G'day from Down Under

Croiki! It's been awhile since I've updated you guys, but you'll find when you study abroad your focus is more fixated on where you are at and life back home takes a bit of a back burner. Let me give you some highlights about my time here in Australia:
     - I've seen many kangaroos around (I attempted to chase one: failed...I attempted to grab one's tail:
        succeeded...for the win!
     - I pet a Koala
     - Saw several sharks swim above me in an Aquarium
     - bought two boomerangs
     - Got a job as a barista (Australian coffee is better than Starbucks (take that corporate coffee!)
     - Made some solid friends through a campus ministry, emcee at the ministry main events, and re name their
         guys group to Knights of Honor
   
I can talk for ages about the stories down here, but I'll keep it short to give your eyes a rest.

     Culture: Different to the U.S.- They drive on the left side, have tea time, have accents, eat Vegimite, have
                                 smaller portion sizes, no dollar menu at McDonalds (aka Maccas').
             
                 Similar: Consumerism
                                -malls, movies (Sherlock Holmes, Avengers, and anything Hollywood),shops
                                 (Payless Shoes, Target, K-mart)
                                -Individualism, Western Society, Australin Dream just like American dream

     Classes: 4 units= 8 classes (a lecture and tutorial (smaller size class, 15ish people) per unit)
                 -I can listen to lectures online (which leaves more room for activities!)

     Attractions I've been to:
                 Sydney: Opera house, Darling Harbour Bridge, Botanical Gardens, Hillsong Church
                 Canberra: War Memorial, Parliament House
                 Katoomba: Featherdale Wildlife Park, Three Sisters (at the Blue Mountains)

Till next time future Bears!

Cheers from Down Unda'

Eric

Just Around The Riverbend

     When you are a student here Thanksgiving break is at a good time (to me ;) ) because it's before finals, but also is a sample for what is to come after your last final.  Greeley as at a good location because it isn't too far of a drive to get back home and it's great because I get the distance to be an individual, but am also close enough to visit.  This last Thanksgiving I drove down in the morning to busted fat chills with my family, watch football, and eat copious amounts of sustenance (makes me think of the scene in Thor when he yells MORE SUSTENANCE and throws the cup on the ground). I came back up to school a couple days before just to get some solid relax time watching LOST and eating cheap chicken bites (WHOOP COLLEGE) before school started up again.
     Id like to take these next couple sentences to express my excitement for it being the last week of classes before finals:
     I want to punch dance my joy out in a wooded glenn because I will have more time for activities!

     Less than two months until I'm in Australia to Study Abroad!

Unlike high school, College gives you a month of Winter Break Righteousness! When I was in high school we only got two weeks so college has increased my break time 1 fold.... BOOM savor it!

Before you hit the tasty barrels with your sled down ice capped hills, you have to finish strong through finals. Your major will determine how many final exams you will take. For instance, as a Communication Studies major, I only have about 2/3 final exams because my communications classes are mostly presentations. However, most general education classes (such as math, history, etc.) will have exams. During this week you could have 1 exam a day, 3 exams in a day, or 2 for the whole week depending on your schedule. Don't be intimidated, you will learn to manage your time WELL if you put in the effort. Till next time I leave you with my favorite quote from Babe:

                       That'll do Pig, that'll do.

Eric

Cool Opportunity

     As a Student Ambassador, I was presented with the opporunity to try out to film for the new video that we show prospective students during Daily Tours. Ha, it was awesome because this was what I said: "My name is Eric and I was named after prince Eric from the Little Mermaid". Normally I wouldnt make an intro like that when I'm interviewing for something, but it was one of those situations where I thought what are the chances of me getting this? I'm just going to be goofy and see what happens. Lo and Behold! I got it. Today I finished interviewing for it and had such an awesome time because not only am I going to be featured in the video, but I got to talk about some legit topics as it relates to me at UNC. I don't know if you have seen this, but I have seen many videos where people have this "forced attitude" when talking about something they aren't entirely interested. Today, for me, that wasn't the case because I got to share my heart about who I was prior to UNC and who I am now/ where still heading. There is my teaser trailer so you'll have to come take a tour here next semester if you want to get the full picture ;)

Communications: My Degree in a nutshell

     The best way I can describe my major is "the art of sending message to people better". As a communications major the focus is on how people act in various situations. For instance, Public speaking would be the relationship between the speaker and his/her audience. This was one of the coolest class I have taken so far because you give four different types of speeches during the semester and each one you give you get recorded and have to analyse yourself. It's kind of awkward to see yourself give a speech, but really sweet at the same time because you can figure out what you need to change, such as facial expressions, stop saying "like, uh, um", and use different body gestures. Interpersonal Communication would be more of a one on one setting (ie a family member, boyfriend/ girlfriend, pet?) and how the two manage conflict, choose topics to discuss, and grow closer together.
     My favorite class, however, is Leadership in Communication hands down. Dr. James Keaton is incredible because he takes the time to get to know his students and brings the course to a level that we can emotionally connect with it. For instance, as far as the kind of guy he is, he came and sit in front of me before class started and just asked how I was doing and what was new in my life. This is a man who speaks on the national level and a well renowned man...definitely has the spirit of humility. With that said, he strucutres his class as a self discovery style with each of us students figuring out individually what we value, our stengths/ weaknesses, and where we are headed in the future. I am writing a ten page paper about myself (about the aspects I listed above) and I can honestly say that I plan on using this paper well after graduation. To me, that's a solid class! As someone who wants to go to seminary after I graduate and then go into Pastoral Minsity being a communications major has paved the way for my future, no doubt!

People of Greeley....Fall yourselves!

One of the greatest aspects of UNC is the trees (especially on West campus). During fall its pretty hifey hardcore (awesome) to see the leaves change all over campus. This year some have been pretty slow because of stored up moisture, but from the picture below you can get an idea about what most of campus looks like (prior to the terenchial down pours that happened last week).

They are cool to look at, but they are even better when it comes to the frisbee golf on campus. Frolf is my favorite thing to do on campus because its close to my house/classes, the trees make it a challenge, and it's awesome social time with friends. The course is 9 holes and loops accross most of West Campus (the side with the library). You can rent discs at the Rec Center, but there are also places around Greeley that sell new and used ones. Since I wasn't that great of a ball player growing up ( 0-2 points a game..whats up) I take frolf fairly seriously because it's the one sport I'm moderately good at. When I'm not frolfing I love going to the local movie theatre, hitting up the Irish pub (Irish music on thursdays..shred the bagpipes for days!), watching LOST on Netflix with my bud Nate, and growing a beard.

I don't normally go to college, but when I do I prefer UNC

Hey Oh! Since this is my first post I thought it would only be right for you to know a bit about me:
    
              - My name is Eric, named after Prince Eric from The Little Mermaid
              - I love bagpipes and am slowly teaching myself how to play them
              - I get extremely weak in the presence of Kryptonite and grew up in Smallville
              - Frisbee Golf is the only sport I've been decent at.

Now that you know my eHarmony worthy info, I know you're really wanting to know the deats on UNC...here is my story in a nutshell: When a boy becomes a man... he has to make a decision that will effect the rest of his life. An opportunity to come to UNC fell into my lap two weeks before highschool graduation, after my Mom told me that I couldn't attend a private university in California due to finances. During the time I was working on my graduation speech, the graduation assistant in the main office of my highschool refered me to a recruiter that was coming to UNC. I never knew too much about the school or Greeley (aka Greality), but I did know that I wanted to go to a small enough school that I didn't feel like I was a number in my classes. Long story short I got accepted, went on a campus tour, and decided that I was going to pursue a new life here. Currently, I'm a 3rd year Communications major and have been loving it since.

  
     -Words of Wisdom: You will be stretched intellectually, you will question what you truely value, and will learn who you really are!

If you read all this then we are best friends. All of the above is just an an intro, an appitizer, so keep checkin in for more of my shananigans

Eric, UNC Student Ambassador