Heart Bursts With Happiness (Part 2)!

About two weeks ago, I experienced what can be identified as a turning point in my study abroad experience. Amy Wheeler came to visit Melbourne and on our adventures to the city, Philip Island, and the Botanical Gardens, I came to realize that I was not exploring my surroundings nearly enough due to a host of reasons including temporary illness and re-adjustment to academic life; however, I came all this way and those matters should not interfere with my experience. I am fine and healthy and I have been trying to see more of Melbourne and to go on a few more adventures (Thank you, Amy for unintentionally motivating me!).

The night that Amy arrived we sat along the Yarra River and talked for quite a while. It was refreshing to have a conversation with someone that shares friends and experiences after two months of trying to describe friends from home and school and convey their importance in my life to people I just met here in Australia. While sitting along the river, we were quite startled by the fire that burst from those pillars. Apparently, this "fire show" happens every hour in the evening. It's cool once you get over the fact that the wind is blowing, the trees are nearby, and you are sitting below all of this. I didn't quite get over it and for some reason, was not very amused by this "show" (see: fear of fires in Melbourne post-bush fires). The fires just seemed a little out of place to me, but I'm sure that bush fire risk in an urban environment is not very high so I was needlessly worrying.

Afterward, Amy and I walked around for a while in search of a restaurant and decided to eat Indian food. Veganism and a tree-nut allergy (not peanuts, they grow in the grounds and they are "legumes") interfere with my dining options frequently, to the point where I don't even enjoy eating food at restaurants anymore; however, I consider Indian food to be my "safe" food because it is generally vegan and tree-nut free. Generally. I ordered vegetable curry and was quite happy about it, but I poked around the dish and saw tiny bits of what could be garlic or nuts (and I always assume nuts) so I asked the woman at the counter if there were cashews, walnuts, etc. in the curry. She said no (with a bit of uncertainty in her voice) and so I took a few bites until the cook came out and asked, "You don't like nuts?" and I told him I was allergic and he said something along the lines of how he felt like putting cashews in so he did! On a creative whim! I spent the next two hours thinking I was going to have an allergic reaction. Average stores don't sell anti-histamines so I went on an unproductive search and eventually we just went home. I vowed to never eat food out again. The following day, I ordered a baked potato with nothing on it and it was the most stress-free and as a result, delicious meal that I have had in Australia. Allergies are just not fun.

The following day, Amy went on a tour of the Great Ocean Road and on Sunday we both went to Phillip Island. The tour consisted of a wine tasting, a visit to the animal sanctuary, a trip to the beach and the Nobbies, and the penguin parade at night. The weather was beautiful, I held hands with an adorable kangaroo, survived a crazy bus ride with the funniest bunch of tourists and an unsafe and talkative driver, saw a thousand stars in a clear night sky, watched the smallest penguins in the world travel from the sea to their nest boxes, and acquired kind Dutch friends.

The Nobbies:

Little Penguin:

This species of penguin is the smallest in the world, measuring about one foot tall. Once the sky darkens, all of the little penguins emerge from the sea in groups and arrive on shore. We were supposed to see about 800+ but it was hard to tell how many actually came out of the water. We probably saw about 300. Maybe. The event was too commercialized and bright. It felt unnatural. I'm not sure if the penguins were disturbed by all of the lights and commotion, but I imagine they were. They seemed pleased to get to their nest boxes though!

I am pretty certain that on the way home we hit a kangaroo. The man next to me, upon hearing the bump against the van, said "kangaroo killer" under his breath and it was so well timed. I hope we didn't hit a kangaroo, but the way he said it was hilarious. I must reiterate the craziness of our driver though. The Dutch guys got the best view of all - right up front - and their reactions to the potential accidents, etc. were amusing to say the least. I should also note that one of the women on the bus had an umbrella and opened it in the shuttle to protect herself from the sun and a number of people mistook surfing humans for surfing penguins. Overall, quite a silly bunch and a good day.