Hey everyone...
So you may not see anymore pictures for a while they don't have wifi at work i have to use a desktop for internet. I finally am starting work and my first day of work is going climbing! I mean........ what a life! I can't believe I'm in Australia, and its kinda hard to imagine too because honestly the culture here is incredibly similar to America so I don't really feel like I'm in a different country honestly... even though I am living in a freakin rainforest! this is so much fun! I'm finally not dragging all my stuff around anymore and its settled in a cabin for the next 2 weeks before i start the program the next 2 weeks of training include scouting the areas we'll be taking the kids aka... climbing, hiking, canoeing, mountain biking, and over night stays. and i'm done at 4:30 almost everyday so we get to just sit around get on the internet, eat, play cards, go running.... hopefully it will warm up so we can go on adventures after work too. It's so great. these will be a great 2 weeks. Our bosses are so laid back they are so sarcastic and funny, its such a great work environment. Life is Good! Please be praying that we all grow a lot from this experience and God shows himself in amazing ways, because he has in so many ways already. For example... Brock and I were changing buses one day headed up the sunshine coast and I was SOOOO fed up with all my packs and how they kept falling I was just really mad anyways so this lady out of no where pulls over and takes us straight to the hostel we were trying to get to! what a God send! I mean just that small thing from God helped me remember he really is taking care of me while I'm over here. So, pray he continues to show up because its so wonderful when he does.
Love you all and thanks for all the prayers!
-Amelia
Monday, June 27, 2011
Friday, June 24, 2011
In Brisi and the on the Island
Hello All,
So a couple of days since a good update Brock and I have finally stopped goin so fast paced and relaxing at the hostel in brisbane for the night until we head up to sunshine coast tomorrow. Brisi is amazing and a vibe similar to the US cities so its pretty fun, the hostels are way more nice... like a hip hotel. its really fun! so many interesting people. I will say though we have seen so many people pissed off at each other and not afraid to say anything about it either... a little crazy. The first day in Brisi we went to this amazing breakfast (breaky) place where the capachino was to die for! then we walked around the outdoor mall and watched live bands then walked across a bridge to the other side of the river and walked the river walk to this amazing public pool that looked like a lagoon we didn't go swimming a bit cold for that but it was really pretty. Then we walked across a different bridge just for pedestrians to the botanical gardens where I saw PARROTS!!!! hopefully those who understand my crazy for birds i was SO excited! :) after that we were pretty tired and took naps and then went to dinner and were back in our beds by 7:00 thanks jet lag! haha.
The next day we got up around 6:30 and left for Moreton Island on the ferry at 8:30am. The island was incredible!!! the water was so blue! (MOM you would have died and gone to heaven... wish you had been there). crazy birds too it was so awesome i was so entertained. We camped at a camp site called the wrecks where they purposefully sunk ships to break the waves for when ferries came in. We for a long walk that next morning it was like a 4 mile walk or so then that afternoon we went snorkeling where I flipped out because of the fish... I tried to prepare Brock but i guess that didn't do much good. I was hyperventilating pretty much the whole time haha! ya... adventure! haha whoo hoo! it was great. so today we came back from the island and back to Brisi and walked around chinatown which was hilarious! And now we're just chillin and goin to grab a drink later at the hostel's bar and go to bed and get up and go to that awesome breaky place again and leave by 11:00am for the sunshine coast to a different hostel and hang out on the beach! :)
love you all! and miss you family! I'm doing great and Australia is awesome so far. I'm getting nervous about starting the job but hopefully it will be just as amazing!
Cheers,
Amelia
So a couple of days since a good update Brock and I have finally stopped goin so fast paced and relaxing at the hostel in brisbane for the night until we head up to sunshine coast tomorrow. Brisi is amazing and a vibe similar to the US cities so its pretty fun, the hostels are way more nice... like a hip hotel. its really fun! so many interesting people. I will say though we have seen so many people pissed off at each other and not afraid to say anything about it either... a little crazy. The first day in Brisi we went to this amazing breakfast (breaky) place where the capachino was to die for! then we walked around the outdoor mall and watched live bands then walked across a bridge to the other side of the river and walked the river walk to this amazing public pool that looked like a lagoon we didn't go swimming a bit cold for that but it was really pretty. Then we walked across a different bridge just for pedestrians to the botanical gardens where I saw PARROTS!!!! hopefully those who understand my crazy for birds i was SO excited! :) after that we were pretty tired and took naps and then went to dinner and were back in our beds by 7:00 thanks jet lag! haha.
The next day we got up around 6:30 and left for Moreton Island on the ferry at 8:30am. The island was incredible!!! the water was so blue! (MOM you would have died and gone to heaven... wish you had been there). crazy birds too it was so awesome i was so entertained. We camped at a camp site called the wrecks where they purposefully sunk ships to break the waves for when ferries came in. We for a long walk that next morning it was like a 4 mile walk or so then that afternoon we went snorkeling where I flipped out because of the fish... I tried to prepare Brock but i guess that didn't do much good. I was hyperventilating pretty much the whole time haha! ya... adventure! haha whoo hoo! it was great. so today we came back from the island and back to Brisi and walked around chinatown which was hilarious! And now we're just chillin and goin to grab a drink later at the hostel's bar and go to bed and get up and go to that awesome breaky place again and leave by 11:00am for the sunshine coast to a different hostel and hang out on the beach! :)
love you all! and miss you family! I'm doing great and Australia is awesome so far. I'm getting nervous about starting the job but hopefully it will be just as amazing!
Cheers,
Amelia
Monday, June 20, 2011
Quick experience update
Hey Everyone! We're officially in Australia! Our hostel is amazing! we have horrible jet lag and are exhausted but hopefully tomorrow we'll get out around Brisbane and have a good city experience. I have a nice long story about getting through the international airport and customs.... lets just say a deprivation of sleep and potentially lost luggage and then them search my bag for tent stakes was not a good combination for the emotional side of myself. haha its funny now but wow I was so upset I never want to travel alone and I was SOOO happy to see brock by the baggage claim in Brisbane! but all is well here in the down under and I miss you Fam! love you all lots maybe I'll have time to write more tomorrow. xoxo!
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
A trip of a life time??
AH! It's happening oh so fast! I'm not sure if I'm ready for this. I leave this Saturday at 5:45 from Atlanta and fly to LA from there its a 15 hour flight to Sydney then a 3 hour flight to Brisbane where I will finally be able to stand. I have no idea how I am going to entertain myself for that long but hopefully it won't be to terrible. So that's the update on Australia plans... but I want to tell you about my recent trip.
I went on an adventure with my best friend Amy Milam and we went to DC for 2 days then to NYC for 2 days then back to DC for what was supposed to be 1 day but turned into 2. We rode a Megabus to and from our destinations... all of you out there that thought it may be kinda sketch... totally fine, no one was weird, just like riding on a plane only gravity has a hold on you. We took an overnight bus which was horrible because you were sitting the whole time and trying to sleep sitting up is not fun at all. But we got there and walked about a mile with all of our stuff on our backs through the city to our friends house and stayed on their couch for 2 nights. we did a lot of touring and eating. good times for sure. then we headed up to NYC. when we were riding in our taxi to our hostel on 103rd street in manhatten upper east side.... WAY upper east side... our driver told us to be very careful it was a bad part of town.... OH GREAT! haha... so, still pretty confident in our judgement of things we are let out right where we were supposed to be and got our keys from a very nice lady and she showed us to our room. we had a key to the outer door and to our room both doors locked behind us... we probably would have found somewhere else to stay if this had not been the case. we both all day that day only had 2 granola bars and it was 9:00pm so we were starving. walked across the street to a pizza place and got a massive new york pizza slice. so good! the next day we got up early and walked all over probably about a total of 6 miles that day... haha! we saw times square, Rockefeller center, central park, went shopping, and to top it of went to the mary poppins broadway! AMAZING!!! anyways... so we drove back to DC the next day and went to sleep when we got back and toured all the last day that night we were supposed to get on a bus at 11:00 for another overnight ride. well we get to the parking lot at 11:02 and the bus had already left!!! these buses the whole time we were riding them didn't leave until at least 15 minutes later so we thought we had some wiggle room. Nope! so we walked back to the house with all our crap and didn't get back home until 12:30 and we booked another ticket for 10:45 the next morning and drove home.
Wow, was that a whirl wind trip or what!? Great experience, but i would never live in a city like those. I felt confined, I missed the trees and birds terribly! but it was a great experience and I learned that I have had this expectation that when I travel it's going to satisfy me in some way. Like as if it would hold meaning on my life. It doesn't... Life happens with people and with pouring into those around you, not by traveling around the world. I am so happy to have really grasped this before I left for a country I had only dreamed of going to but now I realize its just another place... The reason I am meant to be there is still uncertain, but I'm pretty sure its not because I need to fill a traveling void in my soul. I pray God uses me in ways I've never experienced while I'm over there. traveling is so much fun and its a fun yet expensive hobby, but there is more planned for me than going around the world to see everything.
Thanks for putting up with my writing the way I speak, it's hard not to, you would think college taught me a thing or two :) please continue to pray for safe and smooth travels as I head out on my way. I know I don't write very often but I will try to keep up better while I'm in Australia.
I went on an adventure with my best friend Amy Milam and we went to DC for 2 days then to NYC for 2 days then back to DC for what was supposed to be 1 day but turned into 2. We rode a Megabus to and from our destinations... all of you out there that thought it may be kinda sketch... totally fine, no one was weird, just like riding on a plane only gravity has a hold on you. We took an overnight bus which was horrible because you were sitting the whole time and trying to sleep sitting up is not fun at all. But we got there and walked about a mile with all of our stuff on our backs through the city to our friends house and stayed on their couch for 2 nights. we did a lot of touring and eating. good times for sure. then we headed up to NYC. when we were riding in our taxi to our hostel on 103rd street in manhatten upper east side.... WAY upper east side... our driver told us to be very careful it was a bad part of town.... OH GREAT! haha... so, still pretty confident in our judgement of things we are let out right where we were supposed to be and got our keys from a very nice lady and she showed us to our room. we had a key to the outer door and to our room both doors locked behind us... we probably would have found somewhere else to stay if this had not been the case. we both all day that day only had 2 granola bars and it was 9:00pm so we were starving. walked across the street to a pizza place and got a massive new york pizza slice. so good! the next day we got up early and walked all over probably about a total of 6 miles that day... haha! we saw times square, Rockefeller center, central park, went shopping, and to top it of went to the mary poppins broadway! AMAZING!!! anyways... so we drove back to DC the next day and went to sleep when we got back and toured all the last day that night we were supposed to get on a bus at 11:00 for another overnight ride. well we get to the parking lot at 11:02 and the bus had already left!!! these buses the whole time we were riding them didn't leave until at least 15 minutes later so we thought we had some wiggle room. Nope! so we walked back to the house with all our crap and didn't get back home until 12:30 and we booked another ticket for 10:45 the next morning and drove home.
Wow, was that a whirl wind trip or what!? Great experience, but i would never live in a city like those. I felt confined, I missed the trees and birds terribly! but it was a great experience and I learned that I have had this expectation that when I travel it's going to satisfy me in some way. Like as if it would hold meaning on my life. It doesn't... Life happens with people and with pouring into those around you, not by traveling around the world. I am so happy to have really grasped this before I left for a country I had only dreamed of going to but now I realize its just another place... The reason I am meant to be there is still uncertain, but I'm pretty sure its not because I need to fill a traveling void in my soul. I pray God uses me in ways I've never experienced while I'm over there. traveling is so much fun and its a fun yet expensive hobby, but there is more planned for me than going around the world to see everything.
Thanks for putting up with my writing the way I speak, it's hard not to, you would think college taught me a thing or two :) please continue to pray for safe and smooth travels as I head out on my way. I know I don't write very often but I will try to keep up better while I'm in Australia.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
$ Oh the Drama of it All $
As of today I have 13 days until we head out to Australia for the summer. It gets closer and closer and I get more and more nervous. Brock and Forest are done with their trip and Amy and I are about to go on a awesome trip to Washington DC and NYC! We have free housing with an old friend in DC and we're staying in a hostel right by Central Park... Brock -don't worry we'll have tons of pepper spray. We head out for our adventure tomorrow on a megabus to get to DC by Tuesday morning, it will be an overnight bus ride, and hopefully we won't be getting bed bugs or whatever else might be creeping around on public transportation... but isn't that part of the adventure? we are going to be able to go from Knoxville-->DC-->NYC-->DC-->Knoxville all for $25 each for transportation... so bed bugs and all here we come! I'm sure we'll have a few crazy stories to tell. When we get back from our adventure on Sunday possibly Tuesday depending on if Amy has changed our bus I'll have a little less than a week to get ready for the epic adventure ahead.
We all received as of this week our staff manual and gear lists... its exciting! My parents were gracious enough to buy me most all of it on top of my graduation presents! because I've been trying to not only save for Australia but also for my NYC/ DC trip which if I'm honest with my self i'll end up spending $200 and only $100 as of now I can afford. Hopefully God will provide all that I will need for both trips; I am struggling in trying to control all of it. Money is a hard thing for me I want to make sure I have enough and if I don't think I do I go out looking for ways to get more. I have been controlling it up to this point. I want to rely on God from here... I know I can't afford both trips at this point but both seem to be really happening... sooo, God help? Pray that finances just work out for these trips and I'll have more than I needed. Also all the things my parents bought for me they honestly can't really afford it anyways but they are so faithful to God and he always restores them... mom got a refund check for $350 the day after we bought everything for my trip... God is so good. We are also having a garage sale the next weekend and hopefully help so more as well. I have to learn to just let go and I need to start now. thanks so much for reading if you did... please continue to pray everything goes smoothly... one more thing as of right now I'll be taking that 15 hour flight to australia alone... and I'm going to go crazy... so theres another thing to pray for as well haha... ok now i'm done. hope everyone is doing great and thanks again!
We all received as of this week our staff manual and gear lists... its exciting! My parents were gracious enough to buy me most all of it on top of my graduation presents! because I've been trying to not only save for Australia but also for my NYC/ DC trip which if I'm honest with my self i'll end up spending $200 and only $100 as of now I can afford. Hopefully God will provide all that I will need for both trips; I am struggling in trying to control all of it. Money is a hard thing for me I want to make sure I have enough and if I don't think I do I go out looking for ways to get more. I have been controlling it up to this point. I want to rely on God from here... I know I can't afford both trips at this point but both seem to be really happening... sooo, God help? Pray that finances just work out for these trips and I'll have more than I needed. Also all the things my parents bought for me they honestly can't really afford it anyways but they are so faithful to God and he always restores them... mom got a refund check for $350 the day after we bought everything for my trip... God is so good. We are also having a garage sale the next weekend and hopefully help so more as well. I have to learn to just let go and I need to start now. thanks so much for reading if you did... please continue to pray everything goes smoothly... one more thing as of right now I'll be taking that 15 hour flight to australia alone... and I'm going to go crazy... so theres another thing to pray for as well haha... ok now i'm done. hope everyone is doing great and thanks again!
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