Happy New Year

Happy New Year! January 1, 2010, I was with my "other family", Bruce & Donna & Julia Thiessen. After a day of cross-country skiing in Banff, a good meal and a soak in the hot tub, we spent time together praying in the new year. My 2 requests were to know God more and to know what the next step would be in terms of vocal education. A week later, I discovered Griffith University online and well, I guess the rest is history!

January 1, 2011 sees me in quite a different place. In this journey, I am so grateful for those who walk with me, who pray with me and for me, and who continue to do life with me even though this distance is great. Thank you. My life is RICH because of you.

This week also marks 6 months in Australia! Day 184 according to my camera. Time is flying by.

The Christmas season has come and gone. I made a good effort to get into it, but I have to admit, I miss the snow and my family and friends back home. A hot Christmas just doesn't feel like Christmas! But I did get to enjoy it with some wonderful people.

(Christmas lunch with the Daisy Hill gang:
Me, Deb, Neil, Bel, Dave, Kruffs)

Christmas in Brissie

• Charlie Brown Christmas tree (well, the tree itself was nice, but the decorations wouldn't last long if my mom were around!)
• Santa hats, reindeer antlers, Santa hat earrings, and a festive dog
• Christmas lunch with the Daisy Hill gang
  

(Dave, Kruffs, Bel, and I)

Christmas in Moree (6 hours southwest of Brisbane)

• Nativity plays by children and adults
• Christmas baking (bringing in some Canadian treats like cinnamon buns, poppycock and lemon tarts)
• multiple Christmas dinners! So full...
  
• Escaping the heat in an air conditioned farmhouse!
• Being spoiled by Kate & Cheryl Boughton
  

(Christmas dinner with the Boughton family)

Christmas Day at Megli's farm

• a place I had heard much about from other Canadian friends have visited/lived there. It was great to have a bit of Canadian representation and we enjoyed good food and company.
• Still, I missed my own family GREATLY. We did have a hilarious Skype chat with on Christmas Day.
• Of all the things I missed this time of year, it was playing games and hanging out with my fam.

(Christmas Day @ the Meglis)

Other holiday adventures

• I got to see a bit of Australian country life
• hiking in a small mountain range
• horseback riding on the farm
• I even saw a brown snake...it was dead, but I saw it nonetheless. This would be my first snake sighting since I arrived in OZ (no pics, sorry...too gross!)

(afternoon ride with Kim Megli)

(Hike @ Mt. Kaputar)

New Years on the coast

• we (Kate, Cheryl & I) drove 6 hours east to Macksville on the coast
• We left the "outback" and drove through foothills, then a mountain range which dropped into a beautiful rain forest with waterfalls and finally to the ocean.
• Fish 'n chips on the beach, hanging out with Kate's relatives, swimming in the ocean, and some touristy shopping.

(Kate & I @ Nambucca Heads)

It's good to be back "home" in Brisbane, ready for 2011 and all that it holds.

Special Gifts

I believe that my best Christmas present came early this year. My dear friend, Catherine came to visit me for a whole week! We were fully aware of how perfectly timed this visit was...a gift all in itself. Catherine had to book her flights way back in March (she also went to Perth to spend Christmas with her sister), before I was even accepted into Uni or even knew for sure if I was moving to Australia. But I did and had finished my first semester and moved to a new house just in time to welcome my friend to my little world. I didn't have a summer job yet, so other than a few students, I was totally free to be with Catherine and have some great adventures.

(picking up Catherine @ Brisbane Airport)

It was fun showing someone from home where I live and go to Uni and meet some people in my life here. Catherine said that she had pictured me in a Canadian version of Australia, but that this is truly a different world.

We did a lot in our 6 days together. I had the pleasure of being Catherine's personal shopper as I gladly spent her money on new clothes since she forgot her suitcase back in Canada. A minor setback that barely phased us and any sorrows that remained were drowned at Max Brenner, the BEST chocolate restaurant in the world (it's American, so if you find one on our continent, GO!). Despite rainy weather, we managed to get some beach time in at Byron Bay, Surfers Paradise and Marcoola Beach on the Sunshine Coast. The rain stopped long enough for us to walk around, enjoy the view, and play in the waves. We hit the markets, randomly found a glow worm cave tour, hiked through some rain forest, enjoyed some seafood, looked over the Glass House Mountains, and drove scooters around a small island (C also fell off the scooter on the small island...). We enjoyed my new home, cooking some Aussie treats, swimming in the pool, and watching the evening come in as the birds go to sleep, crickets and frogs sing and fruit bats start flying in.

(@ the Big Pineapple on the Sunshine Coast)

How did we get around, you may ask? Why the Datsun Sunny plugged along the coast quite nicely. We bought defogger for the windshield as the air vents didn't do the job of keeping the windshield clear. Turns out neither did the defogger...we used towels. Catherine also discovered a massive water leak on the passenger side as her feet were soaked by the end of a rainy day. We had a couple of hot days and were once again grateful for the invention of air conditioning...in our vehicles back in Canada. Windows rolled down and fluids checked daily, we made our mark on the Eastern Coast of Australia.

Lots of laughter and really cherishing the little things in life, it was an unforgettable week! Catherine is one of the people who has walked with me from the beginning of this journey. It was a cool gift for both of us to celebrate and see how God has blessed and provided, both in direction, dreams and friendship.

(@ Byron Bay)

Moving up in the world

December marked my 7th move in 5 years. I was more than happy to make this move, although Bel did say one HAS to have this kind of living experience to really appreciate the good things in life.

Our lease was up at Daisy Hill and we decided not to renew. Deb got married in November, so we downsized to a smaller house, but definitely have moved up in the world! Dave & Bel's dad has rented us a beautiful newly renovated house in Shailer Park. We even have a pool, just in time for the hot, humid summer! Bedrooms are a bit smaller, but the teaching studio is bigger.

So we've gladly said goodbye to our old house. Gone is the moldy shower, the cockroach infested kitchen, the spider-ridden downstairs. Now we're learning all about maintaining a pool (not easy when it's been raining almost everyday) and trying to keep the house looking new (not easy when you live with Bel & Dave...). :)

Here's a tour of our old house/new house!

'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...