I have been so excited to see New Zealand since I came to Australia. I knew that whichever place I chose to intern in, I would visit the other (especially since it was between New Zealand and Australia). I have been excited all weekend…all last week realistically, which was aided by the fact that I knew that I no longer had to worry about work, I was just going to be a traveler! So I got here into Christchurch and literally it was the weirdest experience to be in a city that I hardly know anything about, without any sense of direction of where I was going to end up. All I knew was that I wanted to end up in the city in a McDonalds (don’t judge me, they have free internet and I had not eaten anything since my pb and j at 2am and my cup of coffee at 8 am and it was 4pm). I got to the city, bought a South Island map and went into McDonald's and began marking out the cities that I would plan on stopping in then pulled out my computer to look up and city and found…no free internet.
Oh America (and at least Australian Mackas) how you have spoiled me so with your very prevalent and free wifi. Though it was that first night that I was weirdly hit with this fact that I was a traveler. I mean I knew I was traveling and international, but I had never felt it really until I was unpacking in my hostel (in an all girls rooms…wasn’t that brave yet) and I was by myself just nervous and excited about the fact that I was just here to see New Zealand even if it meant doing it by myself. Later I met my roommates, all were from around the world, Italy, China, Ireland and all of us had traveled across the world on holiday or just a change of scenery. For me I think that it was a little bit of both, because it gave me a chance to get out of the city and jus see a different part of the world, different than the US and different than Sydney which was really getting smaller and smaller by the minute. What I mean by this is that it was getting to habitual. I was doing the similar things, with the same people and it was just good to get out and get back to being excited about other parts of the world and doing what I came here to do…see the world.
So here I am at the end of the trip in the Christchurch airport waiting for my flight that will leave in roughly an hour. What did I notice of New Zealand? I need to come back and plan to stay MUCH longer. 6 days was not enough to see everything I wanted to see, so my trip was cut short to only a few activities in only a few cities. These stops were a far from each other, and made further by my inexperience driving through very winding roads on the opposite side or the road on the opposite side of the car. This unfortunately cut down time that I was able to spend in cities because I was constantly moving from place to place (4 towns in 6 days)
A few days later…
Went to Cairns and felt strong heat for the first time since I left the US. It was warm in New Zealand, but comfortable warm like 80 or so and Sydney had been rainy since before I had left for New Zealand and then I was hit hard by the 90 something degree weather of Cairns. My first reaction: “Yay! Finally Australia is that warm place I had been imaging! Second reaction: “What is this Mexico? Why are there no air conditioners anywhere except for those big fans? Don’t you people know those only work for dry heat?”
Yup hardly anywhere had an air conditioner and most of my hostel was outside or only had a fan so I was constantly sweaty. My room did have an air conditioner, but it did not work fully until the second night when one of the girls found a way to put it just on the right setting, with the fan on full blast and all the windows shut. The first night was just really hot and I then understood while they only gave you one bottom sheet and one cover sheet. The air thing aside, my day at the barrier reef was quite possibly the coolest thing I have done in Australia. Before now some things were cool, or were cool because they reminded me of home, but the reef was distinctively Australian and amazing. I had agreed to scuba dive, but I was very nervous about it. Apparently it was very obvious because as I walking to put on the rest of my gear one of the instructors, the young whipper snapper of the group, was like “ya nervous?” and started playfully shaking me. My response to him was “yeah, I’m really nervous” with an anxious laugh and then as I walked up to a girl who was in my group she was like “are you nervous?” and I was like “yeah” and she was like “yeah, me too” but she looked totally chill and even had her own snorkel gear so I literally thought I was the only one! I got all my gear on, which is kind of like carrying a fourth grader on your back because not only do you have a giant air tank on you, but I also had 3 weights added on and it made it very hard for me to swim from the back to the side of the boat without being the only uncool one floating on my back the whole way there. I finally make it to the area where there are ropes are located that we will use to take us down to the depths and then he leads down about 2-3 feet where he then quizzed us on all the precautions he told us about earlier like not holding your breath, what to do if you lose your mouth piece and so on. The second I got down there I of course tried to breath through my nose and couldn’t because of the mask and then had a mini freak out then realized that I was connected to an air tank and then just began to breath out of my mouth. As this is all happening the girl beside me (the one who was all “I’m nervous” but was totally chill) is literally freaking out and is swimming up to the top and standing on the piece of bar that I am supposed to be fully holding onto and I am barely clutching onto the side trying to contain myself. Eventually I had to ask myself “do I want to go up out of fear, or do I want to experience the Great Barrier Reef up close and personal?” I then took a deep breath of purified oxygen and began to look around me at the school of fish that was passing by me, the bubbles that were coming from my mouth piece each time I exhaled, and the coral down below me…I could do this. I had the guidance of a trained professional and the chance to experience this amazing creation up close. So when the guide came back down and asked if I was ok, I responded with a yes (well an ok sign) and continued on with my tests.
Throughout these trips, even though I was doing them alone, I loved every moment of them (well until I was exhausted and driving around Christchurch for an hour looking for a place to sleep) and meeting travelers just like me from all over the world. These trips also made me realize that sometimes I let fear or doubt guide my steps and I forget that I was made for so much more, so why let them the guide? Sometimes all you need to do is take a deep breath and know that you are in good hands.
I got back from Cairns and ended up meeting with a Korean girl I had met in my hostel in Cairns, and even though I am not a native Australian I took her touring around Sydney. It was amazing to be able to share the things that I loved about this city with someone who was seeing them for the first time. She was a complete stranger 48 hours prior and yet by the end of the day I now knew that I had a guide and a friend for when I go to Seol. The people you meet on the “road” all impact you in some way or another in ways that I cannot explain. The conversations you have with them aren’t just about your major, or how old you are or any of those other chit chat go to’s…they are of interest in what you have seen and where you are going and what keeps you there. Everyone is interesting, everyone has ambition…I hope to always remain a traveler with an interest in people and a hope in humanity.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
oh yeah, i forgot to tell you...
Ok so i am here doing graphics work and since i got "a week off" while i was going to "switch" internships the first time, i didn't have time to plan a holiday so i just volunteered at hillsong and ended up getting to do some graphics for powerhouse (the hillsong city campus' group for 18-25 year olds) these are the add for Darlene check speaking! these are the snapshots from facebook, but here is the original!
It was exciting to do because a) its hillsong, and b) because it is totally not my style, it's more skater magazine so i got to practice using film edits on my photos and targeting a diff audience!
22 and Idealistic
Sorry it has been so long since my last blog, but things went busy and then out went my writing. So since the blog I have gone through all kinds of ups and downs with the professional pathways Australia and with sheinspires.com.au…there was a mostly down period and then I tried to change internships because I figured that I would much rather eat glass then have to mess with all them terrible folks so I prayed that it would be easy for me to change internships if that was how it was going to go…
And then it wasn’t easy at all. Emails were lost, searching for spots was hard, finding full time was hard (and remember, I am free labor) and on top of that every single message that I kept hearing at church was on pushing through hard time…not the really the thing I wanted to here.
But now I am here, and while I can’t say that everything is perfect that whole experience taught me that I just need be patient and strong in hard times. It’s not always the easiest or the most enjoyable, but God doesn’t put more on you than can handle.
So onto what I really wanted to relay to the blog readers of this… for the past two day there has been mention (from powerhouse tonight and from the leadership vision last night) about idealism and dreaming big. Tonight April (the speaker…I like that Hillsong has women speakers…I’m just sayin) mentioned how animals have trained responses to stuff, like Pavlov training those dogs to salivate when they heard a bell, or how dogs that are used to having an electronic fence don’t go past those boarders even when the fence is turned off and how even though we aren’t dogs we make our own barriers of “comfort” and that sometimes keeps us thinking small.
So it brought me back to my freshman year of college when all the election stuff was still going on, I had just gotten back form New Orleans and it was the first summer as a college student and literally I felt like I wanted to leave college and just go doing manual labor all across the world (well manual as helping the poor and needy in whatever they needed). I think that was partially why my grades were so subpar my sophomore year because I felt like school was just that really obtrusive step to letting me get to my main goal of helping the folks in my world. I remember that at that Obama wasn’t the democratic candidate yet and my mom was going for Hillary and I was going for Obama. I was all about Obama cause he was really pushing for education and I was not even concerned with my own (as in higher education) but for the required k-12 education (because if you live in SC then you know that it needs help not only in the classes offered, teachers’ pay and such, but also in the facilities), plus Obama’s whole campaign was idealist and hopefully and really I feel like that is what we needed/need…to believe again that we could do more for each other and our country. At the time it was around 4th of July and my cousin was in the area with us I remember him asking my mom, “is this really ok with you that she is disagreeing with you and candidate?” and I remember my mom answering with that she thought it was great that while she thought I was wrong my outlook on things were so idealistic.
There is this line in the MuteMath song “the fight” that says “the years have stolen my innocence…” and I feel like that is what has happened a lot in that idealistic outlook of mine. From realizing that I needed to do more to get a job/go to grad school, to pushing through more work to do better in school, to just dealing with the natural dramas of life I think we just get stuck in the business now and don’t think about the what ifs of the future. So that is what I am doing, I’m gaining back my idealism and daring to dream even in failure and difficult times. Before my friend Erica left she was like “let’s go to India!” and I was like “ok...yeah that sounds good” but in my mind I was like “ok yeah, let’s see how that will actually pan out” but you know what? I’m believing for India. Believing that I will get to travel to this amazing land full of color and spice to go and build houses or whatever gets thrown my way.
oh! and one last thing! here is more AU music (it's not all Aussie, but it is played on Aussie radio and it is awesome...as before, these are not edited) http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=D516A63BFFB71ABF
in case you missed it, here is the first Aussie Mix full of only Aussie music
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=23F108031F6DF3E2
And then it wasn’t easy at all. Emails were lost, searching for spots was hard, finding full time was hard (and remember, I am free labor) and on top of that every single message that I kept hearing at church was on pushing through hard time…not the really the thing I wanted to here.
But now I am here, and while I can’t say that everything is perfect that whole experience taught me that I just need be patient and strong in hard times. It’s not always the easiest or the most enjoyable, but God doesn’t put more on you than can handle.
So onto what I really wanted to relay to the blog readers of this… for the past two day there has been mention (from powerhouse tonight and from the leadership vision last night) about idealism and dreaming big. Tonight April (the speaker…I like that Hillsong has women speakers…I’m just sayin) mentioned how animals have trained responses to stuff, like Pavlov training those dogs to salivate when they heard a bell, or how dogs that are used to having an electronic fence don’t go past those boarders even when the fence is turned off and how even though we aren’t dogs we make our own barriers of “comfort” and that sometimes keeps us thinking small.
So it brought me back to my freshman year of college when all the election stuff was still going on, I had just gotten back form New Orleans and it was the first summer as a college student and literally I felt like I wanted to leave college and just go doing manual labor all across the world (well manual as helping the poor and needy in whatever they needed). I think that was partially why my grades were so subpar my sophomore year because I felt like school was just that really obtrusive step to letting me get to my main goal of helping the folks in my world. I remember that at that Obama wasn’t the democratic candidate yet and my mom was going for Hillary and I was going for Obama. I was all about Obama cause he was really pushing for education and I was not even concerned with my own (as in higher education) but for the required k-12 education (because if you live in SC then you know that it needs help not only in the classes offered, teachers’ pay and such, but also in the facilities), plus Obama’s whole campaign was idealist and hopefully and really I feel like that is what we needed/need…to believe again that we could do more for each other and our country. At the time it was around 4th of July and my cousin was in the area with us I remember him asking my mom, “is this really ok with you that she is disagreeing with you and candidate?” and I remember my mom answering with that she thought it was great that while she thought I was wrong my outlook on things were so idealistic.
There is this line in the MuteMath song “the fight” that says “the years have stolen my innocence…” and I feel like that is what has happened a lot in that idealistic outlook of mine. From realizing that I needed to do more to get a job/go to grad school, to pushing through more work to do better in school, to just dealing with the natural dramas of life I think we just get stuck in the business now and don’t think about the what ifs of the future. So that is what I am doing, I’m gaining back my idealism and daring to dream even in failure and difficult times. Before my friend Erica left she was like “let’s go to India!” and I was like “ok...yeah that sounds good” but in my mind I was like “ok yeah, let’s see how that will actually pan out” but you know what? I’m believing for India. Believing that I will get to travel to this amazing land full of color and spice to go and build houses or whatever gets thrown my way.
oh! and one last thing! here is more AU music (it's not all Aussie, but it is played on Aussie radio and it is awesome...as before, these are not edited) http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=D516A63BFFB71ABF
in case you missed it, here is the first Aussie Mix full of only Aussie music
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=23F108031F6DF3E2
Monday, October 4, 2010
Making the right decision
This whole internship ordeal has been more of a headache then I really bargained for (literally...i woke up with a headache one day) but i let the professional pathways people know today that I was just going to stay at SheInspires.com.au (my first internship). The main reason is that I can't afford 4-8 weeks while they find me another one ("find" me another one). At this point Belinda is willing to take me back (which I feel glad about this because I also feel that this has been a large strain on her largely due to the fact that it is only she and I working on this), but I am a little hesitant to what kind of place I will be entering again. Right now I know that I just have to work through anything and provide the best that I can. But not everything can be easy, I suppose, and this experience has taught me this much.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Encounter
Hillsong church was having their youth conference, Encounter, this weekend and powerhouse folks were invited (as in the 18-25yr olds). I initially was not going to attend. I had planned on going to the zoo thing that is not actually a zoo but a zoo type place where you can actually pet the kangaroos and such, but with all the work mess building up and me just having a crazy “I miss my people” moment at powerhouse on Wednesday I ended up signing up for it and planned on only going to the Saturday event (it was a Thursday-Saturday thing). Well I ended up not having to work on Friday, so that is when I met up the professional pathways lady. Later that day I felt like digging my eyeballs out with a non varnished, wooden spoon and I decided that I would go to encounter for the Friday night service, since they had a bus going there at 4pm.
Seeing as how I am writing this on Saturday, I can just say that it was a really good decision to get my butt out of the doom and gloom of what was…just a long week and into a place where I could just “encounter” God (Jesus/Holy Spirit). Now I can’t say that all the things I heard were the feel good, pick Sidni up stuff that I was hoping for…but it was the “life’s tough get a helmet” stuff that I needed. This encounter conference mixed with the book I have been reading (The Barbarian Way by Erwin Raphael Mcmanus) both just kept reinstating that sometimes you (as in I) just get to comfortable and we (as in I ) like to stay there, and even worse like to keep God there. But in reality God wasn’t made for us, God made us and I guess it is just something that is becoming more real to me now that a lot of comforts of home/church/work/school are no longer the same old comfort. I’m not saying that comforts are bad, just that, at some point you must…cut the umbilical cord. I don’t just mean not depending on your parents, but you know, maybe eat a coffee toffee frosty instead of a regular chocolate frosty. Just get out of your routine, try something different and live in your salvation. Because in these comforts we miss out on huge things happening, that we could have easily played some part in, or at the very least, experienced. These are new words for me too, and while they make sense, sometimes fear gets in the way of furthering and really, what is there to fear?
Seeing as how I am writing this on Saturday, I can just say that it was a really good decision to get my butt out of the doom and gloom of what was…just a long week and into a place where I could just “encounter” God (Jesus/Holy Spirit). Now I can’t say that all the things I heard were the feel good, pick Sidni up stuff that I was hoping for…but it was the “life’s tough get a helmet” stuff that I needed. This encounter conference mixed with the book I have been reading (The Barbarian Way by Erwin Raphael Mcmanus) both just kept reinstating that sometimes you (as in I) just get to comfortable and we (as in I ) like to stay there, and even worse like to keep God there. But in reality God wasn’t made for us, God made us and I guess it is just something that is becoming more real to me now that a lot of comforts of home/church/work/school are no longer the same old comfort. I’m not saying that comforts are bad, just that, at some point you must…cut the umbilical cord. I don’t just mean not depending on your parents, but you know, maybe eat a coffee toffee frosty instead of a regular chocolate frosty. Just get out of your routine, try something different and live in your salvation. Because in these comforts we miss out on huge things happening, that we could have easily played some part in, or at the very least, experienced. These are new words for me too, and while they make sense, sometimes fear gets in the way of furthering and really, what is there to fear?
The learning curve
So my internship is with SheInspires.com.au and CreativelyBelle.com, both are websites run by Belinda. She is incredibly nice, provided more than most for the intern (like lunch and a weekly bus ticket), but I was not learning the technical, design, web stuff that I was hoping to learn. So I have been discussing with her and the people that I work through (Professional Pathways Australia) throughout the weeks and I told them today that I need to go ahead and find another internship. I was expecting to learn a lot on this internship, not only about myself but also my field of study and I was just too comfortable with my work at Belinda’s. I may have just shot myself in the foot, but I really do want to further myself abilities and skills in the graphics world and I was afraid that if I stayed at Belinda’s then I wouldn’t get that push to advance the way I am hoping to while here. It was particularly hard for me to tell Belinda this, particularly because I wasn’t sure how to tell her that I wasn’t learning enough of the things I wanted to learn while working for her. I am not so good at articulating things, particularly when they involve something that was so precious to her, because it is literally her own business that she has created and managed to make a living with it in the process. I more so wanted to let her know that I wasn’t leaving because of her, she had been nothing but kind to me…so in an uncomfortable situation for me I teared up while telling her this (I really hate crying in front of people, particularly people I don’t know very well) and ultimately I hope she got the message that I appreciated her and willingness, but there are just some things she wasn’t or couldn’t teach me.
But because transferring to a different internship now may cause further difficulties for me to gain all 12 of my internship weeks for school requirements. I will have to make a decision by the end of this weekend whether I will stay or risk waiting to find another option, which according to the happy, helpful, dedicated people of professional pathways Australia, may take up to 8 weeks (just a little bit of sarcasm for you).
But because transferring to a different internship now may cause further difficulties for me to gain all 12 of my internship weeks for school requirements. I will have to make a decision by the end of this weekend whether I will stay or risk waiting to find another option, which according to the happy, helpful, dedicated people of professional pathways Australia, may take up to 8 weeks (just a little bit of sarcasm for you).
The future intentions of senior year
Before I left home there was the ever-looming question of “what are you going to do when you graduate?” Graduate school or job, job or graduate school. Before I had left I was assured that mine would be job. I honestly am not scared about not finding a job in my field (graphics/print/anything with either or just something fun) because I figure that there are jobs as long as people are willing to go to them. I am young and not settled down yet so I have the freedom to move around the country if I feel like (unless it is too far in the northern region cause I am a pansy for cold…but I will accept Denver even though it is cold because it is beautiful). But through this internship and through talking to other Uni students (that’s how they call them here, being in school means you are in elementary, Uni is big time) I realized that I just like being a student too much. Not that I am in love with school, but I love learning new things. I know that doesn’t make sense, but what I am aiming for is that I like the learning part without the homework, tests and 8 am thing, but if one must come with the other then I guess that is how it goes. But the question is do I really want to go to school for another two years? And in what? I initially thought educations. Not because I particularly want to be a teacher, but because I feel like SC education needs a big hand of help particularly in the high school and under realm. My goal with that would eventually be part of the folks that encourage learning instead of making kids want to poke their eyeballs out, and help get proper facilities and remind kids why its ok to be kids. Then I remembered…I don’t like kids that much. Little ones reach really high pitches, medium ones are going through those awkward years where everything is the end of the world and the big ones try to be too cool all the time. I love volunteering with spring zone (where I volunteer at church with kids with disabilities), but I will be the first to admit that that was strictly a Jesus thing. I knew spring zone was where I was gonna be, but until I went there I kept imagining all these grimy fingers and boogers I was about to witness. Yet the weird thing about that is that while I was there that never bothered me…and kids are germy…they won’t wash their hands after the bathroom and then they will grab the wii stick that is then shared with 10 other kids, haha. Gross. (I use this as a reference only because I made a kid go wash his hands after using the bathroom because I know that a 5 second run to the bathroom when it is you turn to play can not include a hand wash session) Ultimately I don’t think at this time education is for me. I like my spring zone, where I can have one on one time with someone who needs a buddy, and I think that is where I need to stick when it comes to helping kids.
So what other things do I feel like I want to learn more about? Well I went to the Hillsong bible college open house thing, and the principal (I don’t really know what you call here…president? headmaster? Woman in charge?) was talking about all the things they offered and I was partially listening, because honestly I just wanted to see it I was not to interested in joining the college but then she mentioned sound design. Sound design had always been one of the things I had considered while I was looking for a major for my undergrad and until the moment when I found out you couldn’t double major in GC (which is a lie, because some folks do it. So as long as you are sneaky…go ‘head) and sound design is not offered as a minor it was in the back of my mind as a possibility. Although I don’t think it is called sound design at Clemson… Now I don’t think that this means that I will be staying here in AU to study at Hillsong, but I do think that this is an option (studying in sound design that is). The current downsides I see are that it is a possible 2nd undergrad (mainly cause I don’t have the math/music background that would probably be necessary for it) and second is that it is a job highly affected by entertainment. Seeing as how this recession means that less folks are doing the whole entertainment thing regularly means that it may not be that beneficial. Thus comes the question (drum roll please) do I learn for the benefits of money or for the benefits of variety and skill. It is hard to say really, and one that really can’t be addressed till I get home and take that good ol’ GRE that will really tell me what is up. All I know is that a decision like that can’ be made out of fear, or compliance or ease, but with confidence. If there is one thing that being here has taught me, it is that sometimes you just got to walk down the street with confidence (even if it gets sketchier the closer you get to your house).
Also incase you were wondering, “The Other Guys” is not as funny/good/worth your theater $ as you would think. I should have known when I saw Samuel L. Jackson in the previews…Way to play up American stereotypes then offer it to an international audience, Other Guys
So what other things do I feel like I want to learn more about? Well I went to the Hillsong bible college open house thing, and the principal (I don’t really know what you call here…president? headmaster? Woman in charge?) was talking about all the things they offered and I was partially listening, because honestly I just wanted to see it I was not to interested in joining the college but then she mentioned sound design. Sound design had always been one of the things I had considered while I was looking for a major for my undergrad and until the moment when I found out you couldn’t double major in GC (which is a lie, because some folks do it. So as long as you are sneaky…go ‘head) and sound design is not offered as a minor it was in the back of my mind as a possibility. Although I don’t think it is called sound design at Clemson… Now I don’t think that this means that I will be staying here in AU to study at Hillsong, but I do think that this is an option (studying in sound design that is). The current downsides I see are that it is a possible 2nd undergrad (mainly cause I don’t have the math/music background that would probably be necessary for it) and second is that it is a job highly affected by entertainment. Seeing as how this recession means that less folks are doing the whole entertainment thing regularly means that it may not be that beneficial. Thus comes the question (drum roll please) do I learn for the benefits of money or for the benefits of variety and skill. It is hard to say really, and one that really can’t be addressed till I get home and take that good ol’ GRE that will really tell me what is up. All I know is that a decision like that can’ be made out of fear, or compliance or ease, but with confidence. If there is one thing that being here has taught me, it is that sometimes you just got to walk down the street with confidence (even if it gets sketchier the closer you get to your house).
Also incase you were wondering, “The Other Guys” is not as funny/good/worth your theater $ as you would think. I should have known when I saw Samuel L. Jackson in the previews…Way to play up American stereotypes then offer it to an international audience, Other Guys
Monday, September 27, 2010
Long ol' week
Sydney is great, the area i live in is great...trouble with work though has made it difficult though. I'm really tired of talking about it, but it all boils down to me wanting to learn a lot more than I think I will be learning at work. The end of this week will really tell and it might even include a move of internship. but we will see.
In other, better news, Sydney has been great this week. IT IS FINALY WARM! Though the good thing is that while it is warmer, I am still a cold kid so my new jacket and uggs (which say what you will about them, but those things are comfy and warm...but should never be worn with a mini skirt. I’m just sayin.) have gone to good use. I just didn’t realize it would be so cold, and I did not bring any, so I had to purchase. Went to the Blue Mountains and seriously did not realize how much I missed trees and green stuff! it was so good to walk outside and see flowers and nature! I feel silly, but I just didn't realize how different it is to go from a green area to a city. I want to go back and go rock climbing there. My coffee folks (the folks that serve the best coffee and a place I go to all the time) showed us pics of when they climbed halfway up this face and then ate lunch and then kept on climbing up. I wanna do that, haha! Randomly met a lady with a BAMA sweatshirt this week (right after Clemson had played them) and I bout scared her to death because she had just walked out of her apt and it was like 8 at night (which here means is it already dark and has been for about 2 hours) and I was like “HEEEY, are you from Alabama!” She literally jumped, haha. Random, but she was an Aussie that had gone to BAMA for basketball for a few years.
Overall I feel like I am getting in the swing of living here. I don’t feel incredibly uneasy walking home from the bus stop, or the grocery store, or walking back from church. Not saying I think that I am totally safe here! I am just saying that every twig that cracks doesn’t make me jump, haha. It’s interesting to see myself, not as a student, but adjusting to a completely different area as a member of society. Weird being a big kid, haha.
In other, better news, Sydney has been great this week. IT IS FINALY WARM! Though the good thing is that while it is warmer, I am still a cold kid so my new jacket and uggs (which say what you will about them, but those things are comfy and warm...but should never be worn with a mini skirt. I’m just sayin.) have gone to good use. I just didn’t realize it would be so cold, and I did not bring any, so I had to purchase. Went to the Blue Mountains and seriously did not realize how much I missed trees and green stuff! it was so good to walk outside and see flowers and nature! I feel silly, but I just didn't realize how different it is to go from a green area to a city. I want to go back and go rock climbing there. My coffee folks (the folks that serve the best coffee and a place I go to all the time) showed us pics of when they climbed halfway up this face and then ate lunch and then kept on climbing up. I wanna do that, haha! Randomly met a lady with a BAMA sweatshirt this week (right after Clemson had played them) and I bout scared her to death because she had just walked out of her apt and it was like 8 at night (which here means is it already dark and has been for about 2 hours) and I was like “HEEEY, are you from Alabama!” She literally jumped, haha. Random, but she was an Aussie that had gone to BAMA for basketball for a few years.
Overall I feel like I am getting in the swing of living here. I don’t feel incredibly uneasy walking home from the bus stop, or the grocery store, or walking back from church. Not saying I think that I am totally safe here! I am just saying that every twig that cracks doesn’t make me jump, haha. It’s interesting to see myself, not as a student, but adjusting to a completely different area as a member of society. Weird being a big kid, haha.
Monday, September 13, 2010
A New Week
Today i went off to work without my daily coffee because remy and lee's is not open on mondays and apparently that was a a real bad decision for me to skip out on that coffee because i could not focus what so ever... literally, I spent like the whole day writing two articles. As interesting as the fact that i had no attention span today, i more want to tell you about the little things that were good today.
1.Listening to the Newspring evangelism service: I finally downloaded the podcast and listened to it on the bus as i went to work. Well i completely didn't realize that i missed newspring church that much cause all of a sudden i am so into this podcast that i am laughing out loud at the weird jokes Perry Noble makes and i look like some crazy lady laughing in the streets of some suburb (kingsford). I couldn't stop listening to this podcast though, so from the bus to work and to the bus to my house i kept doing the "pretend like your not laughing but only coughing" the entire way.
2.We listen to the their public radio at Belinda's (work) and as i am writing i get sucked into this interview with Douglas Kirkland (who currently has a show going on in Brisbane) and let me tell you...I want to be able to have these crazy cool photography moments that he has had. They focused a lot on his pics of Marylin Monroe (the one with her only in a sheet) and the way he was just talking about the celebrities and the way his photos are...he just captures people. I want to capture people as a photographer. This pic, and the story he told about Judy Garland as an adult being sad and overworked just really showed the effort he took into getting the people inside the he worked with. I loved it.
3.I finally am feeling like i am slowly going past encouraging comparative conversations and I am so glad about that. Since i am obviously American that is an easy go to topic in a conversation with new folks (like the weather) and i didn't realize that i wanted to be over it, until tonight. i met my friend's housemates and watched x factor with them (by the way Natalie Imbrulia looks crazy good these days) and then they got talking about some drama that really doesn't concern me...but it was so nice to talk about normal stuff! It felt good not to compare tv shows, or music, or politics, or money, or culture, but just talk about normal 20 something year old stuff. I think it is the sign of good things to come.
Australian translation of the day:
Bogan (Bo-gin): a hillbilly
1.Listening to the Newspring evangelism service: I finally downloaded the podcast and listened to it on the bus as i went to work. Well i completely didn't realize that i missed newspring church that much cause all of a sudden i am so into this podcast that i am laughing out loud at the weird jokes Perry Noble makes and i look like some crazy lady laughing in the streets of some suburb (kingsford). I couldn't stop listening to this podcast though, so from the bus to work and to the bus to my house i kept doing the "pretend like your not laughing but only coughing" the entire way.
2.We listen to the their public radio at Belinda's (work) and as i am writing i get sucked into this interview with Douglas Kirkland (who currently has a show going on in Brisbane) and let me tell you...I want to be able to have these crazy cool photography moments that he has had. They focused a lot on his pics of Marylin Monroe (the one with her only in a sheet) and the way he was just talking about the celebrities and the way his photos are...he just captures people. I want to capture people as a photographer. This pic, and the story he told about Judy Garland as an adult being sad and overworked just really showed the effort he took into getting the people inside the he worked with. I loved it.
3.I finally am feeling like i am slowly going past encouraging comparative conversations and I am so glad about that. Since i am obviously American that is an easy go to topic in a conversation with new folks (like the weather) and i didn't realize that i wanted to be over it, until tonight. i met my friend's housemates and watched x factor with them (by the way Natalie Imbrulia looks crazy good these days) and then they got talking about some drama that really doesn't concern me...but it was so nice to talk about normal stuff! It felt good not to compare tv shows, or music, or politics, or money, or culture, but just talk about normal 20 something year old stuff. I think it is the sign of good things to come.
Australian translation of the day:
Bogan (Bo-gin): a hillbilly
Friday, September 10, 2010
Collection of the last few days
The longest day ever (aka they ride there)
I began in Charlotte, NC and left at 3:50 where I was then transported to Dallas, TX then to Los Angeles where I boarded the plane at 11:50pm (yeah that is 2:50 east coast time…and I was very sleepy). On the plane I sat next to a Sydney native named Mark who informed me that he had originally been on a plane to Sydney that had been scheduled to leave the previous day, but one of the engines had blown up on the way and it forced them to have to turn around and head back to San Fran where they were they stayed the night then eventually were sent to LA to board my flight. A woman sitting behind me got paid $500 dollars for the photo she took of the broken engine. Overall the entire plane experience was great, everyone was nice and I ended up meeting some Clemson people in Dallas and LA, haha. The only downfall to the experience was the ride international department in LA and that my carryon bag that was checked in Charlotte is missing, which is really scary.
I landed in Sydney and then was taken to my house in Surry Hills, where I was expecting to fine my Real World-esque house with 5 other people. In actuality the house is more like a “Hey Arnold” type deal only my neighbors when I excitedly say “Hi” to them at 8 in the morning just stare at me like a crazy person. I don’t know if anyone else who lives here is from my internship program (IEP), but I did meet a guy who lives a few houses down from IEP and it is really nice to have someone who will explore the area/city with me. I keep leave my door propped open when I am in my room so I can meet people, but it is turning out to be actually a really big feet seeing as how that door problem weighs as much as I do and the little plastic chair in my room is not very strong. The most I’ve gotten out of that is the passerby speedily saying hello as they dart out the door. Apparently there are at most ten people that live in my house, but I am really only aware of around four. My room is nice though; there is a microwave, refrigerator, tv and dvd player included. The only draw back to my room is that it is the closest room to the street and the windows do not entirely seal at the bottom (they lock perfectly, so they are safe) so the sounds of the street (along with the cold air) enter through the room and I had to sleep with a playlist playing last night so that I could fall asleep.
It is actually really cold here. I knew that it was spring going into summer (though summer doesn’t really come into being really hot until December) but I still had in my mind that it would be a warm mid 70 and sunny throughout spring. In reality it has been more of a dreary (as in rainy) 65 and I am seriously considering purchasing an everyday jacket since I really don’t want to wear my work blazers all the time and my big hoodies are both in the carry on bag that is lost.
Side note: I bought some Tim Tams and they truly are all they are brought up to be. They are these chocolate covered cookie (or biscuit as they say here) sandwiches and they are tasty.
Day 2
I woke up at the crack of dawn, partially because of the time difference and partially because I am pretty sure someone was drag racing outside my window (and they say the speed limit is more heavily enforced in Australia…). This is good though because I was afraid I would sleep through 9:00am which is when I needed to get up so I could be read by 10am to go with Andrew (my fellow IEP man) on our search to find the place where we are having out meeting at 11am. So I watched about three episodes of the office and then decided to go on a search for a coffee shop and more importantly wifi (since in the states they are pretty much synonymous). I guess people here actually want to get away from working on things in the morning because apparently Surry Hills does not have cafes with wireless. I have yet to tell anyone that I have made it here to Australia and I wish that it wasn’t the case, because A: I like being connected to the loved one and B: to ease the any worry (which is mainly from my mother, haha). This coffee place has good coffee is good though and I like the décor, so I might consider coming here again before work on Monday. Australia seems to be a pretty decent meld between Britain and America, the look of people is mainly European, but it has a more laid back feel like America. The buildings are pretty trendy in Surry Hills and I feel like it has a Little Five Points (in GA) feel, and while I don’t recognize all the brands there is the periodic Ben and Jerry’s and E channel add on the side of a building or bus.
The Weekend
I clump the weekend because A: I have no idea what day it is here most of the time because of the skipped day and B: because jet lag hit me worse here and I find myself sleepy around, let’s say…3…pm, haha. I started buying room needs like 3m hooks, food, duster stuff (my room is in MAJOR need of dusting)…pretty much all the necessities of my existence here. On Friday we met the other interns in the area (3 other girls) and they are all really nice. We hung out with them during lunchtime and then separated for a little then met up for dinner again.
Sunday I went to Hillsong church and I knew that it was relatively close by (20 to 30 minute walk) and since I was up early (2am early) I went and had breakfast around 8 or so and got directions (well directions that got to me the area Hillsong was in) from the restaurant I ate that morning. I left nice and early and headed straight on crown street to where it meets dank street…I followed crown street until it ended and never came across dank street (this is most likely due to the fact that the street are not always labeled). At that time a Hillsong bus drove past me and then I decided to follow it in hopes that it would lead me to Hillsong…I was wrong. The Hillsong buses go pick up at random spots and the next thing I know I am on a street at an intersection that is about ten minutes from my house…in the opposite direction of Hillsong. It took me two hours to get there. The weird thing about it is that I really did not mind getting lost. I didn’t even know when the services started or where it was before I got to the restaurant I ate that morning, but I was just walking to there to get there and if I could not get there this week then I would get there next week. I got to see a lot of the city and that I liked.
First Day at Sheinspires.com.au
The first day of work was also my first day using the bus and I was told to take the M10 bus to get to Kingsford. I took the M10 bus and ended up in the Lanchester…40 minutes on the opposite side. I called Belinda to let her know that I was on the wrong side town and that I would be there in about 40 minutes and she instead came to pick me up and ended up showing me around the city so in the end it worked out well (Lanchester has a lot of great cafes and I found a gluten free place where I chatted with the owners daughter about Disney land). Work was less about work and more about seeing the city and getting introduced to being at Belinda’s house and being with Belinda. Belinda seems nice and outspoken, and she is really great on giving me information about the culture or the area(s) of Australia. I think we are going to get along really well.
After work I rode the bus home (and thankfully found myself back home after asking a stranger how to get to a street near my house) and walked there as quickly as I could because by that time the skin on the tops of my toes was being rubbed raw by wearing heals all day (or so I thought). I got home took of my shoes to find my pups actually ok, but just a little soar from the wear and a baby blister getting started on my left ring toe, and then called the airport about my missing bag. The airport told me that my bag would be here between the hours of 8 and 11...I am not completely used to the time difference so the time gap might as well be from midnight to 3am. So to help me stay up I decided to walk to the grocery store and pick up some band-aids for my poor rubbed toes. At the time this felt like a smart idea because it was only 7:30 and the area I live in is pretty trendy and well traveled, but it ended up being a very big awakening for this Clemson gal that she is in a large city and needs to be considerate of that fact. Nothing bad happened, it just that as I was walking I found myself to be the only girl on the sidewalk and on top of that there was a large presence of the loud, drunk, wanderer roaming the streets either peddling the street for change or trying to intimidate the lowly pedestrian. What I forgot when I was walking, was that the grocery store was actually a ten minute walk away and the street it is on is not the most heavily trafficked street…it is the next street. So I finally got to the store, purchased my things and then started to walk home, but then as I was about to cross the street I saw a group of loud, drink wanderers and decided to take another way home. The walk, again, is not a dangerous one in the daylight, but at night when you are a small girl from a small town it is not trafficked enough by people and not lit enough to ease any of the scary scenarios that were running through my mind. From now on I am bringing people with me if I am walking at night.
Google The sick rapper (I think that is his name). He is some Ausi sounding man (I am realizing that I can not tell Ausi accents from Kiwi accents from even some British accents…pompous American? Maybe. But they aren’t as distinctive as say a southern accent from a Californian accent so, whatevs) and he survived living in quarantine with TB and during his recovery he rapped (I’ve said it before and I will say it again: the America’s rock hip hop and rap…everyone else’s is not as good in my opinion…MY OPINION) his experience and became a myspace phenom. Well now he is out livin it up and he is doing this thing for charity called “30 days hath September” where, from my understanding, he gets people to sponsor him and for the entire month of September he is doing something he has never done before. One day he and a friend went down to Bondi beach dressed up as cows and allowed kids to go cow tipping, and another day he went around washing folks windows for free…the point of it is is to just live life to the fullest and learn a few things a long the way. I think it is just a really cool project and I love the idea for mad support for the sick rapper.
p.s. I head about this guy from his radio interview on the abc radio which is pretty much one big college-esque radio station (as in it is an alternative station that only plays new up and coming, mainly Australian, stuff that isn’t in the top 40 yet…like a song called “Barbra Streisand” <-Google that too) that is nationally put out. The US needs to jump on that bandwagon and make a national college-esque radio station.
Powerhouse at Hillsong church
Every Wednesday starting at 7:30 is this thing called powerhouse which is a service for 18-25 yr olds and it was actually really nice because there were people my age and really that was a major part of my desire to go to begin with, because I just want to get all the set things of fun normal life set already, haha. I know that I just got here and it takes a while to meet people and such, but I just want it all done already! So I went to Hillsong powerhouse and asked a girl from church who I had met on Sunday if she would go with me (poor thing, I never saw her the entire time I was there because I was late due to trying to find a cab and then couldn’t find her once I got in). Well when I walked in I met a girl and she introduced me to some really nice people and the whole thing was really great but the meeting of those people is not really what I want to stress at this moment, what I really want t talk about is just the difference in worship people have here.
The music of course was great (it is Hillsong after all) but what really was nice is that it wasn’t the same Hillsong songs that I am used to hearing back home, they were new and different and while I know they weren’t new and different to everyone else there (because they were all singing the words and if you are reading the words on the screen it is literally really hard to do because all the words are on one screen and that screen is directly behind the entire band…and it ain’t real big) I just loved having the difference. What also struck me as crazy was that people weren’t just waiting for the worship leader to cue the next verse; they also came in at their own time and created one big harmonious song that really showed that they literally were worshiping in their own way. What struck me more was that during the final worship song, after the sermon, people not only were worshipping, but they were going up to people around them or people they knew and just praying for people. They just walked up, asked ‘em if they needed anything to be prayed over and then either laid a hand on them or hugged their neck (addin a lil South Carolina in there) and prayed for them. To me this just reads a good degree of care for people and their needs and just plain interest in what is going on in people’s lives. Sometimes it’s easier for us (or me at least) to get stuck in my head that worship is just about God and I, and while yes it is to some extent, I think it’s also important to consider the fact that you are worshiping with others too and in that you realize that you are not going at this Christianity thing alone and you have like minded folks who just like you have flaws and you can build each other up to ultimately make you and them a better follower of Christ.
I realize that many of you are probably wondering if all I did during the praise and worship time was just people watch, but honestly praise and worship for me while I was there partly engaging in worship and partly realizing that in this case there is no wrong way to eat a reeses. Realizing that while I may find comfort in my back home ways of worshiping, changes in culture bring in different ways of worship and…and I just have a lot to learn about the vastness of God and his creation and all of our difference. Today was just a really long day for this college yank (any American is a yank here apparently), and this Hillsong trip was just a good (aka reminder not the sweat the small things) ending.
Also, I miss the black fellow (it’s PC to use that term here)…and the brown fellow (they don’t have lots of brown here, so I don’t know if it’s PC to say this, but I’m using it).
There you have the last few days in a series of highlights! And trust me, even the Aussies think it's funny that "Sidni is in Sydney"
I began in Charlotte, NC and left at 3:50 where I was then transported to Dallas, TX then to Los Angeles where I boarded the plane at 11:50pm (yeah that is 2:50 east coast time…and I was very sleepy). On the plane I sat next to a Sydney native named Mark who informed me that he had originally been on a plane to Sydney that had been scheduled to leave the previous day, but one of the engines had blown up on the way and it forced them to have to turn around and head back to San Fran where they were they stayed the night then eventually were sent to LA to board my flight. A woman sitting behind me got paid $500 dollars for the photo she took of the broken engine. Overall the entire plane experience was great, everyone was nice and I ended up meeting some Clemson people in Dallas and LA, haha. The only downfall to the experience was the ride international department in LA and that my carryon bag that was checked in Charlotte is missing, which is really scary.
I landed in Sydney and then was taken to my house in Surry Hills, where I was expecting to fine my Real World-esque house with 5 other people. In actuality the house is more like a “Hey Arnold” type deal only my neighbors when I excitedly say “Hi” to them at 8 in the morning just stare at me like a crazy person. I don’t know if anyone else who lives here is from my internship program (IEP), but I did meet a guy who lives a few houses down from IEP and it is really nice to have someone who will explore the area/city with me. I keep leave my door propped open when I am in my room so I can meet people, but it is turning out to be actually a really big feet seeing as how that door problem weighs as much as I do and the little plastic chair in my room is not very strong. The most I’ve gotten out of that is the passerby speedily saying hello as they dart out the door. Apparently there are at most ten people that live in my house, but I am really only aware of around four. My room is nice though; there is a microwave, refrigerator, tv and dvd player included. The only draw back to my room is that it is the closest room to the street and the windows do not entirely seal at the bottom (they lock perfectly, so they are safe) so the sounds of the street (along with the cold air) enter through the room and I had to sleep with a playlist playing last night so that I could fall asleep.
It is actually really cold here. I knew that it was spring going into summer (though summer doesn’t really come into being really hot until December) but I still had in my mind that it would be a warm mid 70 and sunny throughout spring. In reality it has been more of a dreary (as in rainy) 65 and I am seriously considering purchasing an everyday jacket since I really don’t want to wear my work blazers all the time and my big hoodies are both in the carry on bag that is lost.
Side note: I bought some Tim Tams and they truly are all they are brought up to be. They are these chocolate covered cookie (or biscuit as they say here) sandwiches and they are tasty.
Day 2
I woke up at the crack of dawn, partially because of the time difference and partially because I am pretty sure someone was drag racing outside my window (and they say the speed limit is more heavily enforced in Australia…). This is good though because I was afraid I would sleep through 9:00am which is when I needed to get up so I could be read by 10am to go with Andrew (my fellow IEP man) on our search to find the place where we are having out meeting at 11am. So I watched about three episodes of the office and then decided to go on a search for a coffee shop and more importantly wifi (since in the states they are pretty much synonymous). I guess people here actually want to get away from working on things in the morning because apparently Surry Hills does not have cafes with wireless. I have yet to tell anyone that I have made it here to Australia and I wish that it wasn’t the case, because A: I like being connected to the loved one and B: to ease the any worry (which is mainly from my mother, haha). This coffee place has good coffee is good though and I like the décor, so I might consider coming here again before work on Monday. Australia seems to be a pretty decent meld between Britain and America, the look of people is mainly European, but it has a more laid back feel like America. The buildings are pretty trendy in Surry Hills and I feel like it has a Little Five Points (in GA) feel, and while I don’t recognize all the brands there is the periodic Ben and Jerry’s and E channel add on the side of a building or bus.
The Weekend
I clump the weekend because A: I have no idea what day it is here most of the time because of the skipped day and B: because jet lag hit me worse here and I find myself sleepy around, let’s say…3…pm, haha. I started buying room needs like 3m hooks, food, duster stuff (my room is in MAJOR need of dusting)…pretty much all the necessities of my existence here. On Friday we met the other interns in the area (3 other girls) and they are all really nice. We hung out with them during lunchtime and then separated for a little then met up for dinner again.
Sunday I went to Hillsong church and I knew that it was relatively close by (20 to 30 minute walk) and since I was up early (2am early) I went and had breakfast around 8 or so and got directions (well directions that got to me the area Hillsong was in) from the restaurant I ate that morning. I left nice and early and headed straight on crown street to where it meets dank street…I followed crown street until it ended and never came across dank street (this is most likely due to the fact that the street are not always labeled). At that time a Hillsong bus drove past me and then I decided to follow it in hopes that it would lead me to Hillsong…I was wrong. The Hillsong buses go pick up at random spots and the next thing I know I am on a street at an intersection that is about ten minutes from my house…in the opposite direction of Hillsong. It took me two hours to get there. The weird thing about it is that I really did not mind getting lost. I didn’t even know when the services started or where it was before I got to the restaurant I ate that morning, but I was just walking to there to get there and if I could not get there this week then I would get there next week. I got to see a lot of the city and that I liked.
First Day at Sheinspires.com.au
The first day of work was also my first day using the bus and I was told to take the M10 bus to get to Kingsford. I took the M10 bus and ended up in the Lanchester…40 minutes on the opposite side. I called Belinda to let her know that I was on the wrong side town and that I would be there in about 40 minutes and she instead came to pick me up and ended up showing me around the city so in the end it worked out well (Lanchester has a lot of great cafes and I found a gluten free place where I chatted with the owners daughter about Disney land). Work was less about work and more about seeing the city and getting introduced to being at Belinda’s house and being with Belinda. Belinda seems nice and outspoken, and she is really great on giving me information about the culture or the area(s) of Australia. I think we are going to get along really well.
After work I rode the bus home (and thankfully found myself back home after asking a stranger how to get to a street near my house) and walked there as quickly as I could because by that time the skin on the tops of my toes was being rubbed raw by wearing heals all day (or so I thought). I got home took of my shoes to find my pups actually ok, but just a little soar from the wear and a baby blister getting started on my left ring toe, and then called the airport about my missing bag. The airport told me that my bag would be here between the hours of 8 and 11...I am not completely used to the time difference so the time gap might as well be from midnight to 3am. So to help me stay up I decided to walk to the grocery store and pick up some band-aids for my poor rubbed toes. At the time this felt like a smart idea because it was only 7:30 and the area I live in is pretty trendy and well traveled, but it ended up being a very big awakening for this Clemson gal that she is in a large city and needs to be considerate of that fact. Nothing bad happened, it just that as I was walking I found myself to be the only girl on the sidewalk and on top of that there was a large presence of the loud, drunk, wanderer roaming the streets either peddling the street for change or trying to intimidate the lowly pedestrian. What I forgot when I was walking, was that the grocery store was actually a ten minute walk away and the street it is on is not the most heavily trafficked street…it is the next street. So I finally got to the store, purchased my things and then started to walk home, but then as I was about to cross the street I saw a group of loud, drink wanderers and decided to take another way home. The walk, again, is not a dangerous one in the daylight, but at night when you are a small girl from a small town it is not trafficked enough by people and not lit enough to ease any of the scary scenarios that were running through my mind. From now on I am bringing people with me if I am walking at night.
Google The sick rapper (I think that is his name). He is some Ausi sounding man (I am realizing that I can not tell Ausi accents from Kiwi accents from even some British accents…pompous American? Maybe. But they aren’t as distinctive as say a southern accent from a Californian accent so, whatevs) and he survived living in quarantine with TB and during his recovery he rapped (I’ve said it before and I will say it again: the America’s rock hip hop and rap…everyone else’s is not as good in my opinion…MY OPINION) his experience and became a myspace phenom. Well now he is out livin it up and he is doing this thing for charity called “30 days hath September” where, from my understanding, he gets people to sponsor him and for the entire month of September he is doing something he has never done before. One day he and a friend went down to Bondi beach dressed up as cows and allowed kids to go cow tipping, and another day he went around washing folks windows for free…the point of it is is to just live life to the fullest and learn a few things a long the way. I think it is just a really cool project and I love the idea for mad support for the sick rapper.
p.s. I head about this guy from his radio interview on the abc radio which is pretty much one big college-esque radio station (as in it is an alternative station that only plays new up and coming, mainly Australian, stuff that isn’t in the top 40 yet…like a song called “Barbra Streisand” <-Google that too) that is nationally put out. The US needs to jump on that bandwagon and make a national college-esque radio station.
Powerhouse at Hillsong church
Every Wednesday starting at 7:30 is this thing called powerhouse which is a service for 18-25 yr olds and it was actually really nice because there were people my age and really that was a major part of my desire to go to begin with, because I just want to get all the set things of fun normal life set already, haha. I know that I just got here and it takes a while to meet people and such, but I just want it all done already! So I went to Hillsong powerhouse and asked a girl from church who I had met on Sunday if she would go with me (poor thing, I never saw her the entire time I was there because I was late due to trying to find a cab and then couldn’t find her once I got in). Well when I walked in I met a girl and she introduced me to some really nice people and the whole thing was really great but the meeting of those people is not really what I want to stress at this moment, what I really want t talk about is just the difference in worship people have here.
The music of course was great (it is Hillsong after all) but what really was nice is that it wasn’t the same Hillsong songs that I am used to hearing back home, they were new and different and while I know they weren’t new and different to everyone else there (because they were all singing the words and if you are reading the words on the screen it is literally really hard to do because all the words are on one screen and that screen is directly behind the entire band…and it ain’t real big) I just loved having the difference. What also struck me as crazy was that people weren’t just waiting for the worship leader to cue the next verse; they also came in at their own time and created one big harmonious song that really showed that they literally were worshiping in their own way. What struck me more was that during the final worship song, after the sermon, people not only were worshipping, but they were going up to people around them or people they knew and just praying for people. They just walked up, asked ‘em if they needed anything to be prayed over and then either laid a hand on them or hugged their neck (addin a lil South Carolina in there) and prayed for them. To me this just reads a good degree of care for people and their needs and just plain interest in what is going on in people’s lives. Sometimes it’s easier for us (or me at least) to get stuck in my head that worship is just about God and I, and while yes it is to some extent, I think it’s also important to consider the fact that you are worshiping with others too and in that you realize that you are not going at this Christianity thing alone and you have like minded folks who just like you have flaws and you can build each other up to ultimately make you and them a better follower of Christ.
I realize that many of you are probably wondering if all I did during the praise and worship time was just people watch, but honestly praise and worship for me while I was there partly engaging in worship and partly realizing that in this case there is no wrong way to eat a reeses. Realizing that while I may find comfort in my back home ways of worshiping, changes in culture bring in different ways of worship and…and I just have a lot to learn about the vastness of God and his creation and all of our difference. Today was just a really long day for this college yank (any American is a yank here apparently), and this Hillsong trip was just a good (aka reminder not the sweat the small things) ending.
Also, I miss the black fellow (it’s PC to use that term here)…and the brown fellow (they don’t have lots of brown here, so I don’t know if it’s PC to say this, but I’m using it).
There you have the last few days in a series of highlights! And trust me, even the Aussies think it's funny that "Sidni is in Sydney"
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