Mixture of Emotions

Hi everyone! I have had a good and emotional past couple days! Yesterday was pretty good! I just had classes and had fried rice for dinner with my three Australian friends. It was pretty relaxed and my class was interesting. We had people from different cultures speaking in class, and it is sooo cool to hear everyone's opinions. Then I heard that my Grandpa White is in the hospital, and it is hard to be away from home when my family is hurting. I am happy here, but a part of me wishes that I could be there for my family. :( Today was good day, though! My friends cheered me up and one of my friends here had a hard week, too. She lost a close friend back in Texas, and it is hard for her. We invited her to come over and watch Grey's Anatomy with us to cheer her up. I am so happy that I have good friends here. They make me laugh all the time and help with the homesickness. Thank goodness for Skype, too! I got to talk to Nathan, Chantel and Collin yesterday, and they had the opportunity to meet my good friend from Germany. Then I talked to Nathan today, because it is his birthday, and I am so grateful for him. :D I talked to Miss Emily Clarke today, too! I miss her, and it felt sooo good to catch up with her! Today, the dorm decided to have a dumb fire drill at 8 in morning, and everyone back home knows that I am NOT a morning person. I was a grouchy camper, and then I came back and slept until 11. I had my Normal Communication class today, and we assessed videos of American television shows, such as "Full House" and "Friends". We looked at all the language, which was interesting. It puts a whole new meaning to watching television. Today, I felt like a speechie. I taught my Aussie friends what a dentalized (lisp) was this week. It is when a person sticks their tongue out when they are saying a sound, and the teeth come down on the tongue. Then one of my friends went home to have dinner with her family and said the word, "stupid" with a lisp. She told me that she stopped and told her family that she dentalized her "s." Then she said that they all stopped and looked at her like she was nuts. I am rubbing off. ;) Then one of my Aussie friends said, "can't" with my Kansas twang. Haha! I have a feeling though that they are rubbing off on me. Haha! I find myself saying new phrases every single day. Tonight, we all cooked together again, and we all chipped in for the meal. We had yummy pasta! Tomorrow, I have class at 10, and then I am going to a music festival! Opera!! I am so excited!! Then the Great Ocean Road Trip is on Saturday, and we leave Melbourne at 8:30 in the morning. Even in this excitement, Grandpa White isn't far from my thoughts today. Everyone please pray for him. Thanks for all the support back home!