Video Killed the Radio Star...

I keep forgetting to post a couple of the videos that our ASC Director Kimberly has made...so here they are before I forget:

Canberra Video:


Outback Video:


Bush Video:


They might be a bit choppy if you don't let them load first...I hope you like them! =]

xoxo
Krystin

Australians are artists...

So for the past 3 and a half months, on Sunday and Monday nights, promptly at 7:30 my hostfamily and I sit down in front of the T.V. entranced for an hour. Not because Australian T.V. is all that great, or because we only have 5 channels here [which makes me feel oh so much at home] but because I have come to see Australians, in general, as Artists...

When I tell you what show we watch here you are going to laugh because back home it is not what it is here. I have become entranced with Australian Idol. And I am not just a fan of the show and think that one of the guys on the show are attractive [which many are] but because of the way that they handle the arts here. From the beginning of the show you wouldn't think that much is different from American Idol, because they have the same opening music, and lookalikes to Ryan Seacrest [even though they are way funnier] and they still have those 2 weeks of the crappy auditions and take way to long to get to the good people. But it is apparent when the first true contestant walks into the auditions with their guitar, or they have a piano waiting for them. You would think that they are lying when they say that they write their own songs because they are so amazing you wouldn't believe that a 16 year old could write them. But this is only the begining...

Ever week the contestants and judges ceased to amaze me because they are so serious about this, ok they do have their parts where you wonder why they even said that, but then there are the times that make me hate Paula and Randy and just want them to actually speak the truth and not give the contestants the crap advice that they give them. The contestants on the show have been the most amazing bunch of artists/singers/songwriters that I have ever heard...and I cannot wait until I get to hear their songs.

Then tonight I watched the Arias [which are comparable to our Grammys] and I found so many more amazing australian artists which just adds to my idea that Australia has some of the most amazing unknown artists that I have heard in a long time. [check out Missy Higgins, or the John Buttler Trio...because I have only one word for them AMAZING]

Your probably wondering how this ties in with anything, but I have also come to know these artist on a personal basis. No, I'm not talking about the Australian Idols [even though we have tried unsuccesfully to get on the show] but I am talking about the many muso's that I go to school with at The Wesley Institute. Everytime I see a drama performance or a music performance or just hear them practicing as I am waling out of campus, it just never ceases to amaze me how blessed I have been to be around these wonderful people for this time, and how talented these students are.

I guess I just want to say that I love them....

So little time...So much to do

Ok so here I am just about to get ready to go to school and I cannot believe that I only have a week and a half left of classes. This semester has flown by and I can't even tell you how much has happened here in Australia. I have changed so much and I don't know whether or not I can leave this place in 3 and a half weeks...

These past couple weeks have been crazy trying to get schoolwork done and everything. I had 3 papers due within a 4 day period and then this past Monday I had my photo journal and excursion assignment due. This friday I have an Oral Presentation due and then on Monday I have my Photography Portfolio due. After that I am home free!

For STU-VAC (which is our break before finals) I will be heading out to the Whitsunday Coast to spend 5 days on the beach and snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef. I cannot wait until I have no worries and can spend time just hanging out with the friends that I have made here and soaking up every second of fun that I can with them.

Last weekend Derek and I celebrated our 1 year anniversary...which was crazy to think about but so AMAZING! He took me to Palm Beach and we had a picnic and just relaxed on the beach....it was so nice =]
Then on Sunday we went to Featherdale wildlife park with some friends and I got to hop around with some roos and I even boxed one...haha. Even though he was kind of nice to me ;) It was super fun!

This weekend I will be heading out to Luna Park on Friday night, Luna Park is kind of a carnival park that is open year round, to have some fun after this crazy week. Saturday night I will be going to community day which is a day where the australians can bring food that is "specifically australian" and then we do the same with food that is "specifically american". Were going to play games and just spend time with eachother which should be amazing! Then I have my flatmate Haylee's Dace Recital that night. I am really excited to see her dance!

Well I thought I would just leave you with a list of some of the things that I am going to miss about Australia:
1. My Hostmum Gail and my flatmates
2. Lisa
3. My other aussie friends
4. seeing the harbour brige every time I go in the city
5. ASC Crew
6. thursday night movies with Melanie and crew
7. angela janes coffee
8. taking a ferry over to Manly
9. being able to hop on a bus/train/ferry and go anywhere in the city I want to for FREE!
10. Boost Juice
11. Beaches, EVERYWHERE!
12. Doy Tao Thai Food (A-MAZ-ING!)
13. the pool outside my apartment building
14. movie nights with my roomies
15. water EVERYWHERE...so beautiful
16. my spot in the park, by the water, down from my apartment
17. aussie accents/phrases/words
18. three muskateers...
19. the amazingness that is Sydney at night
20. everything about this amazing place that I have come to call home =[

I know that in 4 weeks I will be sad but ready to come home. It will be a bittersweet ending to the 4 months that I have been living here in Sydney, Australia...and it will be so hard to say goodbye...

lovexoxo
Krystin

I have 5 weeks left....what?

Here is a post from an email update I sent out earlier this morning:

Ok so it occured to me the other day while sitting at my favorite beach in all of Sydney that I only have 5 weeks left in this wonderful place that I have only begun to truly call home. When I first left the states, I thought to myself that 4 months would be more than enough time to see all that Australia holds for me. But now 3 months into it, I can't believe that I only have a month left to do all the things that I want to get done before I leave. This next month is going to be packed full of everything that I want to get done before I leave, along with all the school work I need to get done, which is quickly piling up. I have two more big trips before I head back to the states...a bunch of friends and I are planning on going to the Whitsunday Islands/Great Barrier Reef a week before our last school based trip to New Zealand. I cannot wait for that because I will officially have no more school work by that time. This next month is going to be hectic but I know that I'm going to love it because I want to pack in every last bit of this place before I head home to the states. And while I am so ready to slip back into the normalcy of home and eat the foods I miss like there is no tomorrow I don't know how I am going to be able to leave this place that is so near and dear to my heart now. Even though I am making lists of things that I want to do when I get home, like hugging my parents so hard when I get off that plane, drive my car instead of sitting on a bus for an hour, eating NY pizza and bagels as soon as I get home, I cannot help but wonder what I am going to do when I have to leave this place. I cannot even imagine leaving my hostmum because I know I am going to miss the way that she sings the latest pop songs while making dinner, my flatmates and the way that we make eachother laugh like there is no tomorrow, being able to hop on a train and see where it takes us. And these are only some of the things that make me so sad to have to leave this place in 5 weeks. I am emotionally exhausted, physically tired, but so happy. It is going to be bittersweet to leave this place that I love. Because while I am so sad to leave Australia, I am so happy that in 5 weeks, I will be home spending Thanksgiving with my Family. Love and miss you all, Enjoy the fall weather for me!

xoxo
Krystin

ps. I will update this blog when the craziness of writing papers has settled down, which will end tomorrow afternoon, thank goodness...

Lifetime piling up....

This week has been crazy so far, I am almost done with one paper and have two more papers to go....soon the stress and all of the work will be over. Then I only have Photography to worry about but I don't think that it will be too bad.

I just wanted to post this link of a video our leader made of Canberra, one of the first trips that we went on.
Here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-b_GItlNp4

Check it out...she made a couple more but I don't think there on You Tube yet.....when they are I'll pass them on to you!

ok well I'm about to head off to bed to get some rest before the rest of the week...

xoxo
Krys

Birthdays, Bush Trip, and everyday happenings in the "City Down Under"

So I have been super busy but bear with me because this is going to be a long post to catch you all up.... =]

Ok let’s start with my birthday, the BIG 20! [Thank you all for the cards/e-cards that you sent and everything! I really appreciated them] Well it was actually a 4 day birthday celebration! Derek took me out on Saturday night and gave me my wonderful birthday presents. He got me earrings and a shirt from Roxy! Then we went to get Mexican, which was AMAZING! I always love that Mexican food! mmmmmm....
On Monday it completely felt like a fall day, which made me so happy because I had missed those fall days back at Messiah. It really felt like my birthday! Well I dressed up for my birthday considering I have been kind of a bum since I have been here lol, when they tell you not to bring as many clothes as you want it kind of gets to slim pickings.... but anywho...we had class and my friend Casey made me cookies and remembered the story I told her about last year when my friends made me a cookie dough cake. Well she made cookies for the whole class and then gave me the leftover cookie dough! She was AMAZING! Then the whole class sang HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME, which in Australia is followed by HIP HIP HOORAY! said many many times....
After a wonderful day of classes, I got to head home to a meal cooked by my lovely host-mum! She made me garlic bread, spaghetti, and omgoodness you should have seen all of the food on the table.
Then I was supposed to go out to get Gelato with the School Class President Lisa and all of my roommates and Derek, so she picked us up and after much suspicious activity we got on our way...We had to make a stop off at school for one of Lisa’s folders *suspicious*! It turned out that a bunch of my friends were there to surprise me and spend my birthday with me! It was amazing! The best birthday ever in Australia!

Then we were off on Sunday on an hour and a half trip north of Sydney to the Bush. It is part of our Indigenous Cultures class that we went to this youth camp right near where our teacher lives. It was really interesting to see, we were placed in groups called totems and it was so beautiful where we were. We went out on hikes everyday and learned about the Aboriginal cultures, it was a really nice relaxing time to just think about a lot of things and hang out with the ASCers for our last group trip before New Zealand…which brings me to my next point which is……

I ONLY HAVE 46 MORE DAYS LEFT HERE! I cannot believe that time has gone by so fast! I am kind of freaking out because I have so many things I still want to get done here…But I am also super excited to go home and be with everyone. It’s def going to be bittersweet leaving here because I love all of my friends here and love everyone at home and its going to be hard to leave.

This past weekend we had our ASC break which was definitely well deserved! We had some people over on Friday for a Pool Party and then on to Mexican food, which was fun, fun, fun! Always love that Mexican Food and pool parties! On Saturday I lazed around and hung out with Derek and then went SHOPPING prob for the first time since I have been here…which is pretty good for me. I got two dresses, and I guess that Australia has been good to me because I have lost some weight, which made shopping oh so much better. Then on Sunday Derek and I went to Katoomba for the day and saw all the sights of the Blue Mountains. We found out that Australians are literal when they say things like “Giant” specifically talking about the “Giant Staircase.” We walked down the staircase which was super steep and then walked about 2 hours over to the other Giant Staircase near the Katoomba Falls. The hike was gorgeous! The falls didn’t have as much water as I had hoped but that’s ok. Then we walked around this part of the park that showed the old land mines that were over there, which was really sweet! Then we smartly decided to take the “steepest train in the world” up the mountain instead of hiking back up which would have taken another hour. It was totally worth it!

Well on a bad not I have been sick for the past two days and haven’t really been able to do much of anything. It must have been the stomach flu and it wasn’t fun…but Derek, Gail and my flatmates have been good to me and the sickness is finally over…
Just in time for me to get all my work done…This week will be a busy one!

Well that’s prob the longest update your going to see in a while! Haha
School is going to take over my life….catch you all later

Xoxo
Krys

ps. check out my photo website because I have a bunch of new pics up from all of these happenings! =]