Random things

• I went to my new church for the first time on Sunday. I'd followed a few of their sermons online before, so it was wierd to be watching it all 'live'. The service was pretty similar to services in Australia - ordered yet informal. Juan Esteban Saravia (he has two first names) is an earnest, warm and clear preacher. I'm going to be joining a home group next week and can't wait to really be a part of things once I can speak Spanish.

• I think I was wrong about my class observations - there do seem to be folks here who aren't upper class, yet who live in a manner pretty comparable to the Australian middle class folks. But my observations are still true for many, many other middle and lower class Chileans.

• I praise God for men like John Piper who have dedicated a good part of their lives to writing books and having them translated into other languages. It warms my heart to see quality biblical literature sitting on Chilean bookshelves.

• For anyone interested in learning Spanish, I highly recommend Jean Yates' Correct Your Spanish Blunders. It walks you through Spanish grammar (and a bit of vocabularly too) in an order that is logical and helpful for beginners. Yates writes for English speakers, addressing common mistakes throughout, and her writing is non-technical, kindly and clear. 

• Until I can easily understand Spanish I plan to listen to one sermon from back home each week. I started on the one from last Sunday a few days ago, and already in the introduction a cultural difference leapt out at me. Dan said, "The average Australian says that Christianity is not something that you want to take too seriously. If you're going to have it in your life, it's best to keep it as a part, measured and contained - you don't want to take it too seriously." I already know that this is just not true of Chile - I don't know what is yet, but I know it's not that.

• English is cool over here. As I travel about, I sometimes hear English pop songs playing. It's not such a special experience when I don't like the song, but when I do, it gets to me in that way that songs can do. The trouble is the people around me don't know what this song might me to an Australian of my age and nor can I explain it to them :/.

• One of the things I was worried about in coming here was that with all the emphasis on relationships, I would be forced to live as an extrovert. But I trusted that God would sort it out somehow, and it seems that he has. You see, what I hadn't factored in was how relaxed time spent in others' company can be. There's talking for sure but there's also just time to sit and 'be' - the relating is not as intense as it is in Australia (maybe because here folks aren't so anxious to head off and get things done). Also, as an adult, it's okay to do my own thing - as I am now :).