Goodybe, Diana!

This morning we (Katie, Angela and I) woke up early to say goodbye to our friend Diana. It was a beautiful morning and the sunrise was gorgeous. We lugged her suitcases up to uni and hopped on a bus to the airport. When we got there we all said a tearful goodbye before watching her go through security. Although I didn't get to know her as well as I would have liked, I was sad to see her go. I've had a really good time with her and Angela, especially over the last few weeks, and I look forward to seeing her again in the future. (We've already all promised to road trip to each other's uni's next year.)

After saying goodbye, the rest of us decided to go get breakfast at the nearby Ikea. We were all excited because brekky at Ikea is super cheap and we all love looking at furniture and dreaming of decorating our own houses someday. (Ok, maybe Katie wasn't as into it as Angela and I.) About half way to Ikea it started to pour. We all huddled under Angela's umbrella, while trying to shield ourselves inbetween the cars in the carpark. Once it settled down, we took off again, until I said "Good thing it only rained for 30 seconds." The words weren't even fully out of my mouth when the downpour started again.

We finally made it to Ikea, soaking wet, only to discover that they were having a blackout. They were letting people into the store and they still had food left. So we bought our delcious cheap breakfast and sat down to eat. Three minutes later and employ comes up to us and tells us we have to leave because the store is running on emergancy backup power and they had to close. So we scarfed our food down as fast as possible and went back out into the rain, all the way back to the airport where we caught the J7 bus back to Flinders. . . or so we thought.

Fourty minutes later we stop at a shopping centre and the bus driver looks at us and says that this is as far as he goes. After a minute of confusion we discover that we took the J7 bus going in the WRONG direction. So we were now about an hour and 15 mins from Flinders. Luckily the correct bus came shortly after and we headed back to Flinders in the right direction.

To put the cherry on top, I was supposed to get my hair cut today and was heaps excited. But for some reason the stylist wasn't there! I don't know if one of us got the time wrong or if something happened. Hopefully I'll get it cut tomorrow because it's been driving me crazy! It's getting too long in the back and my bangs are insane.

Looking forward to dinner and a movie night with Katie and Angela.

Pictures from the red centre!

Check out some more pictures from my trip on facebook! Be warned there are a lot!

The Outback

Tuesday, June 23

Finally finished with finals, papers and projects, Katie, Diana, Angela and I caught an early morning bus to the Adelaide airport. Between the four of us, we had one large suitcase (35lbs limit) and each person had a backpack. We arrived at the airport quite early and passed the time drinking Farmer's Union Iced Coffee and eating Pods. While we were chatting, a woman approached Katie and asked her why we had chosen Tiger Airways as our airline. (Cheap flights for poor exchange students!) She was a journalist for a newspaper and after asking us some questions, her camera man took our picture. Hopefully I will be able to find a copy of the article. The woman told us she would email us the pictures, but we haven't heard from her.

After a fairly short flight we arrived in Alice Springs, which is almost directly in the centre of Australia. We got off the plane and were greeted with fairly warm weather, compared to Adelaide's rainy chills. A shuttle bus from our hostel took us to Toddy's, where we would be spending the night. Luckily the room had only four beds, so we had it to ourselves.

We were all pretty hungry so we walked down the street to Woolies and got snacks for our trip and then found a little Italian Restaurant for dinner. Walking back we saw many Aboriginals sitting in the streets and going through garbage cans. It's really sad how their culture has been destroyed and the people have been trampled on, much like what has happened to the Native Americans. Only recently has the government been making attempts to rectify the injustice done in the past. I don't know heaps about the history, but Aboriginals were forced out of their lands and the 'half-caste' children were taken away in what is known as the 'stolen generation' in order to teach them how to be 'white.' There also was once a law that identified Aboriginals as animals and made it legal to shoot one if he/she came onto your land. Luckily, efforts are now being made to respect the Aboriginal culture.

After dinner we returned to Toddy's and had a couple of drinks at the hostel's tavern. The girls bought me drinks for my birthday and when we got back to the room we ate cupcakes at midnight. Knowing we had to wake up early, we didn't want to stay up too late. I had a terrible time trying to go to sleep and ended up just laying there for most of the night. I finally drifted off about an hour before we had to wake up at five.

Just after midnight!

Wednesday, June 24

I started my birthday with a freezing cold shower, which was helpful in waking me up. At 6am we got on the tour bus and were introduced to our tour guide, Ryan. Everyone got up and said a little bit about themselves. There were about 20 of us, several people from China, one from Scotland, a couple of Aussies, some Germans, a Mexican and someone from Brazil. Almost everyone was leaving Australia within the next two weeks. A lot of the group had been studying abroad in Australia but a couple had just been traveling around.

We had a pretty long drive to our first destination so everyone mostly slept. Around lunch time we arrived at Kings Canyon, where we ate lunch. Our adventuring started with a three hour hike through the sandstone domes of the canyon. We hiked up 'heart attack' hill and I immediately regretted only bringing one pair of jeans. It was surprisingly hot, but at least it wasn't cold and rainy!
After climbing Heart Attack Hill

The hike took us around the canyons and gorges, presenting us with spectacular views. The scenery reminded me a lot of the hike my family took over the volcano in Hawaii. Only this time everything was red. The middle of Australia is called the 'red centre' because all the dirt is a beautiful deep red color. Our group moved along pretty slowly because everyone kept stopping to take pictures. Luckily we had time to go to the Garden of Eden, which was a murky pool of water.

Kings Canyon

After the hike, we all got back in the bus and drove for several more hours to our camp site. On the way we stopped to pick up some firewood. The tree branches we were gathering were poisonous so we had to be careful not to get any splinters. Later, we made a stop for a last opportunity to use flushable toilets and to buy some alcohol. Katie and I decided to split a six-pack of Coopers (A South Australian beer we like a lot).

At the camp site, Ryan started a fire and began cooking food for us (rice, veggies and meat). Everyone sat around the fire and chatted while we waited. I thought it was going to be freezing cold, but the weather was surprisingly pleasant. We had to bundle up, but it wasn't uncomfortable. After eating dinner, a group of Aussie girls brought out a piece of cake they had bought for me at the last stop and everyone sang Happy Birthday. It was really sweet of them!

Diana and Angela sitting around the camp fire

It was pretty late by this time so everyone started getting ready for bed. I had drank two beers and really had to pee. Unfortunately, my only option was to go in the woods. Katie and I walked away from the camp site and squatted behind some bushes. It was heaps more difficult than I realized. I don't think I was doing it right, because I ended up just taking my pants completely off. Luckily it was pitch black dark!

One of my favorite parts of the trip was getting to sleep under the stars at night. Everyone was provided with a swag and a sleeping bag. A swag is kind of like a sleeping bag. I think it's made of canvas and it's got a cushion on the bottom. You can pull the head flap over and make it into a mini tent, but I preferred the open air. I was surprisingly warm all night and moderately comfortable. Unfortunately, it was pretty cloudy out, but everyone once and awhile the stars would shine through. I slept soundly and didn't wake up until 5am when it was time to start getting ready to leave.

Sleeping in our swags under the stars!

Although I was a little disappointed I couldn't celebrate my birthday in the proper turning 21 fashion, getting to sleep under the stars, hike through canyons and even pee in the woods for the first time all made for a memorable birthday.

Thursday, June 25

Thursday morning disaster struck. Everyone was rolling up their swags and sleeping bags and eating some brekky. Diana had just walked towards the fire with her swag and got into a minor entanglement with a little tree that was near our sleeping spot. I had started to roll up my swag when Angela suddenly tripped over the tree herself, not having seen Diana do the same. I look over and Angela's left leg is stuck in the branches of the tree and she's sprawled out like superman on the ground. Her pants were caught, so I went over to help untangle her. We rolled up the leg of her pants and discovered a huge gash on her shin. Seeing the deep wound freaked her out and I ran over to find Ryan. We had to carry her over to the fire and Ryan cleaned the wound and wrapped it up. I was really impressed with how brave Angela was handling her injury because I probably would have passed out!

Everyone cleaned up the camp site quickly so we could get Angela to a doctor (the nearest hospital was about an hour away). However, it turns out the hospital didn't open until 9am so we drove to our next camp site and put Angela in a swag on a table. Ryan took the rest of us to the Aboriginal Cultural Centre and went back to get Angela and take her to the hospital.

The Cultural Centre was interesting but lacked detailed information. In the Aboriginal culture, only some things can be disclosed to the public. There are things that only men can know about, things for just the women and stuff that the children get to learn. Unlike our society where everyone gets to learn and we pay to get an education, an Aboriginal must prove him/herself worthy before becoming initiated. The Centre gave a little bit of information about the various sacred sites at Uluru (Ayer's Rock). We got to hear the 'creation' stories about the different features on the rock. However, we didn't get to learn about what sort of rituals happen at the spots. The Aboriginals strongly discourage people from climbing the rock because the spot where tourists climb is considered a very sacred site. Originally the government came in and took control over Uluru and kicked out the Aboriginals. Recently a contract was made giving the rights back to the Aboriginals. However, it came with the requirement that they lease land back to the government for 99 years and that the climb stays open. The contract is renewed every five years and people are hoping that the climb will soon be closed permanently.

After a couple of hours, Ryan returned with Angela. Turns out she needed to get six stiches! She seemed to be doing well, but was sad because she wouldn't be allowed to go on any of the upcoming hikes with us because she had to keep the weight off her leg. We all ate lunch and then drove to Kata Tjuta (The Olgas). We all felt really sad to leave Angela alone in the bus.

Standing in front of Kata Tjuta

Kata Tjuta is similar to Uluru, but instead of just one giant monolith there are 36 different domes. Our hike led us through the domes and into the Valley of the Winds. This was another one of my favorite parts of the trip. The scenery was beautiful and the hike was really fun and interesting. Ryan didn't have a lot of information about Kata Tjuta because it's such a sacred place for the Aboriginals that they do not disclose any information. About half way through the hike the domes suddenly opened up on a breath-taking view. The group decided to carry on without Ryan (who turned around at this point) and hike down the valley. The weather was beautiful and the sun hitting the rocks was gorgeous. We were supposed to have done the hike first thing in the morning, but due to Angela's injury we went to the Centre first. This worked out in our favor because it had rained all morning and the other tour group got soaking wet.

Gorgeous view on our hike through Kata Tjuta

Picture we took for Angela on our hike

When we got back to the bus, we headed towards Uluru to watch the sunset. At first we thought it wouldn't be a very good one because it was very cloudy and the sun wasn't able to hit the rocks. It was slightly sprinkling and suddenly a double rainbow appeared right over Uluru. At one point the sun peaked through the clouds and the effect was beautiful!

Sunset over Uluru

Once it got back we returned to our camp site. This time we had access to showers and real toliets! We showered up and then enjoyed the camp fire. The other tour group (from the same company) was also spending the night in the same area. One of the guys was very loud and outgoing. We immediate thought he was from Texas because of his accent, but it turns out he is from Canada. He has been traveling around the world and said he has drunk beer in 20 different countries! We toasted some marshmellows, but couldn't make any s'mores because they don't have grahm crackers in Australia! I guess s'mores aren't a camp tradition in Australia.

Tonight the sky was clear and we could see heaps of stars. It was a little bit colder, but I wasn't overly uncomfortable. I wasn't too happy when I had to get up in the morning, though. It was much colder and I was pretty tired.

Friday, June 26

Our last day of the tour! The day started as we watched the sun rise over Uluru. It wasn't nearly as spectcular as the sunset, but still amazing. Next we drove to Uluru and got to hike around the base of the rock. Once again we had to leave Angela behind. The path was flat and fairly easy, but it was about a two hour trek and she didn't want to risk ripping open her stiches and getting an infection.

Posing in front of Uluru

Tourist shot! Some of the sacred sites were very similiar to this

We couldn't take pictures at various spots around the rock because they are sacred sites for the Aboriginals. The walk itself wasn't overly interesting; however, I had a really good time talking with Diana and Katie. When we got back around to the beginning we saw heaps of people climbing the rock. I was rather conflicted about whether or not I would have climbed it. (No one else in our group climbed the rock and it wasn't really an option for us because we were dropped off at a different point on the base walk.) Part of me would really like to experience the climb. I'm sure it would be gorgeous and bring personal satisfation and enjoyment. However, I would want to respect the wishes of the Aboriginals. Climbing the rock would be disrespectful. Also, it looks heaps dangerous. There is just a small railing and the climb is extremely steep. Many people have slipped and died.

The steep climb up Uluru

The hike was the last main part of our tour. We got back on the bus and drove several hours back to Alice Springs. At first I kept falling alseep and would wake up uncomfortable and grumpy whenever we reached a stop. After lunch I decided to stay awake and chatted with Katie, which helped heaps. About an hour before reaching Alice Springs we stopped at a camel farm and got to ride camels around a little padock. It wasn't as cool as riding the camel in Israel, but this time the camel trotted a bit, which was exciting.

Once we got back to Toddy's we all had a chance to clean up and then meet for dinner at the tavern. During dinner I got to talk to Sky, an Aussie from Sydney. She is a drama teacher and is very involved in theatre. She was telling me that while it's extremely hard to produce a play in Sydney, the people in Darwin are really interested in hiring people to direct and produce plays. I have her contact information and if I ever return to Australia, she would be a great contact to get myself started.

After dinner a bunch of us headed over to Ryan's house because he was having a party for his birthday, which was on the 27th. Katie wasn't feeling very good so she didn't come and passed out at the hostel. Angela, Diana and I ended up staying until about five in the morning. We had a fun/crazy time which made for a nice ending to the trip. It was really cool getting to hang out with everyone one last time before flying back to Adelaide.

The bus ride on the way to Ryan's birthday party

Saturday, June 27

We woke up early and sadly packed up all our stuff. Everyone was really sad to be leaving, especially because it made leaving Australia seem even closer. Diana is leaving on Tuesday and Katie and I only have two more weeks. (Angela is staying another semester, the lucky girl!) We arrived really early at the airport and spent the time laughing about the night before and talking about favorite memories from the trip. Before we knew it we were back in Adelaide. We all ate dinner together and looked through all the pictures from the trip. I was so exhausted I ended up falling asleep in my clothes, with my lights still on.

I'm so glad that I got to go on this trip with the girls. It was really nice to get to see a different part of Australia (the semi-arid desert) and to have so many cool experiences. I think in total we hiked about 20 miles. It was really inspiring to meet so many people who love traveling and are spending time to just explore the world. I've been reflecting a lot on what I want to do with my life, especially once I graduate. In America it seems like there is so much pressure to get a good job, make heaps of money and provide for your family. I think I'm really fortunante that in my career I have a little more wiggle room to go where ever I want and experience as much as possible. Traveling is something that is important to me. I think I want to do my best to save up money and stop buying so much useless crap so I can spend the money on doing some traveling before I need to settle down. Ryan, our tour guide, only gets about one or two days off a week. He lives in a little converted garage and has hardly any material possesions. He is saving up his money so that he can travel around the world in a year. I think this is really inspiring. I am going to continue to do some self reflecting. I want to figure out what really is important to me and what I want to do with my life. I don't want to be at the end of my life and regret not truly experiecing life because I was too worried about making money and climbing the ladder.

It's rough

Jeff left for America today. I'm sad to see him go, because we had a really great time together. It's also hard because it makes going home seem so real and I'm just not ready yet. I have loved Australia so much and this experience has done so many wonderful things for me. I'm afraid to go back home because I'm worried that I will lose the feeling of being free again. I've been so happy here and I don't want to ever forget the memories I've had. I hate the thought that over time, they will fade. I hate forgetting. I really hope I get a chance to come back some day, although I know it won't be the same.

One more month

I can't believe I only have four more weeks left! I am getting fairly excited for things that are going to be happening back home (classes, shows, moving into a house, etc), but I get sad whenever I think about leaving Australia. I don't know when I'm going to have a chance to come back, although I hope I can someday.

It's been awhile since I last wrote! Class have offical ended. Today I took my final test in my screen studies class. Unfortenently, I don't think I did all that well. It's a lot harder to get motivated to study when I know my grades are only pass/fail and won't even effect my GPA. I know I'll get back to studying like crazy next semester. I think I got fairly high marks in my performance classes and I got good feedback in my interviews. My professors all said I need to let the audience in more and let the other actors effect my actions. Something I will try to take into account in the future.

Third Year class after our Stand-up Night

Last week was our stand-up comedy performance. I actually have a copy of it on DVD if anyone is interested. I was first and extremely nervous but I think it went pretty well. Everyone really seemed to enjoy the show. I was surprised how many people showed up, we had at least 80!

Rehearsal for my stand-up routine

The following week was pretty quiet. I mostly sleep a lot, watched t.v. and had a Lord of the Rings movie marathon with Jeff, Nate and Ken. On Wednesday, a bunch of us went to a dance club in the city called HQ. Wednesday's are themed nights called Flashdance because they play a lot of 80's and 90's music, which of course is right up my alley. Our friend Carissa had a goodbye party for us because Jeff is leaving in a week.

On stage at Flashdance

On Saturday Katie, Diana and I were treated to a surprise party by Angela. She has been planning it for ages and kept everything a big secret. At 7pm I went over to their apartment and we all got dressed up. We had to stay locked in Katie's room while Angela prepared everything. Her surprise was chocolate fondue! She had cut up different types of fruit as well as found our favorite kinds of candy. She made little oreo cheesecakes and a peach champagn drink. It was all extremely delicious. Afterwards we went back to HQ and danced so much we couldn't hardly walk.

In a week the four of us are going to be leaving for Alice Springs. We are taking a tour to Uluru (Ayer's Rock) and will be camping in the outback. I'm sure it's going to be freezing, but I'm pretty excited!