Study Abroad Blog

It has been a while since my last blog. Due to the crazy time difference between America and the other side of the world, I am still trying to get back on schedule. My habits have been completely out of whack and I have lacked little motivation to do more than sleep and eat. New Zealand was without a doubt the most BEAUTIFUL country I have ever seen. We only spent a week in NZ, but it left a lasting imprint on my mind. Everything around the countryside was green. There were sheep farms galore, but the landscape was breathtaking and of course, I loved the clouds :) Clouds on the other side of the hemisphere are different than they are at home. In New Zealand they looked like big marshmallows sitting perfectly on the sky. There was one cloud in particular that I think God put in the sky just for me. It was big and puffy and isolated from all the other clouds. Do not ask me why I am so fascinated with the sky, but it might be my FAVORITE thing to look at!

While in New Zealand, we got a crash course in Maori culture. We stayed at a Marae one night. This is a sacred space that serves both religious and social purposes. They explained to us the deep spiritual beliefs that the Marae represents. It was very honoring to sleep in a sacred space. While I felt very privileged, I also could not get over the fact that funerals are held in the Marae- including the one we were staying in that night. In fact, we were leaving in the middle of the week and then the following Friday there would be a funeral in the very room I was supposed to get a good nights rest in! The room was rather small, so I slept very close to the people beside me. Because of sheer exhaustion, I fell asleep and stayed asleep even though it was extremely cold. Sometime in the morning (when it was still dark outside), I woke to a strange sound. As I awakened from my slumber I realized that there was a figure standing in the front of the Marae speaking in a foreign language. I looked around the room (still half asleep) and no one else was stirring. Everyone was DEAD ASLEEP. At this point I panicked. I have always been a scared-y cat and this was a little too much for me to handle. Here I was in a foreign place that is used occasionally as a funeral home and there was a figure at the front of the room speaking in another language. I was scared out of my mind. Eventually, more people started waking up and I later realized that the strange figure I saw was actually a man who welcomed us onto the Marae. Then when I turned over, I realized that I was pretty much staring the girl sleeping beside me right in the face- I know my breath must have stunk! Needless to say, it was quite an eventful morning for me. HAHA!

The next day we visited another Marae and a cultural show. The second Marae we went to was not as family oriented, but the beauty of the building certainly captured my attention. I was awe struck at the intricacy of the craftsmanship.  The cultural show was just as appealing (even though it was freezing outside!) Maori culture is incredible.

I cannot possibly sum up the trip in one blog, aside from the Maori experience, we also saw geysers, hot springs, volcanoes and even passed through the town where "The Lord of the Rings" was filmed.  It was an experience that was truly beyond words!

Thursday was a day that I will never forget. Kristin (my roomie) says that it was "epic". Personally, I think I should have stayed in bed. My day would have progressed better if I got mauled by hungry lions. OKAY, I'm totally exaggerating... as I tend to do... but I DID have a pretty crappy Thursday.

We went into the city to do some last minute shopping. The girls I'm rooming with wanted to go to Max Brener's (a restaurant dedicated to chocolate). It is a chocoholic paradise. There are tubes on the ceiling that pump chocolate from mixers into a spout that the employees use to top off desserts. While my friends thought the food was amazing, they were very unhappy that the restaurant was out of their signature dish and delivered poor customer service.

While this experience put a bit of a damper on the day, we continued on. We stumbled upon a souvenir store that was going out of business. Everything in the store was between 50-70 % off (FABULOUS!) We each got some nice gifts for good prices. This would prove to be the highlight of the day.

After packing for New Zealand, we headed off to the IMAX to see Shrek in 3D. The train left at 11:05 p.m. and we were about 30 seconds late. This meant that we had to wait in the cold train station for an extra 30 minutes.... boo. While waiting Kristin had a minor emotional breakdown over a gift she bought earlier, but she felt better by the end of the night... if for no other reason she was able to laugh at my misfortune that ended the night.

So we arrived at Townhall train station at midnight (one minute before the movie started). Kristin and I walked from the station to the Imax to meet Amy and Denning for the show. As we rushed along the road, Kristin was running funny and I started giggling at her. Two random guys who happened to be walking by us started mocking us and running alongside us. Kristin told them to back off... which they chose to use as an excuse to be even more irritating and evasive. We finally got rid of them, but I was worried I might need to use my new boxing skills.

The theatre was not very packed for the first showing of Shrek 3D, but it was a midnight show. I don't think many parents wanted their children out that late! I was eager to see the film in 3D. I sat down and put on my super special 3D glasses. The movie started out great. The little donkey dragon babies were super cute and entertaining. Suddenly, about 20 minutes into the movie, I felt something warm underneath me. I reached down to see what it was and was appalled at what I found. The seat of my pants was soaked.... all the way through.... with someone else's pee. I do not know how it happened. I do not want to know what possessed a person to do something so despicable, but I had the evidence of their deed on my rear end. There was nothing I could do about it because my ride was watching the movie... I sat through the film completely uncomfortable (but I did move to another seat). When the show was over I went to the manager thinking that she would show some kind of pity on me. Instead, I got a very cold and nonchalant sorry. Maybe she didn't realize how incredibly unsanitary it is to sit in urine or maybe she had other things to do at 2 in the morning. My roommate tried to get me some kind of compensation, but it did not help much. I only got a free ticket to select shows ... which I cannot use because I am leaving the country. I did not even get reimbursed for the show I watched sitting in pee. The Imax in Sydney is in desperate need of learning about Southern hospitality. I look forward to the customer service I will receive upon my return in the United States!

So... how is that for an end to an "epic" day? I think it is worth forgetting... my roomies disagree. They found it hilarious.  :(

I have a friend who is very passionate. It is the kind of passion that is contagious. When I was on Facebook Thursday, he messaged me extremely excited. He said that the Invisible Children bill went through to bring more relief funds to displaced children in Uganda and (most importantly) to find Joseph Kony, the leader of the LRA (a group in Northern Uganda that has terrorized and killed numerous people). After talking about it and sifting through questions in my head, I began researching Joseph Kony. I wanted to know what pushed this person to the point of leading an organization of torture. I found information about a boy (a little small for his age) who grew up with Christian parents- a Catholic father and an Anglican mother. From my reading, I found that the group Kony began in had good intentions. He joined for a noble cause from my investigation. Eventually, after a series of events (including becoming the leader), Joseph Kony became power hungry. This evolved into the evil acts Kony is in charge of today.

Class on Friday was completely emotionally draining. We had another person from the Stolen Generation come talk to us about the abuse he suffered. As he told his story- and the effects throughout his life, my heart began to break. He told us about the day he decided to take his life. He went to an old drinking buddy's house to say goodbye- because he wanted to say bye to someone. When he arrived at the house, there was a priest there who talked him out of it. If the priest had not been patient, listened and stood behind this man, he would have taken his life that night. Now, he is a counsellor for displaced Aboriginal people who are trying to find their families.

When I was talking to my friend about Joseph Kony, we agreed that every person has an impact on each person they meet. I can't help but wonder the difference a person like this priest would have had in the life of Joseph Kony. Maybe the entire situation would have been different- maybe millions of lives would have been saved. 

When I think about all the heartache in the world, I often get overwhelmed. I can't see how a small person like me can ever possibly make a difference. Yet, when I remember moments that impacted me the most, I always think about the small acts of kindness that I did not deserve. Moments like the speaker from the Stolen Generation had with the priest. I hope that in moments of need, I have people like the priest to help me along. In turn, I hope to be a representation of good amongst the sorrow and hurt in the world.

If I could get away with living life in my room, I probably would do just that... my introverted nature keeps me from enjoying my surroundings sometimes. Luckily, I have two roommates who  made it their goal to make sure I do not lock myself into my room for the remainder of the trip. This week, even though I really just wanted to stay home and do homework (or sleep), they insisted I get out and actually enjoy Sydney.

Wednesday, we celebrated Cinco De Mayo! There are very few Mexican restaurants in Sydney (about 3 in the entire city... now remember that Sydney is the size of NYC and you should be surprised). We found one in Newtown... the hip- trendy- really awesome suburb of Sydney that had $5 burritos on Cinco De Mayo! So of course, almost all 37 students in our program had to go get one! Now in Sydney, any meal less than $10 is incredible. Even subway $5 footlongs are $7 here! So, for us to find a good Mexican restaurant was amazing and the fact that they had huge burritos for less than a Subway footlong is just like icing on the cake!

Thursday morning, I met 3 friends for lunch at a cute little Italian shop. It is the kind of place where you look at the selection of desserts and realize that if you got one of everything that looks good, you will probably spend your entire life savings... so we decided to get the much advertised ricotta cheesecake (it even has a facebook fan page!) I must say, I was a little disappointed in the cheesecake consistency, but the flavour and the crust were both fabulous.

 We went on a 5 hour hike in the Blue Mountains for class on Friday. It was a nice change of pace from learning about aboriginal history in the classroom. We went with an aboriginal guide to a few sacred sites and painted our faces with homemade Ochre (rocks mixed with water to make a pasty paint). It was so much fun and totally worth the 1 ½ hour ride to and from Sydney.  

After such an intense day, I really just wanted to go to sleep.... but of course, my roommate Amy would not let me stay home. She says we can sleep when we are dead (what she doesn't realize is that without sleep, I'm as good as dead!) After the fact, I was very glad she convinced me to go out. We ended up going to karaoke, which is what I usually do in my living room every night, so it was refreshing to do it for the first time in 3 months.

I finally fulfilled my goal to see a show at the Opera House on Saturday. There was a special Rodgers and Hammerstein show on and when I found out about it, I could not resist it. It was a conglomeration of highlights from 6 musicals played by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. I almost had to watch the show by myself. I was supposed to meet my friend in front of one of the ferry entrances, but the place we decided to meet was numbered wrong, so we both walked around the area for about half an hour wondering what to do. Eventually... right before the show started, we found each other. At the end of the performance, the conductor recognized a special guest in the audience. I was surprised to hear that one of the original cast members (Fredrick Von Trap) in The Sound of Music was in the audience (with me!!!!) It was certainly the highlight of the night.

I must say that I am very glad my roommates have been persistently encouraging me to take every opportunity to experience Sydney- just from this week I have so many memories that I would not have if I had stayed in my room every night.