Last Few Days

Sunday was our last day in Avoca, and it was a rainy one. That was just fine with me, because I had a lot to do before we left the next day. Katie and I hung out around the house and spent the day packing and with the family. It was nice to have time to just reflect and breathe before the journey home. Being in Avoca surrounded with such wonderful people this past week, has made it that much harder to leave Australia. Although I am anxious to get home, this place has become another type of home to me, and it’s a bizarre feeling to leave it. Four months doesn’t seem like such a long time to be away, but at the same time, it’s felt like ages. Maria was talking to us about our decision to come to Australia, compared to another country with less similarities to America. She pointed out that although being with a similar culture is “easier” to adjust to and live in, it is that much more interesting to see the little differences between such familiar cultures. I definitely agree with that, as even in another English speaking country with American-type customs, there has been misconceptions, misunderstands and complexities when blending in with this place and its people. I’ve gained an entirely different viewpoint on many topics such as America’s role in the world, Australia/Asia’s identity and my own character. Being one of only a few Americans in my classes has truly changed my perspective on America. I never thought I’d be someone to defend my country, as I’ve never claimed to be overly patriotic. Although when an Australian or Chinese or German student would diss America and generalize about our people, I had an immediate defensive gut reaction and spoke forth. It wasn’t fair that many of the students would truly base their understanding of America on what they saw on T.V…reality T.V no less. Interestingly though, I found myself talking up Australia when locals would disagree and say America’s got it right in that certain category. For instance, I would mention American’s lack of knowledge about the rest of the world, and how we are so focused on our own nation, we miss out on the bigger picture. An example is the Olympics, where in Australia, they have different countries/events constantly rotating and don’t spend 95% of the air time on their own country. They don’t pump the national anthem into every sporting event possible, and so on. Yet, my Australia, Asia and the World class had a consensus that Americans are more educated on worldly matters and seem to know geography, history and science better that they do. This is not a generalization, but many students in the class had no idea how many continents there were, and thought that Paris was a country. Again, I’m not saying Australian’s are uneducated in the least bit. What was interesting is that many of them admitted to their lack of worldly knowledge and agreed that American’s knew way more than them. I am taken aback by how little I knew about Asia and its role with Australia. Sure, I’ve spend whole semesters discussing globalization and China’s role in our global economy and all, but to specifically learn about the countries that greatly influence Australia was new for me. I didn’t know that Turkey, Russia, India, Afghanistan was classified as Asian countries, and how they group with Asia in politics and government over the European Union. Gaining insight in Aboriginal challenges in Australia today, and comparing them to our Native Americas has helped gain a whole new level of respect and compassion for their people. Also, learning the other side of the story, the white side, and observing how they’ve reacted and attempted to solve past wrongs has led me to think more objectively to certain subjects. Before coming here, it was sometimes hard for me to think in gray shades. I was determined to state things one way or the other.  After this semester, and because of my wise professors and open friends, I’ve learned the value in going at a topic with an opinion, but not being afraid to challenge and change my own thought process. As a result, I know I’m coming back to America with a framework that will help me in future engagements with people of differing backgrounds and cultures.

Another part of this trip has been my change of social character.  In being challenged again with room mates that party like its Friday night every night, I’ve learned to stand up for my needs and speak out. In past years, I may have let their sporadically ignorant behavior slide. Through lots of patience, attempts at ear plugs, and hours of cleaning the next day, we gained a mutual understanding and were on a new level of kindness by the second half of the semester. In fact, we became close in our own ways, and learned how to live in the same building with mutual respect and some fun roomie bonding time. I’m going to miss Tiana the most of anyone in Oz, because we got so close over the past month. She’s such a humble person that I didn’t even know she was an incredible artist as she showed me some of her sketches. We would draw together and laugh at how completely opposite our styles of art were from each other’s. I’m glad I was able to break outside my travel group and make friends with Aussies on my own. At the same time, we were able to go from travel buddies to best friends in this process. I’ll be forever grateful for the chance to travel with these girls and gain such genuine friendships. Getting so close to Justin and Tyler was another great part of my social life in Oz. As a goodbye gift, they make us a video of them singing and acting out all of our favorite songs and inside jokes from the semester. I feel so fortunate to have met so many incredible people here, and now know what it’s like to have to say goodbye to people that you’ll truly miss.

Sunday night, we had an incredible family dinner of roasted lamb with gravy, grilled choko (a green veggie), sweet potatoes, pumpkins, and pavlova with custard for dessert.

After dinner we watch Ian’s dvd purchase of an amazing ventriloquist and had a great time laughing at the show.  Murray brought out a photo album from ten years ago with what else in it but a few photos of my family when we visited. It was SO funny to see me there, in their yard or petting a Koala looking so young yet remembering so much of the trip. This whole time here, I’ve been able to recall my experiences ten years ago from Melbourne, Sydney and Cairns, but to actually see me in the photo album was a great way to be reminded of my determination. Murray was so kind and told me he was truly impressed by my ability to make my dream come true, and return to Australia. It was funny to think I may not be back here for ten more years, and I joked that every ten, plan on me visiting. Perhaps with a brand new family, as weird as that is to think about!!

That night, I barely slept an hour because my heart was racing about the fact that we were leaving Australia the next day. Katie was up all night too, but we just laid there and tried to relax enough to get some sleep.

We got up early for our last Aussie brekky, and I had a cup of English breakfast tea which is pretty much all they serve here. Any family house I’ve been to has that as their only option for tea, so I’ve grown to love it (with milk). Katie and I put out wine bottles that were gifts for Murray and Jeanette with a thank you note attempting to describe how grateful we were. They were truly the best hosts in the world and made our last week here absolutely amazing. I wouldn’t change a thing about our time with them, as it is filled with so many wonderful experiences and memories. We got really close to Nicole so it was hard to say goodbye when the time came, as it was for the rest of them as well. With our stuffed to the brim suitcases in stow, we headed to Sydney where we met up with Ian’s cousin Margaret, for lunch at her house. Meeting all this family is so nice to me, because it gives us a chance to experience “real” Aussies, their neighborhoods, and their conversations. We had more meat, and more meat, salad and scalloped potatoes for lunch and talked about Aboriginals, political correctness, university’s worth, cost versus value, retirement, sailing (Margaret’s husband is a retired sailor and loving it), and a number of other actually interesting topics. (I think I’m becoming more fond of adult conversation as I genuinely enjoy contributing and listening). We had some tea, (you know what kind), and dessert, then visited their daughter’s jewelry business. She wasn’t around, but Maria received a very sweet necklace with her and Ian’s initials engraved on it. We said our goodbyes and got invitations to come stay with them any time in the future. That night we stayed in a hotel 5 minutes from the airport and ended on the classiest note possible, with a Sydney Stack burger (it had pineapple and beetroot!) from McDonalds and our last 30 cent cone of the trip. Maria and Ian have been pretty amazing and extremely cool stand-in parents for the past week, with Tim Tams for brekky and Maccas for dinner. I guess they’re wonderful for other reasons too, (like driving us to the airport at 3 am), but I’m going to focus on the fun food experiences. :)

Aussie BBQ

Making pavlova with Katie and Brooke

On Saturday, Jeanette organized a bbq with lots of family, even more food and tons of fun. Matthew made a family tree to help us remember everyone’s names, but it was still a challenge. There were twice as many kids than adults around, as Jeanette’s nieces had two or three children each. I find it so interesting when people talk about the same subjects that we talked about in my classes here. For example, Jeanette’s brother was mentioning how there are just too many ‘boat people’ and Australia is becoming overpopulated with them. Before my Australia, Asia and the World class, I probably wouldn’t have wanted to comment on what he was saying. After learning about refugees and Australia as a changing nation, it’s so interesting to hear actual Aussies talk about it in normal conversations. The grandparents were also commenting on how Australia is the pure place it used to be, and it’s now so influence by the immigrating people.

For instance, the Pacific-Islanders are getting government compensation and living in fancy homes and going to private schools, when there are thousands of Australians struggling to make a living. It was so intriguing to listen to their points of view and I enjoyed conversation throughout the day. This past semester I was deprived of eating meat, because a) it’s expensive and b) I become fond of rice, veggies and red kidney beans. So this past week I have made up for it being in a REAL Aussie home, where meat is served every day, almost every meal. Us girls decorated the pavlova, which is an authentic Aussie dessert made of egg whites in a cake form topped with fresh fruit and passionfruit syrup. SO delicious. 

It’s the first thing I’m going to try to make when I get home. That, and then meat pies. After a day of lots of kids running around, fun conversation and lots of food, we said our goodbyes and it reminded me of how my family says goodbye: it takes over an hour, and includes many rounds of hugging and see ya later-ing.

It was a perfect way to meet and mingle with their lovely family and feel a sense of comfort from all the wonderful people. 

A Fabulous Friday

We started off our day going to Somersby waterfall about 20 minutes away from Avoca. ‘We’ includes Murray, Jeanette, Maria, Ian, Katie and myself. It was fun to have the locals around because it felt like we were just a typical Aussie family on a weekend outing. The hike was fairly easy again, as the paths were nicely laid out and lead to the top waterfall. Even though we’ve been to several waterfalls in Oz, I still am in awe of the beauty and perfect sound of the roar below the falling water. Murray brought his very new, very expensive professional camera and tripod, so he was setting it up and taking pictures.

We walked down stairs of rock to Bottom Falls which was beautiful as well. After a while of taking pictures and climbing the slippery rocks along the water, we headed back up and drove a little while to an Aboriginal Engravings site. Murray had remembered the place as he went years ago, and we walked a few hundred meters to see the very unique, authentic site. There were hand carvings of animals in the rock that dated back 200 years ago. It was neat to see original images from true Aboriginals, instead of the images produced on souvenirs today.

On the way back to Avoca, we stopped at a fish and chip place for lunch. I’ve had more fish and chips this past week than I have all semester here! They’re so delicious so of course, I’m not complaining here. :)

Engraving site: carved kangaroo

We got back, showered and got ready for our big night out on the town. Off to Sydney we went with everyone in the family, to see the 2012 Vivid Light show in Sydney. We had been waiting all these months to see the light show because it’s only on for a few weeks on the year. Katie and I were psyched that it was on May 25-June 11, so it was perfect timing that we were so close to Sydney! A two hour drive later, we arrived in Sydney around 6:30 and got pretty hyper about driving across the Harbour Bridge. Murray parked by the botanical gardens and we walked down to the water’s edge which overlooked the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge from a distance. For dinner we had packed some sandwiches and snacks to enjoy as we watched the lights on the Opera House. Well, after waiting, and waiting, and some more waiting, there were no colorful lights to be seen.

I didn’t really care because…WE WERE IN SYDNEY, a few hundred meters away from iconic structures and overlooking the beautiful night skyline of the city. What could be better?!

A few nights ago we had watched the 2011 New Year’s fireworks in Sydney, and even on television, we were blown away. They are truly the best fireworks I’ve ever seen and everyone in the room agreed. They lasted over 30 minutes and were the most intricate and intense flashes of light in the sky. I can’t even imagine being there in person, because it was sensory overload just watching it a year later on TV.

Where we were standing, we figured is where everyone would pile in to watch the fireworks and we felt connected to the people of the city. After an hour of waiting to see the lights, we ended up going to Darling Harbour because the other part of the light show was there. It was fun to go back through the city and we were amazed that Katie and I knew the streets and could find our way from downtown Sydney to Darling Harbour. We parked around Chinatown which is where our hotel was four months prior, and we felt a familiar atmosphere as we walked to the harbour. I’m so glad we ended up going there, because it was the perfect full circle of our trip. Our first night in Australia, we went to Darling Harbour, and one of our last nights here, we were there. Of course, we got gelato at the same place and sat on the steps overlooking the water.

There were no impressive lights around the harbour, but a hotel nearby had some fun colors lit up along it. Again, I didn’t mind that we were missing out on the famous light show. Our last try was going below the Harbour Bridge and seeing the Opera House across the water from the front side. There were a few images lit on the side of the sails, but it wasn’t anything picture worthy. In past years, the whole building was lit up in different colors and funky moving lights, but this year there was barely anything going on. It felt so good to be with my second family here and just enjoying Sydney’s energy one last time.

We ended the evening with some desserts such as lamingtons (chocolate cake with coconut shavings, and aussie chocolate-Cadburry aero mint and snack flavored). Nicole, Katie and I were in the backseat and had fun just jammin’ to music that we recognized and being the enthused, hyper kids we usually are. It was truly a wonderful night and chance to say goodbye and ‘see ya later’ to one of my favorite cities in the world.

Maitland Bay

Maria, Nicole, me, Katie

On Thursday, had crumpets for brekky, which are like English muffins but spongier. Really good! Katie and I went with Maria and Ian to the shops (so weird not going to The Square) and got some wine for a thank you gift for Murray and Jeanette. We picked three different whites and a nice red. Then we picked up Nicole from school again, and headed back home to get changed for a Maitland Bay hike. It was drizzling, but coming from Lismore it was normal to us. We borrowed their rain jackets and went on the half hour drive to this gorgeous area that was a lush forest. It was an easy hike going down, and the paths were all stones or paved which was so different from what we’ve hiked on the past semester. There was a lookout and through the clouds there was a big city about 5 kilometers away. I asked where that is, and Murray said it’s Sydney! How cool is that?! He mentioned how it would take so much less time to go there by water compared to the 2-3 hours it takes by road.

Sydney in the distance! 

We got down to the water and of course, I ran to feel it. It was surprisingly warm and inviting, but I resisted the urge I had to jump in. We walked along the unique coffee-swirled rocks and learned about the vertical plates from Ian. Again, it’s so fun to travel with smart people who know things…I love learning as I go with them!

After a while just watching the force of the waves crash up on the rocks, we took a long walk along the beach and learned about the shipwreck that happened off that shore. Murray saw a fin of some sort in the water and I got so excited that I could finally see a shark in nature, but it never surfaced again unfortunately. We headed back up the path, which was all uphill from that point. It was surprisingly easy, and I figured that must be from walking up the campus hill to Orion twice or three times a day.

That night we ordered pizza: Hawaiian (my favorite), the works (with anchovies and all), and meat lovers. It was a true family night, as we sat around talking in the living room as we enjoyed the pizza. We were lucky enough to have Murray show us a slideshow of his professional photography. He is the guy on the sidelines of professional sporting events, from rugby, soccer, biking, swimming, volleyball, race cars, and so on. The pictures were incredible, as he is extremely talented. He’s done a whole African safari series of pictures and is now an author of his very own book of photographs. 

Canberra Trip

Off to the Capitol we go!! Maria and Ian thought it would be good for us to see Canberra for a couple days, as it is an important part of the nation. It was a four hour drive from Avoca which went by fairly quickly and enjoyably. A big reason for this is the company I am with…Ian is an amazing driver, Maria is an excellent navigator and conversationalist and Katie is, well she’s just a fabulous backseat travel buddy. We actually have FUN while driving around Oz and get to chat or just look out the window and the ever-changing landscapes outside.

First stop in Canberra was the Visitor Centre, where we each picked out a brochure for an activity we wanted to do while there. Katie and I picked out The Mint, Botanical Gardens and walking around the City Centre. We started off the afternoon having a picnic lunch then we headed to the Parliament building. Just outside, the ground had granite stones that formed a pattern and represented the dirt of the outback. It was also of Aboriginal significance with its circular shape representing a welcome to the area.

We went through some metal detectors and entered the beautiful building. There were beams of green marble which represented gum tree forests of Australia, and white marble with black limestone floors in a unique pattern.

The marble was from Italy because they wanted the strongest material which had more longevity than the material from Australia. We explored a bit on our own and found the Magna Carter, which is similar to our U.S Constitution, then went on to the photographs of the House of Reps and Senate. Maria and I were commenting on how ‘real’ Aussies look, and decided it’s because there’s much less plastic surgery here than in America. We took advantage of the next guided tour and learned about the unique architectural aspects of the building. One of my favorite parts was how they had a skylight or window in every room and hallway of the building, and when you stand on one end of the hallway you can see outside because the windows and glass doors are aligned that way.

I’m glad we did the tour because we would have walked right past many of the features or paintings and not have known why they were significant. For instance, when I walked in the building I noticed how many clocks there were in just a few meters of sight. We learned there were 2,500 clocks inside the Parliament and they were essential due to their blinking red and green lights on the face of the clocks. When the Senate would be in session, the blinking light meant they had exactly four minutes to get back in the room and be seated. If they were a moment late, the doors shut and they were locked out, therefore not being able to vote on a bill. This mattered a lot to each party because there are so few people per state, therefore one or two extra people and their votes really matter.

I enjoyed learning about the many grand paintings inside the building, and what the content was. Many of them were original paintings of Senate in session or Parliament ceremonies and very detailed accounts of the time: ladies in fancy hats and gloves, a few members dozing off, the Queen speaking, and so on.

They had ownership of a massive painting from 1901 that displayed one of the first court sessions, and it originally belonged to a London museum but couldn’t adequately take care of the substantial piece of artwork.

The tour ended and we walked around admiring more of the interior, then went on the lift to the roof. You could see most of Canberra and all of the buildings, houses, trees and churches of the city centre. It looked and felt like a mid west state with the changing autumn leaves and brisk weather. Maria pointed out the church that was the same one in the painting of Canberra before the capitol buildings were built. From the roof, you could also see the Old Parliament building, which was strategically below the new building in elevation of the town.

After many pictures and taking in the views, we left the Parliament building and walked to the Royal Botanical Gardens. Since it is autumn, only some of the roses were still in bloom, but the grounds were still a beautiful piece of nature in the midst of the city. Canberra has the most cockatoos I’ve seen in any city of Australia, and they hang out along the roads of parks and in trees all around the city. After some more walking and observing the lifestyle of “important government people”, we headed back to the car and drove to our accommodation. We were staying at the Canberra Motor Village for one night, which is the place that kids and families will stay for sports tournaments or other events. 

It truly felt like a campground as we entered our little cabin that was perfect for a family with kids…so perfect for us!! J There were bunk beds, a bathroom, a kitchen and an open room for the parents. Oh, and most importantly, a HEATER. After unpacking some things, we headed out for dinner on the town. Although we originally were thinking pizza for dinner, we ended up walking around mini-China town and town and saw a bright, upbeat looking restaurant called Two Sisters. It was a family owned (by two sisters) place and quite small on the inside. There was a party of about 25 professional-looking people, and they took up a third of the seating area. As we looked around, we noted over six Buddhas around the interior of the place and decided it was a little overkill. There were over a dozen white, flower-pedal looking chandeliers that I recognized from IKEA.  We each ordered something to share with the table, so we ended up with Pad Thai, Garlic Chicken with spicy vegetables, Satay Chicken, fried rice and coconut soup. AMAZING meal and so full of fun flavours. I’ve noticed how much more I actually enjoy my food when it is slightly different than just a cheeseburger and fries. It takes more time to think about the flavours and textures of unique tasting food, and that has been highly enjoyable for me. For dessert we had fried ice cream because Katie had never tried it before. It was of course, delicious.

After dinner, we went to Woolworths (that I continue to call Woolsworth), and got some picnic food for tomorrow’s lunch. We got back to our little motor home and fell into a deep slumber thanks for the rain’s peaceful noise…well, it was probably the metal contracting from the heating and cooling of the outside, but it sounded like rain on a tin roof, so it put me right to sleep. I was grateful to have thick blankets because the temperature went down to –3 degrees C which is 26 degrees F. 

 

The next morning, we got up and showered. Well, Maria and Katie took apparently very hot showers and raved about the instantly warm water. It was my turn and I waited a minute for the water to run, and it just seemed to get colder. A while longer, and the water was still ice cold. Hmmm maybe I’m just being a baby and this is what the consider a pleasant temperature for a shower, I thought. I figured we just ran out of warm water in the tank, but Maria found out the pilot light had gone out. In Australia, they use an instantly heated water system, where they have coils that heat up the water as it runs through the faucet or shower head, so you never run out of warm water. I wonder why America doesn’t typically use that, especially in houses with many kids in it, and where warm water runs out fairly easily. Anyone know?

Our first stop of the day was the Australian Mint, where they make all the coins (not paper notes). Although we didn’t take a tour around this place, we learned so much from all the displays and being able to observe the process at work. It seems like it may be a somewhat boring place, but I thought it was fascinating. It boggles my mind how metal becomes suddenly worth a value due to a design being stamped on it. I really enjoyed how they showed the original sketches for the coin faces, and explained why they were or weren’t chosen for a particular coin.

In 1966 Australia switched from pence and shillings to dollars, cents and a decimal system overall. They had a long process of deciding upon which cent pieces should be for what value, and had to change the 50 cent piece to have angled edges because people got it easily confused with the 20 cent piece. We were able to peer down and observe the machines and robots at work, counting, weighing and sorting the millions of coins. In fact, if they wanted to, this Mint could produce 2.2 million coins every day. A fun part of visiting here is that I had an “aha” moment. They talked a lot about the coins being in absolutely perfect, new, flawless condition, and I realized that’s where the expression “in mint condition” must come from!

After Ian made his very own $1 coin, we headed off to our next destination: The National Archives. There was a room that described the process of finding your ancestry and records for family lineage, and talked about other people’s stories and findings which was really interesting. I’ve never put much thought into my ancestors or had interest for history, but I realized how neat it would be to find out about the people who are responsible for my existence. There was an Antarctica exhibit of scientists who went to the frozen pole to research different aspects of the area. It was a really interesting exhibit and very interactive, which I enjoyed a lot. My favorite part was listening to a tape recorder of ice breaking or a bunch of seals in the near distance.

Next we checked out the Canberra Glassworks, where you can see people creating blown glass. Although no one was demonstrating it when we got there, we had fun just looking at all the works on display. Quite impressive.

It was lunch time so we got our picnic food and headed to the park by a lake. Katie and I sat on the water’s edge and a black swan swam from across the lake and came within a meter of us. It was so elegant and poised, then all of a sudden made a really bizarre sound. It was opposite of what I’d expect from that animal. A flock of white birds surrounded us (and the food) so we finished up and headed to our next location. We briefly stopped at the Australian-American Memorial which was a gift from Queen Elizabeth to America after WWII and is a tall beam with an eagle on top of it. Next we went to the War Memorial Museum, mainly because there was a special exhibit of Nurses in war. It was so amazing to see the actual letters written from nurses addressed to the loved ones of soldiers about their health conditions. I thought about my sister and how I’m really glad she didn’t decide to go into military nursing because it is a whole different type of care.

Our last stop before leaving Canberra was the Botanical Gardens, where was a perfect way to end the afternoon. We took the 45 minute walk around the flora and I realized how much I’ll miss parts of Australia like eucalyptus forests and frangipani flowers.

It felt good to walk a little before sitting in the car for another 4 hours back to Avoca. We got back and said goodnight before 10 because we were pretty tired from the exciting and mentally stimulating trip! I’m so glad Maria thought of the idea to take us there, because most people who came here for uni never got a chance to visit the capitol. 

Ocean Swims and Meat Pies

We got up on Monday morning, had some brekky (sultana bran, bananas and Milo) then put on our swimmers. Maria convinced Katie and myself that it’d be fun to go for a swim, even though it was pretty chilly out. We walked to the main beach in Avoca and warmed up by running along the water. Sand running is so much harder than on pavement, so we got tired out pretty easily. We kept going along the water’s edge until we went far past the shark tower that we passed the day before on our walk. After we were warmed up, we played the game I always play at the beach. I went as far as possible down the sand towards the water, and sprinted back up when the waves came crashing in, trying to not get wet. Usually, the game is fun and successful, but these waves were a different story. They were much more fast and powerful, and at one point they completely soaked me up to my waist when I couldn’t escape fast enough. At that point, I was in my clothes still, so I jogged back to our towels and we all went in. It was chilly water, and sent a shock to my system when the water hit my head. Who needs caffeine when you can be jolted awake my cool ocean water?! Maria was the bravest, and dove right in, as she always does! :)

 We noticed there were above 20 surfers in the water even though it was Monday and before noon. It seemed like a lot considering kids are still in session for school here. After a short-lived ocean swim, we walked back to their house, took showers and drove to Nicole’s high school to pick her up. She was done early because it’s there exam week, so she took her Chemistry exam and was finished around 2. Then we went to Coles to get some necessities (i.e meat pies, muffins, lamingtons, Tim Tams…essentials.) Katie and I are loving this family (for many reasons) but for one, because they actually eat meat pies! For being in Oz for four months, we should have had our fair share of the delicious things, but for some reason we just never got around to enjoying them. We shared a cheese and onion meat pie and a sausage roll, and learned the proper way to eat them: with your HANDS and loaded with tomato sauce. Right in my ball park, considering how messy of an eater I can be. We came back to their house and sat outside on their back deck and enjoyed the delicious food in good company. That evening we went to the community gym to see Brooke play basketball. Her and Matthew are both on recreational leagues, which are a bigger deal here than the school teams are. They are more competitive and taken more seriously compared to the school teams, which is completely opposite of how it is in the States. I thought a reason for that could be because of the “tall poppy syndrome” we learned about before coming here. It basically just means you don’t want to stand out too much compared to your peers, and want to be as uniform as possible in schools. As a result, it takes away the “star football player” and “captain of the team” status that creates elitist roles in schools.

Cheese and onion meat pie mmm

 It is so nice to drive to their house and have it feel like we are going home. We all hung out and watched Umbilical Brothers which is an Aussie comedy show. Tomorrow we leave for our trip to Canberra, so we got all packed up and headed to bed on the early side.

Start of Lismore to Sydney Road Trip

On Friday, Ian and Maria picked Katie and me up at 7 am for a day trip north of Lismore. We started off in the National Nightcap Park, where we had previously been for the Minyon Falls hike at the beginning of the semester. This time, we went on a shorter hike around Mt. Mathenson, which was a bushwalk on a trail. It was dark out due to the thick canopy above us, and began to sprinkle about half way through the walk. We were expecting lookouts on the top of the peak but we ended up doing the loop without any lookout points. Either way, it was a nice walk and it felt good to move by passing through Nimbin, and taking in the incredibly unique town.

 Nimbin is the weed capitol of Australia, and it is evident in the people, shops and colorfully painted town. Although we didn’t stop for any “cookies” or “cakes”, we walked along the main street and felt a natural high off the fun-loving energy of the town.

We continued on to the volcano Mt. Warning, which is the first place in Australia that the sun hits as it rises. Although we weren’t there for sunrise, we wanted to check out the surrounding environment because of its uniqueness. We got to the top of the road and saw that the hike up to the peak was six hours and for expert bushwalkers, so we decided to have a picnic lunch up there instead. On the way back, we took a detour towards the coast, and finally got to take a picture in front of Australia’s most easterly point in Byron Bay. We walked down the path past the lighthouse and saw a group of dolphins swimming below against the strong ocean current. I’ve never seen so many dolphins in nature swimming so closely together and jumping over the tall waves above them. It was spectacular! We took a moment to realize that we were closer to America at that point that at any other place so far in Australia. I said belted out a big hello to my family and everyone over seas. It started to rain a bit so we headed back and made our way to Lismore.

Most Easterly Point!!

That night I had to get ready to check out the next morning, so I was up late cleaning and packing. We said goodbye to a few of our friends that night, in case we didn’t seen them in the morning. After our last fun night with Tyler and Justin, we had to force ourselves to say goodbye. Instead of sobbing and ending on a sad note, we decided to just keep it light hearted and playful, as we always were. We had one last group hug that lasted forever and said “see ya later!” It’s odd to think we may never see them again, but they said we will be seeing them years down the road for their weddings. What a thought.

My empty room

As mentally and physically exhausted as I was that night, I still had lots of last minute things to do. I avoided my roommates that night because every time I saw them, they gave me the saddest look and couldn’t stand the thought that I was leaving the next day. I knew after all this time of living together that it would be tough to say goodbye to them. Katie and I each spent time on our own just getting our things together and making sure the house and our rooms were in perfect order for the check out in the morning

The house was extra quiet that night when I fell asleep, and I couldn’t help but to miss the usual loud noise of a party in the living room.

Saturday morning I woke up at 6 am and finished cleaning the house for the final unit inspection. After getting Hannah, the RA to check me out, Katie found me and we said our goodbyes. It was hardest to say goodbye to Tiana, and she’s the only person I let out tears for. It was mainly because of how grateful I was to have become so close to her in the past few weeks. After our girls weekend a month before, we really bonded and had a close friendship for the remaining time I was there. I walked out the door without my purse because they had hid it in order for me to be stuck in Australia with no passport. The scary thing is, I was so caught up in the moment, I forgot about it for a while there! Kevin eventually brought it to me and said he doesn’t me to leave but also doesn’t want me to get stuck with no ID or passport. Nice roomies, huh? :)

Last roomie picture 

Many goodbye shouts later, we loaded up the car to the max and hit the road. Katie is joining us for the last two weeks as we roadtrip from Lismore to Avoca Beach, which is two hours north of Sydney.

By 10:30 we were officially waving goodbye to Lismore and heading south. Katie and I each had a bag of clothes that we couldn’t fit in our suitcase, so we dropped it off at Vinnies which is like our Goodwill. I wish SCU would have had some sort of drop off for all of our possession that we wouldn’t take home, such as lamps, fans, sheets, pillows, clothes, etc. We ended up giving most of it away to our Aussie friends, but we were told to just throw away the rest of it and that didn’t sit right with many of us. I will probably write to the school asking to have a tent on the colleges for give away items and the remaining would be donated to the church or Vinnes automatically. With Air Pacific, we found out it would cost over $400 to take home two suitcases, so I decided to leave one of my suitcases there. As a result, I struggled to fit everything I accumulated over four months in that one piece of luggage, while keeping it under 23 kilograms (50 lbs). Ask a thank you for driving everywhere, and being a great roommate gift, I gave my suitcase to Tiana and told her she has to use it to come to visit.

 

Interestingly, there is no major highways between Brisbane and Sydney, even though it’s the most highly-trafficked route. Instead, there is a two lane road that stretches the distance. As a result, we drove through every small town along the way and could get a feel for places that we would have otherwise missed. I noticed the lush green landscape and thought how there was no signs of the 12 year drought that occurred a few years back. It was a much different experience than the train ride from Sydney to Lismore, because of the  slower pace we went at, and the abundance of daylight to actually see the  land. This entire trip I’ve noticed how there seems to be more cattle on farmland than there are sheep. That has surprised me considering there are more sheep than people that live in Australia. Perhaps the sheep are more inland and in larger ranges compared to the small farms alongside the roads. It was interesting to see the view out my window change from grassy farmlands to distance mountains to swamplands and then gum tree forest. The first town name I recognized was Kempsey, which is where Tiana and Sharyn are from. They had complained that the town was sketchy and ghettos, but from the few minutes we spent driving through it, it seemed really nice. There was a pleasant mix of modern and older homes along with well kept parks and country clubs. An hour further south, we got out and had lunch at a park in Grafton. We had some rolls with cheese, bbq Shapes (similar to our Wheat-Thins), chicken potato chips (which are amazing and I’m not sure why America hasn’t caught onto them yet), and coffee yogurt. Delicious picnic lunch! We were amazed when we saw three young kids played with a boomerang, because it seems rare to actually go outside and throw one around. I thought about how we were taught last month in Cairns how to throw one at a precise angle, and these kids were pretty decent with their tosses.

After driving a while longer, we came to Port McQuarey, where we got out to take in the incredible sunset over the ocean. This town was obviously newer, and full of beach resorts and swanky restaurants. It was getting dark, so we decided to spend the night in a town called Forster (pronounced Foster). We found a vacant motel and waked to a nearby restaurant for delicious Indian food, We each ordered a different type of curry (lamb, buttered chicken, beef) and topped it off with saffron rice and pommpadoms. It was an amazing meal and we enjoyed the relaxing atmosphere.

After dinner we went to our room and watched REAL football as Ian would call it (AFL-Australian Football League, like rugby, but you can kick the ball down the field), read our books and fell asleep. Thankfully there was a heater AND electric blankets in our room, because it got to be pretty cold that night.

We got up early to go on a morning walk around the rocky beach before we left Forster. It’s been fun traveling with geologists, because they just seem to know everything. We found of the rocks jutting out from the water were from the water were from past volcanic eruptions, and learned about the different minerals involved. After a lovely morning walk, we hopped back into the car and headed to Avoca Beach. We stopped along the way for Paddle Pops which Ian said were a must-try while we were here. They are ice cream bars flavored either chocolate or banana and quite delicious. He went for Cherry Ripes which are like Almond Joys but with a cherry in the middle. When we arrived in Avoca Beach, which is a couple hours outside of Sydney, I was in awe of the beautiful homes and suburbs. Although it’s rare to find an ostentatious, gated community in Oz, there are some neighborhoods like this particular one which looks impressive but family friendly. We’ve checked out the real estate posters from town to town and noticed that in Australia, you generally pay a half million dollars for something that may be only $90,000 in America.

We are staying at Ian’s brother’s (Murray) and his family’s house for the week. His wife Jeanette and their kids Matthew (17), Nicole (16) and Brooke (15) are the kindest people ever. We got settled in and walked to the gorgeous beach and had some fish and chips at the place Nicole works. The rest of the afternoon we walked along the beach and neighborhoods, and got a feel for the area. Avoca is absolutely amazing. Friendly atmosphere, beautiful hikes and beaches, hilly landscape with forest and farms, and city life close by.

We had a bbq dinner and caught up with everyone about our semester. It was so nice to be a part of a family again and it’s incredible to feel so at home.

Ian and Maria are here!!

On Thursday afternoon, I sat outside reading The Hunger Games as Katie and I waited for my aunt and uncle to arrive. Around 2 they showed up in their very nice Ford Focus rented car and Maria jumped out to hug and say hello! It was so bizarre seeing them here, in my temporary home, all the way around the world. That afternoon, I walked with them around campus and gave them a tour of my class buildings, my favorite spots, and my running paths. Ian stopped for a meat pie at the Plaza and we finished our tour at the geology building, where I had never gone in the four months I’ve been here. As enthused geologists, they enjoyed the familiar posters and ended up having a conversation with the Director of the department about his time in America, for conferences and field study.

They came up the hill and met some of my roommates and neighbors that were in 15 and I went with them to check into their motel. The man at the reception desk kept refereeing to Ian and Maria as my mum and dad. I laughed (internally) at the thought, and how he could possibly think we resembled each other. I recommended that motel because it was where Lindsey’s mom and sister stayed when they visited last month. It turned out to be perfect for its location which was just a three minute drive to Orion college. After they unloaded the car, we walked to the Square so they could see where I’d gone the past semester for groceries and any necessities. We stocked up on Tim Tams, some fruit, and some more Tim Tams. After the square we went out for fish and chips around the corner, and ordered a family basket that ended up being more for a family of six. The tree of us struggled to get half way through the food, so I took it back to my place for people there. It was a great time just catching up and planning out the next two weeks that we’d be with them. 

Mt. Cougal Hike

Mt. Cougal-we hiked to the top of the left peak

What an incredible adventure!!! When I signed up for the Mt. Cougal Hike, I had no idea what was in store for us. The drive to the hiking site was three hours away, right outside the Gold Coast area. One of my favorite parts of my time here, has actually been just being in a car or bus for hours, looking out my window. I can’t get over the vastness of the landscape here, and the intensity of green everywhere the eye can see. An Aussie girl in the club drove us there, and we had a great time jammin’ to her Australian music. Usually Australian music is just American music played on an Australian radio. However, she had some genuine mixes of Aussie bands with a cool tone and different sound. Just as with our caving adventure, this hiking trip had only a few club members in attendance. It may have to do with the fact that race day was the day before, and most people were just going to bed as we woke up to hit the road.

After several wrong turns and pulling over to ask for directions, we made it to the hiking spot. In the country side of Australia, there’s not much use for GPS or maps, because the roads are unmarked and easily missed because they look like a bike path they are so narrow. We went down the road that was marked as Garden of Eden, and went down what they convinced us was a two-way road. However, there was no way two cars could physically cross paths without colliding, and this was the second windiest dirt road I’ve been on while here. (the winner for windy roads was when our Aussie friend Will took us to Protestor’s Falls, which is located at the end of a few miles of the curviest road ever created.) It felt as if we were doing an obstacle course where there were big orange cones lined up, and we had to weave in and out of each cone without hitting them. 
Oh, and then add a few cars coming the opposite direction. When a car did come up the road, we did have to pull over to the side, which was mostly a ditch so our hearts were definitely pounding. Once safely to the path, we began the six kilometer hike on a steep incline. After a while of incline, I realized we were actually hiking to the top of Mt. Cougal, not just around the area. There were gorgeous lookouts along the way, when the trees disappeared into fields of lush green grass. We passed stalks of cane sugar that seemed 20 feet high. It was like walking through a cornfield on major steroids.

The trail itself was less challenging than the Minyon Falls hike, but at parts it was extremely difficult. There was a stretch were it felt like we were going straight into the air on a vertical incline. Although it wasn’t just a path at that point…we had to climb rocks and boulders to make any progress. At that point we were tired, hungry and our morale was low. 

Thankfully, we stopped for a light lunch by a cave half way up the mountain. Just a short break helped regain our breath, strength and adventurous attitude. I was grateful it hadn’t rained that morning, otherwise the  moss on the rocky path would have been quite challenging to walk on. Just before we got to the peak, the path ended and Sergio said that we’d have to rock climb the rest of the way. With no harness or rope for balance, we scaled huge rocks, using fallen vines as a makeshift rope. If you looked down, there was just a drop off where the cliff’s edge sharply fell into the canopy below us. It helped to not look down. Again, we were challenged both mentally and physically, considering how our bodies and minds were able to put one step in front (or above) the other and keep moving. I became frozen at one point because I truly didn’t feel like I could reach to the next step up on the ledge. By the time our heart rates were similar to an Olympic sprinter, we reached the summit of the mountain. It was well worth the effort, because the view was spectacular. We were at the edge of the volcanic caldera, which is formed by the collapse of land after a volcano erupts. Mt. Warning was that volcano, and we had an awesome view of it from Mt. Cougal’s peak.

We just stood up there and took in the sight for a while, and after we were content and rested, we headed back down the trail. Rock climbing back down was even tougher than coming up, because I kept wanting to face the sky, but we had to face the rocks and scale down just trusting our feet would find ledges. Even though we started early in the day, it felt dark inside the rainforest, as the canopy was thick and kept out most of the sunlight.

During the hike, I got many bumps and scratches, mainly from the surrounding plants and climbing trees. One thing I won’t miss about Australia bushland is the wait-a-while plant, that has tiny thorns that catch your clothes, or your skin. I had so many scratches from these buggers that I became accustomed to looking down and seeing blood all over my hands arms and legs. At one point, there was a vine that I didn’t see low to the ground, and I completely wiped out and fell face down in the dirt. I scraped up my leg a little but it didn’t bother me much.

The rest of the way down was peaceful and quiet, as we all kept to ourselves and got lost in thought. Sometimes it’s nice to just walk with people all around you, and not feel the need to saying anything. 

On the way home, I looked out the window the whole way because the sun was setting against the horizon, making a bright orange sherbet glow against the dark blue sky.

Absolutely amazing last adventure with the outdoor club!!

Race Day in Lismore

Roomies and friends :)

One of the biggest days at SCU is Race Day. Last Saturday we were all awoken at 6 am to foghorns going off around campus to get up and get drinking. No surprise, it’s pretty hard to sleep when your roommates invite the whole block over to party before the sun comes out, so I got up as well. I joined them for breakfast, but no surprise, didn’t party with them. That is the last thing I would want to do at 6 am. I think it’s amusing that people are dedicated enough to alcohol that they will wake up early, but can’t find the motivation to wake up for their 1 pm class. After going to the square with Tiana to find her some shoes and a dress, we got ready with Heather, Katie and Lindsey and headed out to the bus stop. Fortunately, rides were included in the $10 ticket for Race Day.

 The bus ride there was only ten minutes, but with over 70 loud drunk Orionites, it felt more like an hour. We stepped off the bus, as most people stumbled, and headed into the gates. I still haven’t gotten used to getting ID’ed so intensely with security guards, because I forget that their 18 is our 21. After mingling for a while, the races began and lasted four hours.

 They were a lot shorter than the Gold Coast Races because the event is put on by SCU and mostly students attend. It was nice to see everyone out and having a day to relax before exams week start. After a beautiful, sunny day of races and catching up with people, we went back to Orion to continue the evening. My roommate ended up getting in a fight and taken away by the cops, and it took a while for people to get settled down. After that, the girls and I decided to have a more subtle night and hung out with other Aussie friends. The next day I had to get up early for my last trip with the Outdoor Adventure Club! 

Melbourne-Day Four

Another early morning, ate a quick brekky and off to start our last day in Melbourne! Lindsey and I checked out the roof of the hostel while the other two satisfied their Krispy Kreme craving. We met up and started walking towards Flinders Train Station to catch a tram that went throughout the city. It was Sunday, so we got the Sunday Savers all-day pass, which was only $3 instead of the usual $8 ticket. Score! We caught the tram to St. Kilda, a historical town about 25 minutes out of town. It used to be well known for prostitutes and drug dealers, but now is a cutesy town filled with expensive real estate that drove out the previous occupants. When we got there, we ran to the beach, which looked like an east-coast town with all the sailboats and the rocky, pebbly beach.

After a chilly walk along the boardwalk, we saw a pier in the distance and headed towards it. It reminded me exactly of the Huntington Beach Pier in California, with the wooden boardwalk and café at the end. We stopped in and had some delicious warm drinks and enjoyed the view of the sailboats lined up in the bay near the pier. The Chai tea came to the table in five parts: the cup, the water with the Chai leaves in it, the strainer, the cream and honey. It was the best tea I’ve ever tasted! Today was all about taking our time and enjoying the sights, smells, sounds tastes and feel of the area. It was a nice change of pace from our usual constantly on the go tempo.

We walked back towards the town and headed to the Botanical Gardens. On the way, we found the St. Kilda markets, which was basically one long street of white tents. I thoroughly enjoyed these markets, as each little tent was unique and special. After browsing through silk scarves and oil paintings of the city, we continued walking to the gardens. We then hit Ackland Street, which is famous for its blocks and blocks of cafes, pastry shops and British pubs. We stood and stared at the window displays of pastries, and decided we would never leave if we went inside. So, we kept on moving and just stared at all the people eating the divine looking desserts. As we entered the neighborhood before we got to the gardens, it looked like a suburb straight out of the Midwest. I couldn’t believe how identical it looked with the autumn leaves fallen on the street, and the bare trees lining the streets with parked cars outside of the smaller homes.

The Botanical Gardens were a little piece of natural Heaven in the middle of the town. It was a perfect place to unwind and just breathe. We had a blast taking tons of pictures and laying on the grass while the sun peered out for a few moments. It was one of those times where everything is still, and everything is good.

After a couple hours walking around and relaxing, we realized we hadn’t eaten since breakfast and were getting really hungry. It was only 5 pm though, and we wanted to wait until after we went to the beach at sunset to see if there were any penguins out. Apparently St. Kilda beach is the place to be to see penguins at twilight walking on the beach. We were walking back, and Lindsey felt really nauseous all of a sudden so I took her to a bathroom to find cold water to make a make shift cooling pad for her neck. She was burning up quickly and then had chills. The other two sat outside and waited a while, but after a half hour, they came in to see what was up. Lindsey couldn’t really stand up without thinking she’d get sick, so we were in the very narrow hallway to the bathrooms just sitting there making people step around us. It was quite the scene. Lindsey just kept repeating how glad she was that she was in the hands of a CNA and how it made her feel better. After a lot of runs back and forth to get cold water on her, she was able to get up and walk outside. I was convinced some cool fresh air would help and after a few minutes, it did. I got her a ginger beer which settled her stomach and we had quite the experience in the 7 Eleven there.

 An Aboriginal man was yelling at the cashier who was Indian and going on about people taking their land and how everyone is rude and cowards and it got really heated really fast. Lindsey and I just waited for it to be over, and it wasn’t happening. The cashier look at us with a really worried and apologetic look and told the man to please leave. He wouldn’t leave and he reached across the counter towards the cashier and had his walking stick in his face. The other customers backed off so we did too. All of a sudden, the cashier reaches under the counter and swiftly whips out an object. Lindsey and I internally freaked out because it looked like he was whipping out a gun or other weapon. It was just a phone though, whew. He called the police and the Aboriginal man stormed off knocking things over and that was that. We checked out and the cashier man apologized and said it’s not rare for them to get yelled at by Aboriginal people on the streets.

That reminds me of what one of my Aussie friends was telling me after he mentioned they have “typical” Aboriginal people where his home town was. I asked him to explain why white Aussies seem to look down upon their indigenous people (at least among many people I’ve talked to, they refer to Aborigines as filthy, victimized, rude people.) I never understood that because I have a few friends here who are partially Aboriginal and they are some of the nicest people I know here. Well, apparently he said that the full Aboriginal people living in their communities are known to riot and wreck havoc on the towns, yelling how the white people took their land. They bash their cars and rob their homes. Ironic how that’s what we (whites) did to them in the past.  Of course, two wrongs don’t make a right, but I can’t blame people for acting out in anger after being torn apart from their homes and families and left to rebuild their lives. I get the sense that there is much more hostility and separation of Australian people and their indigenous culture compared to Americans and our Native Americans.

Back to St. Kilda though-Lindsey was feeling a lot better and we took a stroll down the beach as the sun was setting. It was the most beautiful sunset I’ve seen since Fiji. The sun peered through the clouds and the beams of light hit the water with a warm color. Absolutely stunning evening, as we stood out on the pier waiting for penguins. Derick had seen some further down the beach, but we didn’t end up seeing any.

After a while longer, we couldn’t ignore our hunger any longer and decided to head back into town to find somewhere to eat. Tonight, we were craving Chinese food we headed to China Town. Now the trick there, is to know what places are both authentic but won’t give you food poisoning. After checking out over 10 places, we found a Thai restaurant where we recognized a few things on the menu. I ended up just pointing at one of the menu items and it turned out to be amazing. It was a sweet and sour pork with incredible rice and noodles with vegetables. After dinner, we decided to head back to our hostel and figure out the night. We had a 6 am flight the next day so we saved $30 and decided to sleep in the airport. We had to check out of the hostel at 10 am earlier that day so all our our things were in the holding closet until we left. Instead of going to the airport right away, we stayed and hung out at the common room of the hostel. Their was a footy game on and all the English guys were crowded around the TV, eyes peeled. 

This time, footy was actually soccer, which I haven’t seen on TV in a while! They were so into the game and shouting at every little pass and throw. Around midnight, we decided to walk to the Southern Cross Train Station, which was about 20 minutes away. We got there and took the shuttle to the Melbourne Airport.

 It was about 1 am when we walked into the airport and were told the security wouldn’t be opened till 4 am so we had to find somewhere to sleep by baggage claim on the ground level. It was freezing outside, and the wind blew in through the doors that were near us and through the baggage assembly line. Lindsey and Katie found some wooden benches and got “comfy” for the night, and were able to fall asleep. Heather and I laid on the floor that literally felt like an iceberg. I felt like they were pumping AC from every vent as I tried to fall asleep. It just wasn’t going to happen. The other three girls were asleep and I decided to walk around to get warm, After an hour of laps and riding the escalator up and down, I tried again to fall asleep. 

No such luck. I decided it just wasn’t going to happen to I wrote in my journal for a while and listened to music. Around 4 am we got our things and headed up to security, where the agents had just gotten there, so we stood and waited another half hour. We were the first ones through the security which was pretty fun! I guess that’s as fun as things get after a sleepless night in a cold airport at 5 am.

Our flight home landed in the Gold Coast and we had three hours before the bus came to take us back to Lismore. It was a hot, gorgeous, sunny day in the Gold Coast, so we laid on the beach for a few hours. It was a heavenly way to spend time waiting, especially in comparison to the night before.

We arrived back in Lismore late afternoon and were re united with good ol’ Orion and the roomies. I went to sleep in my own bed, feeling happier than ever that our last trip here was so spectacular!