Red Solo Cup

So I have decided that it is a funny thing to be living in a foreign country. 

The particularly funny thing about Australia, is that you don’t always remember until you look over to the car next to you and think “Why is a dog driving that car!?!?!” or any number of similarly ridiculous thoughts.   It is an exhausting thing though, when all the little things take thought.  Things that used to be simple, like making chocolate chip cookies, are suddenly a major math equation.

While all of these adjustments make for the adventure, I think the funniest part so far for me, has been how fascinated people are by me, and American culture.  In Australia they broadcast most of the major US television shows, movies and music.  For many people, this is the only real exposure they get to American culture, which is a little horrifying really.

For smaller kids, like the grade 5 who I was talking to yesterday, this means that everyone in America is famous.  She was so disappointed to find out that I didn’t know any celebrities.  My junior high aged kids all think I sound like various different movie stars, I think being compared to Sheldon on the Big Bang Theory is my favourtie thus far.

For the teenagers, they do not understand why in so many TV shows American teenagers are drinking.  I have had many questions from adults and teenagers about  the culture of alcohol in the United States.  Like whether or not they ID people, what is our drinking age, what are our drinking and driving laws, and why college kids in the US drink so much.  My particular favorite question was whether red solo cups are actually used.  Because in all the movies and TV shows, and now songs, all the parties use red Solo cups, and people want to know if we really do.

I hope that I can fairly represent normal Americans, but it is very strange to explain our culture, and our media.  I have even had people ask me about why we have so many elections, or why it takes our government so long to make decisions.

Perhaps the really strange part is that to them I am such a novelty.  People have so many questions.  People will come up in restaurants and ask me where I am from.  That and the newspaper interviewed me just because I am American.

Yep, living in a foreign country is a funny thing.

Walking on the Wrong Side of the Road

Well I have now been in Aussie land for almost 2 weeks.  In a way it feels like I have been here forever.  I have successfully learned to drive on the opposite on the opposite of the road with out cringing each time I pass a car, I do however still have think before I make any turns.

I started work last Wednesday.  So far they have kept me pretty busy.  I am planning one of the confirmation groups, which has 10 kids.  (The other group has 9, but I am not really working with them).  I am working on developing a church website, working to get youth group up and running, and this week giving the children’s message.  I was installed last week, which included receiving an Aussie Bible, which is a paraphrased version of a couple Psalms, Proverbs and the Gospels.  It is really hilarious! I have spent lots of time in meetings and dinners just learning about the people, the history and what people want youth ministry to look like here.

I will have to post pictures of the Church soon it is really neat.  It sits about 400, and seems to have endless storage, and a belfry.  The people are all really nice.  Last Sunday my battery died before church, and on Monday morning I had 3 different people call to make sure it was working.  I am currently driving a 1999 Holden Beretta.  It doesn’t have a radio, power windows or locks, or air-conditioning, but as I am just borrowing it until I get a car loan and vehicle sorted out, it works just fine.

I am definitely starting to feel the culture shock a bit, as I start settling in and realizing that this isn’t vacation.  Looking for my own place to rent has contributed a lot to that feeling.  I am just starting to feel a little exhausted by everything that I am taking in, from work to just life in general, as great as it is there isn’t much downtime for my brain to process everything. 

The conversions are one thing that really gets to me.  I can’t think about things in metric units yet, so I feel like I am doing conversions a lot.  I have to a little bit with language stuff as well, although only to a small extent.  The seasons being backwards, and figuring out what day and time it is at home make my brain hurt a little too.

So there is my ever so brief update, more to come soon.  If you have any questions, please comment and let me know, I’d love to fill you in on whatever you’re interested in hearing about.