Washington etc

Well hello there!
I know, I know...it's been so long...and even now, I don't have time to write, but enough is enough! I'm making time! Let's think where I left off...
So, as I remember, when last we spoke, I was revelling in the festivities of Australia day and having been here one month. This puts us back about 6 weeks. Yesterday I celebrated (just quietly, with myself in the car) 10 weeks of being an 'international' :)
Let me think...I can't really remember all that has happened, so I'll go over a few highlights.
This last week was Spring Break, which we get 9 days off for (it's their alternative to the Easter break WHICH we DO NOT get off...I have an exam Easter Monday...so Easter Sunday will be fun). After much deliberation, I finally decided to go to Washington DC for a mission trip with the University Lutheran Church. For those interested in history and politics and all that jazz, it's probably a little easier to understand the cultural significance, but I was nonetheless amazed by the architecture, design and ridiculously colossal monuments. The Lincoln memorial was particularly impressive, but kinda freaky...that thing is MASSIVE...Christine (a German girl studying abroad here [we were conveniently roomed together...quarantine for internationals, I suppose]) and I commented that it was a bit like a shrine and somewhat overdone, but heck, everything here is ten times the size, so why not?
Highlights in Washington:
= SEEING SNOW FOR THE FIRST TIME!!! I videoed touching it for the first time, got a photo of my first flung snowball (it's a very impressive shot) and had an all out ball in the snow. It was so much fun! Fortunately, it only snowed for the one or two days and only for 2-3 inches. So it was enough to have fun in, but not enough for it too be cold and turn the roads to dangerous ice. We were very spoilt.
= The Art Gallery!!!! I got to see some very famous pieces by Warhol, Picasso and Rembrandt!!! AND you're allowed to take photos, so I did :) It was so so cool to see in real life the pictures I'd seen in my art textbook! Needless to say, I got photos with Warhol's Marilyn :)
= Seeing the Washington Monument...not because of what it symbolised, but because it was in Forrest Gump!!! Haha - I don't mean to sound disrespectful, but I truly believe that no person deserves such glory and honour...except Jesus. And even then, I refuse to believe He'd let us spend our money on elaborate statues of Him, whilst the homeless sleep huddled together in the winter snow.
= Arlington cemetery, where they bury American troupes. Here's an Internet description of it: Arlington National Cemetery, 420 acres (170 hectares), N Va., across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C.; est. 1864. More than 60,000 American war dead, as well as notables including Presidents William Howard Taft and John F. Kennedy, Gen. John J. Pershing, and Admiral Robert E. Peary are interred here. Burial in Arlington is limited to active, retired, and former members of the armed forces, Medal of Honor recipients, high-ranking federal government officials, and their dependents.
I had mixed emotions about Arlington. I was sad, angry, confused and amused. I guess the biggest thing I got out of it was seeing the hundreds upon thousands of government headstones (the only headstones permitted in the cemetery) and feeling overwhelmed by the futility of war.
= The Whitehouse - wasn't really a highlight. We only saw the ground level, and it was a self-guided tour. Again, if the government means nothing to you, it's hard to be impressed, and I was once again unimpressed in the amount of money spent on the building.
= Oh, fun fact- Washington DC is built on a giant swamp. As a result, monuments such as the Lincoln Memorial sink approximately 1 foot per year. They bring in sand to fight the sinking city!
= The mission element of our trip. I missed one day of mission (in which they moved a few cupboards in a women's shelter), but I was fortunate enough to get to chop carrots for two hours for DC Kitchen, an organisation which serves food to the homeless each day. The chopping carrots hurt my neck, but it was so rewarding. The thing is, DC Kitchen only employ people who fulfil some criteria, ie, they must be homeless, on welfare etc etc. So we were really ministering to the people we were working with, which was fun. The organisation is great - it was so good to see these people filled with such a sense of hope. A few days later we were also fortunate enough to work with Age In Place, an organisation which gets volunteers to come help them out with elderly in the community. We were split into three smaller groups, and my group headed out to help out a lady with a slight disability, who had really let her house go. I scrubbed at a shower for at least an hour, whilst others worked on the toilet, basin, floors, cleaning bugs out of her cupboards and throwing out some very 'used by' foods. Later I encouraged her to take down her Christmas tree, which I think was sad for her, because I don't think she's had anybody over since, and it's kinda of packing away happy memories. She seemed very lonely, and was so grateful for everything we'd done for her.
= Sitting in an Irish pub whilst they sang WALTZING MATILDA!!!! I felt like the lovely Irish singers were my 'brothers' - it's odd, but I feel we were united in our journey in this foreign land.
= I stayed at a hotel for more than one night! I've never done this before, and it was very exciting! We stayed for like 6 nights, and I roomed with Christine (as I said) and an awesome chick called Krissi. Krissi was a highlight in my trip. I was so happy to make a new friend, and she treated me like a real person, rather than just 'the Australian' (which is getting a little old...I'd have hoped people could see past that by now, but it will take some time, I suppose...I forget I have an accent!). We hung out a fair bit, and I know there are some good times ahead for us :) Hooray!
So Washington was fun, but very full on, and I'm left feeling quite un-relaxed. Our days generally started at 7 and we'd go until 11pm, which is when we'd START our evening devotions. I'm exhausted, and we got back two days ago!
Speaking of which...in my university life, have never been more snowed under with work than I am right now. I've fallen pretty far behind in my readings (like 6 readings per subject...20 page readings each) on account of trying to get my Michigan application in - and now I'm rehearsing for my play (Dancing at Lughnasa) from 6-10pm Mon-Fri and then full day rehearsals on the weekend. This is for two weeks. Oh, not to mention I am at uni from 8.30 until rehearsals on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays...On top of this, I have volunteered to help with the Easter service at Campus House AND I am trying to get work done so I won't need to do it when James to come down...which brings me to another highlight - James.
I am 'dating' - as the Americans call it - an incredible guy called James Garrison. We met in Australia about 18 months ago, when he came over for an exchange program. He hung out with us girls from Living Word (because he's a good Lutheran...hehe) and after he left in December 2003, we kept in touch via email, and the odd phone call. When I got to America we began calling one another (he lives in Ohio...about the same distance as Gold Coast to Melbourne), and in the past 6 weeks, not a day has gone past that we haven't spoken to each other for at least an hour (sometimes up to 5!). SO - now he's coming down to visit! He arrives this Sunday, and I am so excited to finally be able to hang out with him BUT...rehearsals...so my housemates are going to entertain him...haha...no, we'll sort something out. He is such a God-centred guy who earnestly seeks God's will and we're continually amazed at how similar we are. He has been the biggest blessing in my life whilst in America. He's my home away from home and the only one who understands that 'The Spit' is not something a football crowd does at an unfair referee.
What else...classes are going...well, relatively well. I am still as interested as ever, I just wish there wasn't assessment. As I said, I've fallen quite far behind.
I sent in my application to Michigan, but I'm not sure what the outcome is just yet, and won't know for at least 8 weeks. So until then...
In other news, I am now the proud owner of a webcam! So for those of you who have msn messenger - download version 7 (BETA) so we can see each other/ I can show you my humble abode! The family and I have been having fun 'seeing' each other whilst talking on the phone :) Hopefully I'll get my microphone working so I can have free phone calls.
Wow, I'm getting so sleepy. Falling asleep in class, on public transport and in mid-sentence when writing has become a common occurance for me...
Okay, well I am falling asleep at my keyboard, so I might have to continue this another time, but better this than nothing.
Thank you all so much for your emails, but I will probably only get a chance to respond once rehearsals are over...very frustrating.
So in conclusion, I'm continuing to count my blessings. I've become less hostile to cultural differences and am making some good friends - particularly with Libby and Paige, two of my housemates, who I love hanging out with. I am so excited about the next nine months!
I hope you're all well.
Lots of love,
His,
Ellie