“Judgements prevent us from seeing the good that lies beyond appearances.” Wayne Dyer

I really wasn't sure what I wanted to write about because this week has just been a mix of emotions.

It’s been two weeks to the day since I arrived in Australia. I don’t have much to tell today but I’ve been thinking a lot. Classes start next week and you wouldn’t believe how excited I am for that. It will be nice to get back into the swing of school and hopefully it will be the stepping ground for building friendships. It’s a lot harder than I imagined it would be but I guess if I’d really thought about it I would have realized going abroad was a lot more than just packing up and leaving. It’s a new culture, a new group of people, and it’s unfamiliar. It’s a lot scarier once you’re here and you realize that your friends are not across the hall from you in the next dorm and you have to completely come out of your shell and meet people, introduce yourself, and try to build relationships. As outgoing as I thought I was and some would say I am, I still haven't quite put the pieces together as quickly as I would have hoped. Am I homesick? Not really. Am I lonely? Just a bit. But with each day it gets better and I can’t wallow in self pity. I am in charge of this journey and as the captain it is up to me to decide how I want this journey to go. I like going to sleep because when I wake up a new day will have begun and the past will remain unchanged but the next move I make is up to me and is my choice. It’s refreshing when you think of each day like that. I’ve only been here two weeks and some may have expected a lot to happen in that time and it has but not in the way I thought it would. I’ve learned a few things about myself and my personality, as well as, made a few changes.
For lent I came up with a number of things that I thought would help make me a better person. I made changes to my diet as well as added on a few things in hope that I would start to feel better from the inside out. It’s been hard and it has only been 5 days. I read a passage that really inspires me to push through;

16"When you fast do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth; they have received their reward in full. 17But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. (Matthew 6:16-18)

So though some days seem daunting as I try to become better I must remember who I am doing it for.

Therefore, I say all this to say I’m adjusting to being abroad right now and I foresee better days in the near future!

“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.” Maria Robinson
~*Southern gal*~