SFS Days 2, 3, and 4

SFS: Day 2

So far this was the coldest day we’ve had. We did a lot of “get-to-know-you” activities in between our lectures in the classroom, which have been interesting even if every lecture didn’t apply to my interests. It was odd today because it wasn’t cold first thing in the morning, but when we went outside after a lecture it was suddenly freezing.

While everyone has done the get-to-know-you activities, they were actually quite enjoyable this time around. Maybe it was because we’re all in a different country, but we all have pretty much instantly clicked. It seems that no matter which bus we’re in (Bruce or Lucy as they have affectionately been named) we all get along and can have a great time. It has been amazing. I don’t think I could have asked for a better group of peers to work with for the summer.

After going through more lectures and lunch we went to the Arataki visitor center and got some incredible views of the rainforests in New Zealand. Then we finally got to actually go into the rainforest and go for a walk and talk. After some wandering around we found a place called the Kauri (a type of tree found all over New Zealand) Cathedral. The reason it’s referred to as a cathedral is because the trees are huge, tall pillars that looked similar to the columns often found in cathedrals.

Day 3

We were all very excited about today because we were going to get some time downtown in Auckland. After sitting through a few more lectures in the morning we went to the Auckland War Memorial Museum and wandered around for a while.

In New Zealand the Maori people are the indigenous people of the area and like the Aboriginals in Australia they love sharing their culture with other people. So the first thing we saw at this museum was a presentation of songs and dances from the Maori. It was a lot of fun to see. These dances included the Wakka, a traditional dance the All Blacks (New Zealand’s rugby team) perform before every match they play. It’s very intimidating.

Here’s a picture of a trumpet according to the museum. It’s from Tibet and from something like the 14^th century, but I’m not really sure.

Then we got about two hours downtown! Instead of following the group and wandering with them I got to meet up with a friend I haven’t seen in a long time, probably over a year. Alexa and I met up for some coffee and to just talk about our lives. We started planning the next weekend as well because all 19 of us will get to have a free weekend in Auckland and I want her to meet the group and vice versa.

And of course I found my black mustache dye. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, but never followed through with. The big joke here has been that I should have found Just For Men “Touch of Grey.”

Now my mustache matches one of the girl’s mustache tattoos on her finger! More pictures will be posted here as I take them and put them on my computer.

Day 4

Today has been probably the most rewarding day to date. After breakfast we drove to another site about a thirty minute drive away. Here our task was to clear out an area of forest from weeds so the native plants could thrive again. It seemed a bit daunting at first, but because there were 19 students and three interns and one professor, it turned out to be a lot of fun.

We were in smaller groups all around this hilled area and were all attacking different weeds. My group took the job of taking out the Goss plant. It’s incredibly spiky and I, along with the rest of my group, have scratches all up and down my arms. Attacking these weeds with saws and brute force was great fun and having some music playing while we did it definitely made it easier.

From there we traveled something like 45 minutes from here and went to a spot where, two years ago, trees were planted by previous students of the same program we are on now. It was cool to see the trees still growing and thriving in this place. Then came a trip down to the beach. Not just any beach, but a black sand beach. The beauty we saw here was basically indescribable. The pictures we took don’t do it any justice, but here’s one anyways:

      

Tomorrow our breakfast is the earliest it has been, but that’s because we’re moving onto another place. We’ll be staying at a place called the Marae to spend the next few days with a Maori family. We’ll be eating there and living with this family. I’m really excited and I know the rest of the group is too!

I also learned that at least one person here thinks my mustache looks fake now that it’s dyed because it doesn’t match the rest of the hair on my head. My argument to that is the fact that my mustache doesn’t really ever match the rest of my hair color.

SFS: Day 1

Field Studies Day 1: Waking up at five in the morning isn’t bad when you’re excited for the day to come even if it means more flights and more traveling.

I love traveling as you know, but this is different. I was incredibly excited to meet my studying group. I got to the Brisbane airport just a little early for my flight at 9:10 in the morning. I was at the gate by 6:15, nearly three hours before my flight and that was after I went through customs and checked in my luggage and everything. Too early for me. I walked around the airport waiting for my group to arrive. While waiting I ate my breakfast, which consisted of my first trip to an American restaurant the entire trip.

I may have been excited to meet my group, but when it came time to actually meet them, I was entranced in my music. Lil’ Wayne this time. Quite a contrast to what I have been listening to for most of this trip, but it has been awhile since I listened to good old Weezy. After who knows how long I was approached by one of the group members, Shaina, and she told me they were three rows ahead of me in the waiting area in the gate. When I looked over the group of about 14 other students were looking at me and apparently commenting on my mustache. I guess it makes me pretty noticeable! Good thing too, or I wouldn’t have found them until after the flight.

After quite a bumpy flight, the bumpiest I’ve had in years, we landed in Auckland, New Zealand. In just the two weeks that I wasn’t on a flight with my favorite entertainment screens, new movies appeared! This time I watched Man on a Ledge, unsurprisingly simple, but very entertaining nonetheless. Anyways, we loaded our luggage (well most of us did, some members of our group had their luggage get lost). And I got to introduce myself to everyone and get to know some of them on our 45-minute van ride to our site.

Without seeing it in the daylight it’s hard to determine just how cool it is, but so far it’s very cool. Living in cabins in New Zealand. I love it! And the people have been extremely friendly, which I wasn’t entirely expecting because they have all been traveling for about 36 hours. And us guys have it easy. In two cabins that could fit six guys each there are three in each, while the girls are four to a room. We had a delicious meal and hung out in the dining room area for the night playing Bananagrams and just relaxing after traveling.

Not only are the people fun so far, but I learned that one of the members of the group thinks Bucky Badger is terrifying. I was appalled at the first thought of this, but then realized that I actually really like that thought. The fact that our mascot can scare fans from other schools and other bands (he goes to Boston University) is fantastic! I could do nothing but laugh at him for that. Not only did I learn that, but there’s a surprising amount of Big Ten schools here, Illinois, Purdue, Ohio State, and of course Wisconsin. At least those are the schools I learned for now. Otherwise there are members from all over the country. That’s all from the first day. Slowly, but surely, the Bananagrams players are dropping out and going to bed and I may have to join them shortly.

Sydney

After a brief flight, just under an hour and fifteen minutes I landed in Sydney, or the gateway to Australia as the locals call it and that's when the Melbourne bashing began. Everyone in Melbourne would not necessarily talk down about Sydney, but would definitely talk their city up. The same as a brother would pick on another brother. It's really enjoyable and entertaining.

First thing we did after checking into the hotel was start wandering as always. Found a restaurant to have a snack and a beer right on the Sydney Harbor. Great views and great food! Then came the Opera House tour. It was surprisingly interesting and fun to actually get to go into three of the theaters. When the tour finished we decided to see Karen O's "psycho opera" called "Stop the Virgens."

If you think you know weird, let me tell you, you haven't seen anything. This was one of the strangest and most confusing, yet entrancing and exciting stage production I've ever seen. I really couldn't give you any explanation as to what we watched, but I liked the music and the weird dancing was intriguing to watch. I have a feeling that everyone leaving the theater that night was confused about what they just watched. I'd say definitely check it out just because it is so...different.

Despite the oddity of the show inside the opera house, this production was a part of a big lights festival called Vivid Live. It opened with Florence + the Machine on May 27th and includes movies, music, art, and lights. It's pretty cool because all around the harbor are different light displays, culminating in this cool display projected on the sails of the opera house (sorry if the video quality is poor)

It's a very cool display and a great idea to bring in more tourists (like they need help with that). It also brings people who live in the area into the downtown area of Sydney, which is pretty cool too!


Yesterday was the day of our city tour. The guide we had was hilarious! Half the time I wasn't sure if he was just pulling my leg or was telling the truth about Sydney, but the whole group (five of us) got on really well with him. An interesting thing I noticed here was that the lines on the road are all white, even the ones that separate the different directions of traffic. Just an odd thing I noticed. We got some really great views of the skyline, ate some more great food, and asked Rick, our guide, where some pubs where the locals go were. He pointed out three of them and of course my parents and I, after relaxing a bit in the hotel, made tracks to the first bar:

The Hero of Waterloo. Upon entering the pub I could tell that everyone knew we weren't locals and were giving us some strange looks. Mostly along the lines of "how did these people find out about this bar." It wasn't in a very secret or hard to find place, but I guess not many people like to go out and immerse themselves in the culture around them. I'll never understand how people can travel anywhere and not want to try the local places.

We then went onto another local bar called Lord Nelson's and it was a small scale brewery as well. It has probably the best beer I've had so far on this trip. It was a crowded bar, which made me feel like I was in Madison. Packed with college-aged people, it was a great place!

Then we finally decided to get some food! Walked a short distance and figured out we didn't know where we were going (surprise, surprise!). So after some slight arguing my mother went back into Lord Nelson's pub and asked a couple at the bar.

They weren't planning to come along, but they figured that we'd get lost along the way. And hey! We made some new friends along the way! Now I have three friends in Sydney and two in Melbourne and at least one in New Zealand, where I'll be going in just over a week! I can't wait! Back to Sydney and the Australian Hotel. I wanted to go there to eat solely for the purpose of getting a kangaroo pizza, which I completely successfully!

The meat was surprisingly delicious and with barbecue sauce on the pizza it was delectable!  I highly recommend it. The next things on my list to try are emu and crocodile since I already ate vegemite and am planning to bring some back to share with everyone! That all happened in two days and I didn't even get to today. It wasn't that exciting, but it was definitely another fun trip even if I were tired from staying out with my new friends until 2:30 in the morning! Oh well, another post for another day! Time to get some dinner.

Leaving the Country

I love traveling outside of the United States. Being surrounded by a different culture and experiencing as many new things as I can. And so begins my trip down under. I'll be traveling to Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Uluru, Auckland, Cairns, and Yungaburra.

I've been excited for this trip since I was accepted to study abroad in the rain forests of New Zealand and Australia. I'll be traveling all over Australia for two weeks with my parents and from there will meet up with my study abroad group where we'll be living in the rainforest for a month.

Today we're flying out of Milwaukee to Chicago, a very short flight, we didn't even reach cruising altitude before we had to descend again. From Chicago to LAX 3.5 hours and from LAX to Melbourne, a whopping 14.5-15 hours. I'll be keeping this as updated as much as I can, but due to possibly lacking the internet at times I might find that hard to do.

I'm starting in the south (Melbourne) where it will be the coldest I'll be experiencing (hopefully). I'll be going to see penguins in their natural habitat on one tour and going on many other tours and awesome experiences that I'll be taking pictures of and sharing here (if possible) and on Facebook.

I started this on the plane to LAX and am finishing it in the airport...on my phone. Waiting for three hours to board a ginormous airbus.

Leaving at 11:30 pm US time I'll be missing out almost entirely on May 27th which is pretty cool I think. It'll be like I'm time traveling (hello LOST) and then gaining that day back by experiencing a day, July 11th, basically twice. I'll be even more confused as to what day it is than I am normally during the summer. I'm excited for that and the only reason I can come up with is the fact that I'll feel like I'm in Back to the Future or something, but instead of traveling back multiple years, I'll be "traveling" one day. Oh well.

As I said before I'll have intermittent Internet access while down under, mostly when we take trips into the nearby town and I'm going to update this as much as possible. I may even be able to Skype for a short time. If you want to you should be able to search for me by name. Otherwise try minicoop1227. Until next time, from Australia, have a good Memorial Day weekend!

Taken from the plane to LAX

Travel Tuesday

It's traveling Tuesday today! I'm going to feature a place I have either traveled to or want to travel to. Today will be about Australia, where I'm studying abroad for a month and traveling for two weeks before my program starts.

First of all, I'm incredibly excited for this. Australia has been a place I've always wanted to travel to and didn't know when I'd get the chance to go, unless I was studying abroad. So I made it a goal to study in Australia during a summer while I was in college and now it's actually happening!

I'll be traveling all over Australia for the first two weeks. I'll be hitting Sydney, Melbourne, Ayer's Rock, and Cairns, among a few other places along the way. Then for a month I'll get to live in the rainforest in Australia and New Zealand and work on studying the ecology, environment, and conservation of the rainforests.

Among the many things I'll be seeing, I expect to see a lot of different animals, especially when I'm in the rainforest. I do know that there are some dangerous animals and the School for Field Studies has told us about some of them, but that we really shouldn't have to worry about them where we will be working. But here's a fun video my brother showed me the other day all about deadly animals.

Having just finished "Lost" for the first time, it got me even more excited to go to Australia if only for the reason that everyone on the island was flying from Sydney to LAX. Either way, I can't help, but hope that my time in the rainforest will be similar to some of the events from "Lost." However, I am not Abed from "Community" so I don't expect anything that crazy to happen and I won't go out of my way to make it happen as he so often does.

More than anything I'm excited to go to the "land down under" and to see the Sydney Opera House, the Great Barrier Reef, Ayer's rock, and lots of other cool things too. I've heard that once you go to Australia you never want to leave, so we'll see how I react to it, but I usually become attached to new places when I travel. It would only be a matter of time I'm sure, before I would be sick of living there and want to travel to another new place.