Danielle Purdy, Warner Pacific College, Fall 2006

I find it difficult to expound upon four months of existence in a few brief paragraphs, for these four months lasted a lifetime and yet simultaneously ended in an instant. I never expected this semester to be what it was. I went to Australia solely for music and, subconsciously, to get away from my own school and life issues. I came with expectations of what I was going to get out of this semester, the school, the country.

Needless to say, my expectations were shattered. Australia broke me in ways that I never realized I needed. I quickly learned how violently I had attached myself to a certain identity through my separation from music. Theatre revealed to me my lack of vulnerability and pushed me to the brink of honesty. Our classes on Australian history, politics, and government gave me an intimate taste of another culture and humbled me, giving me a perspective of the world and my place in it, while our experiences with indigenous culture lead me to numerous revelations and rekindled my pride in my own indigenous heritage. Hillsong Impact Kids rejuvenated my passion for disadvantaged children as I rolled out of bed at 6 am each Saturday to spend time with the poverty stricken children whose beautiful faces have forever changed my world. Relationships forced me to step out of my shy, introverted comfort zone and confront the world without fear of rejection. I invested in people and they in me,and as a result, I formed some of the best friendships I’ve ever had. I experienced Australia and fell in love with her. One evening I will never forget, I sat on the roots of a gum tree in the middle of the bush under the southern cross and wept for the beauty of humanity, people, differences, experience, and life, my tears mixing with the dust of an ancient land, forever bonding me to that mysterious place on the other side of the world.

I have a home there now. I know which bus will get me where or whether the train would be faster. I know which coffee shop I like best and have plenty of people I could stay with. I care about what happens there and still feel so intimately connected, though I am thousands of miles away. Every day of that four months challenged me. Each day was an offer to experience something new, form a friendship, take advantage of an opportunity, get lost in the city, make the most out of a class time, debate theology or politics with host parents, have coffee with a Wesley student, pull an all-nighter because you decided to go the beach in the afternoon, spend excessive money on Tim Tams...again. It’s the kind of once in a lifetime experience that forces you to take each day as it comes and see the beauty in something completely different.

I could write essay upon essay about my semester. I could mention kangaroos, the opera house, vegemite, and Australians’ strange obsession with Nutella, but that’s not the point. Those are the things of vacations. The fact is that Australia changed me, Kimberly changed me, the American and Australian students changed me, being given something other than my expectations changed me, sitting in an Aboriginal ceremonial ground changed me, braiding the lice infested hair of my beautiful girls at Impact Kids changed me. I realize this is getting long, but simply let that be testament to the depth of experience, for even this does no justice. I cannot tell you what your semester will look like. All I can say is that for four months I truly lived in such a way as I never have before, and that is what changed me. To quote Thoreau, "I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived."

Amanda Bangor, Geneva College, Fall 2006

As the fact that I got to live in SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA for a whole semester is becoming more and more of a reality to me, a Sydney shaped hole is quickly appearing in my life. I don't know why it took so long to show up, but lately I have had this deep longing for palm trees, public transportation, Tim-Tams, street performers, and the most beautiful harbor on the planet. So, it might be disconnected and it certainly won't come close to describing my experience, but here are a few thoughts...

I could easily talk about walking across the Harbor Bridge to Luna Park, or about feeding kangaroos and petting Koalas at the wildlife park. I'd love to share the adrenaline rush of a sold out U2 concert at Olympic park, or I could tell you what it was like to work with Hillsong-- the largest and most famous church in Australia. I could describe the sensation of breathing under the ocean, finding Nemo, and touching the Great Barrier Reef. And, of course, I could go on forever about vegemite, Tim-Tams, and meat pies...

But I'm not sure that's what a semester in Sydney is all about...It's about getting to know cultures-- not just one! It's about interacting with people from all over the world and understanding and appreciating the diversity of God's creation. It's about learning the history of all Australian people, their triumphs, their challenges, and how those interact to make them who they are today.

It's about getting to know a city. REALLY getting to know a city, intimately. It's about missing the train...more than once...in the same day. Or walking with no destination and finding adventures and hidden treasures in the most random places. It's about knowing the best place for Pad Thai or Fish and Chips or Gelato. It's about getting lost and learning to find your way home.

It's about getting to know individuals. It's about being welcomed with open arms, open doors, and open refrigerators into student housing or an Australian family's home. It's about sitting on the grassy knoll between classes and talking to Wesley Institute students about everything from the weather to theology to Australian Idol. It's about spending time with 20-30 American students who want to learn about you and laugh with you and laugh AT you and challenge you to become who you want to be, but still love you for being who you are.

And as terrifying as it can be, it's about getting to know who in the world you really are and how you fit into this great big world that God has created.

And the photos don't lie. Sydney Harbor IS absolutely brilliant. On the weekends, there are musicians and markets and people everywhere-- from all over the world, too! Even without the excitement, the Harbor alone is outstanding. I could have stared at the Opera House for four months and been content with my semester in Sydney.

But I didn't, and that was okay, too.

David Row, Greenville College, Fall 2006

The ASC helped me to experience life in a way that I would never have been able to otherwise.  I was anticipating that I would learn more about the country, international issues, politics, and how the artist interprets all of these.  I was expecting to learn about Australia, and I did; but in the process, I learned about the United States, about music, culture, indigenous rights and identity, coffee, dance, friends, public transportation, international issues, justice, God, and the south pacific, just to name a few.  I’m not sure there was any way that I could foresee what was coming.  I was sideswiped by so many more ideas than I ever thought possible.  New worlds were illuminated, and I began to see everything from a whole new perspective.  I came away knowing that I would never be the same.

The ASC provided so many chances to experience things that I would never have been able to experience otherwise.  I got to touch the Sydney Opera House, walk the Harbour bridge, see a whale in the wild, pet kangaroos, make friends with people from around the globe, eat vegemite, take a bush trip, and even see a crocodile.  The coolest thing, as I see it, was the fact that I got to live in the midst of another culture and another land for a whole semester.  I was able to be a part of another world and another place.  The most beautiful moments of my semester came when I didn’t expect them.  They came in the seemingly mundane times:  sipping coffee, riding the bus, looking out over the harbour, listening to a friend’s laugh, and even in walking the street.  The coolest thing about my semester was just living it, being there, experiencing what I wouldn’t have, and living my life in Australia. 

I’ve had some of my best relationships at the ASC.  I made friends with Australians, Americans, New Zealanders, Fijians, Europeans, Africans, Asians, and people from all over the world.  Knowing people from so many different nations has helped me to better understand where I am and what an amazing a world we have. 

Words for incoming students: Expect the unexpected, live in the moment, look closer, try something new, forget your inhibitions, just enjoy living!