Home Sweet Home..

So as you all probably know (or have guessed), I am now back home. The flight was terrible, I had strep throat, and I was nearly two weeks late for school, but I have finally almost made up for all of those things. I just had midterms, have seen many of my friends, gotten a job, and am now trying to tackle the 'let's transfer grades back from Australia' mess. Overall, I think I am doing pretty well. :) Just thought you all should know.

DONE

I have finished finals over here. I promise oh test grading gods, that if you pass me in all my subjects I will legitimately focus on school this summer. Thank you.
YAY! I AM DONE WITH FINALS IN AUSTRALIA. Phew.

Now to enjoy my remaining days, without any terror floating over my head.

Hats Off To Studying

Wait...
Okay, what I meant to say was that I made a hat while meaning to study.
... Yep.

Now you can admire my skillz, and wish me luck on my exam later today. LAST ONE! And yes, I will likely need all the luck I can get. I have been rather distracted with packing and other minor activities. Oh well.

The Suitcase Nightmare

Needless to say, I have more stuff than I came to Australia with. I need to somehow stuff all of it into my suitcase... This is a problem. I am afraid that I will fail miserably, and end up wearing six outfits through the airport.

On A Side Note

I am thinking of taking up quilting because I saw a really awesome PacMan quilt online. Not that I would make one of those. Mine would obviously be Harry Potter themed. Clearly.

I can tell that Mom, as you are reading this, are not thrilled at the prospect of your living room being covered in fabric bits.

Sydney At Last

My friend, Jocelyn and I left early one Saturday morning for the train station. We boarded the train and headed to the airport, where we boarded our flight to Sydney. They we sat. For some reason, short flights always seem really long to me, whereas longs ones seem short, because I can sleep through the whole thing.
Anyway, we finally arrived in Sydney at about ten in the morning, took a train to the central part of the city, and found ourselves nearly face-to-face with the Sydney Opera House. It was beautiful. We could see the bridge, the opera house, and a wonderful view of the water, all while standing in one spot. It was splendid.

Afterward, we took a stroll through the botanical gardens, which was suggested by my Grandpa's friend. It was well worth our time. However, all the trees looked so climbable, that we had to use all our self discipline to resist running up the trunks.

After this little expedition, we went to find a library, use the internet, and then with the help of google maps, set off for our hotel. In Australia there are bunches of websites that offer "deals" on all things local, from hotels to plumbing. It's very useful. In this case, we got to spend our first night in a hotel for a very cheap price. And it had a sauna and pool. Epic. After checking in, we went on a little exploration of the surroundings which included a massive asian shopping complex. Now satisfied with bubble tea, and picking up some ramen for dinner, we went back to the hotel and spent the rest of the evening in the pool/sauna (and in Jocelyn's case, the gym).
Then we went back to the room, where I showered and fell asleep. Jocelyn did not sleep. After working out, she left for two hours to go on a run.

On day two of our trip we went on a wonderful ferry ride. Although, there was a very strange boy on the ferry that tried talking to Jocelyn. I found this rather amusing, and proceeded to take pictures of the surroundings.

Hark! The land of Manly!
We had arrived. Luckily, it was a very nice day out, and the Manly food and wine festival was in full swing, so we headed straight to the beach, and spent the morning wandering, and listening to the live music. Whimsical.

By this point of the trip Jocelyn seemed to be annoyed with how many pictures I was taking of her. Understandable now that I look back on it. But really, in twenty years, I'm sure she will find something to appreciate about it.
After Manly we went back to Sydney to pick up our camper van. It was a spaceship named Potter. I was pleased. However, the finding of Potter, and the van kerfuffle with getting insurance for it (which we may have needed by the end of the trip), this whole experience took the remainder of the afternoon.
Finally we were off in Potter to find Bondi Junction.
OH! I forgot to tell you! The morning of this fine day led me to the local starbucks, where I met a former UW husky who bought be coffee. It was neat.
Anyway, back to Bondi. We found the junction, we had great pizza (I have a new love for potato pizza), and then slept in the van which was parked on the street by some park.

The next day led us to Bondi beach. It's famous. I was expecting it to be some grand and impressive beach. Alas, it is a peanut of a beach. So small. I could hardly imaging it holding hundreds of people. We didn't go in the water, because it was a rather nippy day, but we did find ourselves a park with some sculptures, and walked in the sand, to say we did. There were some crazy little boys running around naked in the water. They looked very cold. Our feet led us off the beach and along the strip mall where we found a wonderful little gelato shop. Now, I am not one to pass up gelato, so we had some, and were very delighted with the shop and it's very Italian manager. We then walked back towards the beach with the intention of going back near the junction. Along one side of the beach we saw this public pool, that had a fee of $5 per person for the whole day to use the pool and sauna. We couldn't resist. We spent the afternoon soaking and steaming, and left feeling all sorts of warm fuzzies. We then went to the van, changed clothes, and drove back to the main part of the city.
On one of the previously mentioned deals menus we found this deal that was $70 for two of us for a very nice multi-course seafood dinner, with wine. Valued at $160. It was the best meal we had on the whole trip (not hard since most others were ramen). I have now tasted various Australian fish, that I don't remember the names of. This was one of our favorite days on the whole trip. We wrapped it up by going to the wharf, and watching the Vivid Sydney show. This is a show where lasers and lights are displayed on the walls of the opera house at night, and they change shapes and colors, taking various forms as they move across the shell-like opera house exterior. I sat under a tree that was lit up and looked like it belonged on Pandora. We had tea and coffee, and finally dragged our tired feet in the direction of the van.
Before we reached the van, a powerful urge to pee came over me. This led us to a bar in order to find a bathroom. As we had already shared a bottle of wine, we skipped getting drinks, but fell victim to the pool table. As it turns out, Jocelyn and I are both very ordinary when it comes to playing pool. The other men that we ended up playing with found this rather amusing. It seems that Monday night with when all these middle aged men gather at this bar and chill. We had interrupted with our lousy pool skills, but they didn't seem to mind. In fact, they were very nice, played a couple games with us, told us a bit about Sydney, and then saw us off about an hour later.
Now with empty bladders, and much clearer heads, we found our way back to the van.
Jocelyn then drove us to some random park, and I woke up with no recollection of where I was or how I had gotten there. Luckily, my travel partner did.

And thus our adventure in Sydney was over.
Next up: the road trip North.

Two Down, One To Go

Exams that is. I have my last exam on this coming Friday, and then I will be officially done with school in Australia. I will then have 4-ish days to pack, and put my life in a suitcase before coming home. I am excited to see all my friends and family. I miss you guys.

I know that some of you would like to know about Sydney, and I have every intention of writing a lengthly account for everything that my friend and I did, but it's going to have to wait until tomorrow, which is when I expect that I will have officially recovered from the week, and am ready to write, think, and process.

On a side note, HAPPY FATHER'S DAY PAPA, and GRANDPA, GRANDPA, AND GRANDPA! I love you!

I'm Back!

So Sydney was wonderful. I am safely back in Brisbane.
A full and satisfying account of my trip will come at the end of the week, after I get through a few finals and have time to do it justice.

No Need To Panic

Hello! I am just going to warn you that you will not be hearing from me for about a week. Don't go thinking I have been bitten by a snake, funnel web, or redback (all totally toxic), likewise I will try to stay away from any disease vectoring ticks, mosquitoes, or flies. No, rather I am taking a little trip to Sydney with a friend. It seems like a sin to visit Australia and not once go to Sydney.
You may expect extensive ramblings and pictures when I return.

The End Is Approaching

As of tomorrow, I will have taken my last actual classes in Australia. I will then spend the month of June studying and taking exams (after a brief, much-needed excursion to Sydney). This shocking realization has forced me to think about what I actually have learned while being here. Not surprisingly, only about .5% of these things were learned in the actual classroom.
For instance, I learned that Australians in general, and friendly outgoing lovely people. I have a deep respect for their society, because nowhere else can I leave my laptop and wallet in the library while I go use the toilet, print things, and refill on coffee. Australians actually trust each other. This is a country where you can leave your back door open all night, and the only thing that will come into your house is a carpet python.
I can walk from school to the train in the dark and not be concerned when six strange men stop me to ask if I am alright walking alone. It is not uncommon for you to know your bus driver by name and be able to recount the details of their recent fishing trip. Likewise, my coffee man checks on how my exams went as frequently as my own mother. People in Australia actually want to help you.
My teacher as school actually care about me. When I was late my professor asked me if I was alright, rather than being annoyed at my tardiness. This experience has taught me that good teachers are what make an educational experience. The class that I actually learned a lot in, was taught by a group of teachers who were so enthusiastic, I barely have to study for the final. They made me remember everything the first time around. Granted, I already liked bugs, but I didn't think I could spend this many hours in a bug class every week and want to learn MORE. But I do, and it's great.
My other classes however, that you may have noticed me complaining about, were taught by possibly the most boring people that I have ever met. If they can't be excited about the subject, how should I be excited about the subject? Exactly.
In my free time I learned to crochet slippers, and hats, and now I am making a blanket. I learned about the mind of three year old in more detail than I had ever planned. I learned that it takes time to get to know people, and that I will likely change my mind about them ten times in the first three months.
I learned how to deal with leeches. I learned how to recognize the smell of Eucalyptus. I learned many uses for Eucalypus oil.
I will come home with cravings for meat pies and nutella. I will say funny words and use funny phrases, and probably not notice it until everyone laughs.
I will have pet a kangaroo, and swam with sea turtles.
More importantly, I now have a passion for biological conservation, writing, and traveling. I've read books for fun (for the first time during an actual school season).
This was truly the breath of Australian air that I needed to push me to consider graduate school. I am actually excited about learning, and experiencing things again.
Most of these things that I've learned still need to float around my head for awhile before I do anything with them, but really, these are the things that Australia has given me. And most of them, were not found in class. In fact, I am willing to bet that I learned more by skipping class than going. Tell that to the dean.
Now to plan my next trip... ;)

Also, I think I look more and more like my mother.

Crocs, Roos, ECHIDNA! Oh my.

On Friday I went on a school field trip to the Australia Zoo. It was bomb. I pet an echidna. For those of you who don't understand the magnitude of this experience, let me explain: I pet an animal that slightly resembles a hedgehog, but is the only remaining animal in the group of monotremes, which are egg laying mammals. Essentially, nowhere else in the world will I ever run across an animal from the same group. It is very cool. Plus, they are stinking cute.

See:

Also at the zoo where some Wombats, that were actually moving around instead of sleeping, so I must share a picture of them with you for my mother's sake:

Now, for an in depth review of the crocodile show.
We walked into a large arena, took our seats, and waited while exotic birds were circling over head as part of a show that was just ending. They were very cool, although also very noisy. As they left, two people entered the middle fenced-off area. One of them was the croc handler, and the other was his... backup. They then coaxed "Monty" out into the pond in the center, where they were standing at the edge. It was a little unnerving to see that the handler himself was quite nervous. It is apparently not good when the crocodile stares at you, rather than the small treat in your hand. Anyway, they showed us how big he was by convincing him to come on land, showed us how he could do a tail-stand while in the water to reach at birds and things to eat, and were overall very impressive. Monty is quite the crocodile. It was awesome. However, I would probably not chose to be a crocodile handler right off the bat.
After all, I was in love with the Echidnas.
Because we were there with a class, we got to go to the education center, and the staff gave presentations about all the various animals including birds, crocs, snakes, koalas, and tasmanian devils. The Devil was really cute to because it was a baby and just stayed curled up in the care taker's arms.
Afterwards we were allowed to wander around the remainder of the zoo where we saw elephants, tigers, and a very neat tortoise.

A further note on devils: Apparently in the wild they are currently facing an infectious facial cancer that is wiping out all their populations. It is very sad because they really are a special creature and are so cute. Because of this, zoos and sanctuaries are breeding a population that is free of the cancer, and could potentially be re-introduced into the wild. A very interesting conservation project.

Overall the day was spectacular, and I have found that I am absolutely in love with Australian Wildlife. Maybe if this whole medicine thing doesn't work out, and the wine making thing also doesn't work out, and I can't find a satisfying job in conservation, I should open a zoo back home to pay homage to the Australian creatures. Just a thought.
Because, really, koala girl is a good look on me.

Birthday Coffee :)

In honor of my birthday, I am treating myself to a coffee in a coffee shop on campus with these wonderful pink walls. If I am not much mistaken they resemble the color of my new closet back home... I think it complements my eyes, don't you? Just kidding...
In other, yet related news I had a wonderful weekend with a nice birthday dinner comprising of various sea foods cooked by my host family. It was wonderful. And I made myself a birthday cheesecake, which seemed to be a hit. The neighbors came, they were all very very sweet to me. I felt rather special. And then yesterday my host mom took me to get a birthday pedicure with her, which was again just very nice. I feel very loved.
Also, I spent last week opening birthday cards that my family sent, which was just very nice of them. So overall, it seems like turning 20 is a pretty good thing. Thank you everyone who is making it special for me. <3

Oh the Horror

Dear homework,
What is this "focus" you speak of? I want to learn about sea turtles, infections disease, and mario crochet patters. I have no time for your genetic antics. This is madness.
Thank you for your cooperation,
Kate


I am really starting to understand why school is getting in the way of my education.
That, and it's far more fun to write stories that search weird data for trends...
Am I right?

The Chills

Hello! I just wanted to let you all know that Australia is now a brisk 68 degrees. According to locals this is the time to bring out sweatpants, sweatshirts, scarves, and boots. I couldn't agree more. Now that I am so used to the smoldering weather, 68 feels really rather nippy. Oh the woes of the tropics...

Kate Is Crafty

Last weekend while sick, I thought to myself "this stone floor is really cold. I need thick socks... HEY maybe I should just make them". Right.
Well, turns out I am a terrible sock maker. However, I can make some rather comfy slippers. So I made one last weekend while sitting there in bed, and then I made the other this morning whilst listening to online lectures. A very good use of time in my opinion. I feel accomplished.

Lamington

This my friends, is Lamington National Park. It is a wonderful park. My class took a "walk" there which was actually a 14k hike, and we got to see an extensive amount of it's natural splendor. There are vines hanging across the path, waterfalls, giant stinging trees, and about ever toxic fruit you could imagine. It's like walking straight into the Tarzan movie, only significantly more dangerous.
We were allowed to taste a natural lime though, as they are the one non-toxic fruit there. It was extremely sour, but had an oddly nice aftertaste.

Now, it is worth mentioning that the term "Lamington" refers not just to a place, but also to a fabulous chocolate covered sponge cake dessert. Sometimes they also have a dusting of coconut, which really just ruins it for me, but if you can find the kind without that, or get your hands on some homemade Lamingtons, they really are special. Enough to ruin any diet. I must learn to make them.

The Healing Properties of Coffee

Ever have one of those nights where you stay up studying thinking, "Wow, I will never understand what this teacher meant", and then you look at the clock and realize it's 3a.m.? Well, I had one of those nights.
Or mornings I guess as the case was. And after three short hours of sleep I made my way to school to take the exam. Now, a couple hours later, I can't actually remember what the exam was about. I simply remembering answering all the questions and then staring at the wall for five minutes afterwards until they let us leave.
Luckily, I have a solution for mornings such as these. A vanilla latte.
Until this week I had successfully cut my coffee intake down to a once a week treat. I was so proud of myself. But then projects and exams got in my way. I hate how they always sneak up on me like this...

So the coffee addiction has hit again. I will go back to my abstinence from it's creamy goodness next week. Maybe. Wish me luck.

Okay, It's Official

I am ready to be done with school. I was clearing old papers off my computer, and I realized that I have written about a hundred papers that meant almost nothing, and that I can't recall writing in the first place. Clearly school has required far too many useless assignments. Almost all of my biology classes I have taken information away from that will stay in my head for plenty of future years, but I have also taken far too many classes that I barely remember.
It's sad. Sad that I wasted that time when I should have been in classes that actually meant something to me. Not filling credits into random requirements. I am ready to be done. I want to move on to graduate school or medical school where I will be only taking courses that apply to my area of interest. That actually sounds like fun.

My Current Irritation

You know that feeling when you go to take a test and you're all "Hey, this will be fine, I know these things". It's a good feeling. However, there are times when that feeling goes away instantly because you sit down, and half your test is missing. It simply is not printed. Then half the questions are missing because they are on an unprinted page, your professors cell phone starts ringing, the whole class laughs because the entire thing is absurd... and there goes all that mental calm along with your expected decent grade.
Really, if you are going to write an exam that is worth 50% of your student's grade, you should at least allow them to take the whole exam. But that's just my opinion. Also, the no cell phone rule should apply to professors, because it's just as distracting for the students as for them.

Pathogens and Bug Bites

Last night I was meant to be studying. Instead, I counted my bug bites. I have 42. They itch like mad. I am also taking a class that is all about the pathogens transmitted by arthropods. I am not convinced that I am going to come home with one. That or I need to get a blood test before I come home clearing myself of all possible sicknesses. Really, 42.
Also, the 3 year old I am living with yesterday walked into my room and said "There is heaps of your messes on this floor". Yes, thank you, I am aware. Unfortunately, when I get stressed out, I make messes. Due to the number of exams and assignments due in the next couple weeks, I am becoming stressed out.
Plus, obviously I need to worry about dying suddenly due to a pathogen. I am going to come home paranoid, and bleach-happy. Also, did you know that on average 100,000 mites live in a square meter of carpet. Yes, that is a lovely little fact I learned in class. Just in case you wanted to know.

Brampton: The Complete Story

Alright. I sit here with my cup of tea ready to tell you the full story of my time on the Island. Or... more likely, the short version that I will embellish in later posts. Let's just see what happens.

First of all, I left my Australian home at a really terribly early hour to catch a train. That train took me to another train. I took that train to the airport, where I took a plane to Mackay. I then took a taxi to the marina, where we took a sailboat to the Island. It was during this sailing leg of the journey that I met the people who were running the project, and had time to talk to the other girls on the trip (there was one boy on the trip, a German dude who I think was a little overwhelmed by being surrounded by the rest of us talkative females). It was very interesting. At first, we tried to leave the marina on the boat, but ended up going back because someone had wired something wrong and the steering was rather ineffective. After that hiccup was resolved, we were back to the open ocean. At which point a couple of the girls got sea sick, and the rest of us, sitting at the front of the boat got soaking wet. Little did I know that thi
s would be the start to days of soggy-ness.

Due to the steering problem we finally arrived to the Island just as the sun was setting, and got to set up camp in the semi-darkness. This would have been okay, but my tent mate and I were helping set up the German boy's tent, and were getting very frustrated because we couldn't make the rain fly fit properly (We found out the next morning that the rain fly was actually built wrong, and there was no way to make it fit correctly in the first place).

Anyway, our frustrated selves went over to the cooking area where we made a wonderful BBQ and tea. It was warm and good and wonderful. We went to bed with warm little bubbles in our chests. And then it poured. I'm talking a storm. Our tents sounded like they were going to take flight in the wind. And the rain was loud enough to keep even me awake. For those of you who have ever seen me sleep, you understand that this noise must have been akin to a drum in my ear.

Over the next couple days our routine was somewhat the same. We woke up, waited for a break in the rain, RAN to the cooking shelter, had tea, coffee, Milo (a wonderful Australian invention that deserves it's own blog post), eggs, bacon, and cereal, and waited for the rain/wind to die down enough to do something. During these rainy days we actually accomplished quite a bit. We weeded out some invasive plant species, had the guy who knows everything about everything tell us about all the native plants and animals, got stuck out on the reef in a storm, went on a hike around the island and again got stuck in a storm... see the trend? Storm. Outdoors in the storm. Needless to say we went through a LOT of tea. We were all very cold. It was... special. I did however love everything that I was learning. It was amazing to have someone there who could answer every question you came up with, and the food was great, and I was in little bio-nerd heaven. It made me so happy. Plus, during our hike we saw some wild kangaroos, some really awesome birds, and some fish. However, on one of the beaches we also saw a frightening amount of garbage and plastic (sea turtles eat it and then it gives them infections. Bad news. Please recycle). The trail was also covered in invasive species, since WildMob hadn't had the time to work to that side of the Island yet. But I have no doubt that by the time the Brampton Island project is done they will have made a very notable positive impact.

The last couple days on the Island were quite sunny. We were very happy with this change in the weather, as it allowed for snorkeling, and dry clothes. We were able to walk on the reef during low tide and not get caught in a storm, which meant we could actually see and hear properly. That was amazing. We saw all sorts of corals, had the turtle sighting, saw some crabs, the whole lot really. And then when we were snorkeling we saw sharks, turtles, all sorts of fish (I will save you from the long explanation that I subjected my nemesis to), some sting rays, and a whole mess of corals, plants, and little crabs. It was amazing. However, let me just say, wetsuits are not the most comfortable things I have ever put on, nor are they flattering in the slightest. But there you are.

After this we unfortunately needed to head back to civilization, so off we went on the boat.. then the taxi, then the plane, then another taxi, then a train, and then a final taxi.
Upon my arrival home I had an Easter package from my mother containing some much appreciated chocolate, socks, and a season of Big Bang Theory. I then promptly slept for 12 hours.
I should also note that a couple days later I got another much appreciated box of chocolate in the mail from my grandparents. It made the whole ugh-I-am-back-at-school-not-swimming-with-sea-turtles thing much more bearable. So thank you.

Now, I will finish my tea, and start studying. I hope you enjoy reading about the island.

Photos of Brampton Island

Sweet Grass, Sky Gods

The night before we left Brampton Island the weather had finally cleared so that all the stars were visible. The group of us ended up sitting on the beach looking up at the constellations. At first we just found the Southern Cross, something that looked like the big dipper, and other constellations that we knew about. Then one of the leaders started pointing out shapes in the sky that were important to indigenous tribes. Now, the aboriginal people used to smoke a sweet grass and stare into the sky late at night. Rather than looking at the patterns of the stars, they looked at the shapes of the dark patches between stars. There is one patch that is a god, and he lays down and then slowly stands up as the night goes on and everything rotates. It's pretty cool. There is also a kangaroo, and emu, and some other random creatures. The God is the only one that really obviously stands out without the sweet grass. But hey, we did our best. After a little while we pointed out all the constellations that we knew about, and started just making up our own.
The first was a smiley face. Pointed out by one of the project leaders. She was the only one who could see it. Regardless of how many times she gave us directions to it via the God's shoulder, we really couldn't see it.
Not until she mentioned that you needed to look sideways.
Great. So we are all sitting there with our necks all folded looking for this smiley face. They she goes "well, it's not a face, there are no eyes. It's just the smile. SO really it's just a half circle. Sort of". At that point we all saw it. It was indeed sort of a half circle if you torqued your neck the proper way.
Meanwhile another girl had found what looked like a shark (to her) right next to the God. So at this point we had a God, a shark, and a smile.
"I've got myself a house" comes a comment from the same leader who found the "smile". So we all spent quite a few minutes trying to see her house. It didn't happen. Not until the shark girl found a three leaf clover right under it. Now, the clover actually stands out really obviously, so that was rather easy to see, and by giving us instructions via the clover, we were all able to imagine the leader's house.
Now, this particular leader has a really good imagination because she saw a coffee percolator above the God's head. Now, granted, if you added an extra star in, and had rather a vivid imagination, the percolator was CLEARLY there.
Adding these things, mixed with aboriginal creatures and the moral goes like this:
One upon a time, you rode your kangaroo across the tree leaf clover to your house. The next morning you wake up and ride your kangaroo over to the God, who is obviously also a barista (makes for a really cool aboriginal God, don't you think?) who uses the coffee percolator above his head to make two cups of coffee. One for you, and one for the shark next to him. This sequence of events makes everyone happy, as seen by the smile.
It's a great myth.
For some reason, the other leader didn't want to hear about it in detail.

See That Tail? It's Not A Tail.

Male sea turtles apparently have rather large penises that are easily mistaken for tails. I found this out while on Brampton Island with a conservation project. I was there for six days, and it was by far the best week I have had in Australia. We were talking on top of the Great Barrier Reef during low tide, and behold! A sea turtle. It was massive. Probably around seventy years old. Just chillin in a shallow pool, all by it's lonesome. Now, this island usually attracts the female turtles because it's a popular egg laying spot for them during the summer, so everyone was referring to the turtles as "she". The marine biologist on the trip started laughing and said, no that's for sure a "he". We all looked rather confused, so another biologist on the trip explained by saying "you see that tail? That's no tail. This poor bloke is hiding in the pool from his lady friends".
We laughed.
For ages.

Waterfalls, Puddles, Leeches

The week before last I went on a escapade with a friend into the mountains north of Brisbane. It was glorious. We skipped school and got some good old nature time in. The park was beautiful, with trails that lead to campsites via waterfalls.Unfortunately, the weather was dreadful. However, I can now say that I experienced the Australian rainforest in the pouring rain. For two days. And slept in a puddle. Or rather... didn't sleep in a puddle I suppose. Although, this is Australia we are talking about, so even with sleeping in a puddle I was very warm all night. Either way, the views along the trails were totally worth the rain and wind and soggy-ness, and the experience was cool all in itself. Parts of the forest that contained the eucalyptus were particularly nice because of the smell. It smelled like fresh rain and eucalyptus. Simply wonderful.

Now, I don't know if you are aware or not, but when you go into the mountains during a rather wet couple of days, the leeches come out to play. They tried about forty times to eat me alive. It was interesting. I stupidly cut my fingernails the day before we left on this trip, so the only way to get them off was to scrape them away with a stick. Even then, with this caveman tool of mine, they attacked me for the entire trip. It was annoying. I was bloody. My clothes were wet, smelly, and bloody. I am surprised my host mom didn't think someone had tried to murder me when I got home. Although, a vampire attack would have been more reasonable since I was having my blood sucked.
Australia does seem to be the place to experience all forms of wildlife. However, again, though the weather didn't share it's love with us, and we were being bled by the annelids, I am quite happy that I got out on this little camping trip and away from the stress of education and social constructs. Just us, the waterfalls, and the mud. Almost perfect.

Bus Sunburn

It seems that I am pale enough to get sunburnt through a bus window. Note that I was only on the bus for about fifteen minutes. Maybe it was just magic? Maybe Katie graduated from Hogwarts and used her witch abilities to burn me internationally.
Unlikely.

On better and more interesting news, I am officially going to do the WildMob Brampton Island conservation project. I AM SO STOKED. It's hopefully going to be epic. The people who are going seem really really nice, and overall I am hoping that it will be a really positive experience. It is a chance to get out in the wildlife away from the phone and internet and connect with sand. Sand, turtles, the reef, and some cool plants. It's like every little biologists dream. Anyway, I will probably post tons of photos and full descriptions after my trip which starts on the 26th and ends on the 1st. So, in case anyone wants to get ahold of me during those days, just know that you can't, and I'm not trying to ignore you.

Also, it seems that I have the opportunity to run around in the wilderness more often now that the sun isn't going to fry me alive, so chances are my blog posts will be less frequent and discuss more interesting things like trees, rocks, and decaying plant matter (aka dirt). Be excited.

Bare Feet, Ice Cream, Mosquitoes Like Cheese

Evidently it is totally normal, acceptable, and common to be barefoot at all times in Australia. In fact, you can walk into a store, or restaurant without a shirt or shoes and nobody even notices. Now, considering most people dress up and wear dresses everyday, or slacks, it is a bit funny to see them without shoes. But it happens. A barefoot man across the grass from me is wearing a tie. This phenomenon is messing with my brain. Perhaps this is what they mean by culture shock...

Now, another interesting note: all fancy drinks here contain ice cream. And yet, there are a bunch of skinny people. But the fruit smoothies have ice cream, not yogurt. The iced coffee is more like a coffee-ice cream float. It's glorious. Maybe espresso injected ice cream makes better for you? I'm not sure, but I like it.

To continue with interesting facts apparently you can make a mosquito trap with cheese, because some of the bacteria that is on your skin causing body odor, is closely related to the bacteria that ages cheese. The mosquitoes are attracted to your skin, and like-wise they can be attracted to the cheese. Bizarre, but true.

XXXX

The XXXX brewery is conveniently located in Brisbane. While Ryan was here with me we went on the tour and tasting which I had also done with Mom. Luckily we had a different tour guide, so I actually listened to a whole different set of information. At least it's good to know that they aren't working off a set script, and are telling you what they think is most interesting to them. It makes the experience much more personal.
When you start the tour they show you a video about the history of beer, which claims that beer is the reason that civilization evolved. Now, although this is probably far from the truth, I think it is interesting to know that beer was the more sanitary alternative to water in many parts of the world a few thousand years ago.
After the video is a tour of the brewery with informational boards throughout. It's really very interesting to see the whole process on a large scale, after my cousins and I made beer in a bucket. The brewery itself has massive tins that hold the beer as it's being brewed, as well as hundreds of kegs being carried around the facility.
At the end of the tour they take you to the tasting room and let you "taste" four full sized beers. Ryan and I had to split some food to enable us to get through the beers. We ended up only finishing three because I had to rush off to class (bad idea). In my opinion all the beers that we tasted were good, but the XXXX summer beer is my personal favorite so far.

A World Without Graham Crackers...

...is a sad world. Mostly because this means that it is also a place without s'mores.
Australia has no s'mores. None. They have no graham crackers.

How could we let this happen? I feel like they are deprived of a campfire necessity. I was really surprised when I found this out. It's a little bit upsetting to think about all the little Aussie kids running around that have never had a s'more.

All Wrapped Up

In sushi. Australians eat sushi like it's going out of fashion. And not just the asians who live in Australia. No, the white (well, tan) BBQ loving australians are the ones who buy it for lunch everyday. Although, this may be because people who are actually asian know that this aussie sushi isn't real sushi.

For instance, mine was smoked salmon and avocado rolled in rice and seaweed. It was so good. But hardly authentic. Likewise, they have California rolls here, although nobody has been to California, and they don't look or taste the same. Maybe they just couldn't think of another name? I am not sure. 

And their fish sauce? It's soy sauce in little plastic fish containers... no actual fish sauce. You can get fish sauce... but it doesn't come in a little fish. I find something wrong with this. Perhaps this sushi addiction can account for all the skinny people here?

My Friends Rock

In the last two days I have gotten a postcard from Cameron that was two donkeys, and a postcard from Leigh that was a gnome. My host family seemed to find them odd on both occasions, but they brought be great happiness.
You guys are so great. All my friends are great, and I feel so lucky to have all of your support. What with the friendly emails, facebook messages, postcards, letters, and skype sessions I feel so much love! So this is me letting you all know how much I appreciate your friendship. You guys are all wonderful.

Marsupial Cows

Once upon a time, tens of thousands of years ago, there were marsupial cows. They are now extinct. Along with the majority of all marsupial species to exist.
Now, you may be thinking to yourself "Wow, how fascinating!" but chances are you don't care about the marsupial cow, hippo sized or not. In fact, personally, reading about this cow made me fall straight asleep... at 8 pm. Thrilling.
I will admit that although this class started out being really interesting, it has gotten progressively more dull. I really would rather learn about bugs. Luckily I have a whole class devoted to that topic. It's what's keeping my brain alive right now. Bugs are fascinating.
Marsupial cows are not.
Stinging plants: Also interesting.
Extinct marsupial dogs: Not so much.
Sadly the most interesting things about the Australian environment are those which I am not learning in class, and thus have no reason to study. Something is wrong with that picture. Oh well, I doubt it's a problem that can be solved within the limits of "education".

Goodness Me

I have now been in Australia for 42 whole days. I don't know where the time has gone. Away.. somewhere.
However, to make myself feel like I haven't been wasting time I realized that I have 89 more days to explore this country and make the most of my time here.
Don't worry everyone, I will come home eventually. Mom can stop worrying that I will just want to more here and stay. I am beginning to miss things like Apple Fritters (WHICH THEY DON'T HAVE HERE), and all my friends that I love <3
Plus, I think I may be getting fat on BBQ...

Roos and Koalas

That is a kangaroo. That is a kangaroo who was very interested in my camera. She followed me around hoping that I would give her all the food that I had. It was adorable. She lives at the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary where Ryan and I went Thursday. Now, I had just been there a few short weeks ago, but let me tell you, playing with kangaroos just doesn't get old. Imagine that.
I was in love.

Ryan too had very much fun petting them, feeding them, and otherwise admiring them. We also saw the koalas and he got to hold one, which was pretty epic. Unfortunately it started pouring rain in the middle of the day, and we both got very wet. Particularly because Ryan happened to lose our umbrella the previous day.
We dried off at the cafe that's in the sanctuary, and I attempted to get some homework done on my phone as Ryan went off too look at more animals.
I never thought I would hear myself say this, but I think that seeing little reptiles running across my path has actually lost is novelty. It's just not exciting anymore. Cool, yes, but not exciting.

After we went to the koalas we came back to the city, got a coffee, and headed home. Overall, a wonderful day spent in Australia.

Modern Art

Ryan and I had a very productive day

In Brisbane, the gallery of Modern Art is epic. You get from the third floor to the first floor via slide. There is a movie that was made by tying a camera to a dog. There is a table with thousands of legos, and anyone can make their own creations. There are papers upstairs where you can draw whatever you want. There is a balloon room.
Need I say more?
This building has got to be every big kids dream. I can't see why nerdy people such as myself aren't packed in there like sardines.
And that is besides the actual exhibits, which were really awesome in their own right. There were people who did art with neon lights. There was a giant neon light brain.
In one room people were allowed to walk into this box that had little balls hanging from the ceiling and was totally reflective. It felt like space went on forever. And the black light actually made me look tan. I loved it.
In short, this has got to be the coolest building that I have ever been in. What a good day.

We also went on a CityCat ride, which is basically Brisbane's ferry system. It was fun, but I was actually somewhat cold. But the boat was nice, and Ryan seemed to like it.
And I went to class, but that was almost too boring to mention, as it was a bioinformatics practical.

Sun and Sand, but no Tan

Looks pretty good, huh?

This is where Ryan and I spent our Sunday with my host family and the people who live just next door. We both have the sunburns to prove it. They are bad enough that sleeping on my back is painful. Mind you, I did put on sunscreen. 

Anyway, the sand is wonderful and pure and almost white. The waves are perfect and it's so warm that you can swim in the ocean and it actually feels nice. I was amazed. I loved it. 

However, there was so much salt in the water that I was tasting salt in my hair even after I took a shower. 

The people we went with were all very nice. I swam with the little girl from next door, which probably scared her mom half to death, but we had fun. Overall it was one of the best Sunday adventures that I have had here in Australia. 

Ryan said while we were there "I wish we had beaches like this at home."

That's how good it was. 

I Found the Brother

After a very long plane ride Ryan finally made it to Australia. He was tired and smelled terrible, but after a shower and a rather lazy day he was back in tip top travel shape. The woman who is in the host family that I am staying with took us to the Ipswitch zoo, which is actually a park that they have native animal exhibits in. It was really cool, and ryan got to see his first kangaroo. 

The next day we went to the beach with the neighbors, but the beach really deserves it's own post, so I will fill you in on all of it's charms later. 

This morning we went on a grand search for a Starbucks. My keen sense for finding Starbucks served us well, and we were there at 9 this morning. It was great. Totally a successful morning. Who needs to go to class anyway? 

Not me. 

Anyway, I am enjoying my brother's visit, and for all of you who are worrying, he is safe here with me. 

Snickerdoodles are Foreign!

Two days ago, I receive the best package ever in the mail. And about two thirds of this package was filled with snickerdoodles :) Thank you Cameron. They are wonderful cookies. They have in fact replaces breakfast and lunch meals for me over the last two days. It was put me in a really sunny disposition. The whole world benefits.

Now, I thought that snickerdoodles were a common cookie, but apparently I was wrong. I asked my homestay family if they wanted a snickerdoodle, and they looked at me like I was crazy until they saw cookies in my hand. Evidently snickerdoodles do not exist in Australia. This seemed somewhat tragic, so I was convinced that SOMEONE in Australia would know what they are.

I was wrong. I have yet to find an Australian that doesn't look at me and slowly say "snicker...doodle?" in their Aussie accents. It makes me giggle every time. Truly awesome. Anyway, there is a boy who is in two classes with me, and we were discussing Australia's cookie deficiency when I shared a snickerdoodle with him. He loved it. Maybe Cameron is an especially good cookie cook? I mean, baker. Yes, perhaps. Either way, this boy then said that they don't have cookies here as much because everyone opts for cold desserts.

I then explained the concept of a cookie-ice cream sandwich. Someone needs to come over here and make a store that specializes in this. It would be such a hit in this country. Also, they need to know about the wonders of bubble tea. Someone come fill this void!!!

My Biology Class

As some of you may know, I am taking a class about Australia's environment. The textbook for this class is one of the few texts I have read that actually HELPS you understand the topic. In fact, the book is so good, that I barely see the point of going to class at all. There is literally everything that we learn in lecture all nicely laid out in this book. How fabulous.

This means, that on days when I am feeling less than inclined to go to class, I can take the book out to a bench my the lake on campus and read in the sunshine for an hour. This is what I did yesterday, and I am convinced that I learned about three times as much teaching myself than I would have by going to lecture.

I might mention that the class itself would be much more informative if it weren't full of people who neglect the textbook entirely. You see, this is a biology class, and although it's not a first year biology class, you apparently don't need to have an understanding of basic biology to get in. In fact, judging by my classmates, this is the class to take if you failed highschool biology. The amount of people in this class who don't know how cells work, and don't know what stomata are is simply astounding. Why on Earth would someone sign up for a class that they have no foundation for? I mean, you WILL have an examination on it. That will happen. And if you don't understand the basics, how can you expect yourself to understand the covered topics enough to explain them later?

It is beyond me. This same classmate issue also means that the lecture itself has to be brought down to a painfully simple level. However, now I have had a good review on what kinds of soils there are, how we determine if something is living, what carbon dating is, etc. Not that the review was strictly necessary. But I got it anyway. The big highlight of this class is that near my birthday they are taking us all to the Australia Zoo. I am SO STOKED. 

Australian Coke

For some reason, it seems that America is the only country where Coke doesn't have real cane sugar in it. Mexico does, Australia does... I can't recall if the other places I have been have or not. But really, considering how much Coke the US goes though, you would think we could get the good stuff. But no, we get synthetic nasties in our soft drinks.

I am officially boycotting American soft drinks. Which, you know, will be really easy for the next three months as I will not actually be in America. But, you know, it's about the spirit, right? Or maybe I will just boycott the nasty ones and drink the Hansen brand drinks that have all sorts of real things in them. Better yet, I will make my own soda. Take that commercialized American companies!

Not that Coke is a bad company or anything, they do actually have scholarships and things for students, so they are doing something right, but in terms of sugar content, I am disappointed.  I pointed out to my host family how lucky they are to have real coke, and they just concluded that Americans settle too often for eating nasty things, so the companies just take advantage. Also, it turns out that Australia grows it's own cane sugar in large amounts, so Coke has ready access to a supply.

Cheers!

Bugs! I mean... Insects

One of the classes that I am taking here in Australia is about arthropods. In case you don't know, arthropods is just a fancy way of saying bugs. And let me tell you, they are FASCINATING. The best part is that while learning about them, I am not only learning about the bugs I see at home, but also the ones here.
Every now and then I see a dead bug on the ground, or one bites me and I squish it. Normally this wouldn't interest anyone, but I can look at the bug, count it's wings classify it and then somehow relate it to what I am listening to in lecture. It's so great. It's like a practical application to what I am learning while I sit in that quiet dark room, staring at the screen.
However, this class is also making me paranoid about bug bites, because we aren't just learning about the bugs. We are learning about all the problems that they cause in regards to human health. I will likely come home and go straight to the doctor being convinced that I have some life threatening protozoan floating around my system feeding off my life juices.
Because we all know that I need to be more neurotic. Oh well, it's interesting, and now whenever you show me a bug I will tell you all about it in horrific detail. Aren't you excited?

Train Travel

To get to school everyday I have to take the train for about thirty minutes. Sometimes this trip is totally uneventful, however there are also days where it is the most entertaining thing that I experience for the next eight hours.
For instance, yesterday, there was a rather old man sitting there with hair growing out the tip of his nose. Not the nostril. No, it was the nose surface. Just a little tuft of white hair. He was discussing Harry Potter with the elderly man sitting next to him, and they both had so much of the story wrong that had to suppress laughing. Another day I was sitting there and in the course of thirty minutes I saw three different disney character tattoos, all on men. One of those men had dreadlocks. One night on the way home I got on the train with a whole load full of people dressed in animal costumes. I can only hope that they were going to a themed party.
There is one man who seems to be a regular on the 7 a.m. train. He sits there wearing the same short green shorts everyday, with the same sweatbands, and the same running shoes. He really quite overweight which makes the whole thing rather funny. On top of this seems to always be reading a Star Wars novel... yet he appears to be making no progress with it since he is always in the middle of the same book. It's bizarre.
Overall I am quite enjoying my morning people watching, although my original plans for reading on the train have become more of a funny joke between myself and I.

Attention World: I Have Made Contact with Mustard

It seems that the nerdy little haven that I hang out in is the only place on campus (or anywhere as I have found) where you can get mustard on whatever you like. They just have a bottle of it for you to use at your leisure. Nerds would be the ones to save me.
I am actually starting to appreciate even physics majors just because of this little cafe/study spot that I have found. Currently "Jailhouse rock" is playing and about 16 people are actively discussing their chemistry homework together. I feel like I have found my place. Now if I can just locate the biology table, we will be in good shape.
Also, besides the mustard, they sell potato wedges in huge boxes. The perfect vehicle for the mustard to reach my mouth. Yes, I have in fact found my new cave. You may expect to find me here for the next four months. Send all information via messenger kangaroo.

Toilet Talk

Apparently at this University they have a problem with the improper use of toilets. I am seeing this sign in almost every stall. It makes me laugh almost every time I have to use the restroom. People in the stalls next to me probably think I am a lunatic. 

It's funny though, isn't it? 

On a more serious note, I have discovered the best bathroom/toilet on campus. It is in a building where they are very few classrooms, and mostly labs which I am guessing contain some rather... particular scientists. The toilets are spotless. They always have toilet paper. The stalls are roomy and the sinks always have soap. It is the best place to pee on campus. I have class in the building twice a week and make sure to stop in here before and after class. If it wasn't in a rather remote corner, I would probably make detours to use this toilet. It's that good. 

Or the other ones are that bad... I suppose it depends on which way you look at it. Either way, I am very happy about my latest discovery. 

My New Addiction

It's official. I have a newfound addiction to blogs. Last night while unable to sleep I was just looking though other people's blogs. There are blogs on every topic you would ever want to read about. I found the need to read about knitting, and I was overwhelmed with the amount of people blogging about their projects and their patterns and their everything else.
However, this one I particularly liked: http://crazyknittinglady.wordpress.com/ She's funny, and makes cool things. I was really excited. I thought that I should share.

Also, a warning to everyone at home: with all the blogs spelling out how to do various crafts, it is perfectly likely that I will be spending quite a bit of time at odd hours of the night doing these things. Therefore, my mother especially, should not be surprised to find jars of bacteria, half knit projects, cheese kits, quilting instructions, origami, or any number of other things in my room. I feel like this is adequate warning. That is all. 

Tadpoles and Iron Man

So this weekend I did almost nothing other than homework so that I will hopefully have very little of it to do when my brother comes to visit in a couple weeks. Well, although I mainly sat on my bed a read various articles and textbooks, I did have a constant stream of entertainment coming from a three-year-old.
He spent one afternoon with the neighbor collecting tadpoles from a pond and moving them to the kiddie swimming pool. There they let them go and re-caught them for hours. They came inside drenched in mud multiple times for a video game break.

The next night I was read 4 books by the same child, which was really funny because two of the books were in Dutch. So I didn't know if they stories he was making up were close to right or not. So really, it was fine. Afterwards he build something out of blocks and Red Iron Man spent a good half an hour defending it from "bad guys".

Needless to say, watching this was way more entertaining than actually reading my textbook, so my genetics lecture today is going to be a total surprise. Maybe that will help me stay awake during it... :)

The Common Murse

While sitting under a palm tree in the company of the wild turkey-like birds I found myself watching people walk around the courtyard to their various classes. Which in all honesty turned out detrimental to my article-reading mission. But hey, I can read articles at home. I can only people-watch Australians for the next four months.

Well out of my various observations the one that seemed most interesting was how many men carry purses  (or murses, or whatever you want to call them). Almost every man on campus has some sort of rainbow or natural fiber bag that they carry around. If they aren't carrying one, they are carrying a backpack, but i would venture to say that the backpack is the less common option.

And now that I am looking more closely the examples of murses, I have realized that men don't look half bad with them. In fact, it's really practical because they don't get those funny wallet marks on their butt pockets. My brother knows that I find those marks annoying. I bought him one of those thin mighty wallets just though it wouldn't happen to his jeans. Anyway, the murse solves this all together. AND I saw a guy whip out tissues when someone next to him in class started sneezing. Needless to say, I was impressed by how prepared he was.

So all in all, I think the murse trend is beneficial to the whole butt-pocket-tissue-reading issue that we all face. Anyway, you learn a new thing everyday they say, and today I learned about man-purses.

Important and Life Changing Information: What is the Coffee Like?

Australia coffee is good. They all hate Starbucks. Are those two things related? I'm not sure.
Anyway, if you go to a coffee shop here the coffee is wonderful and smooth and creamy. Like a little coffee waterfall running over your tongue.

Splendid. Absolute caffeinated bliss.

However, if you order coffee somewhere that is not a coffee establishment... it takes like mud in a cup. Or maybe poison. Either way, it should not go down your throat. It is not worthy of being in your body.
At least, that has been my experience so far.

Also, apparently in this part of the country a cappuccino has chocolate sprinkled on top. Everywhere you go, this is how they give them to you. There really isn't a reason for it, but it happens. And who would complain about a little chocolate to sweeten their morning? 

My Play Date with Koalas

While my mother was still here we made the trip to the Koala Sanctuary. It was SO COOL. These still guys are quite lazy and spend nearly all their time asleep or munching on leaves. But boy are they cute. At the sanctuary they are split up by age and you can go around seeing all sorts of them. 

Not only can you look at these little marsupials, but you can hold one if you pay a fee. They are soft. Like really, really soft. Of course I paid the fee to hold one, because really, how could you resist? you couldn't. They are begging to be held. Well, not really, they don't seem to like some people, and one of the koalas refused to let me hold her, but they LOOK like they want to be held. 

Also at the sanctuary is a group of Kangaroos. That you can feed and pet. I know, it's almost the coolest thing you have heard about today. They aren't quite as soft as a koala, but they have really cute little noses. I spent a good bit of time trying to feed them, but they are fed by so many people everyday it's really a wonder that they are ever hungry at all. 

Just look at that nose. 

In addition to these guys the sanctuary also has sheep, birds of prey, and almost every other Australian animal you might wish to see. Including all the reptiles. It is like every biologists personal heaven. I was really excited about everything that I saw for days afterwards. 

Talk about an epic Saturday. 

On the Topic of Scientific Literacy

In class this morning my teacher was talking about Climate Change and how maybe different misinterpretations about it exist. Now one of the main points of his lecture was that few people in the general populous are "scientifically literate". What does this mean? According to his definition it meant that they did not know enough about science to be able to weigh evidence and assess the validity of statements coming from the scientific field.

Now, I don't deny that many people can't read a bit of primary literature and make sense out of it. It's really a difficult thing to do. You need a lot of practice to make head of tails out of some of those papers. However, I don't think that this stems only from a general lack of scientific knowledge.

For instance last year I took a class about teaching biology to highschoolers. It was a really wonderful class, one of my favorites at UW. During one of our group discussions the teacher asked all of us students (mostly people getting a masters in teaching biology) to explain the statistical analysis in the paper we were reading. The surprising thing was that only four of us knew what it was. The other remaining future science teachers had no idea, but just read that they results were "statistically significant". Now, is this the fault of the scientists in the room? Or did this also have something to do with the people writing the papers?

First of all, the general education system doesn't teach people to be able to dissect a scientific paper. There isn't really time to teach something like that when we are worried about doing well on the SAT.
Second of all, scientist are not educated heavily in literature, or english, or communication in general. So what we end up with is a bunch of people who can't read papers that were written my scientist that use very confusing english. Great. So I don't really agree with scientist or professors who are saying that people can't understand scientific literature because they don't understand science. Half of the time I don't understand scientific literature, and I consider myself to be a scientifically literate person. And this issues doesn't just surround the study of climate change. It also effects people's understanding of health, diet, exercise, climate change, and any number of other scientific fields that relate to the welfare of people.

I am a little disappointed with the lack of education on both sides of the issue. On a side note, my teacher has got to be the cutest little nerdy man on the planet. His name is Nigel and he as a squeaky voice. It's fabulous.

Classes are for learning?

Everyone seems to be asking me what classes I am taking while I am here, so I though I would just inform the world all at once, and add in little tidbits about how the classes here actually work. Right, so, the list:

1. Biological adaption to climate change- This class contains more hippies than any other class I have ever taken.  For the record, hippies in Australia don't brush their hair or wear shoes either. It's almost like being in Bellingham. Just kidding Bellingham kids! Only some of you are that way.

2. Australia's Terrestrial Environment- A class full to the brim with international students. Really, the only Australian accent comes from the teacher. It's mildly upsetting. But, he is actually really cool, so I guess it's okay. He was even understanding when the entire class came late the first day because we were all lost. Talk about a nice guy.

3. Arthropods and Human Health- This class will actually be really interesting, but the main teacher seems to make it more boring than it needs to be. When the teacher is more boring than the powerpoint, we have a problem. Seriously.

4. Genomics and Bioinformatics- Please don't ask me what this is about, because it's the second week, and I'm not sure I've figured it out yet...
Promising I know.



Now to the interesting bits. Apparently everyone here is very well accustomed to the public transportation system. It is totally understood when you are late to class because of a bus. It is completely understood if you are just late to class. It doesn't bother anyone. Yesterday, my teacher answered his phone mid-lecture. He then informed us that he would prefer if we didn't do that. But still. The level of relaxation in the classroom is so... welcoming.  I think, and get this, I think it actually HELPS YOU LEARN. You know, not being stressed out all day, might allow things to sink into your head better. What an idea.
On that note, nothing here is graded on a curve. The teachers barely grade you on anything at all. They want you to learn. It's like I stepped into a whole new world here. I am shocked. Pleasantly surprised is more like it. Why have we not adopted this system at home?

Anyway, I have found myself here with a fresh desire to learn things. I feel fantastic.

The Happy Nerd

Mother Daughter Smiles

What is that? Is THAT a TAN?

No, it's an ever-increasing density of freckles. The only thing that my skin is able to accomplish. Freckles. Not only do I look like a fake-n-bake, but I am a spotted one. Tragedy.
It seems that I am doomed to forever be pale, at least between the nice little brown spots that are popping up everywhere. I found one on my knuckle. Does that really happen? Well, it happens to me.

From now on, I will stick to sunscreen and "bronzer".

Much Missing of Mustard

Ladies and Gents,

Could you imagine that I have a craving for mustard? Could you really fathom it? Well I do. And unfortunately Australia seems to only have real mustard. You know the kind. You can tell it comes from mustard seed, because they nasty little seed bits are still in it? Yeah, that kind.

But do they have normal so-called mustard? The mild yellow sauce that usually appears on chicken nuggets? No, not really. There is a severe lack. A lack of fake mustard. How could they?

Well they did. And now I am left with an unquenchable craving.

Irony in the Garden

One day while my mother was here in Australia with me we went to the botanical gardens. Let the first point be that they are stunning. Absolutely beautiful. Both the ones in Brisbane city as well as the one a little outside the city on Mt. Coot-tha. Well first we found ourselves among the vegetation in the city, looking at beautiful warped trees: pines of all shapes and sizes, what I now know to be relatives of monkey puzzle trees, and many many others. I was in love. There were even epiphytes. Could any nerdy biology student ask for more?

Well yes, apparently they can. After exploring the city garden we headed up the hill (mountain according to the people of Brisbane) to the botanical garden and planetarium. These gardens not only had the same diversity of trees, but also a herb garden containing a cinnamon tree! I had never seen one before! Talk about something to set the nerves on fire. There was also a fern house, that had ferns of all shapes and sizes, a few of which I had seen in a previous botany class. Realizing that these plants actually lived somewhere outside of lab was just... mind boggling. We then went through a rainforest or tropical house that had cocoa trees, as well as the arabica coffee plant, and some vanilla for good measure. Basically, the garden was one giant mocha of perfection. 

We then wandered through the other bits of forest looking at spiders and lizards on our way until we reached the Japanese garden. There was a nice little introduction telling us how Japan had donated the garden and how all visitors should take a moment to appreciate the silence, and listen to the trickle of water. Well, we had every intention of following such directions. Until of course we were sitting on the nice little bench and began to hear music. Not trickling water. Music. And not just any music, but the theme song to Pirates of the Caribbean. 

Oh yes, here we are sitting in a lovely peaceful Japanese garden on a mountain in the middle of Australia, and we hear the Pirates theme song over the loud speaker. Quickly followed by the Mission Impossible theme song no less. It was irony at it's finest.

The Brisbane Monk

The Tuesday after arriving in Brisbane, Mom and I found a meditation class that is connected to the system that our temple at home belongs to. It was very exciting. So exciting, that we left the hostel about five hours early to go find it. Well... and to enjoy the surrounding scenery, maybe chance upon some dinner, and quite possibly shop just a little. All these things were accomplished, and more. You see, we realized that our nail polish was chipping. Quite a tragedy. Something just HAD to be done about this. So as we were strolling along towards the meditation class, we ducked inside a nail salon. Now at home, we never go to nail salons, we just pain our own nails like normal people. But we weren't at home, were we? No, certainly not.

Nail salon it was. We went in and waited for about ten minutes while another girl was getting her nails painted and picked out our polish colors. Once the lady working there started painting our nails, Mom took it upon herself to make conversation with the other girl in there. Now, for those of you who don't know, Mom feels the need to make conversation with people everywhere. Something she picked up from her mother. It's a family thing. Anyway, she was talking to this girl when she mentioned that she worked at a cute little Turkish restaurant up the street. Well we both thought that sounded really interesting, so we walked out of the salon, now with orange and red nails, up the street toward the Turkish-y looking place. It wasn't open yet. Sigh.

Well that just forced us to go look in every single one of the cute shops on the street. We simply had no choice, there was nowhere else to go. And they really were cute. All organic a recycled things. Things made by hand, things made in third world countries, or aboriginal people. It was epic. I bought a present for my dear friend Bria in one of the shops. She will love it.

By the time we had gone through every shop that was open the Turkish place was opening up again. Mom and I made our way over there and sat down. We ended up having a very good meal, although for the life of me, I can't remember what it was called that I ate. It had dough... and cheese, so how could it be bad? The meal ended with Turkish coffee, which wasn't horrible, but I think that I MUCH prefer non-turkish coffee.

Finally we made it to the meditation class. Of course we were early, so my mother was making conversation with everyone in the room. We had to wait for the yoga class to end before the meditation class could begin, so there was much chatting happening. When he yoga class ended we helped two very nice people put chairs out and and get the room ready for the class. A good forty people showed up, which is about 32 more people than show up to the class at home. When he monk started teaching the class he branched away from the topic that we thought he was going to be talking about and started talking about how to discipline the mind and be around people that you don't particularly like, or be patient in situations like traffic. Overall a good lesson. In the middle he said "some people just think that everything is hunky-dory tickety-boo". I had to almost bite my own tongue to keep from laughing. Imagine someone saying that in an Australian accent. It was hilarious.
I missed the next five minutes of what he was saying because I was so distracted, and after class I was still thinking about it. We went and introduced ourselves to him, and after helping the same two people that set up put everything away, the monk drove us home. Yes, that's right. We got a ride home with the monk. I was excited. All in all, it was really a very good experience, and along with "kerfuffle" Mom and I added "tickety-boo" to our list of words to use for the rest of the week.

The Great Muffin Kerfuffle

One morning before Mom and I went to go meet our friend Ian, we thought that we might eat breakfast at our hostel. A fine idea, right? Well, yes and no. It was very busy, so we walked up to the flustered cashier and ordered a muffin, a grilled sandwich, and a coke. We paid, took our number, and found a seat. There we sat, just sitting, sitting and chatting...chatting and sitting. And then more sitting. Finally, the sandwich came out, along with the coke, but where was the muffin? Now, let me explain, they keep the muffins in the case, but when you order one they take it out, put it on a plate and heat it for you. Not complex, but it does take time.
Anyway, during this time when we were waiting for the muffin and I was eat my sandwich, I realized that I really wanted a coffee. So, naturally, I went up to order myself one from the increasingly flustered workers. The woman in the line in front of me wasn't there to order anything, but to complain that she hadn't gotten her food yet. The poor man behind the counter explained to her that they really were never this busy, and that they were working as fast as they could, and they were working without a manager. So once he had calmed her he looked at me and immediately started spewing the same story at me until I interrupted him to explain that all I wanted was to order coffee. He was so pleased that I wasn't upset with him over the food that he almost forgot to charge me for the coffee itself.
So I returned to the table to await my coffee and the elusive muffin. About five minutes later another unfortunate worker had to come out and tell us that they had already run out of muffins and asked if we would take banana bread instead. Well, I don't like banana bread, but fortunately my mother does, because she was the one who was going to eat it anyway. So he returned to the kitchen and reappeared with the banana bread, looked at us, and said "sorry about the muffin kerfuffle". Mom and I both thought that it was the funniest word we had heard in a long time, that hearing him say it almost made up for the wait. Thus was our morning. We spent the rest of the trip saying "kerfuffle" at all possible moments. It was great fun.