Monday, March 16, 2009
Feeding the Birds
Sadly, we all had to say Goodbye to Colleen, who had to return to Michigan to be with her father, who is terminally ill. On her second to last day, our caretaker, Karl, took Colleen, Joe, Matt, and I on a little adventure to feed some pretty birds and have coffee. Everyone enjoyed themselves and overall, it was a pretty silly experience. The cockatoos always look oddly human to me, like they are truly perceiving the entire situation. In fact, the one on Colleen's shoulder looks like it's smiling. We also saw a Kookaburra! and little pink Gallah birds.
The Strangest Birthday
February 29th was missing from the calendar this year, which was expected; however, I did not take into account a few other factors that affected the perception of my birthday. Turning 21 in a country where 18 is the legal drinking age is rather anticlimactic, but I don't really mind. I had a relatively unconventional birthday and it's probably best that way. Jackie baked cupcakes and the girls from Denmark sang me the best birthday song in Danish! I'll have to find a recording of it somewhere or wait for them to sing it again. It's not just "Happy Birthday" translated into Danish, it's a fun song where they play different imaginary instruments for you.
The third issue with my birthday is that I was, at the time, fifteen hours ahead of my place of birth, so essentially a day ahead. On February 28th in New Jersey, it was March 1st here, and on March 1st in New Jersey, it was March 2nd here. Essentially, I received birthday wishes on three days this year. I'm not exactly complaining, but it is rather odd. Also, birthday wishes on the years where the 29th does not exist are innately strange so I also received three days of "Wait, When do you celebrate your birthday?" The New Jersey DMV has led me to believe that I should celebrate my birthday on March 1st.
Beth Stivison offered a much better solution to my birthday crisis and I am forever grateful because I would not have thought to do this on my own:
I have an idea! Ok. We get a copy of the 1988 nautical almanac, find the declination of the sun at the time you were born on the 29th 1988, and then every year look up in the current year's nautical almanac, what day or time that declination happens and that would tell you your real birthday/time for that year. How about that? Because birthdays are really just about when the earth is back to where it was when you were born right? And even though the day doesn't happen every year, the place in the solar system must! Right?
Ok, so I just looked up the sun's declination for the 29th of february 1988 at midnight (corrected to NJ time from GMT) the declination of the sun was 7 degrees, 52.1 minutes south of the equator. At midnight at the end of the day of February 29th 1988 the sun was 7 degrees 29.4 minutes south of the equator. This year, that span of positions was reached at 2 in the morning on the 28th until 2 in the morning on the 1st! There you go. Next year (so you can be ready) the span starts 8 am on the 28th through to 8 am on the 1st. Now you know. It makes sense that it jumps six hours every year right? Because then after 4 years, it get's its own day again! How about that huh?
Thank you, Beth! Now I have an answer for next year!
The third issue with my birthday is that I was, at the time, fifteen hours ahead of my place of birth, so essentially a day ahead. On February 28th in New Jersey, it was March 1st here, and on March 1st in New Jersey, it was March 2nd here. Essentially, I received birthday wishes on three days this year. I'm not exactly complaining, but it is rather odd. Also, birthday wishes on the years where the 29th does not exist are innately strange so I also received three days of "Wait, When do you celebrate your birthday?" The New Jersey DMV has led me to believe that I should celebrate my birthday on March 1st.
Beth Stivison offered a much better solution to my birthday crisis and I am forever grateful because I would not have thought to do this on my own:
I have an idea! Ok. We get a copy of the 1988 nautical almanac, find the declination of the sun at the time you were born on the 29th 1988, and then every year look up in the current year's nautical almanac, what day or time that declination happens and that would tell you your real birthday/time for that year. How about that? Because birthdays are really just about when the earth is back to where it was when you were born right? And even though the day doesn't happen every year, the place in the solar system must! Right?
Ok, so I just looked up the sun's declination for the 29th of february 1988 at midnight (corrected to NJ time from GMT) the declination of the sun was 7 degrees, 52.1 minutes south of the equator. At midnight at the end of the day of February 29th 1988 the sun was 7 degrees 29.4 minutes south of the equator. This year, that span of positions was reached at 2 in the morning on the 28th until 2 in the morning on the 1st! There you go. Next year (so you can be ready) the span starts 8 am on the 28th through to 8 am on the 1st. Now you know. It makes sense that it jumps six hours every year right? Because then after 4 years, it get's its own day again! How about that huh?
Thank you, Beth! Now I have an answer for next year!
The Grand Hyatt Hotel
The Grand Hyatt Hotel is located on 123 Collins St in Melbourne and has the most beautiful bathrooms. I met up with Nathaniel F Enright in the city and he took me to this fancy hotel. We walked to the nearest and most unobstructed window, which happened to be a little past the entrance of a cafe. The woman at the entrance pleasantly asked us if we were paying guests, which we were not. Nat told her we were just having a look. She made it clear that the cafe was for paying guests only and then informed us that "Although it sounds silly, the bathrooms have the best view." Indeed, they do.
Nat pointed out that the air quality is different because of the recent fires and you can see a bit of a smokey haze over the city. Bush fires are a real and terrifying problem here. During descent on the airplane, the pilot informed us that we might smell a bit of the smoke. The fact that the air is that thick with smoke is unsettling and saddening: people's lives, memories, homes, all disintegrated to ash and smoke. About a week ago, a number of people received text messages from the Victorian police containing warnings, due to dry conditions and strong winds. The implications of those conditions are terrifying: bush fires spread at alarming rates. Fortunately, it's been raining here lately and although it's inconvenient at times, I really cannot complain. Australia needs more rain.
Beach Trip: Lorne
Orientations are usually quite dull. Beach orientations are not! Within four days of arriving, we set out to the beach town of Lorne. My housemates and I almost missed the bus due to the fact that it took about 45 minutes to arrive at the departure point (it should only take 20 minutes, but it was our first time walking to campus). We watched two buses pull away as we were turning the corner and entering the gate, which was greatly upsetting; however, it turned out that there were too many people and they had to get another bus (whew). It all worked out very well because we ended up getting lucky and staying in the most beautiful cottage style hostel rooms rather than the trailers that the first two bus loads of people ended up in. It seems that stressful situations tend to have a way of working themselves out. Also, we had the cutest little cockatoo friends!
The following day we did a number of activities: yoga, a bush walk, and surfing. Australian bush is much different than other forests I have been in. Everything is a bit dry here, so brown and manila colored plants are mixed in with the green. I did see a koala in the wild: snoozy and in a tree. I also ate a few of the most delicious and salty spinach leaves. I spent most of the walk with Marlene, from Denmark.
On our way to Lorne we drove along the Great Ocean Road, which is 151 miles long and runs along the south-eastern coast of Australia. It was absolutely gorgeous and refreshing. Lucy is pictured below.
The following day we did a number of activities: yoga, a bush walk, and surfing. Australian bush is much different than other forests I have been in. Everything is a bit dry here, so brown and manila colored plants are mixed in with the green. I did see a koala in the wild: snoozy and in a tree. I also ate a few of the most delicious and salty spinach leaves. I spent most of the walk with Marlene, from Denmark.
Soon after the walk, we surfed, or more honestly, I learned how to surf in theory. Occasionally, I caught a wave while on the board, but never quite managed to stand up. I would love to try it again though, it's quite thrilling. Even catching a wave while laying down on the board was exciting. Either way, I was in the Antarctic Ocean! For some reason it really confirmed that I was far away, far far away. It made me happy too. I hope that I can put my toes in all of the oceans of the world one day.
That evening we all ate dinner together and went to the bar and a party. It was a good opportunity to meet everyone and socialize. I made a vegetarian friend, which generally happens in meal situations elsewhere, on a hunt for edible food. They were relatively accommodating after a few reminders that we needed to eat that evening, but then while searching through my food I found remnants of pine nuts (which I am allergic to) and I panicked. Marlene, who is studying to be a nurse, was quite helpful and managed to find an anti-histamine and talk me out of my panic. I need to invest in an epinephrine pen again for my sanity. Post-panic, the evening was fun. We ended up at the beach at night and it was one of the most beautiful, moving, and calming instances of my time here so far.
The return trip on the bus was long and a bit nauseating. A few people were overcome with motion sickness and so I returned the medicinal karma that I received the previous night and gave away my Dramamine to those who were quite ill-looking. Motion sickness is miserable. The windy ride along the highway was worth it though. We saw the London Arch and Twelve Apostles, both which are amazing products of the natural world. Although there is probably some degree of danger involved in climbing atop the arch or underneath it, I really wish I could. The water was splashing around underneath and around the arch in the most beautiful way.
That evening we all ate dinner together and went to the bar and a party. It was a good opportunity to meet everyone and socialize. I made a vegetarian friend, which generally happens in meal situations elsewhere, on a hunt for edible food. They were relatively accommodating after a few reminders that we needed to eat that evening, but then while searching through my food I found remnants of pine nuts (which I am allergic to) and I panicked. Marlene, who is studying to be a nurse, was quite helpful and managed to find an anti-histamine and talk me out of my panic. I need to invest in an epinephrine pen again for my sanity. Post-panic, the evening was fun. We ended up at the beach at night and it was one of the most beautiful, moving, and calming instances of my time here so far.
The return trip on the bus was long and a bit nauseating. A few people were overcome with motion sickness and so I returned the medicinal karma that I received the previous night and gave away my Dramamine to those who were quite ill-looking. Motion sickness is miserable. The windy ride along the highway was worth it though. We saw the London Arch and Twelve Apostles, both which are amazing products of the natural world. Although there is probably some degree of danger involved in climbing atop the arch or underneath it, I really wish I could. The water was splashing around underneath and around the arch in the most beautiful way.
By time we reached the Twelve Apostles everyone was beyond sleep deprived including myself. While heading to the bus, I realized I couldn't wait to be at home. The home I was desiring was my room in Victoria, not New Jersey. Home is becoming more transient than I imagined (but simultaneously lasting?) and I seem to have a growing number of homes these days. The days spent in Lorne definitely helped to put the present concept of home into perspective. I am getting quite comfortable here.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Arrival & Getting Settled
On some days I wake up and can barely believe that I am waking up in a bed in Australia. It took a great deal of time to get here, which puts all future traveling in a new light. The flight to LA was six hours long and the flight from LA to Melbourne took almost sixteen hours. I spent a majority of my time in flight asleep; however, Qantas airlines is absurdly accommodating: vegan food (vegetable curry and basmanti rice! yes!), socks to improve circulation, and hours of music, television, and films to choose from. The flight was rather smooth with only a tiny bit of turbulance that was slightly terrifying to me and my neighbors, but it passed quickly. Speaking of turbulance I would like to note the excessive amount of conversations about Lost and the Oceanic Flight 815 on a flight from the US to Australia. I can't wait for the return journey, which is actually from Australia to Los Angeles. I have to say, I was quite relieved to land. I never let my subtle fear of flying to affect my traveling; however, I do always assume the aircraft will crash or my appendix will burst mid-flight. When we land and everything is intact, I am pleasantly surprised and overjoyed.
Arriving in the airport was incredibly refreshing. I made my way through the duty-free section of the airport, which they make an awfully big deal about, headed through customs, and picked up my luggage. I was also pleased to find my life, in bags, all present and in order (I also assume that everything I own will be lost while crossing land and oceans).
I headed to the meeting point with a group of students from Marist and UMass to find our driver, who informed me that I would be staying at the South Yarra Hotel. This information was terrifying for a number of reasons the primary reason being that I had received confirmation of accomodation in the Cherry Tree Lane International House after enduring a series of stressful e-mails and monetary transactions. The driver agreed to take me to the International House with everyone else, regardless of what his document stated; however, for two hours I was a bundle of nerves because I could not figure out what had gone wrong and did not have a phone or remote understanding of how to navigate myself around the city. Everyone around me was filled with excitement and anticipation of getting settled and I was filled to the brim with worries. When I arrived, I gathered my bags and listened as the caretakers read off a list of the people that should be present. I resumed breathing upon hearing my name. The lack of housing could have been a blessing in disguise, which I will address later, or at the very least a lesson in flexibility, but I am grateful that I am here in the International House.
International House is located in Box Hill South Victoria, which is a relatively small suburb. The houses are rather unobtrusive and blend in with the trees. Everything seems a bit lower to the ground here. It doesn't look too unfamiliar and sometimes I feel like I could be anywhere, but it's comforting in some ways. I am located about forty-five minutes from the city center, but public transportation, including trams, trains, and buses is fairly easy to use (not very cheap though!) A daily pass costs $10.80 AUD, which is why I must investigate the concession cards available for students, which cuts the price almost in half. The public transportation services make you jump through a number of hoops to acquire the little card though. There are ways around paying full price: you can choose to risk it and not pay at all or purchase cards after 6PM for $5.80 AUD and stay in the city until 3AM. There are a number of packages you can purchase which ultimately save a bit of money as well. Trams stop running at 1AM, but there is a Night bus that runs when the trams and trains stop, which I have not yet taken. I'm not sure how reliable it is, but I am sure I'll find myself on it sooner or later. My impression, so far, is that public transportation is efficient and dependable. If I were a bit more brave, I may have opted to live in the city center in order to fully experience Melbourne and save a bit of money; however, I cannot alter my accommodation at this point and I do enjoy it here.
My room is quite cozy (yet rather bare, although I have decorated it now) and my housemates are wonderful. I am living with Lucy from Korea and Lauren from New York. We have a quiet house and we all get along in a way that extends beyond merely living together. The community, outside of our house, is comprised largely of American students, but there are also students from Denmark, Zimbabwe, Australia, Canada, Holland, Malaysia, Dubai, India, and England. For a lot of people, English is their second language and I am amazed by how well they can communicate (and then I realize that they essentially have very little choice regarding that matter). Lucy told me that she can only express about fifty-percent of what she wants to say here. I cannot imagine how frustrating that is, but I hope one day to find myself in a similar situation. Being surrounded by so many languages is filling me with the desire to not only travel to and look around new places, but to immerse myself in the culture and language.
Although I am in an English-speaking country, there are variations within the language. They generally do not interfere with my understanding, but they are interesting nonetheless. Sidewalks are "foot paths," gas stations are "petrol-stations," periods are "full stops," and a common greeting is "how are you going?" Then there are words such as "lift," "queue," etc. Often the sound of the letter "r" is missing in words that it is present in and present in words that it is absent in, such as: "know" and "no." Melbourne sounds like mel-ben, Brisbane - brisbin, Cairns - cans, and know or no - no-r. I am trying to figure out how to most effectively phoenetically spell the latter. Everyone sounds pleasant here and sometimes British, but there are clear differences.
Overall, I am primarily settled in my home and now at Deakin University, where I have enroled in my classes (after one of the most unorganized and stressful days of my academic life). I am taking Australian Culture, Philosophy and the Meaning of Life, and Writing for the Professional Practice (also, online Ethics at Marist). Classes here are called "units" and are divided into lectures and tutorials (often called "tutes," which is adorable). Lectures meet for one hour a week and tutorials for one-two hours. The work and assessments are reading and writing intensive, but I am completely interested and excited to learn after nearly three months of vacation. My schedule also allows for travelling from Thursday evening to Monday evening. Deakin University, as an educational institution, is amazing so far. The campus is so large, diverse, filled with energy, and the library is filled with so many books - so many.
Now that I have a home and I am enrolled in the university I am ready to fully embrace Australia and plan my travels.
Arriving in the airport was incredibly refreshing. I made my way through the duty-free section of the airport, which they make an awfully big deal about, headed through customs, and picked up my luggage. I was also pleased to find my life, in bags, all present and in order (I also assume that everything I own will be lost while crossing land and oceans).
I headed to the meeting point with a group of students from Marist and UMass to find our driver, who informed me that I would be staying at the South Yarra Hotel. This information was terrifying for a number of reasons the primary reason being that I had received confirmation of accomodation in the Cherry Tree Lane International House after enduring a series of stressful e-mails and monetary transactions. The driver agreed to take me to the International House with everyone else, regardless of what his document stated; however, for two hours I was a bundle of nerves because I could not figure out what had gone wrong and did not have a phone or remote understanding of how to navigate myself around the city. Everyone around me was filled with excitement and anticipation of getting settled and I was filled to the brim with worries. When I arrived, I gathered my bags and listened as the caretakers read off a list of the people that should be present. I resumed breathing upon hearing my name. The lack of housing could have been a blessing in disguise, which I will address later, or at the very least a lesson in flexibility, but I am grateful that I am here in the International House.
International House is located in Box Hill South Victoria, which is a relatively small suburb. The houses are rather unobtrusive and blend in with the trees. Everything seems a bit lower to the ground here. It doesn't look too unfamiliar and sometimes I feel like I could be anywhere, but it's comforting in some ways. I am located about forty-five minutes from the city center, but public transportation, including trams, trains, and buses is fairly easy to use (not very cheap though!) A daily pass costs $10.80 AUD, which is why I must investigate the concession cards available for students, which cuts the price almost in half. The public transportation services make you jump through a number of hoops to acquire the little card though. There are ways around paying full price: you can choose to risk it and not pay at all or purchase cards after 6PM for $5.80 AUD and stay in the city until 3AM. There are a number of packages you can purchase which ultimately save a bit of money as well. Trams stop running at 1AM, but there is a Night bus that runs when the trams and trains stop, which I have not yet taken. I'm not sure how reliable it is, but I am sure I'll find myself on it sooner or later. My impression, so far, is that public transportation is efficient and dependable. If I were a bit more brave, I may have opted to live in the city center in order to fully experience Melbourne and save a bit of money; however, I cannot alter my accommodation at this point and I do enjoy it here.
My room is quite cozy (yet rather bare, although I have decorated it now) and my housemates are wonderful. I am living with Lucy from Korea and Lauren from New York. We have a quiet house and we all get along in a way that extends beyond merely living together. The community, outside of our house, is comprised largely of American students, but there are also students from Denmark, Zimbabwe, Australia, Canada, Holland, Malaysia, Dubai, India, and England. For a lot of people, English is their second language and I am amazed by how well they can communicate (and then I realize that they essentially have very little choice regarding that matter). Lucy told me that she can only express about fifty-percent of what she wants to say here. I cannot imagine how frustrating that is, but I hope one day to find myself in a similar situation. Being surrounded by so many languages is filling me with the desire to not only travel to and look around new places, but to immerse myself in the culture and language.
Although I am in an English-speaking country, there are variations within the language. They generally do not interfere with my understanding, but they are interesting nonetheless. Sidewalks are "foot paths," gas stations are "petrol-stations," periods are "full stops," and a common greeting is "how are you going?" Then there are words such as "lift," "queue," etc. Often the sound of the letter "r" is missing in words that it is present in and present in words that it is absent in, such as: "know" and "no." Melbourne sounds like mel-ben, Brisbane - brisbin, Cairns - cans, and know or no - no-r. I am trying to figure out how to most effectively phoenetically spell the latter. Everyone sounds pleasant here and sometimes British, but there are clear differences.
Overall, I am primarily settled in my home and now at Deakin University, where I have enroled in my classes (after one of the most unorganized and stressful days of my academic life). I am taking Australian Culture, Philosophy and the Meaning of Life, and Writing for the Professional Practice (also, online Ethics at Marist). Classes here are called "units" and are divided into lectures and tutorials (often called "tutes," which is adorable). Lectures meet for one hour a week and tutorials for one-two hours. The work and assessments are reading and writing intensive, but I am completely interested and excited to learn after nearly three months of vacation. My schedule also allows for travelling from Thursday evening to Monday evening. Deakin University, as an educational institution, is amazing so far. The campus is so large, diverse, filled with energy, and the library is filled with so many books - so many.
Now that I have a home and I am enrolled in the university I am ready to fully embrace Australia and plan my travels.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Travel Blogging
I have to say, I would have started this blog weeks ago if I could have made up my mind about where I wanted to host it. In general, the location of my writing and the tools with which I write affect my level of comfort and ultimately content. I had been deliberating over whether to use Blogger or Travel Blog and finally decided on Blogger. Travel Blog allows for specificity of location within the headline and has a more of a sophisticated look; however, Blogger is minimalistic and easy to customize. Honestly, I can't believe that I just wrote all of that, but I'll leave it as an explanation of why I have not hopped on the blogging abroad bandwagon sooner. Most importantly, now that I am settled, I will document as many of my experiences as possible.
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