Health, Holli and Happiness

Well, it’s been over a week since I’ve written, but great news!... I’m HEALTHY!  It feels amazing.  Maybe that’s the reason we get sick?... so that we appreciate when we’re healthy even moreJ.  Regardless, I’m loving life!  It’s been a big week.  I left off on last Saturday – I got to skype my parents that morning and that was awesome!  I was definitely feeling homesick being sick so far from home.  It was nice to see their facesJ.  Later that night, Holli (my friend from Whitworth that is studying in Sydney for the semester) came!  It was incredible to see her and get caught up.  I still felt pretty terrible (I was still running a fever), but I powered through – we had a lot to talk aboutJ.  Also, I had Domino’s pizza for the first time in Australia that night for dinner.  It was good, but nothing too special.  On Sunday, Holli and woke up for church.  I felt AWFUL, but I made it and it was fun for Holli to experience the church I’ve been going to and meet some of my church friends.  After that we went to lunch at the Dumpling King in Box Hill (the Chinese suburb) and then called it a day and watched Boy Meets World on my bed all afternoonJ.  On Monday, Holli went into the city for an adventure and I went to school.  We had tacos for dinner (I miss Mexican food here!) and played rummy afterwards.  It was a very laid-back evening and definitely perfectJ.  On Tuesday, Holli went to the city again to explore a little more and I met her for dinner after I was done at school.  We made our way to Lygon Street in Carlton (their Little Italy) and wandered until we found a restaurant that looked tempting.  We ended up at a place called Copperwood and it was the best Italian meal I’ve ever had!  It was DELICIOUS!  After dinner we walked down the street further and stumbled upon a gelato place with Nutella gelato – I had to get some.  SOO goodJ.  Also, by Tuesday, my fever had finally broken for good, which made me feel a million times better!  It was incredible.  I was healedJ.  We tried to go the skydeck (similar to the space needle – floor 88 of a building), but it was so rainy and cloudy that the ticket counter said it wasn’t worth our money that night.  We were bummed, but headed home for some more rummy – always a good alternativeJ.  On Wednesday, Holli took a day trip along the Great Ocean Road and I went to class and did homework.  Michael (my French roommate) cooked house dinner that night.  We had steak and potatoes au gratin.  It was SO good!  Afterwards, we played rummy (a lot of rummy was played last weekJ).  Holli got home late and we talked for a while before bed.  As we were about to go to sleep, we were talking about how she had to leave the next day and neither of us was ready to say goodbye.  So… she changed her flight and stayed a couple extra days!!  On Thursday, we had a slow morning and then went to campus and each worked on a little homework before getting sushi for lunch (Holli’s first ever sushi – she liked itJ).  After I finished with class, we went to the store and got stuff to make nachos for dinner.  Also, we watched Cinderella (I checked it out from the LibraryJ).  And, I got a care package from Casey!  It was awesome!!  On Friday, Holli and I had another slow day, which included a little Boy Meets World, a little shopping, and then another delicious dinner in Little Italy with two of my roommates and drinks at the Rooftop Bar in the city.  It was a beautiful night and such a fun way to spend the evening.  On Saturday, Holli left really early to fly back to Sydney.  I woke up at a reasonable hour and did some homework, ran and then got ready to head into the city again.  It was a couple of my friends’ birthdays last weekend and they celebrated together with a sushi dinner and then drinks at a fun pub in the city.  The sushi place was SO fun… the chef makes all the sushi fresh and then puts the plates on a conveyor belt and you just grab the ones you want.  It was really great and delicious.  And the pub was really fun too!  There was a live band that played all kinds of fun oldies and popular songs.  We danced and laughedJ.  I left the bar with my roommate and another friend and we went for a midnight snack at McDonalds before catching the tram home.  The people in front of us in line at McDonalds were HILARIOUS.  They loved that we were from the States!  It was so funny.  They kept repeating which states we were from and then saying they wanted to go there.  And then one of the girls goes, “Oh my gosh!  You guys are from the place in the movies.  You guys are like movie stars!”  It was pretty great.  I laughed hardJ.  Sunday was a pretty uneventful day.  I missed church because I forgot to set my alarmL.  But I was able to get some homework done, run, do some laundry, clean my room and go to the grocery store.  Also, I booked a flight to Sydney to go visit Holli in a month!  I figured it was the least I could do since she came all the way to visit meJ.  Today (Monday) was a pretty big day at school.  I got back my first assignment.  I got a D.  Well, a “distinction”J.  Their grading scale is different, which is confusing, except I know I passed! – that’s the most important.  I also got to skype with my parents, which is always great.  And I signed up for my Middle East Politics simulation and the professor asked me to play Barack Obama.  In class she had told us that we should try to pick a role that we are less familiar with or disagree with in order to challenge ourselves, but she needed someone without a partner who would do a good job, so Obama it is.  I’m REALLY excited to do the simulation.  It’s going to be crazy, but I think it will also be an incredible learning experience and really fun!  Okay, I think that’s everything.  A few unrelated thoughts: I leave for New Zealand in 5 days!  I found a new flavor of weet-bix that I can’t get enough of.  We have had the most beautiful autumn mornings the last few days.  I LOVE tim tams, sushi, nutella, and Australian coffee.  I’m more than halfway done with my semester here.  Time is flying by!  Having Holli here reenergized my excitement to see the city and truly experience Australia.  I’m excited to live every moment of my last two months.  Life is good!  I’m so blessedJ.