Corinne Beale- Australia (Personal Post)

As I mentioned in my post about Cru, I considered interning for a year in Australia with Cru and decided not to. My desire to live in Australia for a year came about when I went there for six weeks last summer. I went on a Summer Project with Cru and it was quite possibly the best experience of my life. I could talk for days about the country, culture, and all things Australia, but I will do my best to be brief. I traveled to Melbourne, Australia (the southern coast) with a team of 8 other students and 4 Cru staff. Our purpose in going was to go to four of the many college campuses in the city of Melbourne and talk to people about their spiritual beliefs and practices. This was such an eye-opening experience. Many people assume that because they speak English, Australians are similar in culture to Americans. This is not true at all. Australia, in regards to religion, is a very post-modern culture. 90% of the people I encountered identified themselves as either Atheist or Agnostic. The Australian culture is a very relaxed culture and they don’t care about much – especially God. It was very interesting to learn about a new, different culture in a unique way. I love Aussies and I truly hope that one day I can return!