In Gainesville!

Hello All!

Well, this may be a short email as I'm using Paige's (my roommate and saint whilst I've been here!!!) computer...

Just wanted to let you all know that I have arrived safely in Gainesville!!! The trip to Naples (where Paige's family lives) took about three hours from Miami. I was a little tentative about getting on buses etc so early in the morning (I left the hostel at 7am - it's not all that light here then). Three taxi drivers pulled over to offer me a ride whilst I was waiting at the bus stop, and being the suspicious me I am, I declined...and then I thought about the story where God sends help via a helicopter and the dude refused it...so I bargained the driver down to $10 to the bus terminal AND he lifted my bags into the boot etc (they're very very heavy...) and was actually very nice to me (I still memorised his name and number...). The bus terminal was horrible - a real small weatherboard house with barbed wire all around it and a police man sitting inside to make sure there's no trouble. Thankfully the bus arrived 25 minutes after I got there and the police man lifted my bags onto the bus there too. Once on the bus I clicked on my iPod and it was smooth sailing.

I fell asleep for 15 minutes on the bus and when I woke up we were in the middle of sugar cane...or that's what i thought, and then I realised that it was the famous 'Everglades'...I wasn't too excited because they were pretty ugly. When I looked out the other window I could see more of the swamp, but I was surprised by the fact that the council workers walk along the highway, pick up the bits of rubber left over from accidents and haul them over into the national park!!! There was rubber everywhere. And then I realised that it wasn't rubber. Those were alligators!!! Every 3-5 metres - an alligator! Sure they weren't that big, but they were just sitting there, only a small stream and a fence separating them from us, for miles and miles. I tried to take photos, but the bus was going too fast...

So anyway, I arrived in Naples just fine and Paige picked me up. Her family were wonderful and took me out to lunch and asked me funny questions about Australia. I gave Paige's dad a boomerang - he found it most amusing. Oh - and I told Paige's mum I missed Mangoes, so she went out and bought one for me (it's still in my fridge - special occasion, though I doubt it'll taste any good...)! She also paid for my phone card so I can call mum, she said it's 'a mom thing' and she wanted to know I was in touch with my mum.

So now I'm in Gainesville!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My room is massive (bigger than my room at home!!) and the apartment is huge also! We arrived the night before New Year's Eve. The following night one of our housemates had a big New Year's Party, so that was fun. I met lots of cool people, though I wasn't very festive because you guys had already done all that celebrating!

Today is Sunday and I managed to get a ride into ULC (University Lutheran Church) just across the way from the stadium. The service almost made me cry because I felt so at home. It was just like our old church in Berri, Zion Lutheran. We sang old hymns and passed the peace and it was wonderful. The pastors were very cool and they had a FEMALE pastor!!! Well, I think she was in training, but she had the robes and all. She was about 60 years old. I'm yet to figure out their church politics etc, which I should because I'd like to know the difference between the various strands of Lutheran churches over here, but for now I'm happy with ULC, it's just getting there that's a hike - buses don't run on weekends!

My roomates are cool. Andie studies Psychology, Libby studies History, Paige studies Mechanical Engineering and Nicole goes to the local Community College (like TAFE). I don't see Andie much - she stays with her boyfriend a lot, Libby works heaps at Steak'n'Shake (a 24 hour old school American restaurant - they're everywhere here - Andie works there also) so I don't see her much and she sleeps during the day, and Nicole is a people person, so she's constantly where it's happening. Paige and i have been hanging out a fair bit (we watched 5 episodes of Gilmore Girls yesterday!!!) and I'm grateful for her having me along.

It's funny, people keep asking me if I'm missing home and how I'm dealing and all of that, but I don't really know how to answer. I think about home a lot, but I can't really say I miss it - I am just temporarily away, and to me 'missing' connotates not appreciating what I have here. So I am making the most of what I have here and not missing much at all, because I know all of this will be over in the blink of an eye, so I'm gonna milk it for all it's worth. That and I think God has placed a protective bubble around me, saving me from hurt and sadness...I can feel Him so strongly over here.

Living away from Mum and Dad is a challenge, but I'm doing well. Mum, yesterday I put on a load of washing!!! It's kinda easy cos I'm just looking after myself. But I've been a good girl and Paige and I cleaned the kitchen, plus I emptied the dishwasher! Oh gotta go...

So now I'm just hanging out. We're going to see a women's basketball match this afternoon - Paige's friend, Jenny, dances at the matches in a dance troupe called the Dazzlers...so American.

Right well, I'm off to a game, more when I get my own computer! Love you all!

LoveEllie