'Tis the Season

In keeping with my dad's tradition, I have waited until December 1st to get into the Christmas spirit. I have to admit that with no snow and daily increasing temperatures, I'm not quite into it just yet...but maybe this song will help (I had hoped to upload it on here, but it appears I lack a media player).

Sizzlin' Summer Land (sung to tune of Winter Wonderland, of course)
Door bell rings, it's the neighbour
He needs a hand with some labour
I won't be a fool, 'cause he's got a pool
And I'm sweatin' in a sizzlin' summer land

Ceiling fans are a bad joke
I should have listened to the sales bloke
Could have got an AC, on interest free
But I'm sweatin' in a sizzlin' summer land

In the morning we can hit the beach and
Cool down, slapping on the 15plus
Up at 6am to beat the traffic
Don't forget to lock up Uncle Gus

Kids all chant, "Are we there yet"
"Enjoy the view and stop the racquet
There's a beautiful sight, it's a kangaroo fight"
Now I'm sweatin' in a sizzlin' summer land

By the seashore we can build a sandman
We'll pretend that he is Santa Claus
If you dribble water on his belly
He looks like Jabba the Hutt from Star Wars

Blue bottles sting, are you screaming
It's the pain, as their clinging
It gives you a fright, least it's not a shark bite
Sweatin' in a sizzlin' summer land
(Alternative lyrics by C. Burnett of Scat, a Brisbane Jazz band)

Enjoy the snow.

Cords (hear us and have mercy)

*Just had to re-post this as the original video had been removed from YouTube.

Here's a YouTube video that Irene showed us in our final pedagogy class today. This reflects some of what I've been studying all semester. Very cool...and gross...but mostly cool. You can see how different each voice is in size and function. Soprano, alto, bass, and tenor. Each with different size of folds. It's so amazing to me how we make sound with two tiny folds that lengthen and shorten and vibrate. I can't imagine how difficult it would have been for these singers to keep their cool as they sang with the stroboscope in. WARNING: it's not pleasant to watch...but this is what the voice looks like. So if you can stomach it, be amazed with me!

(Looking down on the vocal folds, you can see the epiglottis which assists in swallowing, you can see the vocal folds staying open as they breath and come together when they sing. They also change length as they sing different notes (lengthen for high notes, shorten for low notes). The two "horns" at the back of the folds are cartilage that closes/opens the vocal folds.)

A Glimpse into my studies

Here's a YouTube video that Irene showed us in our final pedagogy class today. This reflects some of what I've been studying all semester. Very cool...and gross...but mostly cool. You can see how different each voice is in size and function. Soprano, alto, bass, and tenor. Each with different size of folds. It's so amazing to me how we make sound with two tiny folds that lengthen and shorten and vibrate. I can't imagine how difficult it would have been for these singers to keep their cool as they sang with the stroboscope in. WARNING: it's not pleasant to watch...but this is what the voice looks like. So if you can stomach it, be amazed with me!

Snapshots

To catch up on much time passed, here are a few snapshots of life in OZ. Enjoy!

The Jacaranda trees are in full bloom (my favorite Aussie tree so far!) and that means EXAMS in uni world. That's right! I am in my final week of classes and will be done my first semester by November 19th (for those of you shaking your heads right now, just remember that while you were lounging on the beach this summer, I was already hitting the books). This semester has flown by and I have loved learning again, especially about something in which I'm so passionate.

At the beginning of October I had the incredible opportunity to volunteer (and thereby attend for FREE) at a conference for the Australian National Association of Teachers of Singing. This was an incredible opportunity as it exposed me to resources and connections that I otherwise wouldn't have been privy to. I left feeling inspired and even more motivated to learn all I can about the voice.

This book was officially released at the Conference. Two note-worthy people have a chapter published in it:

1. A PhD student, Daniel Robinson, who is doing his thesis on Teaching the Contemporary Worship Singer. He was highlighted on the Griffith University website and is one of the reasons I am here! I had coffee with him in September and we had a great discussion about worship and singers in the church. He is doing much of what I hope to do in Canada once my studies are completed. A great contact has been made here!
2. My current voice teacher and pedagogue mentor, Irene Bartlett. I need to share with you a quote or two from Irene's chapter as it confirms once again that I am in the right place. Her chapter is entitled, One Size Doesn't Fit All: Tailored Training for Contemporary Commercial Singers.

"Singers of non-classical styles have urgent need for a pedagogy that fits their genre, one that recognises that produced vocal tone, registration and sound qualities inherent in their commercial singing differ greatly from accepted, western classical-music standards."

"I propose that with some modification to accepted thinking and practice, it is possible for voice teachers to build a healthy vocal technique for all singers, regardless of style."

It is the second statement in particular that actually choked me up. I have said these very words in my search for ways to help my contemporary students. That was about four years ago and now here it is in writing and with some answers! I truly believe God led me here to study with Irene. He is so good and has done far more than I could have ever imagined.
And of course, what would life be without the awesome (and oh so entertaining) people that you get to enjoy it with? Dave has returned from his trip to Canada (let me tell you, if you ever want to know how to travel cheap, this is your man! 2 months in Canada, traveling across the country in a car he bought for $350 and slept in and then sold it again for the same price...this guy has got to be somebody's hero...). So our fourth housemate has been re-instated. And the car that he gave me to drive is a lot easier to steer now that he put some air in the tires...oops. (How was I to know the tires weren't made that small?!)

(L-R: Megan, Bel, Me, Anne-Marie, Kim, Deb)

Bel likes to organize "themed" tea parties. We just had an Australian-themed tea party to welcome Kim, a former housemate, back home from London, England. These ladies are a blessing in my life and we have lots of fun together! Other tea parties have included "Tartan" (either wear it or bring tarts), "Goodbye...to Dubai!)" (as we said good bye to a friend moving to Dubai to work for an airline...everyone had to wear turbans)....and it continues. Never a dull moment in Daisy Hill!

So there you have it...or at least a piece of it. There are many "moments" I would love to share, but I'm not sure blogger.com can handle it. Hope it's given a taste! More to come...

Brief Encounters

Time is flying by! The more I settle in here, the busier I get and the less time I have to post blogs. So it's time to catch up.

Let me take you back to 1996...I promise we won't stay there very long.

I was 18 and experienced my first taste of independence as I toured for 6 weeks in the summer with the Continental Singers (there are actually people who are proud of this fact...I'm still making up my mind). Despite the inevitable cheese-factor of this singing/dancing choir, the experience had a huge impact on my life. For the first time in my life, I was surrounded by people who loved music as much as I did and who wanted to use it to serve God.

There was one girl in particular that I had a "kindred spirit" connection with. Amy & I would hunch down in the seats of the tour bus for hours, solving all the world's problems and a few of our own. When tour ended, she gave me a small gift that she had brought with her on tour to give to a new friend. It was very special...I still have it somewhere!

After tour, I went off to college and Amy returned to Japan where her dad was posted as a US Military Chaplain. This may be hard to believe, but hardly anyone had email back then! We wrote a couple of letters, but then Amy's family moved from Japan and a letter got bounced back to me...and that was the end of our correspondance.

Nine years later, I had returned to my college to teach singing lessons. I went to the Post Office one day and there was a card in the mail...from Amy. She randomly decided to try and get in touch with me, hoping I would still be at the same address (which would be really depressing if I were still a student there!). The Post Office knew me and just moved the card into my new mailbox. We had reconnected! What a gift! It was amazing to catch up and hear each other's journeys. She was now in Nashville, TN, but it was difficult to line up a time to reconnect in person.

And then Facebook happened...making keeping in touch even easier. Amy has developed a speaking/singing ministry that has flourished and has taken her all over the world. In fact, it took her to Australia, to a young adult retreat on Mt. Tamborine, just 30 minutes from Brisbane. And I just happened to be attending this retreat.

So after 14 years, we reconnected in Australia. How crazy is that? It was really cool to see her again...in fact, we found a couch and hunched down to chat just like we did on the tour bus. Her teaching throughout the weekend was rich and it was exciting to see someone so vibrant in their ministry.

Although we didn't get to spend a ton of time together and it could easily be years before we see each other again, it was a great brief encounter. And even "moment friends" are blessings.

(if I had access to a picture of us in 1996, I would include it...it would make for some good laughs)

Cairns Adventure

The much anticipated trip to Cairns had arrived! Bel & I had been blessed to get in on some some cheap flights through a friend in our church ($100 return!) and were pretty pleased with ourselves at finding a cheap Backpackers that gave us our own private room. We were also looking forward to getting out to the Great Barrier Reef on the Monday. So much to look forward to!

For those who are wondering, Cairns (Aussies call it "Cans") is up the coast and almost to the top of eastern Australia. It's known as "the Gateway to the Great Barrier Reef" boasting the closest access and is also surrounded by tropical rain forests.

We stepped off the plane into heat and humidity (this is what I have to look forward to in a couple of months), got our luggage and got a lift to our hostel. Let's just say the pictures on the website were looking much more elaborate than the lumpy mattresses, ripped up carpet, dirty walled room that we were led into. The communal toilet had a lovely neon green seat and the shower had no curtain so there was usually water on the floor. But it was cheap! The funniest part was getting our top sheet from reception...it looked nice all folded up, but by the time it was unfolded, you could see right through it. Bel's sheet had some small holes in it as well. I think this hostel could use an overhaul! We also had a cockroach running across the wall (I didn't know they did that!) and at the end of our trip, when we were stripping our beds, Bel found a cockroach in her sheets! Gross.

Despite the humble accommodations, we were happy to see that they offered free breakfast AND dinner. We got vouchers to a pub downtown that offers 4-5 different voucher menu options. The free food was...free. It improved after a few bites, but we had to keep reminding ourselves that it was free. The water was good! We drank lots of water.

We also found the Night Markets downtown which had a bunch of touristy shops, but more importantly Chinese Massage at $15 for 40 minutes. (And for those who experienced the intrusive Turkish Massage with me back in March...this was a "clothes ON" experience.) We fell into our lumpy, thin-sheeted beds totally relaxed and content.

On Sunday, Bel had a couple church gigs, so I decided to take a $4 shuttle bus up into the mountains to Kuranda, a village in the rainforest. The drive up was beautiful and the village had a laid-back feel with tons of touristy markets and restaurants. I'm not much of a tourist, but I enjoyed wandering through the shops and then found myself a park bench and sat and read my Bible. I also went for a hike through some rainforest trails. It was beautiful! I love nature.

Monday was our most anticipated day. We booked in on a catamaran sailing cruise that took us to 2 different parts of the inner Great Barrier Reef, Oyster & Upolu. It was a really well-run boat, great staff, good food, and lots of space for everyone.

However, it wasn't quite what we were expecting. The trip to the reef was longer than anticipated and it felt like we spent more time on the boat than in the water. The long boat ride also made Bel sea sick, which made for some interesting moments.

We arrived at Reef #1 and grabbed our snorkeling gear and dove in. I think we saw one colorful fish before we had to swim back to the boat and get suited up for our dive. That scuba stuff is heavy! We learned about breathing into a regulator and popping our ears to pressurize them. We only went down about 7 feet and I think I was concentrating so hard on staying horizontal and remembering to breath through my regulator that I didn't really enjoy it. We did get to kneel on the ocean floor and touch a giant clam, watching it react and close up. That was cool. I also saw some clown fish (Nemo!). Our 30 minute dive was short-lived and before we knew it, we were on our way back up to the surface.

This was a good thing because as soon as Bel got out of the water, she ran for the bathroom. Apparently she had spent the whole time underwater wondering how she was going to throw-up underwater. Her plan was to take her regulator out of her mouth, but then she wasn't sure how she would breathe. So that led to her planning to break away from our group (we all had our arms interlocking) and swimming for the surface, which we found out later would have been the worst thing to do. She would have made it to the surface for about 2 seconds and then her tank would have pulled her back down to about 4 feet, hurting her ears, probably causing her to panic and swallow large amounts of salt water. The guide told us that the best thing to do is to throw-up into your regulator! It would bubble out the side just like our exhalation does. Having been linked side-by-side, I am quite thankful that didn't happen.

The sea-sickness continued for the rest of the trip for Bel. I ended up snorkeling the second reef alone (not seeing much!) and the trip back was so choppy, about half the boat was sick. We did get to see a whale jumping out of the water, which was pretty cool. But the trip back to Cairns couldn't end soon enough for Bel. She was pretty happy to get her feet back onto dry land.

So the Great Barrier Reef wasn't so "great". It was cool to try out diving and I would have loved more time snorkeling, disappointed that I didn't get to see all that much. I'm still waiting to see the colorful coral teaming with life. Someday I will find it! The Great Barrier Reef is slowing being destroyed from coral bleaching, cyclones and of course, tourism.

Still, adventure is adventure. And Bel & I had a great time getting to know each other. She's an awesome girl and we have lots of funny memories from this trip. Now it's back to the books!

Patriotism At Its Finest

Bel had a gig in our area where she had to sing the Australian National Anthem for National Flag Day on September 3rd. So she decided this would be a great opportunity to make me more Australian and got Deb and myself into the living room to rehearse this patriotic number.

It was such an incredibly entertaining moment for me that I just had to capture it on video and share it with you.

Spring and Wattles and such

Happy first day of spring! Today is September 1st, the first day of spring in Australia and I can definitely feel a change in the weather. It even SMELLS warmer. It's amazing how quickly people shed their outer layers and the shorts and "singlets" (tank tops) emerge. I am looking forward to seeing how the seasons change here.

Today is also National Wattle Day. Now I had researched this and was wondering what crazy things would come out of such a day. But nothing happened. Life as usual. The wattle is a national flower that grows on trees here in a number of varieties. Apparently you're supposed to wear a sprig on your lapel, but it must have lost it's allure somewhere along the way.

So Happy Wattle Day. Or whatever.

Life has been quite full these past few days. A bit of work, a bit of play. My housemate, Deb, and her fiance, Neil invited me to join them at a Jazz CD release party on Friday night. His mate plays bass in the band. They were really good and it was fun to go out and hear some local music. I hope I get to do more of this in the future. http://www.myspace.com/scatjazz (check out the video with their newspaper suits!)

I was also involved in a performance at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC) this past Saturday. The Chamber Choir that I sing with at the Con joined a larger choir to sing Gustav Mahler's Resurrection with the Queensland Youth Orchestra. Our part was rather small, but in German, so it took a bit of rehearsing. We sang the final 10 minutes of the 5th movement and then it was over. Kind of a weird performance for me, but it was cool to be able to sing at QPAC and with some great musicians.

I have also taught 2 voice students this week! I am starting to make more connections and may have a couple others lined up. I am glad to get going on this again. I also attempted a lesson over Skype with a friend, but we had to turn the video feature off since it kept freezing up and I ended up forgetting that I had asked him to lay on the floor and left him there! Oops.

Wrapping up another week of studies. The assignments are starting to pile on. But I still manage to make time for some Aussie adventures. Big weekend coming up...my trip to Cairns with Bel! Really looking forward to it and hope that it's not raining!

A New Normal

It's hard to believe that I have been here 40 days (my camera is keeping track for me)...a month and a half down...only 16.5 more to go! Actually, it's more like, "only a month and a half?!" So much has been packed in, I feel like I've been here much longer.

40 days ago I had never been on a Brisbane bus.
I can now read a book and know that I won't miss my stop.
40 days ago I was terrified to drive on the left side of the road.
Although there is a minor panic when a car comes towards me, I find myself going into subconscious mode as I drive (as much as you can with Dave's car, of course).
40 days ago I was a stranger to Brisbane-ites.
Now I'm becoming a friend.
40 days ago Australia was a concept in my head.
Now it's becoming a home.

Yup, life has found a new normal as these weeks have passed. Here are a few notables:

I've settled into life at Daisy Hill. My housemates, Bel & Deb are great. Although Dave is now in Canada and the house isn't quite the same without him, the girls still manage to make things a bit crazy and exciting. Bel recently purchased a pink Nissan Micra (don't think I've seen a pink car other than the Mary Kay Cadillac, but it definitely suits Bel) and due to a random conversation, an outing in dressing gowns (housecoats) occurred, dragging me protesting along with it. As we've gotten more comfortable with each other, I've discovered that they don't always understand what I'm saying (which, of course, would explain why they haven't laughed at my jokes). Bel has taken it upon herself to teach me the proper pronunciation of words and has me repeat after her numerous times and then her eyes light up when I actually say it properly. I don't think it will stick....but I continue to humor her.

Uni is finding it's own rhythm as well. My Canadian-ness proves to be a source of entertainment for the students as they try and get me to say things like, "Bonza beauty mate!" and then laugh with glee as I fail miserably. I now know my way around and am getting the hang of sticking my nose in the books. I'm definitely feeling the challenge of being in an elite music school. I'm learning just how difficult it is to get into this place and how coveted each position is. I am very honored to be here. The fire has been lit. The butt is in gear.

Other life things:

• I've been attending Springwood Church of Christ (www.echurch.org.au) and really like it there. This is the church that hooked me up with a place to live. I just kept making more connections there, so I've stayed. A great group of people, $2 suppers on Sunday night, really good teaching, rooted in prayer and the Word. It's good. I'm pleasantly surprised that I don't have to hunt...but still may visit some other churches as opportunities arise.
  
• I have my FIRST voice student! I start teaching him next Friday. One other potentially is lined up. It's coming together in good timing.
  
• I have enjoyed seeing some great sights with some new friends. I have finally seen the ocean on an excursion to Byron Bay a few weeks ago. I'm very much looking forward to going back! And I've experienced a bit of Brisbane city life riding the CityCat on the river & hitting the weekend markets.
• There are many things to look forward to, including a trip to Cairns (Great Barrier Reef, here we come!) and a reunion at a conference on Tambourine Mountain with a dear friend that I haven't seen since 1996. (More on those 2 events on a later blog)
  

I'm liking this "new normal". And although I think I may be taking it for granted that I'm living in 25 degrees winter with palm trees out my bedroom window (hahaaaaaa!), I never want to forget the many ways God is providing and working in my life. He continues to provide and lead me and teach me. It's a good season. Truly more than anything I could ever ask or imagine. Thanks for journeying with me.

The Universal Language

They say music is the universal language. This week, however, I discovered a break in its all-embracing communication. You know when you listen to someone speaking English and then they throw in a word from another world and it seems to fall from your ears? Well, that happened to me a few times this week before I piped up and said, "Um, excuse me, I'm from Canada. What's a 'crotchet'?"

I have since learned that there are two systems of defining musical structure, just as there are various ways of measuring distance and temperature and weight. Allow me to educate:
MUSICAL TERMS: CANADA vs AUSTRALIA
(which I believe is actually America vs. Britain)
Whole note = Semi-breve
Half note = Minim
Quarter note = Crotchet (aha! the image in my head was a crotch rocket, not a black dot with a stem...)
Eighth note = Quaver
Sixteenth note = Semiquaver
Thirty-second note = Demisemiquaver
Sixty-fourth note = Hemidemisemiquaver
Hundred twenty-eighth note = Quasihemidemisemiquaver (oh yes)

You know, for a country that likes to shorten their words, they certainly know how to complicate musical terms. I vote Canada on this one.

Oh Yeah...School

With my first week of classes behind me, I find that I have been shaken back into the reality of why I have come to the Land Down Undah. After three weeks of getting settled into Brisbane and getting used to the laid-back, take-it-as-it-comes lifestyle, I am now hearing phrases like "cognitive thinking" and "assignments". And I think that perhaps I haven't pondered those phrases in nearly 10 years (OK, I have many logical thinkers laughing at me now)!

It was about 10 years ago that I was at college, trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life, and really longing for more musical training, that a prof of mine said, "I think you need to go somewhere where you can live and breathe music for a year or two." And although at the time I chose to stick it out and finish my degree, I have often thought about how wonderful that would be.

And that is the first thing I have realized this week. This school is a MUSIC school. You don't study anything else. And everyone else here had to audition to get in, which means they are GOOD. I am walking down hallways of tubas, drums and violins, opera singers, jazz vocalists and everything in between. I am hearing conversations of various weekend gigs that have either been attended or performed at. I am hearing the inevitable tension between the two "main" styles of music as a jazz student stated earlier this week that in order to cross the hallway into the classical side, you need to "remove your shoes".

I am completely immersed in music. And I love it.

For those who care to know, here are the courses I am taking this term:

• Pedagogy 1 (the text book is 3 volumes and I just read a detailed account of how sound is created. Pedagogy means "the art of teaching"...it also means a lot of scientific understanding of the voice...this will be a heavy course!)
• Pedagogy in Practice (basically voice lessons, but there are 2 of us in the class. We each get a 30 min. lesson and then observe the other lesson from a pedagogy perspective)
• Contemporary Performance Project (from what I can tell so far, we get put into groups and have to create a 45 min. gig off-campus at the end of term)
• Choral Conducting (what it sounds like!)
• Postgraduate Ensemble (I am singing in two ensembles: a Vocal Jazz group and a Chamber Choir (classical) Lots of singing and performing this term!)

This term will be a lot of practical study as most of my program requirements will be met next year (a lot of vocal stuff isn't offered this term due to a prof being away), so I am getting some electives out of the way.

And so it begins! Some of these students have been at the Con for 5 years and are continuing into their masters. They are quite familiar with how things are run and I believe I will be kept on my toes as I try to keep up. But it's exciting and I'm ready for it!

I even assembled a desk, which I am proud enough to post a photo. A whopping $59!

And I was a total nerd and asked my new voice teacher for a photo. I really like her and all that she stands for. I am looking forward to gleaning from this remarkable woman!

A lesson in driving from Dave

I didn't think that I would be driving while I was here and I am quite content with the bus system in Brisbane. But when my housemate, Dave, offered me his beloved Datsun Sunny to drive while he was off in Canada, I thought it might be a fun adventure. Plus his sister, Bel, told me that this car is gold to Dave and he has basically offered me a piece of his heart. How can you say no to that?!

The deal was that if I were going to drive this car, Dave would need to give me a lesson or two. He was quite willing to do so and we made the first attempt this past Saturday. I had geared myself up to sit on the right and to drive on the left while shifting gears with my left hand. I had been paying attention to the flow of traffic over the past 2 weeks and had even practiced "air-shifting" so I felt quite mentally prepared.

What I wasn't prepared for was Dave walking out to the car with a cooking pot of water and a jug of brake fluid. The driving lesson commenced with, "Now Julie, before you drive her, there are a few things you need to know." Let me see if I can recall all that needs to be remembered when operating this precious vehicle:

• The radiator has a leak (hence the pot of water) and I will need to top it up about once a week
• The brake light tends to come on. When that happens, check the brake fluid and top up...for it also has a leak.
• The oil may leak too...so check it. Dave has changed the oil about once a year. When he pulled up the dip stick, I wondered if maybe the year was up.
• To pop the "bonnet" (hood), I need to use pliers since the nob has long since fallen off the release. Dave courteously left me a pair in the car.
• It takes a LOT of loving urges to get the car to run. Once it's going, it purrs like a kitten.
  
• The heat works great! But do not turn on the headlights and the heater at the same time. The heater will short out the headlights. (So far, in Australian winter, I have experienced that it is at night when you most need heat...and lights...guess I will brave the cold)
• When I turn off the car, make sure the lights are in highbeam position. Otherwise, the lights will turn on by themselves and will drain the battery.
• To roll down the driver's window, just grab onto the locking pliers conveniently attached to the door. Although it still doesn't roll down all the way. I didn't ask why.

So add that to simply driving on the left side of the road and you can imagine my spinning head as we pulled out onto the street. You can also imagine both Bel (sitting in the backseat, for she wouldn't have missed this for anything!) and myself laughing our heads off as Dave added one more thing to remember about the car.

Thankfully our street is one-way, so the first few meters were no sweat. However, when it came time to signal, I discovered the windshield wipers instead. Numerous times. Upon approaching a round-about, I quickly learned that there is no power steering (there is no power-ANYTHING in this car) and had to really work to get around the curve. We drove to 2 destinations: the Daisy Hill Koala Center and the Hyperdome (mall). Dave was a good teacher and I managed to get us there and back alive. Dave also gave me the names of a few guys from church who can come to my rescue if the need should ever arise.

Thanks for the adventure, Dave. And I'm sure there will be many more!

The Aussie Slang

Something that has really grabbed my attention since arriving in Australia is their amazing skill for slang. These people shorten as many words as they can. Words like "roo" and "Gabba" (short for Woollongabba, an area of Brisbane), and the "Con" (my school) cause me to continuously asking them for clarification. But my favorite by far is their love for the "ie". Let me demonstrate:

• Aussie (Australian)
• cruisey (laid back)
• barbie (BBQ)
• Brizzie (Brisbane)
• lollies (sweets, candies)
• bickie (biscuit, cookie)
• Uni (university)
• truckie (truck driver)
• tradesie (trades person)

I could go on. It's fascinating. In fact, there is an Australian Slang Dictionary for anyone who wants to get in on mastering it.

http://www.koalanet.com.au/australian-slang.html

That being said, I wonder if anyone here will ever call me Jules. Seeing that my name already has an "ie", I don't seem to be in need of a nickname here. I may have to educate.

Welcome to Griffith! Orientation weeks...

"Congratulations on taking the risk of studying in another country!"

That's how my International Orientation began last Monday, July 12 (also my birthday). It was exciting for me to hear those words. This journey HAS been a risk-taking adventure for me. And hearing the guy up front say it out loud made me feel like I had arrived.

My dear friend and prayer warrior, Catherine, told me when I was working through my application that she had a deep sense that God was not only going to get me over to Australia so that I could study what I am passionate about, but that He would also provide the funding for me to do this. And God HAS! I have been blessed by both student loans as well as gifts from friends and family. I am here, living a simpler life, but about to embark on a great educational journey! Thank you to everyone who has joined me in this journey. I definitely would not have done it without the many prayers, encouragements...occasionally butt-kickings, and amazing support that you have given me. Thanks for sharing in the excitement.

So here is what I have learned during my Orientation:

• Brunei is a country. A fellow international student named Sheila told me so...she lives there.
• I have to apply for a tax file number if I don't want the Australian gov't to take 40% of my banking interest or job salary! (done and done!)
• A fire spreads fast in a room. In fact, the windows will blow out in under 2 minutes (we got to watch a video). So don't start a fire in your house. And don't pour water on flaming oil.
  
• Australian waters have rip tides, sharks, and jelly fish. ALWAYS SWIM BETWEEN THE FLAGS.
• Queensland is the Skin Cancer Capital of the world. Hello Sunscreen!
  
• I may be the only International Master of Music student at orientation...
  

Wasn't that enlightening?! There was a seminar offered entitled: How to Make Friends at Uni, but I missed that one. I will be attending a few more seminars tomorrow, but then the exciting part begins!

Today I met with my program advisor and my new vocal coach! Both are great people and they bent over backwards making this a perfect program for me. I am so excited to get studying. Classes begin next week, July 26.

Let me tell you a little story....

Let me introduce you to my housemate, Dave. He's a little nuts...I think he would get along great with my brother...and pretty much every other crazy guy @ Living Springs. He's actually leaving for Canada in a couple weeks on a work visa, connecting with some Capernwray friends.

The reason why I'm bringing him up is for his impeccable timing and sensitivity for this Canadian girl in telling me a little story.

He had just moved into the house a few months ago and woke up to find a SNAKE curled up on his feet!!! In his BEDROOM. Which is right beside MINE. He figures the snake is cold blooded and was looking for a warm place. He told me he had tried to pick it up, but it started hissing at him. He must have called out to Bel (his sister) because she called the neighbors and they were on their way over with a shovel to kill the snake. But Dave was able to shoo it out of the house and the snake went into the garden.

If you can imagine what I'm going through at this point as we are all sitting around the table. Also imagine Bel & Deb madly trying to stop Dave from telling the story! When they realized he wasn't stopping, they tried to downplay it. "This is just a freak thing. It NEVER happens." "It wasn't a poisonous snake...it was harmless" And then Deb's fiance, Neil, pipes up, "You know it's illegal to kill snakes. Unless they are attacking you." Good to know....but really, who would know if I happened to murder a snake?!

So as the days have passed on, the snake story has come up a couple of times. Dave is quite proud to say that he sleeps with snakes (a REAL man). In fact, here is his theory: He claims to have an agreement with SPIDERS. Bel has confirmed that growing up, there were spider webs in Dave's room because he refused to kill them. He said his agreement is that he won't harm them and they won't harm him. A few days before the SNAKE incident, Dave was cleaning out his parents' garden and was bit by a different snake. He says that he realized then that he didn't have an agreement with snakes. So as the biter slithered away, he made an agreement with it. He figures that waking up to a snake curled up on his feet was the species way of telling him they were in agreement with him.

The girls figure they are under Dave's protection with this little agreement...

Nevertheless, I check my room thoroughly each night before I go to bed.

If you would like more details, I have taken it upon myself to be educated on the type of snake that invaded our humble abode. It's called the Brown Tree Snake. May I point out "weakly venomous". The Green Tree Snake is more common and not venomous at all....but that's not the one that was curled up on Dave's feet.

Warning: Do not browse this website before going to sleep (just from experience)
http://www.snakecatchers.com.au/Brown_Tree_Snake.html

Daisy Hill

Let me tell you a bit of history behind where I'm living in Brisbane. This is just one of the many ways that God has provided for me on this journey.

My mom tracked down an old friend from 30 years ago who lives in Brisbane. This wonderful lady put an ad in her church bulletin and I got an email from a girl named Bel. She told me that she lives in a share house with her cousin, Deb and her brother, Dave and that there was an extra room that I could take if I were interested. She also mentioned that she had studied the Undergrad version of my degree...so when I asked her what instrument she played, she told me she was also a voice teacher! And the house had a teaching studio that she would be willing to share with me if I needed it. How could I say no to such an offer?! I'm in a program where I will be required to teach and the opportunity is dropped right into my lap. Bel has further offered to help me find students as she has had to turn a few away already this year.

So Daisy Hill (a suburb of Brisbane) is a gift from God. I felt welcomed into the house immediately. They had a welcome sign up on my bedroom door and some Tim Tams (Australian cookie) on my bed. Dave lent me a bed and dresser and Bel lent me this hilarious mirror that Deb thinks is the most insulting thing ever! I have left it up because it's just too funny.

(It reads "Time Marches On")

The house is probably the oldest I have ever lived in and already I've had encounters with a couple cockroaches (I hear that's the least of my problems). But the people make the place, right?! I'm enjoying getting to know my housemates and am so glad to live with local people.

Here's a photo of my birthday...they initiated me into the house with these lovely glasses and then made me wear them all night as we went out for dinner. I have a feeling there will never be a dull moment here.

(Me, Deb, Bel, Dave)

First Impressions

Finally I am reconnected with the world! I have a lot to catch up on and will do so in a few blog entries.

I arrived safe and sound in Sydney on July 6th at 6am. After finding luggage storage and a nice hot shower at the airport, I took a train into the city to do some exploring (may I just say that the herbal pills "No Jet Lag" do wonders and I had enough energy to get through the morning at least!). Heading straight for the Sydney icon, I arrived at the Opera House and walked around for a couple hours including half way across the Sydney Harbor Bridge. I also explored the Rocks (old Sydney) and the Royal Botanical Garden before heading back to the airport to get some lunch and chill out with my book.

Later on, I flew into Moree, NSW, where I stayed with my good friend, Kate. We had met about 6 years ago at a camp in Alberta. It was so great to see her family farm (2 properties) and get to know a bit more about her life in OZ. It was also wonderful to be with someone familiar in very unfamiliar territory. Kate helped make this transition so easy. She organized an amazing care package for me, too, complete with towels, bedding, housecoat (or dressing gown as they call it!). I felt so spoiled an am amazed at how God provides.

I spent 3 days relaxing on the farm, soaking it up at the Artesian Hot Pools in Moree (water that naturally pumps hot from deep underground) and meeting Kate's family.
July 9th, we made the final trek of my journey to Brisbane. While Moree area was vast, almost empty and had an untamed wildness about it, Brisbane is lush with such a variety of foliage and rolling hills. I loved seeing both areas so much!

So now I am in Brisbane, living in Daisy Hill. More about that later! The first leg of the journey a complete success. My life is so different from even just a month ago. I'm already feeling the laid back lifestyle of the Aussies...not sure if I can still say that once I'm a full time student!

Ceasing to Exist on July 5th

As I prepare to make the long journey down under, I thought it would be appropriate to post a portion of a book I have been reading: In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson. Next to Donald Miller and Liam Stone, this guy could be my new favorite author. He's hilarious and smart. I like that in a book. Anyway, here's the clip:

"Each time you fly from North America to Australia, and without anyone asking how you feel about it, a day is taken away from you when you cross the international date line. I left Los Angeles on January 3 and arrived in Sydney fourteen hours later on January 5. For me there was no January 4. None at all. Where it went exactly I couldn't tell you. All I know is that for one twenty-four-hour period in the history of earth, it appears I had no being.

"I find that a little uncanny, to say the least. I mean to say, if you were browsing through your ticket folder and you saw a notice that said, 'Passengers are advised that on some crossings twenty-four-hour loss of existence may occur' (which is, of course, how they would phrase it, as if it happened from time to time), you would probably get up and make inquiries, grab a sleeve, and say, 'Excuse me.' There is, it must be said, a certain metaphysical comfort in knowing that you can cease to have material form and it doesn't hurt at all, and, to be fair, they do give you the day back on the return journey when you cross the date line in the opposite direction and therby manage somehow to arrive in Los Angeles before you left Syndey, which in its way, of course, is an even neater trick." (Bryson, page 9-10)

So think of me as I fly out this Sunday, July 4th, from Seattle/Los Angeles/Sydney/Moree. As you are going about your day on July 5th, I will be somewhere between not existing and sleeping into July 6th.

In Dreams...

In the midst of packing, farewell parties, a voice recital and a little trip to BC, I find I haven't had a moment to process all that I am going through...or that Australia is a very near reality.

Seriously, in the world of technology, almost everything from my acceptance to Uni to my plane tickets have been online. I realize this is that world today, but it doesn't make it seem real. I find myself oddly calm for someone about to leave behind all she knows and embark on such a big adventure.

As friends and family experience the strange combo of sorrow and excitement, I sit here as though nothing has changed. Sure, I have sold, packed or stored all my belongings, closed up my beloved rented basement suite, said goodbye to dear friends and to a great job...yet I feel like I'm merely on holidays. It is as though my brain hasn't registered that I won't be returning to Cochrane next week. Nope, I am moving onward!

So for some assistance to my little head, I thought I should reflect on the things I will miss the most about my 4 years in Cochrane. So here's my little "ode":

• the beautiful mountains and all the adventures that lie within (believe me, I will miss all the hikes, snow shoeing, and x-country skiing trips!)
• walks along the river (more so that many great conversations and good company that have accompanied those walks)
• the "down-home" atmosphere and being part of such rich community
• Being part of a team...even though they knew my quirks and mocked me mercilessly, I will miss the endearment, the vision, the discussions, the purpose that I got to be a part of.
• Time spend with friends who know me well and dive in deep (these are not over, of course! They have merely taken a new path...but I shall miss the old path)
• I think I will be fiercely aware of what I have taken for granted in being on staff at a church...being known, easily having a well-defined role, having a say in how things are run...now I will be unknown, finding my place, supporting others in leadership, etc. This will be so good for me...but I will miss what is familiar.

Dearest Cochrane, you were once but a dream as I drove past your mountain view over 7 years ago. I told God, "I must live here one day!" And 3 years later that dream became a reality and was rich in blessing and in preparing me for what lies ahead. Thank God for you.

Australia....more so studying the voice...is perhaps one of the biggest dreams I have had to date. I look forward to seeing it become reality and to keep the dreams coming!

This CuryGirlDesigns pic is what flipped up on my calendar for June. Pretty timely, I think! It has been an incredible few weeks as so many things have come into place for me to go to Australia.

This past week, I had the opportunity to share my life journey with a group of people who have been a part of my life here at Cochrane Alliance. It was a really special time and I walked away feeling loved & supported on this next leg of the journey and very much in awe of my God. His ways certainly are not my own; His thoughts so much higher. It is always amazing to look back and see how much I have learned and how each step of the way has prepared me for what's next.

I have booked my flight!! I leave on July 4 from Seattle after visiting some family and friends on the west coast.

1 week left @ CAC, only 2 more times that I lead worship (at least for 2010!), and 3 weeks left of teaching voice.

Then I guess all that's left is the packing up....and finding those cute pair of shoes! Hmmmm....shopping anyone?

I'm moving to Australia!

Since I am about to embark on an exciting adventure, I decided to get blogging again.
So to catch everyone up...I am heading off to Brisbane, Australia! I have been accepted into Griffith University to get my Master of Music Studies in teaching voice (officially: Vocal Pedagogy in Contemporary Music). I am VERY excited about this opportunity!
I head Down Under in July and will be there for the next year and a half.

It's been amazing to see how God is leading me and providing for every step of the way. Being accepted into a university at a Masters Level in an area that I am most passionate about, seeing the funding come together...it's overwhelming!

A few things to wrap up still as I finish up 3 more weeks at CAC and 4 more weeks of teaching. I am also spending as much time as possible with my friends and family...even if it DOES help me procrastinate from packing...ugh. And then it's OFF TO OZ!!!!