Over the last week and a half I have had some interesting occurrences...
The Bus Guy
A couple of weeks ago I was sitting on the bus with my headphone in and reading a book. Despite all the signs of 'don't bother me', a guy came and sat by me and started talking. He asked if I wanted some of his coffee and I of course told him no, I don't drink coffee. I tried to continue reading but then he asked about my book, where I was from, and the questions kept coming. The guy was probably late twenties to early thirties, from Afghanistan but has lived mostly in Australia, is a software programmer and DJ. We talked a little about my religion, but mostly about the US and what the difference between a county and a state was. He asked for my number so we could finish our chat over coffee sometime. After clarifying that I was married and he wasn't asking me out I decided it might be a good missionary opportunity and we exchanged numbers.
Before you decide to judge me, he wasn't a creepy guy so I didn't think he'd stalk me or anything and I certainly wasn't attracted to him for any reason. I genuinely thought it might be a good opportunity to talk about my beliefs. The next day he texted me about getting coffee (apparently he didn't remember I don't drink coffee) and I had to decline because I always have things going on after work and for the most part I just want to go home. The next week he texted me again and I politely said I didn't know if there was ever going to be a good time. Then it all started getting weird on Saturday he sent me another message saying I'm not forced to meet up and if I think he wants something he has "enough woman in Sydney" to take care of that. I simply explained that my schedule was just too crazy. All seemed well, until he called me and starts saying f-this and f-that and how he can "f" with plenty of girls in Sydney, blah, blah, blah. Wow! I told him he just wasn't a priority to be honest and there wasn't a really good time to meet up. This just caused him to get all upset and basically say I was just making excuses and then he hung up. Needless to say I blocked him.
I was never positive of this guy's intentions, but I felt like a hot chocolate or something would be harmless. I never expected the kind of crazy result and had the guy acted like that in the beginning I would never even considered talking to him further. Not to mention he never could remember I don't drink coffee and maybe he "forgot" I was married as well. The moral of the story is....DO NOT GIVE YOUR NUMBER TO RANDOM PEOPLE ON THE BUS! In fact, I'll stick to my happy "keep to myself and read" philosophy permanently. I'm just hoping I don't run into this guy again.
As for a few less psychotic events...
The Dentist
Lately I've had a bunch of issues with my back gum where I had a wisdom tooth removed. It got really swollen for over a week so I made an appointment with a dentist. The swelling went down before the appointment but the dentist said that when my tooth was removed the gum was sewn up too high making it prone to get swollen. I was glad to know that I had no cavities and my teeth are great, but not happy to hear I need to go to a gum specialist. I have an appointment with the specialist in a week so we'll see what happens.
Young Women Fun
Tuesday we played Jeopardy with the youth based on General Conference. It was all open "phone" so they could search to find the answers. I wasn't sure how well it would go since I knew there were some tough questions and its hard to remember even little things sometimes. In the end, it was a huge success and everyone had a lot of fun. We also had nachos and Dulce de leche in honour of Cinco de Mayo. I don't think it was the preparation or the food that made it good, but the attitude of the girls that were there. Any activity can be fun when you make it fun and have a good attitude. Thank you Young Women for being amazing!
Thursday was fun as Jaydene and I were going to visit one of the young women and our Laurel president (Fekita) wanted to come as well. Jaydene picked me up from my bus stop near Fekita's and without even knowing for sure she could come we went and visited her. It turns out it was her first time ever being home alone and she only opened the door because she heard Jaydene's voice. Plans with the other girl didn't work out because she was at a parent/teacher interview. In the end we decided to take Fekita out to dinner since none of us had eaten yet. It was a blessing to have a nice chat, eat some good Thai food, and rescue Fekita from being alone.
Permanent Residency
This last week Matt and I finally got his skills assessment back and found that he was successful! That means we are now ready to complete an expression of interest (EOI) to hopefully be invited to apply for permanent residency. On Saturday I went to get the skills assessment document certified only to find that the GPS had me take the wrong bus! It just so happened Jaydene and I were messaging each other that morning and she could come pick me up and take me to the right place in time. Had I tried the buses it might have been over an hour. She helped me get my errands done and I tagged along for hers as well. Blessings!
That evening I completed our EOI! It took me two hours as I had to keep checking I was ticking the right boxes. It says we have 65 points although we should have 70, but for some reason it wasn't counting Matt's employment in Australia. I fixed that and now it says he hasn't worked for 8 years overseas even though he has. Well it's because they only count the last 10 years and he went to school for 5 months and California for a few months so as for as their calculations go, only 7 of his work years will count. We need 60 points to apply so we are fine, but having 70 points would have really pushed us above other applicants. Oh well. The good news is that it's done and if we were invited to apply tomorrow, we have everything read except for passport photos.
Mothers Day
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Today is Mother's day. I feel it is only fair to complete this blog by mentioning what an amazing mother I have! When I was younger she was the voice of reason that I refused to listen to. I once even argued with her about how to spell my name (I was 6). As I got older I soon learned that my mother is almost always right. Nevertheless, she let me make decisions on my own even when she knew I was going to learn the hard way. Instead of an "I told you so," I always get her open and loving arms (more like words since I'm always far from home). She provides the wise advice that I trust because I know that she is frequently inspired of the Lord. Additionally, she is the one person that I know will drop everything and listen when I am in desperate need.
My mother and I have a special relationship because we are so similar. She is my mother, my best friend, and sister in a way. Frequently we find we go through similar situations although we are thousands of miles apart. There just isn't another person in this world that understands me the way my mother does! I can only hope that I can be more like her and have the patience, charity, love, and devotion that she has. Love you mom!
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