Miscellaneous sights and sounds of Australia

Not sure what this is, but saw it everywhere. Some sort of fuzzy, upside down blossom.

Uggs, boots that were first manufactured and sold in Australia, are sold everywhere. The store I took this picture in also sold souvenirs, Pringles, pop, gum, etc.

Even the public transportation could not deny that it was Christmas.

Jamie, a uniclycing street performer, who happened to be from Minnesota.

Our ferry stop

TARGET! How I have missed you!! We went out of our way to find this store and do some shopping.

Pancakes on the Rocks. 

A famous pancake restaurant in Sydney.

Yum. Yum. Yum.

Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville 

Santa was on every lamp post.

The Rocks 

The more historic part of Sydney. The streets were lined with vendors selling products varying from soap to scarves to baby blankets.

Luna Park, an amusement park. Not that exciting, but fun to explore.

I found Leonardo DiCaprio in Sydney!! I quickly ran up and got our picture taken. 

A beautiful lighthouse I discovered on a walk.

And that is Sydney. 

I had an absolutely wonderful time in Australia. It was relaxing, fun, and full of sight-seeing. What more could I have asked for?

Thanks be to God.

Australia, the beautiful contrasting country

Australia truly is a contrasting country. On one continent there are mountains, beaches, forests, and the desert outback. It was great being in Sydney and seeing all the sights, but it was so good to get out of the city and explore the mountains. 

When out on the water you are surrounded by beautiful pieces of land, jutting out into the water.

We spent two afternoons at Manly Beach. It was only a thirty minute ferry ride. The white sandy beach, the cool, refreshing water, and the roar of the waves created a truly relaxing afternoon.

In the southern hemisphere, everything is opposite. The sink drains the opposite way and the needles on pine trees point up. I am not actually sure if that is true, but it sounds true :)

View of Manly Beach. The first afternoon it seemed like we had the beach to ourselves. The second afternoon (which was also a Sunday) was much more crowded. 

A seagull posing for his picture.

I am LOVING Australia!

B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L

After spending a week in Sydney, we packed up and headed for the mountains. After about a two hour drive we were in the mountains. Leaving the hustle and bustle of Sydney...and of Singapore...I embraced the seclusion and slow pace of the mountains.

The mountains not only provided seclusion from the world, no internet, no responsibilities and no sense of time, it also provided separation from a tropical climate. It was a blessing to wear jeans and sweatshirts again and snuggle under blankets while sitting next to a fire place.

The Blue Mountains, on the border of New South Whales and Queensland. This mountain range gets its name from the mist that gives an illusion of blue.

Echo Point, home of the Three Sisters. It a very dreary day but the fog lifted just enough for me to snap this photo.

A new day! Mr. Sun has come out to play. A beautiful view of one of God's masterpieces.

A beautiful waterfall found during a hike in the Blue Mountains.

Katoomba Falls

It was lush and green everywhere.  

Photos truly cannot do justice to what God has created.

Australian wildlife

A day at Taronga Zoo and a day at Featherdale provided many opportunities to see and interact with wildlife one can only do so while in Australia.

Did you know koalas are awake for only four hours each day!? Needless to say, it was hard to find a koala awake and doing something.

Mufasa; King of the jungle

Echidna - a mammal that lays eggs. Related to the ant eater, porcupine, and hedgehog, this spiny animal is exclusive to Australia and New Guinea.

Koalas are my new favorite animal. 

How could you not love these animals? To help them balance in the trees, koalas did their claws into the trees.

How precious are they?!!

Just some kangaroos lounging in the afternoon sun.

Look Mom! I am hand feeding a kangaroo! Their fur is extremely soft and their claws are very sharp (last fact gained from personal experience).

Mommy and baby. Little Joey is curious of the outside world.

The Tasmanian Devil. Although this little guy looks cute, his little jaws have the capacity to crush bones. Ironically, these animals have caused their own endangerment. Due to their very aggressive nature and history of killing livestock, humans have began killing this animal in effort to protect their livestock.

My new pal, Bonnie.

At a seal show at the zoo. This is Murphy; he was showing the audience that he was from America (the trainer had him "bark" in his American accent). Murphy is the only seal at this zoo born in America.

Isn't our God creative? Living in and visiting other countries has given me opportunities to see the vast amount of creatures God has put on this planet.

Christmas in Australia - Sights around Sydney

School is out for 3 weeks! 

I, along with my aunt, uncle and cousins, spent twelve days in Australia. The first half we were in Sydney and the second part we traveled up to the Blue Mountains. 

While in Sydney we used the ferry for transportation, visited the Taronga Zoo, walked around the Opera House, visited the Powerhouse Museum, shopped at Target (a definite highlight!), went to Featherdale (a wildlife park where we could pet koalas and feed kangaroos), and went to church at Hillsong.

Below are some sights around Sydney.

A look across the wharf into Sydney. 

Much of Sydney is based around the water. The use of ferries is a popular choice of transportation. It is quick and easy; just hop on and hop off at your choice of location.

A ferry. Most are double-deckers while a choice of inside or outside seating. 

We got a multi-ride pass; with this, we had unlimited bus and/or ferries rides.

One morning I took a walk around the wharf. I found beautiful boats on tranquil waters. 

Along the water there are big, beautiful, old houses. Many have cascading gardens (like the one above) and stone staircases. 

Circular Quay. The ferry station.

Along Circular Quay there were various street performers. 

Aborigine men performing - they played this long instrument (man on ground on far right). 

I saw this man almost every time I went downtown. He made a lot of progress in the time I was there.

The Sydney Harbor Bridge

The Opera House

My top 12 of 2012

As I look back on this past year, I have much to be thankful for. It has been a year of much change and many miles. Through all the change, God has been faithful. 12 months and so much change. Below are my tops twelve events of the past twelve months.

1. Student taught 5th grade in an extremely exclusive elementary school. Was embraced by my mentoring teacher and supported by professors. An experience that took me from student to teacher.

2. Lived with two of my best friends. These two women love the Lord with their whole hearts and they love me for who I am. We met the first day of freshman year and have been together ever since. I am grateful to be apart of their lives and am looking forward to what the Lord has for of us in the years to come.

3. Discipleship Cabinet. I had the great honor and opportunity to be apart of Trinity's Discipleship Cabinet (DCAB). We held a weekly ALPHA course, we put together discussion forums, we had bible studies on various topics, and we became a family. It was incredible to see how strangers became family. Through the bond of Christ, we walked with one another through the ups and downs of life. I love my DCAB family and miss you all!

4. Invested in relationships with professors. The best part of Trinity was the professors, specifically the education professors. They loved the Lord and they loved those of us studying education. I was supported  and genuinely cared for. I loved meeting professors for dinner and popping into their offices to chat. These were not professors, they were mentors and friends.

5. GRADUATE! I graduated college with honors. YES!

6. Friends and family got engaged and married. It has been such a blessing to be apart of people's lives - watching their relationships grow.

7. I taught the preschool Bible lessons at Vacation Bible School. Exhausting but rewarding.

8. Spent the summer at home. After graduating college, I moved back home for the summer. I did nothing and it was wonderful!

9. Watched my sister compete in horse shows. Since I was home over the summer, I spent much time watching Baihley (my younger sister) compete in horse shows. With elegance, maturity, and a positive attitude, she competed and took home several awards. Baihley, I am very proud to be your big sister.

10. July 15, I moved to Singapore. I said good-bye to my family and said hello to a new adventure.

11. First day of school. I have never been more nervous than I was on the first day of school. So many emotions ran threw my mind - doubt, fear, excitement. God was good and gave me sixteen amazing students. Cannot believe I have successful taught for one semester already. It is through Christ alone that I have made it this far, and I am depending on Him for the rest this rest of the school year.

12. Christmas in Australia. One item on my bucket list was Australia. I was finally able to check it off after I spent Christmas in Australia. Petting koalas, feeding kangaroos, shopping at Target, and relaxing on the beach were just a few highlights.

Thanks and glory be to God.

Christmas on Orchard Road

Orchard Road is the "downtown" of Singapore. Lined with shop after shop, the streets are always filled with people. Christmas is no exception. Starting in early November, the streets were decorated with lights and the Christmas season official began. Sadly, Singapore (and many other countries) puts more emphasis on gifts rather than Christ's birth.

A huge Christmas tree is the first thing one notices when on Orchard Road. One evening, there was a snow spectacular at the tree. Families came and anxiously waited for the snow to be released. Please keep in mind the tropical climate of Singapore. Although it was close to 90 degrees Fahrenheit, the "snow" was a nice piece of home.

People. They are everywhere.

LET IT SNOW!!

Doesn't it look real?!? What do you think they used as snow?

If you guessed bubbles, you are absolutely correct! Only in Singapore would they use bubbles are snow. As part of the Snow Spectacular, huge amount of bubbles oozed out of machines onto the eagerly awaiting children. 

 Bubbles instead of snow? It sounds odd but it looked real. This is my first Christmas away from home and without snow. Although last Christmas it hardly snowed, this Christmas I knew there was zero chance of any weather below 80. Thanks to the creative minds of Singaporeans, I was able to have a White Christmas.