Just reflecting on a week that widened my smile and brightened my day a little more than usual! Breaking the monotony of uni studies about a month ago, I had a group assignment and decided to spice it up with a video. Our task was pretty bland and one-dimensional, being asked to come up with an assessment task designed for a grade 5/6 class. With a small filming crew on board, I whipped up a script and we ended up having the most rad time creating a cheesy presentation that was probably going to be more entertaining to us than anyone else. That being said, I have a whole new appreciation for people who do filming and editing...the short clip took a full day to film and allllll night to edit! The people in my group put all shame aside and threw themselves into whatever was asked of them, and it very quickly became less like hard work and more like mucking around with some mates. I don't think I'll ever forget this experience. After more than a handful of catastrophic group assignments throughout the past 3 years, I am so grateful for the amazing people in my class who encapsulate everything that a young, vibrant and determined primary school teacher should be. We HD'd it, naturally :P

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPdWUJZ3dgg

Rad Bucket List

Changing my perspective on life by developing confidence in myself and my abilities and embracing every opportunity that comes my way has opened the door to a world of possibilities. Why restrain ourselves at the fear of failure? Keep your feet on the ground, but let your head travel beyond the skies and dream big. You'll surprise yourself. Bucket lists are cliche to say the least, but does it look like I care?? Some things on my rad bucket list, in no particular order....and they're gonna happen!!!

Twenty-one

For my 21st Birthday I took a trip to the big smoke. My sister and I stayed in an apartment within walking distance from Southern Cross and filled our week with socializing, shopping and exploring the wondrous city of Melbourne. As a country girl, the city has always brought me an endless number of activities and possibilities. It was amazing to catch up with old and new friends, pretend we knew we were on the right tram and wear a pair of heels without looking inappropriately overdressed!
Funniest thing is that I always considered myself someone who prefers the city to a slow-paced life in the country. Often I've felt trapped in a bubble right by the sea that's too cold to swim in 11 months of the year. However, after an exhausting week, I can say that coming home on the train as it approached the beautiful coastline, deep blue seas and acres of greenery became the catalyst for a sincere moment of gratitude. I've often resented living where I do, as I considered it a place of limited opportunity and minimal social advantage. But after feeling like a 21 year-old insignificant spec on the earth that is seemingly full of people without a second spare to smile at each other...I breathed a sigh of relief to catch some rays and walk along the beautiful beach that I call home. Here people will stop to help you pick up your money when you awkwardly drop it all over the footpath, strangers will give you an acknowledging nod as you jog past with the dog and they'll occasionally compliment you on your outfit and ask you where you "got that dress from." Most significantly, apart from the inspiring views and endless kilometers of gorgeous nature, I came home to more than a few handfuls of people who love me. No matter what corners of the earth I travel to or the length of time that I'm away, this will always be my home....and a fantastic one at that. 

Interesting Read....

Below is a helpful article to balance our thoughts regarding motherhood and parenting. I may not agree with every word, but people shouldn't get their nose out of joint when simply being faced with differing views from their own. Everyday I come across a belief that seems to have swept world-wide, where mothers are elevating themselves to the position of a superhero or a queen, when really one should take on the role of mothering with humility and a REALISTIC perspective. Mothering is a blessing and a role filled with extreme responsibility, but no one needs a medal. Where is the acknowledgement of the masses of people that it takes to raise a child in the best way, the father, the grandparents, in-laws, siblings, aunties, uncles, teachers, carers, role models???
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/nov/18/sorry-but-being-a-mother-is-not-the-most-important-job-in-the-world?CMP=fb_gu

Happy Birthday Leo, you perfect man

Middle Eastern Dreaming

The idea of travelling is thrilling. It was impossible for me to feel that desperation to embark on overseas adventures until I'd in fact experienced an adventure of my own. I didn't conquer Europe or explore China, but my travelling experience this year was enough to spark my absolute desire to see more. I particularly find my passion in experiencing cultures that are nothing like our own and am fascinated by the diversity of people that cover our world.

For a university assignment, we had to complete a weekly task. One of these weeks included exploring where, if anywhere in the world, would we go. Despite having a ridiculous, although not unachievable, amount of destinations of my bucket list, if I could go anywhere I would find myself in the Middle East. As my following pinterest board details:

If I could travel anywhere in the world I would travel to the Middle East. I am fascinated by ancient history, namely Bible history, and am inspired by the idea of standing in the places that are described within the text thousands of years ago.

http://www.pinterest.com/deboroar/the-middle-east/
Israel, Egypt (if my life isn't at risk) and Jordan are up there with the top things to do ASAP, along with getting fit, buying bananas and saving for a car. I can not wait to find myself in these utterly magical places, standing at the feet of ancient history in its finest form.  

I'm sure it's astoundingly obvious that I'm sounding like my head is up in the clouds and I'm perfectly justified in having my head here because I've recently finished Uni for another year. I can't believe next year will be the final year of my degree! I've done myself proud and received High Distinctions consistently for the entire year, bar one distinction :) Now I can kick back and dream up some plans!

Happy days!

Words to pay attention to

The middle- Jimmy Eat World

Hey, don't write yourself off yet
It's only in your head you feel left out or looked down on.
Just try your best, try everything you can.
And don't you worry what they tell themselves when you're away.

It just takes some time, little girl you're in the middle of the ride.
Everything (everything) will be just fine, everything (everything) will be alright (alright).

Hey, you know they're all the same.
You know you're doing better on your own, so don't buy in.
Live right now.
Yeah, just be yourself.
It doesn't matter if it's good enough for someone else.

It just takes some time, little girl you're in the middle of the ride.
Everything (everything) will be just fine, everything (everything) will be alright (alright).
It just takes some time, little girl you're in the middle of the ride.
Everything (everything) will be just fine, everything (everything) will be alright (alright).

Hey, don't write yourself off yet.
It's only in your head you feel left out or looked down on.
Just do your best, do everything you can.
And don't you worry what the bitter hearts are gonna say.

It just takes some time, little girl you're in the middle of the ride.
Everything (everything) will be just fine, everything (everything) will be alright (alright).
It just takes some time, little girl you're in the middle of the ride.
Everything (everything) will be just fine, everything (everything) will be alright (alright).

Now you see me...

Good Lord life is made awkward by the "seen" capability on F'book...Gives the world an unhealthy dose of paranoia.

Useless revelations #5

                                                                 Useless revelations # 5

Being friends with someone before you even consider dating them is the preventative of wasted time and heart break. If you don't want to spend the time, don't bother.

Confidence

Fake it til you make it: cOnFiDeNcE

I don't know a lot of girls who are born with natural confidence in themselves. Even the people who I once envied for their ability to walk, talk and breath "confidence" ultimately have turned out to be the most insecure of all. Never assess someone on the face that they front you with, for feigned self-confidence is an age-old trick.


I've never had a lot of self-confidence and it would be fair to say that I've underestimated myself for a good 20 years. I don't say this as a victim of any wrongdoing, but I always have claimed to be a realist keeping my feet on the ground and living life with realistic evaluations of myself and others. But I never really did this... looking back I was more pessimistic than realistic, always saying "I can't" because it was too uncomfortable, seemed too difficult or there was always someone else to compete with. I shied away from sports because it was too hard and too competitive, I found new social situations too uncomfortable, it took me years to discover my talents because it was too embarrassing and difficult to try new things in front of people. I always thought that beauty was equal to confidence and because there are so many girls in the world far more beautiful than I would ever be, then I could never truly be confident.

So many girls blame their self concept and self esteem issues on their past boyfriends, or males who have done the wrong thing by them. But in the end we determine our self-worth, not other people. It's actually ridiculous to blame other people for your issues, because no matter what circumstances confront us in life and what injustices we experience because of other people, we are always the ones who choose how it affects us.

It's taken me a long time to truly realize the meaning of embracing life. By no means am I someone who's up at the crack of dawn bungee jumping, surfing, running and hosting social events every other day, but I have realized in my own small way that being positive and being open to new opportunities brings on a whole world of possibilities. Simply saying "yes" even when you don't feel like it is enough to change your world. I can't believe how many opportunities I've encountered of late to meet beautiful people, experience nature at its best and truly laugh just by saying "Yea, I'll give that a go." Even if I fail, even if people hate me, even if I end up looking stupid, I'll give it a go because there is no point living my short life restricted by self-doubt and fear.

There's not many days I've had where I've thought "I'm good enough or smart enough or have achieved enough."
 I'll always be striving a little too hard to be better... But embracing opportunities to interact with people, to see new parts of the world and put my hand up to do even the smallest of things that make me uncomfortable has increased my self-confidence by a mile. When I throw myself into a situation that I'm not comfortable in, I fake it til I make it. Or in other words, I act confident and therefore slowly start to take on a confident persona. I may be doubting myself in my head over and over again, but when good things come of me saying yes, I've actually started to grow some real confidence from these outcomes.



If you put yourself out there you'll find that to those who matter you are intelligent, hilarious, worth building a friendship with, attractive and very dateable. And to God you are priceless. Just say yes!

Vanuatu: coming home

Vanuatu

                                                                                                         Coming home

God had truly blessed me and looked after me on one of the most amazing experiences of my life. Although I was extremely reluctant to come home, I can't say it was awful getting a big hug from my mummy :P And my parents allowing me to talk from Melbourne to Warrnambool non stop about everything I could possibly blurt out. I was also very proud of myself for braving an international connecting flight and returning home in one piece!

I came home to my ridiculously huge wardrobe of clothes, shoes and things and felt completely ridiculous. It took me weeks to adjust to the feeling of being home, as I'd officially caught the travel bug and felt no need to be sitting at home! Everything around me seemed in excess, as I had experienced the richness of people's lives with hardly anything. Every time I heard someone complain, I could no longer compute the third world "problems" that people constantly would talk about having ("I have no space left in my house," "I don't have enough money to pay for that," "I have no time to do that for you," "I have no time to make it to that meeting"). I could no longer fathom why people act so busy and are so reluctant to put in time to help others when I'd lived in a culture of complete generosity and time being given freely and willingly.

I did enjoy seeing my cute nephew in his new Vanuatu shirt! 

After my very impacting experience of the AOG church in Port Vila, I felt passionate about raising some money to get them an electric guitar. After meeting the youth president and being inspired by his heart for God and desire to help the young people of Vanuatu, I wanted to use the financial blessings we have here in Australia to benefit him as a guitarist in the church. The musical talent of the people was an amazing sight to see, and to provide them with their first electric guitar will be something that they will put to better use than any of us probably ever could! I communicated this passion of mine to my church and have so far been able to reach half of my goal ($800) in just a few short weeks. (If you want to bless these people by contributing, please please contact me!) Reaching this goal will make such an impact on these wonderful men and women and will only increase their faith in God's ability to provide for all of their needs.

Vanuatu: week 3&4

Vanuatu

                                                                                                           Week 3

The last two weeks of my adventure were by far the best.

In my third week of teaching, I moved to the grade six class. I was initially pessimistic about this because I was introduced to a whole new class and faced the task of breaking the ice with a new group of young teens. As I've mentioned below, the young Ni Vans belong to a culture of speaking when spoken to and are always difficult to get talking as an outsider. But I pressed on and showed interest in their hobbies, passions and sports. I asked them questions and tried my best to interact with them from a young-person's perspective. The students seemed to open up the most following an art lesson I ran on Indigenous painting, where I got the students to use Aboriginal symbols to tell a story in their paintings. 

By the third week I felt closer and closer to some of the girls teaching on the trip, and felt so included and excited to spend each day exploring the island.

Lauren and myself looking like doofases but loving life!

 I loved hearing about the girls' days as we discussed our unique experiences in a range of primary, secondary and kindergarten classes. Each of us would make an effort to included each other in our afternoon activities and we spent many hours talking about such a broad range of topics on our hotel beds. Each of us spent a day visiting the different schools we taught at and it was amazing to see the different types of schools, classrooms and conditions each person taught at. By the time Sunday came around, I was extremely sad to see everyone leave and had a moment where I felt extremely lonely as I hugged everyone goodbye at 4am. For the first time in my life I was truly by myself in another country and had no idea what my week alone without any plans in Port Vila would bring. But God was looking out for me and I didn't even know it!

My Sunday was spent church hopping (a term my sister and I like to use) firstly at my usual international church and then to a new Assemblies of God church...and boy did I feel at home! As anyone who knows my church back home, I have grown up in a lively, loud and very Pentecostal church scene and this church did not leave me disappointed. Although I was one of the only white people in the congregation of about 80, I felt like there was no place I'd rather be. The singing put a shiver up my spine, with beautiful harmonies and a blend of heavenly and in tune male and female voices from the entire congregation. Although the service was primarily spoken in Bislama, I could pick up 60 per cent of what was being said and knew that what was being said was something I strongly agreed with. I could sense the spirituality of the church and knew these people were a passionate congregation and I instantly wished that I had more time to come back for another few weeks! I was truly touched by the joy the people had, despite having so much less than what people back home. These people had utter faith in God and His promises in providing for their every need. They did not ask for riches and wealth, but asked Him for what they needed to get through each day and nothing more. I was so happy to be there and be inspired.

Despite feeling like I stood out as a white girl, I pushed myself beyond my comfort zone to stay and try and talk to people after the service had finished. I managed to run into an Australian couple with an adopted Ni Van daughter, the same age as me, who had the most beautiful personality. I also introduced myself to the leaded of the band, Louen, and was invited to choir practice that night. 

After having a wonderful lunch with my missionary friends from the international church and dropping my things off at my new LUXURIOUS accommodation (WOW), I made it to choir practice which was a wonderful experience. It is no myth that Islander people can sing 244544654654 times better than us white people!!! I met the youth president, Kiki, and talked with him and Louen for quite some time before being asked over for coffee. I recall the youth president apologizing multiple times, stating that his house was "not much" and I had to insist that their company was the most important thing. And it truly was! We sat on the floor of his small house with his lovely wife, 2 year old son and one month year old son and drank tea and talked about the youth ministry of the church. They were all so eager to hear of my insights into youth culture and my experiences in Australia with young Christians. The following day Louen and I hung out and I was able to see the university he attends and hear about his home island of Santo. We had a fantastic week together. I had tea at several houses and made plans with new friends from both churches and I never had a minute where I didn't have something to do or someone to see, it was fantastic! I was able to see first hand how locals lived and get to know them on a real personal level. Another highlight was being able to kayak across to another Island with my new Australian friend, Liz, and visit the grave sites of the first missionaries of Erakor Island which was, surprisingly, a rather profound experience. 

In my last couple of days, I soaked up the things that I loved about Vanuatu: Stepping out on the road and hailing a bus that will take you wherever you want to go for 150 vatu, hearing Bob Marley and such reggae tunes everywhere you go, being able to visit my grade five class, being greeted by every person that walks by you, seeing beautiful smiles wherever I went, never feeling cold during the day or night and spending time with all the beautiful new friends I had met. 

 Youth President (Kiki's) little Boy David sleeping

Assembly of God Church

My Accommodation! Wow!

My very own spa bath

Luxury accommodation!

My wonderful friend Louen!

It's fair to say that by the fourth week of my adventure, I had zero per cent desire to go home. The hardest thing was getting on the plane from Sydney to Melbourne, sitting between two white Australians who I tried to talk to and who weren't interested in talking back. My oh my how different our culture is. I can't wait to go back!