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Time gets away quickly, and I'm past due for an update. I've been informed that there is now a link to my blog on the UAB scholarship website. So maybe I'll get a few more site visits from random people. If any of you UAB students are thinking of applying for a fellowship, stop thinking and just do it. I almost didn't bother applying for a Fulbright, and here I am in Australia now. You have a lot more to win than you have to lose. Talk to Dr. Bak today! I think the biggest change for me from this whole experience has been adapting to life without a car. I've managed fairly well so far, but this past weekend sure was a fiasco. I had planned to attend the morning service at a church outside the city on Sunday. I left the apartment with just enough time to make it, but alas, I missed the bus to central by seconds; quite literally. Ok, no worries (as they say quite a bit here), I'll catch the next bus. Well, the next bus was late, which meant I missed my train. Ok, no worries, I'll catch the next train. Maybe not. After I arrived at central, I got my ticket and headed to the platform. But wait, five platforms were shut down due to maintenance. "Please consult the monitor for the new platform." I rushed down the hallway to find the monitor. There! Next train to Seven Hills: Platform 14, 10:36. I glanced at my watch. 10:36! I looked back up at the sign, and it suddenly changed to exhibit information for the next train to Seven Hills at 10:48. Missed it by seconds...again. Well, at this point there was no way to make it to the service on time, but I figured I could make it for at least half of it. So I took the 10:48 train. Stop after stop, the train ride never seemed to end. I got caught up in the scenery rolling by. The train stopped yet again. I gazed out the window as I listened to my iPod. Wait! What stop is this? I looked around, but found no indication. I leaned way down to peer out the window and caught a glimpse of a bench. It faintly read "Seven Hills." I jumped up and made a dash towards the door. I was on the top level of the train and had to stumble down the stairs toward the door. But alas, the doors closed before I reached them. The train chugged on to the next stop, Blacktown. It was raining by then, and miserably cold. It just accentuated the negative. There was no train back toward the city, so I would completely miss the morning service. I looked around and didn't see much. I hung around for a couple of minutes to find a train schedule. The next train wasn't due for another thirty minutes. I decided to explore the area to see if there was anything worth staying for. I ended up finding a large mall a short walk from the station. By then, I was pretty hungry since I had eaten breakfast pretty early. I got a bite to eat and then decided I'd just spend the day in town and attend the night service in Seven Hills. I spent the good part of the day in the mall and finally ventured out when the rain stopped. I decided to walk to Seven Hills, and then the rain started again when I was half-way there. And so I trudged through the rain with my tiny umbrella to Seven Hills in my Sunday clothes. By the time I reached the town limit, my pants were soaked. I found refuge in a small shopping plaza, where I stopped at a cafe to dry off, right across the street from the church. By the time it was time to head over to the church, my pants had dried. It was still raining, though, as I crossed the street to the church. I got a little wet before I reached the door, but not too bad. I guess it wouldn't have been so bad if I had actually gotten to wear my black pants like I had planned. But I had to wear my khakis that day since my black belt has mysteriously disappeared. I was surprised to find that the congregation of the church was largely Filipino. Sydney is just full of surprises. They were incredibly nice. So nice that I was actually invited to some guy's bachelor party next month. Only, he didn't call it a bachelor party. I think he referred to it as "Bucks Night." But the Aussie pronunciation made it sound like "box" instead of "bucks," so I had no idea what he was talking about until he explained it to me and I realized he was referring to what we call a bachelor party. They're going paint-balling. I've never been paint-balling, so I might just take him up on the offer. We'll see... The pastor of the church is an American missionary from Washington, I think. I got differing stories from two different people. One seemed to think he's from Washington state, while the other thought he's from Washington, DC. I'm thinking state is the correct one. He preached a good sermon, and I'm going to try to make it to the morning service this weekend. And I'm going to leave EARLY this time! As bad as the trip was on Sunday, I can't complain about the price. It only cost me a little over $5 round-trip for the journey. That's because of my GREAT student discount on public transit. Since I was granted a student concession stamp on my university ID, I save 50% on tickets. International students usually are not allowed this luxury, but since I'm a scholarship student, I get the discount. The savings add up fast. I found out from the paper this week that the rainfall in Sydney on Sunday alone was as much as they normally get in a whole month. I believe it, since it rained for nearly 24 hours straight. From what I hear, Alabama could use a good rain like that. I'm sure that bit of rain helped out with the low water levels here. And what do they do with that extra water? Why, test out their new water cannon, of course. Sydney just got a new, giant truck equipped with a water cannon for it's police department. They purchased one in case of rioting. And though the city denies it, many wonder if they bought it for the upcoming APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) forum that is being held in Sydney next month. At this forum, some important world leaders are attending including those from Japan, Russia, and the US. The city is pretty much going to be shut down for security. And, of course, with all the high attention the summit is bringing, protest groups are lining up to be heard during the forum. Police are closing down parts of the city, particularly around the US consulate, which is exactly where the protest groups want to march. Our teachers have advised us to just stay out of the city that week. And me? I may have to go into the city. They're thinking of having a Fulbright function in conjunction with the APEC summit. Ha. That sounds funny. It reminds me of that schoolhouse rock song: Conjunction Junction, What's your function? I'm going to have to look that up on youtube now. I love schoolhouse rock, even though Brian and Jared used to tease me with one of the songs by altering the words when I was little. I used to get so mad about it, but I find it funny now. Okay, that's totally random. Anyway, they might have something for us Fulbrighters in Sydney that week, and, who knows, maybe we'll get to meet some dignitaries. They haven't confirmed any plans yet, but they're supposed to let us know soon. I might have to break out my suit a little earlier than I expected. But not much earlier, since the Fulbright enrichment seminar in Canberra is only a couple of weeks afterward. Well, though I have lots more to say, I think I'll save it for next time. I feel like this is getting a little on the long side. But I guess that's good since I'm a little late on getting this out. If you would be so kind, please leave a message on my board. It's good to know that people are actually reading this, and I love hearing from you all! Cheers! (As they say here).
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