Heights that we ran into. After the meal we went to coffee with two church members at a place called Amore. I ordered a macchiato, which is very different than the types of macchiato I have received in the states. It was in a glass about an inch tall... and very strong, it almost reminded me of a espresso shot. On Sundays they block off a road in the city for people to put up stands and sell their goods, so the three of us went and looked around while Helen and Peter bought clothes for their daughters wedding in two weeks. I bought a new hat- surprised? :) We returned to Helen's house and finished our laundry, went on a walk, had dinner, then she took us back to Hosanna Heights. It was a nice weekend away.
Monday
Today we walked to Magill then were transported to the op shop (thrift store) at the Blair Athol location. We had heeps and heeps (lots) of donations to sift through because people are feeling the need to donate after an even like the bush fires in Victoria. So, we spend all day on our feet going through clothes and deciding if they were good enough to send to various op shops or missions, or if they were not good enough to pass down to people. It is interesting to see some of the things people give away, some are very nice and others I wonder why people thought somebody else would want them. There are quite a bit of things donated that are stained in blood or other things that cannot be removed.
After being at the op shop for about six hours we took a bus into the city. We ended up at a reasonably priced European clothing store where we all three made purchases. We then toured more along Rundel Mall, went into The Reject Shop (dollar store), and had our dinners that we packed before we went to The Underground. We arrived there early (where the Wednesday night church service was held) so Hilary and Ellie sat and read some books while I continued to walk around in the city, although nothing was open because everything closes at five besides grocery stores and only a few restaurants. Shortly after I returned from my walk the pastor arrived at the church and we set up for packing backpacks for O week.
O week is a weekend where all the people who graduate from college (high school in the states) to to various places, usually beaches, to celebrate their graduation. Unfortunately, almost all students there go crazy and get drunk because the legal drinking age is 18 here. The backpacks contained tea, hot coco mixes, snacks, free bowling passes, maps of Adelaide, etc., so students can have alternative things to do besides getting hammered at this event. After packing bags we caught a bus back to Hosanna Heights where yet again, my Internet wasn't working. So, I read a book and listened to music until I feel asleep.
I wish I had more time to write more than the basics, but I ought to be heading back to work.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
The future population I want to be working with was confirmed...
Friday
I stayed the night again last night at Helen's (second day in a row) because it would have been a while out of her way to take me home, plus we didn't get to her house until 10:30, so it just made things easier. We got up and she dropped me off at Hosanna Heights so I could get ready for work... this was Hilary and Ellie's second late day that they were allowed to come into work. I was a little envious after my 6:30 am morning.
In the morning/early afternoon we did some office work- I was suppose to browse wedding/pre-marriage websites for Helen which was nice because I was able to see if there was anything I was forgetting :). Helen runs a lot of pre-marriage and relationship counseling and was wanting to know where some good places would be to advertise a new workshop called "Dreams and Dramas." To my understanding this workshop is for brides-to-be to get together and discuss the good things, and struggles with being in this stage of life, and to get some tips from others. Once I found websites I ranked them and indicate if they would be good places to put ads.
Later on in the afternoon we got our first visit to the Ingle Farm LCC site. This is a place where disadvantaged and under-resourced individuals come to seek help. They offer a lot of workshops and support groups for a variety of populations, one being depressed mothers. Some of the things we could do when we work there are doing creche (pronounced crash)(day care), organizing workshops for women, and doing house visits. The women get together and make a list of the types of things they want to learn, and we would call around to various agencies to see if someone would be interested in coming and talking to the women while we'll be doing creche. I would really like to do the house visits.
After the Ingle Farm visit we went to Blair Athol for an after school Friday afternoon program for youth. I really, really enjoyed it! At first it was a little awkward because for a while we were the only girls, and the boys were all refugees from Africa and didn't really act too keen to meet us. However, once the girls arrived it was much better. This girl named Emilia who was from Egypt was very nice and welcomed us freely. After a little more time together the other girls were more open to the thought of three Americans (one only white people there, minus the Australian DJ who was already known by the group) hanging out with them... they liked our accents. :)
The program was geared towards hip-hop, so the girls danced and the boys rapped. At first it was uncomfortable because I can't hip-hop dance/move my hips... not even for a white girl. :) Emilia was also uncomfortable because the girls basically danced right in front of the boys while they sat there and watched and chatted. There was some DJ equipment from a local DJ that comes in and provides music for the youth. These youth are tough... I mean, really tough.
I absolutely loved this experience, minus the few awkward moments, and this affirms my heart for at-risk youth, particularly in impoverished communities. As Ellie put it somewhere along these lines "you were really comfortable, and you flourished in this environment."- what a nice thing to say. Hilary said she wasn't comfortable in the program and Ellie said that it wasn't her cup of tea. I want to go back on a regular basis, and I hope I can still go if Hilary and Ellie choose not to. When we were leaving a few girls gave me hugs, and Emilia was hanging on me, not wanting me to leave and asking if I was going to come back. I told her yes, and I will keep that promise... I want to be involved in this community. My
heart hurts for this population, young women in particular.
We had to leave early because Helen was our ride and she was having company over for dinner, she dropped us off in the city where we had dinner, did a little looking around, and made it back to Hosanna Heights. We were all extremely tired after a long week of work, I crashed around 11... which is very early for me.
Saturday
Yay for sleeping in! - sort of. I put ear plugs in and wore an eye mask to avoid being kept up by my loud neighbors. I woke up at 7:30, said "forget that"and stayed in bed until 9:45ish. I hung around, read, facebook stalked until 11 when I went on a run to the shopping center that has kmart, coles (grocery) and the bank. I bought a few random things at coles, got some money back at the bank, and stopped at organic fruit and vegetable shop on my way back to Hosanna Heights. I didn't buy much because I had a 2 mile trek back and it was the time of day when the sun was the brightest.
When I returned it was just in time for lunch... it was the best dish with meat that I've had there so far... but just because it was the best doesn't mean it was something I'd prefer (2 small pieces was enough for me). There was also this interesting soup that has been served on Saturday afternoons... it is rice in water with pieces of chicken in it. To flavor the soup you can add onion, cilantro, and something that looks like cereal...it is... interesting.
After lunch I was lucky that I could Skype with Stephen. :) My internet sometimes lets me skype and sometimes not, so this was a pleasant surprise. The three of us walked to a closer shopping center and shared a Turkish delight and honeycomb dipped in chocolate (pictures to follow) from an organic store/cafe. We then looked around at the grocery stores there.
When we got back to Hosanna Heights I decided it was about time to shower, after all, I wouldn't want to be stinky on Valentines day :). Helen picked us up and took us to her house to do our laundry (the laundry room at Hosanna Heights is filthy... there are dead flies all over, including in the washing machines and dryers), have dinner, and watch Murial's Wedding. It is a famous Australia film, I enjoyed it... it wasn't all that predictable. We are staying the night at Helen's because we are going to her church in the morning and it would be easier if we were here to leave with them... plus, our laundry is still on the line out back to dry. :)
Happy Valentines Day.
I stayed the night again last night at Helen's (second day in a row) because it would have been a while out of her way to take me home, plus we didn't get to her house until 10:30, so it just made things easier. We got up and she dropped me off at Hosanna Heights so I could get ready for work... this was Hilary and Ellie's second late day that they were allowed to come into work. I was a little envious after my 6:30 am morning.
In the morning/early afternoon we did some office work- I was suppose to browse wedding/pre-marriage websites for Helen which was nice because I was able to see if there was anything I was forgetting :). Helen runs a lot of pre-marriage and relationship counseling and was wanting to know where some good places would be to advertise a new workshop called "Dreams and Dramas." To my understanding this workshop is for brides-to-be to get together and discuss the good things, and struggles with being in this stage of life, and to get some tips from others. Once I found websites I ranked them and indicate if they would be good places to put ads.
Later on in the afternoon we got our first visit to the Ingle Farm LCC site. This is a place where disadvantaged and under-resourced individuals come to seek help. They offer a lot of workshops and support groups for a variety of populations, one being depressed mothers. Some of the things we could do when we work there are doing creche (pronounced crash)(day care), organizing workshops for women, and doing house visits. The women get together and make a list of the types of things they want to learn, and we would call around to various agencies to see if someone would be interested in coming and talking to the women while we'll be doing creche. I would really like to do the house visits.
After the Ingle Farm visit we went to Blair Athol for an after school Friday afternoon program for youth. I really, really enjoyed it! At first it was a little awkward because for a while we were the only girls, and the boys were all refugees from Africa and didn't really act too keen to meet us. However, once the girls arrived it was much better. This girl named Emilia who was from Egypt was very nice and welcomed us freely. After a little more time together the other girls were more open to the thought of three Americans (one only white people there, minus the Australian DJ who was already known by the group) hanging out with them... they liked our accents. :)
The program was geared towards hip-hop, so the girls danced and the boys rapped. At first it was uncomfortable because I can't hip-hop dance/move my hips... not even for a white girl. :) Emilia was also uncomfortable because the girls basically danced right in front of the boys while they sat there and watched and chatted. There was some DJ equipment from a local DJ that comes in and provides music for the youth. These youth are tough... I mean, really tough.
I absolutely loved this experience, minus the few awkward moments, and this affirms my heart for at-risk youth, particularly in impoverished communities. As Ellie put it somewhere along these lines "you were really comfortable, and you flourished in this environment."- what a nice thing to say. Hilary said she wasn't comfortable in the program and Ellie said that it wasn't her cup of tea. I want to go back on a regular basis, and I hope I can still go if Hilary and Ellie choose not to. When we were leaving a few girls gave me hugs, and Emilia was hanging on me, not wanting me to leave and asking if I was going to come back. I told her yes, and I will keep that promise... I want to be involved in this community. My
heart hurts for this population, young women in particular.
We had to leave early because Helen was our ride and she was having company over for dinner, she dropped us off in the city where we had dinner, did a little looking around, and made it back to Hosanna Heights. We were all extremely tired after a long week of work, I crashed around 11... which is very early for me.
Saturday
Yay for sleeping in! - sort of. I put ear plugs in and wore an eye mask to avoid being kept up by my loud neighbors. I woke up at 7:30, said "forget that"and stayed in bed until 9:45ish. I hung around, read, facebook stalked until 11 when I went on a run to the shopping center that has kmart, coles (grocery) and the bank. I bought a few random things at coles, got some money back at the bank, and stopped at organic fruit and vegetable shop on my way back to Hosanna Heights. I didn't buy much because I had a 2 mile trek back and it was the time of day when the sun was the brightest.
When I returned it was just in time for lunch... it was the best dish with meat that I've had there so far... but just because it was the best doesn't mean it was something I'd prefer (2 small pieces was enough for me). There was also this interesting soup that has been served on Saturday afternoons... it is rice in water with pieces of chicken in it. To flavor the soup you can add onion, cilantro, and something that looks like cereal...it is... interesting.
After lunch I was lucky that I could Skype with Stephen. :) My internet sometimes lets me skype and sometimes not, so this was a pleasant surprise. The three of us walked to a closer shopping center and shared a Turkish delight and honeycomb dipped in chocolate (pictures to follow) from an organic store/cafe. We then looked around at the grocery stores there.
When we got back to Hosanna Heights I decided it was about time to shower, after all, I wouldn't want to be stinky on Valentines day :). Helen picked us up and took us to her house to do our laundry (the laundry room at Hosanna Heights is filthy... there are dead flies all over, including in the washing machines and dryers), have dinner, and watch Murial's Wedding. It is a famous Australia film, I enjoyed it... it wasn't all that predictable. We are staying the night at Helen's because we are going to her church in the morning and it would be easier if we were here to leave with them... plus, our laundry is still on the line out back to dry. :)
Happy Valentines Day.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
13.5 hour workday
The Torrance River that is in Adelaide was accidentally drained last night... which is bad because they are going to have a lot of festivals this next month, and no water in the River Torrance. The water was dammed to prevent it from going into the sea but there was a wheel malfunction, and now the river than ran through the city is dry.
I stayed the night at Helen's house last night because the two of us were going on a long trip with Peter (one of the family counselors) and it would be an hours drive out of the way for Helen if I stayed at Hosanna Heights. The trip was a lot of fun. We picked Peter up at Mount Barker and stopped in Swan Peach to meet Malcom, a new pastor of a Lutheran Church. We had coffee with him, then kept driving through what is known as the hills. The scenery is beautiful- it goes from tall, thick trees to vineyards, to rocky (literally, almost all rocks in the land), to dry grassland with the road lined with trees. We took a car ferry over the Murry River, my first car ferry ever.
The Murry River is Adelaide's (and many other southern Australian cities) only water source. There have been many scares because if the Murry River is contaminated or no longer flows (which many rivers no longer flow in the area... and the Murry River is significantly lower than it used to be. In some areas entire docks were standing in what used to be water, and now they are just dry poles) there will be no more water source for the city. If this happens, there will be major problems for Australia. -scary.
We dropped Peter off in Waikerie for a few counseling appointments where Helen and I met with an Elder named Tim. After another coffee we went to Berri where we stopped by the women's meeting at the Lutheran Church. We introduced ourselves, and learned more about the way that church does emergency relief. The pastor there (also named Tim) took us to a Vine Church where the congregation opened a cafe for the community to come in and have reasonably priced meal/coffee. The cafe first started off as a place for single mothers to come and have a cup of coffee and have their children being watched in the playground at the church- most of these moms have never had a "coffee with other women" experience before. This was awesome to see because one day I'd like to open my own coffee shop that ministers to the homeless population and at-risk youth.
After the cafe we returned to the church where we had tea and met up with the women again. They were so old and sweet! They were talking about how hard it was to keep their lawns looking decent in the water shortage, I can't imagine how hard that would be, especially for some of these women well into their 80s.
We then stopped by Relationships Australia in Berri. This organization does a lot of the same things LCC does, but it is a secular organization. It was really need to see the two organizations working together and understanding that they cannot meet the needs of everyone by themselves. We then drove back to Waikerie to pick up Peter and go home. The funny thing is that the ferry broke down and we had to drive a bit out of the way to get to the next car ferry. After we finally got across, we went an extremely long way to get home. It took about 2.5 hours drive to get there and at least 4 to get back. We had dinner around 9:30 in Mount Barker, dropped Peter off, and returned to Helen's house. The point of the trip was for Peter to meet with his clients, and Helen (and I) to network and introduce LCC to some new communities. It was a good experience and I'm glad I got to see more of Australia, but I'm a bit tired and 13.5 hours of traveling makes for a long day.
I stayed the night again at Helen's house because we didn't get back until 10:30 and it was an hours drive for Helen if she wanted to drop me off and return home again that night. I'm so glad/surprised that my allergies didn't react to her cat, although the cat was outside most of the time.
I stayed the night at Helen's house last night because the two of us were going on a long trip with Peter (one of the family counselors) and it would be an hours drive out of the way for Helen if I stayed at Hosanna Heights. The trip was a lot of fun. We picked Peter up at Mount Barker and stopped in Swan Peach to meet Malcom, a new pastor of a Lutheran Church. We had coffee with him, then kept driving through what is known as the hills. The scenery is beautiful- it goes from tall, thick trees to vineyards, to rocky (literally, almost all rocks in the land), to dry grassland with the road lined with trees. We took a car ferry over the Murry River, my first car ferry ever.
The Murry River is Adelaide's (and many other southern Australian cities) only water source. There have been many scares because if the Murry River is contaminated or no longer flows (which many rivers no longer flow in the area... and the Murry River is significantly lower than it used to be. In some areas entire docks were standing in what used to be water, and now they are just dry poles) there will be no more water source for the city. If this happens, there will be major problems for Australia. -scary.
We dropped Peter off in Waikerie for a few counseling appointments where Helen and I met with an Elder named Tim. After another coffee we went to Berri where we stopped by the women's meeting at the Lutheran Church. We introduced ourselves, and learned more about the way that church does emergency relief. The pastor there (also named Tim) took us to a Vine Church where the congregation opened a cafe for the community to come in and have reasonably priced meal/coffee. The cafe first started off as a place for single mothers to come and have a cup of coffee and have their children being watched in the playground at the church- most of these moms have never had a "coffee with other women" experience before. This was awesome to see because one day I'd like to open my own coffee shop that ministers to the homeless population and at-risk youth.
After the cafe we returned to the church where we had tea and met up with the women again. They were so old and sweet! They were talking about how hard it was to keep their lawns looking decent in the water shortage, I can't imagine how hard that would be, especially for some of these women well into their 80s.
We then stopped by Relationships Australia in Berri. This organization does a lot of the same things LCC does, but it is a secular organization. It was really need to see the two organizations working together and understanding that they cannot meet the needs of everyone by themselves. We then drove back to Waikerie to pick up Peter and go home. The funny thing is that the ferry broke down and we had to drive a bit out of the way to get to the next car ferry. After we finally got across, we went an extremely long way to get home. It took about 2.5 hours drive to get there and at least 4 to get back. We had dinner around 9:30 in Mount Barker, dropped Peter off, and returned to Helen's house. The point of the trip was for Peter to meet with his clients, and Helen (and I) to network and introduce LCC to some new communities. It was a good experience and I'm glad I got to see more of Australia, but I'm a bit tired and 13.5 hours of traveling makes for a long day.
I stayed the night again at Helen's house because we didn't get back until 10:30 and it was an hours drive for Helen if she wanted to drop me off and return home again that night. I'm so glad/surprised that my allergies didn't react to her cat, although the cat was outside most of the time.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Citysoul, a new type of experience.
This morning I walked to Magill then was taken to the play group at Glynde Church while Hilary and Ellie were both at different places this morning. I really enjoyed working with the kids, and chatting with the parents. After play group I ran into the pastor and he wants to have a chat with me about the different ways America works with rehabilitating felons, and other types of ministry. I'm excited to meet with him to chat and learn more about how Australia is doing all of the same things.
After I returned to Magill I got a lot of blogging done, which feels nice to finally be caught up... kind of. We had lunch, and I continued to blog until some second year seminary students arrived at Magill to learn more about LCC. Yvonne (the head of LCC) and Helen gave the presentation... it was really good! It was funny because the students were complaining about having a Hebrew test the next day, and Helen's husband is the Hebrew instructor at their seminary... so basically they were putting in a plug to have her talk to her husband about cancelling the test. :) ... it didn't work too well.
Later that night we went to Citysoul, an underground church in the city. It is a house church (alternative) that came out of the United Church in Adelaide. The United Church is a combination of the Methodist Church, the Congregational Church (Scottish), and some Presbyterian churches. Today there are no Methodist or Congregational churches, but there are still Presbyterian churches. Citysoul was an interesting worship experience. The church is located on the second story of a club/venue in the city and there were no worship songs... this is how the service went:
-Dinner (everyone brings something to share... it all looked healthy and/or organic)
-Introduce a new person (each Wednesday night they interview a new person by asking the same 5 questions... it was basically a tell me your story type of thing)
-Updates/announcements
-Message (the message was open-ended and was set up to have discussion at the tables we were sitting at, so after the message we all chatted about what we think/believe)
-Communion
-Chat more at the tables
-Eventually everyone ended up at the pub down the street chatting some more.
After the service I stayed the night at Helen's house because the two of us were getting up early to head out to the countryside to network and make more connections.
After I returned to Magill I got a lot of blogging done, which feels nice to finally be caught up... kind of. We had lunch, and I continued to blog until some second year seminary students arrived at Magill to learn more about LCC. Yvonne (the head of LCC) and Helen gave the presentation... it was really good! It was funny because the students were complaining about having a Hebrew test the next day, and Helen's husband is the Hebrew instructor at their seminary... so basically they were putting in a plug to have her talk to her husband about cancelling the test. :) ... it didn't work too well.
Later that night we went to Citysoul, an underground church in the city. It is a house church (alternative) that came out of the United Church in Adelaide. The United Church is a combination of the Methodist Church, the Congregational Church (Scottish), and some Presbyterian churches. Today there are no Methodist or Congregational churches, but there are still Presbyterian churches. Citysoul was an interesting worship experience. The church is located on the second story of a club/venue in the city and there were no worship songs... this is how the service went:
-Dinner (everyone brings something to share... it all looked healthy and/or organic)
-Introduce a new person (each Wednesday night they interview a new person by asking the same 5 questions... it was basically a tell me your story type of thing)
-Updates/announcements
-Message (the message was open-ended and was set up to have discussion at the tables we were sitting at, so after the message we all chatted about what we think/believe)
-Communion
-Chat more at the tables
-Eventually everyone ended up at the pub down the street chatting some more.
After the service I stayed the night at Helen's house because the two of us were getting up early to head out to the countryside to network and make more connections.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Pictures from things mentioned in previous posts...
This is a photo of the three of us... it is going in "The Update." (staff newsletter)
From left: Helen, me, Di, and Emily... these people plus Helene are the people working at the Magill site where we are most of the time. This photo was taken at the barbie (BBQ).
This is passion fruit... it is quite tart, but I enjoy the taste. (At the barbie).
This is another photo of Mount Lofty that is a little clearer... this is where the lights twinkle! 
In this photo we were "moon bathing" at Hinley Beach... oh, are we tourists or what.
Me and Hil at Hinley beach!
This is when we were on our way to Port Elliot/Middleton... parts of the countryside are filled will wineries!
Port Elliot/Middleton... it is kind of hard to tell by this photo, but it was beautiful! ... and foggy in the background?
The Schulz family taught Ellie and I how to boogie board while Hilary was napping on the beach.
This is a small glance at the central market... biggest market in the southern hemisphere.
China town in Adelaide...
Jumping off the Victorian Square fountain!
Tuesday (10th)... a long day.
Today I went by the post office and the store on my way to our Magill site. I've been in search for some regular iced tea... the only kind I've seen here are mango, Orange, lemon-lime, etc. They have a shop in the city that sells American foods like Hershey brand, pop tarts, and dr.pepper (Hilary's weakness :) ), perhaps I'll stop by there to see if there is any tea.
Today from 9-5 we had "Child Safe" training, now we are mandatory reporters of child abuse in Australia. Most of the things we learned were things I've already heard about, but now they are more clarified, and I know how to make a report if necessary- but I sure hope it doesn't happen. The day was very long not only in time, but it was hard to talk about and watch videos about such a tough topic for so many hours.
After training we went to the international cricket game... I personally don't find the game of cricket all that interesting (closest thing I can think of is Baseball in America), but we sat on "the hill," which provided much entertainment. The hill is right below the beer garden, so many people had a few too many drinks... the game goes from about 2:30-9:30- LONG, and people have a lot of team spirit. It was held at the Adelaide Oval in the city, and it was Australia vs New Zealand- Australia won. The people watching the game are very similar to the people in the states... some drink a little too much, the throw things in the air like beach balls (they also have a tradition to dissemble a suffed animal tsheep and throwing it in the air because New Zealand is known for having more sheep than human beings), and they even have the wave (called the Mexican Wave here). We only went for half of the game, which was plenty of time, ant it was a lot of fun!
Today from 9-5 we had "Child Safe" training, now we are mandatory reporters of child abuse in Australia. Most of the things we learned were things I've already heard about, but now they are more clarified, and I know how to make a report if necessary- but I sure hope it doesn't happen. The day was very long not only in time, but it was hard to talk about and watch videos about such a tough topic for so many hours.
After training we went to the international cricket game... I personally don't find the game of cricket all that interesting (closest thing I can think of is Baseball in America), but we sat on "the hill," which provided much entertainment. The hill is right below the beer garden, so many people had a few too many drinks... the game goes from about 2:30-9:30- LONG, and people have a lot of team spirit. It was held at the Adelaide Oval in the city, and it was Australia vs New Zealand- Australia won. The people watching the game are very similar to the people in the states... some drink a little too much, the throw things in the air like beach balls (they also have a tradition to dissemble a suffed animal tsheep and throwing it in the air because New Zealand is known for having more sheep than human beings), and they even have the wave (called the Mexican Wave here). We only went for half of the game, which was plenty of time, ant it was a lot of fun!
Monday, February 9, 2009
Monday (9th)... Op Shop.
Today we walked to Magil and rather quickly were picked up by Sharon who is stationed at another LCC site. Sharon took us to the Blair Athol site where we worked all day at the op shop (thrift store). It was quite an experience! I'm sure news has hit the states, but the Victoria bush fires have caused quite a bit of damage (750ish homes burned) and have killed 180ish people , and a few dozen are still missing... what is sick about all this is that some have been caused by people deliberately starting fires. People have not been able to evacuate because the fires are moving faster than normal, these fires are easily moving 5 kilometers in 5 minutes. Due to all the devastation up there, the op shop at Bliar Athol is putting together emergency relief packages. So, today went through hundreds and hundreds of clothes and sorted them into rubbish (trash), and into each age group.
(The op shop- picture from Ellie's camera)
(The op shop- picture from Ellie's camera)What is really neat about this op shop is that they only put out clothing that is in good condition, so there are no clothes sent out or sold with holes, stains, etc. Therefore, the people in Victoria are getting quality clothing. The clothes that are sorted into the rubbish bin are then cut up into rags. The LCC op shop gains profit by selling rags to certain organizations, it is a neat way of funding the shop. The volunteers we were working with are elderly women in their 80s who are very sweet. Mel has been volunteering with this op shop for over 40 years! Edith and Maralee are a bit younger (but are very interesting and have good stories to share).
(Morialta Conservation Park)
After working at the op shop we returned to Hosanna Heights and then went on a walk through the Morialta Conservation Park that is right across the street where we're staying. We saw 4 Koalas, but they were sleeping because they're nocturnal. :( We made our way up some stairs to Giant's Cave where there was a absolutely BEAUTIFUL view! When we were getting ready to head back we heard this very loud growling sound.... Hilary and Ellie froze, and I of course, being the one who laughs at the wrong time- always, began to laugh and take funny photos. It sounded sort of like a large bull frog, but sort of like something that was going to attack- it was loud! We rushed back to our rooms... the next day we found out that it was the Koala's who make that noise! haha... Hilary thought it was a dingo or something! It was great.... I've never heard a Koala growl before!
Me at the top of the stairs we climbed to get to Gian'ts Cave.
A bit of climbing in Giant's cave.
One of the koalas... they don't call them koala bears here.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Sunday (8th)... (6 months until I get married!)
I apologize for the the previous vent session, things are just new and different here, so small things like not being able to connect to the Internet (which I'm taught to do constantly at school) seem larger than they really are. I'm becoming more and more aware of how much of a spoiled American I am. Here, not many people can afford the Internet. Those who can afford it have to pay high fees because it costs money to download anything... quite a bit of money, actually. So, you don't just pay one flat rate every month... downloads add up fast, especially if they're necessary for work or something.
Today we went back to Glynde Church (where Helene's family goes) to have the experience of worshiping in their sanctuary. Last week when we went to church we were in the fellowship hall because it was air conditioned and the sanctuary isn't, but this week it is a bit cooler and they opened the doors on the sides of the sanctuary that open up to the street and allow a breeze to cool the room. It was very interesting because each week they have a different team that leads worship and it is their responsibility to pick out the songs. So, last week it the songs were more contemporary and like the songs you'd hear on a Christian radio station in the states. However, this week the music was more like hymns that were put to a different beat. After church a bunch of young adult couples came and chatted with us, they are all so wonderful, I think I will be joining a small group with them next week.
After church we had an option of staying for a meeting about starting up a youth program, but we are all still very tired (I've been told that it takes at least two weeks before your body gets used to the time difference... I've been waking up at 2 or 3 wide awake). Being tired we opted out of staying for the meeting and returned to Hosanna Heights to rest a bit before we would to the Hahn's.
Julie Hahn is a women I previously mentioned who does "parent encouraging" for LCC. She is married to Chris and they have four children: Gabby (18), Jesse (16), Tiana (14), and Noah (10). We went to their house for a bit before we went to their church for the youth led service on Sunday nights at Golden Grove Lutheran Fellowship. Gabby, Jesse, and Tiana all play and/or sing in the youth band... are very good at it! Gabby even gave the message during the service... it was about trusting God for everything, even your undies! :)
Later that night we went back to their house and hung out for a few hours until Julie and her husband returned from a barbie. I really enjoyed having good conversation with them. It was wonderful!
Today we went back to Glynde Church (where Helene's family goes) to have the experience of worshiping in their sanctuary. Last week when we went to church we were in the fellowship hall because it was air conditioned and the sanctuary isn't, but this week it is a bit cooler and they opened the doors on the sides of the sanctuary that open up to the street and allow a breeze to cool the room. It was very interesting because each week they have a different team that leads worship and it is their responsibility to pick out the songs. So, last week it the songs were more contemporary and like the songs you'd hear on a Christian radio station in the states. However, this week the music was more like hymns that were put to a different beat. After church a bunch of young adult couples came and chatted with us, they are all so wonderful, I think I will be joining a small group with them next week.
After church we had an option of staying for a meeting about starting up a youth program, but we are all still very tired (I've been told that it takes at least two weeks before your body gets used to the time difference... I've been waking up at 2 or 3 wide awake). Being tired we opted out of staying for the meeting and returned to Hosanna Heights to rest a bit before we would to the Hahn's.
Julie Hahn is a women I previously mentioned who does "parent encouraging" for LCC. She is married to Chris and they have four children: Gabby (18), Jesse (16), Tiana (14), and Noah (10). We went to their house for a bit before we went to their church for the youth led service on Sunday nights at Golden Grove Lutheran Fellowship. Gabby, Jesse, and Tiana all play and/or sing in the youth band... are very good at it! Gabby even gave the message during the service... it was about trusting God for everything, even your undies! :)
Later that night we went back to their house and hung out for a few hours until Julie and her husband returned from a barbie. I really enjoyed having good conversation with them. It was wonderful!
Saturday, February 7, 2009
So, I got my dates messed up... my previous post that was about Wednesday was actually Thursday. My internet isn't working where I'm staying, so I haven't been able to blog as frequentally as I'd like. Also, if you've been trying communicate with me and I haven't responded it is because I can't check my email often. I'm learning more and more that people here run on an entirely different schedule (pronounced shedule here) than I'm used to. My internet worked for the first two days and then stopped working, since then I have yet to receive internet in my room.
Also, my air conditioner worked for the first four days before it stopped working. I told the director of Hosanna Heights that it wasn't working and he gave me a key to a spare room to sleep in (a very nice offer). It took about five days to get fixed because there were so many places in the city that needed air conditioners fixed as well... and schools and hospitals were first priority. After a while my unit was fixed and I gave the key back to the spare room. Well, the next day it stopped working and now it sometimes makes a high pitched noise if it is running, and it isn't all that cool- it makes it very difficult to sleep. I told the director about this, but there isn't much he can do. Sorry, just had to vent.
Friday
We met with Andrea Newton from LCC about foster care. It is to my understanding that the government stopped funding foster care programs, which really damaged the programs. Andrea is starting over by proposing a new foster care plan to the government. We met with her for a while discussing how foster care is done in Australia and the US. It was very interesting to hear about some of the ways these two countries work with children. Andrea is trying to figure out a way to focuson/support the caregivers. So, if you have any ideas or insight please pass them on. :)
We did some office work, blogged, and hung out until Yvonne arrived. Yvonne is the head of all of Lutheran Community Care (LCC). I really enjoyed meeting her! We chatted about our time here so far, things we want to do, and just got to know eachother more. She is very friendly and is taking us to some sort of Wednesday night worship this week, some other place she suggested to visit before we left, and the wineries. I am looking forward to learning more about who she is.
Yvonne dropped us off at Hosanna Heights and we had a little down time before dinner. We had quite the experience at dinner, at first we were excited because the director of Hosanna Heights said there was a "Special dinner" for us. However, it wasn't too exciting... we started to ask for meals without meat because Ellie doesn't eat much meat, most of the meet is cooked with curry (Hilary is allergic), and I have a difficult time eating meat off bones- and most of it is not de-boned. So, they told us they would have meals set apart for us in the kitchen that don't have meat in them... well Friday night we went back there and asked for our meals and they took something out of the oven and quickly walked it to our table. We took a closer look at it was leftover quiche from a conference going on at Hosanna Heights. We found two problems, there were only two pieces for three people and there was canadian bacon in the bottom of it. They also brought out a leftover salad that the made for us on Wednesday. It consisted of tomatoes, cucumber, and somewhat cooked potatoes drenched in mayo with a couple hard-boiled egges on top. Let's just say we ate rice... I'm not too sick of rice as of right now, but I'm sure it is soon to come.
Saturday
Today we were planning on waking up early and going on a walk in the conservation park nearby, but some of us were too tired for that. After lunch we caught the bus into the city. There we went to cheapest chips (similar to a dollar store... but not quite as good of bargains). Then we walked to the central market. This market is the largest market in the southern hemisphere... and it is BIG! It is open Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. On Saturdays it closes at 3, so around 2:30 the stands that sell food drop the prices because of the long weekend. So, I got a bag a grapes for a dollar (less than that in American money). We walked around a little of the market, but it is so large that I'd feel like I need a whole day to get a feel for the place.
On the way back to the bus stop we stopped by the Victorian Square and took a ton of photos (coming soon)... it is a very beautiful part of the city! Also, while waiting for the bus I bought some ginger beer. When we first arrived Helen told us that many people attempt to make their own ginger beer, and often it ends up exploding. We first thought it was alcoholic, but found out it wasn't... it tastes like the ginger root and sort of reminds me of cream soda. I probably won't purchase it again.
In the evening we went to Helene's house for dinner... it was so yummy!! (no rice :) ) Then her sons Jeremy and Simon took us to the an English Pub called the Elephant. It is the pub that most uni students go to on the weekends, it reminds me of a very busy bar... but is set up more for socializing. I enjoyed getting the experience of going to a pub, it is very much a part of Australian culture.
Also, my air conditioner worked for the first four days before it stopped working. I told the director of Hosanna Heights that it wasn't working and he gave me a key to a spare room to sleep in (a very nice offer). It took about five days to get fixed because there were so many places in the city that needed air conditioners fixed as well... and schools and hospitals were first priority. After a while my unit was fixed and I gave the key back to the spare room. Well, the next day it stopped working and now it sometimes makes a high pitched noise if it is running, and it isn't all that cool- it makes it very difficult to sleep. I told the director about this, but there isn't much he can do. Sorry, just had to vent.
Friday
We met with Andrea Newton from LCC about foster care. It is to my understanding that the government stopped funding foster care programs, which really damaged the programs. Andrea is starting over by proposing a new foster care plan to the government. We met with her for a while discussing how foster care is done in Australia and the US. It was very interesting to hear about some of the ways these two countries work with children. Andrea is trying to figure out a way to focuson/support the caregivers. So, if you have any ideas or insight please pass them on. :)
We did some office work, blogged, and hung out until Yvonne arrived. Yvonne is the head of all of Lutheran Community Care (LCC). I really enjoyed meeting her! We chatted about our time here so far, things we want to do, and just got to know eachother more. She is very friendly and is taking us to some sort of Wednesday night worship this week, some other place she suggested to visit before we left, and the wineries. I am looking forward to learning more about who she is.
Yvonne dropped us off at Hosanna Heights and we had a little down time before dinner. We had quite the experience at dinner, at first we were excited because the director of Hosanna Heights said there was a "Special dinner" for us. However, it wasn't too exciting... we started to ask for meals without meat because Ellie doesn't eat much meat, most of the meet is cooked with curry (Hilary is allergic), and I have a difficult time eating meat off bones- and most of it is not de-boned. So, they told us they would have meals set apart for us in the kitchen that don't have meat in them... well Friday night we went back there and asked for our meals and they took something out of the oven and quickly walked it to our table. We took a closer look at it was leftover quiche from a conference going on at Hosanna Heights. We found two problems, there were only two pieces for three people and there was canadian bacon in the bottom of it. They also brought out a leftover salad that the made for us on Wednesday. It consisted of tomatoes, cucumber, and somewhat cooked potatoes drenched in mayo with a couple hard-boiled egges on top. Let's just say we ate rice... I'm not too sick of rice as of right now, but I'm sure it is soon to come.
Saturday
Today we were planning on waking up early and going on a walk in the conservation park nearby, but some of us were too tired for that. After lunch we caught the bus into the city. There we went to cheapest chips (similar to a dollar store... but not quite as good of bargains). Then we walked to the central market. This market is the largest market in the southern hemisphere... and it is BIG! It is open Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. On Saturdays it closes at 3, so around 2:30 the stands that sell food drop the prices because of the long weekend. So, I got a bag a grapes for a dollar (less than that in American money). We walked around a little of the market, but it is so large that I'd feel like I need a whole day to get a feel for the place.
On the way back to the bus stop we stopped by the Victorian Square and took a ton of photos (coming soon)... it is a very beautiful part of the city! Also, while waiting for the bus I bought some ginger beer. When we first arrived Helen told us that many people attempt to make their own ginger beer, and often it ends up exploding. We first thought it was alcoholic, but found out it wasn't... it tastes like the ginger root and sort of reminds me of cream soda. I probably won't purchase it again.
In the evening we went to Helene's house for dinner... it was so yummy!! (no rice :) ) Then her sons Jeremy and Simon took us to the an English Pub called the Elephant. It is the pub that most uni students go to on the weekends, it reminds me of a very busy bar... but is set up more for socializing. I enjoyed getting the experience of going to a pub, it is very much a part of Australian culture.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
A busy day.
On Thursday (Wednesday there) we walked to Magill and had Magill's monthly Family Relations Team Meeting. There were thirteen people there and the time was used to catch up up what the other people are doing. The supervisor of Magill, managers, counselors, parent encouragers, etc. are all a part of this team.
I then spend the entire afternoon trying to blog about my previous week. I wrote everything on a word document, but it wouldn't let me copy and past things onto my blog site. So, I basically retyped everything.
In the afternoon we also had a meeting with Helen, Helene, and Peter. We discussed possibilities for putting together a biannual staff development day. At first Hilary, Ellie, and I were not sure what we were doing, but after a while we caught on and are trying to think of good themes, ideas, and activities. It is a little intimidating that we are assiting in the planning of a staff development day for LCC- the organization is fairly large and this is the only time the entire agency gets together. However, the meeting was fairly low-key so it was nice to be able to have a few laughs. :) I really enjoy these people, especially when they're all together.... with Peter there is never a dull moment.
After work Helene dropped us off at the Firle Shopping center where we are able to buy postage, go to Kmart, etc. In Australia everything closes at 5 with the exception of grocery stores and places to eat. However, on thursdays the suburban shopping centers are open until 7 and on Friday the city shopping centers are open until 9. I think it is interesting that shops close at this time because most people don't get off work until 5 at the earliest, so most Australians have to get their shopping done in two days.
We walked back to Hosanna Heights (about 2.8 kilometers all up hill). It was hot outside and it felt like the sun was right on your back...however, I really enjoyed the walk- it is really quite beautiful. We made it back in time for dinner and just hung out the rest of the evening.
I then spend the entire afternoon trying to blog about my previous week. I wrote everything on a word document, but it wouldn't let me copy and past things onto my blog site. So, I basically retyped everything.
In the afternoon we also had a meeting with Helen, Helene, and Peter. We discussed possibilities for putting together a biannual staff development day. At first Hilary, Ellie, and I were not sure what we were doing, but after a while we caught on and are trying to think of good themes, ideas, and activities. It is a little intimidating that we are assiting in the planning of a staff development day for LCC- the organization is fairly large and this is the only time the entire agency gets together. However, the meeting was fairly low-key so it was nice to be able to have a few laughs. :) I really enjoy these people, especially when they're all together.... with Peter there is never a dull moment.
After work Helene dropped us off at the Firle Shopping center where we are able to buy postage, go to Kmart, etc. In Australia everything closes at 5 with the exception of grocery stores and places to eat. However, on thursdays the suburban shopping centers are open until 7 and on Friday the city shopping centers are open until 9. I think it is interesting that shops close at this time because most people don't get off work until 5 at the earliest, so most Australians have to get their shopping done in two days.
We walked back to Hosanna Heights (about 2.8 kilometers all up hill). It was hot outside and it felt like the sun was right on your back...however, I really enjoyed the walk- it is really quite beautiful. We made it back in time for dinner and just hung out the rest of the evening.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Sunday (1st)- Wednesday (4th)
Here goes the rest of my week from my previous post...
(Pardon any spelling or gramatical errors... I typed this fast... and more photos will be added soon!)
SUNDAY
The Schulz family picked us up and took us to Glynde Church, also known as Zion Lutheran Church. The service was very similar to my church experiences in the states. one interesting thing is that there is a large Sudanese population that attend Glynde. There is one service in their language and then one in English. The service we went to was in English and five Sudanese children from three families were baptized. It was very cool to see the similarities and differences in this act of worship between Glynde Church in Adelaide and and the churches I've been to in the states.
After the service there was a pasta meal, then after the meal we went to another beach with the Schulz family! The beach is called Port Elliot/Middleton, and it is about 70 kilometers away from where we're staying. The drive was beautiful! We passed through a more rural part of Australia... there were lots and lots of vineyards, and because it was so dry a lot of typically plush green fields were brown. Nonetheless, it was still amazing to see. At the beach I learned how to boogie board/body board... but it took all day and I only successfully boogie boarded two or three waves. I know, lame. :) The temperature was above 40c in Adelaide, but it was about 27c at our beach, so it was nice to escape the heat... for a bit! We returned home and had dinner at the Schulz house where it finally started to cool down later that night.
I found out that Australia almost brok the record for the longs number of days above 40c in Australia. I also heard that this was the driest January in the past 15 years, which further explains the water shortage. Many people catch rain water to drink, but there hasn't been rain for so long that people are not able to do this. So, it is about as hot and dry as it gets... anywhere!
MONDAY
Today we walked to Magill and we had a meeting with Helen and Helene where we discussed exactly everything Lutheran Community Centre (LCC) does. We also set up some possible goals for our internship which include:
1. understanding the big picture of the welfare strucutre in Australia... we will be examining public vs government agnecies and the legal sector
2. Hands on experience. We will have heaps (lots) of training (Child Safe, Safe Place, Parenting courses, pre-marriage courses, domestic violence courses, Culturally and Linguistically Diverse courses, how to be a counselor courses, and emergency relief) We will be working at a shelter, a domestic violence shelter, and with the low income community through emergency relief, support groups, and working at the op shop (thrift store).
3. professional development skills
4. reflect on cultural differences
I've already begun to understand some of the differences between Australia and America when it comes to the welfare system... I think America needs to change. In Australia, there are requirements that individuals need to meet in order to receive welfare benefits, such as volunteering somewhere a set number of hours each week. I like this idea.
There are also differences when it comes to divorce. When a couple wants to divorce they are required to go to a set number of marriage counseling courses before they can be legally separated. If there are children involved they too have to go to counseling. Then I believe the whole family has to go together and the counselor helps explain everything to the child with the parents. The court won't even look at a case unless the couple has gone through this process, that is unless domestic violence is involved. I think they're on to something here...
Anways, back to my day. We went to Blair Athol, another LCC site where we met heaps (lots) of people who work there. We also went to the op shop (thrift store) to look around and see where we will be volunteering, we also made additions to our wardrobes. :)
We had our first "western" meal at Hosanna Heights. It consisted of potatoes, roast beef, and carrots. There were also some Asian choices as always and white rice... heaps (tons) of it! At dinner we sat with Arbi, Nevin, Josh Yee, Tushi, and a few other Asian students. Later that night I went on a run, it was much cooler in the evening (although nothing compared to what is is there).
TUESDAY
Today we walked to Magill and this morning we made our own personal goals for when we are here. My goals are pretty similar to the goals I mentioned yesterday. Ellie also put together a blurb about the three of us that will be put in the brochure called "The Update" that goes to all the LCC staff members.
Helen then took us to the grocery store, fruit and vegetable shop, bakery, and the butcher in preparation for our barbie (BBQ) tonight. This was my first time to the butcher shop... and as many of you would guess, it grossed me out big time. We then returned to Magill and prepared for the barbie (BBQ)... all the staff members from LCC and members from Magill Church (next door to our office) were invited. It was nice to meet some new people and get better acquainted with a few somewhat familiar faces.
(Some snacks and candies that were shared at the babie... they are only made in Australia)
WEDNESDAY
Again, we walked to Magill. However, today we went to Glynde Church (where we went on Sunday) and assisted in a play group. Mums (moms) brought their children and they played, did arts and crafts, tea/snack time, and played a bit more. We helped by playing with and watching the children, preparing for the various activities, cleaning up, and whatever else was needed.
After play group we regurned to Magill, had lunch, and met with Jazz. Jazz is from the district Lutheran office (I believe) in Adelaide. She does children, youth and family, and camping ministries.... Jazz is in her early to mid 20s and I really enjoyed chatting with her about a possible grant Hilary, Ellie, and I are trying to put together to bring a Christian camp to the aboriginal people in the northern territory. Ellie then began the on-line news letter for LCC while I met with Elizbeth. I'm not quite sure what she does, but she stops by often! :)
We ate dinner and wen ton a walk to the grocery store named Coles.
Here are a few of my observations (which may or may not be correct) about Australia/Australians:
-Australians overall know a lot more about their country than Americans do
-Australians don't see the need to speak or remark after every time someone says something... silence is okay!
-Australians won't go out of their way to help you unless you ask for help, but if you do ask they will do just about anything for you
-Australians won't necessarily compliment things (i.e. a great meal), and if you do compliment them they typically respond with "oh, that's alright."
-Australians eat fruit at the end of their meals
-Australia is about the same size as the US on a map... you can pratically lay the United States on top of Australia and it will fit. (a fact that is often unknown to others)
- Australians take quite a few tea/coffee breaks... it is nice to enjoy each other's company
-When you thank an Australian they typically respond with: "no problem," "no trouble at all," "oh, that's alright," and "no worries." The words "your welcome" are not common at all.
-Australians don't say "G'day Mate."
- Almost all people in Australia live along the coasts... and it doesn't resemble what many people think about when they imagine the outback
- Australians use an "s" instead of a "z" and a "f" instead of a "ph" when they are spelling words (i.e. organization (American English) is organisation (Australian English).
(Pardon any spelling or gramatical errors... I typed this fast... and more photos will be added soon!)
SUNDAY
The Schulz family picked us up and took us to Glynde Church, also known as Zion Lutheran Church. The service was very similar to my church experiences in the states. one interesting thing is that there is a large Sudanese population that attend Glynde. There is one service in their language and then one in English. The service we went to was in English and five Sudanese children from three families were baptized. It was very cool to see the similarities and differences in this act of worship between Glynde Church in Adelaide and and the churches I've been to in the states.
After the service there was a pasta meal, then after the meal we went to another beach with the Schulz family! The beach is called Port Elliot/Middleton, and it is about 70 kilometers away from where we're staying. The drive was beautiful! We passed through a more rural part of Australia... there were lots and lots of vineyards, and because it was so dry a lot of typically plush green fields were brown. Nonetheless, it was still amazing to see. At the beach I learned how to boogie board/body board... but it took all day and I only successfully boogie boarded two or three waves. I know, lame. :) The temperature was above 40c in Adelaide, but it was about 27c at our beach, so it was nice to escape the heat... for a bit! We returned home and had dinner at the Schulz house where it finally started to cool down later that night.
I found out that Australia almost brok the record for the longs number of days above 40c in Australia. I also heard that this was the driest January in the past 15 years, which further explains the water shortage. Many people catch rain water to drink, but there hasn't been rain for so long that people are not able to do this. So, it is about as hot and dry as it gets... anywhere!
MONDAY
Today we walked to Magill and we had a meeting with Helen and Helene where we discussed exactly everything Lutheran Community Centre (LCC) does. We also set up some possible goals for our internship which include:
1. understanding the big picture of the welfare strucutre in Australia... we will be examining public vs government agnecies and the legal sector
2. Hands on experience. We will have heaps (lots) of training (Child Safe, Safe Place, Parenting courses, pre-marriage courses, domestic violence courses, Culturally and Linguistically Diverse courses, how to be a counselor courses, and emergency relief) We will be working at a shelter, a domestic violence shelter, and with the low income community through emergency relief, support groups, and working at the op shop (thrift store).
3. professional development skills
4. reflect on cultural differences
I've already begun to understand some of the differences between Australia and America when it comes to the welfare system... I think America needs to change. In Australia, there are requirements that individuals need to meet in order to receive welfare benefits, such as volunteering somewhere a set number of hours each week. I like this idea.
There are also differences when it comes to divorce. When a couple wants to divorce they are required to go to a set number of marriage counseling courses before they can be legally separated. If there are children involved they too have to go to counseling. Then I believe the whole family has to go together and the counselor helps explain everything to the child with the parents. The court won't even look at a case unless the couple has gone through this process, that is unless domestic violence is involved. I think they're on to something here...
Anways, back to my day. We went to Blair Athol, another LCC site where we met heaps (lots) of people who work there. We also went to the op shop (thrift store) to look around and see where we will be volunteering, we also made additions to our wardrobes. :)
We had our first "western" meal at Hosanna Heights. It consisted of potatoes, roast beef, and carrots. There were also some Asian choices as always and white rice... heaps (tons) of it! At dinner we sat with Arbi, Nevin, Josh Yee, Tushi, and a few other Asian students. Later that night I went on a run, it was much cooler in the evening (although nothing compared to what is is there).
TUESDAY
Today we walked to Magill and this morning we made our own personal goals for when we are here. My goals are pretty similar to the goals I mentioned yesterday. Ellie also put together a blurb about the three of us that will be put in the brochure called "The Update" that goes to all the LCC staff members.
Helen then took us to the grocery store, fruit and vegetable shop, bakery, and the butcher in preparation for our barbie (BBQ) tonight. This was my first time to the butcher shop... and as many of you would guess, it grossed me out big time. We then returned to Magill and prepared for the barbie (BBQ)... all the staff members from LCC and members from Magill Church (next door to our office) were invited. It was nice to meet some new people and get better acquainted with a few somewhat familiar faces.
(Some snacks and candies that were shared at the babie... they are only made in Australia)
WEDNESDAY
Again, we walked to Magill. However, today we went to Glynde Church (where we went on Sunday) and assisted in a play group. Mums (moms) brought their children and they played, did arts and crafts, tea/snack time, and played a bit more. We helped by playing with and watching the children, preparing for the various activities, cleaning up, and whatever else was needed.
After play group we regurned to Magill, had lunch, and met with Jazz. Jazz is from the district Lutheran office (I believe) in Adelaide. She does children, youth and family, and camping ministries.... Jazz is in her early to mid 20s and I really enjoyed chatting with her about a possible grant Hilary, Ellie, and I are trying to put together to bring a Christian camp to the aboriginal people in the northern territory. Ellie then began the on-line news letter for LCC while I met with Elizbeth. I'm not quite sure what she does, but she stops by often! :)
We ate dinner and wen ton a walk to the grocery store named Coles.
Here are a few of my observations (which may or may not be correct) about Australia/Australians:
-Australians overall know a lot more about their country than Americans do
-Australians don't see the need to speak or remark after every time someone says something... silence is okay!
-Australians won't go out of their way to help you unless you ask for help, but if you do ask they will do just about anything for you
-Australians won't necessarily compliment things (i.e. a great meal), and if you do compliment them they typically respond with "oh, that's alright."
-Australians eat fruit at the end of their meals
-Australia is about the same size as the US on a map... you can pratically lay the United States on top of Australia and it will fit. (a fact that is often unknown to others)
- Australians take quite a few tea/coffee breaks... it is nice to enjoy each other's company
-When you thank an Australian they typically respond with: "no problem," "no trouble at all," "oh, that's alright," and "no worries." The words "your welcome" are not common at all.
-Australians don't say "G'day Mate."
- Almost all people in Australia live along the coasts... and it doesn't resemble what many people think about when they imagine the outback
- Australians use an "s" instead of a "z" and a "f" instead of a "ph" when they are spelling words (i.e. organization (American English) is organisation (Australian English).
Wednesday (28th)- Saturday (31st)
So, because my internet wasn't working I have been writing my blogs on a word document... and here they are!
WEDNESDAY.
Wow. What a day, or should I say days?
So we got into Adelaide, Australia on Wednesday after about twenty hours of flying and many layovers along the way. Our travels consisted of some stories, a few not-so-nice flight attendants, and basically traveling with a family from Iowa who we shared flights with until we arrived in Sydney. The worst part of the travels was the 14 hour flight from San Francisco to Sydney. I've never wanted to be able to move around so much in my entire life, it was extremely tiring. When we got into Adelaide we were greeted by our site contact person, Helen Lockwood. Helen used to live in the states for three years, so she understands where we're coming from. Helen is very sweet and has shown us great hospitality.
The first thing Helen was take us out to lunch at a restaurant at Hinley Beach. It was fun to see
the coast, but I am not used to peop
le driving on the other side of the car and street. There have been many times where I've taken a gasp because I thought we were turning onto the wrong side of the street.
(Ellie, me, and Hilary at the Hinley
Beach)
We then got a mini tour of the things on our way to our housing at Hosanna Heights. My room consists of a bed, built in closet, sink, desk, and a window air conditioner that isn't properly working at the time. Very simple, very small, very beige. Hosanna Heights is mostly occupied by Asian students, but a couple of other countries are represented as well.
Due to the large Asian population most meals that are served here are Asian dishes. I enjoy Asian food, but I don't think I will by the time I return to the states. I've had my first adventure with the food when I bit into something that looked like a dumpling, instead it felt like I was biting into cartilage. I forced myself to finish eating it, and it turned out it was squid. I worked at a sushi restaurant in the states and enjoyed the squid there, b
ut something tells me that the Asian food at a school cafeteria in Australia won't be quite the same.
It will take some time getting adjusted to the bathrooms (or should I say "toilet") here as well. Our floor is co-ed, which includes sharing the toilets and shower room... and let's just say that boys here are smelly.
Ellie and I went on a walk to try to see what was in the area... but we found out that it probably wasn't the best idea to go on a walk while the sun was setting in a foreign country. It wasn't bad, it just took us a little longer to find our way home.
My last thing to talk about from my first day arriving is the temperature. When we landed we were wearing long pants, sweatshirts, and many layers. However, it w
as 45c or approximately 117F outside in Australia. It was the hottest day in Australia in 7 years and the hottest night in Australian history. Let me tell you what, it is warm :).
THURSDAY
Well today it was just as hot as they day before, this heat wave is expected
to last a week or two. It is so hot here that they have to shut down the electricity to parts
of the city throughout the day because they cannot provide enough energy for all the people here. The Australians keep telling me that I came at a terrible time because it is never usually this hot. The secretary at Hosanna Heights told me that it is quite possible to melt your thongs to the cement in this heat. Part of me wants to try it, the other part things it would be a terrible walk back to my room without shoes.
This morning at Hosanna Heights our housemother greeted us at brea
kfast, she is a very sweet older woman. She told us that the students here call her grandmother, the main director of the facility is called uncle, an the cooks are called mama. They are very homey here, it is nice.
Today we went on a more in depth tour of Adelaide and saw the many sites we will be working at while in Australia. A few of them include Magill- the main place we will be working, Sefton Park, the National Lutheran office, the District Lutheran office, and Blair Athol. We also met many of the people we will be working with, they are all very friendly and I am looking forward to the opportunities that are ahead.
One of Australia's most scare resources is water. People are not allowed to water their lawns or have strict watering rules, and many rivers and lakes are dried up. At first I didn't realize the extremity of the water shortage until Helen was preparing lunch for us and wanted to use cool water to wash the strawberries (every once in a while we will be eating something other than Asian food :) ). Helen turned on the cold water faucet and was wait for the water to cool down before rinsing the fruit. After about five seconds of wasted water Helen put a plug in the sink and said she shouldn't be wasting water like that. Helen then used the water in the sink to do the dishes. Seeing this caused me to better understand the need to conserve water.
This evening we went out to dinner with Helen and her husband (Peter) and helen Schulz and her family (Klaus- husband, Simon 20, Jeremy 22, and Katarina 14- children). Helen and Helene are two of the main people I will be working with while I'm here. After dinner Helene and her family took us to Mount Lofty, which offers a spectacular
view of Adelaide. On our way up the hills we saw kangaroos in the wild! (They really aren't as cool as you think they are in person... they look and act like slow, oversized rabbits)
We pulled over and got out to take pictures, we are such tourists right now. Once we go to the top we had a great view of the city of Adelaide, it is so beautiful! You can see how large the city is (population 1 million), and there is a square about the side of a kilometer by a kilometer that is the central part of the city. The surrounding area is a lot of green space that they have fought to keep there. Outside the green space (parks) there is a lot more of the city and housing areas. There is also a great view of the cost from this spot, it is all absolutely beautiful! One other fascinating thing about this place is that the lights twinkle at night. There are only two places in the world where if you are overlooking a city at night it appears as if the city lights are twinkling. Really, it just has something to do with the atmospheric pressure and how it can trick your eyes. None the less, it is a sight to see.
(me at sunset on Mount Lofty... you can see the coast in the distance)
FIRDAY
Today we walked to Magill, it is about 2.8 kilos (I'm struggling with converting things to inches, feet, miles, etc) from Hosanna Heights. We met Julie who works at Magill site once a week and has the title of "parent encourager." This basically means she teaches people how to become better parents. Helen does a lot of pre-marriage counseling, Emily does relationship counseling, Helene is the registrar, and I'm not quite sure what Di does. Julie, Ellie, Hilary, and I stuffed and addressed envelopes and put together packets of information about what resources Lutheran Community Centre (LCC) offers. After lunch Helene needed to go to the post office so she dropped us off at a shopping centre where we could exchange money, go to Kmart, and a fruit and vegetable shop.
Then we returned to Hosanna Heights and had yet another interesting meal. WyWy and King, two Asian students, attempted to fix my internet... it was working temporarily, but is now down again.
For an evening activity the Schulz family took us to Hinley Beach. It sounds weird to think about going to the beach at night, but here the sun is stronger and causes many people to go to the beaches later in the evenings. It was very warm, and we took some pictures of us "moon bathing." I also learning and attempted to skim surf... keep in mind the word attempt. I wasn't very good, but it was fun! The Schulz family is very nice and extremely funny... they are a riot! Australians are a lot more sarcastic as a whole than Americans, and this family is no exception. I really enjoy their personalities.
P.S. today was another hot day.
SATURDAY
I tried to sleep in a bit (my sleeping schedule is still off- I woke up around 3:30, 6:00, and 7:30) and went on a long walk this morning. We are staying in a more suburban part of the city, so it is about a mile from any type of shop. I walked a few miles to get acquainted with the area, and it has proved to help when I'm out and about trying to figure out where things are.
To no surprise, it was another hot day. We decided to go into the city to Rundle Mall where we could shop in a well air conditioned place :). Unfortunately, we were so unfamiliar with the bus system that we waited at the bus stop for 45 minutes. We later found out that it was because it was a weekend, however, all Australians will tell you how unreliable any sort of public transportation is [I've been realizing that I'm beginning to use Australian words and sayings... in my previous statement I would typically say any type of public transportation- not sort.] From the mall Helen picked us up and we had a wonderful dinner at her house, watched a little tennis, then went to the movie Gran Torino. I really enjoyed the movie, but I hope that isn't how Australian view America.
(After about 10 minutes of riding the bus Hilary looked over and saw a sign that says "These seats are reserved for the Elderly and Disabled." We had no idea! Ha)
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