tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11003284620767786182024-02-21T02:46:03.119-08:00Finding Myself, Nemo, and Some Good MatesA converted study abroad blog - for all of life's adventuresAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05102438657098817825noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1100328462076778618.post-62585039729562316092019-03-18T09:27:00.003-07:002019-03-18T09:27:56.770-07:00Preservation of the Reservation: A week in the Navajo Nation <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I’ve considered coming back to my blog from studying abroad for the past year, and I am officially deciding to do so to post about my trip to the Navajo Nation. I’m choosing to do so for two main reasons: 1. My trip to Arizona was amazing and the Navajo culture is so unique and beautiful that I want a platform to talk about it and 2. My motivation for coming on this trip came from Australia.</div>
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A common theme that I heard during my semester abroad was that “Australia is just like America but 10 years behind.” I found that to be true in some ways, like when it came to gay marriage, and untrue in others, like when it came to gun control. </div>
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But one hot issue in Australia that was unlike anything talked about in America was native rights. In Australia, the Aboriginal rights movement is of a magnitude comparable to Black Lives Matter in the United States. There was talk of ending Australia Day because the establishment of Australia cannot be truly separated from the displacement and forced assimilation of the Aborigines. Seeing this issue in Australia made me question on a philosophical level, “can you love where you live while respecting the people who were there first?” And on a personal level, “what is happening to the Native people in my country?”</div>
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I grew up in Rochester, NY which is located in an area that was traditionally inhabited by the Seneca people. I distinctly remember learning the “SCOOM” mnemonic to help remember the Iroquois tribes in New York State and making little paper longhouses in my 4th grade class. I pass a longhouse every time I drive to my grandparents’ cottage, and I drive through the Seneca reservation every time I head to Erie for school. However, my encounters with natives in Australia made my realize that I knew little about the lives of Native American people in the 21st (or even 20th) century.</div>
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Leading up Alternative Break Service Trip to the Navajo Nation, my group and I brainstormed a list of things that we knew about modern day natives from the news. Casinos, high rates of chronic diseases (such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease), alcoholism, and cheap gas were things that came to mind. Walking into the Navajo Nation, I wanted to know “is this the true image of the modern native?” And if so, “how could the traditional custodian of American land become so ill-served by it?”</div>
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I have gained a great appreciation of the Navajo culture during my week-long trip, and I wanted to highlight a couple of the things about the Navajo culture that stood out most to me. </div>
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In Navajo culture, understanding of life comes from the 4 cardinal directions . The Navajo reservation is bordered by 4 Sacred Mountains, each pointing to each of the cardinal directions - the San Francisco Peaks in the west, Mount Taylor in the South, Blanca Peak in the east, and Mount Hesperus in the north. Each of these directions and each of the mountains is associated with a color (blue, white, yellow, or black), a time of day (morning, day, evening, night), and a phase of life (birth, childhood, adulthood, and old age). Although I don’t know that I would’ve thought to group the cardinal directions with phases of life, grouping ideas is a common study method that our professors recommend to help build knowledge off of previously held knowledge. I found it funny that the Navajo take the same approach to understanding their world as I take to understanding hypertension meds in school. But this way of grouping ideas to explain concepts helped me to understand gender roles in the Navajo culture. Vanessa, a Navajo/Seneca woman who worked with our group, explained women do not traditionally hold public office but they choose the men who fill those roles. She compared men and women to an eagle feather, stating that the men are the sharp edge that cut the wind during flight and the women represent the opposing edge that provide balance for flight. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Flag of the Navajo Nation - showing the 4 Sacred Mountains in the 4 main colors </td></tr>
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Because the Navajo derive their understanding of life from their relationship with nature, they protect and honor nature in their activities of daily living. The Navajo people were not at all wasteful. In the process of basket weaving, the weaver will go out and collect stems of the three-leaf sumac shrub, dye them, and weave them into concentric circles. Any stems that are not used in the process are driven north where they are returned to nature. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My turn to grind the corn into flour to make Navajo cake!</td></tr>
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A sweat lodge ceremony is one way that the Navajo people maintain and reinstate their relationship to the natural environment. Sweat ceremonies are performed weekly for the purpose of purification. Men and women participate in different ceremonies. The sweat lodge itself is a structure made of a frame of sticks and insulated with blankets. It is entirely dark inside with the exception of the slight glow of the red embers that heat the room. The ceremony involves sitting in the hot room for four sessions of about 20 minutes each. The twenty minutes are a time of prayer and intentional thinking. </div>
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My group was fortunate enough to be able to participate in one of the sweat ceremonies. We entered the sweat lodge on the east side of the building, and moved in a clockwise formation to find our place around the hot embers. This is the traditional way to enter a sweat lodge or hogan because it mimics the way that the sun rises in the east and the way that water drains in a clockwise rotation. In each session, we progressed from thinking of one phase of life to another. No amount of time in a sauna or hot yoga classes can prepare you for the amount of sweat produced within the sweat lodge. When the session was over, we crawled out of the sweat lodge like babies new to life. After wiping sweat from my eyes at the end of the fourth session, I felt hyper-aware of the environment around me and my connection to it. I could deeply appreciate the colors and the contours of the rocks surrounding Mr. K’s canyon home. I could feel the coolness of the red sand under my toes and two distinct cold patches where the breeze pushed my dripping sports bra and shorts to my skin. I could hear the trickle of the irrigation system and the moving of approaching cows as I tuned out the sound of my group returning the embers to the glowing fire. This image, my view when I left the sweat lodge, is one that I will not soon forget. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view of the canyon after being in the sweat lodge for close to an hour</td></tr>
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Witnessing the beauty of the Navajo culture firsthand made me wonder why more people did not know about it, but I got my answer as I learned more about the treatment of the Navajo people by the U.S. government throughout history. On our first day of the trip, we went to visit the Grand Canyon National Park and other parts of the canyon that were on Navajo land. As we stood looking over the hundreds of meters of eroded sediment to the Little Colorado River, Mr. K explained that Navajo people had to run and hide through these areas during the Long Walk. The Long Walk was a forced displacement of Navajo people from Arizona to New Mexico in 1860s because the goal of the United States at this time was to build a cross-country railroad and fulfill Manifest Destiny. Although I had known of the Trail of Tears and other times in history when displacement and ethnic cleansing of natives had occurred, I was surprised to find out that the Long Walk occurred during the Lincoln administration. One friend in my group remarked that Lincoln was her favorite president because we remember his legacy of the Emancipation Proclamation and preventing the secession of the south during the Civil War. We were all shocked to learn that a man who was remembered for ending slavery could also allow such atrocities to occur to another group of people. </div>
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The injustices to the Navajo people did not end in the 19th century. More recently, the Navajo people have been affected a law called the Bennett Freeze Act. In the wake of the Long Walk, a treaty that created the Navajo reservation was signed in 1868. Shortly after, in 1882, another treaty was signed between the United States and the Hopi natives (a neighboring tribe) which promised them a reservation as well, some of which overlapped with Navajo-promised land. The U.S. government claimed that the Bennett Freeze Act in 1966 was needed to minimize conflict between the Navajo and Hopi people, but in reality, the law provided the opportunity for private companies to mine coal and uranium on this land. This law prevented people from improving on their properties in any way, including fixing roofs and constructing water and gas lines. My own house was built less than 20 years ago, yet we still have roofers and electricians come by for occasional repairs. Imagine not being able to make any changes to your house for over 40 years! Although this law was repealed during the Obama administration, the impact of the Bennett Freeze Act continues today as only about 60% of the houses in this area have electricity. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Navajo women selling some turquoise jewelry - spoiler alert for some Christmas gifts. Getting a crack in your turquoise jewelry is sign of protection as it shows the stone took the blow for you. </td></tr>
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Although the reservation system has allowed for the preservation of Navajo culture in the Southwest, the Navajo people do not own any of their land. They must apply for a lease every 70 years in order to maintain their land, but their “property” is entirely at the discretion of the United States government. Because they do not own their land, they are not able to use it as collateral when applying for loans, which keeps them at an economic disadvantage.</div>
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To bring the issue closer to home for a minute, think of the bumpiest patch of thruway between Rochester and Cleveland. You may have sped by a red sign with lots of words that you never had a chance to read. They state, “New York State owes the Seneca Nation $675 million dollars.” The Seneca claim that New York State pressured the tribe to allow the state to build the thruway through Seneca land without allowing the Seneca tribe to collect any tolls in the area. The estimated $675 million represents one dollar for every car that has driven on the road. The road remains in a state of repair because anything more than routine maintenance of the thruway requires consent of the Seneca nation, and ongoing disagreements between the Seneca people and the New York State government regarding these tolls, casino fees, and taxes on goods. </div>
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I am happy that I had the opportunity to learn about Navajo life and culture during my spring break. My experiences motivated me to remember</div>
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Our nation is constantly debating who deserves to be here, in discussions about immigrants, refugees, Dreamers, etc. but let us not, in our debate, forget the people who have always been here nor the humanity that we all share. Regardless of your stance on any of the issues listed, thank you for reading this post to further your understanding of a beautiful culture.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My ABST Group with Mr. K on his farm </td></tr>
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If you are more interested, here is some more information about the Bennett Freeze Act, the Long Walk, and the 2.7 mile stretch of I-90 that runs through the Seneca Nation:</div>
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The Long Walk - https://www.nlm.nih.gov/nativevoices/timeline/332.html</div>
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The Bennett Freeze Act - https://www.congress.gov/bill/108th-congress/house-bill/5168</div>
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1-90 Thruway in the Seneca nation - https://buffalonews.com/2018/07/08/for-drivers-rough-rides-continue-as-state-senecas-haggle-over-thruway/</div>
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https://buffalonews.com/2018/04/12/seneca-nation-sues-ny-says-thruway-illegally-built-on-its-territory/</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05102438657098817825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1100328462076778618.post-518736690940484972017-11-24T23:48:00.001-08:002019-03-18T14:41:23.091-07:00Thanks-throwing<br />
Since I last posted on my blog, I finished my semester at ACU, camped in
Australia, soaked up the sun in the Gold Coast, celebrated my friend’s 21st
birthday, and lived out of a van in New Zealand. I’ve said goodbye to a lot of
people who have become so important to my life here, and now I’m trying to fit
in as much as possible before I journey back to America in just one week. I
feel like I’m moving at 100 miles per hour, but in the spirit of Thanksgiving,
I want to take some time to stop and reflect.<br />
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Yesterday was the first time in my life that I had ever missed a family
holiday. The first thing I did when I woke up was FaceTime my family, who was
cleaning up from dinner when I called. They told me that they accidentally set
a place at the table for me, which simultaneously made me laugh and miss them.
Thankfully, I had plans to celebrate with my little Aussie family, including
Matt, who got to celebrate his first Thanksgiving!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Gasbarres' favorite Thanksgiving food - Nonna's tortellini</td></tr>
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We all brought something to contribute to the meal. Although we had to
substitute kangaroo meat for turkey, we did a good job sticking to the
traditional Thanksgiving foods. I made sweet potato casserole, which is one of my favorite
Thanksgiving foods. I used Aunt Ro’s recipe, and it was a big hit! It was quite
funny to cook it with Matt, who was appalled by the amount of butter and sugar
went into the recipe. I really enjoyed being involved in the process of cooking
the meal. This is not usually the case at home because I trust my mom, Aunt Ro,
Grandma, and Nonna to do a great job. Also, I’ve always passed up on
opportunities to cook because I didn’t know how. Having been in Australia for 5
months now, I’ve had no choice but to learn. I’m thankful to Australia for
that- for making me push myself to try new things.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">sweet potato casserole... not even sure you could consider it a vegetable anymore</td></tr>
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We all gathered on Friday afternoon outside our building for the meal. We
wanted to do it on Friday instead of Thursday because it was closer to the time
that our families would have been celebrating at home. We had mashed potatoes,
a chicken (which I had to carve, just like a turkey), green beans, sweet
potatoes, and pie. In traditional Thanksgiving fashion, I didn’t eat all day in
preparation for the feast. I felt really thankful that I was surrounded with
such good friends. Although our Aussie Thanksgiving was a huge success, I don’t
plan to miss many more big holidays with my family at home.<br />
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I’ve found that I’ve been feeling more and more grateful as my time in
Australia decreases from months to weeks to days. I remember walking around North Stradbroke Island with my friends at the beginning of the month. We were
blown away by the beauty of the coast and its wildlife. With just one turn of
the head, we could see kangaroos on land and giant sea turtles and dolphins in
the water. Ashley looked over at me and said, “I could cry, I’m so happy here,”
and I knew she wasn’t exaggerating because I felt the same way. I had put so
much energy and thought into planning my semester in Australia, but I never
expected to be counting sea turtles in the ocean as they came up for air. Those
surprise moments that I could never have planned but took my breath away were
the things for which I am most thankful. I am thankful for the people I met
that shared those moments with me, and I want to let them know how much I
appreciate them.<br />
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Room 100 – Of all the people in the world who could have been my roommates
during my semester in Australia, I’m so glad it was you guys.<br />
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Gianna- I knew I would like you from the moment you responded to my initial
Facebook message in all caps, but I knew I would love you when you gave me an extra-long
hug the moment we met. I am so happy that I can use our special knock on our
shared wall and you come running. More than just loving you as a friend, I
respect you so much. You are so passionate about your films, hair dye, art, and
adventure. Thanks for coming back from class on Mondays to hang out with me,
for spontaneously getting in a helicopter with me, for snuggling with me in our
graffitied van, and for being my go-to on this side of the world.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiyRk7dfaSLqj3y0K-_Yy2Xcsvgjn9q9JhMX6NW-FwIhRar_XMNRKIEzHH4c1b5MVeLs2JaDheGRPGnff7LzARGXg0161n1gew_I7RFKE2WIIksC1NCmA8gC0pUN9hrvFooOBCgt29Qm49/s1600/Gianna.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiyRk7dfaSLqj3y0K-_Yy2Xcsvgjn9q9JhMX6NW-FwIhRar_XMNRKIEzHH4c1b5MVeLs2JaDheGRPGnff7LzARGXg0161n1gew_I7RFKE2WIIksC1NCmA8gC0pUN9hrvFooOBCgt29Qm49/s320/Gianna.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Rachel- Thank you for being one of the sweetest people I have ever met. You
are so kind, so fun, and, surprisingly, so much trouble. Thank you for driving in New Zealand,
always yelling at Gianna to get in the elevator, and being your best self.
Thank you for keeping life interesting in our room. I can’t wait to visit you
in Fairfield.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV3piCUSgZf-iCJq-fMtKbGpSze82cGvKKe7xD4YYJNY_ydFcCvWu7SEqMUxMfTTF0_OnMy0W9ED1g80xmkQBEmiVanEXRYLlxzqItsyhVqFFUrKjDZqk-72vw_H0xt5V3REkMCOHUA_du/s1600/Rach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV3piCUSgZf-iCJq-fMtKbGpSze82cGvKKe7xD4YYJNY_ydFcCvWu7SEqMUxMfTTF0_OnMy0W9ED1g80xmkQBEmiVanEXRYLlxzqItsyhVqFFUrKjDZqk-72vw_H0xt5V3REkMCOHUA_du/s200/Rach.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
<br />
Ashley- I knew we were going to have a great semester together after we
talked on Instagram. I love that you always want to have fun and care so much
about other people’s feelings. I think my dance moves improved just by watching you at the club. Thank you for letting me borrow your clothes (literally every
single time we go out). Thank you for taking the far side of the tent so I could
feel a little less nervous about being abducted in New Zealand. Thank you for
reminding me to take advantage of every minute of our last couple weeks. Most
of all, thank you for staying an extra week so that we can explore Melbourne
together.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyhV9A7qCJzd2Hc_eG32Lwi8U_iLyF6AcQ5N6ReBFSzwX120digDJGerc91fB-ACKt_J97QaEnXVh3bcxsmYexnla2TcSGO0JPeyAMUbx0Y4fX74cbMcXEooFAPZ17RAFd_Q3xLjs3qqJU/s1600/Ash.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyhV9A7qCJzd2Hc_eG32Lwi8U_iLyF6AcQ5N6ReBFSzwX120digDJGerc91fB-ACKt_J97QaEnXVh3bcxsmYexnla2TcSGO0JPeyAMUbx0Y4fX74cbMcXEooFAPZ17RAFd_Q3xLjs3qqJU/s320/Ash.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Keiko – Thank you for being the first person to join me in Room 100 to end
my streak of loneliness. I’m so happy that I got to know you and even meet your
mom. Thanks for teaching me about Asian food and cosplay. I hope I get to see
you if I’m ever in Santa Clara!<br />
<br />
The “Aussie Posse” ... Devon, Savannah, Liz, Leanne, Nicole, Danielle,
Jiorden, Katie, Daphne, Rachel, Ashley, Gianna - I could not be more thankful
for all the time that I got to spend with you. I have never felt more comfortable
with a group of girls than I did with you guys. Thank you for all the beach
trips, Thursday nights at Prohibition, and Bachelor viewing parties. So much
changed as we explored different parts of Australia, but you guys were a
constant. Thank you for always being around to hang out, get food, “study,” explore
the city, watch movies, or whatever. I know that you guys will be life-long
friends, and I can’t wait to meet up in the upcoming years for trips around the
world, weddings, or whatever life throws our way. I can’t imagine what my time
in Australia would have been like without you, and now I’m looking forward to
finding you all in America. <br />
<br />
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<br />
<br />
Nolan- Thank you for saying yes before I even finish offering up the ideas.
I am so happy that we were able to see so much of Australia together- Cairns,
Sydney, Byron Bay, and Alice Springs wouldn’t have been the same without you.
Thank you for seeing beauty in everything and for always allowing time in our
itineraries for sunrises and sunsets. I will never forget how you literally
jumped for joy when we saw a rainbow over Sydney Harbor at Watson’s Bay. Thank
you for not getting annoyed by my backseat driving when you drive fast on curvy
roads (even though I know you got it). You are such a special person, and I’m
so glad Sammi told me to look out for you. I’ll see you in Pittsburgh or Erie
or Chicago or Canada or Africa or somewhere.<br />
<br />
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<br />
<br />
Troy – Thank you for helping me to feel comfortable in Brisbane. You were
the go-to person for cool hikes and great views. Thanks for coming over for
family dinners and bringing us food throughout the semester. Thank you for
taking us to see the galaxy. Thank you for waking up at 4 AM to say goodbye before
we flew to New Zealand. I’m jealous that Ashley and Gianna got to visit you in
Singapore, so I plan to do the same one day!<br />
<br />
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<br />
Matt – I am so happy that I met you and continued to talk to you even though
the circumstances didn’t encourage it. Thank you for making two trips to
Brisbane and for inviting me to meet your family and friends in Sydney. I had
so much fun with you and them, and I will never forget the time we spent
together. Thank you for translating Australian slang. Thank you for immediately
Googling any city I was planning on visiting to tell me the best places to go.
Thank you for reading my blog every single time I posted something. Most of
all, thank you for reminding me to live in the moment.<br />
<br />
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<br />
<br />
Mom – Thank you for selflessly encouraging me to travel to Australia for the
greatest adventure of my life so far. Thank you for encouraging me to take
risks. Thank you for reminding me to be brave when I worried about poisonous
animals or volcano eruptions. Thank you for never excessively worrying about me on the other side of the world so that
I could call you telling you how I just jumped out of a plane or was about to
bungee jump. Thank you for sending me Facebook posts about cool things we’re
going do when I get home to help me get over my post-trip sadness. Most of all,
thank you for reminding me that I am missed and loved. Somehow, I feel even
closer to you after being away than I ever have before. Remember that no matter
where I am, I will always be your girl!<br />
<br />
<br />
I could go on forever giving thanks to individual people who have made my
life better in the past six months. If you have ever read one of my blog posts,
commented on a picture I posted, called me to catch up, or reminded me that I am
missed somewhere else in the world, I am thankful for you. I am thankful for so
many people, and so many places, and so many experiences, so this month I’m
celebrating “Thanks-throwing” rather than “Thanksgiving” as I throw thanks into
the universe. <br />
<br />
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<br />
I found this quote on the wall of a sandwich shop in Byron Bay back in August, and it couldn't be more true than right now. Going home is such a bitter-sweet blessing, but I am so happy to be returning to my family and friends in one week, knowing that I am leaving Australia with no regrets.<br />
<br />
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</tbody></table>
<br />
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05102438657098817825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1100328462076778618.post-70537019166758970072017-10-19T23:52:00.003-07:002017-10-19T23:52:57.816-07:00WOOHOOULURU!!!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
After weeks of yelling "WOOHOOULURU" at Nolan and Gianna, we
finally made our trip to the Red Center! There are two schools of thought when
it comes to visiting Uluru and the Outback. <span id="KP0" role="button" style="margin: 0px;" tabindex="0">Some people say that "you can't understand the real Australia
without seeing the Outback" while others question "why would you
spend so much money to go see a big rock?"</span> I knew that I couldn't
leave Australia without realizing my stereotypical idea of this country with
red sand and wild kangaroos so Nolan and I planned this trip back in August
before planning anything else.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi59AYy-XbWegp62sx9EsBw8fgjYE-ZghZEkPIH8CqE3f4sJ0erZ_t6hFJxwQ3GOp0eX5fBnauh3aqlzN9XbRcFRP39DAZm5jhgpdhlVov-mn8tj5if9hKRBDA3L3PVRvv24_1Cmz1xuepj/s1600/ulurcrew.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi59AYy-XbWegp62sx9EsBw8fgjYE-ZghZEkPIH8CqE3f4sJ0erZ_t6hFJxwQ3GOp0eX5fBnauh3aqlzN9XbRcFRP39DAZm5jhgpdhlVov-mn8tj5if9hKRBDA3L3PVRvv24_1Cmz1xuepj/s400/ulurcrew.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and my Ulu-crew</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
As our little Fokker-100 flew into Alice Springs airport, Nolan and I noticed
red sands, patchy grasses, and utes speeding along straight roads. We met
Gianna, who was equally excited to be in a less Americanized version of
Australia. The three of us enjoyed our first Outback sunset on top of Anzac
Hill before getting Indian food for dinner. I was annoyed that I had to pay an
additional $4 for rice on top of an already expensive meal, but Nolan reminded me how
difficult it is to transport goods to the middle of the country. That night in
the hostel, I didn't sleep well. I hadn’t slept well in the nights leading up
to the trip because of coughing, but this time I couldn’t sleep because I was
incredibly excited to start this adventure. I woke up twice that night to check
the clock and make sure that we hadn’t missed our pick-up. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpDW2XMLtzUyGZTjPlxqI0IpRamzxa1UEEeF7PbO94PLTrrj9kEuMU1s2BW3-ogD4orpNTVOakBz3Df0xh15E4iX2MPVrY5YmAbDnF-XL4eYQrlaj1ui8sSbkCg3hinK75HwH9FZgFE8Pr/s1600/reddirt.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpDW2XMLtzUyGZTjPlxqI0IpRamzxa1UEEeF7PbO94PLTrrj9kEuMU1s2BW3-ogD4orpNTVOakBz3Df0xh15E4iX2MPVrY5YmAbDnF-XL4eYQrlaj1ui8sSbkCg3hinK75HwH9FZgFE8Pr/s200/reddirt.jpeg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I was "keen" to be in the Outback with my Keens.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
We were picked up from our Alice Springs hostel at 6 AM in a pink van by a guy
named Scruffy from Mulgas Adventures. Scruffy had long, curly hair and always wore a beanie,
reflective sunglasses and a cut-off tee shirt. He looked like he was quite a
character, and he was. According to Scruffy, you haven't really been for a country if you've been there for less than 4 months. By his definition of travel, he has been to 30 countries. By my definition, he's been to 57. He has also been deported from 2 different countries. He was kicked out of Thailand for stealing a gibbon from a guy who was abusing it, and a corrupt police officer threatened to put him in jail for 10 years. Scruffy was an expert on local Aboriginal cultures, rock formations, flora and fauna, and life in the outback.<br />
<br />
I mostly slept during the 5 hour journey from Alice Springs to our campsite. We
stopped a couple times to use the toilets and refuel. We also stopped at a
camel farm where I got to ride a camel named Curly!
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1UWPbRzvHhxUh7KS5yFAesS9llkyAzbM7YXY_3cDqgQa5r8PdirbXpzJO11EhFVwhNLYyrS0bwVwUqKHjTcdvJMhAqEC6W0dje4bxHBe0xpaJuhmhp74vqwe2iNCueTrDqdBbdM62iWoD/s1600/camel.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1UWPbRzvHhxUh7KS5yFAesS9llkyAzbM7YXY_3cDqgQa5r8PdirbXpzJO11EhFVwhNLYyrS0bwVwUqKHjTcdvJMhAqEC6W0dje4bxHBe0xpaJuhmhp74vqwe2iNCueTrDqdBbdM62iWoD/s320/camel.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
When we finally arrived at our campsite, I learned a new definition of the word
"swag." Swags are like a combination of a canvas tent and a sleeping
bag with a mattress inside. Surprisingly, they were very comfortable and I actually
preferred it over sleeping in a tent because it gave us a great view of the
stars!<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkt6D10SGTY28Z4SNT4P1NqtllfDv-cDUJgsTI5LNGnSlMGdJvhPUDwlRQPD4g06tLdVzQPOySj8BJYcvgQhn9rXr_QUqEP8Bq63Nrtnxs5yxUrH9L8EOv82_brkQ80yAad9wpEuK5eKwZ/s1600/swag.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkt6D10SGTY28Z4SNT4P1NqtllfDv-cDUJgsTI5LNGnSlMGdJvhPUDwlRQPD4g06tLdVzQPOySj8BJYcvgQhn9rXr_QUqEP8Bq63Nrtnxs5yxUrH9L8EOv82_brkQ80yAad9wpEuK5eKwZ/s200/swag.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's our group packing up our swags at the campsite</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
We ate lunch and introduced ourselves to the rest of the people on our tour.
There were people on our tour from Italy, Germany, Austria, Japan, Brazil,
Australia, Ireland, and Canada! In addition to having 5 of 7 continents
represented, we had people of all ages as well. The first people we met were
Keith and Denise, a 68-year-old couple from the Sunshine Coast. They told us
how they had been wanting to see Uluru, and felt like now was the perfect
chance. They had no idea that they had booked a backpackers' trip, but they
kept up with the group during hikes and didn't have trouble camping outside. We
also met a group of girlfriends, named Claire, Chiara, and Liz from Sydney.
They are all in their mid-20's, established in jobs, and dating. I loved the
fact that they were all traveling together. I had always wanted a similar group
of friends who were committed to exploring the world with me; I felt blessed
to be with Nolan and Gianna because I feel like they are becoming those people
for me. We also met a cute middle-aged couple named John and Sarah. I liked
them because you could clearly tell how much they loved each other despite the
fact that they were always harassing each other. I also met a girl my age from
Italy who was working as an au pair, a German couple on their honeymoon, and a
group of friends from Brazil. The awesome people I met definitely added to an amazing weekend.<br />
<br />
<b>Uluru</b><br />
<br />
We wasted no time before heading to Uluru. As we drove up and I saw it for the
first time, I was amazed. I couldn't imagine what it would have been like as a
nomadic Aboriginal or a white colonizer exploring Australia’s harsh inland and
walking up to the immense rock in the middle of the outback.<br />
<br />
The rock itself is amazing. It is the second largest monolith in the world.
Nolan and I argued about whether or not it was an igneous or metamorphic rock,
but we nerds were both wrong because it's sedimentary. It appears to be a
stunning red color during the day when the sun hits it, but changes to purple
and grey as the light changes. <span id="KP1" role="button" style="margin: 0px;" tabindex="0">It is
actually a grey color (which you can see in the caves) which has turned red as
a result of the iron in the sandstone oxidizing. Up close, the surface of Uluru
appears to be flaking off. Something else that surprised me was that Uluru is a
semi-permanent waterhole. The area had just experienced a lot of rain just
before we arrived, so there was plenty of water when we got there! <br />
<br />
No wonder Uluru is a spiritual location for the Anangu people. For the Anangu
people, Uluru is essential to Tjukurpa, which is their understanding of
creation and the laws of life. Each face of the rock has identifiable marks
that are explained with stories. For example, a line on the face of Uluru
represents a python woman who fights an evil snake man who kills her nephew.
These stories not only explain the history of the natural surroundings, but are
also used as lessons. Each story has multiple layers, each with 3 lessons. Children
are taught each layer of the story when the elders determine that they are
ready. Patience is critical in Aboriginal societies. In order to become an
elder in the community, one must know all of the stories and the lessons.</span><br />
<div>
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<span role="button" style="margin: 0px;" tabindex="0">Uluru is like an art gallery with different paintings representing different
stories, but it is also like a house with many different rooms. There are caves
within Uluru and separate areas for men, women, boys, and girls. Each group has
a different area because each group has separate roles in their community. Despite the different roles of men and women, men are not considered to be more important than the women as their society is very equal. We also learned that the Anangu people do not have
any tools to cut wood in their society. To cut trees, they carve a line into
the wood then use hot sand to gradually wedge the wood apart. The Anangu people
have definitely learned how to maximize their resources, which you would have to in order to survive and thrive in an area of extreme temperatures and scarce water. As Scruffy put it,
each tree is used as a "pharmacy, hardware store, or a grocery
store."<br />
<br />
The land around Uluru provides resources, including water which attracts
animals which become food. It was a beautiful place for the Anangu people and
the white men who "discovered" it and renamed it as Ayers Rock. The
rock has since been returned to the Anangu people, but this land is shared for the National Park which is led by a counsel of 12 people (4
Aboriginal male elders, 4 Aboriginal female elders, and 4 white people). </span><span role="button" style="margin: 0px;" tabindex="0">They have to make decisions about the National Park, including the
controversial decision about the climb. Aboriginal culture forbids the climbing
of Uluru because it is a sacred site, however there is a chain along the side
of the rock to assist people in climbing the mountain. Plenty of people have
died during this climb, and plenty more have been injured. Many of the rangers
who have to rescue the people who are injured during the climb are Aboriginal,
which puts them in a difficult situation when choosing between respect for
their religion and their duty as a ranger. Thankfully, there are a lot of
reasons that this climb can be closed, as it was when we were there. There is
hope that if fewer than 20 percent of visitors to the park choose to climb
Uluru, the climb will be closed for good. </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTk-dtn0RpI9kgt8Ck6_balRe6XCU_yijyVAEk8kD7-I8zDMqWVjwp7lhLdb0h2bGy3V2QFFq9O1z24F0s0mZh2mCU6vhSOKqzfmBY-bUgqdQ3m3lo-3jCxhS7Onf3uB1nXpkdbgXcOcbW/s1600/uluruclimb.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTk-dtn0RpI9kgt8Ck6_balRe6XCU_yijyVAEk8kD7-I8zDMqWVjwp7lhLdb0h2bGy3V2QFFq9O1z24F0s0mZh2mCU6vhSOKqzfmBY-bUgqdQ3m3lo-3jCxhS7Onf3uB1nXpkdbgXcOcbW/s320/uluruclimb.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The irony - a sign that says that you can't climb Uluru next to a sign that gives you the option to climb Uluru</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span role="button" style="margin: 0px;" tabindex="0"><br />
We drove a few kilometers from Uluru to get a good view of the rock during
sunset. This was the first time that I was focused on a rock, rather than the actual
sun, during the sunset. It was amazing to see the rock change color, from red to purple, as the sun set. </span><br />
<br />
<div>
<b>Kata Tjuta</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioYMPHAUkqvIGeKwq7IRJMqshCW9YhSkfoYfP4fzr8aQ_rPhAu2QVSjH8UODafrzTObMr8imAW46ERmFRnjPL4HMqZK86kUBskiS9GVbHfLfXRWgmLHMy-F0BBn7IyGJbNFReoqXUYYXam/s1600/katatjuta.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioYMPHAUkqvIGeKwq7IRJMqshCW9YhSkfoYfP4fzr8aQ_rPhAu2QVSjH8UODafrzTObMr8imAW46ERmFRnjPL4HMqZK86kUBskiS9GVbHfLfXRWgmLHMy-F0BBn7IyGJbNFReoqXUYYXam/s320/katatjuta.jpeg" width="320" /></a><span role="button" style="margin: 0px;" tabindex="0"></span></div>
<span role="button" style="margin: 0px;" tabindex="0"><b></b></span><span role="button" style="margin: 0px;" tabindex="0"><br />
The next morning, we were woken up at 4 AM to see the sunrise at Kata Tjuta.
The words "Kata Tjuta" means "many heads" as the dome-shaped
rock formations resemble heads. The sunrise was pretty spectacular, as was the
rest of the hike! Similar to Uluru, Kata Tjuta is also a sacred site.
Ceremonies are still conducted there today, although the location is far from
the hiking path and a secret from tourists. <br />
<br />
After we left Kata Tjuta, we returned to our campsite for lunch. We had camel
burgers. They tasted really good, but at first, they didn't sit well with my
stomach. I learned that in
Aboriginal culture, you get sick when you eat your spirit animal. I was thinking that camel was my spirit animal, but I
digested before we hopped back into our van. <br />
<br />
Once again, I fell asleep again on the way to our next campsite. I woke up to
the sound of wheels turning fruitlessly in the dirt. We stopped to collect
firewood and got stuck in the process. While I felt like it was the worst
possible thing to wake up to, I could see in Nolan's face that he was secretly
excited. After collecting the wood we needed, we dug out our tire and began to
push. I thought it was ironic that this was the second country I had traveled
to where I had to do this, but thankfully have never had to do it at home. However, unlike in Haiti, the girls had to help push
too. <br />
<br />
Fortunately, we were able to get back on the road in one piece. We stopped once
more to refuel when Scruffy asked if anyone was interested in going up in a
helicopter. Initially, I dismissed the idea because I thought it would be
expensive. But when Scruffy told us that it was only $60 to go up for 5
minutes, Gianna, Nolan and I looked at each other expectantly. Next thing you
know, I was ooh-ing and ahh-ing into my helicopter headset and spotting goanas
from the air. It was a very impulse decision, but I was happy to simultaneously
add something and check something off my bucket list. </span><br />
<span role="button" style="margin: 0px;" tabindex="0"><br /></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiB_qt1sXtqiAD9yUmAnubaLHh5QkYEDXW6IA3AiY9_dYOIGkRbdwYsYQbONGwxE0hjTvlCrUK4nbpqShuvOcCPDEPyHtVLiCSrOgrZf2xU_VYQ0eQby-PaQPNv11coAbRqzETBZVmPbxw/s1600/heli.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiB_qt1sXtqiAD9yUmAnubaLHh5QkYEDXW6IA3AiY9_dYOIGkRbdwYsYQbONGwxE0hjTvlCrUK4nbpqShuvOcCPDEPyHtVLiCSrOgrZf2xU_VYQ0eQby-PaQPNv11coAbRqzETBZVmPbxw/s400/heli.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span role="button" style="margin: 0px;" tabindex="0"><br /></span>
<span role="button" style="margin: 0px;" tabindex="0">Our next campsite had an even better view of the stars (somehow), a fire pit,
and a very cold pool. We also saw brumbies (wild horses) walking through the
bush under the setting sun. I really enjoyed toasting marshmallows and talking
to the other people in the group about their homes, their travels, and their
stories. <br />
</span><br />
<div>
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<div>
<span role="button" style="margin: 0px;" tabindex="0"><b>King's Canyon</b></span></div>
<span role="button" style="margin: 0px;" tabindex="0"><b></b><br />
</span><br />
<span role="button" style="margin: 0px;" tabindex="0">The next day, we left for King's Canyon at 5:15 AM (we got to sleep in a bit
that day). The first thing we did was climb "heart attack hill."
Somehow, I think King's Canyon was more beautiful than Uluru and Kata Tjuta
combined. We walked a total of 7 kilometers as Scruffy told us about the native
plants and this history of the rock formations.</span><br />
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</span><span role="button" style="margin: 0px;" tabindex="0"><br />
After returning to the campsite for a quick dip in the pool and some lunch, it
was time for us to say goodbye. Some of the group stayed for another day, but
we had to return to make our flight in the morning. We were sad to leave the
Outback and the new friends that we made on the tour – they chased the bus as
we pulled away! Camping is not usually my thing, but this was my favorite trip
that I have done in Australia so far! I learned about Aboriginal culture, I
made experienced nature in an un-touched region of Australia, and I made friends
with people from other countries! Camping in the Outback with Mulgas Adventures was the best possible way to experience the outback!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitxplMDbV9XZnihVNgZwXFgbq4qdx9meaDIOzcZrzBivM2whD6JgpulM6FnNvHR416Yqe2rAFh4VsYM6WP-NpbPM_GskWVCiXyEeBya-rolrLyk7HcmwNBMlk9lBO7ZeyruxsAgaRGNxVT/s1600/runbus.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitxplMDbV9XZnihVNgZwXFgbq4qdx9meaDIOzcZrzBivM2whD6JgpulM6FnNvHR416Yqe2rAFh4VsYM6WP-NpbPM_GskWVCiXyEeBya-rolrLyk7HcmwNBMlk9lBO7ZeyruxsAgaRGNxVT/s320/runbus.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The pink bus and our friends from the tour - chasing the bus as we pulled away</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05102438657098817825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1100328462076778618.post-10479454528196726662017-10-02T03:03:00.000-07:002017-10-02T03:03:04.691-07:00Eat, Pray, BREATHE<div style="color: #454545; line-height: normal;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXUInNaZ1tuIhtYUkYmoprnj6mD28VXW4nZiiwEtXT71Rmdlo6X7277MDfU6eYH_RROoxOY9-Ji1k-rp6m-hpBkCuaYeMAQSfGnuEpSp1VqlckWbs3Xo8LpvVzSYj36oSVKtngw8Mw85Eh/s1600/balisign.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXUInNaZ1tuIhtYUkYmoprnj6mD28VXW4nZiiwEtXT71Rmdlo6X7277MDfU6eYH_RROoxOY9-Ji1k-rp6m-hpBkCuaYeMAQSfGnuEpSp1VqlckWbs3Xo8LpvVzSYj36oSVKtngw8Mw85Eh/s400/balisign.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "cardo"; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">Long flights are the perfect time to start a new book, and that
is why I picked up <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Eat Pray Love</i> when
I first came to Australia. I figured that my semester in Australia would be the
best time to connect with the author's travels to Italy, India, and Bali. I
identified with the Elizabeth Gilbert’s wanderlust and desire to find herself
in my guilty-pleasure read. </span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "cardo"; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">Reading her</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "cardo"; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;"> book began my
interest in Bali- which is just a hop, skip, and a jump away from Australia. I
did not live with a Balinese medicine man or fall in love with a Brazilian man
like she did, but my experience in Bali didn't disappoint. I experienced the
"Love" that she described as the overarching theme of her time in
Bali, but the best word to summarize my experience is "Breathe."</span><br />
<br />
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "cardo"; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">Personality tests and life experience has taught me that I am a
Type A, control freak, perfectionist. This has been an asset for me in a lot of
situations and a detriment in others, and I think these characteristics are the
reason that I ended up crying on a FaceTime call with my mom the day before I
was supposed to leave for mid-semester holiday.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "cardo"; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">When I heard the news that Australia set its travel warnings for
Bali to the highest levels because of the possibility of Mt. Agung erupting, I
instantly became nervous. My other friends who planned to travel to Bali for
the week were able to joke light-heartedly about the situation, but that only
made me more nervous! (I have also learned that I tend to be less nervous when
other people share my fears). </span></div>
<br />
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "cardo"; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">They all agreed that they didn't want to tell their moms and
make them worry more, but I knew I had to talk to my mom. I was thankful for
the fact that I knew my mom would give me strength in this situation instead of
compounding my fears. When I told my mom the situation, I was surprised that she
kind of laughed. She laughed in a reassuring way rather than a mocking way as
she reminded me that if I wanted to travel the world, then I would have to deal
with bigger issues than just snowstorms in Rochester, NY. She reminded me of
the privilege I have to travel places that most people I know (including her)
have never seen. And most importantly, she reminded me that God wouldn't put me
in a situation that I wasn't meant to be in.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "cardo"; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">Over the next couple days, I watched the news carefully. Talking
to my family about it was the best way to calm my nerves because they helped me
to make light of the situation. My brother yelled "THE FLOOR IS LAVA"
during one of our FaceTime calls to help me practice. And although I don't
think that the destruction that volcanoes can cause is even remotely funny, I
needed my family's twisted sense of humor at the time.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "cardo"; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">I was excited to travel to Bali with Ari, one of my close
friends from school and favorite travel buddies. Based our past experiences
traveling together, I was expecting her to be more worried about the volcano,
but she surprised me. She didn't get worried until a guy working at the front
desk of our hostel told us not to fly to Bali without traveler's insurance
"just in case your family needs to fly your body home." That's when
we shared the realization that we didn't know anything about travelers
insurance and were in over our heads. I questioned whether or not we should
even go up until the flight took off. I was reassured a little bit to see so
many seemingly calm people on our flight (including parents with kids). </span></div>
<br />
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "cardo"; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">On the flight to Bali, I started reading <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Half the Sky</i>. It's about the oppression of women around the world,
and it was simultaneously the best and worst book for me to read on my first
trip to Southeast Asia. The first couple chapters were about sex trafficking,
which scared me but made me realize that there were things that I can control
and things that I cannot control. While I cannot control when the volcano
erupts, I can control my awareness of my surroundings. Nonno always reminds me
to “keep my eyes open,” and reading that book made me realize that that’s what
I needed to do. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "cardo"; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">I was expecting the volcano to erupt from the second we landed
in Bali. The news coverage made it seem like the tremors were like massive
earthquakes felt over 100 times per day. It sounded like all parts of Bali
would be destroyed by lava if the volcano were to erupt, but this is not likely
the case. Bali is bigger than it seems, and for the media to say that
"people are evacuating Bali" is not the same as saying "people
are evacuating the region of Bali that is closest to the volcano." </span></div>
<br />
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "cardo"; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">Ari and I made it safely out of the airport, thanks to Made.
Made helped us with our luggage and drove us to our accommodation in Ubud.
Between his gentle voice, the calming music in the car, and even the
unaggressive car horn, it was impossible for me to feel unsafe. I was able to
fall asleep in the car so that I didn't even know that it had rained outside!</span></div>
<br />
<b>Day 1</b><br />
<b></b></div>
<div style="color: #454545; line-height: normal;">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikZBADjQBdvaYlCC4Y9NooHHU58mf7N6lcEUcBSaOkUnkPlLGQDE4PVjQSTJGkNKnJCw42Pd20NQvfNNCgNeFJth02hSBaPvkEdaC2jgTUDTlSlX9_mUqXAjBfBjvczkzxVabyJz042FK3/s1600/wayan.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1203" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikZBADjQBdvaYlCC4Y9NooHHU58mf7N6lcEUcBSaOkUnkPlLGQDE4PVjQSTJGkNKnJCw42Pd20NQvfNNCgNeFJth02hSBaPvkEdaC2jgTUDTlSlX9_mUqXAjBfBjvczkzxVabyJz042FK3/s320/wayan.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "cardo"; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">The next morning, we met our tour guide, Wayan. Ari and I both
agree that Wayan was one of the best things about our Bali trip. He made us
feel so welcome and safe in Bali, as he taught us about his home rather than
just showing us around. On our first day, we explored Ubud! We didn't get more
than a block away from the hotel when Wayan gave us our first lesson in Balinese
culture. </span><br />
<br />
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSGayq_LaC1FTY0coIH0mVrBDK34vPD6JSE87r6L1Sgx5m5AZbrmz0a2d8m4_Z8qlZ5sTi663xJ1ruqYBH7efFb5gpJfsRy5RvU2PqsDYnpSpFkhVtsbTNNdyagXuAsRaiWTfmU5NYXrX6/s1600/holdofferbali+-+Copy.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSGayq_LaC1FTY0coIH0mVrBDK34vPD6JSE87r6L1Sgx5m5AZbrmz0a2d8m4_Z8qlZ5sTi663xJ1ruqYBH7efFb5gpJfsRy5RvU2PqsDYnpSpFkhVtsbTNNdyagXuAsRaiWTfmU5NYXrX6/s200/holdofferbali+-+Copy.jpeg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "cardo"; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">He pointed out the offerings in a temple along the street and
explained how every family makes an offering every day. The offering consists
of 3 different color flowers (to represent the 3 main divisions of the Hindu
God), rice (to sustain life), and some type of candy or food. He also taught us
our first word in Balinese- "Suksema," meaning "thank you."
Wayan explained that "suksema" is the most important word in the
Balinese language, which I think is a testament to the respectful and kind
culture that exists in Bali. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "cardo"; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">Wayan showed us around the monkey forests, where the macaw
monkeys took over a temple and the Balinese let them. He took us to have lunch
in the rice paddies and then took us through the markets, where we tried our
best at bartering.</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span><br />
<br /></div>
<b></b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Day 2</b><br />
<b></b></div>
<div style="color: #454545; line-height: normal;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "cardo"; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">The next morning, we awoke at 1:30 AM to leave for a sunrise
hike up Mt. Batur (a different, less threatening volcano). The hike was pretty
difficult, especially because it was still dark outside, but we were able to
make it to the top before sunrise. </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifFiWBaKsl3LCbwe2KcGGh4sAs_fowA4N2vJqYkkmcUjtJxIIkHsUGcb53x-hKzXlF8s5k4F7l4r7Bvlv3ySqCMYzRU4YTq1MHgIa4l2NHQysxVaa3F44nnt9Rj23NbLJImCJdw_rVqbut/s1600/baturview.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifFiWBaKsl3LCbwe2KcGGh4sAs_fowA4N2vJqYkkmcUjtJxIIkHsUGcb53x-hKzXlF8s5k4F7l4r7Bvlv3ySqCMYzRU4YTq1MHgIa4l2NHQysxVaa3F44nnt9Rj23NbLJImCJdw_rVqbut/s400/baturview.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div>
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Mt. Agung is the high peak to the far right of this picture!</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1HtigaekDx54Q_-L9D91WpGVZC-VwFqVdjEXYz-Ifw0fwf_r65TTPnWyYa22JkzQBSyZyEGsJtsHorcuPpvPS-pXsiERgyZcU0_hx9ZFAQDj7wOplKtzgdvpMwzj59I6ossyaywK2F59K/s1600/mnkeybatur+-+Copy.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1HtigaekDx54Q_-L9D91WpGVZC-VwFqVdjEXYz-Ifw0fwf_r65TTPnWyYa22JkzQBSyZyEGsJtsHorcuPpvPS-pXsiERgyZcU0_hx9ZFAQDj7wOplKtzgdvpMwzj59I6ossyaywK2F59K/s200/mnkeybatur+-+Copy.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
T<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "cardo"; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">he view was stunning. It started out relatively dark, but
slowly, light crept over the land so we were able to discover a body of water
standing between Mt. Batur and Mt. Agung in the distance. We watched the clouds
pass through us as we were so high up in the sky, and we were careful not to
let the monkeys steal any of our stuff from our bags! By the time we walked
back down the mountain at around 7 AM, I had already walked about 20,000 steps
and felt more awake than I do most days at school. The hike was fulfilling but
definitely tiring so I was excited to be spoiled by a Balinese massage and a
nice nap when we got back to the hotel. After a couple of hours of relaxing,
Ari and I went to a Balinese dance performance that Wayan recommended at the Ubud
Main Temple. I didn't totally understand the plot because the few words spoken
during the performance were in Balinese, but it was interesting to attend an
event that wasn't catered towards English speakers.</span><br />
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">
<br /></div>
<b>Day 3</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuNomaqou3JZcSxcnO8sGHWECnf1rt1uhLsckGzaa8DwF4fHty2vXFZC-AZJThKqK-cs0HkKaSgL_XAI5PcZzglmmqyrGi8T1B9m9wAI6iK8COd5kgCXeaachm_rtnizqxrCLicrEi0Ei8/s1600/waterceremony.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuNomaqou3JZcSxcnO8sGHWECnf1rt1uhLsckGzaa8DwF4fHty2vXFZC-AZJThKqK-cs0HkKaSgL_XAI5PcZzglmmqyrGi8T1B9m9wAI6iK8COd5kgCXeaachm_rtnizqxrCLicrEi0Ei8/s320/waterceremony.jpeg" width="180" /></a></div>
<b></b><br />
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "cardo"; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">The next day was my favorite. Wayan brought us too Tirta Empul
temple for a water cleansing ceremony. Rather than just watching, he encouraged
us to participate. We each offered up everything that was weighing on us
psychologically in addition to our physical offerings, and we formulated these
thoughts into a wish to say before putting our heads under each of the
fountains. I didn't know exactly what I was doing, but I started with
"Dear God." I imagined my God as I spoke (although I believe that my
God and Wayan's God are mostly the same). The fish in the water were nibbling
my toes as I tried to focus on my thoughts. I finished my offering with
"suksema" and then dunked my head in rushing water of the fountain.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsztCHjLqvxyOmeUMub4YyUuxLIYiV16YImnw8ybpJZC7FmEyEKsT-clChjtxgiVhFHMyyQM4ltlwGUUqpZSz2kkVcTbWEXIhN-MkxClGbbNW4GMA2otUmVOhNw4mJEXADr0rxTaMFLa44/s1600/watercleanse.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsztCHjLqvxyOmeUMub4YyUuxLIYiV16YImnw8ybpJZC7FmEyEKsT-clChjtxgiVhFHMyyQM4ltlwGUUqpZSz2kkVcTbWEXIhN-MkxClGbbNW4GMA2otUmVOhNw4mJEXADr0rxTaMFLa44/s320/watercleanse.jpeg" width="180" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"></span><br /></div>
<br />
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "cardo"; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">After the cleansing ceremony, we dried off and went to another
part of the temple to pray. Ari and I were dressed in traditional Balinese
clothing and were able to participate in ceremony, following Wayan's lead. We
put flowers from our offerings between our hands as we prayed, to show
appreciation for life and nature which is at the core of Balinese
Hinduism. The love of nature is also the reason that traditional Balinese clothes are so colorful, like flowers!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "cardo"; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1D-5mDH13FxEnDPbDJ4CMx5els4rfOAiPSMcS7Uy8X9Ydz2N3fem8c71Tnt-cvmtJRcpomTRLtno1yqTXfskuoFgAavNBK4Svo-tdHeOzPO62Fo7W9BOV8p0faJs0ijOf6bN2ttL1rAfi/s1600/ricehead+-+Copy.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1203" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1D-5mDH13FxEnDPbDJ4CMx5els4rfOAiPSMcS7Uy8X9Ydz2N3fem8c71Tnt-cvmtJRcpomTRLtno1yqTXfskuoFgAavNBK4Svo-tdHeOzPO62Fo7W9BOV8p0faJs0ijOf6bN2ttL1rAfi/s320/ricehead+-+Copy.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
</span><br /></div>
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "cardo"; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">After the ceremony, Wayan told us more about his religion. He
explained how Hinduism and Buddhism came to the country of Indonesia as early
as the 5th century. He told us Islam is now the most prevalent religion in all
parts of Indonesia except Bali, where Hinduism is most widely practiced. He
said that all religions are welcomed in Bali as long as they fit into "the
system," which he explained to mean the system of tolerance and respect.
He said in Bali, Hinduism may be more prevalent, but it is not more dominant
than the other religions. He helped me to understand the similarities and differences between Balinese and Indian Hinduism. Both types of Hinduism share beliefs in karma, reincarnation, and nirvana, but in Balinese Hinduism, the caste system only relates to ceremony and does not affect daily life as it does in Indian Hinduism.</span><br />
<br />
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "cardo"; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">After Wayan finished answering all my questions, he showed us
the community aspect of temple life. He showed us where the Balinese women were
working to make offerings and encouraged us to learn from them. We walked into
a huge room of Balinese women working away at their offerings, and they all
stopped to look at us as we walked in. They were looking at us and we were
looking at them, until I smiled at them in attempt to show my intentions for
being there. I also said "Swastiastu," the way
to say hello in Balinese (although it more literally is a blessing). Despite
the fact that I could only speak 2 words in the language, I think that they
understood that I was there for good reason. I thought back to my experiences
in Haiti when I was able to establish a connection based on a smile alone, and
I decided that one of my favorite feelings in the world is when you make a
connection with someone whose background is different from your own. Being
reminded of that feeling in the temple made me reestablish my interest in
practicing medicine in a developing country after I graduate. </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0K70nM4Hra7XM-Ag_sL4Z1nn5Z5mWTkXG4Ir8fFiJDP4OltIJHLHal7utdg0Xpgap_t5ARG1GEPrBHIdjyP2Rfa_eRN37lsV3AHLySv1LDZO-o4FnxJHmLLoyjh8DaIG32Y-BdOElsylN/s1600/makeoffer+-+Copy.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0K70nM4Hra7XM-Ag_sL4Z1nn5Z5mWTkXG4Ir8fFiJDP4OltIJHLHal7utdg0Xpgap_t5ARG1GEPrBHIdjyP2Rfa_eRN37lsV3AHLySv1LDZO-o4FnxJHmLLoyjh8DaIG32Y-BdOElsylN/s320/makeoffer+-+Copy.jpeg" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Here we are learning how to wrap a couple grains of rice into a banana leaf for part of the offering! It was harder than it looked!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "cardo"; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">For the rest of the day, we explored waterfalls and rice
terraces and the famous Luwak coffee, before heading back to the hotel for the
night. That night, I woke up twice in the middle of the night because I felt
tremors from Mt. Agung shaking my bed. They lasted for about 5 seconds each,
and each time, I looked over at Ari with wide eyes. Ari slept through the
tremors, so I had to remind myself that no amount of stress I put myself
through would prevent the volcano from erupting. I wasn't going to will the
volcano to remain dormant by staying up all night, so I went back to bed.</span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "cardo"; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;"></span></div>
<br />
<b>Day 4</b><br />
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "cardo"; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">We left Ubud for a beach trip to Kuta. Kuta was HOT
and very touristy, but we decided to go in hopes that the Bali Sea Turtle
conservatory would be releasing baby turtles that day... and luckily, they
were! It was a really special experience to be involved in such an amazing
process. I learned that only 1 in every 1,000 sea turtles survives until
adulthood, and I hoped that mine would be the one to make it. </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy9dNh8k8tSmKKZhgckSC-NEzbyAE5EJZ-KmYouuf_9Y3w-IaagBPIiT2FFWGJGMpgA28XkiIodx8ylD6-37y_gJcjKuoj3i1g2t38qnqjhwHVQ1_cAp-aGtcn1ilwXcrxw-M7tdK8UzxU/s1600/seaturtle.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy9dNh8k8tSmKKZhgckSC-NEzbyAE5EJZ-KmYouuf_9Y3w-IaagBPIiT2FFWGJGMpgA28XkiIodx8ylD6-37y_gJcjKuoj3i1g2t38qnqjhwHVQ1_cAp-aGtcn1ilwXcrxw-M7tdK8UzxU/s320/seaturtle.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Carried this guy to the beach and he did the rest of the work from there!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span>
<b>Day 5</b><br />
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "cardo"; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">Ari and I planned to do a cooking class on our final day. The
class started with a visit to the local market, where we learned about the
local ingredients which were commonly used in Balinese dishes. We had a lot of
fun cooking, but my stomach didn't feel great after the class. I imagined Nonno
laughing at how my stomach didn’t like the food I cooked for it.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVSUEXH-e1GVqy5OlcvBSnwy2koaZbH6hj7i75XyDJCeXm0j4AyDwu8u6yq47TEjG3OiCvlY0A1-OTAmcue1pozLJdFrJmHJp9V14o8TvsFbPWUwBtu7Xi-tp7W_Pi7ZHg7hFZ_cP6cKei/s1600/cookingbali+-+Copy.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVSUEXH-e1GVqy5OlcvBSnwy2koaZbH6hj7i75XyDJCeXm0j4AyDwu8u6yq47TEjG3OiCvlY0A1-OTAmcue1pozLJdFrJmHJp9V14o8TvsFbPWUwBtu7Xi-tp7W_Pi7ZHg7hFZ_cP6cKei/s320/cookingbali+-+Copy.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Yours truly was the slowest chopper in the class, but we had fun!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "cardo"; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">After we digested a bit, we headed off to a yoga class (another
good reminder to breathe)! The Yoga Barn was just down the street from our
hotel in downtown Ubud, but its tucked away location on a side street made it
feel like it was a yoga retreat. We took the intro class, which involved a lot
more talking than actual stretching. However, I left the class feeling
stretched and calm. I almost fell asleep in class, which I interpreted to mean
that I was calm. I enjoyed the class a lot, and I felt like it was the perfect
way to end our experience in Bali.</span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "cardo"; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "cardo"; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">On the way to the airport, we had a nice conversation with Wayan
where he asked us about our biggest goals in life. He told us about how his
goal was to travel to the United States. When I asked him how he liked it when
he finally went, he said he was surprised by the people in "survival mood."
I asked him if his experiences made him miss Bali, and he said, "from day
one." It made me so sad that my friend didn't enjoy spending time in my
country, but I can see why he felt that way. He also told us about how his
other goal was to buy his own car, which he accomplished as well! He talked
about how he used to work on cruise lines and didn't enjoy it all. I respected
Wayan so much for finding a way to use his work experience and passions to
build a business that he loves. Ari and I both were sad when we left him at the
airport.</span><br />
<br />
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "cardo"; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">We were sad to leave Wayan and sad to leave Bali.... until we
logged into the wifi and learned that our flight was delayed for 24 hours.
After we got over our initial frustration that our plans changed, we realized
that we were getting an extra night in Bali paid for by our airline. It
honestly worked out better than we had originally planned because we didn't
have many plans for Darwin anyway! </span></div>
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "cardo"; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;"></span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "cardo"; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "cardo"; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">Despite my worrying during the trip, God had better plans for me
than the plans I had for myself. This quote says it best: </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "cardo"; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;"><i>"Grant me the
serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things
I can, and the wisdom to know the difference."</i></span><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "cardo"; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;"></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div style="color: #454545; font-family: '.SF UI Text'; font-size: 17px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "cardo"; font-size: 10pt; margin: 0px;">I will continue to think about the volcano and worry about how
it will affect Bali, Wayan, and the friends we met, but I am safe, happy, and blessed to be back in Australia. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHoXKoW2y2RrfYF-GRQLW6aMxRHozjGXEB2VgVLLdcoSn6sEI9dzWLe1RJY-4BKffTK3kwMjtTwuNUF_xFEA2B3ng73F38YLkTT9iJO3vyYzl6Db1kor9xAw8TRMDWo1iyeQLvwoTZXi-i/s1600/ricepaddy+-+Copy.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHoXKoW2y2RrfYF-GRQLW6aMxRHozjGXEB2VgVLLdcoSn6sEI9dzWLe1RJY-4BKffTK3kwMjtTwuNUF_xFEA2B3ng73F38YLkTT9iJO3vyYzl6Db1kor9xAw8TRMDWo1iyeQLvwoTZXi-i/s400/ricepaddy+-+Copy.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05102438657098817825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1100328462076778618.post-28160734990615912802017-09-04T19:37:00.001-07:002017-09-04T19:37:24.995-07:00Speaking Whale<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This past weekend I (a relatively small mammal) had the opportunity to swim
with one of the world’s largest mammals- the humpback whale! I had never
snorkeled or been whale watching before, and a company called Sunreef in Mooloolaba
offered the opportunity to do both at the same time! My roommates (Rachel,
Gianna, Ashley, and Keiko) and I planned it as a roomie-bonding experience when
they first arrived, and although we’ve all gotten really close since we planned
it, that goal was definitely achieved as a result of this trip. </div>
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOLjGC9QNvavNlTtbLRGQBTx0XqzMc6FbYo3aGAJJ7_AotZEyc2ymI_N0RNzVLoJ_fmA1rdGH8nEph_8cWojfaDlBcbTK08A67kuUHcTZDNyQA7N8JWTl-vWQYRtchyphenhyphenfgS0R5Iszs5A0H0/s1600/WhaleSquad.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOLjGC9QNvavNlTtbLRGQBTx0XqzMc6FbYo3aGAJJ7_AotZEyc2ymI_N0RNzVLoJ_fmA1rdGH8nEph_8cWojfaDlBcbTK08A67kuUHcTZDNyQA7N8JWTl-vWQYRtchyphenhyphenfgS0R5Iszs5A0H0/s320/WhaleSquad.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
We woke up early on Saturday morning, to make the 8:20 train up to the
Sunshine Coast. We all fell asleep on the train after doing each other’s hair so that we all
had matching pigtail braids. We looked a little bit like a gang with our
matching hair, but we joked that we were each other’s stunt doubles because it
was really hard to tell us apart from behind.<br />
<br />
When we arrived in Mooloolaba, we met up with Nolan. It wasn’t long after
checking in that we got suited up in our snorkel gear. I had never worn a wet
suit before, so as soon as they handed me all my equipment, I was all smiles. (Seriously,
Gianna has a video of me with the dumbest possible grin on my face). I put my
gear on right away, although it was quite difficult to walk around the docks in
flippers as we waited for the boat. Our boat was called Croc One. It had “Crocs
Rule” written on the back of it, which made me think of my dad (Love you Dad,
but not your Crocs).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzW2djF2kGM9Ga5rLyhjEZLCAzrgpB592l9Nw0540FptWQN_c0hcJkI_tgmG-W3ZgwNYxiiWS1nD3rP6kBpcteaYyic6hKDHTa2tJyqDsG83unhgBRHutrRPIXPnCCRaPOIrGmJOCd0Yo6/s1600/IMG_1867.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzW2djF2kGM9Ga5rLyhjEZLCAzrgpB592l9Nw0540FptWQN_c0hcJkI_tgmG-W3ZgwNYxiiWS1nD3rP6kBpcteaYyic6hKDHTa2tJyqDsG83unhgBRHutrRPIXPnCCRaPOIrGmJOCd0Yo6/s320/IMG_1867.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
Ready!<br /></td></tr>
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After we boarded the boat and got some instruction, the captain set us loose
to look for whales. The goal was to intercept these curious creatures during
their annual migratory journey up north for breeding. In the summer months,
humpback whales hang out by Antarctica. The whales travel north along the coast
of Australia during the winter months to give birth to their calves in the
warmer waters of the Pacific. I took the job of looking for whales very
seriously, as we climbed to the top deck to get a better view. They told us to
look for little clouds above the water, formed by water coming out of the whale’s
blowhole. We looked for grey and white bodies coming out of the water to get
air, to slap their tails, or to breach.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE85HR14ulLYtP8DMr0XQKturyBbW5oNg9vqjXDHNI3VXZn32-sEqrZr6wud-EnmMJLDcF_MGB2_yOUJhEhyphenhyphenUHD-FmX2CbFL89f5sZEUGU8-sKcgUgouV6bXjLaGIHM0yN3UutBdGO6rAz/s1600/melsscuba+suit.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE85HR14ulLYtP8DMr0XQKturyBbW5oNg9vqjXDHNI3VXZn32-sEqrZr6wud-EnmMJLDcF_MGB2_yOUJhEhyphenhyphenUHD-FmX2CbFL89f5sZEUGU8-sKcgUgouV6bXjLaGIHM0yN3UutBdGO6rAz/s320/melsscuba+suit.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They got me to look away from the whales for a second</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We also looked for “foot prints,” which are calm areas amidst the rippled
ocean formed by the whale’s tail slapping the water and distressing it. These
footprints are created by the strongest muscles in the animal kingdom! I
learned that each whale has a unique footprint, like each human has a unique
thumbprint, so scientists can use these to keep track of which whales they are
seeing. Keeping an eye on the footprints was a good way to keep track of the
whales when they dove below the surface.<br />
<br />
Our guide was very knowledgeable about the whales, and he told us that the
best way to identify the difference between a female whale and a male whale is
to look at its coloring. A male is likely to have more white scratches
because when the males fight for mates, they scratch each other with their beaks. This,
and the fact that she was swimming with a calf, helped us identify the first
whale we saw as female.<br />
<br />
When we came upon the mother and her calf, the mother whale was slapping her
tail on the surface of the water repeatedly. Humpback whales slap their tails
on the surface of the water to create a sound that will travel through the
ocean in order to communicate with other wales. Usually the whale does a couple tail slaps at a time, but the mother
whale was doing this repeatedly to teach her young calf. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1FEKeXRrpWU-HTWRLLzsETfAwoFR0IQbwNcRpb8dr_1GWb9cZd8At9KshO0EbKp1U0Xz1vwFhd8Z9dcSVjdrLPNaLnKJZqHgeW_VeFiwXttIP7FSSshtqTD-UGdI5Zq9hwImpNTatBGUW/s1600/whaletail.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1FEKeXRrpWU-HTWRLLzsETfAwoFR0IQbwNcRpb8dr_1GWb9cZd8At9KshO0EbKp1U0Xz1vwFhd8Z9dcSVjdrLPNaLnKJZqHgeW_VeFiwXttIP7FSSshtqTD-UGdI5Zq9hwImpNTatBGUW/s320/whaletail.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A good mama teaching her baby how to slap her tail!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
We all got so excited to see the whales that we were all gasping and yelling
out of sheer excitement. I was worried that we’d scare the whales, but the
captain encouraged us to make noises because it gets the whales’ attentions, as
they are naturally curious. They let us get really close to them, and when we
were close enough, we suited up in full snorkel gear (including our shark
deterring anklet) and jumped into the water. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfqfOysIo381GIPxF1QNrIFzdopedlOk_uSoQ9rCOdZmFNEe4xX155bacgoNGIcs2nMNWUmLN0ILEWF6nQ-PYkUDAAavGoB_6pdHnOL2OaXITde93ero3Z5nkzluBv3-lm5rVFdt8eIJV8/s1600/flippers.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfqfOysIo381GIPxF1QNrIFzdopedlOk_uSoQ9rCOdZmFNEe4xX155bacgoNGIcs2nMNWUmLN0ILEWF6nQ-PYkUDAAavGoB_6pdHnOL2OaXITde93ero3Z5nkzluBv3-lm5rVFdt8eIJV8/s320/flippers.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ6vlAN6dfrt0M3GMYe-nT45DXNJoyhNNdaqPjBmWR_EnvWe3VXh4gBM6H-bGmVJq_2XL-dwePBCfB6SccMQMlgJrsiJPoTRx3-0zJ0xmuu6PgK9Wzo4HCSEOmb_SycxKHoLfYV6Kx8kbD/s1600/jellyfish.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ6vlAN6dfrt0M3GMYe-nT45DXNJoyhNNdaqPjBmWR_EnvWe3VXh4gBM6H-bGmVJq_2XL-dwePBCfB6SccMQMlgJrsiJPoTRx3-0zJ0xmuu6PgK9Wzo4HCSEOmb_SycxKHoLfYV6Kx8kbD/s200/jellyfish.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I was so shocked to see so many jellyfish where we were swimming. These ones have small tentacles so they are not a major concern. </td></tr>
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<br />
At first, I was just getting used to swimming with flippers and a snorkel.
It took some adjusting to get used to breathing through my mouth instead of my nose,
which would have caused my mask to fog up! When I finally got my breathing
down, I looked into the water. I was alarmed that all I saw were jellyfish!
They weren’t the big scary kind, but they looked like little clear donuts with
short tentacles. I was more focused on avoiding the jellyfish than looking for
whales, but I did see the whales – SWIMMING LESS THAN 10 METERS AWAY FROM
ME!!!! The first time I saw the whale, I was in shock and I don’t think I
completely registered what I saw! I only got a quick glimpse of the whale
before we got back on the boat. <br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrXtAGAQ_yBksOX0kcftkOMuJu330QoUIUpYDlMlGK7zMxPCvPeJ23HG_jxhaL6L_fMnRk1TLAwUPVsC-BJ7EvhyphenhyphenW-awxnKnXSHL9Pnpp7E_BXsjxORD3vhfjGrSVvOUcl_9RO198W0ACG/s1600/edited+whale.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="559" data-original-width="997" height="355" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrXtAGAQ_yBksOX0kcftkOMuJu330QoUIUpYDlMlGK7zMxPCvPeJ23HG_jxhaL6L_fMnRk1TLAwUPVsC-BJ7EvhyphenhyphenW-awxnKnXSHL9Pnpp7E_BXsjxORD3vhfjGrSVvOUcl_9RO198W0ACG/s640/edited+whale.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If you look really closely, there is a whale in this picture!!!! The visibility makes it look a lot further away than it actually was! (PC Ashley)</td></tr>
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<br />
These whales were swimming away, so we had to go find some more who were
interested in finding out about us. The next time we saw a whale, it jumped out
of the water (breaching). Ashley and I were so in awe that we kept saying “Whoa”
or “Oh My God” or just incoherent noises of amazement. It was so cool to watch,
the whale even put his pectoral fin out of the water as if he was waving hello.
Of course I had to wave back, and I even tried to speak whale. I had been
joking about speaking whale forever, but something about this experience really
brought it out of me. <br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF3pmEz7kzWUANJaGp0ndoCf4aF63TGb1-tC1IZqxNku2reVjFCIeegl7rT72mUhINL0I7H93VFNw3Aa9GF_6zH8K40X4OFyOl3A_q-uBEVZNC-4E3uDoZDYE5vhHW789uMlDdWCh7PVjn/s1600/whalewave.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF3pmEz7kzWUANJaGp0ndoCf4aF63TGb1-tC1IZqxNku2reVjFCIeegl7rT72mUhINL0I7H93VFNw3Aa9GF_6zH8K40X4OFyOl3A_q-uBEVZNC-4E3uDoZDYE5vhHW789uMlDdWCh7PVjn/s400/whalewave.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just a whale waving hello to welcome me into the ocean (PC Nolan)</td></tr>
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<br />
The next time we jumped into the water to swim with whales, they swam away
from us. We tried to swim up and catch them, but they were too fast so we got
back on the boat and looked for more. It looked like we weren’t going to see
any more whales up close, when all of a sudden a baby whale came up to breathe RIGHT
NEXT TO our boat! It was so close that I was worried that the mother was going
to come up right under our boat and tip us, but she broke the surface not too
far behind her baby. We all ran to the bottom level of the boat and threw on
our snorkel equipment and jumped into the water. I was able to see the baby
calf so clearly beneath me (maybe 5 m away) that I choked on some ocean water.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9GG_iJQy2GbK7M06FWbvmpHXEYTT9fcmxFDfEOL4iridIRm82-lhFq3SaKJMM_HmgGAhPQZ61TR9ls_zBC5_4o0PfwnOktmYR3-GPBliki_17SkUaVgaJkaQ83R1BHP_YAMI3hHozE67x/s1600/snorkelmel.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9GG_iJQy2GbK7M06FWbvmpHXEYTT9fcmxFDfEOL4iridIRm82-lhFq3SaKJMM_HmgGAhPQZ61TR9ls_zBC5_4o0PfwnOktmYR3-GPBliki_17SkUaVgaJkaQ83R1BHP_YAMI3hHozE67x/s320/snorkelmel.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Your favorite dork-el learning to snorkel</td></tr>
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The whales didn’t stay to hang out with us, but I was so content that me and
the whale were able to capitalize on our mutual curiosity and share the same
space. It was such a humbling moment to be in the open ocean
with the whales. I was able to connect with one of the world’s largest mammals in
the middle of the Pacific Ocean. I felt like I was fully immersed and capable
of understanding and appreciating whale life. I felt love for the whale, my
fellow mammal and creation of God, and it made me want to do everything I could
to protect them. I had a death-grip on the Teddy Grahams wrapper I was holding
as I looked over the rail of the top deck of the boat to admire the whales for
fear that I would accidentally drop it into the ocean and pollute it.<br />
<br />
When we got to the point where the water was warmer than the air (which I
found out as we attempted one last jump), we headed back. I couldn’t be more
thankful for the experience. As the boat headed back to the docks, we sat in on
the top deck letting the sun hit our backs and dry our wetsuits. I was tired,
but my heart was full. I am so blessed to experience the animal in a way that
not a lot of other people do. I liked Sunreef as a company, and I liked the fact that they
do not force interactions with the whales. The crew assessed how the whale was
behaving before we decided whether or not we should join them in the water. It
allowed me to experience whales the way they experience life themselves,
outside of a tank, as they should be. I don’t think I will ever forget the
experience of looking past all the jellyfish to see a baby whale in the open
ocean!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWNdVlUvXPnLP4cuR6MMNMCpGbDmcCVyNzAvhjmyipmDyjgAaAOZcP5u27rPlffq8OjzW3dNcgiz6nQYFAPSgcQ-dz9qUxbWiU_toAvmSDwbLD9O0H5FaPNqCcYQooJxFwZmOC0KgaVos3/s1600/GOPR0530.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWNdVlUvXPnLP4cuR6MMNMCpGbDmcCVyNzAvhjmyipmDyjgAaAOZcP5u27rPlffq8OjzW3dNcgiz6nQYFAPSgcQ-dz9qUxbWiU_toAvmSDwbLD9O0H5FaPNqCcYQooJxFwZmOC0KgaVos3/s320/GOPR0530.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Feeling tired but exhilarated and blessed - my favorite combination of feelings</td></tr>
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<br />
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05102438657098817825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1100328462076778618.post-56021666492617479732017-08-21T06:19:00.001-07:002017-08-21T06:19:17.955-07:00People's Day
<br />
This past week of school was a short one as we had a day off for a public
holiday! Everyone in the state of Queensland had Wednesday off so that they had
the opportunity to attend <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ekka.</i> Ekka,
short for the word <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">exhibition,</i> is
Queensland’s largest annual show. Formerly known as the Royal Queensland Show,
Ekka has been a tradition in our state since 1876. It was originally designed
to be an opportunity to show off the latest agricultural and industrial
achievements in the state of Queensland. Today, Ekka more resembles a state
fair in that it has sideshows, animals, musical acts, and agricultural
displays. Ekka attracts over 400,000 people per year, and is the reason that I
didn’t have to attend class on Wednesday, “People’s Day.”<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Ekka represents the best of Queensland, but I decided to use my holiday for
a road trip to discover Queensland’s finest for myself. After renting a car and
accidentally discovering a great pancake place, Troy, Steve, Ashley, and I set
out for Girraween National Park. Besides transport from the airport, this was
the first time that I had been in car in Australia, Because Australians drive
on the left side of the road, I was excited to claim the passenger seat (on the
left side of the car, rather than the right) and execute my roles as co-pilot,
navigator, and designated DJ. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Navigating through the city in a car was pretty difficult, and I definitely
did a better job navigating once we got onto the straight, country roads.
Ashley and Steve slept for most of our drive, but I enjoyed taking in the views
of the Australian bush. This was one of my first experiences in Australia that
lined up with my expectations of “exploring Down Und-ah.” As we got further
inland, we saw more red dirt, more cattle farms, and more wild animals (besides
those pesky ibises). <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
As we got further away from the city, we saw more and more roadkill. We saw
heaps of brown fur laying on the side of the road, which looked a lot like deer
at home… until I noticed their long, thick tails. I was heartbroken to realize
that these were dead kangaroos on the side of the road!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKAX2lPrsDFF0AGY2SrC5Q_9TIvJ653EQAjUytKGN7VVvAYb6kmV6i0vQqxm2ABvG6gUtHqZmUwkBbqS32KvWSW5weJYunHUu-8wwlyVDOr3IU3J0sO8zI0UjZyWr1g5IwU3DkojLvrNPC/s1600/koalacross.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKAX2lPrsDFF0AGY2SrC5Q_9TIvJ653EQAjUytKGN7VVvAYb6kmV6i0vQqxm2ABvG6gUtHqZmUwkBbqS32KvWSW5weJYunHUu-8wwlyVDOr3IU3J0sO8zI0UjZyWr1g5IwU3DkojLvrNPC/s400/koalacross.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"I don't know why they put the animal crossing signs in such high traffic areas"</td></tr>
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When we had about one hour left before arriving at the national park, Troy
let me take the wheel! I was surprised at how easy it was to drive on the opposite
side of the road. Granted, I was only pretty much driving down straight roads,
but I think I did pretty well! I only struggled to remember that the blinker
was on the right side and that it was the windshield wipers on the left. <br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibI0UGEuPYo1wPG99YWSen_hgUTv7HI2n018J7j6I6o1-4Q7u8j1TKAjq17O4ECLrGxiD_oTybZ8abwhij7qt9L5U6APwBZnOPx3PJqR9rQuFpMhOj19eMgR30LT7nIt9sZ3_varBpO-2L/s1600/driveleft.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibI0UGEuPYo1wPG99YWSen_hgUTv7HI2n018J7j6I6o1-4Q7u8j1TKAjq17O4ECLrGxiD_oTybZ8abwhij7qt9L5U6APwBZnOPx3PJqR9rQuFpMhOj19eMgR30LT7nIt9sZ3_varBpO-2L/s320/driveleft.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I don't think I've been this excited to drive a car since I got my learner's permit</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
When we arrived at the national park, we chose to hike the Pyramid Trail,
which was level medium/ hard. I think it was the hardest hike I’ve ever done
because at the end we had to walk straight up the face of the rock with an
elevation of at least 60 degrees. Also, it was quite windy at the top of the mountain
so Ashley and I ended up crawling up the mountain to make sure we weren’t blown
off it! <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The view at the top was absolutely stunning. I debated for a bit whether
Haiti or Australia had a more beautiful view from the top of the mountain, but I
didn’t come to any conclusion. At the top of the mountain was a huge boulder that
defied the laws of physics, as it looked like it was balancing on one little
point. <br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpuVDh0-pf8kU96M7FGo8WruvW5islXwPRy38X8zjUcv7V0tmblVkjx21NOAydMFOpgi0Ahxc6WxgpNxbA6qyz2kJSedDQlIkJ48FuVY8Ui7NHUsJ2GFdhpiEmwaeGcDDDxs2W5J_lk_xy/s1600/girraclimb.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpuVDh0-pf8kU96M7FGo8WruvW5islXwPRy38X8zjUcv7V0tmblVkjx21NOAydMFOpgi0Ahxc6WxgpNxbA6qyz2kJSedDQlIkJ48FuVY8Ui7NHUsJ2GFdhpiEmwaeGcDDDxs2W5J_lk_xy/s1600/girraclimb.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpuVDh0-pf8kU96M7FGo8WruvW5islXwPRy38X8zjUcv7V0tmblVkjx21NOAydMFOpgi0Ahxc6WxgpNxbA6qyz2kJSedDQlIkJ48FuVY8Ui7NHUsJ2GFdhpiEmwaeGcDDDxs2W5J_lk_xy/s320/girraclimb.jpeg" style="cursor: move;" width="240" /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvXc7S7eB3VGKIsP2Ue1QjsV_BfbppvjfweRqSruLrtlm9xqC_eM5wHkJmYcLqN8ZQcwic8kxNOZZ2JsY6FSbWIxKmKglUxO6ccz4PnF3URuv0rQEXpkj-5zr70o4VfZ5xLTwWk-9AMp-O/s1600/balance.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvXc7S7eB3VGKIsP2Ue1QjsV_BfbppvjfweRqSruLrtlm9xqC_eM5wHkJmYcLqN8ZQcwic8kxNOZZ2JsY6FSbWIxKmKglUxO6ccz4PnF3URuv0rQEXpkj-5zr70o4VfZ5xLTwWk-9AMp-O/s320/balance.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Thankfully, we found an easier way down before heading to Lake Moogerah to
watch the stars and see the Milky Way! I couldn’t get over how clear the stars
were. It would have taken me all night just to count the number of stars in the
smallest corner of the sky. While I sat and enjoyed, Ashley and Troy were
dedicated to taking the best photos of the stars. (My iPhone was absolutely
useless in this feat, so I’m borrowing their pictures to post here). They were
even able to capture shooting stars in their photos!</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMzs4KlCLNQnIgIqhNyLJc1jtJdS0rzoF7vNjvOFV5pebF06WFO0xyPdCYj-C8hok4d7IpZLvDWXIuk6gCoX5x5OOZjD4dbQ-BAhUwDP5eU8xJMDbdMcq0vqX1X4Pkb3RwwYtx9xmoFo39/s1600/milkyway.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="638" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMzs4KlCLNQnIgIqhNyLJc1jtJdS0rzoF7vNjvOFV5pebF06WFO0xyPdCYj-C8hok4d7IpZLvDWXIuk6gCoX5x5OOZjD4dbQ-BAhUwDP5eU8xJMDbdMcq0vqX1X4Pkb3RwwYtx9xmoFo39/s320/milkyway.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo credit to Ashley! This what the stars actually looked like at Lake Moogerah!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Meanwhile, Steve found a wild koala in a tree! I had seen the koalas at the
koala sanctuary, but I made it my goal to find one in the wild. Every time I
went on a hike, I’d look for koalas’ signature parallel claw marks on the
eucalyptus trees and keep my head up in hopes of seeing their little grey
bodies curled up in the trees. When Steve said he found one, I no longer cared
about the stars in the sky, and I ran over to see the koala. We could only
really see it when we shined our flashlights at it so I was very torn between
trying to get the best view of him and not wanting to disturb him. After fawning
over the koala for a couple minutes, I decided to take a couple steps back and
let him enjoy his eucalyptus in peace. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGN0_UluVLRAASQeBI66_Xw9SzJs9TFkZ-m5D77upmAFPOo_mkenkQI9u-BuaMUUtmIIkhe0tRxRPWmStf6kb7b-aRNb10HoW-nvIerlPiPhINIZ-q_OP1HauenjCZxrBXlJkGXQYIX8nE/s1600/wildkoala.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGN0_UluVLRAASQeBI66_Xw9SzJs9TFkZ-m5D77upmAFPOo_mkenkQI9u-BuaMUUtmIIkhe0tRxRPWmStf6kb7b-aRNb10HoW-nvIerlPiPhINIZ-q_OP1HauenjCZxrBXlJkGXQYIX8nE/s320/wildkoala.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I don't know if you can tell I'm excited....</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
By the time I felt like I had gotten my fill of the stars and the koalas, I
was feeling tired and cold so I decided to try to nap in the car. We didn’t
leave for a couple more hours as everyone finished up their pictures and took a
little rest. On the ride back to Brisbane, we were extra careful of kangaroos
crossing the road. We saw two hop right in front of the car!<br />
<br />
<br />
Although I was more than ready to jump right into bed by the time we
returned to the city, we decided to stay for sunrise at Mt. Coot-tha. We could
see the entire city from the top of Mt. Coot-tha, and we watched the city
lights against the night sky fade as the sun rose just in time to remind me
that I had to attend a lecture in just a couple hours. <br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRCayFXsOsOIaLQlU4iYGTuAnNrA2CJpBPBF1v4J0gsQ3gqxOap1PrWLwHBV8eAVylcpWdQKOYBChpaW8s5Jr6YtWw1BEmqKokay0-RxuG2eajcoNv76quHLjZ19tZUVIzlpz-Ei88COnE/s1600/cootsunrise.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRCayFXsOsOIaLQlU4iYGTuAnNrA2CJpBPBF1v4J0gsQ3gqxOap1PrWLwHBV8eAVylcpWdQKOYBChpaW8s5Jr6YtWw1BEmqKokay0-RxuG2eajcoNv76quHLjZ19tZUVIzlpz-Ei88COnE/s320/cootsunrise.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
We returned to Urbanest for a quick power nap before my first lecture of the
day. The exhaustion was absolutely worth the excitement of the previous day,
and I was happy that I chose to spend “People’s Day” with some pretty cool
people!<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVDEc8HAsOXxoVu5KZnmA9bhcfRU6_EtKEbS_PBlH9cHJ7_neLc_QZNnEqhsm78w1XLlNj-fVTxn4nyBL9sLtNfaGie7CGe2mRJOTPapy50GHQEXiftPwDMm_HF_zIfnHyZflamFJUu9b9/s1600/girraweengroup.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVDEc8HAsOXxoVu5KZnmA9bhcfRU6_EtKEbS_PBlH9cHJ7_neLc_QZNnEqhsm78w1XLlNj-fVTxn4nyBL9sLtNfaGie7CGe2mRJOTPapy50GHQEXiftPwDMm_HF_zIfnHyZflamFJUu9b9/s320/girraweengroup.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Steve, Troy, me, and Ashley taking a break about half way up the mountain at Girraween National Park!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05102438657098817825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1100328462076778618.post-87082837916393427662017-08-17T05:59:00.000-07:002017-08-18T01:19:21.674-07:00Byron Bay<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This weekend felt like the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ultimate
Party</i> (the name of our tour group was very fitting for the weekend we had) in Byron Bay. I
went to Sydney with Ultimate Party, so I knew to expect a non-stop weekend in
Byron Bay. The fun began on Thursday night when Ari, one of my good friends at
Gannon and favorite travel buddies, arrived from Melbourne where she is
studying for the semester. After catching up for a bit and introducing her to
my new friends in Brisbane, we decided that Ari needed to experience the
Brisbane night life for herself. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
It wasn’t long before we were boarding a bus to Byron Bay the next morning.
On the bus ride there, we stopped to check out Coolangatta Beach and Snapper
Rocks, and I felt kinda special having been there before. When we finally
arrived in Byron Bay, we realized we were starving so we made a beeline to a
local burger place. I decided to try the special, which was a kangaroo burger
with beetroot. The meat reminded me of the venison burgers that my dad makes
at home. It was absolutely delicious, but I always feel torn eating one of my
new favorite animals. <br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwY1QCz70WHxFwJGHAETarhVVyU8WOHIzY71bdPzKrNNqysPTqg3seyTqUNNjL1bnXsGYyWyp00Qhyphenhyphen98zpa9diavejnjYiYdkTPvnrhbIof38O6Jw78QqDFCm5hg_STmesdx1S6CfDkKbn/s1600/kangburg.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwY1QCz70WHxFwJGHAETarhVVyU8WOHIzY71bdPzKrNNqysPTqg3seyTqUNNjL1bnXsGYyWyp00Qhyphenhyphen98zpa9diavejnjYiYdkTPvnrhbIof38O6Jw78QqDFCm5hg_STmesdx1S6CfDkKbn/s320/kangburg.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
As soon as our tummies were full, we went right to the beach. Byron Bay is a
total beach town, like Noosa where I was a couple weeks ago. Although both are
beach towns, Noosa and Byron Bay have totally different vibes! In Noosa, I felt
like there was an unspoken dress code (something like polos and Sperry’s for
guys). Byron Bay had a strong hippy vibe and lots of street art, so it was
totally fine for me to walk down the streets in just a bikini top and shorts. I
was able even to get into the bars in BIRKENSTOCKS!!!!! Although I liked Noosa,
I loved how comfortable Byron Bay felt. I was even able to fall asleep on the
beach, which usually doesn’t happen as I tend to feel antsy on the beach. After
a solid beach day, we went to Cheeky Monkey for dinner and a paint party. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZrIklgNU85HLY9dfzr-iPDryfJHZjqpKMfL7NRfxM7HhPYmMjPEicsrrts8qY5uDwOxloSEH4JSkW-FzQDBbKSurDTWIxMN44KJPzy8p4aJCXYNpJ5FTESPvqXfskrexSW3-FocDgmixo/s1600/hippy.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZrIklgNU85HLY9dfzr-iPDryfJHZjqpKMfL7NRfxM7HhPYmMjPEicsrrts8qY5uDwOxloSEH4JSkW-FzQDBbKSurDTWIxMN44KJPzy8p4aJCXYNpJ5FTESPvqXfskrexSW3-FocDgmixo/s400/hippy.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I found a place that loves Birkenstocks as much as I do!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The next morning was an early one as we woke up early to jump out of a plane...
I had been reminding myself for 3 weeks that I would soon be going skydiving,
but it didn’t really hit me until we arrived on site. I guess the best way to
describe my emotion when we arrived would be giddy, rather than nervous. I
thought of my mom telling me that she FORBADE me to skydive unless I bought the
video and pictures, so I bought the photo package (and the insurance policy for
good measure). Once we checked in, we watched planes take off and land (carrying
slightly less cargo). I started to get nervous as I watched the tandem
skydivers land because they descended so quickly!<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglSaBSt1-yzOOeU_fbiRO0W-XjKXMJLP4qyeiMX1OZuDdkg3Utd1wd5sepxWF4rW8wpkZ470S51GvksU7nRKq3glb0ng6i89-cATqGd7C694FUbMsz5W4aZBAnJ2TyhTFKC2NtPN3JZMXr/s320/skydivebyron.png" width="240" /></div>
</td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Soon, it was our time to get harnessed up. We got some quick instruction
before boarding our flight. Surprisingly, I felt very calm on the flight up. I
like flying in general so I enjoyed looking out the window from 14,000 feet up.
My skydive instructor, Walt, even pointed out humpback whales breeching from
the plane. I was reassured to find out that Walt had been skydiving for 17
years, and that he had jumped once already that morning!<br />
<br />
When we finally reached our max elevation, a rush of excitement entered my
body just as the cold air entered the plane. Once the first person jumped out,
everyone else filed out very quickly. I thought that being the second last to
jump out would make me even more nervous, but everyone was sucked out of the
plane so quickly that I didn’t have time to regret the decision.<br />
<br />
When it came to be my turn, I dangled my feet over the edge of the plane and
got into position (called the “Big Banana” position, which required me to have
my legs bent and feet tucked under the plane, chin back so that my head rested
against my instructor’s chest, hips thrust forward, and hands holding the
harness). The first couple seconds out of the plane were the most horrifying,
and I remember the initial panic of realizing that I was falling. I didn’t
close my mouth the entire time I was free-falling because I was screaming as we
spun through the air! I’m not sure how long we were free-falling before the
parachute was pulled, but it didn’t feel very long. I was glad that Walt pulled
the parachute before the ground appeared close and relieved that I didn’t have
to worry about bugs flying into my mouth once free fall ended. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJvyacC8lPKcB6ois-CKxsc_auAd7IT-3Cl0qKAuTPa77M6K6V24iBbIUBXvHKPdsndAjp9c18qKkTqOY_8q8LHX5QB6wR48hkFPGIo79K72WquHIgmZv0Fm9su7fiBXK6StZpPG2T4eik/s320/freefall.png" width="320" /></div>
<br />
There was so much to take in on the way down. We had a view of the entire
coastline, one of my friends even said that he could see the distinctive Gold
Coast skyline as he descended. Everyone else said that they looked for whales,
but I don’t think my thoughts were clear enough to look for specific things. I
started to get nervous as we got closer to the ground, remembering how
intimidating it was to watch the landings from the ground. I lifted my legs and
landed safely on my butt, as planned. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4oSI6SzstV5gAl9ZP1xGp-nUbCN_Lq2UjAdbhYzmIDewS0nHIZXI7YXKqCqbGnpRdFxKSE7VFwFC5hYuWNzvibmPSEDSZkLBErpvxKWe9mv1L4ww1C6WeOe0XGGqExRNlqDhVtoOI-jII/s1600/skydiving.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4oSI6SzstV5gAl9ZP1xGp-nUbCN_Lq2UjAdbhYzmIDewS0nHIZXI7YXKqCqbGnpRdFxKSE7VFwFC5hYuWNzvibmPSEDSZkLBErpvxKWe9mv1L4ww1C6WeOe0XGGqExRNlqDhVtoOI-jII/s320/skydiving.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
When I got to the ground, I thanked Walt for remembering to pack the
parachute! Then I ran over to the rest of the group where we all high-fived and
enjoyed our adrenaline rushes. I could feel the excitement in my gut and mostly
in my heart. I was left with a feeling of “OK, WHAT’S NEXT?” I felt ready to
try everything and was excited that I was supposed to have my first ever surf
lesson that day. It was only 9:30 AM by the time we were done, but I felt more
awake than I had in a long time. I thought about how skydiving is a more
effective stimulant than the caffeine in coffee and therefore, a much better
way to start the day! On the shuttle bus back to the hostel, Ari texted me to
tell me that she had just woken up and finished breakfast, and I giggled at the
thought that I had checked something major off my bucket list as the rest of
the Byron Bay crew was waking up!<br />
<br />
When I got back to the hostel, I had a couple of hours to kill before the
surf lesson. I knew that if I laid down, the adrenaline rush would die out so
we decided to try to hike to the Cape Byron lighthouse. Instead, we ended up at
a flea market that we found on the way there. I was actually glad that we
didn’t make it all the way up to the lighthouse because I remembered that we
had to squeeze in lunch before our surf lesson as well. After our Açai bowls,
we went to our surf lesson!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcOZ7UdhGfkv5nUFMdsm6ye39ACDqwq_duyynjY2aSYMoBlQBPQB-fC3IK6K-CkCEh8KvOj5EdpAM6rF1V-xON4zrAqYkJuVeZOhGnj296y4xM1yJrZ-3GEbiI1ny-k4cpo_nCgSFUXhNC/s1600/melnari.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1203" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcOZ7UdhGfkv5nUFMdsm6ye39ACDqwq_duyynjY2aSYMoBlQBPQB-fC3IK6K-CkCEh8KvOj5EdpAM6rF1V-xON4zrAqYkJuVeZOhGnj296y4xM1yJrZ-3GEbiI1ny-k4cpo_nCgSFUXhNC/s320/melnari.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Post-beach nap, pre-surf lesson selfie</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
While I felt that skydiving was an amazing experience that I was glad I
tried, I felt like I could actually see myself sticking with surfing and
getting good at it! I found that getting up and balancing wasn’t too hard, but
paddling and timing the waves was the hardest part. I was actually surprised
that I was able to stand on the first wave! We surfed for about 3 hours and I
was exhausted by the end – my arms couldn’t have paddled me any further even if
I did find the perfect wave! My soreness and bruises on my legs prove how
physically demanding surfing is!<br />
<br />
Even though I desperately needed a solid night of sleep, my roommates and I
decided that we were going to wake up at 4 AM to check out the meteor shower
that was to be happening that night and then stay up for the sunrise! I was
pleasantly surprised that all 8 of us woke up in time – and at least 10 other
people in the group joined us as well. I only saw one shooting star, but it was
cool to see all the stars from the beach. From there, we walked up to the Cape
Byron lighthouse. The land that the lighthouse is on is considered to be the
most easterly point of Australia, and I was amazed by the fact that we were
able to see the sunrise before anyone else in Australia and most of the rest of
the world!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-hwMQzdvkE3WoHBCeBP6yDj5vWRhDw1GD-XYGk0_tKTJR5V5lspDtyJsx68qlL2b8aJNM-NeGQBppcELFdbA_pl4bwXYCoxd0FSX5yTDygT7dC2_aNB_yLcjDdkIpxd1_Qf3xDf5sSf-G/s1600/easterly.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-hwMQzdvkE3WoHBCeBP6yDj5vWRhDw1GD-XYGk0_tKTJR5V5lspDtyJsx68qlL2b8aJNM-NeGQBppcELFdbA_pl4bwXYCoxd0FSX5yTDygT7dC2_aNB_yLcjDdkIpxd1_Qf3xDf5sSf-G/s200/easterly.png" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
After we checked out of the hostel, we boarded the bus to leave Byron Bay
and head towards Nimbin. The “hippy vibes” that we noticed in Byron Bay were
amplified in Nimbin. Nimbin feels like a little utopian society, very unlike
the rest of New South Wales. One of the things that makes Nimbin so unique is
its marijuana counter-culture. Marijuana is illegal in all of Australia, but
this rule is rarely enforced in Nimbin. In addition, there are strong focuses
on sustainability and self-sufficiency within the community, and I noticed a
strong appreciation for Aboriginal cultures in that little town. I was excited
to hear a didgeridoo being played as I walked down the streets!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1kpPYmB6RpUoxnNjH4KT2v41xTzckl1x0QEIoXXN-ek7_r2Fl1erM_94cVLbK0WwU2BHwIdIRV-ySV0jAriGpwTpz-n2PtRGmX1VrBM36GTqvR3Dmn-PQK92zGvwUf24-oQDS14-fCWGr/s1600/digeridoo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1kpPYmB6RpUoxnNjH4KT2v41xTzckl1x0QEIoXXN-ek7_r2Fl1erM_94cVLbK0WwU2BHwIdIRV-ySV0jAriGpwTpz-n2PtRGmX1VrBM36GTqvR3Dmn-PQK92zGvwUf24-oQDS14-fCWGr/s200/digeridoo.png" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhib87m93ZmFr_1Y8P9QUBWOpKkot0kkxa5XcywGJYLwnjOrhbOSvgBsjRfppqh5rEK0TuR-pF0QQZqIwdLb6SbQ_lDrNcffD7ohW4hrZuIlH4hM9YA6D4SRSGwYQh_63fLRu7EpFnfQavD/s1600/noroom.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhib87m93ZmFr_1Y8P9QUBWOpKkot0kkxa5XcywGJYLwnjOrhbOSvgBsjRfppqh5rEK0TuR-pF0QQZqIwdLb6SbQ_lDrNcffD7ohW4hrZuIlH4hM9YA6D4SRSGwYQh_63fLRu7EpFnfQavD/s200/noroom.jpeg" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicyCBXH5WzZ5UbDYjrS4qKws6vACIzEbhlgmyaRRaeH5b4kTA-1rOLo1qD76pih6G_nBqwHqiKxXokNpKKwCGmDldonBOgZ_rdYDjjTlXpCUlFEdnw5RF3fGEhl6ZTkJqnWhAb7v2UleXF/s1600/nimbin.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicyCBXH5WzZ5UbDYjrS4qKws6vACIzEbhlgmyaRRaeH5b4kTA-1rOLo1qD76pih6G_nBqwHqiKxXokNpKKwCGmDldonBOgZ_rdYDjjTlXpCUlFEdnw5RF3fGEhl6ZTkJqnWhAb7v2UleXF/s200/nimbin.png" width="200" /></a></div>
<u></u><br />
We returned to Brisbane, where Ari would be staying for one day longer
before returning to Melbourne. I had to make sure that Ari experienced the best
of Brisbane in just one day, so we did a quick excursion to the Lone Pine Koala
Sanctuary and around the Southbank area. This was the first time that I was
able to show my new home off to a visitor, which was a very exciting experience.
<br />
<br />
Overall, I’d say “exhilarating” and “exhausting” were two good words to describe the weekend!Before I left, I had my family help me come up with an "Australian Bucket List" of sorts. Aunt Marci's contribution was "to find a Hemsworth brother." I think I missed my best chance would have been in Byron Bay, where Chris Hemsworth lives, so I guess I missed my chance. Nevertheless, I had an amazing experience in Byron Bay.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijjLKDht7v7bHehPEMJVZ8K3GFCAJa2j5zkKEduqZesbJb7ZrvaibGH4u878wZ9PugN_Clmix29Lj4qef_cI4k2JP1lOqn2aON54R3HcWzGBvIelD2S5z_b3A1gL2rY4gfvKSMfm1VmHlm/s1600/byronsunset.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijjLKDht7v7bHehPEMJVZ8K3GFCAJa2j5zkKEduqZesbJb7ZrvaibGH4u878wZ9PugN_Clmix29Lj4qef_cI4k2JP1lOqn2aON54R3HcWzGBvIelD2S5z_b3A1gL2rY4gfvKSMfm1VmHlm/s320/byronsunset.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunsets and street art in Byron Bay</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05102438657098817825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1100328462076778618.post-47697011815696937912017-08-07T04:34:00.000-07:002017-08-07T04:34:11.317-07:00First Impressions of Uni Life
<br />
I have officially spent a whole month in Australia! I cannot deny that I
miss my family, especially as both of my parents have birthdays this week, but
overall, I haven’t felt much homesickness! I have my friends and roommates to
thank for this, as they are always eager to explore Brisbane or make plans for
later in the semester. We have all gotten into a rhythm of offering up ideas of
weekend excursions and breaking into smaller groups based on interest. So while
I’m in Byron Bay next weekend, the rest of my friends will either be in Sydney,
Cairns, or Noosa. Although we are great together, I am thankful that we are all
comfortable making our own plans. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
We all started class together last week at ACU! Although I am already one week
in, I definitely don’t feel like I am in school mode for a few reasons. First
of all, we only went over introductory information in most of my classes. There
aren’t too many expectations so far considering that my grades are almost
entirely determined by a couple projects and the final examination for each
class. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span><br />
<span style="margin: 0px;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6PXxskETqg5srtWCYVkSt69ncrLYY18j6FkOovtPXbmv_AsovhwfdF0THXN2Ao6hFApuFZrTCmyXiULucwc26g7nyQmNhTJZm_g7vwE-8JrOFNlhEumHkik3tawbj673L3AV9abnWn3Ol/s1600/acu+class.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6PXxskETqg5srtWCYVkSt69ncrLYY18j6FkOovtPXbmv_AsovhwfdF0THXN2Ao6hFApuFZrTCmyXiULucwc26g7nyQmNhTJZm_g7vwE-8JrOFNlhEumHkik3tawbj673L3AV9abnWn3Ol/s320/acu+class.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="margin: 0px;"></span>The other reason that I don’t feel like I am in school mode is because I am
only on campus for about 3 hours per day. This is such a dramatic shift from
home, where I literally LIVE on campus. Now, I show up just for lectures and
tutorials, then go right back home. On Thursday, Leanne, Liz, and I were
frustrated that the amount of time we spent getting to and from school almost
exceeded the amount of time we actually spent in our Nutrition Tutorial. I have
to give myself one hour to get from Southbank, where I live, to the ACU campus.
To get there, I have to take a train for about 30 minutes, then take a shuttle
from the station to campus. I usually take the train with friends so it is not
too boring, but I tend not to mind the commute when I have to do it alone. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I have adjusted to the commute, but I have yet to adjust to the nature of
campus. In the United States, campus is the center of student <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">life</i> rather than just a location of
learning. At Gannon, I can always count on the fact that I will see people I
know walking around, getting food, doing a workout and attending club meetings.
Therefore, just being on campus itself is a good way of integrating yourself
into the culture of the school at home. Here, however, students attend their
classes, maybe study for a little, then go home. Club meetings are usually held
elsewhere, as I found out when I considered joining the netball team. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The other main difference between university life at home and “uni” life in
Australia, is that classes here are subdivided into lectures and tutorials
which each meet once per week. Rather than having a class meet multiple times
within the same week like at home, each class meets once per week. This allows
me to have Mondays off, which I am very excited about. <br />
<br />
Below is my schedule at ACU this semester!<br />
<br />
<table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; border-image: none; border: medium; margin: 0px;">
<tbody>
<tr style="mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-image: none; border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 93.5pt;" width="125">
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
Monday</div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-image: none; border-style: solid solid solid none; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 93.5pt;" width="125">
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
Tuesday</div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-image: none; border-style: solid solid solid none; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 93.5pt;" width="125">
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
Wednesday</div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-image: none; border-style: solid solid solid none; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 93.5pt;" width="125">
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
Thursday</div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-image: none; border-style: solid solid solid none; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 93.5pt;" width="125">
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
Friday</div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 1;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-image: none; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: 0px 1px 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 93.5pt;" width="125">
<br />
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1px 1px 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 93.5pt;" width="125">
8 AM- 10AM Nutrition Lecture<br />
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1px 1px 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 93.5pt;" width="125">
10 AM – 12 PM<br />
Australian Literature Lecture<br />
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1px 1px 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 93.5pt;" width="125">
12 PM – 2 PM <br />
What Christians Believe Lecture<br />
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1px 1px 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 93.5pt;" width="125">
10 AM – 1 PM <br />
Theories of Human Nature Lecture & Tutorial<br />
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 2; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-image: none; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: 0px 1px 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 93.5pt;" width="125">
<br />
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1px 1px 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 93.5pt;" width="125">
<br />
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1px 1px 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 93.5pt;" width="125">
12 PM – 1 PM<br />
Australian Literature Tutorial<br />
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1px 1px 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 93.5pt;" width="125">
3 PM – 5 PM<br />
Nutrition Tutorial<br />
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1px 1px 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 93.5pt;" width="125">
1 PM – 2 PM <br />
What Christians Believe Tutorial<br />
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
For sake of comparison, this was my schedule last semester at Gannon! The amount of time in class is similar, but classes only meet once per week at ACU.<br />
<br />
<table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; border-image: none; border: medium; margin: 0px;">
<tbody>
<tr style="mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-image: none; border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 93.5pt;" valign="top" width="125">
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
Monday</div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-image: none; border-style: solid solid solid none; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 93.5pt;" width="125">
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
Tuesday</div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-image: none; border-style: solid solid solid none; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 93.5pt;" width="125">
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
Wednesday</div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-image: none; border-style: solid solid solid none; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 93.5pt;" width="125">
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
Thursday</div>
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-image: none; border-style: solid solid solid none; border-width: 1px 1px 1px 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 93.5pt;" width="125">
<div align="center" style="text-align: center;">
Friday</div>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 1;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-image: none; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: 0px 1px 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 93.5pt;" valign="top" width="125">
9:05AM– 10AM<br />
Sociology<br />
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1px 1px 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 93.5pt;" valign="top" width="125">
8 AM –8:55 AM<br />
Patient Encounter<br />
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1px 1px 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 93.5pt;" valign="top" width="125">
9:05AM– 10AM<br />
Sociology<br />
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1px 1px 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 93.5pt;" valign="top" width="125">
9:30AM–11 AM<br />
Philosophy<br />
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1px 1px 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 93.5pt;" valign="top" width="125">
9:05AM– 10AM<br />
Sociology<br />
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 2;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-image: none; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: 0px 1px 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 93.5pt;" valign="top" width="125">
10:10AM-11:05AM<br />
Animal Physiology<br />
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1px 1px 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 93.5pt;" valign="top" width="125">
9:30AM–11 AM<br />
Philosophy<br />
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1px 1px 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 93.5pt;" valign="top" width="125">
10:10AM-11:05AM<br />
Animal Physiology<br />
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1px 1px 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 93.5pt;" valign="top" width="125">
3 PM – 4:30 PM<br />
Public Speaking<br />
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1px 1px 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 93.5pt;" valign="top" width="125">
10:10AM-11:05AM<br />
Animal Physiology<br />
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 3; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;">
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-image: none; border-style: none solid solid; border-width: 0px 1px 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 93.5pt;" valign="top" width="125">
<br />
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1px 1px 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 93.5pt;" valign="top" width="125">
3 PM – 4:30 PM<br />
Public Speaking<br />
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1px 1px 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 93.5pt;" valign="top" width="125">
<br />
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1px 1px 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 93.5pt;" valign="top" width="125">
<br />
</td>
<td style="background-color: transparent; border-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-style: none solid solid none; border-width: 0px 1px 1px 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0in 5.4pt; width: 93.5pt;" valign="top" width="125">
<br />
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
Lectures are designed so that professors have about 2 to 3 hours to offload the information that students need to learn. Lectures
are not usually mandatory, as most are recorded and posted online, but my student
visa requires me to attend at least 80% of my classes. Tutorials are designed
to be a smaller forum in which to ask questions, and they are usually about an
hour long. At ACU, my lecturer and tutor are the same person for each subject
that I am taking, but I don’t think this is the case at larger universities.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
My Nutrition class reminded me a lot of my Gross Anatomy lecture at home
because it was set in a large lecture hall. Thankfully, however, I found that
its subject matter was easier to comprehend. Although they last longer than at home, the classes I am taking at ACU are keeping my attention. I am finding my Australian
Literature class to be especially interesting. One of the first questions that
the professor asked the class was “who has read anything that qualifies as
Australian literature?” I was very surprised that I was not the only person who
did not raise her hand! In fact, more than half of the class had never read a
book that was written by an Australian author or dealt with an Australian
subject. In this class, we aim to analyze how the issues such as race and
gender flavor the Australian culture, and I am excited to be able to use this class as a means to truly understand the Australian culture. I will have to read and analyze an
Australian novel for my final exam in this class (currently, I don’t know of
any and am very open to suggestions). <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>On the first day of my Australian
Literature class, we discussed “the Australian identity” as it is portrayed through
literature. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6MW7kVNr3RdF4fX11GDiegEXpRhyphenhyphenna7Rd4ECvYzDpmNVQwNzbMPwjqKuD4AQPRgsfGr6XYaqQso0bOZepTdISf_kua9sQZEhFE8J9UsS_pYP5z3fvODLhbkjFevbbcCMmtTRWLi5PCOXb/s1600/National+Identity+Slide.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1366" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6MW7kVNr3RdF4fX11GDiegEXpRhyphenhyphenna7Rd4ECvYzDpmNVQwNzbMPwjqKuD4AQPRgsfGr6XYaqQso0bOZepTdISf_kua9sQZEhFE8J9UsS_pYP5z3fvODLhbkjFevbbcCMmtTRWLi5PCOXb/s400/National+Identity+Slide.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="margin: 0px;"></span><br />
According to this slide, which I stole from my professor’s powerpoint, the
Australian national identity is relaxed, characterized by mateship (like a
generalized friendship that exists between all Australians) where a sport is a source
of national pride. We cited examples of how these characteristics fit the
Australian national identity. For one, students call their professors by their
first names (so we can thank Simon for these slides). Also, Australian society
tends to be relaxed and embrace mateship because it is non-hierarchical. I was
interested to find out that Australians tend to respect blue collar workers
more than white collar workers, which is the exact opposite of life in the
United States. I was also surprised to learn that class in Australia is
entirely different from financial status. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
I found my Philosophy class to be very interesting as well. Usually, I dread
philosophy. However, I liked the way that my professor encouraged group
discussion. He reminded us that philosophy is a reasoning skill to be developed
rather than a bunch of information to be memorized - (“philosophy is knowing
HOW rather than knowing THAT”). In our Tutorial, he asked us to consider the role
of education, and we considered the difference between instrumental education
(education that is good for another goal) and inherent education (education
that is good in itself). His final message to us before dismissing the tutorial
was to appreciate the value of inherent education, which stuck with me,
especially as the classes I am taking at ACU are far outside the realm of my
major at home.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>In fact, the role of a Physician
Assistant does not even exist in this country so I have to explain that I am
studying to be a healthcare provider that plays a role somewhere in between
that of a doctor and a nurse! I guess the good news about not having Physician
Assistants in Australia is that I am guaranteed to come home at some point -- so
don’t worry, Mom!<br />
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05102438657098817825noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1100328462076778618.post-44020352618517400472017-07-30T22:18:00.003-07:002017-07-30T22:18:36.773-07:00The Setting Sun<br />
Today, July 31st is a sad day in Australia for me because firstly, I have my
first class tomorrow, and secondly, Pandora is discontinuing its service in
Australia and New Zealand as of today. Although I am upset that I will have to
adjust to a new music app, it isn’t reasonable for me to complain about the “study”
portion of my study abroad trip, especially after having had 3 weeks to enjoy
myself. The past couple weeks have been dedicated to finding the best beaches
in Australia, watching sunsets, and getting to know my new mates. <br />
<br />
After a couple days of getting settled in Brisbane and recovering from the “sleep
is not an option” mantra we had in Sydney, I was left with the question of “Now
what?” My roommates weren’t scheduled to move in for another week so I joked
about feeling all alone in my “penthouse” apartment on the thirteenth floor. I
wanted to start feeling comfortable doing my own thing, so my first step to
learning Brisbane was to run along the river in Southbank.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpVBv51y9sQ4dK6xEF4l8zRs-H6BxNt1SIXS5ecgt22l5jx80pBhcwvBuaEkxLO6IUAdNLkwITOr0Yuud1ShS4AWGbiqNP5BZrZ8Wm6Sd7qYjQJVgc22nwnn4y31S7SugDjPqt5D9WiY_5/s1600/file.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpVBv51y9sQ4dK6xEF4l8zRs-H6BxNt1SIXS5ecgt22l5jx80pBhcwvBuaEkxLO6IUAdNLkwITOr0Yuud1ShS4AWGbiqNP5BZrZ8Wm6Sd7qYjQJVgc22nwnn4y31S7SugDjPqt5D9WiY_5/s400/file.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
The Southbank area, where I am living, is really exciting. I am about a
block away from the Parklands, which features a public pool, manmade beach,
playgrounds, mini-rainforest, ferris wheel, and bike path all on the river
bank! There was a food and wine festival in this area during my first weekend
in Brisbane, which I was excited to attend. Also near me is Grey Street, which
is lined on both sides by delicious restaurants. There is no possible way that
I can try them all before I have to return home, but I’m hoping to make it, at
least, to all the dessert places!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPw4w-2V-MbHqF2ffisIHAMQFY32XM-JpjVnc9yZuf-FBYBhl_YcUICr3KsSQ9O697spj6JaIY5849CHFbk-LYBIfR2Vt7mjcOYMgQ2n52qK4Pu9hRO9_RrmqHyiKWpg91IqgNmu184uzs/s1600/file-4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPw4w-2V-MbHqF2ffisIHAMQFY32XM-JpjVnc9yZuf-FBYBhl_YcUICr3KsSQ9O697spj6JaIY5849CHFbk-LYBIfR2Vt7mjcOYMgQ2n52qK4Pu9hRO9_RrmqHyiKWpg91IqgNmu184uzs/s320/file-4.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I always find myself stopping mid-run to take pictures of the scenery</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Although I was excited to explore Brisbane, I recognized that Brisbane will
be my home base for the next 5 months, so I wanted to take advantage of not
having class to leave the city. So in the past 2 weeks, I went north to climb
Mt. Ngungun and visit Noosa, and I went south to check out the Gold Coast. <br />
<br />
<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Gold Coast</b><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje2Q_LJfdgSx4QOmLMORnJHJjse9yfLEK4HccldwRgVKLxR8rIOrxZIhzTUADSmUjFh3ldEIimN4NgkXB5dTiYjMI2vOv_7PfEpQscaklmG3x3BYqpC9sAeMqHDikf9rU9rfLcFMUoQVh4/s1600/file-3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje2Q_LJfdgSx4QOmLMORnJHJjse9yfLEK4HccldwRgVKLxR8rIOrxZIhzTUADSmUjFh3ldEIimN4NgkXB5dTiYjMI2vOv_7PfEpQscaklmG3x3BYqpC9sAeMqHDikf9rU9rfLcFMUoQVh4/s200/file-3.jpeg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The duffel bag takes Burleigh Heads!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
My first excursion from Brisbane was to the Gold Coast with Leanne and Liz. We
decided to spend three days checking out three different beaches in the Gold
Coast, starting close to the border of New South Wales at Coolangatta, then up
to Burleigh Heads, and finally the famous Surfer’s Paradise. The three of us
invented our own little version of backpacking which we called “duffel-bagging”
as we dragged our bags from bus to bus and beach to beach. <br />
<br />
We checked into our hostel as soon as we arrived in Coolangatta after about
3 hours of transit. The three of us had debated where we should stay in
Coolangatta after reading reviews on the Hostel World website. We decided to
take a chance on the hostel with mixed ratings but a better price and location,
and we were not disappointed. <br />
<br />
<br />
As soon as we got settled in, we headed right to the beach where I had one
of those “OMG, I’m in Australia” moments. The sand was so fine that it squeaked
every time we stepped on it. I was taking in the blue water and the skyline of
the Gold Coast in the background as I walked down the beach. I noticed a sign
on the Surfers’ club that said “From Where You’d Rather Be” and I thought that
was funny. At the same time it reminded me of how lucky I was to be in an
amazing new place, taking interesting classes, and meeting new friends, so I
let that sign remind me to be fully present and appreciative of my time in the
Gold Coast and Australia in general.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge-BkDlC74_50Nj0-9-6KqnbUXI5RA368rQ1EVMvu9a2LHQiCoziqI7o0FOqgKTqJTZT2KAr4JtS-NF7l6ojzfMQ9yYeg-XWraZq0ABVAxxgEK6x8xi6x_GUSAW2nNlSYSOuX1d15I0YHf/s1600/file-2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge-BkDlC74_50Nj0-9-6KqnbUXI5RA368rQ1EVMvu9a2LHQiCoziqI7o0FOqgKTqJTZT2KAr4JtS-NF7l6ojzfMQ9yYeg-XWraZq0ABVAxxgEK6x8xi6x_GUSAW2nNlSYSOuX1d15I0YHf/s320/file-2.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"From Where You'd Rather Be"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Before long, Liz and Leanne found a good spot in the sand where they set up
their towels and laid out. I did the same as I stared at the skyline in the
distance, particularly noticing one tall building with a pointed roof and tall
antenna. I didn’t want to close my eyes and nap (like I normally would at the beach)
because I didn’t want to miss anything. My feelings of gratitude and excitement
were mixed with uncharacteristic worry and doubt for the first time as I
thought about how I had been in Australia for a week and a half already, but
still had little sense of direction or purpose. I started to think about what I’d
do next, so I decided to walk until I came across an area called Snapper Rocks.
To keep myself thinking positively, I watched the waves smash up on Snapper
Rocks as I made wishes. I sent good vibes to my friends and family at home (I
hope you received them!) until I noticed that the sun was setting behind me,
and I was missing it!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip9HLJMpuoIebR7NmK5jiNYa3hjuWTokiFcyJhI1p1WSrw9R_f0oB-FmBQMFQ8JdNcEir5w97hdAkIRlxtoEyaWLTmMHJd-zBNVgnlWAxx8UEsgJJk2b26lMHML2ofGNrcWzPtGf3nnKmJ/s1600/file-9.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip9HLJMpuoIebR7NmK5jiNYa3hjuWTokiFcyJhI1p1WSrw9R_f0oB-FmBQMFQ8JdNcEir5w97hdAkIRlxtoEyaWLTmMHJd-zBNVgnlWAxx8UEsgJJk2b26lMHML2ofGNrcWzPtGf3nnKmJ/s200/file-9.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snapper Rocks</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Leanne and Liz were both perched on a rock overlooking the ocean and the
skyline, and I sat with them for 20 minutes as we watched the sun set. Every time
I see a sunset in Australia lately I think, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Wow,
that is most beautiful sunset I have ever seen,”</i> but this is the sunset
that started all of that. The colors were so brilliant and saturated. The light
of the sun (which blinded me even through my $3 sunglasses lol) reflected so
brightly off of the water. The water was so vibrantly blue except where turned
white as the solid body of water turned into wave then individual water
particle as it smacked off the rocks where we sat. As the sun finally hid
itself completely behind the mountains, I stepped off the rocks and noticed how
the orange and blue sky (where the sun had set minutes ago) faded into pinks,
purples, and turquoise across the sky. Moments like this made it easier for me
to remind myself to be present in the moment.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSjXF3lAUN13Ke1sslV5p-6WpOUuUqRqeEymQhWUgZj7huW0V0GQEuOv1nJyjlpIA52yyUHgEGPplq8EFqIjcl6Vv4WHXmrnyANjCD9_BiceFwtE2vQPTqgvgdUrKXsf3eM_T9ckykC-7e/s1600/file-1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSjXF3lAUN13Ke1sslV5p-6WpOUuUqRqeEymQhWUgZj7huW0V0GQEuOv1nJyjlpIA52yyUHgEGPplq8EFqIjcl6Vv4WHXmrnyANjCD9_BiceFwtE2vQPTqgvgdUrKXsf3eM_T9ckykC-7e/s320/file-1.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The sunset at Coolangatta - if you look closely, you can see the building I was talking about!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The next morning, Liz and I woke up early to take advantage of free
breakfast at the hostel before we went our separate ways to explore the area. I
went back to the beach where we were yesterday, to Snapper Rocks, all the way
along the shoreline until I left the state of Queensland entirely and crossed
back into New South Wales. I found snorkelers and surfers and fishermen along
the way, and I started thinking to myself <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“I
should get a snorkel”</i> or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“I would
love to fish here.”</i> These thoughts were the reason that I decided I would
be ok in Australia and would be able to find my purpose here so I committed to
acting on them.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiOz4oCmEF9SX_PPRJzKW4_IDh22XI4Vg9nZmwocBkSNLJDd8Kswf71tSZKF6Usey0pcAjC2AvQn3uEowIil8YV7MYjMrnRY0_kyoJZhVSZ-YjvrMjfWJBk8fuIZvz9yPW3e0aO5yAo_RI/s1600/file-7.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiOz4oCmEF9SX_PPRJzKW4_IDh22XI4Vg9nZmwocBkSNLJDd8Kswf71tSZKF6Usey0pcAjC2AvQn3uEowIil8YV7MYjMrnRY0_kyoJZhVSZ-YjvrMjfWJBk8fuIZvz9yPW3e0aO5yAo_RI/s200/file-7.jpeg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I found a picture of this exact staircase on Pinterest, but I like mine more because a bush turkey interrupted the shot</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
I met Leanne and Liz in the hostel shortly after to check out before
boarding our bus to Burleigh Heads. Once again, we set up our towels and
enjoyed the beach. Once I got over my “I’m from New York and Australia has
never seen cold” mindset, I decided that it was actually cold and that I should
get up and walk to get my blood circulating a little better. I walked down the
beach a little bit before I started thinking, “it would feel really good to run
right now.” After reassuring myself that it didn’t matter that I wasn’t wearing
proper running clothes or shoes, I went for it. I noticed the building I had
stared at all day yesterday, in the distance along the coast. Curiosity got the
best of me as I started thinking <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“what is
that building? Can I run there? Maybe I can walk/run there. I wonder how far
away it actually is. Is that beach still considered Burleigh Heads?”</i> I
committed to running to the exact point where that building was perpendicular
to the beach. My depth perception failed me as I ran, what I thought was maybe
3 miles, ended up being way more. By the end, my toes felt like they were going
to split in half from the blisters and I had scabs on my chest where my bikini
top rubbed against it. I didn’t care though because this was the first time I
ever ran as a mode of discovery. When I finally arrived at the beach, I asked a
tourist taking pictures of the ocean what the name of this beach was. I couldn’t
stop laughing to myself that I had made it all the way to Surfer’s Paradise
because that was our next location! I thought about trying to call Leanne and
Liz to tell them to just meet me there, but I didn’t have my phone or any other
way of contacting them. I also realized that I didn’t know the time, but judging
by the placement of the Sun in the sky (and how hungry I was) I guessed that I
had been gone for a maximum of 2 hours. I started to run back, but quickly realized
that my feet weren’t “keen” to run. <br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj19a8K3vk7UZBsJlk6x-PL8B4TiXmuAaxlob3CNe-SuXRu70oZw4xRDtmnLffBXIp7jYHWxfK9n-fveaGI4MS97AXauc7Pmx_0FaqA5BiKT55FUJIMouQat1v_iPBY_eNkoDsPRjWNaUix/s1600/file-7.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj19a8K3vk7UZBsJlk6x-PL8B4TiXmuAaxlob3CNe-SuXRu70oZw4xRDtmnLffBXIp7jYHWxfK9n-fveaGI4MS97AXauc7Pmx_0FaqA5BiKT55FUJIMouQat1v_iPBY_eNkoDsPRjWNaUix/s200/file-7.jpeg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Travel hack - we filled our duffel bags with peanut butter, jelly, and bread to save money </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
After about 3.5 hours of running/walking to Surfer’s and back, I had gotten
really hungry, so Leanne, Liz, and I got some fish and chips before heading to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">back</i> to Surfer’s. We stayed with Alisse,
a girl we had found on Facebook who also booked her housing with Semester in
Australia. She introduced us to her friends, and we checked out some of the night
life in the Gold Coast! I had a great time overall, but I decided that it’d be
best to return when it wasn’t the dead of the Australian winter.<br />
<br />
When the 3 of us arrived back in Brisbane, I had FOUR roommates! Keiko had
arrived before I left for the <s>Gold</s> Cold Coast, but I was officially
meeting Ashley, Gianna, and Rachel for the first time! I had talked to them all
on Facebook so much that it had felt like meeting up with old friends. We decided
to celebrate their arrival by going out on Grey Street for tacos and
margaritas, then head to Fortitude Valley for a night out. I was really glad to
finally have people to share my room and my experiences. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL6LZTWmc4o2FAS11gSuADP1agBJwf1O3S_GZnkSqx86MmKbf57lciRFJlibQ2rNi_a_UQ_RfJIhwq0rbuAPivaQVWiINwsvGxy8ZqX2jhfKmELyqgB-T2AVrbkhhkMb96Bo0ADfLWt3co/s1600/file-6.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL6LZTWmc4o2FAS11gSuADP1agBJwf1O3S_GZnkSqx86MmKbf57lciRFJlibQ2rNi_a_UQ_RfJIhwq0rbuAPivaQVWiINwsvGxy8ZqX2jhfKmELyqgB-T2AVrbkhhkMb96Bo0ADfLWt3co/s400/file-6.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Meet my roommates! - Gianna, Ashley, me, Rachel, and Keiko<br /><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Sunshine Coast</b><br />
<br />
Later that week, after everyone settled in and got through orientation, we
did a beach trip! Everyone wanted to check out the Gold Coast, but having just came
from there, I was all for checking out the warmer Sunshine Coast. We decided on
Mooloolaba Beach (I’d be impressed if you can pronounce the name of this beach
on your first try!) To make the most of the day, we decided to leave by 7 AM so
that we could be there all day before the sun sets. Although I did not enjoy
the early morning, the experience was so worth it. The water was so clear and
decently warm! We walked up and down the beach, swam for a little, and got to
know everyone in our group of 13! We definitely made the most of the day,
before returning home to watch the premier of The Australian Bachelor (which is
even cattier than at home, believe it or not!)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimR-LByWyJm3ZZ77v90IEk8j5Xns1YeSLccNd0iit5xyAuz3z205cVKpcVU1yZ11gqvh_vcJkfCf_rCdsRLtYniX4M1ik2-_2rZ1vCxsPjm1t-kRGkghLRJ1Mfm_acdcWUoVdbsft35wAT/s1600/file-5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1203" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimR-LByWyJm3ZZ77v90IEk8j5Xns1YeSLccNd0iit5xyAuz3z205cVKpcVU1yZ11gqvh_vcJkfCf_rCdsRLtYniX4M1ik2-_2rZ1vCxsPjm1t-kRGkghLRJ1Mfm_acdcWUoVdbsft35wAT/s320/file-5.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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By Friday, the majority of my roommates left for an ACU-sponsored trip to
Byron Bay for the exchange students. Silly me signed up for the same trip 2
weeks later, so I had to make a new plan for the weekend. When Nolan sent me a
picture of Noosa National Park, I responded with “let’s go.” I had heard
amazing things about Noosa anyway and was really excited to check it out. We
got together a group of 5 of us (me, Nolan, Kevin, Max, and Jiorden) and left
Friday night. As soon as we got there, we walked around Hastings Street where
we found a bar with live music. Kevin, from Massachusetts, couldn’t help but
feel at home because Noosa reminded him so much of Cape Cod. After enjoying
some gelato, beers, and live music, we headed to the beach in pursuit of the stars.
The sky was so clear that we were able to see the galaxy, not just the stars!
By default, we began to look for the Big Dipper until we realized you can’t see
the Big Dipper from the Southern Hemisphere! We did, however, see at least 3
shooting stars!<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4fcbEhRuipefVa77oWjDwaxI7yFgkVbUKqDdT2x6OX6dt9XTaa6r6OoiWVnXvssX026lSvaR4oJHEmzKVzmCOfJ96-3EVaWmP66ZfnKCawfFhPjmJJ-gA9V74j6v4OmQtR7H994DiP1OJ/s1600/IMG_5931.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4fcbEhRuipefVa77oWjDwaxI7yFgkVbUKqDdT2x6OX6dt9XTaa6r6OoiWVnXvssX026lSvaR4oJHEmzKVzmCOfJ96-3EVaWmP66ZfnKCawfFhPjmJJ-gA9V74j6v4OmQtR7H994DiP1OJ/s320/IMG_5931.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Noosa Crew - Kevin, Jordan, me, Nolan, and Max!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The next morning, we set out to find the Pinterest-famous Noosa Fairy pools
in the National Park. We wanted to get there before high tide at 12:45, so we
quickly ate breakfast and set out! Once upon a time, the Fairy Pools had been a
local secret that were hard to find, but now even Google Maps knows about them!
We basically just followed all the other tourists there. You could tell that
everyone there wanted an Instagram-worthy picture of them floating on their
backs in the pools (Guilty), but the funny part was that everyone was really
respectful about taking turns swimming in the pools as you got your own
personal photoshoot. After taking in the scenery, we continued to hike through
the national park. We found a beach right in the middle of it where we hung out
for a couple hours. On the way back, we took the long way through the National
Park where we quietly and intently looked for wild koalas to no avail.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8rKkXpnFfLztWmz1w5ZuHrqK7-ZmV3Fx0fgwwGM1A0_VugSga8jZzCHh47BfYyU0pAu5lDoh5R3pGLhbPp1E6hyQEn1JkEYyEbzwjoqeeTva9VMEp_MZnPrTtcp8inbpgEWY5MBAR2f1i/s1600/IMG_5772.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8rKkXpnFfLztWmz1w5ZuHrqK7-ZmV3Fx0fgwwGM1A0_VugSga8jZzCHh47BfYyU0pAu5lDoh5R3pGLhbPp1E6hyQEn1JkEYyEbzwjoqeeTva9VMEp_MZnPrTtcp8inbpgEWY5MBAR2f1i/s320/IMG_5772.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Swimming through the Fairy Pools!<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ22fORveK8iha3AmMKl3joDs2C9ojEqiw2PJLsSAXxQbSDIW808ycdgRJ8QnE5BiSzbsESjDtjRjKA_doGOKKLD6cClnTGQqMo4Ae2WR5gVDMmAE9hYtSWjCJ0hh8qiaSROZKPDe2ZJ2I/s1600/IMG_5775.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ22fORveK8iha3AmMKl3joDs2C9ojEqiw2PJLsSAXxQbSDIW808ycdgRJ8QnE5BiSzbsESjDtjRjKA_doGOKKLD6cClnTGQqMo4Ae2WR5gVDMmAE9hYtSWjCJ0hh8qiaSROZKPDe2ZJ2I/s200/IMG_5775.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Casually struggling to avoid harming the coral on the way out of the Fairy Pools</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
We ate a late lunch before returning to the hostel to shower and get ready
for the sunset. We found the perfect spot, called the Spit, to watch the
sunset. At the spot I was standing, there was water on both sides of me
beautifully reflecting the sunlight. This was another superlative sunset, and
it definitely rivaled the one in Coolangatta. After the sunset, we went to a
restaurant called Zachary’s where we got pizza and enjoyed some more live
music. We didn’t plan on staying long because we were cold and tired, but we
ended up closing the place down. A group of women probably in their mid-forties
got up and started to dance for the last couple songs, and inspired us to do
the same. Jiorden described the night as “wholesome,” and we all left smiling.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBXlEgdIHRiB1Vau5T6ahSZTXviO4LK_dsgVfuat2tO9QKfcIHwG-v-CLAjo4fX50a12JUz0F9zSvRDCpFJghI4sjWflZ9SJ4SOdJSl4uXq1J8xt1dEhw2x53VaAIr15GY_ioipGYm90HI/s1600/IMG_6375.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBXlEgdIHRiB1Vau5T6ahSZTXviO4LK_dsgVfuat2tO9QKfcIHwG-v-CLAjo4fX50a12JUz0F9zSvRDCpFJghI4sjWflZ9SJ4SOdJSl4uXq1J8xt1dEhw2x53VaAIr15GY_ioipGYm90HI/s320/IMG_6375.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Although having a set schedule of lectures and tutorials will change the
pace of the upcoming weeks, the adventures will continue. For that reason, I’ll
reference a sunset again, metaphorically this time. The sun is setting on my
summer vacation (in the dead of Queensland winter) in preparation for another
adventure tomorrow. I think starting classes tomorrow at ACU will help me to
realize the “purpose” I have been struggling to find so far in Australia. I am
looking forward to meeting new people at school, potentially joining new clubs,
and learning new things. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipExFM76-KEU7tCgP-0-_sT6h2CnoRArphI74VhR1o58IO9SHJ6Qohr5wwlJULL6g7A9RNwvVx_q5Tg_zkvndiEiD7_NuUVLqk8W1XjH9Fdoweuw3DBGBU51KerINEurje-lY7J_rqIrVj/s1600/IMG_6336.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipExFM76-KEU7tCgP-0-_sT6h2CnoRArphI74VhR1o58IO9SHJ6Qohr5wwlJULL6g7A9RNwvVx_q5Tg_zkvndiEiD7_NuUVLqk8W1XjH9Fdoweuw3DBGBU51KerINEurje-lY7J_rqIrVj/s400/IMG_6336.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jiorden caught me freaking out over the adorable wedding pictures being taken 10 meters away.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05102438657098817825noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1100328462076778618.post-85629334913406074772017-07-23T05:46:00.002-07:002017-07-23T05:46:11.180-07:005 Things That Remind Me That I am a Foreigner
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">One of my favorite things about staying at hostels is that
everyone staying there has a similar story to me- they’re young, they’re trying
to save money, and they’re looking for adventure. Back in Sydney, I was talking
to a guy from Alaska who had been living in Australia for about a year. When we
were discussing our purposes in Australia, he told me about his previous
journeys to South America and his intentions to go to Italy next. This man had
an undoubtable sense of wanderlust and tons of experience travelling. He
explained that he believes there to be </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Two
Pillars of Travel</span></i><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> which are experiences that one seeks that are different
from life at home, and he identified them as </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Nature </span></i><span style="font-family: Calibri;">and </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Culture.</span></i><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> We
both agreed that the beauty of nature in Australia is undeniable. I’ve seen incredible
sunset after incredible sunset and picturesque view after picturesque view.
</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicXWdfWem6dbgFb-oG1_0L07Q_99uFwPmY_u9mi3t2fbGGOfciNyN1jiRzvFQ2lLHdM0mQ6hSRZomBFkxpPPxO9UlC15zqus-dbHPIeKifbWWjDTdzMUxwp2EUA_YjNiojbNjfdTJ2gSgg/s1600/acu.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV-yMRPIO822ZO70OX5xoAvMrOvJWhyN60rl2IFA_hiPqrQlQ50CUyG3JhGalNQDLUsKVy6nR082Xl54MLnT8OKyDC4sB24LOrpzOfQhr_smi6XQgSRWit_bXSU1xU9YXdaoD_Kqou8hOw/s1600/ngungun.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV-yMRPIO822ZO70OX5xoAvMrOvJWhyN60rl2IFA_hiPqrQlQ50CUyG3JhGalNQDLUsKVy6nR082Xl54MLnT8OKyDC4sB24LOrpzOfQhr_smi6XQgSRWit_bXSU1xU9YXdaoD_Kqou8hOw/s320/ngungun.jpeg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view from Mt. Ngungun is just one example of the beauty I've experienced in nature in Australia</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In that conversation, however, we also agreed that the culture is not so different from that of the
United States. Because both the United States and Australia were colonized by
the British, we have the same language, same city structure, etc. These
similarities have made it very easy for me to settle into my new lifestyle in
Brisbane. However, there have been several occasions where I have been reminded
that I am not exactly an Aussie…</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">5 things that remind
me that I am a foreigner</span></b></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">5. <b>Metric System </b>- I have absolutely no idea how long a meter
is, or how much a kilogram weighs, or how to decide what to wear based on the
temperature in Celsius. My difficulties with the Metric system became very
obvious the first time I tried to order some cold cuts from the deli in
Woolworth’s. As I stared at the display with the deli clerk waiting for me to
place my order, I tried frantically to figure out how many kilograms of turkey
I wanted and what the price would be. Embarrassed that I couldn’t easily
remember that 1 kilograms is close to 2 pounds, I retreated into the pasta
aisle as I calculated the measurement and the price. Once I figured that out, I
was able to return to the counter and place my order. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">4. <b>Traffic</b>- I have to consciously remind myself everyday that cars drive on the left side of the road rather than the right. As a result, I
never know which way to look when crossing the street. There have also been
several occasions where I have looked into a moving car and thought, “OH MY
GOD, NO ONE IS DRIVING THAT CAR,” or “WOW, that kid looks really young to be
driving.” Not to mention, driving on the left means that everyone is expected
to walk on the left too. It took me a couple days of dodging pedestrians
walking straight at me to realize that I was walking on the wrong side of the
road. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">3. <b>Consumerism</b> - One of the first people I met in Australia
was Ann, the woman I had been corresponding with for the past couple months to
set up my housing. I wanted her point of view as an ex-Pat about the biggest
cultural differences between the United States and Australia. According to Ann,
the number one difference between American culture and Australian culture is
the sense of consumerism. My experiences over the past couple weeks have
supported her claim that Australians tend to be more mindful of the environment
and more conscious of their choices as consumers. For one thing, there are
switches for every plug so that electricity is not being wasted. At first, I
couldn’t tell when my phone was charging or not, but now I frantically turn off
the plugs that are left on. They also have two buttons to flush the toilet in
order to preserve water. There are recycling bins everywhere and reminders to
limit showers to just 4 minutes! Coffee does not automatically come in a “takeaway”
cup. The grocery stores offer far less variety than at home, but most of the
produce is proudly Australian grown. I have also noticed a lot of support for Fair Trade, which makes me happy as I think back to my experiences in Haiti with Just Haiti coffee. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">2. </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">My Accent- </span></b><span style="font-family: Calibri;">One
of the things that absolutely boggles my mind about being in Australia is that
everyone thinks that I am </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">exotic</span></i><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> because
I live so far away. (I laugh just thinking about the fact that people think Rochester,
NY is an exotic place.) On one of my first nights in Brisbane, I went out with
Leanne and our friend Izzy to get burgers. I will never forget when the guy
taking our orders started </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">GIGGLING</span></i><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> at
the way we said the words “burger” and “tomato.” I have had two Australians
tell me that they prefer hearing American accents over Australian accents! It
has been quite funny and quite encouraging to speak in front of Australians. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">1. <b>Public Transportation-</b> Coming from Fairport, NY where
there is no public transportation at all, or from Erie, PA, where the public
transportation is either efficient or predictable, I never would have imagined
how easy it is to get around with public transportation. It is such a blessing to
have reliable and affordable public transportation. The buses and trains in
Queensland have allowed me to make several day trips already to the Gold Coast
and the Sunshine Coast. There is both a bus and a train station less than a
block away from my apartment, and it makes getting places so easy. I am finally
starting to get comfortable with planning my own route- thanks in large part to
Google Maps! The first time I tried to take the bus alone, I walked around the
station for 20 minutes as I tried to find the correct platform at a time
corresponded with an outgoing bus. By the time I found the right platform, the
bus left and I walked around to another and the cycle continued (until I
finally decided to choose a platform and wait for the correct bus). Learning
how to take advantage of public transportation has been the biggest learning
curve so far in Australia, but very helpful!</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So far, I’ve learned a lot as I adjust to life in Australia.
Tomorrow, I’ll prepare to do some real learning at ACU’s orientation!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0t77_qe9ke9ErWbMPWE8wL4VvlG2CEvRaE9sbK0lra357hskiWnQC9cM9rbqVEhUxGA9hvQATdBAUk2AQ6sgBaeAPX8AdiRIQhjhThSxMGBohjPUxM7d1RCDuNXzOdhCw84yvUSDWaFkc/s1600/acu.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0t77_qe9ke9ErWbMPWE8wL4VvlG2CEvRaE9sbK0lra357hskiWnQC9cM9rbqVEhUxGA9hvQATdBAUk2AQ6sgBaeAPX8AdiRIQhjhThSxMGBohjPUxM7d1RCDuNXzOdhCw84yvUSDWaFkc/s200/acu.jpeg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05102438657098817825noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1100328462076778618.post-69121742746991936742017-07-15T07:18:00.001-07:002017-07-15T07:18:12.288-07:00Sydney<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I arrived in Australia just 8 days ago, yet I’ve been able
to cross off a quite a few things from my Australian bucket list in just that
short amount of time. I toured the Sydney Opera House, fed a kangaroo, climbed
the Sydney Harbor Bridge, tried Vegemite toast, and saw a rugby match! Quite a
lot has happened so far so I’ll spare the details and hit the highlights. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">My study abroad journey began on July 3</span><sup><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: x-small;">rd</span></sup><span style="font-family: "calibri";">, just
between my brother’s graduation party and our annual Fourth of July
extravaganza on Honeoye Lake. My entire family (grandparents, aunts, uncles,
and cousins from both side of the family) met at my house to send me off that
morning. The realization that I wouldn’t see anyone in my family for the next
five months hit harder than ever that morning, so naturally the floodgates
opened once or twice that day. Thankfully, FaceTime and Facebook Messenger has
made the distance feel a lot smaller than it actually is. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">That night, I boarded a plane to Los Angeles, where I stayed
with my aunt’s friends, Cuz and Val, for 2 nights. I was able to celebrate the
4</span><sup><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> of July (my favorite holiday) with them and be a beach bum for a
couple days. Not only did my layover in LA help me to break up the travel time,
but it was the perfect buffer time between leaving my family and moving to
Australia. While I was in LA, I was able to see my friend Luke, who is
currently living in LA and working to make it in the music industry. I thought
about how he, as well as my aunt and uncle, are good examples of people who had
to fly the coop to find what they wanted. My goal was, and had been for a long
time, to study in Australia so now it was time for me to make it happen. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">On the day of our flight to Sydney, I met up with Leanne. She
had also been staying in LA for a couple days, and we spent the day together at
the beach to tire ourselves out in hopes of getting some sleep on the plane.
Surprisingly, I was able to sleep for at least 8 hours of the 15-hour flight
thanks to the fact that the lights were dimmed appropriately to adjust to
Sydney time.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqbCvonuZ6vfZzdXyjqBZVh5zDSJSWpIUK6uOrw92k54QWm9EJxSdzXCCWKu1xyo4yfuxOz_YaR_ndaKJV91T1XFCOOiA5g51kqUeWgffIywnJUnbGwc242EadghKAdtEj6smZNaPJofVa/s1600/19875580_1412290125474352_8819963313895243928_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqbCvonuZ6vfZzdXyjqBZVh5zDSJSWpIUK6uOrw92k54QWm9EJxSdzXCCWKu1xyo4yfuxOz_YaR_ndaKJV91T1XFCOOiA5g51kqUeWgffIywnJUnbGwc242EadghKAdtEj6smZNaPJofVa/s200/19875580_1412290125474352_8819963313895243928_n.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
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<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">When we arrived in Sydney, there was the most beautiful
sunrise over the tarmac which I thought represented well the journey that we
were about to begin. Leanne asked me if I was emotional (because I usually am
in these type of situations), but I was more excited than everything. I felt
like I had prepared myself as best as I possibly could have and now I just
needed to go for it! However, I was glad that Leanne was on the same flight as
me because we were able to help each other through customs and to the meeting
point, where we found Liz and boarded the shuttle to our hostel with the rest
of the “Semester in Australia” crew. </span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Our first day was very laid-back as we were all trying to
get over the jetlag, but we had an early start on the second day as we set out
for the Harbor. We walked through the Sydney Botanical Gardens, into an art
museum, and then to a coffee shop, where I guessed my coffee preference to be a
“flat white” and was wrong. We continued our walk through the park adjacent to
the Harbor, until we were within view of the Opera House. (Does anyone remember
the sound of the man’s voice singing opera in </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Finding Nemo</span></i><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> when Marlin and Dory finally make it to Sydney?
Because I swear I heard that voice in my head when I saw the Opera House for
the first time). We all started frantically taking pictures and confirming the
fact that we were in fact, in Australia. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf0rTYCwLXf6SfMVhNm0c5kASDDfUcMSNY5YSwbtZTkOMH0SL5PFi195D6FHN1y0HkvntQP0pT7LNHU90GFYdXmd6C8lFxnroJTJZ5-T9CnphLTCo0yS2s99wtYasf3k52Bm5OjCbuwZMu/s1600/kangcroc.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf0rTYCwLXf6SfMVhNm0c5kASDDfUcMSNY5YSwbtZTkOMH0SL5PFi195D6FHN1y0HkvntQP0pT7LNHU90GFYdXmd6C8lFxnroJTJZ5-T9CnphLTCo0yS2s99wtYasf3k52Bm5OjCbuwZMu/s200/kangcroc.jpeg" width="150" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span></div>
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<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">We all split up for lunch, and I ended up trying kangaroo
and crocodile skewers! Both were delicious! The kangaroo reminded me a lot of
venison, while the crocodile kind of reminded me of chicken but really deserved
its own category. While waiting in line for the skewers, an Australian man
pointed out the irony of eating the national animal. Later that day, we boarded
a cruise around the harbor! We all shared some champagne and took in the views.
We disembarked, and then immediately began our pub crawl! There was a bachelor
party happening at the first bar, and the groom-to-be dared me to buy him a
drink... so at my first time ever at a bar, I bought a grown man a drink. The fun
continued from there as we went to 3 more bars in Sydney, the last with a very
impressive view of the Opera House in the night time. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlIK8FEVd5K95MjcWXvwtMojbr8V-swH9wrxgdPZ6qzsNbp0onxnWEek9n6I5WHCp5lfFu_tw_3ewnkrNCh6mKoni5X5OV2YUv3hyphenhypheniNapXIhkmwQNN4zs8kSYc9D-LUbKJQizGQDKsQujH/s1600/meleanne.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlIK8FEVd5K95MjcWXvwtMojbr8V-swH9wrxgdPZ6qzsNbp0onxnWEek9n6I5WHCp5lfFu_tw_3ewnkrNCh6mKoni5X5OV2YUv3hyphenhypheniNapXIhkmwQNN4zs8kSYc9D-LUbKJQizGQDKsQujH/s400/meleanne.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span></div>
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<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">After the pub crawl, we went directly to a rugby match! I
feel that I generally understand rugby as I combined my knowledge of soccer and
football to figure it out. Rugby is an interesting combination of the 2 sports
because it combines the quickness of soccer and the brutality of football.
There are 2 types of rugby in Australia. There is Rugby League and there is
Rugby Union. I assumed that they were 2 different levels of the same game, but
interestingly enough, the 2 organizations have different rules! (I am still trying
to figure out the difference and which game I actually saw!)</span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6CEtIW0BuRTAFVwrOenOgZqWk-NNKxXAhxWWyb5wcFyIvUmo82SVANDk3tnPdN0iEcApQoI2G4jR6mtDOU1aFH_-GupQn0SuFRVoFLtbbq97FSJhoArK2_-rsdI5rCcZUmHuXLSVUEP1Q/s1600/file-2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6CEtIW0BuRTAFVwrOenOgZqWk-NNKxXAhxWWyb5wcFyIvUmo82SVANDk3tnPdN0iEcApQoI2G4jR6mtDOU1aFH_-GupQn0SuFRVoFLtbbq97FSJhoArK2_-rsdI5rCcZUmHuXLSVUEP1Q/s200/file-2.jpeg" width="150" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">On day 2, we went on a coastal walk from Coogee to the world
famous Bondi Beach. The views of the ocean were breathtaking… or maybe I was
just out of breath from 5 mile walk, who knows! Bondi Beach was actually
smaller and less crowded than I expected it to be, but that is partially
because it is winter in Australia and only crazy tourists like myself would
want to swim in the water. </span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">On Day 3, we went to the Blue Mountains!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Side note, Sydney is really the perfect city! It has
everything- beautiful views, nice people, mountains, beaches, concerts,
sporting events, etc.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_bwfzoVRGplF-y67jIjJ_noi0k3Qw8kuJcQxt43o4fM7QReu6olAz7xt4O_9l4qkIqNCW6sf851P72cBlpNzgNiN_odQUbaEh-K_u78XjZEqP5l6U_mwRIJWxMEqs1x9JaFpICKIi6SGf/s1600/paddymel.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_bwfzoVRGplF-y67jIjJ_noi0k3Qw8kuJcQxt43o4fM7QReu6olAz7xt4O_9l4qkIqNCW6sf851P72cBlpNzgNiN_odQUbaEh-K_u78XjZEqP5l6U_mwRIJWxMEqs1x9JaFpICKIi6SGf/s200/paddymel.jpeg" width="150" /></a></span></div>
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<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">We started the morning at a wildlife reserve in Katoomba. As
soon as we walked in, we were greeted by tiny kangaroos called “paddymelons”
who were excited to eat out of our hands. One little guy had his entire little
paw resting on my pinky finger as he ate out of my hand, and it made me melt. We
also saw some koalas! Koalas sleep about 22 hours per day as their body digests
the toxins in the eucalyptus they eat, but we were able to see one up and
moving! We also saw a bunch of sleepy koalas perched high up in the trees, and
I was interested to see them balancing on branches as they sleep in fetal
position! </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span></div>
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<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Afterwards, we went up to the Blue Mountains. Our guide was
exactly what you are imagining when I say Aussie forest guide, and it totally added
to the experience. He was able to point out webs of the Sydney Funnel-web
spider, which is the most venomous spider in the world! He also told us the
legends of the famous Three Sisters Rock Formation!</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBhFEnck902hcdX0oeRybAjGLKM_d61_ofo35uHDauPWQstFK4yugHDy5fWrwJpSohINTbSW5vJ2D41QPSt3PolyIYR_QWR7cW2cxheuYo8Wg5pQBGcihwVnPJAsr4xqxOVNs2oeMARISb/s1600/blue.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBhFEnck902hcdX0oeRybAjGLKM_d61_ofo35uHDauPWQstFK4yugHDy5fWrwJpSohINTbSW5vJ2D41QPSt3PolyIYR_QWR7cW2cxheuYo8Wg5pQBGcihwVnPJAsr4xqxOVNs2oeMARISb/s320/blue.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">By pouring water on a red rock in the Blue Mountains, we made face paint like the Aborigines do! </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span></div>
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<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Day 4 was our free day, so Liz and I took the opportunity to
climb the Harbor Bridge! The climb took about 3 hours- it took a full hour to
get us suited up in our extensive amounts of gear and practice climbing with
the clips and belt! From the top of the bridge, we were able to see all of
Sydney, from the Blue Mountains to Manly to Watson’s Bay. Two interesting facts
that I learned during the climb is that the large concrete pylons in the bridge’s
structure are not necessary for the bridge to stand. I also learned that the
weight of the Opera House is three times more than that of the entire Harbor
Bridge!</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">What interested me most about the Harbor Bridge is that the
Climb is run by a private company! The owner, had the great idea to make it happen
and now makes close to $50,000 a day on it. I felt an appreciation for the same
type of ingenuity to an even stronger degree when I toured the Opera House
later that day. J</span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "calibri";">ø</span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">rn Utzon, won an international competition for the design
of the Opera House. He submitted nothing but a sketch, yet his design was
chosen despite not giving any indication of how to build it. It took Utzon 3
years just to figure out the geometry that would allow it to stand. The construction
of the Opera House cost about 15 times more than the original budget! What I
appreciate about the Opera House, besides its incredible beauty, is the
commitment to “making it work” as shown during its construction. Walking into
the Opera House, I was absolutely stunned by the colors of the reddish wood and
the purple carpets, the angles of the walls, the large window overlooking the
Harbor, and the sense of grandeur in general. If I am ever able to return to
Sydney, I want to see a show at the Opera House. </span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyWzUkm5VkkHumGQnR5VqkLhLLnWZ7HuDAJzcx8EbIhrh2no7RRkt_ht8DLfwqkaQ7PEQFFU0-MZ23Xh3wb1ZsLdL-uIPM1SyN4HxU2L5lF2ifyZokel0mw9-NyKQQh1BFBwIxX8aQ-HwR/s1600/file-3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyWzUkm5VkkHumGQnR5VqkLhLLnWZ7HuDAJzcx8EbIhrh2no7RRkt_ht8DLfwqkaQ7PEQFFU0-MZ23Xh3wb1ZsLdL-uIPM1SyN4HxU2L5lF2ifyZokel0mw9-NyKQQh1BFBwIxX8aQ-HwR/s320/file-3.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside the Sydney Opera House -- there is no other word besides "stunning"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">On our fifth and final day, I had to prepare to say goodbye
to Sydney. Nolan and I woke up early to fit one more excursion in before our 3
PM flight. We boarded the train to Watson’s Bay, the very edge of Sydney where
the Harbor opens into the ocean. We found a fabulous lookout point, where you
could see the ocean on one side and all of Sydney on the other side. As we
swiveled our heads back and forth to take it all in, we noticed a rainbow over
the Sydney skyline which made the view even sweeter! We were even able to watch
a storm pass from the ocean over Sydney (and pour on us in the process). When
the rain eased up a bit, we were able to find a cute beachy place called the
Watson’s Bay Beach Club! (I found out that they do weddings there too, so
please save my</span><s><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> date</span></s><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> location!) I ordered a Long Black and we enjoyed the
coffee and views while waiting for the ferry back to the city. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdIsEcMDvYFpyhPqXJwrRj6AOzAyKFmc9vwZILCOhWHjJcFaXXKN2u-9sqeE6M52ocKxdhzS1rnI41REa0JKhNnX_gwvCdNcL7XDS2a13FEnx1px7lRnVWLISMgKnjpF0_-MyYya_dzSMY/s1600/file-4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdIsEcMDvYFpyhPqXJwrRj6AOzAyKFmc9vwZILCOhWHjJcFaXXKN2u-9sqeE6M52ocKxdhzS1rnI41REa0JKhNnX_gwvCdNcL7XDS2a13FEnx1px7lRnVWLISMgKnjpF0_-MyYya_dzSMY/s320/file-4.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">We definitely maximized our time in Sydney, but I still
would have loved some more time there! Now, I am getting settled into my new
apartment in Brisbane, where I will be for the majority of the semester!</span></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05102438657098817825noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1100328462076778618.post-65186174199220856512017-05-25T10:12:00.003-07:002017-05-25T10:12:17.327-07:00T-minus 40 days, 21 hours, 17 mins, 49 secsAs I sit at home on a rainy day, I am beginning to think about Australia. Some days I feel like I am ready to leave right now, and other days, I can't believe it is even happening. For years I have been telling people, "I want to study abroad in Australia during the fall semester of my junior year," but it is almost surreal that I have housing, a Visa, and flights all lined up. To be honest, it's surreal that I am already a junior in college. <br />
<br />
The countdown in the title reflects the amount of time between now and the time I board a plane headed to Sydney from Los Angeles. Sitting just across from the aisle me will be my roommate and best friend, Leanne. Because I haven't seen her all summer, I am looking forward to leaning across the aisle to catch up about our summers and scheme for the months that lie ahead. <br />
<br />
When we arrive in Australia, the fun will begin right away with a trip to Sydney, run by the company I used to book my housing. They have a non-stop itinerary that includes a Sydney Harbor Cruise, Botanical Gardens, the Blue Mountains, and Bondi Beach over the span of 4 days. In addition to getting to know Australia, I will also get to know other students who will be studying abroad as well! At the end of the trip, I will catch a plane to Brisbane. <br />
<br />
Brisbane will be my home base for the next 5 months. <br />
<br />
Brisbane, located in Queensland, is the third largest city in Australia, behind Sydney and Melbourne. Also known as the "Sunshine State," Queensland has a climate that is very similar to that of Florida!The duration of the my trip, from July to December, will be during the Australian winter and spring(since Australia's seasons are opposite of the United States' because they are located in the Southern Hemisphere). However, I still plan to hit the beaches as much as possible thanks to the fact that Brisbane has more sunny days per year than any other Australian capital city, with 283 sunny days per year! <br />
<br />
Brisbane is also a hub for students all over the world because it has multiple universities, including Australian Catholic University, where I will be studying philosophy, theology, nutrition, and Australian literature starting at the end of July. <br />
<br />
When I tell people I am studying abroad, they ask what led to me to this decision. Although I am not totally sure, I know I have been excited about this idea for a long time. I think my biggest influence was my mom. During her own college years, she studied in France and Switzerland. Although I didn't know her back then, I know that her experiences impact her even today. She started her college years as an Economics major, then added a French minor, and then eventually a French double major. To this day, she has never had a job that makes use of her economics major, relying solely on her French despite the fact that is the less "practical" major of the two. <br />
<br />
I truly think that travel has the power to change your heart and your mind, which I have already experienced a little bit during my trips to Haiti. My decision to study abroad is about my wish to learn about another culture and develop myself. I have found, that the best way for me to learn is to experience hands-on. This way, my heart can attach sentiments to the ideas my brain is learning. I found this to be true in Haiti as I connected faces of the people that I count as friends with the issue of economic injustice and the goals of the Fair Trade Model. I think that by experiencing Australia's education system, environmental struggles, and culture in general, I will learn just as much by exploring Australia as I will in the lecture halls of ACU. <br />
<br />
Having 10,000 miles and a 14 hour time difference between me and my family in Rochester, NY and friends in Erie, PA will be anything but easy. Of course, I'll have to deal with FOMO (fear of missing out) as my friends will enjoy an entire semester of making memories at Gannon without me, and my family will even celebrate Thanksgiving without me. However, I know that FOMO works both ways, and I may never have another opportunity like this again. With that being said, I want to thank everyone who has encouraged me to make this happen and has supported my decision. <br />
<br />
Life is short, and the world is wide, so here I go!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05102438657098817825noreply@blogger.com0