May 28- May 30: And we’re off
My trip began with a lonesome flight from the Chicago O’Hare airport to Los Angeles. Although this was not my first flight by myself, I worried about everything. I wouldn’t be my Mother’s daughter if I didn’t. Luckily, I was surrounded by pilots and flight attendants that were returning home and that eased my nerves. This four hour trip provided entertainment and I was able to enjoy the movie Big Miracle.
After reaching Los Angeles, I was able to meet many of the people that are also flying out to Australia through Globalinks. The next flight to Sydney would consist of 14 long hours. When we arrived at Sydney it was 6:30 AM… May 30. No Tuesday for us! Then another 3 hour plane ride to Cairns (pronounced ‘cans’) for our orientation.
Extremely jet lagged, we met our orientation leaders, Todd and Ross. They taught us all that information about culture shock and Australia. We learned many fun phrases.
Pissed: drunk
Shout: a round of drinks
No worries: You’re welcome, It’s okay, etc.
And probably many more that I can’t remember right now due to exhaustion. We also learned that the Australian way to say Australia is ‘stray-ya’.
We ate dinner at ‘The Pier’, a fun little pub right along the coast. Eating at an Australian restaurant is a bit different from eating at an American restaurant. First, one orders their food and pays first and then the waiter will bring you your food. Also, no one ever leaves a tip. An American may see that as unfair and ridiculous for a service job; however, the minimum wage in Australia is much higher, somewhere around $18/ hour. This wage provides enough money for someone to live a ‘normal’ lifestyle. But because servers do not need to earn their tip, the service is not that great and people need to go to the bar to get their drink. Speaking of drinks, the drinking age is 18 in Australia.
May 31: Rainforestation
Jetlag has definitely hit us. I woke up at 4 AM unable to fall asleep due to my body’s clock being off. With nothing to do, I just laid there until breakfast which consisted of some familiar items as well as foreign foods. The most interesting part of this meal was trying Vegemite for the first time. I decided to try a taste before spreading it on my bread and absolutely hated it. It is VERY salty. However, if you toast some bread, layer on the butter, and put a thin layer of vegemite on, it tastes pretty good.
Today, we went to the Reforestation. As you could guess, we went to the middle of the rainforest. Here, we got a chance to paint some Aboriginal art. This consists of four different coloured paints: white, black, yellow, and orange. All of these are provided from different parts of Australia. For example, if I remember correctly, the orange is from the sand in the outback. Most Aboriginal art consists of lines and dots, although very simple, the artwork can be very beautiful. We met an Aboriginal who’s name meant crocodile.
Our lunch consisted of passion fruit, pumpkin soup, and some type of Asian food. It was divine and very filling.
We took a duck boat tour to see some of the native plant species in the rainforest. We saw some plants that could dye your entire mouth black and some plants that could paralyse you. We even saw a huge spider. That was the worst.
We then got to see another Aboriginal throw spears. There are three different ways to throw a spear. They also have an attachment that throws the spear further. Then they played some dijeridoos .In order to play this musical instrument, you need to make a vibrating noise with your mouth and blow through. You can make different noises depending on how you make your voice box sound or on how you move your tongue.
Aboriginals also use boomerangs to hunt birds. I got a chance to throw the boomerang. One must throw it kind of like a baseball between the 12-1 PM position. The flick of the wrist makes it return. It’s harder then it looks, but it definitely returns. We also got to see many Aboriginal tribal dances which required a lot of knee movement.
A little bit more about Aboriginal culture: They are the natives of Australia much like the Native Americans. Around 2008, the prime minister apologized for the poor treatment of these people in the past. Apparently, Australia attempted to breed them out of society, tearing families apart. Now, although there is still a lot of tension between indigenous people and others, they are more abundant in Australia.
Ross provided us with berries that were meant to distort our taste buds and make sour things taste sweet. This berry may be used to provide sugary items to diabetic people. I think the lime tasted just like a lime. The berry, however, was quite bitter/nutty.
Best part of the day: ANIMALS. We saw some alligators. One was named Jack the Ripper. They tried to introduce females to him but every time he would kill them. He will live by himself for the rest of his life. Another was named Ago and he came with six other males… he was the only to survive. We got to watch their feeding. Jack jumped into the air to grab onto his meal, while Ago simply took it and attempted to drown it under the water.
Of course there were many kangaroos, wallabies, and joeys. They were not caged. They were free to walk or jump wherever they please, much like a petting zoo. Surprisingly they don’t run away either. They enjoy being pet. For some reason, I imagined them to only hop. However, they are able to walk on all four legs. We got to hold a little joey as well as a baby python. And of course, we got to hold a koala. This may sound amazing, but they smell pretty bad, and kind of feel you up with their claws.
After a long day, we had free time and attempted to eat out without our guides. Another interesting thing about Australia, their ketchup is called ‘Tomato Sauce’. (They are quite literal when it comes to naming things) This tomato sauce has a bit more vinegar than the American version.
We were also able to go to a night market that had many touristy trinkets like boomerangs and kangaroo paws. (I wonder if they’re considered lucky like a rabbits foot.)
June 1: The Great Barrier Reef
We took a boat out two hours to the Great Barrier Reef which provided an unsettling sea sickness but luckily no one vomited from our group. I was able to scuba dive. If you ever have the chance to, do it. It is amazing to see all the coral and sea life under water. We went in with the full gear of flippers, wet suit, mask, and air tank. I saw a clown fish, a sting ray, and many other fish and coral. I also got a chance to snorkel. Not as fun. I wish I had paid the extra to go for a second dive. Snorkelling, although interesting to see all of the ocean life from a sky view, is not my cup of tea. So much salt water went into my mouth.
The men were also very nice, calling me names like ‘babe’, ‘darling’, and ‘pumpkin’. My scuba instructor gave me a hug right after the dive.
For dinner, I ate chicken parmi (chicken parmesan). I considered it to be the same as in America: breaded chicken with marinara sauce and cheese on top.
Exhausted and looking forward to a 3 AM wake up call for my 6 AM flight back to Sydney, I packed and went to bed.
