I love Skype

Today I talked to my parents for almost 2 hours. I got to sit in the den and watch TV and talk with my brother and sister, engage in conversation and answer questions. All without leaving Australia. I got to talk to Bryan about his day for 2 hours and got to see his face up close - almost like I was there. I don't know how I would be able to survive without today's technology: Email, Blog, Video Chat. It's how I remain sane.

Besides sitting in front of my computer all day...

My flatmate, Eddie and I went on a bus ride to Garden City - a shopping center, or mall, about 10minutes away from school.

He told me what would go to Garden City, what time they would come, and where to stand when you want to go back to school. It was nice to get off campus for a little bit. I'm planning on going back next week and exploring little more. It's hard to walk around a mall with a guy. :)

Later in the afternoon I took a half hour walk around school. Walked places that I hadn't yet been, tried to familiarize myself with the campus. I think I've got it down... it's really not that big. I found a little path that took me through the bush to a parking lot that I didn't know existed. It was nice and quiet. Kept an eye out for Koalas, Kangaroos and Bush Turkeys, but only saw birds.



Oh! Speaking of birds... the birds here are LOUD! And they make such strange noises sometimes. Think of a crow... they're louder here and even more annoying.

No real plans for tomorrow yet. If I stay around here this weekend, maybe I'll try to find a church to go to on Sunday. We'll see.

Until then here are some pictures from around campus. I tried to upload them yesterday, but was having problems for some reason. There is A LOT of bush around us...



...This one was taken from my balcony.

"Cast all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you." I Peter 5:7

Before I left the States I received a present from a friend of mine from work. The present was a book titled "Battling Unbelief" by John Piper. It took me two days to get through the Introduction alone (that's what you get with jet lag and reading devotionals before you go to bed). Last night, again, I was too tired to read so I put it off until this morning. I woke up and opened the book to read the first chapter: Battling Anxiety. The entire chapter was spot on to what I've been going through these past few days. It spoke of how "the root of anxiety is inadequate faith in our Father's future grace. As unbelief gets the upper hand in our hearts, one of the effects is anxiety. The root cause of anxiety is a failure to trust all that God has promised to be for us in Jesus." Before I proceeded to do anything to prepare for Australia I gave it to God, the night before the flight I prayed that He'd get me there safely, I thought I had trusted Him to do what was best for me. But after reading that short bit I realized that I hadn't given it completely to Him. I hadn't trusted Him fully with what he had given to me. By being anxious I'm not accepting the fact that God knows what's going to happen and that He has plans for me. One specific portion of the chapter made me smile. Piper continues by saying "Anxiety will not do you any good...sometimes we just have to get tough with ourselves and say, 'Soul, this fretting is absolutely useless. You are not only messing up your own day, but alot of other people's as well. Leave it with God and get on with your work.'" The chapter tells of how to battle anxiety and unbelief by meditating on assurances of future grace.

"But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." Matthew 6:33

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God" Philippians 4:6

"Suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through tht Holy Spirit who has been given to us" Romans 5:3-5

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jerimiah 29:11

God's got a plan.
_______________________________________________

I told you that today we would speak about "The Bush".
The Nathan campus of Griffith Uni is surrounded by bush. Basically, bush is the equivalent of forest. There are a lot of tall Eucalyptus trees and, well, bushes. I was hoping that Koalas and Kangaroos were in the bush, but I have yet to see either. I have seen a few Bush Turkeys however! I haven't been able to snap a picture of one yet, but I promise that I will if I have my camera around. They look like our regular turkeys but thinner. Oh... and you can't eat them... cause their endangered. So if you happen to stumble upon a Bush Turkey... don't kill it.

Today was a good day. Got new linens for my bed from school, talked to my International Advisor regarding my program layout and my work visa. Sounds like I won't be getting a job for a few weeks. We need to have started classes (which don't start until July 23) and only then will I be able to APPLY for a work visa. So no income until then - which means lots of cheese and crackers!!! I also got my Student ID card so I can get discounts on stuff like bus tickets! So tomorrow my flatmate and I are going to Garden City and I'll get my first experience of the Brisbane transportation system.

I have yet to see an American. I'm trying socialize as best as I can with my flatmates, but it's difficult at times. I'm hoping that once my program starts and I get into my classes, I'll be able to get to know people better and maybe even get some friends.


Australian word of the day:
the boot = the trunk of a car

School Sweet School

Today it finally felt like I'm going to school.

I attended International Student Orientation this morning at 10am. We were seated in a theatre hall that could seat 400 people and we filled probably half of it. I sat in about the 6th row so that I could see the screen well (I've got a slight problem with seeing things at a distance). A few minutes before we got started they asked for everyone to move forward. So I did. First row. Right in front of the person speaking in front.

Orientation got started and I paid full attention. Trying to get as much out of the session as possible. I smiled, nodded. Just being polite.

About 15mins into the session the speaker asked us all to stand up and introduce ourselves to a few different people and get their names, where they're from and what they are here to do. So I got up and went around asking people who they were, where they were from etc and wrote in on my note pad. When they told us to be seated, the speaker looked directly at me and said "Now I'm going to need a volunteer." Still looking at me, "that person will stand up and tell us about the people that they met." By now I'm smiling and get the hint, so I raise my hand. "Thank you!", she says. They hand me a mic and I proceed to say my name and that I'm from America, Southern California" and an overwhelming "ooooooh" crosses the room. They must know where California is. It was funny. I told them all of the people that I met and then was given a Griffith University hat for volunteering!! YAY!! Free stuff is always good.


Following the Orientation I chose to take a quick tour of the campus. It's really not as big as I was expecting it to be... and not near as hilly as I thought it would be (not near as bad as CSULB). But it is in the bush. Lots and lots of bush. Tomorrow I'll give a quick lesson on "The Bush". At first the exterior of the buildings look a little rundown, but it's actually all in very good shape.

I've been trying to figure out my class situation all day, and have yet to come to a conclusion as to what all I'm taking this semester. So far I've got Contemporary Cinema, Screen Aesthetics, Hollywood Cinema and then I need to choose one more elective.

Tomorrow I plan on taking a tour of the library (oh how exciting!) and hopefully figure out my Work Visa so that I can find a job and start making money!!!

For now, here are some pictures of my room. It's not that exciting, but it's my own little place. I can lock the door and be by myself. I've got everything I could need: computer, bed and pictures of family. Well, actually I'd much rather have my actual family instead of pictures, but pictures will have to do. It will never be home to me, but it will do for school.



Australian word of the day:
Ta = Thanks

Gold Coast

We left off with me arriving at school and quickly running away to the Gold Coast in search of rescue from a friend of mine.

Let me begin with a story:

Around 10 years ago I was sitting at Beth's computer in a Hanson chat room... yes... Hanson... laugh all you want, but the story gets better. It was in that Hanson chat room where I met Becky - a girl from Gold Coast, Australia. We exchanged email addresses after sharing each others' love for the long-haired brother band. We kept in contact by email, instant messenger, real mail, and even a voice chat once. 10 years later we still keep in touch. And 2 days ago we met for the very first time!! It was fantastic. She knew I was going to be attending Griffith. In fact, she was the reason I even knew about Griffith. Sunday, the day after I flew into town, she came by the school and picked me up. It was crazy to be able to hug the girl that I've known for 10 years and to actually see that she is a REAL person. Bec kept poking me the entire ride down to the Gold Coast repeating over and over "You're real! You're real!". It's amazing that we've kept in touch for this long, but what's even better is the fact that we got along sooooo well. I got to the house and it was as if I've met the family before. It was SUCH a blessing to be able to be around family for 2 days. It was much needed after having to be away from mine. It was great to have a home-cooked meal and to have someone that lives in Australia cart me around and show me how they live. I know that being able to be around their family has really helped me in my transition.


In addition to being around family, we were able to attend church Sunday evening as well. It was great. Bec's church - Metro Church - meets in a cinema (movie theatre). Interesting establishment that worked quite well. Not only was I able to be around Bec's family, but I was able to join in worship with the Christian family. Every person that I spoke with following the service was absolutely encouraging and inviting. I'm thinking about going down to the Gold Coast every once and awhile to attend services. Bec's mom had mentioned a church in Brisbane that she thought would be a good option for me as a home church, so I'm going to check it out. After church on Sunday a bunch of the young adults went out for dinner. Following dinner, Bec, her sister Amy, Tim (from Germany, previous International Student to an Australian High School, friends with Bec's family) and Chris (friend from Metro Church) went to Starbucks (YES, Starbucks) to get some hot chocolate. We then went to the coast to watch shooting stars and see Gold Coast at night. Beautiful.



Yesterday Bec took me out to go shopping for some school and dorm supplies and we were able to go down to the beach. It was absolutely gorgeous.


Today we drove back up to Brisbane and went grocery shopping. SO I HAVE FOOD NOW!!! During our entire trip to the grocery store, Bec and I were trying to mimick each others' accents. She was actually quite good at the American accent and she even said that I did well at the Australian accent. Good fun.

I made my first dinner tonight. :) It was actually more like a snack. Only cheese, crackers and apple. Just like home. :)

Tonight I'll hopefully get a good, FULL night's sleep (haven't been sleeping very well since I got here) and then tomorrow morning I have my first orientation. Not fully sure what it entails, but I'm sure it will be benificial. Wasn't able to get a walk around campus because of a late departure from Gold Coast, but I'm planning on doing that tomorrow as well. And my roommate Eddie has invited me to go with him to Garden City (our closest shopping center - or mall) on Friday so that I'll know how to get there. I'll hopefully be able to find a place that's hiring.

My remaining flat mates have arrived. Ariel from China and Tomo from Japan in addition to Eddie from Thailand (I thought it was Taiwan, but was wrong). I will definitely be learing a lot of the Asian culture this semester.

That is all for this evening.
Today was a good day.

Flight to Australia

G'day!

Things are a little bit better... I'll get to that later, but for now let us step back a day and see how my flight went. I've got pictures and everything!

After packing up my life in 2x 29" suitcases and another small suitcase, the family and I hopped in the big white van and trekked on down to LAX. We lugged the suitcases in and checked in. The young gentleman that checked me in seemed to be rather new because it took him quite a long time to get everything together. What's wonderful though was that my luggage was .6 kg short of being over the weight limit. So again, God pops his head in and says "Hey Andie, it's time to go!". After saying goodbye to my 2x 29" suitcases it was time to say goodbye to the family and Bryan. Many many many tears, sobs and yet a few laughs. I love them all so very much. I just about got overtaken by some New Zealand team that was headed home. So I had to cut my goodbyes short and jump in line for security before all 50 of them got in. I got through security perfectly and made it to the terminal. I'm not quite sure when our flight left, but I have heard that we left a little late. My plane was a Boeing 777 which was huge!



About an hour into the flight we were served dinner. Choice between chicken raviolli or ham and cheese on foccacia. I chose the ham and cheese.


The entertainment on the flight was amazing. You were able to choose between a TON of blockbuster movies. I chose two movies: 'Pan's Labyrinth' (for Bryan) and 'Music & Lyrics' (for Alison). Both were good. Not anything fantastic, but good. After the movies I popped some Benadryl, put in some earplugs and closed my eyes. The rest of the flight was fairly quick. When I woke we were served a breakfast of eggs, tomato and hash browns.


About 2 hours later we landed in Auckland, New Zealand. What I saw of it was absolutely gorgeous.


After a three hour layover and a slight delay we boarded our 747 bound for Brisbane, Australia.


We were served lunch of a small chicken sandwich, ice cream and purified water. 3.5 hours later we were landing in Brisbane, Australia!!

First steps in Australia:


I got off the plane and had to go through customs. No queries regarding my computer, which was wonderful (I thought for sure there would be a fee). The only things were my wooden frames because they were wooden articles and had to be claimed and the food that I carried over (NutriGrain Bars and Hot Tamales). But everything was allowed through. Slight delay with my visa and passport, but was taken care of quite quickly. My luggage took FOREVER to come out of the plane. And by the time I had passed through my ride had apparently left!!!! Griffith was supposed to send a driver. But when I came out there was no one to be found. I ended up having to approach the Travel Coordinator of the airport to call up Griffith to send someone back out. Dennis finally made his way back and picked me up. An older gentleman that asked how Gov. Arnold was doing and how dear old George W. was doing. I smiled and noded and said that I don't keep up with politics. He proceeded to inform me how Australians drive on the left side of the road and what the Red, Yellow and Green colors of the lights mean. I let him know that we Americans have the same lighting system. He was trying to be nice, but failed. I did snap some pictures of downtown Brisbane as we flew by:


I'm staying in Nathan, a suburb of Brisbane about 15 minutes south. It's within the Toohey Forest, so there are a lot of trees surrounding the campus. Feels like camp. I haven't really been able to explore the campus. The past two days I have been hanging out in the Gold Coast with a friend of mine.... but that story will come tomorrow!

Today was better than yesterday, and yesterday was better than the day before. Slowly but surely I will figure this out and be good. God is good. He knows what He's doing. I was supposed to be here.

Thank you for your prayers. Please keep them coming.
Love you all!!!

Touchdown

I am in Australia!!!
I am extremely tired and extremely emotional. No blog tonight, but hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to post something.

I am safe. Thank you for your prayers of safe flight. Still need prayer for easy transistion because right now I'd love to jump on a plane and go back home.

I'm Leaving On A Jet Plane...

Hope everyone had a fun and safe 4th of July.

In approximately 3.5 hours I will be on a plane bound for Australia. I begin with a 13 hour flight to Auckland, NZ. Hang out for about 3 hours before I board another plane going to my final destination: Brisbane, AUS. I should be landing in Brisbane around 11am Saturday Brisbane AUS time or 6pm Friday Cali time. My next blog will be from Australia!! Crazy.

I'm really excited. But I'm really scared and sad. And I ask that you all please keep me in prayer for the next week because I know that the transition is going to be extremely hard.

I apologize for such a short blog, but I really need to finish getting ready and do a double check through all of my luggage.

Thank you to all that came to my going away party this past Sunday. I really appreciate all of you friendships. It means A LOT to me.

Pictures of my plane trip to come.

Until then... much love.