Aussie Adventures

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Alrighty!!! So it's been a while, eh? I keep telling myself I am going to write an update and never do. So now I am. It is currently 8 am on Wed morning and I am sitting in my living room right now due to the fact that I missed the 7:35 bus to get to my 8 am class. Nice. It's ok though, b/c its only tutorial (when they go more in depth into the lecture notes) and only 1 hr long. Also, I have some friends in the other tutorial that I can get notes from. So that is why I am finally stopping to write this.

I can't really remember what I wrote about last, days seem to be flying together here. There are many times where I still can't believe I am living in AU. It amazes me. (Thanks Mom and Dad for allowing me to do this and for helping me out)!

This is INCREDIBLY LONG. So here is the jist... I broke it down to school/class, extracurriculars, friends, adventures, and how i feel.

School is going well, I found some good friends, and adventures have been fun. I miss home at times but the good overrides the bad. That is all. Read on for more details haha.

SCHOOL/CLASS

So school...is going well. I told you all about my distaste for my philosophy class before. I still don't like it all that well but it is getting better. It is just difficult for me to envision real worlds and possible worlds. I mean, why would I sit there and debate about whether this world is real or not when I could be out in the world interacting with others?! To me it is nonsense. I have found I have a love/hate relationship with philosophy. I enjoy having deep discussions with others about the meaning of life and why we are here, but I draw the line when we start discussing the possibility of chairs not really existing and the possibility of water on the "twin planet" being mad of XyZ instead of H2O but still having the same properties of water. Would you call it water if it isn't made of the same molecules?? This is what we discuss in class and while it makes for some interesting discussions, it also makes for some intense headaches! As of now, I am writing a paper for the class. It is on whether functionalism is disproved by the possibility of zombies. Functionalism is the theory of philosophy that insists we are essentially machines--we have inputs, then mental states to figure out those inputs, then we produce an output. So, if you have any suggestions please send them my way.

My other classes are not so straining on my brain, which is nice. I am really enjoying my sport coaching class. Not when he talks about how to effectively organize a team into groups but more when he discusses the physiological aspects of coaching. We discuss the best methods of training and what exercise is the most efficient for a specific sport and which energy system is best to use for training purposes. Much of the class is unresponsive so I find myself answering most of the questions he asks. haha. I guess I can't stand the uncomfortable silence. Anyway, this class reaffirms me of my passion to be a personal trainer or strength and conditioning coach of some sort. I think I will be able to combine them with physical therapy.

Human development is always interesting. We have different visitors that come in each week so we can observe the changes in growth. Last week we had an infant and toddler come in and this week is a 6yr old. And then my last class is nutrition. My sister Therese and I always used to discuss what the best foods were to eat etc so its great to finally learn about it. Now when I go home I can answer all of her questions! haha

EXTRACURRICULARS

Ok, so I suppose it is not a secret that I like to get involved at school. Sometimes I get involved too much but I think I will be fine here, as I can't get my hands too dirty if I'm only here for 2 more months!! ahh!! So here is what I do in between/after class:

BCC: Bond Christian Connection. At UD, I went on a retreat called Metanoia and subsequently led the retreat the following semester. Since doing both of those, my faith has had a major shift and I felt myself having a stronger faith in God. I did not want to lose that connection etc and I was afraid I would if I was away from my Metanoia Retreat Team so I joined this Christian group. This year's theme is life matters. We meet every Tue to discuss a new theme each week. It's great to be able to talk about my faith with others and to see how ppl from different faith backgrounds can support oneanother. I was called a "cool Catholic" one night. haha. Apparently many of them have the notion that Catholics just sit in front of Mary and pray the rosary. That we are very closed off and set in our ways. I proceeded to explain to them that Catholicism contains many levels and some are more conservative than others. And of course I told them about the Marianists, which they thought to be very interesting. 😊

Volleyball: Ok, so my roomies at UD LOVE vball. I always felt inadequate playing with them b/c they are so much more experienced! Even on vaca with my fam this past summer, my little sister Monica was killing the ball on her serves and I could barely do it. So why join a team? haha. It is so much fun though. I joined with 4 other girls and we play every Tue night. We have gotten a lot better, but I still get very frustrated. I guess it is my competitive nature coming through. I am trying to work on my serve but still barely get it over the net. The girls say I have a very graceful serve though so that good, right?

Yoga Club: We meet every Wed. night from 8-9:30. I always thought of yoga as a less-intense version of pilates. haha. I figured, why do it when I could be working up a sweat for an hr running instead? My friend Karin got me to join and I look forward to it every week. I have always been flexible, as it used to be a nervous habit of mine to stretch like crazy before a game/run/swim but yoga is different. I feel at peace during that hour. Our instructer is originally from the states and is now a student at bond. She also surfs. She tells us that yoga means "yolk." It includes your whole being: body, mind, and soul. She explains it as a dance to your breath. So we utilize different meditation and breathing techniques. I know some of you are rolling your eyes, but you should try it! It is so calming and allows me to recenter my thoughts. I usually use it as a time to pray which is great, because that is one thing I have always sort of struggled with.

Those are the main groups that I joined. It is nice b/c they allow me to socialize with others on campus but they are not a major time commitment. I hope to also do things with the service group and the adventure club in the future.

FRIENDS

So, some of you know this but it was difficult for me to find good friends here at first. I felt like most of the ppl I was meeting only wanted to go out and drink everynight, which is fine but I wanted something more. But I finally found a balance. I mainly hang out with girls that I met through the Study Australia program- Maggie, Laura, Karin, Jill, and Kara. And then girls that I met through Brit (from UD)-- Emily and Kelly. I'm mainly planning trips with them. We've been to the various beaches, boogie boarding, adventuring in the natl parks, etc. And its nice to feel comfortable talking with friends. It reminds me of my close friends from home. Notice I didn't mention any boys. haha. While I do have guy friends here, I find myself usually hanging with the girls. Either way, I am enjoying myself.

ADVENTURES

Lamington National Park: Brit, Kelly, and I went here one weekend. It is known for its rainforest, fauna, and wildlife. We rented a car b/c it was cheaper and I drove. I know, crazy right?. I felt like I was learning to drive all over again. All the controls were opposite and I kept hitting the wind shield wipers instead of the turning signal! Haha Once I accidently turned into the right hand side of the road and I couldn’t figure out why there was a car facing me. Kelly started screaming, “You’re on the wrong side of the road!” a few times before I quickly moved out of the mans way. Luckily it was a side street and the old man was driving slow! After much concentration we finally made it up the mountain. We stopped at the Natural Bridge and took a half hr walking around it. It was amazing. The water had eroded a hole in the rock, so the waterfall went through the hole and out the cave. We could go in the cave—it was so pretty! Apparently ppl used to jump off the natural bridge but then some kids got severely injured so now it is all blocked off. Everything was going great until we came back to the car. We were being all cute and taking pics with the car and then we opened up the door and saw that the back window had been busted. Someone had taken both Kelly and Brit’s bags! It was horrible. Who would do such a thing at a nat’l park, or at all? Needless to say, it ruined our day and we spent the rest of it at a police station and took the car immediately back home. I felt really bad for Brit b/c it was the second time she had been broken into that week! And we thought AU was safe! Oh man. And then we had to pay to get the car fixed on top of that!

Tweed Heads: I went here with Sara, Jill, Kara, Laura, Maggie, and Michelle. It is known as the surfers beach. It has the best waves due to how the wind hits the coast line. After walking around for an hour in the intense heat, we finally found the beach. The water was amazing and so clear. I ran in as soon as we got there. But just about 1 hr later it started to pour! We sprinted for cover and waited for it to die down so we could head back to the bus. But it didn't. So Jill and I decided to go play in the rain. We ended up spotting a collection of rocks along the coast. We climbed them in the thunderstorm, with just our bare feet. haha. It really hurt but it was so beautiful to see the intense waves of the storm hitting the jagged boulders. People were jumping off of them, but I was too nervous of the possibility of sharks etc. Fear does enter my mind sometimes haha.

Mass: So Brit is the only other Catholic I know here that regularly goes to mass. So we decide to find a church, right? We find one close to my place and go there for 6pm mass. But once it started we figured out it was in Italian! We had no clue what the heck they were saying the whole time. It was still good though b/c all the masses are the same so we could pick out where we were in the liturgy. And afterwards we stayed and talked to the retired Italian men. They were really excited to hear about where we were from and what we were doing here.

Beach adventures: I love going out to the beach. Afterall, it is only a block from me! I love just going there and sitting, watching the people around me and the waves. It is so calming, and mades God that much more present to me. I try to run on the beach as often as I can. Brit and I even decided to run barefoot. Which, got me a blood blister. So don't do it. haha. I have taken up a new found love of boogie-boarding as well. And no, not surfing. No money for that yet.

Brisbane: I went to Brisbane with Kelly. We stayed with her friends Johnny and Wade in a suburb of Brisbane, called Fortitude Valley. They took us around, showed us their favorite places to eat. I tried thai food, sushi, and gelato while I was there. One night Johnny and Wade explained to us the Stolen Generation and how the Aussies took over the land of the Aborigines. It was interesting to get there perspective on how their country acted, etc. Kelly and I went out and walked around the markets the day we left along the river. We went and saw Streets Beach and went into the art gallery. It was a ton of fun but we were exhausted from the weekend!

Cricket Game: I went with Brit, Laura, Maggie, and Jill to watch Australia and New Zealand face off. It was awesome to see how much the Aussies got into it. They were all wearing green and yellow (their national colors) and were yelling like crazy. Luckily we sat next to these men who were friendly and explained the game to us. We asked a ton of questions!!! It was so rainy that day, and there was actually a 5 hr rain delay and the game had to end early! But we entertained ourselves. We met these men on the way back that would quiz us on Australia and everytime we didn't know something, they thought it was rediculously funny. Apparently "chook" is chicken, fyi.

MY THOUGHTS THUS FAR

I thought I would not really have to deal with homesickness here, but I was wrong. Being here has made me appreciate how great of family and friends I have back home. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE it here but sometimes I long for the people that just "get" me and know me. I have incredible highs and very low lows. But luckily it has mostly been highs. I guess being here has made me realize how incredibly blessed I am.

I have also had more time to think about what I want to do with my life. And I have never been so unsure. I know that God will lead me where he wants me but I guess I am anxious to know. Grad school, year of service, etc?? Also this summer- Dayton, camps, home?? Time will tell.

Also- money thoughts. I am also definitely learning how to budget money better. Which is a good thing. Everything I want to do costs money, which is frustrating as coming over here alone was expensive. (Again, thanks mom and dad!) I have been looking for a job but have had no luck. Economic crisis. I despise those words. Hopefully I will here from a job soon. I did however get a volunteer position with a physiotherapy place near campus! So that is very exciting.

In closing, Australia is a beautiful country and I am excited to see more of it. The people are so laid back and friendly. They are very active and are open to others, no matter their race, age, or sexual orientation. Even seeing how the country has pulled together to help eachother during the wildfires and floods was reassuring of the countries integrity. (BTW the fires were down in Victoria and there is a whole state in between us). Aussies have a deep national pride and a want to help oneanother. Australia in general has been a breath of fresh air. I am striving to make my time here the most memorable that I can.

Thanks for reading!! I am praying for all of you back home! I miss you and love you!

Cheers!!!

Ang

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Photos

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burleigh heads

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Sex and the City Wine and Cheese Night

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Aussie vs. NZ cricket!

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at streets beach in Brisbane, the only man-made beach within city limits

Comments

[Therese Westerheide]

I loved reading your latest blog!
Hey Angela! Mom finally sent me your link! I miss you so much and am glad that you chose nutrition to study!! Don't you worry, you will be quizzed. Ha ha. Love you bunches. Enjoy the rest of your stay!! Your big sis Therese