Study Abroad Blog

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. Nevertheless, I need to remember that my absence does not mean I will be forgotten.

I think we all have a fear of being forgotten. We hold on so tightly to the past because it shaped who we are today. We don't want to move forward because something is lost in the process. A part of us is left with every memory we encounter. We want to stay with the memory because it is familiar, comfortable, safe, and good. In reality, we are not forgotten. Each memory is implanted in the people who experienced them. We will always be part of our friends and they will always be with us too!

While I continue to have mixed emotions about this upcoming semester, I am taking the next month for myself. It will be a refreshing breather in between the chaos. I do not have to worry about school obligations until I arrive in Australia in the middle of February. It is a little scary not having anything to do. As a Type A personality, I thrive on order and schedules. Right now, the only schedule I have is an eye exam at 2:00 tomorrow afternoon.  

So what do I do with all this free time? I can hardly make time for it all.

•1.      Sleeping- It has always been my favorite pastime and I do not get to do it enough!

•2.      Jogging- Nothing clears the mind and brings everything into perspective like a good run. Unfortunately, it is below freezing which means my face is chapped at the end... but I continue to press though.

•3.      Reading- I never have time to read for myself because school work ALWAYS comes first.

•4.      Watching movies- This is new for me. I'm attempting to catch up on all the movies I haven't watched in the past... 20 years. HAH! (good luck on that one)

•5.      Finding new recipes and cooking strategies- I cannot think of anything I would rather do than eat! I found a recipe for substituting ground flax seed for eggs. Flax seed is packed with Omega- 3 fatty acids! I tried it in waffles and it was delicious J

•6.      Visiting- I have a whole month to catch up with friends and family that I don't get to see often!

This month will be a nice one: full of fun and reflection. I'm excited! Relaxation... here I come!

With high spirits and anticipation,

ChristinaLee

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.

I have been having trouble receiving e-mails from Australia, so there is a lot of information that I did not know I was not receiving. One very important e-mail I did not receive was a code for my visa application. They said it could take up to 3 months to receive a visa, but I did not get my code until about a week ago because the director of the program was unaware I hadn't received the email confirmation. Luckily, my visa was approved in less than 12 hours! WOW! So much worrying for nothing!

This afternoon, I got an e-mail about the family I will be staying with in Australia. I will be in a suburb of Sydney called Petersham. It is a suburb that is very close to the Italian district of Sydney. (I wonder if Australian Italian is the same as American Italian. I'll let you know as soon as I find out!) 2 other female ASC students and I will be staying in Petersham with a woman and her son. I am so excited to meet my new family and to be immersed in the Australian culture!

Here are a few things that will be a challenge for me:

•1.      Only bringing one suitcase of luggage for 4 months. As Americans, we like to bring all our stuff with us, but in order to fit in, we must consolidate.

•2.      Make sure we are up-to-date on current issues in Australia and around the world. This will be different from the life I live inside the "Judson bubble". It is so easy to get caught up in school work and campus activities that watching television and reading newspapers to keep up with world events is not as important. This is a positive challenge that I will try to implement in my daily life from now on. There is no excuse for me not to be aware of the world around me! I have plenty of access to not know what is going on.

•3.      Taking a 20-30 minute bus or train ride to school or the city. One of my favorite aspects of Judson is that it is small enough to walk across campus in less than 3 minutes. In Australia, I will not have this convenience. Everything will not be in walking distance. I will have to factor in time to and from school and anywhere else I go. (I have a feeling this will probably be a hard adjustment for me, but I am prepared to conform to it!)

I cannot explain the excitement I have for what is to come! Every small nugget of information I get makes it all the more real to me. Yay Australia! (forgive me, I cannot stop saying the word Australia)

Full of excitement!

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. The project was through Judson's Faith-Based Serivce Learning program and was called "Restoration." The project we are working on reminds me of Habitat for Humanity housing projects.  Each family (or volunteers) must work a certain amount of hours on the house to be able to buy the house at a reduced price.

This week has been a great learning experience- and very challenging. My muscles (and everyone else here) are a testament to how hard we have been working. It is amazing how much work 30 girls can get done in one day! Today some of us painted while others put up dry wall.

I think my favorite learning experience was when I put insulation underneath a house yesterday. We were in a tiny space with itchy fiberglass and dust EVERYWHERE. I'm told it wasn't nearly as bad as the people who put it in a different house the day before when it was cold and rainy, but it was still tough! I liked the challenge of having to work quickly in a very small space. It was a project that one person could not complete alone. We had to depend on each other to complete the task. There were people outside the house to feed us insulation. We had to communicate with them to say  how much we needed of what sizes. The four of us under the house had to communicate with each other to know the plan.

I learned a lot from the experience. We all worked together to complete the task. Each of us did something different. If we were all functioning in the same way, the task would have never been completed. If we did not communicate with one another, it would have been a huge jumbled mess! Life is the same way. We need each other. Our differences will be complementary if we discuss how we can use them to create something great.

One day I will build a house myself... and it will be empowering!!!

Happy Insulating!

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. The idea of living somewhere else is extremely overwhelming. Not only will I be away from what has become my home, but I will be on the other side of the world very soon. I am SUPER excited about this new adventure, but with every new and exciting journey there is something lost.

I know that what is to come is going to be more than I can imagine right now. I know it will be an experience of a lifetime. I mean I am going to AUSTRALIA for crying out loud, but I am currently lamenting the lifestyle I love that I know I will never be able to return to again.        

I am a completely different person than I was when I first came to Judson- in a good way. When I got here, I was so timid. I wouldn't dare try anything if I thought I could fail. Slowly over the past few years it has changed. My life has become open to new possibilities and I am dreaming more than I ever did before. The dreams I have for myself now have been birthed out of this school that I have grown to love. It has become such an important part of my daily life.

I am so grateful for my time here. It has been amazing living in community with my closest friends! Now I must embark on another exciting adventure. I hope you will take the journey with me as I post about my experiences!

Once upon a time, a girl much older than before

Stood beneath an oak with teardrops in her eyes,

But that was once upon a time; now it is goodbye.