Byron Bay, Mutant Spider, and Powerpuff Girls. Oi.

Remember when you were a little kid and you used to cover your eyes with your blankets when scared, as if that would be some form of protection against the monsters that were going to attack you? I used that strategy twice this weekend and it still works. Case in point uno: Five of us Americans rented a car on Friday to drive to Byron Bay. Keep in mind, everything is opposite of what we are used to, such as driving on the other side of the street. Therefore, I thought we were going to die. It wasn't my lack of trust in the driver (although her first lines were "Wait. Is the break still on the left side. I forget how to drive.").. just my lack of trust in humanity, I suppose. This resulted in me cowering in the backseat with my eyes closed until we made it onto the highway.

Nevertheless, we arrived safely and spent the morning walking around the area. Byron Bay is the quintessential hippie town and is extremely laid back. We went up to a lookout that is the most Easterly point in Australia where we saw dolphins and whales before a storm out at sea rolled in (see picture below. Pretty cool, egh?).
The entire afternoon was spent sea kayaking, which was a lot of fun. As in, I wouldn't have wanted to be doing anything else in this world than that. We went tandem, and it was quite a rough start for Abbey and I when our kayak flipped as we attempted to get through the break in the waves. Abbey getting pinned under the kayak wasn't as funny for her as it was for me, yet we did eventually make it out to sea with the guide who was with us. Probably the highlight of our adventure, besides everything, was the SEA TURTLES we saw. And by sea turtles I mean loggerhead sea turtles. As in 250 lbs of a sea turtle. Coffee-size table. The only thing bigger than the sea turtles were my eyes. We kayaked around for a long time and it wasn't before long when sea sickness overcame the majority of us. No one got it as bad as Bethany who vomitted, but she did it with a smile and was fine afterwards. Yet another highlight was riding the waves once we got back to shore. Abbey and I were determined not to flip, and maticulously following the directions of paddling as fast as you can, it was quite a scene to see our kayak soaring above the waves, our paddles not even touching the water, yet us frantically paddling in the air as fast as we could. The guide gave us Tim Tams afterwards which made me really happy.

Then comes the worst spider experience of my life. Once we got back home that night, I innocently walked into my bathroom. There, before my eyes, was the most atrocious looking spider I have ever seen outside a cage.. creeping in my shower. This was not acceptable. Keep in mind, I was a camp counselor this summer. I slept with spiders. I squished them with my bare hands. But this is a whole new level of spiderness. I quickly recruited a force of 6 people (making sure males were involved) to see this creature. The worst part is that it was.. mutant, I suppose. It only had 5 legs. I wish it had none. I wish it didn't exist. Shawn killed it. I had goosebumps and chills for the next hour. We (as in Shawn) did a thorough examination of my room to make sure there weren't anymore. That night when I went to sleep I laid there as still as possible with my eyes covered because then spiders wouldn't attack me. It worked. For now.

Speaking of creepy things, Halloween was quite eventful. Some of my friends and I went out to Surfers Paradise to a nightclub where Bond was having a Halloween party. Abbey, Bethany, and I were the Powerpuff Girls (I was Bubbles... which in my opinion is the worst because her only power is speaking in Spanish. Lame). I must admit, I was quite impressed with the creativity of some of the costumes that we saw. Although you did have a good handful of the girls who use Halloween as a prime opportunity to dress as sluts, there were a few costumes that I was quite jealous of. For example, the guy who dressed like the main character from the movie Up, carrying a miniature house attached to a bouquet of balloons. Or Oscar from Sesame Street, walking around in a trashcan.

It is November. Time is going wayyyy tooooo fast. Peace.

Here's a great idea: instead of sleeping, let's climb a mountain.

Let's be honest; sleep is overrated. Or, at least, this is what I told myself when we decided to climb Mt. Warning Thursday night/Friday morning. I'm always up for a challenge, even knowing that Friday afternoon would provide an interesting attempt at studying for my midterm on Saturday (seriously, who is the wise one who came up with the idea of a midterm on a Saturday? Probably the same genius who thought 3 hour evening classes was a great time for lecture). Nevertheless, there was good reason for climbing the mountain at such an unusual time: Mt. Warning is the first place that the sun touches when it rises each morning. This could possibly provide a spectacular view.

Alex, the leader of us fools, allowed us to stay at her place until 1:00 AM, which is when we drove toward the mountain that was about 45 minutes away. The beauty of all of this is that because it was so dark, none of us had any idea of what we were getting ourselves into. All I know is that we began at the base of some "hill" and hiked upward. It was about 2 minutes into our ascent that I asked "Wait, is this going to be uphill the entire way?" Let's just put it this way- hiking up a mountain is a lot different than walking up a hill. Adding in the element of complete darkness and having only 4 torches among 15 of us resulted in quite an adventure. Because I secretly find amusement out of others misfortunes, I found it highly entertaining each time you heard someone stumble... well, unless it was me.

After approximately 2 1/2 hours of hiking, we were almost at the top, but here comes the real fun part. The last part of the hike up the mountain was really steep. There was this chain that you had to hold on to in order to make your way up to the very top. Once again, keep in mind, it was completely dark. I honestly have no idea how we did this without dying. But after clinging to the chain for about a half hour, we finally made it in time for the sunrise.

The sunrise and view from the mountain top was indeed spectacular. Well worth not getting any sleep, mind you. I really wish pictures could capture the beauty of it, but they simply cannot. We probably spent a good 2 hours up there and then decided to make our way down. Obviously it was now completely light out, so we could see exactly what we had climbed earlier in the dark. If I would have seen the path, chain and the moutain itself in the light before we had climbed it, I would have been convinced that it would be impossible to do in the dark.

As we descended, everyone's moods took a similar dip. By the end, my typical threat of "I'm going to punch you in the face" had morphed into death threats, and the thought of doing any form of work when I got home made me want to burn my textbooks. However, 1 hr. of sleep did me well and I survived all of Friday (although my dinner did consist of just coffee).

Lesson learned: You can sleep when you're dead.

Camping at North Stradbroke Island- Mollusks, 30K, and Bogans

As always, I had yet another fantastic weekend in Oz. I, along with 5 others, traveled to North Stradbroke Island for a weekend of camping. Leaving at 6:30 AM Friday morning, I recieved the usual remarks of how unnaturally happy I can be in the morning (things just don't change, even when I'm not in the states). Carrying our weight in bookbags, tents, and PB&J, we finally made it to the island after a bus, train, and ferry ride. After arriving to our camp site on Cylinder Beach, we set up our tents, using a jar of PB as a hammer. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Below is a picture of the view from our tents:

The first afternoon was spent exploring the area around our campsite. This is when my stupidity takes a large role in the story. Three of us decided to climb some rocks that protruded into the ocean a ways out. The climb there was a bit challenging, but once we got to the end, it was nice to sit, with sharp surfaces sticking into your butt, and enjoy the view. I noticed that the tide was coming in quickly, so I decided to get back to shore. Deadly. Kendra vs. waves & rocks covered with mollusks was an immediate defeat on my part. The waves were a lot stronger than before and countless times I was thrown like a limp rag doll into these boulders that were covered with mollusks (which have become the bane of my existence). When I finally did reach shore, I had a pleasant stream of blood to prove that inanimate objects can overtake someone with a higher mental functioning (or so I thought).

The funny part about camping is that as much as I love it, when I lay down to try to fall asleep, I curse myself for giving up the comforts of modern society. It didn't help very much when the joke of putting the shortest person and the 2 tallest people in the same tent turned into reality. The first night resulted in fighting like they were my brothers, and by the 2nd night, I had resigned to the fact that I would be squished, have my pillow taken, and loose all of the padding that I took to sleep on. But the worst part of all were our "neighbors," the bogans (Australian term for hillbillies). These bogans were the worst things that Australia has to offer. They drink more than I breathe. They swear more than I blink. And they are louder than the idiots who play their bass in the car that it makes the world vibrate. Below is a picture that displays the stupidity in which we dealing with:

Despite getting 0 hours of sleep, 3 of us left at 7:00 AM to embark on a 30K (~20 miles) hike. It was quite an adventure, taking us through all sorts of terrain, with the help of Aussies who stopped along the way and to give us water. The highlights were seeing a kangeroo, a mutant lizard (only way to describe it), a squid, jellyfish, and of course, the breathtaking scenery. We hiked to Blue Lake, which was the bluest lake water I have ever swam in. The remainder of our hike was along the beach, which took forever and a day. The beach itself was a sight to behold... miles and miles of nothing (no people, no buildings, no nothin'). But the miles and miles were the downfall... I thought we would never make it. We could see the point that we were heading toward, but it never got closer. Obviously, we did make it, and it was all well worth it.

Our last day was spent at Point Lookout which may have the potential of having the most beautiful sites I have seen so far in Australia (see below). But despite its beauty, the best part was the wildlife. Initially we saw dolphins, which I was more than thrilled about. However, out of the corner of my eye, I saw this huge animal rocket out of the water and make an enourmous splash. Humpback whales. I just about died. Actually, I screamed. The next 30 minutes were spent watching these whales breach, with an occasional siting of dolphins and a manta ray. Seriously?!?!

Despite having the worst sleeping experience of my life and feeling like I have been ran over by a mack truck, it was a fantastic weekend. And now I'm off to panic over my I/O Psych. midterm and contemplate whether the 1950's in AU were accurately defined as conservative. Peace.

Volunteer Weekend- South East QLD: Mt. Barney (or Bonnie, as an Aussie would say)

Perhaps one of my favorite parts of this experience thus far is that each weekend, or even week, is completely different than the last. This weekend I spent with 7 other AustraLearn students on a volunteer trip to South East Queensland. I knew 2 of the other people well before going and by the end, I definitely had quite interesting memories of them all. Let's just put it this way, we had some unique people with us on our trip, and you all know that I thrive off of strange encounters as such.

None of us had any idea of what we were getting ourselves into. Friday morning we were picked up by a 4X4 and began driving to the unknown, which eventually led to over 45 minutes of off-roading up a mountain. The picture below is one that I was able to take when I was not flailing around like a limp rag doll in the vehicle.


We then arrived at where we were staying, which was perfect for me. Living outdoors this past summer, I was more than happy to see that our accomodations were quite rustic. It was great to get away from Ipods, mobiles, internet... everything that takes over modern society and makes us forget the beautiful place in which we live.

Our group was led by Kim, a young mother who has a degree in insects or something and is passionate about conservation. The place where we were staying were owned by two Aussies, Ben, who loved talking about the compost toilets, and Max, who only uttered Australian grunts (but when you could understand him, he was hilarious). It was great to get to know them all, and by the end of the weekend, my prized possession was the picture I had taken with Max and Ben (see below).


Our two days spent there were filled with both work and relaxation. On site we helped move logs and rocks from an area to help prevent forest fires from spreading. The majority of Saturday was spent farther down the mountain, picking an invasive plant called moth weed (see picture below). One girl in particular was not too thrilled about going into the brush and searching for these weeds because of the threat of snakes and spiders, but the only problems we encountered were being "Nettled" (getting prickled by this stupid Nettle Plant that basically took over the entire vegetation).


Although I'm one to never get seriously injured (knock on wood), I often find myself as the one who has the annoying little problems. I, of course, had to be the one mulled over by the wheelbarrow of rocks that fell over, in addition to the one who found a tick burrowing into my back. And I really don't think it's possible for me to walk through the forest without stumbling on every root, rock, and stick.

After preparing "family" meals, our evenings were spent around large campfires, enjoying tea and each other's company. Unfortunately, my camera cannot capture the amazing display of stars we saw. Looking up into the sky that was not ruined by city lights or any other form of civilization was both surreal and unrealistic, and is always a reminder of my insignificance in the great scheme of things. That thought, though, lasted until I got into our cabin and focused all of my attention on how to keep myself warm.. which ended up resulting in 2 pairs of pants, 3 shirts, 1 jacket, 2 sheets, and 5 blankets.

In terms of wildlife, I did see a couple wallabies jumping around and our campsite was overpopulated with kookaburras. These birds had a fun time messing with us, especially when we were all gawking at a scorpion that we found under a log and a kookaburra swooped right down between us, grabbed the scorpion, and crunched it like a chip.

It was a great weekend, with quite a few laughs, and I already miss the feeling of being away from unadulterated nature.

Death by Chocolate and Other Horrors of Studying in Paradise

It's official. I have been here for over one month. I don't know how I feel about this. I guess I can just pull out the cliche remark that time abroad does go by fast.

This past weekend was the first in which I remained here in Robina. Friday was spent at my friend's Leum's house. He had a bunch of people from BCC (Bond Christian Community) over and it was good to see that Australians can manage to have clean fun. Leum himself is quite the character, and we all had a go at his vegan food and enjoyed spending time with his vegan dog while acting in vegan ways. The end result was Vegemite on my face (Vegemite is this spread that is quite popular in AU, though I will never understand why. It tastes like soy sauce gone wrong).
Saturday was spent in Surfers Paradise, where we began our day with brunch at a Chocolate Bar. Yes, you read correctly. It was delicious, but from the picture below, you can see the aftermath of the intensity of the chocolate in which we consumed. The rest of the day was spent browsing the cheap tourist shops (you know the type... 5 crappy T-shirts for 10 bucks and shot glasses with inappropriate sayings. Beautiful) and walking the beach.

Oh, and by the way, I am taking classes here. I suppose I don't mention it much because I know everyone is worried that I would spend too much time studying and if I write one word about it, people would automatically assume I have chained myself to a desk. False. As always, I have clung to my studious ways, but of course there needs to be a balance of studying and experiencing AU. I'm taking four subjects as follows...

1 & 2: Foundations of Counseling & Understanding/Changing Human Behaviour- Both of these classes are taught be the same prof. They each meet for 3 hours, once a week. Interesting classes, but unfortunately I have not found myself as drawn to counseling as I thought I would be. Perhaps I'm realizing that the true reason why I study psy. is a desperate attempt to figure myself out. Either way, there are quite a few older people in my class (as in at least double, if not triple, my age) who have a tendency to be rather annoying by asking too many specific questions in class that have no relevance whatsoever to the tea in China.

3. Industrial/Organizational Psy- I generally like this class, though it isn't my favorite subset of psy. The prof is the oldest prof I have ever had, but I really like him a lot. Probably the type who acts really friendly in lecture, but then gets out a sword for grading. I have two friends in this class from Germany and Norway who make the class more enjoyable to attend.

4. Australian History- Although it is a 100 level course, you gotta start somewhere. I've always loved studying history and it's interesting to learn it from a perspective that isn't American. My prof could possibly be the fastest speaking person I know, even faster than my sister when she speaks Spanish. The prof drinking Red Bull during lecture probably doesn't help the situation much either.

Above is a picture of Bond during the dust storm a week or so ago. It was the strangest thing walking out of class and not encountering bright blue skies. Sydney got it a lot worst than we did, but there were still the hypochondriacs walking around with their face masks. I even saw one person wearing what resembled a Power Ranger helmet a few days later.

Brisbane

Although it has been ingrained in our heads that if we do not travel as much as possible we are wasting our lives away here, there is a small factor called money that somewhat deters that philosophy. Therefore, this past weekend we decided to make a day trip to Brisbane. Fortunately, the round trip on train cost us 8 bucks, which you can only imagine how many times throughout the day I brought up what a great deal that is (when you're as cheap as I am, you tend to fixate on those things).

It was not as if I had low expectations for Brisbane, but I was overly impressed that I could actually spend an entire enjoyable day in a city without feeling too claustrophobic or suffocating from exhaust fumes. The day began by visiting St. John's Cathedral (which is not the church pictured below; deal with it) which I absolutely loved because its beauty reminded me of Hope's chapel back at home.



After spending the morning walking around on one side of the river, we crossed the bridge and that was when Brisbane's awesomeness truly hit me. There is a long boardwalk along the river called South Bank that was filled with markets, cafes, and most importantly, pools/lagoons. The picture below is just one of the countless lagoons in which you could swim. Because we didn't have our swimmies, we people watched, which observing human behaviour/stupidity always provides ample forms of amusement.

After walking some more, we came across this huge concert/rave/something that was hearding drunk people like it was their job. Being the naive person I am, I initially thought it was some fundraising walk to raise money for the betterment of humanity, yet after watching an exciting episode of cocky males who think they have too much testosterone try to break down a fence to get in, I realized otherwise. Amusing, nevertheless.


By the end of the day, we were so exhuasted from walking that I was contemplating investing in either a wheelchair or stroller. We crawled into an Italian restaurant where we met up with some other friends who were also visiting Brisbane. The train ride back was pleasantly uneventful, besides being caught taking a picture of two guys who were sleeping on each others' shoulders.




Looking at this picture is painful because as I write I am eating what dad would call cardboard fritters (chicken nuggets). Believe it or not, I am still a typical college student who drinks instant coffee and waits until I wear my last pair of clean underwear to do the laundry. I just try to hide that part of my Australian existence.

Mojosurf

I'm hooked.

This past weekend, I, along with a plethora of other desperate foreigners who were yearning to learn to surf, traveled to Spot X for a weekend surf camp. After a 5 hour bus ride, filled with wise people who think it's a good idea to drink on a bus, we arrived at the location and were tossed into our accommodations. They were.. small, yet we can't complain because at least they were clean.

6:00 AM rolled around and we were off for our first 2 hour surf lesson. Our instructors were the stereotypical surfer, which only added to the experience. Besides teaching us all of the ways that we can die when we set out feet in the ocean, we learned the basics to surfing and how to stand up on the board and what not (below is a picture of us getting warmed up). We started out on the beginner boards with beginner waves so that our self-esteem wouldn't be too damaged. Either way, it does take sometime to get used to it.



After stuffing our faces at lunch (which many of you know, I can eat my body weight in food), we had another 2 hours of surfing. The afternoon waves were a lot more difficult than the morning's and I had my fair share of being knocked over, salt water plunging into my nose, and other surf boards mulling me over. It was exhausting, yet nothing beat the feeling when you actually caught a wave and road it to shore.


The next morning we had our last 2 hour surf session and by that time I could definitely see improvement. Our bodies, though, had taken quite a beaten;when I was on my stomach on the board I thought quite possibly my ribs were collapsing and that all of the skin on my knees had rubbed off. It was completely worth it, though.

Making a brief stop at Bryon Bay on the way home, we arrived back Sunday evening, which should have been the time in which reality sets in and you realize that you have classes to attend this week, but I waited until Monday to let that horrific feeling arise. It was a fantastic weekend, spent with great friends, and I can't wait to surf again. I already splurged on some surfing gear, and for being such a cheapskate, that's saying a lot.

It was gorgeous there (just like everything else here, including people) and because it was a private beach, there was not an abundance of annoying tourist like me clogging the area. I wish I could go back!