Meet Julie

First of all, I warn you that this has nothing to do with Australia. But it has to do with an awesome cause. And I think you should all support it if you possibly can . . .

Julie was my babysitter when I was growing up. Unlike most kids, who cling to their parents when the babysitter arrives, Mike and I would actually ask my mom and dad to leave. Why? Because Julie was my hero. When Julie was around, we got to play tag in the house, stay up past our bed times, and pretty much do whatever we wanted to. I thought she was the coolest person in the world, and I did everything I could to try to impress her.

As years went by, we slowly lost touch. She got too old to babysit, and we got too old to need a babysitter. But I never stopped thinking about her and the difference that she made in my life. She always provided me with support.

So why am I writing about her?

Because she is still one of my heroes.

Thanks to facebook, we have gotten back in touch, and I have learned about what she is doing now. She is still being a hero and still providing support. Except now she does it for children with Autism and their families.

In the month of July, she is holding a raffle to benefit those children. The prize is two tickets to the Barenaked Ladies concert in August.

How did she get those tickets? Well, I'll let her tell you that.

http://barenakedautism.wordpress.com/

Please visit the site, learn about what she is doing, and consider donating if you can. Every dollar makes a difference!

Hello from Ayers Rock!

We are now in location three of our five stop vacation. It has been a lot of nonstop action, and I cannot wait to get to Sydney, where we will do what we want, when we want to do it, without having to worry about waking up early for tours.

Our plane does not leave until 1 pm tomorrow, so we will get to sleep in and get some much needed rest before we leave the red center for the hussle and bussle of the big city.

Our first stop was Cairns, where we did several things. First of all we took a train to the city of Karanda, where we did some shopping and Mike and I got to hold a Koala. We got some great pictures! Then after that, we went to an Aboriginal cultural center, where we learned about a tribe of Aboriginal people. I forget which tribe . . . when I have my paperwork, I will let you know what it was.

Then we went to see the Great Barrier Reef. Mike and I took a snorkel trip that was guided by a marine biologist which was awesome, but a bit of a let down once we got in and the lifeguards informed us that a dolphin had been following us out there and we hadn't noticed! The reefs are beautiful. It is nice to see so much wildlife in the ocean. It is amazing to think that basically everything I saw there was actually alive.

Our second stop was in Alice Springs. Where there is nothing. Literally nothing. Wait, not nothing. There was a mall. That was it. We stayed in our hotel resting and watchign movies, because the next morning we had to check out by 630 and be on a bus that took us to Ayers Rock.

The ride was nice, but I had already seen so much outback countryside on our trip that I slept most of the way. We took a tour around the rock itself, and then we got to watch it at sun down. It was great! For dinner Daddy and I bought some meat (including crocodile!) and cooked it on a barbeque here. Mike just had pizza . . . boring! But he wasn't feeling all that good so I guess I will cut him some slack.

Today we went to another one of the rock formations, and will be having an Aussie barbeque at sunset at the other rock formation. They will be feeding us kangaroo, crocodile, and emu, which should be interesting!

I will try to check back in at least once more before I come home. Once I am home, count on a much more detailed account of our adventures, complete with pictures!

Miss you all! Can't wait to see you in a week! *insert me jumping up and down excitedly*

O Kate, when you return
Of your travels we will learn
Of how much you were burned
Of whether there were ferns (were there?)

Though we already know much
Because of technology and such
It means more to touch
The kangaroo you're bringing me for example.

And Skype it's so grand!
Seeing people in distant lands.
Pixels smaller than sand,
But still just Pixels, oh man!

When you're back in the States
All your friends will celebrate
You will set up lunch dates
And declare, "My name is Kate!"

KATE is indeed her name.
The woman of towering fame,
Though many are named the same
Only one is true KATE (I exclaim!)

This was a poem written by Carolyn Lusch and sent to me for my birthday. I just thought I would share it with you as I leave Perth for my next adventure. Less than 24 hours before I see my daddy and brother in Cairns.

I don't know if I will be able to con my dad into paying for internet, so you might not be able to hear from me until I am back in the States on July 4th. But I shall try to keep you all updated, and if not, I will post blogs about my final adventures, including from this weekend, which I got to spend with Tyler.

Signing off until we meet again,
Kate

I think it's time . . .

I'm ready. I've had my fun, I've met a lot of fun people, but I'm ready to come home. I'm ready to have McDonald's breakfast again. I'm ready to sleep in my own room (though I got a new bed while I was gone). I'm ready to hug my father goodnight every night. I'm ready to have movie dates with Andi. I'm ready to celebrate Kathryn and Jeff's engagement. I'm ready to celebrate Matt and Sara's marriage, though I missed the wedding. I'm ready to give my nieces and nephews huge hugs and shower them with the presents I bought while I was away.

I feel like I've missed so much since I left. It's weird because subconsciously you almost expect a pause button to be pushed when you leave for a long period of time. You expect that everything will be the same as you left it when you return.

You don't expect to look at pictures of your cousin's children on Facebook to discover that the baby you left at home is no longer a baby. You don't expect your best friend to get engaged while you are gone. You don't expect your family to still get together for holidays without you.

It is going to be an adjustment coming home. I realize that while it still seems strange to me now to have them there, it is going to be strange to not have grocery stores in malls. It is going to be strange to drive on the right hand side of the road. It is going to be strange to be able to go shopping after 5 and on Sundays. It is going to be strange to have everyone I've come to love on the other side of the world instead of just a stone's throw away.

People have begun to leave, and it is a strange feeling because I know that I will not see most of these people again for as long as I live. I hope to return to Australia, and if I do, I'm sure I will see some of them. But what of those who live in Sweden, or Norway? Will I actually make it to France, as Tyler and I have planned, or will I never see my French friends again? I suppose only time will tell.

One thing is for sure. There IS one friend I am going to see again. And I will see him soon. Tyler is coming down from Karratha on Thursday and staying with me until I leave.

And it doesn't end there. Since he had to drop out of uni, he has managed to work several jobs that have allowed him to save enough money to come and visit America in December. He'll see large amounts of snow for the first time, and I'll be reminded of the awesome semester I had.

The semester I wouldn't trade for the world, even if I am ready to return to the good old U S of A.

Where are the monkeys????

After a bit of driving, and a bit of rain, we landed at the last stop on our trip. Monkey Mia. Now please don't ask me why it is named as such. I have no idea. There were no monkeys anywhere. But one thing was certain. It was gorgeous.Beaches made it fun. However, the fact that we got to set up the tent on grass made it amazing. They had kitchens that we got to cook our food in, and running water. We took the first real showers we had had all week, and got to go to the grocery store. I got my fix of Thai Sweet Chili chips, and we truly felt like we had reentered civilization.
There was a fridge to cool off the beer, which made some of us happier than others (I don't drink beer . . .), and there were a lot of activities.

First and foremost, the dolphins!!!!
While they are wild dolphins, the park rangers still fed them three times a day. Actually, Becca got to feed them, since it was her birthday when we were there.

Speaking of Becca's birthday, we decided to make her work for her present. We sent her on a scavenger hunt all over the resort, until she finally ended up in the bar, where we were waiting for her with drinks in hand. Well, they were waiting. She needed me to help her work out the last few clues.

We spent the last night of our trip in style, taking many pictures and making memories.

Here are some of the pictures:


I feel kind of bad for Terry . . .



Yay for two girls from Michigan State!


And finally, Terry and I recreating the dramatic rescue in the gorge. We can laugh about it now. You know, since I didn't die.

The next morning, we left again at 5 in the morning, and came back to Perth. We were back here by late afternoon, and cleaned the car and aired out the tent.

I knew my life here wouldn't be the same. First of all, there was no Tyler anymore, since he had to move back to Karratha. But mostly, it was because I changed over that trip. The stars didn't seem as bright, but I appreciated everything around me more.

Despite some drama and disagreements along the way, I wouldn't change a thing about the trip. It was perfect.

Away from the Red, onto the Blue

We got up super early once more and drove for the entire morning. Our destination? Coral Bay. This was our second to last stop on our journey. The weather was gorgeous and the prospects of the ocean and beach made it less bittersweet to leave the national park. It was definitely easier to unpack the tent than it was to pack it up, so packing the "boot" of the car was interesting. But we successfully got on the road before the sun was up. The traveling went well, except for a slight b ump in the road that took the form of a speed radar that caught us in the middle of no where going 40 km over the speed limit. On a holiday weekend (which Easter Monday still counts as here in Oz), that resulted in a 700 dollar fine. I'm incredibly thankful that I was not the one driving.

We arrived to cloudless skies and perfect weather at about 1 pm. We sun bathed, read, snorkeled, and ate fresh fruit that we purchased.

We debated between camping there or finding somewhere on the way to our next stop, and decided to camp on the way. We drove for a couple of more hours, and found a side of the road campsite. It was the first place we found where we were allowed to have a campfire, which was nice. The only problem was that we had no wood. So Mallory and I went about finding some kindling, and Terry and Elizabeth went in search of stuff that would burn for a long period of time. Between the four of us, we managed to get a decent campfire built, and were able to cook our pasta over the fire.


Instead of wrestling with the tent again, we slept out under the stars, looking forward to the next day and the promise of dolphins at Monkey Mia.

An Amazing Way to Spend Easter

I'm incredibly spiritual. In my own way. Definitely Christian, but not really affiliating with a specific denomination.

That being said, this was the first Easter that I did not go to a church building.

I specify building, because I feel that I went to church on Easter. I have never before experienced the wonder of God's creation like I experienced it in Karijini National Park. It was such a religious experience being in this amazing place on the day that defines my faith.

We woke up with the sun again and ate breakfast before driving to the visitor's center as soon as it opened. We were unsure if we had enough water to get through the day because we were going on an even more intense hike, and it was even hotter than it was the day before. After purchasing several bottles, and a new calling card to be able to talk to Tyler more, we drove forty minutes to Hancock Gorge.

Once again, as it had been on the day that I went cliff diving, my fear of heights was tested. Instead of a staircase to get down into the gorge, this time it was simply a ladder. It was not a very tall ladder, but I was still frightened because I had no way of knowing how sturdy it was. We got to the bottom in one piece and discovered the wonders that awaited us. Luckily, a random adventurer warned us not to take our cameras with us. He said that there was way more water than there was in Dale's gorge, and at times, we would have no choice but to submerge ourselves to continue along the gorge. Also luckily, Mallory had a water proof camera, so we were able to still document what ended up being the experience of a lifetime.

The person who told us to leave our cameras behind was right. We did have to submerge to get across. Mallory, Terry, and Elizabeth were able to rock climb to get to the other side. My pack was too heavy, and I'm not that steady on rock walls. I only do those when I have to. Therefore, Becca and I put our packs on our heads and headed to the other side.Two seconds after this picture was taken I slipped and fell and my backpack went under anyways. Not to mention the fact that as you can clearly see in the picture, the strap got stuck around my neck. Terry almost jumped in to help me but I got it untangled quick enough. Close call! But not the closest call I had that day . . .

This gorge was the perfect one to do on a day that was so much hotter because there was so much more water to cool off in. We did not end up drinking as much as we thought, but we did not need to either.

Hancock Gorge was a much tougher hike than the day before. There were times where we had to trek through water, times where we were forced to climb on the walls. And Reebok did nothing to help me. I love my tennis shoes. I have a pair of the Reebok Easytone shoes that are supposed to help tone your legs as you walk. I don't know if they work or not, but one thing that they do not have is traction. But I adjusted. And I took them off a lot too. And I definitely slipped and fell a bit. But it was all part of the experience. For the most part anyway. One of the most interesting part was the Spider Walk. This was one of the times that we were forced to climb on the walls of the gorge. I was slightly nervous, but we got some great pictures.
At the end of the Spider Walk, was the rope ladder. And this was where I had the closest call of the trip. Change that. The closest call of my life.

I realize that in this picture it looks like it is water at the bottom of this rock wall. It isn't. It's rock. Slippery rock. And at the top, more slippery rock. And my shoes didn't like it. I slipped at the very top, and fell down the wall. I grabbed hold of the metal railing at the top. It took a few seconds for me to register that I hadn't fallen all the way down. I had NO idea how I had time to grab hold of the railing. I should have been on the rocks below.

Enter my savior. Terry had almost thrown himself to the ground when he saw me start to slip and he had grabbed my arms, allowing me to have time to grab the rail. I do not know how he had time to process what was happening and manage to save me, but he did. I definitely owe him. We talked about it later, and we aren't sure I would have died. But one thing was certain. I would not have made it out of that gorge of my own free will.

After bursting into tears for a minute or two, I was able to regain my footing and make it down into the pool. On the other side of the pool, we took a much needed breather. I needed a break after my near death experience, and all in all, we were pretty exhausted.


After the long hike back, through the spiderwalk, rock climbing around the water this time since I was hesitant to slip in water again, and back up the ladder, we were fairly satisfied. It was the end of our time at Karijini, and on to the more restful parts of our vacation. My Easter dinner that night consisted of rice and beans, which I ate because nothing else was bought for me that I would eat.

We took stock of all of our red stained possessions and got ready to pack up the tent long before the sun rose the next day, and then went to bed.

It was the most amazing two days of my life, and it is going to be fairly hard to top it. I have been very fortunate in my life and seen a lot of amazing things. I have seen a snow storm at the top of a mountain in Colorado. I have seen the beaches of Hawaii. I have seen the sand dunes at Sleeping Bear national park. I've seen the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Indian Ocean.

But I've never seen anything like Karijini before. And I doubt I ever will again.

And that is okay. Because the memories I have of the days I spent there, of the people I went with, and of camping in a tent for the first time since I was a toddler will last me a lifetime, even if I lose all of the picture I have from there.

Those two days were enough for a lifetime. And I'm completely satisfied.

Sleeping On Rocks is Not Comfortable

We set up our tent in the dark. I know I have stated that before, but I wanted to reiterate that fact. So that it is clear that we have no idea how rocky the area that we set it up in was.

And it was. We spent the first night trying to sleep as rocks jabbed into our backs. Eventually we found a way to curve our bodies around the rocks, almost like completing a maze, and got to sleep. However, morning was not far off, and due to extreme heat (Karijini is REALLY far north), we got up at 7 so that we could be out hiking by 8. We ate breakfast, which is odd for me, and packed up our water bottles. We did our best to make sure that everyone had 5 liters of water with them so that we could hike in the 90 degree Fahrenheit heat. Armed with heavy backpacks and swimsuits, we locked our trash in our car to deter dingoes, and made our way to the first gorge of the trip, Dale's Gorge.


The views were breath taking. I thought I could be satisfied to live forever on the edge of the gorge and never see another landscape for as long as I live. However, I'm glad I didn't, because the view from inside the gorge was even better.

We spent the entire day hiking. We went down on one side of the river to one end, and were rewarded with a beautiful pool, called the Circular Pool. Before we stopped for lunch, we stopped for a swim.


It was a nice relief to be out of the heat and into the chilly water. There was a ledge to jump off of, and some nice sun to dry ourselves after. All of us girls decided to just do the rest of the hiking in our swim suits, though we were sure to use sunscreen!

I suppose now would be a good time to introduce to my fellow travelers. A nice man at the pool took our picture before we left for Fortesque Falls and the Fern Pool, on the other side of the gorge.
From left to right, we have Elizabeth, an awesome American from Ohio, Becca, who came with me from MSU, Mallory, who came with Elizabeth, and Terry, our Tasmanian life saver. I mean Terry's title quite literally, but more on that later.

We had lunch not far from the pool, and then continued on a tougher trail to the waterfalls. We passed the waterfalls to go to another pool, but by then we were all too exhausted to swim. We found our way back to the falls, which was also by an alternative way out of the gorge, and stopped for a breathtaking breather. Oxymoron, I know, but seriously. Look at the view.


For a glimpse of what I was actually looking at:



But a short rest was not enough for adrenaline junkie, Mallory. She was keen to cliff dive. So she climbed across the side of the gorge (pretty much holding onto ledges) and jumped off.



That's here on top. The guy below her helped her down and then jumped with her. It was insane. At the same time, I spotted the dingo that I posted a picture of in my animals post a couple of days ago, so I didn't actually see her jump. But I got some great pictures of the dingo!

This was our last stop at this gorge, and we climbed out with about an hour of daylight to spare. We made dinner (beans and rice for them, mac and cheese for the non bean eater, me), and then tackled another issue. There was no clean drinking water available at the camp. Terry, Elizabeth, and I all drove down to the water tower and filled a huge jug to bring back and boil. While we were down there, we stopped at the pay phone at the visitor's centre to call Tyler. Partially I wanted to talk to him. However, I also wanted to get him to send an email to my dad telling him that we were alive, and all was well.

With all messages passed along, we returned to camp, and used up our entire propane tank boiling water for the next day. Oops.

We went to bed fairly early, since we had no lights other than the stars. But man were they bright. I know I posted that Perth had the brightest stars I had ever seen, but that no longer holds true. I've NEVER seen so many stars in my life. I'm not sure it is possible to find an area so deserted in the US to see these kinds of stars. I seriously can't describe it and do it any justice, so I'm not even going to try.

Let's just say that that night, it didn't matter how many rocks there were jabbing us in the back. We all slept JUST fine.

Five People in Car for 16 and a Half Hours is NOT Comfortable

On Friday, April 2, I embarked on the trip of a lifetime. After hugging Tyler goodbye for a final time, since he was leaving to back to Karratha while I was gone, four and my friends and I all packed into a tiny car and drove 1422 km.

In one day.

Because I had gone to the Lady Gaga concert, and had gone clubbing after, we were not able to leave until 5 am on Friday morning. We did not arrive at our campsite until 1030 pm.

The time in between? Well, it was an adventure.

Almost as soon as we got out of Perth, we realized that this was not going to be your average American road trip. First of all, there were four Americans who were the ones driving, so we had the whole, other side of the road thing to deal with. Secondly, there is nothing in Western Australia between big cities. I literally mean nothing.

Well, okay. so maybe not nothing. There were a few cows, over 50 dead kangaroos on the side of the road (after 50 we stopped counting), and a petrol station about every 300-500 km. Which means you have to stop for gas at EVERY station you get to, even if you don't think you need it. Because it's quite possible that while you have half a tank or maybe even three quarters left, you might need to drive another 500km before you reach civilization again.

If you can call this civilization:




This was a picture of the first place we stopped at. There was literally nothing there but the petrol station. That was it. The prices were actually fairly reasonable, considering the fact that they could have jacked it even higher since they were our only option. Oh. Also, it kind of looked like the type of petrol station you would find in a horror film. Just saying . . .

The landscape to each side the entire way was dessert and red dirt. A few trees. But that was it. It was kind of refreshing to get out of the city, but after 17 and a half hours stuck in a car with only brief stops, we were excited to get to the camp site.

Our end destination was Karijini National Park. And when we got there, we were exhausted and eager to get out to stretch our legs. But there were bugs everywhere swarming our lights. And we knew that we had to get the tent up as soon as possible.

The only problem was, while we all had experience putting up tents before, this one was massive. And it was pitch black outside due to the lack of civilization and the fact that we were the only ones camping in our vacinity.

But we managed to all work together and got it up pretty quickly. I'd say we were able to all be in the tent with all of our stuff unpacked within an hour.

We all fell right asleep, which was a good thing, considering what was coming the next day.

(Author's note: I made it easier for people to post comments now, so those of you who were having trouble posting them shouldn't have a problem now.)

Oops

Okay so my mid semester break story will begin tomorrow. Today I am too tired.

It was the anniversary of my mother's death, which was especially hard since I am so homesick. However, a HUGE shout out to Aunt Catherine who talked to me for forty minutes on the phone until I forgot to be sad anymore. Actually I didn't forget, I just wasn't anymore.

Today I spent the day relaxing and reading. I finished the third Dexter book, and moved on to the book, Hunger Games. It should be an interesting read.

My good friend Tessa brought me home a delicious chocolaty brownie type thing from the cafe to cheer me up, and my friend Stephen gave me an early birthday present of a ticket to my favorite musical, The Last Five Years, so that was how I spent my evening.

I will check back in tomorrow after teaching my students that boats float because air is lighter than water, and if we fill a clay boat with wooden blocks, it will sink. I look forward to getting soaked at the water table!

Animals Animals Everywhere!

Sorry for the lack of updates. I promise I'm going to be updating at least every other day for the rest of my trip, so please keep checking!

Australia is famous for its animals. The kangaroo, the koala (not a bear), the emu, the dingo. I have now seen all of the above, most of them in the wild.

In March, I was lucky enough to get to go to the Caversham Wild Animal park. I was unsure at the time if I would be able to see any kangaroos in person, and they assured me that here I would be able to pet them and feed them.I never imagined that kangaroos would be so soft! They literally felt like cotton. It was incredible. I always thought that they would feel something like a Black Lab, instead of like a Bichon. While it was called a wild animal park, these kangaroos were anything but wild. The second we walk through the gate, they came running up to us, expecting to be fed.

The animal park also had dingoes. A dingo is a type of wild dog that seems to be like a coyote.


Dingoes were the subject of a court case in the eighties, where a woman was arrested and accused of murdering her six week old daughter on a camping trip in the Australian Outback. However, she claimed that she was innocent, and that dingoes actually ate her baby. For those of you who are Buffy fans, this is why Oz's band is called "Dingoes Ate My Baby". The woman was convicted of murder, but several months later, some clothing that matched what the mother had said the baby was wearing showed up in a cave that was known to be a common place for dingoes to gather. All of the charges were dropped and the woman was released from prison. However, among the general public, people seem to think that the woman was indeed guilty, and it has become a running joke, especially when someone is trying to make you believe something that is unbelievable.

This is what a dingo looks like in the wild. This one was in Karijini National Park. It came right up to a group of people, grabbed a hat that was next to them and then ran in the other direction. They had an infant with them, but I assure you, it left it alone. They actually are fairly skittish around humans, even though they are indeed carnivores.

My favorite part of the animal park was being able to pet a Koala.


It did not feel at all like I expected it to. It was very spongy and coarse. I had expected them to feel more like my old dog Finley did, instead of like a hair brush. But hey, I guess you learn something new every day. Also, please note that they are NOT bears! They are actually marsupials, just like kangaroos!

One Christmas, my mother decided to ask my brother what he wanted as a gift. He was only interested in being a smart ass teenager at the time, so he cheekily responded that he wanted a wombat. He maintained that that was all he wanted for Christmas for over a month. I don't remember all of what he got that year, but one thing was for sure. He definitely got a wombat stuffed animal.
Well I got to see one in person, and I had no idea they were that big! They are all muscle, too, even though they look fairly fat. They can run over 40 km per hour, despite their stubby legs. It was incredibly interesting, and I am now able to say that I have seen Mike's favorite animal in person!


This is a Tasmanian Devil. They are only located on the island state of Tasmania, and unfortunately, a lot of them are dying off. There is a terrible cancer that is spread through bites that causes tumors to grow on their faces and it is quickly killing them off. There are only about two populations of them that are completely unaffected. They are located on islands off the coast of Tasmania. Scientists are working on a cure and hope to stop the disease before causes them to go extinct.

When we went to Monkey Mia, we saw a lot of wild life. I had never seen a pelican this large before. Its eyes literally looked like they were painted. It came really close to us, so we were able to observe it for quite some time.

We also saw dolphins! Three times a morning, the park rangers would pick people to participate in feeding them, even though they were technically wild as well. There were about four dolphins that came every single day, and others would sometimes join them. There were about seven or eight on the day we were there. It was really exciting!
I never thought I would see an emu in person. I had seen one in the animal park, but these guys decided to visit our campsite. They were welcome visitors, since I hadn't seen them before!


And now we come to my favorite animal of Australia. I'm incredibly lucky that I am in Western Australia, because this is the only place where these little guys can now be found. They don't have very many defenses, so they are ideal prey for larger animals. Therefore, they are now only found on small islands without any predators. They are called Quokkas. They are a member of the marsupial family, and look like little mini Kangaroos. They have almost rat like tails and are about the size of your average house cat.
And now, I would like to introduce you to Q.


Q moved into our cabin that we were staying in on Rottnest Island. He was cute and adorable and soft. We weren't supposed to pet him, we couldn't help but see what he felt like! He walked around our cabin for a bit and then decided to take a shower. We literally could not get him out of the bathroom! We finally had to take a plate of water and lure him out because it seemed that he was thirsty. We fell in love and contemplated putting him in our backpack and taking him home. If these little guys were available as pets, I would most definitely have one.

So there you go. A little summary of the wild life here in Australia. Tune in tomorrow (or possibly the next day) for an exciting adventure tale of the first day of my mid semester break!

some thoughts as we approach the upcoming holiday

Forgive me for this coming a bit early. I would post on Sunday, but I'm going out of town.

Three years ago tomorrow, I got on a plane and embarked on a trip that would change my life forever. I was slightly doubtful of the trip. After all, 4 days in Chicago, shopping and sight seeing with my mother whom I rarely got along with for long periods of time (especially not while shopping), seemed like a high price to pay to get to see Wicked for the second time. But I went. I had hope that maybe it would be worth it. At least maybe I could get her to buy me a few things while we were there.

What resulted were the four best days of my life. We shopped, we saw Wicked, she bought me behind the scenes tickets, and we went to the Aquarium. She took me out to a fancy dinner, and we got to know each other better than we ever had before. She hadn't been feeling well, so there were things we would have done but weren't able to. It didn't matter. I assured her we would return at the end of the summer to do everything that she couldn't do then. She had her doubts, but I knew it was what she wanted to hear. I bonded with my mother so much that week, that I actually couldn't wait to get back.

However, again, I had my doubts. I knew that with our history, something would set us off within two weeks that would have us unhappy with each other again.

She didn't make it to two weeks. Nine days after we got back, she was dead, from a reason completely unrelated to her not feeling well in Chicago.

I'm thankful for that trip. It allowed me to have no regrets, because while we were at each other's throats as often as we were friends, we were able to completely put it behind us and forgive each other. And that was where we left it. I never thought I would be able to say that if my mother died suddenly, we would be at peace.

I have learned that what I lost was irreplaceable.

Two years later, though, I took another trip. It was to the same place, again with a selfish reason. I wanted to go to Chicago to see the Harry Potter exhibit that was at the Museum of Science and Industry. And it was on this trip that my eyes were opened to another lesson.

What I have gained is irreplaceable.

It made me realize that I have so many women in my life who have stepped up and taken me under their wing.

My aunts did more for me that year than I ever realized at the time. My birthday was exactly two weeks after my mother died. My mom's side of the family used to do family birthday parties, one in February because a bunch of us were born then or March, and one in June because the rest of us (except for Amy for some reason) were born in late May-July. We stopped doing these a long time ago, because we just got too old. Cousins got married and started having families of their own. Some moved a bit further away. My Aunt Judy threw one that year, on my birthday, and did her best to make it seem like it was for everyone, even though I knew (as did everyone else) that it was to distract me. My Auntie Ann made sure to put all of the May, June, and July birthday names on the cake. Everyone waited to see how I was doing before gauging how they acted around me. When they saw that I was determined to have a good time, my aunts made sure that I did. When Thanksgiving came around, my Auntie Ann cooked the turkey at her house, and came over the night before to make sure that I was all ready to host my first family get together on my own. My Aunt Judy came over the day of, several hours before everyone else, to help even though she even admitted that she wasn't sure she would be much help. She was an amazing help, at least to help distract me from the fact that I shouldn't be the one in the Scheuber kitchen that morning burning the stuffing.

As I adjusted to being the woman of the house, I bombarded them with questions constantly over the phone, whether it was something that I had found in my mom's room that I didn't know the story that went with it, or if I didn't know which foods I could ignore the expiration date for a few days and which ones I couldn't. I needed my Auntie Ann to tell me that my mom actually used the recipe for pancakes that was on the Bisquick box and that I could stop searching through all of her recipe books looking for her secret recipe. Whatever I needed them for, they were there and continue to be there, even though the times that I need them now are getting to be fewer. I never appreciated how awesome my aunts were, until my mom died.

My Aunt Catherine and I share a special bond that no one should ever share. She also lost her mother suddenly much earlier than she should have. And because of that, she has been an indispensable assistance. Every time I am in Colorado, we take a girl's day where we go and get pampered. And we talk. We both share our grief, and our good times. We both share our revelations. I am closer to her now than I was before. And I have my mom's death to thank.

I met one of my best friends, Megan Grieve, the September after my mom died. As we grew closer, I met her family. Every single time I went to her house, her mother had cookies waiting for Megan to take back to school with her. And there was always a plate for me. When I had no jeans to take to Chicago in March with Megan because I had torn a hole in my last good pair, her mother mended them for me when we stopped overnight at her house. Last Easter, when Megan came back, she brought with her a chocolate covered peanut butter egg that her mother had sent for me. I wouldn't appreciate this as much, if I still had a mother sending stuff back with me.

I have known my best friend, Andi, since I was a freshman in high school. Yet, oddly, even though we were terribly close, I never met her family until May 18th, 2007, after my freshman year of college. My mother died on May 19th. Her mother came with her to the funeral home. She gave me a giant bear hug and talked to me as though she had known me forever, instead of just a few days. As that summer went by, I spent a lot of time at the Ernst house. Possibly too much time. It's amazing I didn't over stay my welcome. Yet every time I was there, her mother made me feel as welcome as can be. She always asked me how I was. For some reason, she was the only person I felt I could be honest with. I felt like I could answer "Eh, I'm okay. Not great." She wouldn't try to make me feel better. She wouldn't give me advice, or words of wisdom of how I could make it easier on myself. She never tried to tell me that my mom would want me to be happy. I vividly remember her one day saying, "Well, that's all you can expect. It's better than what you said yesterday, and it hopefully isn't as good as what you'll say tomorrow." The next day when I was bawling, she simply said "You'll have good days and bad". It was amazing because with everyone else, I was scared to tell them how I was really doing, because they automatically felt awkward around me and did their best to cheer me up. Mrs. Ernst realized that sometimes you can't cheer a person up, and that was awesome. The second Thanksgiving that I cooked for my family, I greatly resented. I haven't admitted this to my family until this blog post, but I was pissed beyond belief. Help wasn't offered as freely as it had been the year before, and I was finally getting beyond my shocked point and really into my grief. I resented them more than I should have. Way more than I ever will again, even if they make me do all of the holidays for the rest of my life. I spent almost every night on the phone with Andi bawling my eyes out. Mrs. Ernst invited me to Thanksgiving that year. So I cooked for my family, I spent a decent amount of time visiting, then I left, and I went to Andi's. I was taken in as one of the family and I got to eat a dinner that was cooked for me, instead of the other way around. And it was exactly what I needed. I will forever be grateful to Mrs. Ernst for what she did for me in that year and a half. I'm not sure I would really know her today if my mom hadn't died. I wouldn't have had a need to escape my house that summer.

My parents' best couple friends were Karen and Steve Faine. I didn't find out until two years after my mom died that Karen had bought a ton of books about what to say to daughters who are grieving the loss of their mother, just in case I went to her for help. I never did. I kind of regret that, but that is part of what makes what Karen did so wonderful. She did not buy the books because I had come to her and she hadn't known what to say. She bought them just to be sure that she would know what to say if I did come to her. And she didn't pressure me. She let me do my own thing, and then two years later, she gave those books to me so that I could read them. I actually did read them, which I didn't think I would at the time, and they helped more than words can say. I never appreciated how much Karen cared about me until my mom died.

My best friend from middle school's mom, Mrs. Skrzycki has always acted like a second mother to me. I still remember the day that she found out Amanda and I had been eating buttered noodles and olives every day for dinner when she was at work. Man did we get lectured, then given chicken and milk to try to make up for the protein we hadn't had all week. She still lectures me to this day, whether it was when she found out I still wasn't driving after my mom died ("It was not the car that killed her, Kate. You can't let this interfere with something as important as that") or when I turned 21 and she wanted to make sure I was safe. I always wrote it off as her being just your average mom. My mom's death has taught me that there is no such thing as "your average mom".

Then there is Diane. Diane Knas is my dad's girlfriend. She came into his life, and made him happy again. I cannot describe the change that occurred within my dad after he met her, but it is visible to anyone who knew him at the time. That alone is enough to make her welcome in my family, if you ask me. But she took it one step further. She took it further than she ever had to. She stepped into my life as well, and she does everything she can for me. If I need anything, I know that I can go to her. On my birthday last year, she promised she would take me shopping for yarn, as I had recently started knitting like crazy. We didn't have time to do it until August. I figured we would go to a yarn store, I would pick it out, and that would be it. Instead, I went to her house in the morning, and we spent the entire day going from yarn store to yarn store, looking at the different options. I found what I wanted at the first store, but she wanted to make sure that I was completely happy. We ended up going back to the first store, after going to about five different ones, to buy my original pick. But that was what she wanted to do. I hadn't had a girl's day out with a mother figure all to myself for two years. And it was one of the greatest feelings in the world. We went to lunch, she took me to meet her daughter, even though it was only visiting her at work. Then my dad came out and took us out to dinner. It was one of the greatest birthday gifts in the world.

Right now, my room is being completely redone because one day in January, we had a crazy idea that might have gotten a bit out of hand, but it ended with a complete redesign that (hopefully) will be done by the end of summer. She sent me an Easter card telling me how much she misses me. She continually sends me fun emails like the ones my mom used to send me.

This is a woman who would most definitely not be in my life if my mother were here. But it is also a woman whom I will be indebted to for the rest of my life, no matter what happens. Because she has completely gone above and beyond what I could have expected out of anyone. And continues to do so.

So what does this have to do with a trip to Chicago to feed my Harry Potter obsession? It has everything to do with my trip to Chicago to feed my Harry Potter obsession. It has to do with the woman who went with me.

Ann Lusch.

Ann Lusch has been a part of my life since I dated her son, Adam, in the Spring of my freshman year of high school. She works at Mercy, so I saw her on a day to day basis. She was my best friend, Laura,'s advisor, so I saw her every morning at sign in time. Over the years, I became really close with Adam, even though our relationship didn't make it through the summer. Through him, I became really close with his sister, Carolyn, as well. They are regular visitors to my house every single school break, or now as the case may be, when Microsoft can spare Adam for a week and he comes home to us.

Mrs. Lusch stepped up more than anyone else after my mom died. She became my adoptive mother, as I call her affectionately, and she calls me "second daughter". That summer, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. I was devastated. It seemed like terrible things were happening to everyone I loved, or got close to. I felt like I was being punished for something. Time went by and she took time off work to go through treatment.

That October, I received a package in the mail. It was from her. It came with an entire batch of her homemade (unrivaled, in my opinion) most delicious oatmeal chocolate chip cookies in the entire world. It came with a note, which I still have in my desk. The note said that she had run into my dad and brother at the mall, and realized that my mom might have sent me care packages in the mail. She didn't want me to feel sad that I wasn't getting any if that was the case, and if my mom hadn't, then she wanted to surprise me anyways. She was going through treatment for breast cancer, yet it was me that she was thinking of. If I was in her shoes, I would have been thinking of myself. I would have expected people to be sending ME cookies, instead of making them for other people.

But that is what makes her so special. She never thinks of herself. She is constantly trying to figure out how she could make other people feel better. And she always takes my phone calls when I need some motherly advice. Since she joined facebook (when she isn't in denial that she is addicted and tries to prove a point by deactivating it for a while), we have been able to talk even more than before. And I am overjoyed by this fact. She is constantly sending me messages telling me to use more sunscreen (I promise, I am!), and just making sure that I am not too homesick. I got a letter from her on Easter too, which I never would have expected. But it came. And I'm grateful.

So when I tried to figure out who to ask to go to Chicago with me, the answer was simple. So I went with Mrs. Lusch and Carolyn. Once more I found myself in my second favorite city in the US, with a mother figure, having the time of my life.

And on that trip, I realized that none of these aforementioned people had to do any of this for me. Mrs. Lusch didn't need to slow down the trip when I got a migraine the entire weekend.

In fact, the treatment I have come to expect from these women should amaze me every time it happens. Because all of these women have gone out of their way to make my life a little bit better.

So thank you, to every woman in my life, whether I mentioned you in this post or not, whether you taught me that I could handle cooking Thanksgiving for over 20 people, or if you taught me that I didn't have to.

And Happy Mother's Day.

Closest I've ever felt to being part of the Wizarding world

I went to a sporting game this evening. It took place in a giant oval arena with posts on either end. The giant ball was going so high that it got into the second level of seating more than once. If it weren't for the fact that there was not a broom stick to be seen, I would have sworn I was watching Quidditch. Okay, so there were no bludgers trying to kill the players either, but the players themselves did a pretty good job of taking care of what the bludgers would have done.

To give you an idea of how much it seemed like quidditch, here is a picture of a quidditch pitch.




Here is a picture of a Australian football stadium.


Not much different, save the brooms. I couldn't find very good pictures of either, so you may just have to take my word for it.

The rules are very complicated. If you kick the ball through the middle two posts, it is six points. If it goes through any of the posts in any other way, or hits the post and goes through, it is worth one point. Pretty much anything goes when it comes to hitting and tackling, unless you hit someone on the head. Other than that, the game gets pretty rough, and they do not wear pads. It reminded me of rugby in that way.

The game was very fun but the atmosphere was different than I expected. It felt more like a baseball game than it did anything else.

Made me miss my Tigers.

A day of remembering

"Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives… you are now lying in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore rest in peace. There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets where they lie side by side here in this country of ours… You the mothers who sent their sons from far away countries, wipe away your tears. Your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace. Having lost their lives on this land they have become our sons as well."
~Plaque at Anzac Cove in Gallipoli, Turkey, where Australia fought its first major battle

Today is Anzac Day. We Americans here have been trying to come up with an equivalent day in the States. The best we can come up with is a more extreme Memorial Day.

On April 25, 1915, the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps landed in Gallipoli, in Turkey, to fight their first major battle in any war. Due to many mishaps and misguided leadership, they landed at night a mile away from their target destination. This put them at cliffs instead of beaches, and the result was eight months of battle, and 8700 Australian dead and 2700 New Zealand.

Every year, in honor of those lost, they celebrate Anzac Day. It has changed to commemorate everyone who has fought or died in Anzac, and they celebrate it like nothing I have ever seen before. I went to a dawn service at Kings Park, where thousands upon thousands of people gathered to watch as people put wreaths on the WWI memorial that they have there. As the sun rose behind the memorial, we watched in silence. It was a breath taking experience that was definitely worth getting up at 4 am for.

Oh my Gaga

I have turned to the dark side. And not even Darth Vader would be proud.

I did not leave for Australia until Feb. 5. Because of this, I had over a month where all of my friends had gone back to school and I was still at home. I spent the entire month going to the movies with Andi Ernst. And as we drove, without fail, a Lady Gaga song would come on the radio. Andi found this hysterical because I hated Lady Gaga. With a passion.



Well, I got the opportunity to go to her concert here. And I took it, even though it was 90 dollars. I figured the company I would be with more than made up for what was sure to be a mediocre performance.

All I can say is that I may now be in love. My friend Tyler summed it up perfectly when he said, "She may be the only woman I would turn straight for." I'm not going to go that far, but she was fabulous. The woman was such an entertainer, that I now even love her music. For those of you where are like me and hated her, seriously give her a second chance. She may be strange, but the fact remains that the woman is an entertainer.

Unfortunately, no one remembers that Dennis Rodman was an amazing basketball player. They just remember that he was crazy. I fear this is what is going to happen with Gaga. Eventually people will only remember the insane costumes that she wore and will completely ignore that she was an amazing entertainer.

All I have to say is that it was the most amazing concert I have ever been to.

Apparently I sound like Yo Gabba Gabba

Excuse me, Mrs. Mason, but I think she's from not Australia.
~One of my students



Yesterday I had my first day of student teaching. I am working at St. Paul Primary School, which is an entirely different experience for me. Though I went to Catholic school for thirteen years of my life, I have never actually taught in one. It has given me a lot to think about. At Michigan State, we are taught that lessons have to be completely inclusive. When teaching 4-5 year olds about families, one must include all different types, whether it is a single parent household, a family with divorced parents, or even a family with parents of the same sex. I have to teach a lesson about family coming up, and I have to have a long discussion with my mentor teacher about how to handle it. I'm not worried though it will be a challenge! A challenge I am more than willing to tackle.

Yesterday could have gone better, but it definitely could have gone worse. It started out amazingly. My dad took his lap top over to my cousin's house, and I was able to talk to her and her children. My cousin Ryan FINALLY said words when I could hear him. Normally he freaks out that seeing me means his mom and dad are leaving, so he is too upset to talk. Apparently when I am "in the TV", as they told the kids, I am much less of a threat. My cousin Carolyn opened her birthday present that I sent home for her, and seemed to like it, so that was awesome.

The school is only a ten minute walk away, so I left after the skype conversation, and made it to the school early. My class has thirty children, and not to play with stereotypes, but the ratio of boys to girls is definitely not in our favor. Between me coming and a school trip to visit the dentist, the kids were definitely NOT on their best behavior. It was a crazy day that ended with the head teacher thanking them for sending the three teachers in the room home with a headache. I would not have gone that far, but I definitely was exhausted. I am sure it will get better though, or I at least will get used to it. Next week I am going to a Lady Gaga concert right after my placement. I am going to be dead on my feet.

Oh, and apparently I sound like Yo Gabba Gabba. That's how one of the children knew I was American. If you don't know who that is, google image search it. It's a children's show that I have succeeded in not watching, because it is so obnoxious. And it is starring an African American male. Who apparently I sound like.

Twilight References Galore

Insert me barfing because I just titled this post that.

I hate it when people use Twilight references to refer to my life, unless they have to do with me marrying Jasper Cullen. However, today I make an exception.

Because I pulled a Bella Swan.



I jumped off of a cliff. That cliff, in fact.

Yes. I, Kathleen Marie Scheuber, who is deathly afraid of heights (thanks for that one, Dad), went to a cliff that was at least 10 meters high, and jumped off of it into the water below.

And as soon as I was at the bottom, I climbed the cliff and did it again.

The water below was twenty meters deep, and there were no rocks where we were jumping. So all of you "adults" that read my blog, please note that this was probably safer than the high dive my mother let me dive off of when I was ten at my cousin's swim club. Despite this disclaimer, I can still hear my dad's girlfriend, Diane, screaming, "You did what??????"

The biggest danger I encountered was the jelly fish that awaited in the river below, though most of them were not of the stinging variety.

When I got to the edge the first time, I was scared to death. In fact, the people I was with all jumped in, climbed to the top, and jumped again before I got up the nerve to do it once.

There was a ten year old boy who was on the edge next to me who had not jumped yet either. He turned to me and said, "You jump, I jump." My response was "Who are you, Jack Dawson? Because I'm pretty sure you died in the end." For those of you who were either asleep during the 90s, or for some reason were living in a cave, when Rose is about to commit suicide by jumping off of the back of the Titanic, Jack stops her and says the exact line that that boy said to me. And if you can't figure out what movie I am referencing, maybe you need to go back to the cave. Anyways, it was clear that the boy had not been born in 1997, because he looked at me like I was a complete idiot.

In the end, I just had to close my eyes, count to three, and just leap off the edge.

And though I was not pulled out of the water by a werewolf, the adrenaline high I was on was amazing none the less, and I intend on going back at least once before I leave here.

Sometimes All You Have to Do is Pray

I've been insanely jealous of everyone back in America this past week. It was easy to be thankful I was here when all of the facebook status updates had to do with more and more snow that Michigan was getting. I forgot, however, that though I am missing the snow, I am missing the Spring as well.

Here, it does not rain. Every day is just as beautifully clear as the day before it. First rains do not come until late April or May. All of the facebook status updates the past few days have been rubbing in the fact that the snow is melting, and the rains are coming. It may be beautiful here, but I hate it.

I received a gift today, however. I am going to see a WAAPA performance tonight and I hardly slept last night (just ask my cousin Angie, or my dad, both of whom I talked to on the phone at 3 in the morning), so I decided to take a nap. I was awoken by someone banging on my window.

My good friend Tyler started yelling, "Kate! It's raining! It's raining!"

And so it was. In an almost unheard of event, for about twenty minutes, it poured rain in March. I went out and danced in it. The temperature has dropped to a much more bearable level, and things are looking up! According to the forecast we are going to go back to sunny days, but the temperature is going to go down to the eighties for quite some time before it will inevitably spike again.

On a completely unrelated note, two days ago was my cousin's daughter's (my pseudo niece) 4th birthday. I called to wish her a happy birthday, but unfortunately she had a fever and wasn't feeling well. So despite Angie telling her that "Aunt Kate is calling from really really far away, and you need to talk to her because she might not be able to call back," all I got were a few groans from a child who was obviously sick. I don't mind though. I'll call back another time and hope that I can catch her in a better mood.

Random Musings of a Red Head

I got up early this morning. I got up early with one purpose. I wanted McDonalds breakfast. So I got up at 8, and took a bus to the mall.

Only to find that Australia does not have folded eggs. Or bagels. Or bacon.

So I had an egg mcmuffin and grumbled about it.

I'm addicted to McDonald's breakfast. In fact, it will probably be the first meal that I have when I get home, provided that they are serving it when I get home. I could eat it at every meal. I would be very fat, but I could do it.

McDonalds regular food is actually better here than it is at home, with one drawback. Here, it is more expensive and their sizes are different. It is 7.95 for a Big Mac meal, but that only comes with a happy meal sized drink and a small fries. Definitely not worth it. Except that it is when you are missing home and want something that tastes the exact same . . .

Sometimes, you just need to chase some seagulls.

Note: The video is better with sound on. Notice Tessa collapse to the ground when someone implies that the birds might be chasing after her.

The Beach is More Awesome at Night

Stephen: Hey Kate! There's Orion!
Tyler: Is he wearing the same belt?
Stephen: Yeah. Again.
Terry: I laughed so hard when I read that.
Me: You read my blog, Terry?
Terry: No, you put that quote on your facebook.
Me: No I didn't.
Terry: Oops.
Mikael: Super creepy stalker moment.

Things are finally starting to cool down here, though the wind is also dying down so it does not seem like they are. Today it only got up to 95 degrees, but like I said, no wind. The buildings are stiflingly warm, so we all decided to go to the beach.

At 9 at night. The temperature had gone down to about 70 degrees, but we did not care. Well, some of us cared. Tessa, Courtney, Mikael, Steve and Simon stayed on the beach, huddled in sweatshirts and towels.






Terry, Stephen, Tyler and I jumped right in. Actually, the water was quite warm, compared to the chilled air outside, since the wind definitely had picked up. The waves were MASSIVE, and the undertow was really strong. We were careful though, and did not go too deep.

I tried to upload a video of some of us chasing seagulls, but it was taking too long. I'll try again tomorrow!

Books Galore!

I have rediscovered one of my loves this New Year. It started while I was still at home. I have been reading more than I have in a long time. I have finished six books since 2010 began.

I am hoping I can continue to read as the semester progresses. This week I have plans to go to a massive park in the city just to sit under a tree and read my book.

Right now I am reading Deja Dead, by Kathy Reichs. It is quite an interesting read. For those of you who watch television, it is the series that the show Bones was based off of.

Also, The Princess Bride, by William Goldman, now ranks as one of my favorite books of all time. Read it if you have a chance, especially if you love the movie.

My main issue with this is that books are incredibly expensive out here. I almost want to buy a Kindle and have it shipped here just so that I can buy books without paying the astronomical prices. It costs 22 dollars just to buy a young adult paperback.

I still have four and a half books, however, that I have not finished. I just hope that they are good!

Star Light, Star Bright

Does Orion wear the same belt every single night? I definitely need to take him accessory shopping.
~Stephen Moore

My friends and I were walking along one night on our way to the Rec Room when I looked up and saw the constellation Orion. When I pointed him out, my friend Stephen immediately responded with the above quote. I have not laughed so hard in my entire life.

The skies are clear here. Clearer than I have ever seen before. And though we are by downtown Perth, there is not much light coming from the city at night because everything shuts down after five, with the exception of a few clubs.

The result is more stars than I have ever seen before in my entire life.

I have a cottage up north away from big cities, but even that does not compare to the wonders I have seen in the night sky since I came here. Every single night, the sky is completely full. Orion is always prominent, as is the Southern Cross.

I like to just sit outside and look at them. It is something I am not sure I will ever experience again.

Surf's up!

I completed part of my initiation into Australian society today. I just got back from a day of surfing.

Well, attempting to anyways.

Slide onto the board, paddle really fast, and when the waves catch you, put your right foot up a third of the way to the front of the board, and then your left foot to the middle of the board. It sounds easy.

Well, you know what they say. Practice makes perfect. Well the thing they don't tell you is practice also makes you tired. So while I did get better, by the end I was so exhausted, I was doing as poorly as I did to begin with.

Oh and I also got sunburned again, even though I did my best to not become so.

Some of it I can't tell if it is sunburned, or if it is irritated by sand, because we also sand boarded. If you don't know what that is, you take what is essentially a snow board without foot straps, and you sled down a massive sand dune. Bigger than sleeping bear dunes massive sand dune. It was entirely high and entirely frightening, but I did it twice. I sat down because we discovered that sitting was both safer than standing, and you went faster. The scariest part was that on the other side of the dune we were boarding down, it was pretty much a straight drop to the bottom.

Sorry for not updating more often. I've been entirely busy with orientation things, and going to the beach and the botanical gardens. All in all it is quite lovely here, and you all should visit me at some point. Or at least send me mail.

Kate Scheuber
ECU Student Village- Unit 27 Room 3
2 Bradford Street
Mount Lawley
Western Australia 6050

No, I don't live next door to a movie star . . .

When Lindsey Lohan first arrives at the camp in The Parent Trap, she has an exchange with a couple of fellow campers that goes a little something like this:

Friends Number 1 and 2: Woah, you're from California? Do you like live in Hollywood? Do you live next door to a movie star?
Hallie: Who are you two, Lucy and Ethel? I've never even been to Hollywood.

I went to get groceries the other day (in a shopping mall), and the cashier recognized that I had a different accent. She asked me where I was from. I told her, and this was her response.

Cashier: Oh my gosh! You live in America? Do you live by any movie stars? Have you ever seen Brad Pitt or anyone just walking around on the street?
Me: Um, no I live in Michigan.

That clearly meant nothing to her. Because she was so eager to hear about my movie star stories I said, "I live kind of near Jeff Daniels, but I've never seen him."

She gave me a blank stare, so I tried again.

Me: Um, Eminem lives in Michigan?
Cashier: Wow! Have you been to 8 mile before?
Me: He lives in a mansion now, but yes I actually live a mile away from 8 mile.

I did not bother to explain to her that 8 mile is an incredibly long street and Livonia is a far cry from where Eminem grew up. I just walked away, laughing to myself.

Is this really how the world sees us? Do they think that all Americans babysit Brad and Angelina's children?

Most of the time it seems like just your average place . . .

America is a big country. There are so many different areas, cultures, and climates and I cannot hope to visit them all in my lifetime. Except for the 30 hours of transit it took to get here, Australia actually seems a lot like America. I feel like it might just be a place in America I have never visited before. It's just that for some reason, people speak with Australian accents here.

But then you get hit with something completely different and you realize that you are indeed in a different country. For this reason, I have compiled a list of differences between America and Australia. Some of them are spelled differently, but they are pronounced the same.

1.) A Waapa (pronounced like Whopper) is not a sandwich you order at a Burger King. It is actually a student at their equivalent of Juliard, a lot of which live in my housing complex.

2.) Cole's is a food store, not a clothing store.

3.) Grocery stores are inside of the shopping malls.

4.) There are Targets and Kmarts, but they are not affiliated with the US stores, even if they are spelled the same, have the same font and logo as the US stores.

5.) There are about 100 different kinds of butter or butter spreads to choose from.

6.) Milk does not get refrigerated until it is open.

7.) They have Rice Bubbles and Frosties, but they are still represented with Snap Crackle and Pop and Tony the Tiger.



I'm sure the list will continue to grow as I stay here longer, but those are the main differences now.

When I take more pictures, I will post them. For now I don't have enough, so I will have to describe it.

I spent the other day at the beach, and it was amazing. We took the bus to get there. I intend on spending nearly all of my free time there. We are going again on Saturday, followed by a girls trip to see Valentine's Day. Today we went grocery shopping and are about to go play volleyball. Yesterday Becca and I taught them how to have a "lazy American day". It was miserably humid out, so we sat inside and watched Glee for 7 hours. We didn't mean to, but that is what happens when you keep putting more disks in the computer.

Friday is when I finally start all of my orientation stuff. I have some on monday as well, and then next Thursday, then classes start the week after that!

Jetlag? What Jetlag? Oh. That Jetlag.

Well, it's official. I am in Australia. Apparently I'm picking up an accent already, and on top of it, everything seems to be broken. Oops.

The problems started for me before I even left Chicago. I went to check into my flight and the woman at the desk told me that she was not allowed to give me a ticket because I did not have a Visa. She talked down to me a bit about how I should have known to get one, but then was forced to eat her words when I showed her my confirmation email that said I had gotten one. She then checked three more times and still could not find it so she said she would talk to her boss, but she was still not allowed to give me my ticket. First of all, that's illegal. I purchased the ticket, so they either had to give it to me, or they had to give me a refund. Second, it is none of their business really if I got a visa or not. It's my problem if I get stuck outside of customs. Third, none of that mattered because I HAD GOTTEN A VISA!

She came back about fifteen minutes later to say that there was a computer glitch and she found my visa so she could give me my ticket anyways. Thanks a lot. You would have given it to me no matter what.

The first couple of flights went fairly well. The in flight movie from Chicago to LA was Michael Jackson: This Is It. So I suppose that could have been better. It seemed like a really weird movie to show on an airplane. That flight lasted about four and a half hours. I slept part of the way because I wanted to be able to stay up for as much of the second flight as possible.

The second flight was the fifteen hour long one. We each had our own video screen in the seat in front of us, and we were able to pick whatever movies television shows or games that we wanted. I stayed up through all of Dorian Gray and then ate dinner. I started to watch Where the Wild Things Are but fell asleep with about thirty minutes left of it. I slept a good 6-8 hours, then watched the rest of the movie, and finally watched Zombieland.

Because of a storm on the equator, the flight took a good hour longer than it was supposed to, and Becca and I were hard pressed to figure out how to get to our gate in time for our next flight. In one hour, we had to go through immigration, collect our luggage, go through customs, and then we had to recheck our luggage and get to our gate. We did it with about ten minutes to spare, and both changed our clothes and freshened up.

The movie on the four and a half hour flight from Melbourne to Perth was Amelia Earhart. Can you please explain to me why they thought it was a good idea to show a movie about a plane crash on a plane? It's a mystery to me.

We got to the university, got a tour and met our roommates. We don't live together, which is good because that means we get to meet more people. Then we were invited to go to a club that night with a group of people. We were feeling great so we accepted.

I went to turn on my computer, and that is where the major problems started. A lot of the pixels on my computer have decided to turn bright red instead of the color they are supposed to be. Nothing I have done has been able to help. I'm currently trying to figure out a store I can take it to to get repaired, and hope that it will not cost much money. I'm going to give Adam a chance to try and fix it if we ever get online at the same time again.

Then I bought internet, which, by the way, is ridiculously expensive. I went to purchase skype minutes, and found out that my credit card had a hold placed on it because I forgot to tell them I went overseas. Because I am a genius. I had to borrow someone one's cell phone and call the bank collect. That was fun.

By then it was around 7 at night, and I was quickly crashing. We let the people know that we weren't going to the club, and stayed in to play cards with my roommates instead. We both made it to about 9 before completely crashing.

I woke up at 6 in the morning, and had a productive day. I got a cell phone for use down here, and went grocery shopping. I spent several hours at a pool, and then watched some television with my roomies.

All in all it's been quite lovely down here. I'll keep you posted!