I had to take my first adult big girl step last night and confront my coach about it. Despite the tears, it went well:) Hopefully I will be moving into my new house this weekend. Cross your fingers. I will admit the journey over here has been quite the emotional roller coaster. I mean this all came about in 3 weeks, so that in and of itself put my emotions in override. Yet I felt God taking me in this direction even though there was hardly any time to prepare. Mind you I didn't tell my parents about this for a full week because they were on vacation and I also got picked for jury duty. Too many decisions and too much responsibility in a week. So really I had two weeks to prepare. Prepare for the move itself with the little details I did know. And there was no way I could prepare for the many mishaps that have happened in the past week. Maybe I'm just getting all the bad stuff out of the way first!! Let's pray that is the case...
MiSHAPS
1. Plan to leave thursday night for AUS. Ready for the 16+ hour flight ahead, and for those who know me on planes that is an impressive feat. Ready to take that step of faith. Start an adventure. Live out a dream. Challenge myself. Overcome fears. Let go.
We arrived at LAX full of excitement and expectation, and luckily remembered the requirements for mom's carry-on bag [with help from Erin, thanks Erin:)] for our second flight once in Australia. Let me tell you they have strict rules here on domestic flights. Carry on items have to be 15lbs and about 2 inches smaller then regular US carry on items. How can one pack with those requirements? I'll never know. Mom had one outfit and a pair of PJs to work with. After adjusting our baggage and leaving behind nearly 7 lbs of clothing we said goodbye to dad. And thank goodness Auntie Cheryl was escorting us because she helped ease the tension as new issues sprang up. We didn't realize we needed to purchase visas. [FYI if you are planning to visit Australia you are required to purchase a $25 visa before you can get your ticket] Fifty dollars later we were finally able to go through security with our companion passes in hand [which are not guaranteed tickets but usually there is never a problem getting on a flight standby] Well after an hour and a half of checking in, blood pressure elevated, we finally arrive at gate 77 flight to SYD. Everything was looking grand. They were boarding the plane and there were 40+ seats left on the flight. We were looking really good at number 5 and 6 on the wait list. Which then became 1 and 2 as the four companion passes in front of us were able to board. WELL speaking of wait, WEIGHT rather, they call us up to the desk to let us know that the plane has been weight restricted. [They have been sending supplies over to New Zealand because of the earthquakes so they have been putting a weight restriction on the flights]. So even though there were 40 seats left we couldn't get on. So disappointing. Frustrating. And dare I say it, a sigh of relief. But this only where the journey to Adelaide began...
2. Because we weren't able to get on the flight we were stranded in LA. Without a car or a ride home. My dad couldn't pick us up and my Aunt had a flight out of LA soon after our expected departure. We were stuck in the rain with nearly 200lbs of baggage. So we hopped on a bus and rented a car. This turned into another wait. THREE hours to be exact. Mom had to stand in line while I waited outside in the rain with the baggage watching plane after plane take off overhead. It was so depressing and just like the rain, tears were streaming down. It was in that moment I realized I wanted to take this adventure despite any reservations I had. And that moment has been something I have been reflecting on as I sit here in Australia with my current doubts.
3. We arrived back home completely exhausted. As a matter of fact it was completely by the grace of God we made it home because mom and I had both popped sleeping pills at LAX prior to take off. We were running on adrenaline and had to figure out how to call Australia. FYI when and if you decide to ever call me [please don't its a rather big bill] you have to dial 011 61 + the rest of the number. We were able to change our hotel reservations after being on hold for 25 minutes and praise God for such nice Aussies because a cancellation fee is one hefty charge. It is the price of the room for the night! They let us bump the two nights we originally had booked a night ahead which seemed pointless because the woman at LAX said the next night's flight was booked full. Then we proceeded to call Virgin Blue [our domestic flight in Aus] and we sat on hold for well over an hour. $$$$$$$$$ and then some. They first told my mom they were charging her $700. Yes that is two zeros. For missing our connecting flight and then trying to change them around with such short notice. At this point its 3am friday morning. We are exhausted. Have experienced an emotional high and low in a matter of hours. Needless to say mom and I were balling at this point. Everything seemed so bleak. Not to mention we were going to miss the BBQ my coach and teammates planned for our arrival on Australia's saturday afternoon [your friday evening]. Bleak. The situation. Our attitudes. The atmosphere. Yet thanks to a new friend and his prayers and reassurance on an early friday morning, I was determined to trust. Trust in God's original plan. And rest knowing that everything was going to work out. By the way, after 80 minutes on the phone they were able to work out a deal with my mom and switched our flights to the following day with a $70 charge. Much much better than the original $700. So we were left praying all night that things would work out despite the odds.
4. The next night at LAX we flew [no pun intended] through check-in and security and were pro's at this point. All we could do was wait. Our flight, like every United flight from LA to SYD, was expected to depart at 10:15pm and apparently weight restrictions are known around 8:30pm. So at 8:30pm I walked up to the airline desk with the kindest of manners and asked if there was any weight restrictions. She said no. I was thrilled but cautioned myself not to get too excited knowing the flight was booked full.
Let me tell you the next hour and a half felt like a lifetime. If you haven't flown standby then you have no idea what I am talking about but you have to watch the screen and see how many seats are left and where your name stands on the list. Well in an hours time the seats went from 30 available to 19 available back up to 24 available. It was yet another emotional roller coaster. Mom and I were 3 and 4 on the list and about 10:20pm [the flight almost done boarding] the man at the desk walked over to tell us [number 1, number 2, 3 and 4, (5 and 6 were also there)] that the flight was at full weight limit capacity and we could wait but chances were, there were no chances. BUT God is good and honestly the next 20 minutes were a blur. They called #'s 1,2,3&4 and told us to run and grab our seats. Also by the goodness of God mom and I somehow got seats together which is unheard of especially because they had been saying no seat changes all night. Once on the plane we didn't have too many mishaps. Bevan [like Evan with a B...love him] my new Aussie friend from Sydney began teaching me some Aussie slang and then he and my mom managed to fall asleep on me. It was definitely not my most comfortable flight ever. And no offense Auntie because you are more than an angel for giving us your flight benefits, but there were not individual TVs on the back of every headrest! I was spoiled on my flight to Europe I guess. So that was pretty unfortunate, but I survived.
MiSHAPS SINCE ARRiVAL iN ADELAiDE
1. As you have read my housing assignment is not solidified as it was upon our arrival. My housing plans fell through which is understandable due to my host family's circumstances, but I have felt very frustrated as planning here is very very lackadaisical. I thought I was a procrastinator. Nope. Not in the slightest. Its almost been a week and I am still homeless. Fortunately a girl on the junior's team has taken me in. But her mom just had a serious back surgery and I'm currently sleeping in TJ's [the junior player] room while she is on a blow-up air mattress. Things are backward. I feel like a burden and an inconvenience. They keep reassuring me I'm none of those things, but the last thing they need is an emotional American let alone one whose body is completely out of whack.
2. I have been sick for the past three days. My temperature is finally going back down to normal but yesterday night it was pretty high. And I usually don't get fever's so you know I was freaking out a little. Especially when the thought that not only was I about 18 hours travel time away, I am 62,000 miles, excuse me conversions have me all messed up 62,000 kilometers, away from the physical comfort of my parents. I guess I am finally growing up. It may be the jet-lag, or the fact that I am homesick because I have not been able to settle in at all, or the stress of the move or being homeless or the pressures I am putting on myself. It is a mix of everything.
All this to say, I have not been a negative nance since I have been here. I knew it was going to be more than difficult. And I know myself so I knew coming in I would have these struggles and that they would be more intensified because I am so far away from home. But I have had a lot of time to pray and read and in doing that despite all these mishaps God continues to comfort me and show me that is so important to just rest and wait and be still. Those are the last things I want to be because I am so uncomfortable. Physically. Mentally. Emotionally. But I am growing! And it is really really neat to be in this process of change even though my time here thus far has been nothing but bitter. Sweet days are ahead.
My prayers have already changed in these past five days. I haven't prayed for it to get easier, or to be rescued or to have the time fly by. I want to learn and know what it is like to have patience. To be shaped in ways I have never known. Especially because I am in a foreign place and have zero control. Sure I am anxious and do ask the my troubled heart be set free. It is my biggest sin struggle. Worry, doubt, fear. You name it, I have it mastered. But this is a season in my life where I can let go of it all and master the feeling of being redeemed. Master acceptance. Master the ability to focus on God's presence and His ability and His action. To let go of the strongholds in my life that only put me in a more anxious state.
"If you dig in and fight the changes, they will smash you to bits. They'll hold you under, drag you across the rough sand, scare and confuse you. But if you can find it within yourself, in the wildest of seasons, just for a moment, to trust in the goodness of God, who made it all and holds it all together, you'll find yourself drawn along a whole new place, and there's truly nothing sweeter. Unclench your fists, unlock your knees and also the door to your heart, take a deep breath and swim. Begin to let the waves do their work in you."
-Shauna Niequist, Learning to Swim
This is what I am praying for:)
Some snapshots of my first days here...
watching the sunrise
mom and I on the second flight
one of the boys I help coach
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