Melbourne (part 1.5)

"Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. 

Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 

Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows."

-Luke 12: 6-7

Sitting in the Melbourne airport waiting to fly to Brisbane in a little bit! Melbourne (pronounced "MEL-ben”) is very nice; I love how walkable the city is and the free tram that runs through it. It also has so many tourists and feels safe at night. 

Some things that reminded me of God’s love: 

- On Wednesday when we (some girls and I) were getting sushi for lunch, a businessman came up to us and asked if we were visitors and wanted recommendations of places to see. We said yes, and he told us to go to 333 Collins St, saying that this building isn’t one you’d think to walk into, but it's gorgeous on the inside. After lunch the next day (we found The Soup Place! It’s Gizmo’s [one of the Arcadia staff] favourite lunch spot), we walked over, and the inside was just as the man said. I’ll let the picture speak for itself, even though it doesn’t do it justice. The really special part was the music in the building: Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 ❤️ It reminded me that God cares for me so much that He even orchestrates background music. 

333 Collins St.

The Soup Place

- Last night, I finally got a SIM card, and the lady that helped me was super friendly! We had a really nice chat and were about to insert the SIM card into my phone when we found no SIM card tray. Oops. (I think  I left the SIM card tray back at home when Beau and I were taking out my US SIM card. I guess we just never put the tray back in…) I must have looked really concerned and scared because Nahny (the phone lady) said, “Don’t freak out!” multiple times and showed me how I could order it on eBay. But thankfully, there was a phone repair shop two doors down, and I bought the tray and got my phone activated. Waited awhile to do both, but PTL I no longer have to desperately (fail to) connect to wifi (which is nothing compared to the Bay Area, in terms of coverage and speed. So spoiled.).

- I found a cozy bookshop while wandering in the streets last night! It was hidden away in an alley, and I ended up spending an hour browsing  the packed shelves. Back home, I’d never have the luxury to slow down and peruse through random books in a bookstore, which relates to one of my goals abroad. While I hope to immerse myself in the new culture and environment, I also hope that I don’t fill every moment busily doing. Right at the end of Spring Quarter, I was reminded of the concept that we are human beings and not human doings. Being takes time and space, and I want to have time to be still, listen, reflect, and learn through my experiences here. Also, while the forecast threatened rain all afternoon, it only showered when I was in the bookstore. God is good!

The Paperback Bookshop

A short experience on vocabulary differences: 

- The “second floor” of buildings is known as “level 1” here. While searching for a public toilet (restrooms), we found signs that read “Toilet: Level 1”. But no matter how many times we circled the building, we couldn’t find the toilet. Finally, we asked a lady working there, and she clarified that we had to take the lift (elevator) to the first level. Thanks for letting us know! (On the bathroom note, I really appreciate the locks on Australian restroom stalls! They’re the ones that display whether the stall is vacant or occupied. No more pushing against every stall door or awkwardly bending down to see if the stalls are open.)

We also visited the Eureka skydeck and attempted to view the sunset from the 88th floor (the elevator only took 38 seconds!), except there were clouds so we didn’t get to see the sunset. Google Photos stitched together a panorama, shown below. 

Melbourne from 300 metres high

Well, by now I'm sitting in bed in Brisbane, all moved in at Urbanest, my home (?) for the next 127 days. Here's a sneak peak of Brisbane!

Brisbane River at Night

P.S. I've been trying to figure out how to enable the email subscription for this blog. It hasn't worked yet, but hopefully it will by the next post. Thanks for your patience, and goodnight!