Observations

I have a new roommate! His name is Scott, 26 years old and an Aussie from a few hours south of Lismore. It’s nice to have both Tiana and Scott as the Aussies and then Matt, Kevin and myself as the Americans with “the funny accent” in their opinion. Although they said they’ve always been used to our accents because the large majority of movies and TV they watch, along with music they listen to, is in our “American” accent. Almost every Aussie I’ve talked to is planning a trip to the States within a few years. They all seem like it’s a dream place and some are even taking off uni for a few years just to travel around the US. Many are studying abroad next year in America, and a lot of them want to go to Eau Claire! How bizarre. I have no complaints about the lifestyle here. Unless you NEED the hussle and bussle of the city, it is an incredible place to live for the semester. I’ve caught on to pretty much all of the lingo, although some of my professors pronounce words very different. For example, my visual arts prof says “can-tra-vasy” instead of “controversy.” Anytime there is the letter “z” (like in the word “organization”) the letter “s” is put in place. There are so many subtle differences that make it interesting to pay attention. There are some HUGE differences as well. Aussies can’t believe how much we pay for education. I knew that they have a more socialized medicine and health care is better in Australia (many times, trips to the ER are FREE, along with x-rays), but I wasn’t aware of the government funding for education. They have a substantial part of their education (going to university) paid for by the government, and in most cases it doesn’t have to be paid back. It’s different from our FAFSA, because there isn’t the same criteria such as how much your parents’ income is. They all receive this money by the first week of uni, like today one of my Aussie friends had an extra $6,000 in his bank account from the government. To them, it is a foreign concept that the government wouldn’t pay you to go to university.  I’ve learned a lot about their politics as well, and realized that I haven’t met one person under the age of 30 that likes Julia Gillard, their current prime minister. This is because they are still in love with Kevin Rudd, the past prime minister who became controversial towards the end of his term. They think Julia Gillard is “too stiff”. I’ve talked to people over the age of 30, and they are mostly fond of the current health care situation, which Julia Gillard had an important part of shaping. In each age group, there seems to be a much more nonchalant attitude about electing their prime minister because each party is very similar except for in one or two issues.

People seem very open about politics here, and it’s nice to have conversations that aren’t labeled as a “taboo” subject. 

Squeaky Sand

We have done lots of adventuring with Aussie friends (who have a car on campus!) For Lindsey’s 21^st birthday we went to Lennex Head which is partly a dog beach. There is a Christian group in the community that generously volunteers their time taking uni students around the coast. I think I’m finally used to the driving situation here, although I don’t think I will end up behind the wheel anytime soon. The Aussie who took us to Lennex shared lots of interesting things such as why it seems like everyone here drives a manual. Apparently, having an automatic car makes you seems entitled and only older people and professionals drive cars “the lazy way.” Also, a lot of them say that they would fall asleep from boredom if they drove an automatic.

The sand squeaks at all the beaches here. Walking around on the sand creates a choir of squeaks which makes for a pretty fun audio experience. I walked down about a half a mile and found a group of Aussies playing volleyball so I joined in for a while. It was unbearably hot within an hour of jumping in the sand and diving for the ball. (Even in a casual beach volleyball game, my competitive side comes out!) After the fun game I ran straight for the water and dove into the medium sized waves. The ocean is the perfect balance to the unbelievably intense sun. A day of sand and surf later, and we headed back to campus. 

Sugar cane field

Every time I’m in the car, it’s a feast for my eyes, with the endless deep green rain forests and hills that turn into miles of sugar cane fields. It is breathtaking here. I am so glad the program is in the hills of Lismore with its unsurpassed beauty of nature, compared to the busy streets and tall buildings of Perth. (That was the other option for studying abroad in Australia.) You feel enriched just staring out at the lush land during the long drives.

Another beach we have been to a few times now is Evans Head. The aboriginal people have deep roots in this particular area and a very long, complex story that precedes it. A simplified version of their story is this:

One day, a bird’s screech was heard from a distance by a group of animals. The animals knew this was the sound of a bird being threatened and attacked by a brown snake. The animals knew what to do as they headed to where the goannas were. A goanna is the protector of the land, and the archenemy of the snake. As the goanna heard the disturbed bird, he quickly made his way to the animal in harm. As he was moving, his body created the curved river that is inland. Because he was already wet from laying by the ocean, the dirt covered land turned into a brown river. When the goanna approached the brown snake, he told him to leave the bird alone or there would be consequences. The brown snake let go of the bird and started to attack the goanna. The snake left red stained marks on the goanna which turned the land red and cut up. Cleverly, the goanna escaped the snake and took another path that lead to the ocean. Here, a creek was formed because the goanna was moving very quickly. The snake was catching up as the goanna tricked the snake into going straight into the sea, where he could not get back because the tide is very strong in this bay. Till this day, the goanna lies, protecting the land, and the whole coastline of Evans Head is in the shape of the goanna.

These are cuts on the goanna from the snake

Being in such a spiritual place is spectacular, especially when you know how much it means to a group of people. As I walked the beach at sunset, I thought about reality. People usually say “back to reality” as a negative thing, as if their reality is a heavy load that they want to rid themselves of but can’t. I don’t blame people for living a life away from that heavy load, and make choices to live with “less”.  In turn, they are getting so much more, and their reality is an incredible thing. Then, I thought about how that day, at a gorgeous beach in Australia with a beautiful sunset, I was in my own reality.  

 I am grateful for, and loving my reality.

Classes Start :)

Lecture room for Visual Culture

You know what feels amazing? Having NOTHING control you or your body but yourself. I gave up coffee (and I say “give up” because I’ve been addicted to the caffeine since middle school.) After a few weeks of intense caffeine withdrawals and headaches, I am free! I’m mentioning this because it is a huge part of my happiness level here. I love how naturally energetic I am yet calm at the same time. This has contributed to my level of ease. My first day of class was today and I was completely relaxed and excited. It was Intro to Visual Culture and I’m taking it to satisfy an upper level general ed. I have a female Aussie professor who is so thrilled about the arts and has the most eccentric mind.  This class is very different from the art history class I took last year, because visual culture focuses on how YOU interact with art and why. Our first assignment is to go to a contemporary art museum and write a reflection paper on your reactions to the artwork and analyze why you had that reaction. For example she showed us a view pictures of sculptures and paintings at the beginning of class, and I gasped. One was of a nude young girl photo shopped in a landscape painting. Why did I think that was initially against my moral code? Then we saw a sculpture constructed of nothing but reindeer meet. I was both intrigued and a bit repulsed by the image. Why? The class only requires questions. If you find a deeper insight to that question, then wonderful. If not, keep on asking questions.

The R block of campus

The second class I am taking is Interpersonal Communication. This is an elective I would have to take at UWEC, so I figured I would benefit from taking it abroad. Again, I am the only American in the three hour class. I love that! The professor is like a youthful, hip grandma and she is soft spoken yet assertive. I find that type of personality very easy to listen to and learn from.  We sat in a circle with just our chairs and went over the syllabus and talked about the main model of communication. (sender + receiver + noise=message) Speaking of noise, there were birds outside the classroom (which is in a building right next to the rainforest) that were VERY loudly sending messages to each other for the duration of the three hour class. I just sit in class and have to realize that I am actually IN class.

My last class is Australia, Asia and the World and I think I am most excited for this one. From the first five minutes, I knew the young, very energetic male professor would be a good one. All he did was profess how essential communication is. In any subject, no matter what the context, you need communication, and effective communication to take place in order for any progress to happen. The class is shaped around who Australia is, where they fit in, and how they affect the world. Also, we will discuss how keenly Asia is affected by Australia and vice versa. In America, we have always learned about the European influence in our history, and the Chinese market in today’s world. I can honestly (and embarrassingly) say that I didn’t even think about other country’s influencing Australia. I love realizing that I’m ignorant about a topic, because then I can quickly and thoroughly fix that. I except to gain a better understanding of Australia’s contemporary views on their history, indigenous background and relations within the globe. SO excited. Oh, and Baden (our prof) brings in mango juice every tutorial to enjoy.

After taking just these classes, I have never been more sure about a choice. I was meant to come here, to this uni, and take these classes with these Aussie peers, and professors. I’m where I belong for the next four months.  

Aboriginal Ceremony

Australia has been a mind, body and spirit healer. That says a lot considering I found myself completely peaceful, happy and well. After being in this land for a few weeks, I found that it is possible to become even more at peace, happy and well. I attended an Aboriginal Smoking Ceremony which entailed an indigenous man chanting to the mother (earth) and to all gods. They are all-accepting of any religion attending their ceremonies because even though people try to differentiate themselves from one another, we are all as one. According to their beliefs (which are aligned with mine as well), everything comes from the same energy source and we are all just temporarily sharing the world together. Therefore we must treat the earth like it is our body, with respect and love and care. We must treat each other like they are ourselves, because they are. We all held hands and chanted “let there be peace, let there be hope, let there be love, let there be unity” over and over as we stomped around in a giant circle around a smoking fire. The man talked to us about how the sun and fire are the same energy and the earth we stand on is the same as the air. They just take on different physical forms. At the end, we went to the fire and healed our souls in the smoke. Instead of just following along robotically, I felt empowered as I meant the words I was chanting to our mother earth. It felt different than any other religious or spiritual gathering I’ve been to. It felt real.

Lismore has one of the largest indigenous population in Australia, and there is a large influence on the community, especially in Nimbin. They call it the capital of an “alternative lifestyle.” (It is heavily influenced by natural substances… … )

O Week!!

The infamous bbq (sausage and white bread)

“O Week” is orientation week here at Southern Cross University and it is this entire week until classes start Monday. We had a huge bbq kick-off dinner at the rec deck next to Orion and everyone seemed to be there. I know this because after the first two days of being here, walking around and settling in, it seems that I know almost everyone that lives here. The Residential Assistants are the easiest to get to know, because they walk around all day just saying hello to newbies such as myself. That seems to be the theme around here…whenever you pass by someone and you’ve never met, (or who can’t remember each other’s names), you shake hands and greet. There’s not one person in this past week that hasn’t done so. That is so different from Eau Claire, even though at UWEC everyone seems to be the friendliest people around, it’s more natural here to initially meet every single person you possibly can.

Healthy decisions with the chef!

During the week there were so many activities to get involved in. After all the standard orientation speeches and information sessions about our visas, health coverage, academic expectations, etc, we had the rest of the week for the fun stuff. I did any and every thing I could. I’ve found how much of a difference it makes to say YES to being involved. It’s as simple as that decision…and I’ve learned so many things because of the yes decisions. For instance, there is a chef that came in a we had cooking lessons on how to eat extremely healthy while on a budget. We made corn fritters, kale and quinoa salad and a juice made from beets, carrots, celery, cucumbers, capsicum and lemon. Healthy just feels better. Although over these past two weeks I have a hankering for a cheeseburger.

There have wonderfully been many many many free bbqs here…and every time, the bbq consists of sausage and a piece of white bread. I am the LEAST picky eater out there, and yet I have to say this…I can not have even ONE more sausage on white bread. I’ve just been making my own meals which is great practice for next year when I have a house. Family dinner has been amazing as well. We have a group that consists of a few aussies and other international people and we make dinner family style. I had amazing chicken curry with rice and poppadams last night and it was incredible. I love when my taste buds are awoken!

Walking around the campus is breathtaking. It is all grass and hills (one BIG hill up to Orion), wildlife everywhere and has a tropical feel. We saw wallabies, koalas, hundreds of bearded dragons/lizards, kookaburras, huge fruit bats, and lots of colorful birds just walking from Orion down to the Uni.  I can’t imagine ever being a local and getting used to the sights here. That’s what I love about traveling. Everything is wonderful and new and spectacular to our fresh eyes and senses.

We had tea with the Mayor

That last Vegemite cracker...it was MINE. :) 

When we aren’t having a  mini dance party between the buildings at night, we are going through all the funny differences between aussie lingos and our lingo. They have no idea what s’mores or reeses peanut butter cups are. We say oregano and basil…they say or-ah-ganno and bah-sel. They have bread with butter and sprinkles for birthday parties, we introduced them to red velvet cake. I LOVE the little differences. It’s so funny always having to convert kilograms, liters, kilometers, centimeters and trying to buy chicken or meat from the store in kgs not pounds. Tim Tams are the best thing about Australia. (Okay, well the best treat here.) They are chocolate waffer cookies filled with whatever filling the type is. SO delicious. My favorite is the Turkish Delight and Caramel Coated Tim Tams. I even have some in my fridge right now…not for long though! Speaking of aussie foods, we had tea with the Mayor of Lismore and had traditional Aussie bites to eat. After her very inspirational speech about getting as involved as possible with the community in which you live, we talked to her face to face and she went on and on about how much her and her husband loved the Midwest and traveling in the US. For the third time, I tried vegemite on crackers. The verdict? I LIKED IT. I went back for seconds…and thirds. I may be turning Aussie, because apparently I am starting to speak their lingo as well. It’s easy to pick up on and there are no language barriers because whenever we have NO idea what an Aussie says, we just ask. They aren’t annoyed by us always asking them! We played a board game with the Mayor during our tea session, and I won second place so I received an incredible goodie bag with an Aussie flag, apron, cup holder, Tim Tams, Byron Bay coffee, and VEGEMITE. Yay. Never say never I guess :) 

Byron Bay for the Day!

On Friday we went to Byron Bay (a beach town an hour north of Lismore) , which was absolutely stunning. It was full of energy and young vibes from all the college aged kids just wanting to enjoy the perfect beach day. We had an hour long briefing by a local surfer who informed the international kids about the dangers of Australian waters. We went over rip tides, how to avoid them, how to survive them and we listened to a few stories from people caught in them. I didn’t realized HOW serious they really are, and am so glad we had a thorough session on what to do if that happens.  A few people (including me) were very interested in the whole sharks in the water question. It was the most unusual answer in response. The man just said, “Well ya know dolphins aren’t always that friendly and if ya see ‘em they may not be swimmin’ alone, ey?” Another lifeguard at the beach just told us to watch out for bait fish swimming around us and birds circling around us because that means bigger things are lurking around also. It was such a hot day, with that intense southern hemisphere sun just blazing down on the sand making it unbearably hot to walk on. Of course, I placed my towel day…well, more like tossed it down with my beach bag, and ran to the waves. They were the kind of waves every adventure-seeking person LOVES. They became really tall very quickly and were endlessly rolling in. I forgot how much I loved the salt water buoyancy and getting a good work out in from swimming and diving through the tall waves. Surfers surrounded us as we happily struggled with the strong under current and crashing waves. It just makes it better when it’s not necessarily relaxing. As much as it hurt, the salt water sting in my eyes just meant I was back in the ocean on the coast of Australia. It felt incredible.

After a few hours we were about to head in and the lifeguards signaled the swimmers to come in because….yes, there were bait fish, birds flying above, and an awfully large fish in company. I have such a curiosity for sharks and just being close to one, but not enough that I stayed in the water. I really like my limbs and although they aren’t known to kill people, shark attacks aren’t uncommon along that coastline area. How incredible though!

After a fun-filled day of hot sun, beautiful and strong waves, beach volleyball and lots of drinking water, we headed back to the bus. Of course, I had to get a picture of all the international people along for the ride, so I asked our SCU leader to help me get everyone to form so we can have a picture. He looked at me like I was crazy because there were SO many of us, and then he said that he loves that I was so excited so he helped make it happen. Seeing as I can’t whistle, I just went to every person and asked to huddle around for a picture. I gave the leader my camera, and all of sudden 12 more cameras were in his hands because everyone else wanted a picture. Many smiles later, we got all the pictures taken and people were loving the group photo moment. Fun, fun, fun day.

Traveling to Lismore

Imagine four girls, each with two large suitcases, backpacks, and totes/purses, walking out of their hotel, through downtown Sydney, across many intersections and stop lights, and up hill to the Central Train Station. Add on some intense heat from the late afternoon sun, a massive group of people just staring at us in awe, and a very sore back mixed with laughing at the sight of ourselves in the shop’s windows. That was on last Thursday, before we got on the train to Lismore. We arrived in Lismore on Friday yet it seems like weeks ago. The train ride was the most interesting transportation I’ve ever experienced. It was such a horrible ride that it became humorous eventually. There was a group of older, scraggly, frightening chain smokers that lurked in front of us. And by that, I mean the one guy, or leader of the pack as I saw him, stood the entire 12 hours. How do I know this? Because I was awake for the complete time (4 pm to 4 am.) This is for a number of reasons.  The chain smokers would run of the train at every stop and make a big deal as to how to maximize their smoking time. They found it hilarious that they were sneaky enough to get off and walk to the end of the train so that when its leaving they can get on the very back and make their way back to their seats. There was an especially frightening lady who made it clear to the whole train that she had rode this train over 30 times and knows everything there is to know about it. In fact, she got in a heated argument with the leader of the pack about if they switched drivers at the 10^th stop or not. She was convinced they did not. This argument should have been over before it started, yet it maintained for a good 20 minutes. These people in front of us somehow found the most unusual topics and (very loudly) discussed them between their smoker’s cough for hours upon hours. Did I mention you can purchase alcohol on this train? Well, it was quite evident when around 1 am a lady…a very drunk lady, went to every single person with this huge bag of popcorn and made people try some. She came to me and I pretended like I was sleeping and just couldn’t help but crack up when she got close and put popcorn to my face. She was rejected by everyone, and that made her so angry that she had an actual hissy fit. I did some serious meditating, or at least tried to, and came to the conclusion that when things don’t go how you imagine them, they are even better. And if they’re completely worse, they make for a good blog. I do have to mention besides all the on board distractions, the country side and scenery along the way was breath-taking. We saw wild kangaroos hoping along the greenest fields, and rivers that went on for miles and hills that covered the land like soft dollops of (green) whipped cream. After a long, long 12 hours, we arrived at 4 am in the Lismore train station, and Christine, the nicest student advisor ever, picked us up at 4:30 am and took us to Maccy’s (McDonalds) for some brekky to go. I had to order from the shuttle bus, and it was on the other side of the car and confused me so much. I ordered for all the girls in the car and it was such a challenge because I couldn’t understand a word the guy was saying. I guess an Australian accent, extreme exhaustion and early, early morning ordering of breakfast just isn’t a good mix. After all that, we got food, which is all we wanted, and headed the five minutes to Orion college in the Lismore village.  It was such an unusual day, because we hadn’t sleep since two nights before that, and we didn’t want to fall asleep because we wouldn’t wake up till the afternoon. Instead, we walked around campus at 6 am and saw a couple wallabies around the pool and forested area. They are so much more incredible in pure nature. The first day was filled with moving in, buying all the essentials, and settling into our different apartments where I was the only one with no flat mates. After a couple days, two of them showed up. The other three still have to come, but I think they will be Aussies because the locals don’t come until after orientation week. My first two flat mates are guys…one from Minnesota and one from Philadelphia. It’s been an interesting few days living with strangers and realizing they are the closest to family that you have at this point. Bizarre. 

Speaking of family, I miss you all so much already, and I feel your support and love with me always. I am so grateful.

BRIDGE CLIMB!!

Finally, I’m back where my vague dream of climbing the Harbour Bidge turns into a vivid moment and memory of the great adventure. Tyren, our bridge climb instructor, went through the many safety rules and regulations before we even put on our jumper suits. This included checking to make sure blood alcohol was 0.0, filling out paperwork, then we proceeded to get fitted for our jumpers. We learned later the the gray and blue suits were designed and approved by the government because they realized it could be extremely hazardous to have the drivers of the bridge be distracted by bright colors. They said a camouflage version would be much safer, and every climber (even Oprah) has to wear them by law. (Apparently many celebrities get frustrated that they aren’t above the law and can’t chose their own outfit.) I happened to love the look and the feel of the jumper suit, because it was loose, protected from the intense wind, yet stayed cool if it was a hot day. We climbed at noon, and it was forecasted to be 90% chance of rain. Well I wouldn’t have minded either way, but it was a gorgeous blue, summer sky when we got up there. We got all geared up with radios to hear Tyren, hats and rain jackets just in case, and headed out for the practice run across a straight beam that goes 100 meters out. Us four were first out of the 13 climbers in our group. I have never been afraid of heights or thought this could be scary, unlike the 5 people in our group that had a definite anxiety about the situation. I was always so focused on how to get back to Sydney to do the climb that I never realized how I felt about it! The bridge is 134 meters high, 1,149 meters in length and it weighs 52,800 tons of steel with 6 million rivets that hold the steel together. The 100 meter walk was on a wooden ply-board 10 inches across. We walked around 30 meters up from the road below us, then it turned into the water under passing the bridge below our feet. On this very small wooden plank, there was nothing else besides a rail on both sides to guide your hands…at this point, very nervous hands. I didn’t realize how far up it was until I was actually up there. Then we come to the ladders. We are all hooked on to one side of the rail with a gear-like attachment and rope that glides as you walk. We practiced climbing the 5 ladders we would face back in the building, but it was completely different out in the elements. As I approached the ladders, I kept the rules in mind…never start going up a ladder unless the other person is completely done with that ladder and so on. I got to the first ladder and it is just a steel, 15 step ladder that went straight up. As I began to climb I broke rule number one, which is don’t actually look at where you are coming from or out, because through each step you see the water and the distance you actually are from that water. You are hooked on the whole time, but it definitelyl does not feel that way, and my cable kept getting stuck up the ladders so I had to use one hand to yank it up as I climbed. Four more ladders to go. They weren’t just in a straight line going up from one another. They were a few feet the the right or left of each other so every time you finished a ladder you had to maneuver steadily around steel beams to get to the other ladder. I forgot to mention that so far I felt like this bridgeclimb wasn’t meant for people when they first designed it (and it wasn’t), because we had to duck under beams and crawl over gaping spaces and squeeze through very tight walls just to get to the arc. It made it so much more fun and like an obstacle course. Needless to say, I am a little more shaky and unsettled going up the ladders than I imagined I would be.  My heart was beating so fast as I finished that last ladder, and Tyren is such a relaxed guy that he made us feel like nothing ever went wrong in the world. The ultimate of no worries. My favorite part of the climb was walking up the steps to the summit,  and stopping for photo ops more than a few times. Along the walk up, Tyren informed us of some fun things such as why the Opera House is tinted a bit yellow. The designers realized that if it were stark white tiles, it would blind people driving on the bridge when it was sunny out, and it would be hard to actually look at when in summer. Also, the top of the opera house is exactly half as high as the Harbour Bridge purposely in order to give the city the most aesthetically attractive look. We also found out that Tyren himself took up Leonardo DiCaprio a few weeks ago, as well as Tim McGraw last year. Celebrities pay a lot more to do a vip solo climb.  Being a romantic, my favorite fact was that there have been 1,000 proposals on the bridge in the past four years. Tyren has seen a number of these gestures and he said the guy usually gets too excited to wait for the summit, and just proposed at the base of the ladders or as they are walking up. There have been a number of marriages on the summit as well…yes, the bride and groom still have to wear the oh so attractive jumper suits as well. As we reached the summit and took in the view, I just couldn’t get over the fact that in that moment, I was there. The same girl who ten years ago was on a ferry looking up at the tiny distant people on the bridge and saying, “Some day, I’m going to come back and do that.” I realized that making dreams and future desires come true isn’t as hard as it may seem. All it took was an open attitude, patience for the right timing, and an Internet transaction to purchase tickets for the climb. Simple. And simple never felt so good. You can see all of Sydney from the summit, along with Bondi Beach and the ocean in the distance. Absolutely breath-taking. The energetic vibes of the city mixed with the gorgeous sunny sky was a sight I’ll never forget. We stayed up there about an hour and headed down, all the while trying to take in as much as I could. The actual climbing of the bridge wasn’t physically challenging at all. On the way down, the ladders got to me again, because this time we were on the other side, and it was 50 meters down to the road and water underneath. That was a little bit scary because you had to look down to see where you were stepping next. Oh, and then a train passed four feet above my head as I was coming down the last ladder. It was going across the bridge and shook everything in its path, including my already shaky body. What an experience. Absolutely thrilled with the intensity, the serenity and the adrenaline, I was more than satisfied with my dream come true. So much that I actually purchased photos (which is something I never would do) but I realized it’s a constant reminder on how dreams aren’t clichés. They are reality, as long as you believe in them enough and in yourself enough. The unforgettable day came to an end after walking around the Harbour for hours, visiting the Opera House, and having fish at a picturesque restaurant overlooking the Harbour Bridge. After walking to the Harbour, walking around the area until our climb, climbing the bridge, walking around for hours after while waiting for dark to come to see the city lights, and walking back 40 minutes to our hotel, I slept SO well that night. 

Taronga Zoo

This incredible Tuesday started off with us four adventurers heading off to Darling Harbour, which is where everyone seems to have that perfect balance. It was a work day and yet people were taking their time with their breakfasts and lounging near the water and sharing precious time with their loved ones.  We walked into the huge building with an “i” on it for information…but should have been for interesting! The late 20-year-old working there was quite the character. She was extremely helpful in guiding our decision to go to the Taronga Zoo by ferry at noon. Our ISIC (international student cards) came in handy when we got major discounts on the zoo and ferry transport. When it came time for paying, we all whipped out our credit cards and the first thing that came out of her mouth was “Bloody Americans!” I gave her a funny look and she explained how we all seem to have credit cards with signatures and not a pin number. Now this is no big deal back home, but apparently in Australia, they have stigmas about credit cards. Such as, we have to get three or four receipts for signing, checking whether or not the bank at home with do the conversion rate or we will use the AUS amount, and you can’t purchase anything under $20 with a credit card, etc, etc. The funny thing is that she wasn’t trying to make us feel comfortable and she wasn’t trying to make us feel bad. It was just how she felt, and she had no problem telling us how it was. I’ve noticed that’s how people are here, and it VERY refreshing. She also had difficulty with figuring out her lefts and rights, and held up her hands in “L” shape for assistance. I held up mine, NOT attempting to mock her, but simply because I had forgotten that trick and was curious to try it quickly. She then blurted out to me “Bloody hell I saw that!” Laughing, I mentioned to her that I frequently still count on my fingers and she thought that was hilarious apparently because then she started mocking me! After all the paying, signing, more signing, laughing and advice, she said “Cheers” and we were off. The Captain Cook Ferry took us 20 mintues to get to Circular Quay then the Taronga Zoo. Because I’ve been to plenty of wonderful and diverse zoos, I spent most my time there in the Wild Australia section. And I am SO glad I did. You know that picture that everyone that visits Australia has with a kangaroo or koala? I now have a few…or more than a few, of those, along with plenty of ones that I’m pretty sure not many people have. This is because we met the nicest volunteer man there who let us hand feed the wallabies until they would hop over to us. We had to stay on the path so if they were off sleeping or hopping around away from us, we weren’t allowed to go up to them. After a while of having no luck with close-ups with the animals, the volunteer gave us some red flowers and plants to lure the animals closer. There weren’t many people around so he said I could go up away from the path a bit, and the kangaroos happily posed in pictures with us. Then all of a sudden, a large emu comes and grabs the plant from my hand with such rigor it was unbelievable. They are much more intense and mysterious in person than from a distance. A noteworthy part of the day was when we went to the reptile section and saw the largest snake in the world, pythons, anacondas, and learned how Australia has 11 out of the top 15 deadliest snakes in the world. Many breeds are around the Lismore area, but most are near water or further north in tropical areas. After a full day of adorable sleepy koalas, energetic wallabies, a joey in it’s mom’s pouch, Tasmanian devils, platypus and much more we were satisfied with the day’s worth of wildlife. The night ended with rum raisin and crème caramel gelato by the water’s edge and taking in the impeccable city lights around the harbour.

Melting Pot

Sydney is called the melting pot of cultures for a reason! Woke up and walked to a tres tres delicieux French boulangerie with Heather. We ordered croissants and cafe and sat "indoors" which was really by a windowless table that was on the street of downtown Sydney. If we had nothing else to do today, we decided how amazingly content we would be just sitting there all day people watching. Never have we seen such a diverse group of people at just one intersection that we were observing from our table. I noticed how it seems like every business man or woman walks to work, yet we have no idea where their apartments or homes are. We were out early, it was raining, and it was the most exciting and hoppin' place to be it seemed. An hour passed and we realized we had to force ourselves to get up and walk back to the hotel...we know these 10 blocks around our hotel by heart now! Love it here.

First Day in Sydney!

I am so happy to be back in Australia. It just feels different here. With the people just a little more friendly, the sights a little more intriguing and the choices a little fresher. It adds up to be one joyous atmosphere, even in a busy city like Sydney.  We arrived at the Metro Hotel in Central Sydney (right downtown…well, it is actually in the middle of China Town we realized,) and freshened up after the flight from Fiji. Instead of letting the fact that we woke up at 4 am affect our fun, we just dropped our luggage off in our room and headed outside! It was a bit cloudy but nice here, in the mid 70s. We cant seem to escape the intense wind though! This couldn’t be more opposite from our stay in Fiji. There were only 26 rooms at our Inn in Fiji, and here we are back to city life with skyscrapers and taxis everywhere…ooh and of course I noticed the many gelato and ice cream options within our 40 minute walk to Darling Harbour. We were in the mood for something different so we found a Thai Restaurant down the street. The challenging part was choosing between the (literally) 30 Asian cuisines just within 6 blocks. We found the most authentic looking one (that was still normal enough) and tried the spicy Pad-Thai and chicken. Delicious! I laughed at the fact that the other girls have no idea what Sydney is like expect for websites, brochures and my stories…yet we land in the middle of what could be any country in Asia.  I’m glad we walked past the area and we could see the amazing architecture of Sydney’s buildings, clever parks definitely designed by engineers and a diverse line up of restaurants and ships around Darling Harbour. My favorite part of the day (well except for the cappuccino ice cream at night) was how it seemed like all the business men, still dressed in their suits, were with their kids in the early evening playing in the parks and pushing their little children on the swings. It seems like everyone figured out the healthy balance of work and play to find true joy in their lives. Very uplifting. I think the lack of sleep over the past four days is catching up with me now…heading to bed because we have an early and big day head of us. Tomorrow we are going to the Wildlife Sanctuary 40 minutes out of Sydney on a metro-rail to walk through the bush and pet koalas and feed kangaroos! 

Fijian Feast and Dancing!!

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My favorite part of Fiji is how proud the Fijians are of their culture. I have never experienced such an overwhelming joyous feeling from a whole group of people from the same heritage. We went to the Outrigger (the first five-star resort on Fiji) for a Fijian buffet tonight. I was excited to go because I didn't know what half the food items were on the menu! It was the most incredible sight that they set up in the large hut that the feast was in. It was decorated with native plants, gorgeous fruit plates, trays and trays of diverse herbs and curry, and a large freshly roasted pig. Needless to say, it was a meal of unique flavors, textures (lots of coconut shavings) and an interesting twist on ordinary dishes. For example, instead of just   white rice, they had a pineapple rice salad with passionfruit pieces, cassava-amazing potato-like plants, green beans with tuna, kuita and ota with miti, mahi mahi baked in a banana leaf, and soo much more. And that was just the entree. Mid way through our Fijian feast, there was a showing of Fijian dancers and singers who swarmed the area around the food. I say swarmed, because they came in with such vigor and energy that I thought the whole hut would shake! The men wore only grass skirts (nothing underneath) and war paint with leaves around their ankles. The women were similarly dressed with just an added top to their beautiful natural outfits. For a half hour, we were entertained with these amazing people. (Check out the videos I posted onto facebook!) 

...Inspiring night

Hurricane Season

It hasn't stopped raining since we got here and we haven't seen the sun once (except for the beautiful sunset last night.) Our waterfall tour was cancelled yesterday because there is flooding in the valley and it the guides said it would be too dangerous to go there with this weather. So, we booked an Island Cruise tour that would take us 45 minutes to a different island where we would have a fish and tropical fruit feast, go on a bush walk by a crazy medicine man (that's exactly what the brochure says!), view coconut tree climbers, go snorkeling in the reed, sea kayaking and be part of a fire dance. Sounds pretty amazing to me! Well, we just went to the receptionist to get towels for swimming when she said they also cancelled the tour due to the stormy weather forecast. Trying to stay on an upbeat note, we headed to the pool to enjoy at least a bit of warm but drizzly weather. It hadn't been 10 minutes by the pool until it started a deluge of rain. And the hand carved turtles we bought yesterday were supposed to bring good luck! Ha. Well, at least we are surrounded by fun-loving wonderful music playing people. Still what I consider to be paradise. :)

Ocean slugs, eels, and puffer fish, oh my!

There is an amazing amount of ocean life right along the shoreline that is visible as we walk down the beach. The difference between high and low tide here is incredible. When we arrived the first day it was high tide, and we only saw a slight amount of the sand bar that is about 100 yards out from the beach. This creates a wave line just before the sand, and from there to the beach, there are no waves at all, so you can see everything that lives right along the beach's water. Yesterday, we went out in the morning to discover it was a very low tide, and hundred of coral peaks were visible along the water until the sand bar. It looked like a bunch of drift wood was floating in the water. Because the water was only a foot or two with the low tide, the we could see the many many ocean slugs that look like snakes, slugging along the ocean floor. These are not the highly venomous black and white banded snakes that are found along Fiji's coastline and lagoons. (Whew!) They are completely harmless but nonetheless, a reason to not venture out    during low tide. Well, that's until we saw an authentic raft hand crafted by the Fijian people called a Bilibili. It was only a few yards a way...at this point in the story. Of course, we wanted to ride the raft so Lindsey, Heather and I ventured out while Katie took pictures from the beach. There were no snakes or slugs or eels in sight so we just casually walked along the coral to the raft and then a local looked at all and waved. We thought we were in trouble from not being allowed near the special raft, but he was trying to tell us to get on it and stand up for a picture! So, we did :) It was a little harder than we thought but we got the picture and were all happy...then Heather's sandal got loose. For the first time. Paddling towards it wasn't an option as the current was taking us the opposite direction. After deciding just to wait for it to come to the raft, I reached out and grabbed it successfully. We were satisfied with our raft experience and looked up to see we were definitely not where we start...just a bit further out and the right. No big deal right? Until we realized we were floating on top of a seaweed and coral ocean floor covered in ocean slug/snakes. Did I mention these things are about 7 cm in diameter and up to a meter or two long. Knowing the waiting longer would put us in a sea of more creatures, we took a (slow) run for it, as the coral and sand are pretty hard to move quickly through. It was going well until Heather again, lost her sandal. Every person for themselves, we all kept moving. When the sandal got closer to shore, we grabbed it and decided that was enough ocean adventure for one morning. Hey, it least it beats walking up the hill at UWEC ;)

The Real Experience

Fiji is nothing like I expected. I mean that in the best of ways. There's been no sign of tourists and no coastline of beautiful resorts. Just horses roaming on the beach and the friendliest local Fijians with their very humble mini-marts and shops. We are staying on the Coral Coast, which means we are far from the majority of luxurious resorts that anyone may imagine a tropical location to have. That is what makes this such a more unique place that I imagined...taking the bumpiest roads into to town where there are collapsed wooden bridges in the river and local children walking home miles from school in their blue and white uniforms. Today we woke up and enjoyed a wonderful breakfast of fresh fruit, including paopu (like papaya) and delicious coffee with what I'm sure was goat milk. Oh yes, and for the second time in my life, I tried vegemite with my toast. It is even worse than I remember when I had in ten years ago on the plane to Melbourne. I think of myself as having an acquired taste for foods, but there is NO way I will ever get used to or enjoy the taste of that salty brown spread! I made the most disguised face and then realized there were Aussies at the table next to us, so I quickly tried to act less disguised. After the eventful breakfast, we lounged down to the beach (in our PJs still!) and walked for a while until we spotted a horse half way into the ocean's sandbar. Of course, we were curious and kept walking towards the horse, to find out there was a 5-star resort down the road with horse back riding and a lot of action surrounding it. There was a camera crew there filming a group of people on Sand Masters (I have pictures of that on facebook.) It was an incredible sand sculpture! I got in trouble for getting too close and being in the view of the camera-whoops! We continued to walk around the gorgeous resort and we went down the road to find an Eco Tour Park that we adventured to. SO glad we did. We ended up walking around what felt like a scene straight out of Lost, with a tropical rainforest surrounding us. We got to feed sea turtles with raw tuna, walk into a free flying parrot area (where Heather got semi-attacked by one of them,) see peacocks freely roaming around (and I attempted to attract them with my colorful peacock purse, but was very rejected), observe the plentiful indigenous species of herbs and plants Fijians use for natural medicine, hold a bunch of iguanas named Gwen, Ben, Fred and Wilma, and have a Pacific Coast Boa Constrictor wrapped around my neck and head! I LOVE FIJI. After such an eventful day, we decided to have a more relaxing night and get dressed in our new dresses we got from the shop we went to earlier today in town, and walk to the same resort down the beach. We sat down at the beach restaurant famous for their pizza, and we could see why. It was the most incredible experience. Maybe because we hadn't eaten since breakfast at nine this morning and it was close to nine at night. Compliments of the chef, we were served pita flatbread with five diverse dips such as their version of balsamic vinaigrette, tomato chutney and grounded up green olives with sea salt. There are no words in the English Dictionary to describe how gorgeous the sunset was tonight. I have never seen such an immense amount of color painted in the sky. Oranges, pinks, purples and blues all melted together and reflected into the ocean to create a canvas of beauty. We were serenaded with the incredible voice of a Fijian guitar player as he sung the most beautiful renditions of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," "Wonderwall" and "What a Wonderful World" just to name a few of my favorites. After such a satisfying night we were just about to walk on the beach home, as we turned as the sound of pouring rain. When it pours rain in Fiji, it POURS. With no umbrellas and a take home pizza box, we adventured through the sheet of rain and wind back to our hotel, completely drenched. We didn't even try running back...it was too perfect of a feeling, as if we were in the middle of a scene from the Notebook and there would be a dramatic kiss in the rain..instead of a kiss at the end of the scene, we got our hotel! MUCH better. What a way to fight jetlag :) Speaking of which, it's time to rest up for a big day tomorrow adventuring with a tour through the waterfalls! Going to sleep with the sound of the (still) pouring rain...ahhh paradise.

Kava Time

Just got back from a magical evening of new experiences. We went to the hotel lobby to find a group of people sitting in a circle with three Fijians leading the group in song. They have beautiful singing voices and are amazing guitar players. My favorite was listening to them sing an island version of "Everything I Do, I Do it for You" because it's my parents song :) We sat down, crossed legged on round little pillows and were welcomed to the group. There was a large wooden bowl filled with what looked like muddy water. It was a Kava ceremony, where we drank the powder from Kava tree roots mixed with water to heal our spirits and any physical ailments. One of the leaders poured the mixed water back and forth in a hypnotic way, between two smaller wooden bowls. He poured the liquid into one bowl and handed it to the Australian guy sitting next to him. He was to clap once, say "Bula!" and drink up. Then, we all clapped three times and said "Venaka" which means thank you. The bowl was passed to me and I was the first of the girls to try it. We were all a little thrown off by the fact that everyone was to share the same bowl and the basin of Kava water. Then, one Fijian said, "We share the same bowl of Kava, our space, our stories, ourselves...we are all one." Simple as that, I lost my slight sense of uncertainty. It tasted as it looked...like dirty water, and had an interesting after taste.  The man looked at us and said, "Now, you are in Fiji." It was almost like a right of passage, that felt very natural. After two rounds of Kava and thanking our providers, we ended the evening with a delicious, light meal. I say a "light meal" because I took note of how different the proportions of meals are here compared to America. It is surprisingly satisfying to enjoy only small amounts of delectable, fresh foods. Besides, I'm already full with an immense amount of joy and laughter.

Bula!

We made it! After a night of flying over the Pacific Ocean and crossing the International Date Line, we touched down to Nadi, Fiji at 5 am local time. The locals are some of the most gracious and wonderful people I've ever met. We took an hour long drive from the airport to our hotel on the Coral Coast, and got to see the "real" part of Fiji...no touristy shops, cafes or beaches. It felt like we were driving in the middle of a tropical rainforest, with a lush, bright green landscape all around us. The only thing that wasn't green were the many locals walking down the streets with very colorful umbrellas. (It's been pouring rain with gusts of winds since we've been here...hurricane season!) The driver, opposite side of the car and road, was the sweetest, although very aggressive on the road! He nonchalantly passed every car on the road, including a police truck while almost cutting him off the road. (Almost felt like we were in Los Angeles for a while there..just replace skyscrapers and people with palm trees and roaming cattle!) What looks like fields of corn, are actually fields of sugar cane that take up a lot of the hilly landscape. There was no sign of wealthy homes or places for tourists along the entire drive, which I actually enjoyed because we could see how the the majority of Fijians live...in very humble homes that resemble shacks. And yet, they are all so uplifting and inspiring with their joyful spirits. They also make AMAZING bula (welcome) drinks, with the plentiful fresh fruits they have in the area. Hopefully tomorrow will be sunny for our waterfall adventure/tour! So far, Fiji feels very different than any other tropical place I've been to...I can tell we are on the other side of the world, and it feels GOOD :)