June 15th, 2014
Saturday morning started off with my usual visit to the gym. Afterwards, I was getting ready for my performance with Sonia and the Gideon's Auxiliary meeting. Sonia's aunt was one of the organisers of the event and asked us to play a couple numbers. We did a flute oboe duet of "Low, the Way is Low," "Over the Rainbow", and "Pie Jesu." It went very well. We were also able to eat lunch with the ladies. I met some wonderful people and they were excited to know that I was from the United States.
Right after this event, I was on my way to church to practice the songs we were singing on Sunday. Practice went very well. I do have to say it is very strange to hear myself singing. By the time rehearsal was done, I needed a nap.
Sonia invited me to come with her to a Chaplaincy fundraiser dinner. Her brother was unable to make it so they had a spare ticket. So I was the "cuter version of Jacob for the night." It took place at St. Brigid's in Koroit. It is in the middle of no where really. It used to be an old Catholic church but when the numbers become to small the Vatican tried to sell it. The community of Koroit ended up purchasing it to preserve its history. They now use it for different community functions.
For the beginning of the night, we started off in the hall across from the church. We got a schedule for the evening and shared the first part of the meal. The meal theme for the evening was Moroccan. The soup was a shredded beef stew with a sweet and savoury pastry. It was delicious... or as the Aussies say "beautiful!"
While they prepared for the main course, we went over to the church to hear some local singers perform.
This choir sings about the environment and social justice.
The part in the video where everyone starts laughing is when the begin singing the lyrics "Don't frack around in our backyard, our backyard, our backyard, don't frack around in our backyard, our backyard is green.
After the performances, it was time for the main course. When I was being served he woman asked me what my name was and how I spelled it. She immediately picked up on my American accent and said that her name was Katy like the Katydids we have in America. At the table I asked Sonia if my accent was really that strong. She said yes.
I cannot tell you want the names are of the different foods we tried, but I can describe them. We had a chicken drum stick with a yellow sauce (turmeric), beef strips with a dark spicy sauce, carrot covered pineapple, couscous, and a salad. For dessert, it was a it cream and fruit jelly over coconut fibres. The meal was... "beautiful!"
The end of the evening entertainment was a raffle and auction. The auctioneer was very funny. He must have had friends at the front because when things weren't having bids he would put the bid on them and up the price $20 at a time until some one else bid. There was also a man that sat in front of us and bid on an item. When it was sold to him, the auctioneer knew his name, but asked for his number. The man replied "007." I was laughing so hard! This event is definitely unique, but lots of fun!
Sunday
At four in the morning, the rain was pelting down. It seems to rain everyday now. I was very dreary when my alarm went off so I stayed snuggled up in bed until the very last moment I could before getting ready for church. Ben could tell I was still waking up when I was warming up for singing. The service went a lot better though.
When I got home, I Facetimed with my family for a couple hours. It was Father's Day so I wished my dad a happy day.. early. It isn't Father's Day in Australia until September, so I will have to find a cheeky card then and send it home.
The rest of the day I spent studying and working on a scholarship application. At dinner time, all my housemates took a break and had a family dinner. Nick is going to a different Deakin campus next trimester so we thought it would be good to have one last family dinner with him. Then it was back to studying until bed.
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