Observances of this Part of the World

Sorry for the lack of updates these past days, but honestly there hasn't been that much going on...There are 3 girls left in the girls house, by the end of the week there will be 2 :) But new girls are coming soon- then I have to explain who I am and how long I'm gana be here...etc again and again hahaha. Why do we always get stuck with the same questions in situations? Before I got here the only question I heard, for what felt like 5 years, was "when are you leaving?", now all I'm hearing is "how long are you here for?", "what part of the States are you from?"- however, the latter is much less annoying. I've met a couple of tween girls that were very excited that I live close to LA...asked which celebs I've seen, and I have seen some, but nothing to live up to the expectations. It's cool though, I have some cool points :)

I was in the Information Center today, which was a bit nerve racking because that's where people go to learn all the info they want, which means I have to be on my game! Shoghi Effendi (the Guardian of the Faith) says "it's a very important position as it often marks the very first contact of a person with the Faith and on it may hinge that individuals future attitude towards the Cause."...Yeah, that's pretty heavy stuff. I don't want my words to be the deciding point of whether someone likes or dislikes the Faith! Hahaha. But it's not just the words, I know, it's the spirit of the person which also attracts those who are interested. It's a good challenge, it'll get me more ready with what I want to say and how I want to say it. I also did office work today, a lot of paper shredding, and my feet are killing me! I'm pretty tired but have to muster up energy because there is a "hen's night" (bachelorett night) tonight- Indian restaurant with a DJ and dancers :)

Went to a Child Protection training in a town about 1 1/2 hours away. Had to take the train all by myself. It really makes me nervous doing things on my own, even just one more person with me makes me more comfortable, even if they are are child. Anyway, accomplishing train riding on my own was pretty exciting :) Well, I'll leave you with something more exciting than my lack of adventures. (P.s. I saw wild parrots! They had purple heads, bright green wings and yellow and orange tummies, and they were standing like a foot away from me. They were SOOO cute. So wish I had my camera. Also saw 3 wallabies in one day. They are adorable. I'm just fascinated by the wild life that's here).

Some things I've learned:
1. There is no honking here; it's silence on the road. So coming from Taiwan and LA, that's pretty new.
2. Traffic lanes randomly appear and disappear- something I am never going to get use to. What is the point of it if it's just going to vanish in 1 foot?!
3. They speak a different language- Some guy told me to get off the train in "Wynyute", yet how it's spelled (and I guess sorta pronounced), is "Wynyard"- almost missed my stop.
4. All words are abbreviated. A "bather" is a bathing suite, a "pressie" is a present....can't keep up ma...
5. Maybe it's because we're by a beach, but there are please walking the streets with no shoes on. I say that that's ok on the beach, not when your on sidewalks.
6. I don't think there are straight roads here, all streets are winding roads. Also, roundabouts are on every street. They make me nervous and I feel there is no use for them. I think we have one in Orange County...