FINAL POST :(

Everybody said that this would go by quickly, but you never really understand until you experience it for yourself.  Tonight is my last night in Australia after four incredible months.  It’s all still a little surreal.  My bags are packed.  My room is bare.  My fridge is emptied.  But I’m not quite sure how to say goodbye.

A part of me is ready to head back home, spend time with my family, catch up with friends, and keep moving on with my life.  But a part of me wants to stay here in this utopian Coogee bubble, meeting new people, living in a beautiful city and dodging everything that requires responsibility.

For those of you who have followed my blog, you know how wonderful studying abroad has been for me.  First off, I want to thank you for reading my blog.  I know some of my posts have been eight miles long, so thanks for hanging in there and checking up on me.

But for my last entry, I’ll just share with you some of the highlights/lowlights of my time here.

Top 5 Experiences:
1)    My trip to the Outback – everything minus the bug bites
2)    Sailing in the Bay of Islands, New Zealand
3)    Aimlessly walking through Melbourne
4)    Kayaking with Dolphins in Byron Bay
5)    Making new friends and meeting people from all over the world

Things I’ll miss:
1)    The views from my apartment
2)    Walking toward Maroubra
3)    Gelatissimo, Melonhead and Sushi Suma
4)    My new friends
5)    Who am I kidding?  I’ll miss just about everything

Except for:
1)    The 370 bus (or any buses for that matter)
2)    Ducking to take a shower
3)    Feeling like I don’t know what’s going on in the world
4)    The Biggest Loser
5)    Goon

And yet, I still think I’ll find a way to miss it all.  I love Sydney and have truly enjoyed my experience here.  I stepped out of my comfort zone and allowed myself to grow and learn as much as I could. My time here has been ideal—an experience that I’ll cherish for the rest of my life.  Will I come back though?  Probably not.  There’s too much of this world to see and not enough time to do repeats.

Once again, thanks for reading my blog.  I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it.  For those of you in Arizona, I’ll be home tomorrow (on Sunday)!  For those of you in California, I’m going to be in Los Angeles July 1-3 and then, of course, when school starts.  For the rest of you, come visit me because I’m going to have to stay put for a little while!

Until next time…

LIONS, TIGERS AND BEARS (oh my!)

Anyone who knows me well knows that I don’t like animals.  Call me insensitive, tell me I don’t have a heart, scowl at me if you’d like, but I just don’t like them.  They are too unpredictable, smelly and get in my personal space.

However, I do have a confession to make:

Today, I spent over three hours at the Taronga Zoo in Sydney.  I sympathized, commiserated, and, yes, even enjoyed the company of over 2,600 animals.  It was a big day to say the least.

Taronga Zoo

Getting to the zoo is quite the process in and of itself.  Lauren, Connie and I had to take a bus to the city, a ferry to the zoo wharf, and a cable car to the main attractions.  We were suspended high above all of the animals when I got a whiff of fresh elephant dung.  Alas, we had arrived.

view from the zoo

The Taronga Zoo itself was beautiful.  Set on a hill, it looks out over Sydney Harbour, the Opera House, the Harbour Bridge and the city skyline. The main attractions are the gorilla enclosure, lion den, five Asian elephants, and reptile display.

When gigantic crocodiles, tigers, condors, and Godzilla kin are behind five-inch-thick plexiglass it’s all good.  But when the 12-foot, 900-pound Kodiak Bears and 7-foot, 150-pound Komodo Dragons and are just chilling out in the open, it’s not so cool.

Godzilla's son.

I’ll be the first to admit that I felt bad for the lions and tigers that were cooped up in a tiny den, but at least they weren’t able to pounce on the little toddlers that kept sticking their pudgy fingers into bear territory!  Or how about the rock formation full of dozens of antelope?  Those things could have easily jumped off and killed someone!  It’s a zoo for goodness sake, not Pride Rock.

best shot of the day

Now the seal show was a first-rate attraction.  I had flashbacks of the good ole’ days when Grandma used to take me to Sea World in San Diego.  You walk into a stadium and watch a couple seals eat a bunch of fish and flop around for a little bit.  Harmless.

Then you head on over to the elephant performance, which is also top-notch.  Five elephants do a little balancing act, squirt a bit of water and eat some peanuts.  Plus, each elephant is escorted by a trained and armed zoologist just in case something crazy happens.

Elephants doing some tricks

Now, I don’t endorse tasering of animals, but if a ginormous elephant starts going all ballistic at Taronga, I’d be comforted by the thought of some temporary paralysis while I get the heck out of there.

As you can see, I have always had a love/hate relationship with zoos.  Animals are cute and cuddly and smart, but they are also wild, deadly, and living in synthetic environments.  So, sue me for wanting some extra plexiglass and protection while I’m stuck on a distant island with over two thousand native and exotic animals.

I had a great time, though.  I promise.  I highly recommend it to everyone who visits Sydney—animal lovers and non-animal lovers alike.  But if you can’t make it to the Southern Hemisphere any time soon, you can just watch my slideshow and enjoy the animals in a well-protected, smell-free zone.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

You can speed up or slow down the show (+/-) and read the incredibly cheesy/useless captions if you scroll over the photos.

SURFERS PARADISE & BYRON BAY

Paradise (noun): any place of complete bliss and delight and peace

Cape Byron lighthouse, easternmost point of NSW

This weekend I went to Surfer’s Paradise and Byron Bay, located in Northeast Australia in Queensland. I wouldn’t say that it was a place of “complete bliss and delight and peace,” but it was definitely a fun vacation. When Lauren, Connie and I landed in the Gold Coast, we hired a car and drove an hour to Byron Bay. Driving on the other side of the car, on the other side of the road was uncharted territory for all three of us. You could feel a current of paranoia flowing throughout the car as we all jerked our necks back and forth to look every which way for cars. But we survived! We met up with Katie and her brothers and walked along the beach to the easternmost point of Australia where the Cape Byron Lighthouse stands. We wandered back into the town, ate a delicious dinner and headed out to the bars. Overall, Byron Bay had great character; it was quaint, but still lively.

dolphin hunting in Byron Bay

Nothing compared to the following morning when we went kayaking with dolphins! It was amazing. Connie and I strapped on life vests and helmets before jumping into our kayak and paddling out. Imagine two little girls trying to maneuver oars and kayak out into the ocean. Now laugh. We were a joke out there. Our kayak kept veering right, so we spent half the time trying to straighten it out, only to drag far behind the rest of our group. But we were determined to see some dolphins so we paddled with all our might chanting, “left, right, left…oh shit…right, right, right, right!”

Anyway, it all paid off because we eventually found ourselves surrounded by 80 dolphins in the middle of the ocean! They were swimming, flipping and getting a little too close for comfort. It was spectacular though.

spotted!!

Surfer’s Paradise had some big shoes to fill as a follow-up to Byron Bay.  We hopped back into our rental car and cruised on over to Surfer’s Paradise, this time, a little more accustomed to the left side of things. Katie’s brothers were able to find a smoking deal at the Marriott, which happened to be a gorgeous hotel.  They had a pool with fish in it for people to snorkel in, two jacuzzis, a water slide, pool bar, and breakfast buffets galore.  Need I say more?  Seeing as Surfer’s Paradise is a replica of South Beach in Miami, we didn’t feel guilty spending the majority of our time poolside.   There wasn’t much to see in the town by day, especially since a huge cyclone wiped away the beach.  Take South Beach, throw in a half a dozen kebab shops and some Australian accents, and you’ll have Surfer’s Paradise.

The girls in Surfer's Paradise

Walking on the beach in Surfer’s Paradise I watched some Japanese tourists being swept away by high and unpredictable waves. They screamed as if a tsunami had just hit them.  The sand is floury.  The city is full of street performers.  Construction sites are everywhere.  Skyscrapers spring up like mushrooms and cast an ugly cloud over the beach.  Yet the people seem exceedingly happy, as if this was their personal paradise. It was all very strange.

beach walk

I quickly realized that the only reason why everyone was so euphoric was because they were riding on ecstasy.  By 8pm, the streets were filled with 15 to 18-year-olds stumbling with fifths in hand and popping pills like they were Tic Tacs. When we asked our waiter where we should go if we’re not into techno and drugs, he laughed and suggested we go home.

The whole crew in Byron Bay

Surfer’s Paradise (noun): a peculiar city in Australia, which resembles a pavilion at EPCOT gone wild.

We wound up finding an Irish pub called O’Malley’s where we had fun dancing all night without psychedelic drugs.  The following morning, we woke up, gorged ourselves in the breakfast buffet, and laid by the pool.  All in all it was a great weekend.

view of Surfer's Paradise

view from our hotel room: South Beach or Surfer's Paradise?

I’m back in Coogee now for my last week of school.  I can’t believe how fast this semester flew by!  I’m starting to go through my final checklist of things to do in my last couple weeks.  As always, I’ll keep you posted.

Thanks to shutterbug Connie and Cape Byron Kayaks for the photos on this post!

TA TA FOR NOW

I’m off to the Gold Coast!  I’ll be back Monday to tell you all about it.

GRAB A SNACK–THIS IS A LONG ONE.

The weather in Sydney is ridiculous.  This past week brought some of the most torrential rains and forceful winds that I have ever experienced.

Add some gale force winds to a torrential downpour and you wind up with three soaked girls, running uphill, blinded by horizontal rain.  We were annihilated last night.  Marlis was carrying a takeaway bag of Thai food that wound up breaking mid-run only to leave her drenched, smelling like Leavey Library, with curry dripping down her leg.  I wasn’t in much better shape: my umbrella was blown out of my hand, snapped into three pieces and tumbled down the hill.  By the time I was home, I looked like a wet dog.

Fellow rain battler

So, other than battling this relentless climate I’ve been keeping busy.  I planned my trip to Byron Bay and Surfer’s Paradise, which is going to be so cool!  My two girlfriends and I are renting a car and driving around the coast for a couple of days.  (Yes, we bought the insurance package.)  We have plans to kayak with dolphins, whales and turtles.  And, fingers crossed, we will get some sun.  At this rate I have nothing to show for my past 4 months in Australia.  I’m as pasty as ever.

Me and Connie (she's coming with me to the Gold Coast) and a glimpse of my pastiness.

I also organized my computer files and got all of my photos ready to upload and ship off to Costco.   I’m so disappointed.   I’m a horrible photographer.  I’ve seen so many incredible people, places and things since I’ve been here, and I have captured a fraction of the beauty.  I’m better off filling my scrapbook with Google-images.  But whatever, it’s part of the experience.

Today I decided to get blood flowing to my brain and headed to the city for some museum hopping.  I started at the State Library where I saw the 2009 World Press Photo Contest winners.  It was an incredible exhibition, but not very good for my newly diminished self-esteem.  I knew I was a crappy photographer, but this just put it in an entirely new perspective.  The gallery showcased 200 photographs in several categories including: news, nature, portraits, arts and entertainment, sports, and daily life.  There were a lot of shots from the Olympics; quite a few of the devastation in China after the earthquake; and many illustrating the economic crisis.  Hence…

A detective ensuring that evicted residents are out of their home in Ohio. By Anthony Suau

The Bolt, the myth, the legend. Awesome. By Mark Dadswell.

Afterward, I headed to the Art Gallery of New South Wales to check out the Archibald Portrait Prize Exhibition.  There were three prizes being showcased.  One was the Archibald, which goes to the best painting of a man or woman distinguished in art, letters, science or politics.  The Wynne prize goes to the best landscape painting of Australian scenery, or figure sculpture.  The Sulman prize goes to the best subject painting, genre painting or mural project by an Australian artist.

Fantauzzo's portrait of indigenous actor Brandon Walters. It didn't win the prize, but it was my favorite.

Staring at talented people and works of art is always a little painful for me.  It makes me wish I were artistic.  In much the same way, every time I watch Center Stage, I wish I could be a ballerina.  I even dream of how cool it would be to win a horse race and show off my stallion.  But then I realized I would have to be a goofy looking short man and that dream fizzled.  The point is, I can hardly draw a stick figure, can’t do fouettes, and I’m afraid of horses.

But maybe, just maybe, I’ll be able to write something truly profound one day and someone in a museum will say, “Wow, I wish I could write like that.”

Ehh, a girl can dream.

After a couple hours of standing in museums, I decided to walk around a little bit.  I headed through the botanical gardens and wound up at the “Primo Italiano Festival.”  I don’t know why it was there or what it was.  All I know is that there was a point when I looked left, right and centre and was surrounded by very handsome Italian men.  The festival was one fantastico celebration of all things Italy.  I let my nostrils lead the way until I found some divine pizza, gnocchi and gelato samples.  Mama mia, I was a happy camper.

So I continued walking, soaking in the sites and sounds of the city.  But, I soon realized that I had no idea where I was.  I walked a littler further until I found a sign that said, “Welcome to Woolloomooloo.”  I’m not kidding.  Woolloomooloo.  Who comes up with these names??  I had never heard of Woolloomooloo before, but I figured it couldn’t be too dangerous.  I don’t think the Bloods of Sydney would be caught dead in a place called Woolloomooloo.  But, then again, who would’ve thought there would be stabbings at a bar called the Palace in a town called Coogee?

Woolloomooloo?

Needless to say, I hopped on the 373 bus and headed back to the Coog and wrote this blog post.  Anyway, sorry for the novel.  Hope all is well on your end!  xoxo

P.S. If you haven’t figured it out by now, you can click on the images to make them bigger.  Fun fact of the day…

21st BIRTHDAYS & SUNSHINE

Hello again!

Not much to report lately.  The weather has been gorgeous these past few days, but storms are slowly rolling in and I think it will be raining the rest of the week.  I tried to lay out at the beach the other day, but I was just a pile of goosebumps so I decided to head back inside.  ‘A’ for effort.

I’ve been going out a lot recently celebrating 21st birthdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and life.  It’s been a lot of fun!  Tonight is Katie’s birthday so we’re going out for Mexican food and margaritas (go figure).  The restaurant is owned by Americans so it should be authentic.  And then we’ll be out on the town!

Hilary and Ali's Birthday

Dancing at the Eastern!

Night out with the roommates

School is going really well as I’m starting/finishing my final assignments of the semester.  I got a high distinction on one of my papers, which is quite the feat here!  But I’ve been trying to get ahead on work because two of Katie’s brothers and two of my friends come to visit on Wednesday, so we’ll be busy entertaining for the next couple weeks.

Coogee Beer Olympics took place this weekend.  I didn’t participate, but it looked like a lot of fun!  Basically all of the Americans put together an Olympics based on a variety of drinking games.  There was a large crowd of Australian spectators who watched as 50 twenty-somethings stumbled there way across the sand doing wheelbarrow races, 5 legged races and dizzy bats.

Coogee Beach Beer Olympics

It seems like a lot is going on back at home!  Mom and Dad are busy with house renovations.  Tori is graduating next week (wish I could be there)!  Neal is starting real estate school.  All of my senior USC friends just graduated.  My high school friends are back in Scottsdale.

I officially have less than a month left here before I had back to the States to join in the festivities.  I’m not quite ready to head back, but I think I’ll be ready to face reality by the time June 14 rolls around.  Well, reality being a big trip to Israel, visit to California and catching up with friends and family.  Haha my life….

This morning out my window...the usual

TASSIE

Oh, I don’t know where to begin.  I suppose chronologically is the best way to go…

When Katie and I arrived in Hobart, Tasmania, we walked off the plane and felt the sting of the cold, crisp air on our faces.  Seeing as we were as far south as we’ll ever be in our lifetime, we bundled up and embraced the cold.  For the first time, I was grateful for my blood-thickening year in Michigan.

So happy in front of a huge treasure chest of free chocolate!

Our first day in Hobart was absolutely magical.  I wasn’t lying when I said my first stop would be the Cadbury Chocolate Factory.  It was the happiest place on Earth.  For $7.50AU we watched a presentation of the inner-workings of the factory and the love that goes into making the decadent, delicious, mouth-watering chocolate.  We were then taken into a shop where all the candy was significantly discounted.  There was an entire section of “not-so-perfect” chocolates, which just meant that the wrapping was crooked or the Freddo Frog was cross-eyed.  I was always taught not to discriminate, so I ate it all: white, dark, milk, nuts, and even cross-eyed.  By the end of the tour, Katie and I definitely got our $7.50 in free chocolate.  It was like trick-or-treating, but so much better.

The biggest chocolate bar I've ever seen! Yummm

Cadbury was about an hour bus ride away from the city and it was the most interesting ride I’ve ever taken.  I don’t even know how to explain it; but Katie and I quickly realized how superficial and beautiful people are in Arizona and California.  The Tasmaniacs who boarded the bus were, without fail, some of the homeliest people I’ve ever seen.  That’s the nice way of putting it.  I felt like we were just in a different world.  People were talking to themselves, wore their Good Will like it was Prada and marinated in their dumpsters, I think. It was just surreal for our all-too-sheltered American eyes.

We didn’t let the bus ride and trailer park communities taint our experience though.  Once we got back to the city, we took a long walk around Hobart and came across some great little towns.  Hobart is a very historical area with a rich past.  And walking through Battery Point was like a flashback to the 1800s.  I felt as if I should have been wearing a bonnet or something.  I think it’s great though that they take such pride in their history and continue to make it a part of the culture.

But then something momentous happened.  Just as we were relishing in the true-to-form suburbs, we turned the corner and bumped into Tacos, a Mexican restaurant!!  Kaite and I ran to the window and critically examined the menu that was posted.

The guacamole wasn’t simply whipped avocado.
Good.
The burritos weren’t made of barbecued kidney beans.
Very good.
And they had margaritas.
Perfect.

So, at about 5:15pm we walked in–overly enthusiastic–for dinner.  Happy Hour was from 5-7pm, but we had the restaurant to ourselves. I think we ate enough chips, salsa, and guac to fill the restaurant’s nightly quota though.  It was so yummy.

The Clean Plate Club. Members only.

Needless to say, we went to bed slightly sick, yet deeply satisfied from a fully day of chocolate and Mexican food.  We really lucked out with the weather on Friday as the sky was clear and the temperatures warm.  We hiked through Wineglass Bay and Freycinet National Park, ate lunch at Honey Moon Bay, walked through the bright white sand at the Friendly Beaches and had amazing raspberry and strawberry ice cream at Kate’s Berry Farm.

On Sunday we finished up our time in Tasmania with a tour of Port Arthur. Port Arthur was established as Australia’s largest convict settlement in operation from 1830 until 1877.  What’s left of the penitentiary is a gorgeous site, but the dark history quickly changed the mood.  When we walked into the museum, we were each given a card with a convict’s name on it and were told to follow the history of the person.  So as we traveled through the museum, prison cells and labor rooms, I was thinking about the 16-year-old boy who stole a handkerchief and was sentenced to life at this nightmarish place.

Port Arthur

The convicts were forbidden to talk, sing, whistle or set eyes upon each other.  They lived in dark, damp cells in absolute silence.  The ignorant government of the 19th century hoped that the convicts would eventually lose their personalities and be molded into new men.  Unfortunately, they all went crazy from the silence and were declared lunatics and sent to the insane asylum, which was conveniently located next door to the silent prison. Yikes!

On that happy note…it was a great trip.  We filled our stomachs with good food, stimulated our minds with interesting facts and checked another item off our bucket list. The end.

I’M BACK

Hi everyone! I made it back from Tasmania safe and sound! I’m currently working on some papers in the library, so I can’t update about my travels now. However, an article of mine was published last week so I wanted to share it with you all! Check it out on page 19 here: vol19issue18 or click this link: http://www.campuscircle.com/review.cfm?r=8587

WHO ARE YOU?

I’m starting to feel really bad because yesterday 63 people viewed my blog and I haven’t updated in a week. I thought Grandma and my Mom were the only ones who read this thing, but apparently 61 others are too.  I’m astonished.  I don’t even think I can name 63 people I know off the top of my head, let alone 63 who would take the time to read this cheeseball blog.

I guess what I’m trying to say is, hello to all of you mysterious people out there and thank you for taking the time to read my entries!

So there’s not much to fill you in on from this week.  We’ve had our fair share of torrential downpours and thunderstorms—enough to last me until June.  Unfortunately, I think this is just the beginning.  What’s worse is that Australia has the WORST television in the world.  To give you an idea: Biggest Loser is the best show on any given day.  We have 5 channels, three of which are static, so I’ve really started to appreciate the idea of reading for pleasure.

Currently, I’m reading The Road by Cormac McCarthy.

Also, I watched Borat for the first time this weekend.  When it first came out, everyone told me that I would be deeply offended and hate it.  It wasn’t so bad.  I’ve experienced worse antisemitism first-hand, so it wasn’t anything too shocking.  I laughed, sometimes from genuine hilarity, but mostly from extreme discomfort (think wrestling scene).

Even though I fried half my brain catching up with movies, Private Practice and Greys Anatomy (OH MY GODD!!!), I have been stimulating my brain with schoolwork.  My religious classes are fascinating and my negotiation class is so entertaining.  Last week we practiced a two-on-one negotiation in which I was negotiating against two Aussie boys (I was seeking employment and they were my boss and CEO).  And during the debriefing session, they said I was the most intimidating, convincing and eloquent negotiator they ever challenged.  How do you like them apples?

Cinco de Mayo is not celebrated here…shocking.  All of the Americans in Coogee tried to make something of it, but the Australians just didn’t understand.  My friends and I shared a sad attempt at chips and guacamole and called it a night.  That’s one thing I really miss…a good fajita or burrito with guac.   I have had the most bizarre cravings lately: Mexican food, Cinnabon and warm, salted pretzels.  Who knows…

Speaking of unhealthy food, I’ve been trying to get my gelato-loving-self back into shape with boot camp twice a week.  My roommates and I all wake up at 5:45am to go to boot camp on the beach from 6am-7am.  It’s a pain in the butt (literally and figuratively), but a great work out.  Not to mention, I’ve witnessed the most beautiful sunrises while doing wall sits and lunges.

Kaite and I leave in 6 hours for Tasmania, so I have to get to bed.  We still don’t have any concrete plans for our trip, but we’re just going to wing it and have fun.  All I know is that the Cadbury Chocolate Factory will be our first stop!

I’ll be back on Sunday with updates and photos for all 63 of you.  Have a great weekend!

HOROSCOPE

I don’t usually read horoscopes, but we just got a magazine in the mail and my roommates were flipping through it.  Here’s what mine read:

Libra Sep 24-Oct23

The crap weather and the fact that you’re getting stupider every day makes now a great time to do some study.  Go on, educate yourself!

I’m not kidding….