Update from Down Under

I don't have much time, so for now I'll just copy and paste my blog entries for Relevant Radio. Then I'll give the "inside look" later. aka the story behind the story in which I show my true feelings.


G'day from Down Under! Day 3
7/17/2008
11:02 pm - Sydney8:02 am - ChicagoToday the Pope came!!!!But first, we had another 6:30 am breakfast call. We went to a different catechesis today, in order to see Cardinal George and hear his talk. The Cardinal spoke to us about relationships, specifically the relationships between God and the Church, the Church and the world, and the Church and Herself. It was an awesome talk, truly enthralling.After Catechesis, we got our lunch and hopped on a bus to an area called The Domain, to stake out our spot to to see the Holy Father. We had an awesome spot right along the fence, where the Holy Father drove by! We also put a sign up on the fence that said "Chicago Catholics <3 Benedict XVI". After a few hours of waiting, the atmosphere became suddenly charged and excited as we watched the Pope arrive on a boat and speak at Barangaroo on the Jumbotron screens. We were chanting and singing in anticipation of his arrival at the Domain, and about 45 minutes later, the Holy Father drove through the Domain. He was about 20 feet in front of us! It was an incredible sight, and such a blessing.Following the Domain, our group split up to go see different concerts and events throughout Sydney. I went with 5 others to a concert at Sydney Entertainment Center, which featured Matt Maher. After some music, there was Adoration, with the Eucharist on an altar on the stage, and hundreds of people on their knees in the gigantic auditorium. It was beautiful.I have to get to bed for tomorrow's busy day, but first, Fun fact #2: Platypus are poisonous, but not lethal, and only the males are poisonous. We asked an Australian how to tell the difference between male and female, just in case we ever run into a platypus. He said, "Grab it by the tail and flip it over, and pray really hard that it isn't male." What a valuable life lesson. :)
Until tomorrow!God bless!Megan

G'day from Down Under! Day 2
7/16/2008
It is 8:00 pm here, 5:00 am in Chicago.Today we woke up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed for breakfast at 6:30 am. By 7:10, we were out the door and on our way to the subway for our journey to our first day of Catechesis. Catechesis is essentially a discussion and celebration of our faith, led by leaders in our respective native languages, to help deepen understanding of different faith topics. It includes a talk, skits, music, confession, and Mass. The theme for today's catechesis was "The Call of the Holy Spirit". The talk was given by the Archbishop of Ottowa, and it was a fantastic talk. He told us that everyone has a calling, and we must listen to the Holy Spirit to discover what our calling is. World Youth Day is an exciting experience, and the Holy Spirit is plainly evident in an event like this. But the Archbishop explained that even though a World Youth Day experience can jumpstart our faith lives, we have to continue to always see the reality of the Holy Spirit in our daily lives, always seeking to fulfill our individual calling - even when we don't get the "warm and fuzzy feelings".After Catechesis, which was held at a beautiful boarding school for girls called St. Ignatius College, we went outside for a barbecue for lunch. Every Catechesis site had a barbecue today, making it Australia's largest barbecue ever! The rest of the day was left open, allowing everyone time to explore the city and the many, MANY sites for concerts, forums, adoration, and other events around the area, hosted by different groups. I, myself, unfortunately had to take a trip to the airport to try to locate my luggage. No luck so far. We'll see what happens, I guess! It's been an exciting pilgrimage, that's for sure. :)Tomorrow the Holy Father comes!! Hooray! Time to go to a group meeting, then bed. 6:30 again tomorrow! Until tomorrow,
God bless!Megan

Arrival and Day 1 of WYD
7/15/2008

G'day from Down Under!!July 15, 2008
G'day from Down Under!! It's about 11:00 pm here on Tuesday, July 15. Which means it's about 8:00 am on Tuesday in Chicago! Door to door, we traveled about 30 hours to get here...and it was definitely worth every minute of it! Unfortunately, my luggage is lost. But fortunately, I'm the only one in the group with lost luggage, and it is supposedly on it's way from Chicago. It's frustrating, but it could have been much worse! And hey, a little suffering never hurt anyone, and it IS a pilgrimage, right? So I'll just offer it up!We returned to our hotel about an hour ago from day 1 of World Youth Day. We left this morning at 9:00 and walked through the Botanic Gardens on our way to the opera house. The gardens were beautiful! There were cockatoos in the trees, and bats hanging from branches, and some of the most beautiful flowers and trees that I have ever seen. Then we got to the Opera House, which was so awesome to see in person! I thought it would be very elegant on the inside, but it's actually very plainly decorated and has exposed concrete and everything. I thought that the simple design made it that much more beautiful! Fun fact: There are no microphones in the Opera House, because the structure and acoustics are such that performers are heard easily without them (the performance halls are built sort of like giant megaphones).After the Opera House, we walked amidst MANY more pilgrims to Barangaroo (an area in Sydney) for the opening ceremonies and Mass. We arrived at about 12:30 pm, and Mass was set to begin in the evening, so we had time to kill. But that's never a problem at World Youth Day! Time is passed with singing, dancing, and breaking down language barriers as you greet teens from countless different countries. The excitement is incredible! The opening Mass was beautiful, incorporating all cultures, even the Aboriginal culture of Australia. Everyone participated and sang along during Mass, and the best part in my opinion was sharing the sign of peace with those around me who were from different countries. It was an incredibly uplifting experience. Funny story: Yesterday, about 20 of us were walking around exploring Sydney, and we saw a young boy who was fishing. We talked to him for a little while and he asked if we were here for World Youth Day, and when we told him we were, he asked, "Are you ALL Catholic?" We of course said yes, and he got a very shocked look on his face and said, "Whoa, that's a lot!" His mother started laughing and we said, "Don't worry bud, there's lots more of us coming!" If he was that overwhelmed by meeting 20 Catholics, I wonder how he is feeling today after seeing the thousands of pilgrims!Time for bed, we have an early wake up call for Catechesis tomorrow. Until tomorrow then!God bless!Megan

Sorry if that's confusing. I'm too tired to fix it. Lame. I know. byeee