I've officially turned the big 2-7! How nice to say I turned 27 in Sydney, Australia! :)

I went to the Balmain RC meeting yesterday evening. It was a lovely evening (as is generally the case). One of the Swedish GSE team members was there to speak a bit about her home country and her vocation (as a police officer). She was such a nice girl! It's always so nice to hear about places I've never been. It makes me want to travel even more, as I realize there is so much more out there to be learned and explored!

Shortly before the close of the meeting, the Balmain Rotarians surprised me with a birthday gift! I completely did not expect them to even know that it was my birthday! I think my host counselor may know (but she's been in Chicago for the Rotary Council on Legislation, so I didn't expect her to remember), and I only randomly mentioned it in the context of getting phone calls from my family on May 1st to a Sydney City Rotarian. So it's not as if I really told many people (I don't usually celebrate my b-day, to be honest!). It was really very sweet of the Balmain folks and it meant a lot to me that they acknowledged the day.
Even more surprising were the calls I received this morning (i.e., the morning of my birthday). I received three calls from three separate Sydney City Rotarians who rang to wish me a happy birthday. It certainly was a pleasant surprise! One of them invited me to a dinner next week, and another invited me to attend Rotary lunch next Tuesday as her guest. They're truly such a kind group of folks!

Toby and I went to Tomodachi for lunch. We ate more sushi than really should be allowed. I seriously did not think I would be able to move! I was completely stuffed! It was a really lovely lunch.

Matt and Linz rang me this morning and in the evening. They absolutely crack me up! I didn't get to take one of their calls, as I was in a SUPRA Activities Committee meeting. Instead, I received a voicemail message from them shortly thereafter. I cannot get over how crazy they are! ha ha ha...

Speaking of SUPRA (which, for those of you who don't know, is the Sydney University Postgraduate Representative Association)...
I've been delegated my first SUPRA duty: coordinating the Postgraduate BBQ for May 28th. I'm really looking forward to working on this project---I think it will be a lot of fun, and it will give me the chance to sort of "prove myself" as a councilor. More on that as it unfolds in the coming weeks.

The Undercliffe Mural Project is coming along nicely! It's so nice to have the support of both the school and of the Balmain Rotary Club in making this project a success. And yes, I do think it will be successful! I'm really looking forward to the project progressing more in the weeks to come. I enjoy seeing a project come together---it's such a nice feeling!

SouthEast Telephone is brilliant! I am so happy to say that they are hosting my website, which features Ambassadorial Scholar details, Balmain RC information and project updates. The URL is www.sydneyscholar.org ; however, it is still under construction, so don't expect to find much on the site as of yet. It really is so nice of them to do that! I can't get over the generosity of that company---they do a lot of good for the community (and even for folks who aren't technically in the community [or country]!).

I can't think of anything else that is particularly newsworthy at the moment.
I will provide more updates later on in the week!

Until then...