Cheers Australia, It was Grand!

So this will be my last post for this blog. Good thing Bad thing? i don't know
After 37hrs of traveling in a 24hr time period, i was needless to say Extremely tired once i got home. However, i couldn't bring myself to fall asleep immediately. I ended up sleeping for 13hrs and because of that i couldn't fall asleep till really late the next night, but i took advantage and caught up on some tv shows.
All the flights were good, and our luggage followed us all the way except for the last flight... which i think was ironic because of how far we traveled. Luckily we got our luggage the next morning so it just delayed the laundry and giving out of gifts for a little while.
Being home, well its great to sleep in my bed again, i had forgotten how comfortable it was. Today i switched out all my summer clothes for my winter clothes,which was a very long process of sorting and organizing as well as folding and going up and down the stairs. But thankfully it has been completely accomplished.
I like being home, but its hard to figure out where my place is in the household again. My brother was very clear in the fact that he enjoyed that there wasn't any of my hair in the bathroom for 5months. but i think he should just get used to it if he ever plans on getting married.
I miss everyone in Cairns, and the sunshine and warm weather. Winter has given me a strong greeting with it almost looking like it is going to snow.


So i suppose in conclusion for the past 5months, i have gone on this big adventure that was successful. I have grown up in so many ways, and most importantly i think i have grown significantly in my faith. It was such a great experience and such a blessing that i am thankful for. I'm excited for next semester and living off campus should be another interesting experience, But until then, Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

"Kiwi Land"

So,i've been in Christ Church, New Zealand for the past few days before returning completely home to good ol North Carolina of the US of A, and though id like to report that New Zealand is amazing, we have had some crap weather which really dampered the experience here. It was just so cold and rainy that i didn't even feel like taking pictures which is saying alot for me. Also because of the rain we didn't get to take part in some of the things that we would have if the weather would have been nicer such as a hot air balloon ride and going "punting" on the Avon river. (think of a gondola like they have in Venice). Instead we walked alot and went to a few museums but over all didn't really do a whole lot. The main highlight of the time in New Zealand was where we stayed.It was called the Windsor Hotel Bed and Breakfast. It was such a nice big house with about 40 rooms for rent, a really nice lounge room and cute breakfast room.



The people that ran the hotel were so nice and one man who is a co-owner offered us a ride around the city in his refurbished 1928 studabaker. so that was really fun and completely spontaneous.

I'm sure i would have liked NZ more given that it was sunny, but not seeing the sun for 4 days really depresses the mood...especially when i hadn't been without sun for the past 5 months. it was almost like being in England really, so i suppose i got a taste for what that would have been like if i would have decided to study there instead. (thank goodness i choose Sunny Cairns!)
Tomorrow we leave for the long journey home! which means getting up at 4am... plane leaves christ church at 6:45am and then we have a 7hr layover in auckland and then we leave auckland at 3:40pm for the 12hr flight to LA and have another 6hrs of lay over time then off to Dallas then finally to Greensboro where we will arrive at 11:30pm Dec.3, which after 30 some odd hrs of traveling will be the same day that we left on. Insane!

So i suppose i will do a final post for this blog once i make it home since i will sadly no longer be livin like an aussie down under....
so im trying to see if i liked blogging enough to start another one just for random things that i can't get off my mind or what not. But ya, that decision can be made later.
As far as the 70 or so posts that i have made on this blog, i think i am going to print them all off and make them into a little book/journal thing. i don't know how do able that will be or how much it will cost to print it all off but i think i would like to try and play around with it. i see it as an alternative way of scrap-booking.

Well, until i post again from the States, "Cheers"- from this side of the world.

Sydney was "Wicked"

Getting on the plane to leave for sydney from cairns was really hard, it wasn't like i was going to come back there after i was finished in sydney like i had previously done 2 months before. Once i left, i was officially gone for awhile but hopefully not forever, you never know where God will lead you in Life....so i'm leaving the door open to possibly going back for a visit sometime later.

The Flight to sydney was pretty quick, they showed the movie 500 days of summer, which i had already seen in Sydney ironically enough. Movies always make a flight go quicker especially if they are any good. Luckily, we have been flying on Qantas for every flight and they by far are the best airline that australia has. even their meals are really good.
Once we got to sydney, we didn't have to mess with customs or security because it was a domestic flight so we just got our luggage and instead of taking the train into the city and walking a few blocks to our hotel for 30$ we opted to get in line for a taxi ( btw, i had never used a taxi before and prob wouldn't like to again if i can help it). we got a taxi and a driver who was from who-know's where but he did know were our hotel was and thats all that mattered. it was a little bit more expensive than taking the train in but a lot less hassle.... Unfortunately, less hassle almost always means more money! o well. Thank God for the blessing of having a little extra.

Our Hotel was the Travel Lodge which sounds kinda dodgy, but it was REALLY nice with a flat screen tv and a fridge and sink. to use the elevators you had to swipe your room card to activate the floor you want to go to....pretty high tech if you ask me.


Sydney was so different to cairns, people were still mostly friendly, but everyone was in so much of a hurry and there were just heaps more people bustling around. and i still get a kick out of crossing the street diagonally. We saw all the known sites and walked 11 miles the first full day...my feet did hurt in case you were wondering.
we went to the Aquarium which was cool, but not as impressive as i thought it'd be. we then made our way over to capital theater because i knew that Wicked the musical was showing and we happen to get box seat tickets for a matinee on saturday. That was probably the highlight of sydney, Wicked was so great and thats saying alot because i don't normally like musicals. We of course saw the bridge, and the Opera House. We took a ferry across that harbour to Luna Park which i really liked and we rode the ferris wheel which overlooked the harbor as well. Did some shopping of course, but by saturday night i was ready to move on to New Zealand,....
I've decided that i don't really enjoy big cities, i like the suburbs, and i don't really like feeling like im risking my life everytime i try crossing the road.


On an Interesting note, the Rocks is the historic part of sydney which is the part right near the bridge and opera house,and while walking through this portion, we came across a christmas tree that was rather oddly constructed. After closer investigation, we discovered that the christmas tree was made comepletely out of empty soda bottles....now thats some mixing of christmas cheer with and underlying goal of raising recycling awareness...

Australia is pretty "green" something i'll try to impart in my daily life back in the states.

Looking back while moving onward...

So seeing as my semester in cairns has ended, i've been traveling and that equals no constant source of internet, which entails little blog posting. So There is much to tell but i will break them up into separate posts.
This post will focus on Leaving Cairns...

After i stayed up all night waiting with steph until she had to leave for the airport, i was able to catch about 4hrs sleep until i had to get up and eat my last breakfast at the lodge, that may not seem like much, but i consistently had the same breakfast all semester and it never got old. after brekkie Tabby picked me up and we went to Port douglas to meet joel and others to hangout and celebrate his birthday. on our way back to cairns we just barely missed being hit by a rock slide. it was scary and i had never witnessed one let alone almost been crumbled beneath one.

That night we all celebrated at Joel's parents house which happened to be where i was staying the night before my mom came the next morning so it was really convenient.
I picked my mom up the next day and we checked into our hotel which happened to be located on the Esplanade which made it extra special. we went to church that night after an afternoon nap and she got to meet all my friends from church. On monday i took her to my favorite beach and let her soak up some aussie sun. we used the bus so she could see what i had to do during my time there, it was actually a good plan because she got to see the university as it was a stop on the way to the beach. Tuesday we went on the sky rail up to Keranda where she got to hold a koala and feed the kangaroos. It was a nice little trip because i had won a gift voucher for a free lift on the sky rail and had saved it all semester to use with her so it worked out perfectly. that night i went to my last nexus meeting which was kinda sad. everyone signed a card for me and they prayed for my safe journey home. I'm really blessed to have become apart of their group so easily. I'm definitely thankful this thanksgiving for that group and the spiritual growth i encountered.
Kevin gave us one last taxi ride to the airport which was prob the best way to end it. I'm anticipating keeping in touch with them as best i can, especially since becs and karl got engaged just before i left. i was glad i got to be there to hear the news and see the ring.

Last night with Steph and at the Lodge

so last night marked the last night at the lodge and the last night to hangout with Steph. We decided that it would be fun to go to the beach at night and have a few drinks with a friend from church. It was so cool to look at the stars and not be able to recognize any of the constellations because they are all backwards. It was fun just to chill and talk while reminiscing about the time we have had in australia. Then we came back and i still had to do laundry and pack which i did till 4am seeing as the was when steph was leaving for the airport. So today i am operating on 3hrs of sleep. Fun Stuff especially since it's Joel's 21st bday party tonight.

my mom is currently in transit to come to cairns and i am really looking forward to traveling with her and sharing some of this experience with someone else. i'm excited to show her where i have been living for the past 5months and im excited to explore sydney and NZ with her!

It was kinda sad saying goodbye to steph eventhough i will actually get to see her in Dec. we have become really great friends and i thank God for such a blessing,...not only did i make some really great christian aussie friends, but i also made a good christian american friend who so happens to have ties to Greensboro eventhough she lives in MAine, who knows maybe one day i will to go visit up there.


this picture sums up our friendship quite nicely~ we have had so many laugh, i will really miss our random moments of hysterical laughter in which neither of us know what we are laughing about! Good Times!

Pancakes Among a Sunrise

So today steph, her roommate, and I got up at 5 am and went to the beach to watch the sunrise. it was so beautiful eventhough it was extremely hard to wake up that early and it really affected me the rest of the day. we brought along some pancake mix and maple syrup and made pancakes on the bbq's at the park next to the beach. It was quite lovely and very scrumptious!


Watching the sunrise is such a remarkable thing, from the colors illuminated throughout the sky, to the quickness of its rising as well as, the power of heat that is felt as it ascends to trade spots with the moon. The australian sun is nothing to mess with. It will fry you if you are not careful and are amongst its powerful rays for too long, yes, i have had a few of these experiences. But nonetheless, it is still breathtaking to watch something that happens everyday and that most people are not up to witness. It just made we want to lift my hands and praise God for his remarkable creation and his unfailing Grace.


Also, at nexus this week, they through us a going away mini party. they gave steph and i a little package with some australian goodies which was so thoughtful. But best of all they made us the best "Australian Cake" EVER...it consisted of a tower of lemmingtons, with chocolate koalas, and timtams. So Creative and extremely yummy!
i was very much impressed but really sad to leave such caring people!

Maggie Island

So this past week i had my ecology exam which was actually really difficult but i made it through and im pretty sure i passed. On Wed. i left for maggie island which is 4hrs south of cairns. Unfortunately i was under the impression that it was going to be very luscious and tropical island like, but instead it was really dry and rocky. However, it was still really beautiful and really nice to just get away, especially after studying for that ecology exam. I can honestly say we didn't do much on the island which was the way i wanted it. i was perfectly content not having to do anything and just being lazy. we did find this cool trail that led up to this great peak on top of a boulder. so we trekked up that at sunset.

On Friday we went back into Townsville by ferry and spent the day walking around and we went to see 2012, which was an interesting movie. it was actually more graphic than i had anticipated, but nonetheless it was still entertaining and a good 3hrs spent out of the sun. That night we met up with some friends for dinner and they took us up to Castle Hill which is really more like a mountain that overlooks all of townsville (city on one side and all the suburbs on the other side)


Then we were able to meet up with another friend who had been in Cairns for several weeks earlier but had to finish her classes in Townsville, so it was really great to see her again. we had to get up at 5am to catch a 6:30flight back to cairns which was really quick thankfully. i did more on saturday by lunch than i had done in the past 3 days. Today (Sunday) Steph and i went to the beach and got a little toasted...which showed up later and people at church kept giving us a hard time about. The pastor surprised us when we arrived to church by telling us that he was going to call us up to the front so we can say something about our time in cairns and at the church and then he would pray for our return travels home. As sweet that was we were both not too excited to speak in front of everyone, But in my defense and as a surprise to myself, i didn't freak out like i would have thought i would, i more or less excepted it immediately and started preparing for what i was going to say. Steph on the other hand was really freaking out as she does not like public speaking either and i would probably classify it as more than me, since i can do it, i just dont like it. anyways, it went well and it gave me a chance to publicly thank Kevin and Krys for all the rides they had graciously given us throughout the whole semester. IT really wasn't that big of a deal and im wondering if i thought that because it was kinda sprung on us and i didn't have enough time to worry about it.
in other news, i have this last week left, my mom comes next sunday, and my last exam is friday! Its insane how this semester has come to an end so quickly! i am truly going to miss my cairns family!
I started listening to christmas music today which made me really want to bake cookies but alas i do not yet have the resources to do so yet! but soon enough!

Youthsurge and Rain!

So friday, cairns presi hosted Youthsurge which is like a mini conference for highschool students in the city. Kids from all the different churches gathered for a bbq and then participated in the conference. I went mainly because i had no other plans and alot of the people from the Nexus were helping out. I actually asked to be the official photographer of the evening so i really enjoyed having that responsibility even though i was only asked to take "Crowd shots" due to liability issues but nonetheless it was still fun. The speaker was really cool. He is from an italian family and was raised in sydney. I spoke with him for a little before the worship portion started and he said that he has been to the States 6 times but at first he thought i was australian which was a great compliment...guess im catching onto the accent more than i thought :) anyways, his name is Ross, and he married a gal named Rachel and he commented on the fact that everywhere in the states people would compare them to "Friends" which i thought was funny. He even gave me a shout out during his message when explaining that story, which was pleasant surprise (i felt cool and important) Besides that the message was really good and there were even several youth that committed their lives that night which was the most spectacular thing of all.


This weekend has been mostly rainy, with spots of sunshine. i slept alot on saturday because i had to stay up till 4am and register for classes back at winthrop and with the time difference that was what it worked out to...as always, registering was a pain and i didn't get everything i needed ...i really need to take economics but they only had two sections open which were already closed by the time i got to register...bummer so instead i think i am going to take Biological Psychology which really doesn't help me credit wise but i think it should be an interesting class and possibly useful.

Last night i went to a party with some friends from church and that was really fun, i am going to miss hanging out with everyone on any given whim. Today i woke up to Torrential rain downpour which i found quite nice surprisingly, it poured for like 2hrs straight and the street looked like it was going to flood...oddly enough i just couldnt stop listening/watching the rain....its been so long since i've seen such a downpour. Normally rain makes me sleeping and lazy but this kinda modivated me, i just kept my window opened and listened to rain while listening to a christian mix i made and studied for ecology. It has been a good sunday morning and tonight is CafeNite church so i am looking to forward to that as well especially, since its nexus' turn to serve.
Its about 3 weeks till i come home....and im not sure what to think about that!?

Spontaneity is the spice to life

Today could have been an average ordinary thursday, but with some quick decisions, it turned out to be quite lovely!

I jumped on the opportunity to go bowling which was the first time in a really long time...i broke 100 for 2 of the 3 games and had some strikes in there :)
Its funny how this opportunity came about however, I was just on facebook chatting with people and started talking to a aussie friend and he was signing off because he said he was about to go bowling, so some might say i invited myself But, he did actually offer the invitation and offered to pick me up, so it was all good. Then, this afternoon, i found out about some pick-up bball that was happenning later on and decided that it had been too long since i have played, especially in the "game" mode...so i went and turned out to be what i expected, which was a big group of guys and me...Daunting to some but i prefer it that way.
I'm not going to say i wasn't rusty because none of my shots started falling in until the 3rd game but once i found my rhythm again,....well, they were impressed :)
Also, my coach would have been proud because i made almost all my free throws which decided teams. Muscle memory is an interesting thing and I love that i still have it after all these years.
Unfortunately, i collided with another guy and got this Huge hematoma (massive bruise) right on my shin ...it swelled up so much but being the girl and not wanting to prove that point i just ran off the pain....only to be paying for it tonight but thats the price that must be paid to run with boys!
And another sad fact...i have been going to the gym pretty much everyday for the whole semester, and i am more sore from these 4games of basketball than i have ever been from any of those workouts!

This afternoon really made me miss my days in high school and being apart of a team. Those were the good ol days! Im hoping i can play intramurals back at winthrop next semester but we'll see.
Well, until later...im taking some advil and going to bed! i hope i can move tomorrow hahaha

Halloween in OZ

This past weekend was halloween, and though australians don't really celebrate halloween we decided to dressup anyway, and go salsa dancing which was quite fun!
We went over to a friends house and rummaged through her dress up clothes and got creative. im not really sure what i was officially but i was between a disco ball and a 80's pageant queen. nevertheless, we kinda looked ridiculous. but fortunately there were others in town who dressed up as well, so we weren't the only ones. after salsa lessons we went back to the house and decided to watch Friday the 13th, the old version which was kinda funny because of how bad the acting was and how you could predict everything that was going to happen....when the music started getting creepy we just started commenting "dead" which made it even more comical instead of scary.
On sunday, i went to church which was really great and then we went out to eat after wards, we ended up at this place called Hogs Breath Cafe...i really enjoyed it, Mostly because it really reminded me of home. I would equate it to like a "Hams" or maybe even an applebees. Anyways it was really good and not too expensive, which is really important right now since money is starting to get really tight!....i have to say it fun to spend money but its hard when there is not inflow of it and only outflow.

What is Faith?

I have been reading Hebrews lately and this morning i ran across this verse that was really powerful and was so simply stated... Ch11, Verse 1:Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
I feel like God had really helped me to grow spiritually this semester abroad and i am so thankful for that, as one of my irrational fears was that i would some how lose my level of faith,or maybe it was just being scared of the testing of my faith. In any case, quite the opposite has happened and though i have been tested it hasn't been in a negative sense, but only to enhance my faith more.

I Officially have finished my classes for the semester at JCU and all i have left is a final essay in which i plan on writing next week, an ecology final and a physics final which isn't till the 20th of NOV. which seems ages away. I don't want to say i wish my exams were over, because when they are over is when i will preparing to leave and im not quite ready to say goodbye yet. Soon it will be Halloween here, and though Australians don't really celebrate it, some of my friends are thowing steph and I a "halloween" party. So i am really looking forward to that as we are prob just going to eat candy, fish n chips and watch movies.
Saturday night we are going salsa dancing in the city which should be very entertaining, and depending on weather we might be going to Crystal Cascades, which i have sadly not had the chance to visit yet.

Tonight, is my "TV" night, we watch Glee, Rush and BurnNotice, back to back to back....but i justify it because thats the only tv i watch all week...Oh, besides the stuff i download because im missing in the States. Luckily, i've been able to stay caught up with the OFfice and House as well as Psych. hahaha....oh i suppose i should ask where my priorities lie. O well we all have our guilty pleasures, mine just happens to be comedic tv series...

I received a package from my parents today which took 2 whole weeks to get here! insane, but it finally arrived still intact. they sent some candy and Coffee! and Luna bars. yummy stuff...i jumped for joy when i found the slip of paper in my mailbox telling me it had arrived...it was like Christmas!
I talked to the ladies in the Office here and they said they are willing to buy my bike from me so they can rent to other students later on and i talked to the Student association at school and they agreed to buy back some text books, so i might be getting a little extra money which would be very nice!

Thats all for now, though im sure the next posts will include pictures from my future activities...Also, Timtams are officially being sold in the states and I HIGHLY recommend that you take advantage of their goodness while you can since they are only going to sold for a limited amount of time!
~Cheers!

Revelations

My uncle sent me some interesting text of which stemmed from some notes he took from a seminar he recently attended about Intelligent Design and natural vs spiritual revelations. Though it was rather deep to understand on my own, it was still quite interesting. Also, i thought it was interesting because this past friday at the bible study i attend here, we talked about revelations as well....maybe God is trying to tell me something?"


"Theology is properly distinguished as natural and revealed. The former is concerned with facts of nature so far as they reveal God and our relation to him, and the latter with the facts of Scripture."-Charles Hodge


I think today was one of those days where i wasn't necessarily homesick, but with planning all the details for my extended trek home, its hard not to think about getting back to my previous life with my family and friends. I have this last week of classes which i foresee flying by extremely fast as i have a lot of assignments due. then its just two exams and a paper and im home free...Literally i suppose.

It's really hard for me to be satisfied in the here and now when i know its temporary....which can be greatly seen in the smaller scale but when i think about it, my life on earth is only temporary compared to my heavenly life waiting before me....... which would explain why its hard sometimes to be satisfied with "this life". so many people are concerned about their purpose in life and I am blessed to known mine...yes, the details may not be clear as far as specifics of what job will i have, who will i marry, will i have any kids, but in reality, those things are all temporary too...As long as i am following God's will and glorifying Him in everything i do then i should feel content and know that this temporary life will not have been useless.....which is what i think God has intended for us.

Also, from my study of Colossians this semester, i came across this beautiful summary of verses: "Love unites all virtues into perfect unity"
So many people throw around the concept of "Love" and yes i know there are different forms of Love....but with each form the makings of love are all the same and i think most people including myself do not practice all the components that make up love. Tricky thing i know, and its something you wonder if you can ever master, but if we are desperately following God's word then it should not be such a challenge.....its the premise of this statement that is the real issue.

The Beginning of the End...

Life is a Vortex and it just sucks you in!

This week marked the beginning of my last month in Australia...so scary how fast time flies by. I mean it seems like yesterday was July and i was just arriving into this new place which i have come to love for its uniqueness and similarities. I only have one week left of classes and about 6 assignments to turn in before the "exam period" starts. I only have 2 exams during that time and they are ten days apart. so to kill some time i am taking advantage of the large "study" space between exams and am going to Maggie Island for a few days with a friend. I was lucky enough to catch a deal with the airline and get plane tickets for 48$ each way which is insanely cheap...i didnt think plane tickets could be that cheap!
Today, i booked all the hotels that my mom and I are going to stay at on our extended journey back to Greensboro. The treck includes 3days in Cairns, 4days in Sydney, and 4 days in Christ Church New Zealand.
I was really disappointed because i had found this Amazing bed and breakfast in the historic part of Sydney right next to the famous bridge and habour opera house and when i called to make the reservation this morning they were completely booked, which was crazy because two days earlier they had vacancies....o well i suppose it wasn't meant to be. To make up for it, we are going to stay at this really nice bed and breakfast in the city of Christ Church.
In Cairns i found a nice hotel right on the esplanade which will have a fantastic view. I love the fact that i could make a good decision on where to stay because i know the area so well by now.

My trek home is going to be exhausting! here's how its going to play out...leave christchurch at 6am dec. 3 ...fly to Auckland where there will be an 8hr layover, then off to LA, then to dallas, and finally to Greensboro at which i will arrive 11:30pm Dec. 3rd even though i will have been in the air for more than 24hrs....CRAZY

I've been asked several times recently, if i am ready to go home....that is a simple question with such a complex answer: YES and NO....yes because i miss my family and my friends and just "my real life" and no because i have made new friends and i know once i leave the probability that i will return is not extremely high though not impossible...as anything is possible.
I feel like i have been living a parallel life....my current life in australia and living it up, and trying to keep up in my absence back home. Having to almost be in two states of mind all the time is kinda draining and that would be why i am looking forward to going back home, but i will surely miss everything australian(Though may i mention-TIMTAMS are being sold at target! but only for short period of time as a trial )

Also, this week was epic because i was kindly given this web address in which linked to several 3rd party broadcasters. long story short, i was able to watch the office, and house and catch up on all the new episodes that i have missed out on being here. i know its sad, but it made me so happy to know that i have seen what others have been watching back home so i too may discuss them with people. :)

Ho-Hum...Diddly Dum

Well,..i'm sad to admit that i actually had to spend a weekend of my australia adventure doing school work...it was inevitable i suppose but i was trying to prolong it as much as i could! and unfortunately i think the next weekend will be the same as the end of my semester is approaching and i have 10 assignments/ exams in the next 2 weeks!

In other news, i have recently discovered a problem that i have. Once i get something on my mind (especially when im trying to go to sleep) i can not seem to move on from it until it has been figured out. For example, this has been the worst case of it so far... one night this past week i was talking to Kim, who is in london, and she started talking about classes for next semester. we still have a few weeks before registration even begins so i had not bothered with it yet. However, after we discussed several of the classes we need to take and the time conflicts she has already encountered, i could not stop thinking if i was going to be terrible behind next semester and to my ears in credit hrs. So, it had been going on about 12:30 at night and i still hadn't been able to fall asleep...so i just got up (wide awake) and pretty much worked out my entire schedule for next semester as well as figuring out where i was going to take some summer courses that i need....by the end of all that it was 3 am and i finally fell asleep with much accomplished!

anyways, i'm trying not to worry so much about things and leave it up to God, but it is so hard to just let things happen when i know that i could be working on them, whether it is greatly in advance.

Not too much else was very interesting about this week except that i had my last physics practical which made me happy because that meant i could discard of the shoes i had to wear for that class ...they were 5$ and they smelled really bad!! so it was a pleasure to chuck them into the rubbish bin! I'm in the process of ....well i can't remember because i just got a phone call which completely ruined my train of thought....o well, hahaha...

Apparently it's "octoberfest" in the city tonight and i was just invited to go with some friends, so i suppose this weekend isn't going to be all work and no play! Hooray!

Isla de Verde...green lsland!

So Nexus went to green island for the day and it was heaps of fun. we went snorkeling and being with some great locals friends, they were able to find all the cool stuff that im sure most tourists miss out on discovering. I actually got to swim with a sea turtle ...or follow it while it swam along :) we also saw this massive fish that i have no idea what it was called...but it was HUGE (no it was not a shark) and it was fun to watch that..from a distance. aside from snorkeling we sun-baked, and played footie at the water's edge. It was really hard for me to over come the urge to want to throw it forward like in american football, but in australian footie you have to throw it backwards or laterally. needless to say that caused a bit of hesitation on my part which then caused several tackles against me but it was all in good fun!
We went straight to church after getting back to Cairns, and i have to say i have never had such a hard time staying awake in church...The sun just sucks all the energy out of me and all i want to do sleep...just not in church :)
I'm still feeling extremely tired today, and even took a 2hr nap....hopefully i can recover quickly because school is about to get crazy with assignments being due and i need all the physical and mental energy i can get.

Pics from the Day: http://picasaweb.google.com/eaglchk/20091012GreenIsland?authkey=Gv1sRgCP-347nU1tbRVA#

"Just Smile and Say Stuff"

One thing that i absolutely love about my australian life is that many thing i do are spontaneous and have not been meticulously planned out. For instance, last night was friday and Steph and i had no plans to do anything special, which is kinda sad because we only have so many friday nights left in australia! Anyways, it was a chill day with bible study in the morning and a little bike ride to the grocery store and then later i got a txt from a friend from church inviting us to come over to hangout later that night. I was so excited to have something to do and with people that i have become very close to in the passed few months. There ended up being a lot of people from our church group there and in the australian way, they all brought some sort of drinks with them....now before my trip here i would have probably been completely judgmental about a group of young christians getting together for drinks but in australia that is not uncommon at all. they don't go over board and they are all legal here so it's really not that big of a deal whereas in the states it probably would be frowned on slightly. Anyways, we had fun joking around and hanging out until everyone decided that it was getting late and we departed....

On the funnier side, kevin, who is the guy who graciously gives us rides to church and other activities picked us both up but there was one too many people than seats, so one of the guys decided it would be heaps of fun to ride in the boot (trunk) and that's exactly what he did....i don't recommend it for long road trips, but it got us from point A to point B....he was so funny because he would request the volume to be turned up or the song to be changed from the boot, which made his voice really muffled....the whole ordeal just made me laugh.

Since it was a late night i was excited about getting a sleep in...but of course i woke up at 7:30am and peeked out my window to see what the weather looked like, as steph and i were planning to bike to the beach ...and it was cloudy so i went back to sleep. We ended up going to the beach anyway, and it was somewhat sunny.....as i now feel the sunburn on my back :) but really really windy. the sand was blowin every where so we just moved up to the grassy park area just before the beach. It made me feel like i was back at winthrop lake in the spring time.

So that has been my friday and saturday....no plans for tonight..so far...but tomorrow we are all going to Green Island so that should be heaps of fun....Im really keen to hangout with everyone from church again....and i want to take every opportunity to hangout with them since my time here is quickly coming to an end... :( They have already threatened to capture me so i can't leave....haha

"Satan is a failed Bible student...."

Its tuesday, and that means NEXUS! nexus is the young adults bible study that meets every tuesday night to fellowship and study various aspects of the Bible. Lately we have been going through the "3 S's" and this week the "S" was scripture. We broke up into groups and were given a long list of verses to read that explained what scripture was and we proceeded to discuss these as best we could.
Now, i fully understand what scripture is and why it is so important, but i fail like many other christians to read my Bible consistently. Its honestly quite sad and something that i am really ashamed of. Its so easy to just pick it up even for 15 min to read something that has been God breathed. But do i even do that?... most of the time i do not and instead fill my free time with facebook or emails and skype. Something hit me greatly in a verse that we read in Matthew when satan is trying to tempt Jesus and the sheet that we were working from pointed out that we can't be a better bible student than satan if we ourselves do not study the word.
The fact that satan knows the Bible and possibly more than me is really scary...satan knew the word and was able to twist for his own purposes which makes him a "poor bible student" but at the same time he had to know what the Bible said in order to twist it....im not sure i even have that depth of knowledge about the word....
How am i supposed to fight false preachings that are steered up by satan if i myself do not read the word for the real meaning. This was a concept that i've always heard and knew "to know the word because it is God's way of communicating to us and gives us knowledge about false teachings" but i don't think this other aspect has ever hit me before.
I'm going to try to make a much greater effort to read God's word even if its only just for 15min a day. I believe i am even going to have to only let myself onto facebook if i have done my Bible reading for the day...very childish i know, but i think this is a good starting place!

Surf Camp Aussie Style

Warning: This Will be a Lengthy Post.....

Link to Pictures:
http://picasaweb.google.com.au/eaglchk/20091002AussieSurfCamp?authkey=Gv1sRgCMKW7pSL88P4Yw&feat=directlink

and
http://picasaweb.google.com.au/eaglchk/SurfCampAussieStyle02?authkey=Gv1sRgCNmmxPHxy_nhogE&feat=directlink

So, this past week was holiday for uni students and while many planned roads trips down the coast and in New Zealand, I decided that it would be pretty sweet to go surfing in australia. I did the necessary research and signed up for a surfing camp which happened to be 2-hrs south of sydney in a little town of Gerroa with a population of 500 people. It also happened to be located on 7-mile beach....which is a Fantastic beach..perfect for surfing....Not very populated at all, and long beach-breaking waves which equals ideal surfing for beginners (though i personally had surfed before in the states).

I had to pick up the bus for surf camp in sydney, so i flew down there the night before and had about 5 hrs to muck around and ended up going to see a movie.(potentially by myself) but i actually ran into a girl that i knew in the theater that lives in cairns, so i didn't have to watch the movie alone :) Sydney really shocked me...for a while i thought i was in Asia...there were so many oriental people EVERYWHERE, and they crossed the street "tokyo style" like you see in the movies where everyone goes everywhere....even shop employees were all oriental. Actually im not sure i actually talked to any australians while i was in sydney and then there was this weird guy who came up behind me suddenly and asked if he could smell my feet....That really freaked me out and i don't really want to go to sydney by myself again if i can help it.

So onto surf camp..i rode on the bus sitting next to a girl from sweden. It turned out that about a third of the camp was from sweden which was cool at first but then it got really annoying because they would all speak swedish and never any english so it was very hard to interact with them. Also, the group was 90% female so that always creates the "clicky" sort of environment. other countries represented were Switzerland, UK, Germany and the States...though it was just me and one other girl.The camp ran as follows: Get up, eat brekky, suit up into wetties, trek to the beach, grab a board, huddle into your groups, Surf for 2hrs, come back and rinse out the wetties, grab lunch, chill for a bit, back into the wetties, surf for 2 more hrs, come back and Race to the showers, Dinner, chill a little (mostly watching Surfing dvds, and looking at the days pics while playing Massive Jenga), Go to bed....Begin again...4 days straight
On the last day, we woke up at 5:30 am to surf the sunrise...though gorgeous, it was extremely cold and really hard to attain my balance that early :) i normally stumble my way to the bathroom let alone go surfing that early.

The weather was mostly fantastic! our first day it started out beautifully and then a storm came in which we surfed through and by the end, there was a double rainbow which was absolutely breath taking...you could see both ends. At nights it was really chilly and not intending on going somewhere cold while in australia, i had very limited clothing for such cold conditions...but i managed...it turned out that everything "warm" i had brought to wear was ALL winthrop/RUF attire....The instructors said i looked like the typical american uni student..."Go Eagles" :)

Speaking of instructors, they were all AWESOME and so funny....their names were: Chaplin/"chaps", Justin/"winnie" (those were my instructors), John-O, Chris-O, Jack-O, and Shane-O....i have no idea if their last names all started with O or not but thats what they called each other. There was alot of goofing off as i anticipated but it was all in good fun. It was crazy how much energy these guys had. They would get up early to go surfing come back, instruct us, go surfing while we ate lunch, and then instruct us again....I asked chaps if they ever get tired of it ...doing the same thing week in and week out...his response was the people do fizzle out and he hopes to leave before he looses his passion for it all but from what i gathered as long as you have the energy to put into it, then it never gets old....i think the instructors cycle out so that they work for several weeks and then get a few weeks off. I know i personally couldn't do it for a while season.

Actually, on that point i have to reflect a little...If some one was to ask me if i could have the surfers lifestyle and mentality i probably would have to decline the offer. As much as i loved surfing and hanging out while getting a taste for the "surfer lifestyle" i did not feel completely fulfilled. I started to question on the plane ride back to cairns why i wasn't ecstatic about the awesome adventure i just had and i came to this conclusion pretty quickly...
I went to surf camp by myself, not just me by myself but the lone christian...i wasn't expecting this to be like summer conference were we are all gathered and fellowshiping because we believe the same thing, but i also didn't really prepare myself for the lack of "common held belief".
Though im sure there are surfers out there that are christian...the stereotypical surfer: Surfs, Drinks, and Parties...and unfortunately these guys lived up to all that.
I don't want to say i felt a lack of God's presence because he was obviously there and surrounding me with His protection but i felt spiritually alone....this one instance sticks out very well in my mind...when i noticed the double rainbow and all its beauty, i wasn't able to share in the symbolism of God's promise with anyone else. when i pointed it out to people they hardly took notice and kinda waved me off.
So while i had a fantastic time surfing and experiencing yet another side of australian culture, i would have to say i was amist a very worldly environment in which i had no christian outlet but to go off on my own to take pictures of God's beautiful creation. So, sadly it was rather draining in a spiritual sense because i did not have fellow believers in my presence. And unfortunately, i feel sort of guilty for not being more open about my faith and what i believe. I could have spoken up many times but instead just was silent for fear of potentially being harassed or left out even more than i was by coming as an "independent"...I just hope that i left some sort of impact by the way i acted and what i said. I think this was a very eye opening experience in letting me realize how much more i need to have faith in God and become more confident in speaking in His name without fear of what the consequence maybe........I just can't help but think about this perfect opportunity to witness and i wasted it because i was scared and was afraid of what others would think of me. All i can do is pray for God's strength in me to not be ashamed the next time an opportunity arises to speak openly of my faith.

On a lighter note, I love to surf, if i could take that activity and put a christian twist on it then it would be perfect! there's nothing like catching the perfect wave and riding it all the way until you can't go anymore.
Uni starts again on monday, and October is going to be a crazy month! i can't believe i only have 2more months left in australia....its amazing how fast time flies!

Chillaxin

This was the first saturday that i haven't planned to do anything so i got to have a long sleep in, and have a leisurely day. I biked to the store to get somethings for my trip to surf camp, after i talked to lots of people through a combination of facebook, skype, and yahoo messenger...no one can say that i didn't try to stay connected to people back home! Tried to start packing but i have the hardest time packing light. i don't think i have it in my blood and thus making it a struggle every time i have to keep it light.
I was walking back from dinner tonight and a car drove by with its windows down and "sweet home alabama" was blaring out the stereo....i just had to laugh out loud because i doubt that australian even knows where alabama is..hahaha
I'm going out with some friends tonight so I'm starting my holiday celebration, Whoot whoot!
I leave tomorrow for the week so i'm sure the next post will be quite long and story filled....

Oh My Dust!

So, in Australian News, There has been a massive dust storm in NSW (new south wales, where sydney is) that has moved up to 75,000 tonnes of dust per hour. Today in Cairns we started to see the effects of the dust that has traveled up the coast. It was the weirdest thing. It looked like it was going to storm the whole day but that was just dust in the air. It was so thick that you couldn't see the mountains and i was told that in sydney you couldn't even see your hand in front of your face. This storm has come at the most inconvenient time with school holiday coming up. Several flights have been canceled but i am hoping that by the time i fly out on sunday the dust will have dissipated by then. I just think its crazy how much can be stuffed up just because of the environment being so dry with an increase in wind speed.

When i thought of australia, i always pictured bright sun and beautiful skies. The picture above definitely proves that Australia is full of crazy weather....i might even be here when cyclone session erupts and then there will be massive floods...."when it rains, it pours" :)

Statistically Significant...

Today was probably the most productive day i have had here in Australia, as far as school work goes. With "spring holiday" just around the corner i had several assignments due this week as well as my first aussie presentation...which actually wasn't that big of a deal because my prof. was on holiday in the states no less and we had a guest prof monitor the presentations for the day. Not only that but half the class showed up so, it was more of a single sided discussion than a formal pressi, which i was perfectly fine with.

Ecology this semester has been a bit of a challenge because it involves alot of statistics and making graphs, using excel, and analyzing data on their version of a statistics program. We have had a practical due every friday and sometimes they are really complicated statistically. Luckily, my prof is very understanding toward those (including me) that are not completely competent in statistics, (even though i have had it twice, and possibly 3 if you count BIO300)...and provids us with pre-made data and is willing to help us make the appropriate graphs.
Today for ecology lab we just went to the computer lab to discuss the last two pracs and the proper way to analyze the data, which i was very appreciative of and decided to just stay in the lab while i was in the ecological/statistical mental state and write some of the labs we had just discussed.

Turns out that i finished the one due for this week really quickly, and decided to proceed onto the next one...I also completed that one in a quick manner and decided that while i was there doing all this i might as well go ahead and do the third one which i also completed. So basically, i wrote 3 pracs in a span of 5hrs. Pretty much EPIC! and so when i come back from break i won't have to worry about turning a prac in for the next 2 weeks :) anything to make life easier.....though i'm predicting October to be a very busy month for assignments.

So after all this hard and diligent work, I felt amazing. not tired, not mentally drained what so ever...it was weird. I was discussing with a friend that i have observed that i tend to do better when i have many things to do compared to when i only have a single assignment due. My only logical conclusion for this is that having more work forces me to manage my time better and therefore become more productive....in comparison to only having one thing due....i don't have to dedicate so much focus into managing time for that one thing so i suppose it feels less of an achievement when i have completed it....

i don't know, maybe that just me, but i have to say that i felt "good" after completing heaps of work at one time. I even went to the gym and ran twice as much than i normally run. Hmm, maybe natural endorphins shouldn't be underestimated!

Next on the list: start getting ready for SURF CAMP! I'm totally excited and hardly nervous at all that i am going by myself...i kinda think that makes it a little more exciting..."Because I'm a Big Girl Now" :) And you never know who you will meet on adventures! ;)

Gracious Blessings

This weekend was fantastic! Probably one of the best i have yet to have! I was able to minister through serving, fellowship with amazing Aussie friends and have a bit of fun in the process.
Where to start.... well on friday morning i went to a weekly Bible Study which was very enlightening. I have been going to this study for several weeks now and we are going through the book of Colossians with which we have just finished with chapter one. I have never been through a study that focuses on every word and its meaning, so though at times it can be quite a headache to think that deeply on a friday morning, the rewards of new found understanding are so magnificent.
Friday night my friend and I were picked up to go up to Lake Tinaroo where we would join in on a "working bee". We had a camp over that night which included, a little pick up game of soccer,a campfire, and staying up super late. Saturday morning we woke up, had a leisurely breakfast, and started to paint the boys "toliets and showers" at the camp.
A little background: Camp tinaroo is owned by the church and they use it for all their camps as well as rent it out to other churches. There are a few families in the church that have taken it upon themselves to care after the camp for the most part and occasionally have members of the church volunteer to help fix it up. This weekend was the young adults turn to help. And as i have learned, Aussies work hard, but they play much harder...
So with that philosophy, we did our few hrs of work, had a terrific lunch and went down to the lake to go tubing, skiing, wakeboarding, jetskiing and some sunbaking for the rest of the afternoon....Watching the sun set on the water is so beautiful! A wonderful reminder of God's Greatness and creativity.
The best part of the afternoon was jetskiing...i got to drive some which is always fun ...But the real task was trying to stay on the jetski when Gary was driving. Gary in a nutshell....the stereotypical australian. Including Accent, sense of humor, interests and job. He works at the mines in the north and gets months off at a time for holiday...apparently he grew up with Joel and his family (caretakers of camp tinaroo) and has been on the lake his whole life, so he was not shy with doing things with the jetski....hence having to hold on for dear-life....
Later that afternoon we all went over to a different part of the lake where there was a slalom course...but to get us all over there, 4 people had to be on the jetski, and 4 on the boat and 2 in tubes pulled by the boat...i was in one of the tubes and gary was in the other and he thought it would be hilarious to try and knock me off my while the boat was still on its way to the new site...very fast might i add..
someone on the boat documented this which looks really funny..but i was pleading with him not to knock me off and resisting with all my might....

Funny enough, he was the one who ended up flying off so i thought that was Awesome and of course everyone on the boat thought so too....

As the sun began to set we had to go back and pack up but the fun wasn't over yet, after some quick showers we all went to a local drive-in in the Tablelands. It was only 9$ for 2movies which i thought was pretty good. However, the movies were G-Force, and Hannah Montana of all things....hahaha G-force was ridiculous, and hannah montana was cute but very cheesy at the same time...Despite that it was a really cool experience, literally...the tablelands get really cold at night and i had to wear my trackies and jumper (sweatpants and jacket :) ) as well as a blanket. I have to say it was quite refreshing to be cold ...these days its so hot and humid but at the same time mostly pleasant.

Sunday, was excellent and adventure packed as well. I directed a photoshoot as a project for my photography class with the help of my australian friends as my subjects. I took like 500 pics and i really only need 3 for my class...That's the best thing about digital cameras, especially if you are trigger happy :) The pictures came out really well and my subjects were such great sports about the whole thing. After several hrs of shooting pics, we went to a late lunch at a great new restaurant called Nandos. One of my favs for sure! then we went to church followed by many of us going to the Night Markets for dinner. after that i went to a friends house to watch "She's the Man" of which we all had seen multiple times and thus were all able to quote the entire movie which was much fun!
So it was three late nights in a row but So totally and completely worth it...and nothing coffee can't help me with later. I am going to miss my aussie friends so much...God has blessed me with their immediate acceptance and friendship and i feel completely blessed to be apart of their lives even if it is only for 5 months. They will probably be the best 5 months of my life, atleast internationally :)

Well, i suppose that was quite a long post, however it was quite a fantastic weekend and i just couldn't wait to share with everyone!
Cheers!

Of Random Thoughts

rrandom pic for a post of random things!

Since the beginning of this adventure i have encountered interesting people as well as interesting situations, and I have thought recently that i often only blog the "big" stuff or most significant, but i figured i'd dedicate a post to the random things in life or atleast in the past 2 months :)

Random point 1: In Australia, the uni system is different. They skew their grading scale so that they can grade harder and make "A's" or (HD's) hard to receive, making the average grade a C which most students accept as an acceptable grade. However, students address their professors by their first name or even nickname. I find this ironic that they decrease the amount of respect expected from the students towards their professors but increase greatly their level of grading...
I personally have not brought myself to address any of my professors by their first name ...it just feels too weird, I will try to purposely do it before my time is finished here :)

Random point 2: On my flights over to Australia, i did not once sit next to any of the people i met up with in LA which i think is hilarious because it was a group flight of 45-50 other students.. :Luckily though, i got the aisle seat so i didn't feel imposing when i got up several times (as directed by mother) to walk around or just to stretch out as much as you can on a plane.

Random point 3: I never really felt homesick, the closest thing to it was when everyone back home started posting pictures from the beginning of the school year and i couldn't help think that if i hadn't decided to go to australia, i would be apart of those pictures and the experiences that go along with them....however, i quickly remember that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity and i do love being here, and fortunately, all my friends will be there when i get back and hopefully it won't be too hard to get back in sync with them all! Plus i am really excited about meeting all the freshmen that have joined RUF!

Random Point 4: One of my really good friends that i have met here and has become my travel buddy, is from Maine, and a very accomplished swimmer. the more ironic thing is that her sister teaches at a public highschool in my hometown! oh, It's a small world!

Random point 5: The aussies friends that i have become really good friends with from church are such a blessing. There is even a slight chance that one of them might come back to winthrop to study for a semester, so i promised her Alot of friends automatically, which she thought was funny and i reassured her that it was so true!

Random Point #6:Electrical Outlets...you'd think plugging something in would be easy, yes if you have the right adapter...(Got one that Great!....so why isn't it working...) Well on all outlets in australia you actually have to switch the outlet on...im not sure if this is an energy saving concept but I still get fooled when i plug something in and the power doesn't immediately come on....maybe i'll get it before i leave...oh and as soon as i do, i'll be looking for a switch on the outlets in america... :)

Random point 7: I was down by the marina recently and noticed that each dock was lettered A,B, C, D etc...but they don't refer to them as docks, rather they refer to them as "Fingers" ...so my question is, are boats like dirt stuck under your fingernails? haha

Random point 8: It's amazing how creative you become and how your tastes change when some where new. At dinner they Always have a thing of steamed mixed veggies...and though some may thing they are the blandest thing on the planet...i personally love them and have them at every dinner...which is funny because i wasn't much of a veggie eater before australia....also, Vanilla icecream is a great blank slate for interesting flavors....my favorite so far is the addition of a pinch of instant coffee....there's also the addition of hotchocolate (very original :) and then others have tried peanut butter and others honey as well as strawberry jelly...interesting for sure but i just think ill stick to coffee and coco :)

OH, today they were giving away silver dollar pancakes on campus, though they called them something else that i can't remember but they had jam available to spread on them so i tried it and surprisingly it was kinda tasty....you should try it!

Random point 9: At the Gym they always have the tv on and i happen to always be there when there are cooking shows on...i find this very annoying...im at the gym, im not supposed to be tempted by food!! the worst is when they are making chocolate desserts...i just want to be like REALLY,....i'm trying so hard and this isn't helping!

Random point 10: Well, i honestly can't think of another random point, though im sure once i lay down for bed i'll be like "oh, i should have shared that.." so this can be a (Insert Your Own Random Thought) think of it as my gift of mental clarity to you .... lol

Well, i suppose that should wrap up my random post blog,...if you have continued reading thus far, let me thankyou for hanging in there, and i really hope you don't feel as though you will never get that time back in life,....Hope you have a FABULOUS day! Cheers!