We Are FAMILY!

I finally got my homestay assignment!!! Its so good to know where I will be spending most of my time in Australia.  I don't know much about the family but I do know that they have three kids 17 (girl), 15 (girl), and 13 (boy).  They have taken on ASC students in the past and they have done very well there.  I'm not the only ASCer staying with them, they are also taking on three other girls, I'm so happy that I have someone to ride the bus with since the university is 45 minutes away from home (which from the past blog's of other students is about the normal distance for everyone).  Also I think if I was by myself riding the bus I would get off on the wrong stop multiple times a week, which still might happen.  The house is in Concord which from what I can tell looks like a cute little town in the Australian business district. 

I also got my service placement! While in Australia I have to do 35 hours of community service in a placement of my choice.  There were three choices and they try to place everyone where they want.  I chose working with the Elderly in a retirement home, they didn't say what we would be doing but I hope its fun.   I'm sure I will enjoy whatever it ends up being. 

I have my schedule for next semester and its pretty awesome! Monday I have hip hop 2:30 to 5 and 1 Corinthians from 6 -9. Tuesday I have The View from Australia which is the service placement class from 9-5 (super long I know!) and Wednesday I have hip hop 2:30 to 5, then my psychology masters class from 5:30 to 9, I don't have class Thursday (which I am renaming Beach Day) and Friday I have Indigenous history, culture and identity (which is a required class along with the one I have Tuesday) from 8-5 but this is the class that go on field trips and things like that. 

I still have not figured out how to fit all my stuff in one suitcase in case you were wondering. 

Funnel Web Spider, Box Jellyfish and other deadly things

To prepare for our semester abroad, ASC requires us to read In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson.  It's a very good book, I like how I can relate to him and his travel know how (or lack there of) because really the places I've traveled so far in my short life (which is not many) are completely different than Australia.  At least that's what I can tell from reading up on the country "down under".  Anyway, there I was reading on the couch at my grandparents house after church one day and I'm laughing at how Mr. Bryson describes his failed attempts at wake boarding, when all of a sudden he starts describing the sea life of Australia.  Now I know about sharks (which are not concentrated in the Sydney area, but as my mom said "It only take one" hah) and that they are something you definitely want to stay away from, I also know about stingrays and how they are not a creature you particularly want to tango with, but what I didn't know about was Box Jellyfish.  Normal jellyfish yes they hurt and you probably want to stay away from them.  Box jellyfish however hurt to a point I'm not sure I can really wrap my mind around.  According to the book a boy was stung by one and when he got out of the water it looked like someone had whipped his body multiple times and even after they pumped him full of morphine he continued to scream.  That is on the top of my I Hope This Doesn't Happen To Me list but knowing my luck it will happen on the first day, oh did I mention the fact that these lovely creatures and I will be sharing the ocean since they are located in the Sydney region.  I was getting a little weary of the water after that laundry list of sea killers when Mr. Bryson thought it would be a good idea to move onto the things on land that can kill you.  Surprising the list is even longer.  First of all the top ten most poisonous snakes all live in Australia.  Some I've heard of but most are completely foreign to me.  At first I thought this book should include pictures of these snakes so if I saw one I could run, but then I realized even if the snake wasn't poisonous I would still run, so a picture is irrelevant.  What I found most disturbing is that one of the most poisonous snake is no bigger than an earthworm and I likely won't see it until I step on it or it bites me in which case I will most likely die.  At this point I'm wondering why they didn't make us read this book BEFORE we applied just so we would know what we were getting into.  But I thought to myself lots of people live there and they don't die by snake bits so that's encouraging. I got over the snake scare pretty quickly and continued reading.  I learned that the most deadly insect on earth lives exclusively in Sydney (hey that's where I'm going!) and its a lovely little thing called the Funnel Web Spider (I know not an insect but that's what it said in the book).  This spider is often found in the home and it is important to check your shoes and clothes in the morning to be sure that one is not in there.  It can kill you in ten minutes if you don't get immediate medical help but the good news is that you won't know since immediately after it bites you, you start violently convulsing and then turn blue and then die.  Yeah I was pretty nervous after reading this, I was wondering if that author really wanted people to visit Australia or if he was warning them to stay away.  I was telling my mom and my sister about this and my mom said the only safe place is home and that's where I should stay (I countered that by reminding her there's a bear in the neighborhood and no one seems to be interested in catching until it attacks something) and all my sister said was "I'll pray for you everyday" well as comforting as that may be I was still reeling in my mind about how I was going to protect myself from all the wildlife in Sydney that could kill me.  I never figured it out but I decided to chance it and be excited about the semester in front of me anyway.  
Something else that I am having a problem with is packing.  While I am in Australia I will experience their winter spring and summer season.  Winter to Australia is a mild 55-60 but according to my travel info it can, on rare occasions, reach 30 degrees, the spring is around 75 to 80.  The real killer is the summer which will be the bulk of my visit, which is normally around 105-110 degree Fahrenheit!  Going back to my book, in the outback it get up to 140 degrees! What!! That's like my skin will melt off hot! And yes we are spending a week there, I'm hoping its during the winter!! so my problem is how am I going to pack sweater, hats, gloves, pants, shorts, tanks, dresses, shoes, hair stuff, towels (yes we have to bring our own), and all the other stuff they want us to bring in ONE 50lb bag!?! Unheard of, right (suggestions are welcome)? If you know me, you know that this will my biggest obstacle.  But I think it will also help me to see that in reality I don't need all the stuff I think is a necessity.  So I am excited to see how packing unfolds.  
In other news hip hop is on my schedule for the semester and I couldn't be happier! Even though I have no rhythm, and my coordination needs some work I think it will be a fun class and something that Asbury would never consider putting on their schedule.  
I am also really excited to be living with a host family there and get the chance to see how they live and how different it is (maybe they have tips on how to keep deadly spiders out of my bed) and I also think it will be much better than living in a dorm! 
So now you know my thoughts on my pre-Australia journey, and as soon as I actually get there I will update you on all things Sydney and I'll be sure to tell you all about the bugs I encounter and how I handle the situation and I can tell you right now it won't be good but it will most likely be funny! 

Jen 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Don't Mess With Me Funnel Web Spider