tauranga, new zealand: a very ideal "jojo-city" if i must say.

new zealand's given Maori name is "Aoteaoa- the land of the long white cloud." ... not that i could literally ever be on a white cloud, but i reckon if i could imagine myself being on one, i think i would have the same feeling of when i was in new zealand for my holiday ... amazing, breath-taking, refreshing, and it was just darn beautiful... hands down, one of my most favourite places on earth that i love love love.... (did i mention LOVE?). i was only there for a week but i realized tauranga is like a little wrapped up beach-culture-country-side-cute-cafe city... a very ideal 'jojo-city' if i must say... it was great reuniting with old friends and making some new ones too and to top it all off- these photos above are taken on one of my every day walks where i was staying in 'Gideons Fields' which was incredible.

but i must mention that i went to new zealand mainly to photograph my friends, lauren and sefo's wedding. i met them back on the ship tour last year and was great seeing them again... but just our luck, it rained on the Big Day which was a challenge but it was alright... theyre islanders! ... no worries- it didn't phase them. :) we ended up getting some great shots either way and ended up being such a sweet simple wedding...

go, see & listen & to tell ...

its quite simple really... i go to the nations, meet amazing people, hear their story, write a few notes, snap a few photos, capture some footage ... and i get to be a part of telling it... i not only find it as my 'physical staff responsibility' being part of this YWAM organization, but a calling... to go, to see & listen, and to tell... this is what makes the ship ministry real and why i love what i do... to put names to faces and tell their true personal stories.

with all that said, check out some videos i edited... this is why we do what we do...

* filming credit shout out to nick verwymeren & stephanie anderson... whoop-whoop.

cyclone yasi... bruised, but not beaten

there's a first for everything... so why not experience my FIRST EVER cyclone in tropical queensland! ... and while were at it, why not make it the most severe storm in Australian history to ever hit the coast?! ... well thats what we got ... im sure you heard it all on the news, but on february 2, Cyclone Yasi packed winds up to 300 km (186 miles) per hour and was declared a "category 5" cyclone (the highest rating) and it was headed straight for our Northern Queensland Coast... yup, the very coast where i live...

when you are preparing for a natural disaster to hit, you never really know the severity of it until its ACTUALLY happening and then you find yourself taping up your windows or filling up water bottles or finding an extra mattress to keep in your bathroom (you know, just in case the roof of your house caves in and you need shelter during the storm)... things like that, i never thought i'd ever find myself doing.... but i concluded that its better to be safe than sorry... words i grew up with but have more truth to it when you are preparing for the ugly Yasi to come barging through your door...

the anticipation of Cyclone Yasi grew and grew until it hit the coast at about midnight. all i remember was the night being so hot with crazy, strong, loud winds that hit our house like i've never felt before... morning came... the winds subsided and we knew we were all safe. thank God that there was no severe damage to any of our property and the worst of the worst was pretty much ripped out trees everywhere and no electricity for a couple days... and c'mon, for a category 5 cyclone, we were really really blessed and God really had protected His people with no deaths from the whole storm ... like i read on a local paper, "we were bruised, but not beaten"... and this storm was just another thing to make Australia come together...

Here's some photos that my friend Gerald took the day after the cyclone hit Townsville:

dare i say it... fair dinkum.

january 26 marks Australian Day ... hmm. how shall i explain what this is? ... well, according to wikipedia, australia day is the official national day of Australia. the day commemorates the arrival of the first fleet at Sydney Cover in 1788... and a whole load of other history tid bits that i can't bother to mention at this moment... but its also a day to reflect on what the Aussies have achieved and what they can be proud of! ...

all is know is, that as a foreigner living in this amazing country for nearly 4 years, have found a deep appreciation and love for this nation and its people. some of my closest friends i've made over the years have been australian so though i still may consider things oblivious, i've learned how to adapt to their ways, their lifestyle, their foods, their sayings, their shopping, their accent, their culture and their 'oh-so-loving' humour... and so we dressed up for a traditional aussie bbq, marked ourselves with aussie tattoos and gear & celebrated and enjoyed a massive bush dance! ... thank you australia for being so dang awesome... and dare i say it... fair dinkum.

san london frisco

ahh. san francisco... another day trip worth mentioning while i was back in california. my good friend sam (that i met and worked with in australia), came to visit me in san jose for a couple days before he returned to his English home-land after his around the world ticket. so i was very priviledged that san jose made the cut on the itinerary and have "THE samuel nudds" to my hood. so of course i had to bring him around san francisco! ive been there a million times but its always fun bringing a newbie to the city. it was an adventure and a half taking the 'BART' (Bay Area Rapid Transit) and finding our transportation from place to place... From clam chowder bowls at Fishermans Warf to the buzzing shoppers in Union square and to of course, the always windy and cloudy Golden Gate Bridge... it was awesome... sam, it was nice having you 'guys' visit... see you in 'San London Frisco' one day...

a chilly california coast day trip ...

i really do love california.... the city, the snow, the mountains, the ocean... all within hours drive from where my family resides... there's a gorgeous city called monterey, along the coast that i was able to visit a couple times for some special day trips with my cousins and old friends. it was absolutely gorgeous and being on the coast and on the ship all year, it made me feel so nostalgic. Walking along cannery row, feeling the amazing sea breeze, eating the yummiest clam chowder, and all the other things that make up a 'chilly-california-coast-day-trip' brought me smiles ... highlight? ... check.

no matter how familiar or foreign

So if you haven't noticed, there's obviously this trend re-occuring on joannaorpia.blogspot.org... and that is that i am seriously incapable of blogging about the current. give or take, i'm usually two months behind anything that is currently happening in my life right now. if it annoys you, i apologize. but i know like always, i'll end up vomit blogging, catch up with myself... and then find myself in the same predictable place.... i guess its true.... old habits die hard...

which brings me to news that i was able to spend my holidays in california! ... yes, that was waaayy back in december/ january... (and this is where my disclaimer comes into play) it was way back, but just wanted to acknowledge that it was awesome that i was able to spend time family and friends, catch my breath from the crazy year, reconnect with old mates and to capture moments like this with my family... i've said this a million times... but yes, home will always be home... no matter how familiar or how foreign it can be ...

another one to chuck in my books

... and just a few more special random png moments to share with you that really did make this a trip of a lifetime ... here's to another one to chuck in my books... Thanks God ... it was absolutely incredible...

A few highlights....

Usually, every new village/district we went to would put on an extravagant welcome (or farewell) from the locals in their traditional dress with amazing dances and song, an array of gulf province food and even a few dramas... and it was a highlight of our day every time. No matter how many times we saw this, we always found ourselves so overwhelmed & blessed with the preparation put on for our welcome/farewell! ...

Now why wouldn't this be a highlight? Whether sunrise or sunset, and for every meal we ate on the after deck, watching the locals paddle across the river was a beautiful calming sight and made us realize how privileged we were to be there... and what a way to end the day....

Spontaneously gathering the massive crowds of all ages, singing kids songs whether acapella or with an out of tune guitar, and playing games to entertain and see them all laugh brought much joy to me.... and i'm not going to lie- it was all about the "Banana Song." Thats the big guns we pulled out and never failed to win them over...

We needed some footage & photographs of the M/V Pacific Link in action, so one morning, me, nick and Roger got to jump in the zodiac and drive ahead while the ship was cruising through the river. It's not a big ship, but it looked huge out there and it was pretty cool to see it from a distance with the awesome Gulf waterway backdrop! ...

So there's a saying that "God flicked them out of his hands" and thats how the Gulf Province was made... Thus, the mud. This picture was taken from our small boat... yes... you got it- AFTER we had to cross this mud. i found myself in nearly thigh-high mud ... and this all became part of our daily trip into and out of the villages and though it wasn't the simpliest- it was sooo much fun and when you are out there- you really just don't care and is all part of the adventure! ... and plus- see all the locals that walked us out? ... They just wanted a laugh to see us foreigners trip and fall into the mud.... see?.... everyone gets something out of it.

i wrote about Junior in the previous post... But still- meeting my little buddy Junior was such a highlight for me, especially for the week in Baimaru. Actually, i guess you can say that Junior was kind of a 'significant' highlight to cover all my png kid highlights. they are just all so free and innocent so much fun! ...

And of course, our means of travel in the Gulf has to be a highlight! ... As if travelling on the 32 meter ship wasn't enough... we got to the villages in small boats (called dingys), or the zodiac. Or even some of us in the locals' canoe boats... Out travels were sometimes a 5 minute- or an hour ride... either way, it was all part of this unique adventure and part of the Gulf Province lifestyle....

... And then they stole my heart

Being in PNG, we met hundreds and hundreds of people of all ages and for all different reasons. But every once in awhile, you just come across a few in the crowd, that despite any cultural difference, language barrier or age, encounter special moments with them where you know that a difference was made in both of your lives... Here's a few people that have changed mine.

His name is Junior and he is the most brilliant 4 year that i've ever met! ... no joke. The day we arrived to Baimaru, he unexpectedly became my little special sidekick buddy and made my days in the village more exciting. He surprisingly discovered a natural gift in photography as he took my camera in his tiny little hands and composed better shots than i've seen most people do for the first time... and not to mention his cheeky responses and genuine innocence stole my heart.

Meet Karara. He was a chef in WWII, serving the Aussie soldiers. We found him in Baimaru Village where he was legally blind in both his eyes. After a cataract surgery onboard, he was able to see again! He was a definite cheeky showman! this picture says it all... I told him to smile for the camera and we went off making all these faces... Karara and his family surely made an impression on most of the crew and his story came full circle of joy being restored.

This is Delma. She had just received a pair of glasses and by the looks of her massive smile, she was quite happy about it. Shortly after this picture was taken, my friend Jennifer and I couldn't resist giving her a hug. Next thing you know, she broke out in tears of happiness. Receiving a pair of free prescription glasses may seem so simple, but i sure believe it touched this woman and spoke to her about God's love and hope and that she hasn't been forget.

This is Juniors mother, Wendy and his littler brother Kingston (who i wanted to eat! he was soo darn cute)... with all the time i spent with Junior, I was also able to build a friendship with his mom and really get to know this kind sweet woman. Wendy waited in the clinic all week to eventually find out that she had a thyroid in her neck and not only that- but she found out too that she had a bun in the oven on the way- and she didn't even know it.

I can't forget to mention Shelly. She was part of our 'posse' in the one of the villages and pretty much laughed at anything we would do... Just having her sweet spirit around us was a breath of fresh air from the long days in the village. A special girl for sure who I look forward to seeing where her vibrant personality takes her....

the big sha-bang: png outreach

what a year, what a year... its been a crazy time being on the ship tour and living on the 'hunk of glorious' metal most of the year... but the big big-shabang to top it all off was the fact that i got to go on the medical outreach to PNG!... i was so privileged to go back (but to the Gulf Province this time) for such a unique outreach with such unique individuals... i went specifically to do media with my other crazy visual communication gurus, nick and stephanie... we went for about 6 weeks, with a camera in hand and an open heart as we stood back as the medical people did what they needed to do... but we listened with open ears and open eyes, the stories of the PNG people that found their way into our hearts... i am no doctor, but being a part of all of this this year has shown me a close up picture of what hope instilled in God's people looks like...

it was a ball and i loved every bit of it. and now, its our turn to play our part and do what we went to do ... and thats to tell their story... so here's a recap video from the outreach that i edited and put together with my awesome team ... stay tuned for more stories from png ...

highlights in 6 months

All tour talk aside... travelling the east coast of australia had its perks. here are some of my highlights i've had in the last 6 months...

one of the best parts of travelling australia? ... was seeing that a cafe culture DOES exist in australia ... i went to so many great cafes through my travels and best part of it all was that they actually stayed open past 6 p.m. *gasp* ...sorry townsville... the rest of australia's got this one...

i remember one time we weren't in a time crunch to get to a port, so captain jeremy made a decision to anchor out somewhere. so the decky guys took down the zodiac and we found ourselves exploring a close by beach somewhere! ... and my first time in the zodiac...

this is one of my besties katie morrison. she said she would never sail on the ship. i think her nightmares of great whites taking her life out in the open sea convinced her she would never ever be part of the ship. who knew she would have a change of heart ... i was stoked. who wouldn't want to experience 6 weeks of travelling australia with one of your closest besties? ... ... sleeping (literally) 2 feet from each other down in our cabin, chai's & long blacks, mcdonalds every port, laughs in between tour groups and deep & meaningfuls late at night ... glad you were there with me katie. there were times i would've thrown myself overboard if you weren't there to keep me sane ...

People would always ask me what my favourite port was ... and it was a close call. but there was just something special about hobart, tasmania that made me fall in love. people said it reminded them of wellington, new zealand. it was artsy and cultured, nippy in the morning and evening but sunny during the day, and i just found it easy to get around with the compact layout of the town ... hobart definitely had a warm, homey, friendly feeling to it all and i wouldn't mind going back one day ... one day ...

Another highlight was when i left the ship for a week and went to Portland with Shey & Jennifer to do some school programs ... take 3 big, loud personalities and put them together for a week and you can only imagine what went out... we are wearing matching $4 panda hats from woolworths in this picture ... doesn't that say enough? ...

Out of all our sails... i will never ever forget the sail from ulladulla to geelong. in between the perfect sunsets and sunrises and clear night skies, i saw for the very first time dolphins swimming alongside us as we sailed. at first it was 1 dolphin, then 6 then 10 then it was a whole school of cheeky dolphins...

15 out of 16 ... what a life ...

bare with me while i backtrack and vomit blog for a moment ...

Lets take it back to the beginning of August... This is where the 16-port Australia Tour officially ended for the YWAM ship! ... unfortunately, it didn't work out for me to make it to the last port to Thursday Island but for the most part- 15 out of 16 ports was pretty darn awesome. i have nothing to complain about. i still remember the first moments of stepping on to the ship back in february, sitting in my bunk downstairs and saying to myself, "what the heck am i doing?!" ... and nearly 6 months later, i look back thinking about where i was able to go, the people i got to meet, the friendships i've made and the moments of realizing the huge significant platform of change we've had travelling this nation. words don't do much justice ... and thats why i do what i do with media. check out the recap video i put together of what we were able to do and where i've got to go most of the year ... what a life ... what a life ...

port 15: cairns

Cairns. a 4 hour drive north of Townsville.... the only city that i've actually been to before the tour and it was great to be back... and it was great to be back on the ship for tours after a 3 week break. i was a bit rusty but i managed.... and i'm not going to lie, it was a bitter sweet week for me though... it was the last stop for me for the Australia Tour... *sigh*... regardless- i wanted to end well and i did... this city is pretty touristy and so we came across a lot of backpackers. usually open-minded european ones that were up for anything... up for seeing the world and an adventure... and soul searching for something significant to live for... you can say, the perfect target audience for what were doing if you ask me... so the responses were great!

and then that prolonged goodbye... sunday night came. and so me and janna said farewell to our friends that were sailing on to Thursday Island and on to PNG without us... we got in the car and began the 4 hour drive back to Townsville... somehow closing this chapter in our lives... i'm not going to say THE END... because my friends ... it isn't....

port 14: townsville

This wasn't just another port city we were visiting for a week ... it was Townsville.... the final berth city of the M/V Pacific Link!... we sailed into good 'ol T-ville and there they were... the 80+ YWAM RTO excited staff waving & welcoming us with the colourful flags of the nations on the break wall... i'm not gonna lie- we felt pretty darn special and it was an overwhelming welcome home... i'd like to think all the excitement was about the individuals travelling back on the ship - but i know it wasn't 100% about that... it was more about the significant moments that was unfolding right before us, that my directors and leaders were praying, dreaming and fighting for for years.... the Pacific Link was home... in Townsville.

And so the busy week began full of tours, receptions, fundraisers, and all that jazz … we have so much favour with the Townsville City Council, the churches, schools, etc. so call it a 'big deal' … whatever you want to call it. fact is- we've been going off about this ship tour for ages and now that our friends, partners and sponsors from Townsville actually see that the ship is here is yet another exciting thing to see more people come on board.

the ship was in townsville for 3 weeks and it was fun having it in town... but the show must go on...

port 13: bowen

ahh. and so we made it to bowen... bowen is the location for the epic film "Australia"... and so as you walk around this small town, you'll see lots of memorabilia and all that jazz that claim its fame to this movie.... I wouldn't blame them. it was a wonderfully made movie... i love Bowen and I loved where we were docked... look at that jetty! it was seriously a 10 minute walk and though it seemed like it went on forever, i didn't mind it at all... it was good 'jojo time' to think and clear my head on the days events and the sunsets were amazing ... and as for tours, anyone that would take time to walk down that dodgy wooden jetty to come see us had to have some sort of genuine interest in what we did... and thats what it turned out to be... and that what we like... thank you bowen.