Between Water&Air

For me, the coral reef was all I needed to keep me satisfied.  Housing hundreds of species of fish, the Great Barrier Reef was an enchanting escape.  My air mask was my only source of the outside world as I floated the surface of the waters watching the creatures below.  As I swam like my fellow friends, I could feel my feet turning to flippers and my mask turning to gills.  It was as though this transformation was inevitable and had been waiting for the perfect moment to commence. I felt like the Little Mermaid making new friends in new places.  As I searched around, there were no signs of human contact, which was fine by me.  I had left that mortal world behind and traded it in for my destiny of life in the sea.

My first day of snorkeling was not my last on the trip to the Great Barrier Reef.  I had spent many days in my backyard pool as a small child playing with a snorkel mask and pair of fins.  It was fun up until the point where I outgrew my pool and could reach the other end, that once seemed a mile away, in one stroke.  Here swimming in the reef, I was in my element.  Living on Long Island, I was always exposed to the ocean and my dedication to swimming lessons and 5 years of lifeguarding helped me form my relationship with the water that will last a lifetime.  I often feel more coordinated when I'm swimming and exploring the water than when I'm tripping and fumbling over my feet on land. 

I was the first person in the water and the last one everyone called back onto the boat.  There were always new corals to explore, new fish to see and creatures to touch.  I brought with me an underwater disposable camera to take pictures that I wrapped around my wrist to insure it wouldn't fall to the seabed, never to be seen again.  I have been at battle with myself trying to decide if I should develop them now or wait until I return home.  Although the anticipation is killing me slowly, it will be a rewarding surprise when I get home and relive the experience. 

During this first trip, there were dozens of new fish I found but the most amazing part was the creature that let me swim beside it as it soaked up the attention it was being given.  I cannot take credit for spotting it first, but it was a brand new memory for my eyes to create.  As I had wondered off close to another student on the trip, I looked over and he was pointing to something coming out from under part of a coral cave.  The sea turtle came into focus as it slowly swan upwards from the salty sea ground.  I quickly funneled my last breathe through the plastic tube and dove downward.  I aligned myself parallel to the turtle and we swam together for what felt like an hour.  I knew not to touch its shell as it would become alarmed and swim away, so I got as close as I could without posing a threat.  It swam with the intend of misdirection or maybe it was its way of showing me how free his life was.  I almost forgot that unlike the turtle, I did need to come up for air more than once every few hours so I had to say goodbye and resurface. I continued to follow it the rest of the afternoon until it became frightened by all of the others snorkeling in his home.  As he swam away, I couldn't help but imagine what life must be like with the freedoms, threats and openness of the sea.

Me, Myself & I

As I have grown as a person on my trip, I wanted to take a minute to reflect on what I have noticed about my personality and character or how Australia has changed me.  Here are a few things I have learned about myself:

1. Night owl.  I would never even think to consider myself a morning person in the states and if someone asked me to voluntarily wake up before 11 in the morning, I would probably laugh at them.  Any procrastinated projects or assignments saved for the last minute would always be finished at night, even if it took until 5 in the morning if it meant I could sleep later.  I'd never tell myself to wake up before class to finish a project knowing I wouldn't be able to wake up.  Here, I have done a complete 180 and now wake up early.  I look forward to my morning tea or instant coffee and do not mind waking up a few hours before my class actually starts.  My old self would wake up 15 minutes before class, roll out of bed and walk to campus.  Here, I find myself with more than enough time to relax and take my time before class rather than rushing everywhere.
2. Food.  I miss my food.  By my food, I mean the availability and options I have become accustomed to at home in the states.  Having found out I have developed a gluten allergy within the past year, adjusting to a new diet has been extremely challenging.  As prices seem so much higher for food here in Australia, I shy away from buying cereals I would normally buy or deli foods that I would find in my fridge at home.  As much as I love rice and chick peas, it has become very difficult to eat the combination two times a day everyday.  I look forward to a refrigerator full of food when I return home.
3. Organization.  My bedroom at home is often covered with so much clothing that I have to dig my way through to see my rug.  At Loyola, my dorm room is a lot neater but this is only because I throw all of the clothing that would normally be found scattered on the ground into my closet and close the door, hoping some kind of closet monster will magically clean and fold it for me.  Here in Australia, I tidy up my room every single day.  It has begun to bother me when I find a sock on the ground missing its pair or a pen or notebook is out of place on my desk.  Hopefully this is a sign I am maturing and becoming a more organized person rather than developing OCD but I guess only time will tell.
4. Outgoing.  I have always thought that I was a relatively outgoing person but here it has been brought out even more than ever.  I am pleased with the way I have forced myself into what would seem as awkward situations but have come out of it with new friends.  Orientation week here at Monash offered many different activities, most of which people would view as corny or silly. But when you actually participate and let yourself have a good time, it is so easy to break out of your shell and enjoy things you normally wouldn't imagine you would.

Lord of the Fries

Remember the book most of us had to read in middle school "Lord of the Flies" written by William Golding of a group of British boys trying to survive on an abandoned island? Well this has nothing to do with what I am about to explain.   Here in Australia, Lord of the Fries is a fascination and heaven sent.  This is an established food chain different from any other fast food places I have experienced in the states.

Here at  Lord of the Fries, where their slogan 'We Care A Lot' is warm and welcoming, people can find burgers, hotdogs, desserts, milkshakes and, of course, fries.  The fries can be purchased plain in a dish to go but that would just be silly.  Why get plain fries, or chips as referred to by an Aussie, when you could get loaded fries.  With 13 sauces to choose from, they offer different tastes for different palettes around the world.  Their Indian sauce houses spicy mango chutney sour cream while their French Canadian sauce offers shredded cheese topped over hot gravy.  The possibilities are endless and are the perfect  food to bring back to halls with you after a long night of pubs and clubs.  

And the best part... it is 100% vegetarian! I was in complete awe at the idea that a fast food chain could offer and uphold such high standards of vegetarianism.  But yes, it gets better. Not only is it vegetarian but it also offers almost all sauces, burgers and desserts as vegan! Veganism is a life dedication so to cater so well to this culture is amazing.  And to continue my praise, Lord of the Fries has gluten free options... yes gluten free.  As I have been gluten free for the past 10 months, this almost brought tears of joy to my eyes.  As I am gluten free and my new and very close friend Leandra is a vegan, we were sure we discovered a new planet when we came across our first Lord of the Fries.  If you ever travel to Australia, this is one attraction you cannot miss out on. Put it at the top of your list!  

Aussie Lingo

I have been astonished as to how confused I get in conversation when speaking to an Aussie even though they are speaking in English.  I do not want to force a stereotype onto Australians but most that I have met here speak at lightening speed.  I thought I spoke quickly but because of their slurring accents, I find myself nodding and smiling in replacement of a spoken reply.  I always wanted to have an Australian accent and thought I would be able to travel back home to the states with me.  It is safe to say I have one of the worst Australian accents ever attempted. Every accentuated word turns into a British accent (which sounds extremely different when put next to each other).   

Not only has the accent left me in looping circles but also the actual jargon Australians use is quite unique.  There are infinite phrases and words I have learned that many use in every day life.  Some words are similar to those in the states but are used much more frequently while others are completely left field.  I have tried to apply some of them to conversations and cannot help but laugh… I cannot pull them off like an Aussie can. 

I have decided to keep a list that will grow for the rest of my stay here of words and phrases either frequently used here or ones that have grabbed my attention:

• Mate
• Referring to a close friend
• One of the most stereotyped word of an Australian which I believed would be outdated or just irrelevant to this generation; quite the opposite, I hear this word multiple times a day
• "This is my best mate right here" or "Have you met my mate Alex?"
• Reckon'
• Although we see this word used in some of the more southern states in the US, it is an everyday word used in almost all conversations I've had.
• "I reckon it'll rain again today"
• Heaps
• This is is used whenever Aussies want to describe 'a lot' of something, also used more than once a day
• I have actually found myself using this one
• "Sure you can borrow some, I have heaps of it"
• Afternoon tea or tea time
• This is a meal, either in afternoon or night
• It confused me most in the beginning as I thought they were referring to the actual tea you drink.  Rather it is a meal or snack.
• "Did you have tea yet? I was going to make sandwiches if you'd like one"
• Paddywagon
• This describes a police or cop car
• Even though this is not so frequent, it still made me laugh when it came up
• "I was locked up in the back of their paddywagon after I tried to run from the police"
• Good on ya
• Helps to say 'nice' or 'good for you' in a none sarcastic way
• I have tried to pull this one off but failed... it seems like this is one only true Aussies can pull off

A River of Unfortunate Events

On Day 6 of my Easter break, I was two hours south of Cairns.  It has taken the whole trip thus far to reach this point and have driven over 15 hours total to get here from Brisbane.  It was this day that I would finally endure my extreme and terrifyingly invigorating trip down the Tully River. 

  As we strapped our water shoes on, the excitement began to build.  Granted, these shoes were not a fashion trend I could see reemerging in the near future but once we put them on, it meant we were one step closer to water rafting.  I had never been water rafting before but I imagined it to be like a kayak trip only a lot faster and less secure.  I wasn’t too far off with the less secure idea. 

We were split into groups of 6 rafters and paired with one rafting guide.  This made me feel safe knowing if I fell out of the raft (which I did) there would be some form of a trained professional to get me back onto the raft.  I never imagined the type of speed or falls that we would ride. Right and left, we were instructed to move from one side of the raft to the other, equalling out the balance.  There was such a science to the trip I was so ignorant to beforehand.  The part to take the most seriously was when our instructor would either scream "Hold on!" and we would stop paddling and lean towards the center while grasping the side ropes or better yet "DOWN!". This was a sure sign we were about to experience a major drop from on the rapid, swiveling around rocks and plunging downwards.  

Many times we found ourselves caught in the rush of water where the fall drops and the water seeps under the rocks.  Panic struck when heaps of water would flood the raft and we would frantically poke the nearest surface to release free.  One of the falls left me flying off of the raft and into the water.  We had all prepared for such an emergency and were well instructed to grab the overboard member by the lifejacket.  With a firm grip, push down slightly and pull upwards with all force to thrust the victim back onto the raft as quickly as possible.  I fell off right in between two of the major water falls so I was lucky to have a crew that was well prepared or else I could only imagine where I'd be right now.  It wasn't until after our difficult falls and we were floating on the 'lazy river' part of Tully that our group asked about risks and past injuries.  It was there that Jack, our guide, told us of the many deaths on the river in past years, most of which from drowning.  If I had known this beforehand, I don't think I would have had as much fun as stress would be the dominant emotion at mind.  With taking off our jackets and helmets upon reaching shore, we all let out a breath of relief in making back on our own two feet with all limbs in tact.  Having given such an adrenaline rush from the whole trip, it's safe to say I will be doing it again in the near future.