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1. Flatmates and I out on the town for Australia Day (like their 4th of July). From left: Deirdre, Caroline, me and Mimi. Can you even believe how adorable we are?

Deirdre, the gorgeous redhead, is 28 and originally from New York, although she has lived in Paris for the past few years. She is hilarious, very talkative, and caring. She's also pretty much the mom of our group. She tells us what to do and we pretty much do it, even if we grumble the entire time haha. She says she's only staying one year, but we are all doing our best to convince her to stay longer.

Caroline, the adorable curly-haired blonde, is 18 and from Austin, Texas. She is the heart of our group, kind of the glue that keeps us together. She is honestly the funniest, kindest, and sweetiest person I have ever met. She and I have so much in common--we like a lot of the same things, we watch all the same TV shows, etc.

Mimi (her real name is Myriah--isn't that pretty?) is my actual roommate. She's from California and let me tell you, she is perfect*. She is 18--but very mature for her age--a very talented singer/songwriter/musician and also very humble. She has this innate spark in her that just draws people to her. Mimi has the best taste in music of absolutely anyone ever (excepting myself, of course!), and has introduced me to so many cool artists and bands. I, in turn, have been showing her new stuff, too.

So there you have it, the girls of the 234 (our flat number).

*Disclaimer: Mimi is not actually perfect.

2 - 3. Fireworks in Darling Harbour, about a 40 minute walk from my flat

4. First day of classes! From left: Me, Caroline, Deirdre, Mimi.

5. Being silly at the cheapest restaurant in Coogee Beach. We actually are adults. From left: Mimi, Caroline, me.

6. Hanging out at the beach AT NIGHT. Deirdre's on my left, Mimi on my right.

7. At the beach (again) with some friends from school. From left, front row: Deirdre, Anna (she's from Ireland and has such a beautiful accent, sometimes I just make her talk so I can hear it), Mimi, and Caroline. From left, back row: me, Amy (she's from England and I like hearing her talk, too, althought sometimes she talks SUPER FAST and I'm like, whoa, slow down!), and Mallory (she's from Washington State and is basically the coolest).

yay pictures

Hey Everybody!

Things have only gotten busier since my last update, but I'm starting to settle into a routine. I have classes Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, with Wednesday a much-needed day off. Saturday and Sundays are filled with activities every week.

Want to see my schedule? No? too bad!

Monday:

This is my longest day, academically speaking. Communication in Ministry Tutorial* 9:00, Personal Leadership Tutorial 10:15, Lunch break, Band Rehearsal 12:30-3:30, and Band Tutorial 4:00-5:15.

*Tutorials are "small group" classes. We have lectures, in which all of the students are together, and we have tutorials, which are groups of no more than 25 students.

Tuesday:

Personal Leadership Lecture at 10:00, Chapel at 12:00, Advanced Music Theory 3:45, Connect Group 7:30.

Wednesday: Day off! Optional church at 7:00pm

Thursday:

Sisterhood (the women's ministry here) from 7:40am-11:30am. (You will be surprised to know that I am helping out with production for this. I've been doing monitor engineering, systems engineering, and front of house communication.) After this, I have a break.

The only class on Thursday is Old Testament Lecture, which runs from 2:00-4:00. I have to admit, when I saw this on my timetable at the beginning of the semester, I was NOT thrilled. The Old Testament always seemd a bit harsh, boring, and tedious to me. However, this class is the complete opposite. Our teacher, Catrina, who is also our principal, is a brilliant scholar and intellectual, yet she makes the class come alive. It's my favorite class of the week.

Friday:

Old Testament Tutorial 8:30, Chapel 11:15, Music Excellence Lecture 1:15.

Saturday:

Street Teams is from 8:45am-12:00. Street Teams is Hillsong's practical ministry. We go out to different areas of the city and do things like mow lawns, rake leaves, clean houses, and chat with people in an effort to bring the community together and serve them. When I found out I was assigned to this, I was a bit skeptical at first, but I have been completely won over and I enjoy Street Teams. I love talking to people without the pressure of having to convert them or anything like that.

Alternate Saturdays:

4:15-7:30 Every other Saturday I have to sing in the choir for the 6pm service, and call time is 4:15.

Sunday:

Alternating Sundays:

Every other Sunday my call time for choir is 6:30am (!!!!!!), and I sing in the 8:00 ad 9:45 services. The other Sundays my call time is 10:30 and I sing in the 11:30 service. The way the program is set up, each student has to serve in two services and attend one service. I usually attend the 7:00 Sunday night service.

So there's my week!

Hey everybody!

It's such a cliche to talk about how busy I am, but it's really true.

Classes have finally started. The first two weeks are what are called "intensives." All the students take the same classes. We've had Communication and Ministry and Church and Ministry. It's been pretty intense. We've discussed so many facets of communication, effectiveness, personality and temperament, etc. Church and Ministry is about the ideal church, what church should be, what it should look like, etc.

In addition to classes, we have what is called Fieldwork and Church Life. Fieldwork is service in the area of our major or concentration, and Church Life is service in an area that we don't specialize in. I have been assigned to the choir and "street teams." I actually don't know what street teams are; when I have my first meeting with my tutorial leader (teacher), I'll find out all about it.

This has been Vision Week at Hillsong. This is when senior pastors Brian and Bobbie Houston talk about the church's future plans, what's going on with the church, and new developments. Yesterday, we had a marathon day. In the morning and afternoon we had classes together with the other campus (Hills), and that night, we attended Leadership Vision Night at the church. We got up at 6AM, took a bus on the hour-long ride to Hills campus, spent 8 hours in class, had a few breaks, sat for 2 hours during the service, then rode a bus back that night. We got in around 11:45PM. Needless to say, we took it easy today!

I've been learning to play some jazz. I did some recording today for a friend, and am in a fledgling jazz band. I've been meeting so many people from so many places: Australia (of course), England, Ireland, Finland, Norway, the Netherlands, South Africa, Germany, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, France, Switzerland, Russia, Tajikistan, New Zealand, and of course, the United States. It's so invigorating to constantly be around people that are significantly different from me. I love it so much.

My roommates and I are getting along famously. To those of you that prayed: thank you so much. We have already heard horror stories from our fellow classmates about roommates that do not get along. We are very blessed, in that respect.

I'm sorry if this post seems to ramble; I'm a bit tired. Thanks for taking the time to read this.

Good night!

So I've been getting a lot of questions about the cultural differences here in Oz, so here are some general thoughts.

• Yes, they drive on the left side of the road, like in Britain. It's a little weird at first--you keep seeing cars driving by with no one in the "driver's seat" or the person there isn't driving, and you think briefly, "WHOA WHAT!" and then you remember. I'm almost used to it now. Almost.

• Aussies like to make fun of Americans for being fat, but ever so slowly, it's catching up to them. By and large, though, they are pretty fit and in good shape. 

• Sports is like oxygen here. Everyone loves sports.

• The language is hilarious--Aussies shorten EVERYTHING. Breakfast is often "brekky," for example. McDonald's is "Maccus," Woolworths is "Woolie's." Also they're not big on possessive apostrophes: Woolworths, Coles, etc. Funny story: there are some Westpac signs (the bank here that I use) that advertise for home mortgaging or whatever. It says, "We'll help you with the Reno? Move? Reno? Move?" conversation. I couldn't figure out why they were talking about Reno, NV. I literally JUST got it a few days ago: Reno is "renovate." See? Useless abbreviation.

• Lots of things have different names. French fries=chips. Cantaloupe=rock melon. Etc.

• The food here is so cool. They have these little pies that you can buy in every bakery, and they are so delicious. Other foods I've enjoyed are kangaroo meat (shocking!) and chicken schnitzel. I did NOT, however, enjoy custard tarts.

• EVERYTHING HERE IS ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUSLY EXPENSIVE. Not even kidding or being my typical cheap self. It's expensive. A regular can of soda like we'd get from a vending machine for 65 cents (that's how much they were at my job) goes, typically, for $2.50AUD and typically more. I've seen some for $3.50. Water is often $4 or $5 a bottle.

• Also, when you go to a restaurant, they don't include drinks with your meal. Not even at the fast food restaurants, not even at McDonald's or Burger King (which is called Hungry Jack's).

• The public transport system is (generally) pretty clean and easy to use. $2 for a single bus ticket. Not sure how much for a single train or ferry ticket, but for $48, you can get a pass for all bus riding, train riding, or ferry riding for a week. Not bad.

• I actually have yet to see a kangaroo, but I've eaten kangaroo meet three times. It's kind of like a blander form of beef.

• the money is so pretty. There are $100, $50, $20, $10, and $5 bills. The coins come in denominations of $2, $1, and 50, 20, 10, and 5 cents. The dollar coins are gold and the rest are silver.

That's all I can think of for now. I'm always open to your questions!

Hello from Sunny Sydney!

It's been a few weeks since my last post, and those weeks have been packed with activity. Our wonderful hosts, the Apple family, took us all over the city. We've seen the Sydney Opera House (though I have yet to go inside!), the Royal Botanical Gardens, the Pyrmont Bridge, Manly Beach, and Coogee Beach, and we've walked all around Circular Quay, Cockle Bay, and Darling Harbour. We've ridden the bus, taken trains, and walked all over Sydney, the City of Villages.

My mom left for home on Tuesday, and it's been kind of hard for me. Yes, I'm homesick, but I also hate the fact the she now has to live alone. It's a big adjustment, and I pray for her and talk to her daily, but it's not the same. If you could keep the both of us in your prayers or send some positive thoughts our way every now and then, I would be so grateful.

I have moved into my apartment, and it's looking very homey. My roommates and I all love it. Speaking of roommates, we just got a brand-new roommate today. That makes four of us. We're all so excited--we were praying for a fourth, and one of us--Caroline--even had a dream, just last night, that we got one. So imagine our delighted surprise when one showed up today!

We have just about everything we need--dishwasher, refrigerator, microwave, furniture, dishes, food--and our vacuum and washing machine are arriving even as I type this. Our Internet should be hooked up within the next few weeks. We're all looking for jobs, as well, so once that happens, everything will be even better then it already is.

School starts next week with enrolment and auditions. (I'm a little nervous about auditions, but I'm confident I'll do well.) I've met a few new students on the bus and hanging around the apartments, and I'm so excited about getting to know them.

I've been attending services on Sunday evenings. They are, in a word, amazing. But of co

urse they 

are--I'm at Hillsong. Haven't gotten out on Wednesday nights or Saturday nights yet, but that will all change once school starts!

Well I'll sign off for now--in a few minutes I'm going to do another post. Here are some pics:

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1. On the ferry toward Manly Beach, away from the city

2. Manly Beach

3. Sydney Harbour Bridge

4. Sydney Opera House and CBD (Central Business District) Skyline

5. Crown Park, in front of my apartment building. Always lots of cute, friendly, and extremely well-behaved dogs there.

6. Me and my mom goofing off in front of the apartment

7. Me and my mom at Coogee Beach

Well, well, well (cue Duffy song haha).

Guess where I am?

^that's correct. Sydney, Australia, you guys!

I can't even begin to express how excited, amazed and grateful I am to be here. The past two days--three days really--have been very emotional for me.

So my mom and I left New Year's Eve, our flight was at 4pm, and we had two layovers, one in Atlanta and one in LA. ATL is my favorite airport because they have this speedy little train that takes you to each of the concourses and it's so fun to ride. I didn't really get to explore LAX but it was pretty huge. I handled those flights pretty well, but let me tell you about the 14-hour ride to Australia.

I almost did not make it.

Not even kidding.

I'm not claustrophobic, but the feeling of confined-ness was almost overwhelming. There were two specific points where I woke up in a panic, terrified because I could not go anywhere and the flight was seemed never ending.

So any of you who think you want to come visit me, count the cost: are you prepared to sit in one place for 14 hours straight?

Ok, that's it for the melancholy. On to the fabulousity!

We arrived in Sydney on Sunday morning, around 8. It was my mom's birthday, so this was pretty much the best birthday she's had in awhile. Anyways, after we finally, mercifully landed, we got through customs and quarantine pretty quickly. I was pretty surprised, actually; I'd heard it could be pretty bad. We got some money changed (Australian money is so pretty!) and caught a taxi to our friends' place.

I tried to be polite: I stayed up long enough to say hi and take a shower, but then I crashed onto the bed for a few hours. Honestly though, the jet lag wasn't nearly as bad as I was expecting. My nap was only like two hours and I felt fine afterwards.

Also, the time difference did not bother me at all. Sydney is 16 hours ahead of North Carolina, so I assumed that it would be killer, but I adapted pretty seamlessly.

I'm pretty awesome, though, so I'm not really surprised. <jokes>

So back to the story. After the nap, we went walking around the city a bit. We walked down to Circular Quay (pronounced Key), then we explored the trains and bus systems. We had a brief dinner and then (DUN DUN DUN) we went to Hillsong for Sunday night service.

It was, in a word, amazing. But that's redundant, I suppose. It is Hillsong.

So that's my first day, in a nutshell. Oh! I met some of my classmates. One from Oz, one from Sweden, one from Russia, and one from Kajikistan? (Kazakistan? Yeah, I don't know how to spell it)

Today, we're headed to an outdoor market and then to a chocolate shop! More later.

More pics!

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Hey everyone! Welcome to my new blog Australia blog, Rooney Down Under!

Here is a quick recap of the last 11 months, in case you don't know anything about me!

Brief intro!

Name: Rooney Wynn

Age: 23

Hometown: Raleigh, NC, USA

Where am I headed: Sydney, NSW, Australia

Why am I headed to Australia: to attend Hillsong International Leadership College

Month by month recap!

December 2009: My mom, brother, Keifkins, and me go to Myrtle Beach, SC. We visit a bookstore and meet a girl who is raising money to get to Hillsong College.

I remember that Hillsong College exits.

January 2010: My mom and I go to our church's annual Winter Staff Retreat. During the week long stay at the beach, something begins stirring in my mind. I want to move on, to go somewhere. I wonder could I get to Australia?

February-March: These months are spent second-guessing. Should I stay or should I go?

April: I'm going to try and go. My mom and I sit down and start making plans, mapping out fundraisers, and compiling lists of people to contact.

May: I apply--and am accepted!--to Hillsong International Leadership College! Preparations continue in earnest.

June/July/August/September/October: I do everything I can to raise money for Australia. Whirlwind of support letters, yard sales, etc.

November: The 12th-18th were very frustrating days, as the quest for cheap airline tickets culminated in some trouble with Expedia and cheaptickets dot com. However, November 18th was the day of triumph: tickets secured!

December: A whirlwind of clearing out my room, packing, quitting my job, farewell concerts, saying goodbye to friends, all kinds of last minute things.

So now you're all caught up! Depature is now in 25 days. New Year's Eve, 4:00pm, I leave the country.

Getting so excited, you guys!