What time is it? Cramming time!
Whether it’s our suitcases, last second adventures, or final assignments, my last week in Australia has finally began and I am trying to soak up every last bit of it. In the past three days I have have been extremely busy with extremely amazing people.
Friday we had debrief with the rest of the ASCers, talking about how to handle the transition back home. It wasn’t quite time for goodbyes yet, but it was a very heartfelt moment as we reflected on what the semester meant to us. It was a very long day, but a good day indeed. Once debrief ended around 4, I headed home to quickly pack for the weekend with friends. Dana and I adventured to Britni’s house for a hike the following day. However, her host mom, Christine, wanted to take us out to a lookout called Mount Coot-tha.
It was this beautiful area that looked out over Brisbane. The lights and the view were absolutely beautiful. When we got to the lookout there was this la rge group worshipping, which really made the moment. A beautiful view with some beautiful worship, couldn’t have asked for a better moment. After we spent some time talking to a girl we met from Texas from the group worshiping, we got back in the car to drive around the city for a late night tour. We drove to Southbank, then went over the story bridge, then finally headed up to Kangaroo point for a night view of the city. I’ll certainly miss this place when I leave, but I’m excited to find the little intricate places at home that bring me this much peace and joy as well. Then we headed home to get some sleep…… more specifically 3 hours of sleep….. cause we had to leave at 1:30am for the hike.
So we woke up around 1am and threw some comfortable clothes on to go hike. We were going to hike Mt. Warning (yeah, we learned that the name is VERY accurate). Due to the proximity to Cape Byron, which is Australia’s most eastern point, Mt. Warning is the first place that the sun touches main land Australia daily, so we were venturing up (along with many others) to watch the sun rise. Now, Dana and I were not fore warned that this hike was for expert hikers only, so we were certainly in for a challenge. The hike is 4.25 miles long one way, and it’s decently steep, rocky, dark, and slippery… not to mention theres a decently large drop off beside the path (luckily it was dark and I didn’t notice). After I believe an hour and some we hit the last leg of the hike, which is an EXTREMELY steep rock structure that you have to use a chain to climb, and a lot of leg muscles that were already tired from the previous 3.5 miles. It was the hardest and most physically demanding thing I believe I have ever done, but I made it to the top in time to see the sunrise. It was absolutely magnificent (worth the hike? Maybe not, but magnificent indeed).
We stayed there to watch the sun rise fully, then began to head down the mountain. By the time we began descending I already felt like an expert hiker, so I was expecting it to be a piece of cake… and it wasn’t. Overall, I made it down the mountain without falling and had a delightful conversation with Britni’s host mom along the way which made it slightly easier.
We reached the parking lot and flat ground, and I practically cried of excitement… because the toilets were there. Christine and I sat at the car and waited for Dana and Britni to finish about 25 minutes later. Then Christine shouted some well deserved McDonalds and we headed home, where I took a shower and hopped in my bed to take a nap before I headed back to Dana’s house for the next day’s adventures!
After working on our papers for a few hours Dana and I went to sleep cause we were heading to the beach the next day (Sunday!). Dana and her host family took me Coolangatta, which is a beach on the Gold Coast. We walked around some shops then stopped for some Australian pies! Don’t let the word deceive you, a pie in Australia has meat in it, not fruit or sugar. Its a very tasty Australian classic. Then we walked down to the beach to lay out for a while, which was most certainly relaxing after the day before. We caught some rays, then went and got some coffee and relaxed before her host family picked us back up! We stopped at a souvee shop to pick up some last second souvenirs. Then we drove up to Danger lookout which overlooks the beaches and separates Queensland and New South Wales before we headed home.
Now, I am beginning to pack to come home. This is where the next cramming begins. My suitcase may be kind of full already and I have two loads of clothes hanging outside drying…. but you know…. cramming is the key here. I’ll make it fit.
Oh, and meanwhile I need to cram in the final edits to my final paper due Tuesday! Don’t worry, it always gets done in the end.
It’s a bittersweet, very busy, full of cramming week as I prepare to head home.
Stay tuned for more pictures mates! Christine took many during the hike, and I have some good ones that I’ll upload into the Photograph tab as soon as I receive them 🙂
A Dream Come True- Sydney
Ever since I heard of the Sydney Opera House, it has been my dream to go to Sydney, Australia… and it happened this weekend! Here’s a synopsis of what my weekend was like:
Aside from fulfilling that little girl dream, I had a packed weekend full of fun, education, and explorations! We left before the sun rose on Friday morning to catch the plane. Sydney is around a 12 hour drive from Brisbane, but only a 1 hour and 20 minute flight! After we dropped our stuff off at the YHA we headed out for morning tea at “The Tea Cosey,” which is an Irish cafe that serves the best scones and tea… except a scone in Australia is like a sweet biscuit to Americans. It come with two different types of jam and double cream! We each got two scones and a drink of our choice. I have become slightly addicted to Chai Lattes, so obviously that’s what I got!
After that we went on a tour of Sydney and got to learn about a lot of the history and explore a beautiful city! After lunch we headed to the barracks, which is where the prisoners were housed in the past! We got to learn about the convict history of Australia and how Australia was started through this awesome museum. In the middle of the museum, the guide took us to the top floor, which is an example of the old living quarters the men lived in… which was just rows of hammocks! Though they probably weren’t that comfortable to the men back then, we’ve walked about 5 miles after riding in a plane and waking up at 5am… so we struggled to move on past that point.
After we went on that tour we walked around Sydney a little more, then went and got lunch; burritos! After lunch we continued our tour around Sydney up until dinner! For dinner we went to this sports bar, and I got a pulled pork with cole slaw sandwich and hot chips… it was amazing. Finally, after about 8 miles of walking we had free time! Most of the group when to the Lindt Chocolate Cafe! I got a hot chocolate there, because it was a recommendation. You get melted chocolate and steamed milk and a mug, so you get to mix your own hot chocolate. It made about 3 cups, which was a lot, but so worth it!
After a long first day, we headed back to the hostel to get some sleep for the next day!
The next day after breakfast we spent the morning walking through the New South Wales Art Museum! We got to watch how art changed in Australia throughout the first years of settlement here, which was really cool. Then we walked down to the Aboriginal Art display, which was amazing. I love art, and Aboriginal art is so intricate, and meaningful, and beautiful to me, so I always enjoy walking through these displays. The stories behind the painting of Aboriginals are so intriguing to me, and I love to learn more about that culture and what is important to them! Someday, I’d love to have a painting like these to hang up in my house! The group was privileged to learn from the old Aboriginal professor from when the program was in Sydney. It was so amazing to learn from a women full of such wisdom, knowledge, and love for her beautiful and unique culture. After the museum, we had the rest of the afternoon to ourselves.
Of course the first thing that I wanted to do was go to the Sydney Opera House, so we headed there and ate lunch there with a group of friends!
Then we spent the next hour taking lots of pictures to capture this dream come true for me, and I’m sure many others! It was everything I hoped it to be, extravagant. After a wonderful beginning to our afternoon, we headed to the famous shops in Sydney called “Paddy’s Market,” where everything is super cheap, and there are so many souvenirs. It took a whole hour to walk through all the shops and pick up the final souvenirs I needed! After that we caught two ferry’s (with the most beautiful view of the Sydney Harbor) and headed to Manly to catch up with some other friends and eat dinner together. We went to this very fancy restaurant, and it was such a delightful and relaxing evening. After dinner we were going to get some gelato, but instead went for the McDonalds 50 cent cones, the only thing you can find cheaper in Australia… which is always a win!
We finally headed back to Circular Quay, where we were staying, and met up with some more friends just to sit and talk for a while before heading back to bed!
The last morning we woke up really early, packed up, and headed to Newtown Mission for church! Newtown Mission was a service placement whenever the Australia Studies Centre was in Sydney, so there was already a great connection with the staff and congregation there. The service was focused on compassion, and we listen to some amazing testimonies and worshiped along side of one another. At the end of the service, I got to serve communion with 3 other ASCers to the congregation, which to me, is always a blessing. After morning tea, we headed back to Circular Quay again to get some pizza for lunch! When I say pizza, I mean like, 20 gourmet pizzas… it was heaven.
Our time in Sydney was coming to an end soon, so we had just 2 more hours of free time before we met to come back to Brizzy! Me and a few others just walked around some street markets for a while, then found a hidden gem… an authentic Italian cafe in a back alley way, and again… I got a chai latte, which was absolutely amazing!
Finally we headed back to the train station to get to the airport to come back to what is becoming a home away from home for us. It was around dinner time, so the directors offered to pick us up a “snack,” which was secretly not really a snack, but a huge dinner! I had a double cheeseburger, a McFlurry, and fries! I was ready to hop on the plane and take a nap indeed after a long weekend. We arrived back to Uni around 8:30pm where our host families picked us up and took us back home 🙂
Years ago I never would have thought I would ever experience a weekend like this, yet alone a semester in Australia. With a little under three weeks left to go, I can honestly say that this semester has been a dream come true. The teachers, Americans, and Australians that I have had the chance to live among for the past three months have been such a blessing to me, and I am grateful for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to attend Uni across the world.
One Month Left.
I arrive home in exactly one month tomorrow, and how crazy is that? It’s been a while since I’ve posted a blog, but I’ve done some pretty great things with some pretty great people. Here’s some random stuff that I want you to know:
1.) I have completed my hours for my service placement and my internship, but I am continuing to attend both. I absolutely love my service placement and Citipointe youth, and it will be hard to leave the friendships that have formed.
2.) I went to see a Broncos game! In Australia there main sport is rugby, and there are three different types of rugby; league, union, and AFL. We went to a league game and got some of the best possible seats! Just in case you’re wondering, BRISSY BRONCOS TOOK THE WIN! Rugby is a TINY bit similar to football in America.. except its not a touchdown, it’s a try. There are no blockers on the field, and the game doesn’t stop except for halftime. You have to touch the ball over the end line to score. The boys don’t wear any padding. They’re all really big guys. There are only 13 players from each team on the field at one time…. Okay, maybe not so similar.
3.) I spent the day in Bulimba for one of my friends birthdays. It is the cutest little town ever with some nice shops. It was a wonderful time!
4.) I have one to-do list left, and all of the remaining school work fits onto a post it note!
5.) Its the time of the semester where friendships are becoming deeper, which will make it harder to leave here, but the relationships are worth it. I have spent a lot of my time just hanging out with some of my friends, whether that’s going out for coffee, or doing homework together, or walking around the mall, it has been an amazing experience.
6.) I had the most amazing opportunity a few weekends ago to attend a Master’s Class on youth ministry. It was a bunch of top dog youth pastors coming together to dive into the discussion of how to grow the church. It was such an amazing learning experience that I got to attend. Dana and I catered the event so we could go for free, so not only did I learn a lot about planning events, I was able to really learn from some of the best. The information I got from that class will most certainly aid in my years of ministry to come.
7.) I walk four miles every time I go to Uni… I probably said that already.
8.) I had a baby newt in my room. It was about a half an inch when I found it, then it goes back into hiding. It’s growing very quickly! It’s about an inch and a half now… his name is Robert.
9.) Last week I had a one and a half inch cockroach crawl up my arm right before I fell asleep, but my host mom saved my life.
10.) Ice cream cones at McDonalds are 50 cents here. That’s like 45 cents in America… the only thing you’ll find cheap in Australia. Now on the other hand, a McDouble, is $4.55. < disappointing.
11.) I am really good at talking on the phone and pastoral care for my internship.
Alright, that’s all for now, please check out the pictures under the “Photographs” tab tomorrow, I will be uploading a bunch of photos from the Broncos game and other wonderful things!!! Also, check in next week sometime, cause I’m going to Sydney baybayyy! I’ll be back Sunday night, and probably write a blog post on it!
Another Side of Aussie Life- The Outback!
Here’s just a small taste of my time in The Outback! Check out the Photographs tab for some pictures!
As many of you know, I am spending my semester in a flourishing city in Australia; Brisbane. Again, as many of you know, I am definitely not a city girl, I have a heart for open spaces, landscapes, and quiet… and that’s exactly what I got this past weekend. We left Thursday morning at 4:30am for a 12 hour drive into The Outback. I pulled an all-nighter that way I could sleep most of the time on the bus. We arrived at Tyrone Station in the afternoon/evening time, only too arrive to immense beauty, vivid red dirt, and wide open spaces… oh and some cows! We were welcomed by Grace, who lives on the station, and started the 4 day trip into the life of Grace. Living in The Outback takes perseverance, hope, determination, and a love for hard work. We arrived as the sun was setting, and I was able to watch one of the most beautiful sunsets I’ve ever seen. Dinner starts when the sun goes down, so we all headed back in for some of Grace’s home cooking… which made me feel at home. Obviously we were exhausted, so we dragged the mattresses outside underneath of the stars to try to fall asleep. The view was so breathtaking I struggled to fall asleep under the crystal clear sky, the view of the Milky Way Galaxy, and several shooting starts, it was truly a work of art.
The next day we set out for a tour and some work! We rode around in the back of some trucks along the 60,000 square miles of property and did some small work projects such as cutting down some trees, fixing some fences, and filling some pot holes. We then drove back for some well deserved lunch! After lunch we headed out to the river to do some swimming. Now, as a side note, our whole group decided to do a no shower challenge, so we were already sweaty and covered in the rust colored dust… then we basically swam in mud. We stayed there for a while and had some really good fellowship as we jumped in an out of the water! Finally we headed back for dinner, and spent the rest of the evening getting to know each other and experiencing the true beauty of The Outback. Each evening we spent some time sharing three things about ourselves, some deep, some funny, and some exciting… it was a wonderful exercise to get closer to this wonderful group I am blessed to spend time with! Again, we were able to sleep under the beauty of the night sky with no light pollution. A funny story, we found this creepy looking baby doll mixed in with all of our stuff. No one knew where it came from, so obviously Dana and I had to prank a few people by placing it in their sleeping bags and such. It was successful I must say.
The next morning we ate some breakfast to give us some energy for our next mission; tearing down an old fence. I proved my skills as an independent, very capable, young women! After that fun project we had some free time! Myself and a few others spent some time hanging out with baby Claire and her older brother and sister! Claire is the daughter of one of the men working on the cows that day. After they mustered all of the cows, we got to watch and learn how to check the females for babies, pierce their noses (to ween them away from their mothers), brand them, and other small things. It was a great look into the life of these people. After that we headed to The Cliffs, which border Grace’s and their neighbors property. It was an absolutely stunning view! We had some reflection time, then took a beautiful walk and got some wonderful pictures! As the sun started to set, we headed back to the main area to get some dinner! We had a campfire, and spent some more time talking among each other and hearing some incredible stories. We also had the privilege of listening to Grace talk about life in The Outback. Obviously living in a desert is hard for many reasons. She is very secluded (she lives with her husband at least), and droughts take a toll on their time and their business. They raise cattle for beef, but cattle obviously need water and food. Water can be very scarce in The Outback, and with each tiny glimpse of rain, there is hope and another day of life for Grace and her family. While we were talking about this, it started to rain, which is such a beautiful thing after hearing the struggles of daily life. Grace and her family have had to cart water and food back and forth to all the cattle for 18 months because all of the watering holes dried up. Though I was sad we had to sleep under the roof, it doesn’t compare to the joy I had that there was rain in The Outback. After some quick guitar lessons I taught and jam sessions with some other friends, we headed to sleep for our last night.
We woke up at 5am, packed up, ate some hot cross buns, and headed back to Brisbane… but not after some good-byes! It was SUCH a wonderful time disconnected from busy life, and a small taste of home. I am very grateful for this cultural experience with this group of people. It’s a blessing to live life with other people.
Adventures galore as I explore Cairns.
This past week has been full of so many adventures. I have crossed a lot off of the bucket list, and was privileged to do it with such an amazing and caring group of girls. We flew out Monday afternoon and spent the week in a beautiful city. You can check out the photographs page to see pictures of us skydiving, ziplining, and other fun stuff!
On Monday once we arrived, we shuttled to the Cairns City Backpacker hostel with a bunch of other girls from around the world. We checked in, met up with another friend there, and settled in. We decided to go out to eat at P.J. O’Brians, and I got a meat pie, which is a common dish in Australia. We then headed back to the Hostel and checked in for the night… we had a long 4 days in front of us.
Tuesday morning, half of the girls went out to chill at the Lagoon a mile away, and the other half and myself went to Cairns ZOOm, which is a huge wildlife dome on the top of a fancy hotel and casino. We did high ropes courses (very scary), zip lined, did this bungee jump kind of thing 3 stories, and got to walk around the outside of the top of the dome! It was extremely testing, took a lot of motivation and strength, but we did it! The last zip line goes over top of a crocodile, but he can jump high enough to snap at you! After we finished that, we met up with the rest of the group, ate some Nutella sandwiches at the bus stop, and bussed off to Palm Cove, which is a beach about 50 minutes away from where we were staying. We spent the rest of the evening relaxing and in fellowship. On our way home we stopped at the night markets, which is the huge area filled with local vendors and stuff. They had jewelry, souvenir shops, massages, food, and many other cool things!
Wednesday was the big day, Britni, Charissa, and I were all going skydiving! It was a first time thing for each of us, but we were extremely excited. We woke up around 5:30 and walked to the Lagoon to watch the sunset and get coffee. Then we went back to the hostel, showered, and got ready to skydive! The company picked us up a few minutes from our hostel, along with 13 other young adults that were skydiving with us that day. After what felt like the longest ride, we arrived, signed in, and awaited our turns. We got to wear these funky red grandma pants! We watched some safety videos, met our instructors, got in our harnesses and jumped in the plane with 5 other couples to take off to jump. We went up about halfway and went over the instructions with our instructors and got hooked up to each other, then we reached 14,000 feet or higher and it was time to jump! I was the last one jumping in our group, so I had to watch everyones faces as they were jumping out of the plane… which made me slightly nervous. It was our turn, and in a split second I was out of the plane, free falling for a minute. My instructor allowed me to do about 3 or 4 flips in the air before steading us out… which was AWESOME. After one minute or so we opened up the parachute and glided gently(ish) to the ground. He allowed me to control the parachute, and spin in a circle a few times to get a complete view of our surroundings. We landed perfectly standing up, and my instructor said I did amazing and made his job really easy for him. I had a wonderful instructor, who does this about 8 times a day, and 60,000 times overall so far! What a job he has. Anyways, this was the most amazing experience, and certainly one that I won’t forget… CAUSE I HAVE PICTURES! He wore a GoPro on his wrist that took a picture every second! So if you check out the photographs, thats only about 1/4th of the pictures that I got on a disk 🙂
Obviously after such a thrilling experience, I just wanted to relax by the Lagoon and swim a bit! But, there was free water Zumba so I obviously had to do that! Either way it was a nice relaxing afternoon, which was much needed after jumping out of a plane.
Thursday we finished the package. We booked the skydiving and snorkeling package, so we took a cruise ship out 50 minutes to the inner part of the Great Barrier Reef called “Green Island” which is basically a resort on an island. We had from 8:30-4:30 to Snorkel! In the morning we saw 4 sea turtles and got to swim with them, a stingray, and many beautiful fish! The coral is actually slowly dying, and most of the colorful ones only come out at night, so the coral is slightly grey in the pictures… but it was certainly more beautiful in person! Then we laid out to dry off, and went to eat lunch. Then we went back out to snorkel again, I saw a jelly fish, another huge stingray, and many more cool fish and coral! Once we came in a dried off to get back onto the boat I saw a 4-5 foot shark…. so I’m glad we got our when we did! We also saw as we were boarding these huge beautiful rainbow fish, which was spectacular. This was an amazing, once in a life time experience. We had a waterproof GoPro, so there are also a few pictures of us snorkeling and such. We got back around 5:15, picked up some groceries, and went home to eat dinner with everyone else at the Hostel! We then went back out to the night markets to pick up some souvenirs! I got some cute clothes for my nieces and a handmade boomerang from an authentic aboriginal shop. I got to actually meet the man who made it and hear some of his story. We got to tell him we were studying his culture, which shocked him, and I think made him very appreciative of us… when really we were appreciating him, his stories and his willingness to talk with us about his life! He runs a shop at the night markets that only sells authentic handmade aboriginal stuff, many of it stuff that he makes himself! He was talking about how important it is to make sure that you Australian souvenirs are authentically Australian. I’ve actually struggled to find a boomerang that was authentic, and I am so glad that I came across this store! It’s a real one that even returns when you throw it!
On our last day, it was rainy so we spent the morning just relaxing at the Hostel, we checked out then made some pancakes and watched Stepbrothers before the shuttled picked us up to take us to the airport to go “home.” I could not be more grateful for this opportunity and blessing. It was a dream vacation come true.
Now I’ll be sleeping a lot this weekend, relaxing and heading back to school again Monday for three more days. Then we head to the Outback! I’ll probably post again after the outback to talk about my experience there.
Seriously, check out the pictures! I JUMPED OUT OF A PLANE!
Busyness.
There is way more then I can fit into a blog post to write about, so be prepared to read a novel here, arranged by bullet points:
1.) The main focus of my time in Australia is learning about the modern culture and Aboriginal culture, which has sparked a deeper passion in me for equality. For the American’s who don’t quite understand, Aboriginals are like the Native Americans of Australia, so technically the “Native Australians.” They inhabited the land, and were forced out and abused in many different ways. The thing that makes this class so close to my heart is having a true Aboriginal teacher who spends a lot of her time teaching us about her culture and the close to home problems that they faced and are still facing today. Aboriginals still do not receive the recognition, love, and rights that they deserve as the rightful “owners” of the land. Aside from seeing the true heart of Lea and experiencing a deep passion for her people, this has really sparked a general passion for equality of minorities. Whether they are separated by religious views, culture, language, sexual orientation, or enslaved by anything such as human trafficking… or really anything else, everyone deserves the same rights, respect, and a chance at life the way they decide to live. It breaks my heart to hear the stories of the oppressed.
2.) Second, my internship is going so well. I work about 15 hours a week overall at Citipointe, doing a variety of things from administrative work, making phone calls, organizing information, connecting with youth, running a cafe, and many other random jobs. I am really getting a chance to see a whole different youth culture. It’s a large church, VERY pentecostal/charismatic, has a large body of volunteers and about 30 full time workers. I am learning a lot about myself and youth ministry. I must admit though, as I have before, I LOVE my small church and the community around a small church.
3.) I finished my first big assignment on the Background of the New Testament if anyone is interested in that topic… it was hard.
4.) I spent this past weekend at Stradbroke Island, which is mainly an aboriginal culture. We attended an opening ceremony, which included celebrate the 21st birthday of the elders! I heard many great speakers with beautiful hearts and passions for aboriginal culture. We did so much to learn more about the culture! We each got to attend a few workshops, which included sand art (not the kind in the bottle), basket weaving (we made bracelets), spear and boomerang throwing, and aboriginal art. Personally, I learned how to throw a spear and I made 2 keychains in the weaving workshop; it’s the same technique, you just wrap it into a circle and make a basket instead of just a small straight line! We kind of got stormed out of there, so we headed to our camp to unpack and get settled in before we headed off to an Aboriginal weapon and artifact lesson from an aboriginal! We learned how they made all of their different weapons and learned some crazy hunting methods. We also got our faces painted like a sting ray I believe, and learned some awesome dances and took some crazy pictures (not on my camera, so check back in another time to see them!) The next day we traveled around and got to see some cool landmarks. First we say a Midden, which is one way Aboriginals can prove how many years they have occupied a land. The midden just looked like a large hill covered in grass, but if you were to cut the hill in half you would see many layers of shells, bones, and other things that they threw in a “trash pile.” It was really cool to see the bottom layer of that! After that we went to Point Lookout, which is the most beautiful beach/gorge walk ever. There’s many pictures (thanks to the other people in my class and myself) of the view, so check them out in the Photograph tab. Then we went to Brown Lake, which is classified as “Women’s Buisness” where women prepared for ceremonies and gave birth. This is a sacred place. It’s called Brown lake because it’s surrounded by tea tree’s which have died the water brown and “contaminated” it with tea tree oil, which actually made the water soft and great for your skin!
THE CRAZIEST THING: They drive the car ONTO the Ferry! There were like 3 coach busses and A LOT of cars on that Ferry… that made me very very nervous, but it was a beautiful boat ride to the island and back!
5.) I had a bit of a fall… and this is quite the funny story looking back on it now. I was sitting getting ready for Internship with a few friends at Rivers Cafe, which is the cafe attached to the church I am working at. The seating area is up on a platform, which you can walk up 4 or 5 steps on either side to get to. I was sitting with my back to a set of stairs when one leg of my chair when over the edge and I fell (over a matter of 5 seconds) on the chair down the stairs onto the very hard turf ground. I got entangled in the chair and now have a crazy bruise to prove for it!
6.) Australians love American accents, think were all fat and eat unhealthy, and basically every stereotype you can think of America that is negative.
7.) That is all I can think of. In general I spend a lot of time with Dana at my internship, which has been so lovely working with her. In my off time, I go out to eat with friends and take naps… but don’t worry.. I don’t typically have free time, so I am soaking up every ounce of this time.
Thanks so much for reading this! Don’t forget to check out the photographs section (i’ll upload them tomorrow) and check out a few of the pictures from this blog post and this week! I have so many more to put up when I get them!
1 month down, 2 and a half to go!
There’s so much that happens that I want to blog about, and as things become so routine, I start to really appreciate the little things in my days. I’m learning about the heart of Australia, and going past surface level details now. The people, the view, the culture.
Here’s what’s been happening since the last time I posted! Feel free to check out my previous reflective post called, “The Start of Something Beautiful” for some more in depth thoughts and processing on my time so far. I feel it’s vital to go past the surface level to find growth, so I’d appreciate you guys taking the time to read it if you haven’t yet! So, Anyways,
I started working at my service placement, and I am getting the hang of things there! Just to recap I work with The Common Ground of Brisbane, more specifically with the Micah Projects. The Common Ground provides transitional housing for people who have experienced homelessness. The provide emotional, financial, and physical support to help them get back on their feet. The part that I am involved with is the social inclusion. Our goal is to make it feel like a safe community to talk and hang out, which helps them transition easier. Things as simple as playing darts, serving food, and eating with them gives them such joy, and I am so privileged to be a part of that joy. On my first day, I played darts for 3 and a half hours with some of the tenants there, and already got to pray with someone. It was a wonderful experience, and quite pushing for me as this guy walked up to me and blatantly asked me if I was catholic… now I’m not catholic but I do love Jesus which he didn’t understand, and he asked me to pray for him to renew his spirit, and I had a wonderful conversation with him. It was just a beautiful moment. I’ve heard so many life stories, which can be heartbreaking at times, but so inspirational, and I am blessed to provide encouragement in this vital time in their lives.
Second, I have gotten a lot of hours already for my internship at Citipointe! My main hours come from the Sunday morning, Tuesday morning, and Friday night events. Sunday and Friday we hold an all youth service, with worship, a speaker, and an activity! This past Friday we had “Connect Fest” which was an opportunity for the youth life groups to hang out and get to know each other better. There was tons of food, and games, and fun, and I joined a life group for my time in Australia! My group consists of 11th graders, and two amazing leaders. It’s an interesting transition going from a Methodist church into a very strong charismatic church. They have healing services, and speak in tongues, and do all things charismatic. Although it’s uncomfortable at times, It’s a great learning experience, and helping me to expand out of my small local bubble at home… which is exactly what I asked for.
As classes are fully in swing, I have thoroughly been enjoying the content. The only struggle is being able to pay attention for 3 hours, but I am doing it! I’ve done a few papers, read a lot of, and worked 20.5 hours of Internship, and 8 hours of service placement… so I am SO excited for the 10 day break coming up soon! (I’ll be more excited once this 2000 word paper is written.) Anyways, let me tell you a little bit about what I am doing for break!
Myself and probably 5 others are flying to the Great Barrier Reef. The options are endless on what to do there, we can go to the beach, diving, snorkeling, etc. We’ll be there from Monday to Friday, just spending time to relax and go on some adventures before we return to school!
Finally, here are just some funny stories:
1.) In Australia, they use the metric system. It’s quite awesome to look up your weight in KG, so I can say that I weigh about 66 KG.. doesn’t that just sound awesome!?
2.) There’s this animal called the Brush-tail Possum that lives outside of my window at night and makes the most annoying sound whilst I’m trying to sleep. I spent an hour researching it the other night while I couldn’t sleep to figure out what it was. As I was playing the video, I realized it might be a mating call, because the possum was getting louder and closer the more I played the video in response. So I stopped.
3.) I must not like possums, cause the other day I was walking to my internship from the bus stop while talking on the phone. As I look down, I see this sick, limping possum walking on the sidewalk (it was kind of cute), and screamed at the top of my lungs and started to run backwards. As cute as it may have been, my mentality was everything can kill you in Australia, so I avoided it. Meanwhile, this women stopped in the middle of the road and yells out “Are you okay? Do you want a ride? You’re not from around here are you?” So of course, I accepted the ride (we were going to the same place), and avoided the possum.
4.) I saw a huntsman spider for the first time! If you guys have no idea what that it, they are non poisonous spiders, that can get up to the size of your hand or a little bigger! This one was probably a little bigger then the size of my hand closed. Luckily it wasn’t inside of the house, and my host dad came to the rescue and killed it!
5.) When you live in such a beautiful place with so much to do, it’s really hard to do homework. I have never been a procrastinator in College, but I am surely struggling to find the motivation to do much else besides go to South Bank, eat macaroons, and nap.
The Start of Something Beautiful.
1.) Please don’t see this post as complaining, I just think it’s important to express my trip in a reflection style and not just in highlights and sightseeing.
2.) Feel free to send encouraging letters, I would really like that. See the contact me page for my deets.
I will admit, since Australia is crashing in at a million miles an hour all at once… it’s hard sometimes. In each moment I savor the memories forming and the beginning of some amazing friendships, but that doesn’t mean it is all easy and paradise. As I begin to get in the swing of things, I start to realize my own flaws and my own strengths. You don’t just get uprooted and placed somewhere else willingly and think it’s going to be easy, but you don’t quite realize the challenges that can come with it and the places that you will be pushed. What is important though is the growth that is about to happen.
Now, arriving here, everything felt so surreal, more of a vacation then an educational experience, as I am sure my fellow students will attest to. We go to the beaches, the cafes, the landmarks, hold a Koala, pet a kangaroo, and all the typical tourist attractions… but there comes a point where you can’t live in a vacation mindset anymore… no matter how hard you try. That’s not what I came for. The routine is starting to pick up, and we are becoming a real part of the culture here in Brisbane. I am living with a Kiwi (New Zealanders) family, taking classes, going on excursions, serving with the Micah Projects, working in a mega church, trying to meet new people, and attempting to fit in all the fun things I want to do. You just start to think, WHY am I here, and WHAT am I going to do with all of these experiences? Sure, there is fun laced into every experience, and I am beyond blessed to be here, but discomfort is where I am going to grow, and growth is the point. I prayed before I arrived here for boldness, to be pushed past my comfort zone, but mostly for growth in my calling and what my purpose is… and that is what I am starting to see a small glimpse of.
Today I spent some time writing out my schedule so I could figure out my practicum hours and my service hours over the next few days. My schedule is PACKED with things that I am nervous about, and that I am not used to. BUT it is also packed with opportunities to learn a new culture, to grow, and to gain experiences. All this being said, I keep reflecting back to a few points in the Bible where such faithful followers of God give up everything and any plans to do his will. For example, Mary. Mary was told that she was going to become pregnant as a virgin with the son of God………….. like….. seriously? How does she respond though? In Luke 1:38 she proclaims, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” Admirable, beautiful, and faithful. Another example would be in Isaiah 6, when Isaiah has a vision of God sitting on his throne in Heaven, and Isaiah states that his is unclean and unworthy of this beautiful sighting of God. The voice of the master then says, “Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?” and Isaiah speaks up, though recognizing his faults and his flaws and says “I’ll go, Send me!” Once again, admirable. I feel like Isaiah. How can I be called to something so much higher then me as to guide and lead young hearts to Christ, yet be so faulted myself? But sometimes we just don’t get to chose. So send me. Lastly, verse 1 Samuel 3:10 reads, “Then God came and stood before him exactly as before, calling out, ‘Samuel, Samuel!’ Samuel answered, ‘Speak. I’m your servant, ready to listen.'” The voice of God isn’t always clear, or direct… or it is and we try to push it down. We need to learn to simply reply in the way that Samuel did.
I know it will only get more challanging from here, but recognizing the crash before it happens is vital to prepare myself for growth through the hardness. I am so thankful for the team that I am surrounded with, at the Micah Projects, at Citipointe Church, at my homestay, at my Christian Heritage College, and most certainly from home too. Trying to put these feelings into words is nearly impossible, because I am in one of the most beautiful places in the world and it seems like I am living a dream. Yes it is a blessing, and it is great, and fun, and full of exploration. BUT that exploration expands beyond the city and into my heart.
Australia Overload.
We’re almost done our third week in Australia, and everything is crashing in at 1 million miles an hour… all at once.
Since my last post I have done many fun things! I have hung out many times at South Bank, and ate many dinners in the city with some lovely friends of mine. I’ve gone shopping, and recently got in to the trend of wearing rompers! One of my favorite nights since I last posted was going to Passion Tree in the heart of Brisbane. It was a coffee-dessert-anything you wanted night in the city with half of my classmates and Kimberly, the director of the program. I got a delicious salted caramel macaroon, and a vanilla puff pastry (which obviously had a much fancier name than that), and a iced white-chocolate mocha! It was a great night to get to know my mates a little better and grow stronger as a group. It was absolutely wonderful.
a VERY important PUBLIC TRANSPORT UPDATE…. I have NOT gotten lost for 1.5 weeks now… I have figured out how to work the bus system and get home safely without adding any extra walking time.
Yesterday (Friday) for my The View from Australia class we went out to St. Helena’s Island off the coast of the city to learn some more about the convict history in Australia. The island used to be a self-sustaining maximum security prison for men prisoners and convicts. The island costed 4,000 dollars to get started, but brought in about triple that each year into the city through the production and sales of various items such as shoes, leather made products, and sugar cane. It was a hot, sticky, but wonderful experience filled with cute wallabies! After our ride back to the college, Dana and I still had a full day ahead of us!
I just began my internship at Citipointe Youth, which is the youth program at a mega-church on my university campus. I have to reach 130 hours though my internship. So after we got back to CHC, we crammed some time in for dinner, then we went to the first youth gathering, where there is a few hundred students who attend a more modern and uplifting like church service. Then the upper level students (10-12 grade) went out for 5 dollar burrito bowls to a place similar to Chipotle.
Finally, today (Saturday) was much more relaxing. I went shopping with my friend Taylor, then met some friends in the city for dinner at an american style diner with some serious comfort food… which was much needed.
Tomorrow I have my first crack at a Sunday youth service at Citipointe, and I am just so excited to see how I am pushed and grow throughout the rest of the semester.
P.s. check out some of the new photos under photographs or my next post which is some personal reflections (just click the word Australia up top)!
Personal Reflections.
This post is more reflective, about what I’m learning so far and how my experience has been personally, emotionally, and physically. For those who really want to know and understand how this trip has been for me, you can read this. Under the surface of the business, I have tried to do some reflection time. It’s honest, so if you read that I don’t like something, don’t think that means I want to come home. Not everything is easy and not everything is paradise, though it may seem so on the outside.
I could not be more grateful for this opportunity, and I still can’t believe this is actually happening. Coming here was something I never thought that I could accomplish, and it took a lot of hard work and challanges, but I made it. I am a real home-body hermit type person, but something is just right about being here. I feel that I am really learning a lot about myself through learning about Australia and this whole journey. I am completely stepping out of my comfort zone and my great support network at home by being uprooted and placed on the other side of the world.
First, I’ve learned that my little community is not all that exists, but yet we all love the same God. Being so far away has really taught me a lot about Christianity, and admire different faith journeys. I work at a mega church on campus, and attend a mega church with my host family. Each place that I have been privileged to attend worship is very different, yet still we all worship the same God. That is mind blowing to me that no matter where I travel in the world, I can find someone. They may worship differently, talk differently, or just live differently, but theres a connection. I find stories and testimonies so valuable. I can learn so much about myself by hearing someone else’s story of growth. Overall, in these two weeks I have gained an appreciation and yearning to learn more about faith through my internship and church attendance. Never did I think attending church services three times a week, and working at a church the rest of the week would give me such joy and fulfillment. It’s so easy to fit the mould of your home churches, and other family members… but there is literally a whole other world out there of people who love God.
Second, I’ve been completely pushed past my personal limit. I’m not good with being placed in new situations back to back to back to back, and I’m not one to be completely immersed in a new culture, with new friends, no community ties, new academic structure, and always doing something; always busy. . I am consistently being pulled in every direction, forcing growth that I don’t necessarily want. Then again, who really likes discomfort and change? However, even in these two weeks, I have already seen some growth in my ability to communicate in general, communicate faith and my love for new cultures. Arriving in Australia, it looks a lot like the US on the surface, until you get forced into the culture with a host family at an international college full of around 882 Australians, and 18 Americans. We are certainly not as much at home as we thought (or at least I thought) we would be. Through this though, I see myself growing and appreciating that there is so much more beyond my small circle at home… but I miss my small circle at home so much it hurts. It’s through the most trying times that I will grow the most. I just have to keep remembering that.
There’s also such a peace, i’ve learned about myself, to just being completely and utterly lost. Lost in your faith, physically lost, mentally lost, and emotionally lost. Literally not knowing where to go gives you a new beginning and a completely different perspective.
Lastly, I’ve learned so much about my own country through being here, and how we are presented through other’s eyes. This Is something I am still trying to hash out, how I can change how people see us (which is not typically good). How the US has such an impact and why.
Anyways, if you are reading this, these are all unfinished thoughts that I am trying to work through. It’s hard, but rewarding. It’s hard to see the rewards till after we get through the struggle.
Dear Australia... 