News/Blog Entries http://judson.edu/ Tue, 21 May 2013 00:00:00 EST Infomedia ContentEdits http://judson.edu/blogs/christina/index.asp?action=ind&pub_id=777 It is almost the end of July and I am pretty sure this will be my last Judson blog :( This summer has flown by and still I do not know what to do with my life. I have a diploma and tons of wonderful memories from Judson, but I do not feel prepared to move on. Part of me wishes I could just go back in the fall.... Wed, 28 Jul 2010 00:00:00 EST 777 About Me Judson http://judson.edu/blogs/christina/index.asp?action=ind&pub_id=719 It has been a while since my last blog. Due to the crazy time difference between America and the other side of the world, I am still trying to get back on schedule. My habits have been completely out of whack and I have lacked little motivation to do more than sleep and eat. New Zealand was without a doubt the most BEAUTIFUL country I have ever seen.... Fri, 2 Jul 2010 00:00:00 EST 719 About Me Abroad Traveling http://judson.edu/blogs/christina/index.asp?action=ind&pub_id=669 Thursday was a day that I will never forget. Kristin (my roomie) says that it was "epic". Personally, I think I should have stayed in bed. My day would have progressed better if I got mauled by hungry lions. OKAY, I'm totally exaggerating... as I tend to do... but I DID have a pretty crappy Thursday.... Fri, 11 Jun 2010 00:00:00 EST 669 About Me Abroad http://judson.edu/blogs/christina/index.asp?action=ind&pub_id=662 It was a cold and rainy day- much like most other days in Australia in the past few weeks. My roommates and I decided to go to Featherdale Wildlife Park to see the Koalas and Kangaroos. Even though we have seen Kangaroos already, we didn't really see them up close and we never saw a koala in the wild.... Wed, 9 Jun 2010 00:00:00 EST 662 About Me Traveling http://judson.edu/blogs/christina/index.asp?action=ind&pub_id=644 Weekends are always my favorite. After the rush of a long week, I am able to enjoy my time in the city. This weekend began with a celebration. One of the girls I'm rooming with had a birthday! We went out for Italian food and then had cake and ice cream. We knew that the night could not end so typically, yet we could not think of ANYTHING to do.... Mon, 24 May 2010 00:00:00 EST 644 About Me Traveling http://judson.edu/blogs/christina/index.asp?action=ind&pub_id=638 I have a friend who is very passionate. It is the kind of passion that is contagious. When I was on Facebook Thursday, he messaged me extremely excited. He said that the Invisible Children bill went through to bring more relief funds to displaced children in Uganda and (most importantly) to find Joseph Kony, the leader of the LRA (a group in Northern Uganda that has terrorized and killed numerous people).... Mon, 17 May 2010 00:00:00 EST 638 About Me Abroad http://judson.edu/blogs/christina/index.asp?action=ind&pub_id=633 If I could get away with living life in my room, I probably would do just that... my introverted nature keeps me from enjoying my surroundings sometimes. Luckily, I have two roommates who  made it their goal to make sure I do not lock myself into my room for the remainder of the trip. This week, even though I really just wanted to stay home and do homework (or sleep), they insisted I get out and actually enjoy Sydney.... Sun, 9 May 2010 00:00:00 EST 633 About Me Abroad Field Trip! http://judson.edu/blogs/christina/index.asp?action=ind&pub_id=628 I thought that I was coming to Australia to gain educational knowledge. Politics, global issues, theology, and culture are the topics that I signed up to learn about. While the course load is intense, this is a comfortable area for me. I am one of those odd people who loves an educational challenge.... Mon, 3 May 2010 00:00:00 EST 628 About Me Abroad http://judson.edu/blogs/christina/index.asp?action=ind&pub_id=625 I was looking back at my old blogs and I came across one about challenges I thought I would face on this trip.  The first challenge was packing one suitcase. I succeeded in packing only one...well I did bring an extra small suitcase, but I'm not counting that one! However, I really do not know why they were so adamant about packing so little.... Wed, 28 Apr 2010 00:00:00 EST 625 About Me Abroad http://judson.edu/blogs/christina/index.asp?action=ind&pub_id=601 I've continued to take boxing lessons on Sunday nights. Last Sunday was a particularly hard workout. At one point the trainer (aka my super cool priest/ philosopher/ boxing instructor!) punched me in the stomach. I learned a good lesson: always tighten your abs or you will regret it! However, getting hit in the stomach was not nearly as bad as the sucker punch I received when I read some of my required reading for class.... Fri, 23 Apr 2010 00:00:00 EST 601 About Me Lecture http://judson.edu/blogs/christina/index.asp?action=ind&pub_id=589 My high school English teacher made us memorize quotes. I hated it at the time. In fact, I hated most of the work she gave us at the time. I've now come to appreciate the values she instilled in my life. There is one quote in particular that stuck with me. It is a small quote from Tennyson's Ulysses and in many ways it has shaped the way I look at life.... Wed, 21 Apr 2010 00:00:00 EST 589 About Me Abroad Judson Traveling http://judson.edu/blogs/christina/index.asp?action=ind&pub_id=568 I cannot conjure up words powerful enough to describe my experience in the Australian outback. It was probably the most amazing place I have ever been IN MY LIFE! However, it did not start out that way. At first, the outback adventure was not too kind to us. It rained the first day on the road as we sat in a bus filled with 40 people.... Mon, 12 Apr 2010 00:00:00 EST 568 About Me Abroad Field Trip! http://judson.edu/blogs/christina/index.asp?action=ind&pub_id=558 Cairns, Queensland, Australia On my week off of school, I decided to take a risk and fly to Cairns with two friends from the Australian Studies Program. We took an early morning flight on Monday and arrived just past noon. Cairns is in the North-eastern portion of Australia. It is a major tourist destination because of the Great Barrier Reef, beautiful beaches, and the Daintree rainforest.... Fri, 2 Apr 2010 00:00:00 EST 558 About Me Abroad Traveling http://judson.edu/blogs/christina/index.asp?action=ind&pub_id=544 I have never seen a rabbit proof fence, nor do I have a need for one. Rabbits are not a problem in America like they are in Australia. When the rabbit was introduced in Australia, they had no natural predators. Thus, they bred like crazy. In an attempt (among many others) to control this problem, the Australian government attempted to keep them out of agricultural areas of the country by creating a fence.... Tue, 30 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST 544 About Me Abroad Lecture http://judson.edu/blogs/christina/index.asp?action=ind&pub_id=488 Although Sydney is the largest city in Australia, it is not the capitol. The capital of Australia is Canberra. I lost count of how many people I have explained this to... so for future reference, NO, Sydney is NOT the capitol! This weekend, my study abroad group went to Canberra. We had to be at school bright and early on Friday morning (6 a.... Mon, 22 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST 488 About Me Abroad Field Trip! http://judson.edu/blogs/christina/index.asp?action=ind&pub_id=484 Last night it hit me hard that I am not home. I wanted nothing more than to be back home, but the cost of a plane ticket would be too much. I wrote down how I was feeling... probably how most people feel in a new environment. Maybe you can identify:  I should probably be sleeping right now or doing homework.... Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST 484 About Me http://judson.edu/blogs/christina/index.asp?action=ind&pub_id=480 It is not good to be home ALONE on a dark and rainy night in a 150 year old house in Petersham, NSW. Unless of course you aren't afraid of the dark.... unfortunately, I AM! With that said, let me set up the scene for you. It is about 8 p.m. Friday night. It rained ALL DAY Friday (even though I wore a white shirt.... Tue, 9 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST 480 About Me Abroad http://judson.edu/blogs/christina/index.asp?action=ind&pub_id=475 Hanging around Nothing to do but frown Rainy days and Mondays always get me down I learned something new today: Some days I will hate Australia. Maybe that is a bit of an exaggeration, but I do hate public transportation. I did not have school today, yet I went to school anyways to check my email and drop a class (ballroom dancing did not measure up to my expectations).... Tue, 2 Mar 2010 00:00:00 EST 475 About Me Abroad http://judson.edu/blogs/christina/index.asp?action=ind&pub_id=451 If you are wondering how my parents are holding up during this adventure, I have a feeling they are putting on a good front for me. I mean who really wants their child to be on the other side of the world with deadly animals? They are accepting of my desire to travel, but I can tell that deep down they really would rather me stay within a days drive (or closer!) So to show their care and concern for my well-being, they compiled a list.... Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST 451 About Me Abroad http://judson.edu/blogs/christina/index.asp?action=ind&pub_id=444 This weekend has been a whirlwind of adventures. Saturday morning I went to Hillsong Church for my service placement. We are each required to serve for 35 hours during the semester. After staying up late chatting, it was hard to wake up at 7 a.m. to go to my service placement. I haven't yet gotten used to the public transportation system.... Mon, 22 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST 444 About Me Abroad http://judson.edu/blogs/christina/index.asp?action=ind&pub_id=438 Australia. I cannot possibly fit all I want to say about the trip so far in such a short amount of space. Yesterday was DEFINITELY brutal. If you have every taken a long plane trip, you will know what I mean. Everyone was SOOOO tired yesterday. They made us stay up so the jet lag would not be as bad, but it was like staying up until 4 a.... Thu, 18 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST 438 Abroad airports and such http://judson.edu/blogs/christina/index.asp?action=ind&pub_id=432 Unfortunately, I did not suceed in only packing one suitcase. I tried really really hard, but it just did not happen. It would have been easier if I knew what I would need, but I really do not know what to expect. My parents dropped me off at the airport Friday morning. I was LA bound - A very tough morning for them I might add.... Mon, 15 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST 432 About Me http://judson.edu/blogs/christina/index.asp?action=ind&pub_id=430                                                                          Packing.... Thu, 11 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST 430 About Me Abroad airports and such http://judson.edu/blogs/christina/index.asp?action=ind&pub_id=429 February 8, 2010 Chicago O'Hare Airport to Atlanta Airport: On my way home from visiting my boyfriend in Illinois I love to travel. However, I guarantee it is NOT because of airports. I hate being shuffled through security like I'm one of thousands of sardines. This airport adventure turned out much like all the others except that I was chosen for a random pat-down search.... Mon, 8 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST 429 About Me http://judson.edu/blogs/christina/index.asp?action=ind&pub_id=385 I was Judson bound at approximately 9:23 a.m. EST on Friday. I arrived just before noon to a pleasantly quiet campus. There was not any impending work I needed to clear up last Friday, I just wanted to go hang out with my friends. It is strange how much I feel like I've missed out on just in the past few weeks.... Tue, 26 Jan 2010 00:00:00 EST 385 About Me Judson http://judson.edu/blogs/christina/index.asp?action=ind&pub_id=377 3 weeks to go... and SOOO much to do. I am going to take a few minutes to share with you a few questions I have been pondering and attempt to give the best answer I can give. Question: How does one spend time with everyone before going to the other side of the world for 4 months? Answer: It is not possible to spend quality time with everyone to the extent that I would like to spend.... Wed, 20 Jan 2010 00:00:00 EST 377 About Me Abroad http://judson.edu/blogs/christina/index.asp?action=ind&pub_id=364 I remember my freshman year. It was a time of immense change. I dreaded the very thought of going to Marion, Ala. I came home EVERY weekend. I'm sure Judson students got tired of hearing me cry because I was SOOOOOO homesick. Actually, a few classmates told me recently that they thought it was pretty ridiculous since I was home more than I was at school.... Wed, 13 Jan 2010 00:00:00 EST 364 About Me Freshman year http://judson.edu/blogs/christina/index.asp?action=ind&pub_id=358 I do not recall when my fascination with Australia began. I've always been a fan of traveling and I think that Australia became initially enticing because I heard very little about it. There was always something mysterious about it. I wanted to dive in and figure out everything I could about the place.... Fri, 8 Jan 2010 00:00:00 EST 358 About Me Abroad http://judson.edu/blogs/christina/index.asp?action=ind&pub_id=353 Judson students are returning to the campus today after (a well needed) Christmas break. One part of me wants to be there moving back in with all my friends. I'm going to miss them so much. I don't like thinking about all the memories that I will not be part of during the upcoming months.... Tue, 5 Jan 2010 00:00:00 EST 353 About Me http://judson.edu/blogs/christina/index.asp?action=ind&pub_id=314 The anticipation for Australia that is... I am SOOOO excited! I cannot believe I will be in Australia in less than 2 months. I never in a millions years envisioned myself stepping out on faith to do something so out of character. I cannot say enough about how grateful I am to have such a supportive community here at Judson.... Fri, 18 Dec 2009 00:00:00 EST 314 Abroad http://judson.edu/blogs/christina/index.asp?action=ind&pub_id=313 Campus has been extremely quiet this week.The only sign of life in the evenings is 7p.m. worship in the J and a little bit of hustle and bustle in one of the dorms before we all go to sleep (exhausted!).  A group of about 30 students stayed on campus this week to help build houses in Marion.... Thu, 17 Dec 2009 00:00:00 EST 313 Missions http://judson.edu/blogs/christina/index.asp?action=ind&pub_id=292 Once upon a time, a girl with sunlight in her hair Walked beneath the dome and said she'd never go. But that was once upon a time, very long ago. This week has been a rollercoaster of emotions. Although I will still be enrolled as a Judson student, I will not be living on campus anymore after this week.... Wed, 9 Dec 2009 00:00:00 EST 292 About Me Abroad http://judson.edu/blogs/christina/index.asp?action=ind&pub_id=252 Coming In December 2009! Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST 252 About Me