a bit dodgy...

the last few days have been pretty good. i only have one class that i'm not excited about, and that's my theological foundations for counseling class. i think it's going to be really hard and intense. it's a masters-level class, so there are a lot of older people who are coming back to school, but there are also a few asc'ers in there. elle's and my nervousness for the class must have been pretty obvious, because during the break (it's a 3-hour class), one of the ladies in there came up and told us not to worry and that everyone else in there was just as confused as us. i don't think she realized what a blessing that would be, but it seriously made me feel so much better! i definitely think it was a God thing.
every morning at wesley there is a group of people who get together to pray befrore the day starts. the roommates and i decided to go check it out, so on thursday we went to it. there were only about 10 of us there, but it was awesome just to be able to meet a few new people and pray and worship together, and i'm excited to go more.
yesterday (friday), our asc teachers (kimberly, melanie, and bethany) took us into the city to figure out where everything is. we started out with about an hour of class to discuss our reading homework that we ALREADY had. it sucks having so much homework, but the discussion is actually really good, so i'm pretty excited about that. then we got all 35ish of us on a bus and rode into the city. it was super rainy and cold, and a car drove by and splashed everyone just like a movie. luckily i was a few steps behind the people it happened to, so i just got to witness it and laugh. it was quite funny. then we went to the greatest place ever: the LIBRARY! seriously, i walked in and it was like one of those moments in the movies where the hallelujah chorus comes and everything is illuminated. it's absolutely HUGE! and there's one of those big rooms with tables and books all around the edge with 2 stories of balconies to get to all the books. and it goes 7 STORIES underground, all full of books! we got a tour so we got to go underground and see all the creepy awesome old parts. i loved it! i can't wait to hang out there.
then we went and ate some lunch and started the scavenger hunt to find all the biggest sites in the city. i definitely saw a lot of places that i can't wait to explore! after the scavenger hunt we got to go on a harbour cruise. it was really cool to see a different view of the major sites (opera house and bridge...), but my favorite part was the fact that it was warm and we got some tea and cake. it was great! then we went and explored darling harbour for a little bit (another place i can't wait to go hang out...), where we got some awesome mongolian barbecue for dinner! it was a pretty awesome day, despite the cold and rain.
today was even cooler... a bunch of the girls and i went to a couple of sweet markets around sydney. the first one we went to was paddington market. it's in this super cool, trendy, expensive area. everything at the market was really cool, but it was super expensive, so i didn't get anything there. but not to worry: our next stop was somewhere that i know i'll hang out a lot while i'm here. it's called glebe market, and it's frickin awesome! i got 2 shirts for $3! and i bought them from some sweet canadians... it was a good time. even though it was so great, it was sort of bittersweet because i was totally picturing how much all my friends from home would love it and how it's someplace i would go with them. it made me miss them (you?) all so much! but don't worry... that's probably where i'll be getting gifts from :)
i can't believe that i've only been here for a little over a week. i've already had so much fun with some of the girls in the group, and i can tell that the next 4 months are just gonna be awesome with them!
here are some things that i've learned so far:
aussies don't think americans are as cool as we think they are
not having a car or phone is the greatest thing ever!
not having a car or phone also makes life a lot more difficult.
public transportation is the greatest way to get around... i love it.
walking a lot is great!
saying "mobile" is way more fun than saying "cell phone"
possums climb telephone poles
apparently australians give away a lot of free stuff. here are some things i've gotten for free already:
-gelato (like a full size cup of it! they were promoting a new flavor...)
-tea and cake
-a bag (one of those drawstring things...)
-a guys tshirt (it was in the bag... they were promoting a guys' clothing store)
-licorice
-roasted almonds