Sailing...off into the sunset

What a week in Cairns! The last week has been amazing in this sun drenched town. I consider it a mix between the Florida Keys and Hawaii. Very relaxed and touristy. Our hostel is more like a college party resort that never stops for even a second. Pretty nice accommodations though. I'll just briefly run through some of the stories so that I don't forget to elaborate on them when i'm back in the States and reflecting on this experience:

Double decker party bus, friends winning free sky diving, snorkleing on the great barrier reef, scuba diving on the great barrier reef, three humpback whales coming right up to our boat and playing in the water, jumping out of an airplane at 9,000 feet, the beaches around Cairns, Cairns Lagoon, wiggly bus rides, koalas and crocs, sunny cafes, late nights dancing on tables, saying goodbye to many new friends, making even more british-irish-scottish and aussie friends, and much much more to come!

Tomorrow i board a bus for Arlie beach (10 hours away yikes!) then sail for the next 2 days through the Whitsunday Islands! Whithaven beach is our first stop and i've been told it's the best. I'll be sharing quarters with 35 other eager tourists who have some amazing stories of their own about traveling the world on a break from Uni. I've already finished and restarted my favorite book, The Old Man and the Sea, as it just seems to fit the experience so well. Going out farther than ever before in search of the Big Fish. G'day everyone and i'll see you all soon when i'm in HOME!

Graduate!

I am officially done with college! Finished my last exam today and I now have my degree! This adds me to the long list of McCleary graduates which I am very proud to be part of. I finished my classes well here and I'm hoping for some decent marks. Tonight is our last night in Sydney and the bus leaves at 4:15 am. I'm very excited to get up to Cairns for a week in the sun. Time to celebrate, time to reflect, and more importantly time to enjoy the short time I have left in Australia.

*I was contacted by Chris Minton last night who is in Australia with his family for the weekend. Might head down to the Opera House and meet him for a drink. If I remember the same Minz from the wedding, it could be more than one drink! Good thing i'm already packed. G'day!

Proud Day for Team Sturges

A quick post today but worth noting. It was a proud day for the already storied Sturges sporting tradition. For class we learned about some of the native Australian sports such as cricket and the many types of "footie". The next step was to practice some real life application. As the first side up to bat in a modified cricket match (multiple group of two batting against 20-some fielders), Alex and I managed a modest 4 runs. I was bowled out on a tipped ball after our instructor, and only experience cricket player in the entire park, gave me a tough inside bowl that I could only fend off with the bat. I took my turn at bowling, and proved to be formidable opponent to each batter i faced. Whether by stumps, catches or run outs, I put away each batting pair i faced giving up only two total runs. In our second go, Alex and I put on a long showing against strong bowlers and scored seven runs. Our combined total would prove to be the highest mark of the day.

On to the rugby pitch. I recruited a group of 8 year olds who were watching and laughing at the Americans trying their hands at Aussie sports, which added a lot of experience and youth to my side. Unfortunately one of the kid's mom showed up and wouldn't let them play with us anymore. We were left to fend for ourselves. There was a lot of poor play, and to be honest absolute slop but we began to get the hang of rugby (league variety). We were rotating three teams, five minute games each and there was not much scoring. We were only playing touch rugby, but I can't imagine the intensity had it been full contact. A group of MSU athletes contains a lot of competitive drive which all seemed to come out today. After our first trial games, a group of players left leaving a 7 v 7 side match. I was teamed with field hockey, soccer, tennis and even a woman's rugby player (she was in pain watching us butcher her favorite game). We fought hard for an early lead of two tries. There was a lot of bickering over rules and our instructor even joined the other team to keep teams even and keep an eye on the rules. In a "next try wins" situation (because everyone was sweating like the sahara) I made an enormous blunder. In a first touch move, I tried a fancy lateral pass to avoid the tackle right into the arms of the opposing team. We made the tackle and readied for a short field defensive stand. After making the mistake, I told myself that I better not let this game end on my blunder. But alas! On a third down start, I read the long lateral pass, made a slight deflection, it went off their player, off another one of their players, right into my arms and i was off to the races! Untouched but closely pursued i placed the ball down in the endzone for the try and the victory! I may not have been carried off the field on the shoulders of the fans, but it did feel good to make the final play of the game. Have the ball in my hands. Well, to be honest I think everyone was relieved because we would have played until the bitter end and who knows how long that would have been!

Lesson's of the day: 1) Don't underestimate a group of girls playing rugby. Rowers, field hockey, soccer and even cross country girls can be beasts if you give them the right pass and a running lane.
2) Respect other sports. The endurance required to play TOUCH rugby, let alone the real thing is unbelievable. Better shoes wouldn't have hurt either. Even cricket is a lot more tiring than you'd think.
3) Try other sports. People spend their whole lives mastering these seemingly goofy tasks and it's nice to have an idea of why they do it. Just like the popular sports with superstars and super contracts, the international sports have a place at the table. They all require the same stuff, really. A good day of perspective and even a chance at a little bit of glory. Beautiful, sunny day in Sydney. Now it's time to go to a real rugby match to see the St. George Dragons show us how to really play that game.

Only in Australia

Believe it or not, I am capable of doing a backflip. Being in a gymnastics facility the last few weeks inspired me to get a little bit more acrobatic. After a grueling 14 minutes of Dmitri's soviet circuit we were allowed to just mess around. One kid in our group is a very agile guy and does all sorts of tumbling and flips just for fun. He was showing me how to do a backflip on the trampoline and after psyching myself up, i chickened out on my first attempt, curling into the ball in the air and just falling awkwardly. The next progression was to do it on the ground with two spotters. First attempt went well enough, second attempt not so great. At this point, Dmitri saw me and decided to put the harness on me. I was strapped to a rope hanging on the ceiling and told to jump, reach back, kick the knees and keep bouncing when i land. Easy enough! After committing to unknown, i accomplished multiple backflips on the trampoline! Something I never thought i'd do. While I don't plan on trying to take my skills to a gymnastics career, i'm happy enough to say I tried something new and actually did a flip!

Yesterday was one of our most eventful and best days in Sydney. We woke up early (my roommate and I almost missing the bus) and drove two hours to the Blue Mountains. We stopped along the way to do the sterotypical tourist thing and petted kangaroos and koalas. It was awesome. I know that it's so cheesy and touristy to do but it is so worth it. Now I feel like i'm permitted to say i've been to Australia. They should almost have the little fuzzy guys at the airport for when you get off the plane. After the animal park, we went to the mountains which are comparable to the grandcanyon with a 100 million year head start. Everything is heavily forested but the same concept. We took a 1000 step staircase down to a lower path and got to see the Three Sisters (famous rock formation) on the way. We then hiked a good 3 km to a beautiful waterfall and then took the world's steepest rail car back to the top. Terrifying! I don't do well with steep. This was steeeep.

The night was concluded by dressing up and going to the opera house! We got to see the Sydney symphony orchestra perform Romeo and Juliet. Our seats were two rows behind the french horns and were unbelievable. What a performance! They had a world renowned solo violinist and the young American conductor was a treat. It was probably my favorite experience of the whole trip so far. I can't seem to describe it any other way!

Sadly the wine tasting tour was cancelled due to budge cuts and lots of drama among the group. Instead of heading to the Hunter Valley and tasting some of the world's best wines, I spent the day walking the city markets and just exploring. It was a very good day, as so many have been during my time here in Australia. There are plenty of pictures to come now that my camera is recharged. I'm looking forward to sharing even more of this experience. I only have one more week left in this city (unfortunately busied with some final exams) but I plan on making the absolute most of it. I continuously remind myself that i'm only on the other side of the world for a little bit longer... better make the most of it. G'day!

A Rumble in My Tummy

Food in Australia has been a very new experience for me. It's not that i've been preparing crazy dishes of emu eggs and kangaroo filets, but I've had to adjust my eating habits to fit not only the trip but also the culture here. And yes, I have eaten some delicious kangaroo. We have a fully equipped kitchen in the apartment so i've been cooking quite a bit. It's funny how some food cravings have dominated my stay so far. I've cooked chicken fajitas a number of times and can't seem to stop my yearning for mexican food. In the apartment I keep a lot of bread, peanut butter (college student essentials), eggs, snack bars, oatmeal, raisins and apples. This can usually get me through the day if i throw in a few apples. Bananas, a food i'm used to always having a high supply of, are currently out of the question. They cost a hefty $16 a kilo here due to a banana shortage! I'll just have to wait until i get home. Near my apartment there is roughly two asian restaurants every 20 feet. I've grown a liking for some good asian food and even a bit of that spice! It's also nice that on all the menus they have pictures so you actually have an idea of what you're ordering. I still won't go near that sushi though, more than one person on this trip has gotten food poisoning already.

A famous Australian dish I ventured out to try the other day, and plan on returning to, is Harry's Meat Pies. I guess this place is famous and I now understand why. It's really just a big food cart down off one of the piers and they're famous for their meat pie with mashed peas, mashed potatoes and gravy. I picked up the "Curry Tiger with beef" which is the most popular kind. A bit spicy but delicious. I ate it sitting on a milk crate on the sidewalk with the other patrons. Delicious! And i've never had a meat pie before.

The other piece of Australian culture i've experienced is the TimTam. These may become my nemesis before the end of this stay. They are in a way the Oreo cookie of Australia but oh-so-good. The program bought us groceries for the first 2 day and some Tim Tams were included. Let's just say the chocolate biscuits were gone quickly and i recently bought a two more packs (different flavors). Don't tell Demitri, i'm sure he wouldn't approve! Take care everyone, and check out some of my pictures on Facebook!

I guess i give off that "Botanist" vibe

Friday was a big field trip day for study abroad. We hopped on a bus at around 9 to ride out to a national park right outside of Sydney. It was about an hour's ride. Now, i've never been one to get car/bus-sick but this was one "wiggly" ride as our tour guide called it. It's very hilly around here and the road was pretty narrow. Very pretty ride though with some very scenic views down to rivers and this bay who's name escapes me. Our tour guide's name was Claire Jackson and she is of aboriginal descent but her tribe is native to Queensland. The sites she was going to show us were not "her land", so she was very clear about the fact that we were guests to the spirits of the land and they're specific clan. Our first view and talk was at an awesome lookout point that was similar but not the same as this picture. We were higher up and looking more out to the ocean. I'll put pictures up later today, I have a few good ones.

Our tour guide Claire was quite the character. She's about 70 years young, and a short aboriginal woman with a lot of personality. Walking to our first site I asked her about the gum trees in the area because she had mentioned something about the bush fires they have and how eucalyptus trees go up like matches. My simple question of "are those the gum trees" made her assume that I was a top scholar in Australian plant life. She asked me if I was studying botany, I said no Psychology, and weakly added that I'm interested in plants? (to stay in the conversation). Through the rest of the day Claire and I had some good long talks about the many different Gum trees native to Sydney and what the natives used make out of them. When speaking to the group, she would refer to me as her "botanist friend" and even gave me a wildlife flora-fauna book so that I could check on the different types of plants in the area. It was all very interesting, and while I did take plant biology 101 last semester, I don't know much of anything about plants, let alone Australian plants! Now that I think about it, the McCleary's do have some accomplished plant enthusiasts along the line. Maybe yesterday I was simply channeling that "botanist" vibe.

We got to see some aboriginal rock carvings at different sites around the "bush". Basically they are big rock surfaces with tracings of people, whales, and other significant figures from their culture. It's a sad thing that the art is eroding and will be completely gone before too long. Sandstone doesn't stand the test of time too well. I found it really interesting how "spiritual" these sites were. We got to explore one rock area and look for carvings on our own and I really got the feeling that it was a place of significance. I found a few carvings that my classmates missed and felt very in tune with whole experience. Aboriginal culture is very respectful of nature and everything seems to have significance. Something we could all learn from. It's also interesting to know that all of the land of Sydney belongs to these aboriginal people and was filled with them before the European "invasion". Where my apartment is right now could have been a place of significance a few hundred years ago but I'd have no way of knowing. It's hard to be in "tune" with the spirits while in the busy city but in the quiet of the "bush" I could really give it a quality listen.

We finished the day with a "wiggly" ride down to a beautiful park. It was right on a river that ran into the bay with big expansive lawn and picnic tables. It was right next to a marina where people had their sailboats quietly anchored. Eating lunch, the kookaburras were swooping in and eating our scraps and the group skipped shells across the river. I took part of the time to lay in the sun and nap. Absolutely perfect place. A nice breath of fresh, eucalyptus filled air, away from the hustle and bustle of the big city. What a great day in the bush! Thank you Claire Jackson and all of the aboriginal spirits who let us have such a great day on their land.

Mom's Tsunami Warning!

School has dominated the last few days here. Six hours of class yesterday and another class this morning. I heard tonight that Dr. Ulibarri says that we are the favorite class she's ever had. Not sure where that came from! Doesn't seem like we are any different or special compared to any countless other students she's had in the past. Maybe it's the fact that it is a small class, a tight knit group, and we're force to spend 9 hour a week in a cramped improvised classroom? Anyway, I hope that "favorite class" translates into "good grades for all!"

My roommate, Alex is doing the surfing program here. Two other girls go with him over to Manly beach three times a week for surf lessons. Today, one of the girls wasn't feeling well and didn't want to go to her lesson. With Demitri out of town, I immediately thought of how much fun it would be to spend the afternoon learning to surf in her place. We called the surf place to make sure it was alright if i took her reservation but sadly they didn't even have the MSU group on the list of reservations for the day! What a total bummer, dude. After checking my email I figured out why there were "no MSU surf lessons today". My mom emailed me to warn me about the earthquake in New Zealand and was urgently asking if I was ok! I'm sure that right after she emailed me she called the surf shop and warned them that just in case I decided to go near the ocean, they would make sure i stayed in my 10th floor apartment. In her famous words about the Pacific Ocean, i quote; "those waves will suck you out and kill you!". Thanks for keeping me safe Magoo!

*The original tsunami warning listed for New Zealand, where the earthquake was closest, was soon after taken down as there was no significant threat of tsunami in either New Zealand, or Manly Beach-Sydney-Australia.

Checking in

Another day in Aussie! And a lot less traveling around which is nice. Yesterday we had a field trip I was under the impression would be 45 minutes but turned into quite a long educational experience. We visited the ANZAC Memorial which is a tall monument in downtown Sydney, right in Hyde Park. ANZAC stands for Australia New Zealand Army Corps. The memorial was built after WWI which was the first true test of Australian military. Australians were extremely proud to play a part in this war even though they did not have much of any success. They suffered huge losses in Turkey and also on the Western Front but the perception of this is pride for Australians. They were happy to finally have a chance to prove their strength and honor, regardless of the result. Their perception of war is very different and very interesting. The Anzac memorial does not contain any names of dead soldiers, but rather recognizes every single soldier who served or volunteered. It's not about the losses, but rather the symbolism of the brave Australian "Digger".

We then toured the New South Wales parliament house which is in a very cool building. Very old, with many new additions but the characteristic most interesting to me is how British it is. You can see the influence of the British everywhere, especially in the political buildings. Their traditions also seem very British, with just a small Australian twist to everything. I was tempted to take a seat in the chair reserved for the Queen. I'm sure she wouldn't have minded, she hasn't been here for about 30 years! They probably would have jailed me in the rat filled Hyde Park Barracks where they held the old prisoners. Good thing i withheld the urge.

The Tour de France has begun and that is how I am spending my evenings for the next three weeks. They offer me 4 hours of coverage per night... I think I will have to budget my time a bit better. Maybe two hours per night? With my first exam of the trip behind me (and i think it went well!) I will be spending the week training (without Demitri sadly). Training, cooking, watching biking, a little bit of class... it sounds like I'm back in East Lansing! I better get out into the city tomorrow so that this trip doesn't turn into a translation of my normal routines just on another continent! I will start posting pictures soon of the cool things I've seen. Aboriginal week is upon us and time to make some art. Take care, I'll add a more insight- less update entry, tomorrow.

Do not disturb: On Vacation

It's official, this trip is beginning to fly by. Thursday will mark 2 weeks in Australia and bring this trip down to 3 weeks to go. The weekend flew by too! It could have something to do with having a field trip on Friday to the Hyde Park Barracks downtown which is where the first buildings were built and the prisoners were kept. Very nice, interesting museum which we just had to follow up with class lecture! Which reminds me I have an assignment to do, writing a diary entry for a convict Thomas Walker, convicted to the 7 passage and sentence for stealing a handkerchief and money. Noted.

After a busy week of class and commuting to workouts it was nice to have some down time. Of course MSU study abroad did not waste a moment of the night life and we had some very interesting and fun nights out in the city. No elaboration needed! On Saturday my roommate Alex and I made the run from Bondi beach down to Coogee beach. It ends up being about 12k and it runs along the coastal walkway which is beautiful. You go up and down the cliffs and along some really nice beaches. Lots of stairs! But we made it and spent the rest of the afternoon on the beach and swimming even though it was just about 5 degrees to cool for a beach day.

It was a vintage Sunday for me. Let myself sleep in a bit then took off with my backpack to see some sights! Ended up on Tamarama beach which is my favorite spot i think. It's a smaller beach, right around the rocks from Bondi but is referred to as more of a local beach. It's never crowded or loud, just very relaxed. I sat the little Tamarama cafe and got some school work done and read my book. It was a really warm day today and just perfect to be on the beach or walking the rocks and I fell into the sense of "i'm on vacation". The school work quickly lost favor against my copy of Old Man and the Sea and it was really nice. I made the walk back to Bondi along the cliffs to see if any other study abroad folk has made it down the beach (I couldn't imagine why they wouldn't it was so nice out!) but they didn't. I wanted to swim but in a classic A.J. move took the swim trunks out of my backpack to acknowledge I had remembered them...but by doing this forgot them. So, i was forced to sit on the beach and watch a surf competition...tough life.

We have an exam coming up on Tuesday for the kinesiology course and a lot of my classmates spent the day studying, or worrying about what the professor will put on the exam. I can't seem to be reached for comment. I'll have the day and the night tomorrow to study and it's only over 3 lectures. I've had bigger odds against me in past study expeditions. I'm on vacation. Why spoil a great day of beaches and surf-side coffee with matters not needing worry? Besides, the Tour de France comes on in a few hours! In conclusion, I plan on spending the night typing my 400 words about the convict Thomas Walker and all of his foiled escape attempts. (That won't take long).  In the famous words of Mr. Ferris Beuller..."Life moves pretty fast, if you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."

*Don't worry mom, i'll do well on my exam!

"The (young) Man and the Sea"

"...the sea's only gifts are harsh blows and, occasionally, the chance to feel strong. Now, I don't know much about the sea, but I do know that that's the way it is here. And I also know how important it is in life not necessarily to be strong but to feel strong, to measure yourself at least once, to find yourself at least once in the most ancient of human conditions, facing blind, deaf stone alone, with nothing to help you but your own hands and your own head..."
— Bear Meat by Primo Levi

I will post more probably tomorrow. The weekends are for friends and laughs, and I haven't had much of a chance to sit down and write. Saw some beautiful parts of Sydney today, up on high on the sandstone rocks of the beach and also in the crashing waves of Bondi Beach. Stay tuned!