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Rule # 48: on a small campus, your business is everyone’s business.

Also a rehash (see rule #29). As an international student, and depending on who your friends are, this is particularly true.

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Motivation if you ever need it.

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The Turkey Bowl - cadets victorious!

FYI ‘tours’ are punishment for the cadets if they do something wrong or against the honour code - walking ‘tours’ around the barracks in uniform with a rifle. 

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Flying in the game ball - of course!

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What a weird (wonderful) place to go to school...

13/11/17, Dahlonega GA

UNG never fails to surprise me with the seemingly random military-related things going on and today was no exception! Ft. actual chopers and tanks; cadets running with guns for no apparent reason; and a staff-student football match where the game ball was parachuted in by the Silver Wings; ‘three cheers’ is actually seven and is done with push-ups by the whole core not just the players; and the staff threw smoke and flash bombs onto the field whilst running through it and entering to We Will Rock You/Back in Black...

Quite a day for a little international like me - which was ended really nicely by observing the cadet’s talk before breaking the game to mark Thanksgiving. The general gist of it was remembering where you go to school; the legacy that that entails and the expectation and pride that others have in you, and that you should have in yourself - breathing it in and showering it where ever you go. Even I was feeling pretty darn patriotic after that!

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13/11/17, Dahlonega GA

UNG never fails to surprise me with the seemingly random military-related things going on and today was no exception! Ft. actual chopers and tanks; cadets running with guns for no apparent reason; and a staff-student football match where the game ball was parachuted in by the Silver Wings; ‘three cheers’ is actually seven and is done with push-ups by the whole core not just the players; and the staff threw smoke and flash bombs onto the field whilst running through it and entering to We Will Rock You/Back in Black...

Quite a day for a little international like me - which was ended really nicely by observing the cadet’s talk before breaking the game to mark Thanksgiving. The general gist of it was remembering where you go to school; the legacy that that entails and the expectation and pride that others have in you, and that you should have in yourself - breathing it in and showering it where ever you go. Even I was feeling pretty darn patriotic after that!

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13/11/17, Dahlonega GA

All photo credit goes to Shane, from Ireland, who got much better photos than I did and said it was a condition of their use that he be featured. 

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UNG never fails to surprise me with the seemingly random military-related things going on and today was no exception! Ft. actual chopers and tanks; cadets running with guns for no apparent reason; and a staff-student football match where the game ball was parachuted in by the Silver Wings; ‘three cheers’ is actually seven and is done with push-ups by the whole core not just the players; and the staff threw smoke and flash bombs onto the field whilst running through it and entering to We Will Rock You/Back in Black...

Quite a day for a little international like me - which was ended really nicely by observing the cadet’s talk before breaking the game to mark Thanksgiving. The general gist of it was remembering where you go to school; the legacy that that entails and the expectation and pride that others have in you, and that you should have in yourself - breathing it in and showering it where ever you go. Even I was feeling pretty darn patriotic after that!

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Playlist: Greatest Love Story, LANCO

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Another that pulls those heart strings every time. I also have a nice memory of this song sitting in a car, just chattin gmith my friend Will. 

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Playlist: I Wish I Was, The Avett Brothers

Another Tennessee road trip song. EDIT: which months later means even more to me!

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Playlist: Tennessee Whisky, Chris Stapleton

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This is definitely a song that pulls at my heart a little.

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rule #47: being an international student is 80% walking, 20% feeling dependent on other people driving you places.

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rule #46: food is expensive so over-budget - your money will run out fast!

This is a rehash of rule #16. The price of fresh food in america is on-par with Australian prices and then you add in the currency difference and all of a sudden you’re paying 25% more than you think you’re paying. Even Maccas don’t sell $1USD fries (which is over $AUD anyway! what!?)

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100 days in - and oh how time flies!

19 Nov 2018

I simply cannot believe how fast time has passed. In one sense I feel like i only left home in Perth yesterday, and in others I feel like I have lived here in North Georgia for ever. The past 100 days have been a whirlwind of emotions, experiences, and friendships - it took no time at all to find a home here in Georgia and i have spent the past few weeks feeling a mixture of to things: like i am wrapped in a warm, fuzzy feeling of happiness for no apparent reason, and a reflective, happy kind of nostalgia. So on that - queue a big long sentimental post to mark 100 days in this beautiful mountain town!

I have learned things - some general, and some more personal reflections.

- American’s don’t have good cheese (cheddar shouldn’t be orange, guys!)

- Or coffee.

- I am actually very capable of cleaning, vacuuming, doing laundry on a regular basis and it is so much easier to do it is small loads throughout the week (there you go mum - i’ve said it!).

- All people are lessons - they show you exactly what you want and need in a friend/relationship/experience, and can shape your outlook on things so significantly, and that is so valuable. Because of this, though, you need to guard your heart, and make sure you’re really ready when you open it up - whether that be to someone special, to friendships, or to experiences. 

- On a similar note, being mindful is incredibly important. That is: it will never not pay off to live mindfully and purposefully. I guess my take on this is that living in the moment is one thing,  yet you need to be mindful - of your obligations; of timing; of others; of your relationships; your feelings; and your intentions. Without this you risk yourself, your career, your heart, your relationships, and you risk those things for others as well.

- I am a ‘yes’ person - as observed by someone yesterday. I guess i knew this already but day one of classes i met some amazing people who have really changed the meaning of that for me. Firstly, because the same someone commented that we don’t feel so special about you hanging with us Emily May, you say yes to everything! It was all joking and in good humour, but reflecting on that I don’t think he was entirely right. I’ve been trying my hardest to invest in meaningful relationships and have spent my ‘yeses’, mainly, on the same people who have given theirs to me, too. So I guess the reflection coming out of this is that you don’t need to say yes to every opportunity but provided you’re saying yes to the right ones, with the right people, those ‘yeses’ are invaluable.

- You have to take chances, because one decision really can have an impact on your life in the most profound way and that is a beautiful thing.

Someone asked me on the way home from a campfire this evening - ‘Well, what’s been your favourite part so far?’

This question caught me off guard for two reasons.

My first thought was to say ‘you’ - all the people I’ve met, and a few in particular who have opened their lives to me invested their time into our relationships. I am incredibly sentimental about this and cannot begin to express in words how much value I place in people like, or how much it means to me.

The second reason - and an adage that floats around GRSP and RYE too - is that this is not a year in your life but a life in a year. Having a favourite part is almost impossible for me (outside of friendships), and it implies that the memories i’m making are just parts that add up to one year that will eventually end. Having been on RYE before I know that this year will not end when I do eventually go home. It’s a life that i’ll keep carrying around for a very long time and that is something that cannot be sectioned into parts, or that can end.

In all, the open arms i’ve been received into at my host rotary club, my host families, and at school, have been overwhelming. Happy, sad or otherwise I cannot yet think of a single moment that I have not found value in.

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Playlist: Chicken Fried, Zac Brown Band

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A Tennessee memory.

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Playlist: Lady Lie, Rainbow Kitten Surprise

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One of those songs someone showed to me while driving that makes me remember the night lights and the windy mountain roads.

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11//11/17

Ladies <3

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11-12/11/17

Jefferson, GA

This week Kathrine and I went home with Mary Beth for the weekend! On Saturday the first task was helping her sister get ready for a work Christmas function, and after that we hung out with her family, did some art work, and had taco soup for dinner which was delicious! Matthew and Will - having been in Athens watching he Georgia game; Georgia lost; they were quite drunk when they arrived - stopped by to say hi on their way back home to Dahlonega. There were some very entertaining conversations, we watched a movie, and eventually slept once they left.

Sunday morning we went to church, which was more like a discussion about life than the catholic service i am used to and was honestly amazing - it felt very relevant and and I appreciated that the focus was on your relationship with yourself and with god, and being authentic in the things that you do - rather than traditions, rituals and ceremonies.

Then, after lunch, we dressed up and went to the Atlanta Symphony for the opening of their Winter Season, which was an impressive showcase of classical pieces! After that it was back to campus!