Australia day is January 26 every year. And is very much like July 4th for the states. Hardly anyone has to work, fireworks, barbeques, the works. Oh, and everyone is dressed patriotically!
Australia day for me meant wearing my new koala shirt, bringing my Australian flag stubby holder -courtesy of Steve – along with a few Strongbow ciders to drink alongside the burgers and just enjoy the day with friends, and meet some new ones as well.
It was awesome. I met a lot of new people, even a fellow american! Talked some footy, watched the boys play backyard cricket. All good fun!
I was curious as to the history of Australia day… and found this information here.

I found it really quite interesting! When I’ve been overwhelmed with American History all my life, I find that I absolutely revel in Australian History. It’s like a whole new world, almost literally.

This could be why I’m taking an Aus History course this next semester… :)

This move will allow you to see photos, videos, and of course my blog posts.

Find me now HERE!

When are you leaving?

June 21st, 2009. I’ll arrive in Melbourne on the 23rd. It’s a stinking long flight.

Where are you going?

I’ll be attending Deakin University in Geelong, Victoria

What are you studying?

Journalism! I’ll have the opportunities to take classes that compare different types of journalism from the Australian perspective. One class will allow me to study the United Kingdom’s journalism, Australian journalism, United States’ journalism, as well as those that differ vastly – like in China or India. I’ll also get a lot of my general education credits out of the way. I’ll take a child psychology class, Australian history class, as well as a few art and philosophy classes.

How long will you be gone?

I’m going to spend my whole sophomore year there. So because of the difference in Australia’s and the United States’ academic years, I’ll come back around June or July 2010.

Will you come back to visit during the year?

No. It’d be very unlikely because of the long flight, and the expense of the flight.

Why are you going?

I’ve been interested in Australia for a while, and with my adverse reaction to Spanish these last two semesters – I didn’t want to go to a country where I would have to know a completely different language – not yet at least. But, I still wanted to study abroad. I’ve always been interested in other cultures, and haven’t really pictured living in the states. I want to work with something along the lines of international journalism – ideally a magazine. Maybe even National Geographic! But I figured this would be a good taste of what that life might be like.

But I wanted to tell you about an awareness thing K-State does. Almost every week, there are flags in the Quad. It’s become a regular thing. One week each flag represents an amount of people suffering from eating disorders. Another week each flag represents a certain number of kids with autism or maybe a number of people who died at the Nazis’ hands. Stuff like that.

Each week, I think. “Oh wow, how sad” – but that’s the wrong word. astonishing, maybe apalling.

This week was different.

It may have been a protest, I don’t know exactly. But I walked into the Quad area, and saw thousands of yellow flags with various red flags lining the walkways.

Each flag had a name, an age, and a city.

This week each flag represented a man or woman who died because of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. There was something about the name on the flag that hit me.

I felt a few different things..

I was scared for my cousin – Christopher, who is in Iraq currently. I thought of Ryan – the dude from Real World (yes. i just watched that season.) and wondered how he was doing. If he was still alive. If they were scared.

I was proud of those men and women. They gave their life for the people I love, and for me.

I cried. For each flag didn’t just represent that man or woman who had fallen in duty to his or her duty to their country, but each flag had people who loved them.

A lot of times I don’t know where I stand on the war exactly. I think it was inevitable, but right? maybe, maybe not. My opinion changes day to day – and I’m not near informed to the degree necessary to make a decision like that. So I don’t know. But I put my trust in my government, like many of these men and women did.

I don’t really know what my point is other than this. Those are real people fighting for us – regardless of how right or wrong you think the government is for sending them. They are people like us. Those that are still out there fighting deserve our support and prayers more than ever.

Not only do they have cool stripes, but did you know they don’t get ulcers? It’s impossible.

Why you ask?

Because while zebras live a pretty stressful life – what with running from lions and all, they don’t dwell on the stress.

Lion chasing them – stress. Lion goes away – no memory whatsoever of what just happened.

Now I like my memory. But it would be wonderful to be able to turn the perseverating off.

what’s that saying? “Let go. Let God.”

right. wish it was a tad easier.

so on my weekend alone. i popped in the new DVD that Kait’s mom gave her for valentines, and switched on the commentary. Now, I’ve always looked up to Mary Poppins. I’m determined I want to be like her when I’m a mommy. You know, taking my kiddos on magical adventures (of imagination of course) and still being strict, but fun. She’s such a magical woman, even if she is imaginary.

But one bit of the commentary made me think. I’ve always been confused about what I think a woman should be. There’s the “strong-woman-who-doesn’t-need-a-man” ideal, and the “weak-woman-who-can’t-survive-without-her-man” persona. But I don’t believe I want to be either. The commentary, an older man- I believe the director, stated that Mary Poppins had this unique strong woman identity, but yet she was still so feminine. Obviously it’s not EXACTLY what a woman is/shouldbe/etc. But, I think its a better basis than our weak/strong ideals.

I’m pretty sure there’s a “strong-woman-who-likes-to-have-a-man-to-care-for-her” and that’s who I’d like to be.

Mary Poppins just help put it into words for me. I think that’s how I comprehend things properly about myself and the world. Words.

Over winter break, my mom said she wished she had discovered what my love language was when I was little so she could “fill my love tank” as she put it. I had never thought about this specific to me. I had heard over the years, and looked at the books about it on the bookshelves in my home.

I think its so cool how God wired us each individually so different things make us feel loved. And how we each have a different way of expressing and a key to filling our deepest emotional need for love. According to this site my primary love language is physical touch – aha. this is why in my eyes hugs fix everything. and my secondary is quality time – closely followed by words of affirmation.

here are the stats. kinda cool. makes me easier to understand i think. maybe. haha.

I gotta say. I can’t but disagree. Or maybe I’m the falsifying impersonal relationships girl. Having lived all over the United States (okay, four states) I have met a lot of people that live far away. I’ve known a lot of people that have moved far away from me. I have facebook friends everywhere from Kansas to Michigan to Israel and hop around to Australia and back. Yes. A few of those relationships are impersonal. I only keep them on my friends list to check up on their lives. You know, see who’re they’re dating. Say happy birthday…etc. Oh you know you do it too.

The internet allows me to keep the important relationships alive. (assuming the other uses the same crutch).

I can see my childhood best friend and chat with her on skype. I get to talk to my boyfriend and talk almost daily. despite the grand body of water and land that separates us. I use it to talk to people who live only two hours away back in the KC metro.

It lets me do this. (Now granted. This may qualify as impersonal. But I hope I make it personal-ish!)

Maybe it just comes down to the age-old answer to all. Balance.

This is just to ask you to pray for the people of Victoria that are being plagued by these massive forest fires. Their stories are so disturbing and heart wrenching. The numbers rise every time I check CNN.com, and with each number is a person who had a family and people who loved them.

Side note: The previously mentioned Australian boy is safe and doesn’t look like anything bad fire wise will be heading his way.