Planning Melbourne, Good News, Getting Through, and FUN FACTS!

April 16 11:57pm

Today was the end of week six of the semester down here in Australia. Surprisingly, the semester is going faster than I thought it would. Coming from a quarter school, I am used to the quarters just flying by, as they are only ten weeks compared to the fifteen of a semester school. Since I have never experienced a 15 week schedule before, I was expecting the semester to drag on and seem like it wasn’t going anywhere. However, this has not been the case. Between my class schedule (I have Monday’s and Wednesday’s off during the week) and everything else that has been going on, time is flying. There is still so much that I want to see and do too, and at this point, with much of my schoolwork coming due in the next month and a half or so, I do not know when I will find the time to do everything. A week from today I will by flying down south to Melbourne, which is located in the state of Victoria. This is a trip I have been looking forward to, as it will give me a chance to do some exploring and sight-seeing completely on my own. I went online tonight and made a sort of sample itinerary so that I’ll have some idea of what I’m doing, of course, I still need to book everything so we’ll see once how everything works out when it comes down to it. The plan would entail me staying overnight in Melbourne on the first day, then driving across to the city of Mt. Gambier. There are supposed to be a lot of cool things to see around there so it seemed like a good stopping point on the western front. The next day, I would drive along the Great Ocean Road, covering such sights as the Twelve Apostles and the Great Arch. I would then stay in another city about an hour outside of Melbourne, and then spend the last two days in the city and seeing all that Melbourne has to offer compared to Brisi. Then on the twenty-eighth, I would fly back home (well, my home here anyway) where I would have about one day to put together a paper that is due on Thursday.

I had some good and welcome news the other day: my brother may be coming down to visit for my last three weeks here and then we could each possibly catch the same flight home. I think this would be a rather cool experience for both of us, as neither of us have really spent time together outside of the US of A. He has been to Europe and I Puerto Rico and here (even though PR is still technically the US, I’ll consider it not so we’re even on travelling out of the country), but we have never been to the same place together. This would also work out great because I would have next to nothing to do for those three weeks anyway. Since the school gives us three weeks after classes end and before finals are over (one week for revision and two weeks for actual finals), this would give me a good chance to show him around the best sights that Queensland and possibly even more of Australia has to offer. Since I lucked out and only have one final, I can reasonably assume that I will have a good amount of free time where I won’t need to be studying for it (cross our fingers on that one, mate). But we’ll have to see how everything goes and hope things work out for both parties.

As you can tell from my last post, I just got back from Easter break in New Zealand. Again, as you can tell from the previous post, it was a great adventure and full of fun. Unfortunately, the return to Australia was somewhat lacking. New Zealand had some of the best weather I have experienced since leaving home, offering temps in the sixties (short and sweatshirt weather) which is by far my favourite weather. Not only that, but it was a good reprieve from the day to day life that tends to feel rather mundane after a while. You know that feeling you get though, after living out of a suitcase for about 3-5 days you start to get sick of it and just wish you could be back home with your closet and real bed? Well, even amidst all the fun, that feeling swept over me around that time. Needless to say, I was somewhat happy to get on the plane and head back to Brisi (even though NZ was a great country and I would live there in a heartbeat), because it meant I would finally be able to shower with good, hot, untimed water and be able to sleep in my bed and not have to worry about sleeping arrangements in an RV. However, there was something about returning to Brisi that was somewhat of a disappointment. You know how it’s always somewhat of a good feeling to get home again after a long trip? Well I think that was some sort of double-downer for myself because I wasn’t actually returning home-home. I think something in my mind told itself that vacation was over and we were going home, but when it wasn’t Ohio-home, it was disappointed and a slight feeling of misery came over the whole situation. I have been feeling better the last day or so about the whole situation, but for the first couple days back it was really hard to get back into the rhythm I had gotten myself into before we left. For those first few days back here, I think it was about the most homesick I’ve been since leaving the US, and they were not fun days at all. Couple that experience with all the schoolwork I now have facing me, and you get pending disaster. All I can do is hope that the library agrees to become my friend while I’m here and that I have enough internet to do all the research for my different papers. If it weren’t for the school part of it now, I think things would be 100x better. As I’ve said before, Aussie school is hard and they seem to hold you to a standard that is similar to that of a Masters or Ph.D. program. No wonder a 50% is considered passing down here.

Anyways, I don’t want to give the wrong impression that I’m hating my time down here and just want to come home, because that would be wrong. While there are ups and downs, this has been one of the best experiences of my life thus far, and I hope it continues on that way. But while that is the case, there is that small part of my mind that still misses home and everything it has to offer: people to cook and buy food, family, friends, Charlie, and the motorcycle have to be the big ones. There’s just something about getting on the bike after a long, hard day and just having the wind blow all your problems right out of your head. And having the dog come up and sit with you while you try to relax and he knows something has upset you is very comforting as well. Even though he likes to bark, Charlie is one of those dogs who knows just what to do at certain times to bring a smile to your face and make you feel better.

I’ll end this post with some long awaited facts about Brisbane, Queensland, and Australia in general:

• A person who lives in Brisbane is called a “Brisbanite”
• Only 1% of Australia is rainforest, but it holds 80% of Australia's bio-diversity
• Last year, New Zealand moved 30cm closer to Australia. In 7.5 million years they will be connected
• There are between 500 to 3,000 Bull Sharks in the Brisbane River, depending on who you ask
• Aborigines own 53% of the land in the Northern Territory, yet still waste their time sniffing Sharpies
• Queensland is now operating a 3^rd party policing campaign, where other social programs are becoming involved with troubled young adults
• There are 15 City Cat ferries operating on the Brisbane River, with the 3^rd generation commencing on February 22, 2010
• Australian’s pronounce Mocha, ‘Maacha’, with the same enunciation on the ‘ch’
• The largest religion is Roman Catholic
• The Brisbane River is named after Sir Thomas Brisbane, and the city was named after the river
• Brisbane started out as a penal colony
• Two years ago, Brisbane was in the middle of a drought, with time limits on showers and other limits on how much water a family used...steep fines awaited those that went over the limit...
• ...This summer, Brisbane’s dams are 98% full
• A can (like soda) is called a stubbie
• A tank-top is a singlet
• A sweater is a jumper
• Australians don’t take showers (may be true or false, we’re really not sure)
• There is no such thing as unlimited internet
• Minimum wage for someone 20 years old is $15/hr
• The Australian Liberal party operates under similar philosophies to America’s Republican party, not the Democrats
• It is common to call professors by their first names
• Airport security is lax compared to the United States
• EVERYTHING has at least some protein in it
• Nearly every urinal is a “zero water” urinal (they don’t flush)
• They have the stainless steel troughs everywhere (something I haven’t seen since elementary school)
• Cars have the right of way (better learn this fact quick or you won’t be around long)
• Koala bears can be lesbian but never gay
• Brisbane is one of the top 5 most spread out cities in the world
• Perth is the world’s most isolated city
• The City Kitty ran over a rower at 5am about 3 years ago

These are obviously not all the facts I have uncovered during my time here, if so that would be slightly embarrassing, but I just did not want to spoil the fun and lay them all on you at once. So stay tuned for more in future posts!

Update to New Zealand

April 14 1:03pm

I totally forgot to add this until after I read through this and realized I didn't add it. But I forgot to mention that on the night we were driving from Franz Joseph to Q'Town or Q'Town back to Christchurch (I'm not really sure) we pulled over to the side of the road for a toilet break (see we didn't want to have to hook up at a campsite just to dump waste so we didn't use the facilities on board). After shutting down the RV and turning off the lights, we got out and realized we were right next to one one NZ's many one-lane bridges. We walked out on the bridge and looked up, and we were all held breathless: in the sky above us were millions upon millions of stars. I'm talking planetarium quality stars. So many stars that you couldn't even make out the Big Dipper or the Southern Cross. I have never in my life seen so many stars. It was incredible. And going right across the center of the sky, a faint, yet visible, section of Milky Way dust. It was one of the most awesome sights I have ever seen in my life. I really am at a loss for how to describe it in any more detail, it was just a pitch-black sky, no light pollution at all, and a crystal clear night. The moon was hiding that night too so there was no moonlight pollution either. Just millions of stars, all twinkling together to form an awesome canopy above us. It was so unreal, it felt as though we could have been in outer space travelling across the universe, except for the fact that gravity was holding us firmly to the ground and we were nowhere near outer space. I just felt I needed to add that fact in with my NZ write-up real quick. I have seen stars from the top of our hill at home, and those were quite an awesome sight themselves, but these put those to shame. It was definitely something everyone should see in their lifetime.

Easter Break in New Zealand

April 12 12:40

I'm going to warn you right now, this is going to be a really long post due to the fact that it covers my entire spring/fall break to New Zealand, but hopefully reading it is well worth your time.

Today is Sunday, April 11 and my last day in the fabulous country of New Zealand. So much has happened this week, I hope I can remember it all to write it down now. First off, let me start out by saying how awesome New Zealand is. It really is so good as to get to the point that I do not want to go back to Australia at all. We’ve heard of Australians being really nice people and always willing to help out if they are needed. New Zealanders (Kiwi’s) put them to shame. In Australia, drivers downshift and speed up to try and hit you if you are crossing the street; while in New Zealand drivers will stop and let you across while you are standing on the sidewalk. Not to mention they are just friendly and talkative and do not get disappointed when they find out we are from America. Not to mention the country itself is absolutely gorgeous. Christchurch itself is brilliant, with its many gardens and flower beds and just overall beauty. And the rest of the country keeps up with first impressions...

But enough about that for now, let’s get started with the trip and what all happened while I was here for the week. As you already know, my flight was delayed on Friday the second of April and we were diverted to Auckland for several hours until the fog in Christchurch lifted and we were able to land. Saturday, I walked around Christchurch by myself and got a morning coffee at a coffee shop on the city mall. Realistically I should have gone to bed but it was about 8:00am and my first day in New Zealand so I was not going to waste it by sleeping. I then found myself at Cathedral Square amidst the Christchurch Cathedral, which is a stunning sight. Eventually, I found my way to the Christchurch Botanical Gardens which I spent hours going through. They were absolutely stunning and beautiful with trees and flowers and shrubs and bushes and anything else you could possibly imagine, including a cactus house. I then came back and took a nap from about 5:00 till 10:00, which probably wasn’t a good idea because I was now not tired enough to fall asleep when it was actually time for bed. So I got up and had some KFC for dinner, which I must say is the first time I have eaten fast food this whole trip. I then came back to Hotel So where I watched some movies that were on TV and waited until 5:00am when Casey was supposed to get here from Brisi. Speaking of Hotel So, this place is amazing. It has six floors, with two hallways on each floor. This makes the rooms relatively small but the smallness is made up for with how nice the rooms and hotel in general are. The rooms have mood lights that you can set from a control panel by the bed, a sleep and wake-up system designed to help you sleep more naturally, and a night-light under the beds with the purpose of getting you to sleep quicker and more deeply. Combined with free internet, sauna, and gym, Hotel So is by far one of the most paramount hotel experiences I’ve ever had. Not to mention that I got upgraded from a standard single room to a premium double, which meant a bigger room with a bigger bed. And the beds themselves are the most comfortable I’ve ever slept in my whole life. Now I can’t really remember what we did the next day before everyone else showed up, I know that Casey, Kevin, and I walked around the city some more until Justin, Arty, and Steve arrived.

On Monday, Steve and I got up around 9:00 and got all packed up and ready to go. At a little after 10:00, we hailed a cab and went to pick up the RV that we would be calling our home for the next week. At the RV station, we were helped by a young Kiwi girl who found it necessary to give us a hard time about returning the RV in good condition and how we we’re probably going to wreck it over a mountain and never be heard from again. After giving us the paperwork to do a walk-around of the RV with, Steve and I go back in to say everything looks ok when she tells us that we just wasted our time because we were being upgraded to a deluxe six-person RV instead of the one we had reserved. Steve and I were now thinking that this would be a great trip because not only were our hotel rooms upgraded, but now the RV was being upgraded as well. Steve and I then drove back to the hotel to get everyone’s bags and then we went and met up with everyone else. Driving the RV around Christchurch showed us how hard it would e to find suitable parking this trip, as the RV was so big and not easy to manoeuvre around the small New Zealand roads. Once we finally got everyone together, we hit the road and began our way out of Christchurch and into the open country. Along the way, we decided to stop at a grocery store and stock up on a few things to hold us over until the end of the week. After looking at a map, we settled on Kaikoura as a good stopping point for our first day. Along the road north, we saw a sign for a beach that was only 3km away so we decided to check it out. It turned out to be a pretty good idea because there were some awesome looking sand dunes and then these guys were sand-boarding. At least I think that’s what it is called but I’m not sure. They had these big kites that would catch the wind and then pull them along on a modified skateboard. We then continued on to Kaikoura, all the while following the ocean right up the coast on the eastern side of the country. When we arrived in Kaikoura, we found a parking spot and got dinner at a Thai restaurant in town. Dinner was very good, and during the meal we asked a local where a good place to camp for the night would be. Arty had the directions so we started driving north again to the spot the guy said to look for. Unfortunately it was dark so it was harder than we anticipated. We ended up driving forever and then turned up this gravel mountain road because there was a B&B up the hill supposedly. This road was sketchy as all get-up and very scary looking. Thinking we were all about to die, we quickly turned around and headed back down the mountain after we took a toilet break. We ended up finding the road that the guy told us about and turned onto it. Immediately we were wondering if we were in the right place because the lights from the RV showed us many tombstones and grave sites. Being wary, we drove down the road a bit more until we found a spot where there were some other RV’s pulled over to the side. In the morning when we woke up, we were greeted to one of the most spectacular sights I have ever witnessed: on the right side of the RV was the ocean, and on the left were some of the most beautiful mountains I have ever seen in my life. So, after going from one sketchy place to another, we ended up finding a spot that was probably one of the best places we could have found at that place.

Tuesday we travelled back into Kaikoura to see what all the small fishing town had to offer. We started walking along this road that led down to the beach, although instead of sand it was a rocky beach. It was really cool though because the water running up and over them all the time really smoothed them out and made them really round at the edges and flat on the top and bottom. We then drove up to the Kaikoura Peninsula where there is a lookout tower that you can climb. The views from up here were extraordinary. If you looked right down the middle of the peninsula, it looked just like Ohio: rolling hills with cows in pasture fields. However, look to the right and left and all you see is water and ocean...definitely not something we have in Amish country. After we had seen everything up there and taken a few group pictures, we headed to what we heard was a seal colony at the end of the peninsula. So we get there and start walking around these rocks that are at the base of these cliffs but still out of the ocean. We walked for a while until we came around this corner and there was this big hill in front of us. Being a bunch of 20 year-old guys we got the brilliant idea to climb up this very steep (almost vertical) cliff so see what is at the top of it. Being the first one up, I went straight at it, pulling myself up with grasses and whatever else I could grab onto. Upon reaching the top, we were treated to remarkable 360^o views in all directions and with no railing, we could walk right up to the edge of the cliff. A little further down was a small lighthouse and a park bench overlooking the water. We had to jump a fence to get to the bench so we weren’t sure if we were on private property or not but we went anyways...you only live once right? We ended up taking a group pic of all of us facing the ocean with the camera to our backs...it is a pretty epic picture. On the way back down, we finally were able to pick some seals out on the rocky landscape below us so we went over to investigate them. They were really cool to see out in the wild and up close – there were several times that we even walked right into them because they blended in so well with the rocks. We named them Winifred, Beatrice, Madison, and George. Winifred especially was very camera conscious, even posing on several different rocks in several different positions so we could get many different shots of him. On the way back to Christchurch we saw a cave that looked appealing so we pulled over to check it out. It was a cool cave, it actually went back kind of far and we had to crawl through it at one point on our hands and knees. When we got back to Christchurch, we all went into Hotel So once again to use the showers offered at the gym since we hadn’t showered since we left on Monday. We then got on the free computers they have in their lobby and checked up on fbook and email while we had the chance. Once Moe got here, we set out for Franz Joseph Glacier for a hike that we needed to be ready for at 9:00am the next morning. I got a chance at the wheel for a few hours starting at around 2:00am so that was kind of cool... I just wish we could have gone through this road in the daytime because it looked absolutely gorgeous but we didn’t really have a choice so it’s all good.

Wednesday we pulled into the gas station right as the RV started sputtering and ran out of fuel. We had brekkie at a local joint that was delicious: I had hotcakes, sausage, bacon, and eggs. It wasn’t as good as Boyd and Wurthman but it was decent... We then went back to the RV to finish getting everything ready and figured out before we went and checked in for the hike. Once we finally got on the bus to head up to the glacier, our ten minute journey was turned into a much longer one because they were working on the one lane bridge leading up the side of the mountain. Kiwi’s, for some reason, love their one lane bridges as they are all over the country no matter where you are driving. Some are just about as wide as the RV too so one wrong jerk in any direction and you’re going to get bumped around on a bridge that is most likely over some kind of ravine you don’t want to be messing around with. Oh and I almost forgot, on the way to Franz Joseph we stopped at this one bridge that had the most scenic view I have ever seen in my life: there was a river that was wide and blue as all get out, capped off by a huge mountain that was snow capped and just majestic. And the whole thing was taking place during the sunrise so the mountain was illuminated from the sun but we were still in shadow...all in all a very cool sight. Anyways, once the road crews finally got out of the way we continued on up the mountain towards the national park on which the glacier rests. When we got out, there was this immense rocky kind of river bed that completely floods during the really rainy season. Behind that, sitting in a crevice between two mountains, was the Franz Joseph Glacier. After walking a ways across this rock bed, we finally reached the base of the glacier. We started the hike by going up this hill of stones until we reached the starting point of the actual glacier hike. After attaching our crampons (spikes that just attach to the bottom of the boots to give you grip on the ice) to our boots, we set foot on the ice and began this new journey. It was a really cool experience. We saw many crevices and holes and peaks and whatnot and it was just really cool. We got to go through this little hole kind of thing on which everyone scraped themselves up pretty good. It was actually kind of hard to get out the other side because the ice was jagged and kind of dropped off so you couldn’t just slide out. We also saw like an actual cave that we could walk into and the whole walls and roof were all just the bluest ice you’ve ever seen in your life. We also went through this thing where you kind of walked into it and then we had to climb up the ice steps our guide (Jason) carved out for us to get out the top of it. Climbing up the sides of the crevices was also an experience. There were times when we were literally going straight up the ice to get out of a crevice that was just wide enough to put one foot in front of the other to begin with. When we finally got to the top, we were treated with magnificent views that were capped off by the clouds parting around the peak of the tallest mountain there so that there was this brightly illuminated mountain top visible through this hole in the clouds. The trip down was a lot shorter than the journey up, which suited me ok because by this time my toes were numb and had no feeling at all in them. Overall, the experience was a fun one, I just think that I would have rather done a half day just because I was cold, wet, and tired by the end of it and getting slightly repetitive while still going up. We then got dinner at the same place we had brekkie before hitting the road towards Queenstown. The plan was to stop along Lake Wanaka and spend the night and then get up in the morning and finishing the drive into Queenstown. That didn’t exactly happen as planned. The first place we stopped at was some kind of reservation that I guess people pay millions of dollars to stay at or something. The guy that woke us up was pretty angry, especially after he figured out he was standing right where we were going to the bathroom, and told us the cops had our plate numbers and that we should get out of there ASAP. So Steve got up and drove us further on down the road until we were actually really close to Queenstown when we stopped again to get some sleep. We were woken up again, this time by some guy who thought we had stayed the night there. We told him that we had only been there for like two hours because we had already been kicked out of one place and he just told us to leave and find somewhere else to go. So we ended up trying to find a campsite in Queenstown that we could actually stay at, a task that doesn’t seem too difficult but considering we didn’t have a map of the city it was a task in itself. We finally found one and hooked up to electricity for the first time which meant we could charge cameras, laptops, and phones for the first time since being in NZ. They also had shower facilities so we all got a much needed shower as well. We then went to the reception area where you can book all the activities the city has to offer. Some of the group immediately decided to go jet-boating but I held off on that. It was over $100 and the guy said you’re only on the water for 25 min so it didn’t seem worth it. When all the guys came back though they said it was awesome and were actually on the water for a lot more than 25 min but oh well. I spent the time walking around exploring what all Queenstown had to offer and ended up buying some souvenirs. We then checked in on booking bungy jumping, but were told everything was booked through until Saturday. This caused us to make some amendments to our travel plans because we were planning on going to Milford Sound Saturday and only spending Thursday and Friday in Queenstown. But we booked the Saturday bungy and decided to figure things out later. I can’t remember what we did for dinner that night, but we did end up deciding to stay in Queenstown the next day too, rather than driving to Milford Sound.

Friday we went golfing at the Queenstown Golf Club at Kelvin Heights. It was advertised as the most picturesque golf course in New Zealand, and the 7^th most scenic course in the world. Once we got out and hit the links it was pretty obvious why: surrounded by mountains and lakes as blue as the sky, we were given views that are normally only seen in Golf Digest or something similar to that. Our tee time was set to be at 10:00, but we kind of got lost along the way and got there a little late. This kind of got us in a pickle for the course because they were very busy that day and had lots of ‘real’ golfers out there doing what they do best. I, of course, had the worst round of my life and couldn’t hit the ball good to save my life. It was fun but it was a long day. I think it took us about eight hours total to finish the round, which is four longer than normal, and by the end some guys weren’t even playing every hole. That night we ate dinner at this Mexican place that was supposed to be really good. It took them forever to get our food out to us, but when it did come it was very good. Unfortunately it wasn’t like American Mexican restaurants: they didn’t give you free chips and salsa and sour cream, jalapeños, and guacamole were all $4 extra. I went to bed pretty early that night, like 9:00, and didn’t wake up until about 9:00 the next morning then so I was nice and refreshed. I forgot to mention that when I woke up this morning I could not find my wallet anywhere in the RV. I checked both my bags, my pants from the day before, the counter; pretty much everywhere and couldn’t find it. During the night, I had a dream that someone found it and threw it at me in my sleep, and when I did wake up I was ecstatic for about 30 seconds until I realized it was a dream and it didn’t really happen. However, when of the guys on the trip got up to get showered and dressed, he found my wallet in his bag. This is the second time he has taken my wallet on accident because mine and his do look similar but I was just happy to have found it and not have it sitting around Queenstown somewhere.

Saturday we got up and had to be checked out by 10:00am, so that was pretty much us waking up at 9:30, quickly getting unhooked, and driving down to the check-in area. We then parked there for a few hours while we cleaned up and grabbed another shower for the road. We then drove around the surrounding area some more before we had to be back in Queenstown to tackle the world’s second highest bungy jump. We drove to this one peak that ended up being a ski resort that wasn’t open and got some sweet pictures overlooking the valleys in between the mountains. We threw the Frisbee around for a little bit, and Kevin launched it off the side of the mountain to see how far he could throw it...luckily it didn’t get very far and we were able to drive down and find it. When we got back down, we still had some time left so we drove over to Arrowtown, which is really small and doesn’t have much there at all. We were there for maybe a half hour and saw everything in town. By this time, we needed to get on the road back to Queenstown so we could find a parking spot and get to the bungy place in time. Once we got there and got checked in, my adrenaline started pumping. Bungy jumping is something I have always wanted to do so I was ready for it. We then had like a half-hour bus ride out to the site. They are on private property so there was this little bitty dirt road going right up the side of the mountain and we’re just getting higher and higher and higher and its getting to be really sick. When we finally get to the top you can see the jump pod hanging out over the canyon and you know that this is for real. You have to take a cable car to get to the pod, so you get a good couple minutes to look around and see how high you actually are before you get out there. When we got out to the pod they strapped these ankle cuffs around us and then Arty was the first one to take the plunge. Watching through the glass in the floor got me all the more excited for it. When I finally got to jump off, I’m not going to lie, I may have been scared for a split second after I started falling. It felt so unnatural, my body was telling me to do something but there was nothing to do. After that split second though you get used to the fall and then you get to enjoy the rest of the 7 second freefall. I couldn’t even scream. The feeling was so weird cause it felt like my stomach was in my throat and I couldn’t get any noise out at all. When you come back up the second time, you pull this strap at your ankles that releases your feet from the bungy, so you can get towed back up sitting in the harness. That was really cool too because it took a second for the harness to catch so it feels like your falling again for about a second. That was one of the most exciting things I have ever done in my life. The adrenaline rush, combined with the scenery, combined with just the feeling of freefalling over a canyon was amazing. 134m/440ft, 7 second freefall, world’s second-highest. I really want to go to Macau know and hit up the world’s highest, which is 234m/772ft. The only thing that is going to hold me back is the price of getting there, but I will definitely do it if I ever have the chance. After bungy, we got back in the RV and headed back towards Christchurch. We were planning on stopping, but we ended up just driving to the outskirts of the city before we stopped. In the morning, we went back to Hotel So where I would be staying an extra night since I didn’t fly out until Monday morning. I took the longest shower of my life, playing with the different lighting schemes and just enjoying the fresh, hot, free water. Then I worked on uploading pictures to fbook for the next few hours, Skyped mom, dad, and Philipp for a while, and then watched some movies that were on TV. I set my alarm for 4:00 since I had a 4:30 pickup time scheduled to get me to the airport. I got up, finished packing quick, checked out, and was waiting by the curb when a shuttle pulled up. Thinking it was mine I walked towards it, only to be told it was for a group of old people. I was like, y’all have an extra spot couldn’t I jump in so I’m not late but the driver wouldn’t let me so I had to wait. By this time, I thought it was quarter to five and was starting to get worried. Some taxi driver said he’d take me for $20, then asked me where I was from. After that when I asked him again the fare was $30 so I guess not all Kiwi’s like Americans after all. Finally the shuttle got there at what I thought was ten till five. He then told me we had to make another stop and I asked him what time it was since I needed to be checked in two hours before I’m scheduled to leave. He said it was 3:55. I was mad for a split second, then realized he said 3:55, not 4:55. The alarm clock in my room was an hour fast, so I was up an hour earlier than I needed to be. After I figured that out, I was more annoyed with the hotel than anything but at least I knew I’d get to the airport in plenty of time. As I’m finishing this entry, I am sitting at the terminal getting ready to board the plane in about ten minutes. I’ll upload this when I get back to my room and I have internet again. Scheduled arrival is 9:00am Brisbane time, or 7:00pm EST.

We ended up taking off right at sunrise in Christchurch, New Zealand. It felt so good to have the plane speeding down the runway towards takeoff speed and knowing that I’d be in my own shower, using my own soap, and being clean in just a few hours. It was a fun-filled break, a good time, but part of me is really happy to be back in Brisi where life is normal again and runs along in the same rhythm. Living out of a suitcase just doesn’t seem as much fun as it used to... But now it’s time to get back into the whole school routine, which I need to start working on again because this next two months are going to be very busy with school. Until next time...good bye from the other side of the world.

Day 1: Christchurch, NZ

April 4 2:00am

Above: Cool purple flowers

Below: One of the many ponds with a lot of ducks

Today was a good day walking around Christchurch. It is such a beautiful city. It is pretty obvious to see why they call it the garden city as there are flower beds everywhere with all different types of plants and trees and everything. There is a river running through the city with different bridges everywhere that look pretty cool and are nicely designed. First I walked down the pedestrian mall, which kind of reminded me of Queen Street in Brisbane only on a much smaller scale. I got lunch at this Korean/Japanese restaurant and it was really good. I got a sweet and spicy pork dish that was more spicy than sweet but it tasted amazing. Best part? It was only $10/NZ so it was even cheaper USD.

Above: Central Rose Garden in the Christchurch Botanic Gardens

The next stop was Cathedral Square. The Christchurch Cathedral is very pretty. It is almost hard to describe but I believe a pic will do enough of that. The inside is really nice too. The ceiling is high with arches intersecting over the top. I didn’t take any pictures inside because it felt weird but it was pretty much just like any other cathedral I’ve been in. One thing caught my eye immediately on the East inside wall: a mural with swastikas around the outside of it. Naturally, when you see a swastika the first thing that comes to mind is Nazi Germany. However, the swastika was commonly used in ancient Christian art and had religious meaning before Hitler implemented it as the symbol of the Nazi party. Also, the cathedral has different nation’s flags hanging up on the inside. Curious, I asked one of the people in there what they were for. He asked if I was from America, said he picked out my accent, and then said they were friendship flags given to the church from people of the different countries. He said the American flag was there because they hold a service at the cathedral before American expeditions to Antarctica depart.

Above: Central Mall in the gardens

Below: Christchurch Cathedral

Next I walked down the street where most of the arts and cultural stuff is located. There was an open air market that was interesting to walk through and many different street performers out showcasing their talents. There was a lady playing a saxophone and further on down was a young girl singing to try and raise money for a choir trip to Canada. I must say both acts were very good and I stopped to listen for a little bit. At the end of the street, I finally got to the Christchurch Botanic Gardens. I really wanted to see these today because I’d be able to walk around at my leisure. The gardens were gorgeous. Absolutely beautiful. I took so many pictures, I wish I could post them all on here but it only lets me do five per post. I definitely could live in this city when I’m old I think...it’s nice and quiet and just a nice place to sit and relax. After all that walking around, and after not getting any sleep last night, I was pretty beat. So I came back here and slept for several hours, probably several too many cause now it’s almost 1:00am and I’m not feeling very tired. My room is really nice though. It has this mood lighting so I’m bathed in blue light right now but I can change it to green, orange, purple, or red. The bed is really comfortable too, especially since I got upgraded to a bigger one. Tomorrow, the rest of my group gets here so we’ll spend the day doing who knows what and then Monday we pick up the RV. I’d really like to go to the Antarctica exhibit tomorrow but if we don’t make it I have another day after we get back here before I have to fly back to Brisbane so maybe I’ll get to do it then. There’s also a gondola that goes up the side of one of the mountains, giving you 360^o views of Christchurch and the surrounding area. Only problem is, I have no idea how to get there and I’m pretty sure you have to drive there so that could be an issue. We may just have to stop in after we get the RV and do it that way.

Flying to Christchurch, NZ

April 3 9:55am

Well I finally made it to Christchurch, New Zealand. I left Brisbane at 6:30pm and had a nice flight until we began our descent and the captain came on the radio and said there was heavy fog in Christchurch but he was going to try and land but there was a good chance we would have to divert to Auckland to refuel. Well we were coming in for the landing and things looked pretty clear so I had high hopes he would make the landing and things would be fine. However, just as it appears we’re about to hit the runway, the engines roar to life again and next thing you know we are climbing back into the sky. We are then informed the fog is too thick and we are going to Auckland, which is on the North Island and another hours flight. So we land in Auckland and we’re still not entirely sure what is going on...are we going through customs, do we get our bags, etc... Airline officials take us to this open space and tell us to wait for further news. We are then told that we are going to be here indefinitely and we will need to go back through security to get back into the terminal. This is like 2:00am local time. Security lines don’t open until 3:00am... So we sat for an hour, and then an hour and a half. It was nearly two hours before we even got through security. Then they tell us our flight won’t start boarding back to Christchurch until 5:20. Then the replacement crew was late showing up. Once we finally took off, it was past 6:45 and we still had an hour flight ahead of us. We finally landed in Christchurch, got through customs (I got another stamp in my passport J), and found a shuttle into the city. I had a room booked at the Hotel So for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday until we picked up the RV on Monday. Since I missed last night, the manager upgraded me from a standard single to a premium double room so I have a bigger bed and a room with a window. I am now getting ready to get out and explore the city. While getting here was a battle, at least I made it safely and we didn’t crash in the fog. It was so awesome flying into Christchurch this morning. There were mountains and fields and lakes and rivers and just stuff as far as the eye could see. Hopefully some pictures will find their way on here a little later but for now, its exploration time.

Aussie School...

March 31 11:00pm

Today was another great day off of classes. I got up in the morning and had a bowl of cereal for brekkie and then I went to campus around 10:00am with Steve, Casey, and Troy since they had class and I needed to talk to the UQ people about getting internet at our apartment. After discussing the issue with them, I found out that getting internet from the school would be an activation fee of $192 + a couple hundred dollars from the phone company to activate the phone line + $110/mo for the actual internet. We decided that was way too much money and I ended up buying a pre-paid plan that will hopefully last me the rest of my time here. I then went to the post office and mailed some letters. This arvo was a pretty calm one. I went to Cole’s to get some groceries to help with what I was going to make for dinner and ended up buying way more than I was planning on. The good news is all the extra stuff was on sale so I got some really good deals even though I had to spend money to save money. On the way back home, I met an old guy walking a dog that looked remarkably like a Miniature Schnauzer. As I approached him, I realized that it was indeed a Mini, but with a tail. This is weird cause Charlie does not have a tail but it was a Mini and he was awesome. Made me think of Charles anyways.

Check that...as I was writing this I got my grade for my first assignment for one of my poly sci classes...didn’t turn out near so well as I was expecting. Aussie school is hard. I came in thinking it would not be very hard at all to get the grades I need to get credit for classes at home, but after that first essay, things may not be looking so bright. It seems like all my drive is gone that I have at home to do well in school, and I don’t know where to find it again. The fact that internet is not unlimited cuts deep into the research I can do in order to better do my assignments. I really am looking forward to getting back to school at ONU where I can get on the computer and research till 1:00am and not have to worry about how many KB I have used up. I never thought a country like Australia could be so far behind on the times in this regard. I have two classes tomorrow that I really need to go to. We have a group project due the Thursday I get back from New Zealand and we get class time tomorrow to plan it out so I really need to go to that. I’m so excited to get there it is insane... I made fish for dinner tonight. It was really good. I melted some butter and basted it on while it was frying, then sprinkled some garlic and seasoning salt over top of it. I really should get mom to make more fish at home. It was easy to make and relatively inexpensive by Australian standards...only $8/kg, which figures out to a little less than $4/lb. Will probably get to bed early tonight so I can sleep good. Casey and I did a tiring 15 minute workout from Men’s Health today that kind of kicked my butt so I’m ready for bed and its only 11:00. Oh well I guess that’s how things go sometimes...especially with age...

Last Week of Classes Before Break

March 30 10:30am

Yesterday was a typical day off at 77 Sir Fred Schonell Drive, aside from the Public Administration final I had to send back home and the 1,000 word essay I had to have turned in by 1:00. But after getting up at 8:00 and working diligently for a few hours, I had the email sent and the essay done and was still able to go to the Bible study at 1:00. After the Bible study, Casey and I went to City Beach on South Bank and laid on the beach for a while. Of course, as soon as we got there it got overcast but we weren’t going to leave just because the sun was gone. Later on we walked up to Queen St. where we spent a few hours just walking up and down the street and going into a few stores. We found a Krispy Kreme donut shop, but a donut was $2.80 so we decided to pass on that. Right next door; however, was a sushi restaurant with about 15 different kinds of sushi rolls. Since sushi is one of the best foods on this planet, I had a fresh salmon roll and a California roll. Both were excellent, especially after adding a little wasabi paste to “kick it up a notch.” Tonight, Casey, Andi, and I decided to hike up Mt. Coot-Tha, which is a nice mountain that overlooks the city. One of our roommates went up at night and said the view of the city is incredible. Sure enough, after walking nearly five miles up this mountain, we finally made it and the view was, indeed, breathtaking. The entire city was sprawled out in front of us, making Brisbane look about ten times bigger than we ever thought it could be. It was cool picking out the sights we could recognize: a City Kitty on the river, the Central Business District (CBD), the “Brisbane Eye,” lights at the aquatic and tennis centre on campus, and of course Brisbane International. It was cool being able to see the planes way off in the distance and track them on their decent into the airport, which was a jumble of lights way off behind all the skyscrapers but still cool to watch. I then realized that in about four days I will be flying out of that airport when I fly to New Zealand for Easter break, and that made everything that much better. On the way back down the mountain, a bus passed us but was off duty so it wasn’t allowed to stop and pick us up. However, when we were walking past the bus depot about 10-15 minutes later, this guy was walking towards us and asked us where we were headed. We thought this was kind of sketchy so we told him Toowong and hoped that would satisfy him. He then tells us that he was driving the bus that passed us and told us to get in his car. After driving us to Toowong, he asked how far from there we lived, and after telling him we were like a mile down Sir Fred Schonell Drive, he decided just to drive us home, free of charge. So the trip home was definitely a lot quicker than the walk there, which is good because we got back close to midnight with the ride.

I also have a ticket booked to Melbourne for Anzac weekend, which is like the Australian Memorial Day. I will be by myself for five days, during which time I hope to rent a car and drive out Great Ocean Road and see the 12 Apostles and whatnot. It will be good to take a break from school and get out and see some parts of Australia on my own, and will hopefully be enough to get me through the last two months. I am still trying to get to Japan or Thailand before I come home, as I think seeing part of Asia would just be icing on the cake for this trip but we’ll see once how feasible that is. A few days ago, there were tickets to Tokyo for $230/person but we got online too late and they were already double price, which still isn’t bad to Tokyo but you needed two people to book that ticket and I couldn’t find anyone else that wanted to go.

I got a nice surprise in the mail today. LaRue and Shirley sent be a box filled with all kinds of food and candy. On the outside, I was informed that Australian customs had opened the box for quarantine purposes and confiscated the popcorn and chicken noodle soup mix that she had in there. I was slightly disappointed they took the soup mix, but I was devastated when I found out they took the popcorn. I guess that is on the list of things never allowed in here so I guess I’m SOL until I get back home. As I’m writing this, it is now past midnight and I need to get up early on Tuesday and head into campus. We lost our internet signal today and now the only way I’ll have access to cyberspace is by trekking to campus so I won’t be able to post this until tomorrow morning. As it turns out, I have a small test tomorrow in one of my classes that the reading is online for so I need to go in and read that before class. I may just have to suck up the extra cost and buy a wireless modem, since most of my readings are online it would be a convenience to have internet in my room.