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.