Confessions of a Former Hillsong College Student...

Since I've lived in Sydney for almost a decade (wow, can't believe it myself!) I think I am qualified to list a few of the things that make this city one of my favourite places on the planet...

I am enlisting my brilliant husband's help with this post as most of what I know about saving money comes from him!

• Don't snub the store brands! Every supermarket has their own, cheaper food label...& lots of these items are made in the same factory with the same ingredients as a similar "branded" item....only the label is changed! We've gone through the process of trying out most of the store brand items at our supermarket...some are as good, some aren't....but it doesn't cost much to try a store brand...& worst case scenario, you never buy that particular item again. Always use your brain when choosing since occasionally, cheaper food means low quality ingredients, but that's not always the case. Aldi is a great place to save on groceries; they have their own brand so most items are much cheaper. I also have friends who go to the local markets & get boxes of cheap fruit & veg there. Saving money on groceries is very achievable, you just need to be willing to experiment!
  
  
• Before buying absolutely anything, assess whether you really need it or whether you just want it - it's a very fine line between those two. All of us can easily identify some purchase (CD/DVD, shirt, Smurf figurine, etc.) that we felt we "needed" at the time, but now that same item sits mostly unused somewhere, taking up space. Remember, the Bible says that God shall supply all your 'need', so try not to waste His need-provision on the unnecessary.
  
  
• Live green. When it comes to your home life, pay attention to the small things, like not wasting water or electricity; those small things can make a big difference. Turn off lights & devices when not in use, have short showers, go as light as you can on the air-con/heating etc. (Lots more tips here: http://www.which.co.uk/advice/how-to-use-less-electricity/index.jsp & http://www.savewater.com.au/how-to-save-water/in-the-home)
  
  
• Brown-bag it. Eat a home prepared lunch rather than buying at the food court every day...you can still eat with your friends there after all!
  
  
• Location, location, location. Try to live as close to the college/church as possible, & definitely live within easy access to public transportation. Then you can walk to college, bus everywhere else & not need a car.
  
  
• Imitation, baby! Don't put unnecessary pressure on yourself to always buy the brand name items, particularly clothing. It might mean you need to shop around more for the perfect shirt at a decent price & hey, maybe that cheaper shirt won't last for the next 10 years, but it'll be out of style by then anyway, so who really cares? This all links back to the previous want/need point...you will always be so much more than what you wear.

I'm sure there are lots of other helpful, money-saving tips out there so do your research, but hopefully this has gotten you off to a good start!

I’ve decided to share my personal coming-to-college story since a few of you have expressed interest in that journey...I know how curious I was about other students before my arrival!

I was 20 yrs old, living in Orlando, Florida, working full-time, living with my family, & serving at my local church; life was good, but I was discontent...I had a feeling that I was missing out on something important in my life. I talked to God about the feelings, but they didn’t go away so I figured I should probably do something about them!

One evening, I was sitting at the dinner table, chatting with my Dad & he asked, “If you could do anything in the world right now, regardless of money constraints or anything else, what would it be?” I thought about it & for reasons I still don’t know, answered, “Go study music at Hillsong in Australia.”

Now, I only knew three of their songs...“Shout to the Lord” being one of them. I had no idea if they had a college or if I could ever afford to go, so I still don’t know why that was my answer, but God had obviously planted the desire in my heart. I didn’t know anyone who’d ever gone anywhere near the Southern Hemisphere, but I had always wanted to go to Oz...in fact, a friend recently told me that when we were nine years old I was already talking about going to Australia one day!

But back to the dinner table chat with Dad...he instantly went online, discovered the college website, printed out the application & handed it to me. I filled it out, prayed lots that God wouldn’t have them accept me if He didn’t want me to go, & then sent it in. And I was accepted!

Truth be told, I didn’t really have the money, but I figured that God knew that & if He wanted me to be there, He would provide as long as I was doing my part by saving & being wise with the money I did have. And provide He did...there were quite a few financial miracles involved in the provision. One miracle came when my church took up a spur of the moment collection for me...I was so surprised & grateful! Another miracle came in the form of an old, part-time job I’d had impersonating Sandy from “Grease”...I would dress up, put on a terribly fake Aussie accent, chat with customers, pose for pictures, lip sync & attempt to dance around a fifties-themed diner for two hrs every Saturday night for about four months. Not the hardest job, but also not the least embarrassing! I hadn’t worked at the diner for over a year when I got a call to do a conference gig in Georgia...$2,000 for twenty minutes on stage! Miracle!

Saying goodbye to my family was always going to be the most difficult part of the journey to Australia. As my departure date approached, I had a feeling that I would be gone for more than the one year of college I had applied for...this was fine with me, but I didn’t know how to tell my family. But one day I was chatting with my Mom & she wound up telling me that she & my Dad already knew that this trip would be me leaving home for good. We cried in that moment, but both knew in our hearts that God had His plans underway for my life.

So, on January 20^th, 2000 (ten days before my 21^st birthday), I arrived in Sydney, Australia, ready to begin the college adventure! I studied in the Worship & Creative Arts stream, focusing on singing for my first year. In my second year, I switched to the Pastoral stream as the W&CA one was a bit too much for my amateur music skills! In my third year, I served with the Events Department, which focuses on making weekend services & church conferences excellent in every area.

At the time this blog was written, it’s been nine years since my arrival at Hillsong Church. I have learned so much - many things I expected to learn, many things I hadn’t expected - but each lesson has been so vital & important in increasing my relationship with my God & my love for His people. I cannot even imagine what my life would look like now had I not taken the big risk of coming here...I am forever grateful to Jesus for leading me into this place of growth.

Before embarking on your exciting overseas adventure, it would be wise to learn some general information about Australia. Following are some random facts you might want to commit to memory...

- Australian's like to shorten the names of most everything (hence the term 'Aussie'.) Breakfast becomes brekky, Darren becomes Dazza, afternoon becomes arvo (still don't get that one).

- Apricot is pronounced 'ape-ri-cot'. Aluminum is called 'alu-mini-um'. Car is pronounced 'caaaa'...in fact, 'R' is pretty much an underused letter here.

- Rock music is big; rap not so big, although growing in popularity; Aussie hip-hop's got it's own unique flavour; country is popular in some areas of the nation, but since it's not as redneck as it is in America, I find its presence acceptable...although not enjoyable...sorry Keith Urban fans.

- Kevin Rudd is the current Prime Minister.

- QANTAS stands for "Queensland And Northern Territory Aerial Services"...trust me, you will thank me for this info if you are involved in 'The Weakest Wombat'.

- Russell Crowe isn't actually Australian...he was born in New Zealand. Same goes for the members of Crowded House. Handy info to have as the Oz/NZ rivalry is thick & it's helpful to have some sort of diversion ready in case you're being particularly harrassed for being a non-Australian.

- In general, people use the term "Aboriginal" when speaking of native Australians, not "Aboriginee" as seen in various movies.

- If you can find the movie "The Castle" then check it out...it's hilarious & very indicative of Australian humour. I haven't actually seen it for a few years, though, so please forgive me if you find anything in it offensive!

- What Americans call football is called 'Grid Iron' since there are 4 other forms of "footy" here: Rugby League, Rugby Union, Australian Rules, & Soccer (which nearly the entire world calls 'football', therefore making 'soccer' a very silly word to hold onto. My gorgeous English husband is passionate about that fact!)

- Kangaroos are edible. Really. And they taste pretty good, too.

Ha! I knew that title would get your attention! Truth be told, I was probably an annoying American when I came to Hillsong International Leadership College which is why I would like to pass on some practical tips for fitting into the Aussie way of life. And, by the way, this post isn't aimed only at USA-tians...these tips can benefit any non-Australians who choose to take them on board.

1) The word 'Aussie' is pronounced 'Ozzy' (as in Osbourne) not 'Ossy' (as in nothing)....get this right or you will be laughed at.

2) Lighten up. A speaker at a recent Colour Your World Conference highlighted this point for Christians in general, but I think it applies specifically to overseas students. In coming to college you will have to (in no particular order) save money, secure visas, purchase tickets, purge belongings, leave family, sacrifice time & prioritise God. And although it's completely worth it, you will most likely feel the strain at some point (if you don't already!). So, try to relax. As both Jesus & Bobby McFerrin said, don't worry, be happy. Choose to enjoy the journey. Allow people to meet YOU, not everything that is troubling you.

3) Embrace vegetables. We all know that the US has an excessive amount of overweight people & an obscene dependance on fast food (& if you don't realise that, you will once you're in Australia.) The point is that people here are actually pretty healthy. They enjoy sport (yes, I did mean to say 'sport' instead of 'sports'...it's what they call it) & most people eat pretty well, so instead of whinging (they don't say whining here) about the lack of Taco Bell's, just get acquainted with the fruit & veg aisles in your local grocery store.

4) Don't take it personally. Australians are pretty sarcastic & love to tease. Americans, Englishmen, New Zealanders/Kiwis...all are fair game. So, if you do happen to have a joke directed at you, just smile & nod your head as if to say, "Whatever, man." Oh, & 'drop bears' don't exist.

5) Don't be ignorant. Whether or not you realise it, Americans are stereotypically oblivious to what life is like in & for the rest of the world. And although it is a stereotype, we do have a reputation for being insular, which is why I'm quite happy to be mistaken for being Canadian! I came across a clear example of this ignorance after the September 11th terrorist attacks. The events were being discussed in one of the lectures (classes) & some of the American students were understandably distraught. But their mistake was in telling the rest of the international body of students that they couldn't know what it felt like because it hadn't happened to their country...which did not go over well with the African, Irish & other students whose nations have been riddled with terror bombings for decades. This is an extreme example, but you get the point. So, do yourself a huge favour & learn a little bit about Australia (& the rest of the planet) before coming over. Some of my proudest moments have occurred when Aussies have told me that I am not a "typical American"!

6) "G'day Mate!" is NOT an acceptable greeting. Since the stereotype subject has been broached, please remember not to box Australians. No one says, "Throw another shrimp on the barbie." No one. In fact, they're called 'prawns' here, not 'shrimp'. Crocodile Dundee & Steve Irwin are NOT representative of the average Aussie male. I don't know anyone who owns a boomerang.

7) Don't be clingy. I'm not actually talking about clinging to people here (although that is off-putting). I'm referring to people who do all of the things I mentioned in point #2 to get to Australia & then spend the next 6 months complaining about how much they miss everything in their home country & how everything in their home country is much better than its Australian counterpart. DO NOT DO THIS. If anything will cause people to avoid your company, it's this. In fact, the only people it will attract are your fellow countrymen who also cling desperately to home. Now, I'm not saying that you should avoid your countrymen - finding kindred spirits is always a gift - but are you really coming all this way only to hang out with people just like yourself? Take the opportunity to learn & experience what different cultures have to offer...you might actually enjoy something new!

This blog has been created as a resource for future students of Hillsong International Leadership College. I studied full-time for 3 years (2000-2002) at Hillsong College, attaining an Advanced Diploma in Ministry; I also studied Counselling part-time for 2 more years at their evening college. Although I am originally from the United States, I have made my home here in Sydney with my English husband & our 2 beautiful Aussie-born babies.

I've attended Hillsong Church since arriving in January 2000 & have experienced so much personal growth in my time here...far more than at any other church I've attended. It really has become my home. If you've already decided to come to Hillsong International Leadership College, then congratulations - you will love your time here. And if you're still deciding, then hopefully I can help you with some practical information.

This blog will feature a range of articles on relevant subjects, from personal recollections of my time at college to some good, old- fashioned advice; also, if you have any specific &/or strange questions that you don't want to bother the hard-working college staff with, then please feel free to ask away! I will do my best to answer in a timely & helpful fashion. Ultimately, though, if you're interested in Hillsong College, then the church's website is the best place to find out the need-to-know basics (fees, calendar, courses, etc.) so make sure you check that out as well.

Here's to learning something new every day! Hopefully, this blog will help you to that end =)