Learning to Speak...Australian

Pax Christi vobiscum! Come Holy Spirit!

Well, it's been about 3 weeks for me here in Sydney, Australia. And I have to say it's everything that Finding Nemo had prepared me for. That movie is dead on! Everything from the accents, to the Opera House, to the way the seagulls all say, "Mine! Mine! Mine!" as they surround anyone who so much as opens a packet of saltine crackers. Basically, I'm trying to tell you that everything you see in movies is true....

I'd have to say that the thing I've enjoyed most down here is trying to learn the Australian Language.

"But Paul, don't they speak...English?" you ask, looking at me like I'm as slow as a koala bear.

Reading your mind, I respond, "First, koalas are not bears, they're marsupials. Second, saying that Australians speak English is like saying that French Fries are actually French. It sounds good, but it's just not true." (Note: As far as I know, French fries may actually originate in France...)

So I thought I'd introduce you to some of the fun colloquialisms that I've discovered in my time here, in order to dispel this so-called English speaking myth.

For one, I found that they end all of their sentences with a "full-stop" and not a "period." I will now continue blogging from a telegraph--full stop.

Sorry that last joke really threw a "spanner in the works" (pronounced "spanah een thah wuks"...this is really difficult), as they say. This is Australian for "wrench in the gears," a much simpler and commonsensical expression.

There's also...

• Chunder (pronounced "Chunduh"), Australian for "Vomit." (The Chunduh from down unduh...)
• "Hooroo," Australian for Goodbye.
• "G'day," Australian for "Hello, how are you, it's been too long, and I'd very much enjoy getting together sometime in the near future if you're so inclined."
• "Good onya," Australian for "Good for you!"
• And "Foster's," Australian for beer.

So it's been a fun time getting to know the locals down here. I will try to catch you up when I have more phun phrases phor you.

Alright, now I'm just getting loopy. God bless, and please keep the parish here in your prayers! They've got to deal with the same guy who writes these bizarre blog posts. Hooroo!

G'day from Down Undah!

Pax Christi vobiscum! Come Holy Spirit!

Crickey! It's been a while since I've been on this thing. So as a quick catch-you-up-in-less-than-10-seconds, here's what I did/what happened to me in the last month:

- Finished exams on June 19th

- Slept for 22 of the first 48 hours after that...

- Spent a week and a half trying to talk the Indian Embassy into granting us a Visa

- Said attempts failed due to Anti-Catholic sentiment.

- Canceled flight to India, set to depart on July 1st, in the year of our Lord 2008.

- Spent a good week and a half frantically considering other plans, including but not limited to:

1. Visiting Fr. Mark and helping at his Parish in Nigeria
2. Going to Mexico for a Parish experience
3. Helping the Missionaries of Charity in any of their locations in Europe
4. Watching Sleepless in Seattle
5. Helping at World Youth Day in Sydney, Australia

As you can see, there were some awesome options still available, despite how impossible some of them might have seemed (I was really gunning for number 4!). In the end, my Vocations Director wanted me to help at World Youth Day 2008. And so I hail you from the great land mass known as Australia: G'day, mate!

And I've got to say, it's been a real trip. Even though our trip to Calcutta fell through, our spiritual plan did not fail. The four of us who were originally planning to serve in India had all decided that we wanted to learn from Mother Teresa, and God gave us our chance by letting the trip fall through.

"What?" you ask. Yes, that's right. Even in apparent "failure" we still were being instructed in the ways of holiness. Mother Teresa would always say, "I take all He gives, and I give all He takes...with a big smile." So while I'm usually very practiced in the first part of that pious statement (gotta love gifts!), I still struggle to really surrender what I want, giving it to God if He wants to take it from me. That's where God wanted us to grow; He wanted us to experience some of the poverty of Mother Teresa, at least in her poverty of self-will.

But God granted us all a chance to serve Him elsewhere in the world. Indeed, God never takes unless He's got more to give. He's usually waiting for us to give up what we think we need, so He can give us what He knows we need. The tension comes because we hang on, desiring to control the situation. When we surrender, however, we have peace.

Please pray for me, that I may continue to surrender. God bless! Know that I'm praying for you all!