Tuesday, November 30, 2004
Monday, November 29, 2004
The Last Days
It's been three days since I've arrived home from Australia.
I tell you what, life is depressing without relationships. But
I've grown closer in the relationship I've held all along. God
is good he's dependable and He'll stay with you when no
one else will or can. I'm thankful that God is willing to know
me, and know me intimately.
In the last week, I spent a lot of time with my American friends.
On that Wednesday Darren and I went over to the Concord
house where we met Michael, Cassie C., Cassie F. and Katie.
We then went to Darling Harbor to take a Captain Cook cruise.
It was a good time. We could have done pretty much the same
thing had we just taken one of the public transport ferry's. But
that's alright. Later that night we and a bunch of others met
again at Darling Harbor to see the Christmas tree lighting.
There was also some singing and a show going on. A lot more
people showed up then I thought would. It was a really good
time afterwards. We all walked down the harbor a bit to get
some ice cream.
I talked a bunch with Cali about homeschooling. She had been
homeschooled until highschool. She and I agreed on pretty
much all of the positive and negative aspects of homschooling.
It was really cool to talk with her about it. I always feel like
people sort of look down on homeschooling, because of the
social issue and stuff. So I was happy to entertain her questions,
especially since I felt like she wasadmirable of the fact that I was
homeschooled and not just curious about a different lifestyle.
On Thursday night, the last night in Australia, I went over to the
Concord house again. A bunch of us including, Cassie Cook, Leslie,
Brittany, Chris C., and Amber then went to Pancakes on the Rocks.
We didn't get there until about 11:45. It was a going away/Shannon's
birthday party. When we got there, there were heaps and heaps of
people there already. I knew or recognized nearly everyone from
school or the ASC program. There was trouble finding a place to sit.
But we finnally did and I shared some really good blue berry pancakes
with Amber. Amber Chris and I had to sit kind of secluded from
everyone else because of the lack of space. So Cali, being the nice
thoughtful girl that she is, came over and talked with us so we wouldn't
feel so left out. I was really glad to get to talk with her some more.
Due to some previous joking, Shannon later came over to me and
asked if I would dance with her. It was a restaurant and I could barley
hear the music. There were cameras on us as she asked. It was quite
embarrassing. I had to say no just because I didn't know how and
there were so many people around.
That night I came home and saw two letters on my bed. One from
Jon and one from Wendy. I made the mistake of reading Jon's right
away. It was really late by the time I got back and when i read it, I got
pretty emotional. I realized that I probably wouldn't see him again, and
I felt sorry for him because of his state without Christ. I decided to add
a little more to my letter to him about some spiritual things. I hope God
uses what I've done and said to bring Jon to Himself.
In the morning it wasn't to terribly hard to say goodbye to Wendy and
Jon for some reason. I guess I was pretty excited about going home. It
was kind of hard to say good bye at the Sydney airport. But then once
we got to LA I think we were all so excited to get off the plane and get
to our next flight that there weren't many tears. On the plane we all
watched movies and I talked some with April and others briefly. Then
Cassie F. came over to sit by me (because there was an empty seat). I
was really glad she came over. It was like she came over just because
she was a friend and wanted to talk for the last time. We didn't even
really have much to say to each other. It was just a nice fulfilling time.
So that's that. Good-bye Australia. As I said, life has been kind of sad
lately as I've had to readjust to home and being without the friends
that I made in Australia. But I've been trying to be mature about and
live in the present, not the past. As God said there is a time for
everything. My time for Australia is over. What He has next for my life
I don't know. I can only hope it will be as amazing as Australia.
I tell you what, life is depressing without relationships. But
I've grown closer in the relationship I've held all along. God
is good he's dependable and He'll stay with you when no
one else will or can. I'm thankful that God is willing to know
me, and know me intimately.
In the last week, I spent a lot of time with my American friends.
On that Wednesday Darren and I went over to the Concord
house where we met Michael, Cassie C., Cassie F. and Katie.
We then went to Darling Harbor to take a Captain Cook cruise.
It was a good time. We could have done pretty much the same
thing had we just taken one of the public transport ferry's. But
that's alright. Later that night we and a bunch of others met
again at Darling Harbor to see the Christmas tree lighting.
There was also some singing and a show going on. A lot more
people showed up then I thought would. It was a really good
time afterwards. We all walked down the harbor a bit to get
some ice cream.
I talked a bunch with Cali about homeschooling. She had been
homeschooled until highschool. She and I agreed on pretty
much all of the positive and negative aspects of homschooling.
It was really cool to talk with her about it. I always feel like
people sort of look down on homeschooling, because of the
social issue and stuff. So I was happy to entertain her questions,
especially since I felt like she wasadmirable of the fact that I was
homeschooled and not just curious about a different lifestyle.
On Thursday night, the last night in Australia, I went over to the
Concord house again. A bunch of us including, Cassie Cook, Leslie,
Brittany, Chris C., and Amber then went to Pancakes on the Rocks.
We didn't get there until about 11:45. It was a going away/Shannon's
birthday party. When we got there, there were heaps and heaps of
people there already. I knew or recognized nearly everyone from
school or the ASC program. There was trouble finding a place to sit.
But we finnally did and I shared some really good blue berry pancakes
with Amber. Amber Chris and I had to sit kind of secluded from
everyone else because of the lack of space. So Cali, being the nice
thoughtful girl that she is, came over and talked with us so we wouldn't
feel so left out. I was really glad to get to talk with her some more.
Due to some previous joking, Shannon later came over to me and
asked if I would dance with her. It was a restaurant and I could barley
hear the music. There were cameras on us as she asked. It was quite
embarrassing. I had to say no just because I didn't know how and
there were so many people around.
That night I came home and saw two letters on my bed. One from
Jon and one from Wendy. I made the mistake of reading Jon's right
away. It was really late by the time I got back and when i read it, I got
pretty emotional. I realized that I probably wouldn't see him again, and
I felt sorry for him because of his state without Christ. I decided to add
a little more to my letter to him about some spiritual things. I hope God
uses what I've done and said to bring Jon to Himself.
In the morning it wasn't to terribly hard to say goodbye to Wendy and
Jon for some reason. I guess I was pretty excited about going home. It
was kind of hard to say good bye at the Sydney airport. But then once
we got to LA I think we were all so excited to get off the plane and get
to our next flight that there weren't many tears. On the plane we all
watched movies and I talked some with April and others briefly. Then
Cassie F. came over to sit by me (because there was an empty seat). I
was really glad she came over. It was like she came over just because
she was a friend and wanted to talk for the last time. We didn't even
really have much to say to each other. It was just a nice fulfilling time.
So that's that. Good-bye Australia. As I said, life has been kind of sad
lately as I've had to readjust to home and being without the friends
that I made in Australia. But I've been trying to be mature about and
live in the present, not the past. As God said there is a time for
everything. My time for Australia is over. What He has next for my life
I don't know. I can only hope it will be as amazing as Australia.
Monday, November 22, 2004
Down to the Wire
Today I went to school and studied and hung out with
friends all day. It was pretty fun. Danika and Cassie had
asked me awhile ago to help them import their video of
their New Zealand trip and then make it into a DVD. Of
course we never got around to it until this week, the very
last week. I'm happy to help them and I even enjoy it,
but I just hope I have enough time. I hate being pressured.
I have other stuff I want to get done before I leave on
Friday. I guess I'll just do what I can.
It's really getting down to the wire. I'm excited about going
home. Today I got homesick all of a sudden. I just pray
that this transition time goes quickly. I hate feeling so
anxious about leaving. I also hate it when I start to get all
worried about everything that needs to be done before I
leave. It's not really that much. But I always feel like there's
something else I should be doing, some other way in which
I should be spending my final days here. I just want to be
home and relax in my own bed. It's been a long time.
friends all day. It was pretty fun. Danika and Cassie had
asked me awhile ago to help them import their video of
their New Zealand trip and then make it into a DVD. Of
course we never got around to it until this week, the very
last week. I'm happy to help them and I even enjoy it,
but I just hope I have enough time. I hate being pressured.
I have other stuff I want to get done before I leave on
Friday. I guess I'll just do what I can.
It's really getting down to the wire. I'm excited about going
home. Today I got homesick all of a sudden. I just pray
that this transition time goes quickly. I hate feeling so
anxious about leaving. I also hate it when I start to get all
worried about everything that needs to be done before I
leave. It's not really that much. But I always feel like there's
something else I should be doing, some other way in which
I should be spending my final days here. I just want to be
home and relax in my own bed. It's been a long time.
Sunday, November 21, 2004
New Zealand Summary
It's been awhile hey. I got back from New Zealand yesterday
morning and I've been kind of recovering ever since.
It was an amazing trip. I'd rather not spend forever typing at
what all happened. So I'll just mention a few of the highlights,
and then paste my two journal entries from the trip.
First I just want to say how much I've grown to admire both
Derrick and Shannon as friends. They're really fun people to
be with. I feel like we all bonded quite a bit and now I feel very
sad to be apart from them. Especially knowing I'll be leaving
Friday for home.
Derrick is such a talker. He can strike up a conversation with
anybody. Several times he was able to buy stuff for cheaper
then the listed price just by negotiating with them a bit. It's so
funny because we would all have a good laugh about what he
had gotten away with. At the black water rafting place their
t-shirts were $35 each, and eventually, by getting a bunch of
other strangers to buy shirts with us we were able to get them
for $10 cheaper. It was so funny. Derrick's a great guy.
We got back into Wellington on Friday night which is where we
were to fly out. We had to check our car in by midnight and our
flight was Saturday morning at 6:40. For some reason the airport
isn't open 24 hours a day. They close at 1:30 am and open again
at 4 am. So we had a two and a half hour period where we had
nowhere to stay. It wouldn't have been worth it to take a cab into
the city with all of our luggage and spend the night at a hostel
just to be back at the airport early in the morning. So we borrowed
a couple of those luggage carts and took it off the airport property
for two and half hours. We just went to this gas station and hung
out there. The guy behind the counter was as nice as could be. He
said this type of thing happens at least once a week. We tried to
sleep some on the stools and even some on the floor next to the
drinks in the back. It was quite the experience. Basically we got
next to no sleep that night. But man it's a great memory.
The other thing I wanted to mention was what happened early that
Friday night. We went to the mall to eat and kill some time. After
we ate we had what I thought was the most meaningful conversation
we had had on the trip. Shannon told us her impression of each of
us guys and what stuck out to her about each of us. It was all light
hearted of course, but it was interesting to hear. Then we each told
her something that surprised us or that struck us about her on this
trip. I said that I was surprised at how comfortable and easy it was
for her to converse with three guys for a week.
Anyway, after talking for a very long time Derrick got up to get some
coffee or something and he came back with a guy and two girls
following him. They were Christians who Derrick just happened to
start chit chatting with. They were going to do some type of food
service to the poor that night. So anyway they came over to us all
still sitting at a table in the food court. We all starting talking
straight
away, getting to know each other. It was so amazing how fast we all
seemed to connect. We talked for probably a couple hours about
what we were all doing in life. It was so fun. It's like we were all
instantaneously friends. One of the chicks was pretty cute too. It was
a great experience that God put together for us. I think it must have
been a way in which God wanted us all to be encouraged as we
saw other Christians going through the same life on a different side
of the world. I praise God for that and every other good experience
on the New Zealand trip.
Here are the journal entries. They're not too detailed as I didn't feel
like writing much on the trip.
November 16, 2004
I'm on the 4th day of my NZ trip. I'm having a fantastic time. On Friday
Shannon and I flew into Wellington which is on the southern tip of the
north island of New Zealand. Everything went pretty much as
planned for us. However Derrick had some complications getting
onto the flight. For some reason, because he was originally from
Kenya he had to get a Visa into NZ whereas the rest of us didn't have
to. After much stress he finally was able to get what he needed and
get on the flight at about the same time as us.
We hired a sweet Nissan Maxima at the airport. We were supposed
to get a smaller car for what we payed but I guess the guy at the car
hire place liked us so we got a good deal.
Friday and Saturday night we stayed with Derrick's friend Abby in
Napier.
She and her boyfriend showed us around all day Saturday. Fraser,
Abby's boyfriend was so nice to sacrifice his Saturday and show us
around. He even got up before the sun to take us to the point where
we could be the first in the world to see the sun on Sunday the
4th of November 2004. It was pretty cool to do that. This land is
absolutely amazing. The lush green color is amazing. I can totally
see how the Lord of the Rings could be filmed here. The hills are
as green as golf courses and there's so many of them.
By the way, on our trip was Darren, Derrick, Shannon and I. To tell
you the truth I wasn't terribly excited about that group of poeple.
But it's turned out to be wonderful. They really know how to have a
good time and i've really come to respect Shannon and Derrick a
lot more than I did.
November 18, 2004
Yesterday we all took a day trip up to the Bay of Islands. It's a
choice place (as the Kiwi's would say). It was so amazingly beautiful.
Have you ever seen Jurasic park? Man I swear, that place looks
exactly like that movie. They're big, green, mountainous islands. We
all took heaps of pictures. You just can't stop, every place is so
picturesque. We took a boat tour of the islands. And we were
supposed to go kyaking and snorkling. But I guess the tour ran out
of time. It started to get really choppy out there and I was getting
really close to throwing up. But God was good to me and I was able
to hang on to my lunch.
On the 3 hour drive up there we stopped several times as we saw
places to take pictures along the side of the road. Those times were
so fun. It was so spontaneous and we got some choice pictures. I
feel like we've all bonded quite a bit. You might think there would
be some tension between Shannon and the guys because of the
maintenance a girl normally requires. But Shannon is totally not like
other girls in that way. She's grown up with boys and so she gets a
long and understands them probably a lot more than most girls.
She even gets in on the guy joking that goes on.
morning and I've been kind of recovering ever since.
It was an amazing trip. I'd rather not spend forever typing at
what all happened. So I'll just mention a few of the highlights,
and then paste my two journal entries from the trip.
First I just want to say how much I've grown to admire both
Derrick and Shannon as friends. They're really fun people to
be with. I feel like we all bonded quite a bit and now I feel very
sad to be apart from them. Especially knowing I'll be leaving
Friday for home.
Derrick is such a talker. He can strike up a conversation with
anybody. Several times he was able to buy stuff for cheaper
then the listed price just by negotiating with them a bit. It's so
funny because we would all have a good laugh about what he
had gotten away with. At the black water rafting place their
t-shirts were $35 each, and eventually, by getting a bunch of
other strangers to buy shirts with us we were able to get them
for $10 cheaper. It was so funny. Derrick's a great guy.
We got back into Wellington on Friday night which is where we
were to fly out. We had to check our car in by midnight and our
flight was Saturday morning at 6:40. For some reason the airport
isn't open 24 hours a day. They close at 1:30 am and open again
at 4 am. So we had a two and a half hour period where we had
nowhere to stay. It wouldn't have been worth it to take a cab into
the city with all of our luggage and spend the night at a hostel
just to be back at the airport early in the morning. So we borrowed
a couple of those luggage carts and took it off the airport property
for two and half hours. We just went to this gas station and hung
out there. The guy behind the counter was as nice as could be. He
said this type of thing happens at least once a week. We tried to
sleep some on the stools and even some on the floor next to the
drinks in the back. It was quite the experience. Basically we got
next to no sleep that night. But man it's a great memory.
The other thing I wanted to mention was what happened early that
Friday night. We went to the mall to eat and kill some time. After
we ate we had what I thought was the most meaningful conversation
we had had on the trip. Shannon told us her impression of each of
us guys and what stuck out to her about each of us. It was all light
hearted of course, but it was interesting to hear. Then we each told
her something that surprised us or that struck us about her on this
trip. I said that I was surprised at how comfortable and easy it was
for her to converse with three guys for a week.
Anyway, after talking for a very long time Derrick got up to get some
coffee or something and he came back with a guy and two girls
following him. They were Christians who Derrick just happened to
start chit chatting with. They were going to do some type of food
service to the poor that night. So anyway they came over to us all
still sitting at a table in the food court. We all starting talking
straight
away, getting to know each other. It was so amazing how fast we all
seemed to connect. We talked for probably a couple hours about
what we were all doing in life. It was so fun. It's like we were all
instantaneously friends. One of the chicks was pretty cute too. It was
a great experience that God put together for us. I think it must have
been a way in which God wanted us all to be encouraged as we
saw other Christians going through the same life on a different side
of the world. I praise God for that and every other good experience
on the New Zealand trip.
Here are the journal entries. They're not too detailed as I didn't feel
like writing much on the trip.
November 16, 2004
I'm on the 4th day of my NZ trip. I'm having a fantastic time. On Friday
Shannon and I flew into Wellington which is on the southern tip of the
north island of New Zealand. Everything went pretty much as
planned for us. However Derrick had some complications getting
onto the flight. For some reason, because he was originally from
Kenya he had to get a Visa into NZ whereas the rest of us didn't have
to. After much stress he finally was able to get what he needed and
get on the flight at about the same time as us.
We hired a sweet Nissan Maxima at the airport. We were supposed
to get a smaller car for what we payed but I guess the guy at the car
hire place liked us so we got a good deal.
Friday and Saturday night we stayed with Derrick's friend Abby in
Napier.
She and her boyfriend showed us around all day Saturday. Fraser,
Abby's boyfriend was so nice to sacrifice his Saturday and show us
around. He even got up before the sun to take us to the point where
we could be the first in the world to see the sun on Sunday the
4th of November 2004. It was pretty cool to do that. This land is
absolutely amazing. The lush green color is amazing. I can totally
see how the Lord of the Rings could be filmed here. The hills are
as green as golf courses and there's so many of them.
By the way, on our trip was Darren, Derrick, Shannon and I. To tell
you the truth I wasn't terribly excited about that group of poeple.
But it's turned out to be wonderful. They really know how to have a
good time and i've really come to respect Shannon and Derrick a
lot more than I did.
November 18, 2004
Yesterday we all took a day trip up to the Bay of Islands. It's a
choice place (as the Kiwi's would say). It was so amazingly beautiful.
Have you ever seen Jurasic park? Man I swear, that place looks
exactly like that movie. They're big, green, mountainous islands. We
all took heaps of pictures. You just can't stop, every place is so
picturesque. We took a boat tour of the islands. And we were
supposed to go kyaking and snorkling. But I guess the tour ran out
of time. It started to get really choppy out there and I was getting
really close to throwing up. But God was good to me and I was able
to hang on to my lunch.
On the 3 hour drive up there we stopped several times as we saw
places to take pictures along the side of the road. Those times were
so fun. It was so spontaneous and we got some choice pictures. I
feel like we've all bonded quite a bit. You might think there would
be some tension between Shannon and the guys because of the
maintenance a girl normally requires. But Shannon is totally not like
other girls in that way. She's grown up with boys and so she gets a
long and understands them probably a lot more than most girls.
She even gets in on the guy joking that goes on.
Thursday, November 11, 2004
Off to New Zealand
I'm at the Drummoyne house for the night. I'm leaving with
Shannon for New Zealand in the morning. I'm so excited
about it. Darren just called here and said how beautiful of
a place it is. Derrick's been having some complications.
He's originally from Kenya and for some reason he has to
have a Visa for New Zealand while the rest of us Americans
don't. He was planning on going with Darren this morning
but wasn't able to because he didn't have a visa. So he's
been running around all day trying to figure out how to get it
and how he's going to get to New Zealand. I think he'll be able
to make it tomorrow night though. Lord willing.
Today was our very last choir practice. It's all over. All we did
for practice was sing requested songs and David said some
words and we prayed some. It was very good. Wondrous Cross
was very emotional. Unfortunately I don't feel like I'm as close to
some of the choir people because I don't see them as much.
That kind of makes me sad. I spend more time with American
friends these days.
Yesterday evening I was so busy trying to get everything ready
for the trip. And when I started doing my quiet time I realized how
fast my mind was racing and how consumed it was of New
Zealand plans. I feel like I've been putting God on the back burner
lately. I can fully tell when I'm not as close to Him. Something just
isn't right. So I tried to slow down last night and I talked with Him
about it. I'm grateful that He is always there for me. I know that's
said so many times. But it really is amazing that He remains
despite our attitude towards Him.
I wish I had a mindset that was less focused on this world. Every
now and then I do get that idea and I'm just like, "Nothing really
matters here, why worry so much." But it doesn't last that long
unfortunately.
Well, unless I'm able to find a place to connect to the internet in
New Zealand, I won't be posting until the 20th. Take care.
Shannon for New Zealand in the morning. I'm so excited
about it. Darren just called here and said how beautiful of
a place it is. Derrick's been having some complications.
He's originally from Kenya and for some reason he has to
have a Visa for New Zealand while the rest of us Americans
don't. He was planning on going with Darren this morning
but wasn't able to because he didn't have a visa. So he's
been running around all day trying to figure out how to get it
and how he's going to get to New Zealand. I think he'll be able
to make it tomorrow night though. Lord willing.
Today was our very last choir practice. It's all over. All we did
for practice was sing requested songs and David said some
words and we prayed some. It was very good. Wondrous Cross
was very emotional. Unfortunately I don't feel like I'm as close to
some of the choir people because I don't see them as much.
That kind of makes me sad. I spend more time with American
friends these days.
Yesterday evening I was so busy trying to get everything ready
for the trip. And when I started doing my quiet time I realized how
fast my mind was racing and how consumed it was of New
Zealand plans. I feel like I've been putting God on the back burner
lately. I can fully tell when I'm not as close to Him. Something just
isn't right. So I tried to slow down last night and I talked with Him
about it. I'm grateful that He is always there for me. I know that's
said so many times. But it really is amazing that He remains
despite our attitude towards Him.
I wish I had a mindset that was less focused on this world. Every
now and then I do get that idea and I'm just like, "Nothing really
matters here, why worry so much." But it doesn't last that long
unfortunately.
Well, unless I'm able to find a place to connect to the internet in
New Zealand, I won't be posting until the 20th. Take care.
Tuesday, November 09, 2004
Revelation 21 & 22
My last Theology class went well. At the end Mr. Barker
read a few chapters at the very end of Revelation. He
read quite a bit. It was really meaningful. I can not wait
to see what John saw. He paints an incredible picture.
I can't wait to see gold so pure you can see through it.
Reading that at the end of the class was a very good idea.
It seemed as if he was reminding us all of what we'll see
together someday. Even though half of the class was
going away and probably never coming back, we'll see
each other in that great place.
I worked with Andy and Carlie on our video project all
afternoon and through class this evening. It was a long
day but we got it done. I didn't think we would finish so
soon, so I felt really good about that. It's not a very good
video, but it was alright for the level of experience that
we all had.
Things are coming together quite nicely as far as my
assignments, praise God. The feeling of finishing papers
and big projects is like none other.
I'll miss Australia. As soon as I leave, I'll want to come
back, I just know it. Oh well, life goes on. Better things
are on the horizon.
read a few chapters at the very end of Revelation. He
read quite a bit. It was really meaningful. I can not wait
to see what John saw. He paints an incredible picture.
I can't wait to see gold so pure you can see through it.
Reading that at the end of the class was a very good idea.
It seemed as if he was reminding us all of what we'll see
together someday. Even though half of the class was
going away and probably never coming back, we'll see
each other in that great place.
I worked with Andy and Carlie on our video project all
afternoon and through class this evening. It was a long
day but we got it done. I didn't think we would finish so
soon, so I felt really good about that. It's not a very good
video, but it was alright for the level of experience that
we all had.
Things are coming together quite nicely as far as my
assignments, praise God. The feeling of finishing papers
and big projects is like none other.
I'll miss Australia. As soon as I leave, I'll want to come
back, I just know it. Oh well, life goes on. Better things
are on the horizon.
Monday, November 08, 2004
Beginning of the End
Today was the beginning of our last week of classes. It's a
kind of a good feeling. I brought my computer to school and
worked on my paper most all day (and I'm nearly finished).
I even skipped choir practice to work on it. I figured, we
don't have any more performances and I've never missed it
before and I'm not even taking that for credit so it doesn't
really matter. So I just wanted to justify my actions there. At
least for my own sake. :)
I'm staying up kinda late tonight, till 1. Because I have to
register for classes and that's when it's 8 a.m. back in Arkansas.
Of course this is the first year they changed it to 8. It used to be
at six which would have given me a much better advantage as
far as getting classes.
I was supposed to turn in a form with my advisor's signature on
it before I register. But I couldn't get him over here to sign it. So I
emailed the registrars office and explained the situation. Of
course I haven't heard back from them yet so I can only pray that
I'll be able to register come 8 a.m. CST.
Another dumb thing, I'm like 4 credit hours short of being classified
as a junior. They don't count this semester so I just barely missed
it. This means of course that I have to sign up with the freshmen
and sophomores. I hope I get the classes I need.
I'm going to New Zealand on Friday so I won't be posting for a
week. Then six days after I get back I'm coming home. I haven't
decided if I'll continue blogging when I get back. I probably will
but not as often. We'll see.
I think going home might be more of a culture shock then coming
here. Just because of the faster pace of life in America. I've heard
from people who go back to the US that they are humbled and they
realize how big stuff is and how much we have. I'm interested to see
if I notice anything different.
kind of a good feeling. I brought my computer to school and
worked on my paper most all day (and I'm nearly finished).
I even skipped choir practice to work on it. I figured, we
don't have any more performances and I've never missed it
before and I'm not even taking that for credit so it doesn't
really matter. So I just wanted to justify my actions there. At
least for my own sake. :)
I'm staying up kinda late tonight, till 1. Because I have to
register for classes and that's when it's 8 a.m. back in Arkansas.
Of course this is the first year they changed it to 8. It used to be
at six which would have given me a much better advantage as
far as getting classes.
I was supposed to turn in a form with my advisor's signature on
it before I register. But I couldn't get him over here to sign it. So I
emailed the registrars office and explained the situation. Of
course I haven't heard back from them yet so I can only pray that
I'll be able to register come 8 a.m. CST.
Another dumb thing, I'm like 4 credit hours short of being classified
as a junior. They don't count this semester so I just barely missed
it. This means of course that I have to sign up with the freshmen
and sophomores. I hope I get the classes I need.
I'm going to New Zealand on Friday so I won't be posting for a
week. Then six days after I get back I'm coming home. I haven't
decided if I'll continue blogging when I get back. I probably will
but not as often. We'll see.
I think going home might be more of a culture shock then coming
here. Just because of the faster pace of life in America. I've heard
from people who go back to the US that they are humbled and they
realize how big stuff is and how much we have. I'm interested to see
if I notice anything different.
Sunday, November 07, 2004
Church with Emily
Today I went to the Drummoyne Baptist church with
Emily. She knew that I liked the traditional style churches
and hymns so she told me about this one. I had Wendy
drop me off at the Drummoyne house and Emily and I
walked over there together. She's a good friend. I enjoy
her company. She's easy to talk to. And she seems to
really respect my opinion which makes me feel smart
or important or something.
Every time I talk with people and enjoy their company
I can't help but think how I'll never see them after another
few weeks.
I'm starting to get worried about getting all my work done.
I don't really have that much, and it's not terribly hard. It's
just time that's the issue.
I'm really tired of dreading leaving everyone. I'm tired of
worrying about it. I'm just going to try to except it and get
on with my life. It's not like anything's going to change by
me worrying about it. There is a time for everything. I trust
God when he decides to take me back home again.
By the way, Blogger has been acting up lately. Like it won't
post my blog till a day later. So you're just going to have to
bare with me on this one. I know the flow of your life hinges
on this blog, but try to manage without it if it doesn't work.
Emily. She knew that I liked the traditional style churches
and hymns so she told me about this one. I had Wendy
drop me off at the Drummoyne house and Emily and I
walked over there together. She's a good friend. I enjoy
her company. She's easy to talk to. And she seems to
really respect my opinion which makes me feel smart
or important or something.
Every time I talk with people and enjoy their company
I can't help but think how I'll never see them after another
few weeks.
I'm starting to get worried about getting all my work done.
I don't really have that much, and it's not terribly hard. It's
just time that's the issue.
I'm really tired of dreading leaving everyone. I'm tired of
worrying about it. I'm just going to try to except it and get
on with my life. It's not like anything's going to change by
me worrying about it. There is a time for everything. I trust
God when he decides to take me back home again.
By the way, Blogger has been acting up lately. Like it won't
post my blog till a day later. So you're just going to have to
bare with me on this one. I know the flow of your life hinges
on this blog, but try to manage without it if it doesn't work.
Friday, November 05, 2004
Low On Time
Can't say much. Not much to say anyway. Today was long
and boring because literally all I did was work on my
Theology paper. But I got it done (except for proof reading
and such) so I'm really relieved about that. I got kind of
frustrated and nervous about finishing the paper on time.
Because looking ahead, I have very little time to work on it
before Tuesday. So yeah, I had to trust in God and work hard.
I talked with Jonathan a lot today about politics and stuff on
the phone. It was really interesting and fun to discuss things
with him. I haven't talked with him in ages! It makes me look
forward to going home even more.
Darren and I talked a bunch during our breaks. We starting to
realize how little time we have left here and all the work we
have to do before we go. We're leaving for New Zealand a week
from today and we pretty much have to have all of our assignments
done before we go. It's crunch time.
and boring because literally all I did was work on my
Theology paper. But I got it done (except for proof reading
and such) so I'm really relieved about that. I got kind of
frustrated and nervous about finishing the paper on time.
Because looking ahead, I have very little time to work on it
before Tuesday. So yeah, I had to trust in God and work hard.
I talked with Jonathan a lot today about politics and stuff on
the phone. It was really interesting and fun to discuss things
with him. I haven't talked with him in ages! It makes me look
forward to going home even more.
Darren and I talked a bunch during our breaks. We starting to
realize how little time we have left here and all the work we
have to do before we go. We're leaving for New Zealand a week
from today and we pretty much have to have all of our assignments
done before we go. It's crunch time.
Thursday, November 04, 2004
Memory
Today I had somewhat of a frustrating day. Mainly because
the computer projects I was working on at school didn't go
very smoothly. It seemed like it was one thing after another
that went wrong. Both with my video project and my
multimedia project.
But something very interesting happened today during my
multimedia class. I was getting really tired of working on
my project and I was pretty much done with what I knew
how to do. So I opened up the iTunes music store and
listened to samples of some Sixpence None the Richer
songs. I don't know why I thought of listening to it, but I felt
the urge for it. I hadn't listened to that album in ages.
As soon as I started listening to the songs I immediately
experienced a very real, intense memory of this past summer
of when Sean and I would go to class at KWU and then
house sit in the evenings. We listened to that CD a lot during
that time. It was so amazing how powerful of a feeling I got
from just hearing those songs. That type of thing has happened
to me before, as I'm sure it has you. But this time was so intense,
it's like I could recall every single emotion I was experiencing
during that time. It felt like I was immediately transported to that
time and place as soon as I heard the music. It made me homesick.
It's amazing what information the mind holds.
I'm sure I can't portray what I felt during this experience. And it may
have even sounded a little strange to you. But hopefully you can
relate a little.
the computer projects I was working on at school didn't go
very smoothly. It seemed like it was one thing after another
that went wrong. Both with my video project and my
multimedia project.
But something very interesting happened today during my
multimedia class. I was getting really tired of working on
my project and I was pretty much done with what I knew
how to do. So I opened up the iTunes music store and
listened to samples of some Sixpence None the Richer
songs. I don't know why I thought of listening to it, but I felt
the urge for it. I hadn't listened to that album in ages.
As soon as I started listening to the songs I immediately
experienced a very real, intense memory of this past summer
of when Sean and I would go to class at KWU and then
house sit in the evenings. We listened to that CD a lot during
that time. It was so amazing how powerful of a feeling I got
from just hearing those songs. That type of thing has happened
to me before, as I'm sure it has you. But this time was so intense,
it's like I could recall every single emotion I was experiencing
during that time. It felt like I was immediately transported to that
time and place as soon as I heard the music. It made me homesick.
It's amazing what information the mind holds.
I'm sure I can't portray what I felt during this experience. And it may
have even sounded a little strange to you. But hopefully you can
relate a little.
Wednesday, November 03, 2004
Steak and Fellowship
Today was Wednesday so we had the morning off. I couldn't sleep in very much though. When I first woke up I was kind of cranky. Something just wasn't right. I don't know what it was, but I was just kind of frustrated with life straight away this morning. I kept thinking of all the stuff I had to get done, with school and stuff. So I prayed that God would give me peace and calm me. And when we left the house that morning, I felt heaps better already. I didn't even give God credit or realize what He'd done till this evening.
Last night Darren and I decided to make ourselves bacon and eggs for breakfast, just for fun. So we did that and it helped to brighten the morning. We had fun with Darren's video camera on the way to school. We took it on the bus and just did random stuff. It was fun.
Darren and I decided this morning to invite a bunch of people over to cook steaks for them. Darren's sister sent him some Texas steak seasoning and we had been wanting to use it for awhile. So we invited a bunch of people. I was afraid too many people would show up but it worked out really well. We had enough steaks and everything. I even made a salad all by myself. I was pretty proud of it.
Wendy was gone at work all evening so she didn't/doesn't know it even happened. It was a fun time. I was kind of hoping a couple other people could come, but I guess it was too late of notice. I told Cali about it when we first got to school and she sounded all excited about it like she was going to come. But she didn't, I guess she got held up in the city or something.
The people who did come were, Amber, Liz, Angie, Cassie, Heather, and Dan. And Jon, Darren and I. All we did was eat, watch the elections, and play pictionary. It was a good night. I was proud of Darren and I for be able to host and cook for all those people. Especially on such short notice.
I'll try to post some pics of the party.
Last night Darren and I decided to make ourselves bacon and eggs for breakfast, just for fun. So we did that and it helped to brighten the morning. We had fun with Darren's video camera on the way to school. We took it on the bus and just did random stuff. It was fun.
Darren and I decided this morning to invite a bunch of people over to cook steaks for them. Darren's sister sent him some Texas steak seasoning and we had been wanting to use it for awhile. So we invited a bunch of people. I was afraid too many people would show up but it worked out really well. We had enough steaks and everything. I even made a salad all by myself. I was pretty proud of it.
Wendy was gone at work all evening so she didn't/doesn't know it even happened. It was a fun time. I was kind of hoping a couple other people could come, but I guess it was too late of notice. I told Cali about it when we first got to school and she sounded all excited about it like she was going to come. But she didn't, I guess she got held up in the city or something.
The people who did come were, Amber, Liz, Angie, Cassie, Heather, and Dan. And Jon, Darren and I. All we did was eat, watch the elections, and play pictionary. It was a good night. I was proud of Darren and I for be able to host and cook for all those people. Especially on such short notice.
I'll try to post some pics of the party.
Tuesday, November 02, 2004
New Zealand Planning
So today is Halloween. What a great holiday. Today for our
Australian history class we were supposed to meet at the
Australian Art Gallery downtown. But it was so ridiculous
because nobody knew we were supposed to meet there.
Darren and I found out from Heather, who happened to hear
Dr. Johnston mention it. I guess Renee (the new ASC director)
was supposed to tell everyone. But for some reason she has
been gone a lot recently. Anyway, communication really needs
to be worked on around here. It's pretty frustrating.
Today Shannon, Derrick, Darren and I met to talk about our
plans for our New Zealand trip. It's going to be so great. We
don't have all the details ironed out yet, but we're going to do
some camping and hiking. And we're going to Hobbit town
and probably some other places where Lord of the Rings
was filmed. We also hope to do some white water rafting
or kayaking. Cali was going to go because she was going
to but Megan's ticket (because she couldn't go). But they
weren't able to transfer it. So I was pretty bummed that
she couldn't go. It would have been great to have her
along.
Sean finally got back from his tour. I've been wanting to
talk with him for awhile now. Hopefully I'll get a chance to
call him soon. Man it really makes me sad that we'll only
be able to see each other for about a day at Thanksgiving.
Australian history class we were supposed to meet at the
Australian Art Gallery downtown. But it was so ridiculous
because nobody knew we were supposed to meet there.
Darren and I found out from Heather, who happened to hear
Dr. Johnston mention it. I guess Renee (the new ASC director)
was supposed to tell everyone. But for some reason she has
been gone a lot recently. Anyway, communication really needs
to be worked on around here. It's pretty frustrating.
Today Shannon, Derrick, Darren and I met to talk about our
plans for our New Zealand trip. It's going to be so great. We
don't have all the details ironed out yet, but we're going to do
some camping and hiking. And we're going to Hobbit town
and probably some other places where Lord of the Rings
was filmed. We also hope to do some white water rafting
or kayaking. Cali was going to go because she was going
to but Megan's ticket (because she couldn't go). But they
weren't able to transfer it. So I was pretty bummed that
she couldn't go. It would have been great to have her
along.
Sean finally got back from his tour. I've been wanting to
talk with him for awhile now. Hopefully I'll get a chance to
call him soon. Man it really makes me sad that we'll only
be able to see each other for about a day at Thanksgiving.
"Call Sean," said I. And so I did.
I must say, the highlight of my day was talking with Sean on
the phone this afternoon. It was great to hear about his tour
and what's been happening in his life. I really can't wait to
visit him when I get back. I'm going to try hard to get free time
to drive up there in December. Maybe I could take Tyson or
Tanner with me. That'd be really fun.
Today in my theology class we discussed gender roles and
issues surrounding that issue. That issue with like the head
coverings and woman in church has always been kind of a
daunting issue for me. I've never really felt like I could every
get my brain around all of the different ideas regarding that
issue. I suppose I should do research and figure out what I
believe. Particularly if I plan on getting married.
Cali is so smart. During class she'll be bringing up all these
different points about what a certain verse means in the
greek or something else deep. She seems to be at an
intelligence level (or two) higher than the rest of the class
including myself. As a result I always feel kind of dumb
talking with her. It's kind of intimidating but at the same time
admirable. She's always extremely nice to me though, so I
guess that helps.
the phone this afternoon. It was great to hear about his tour
and what's been happening in his life. I really can't wait to
visit him when I get back. I'm going to try hard to get free time
to drive up there in December. Maybe I could take Tyson or
Tanner with me. That'd be really fun.
Today in my theology class we discussed gender roles and
issues surrounding that issue. That issue with like the head
coverings and woman in church has always been kind of a
daunting issue for me. I've never really felt like I could every
get my brain around all of the different ideas regarding that
issue. I suppose I should do research and figure out what I
believe. Particularly if I plan on getting married.
Cali is so smart. During class she'll be bringing up all these
different points about what a certain verse means in the
greek or something else deep. She seems to be at an
intelligence level (or two) higher than the rest of the class
including myself. As a result I always feel kind of dumb
talking with her. It's kind of intimidating but at the same time
admirable. She's always extremely nice to me though, so I
guess that helps.
Film Shoot
I went to the central coast today where Carly lives. She's a girl
in my video production class that Andy and I are working with
on our video project. I left pretty early this morning. The train
ride wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be. Only about an hour and
a quarter maybe. Anyway, the reason we went up there was
because she got a bunch of her friends to act and we filmed it
at her church. We wrote a script based on a parable. It worked
out pretty well. It could have been better but I was happy
enough with it. Now all we have to do for the project is edit.
Which is a big task but I'm looking forward to it. It makes things
so much better when you can work with a group on a project,
that way all the pressure of finishing the project isn't just on one
person.
The filming went well. We got it all done by about 3. Both Andy
and I were pretty tired most of the time. And Carly was all
excited about it and always seemed to be with the program.
Whereas Andy and I tuned in and out. I'm glad she was there
to keep things moving.
Darren's at some party he was invited to and Jon's at his mate's
house for the night. Wendy is inside with a bunch of other ladies
talking over tea and coffee. So I don't have much to do right now.
I think I'll go to bed early. I'm really stuffed.
It was funny, Wendy came in with all the other ladies and I was
out in the computer room and I was like "Please don't make me
come in." Fortunately she didn't. But I'm afraid I'm going to have
to go through them to get to my room. sigh...
Jon went over his download limit for the month for his cable
connection. So now there's a cap on our speed. It's so annoying.
I really want to download some of those Chuck Misler talks on
Daniel. But it would take ages. Can't wait till Monday the 1st.
By the way, my friend Rachel puts her pics up on yahoo photos.
If you want to see the costume party I was talking about you can
check it out at:
photos.yahoo.com/raegoble
Click on 10/31/2004 (even though it wasn't the 31st). I don't think
there's a picture of me in there so it probably won't mean much to
you, but at least you can see what I was talking about.
in my video production class that Andy and I are working with
on our video project. I left pretty early this morning. The train
ride wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be. Only about an hour and
a quarter maybe. Anyway, the reason we went up there was
because she got a bunch of her friends to act and we filmed it
at her church. We wrote a script based on a parable. It worked
out pretty well. It could have been better but I was happy
enough with it. Now all we have to do for the project is edit.
Which is a big task but I'm looking forward to it. It makes things
so much better when you can work with a group on a project,
that way all the pressure of finishing the project isn't just on one
person.
The filming went well. We got it all done by about 3. Both Andy
and I were pretty tired most of the time. And Carly was all
excited about it and always seemed to be with the program.
Whereas Andy and I tuned in and out. I'm glad she was there
to keep things moving.
Darren's at some party he was invited to and Jon's at his mate's
house for the night. Wendy is inside with a bunch of other ladies
talking over tea and coffee. So I don't have much to do right now.
I think I'll go to bed early. I'm really stuffed.
It was funny, Wendy came in with all the other ladies and I was
out in the computer room and I was like "Please don't make me
come in." Fortunately she didn't. But I'm afraid I'm going to have
to go through them to get to my room. sigh...
Jon went over his download limit for the month for his cable
connection. So now there's a cap on our speed. It's so annoying.
I really want to download some of those Chuck Misler talks on
Daniel. But it would take ages. Can't wait till Monday the 1st.
By the way, my friend Rachel puts her pics up on yahoo photos.
If you want to see the costume party I was talking about you can
check it out at:
photos.yahoo.com/raegoble
Click on 10/31/2004 (even though it wasn't the 31st). I don't think
there's a picture of me in there so it probably won't mean much to
you, but at least you can see what I was talking about.
Monday, November 01, 2004
New Zealand Planning
So today is Halloween. What a great holiday. Today for our
Australian history class we were supposed to meet at the
Australian Art Gallery downtown. But it was so ridiculous
because nobody knew we were supposed to meet there.
Darren and I found out from Heather, who happened to hear
Dr. Johnston mention it. I guess Renee (the new ASC director)
was supposed to tell everyone. But for some reason she has
been gone a lot recently. Anyway, communication really needs
to be worked on around here. It's pretty frustrating.
Today Shannon, Derrick, Darren and I met to talk about our
plans for our New Zealand trip. It's going to be so great. We
don't have all the details ironed out yet, but we're going to do
some camping and hiking. And we're going to Hobbit town
and probably some other places where Lord of the Rings
was filmed. We also hope to do some white water rafting
or kayaking. Cali was going to go because she was going
to but Megan's ticket (because she couldn't go). But they
weren't able to transfer it. So I was pretty bummed that
she couldn't go. It would have been great to have her
along.
Sean finally got back from his tour. I've been wanting to
talk with him for awhile now. Hopefully I'll get a chance to
call him soon. Man it really makes me sad that we'll only
be able to see each other for about a day at Thanksgiving.
Australian history class we were supposed to meet at the
Australian Art Gallery downtown. But it was so ridiculous
because nobody knew we were supposed to meet there.
Darren and I found out from Heather, who happened to hear
Dr. Johnston mention it. I guess Renee (the new ASC director)
was supposed to tell everyone. But for some reason she has
been gone a lot recently. Anyway, communication really needs
to be worked on around here. It's pretty frustrating.
Today Shannon, Derrick, Darren and I met to talk about our
plans for our New Zealand trip. It's going to be so great. We
don't have all the details ironed out yet, but we're going to do
some camping and hiking. And we're going to Hobbit town
and probably some other places where Lord of the Rings
was filmed. We also hope to do some white water rafting
or kayaking. Cali was going to go because she was going
to but Megan's ticket (because she couldn't go). But they
weren't able to transfer it. So I was pretty bummed that
she couldn't go. It would have been great to have her
along.
Sean finally got back from his tour. I've been wanting to
talk with him for awhile now. Hopefully I'll get a chance to
call him soon. Man it really makes me sad that we'll only
be able to see each other for about a day at Thanksgiving.
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