Field Study Happiness!

I spent the past week exploring New South Wales with 7 new friends.  We went all over the state learning about the Aborigines, the environment, and each other.  We had a blast.  Here is a peek into the many amazing things we did and the amazing places we saw...

Days 1 and 2: We started out our adventure with a trip to Gerringong where we visited an Aboriginal Arts and Cultural Center.  From there we were off to Booderee National Park.  On the way, my trip took a bit of a sad turn...my camera deleted all of the pictures I took during my first week in Oz.  I had hundreds and am left with only those that are on this blog... After 1o minutes of being mad/sad I realized that there was nothing I could do about it and started clicking away all over again, and constantly saving those pics to my computer! We stayed at a Field Station that belongs to Canberra Uni.  We were WAY out in the middle of the woods, but we had lots of friendly kangaroos to keep us company!  We were told that the beach and park activities were a 10 minute walk, when it was actually nearly an hour away.  We spent the next few days walking back and forth to beautiful Iluva Beach.  It was well worth the hike there.  We also had several seminars with Aborigines Elders including a campfire in the pouring rain!

Illuva Beach.

Day 3: After a morning tour with Aboriginal Elder Auntie Julie we left Booderee and headed for Kiola, a little farther south on the NSW coast.  We stayed in an adorable cottage 5 minutes away from the beach there.  We had full catering and a crew of kangaroos to keep up company.  It was pretty amazing.  The first day we were there 4 of us went out to explore the beach and took WAY too many fun pictures.  Here are two of them.  The beach was extraordinary.  There was something different about it that took all of our breaths away, but which none of us could really explain.

Kioloa Beach Jumping :-)

I still think about all of you...

Day 4: We woke up early to go on an interpretive walk with an Aboriginal Elder, but he was working on Australian time and showed up 12 hours late :-) so we improvised.  We ended up riding in the back of a Ut (utility vehicle - Australians shorten EVERY single word!) around the mountains surrounding our home at Australia National Uni's base at Kioloa.  We had quite the adventure: we saw tons of 'roos (there are about 450 on the property), saw a giant iguana, climbed a huge mountain, looked at indigenous engravings, and all nearly fell out at some point or another.  That afternoon we headed out to the Murramurrang Track for the walk without our guide.  It was a beautiful walk along the beach and afterwards we headed down for a splash in the water to cool off.

Our ride on the "Ut" through the mountains.

Murramurrang Beach.

The 'Roos posed for this one.

Day 5: We left Kioloa early in the morning to head for Gulaga National Park.  We finally met Uncle Max when we got there.  He is an extraordinary man who spent his afternoon teaching us about his mob, the Yuin people.  But, before we could hear his talk, we had to hike up the inactive volcano in the 110 degree weather for a couple of hours.  I joined the leech club on this hike and got bitten by the nasty little things for the first time.  For some reason it is like a right of passage for our group.  It's totally cool to have a leech latch on...Haha.  At the top we went onto sacred ground and learned about various spiritual beliefs that the Yuin's hold.  There was a pretty spectacular view from the top.  After our near sprint down the mountain (we ran out of water) we raided the only store in town for supplies and headed out toward the Snowy Mountains.  We stopped at a small pub along the way and I had the craziest burger of all time.  It had a burger patty, bacon, fried egg, beet, hp sauce, onion, lettuce, tomato, pineapple, and other couple of crazy things, and man was it delicious!  From there we continued on to our home for 10 hours in Jindabyne.

The view after hiking Gulaga.

My Aussie Burger with the "Lot"

Day 6:  We had a little bit of free time on this day before we set off for the Snowy Mountains.  We ate breakfast out and did a little bit of shopping.  Then we went up to Mount Kosciuszko National Park to learn about bush tucker (food found on the land) and make some string.  We had a really cool Aboriginal guide who showed us around.  Afterward we finally made it to my favorite place, ULLR, a ski lodge in the Snowys.  This was our home for the next three days.  We each shared a room with our own bathroom, had a huge living/dinning area (complete with fireplace), a gigantic kitchen, and an amazing view.  It was so cozy.  We all relaxed once we got there and cooked a big group dinner.  There was an amazing sunset that night that we saw from the deck.

Sunset from the lodge in the Snowys.

We run into these every where.  They seem to have less and less of the scare effect every time, and I think we actually get excited when we find one now! 

Creepy Crawlers!

Day 7:  The BIG hike of 20k plus had finally arrived, and several members of the group were dreading it.  The hike took us through the Snowy Mountains, beside Mount Kosciuszko, the highest peak in Oz.  At the end we had climbed the 5th tallest mountain in the country.  The trail wound up and around the nearly barren hills.  The only vegetation was snow gum trees and random but beautiful white, yellow, and purple wild flowers.  The whole thing looked like a trip through the Wizard of Oz, if only the road had been yellow...  Everyone made it to the top for one of the most amazing views I have ever seen.  It was freezing that day and the wind was way up so we all felt like we were going to blow away, but we made it!  The last bit was the toughest it was straight uphill for at least 20 minutes.  2 of the other girls and I got there ahead of everyone else and decided to walk back down and do it again for some crazy reason.  We wanted to die the whole time, but it was amazing.  During the hike I found a natural heart on the trail.  I have no idea how I spotted it.  I randomly looked down and saw it like it was meant to be.  My friend Luke has several pictures of hearts in nature and I thought this would be great one to add to his collection.  The hike was a wonderful adventure that allowed for all of us to have some much needed quiet time to ponder the amazing experiences that we've been having for the past 2 weeks, but also gave us time to have some amazingly real conversations with each other.  I continue to be amazed by the freedom and thought that develops when I'm surrounded by nature.  

Just beginning the 20K

Nature's Love

The Snowys

Day 8:  We spent most of our last day working on homework: papers, presentations, and journals.  It is so easy to forget that this experience is not just learning about self and taking what we want from the lessons, but that we are actually getting graded!  A few of us took a study break and went on a quick 5k along the Porcupine Track which had a surprising and amazing view at the end.  We had another great group dinner and watched an incredibly touching movie called "Rabbit Proof Fence."  It deals with the Stolen Generations of Aboriginal people.  These men and women were stolen from their homes as children and put into mass facilities where they were supposed to be assimilated into white culture.  It is amazing the incredible discrimination that existed in this country regarding it's indigenous peoples.

Day 9:  We woke up early to hop on the minibus and begin our 10 hour journey back to Wollongong.  We slept in precarious positions, worked on homework, stared out at the amazing landscape passing us by, and laughed a lot.  We were back on campus by 5, left to ponder all the things we have done for the past week or so.

This was an amazing adventure.  I learned so much about the topic I am currently studying, but I also learned a great deal about myself.  All the locations that we went to had such deep spiritual meaning, and I could truly feel the peace they all exuded.  I was able to ask myself the hard questions.  I was also able to recognize that even if I haven't found the answer, acknowledging the question is half the battle.  I am so thankful to have been able to go on this journey.  

I'm sending you all some of the peace I discovered and hoping that sometime soon you all can take a silent walk and ponder the big questions.  Love the questions, and don't worry so much about the answers!

Love Always, 

Anna

To see a world in a grain of sand,

And a heaven in a wild flower,

Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,

And eternity in an hour.

~William Blake~

Sydney and the Wodi Wodi

Hello All! Things are wonderful down here in the Southern Hemisphere. My first week has been incredibly fun. I have learned all kind of new things and experienced things that I never dreamed possible. I am getting to explore so many asspects of this country. I have learned SO SO much in just 6 days, that I cannot imagine where I will be at this end ofo this adventure.

I am with a great group of people learning for the most part in an outdoor classroom. We get up every morning early and walk the 45 minutes to Uni rather than taking the bus, we discuss the lives of the Australian Aborigines and the country's environmental problems at great length, we share meals, we share stories, we share SO many laughs, and we are constantly reminded just how fortunate we are to be on this extraordinary journey. We are all having a blast. From our Boston girls, to the Midwest crew, to our Jersey girl, and our NY city slicker, we have an amazing bunch.

Some of the group looking out over the Harbour in Sydney.

My Uni here in Oz. We have beautiful bushland all over campus.

On Wednesday our teacher, Deborah, gave us a study day to work on our annotated bibliography. Instead, we went to Sydney. Well, what did you expect out of a group of college students?! We had an amazing time exploring all the sights. I was particularly taken aback by the Opera House. There was something about it that made sense to me. The moment I saw it was the moment that I realized that this thing I'm doing is, in fact real. I am in Australia. I am living in this amazing city for the next half year. To me, this one architectural masterpiece represented the endless possibilities that lie ahead of me.

The AMAZING and BREATHTAKING Opera House.

Sydney.

Stairs at the Opera House.

Girls Jumping.

At the Botanical Gardens.

The class that I am taking here is focused on the Aborigines and the environment. We spend a great majority of the course out in the field exploring the Australian, specifically the Illawarra, environment. On Thursday we went hiking on the Wodi Wodi trail which is a short train ride from our home in Fairy Meadow. There were beautiful views and scenery despite the fact that it dumped rain and that we were constantly watching out for leaches and snakes (we only had one leach out of all 9 of us!). It was a great walk even though we all looked like wet dogs afterward.

View from the Wodi Wodi Trail.

For now I'm off on a 10 day field study around New South Wales. We will be spending a lot of time in National Parks working with Aboriginal Elders both along the coast and in the Snowy Mountains. I think that it will be a great trip. With the group I'm with it is bound to be filled with laughter, and we should be in for some amazing sights!

Will write more after further adventuring!

Endless Love,

Anna

"Nothing is beyond you."

My new mantra.

No Worries Mate...I'm Here!

It all begin from Lihue, Kauai. I left on short flight bound for Honolulu. It was only 30 minutes, and of those, only about 10 were spent in a slight freakout mode about what I had gotten myself into. From there on out the trip was thrilling. Any fear I had disappeared on that first brief flight. I saw an amazing sunset.m the plane and flew right by an enormous storm

Before leaving Kauai

The Sunset

The Storm

I sat in the airport for nearly 3 hours and used them to my advantage by using my cell phone for the last time. I called lots of people to say "farwell for now." I had some of the best, most honest conversations within those hours. These talks were exaclty the note I needed to leave on. They made me think about how I want to live while I'm here and how I want to live when I return, they made me laugh, and they made me grateful to have such amazing people in my life.

From Honolulu I was off to Auckland, New Zealand. I was on a very nice flight and had an empty seat beside me perfect for attempting to sleep.

Hello Land

I made it there in just under 10 hours and transferred to a flight to Sydney. After watching Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and realizing once again that this is the journey that I need to be on I was flying over Sydney Harbor. I met up with my group and headed to Wollongong (without luggage - they lost it, of course). There are 8 of us and we are all from different states so it's a pretty interesting group. There are 7 girls and our one token guy, Taylor. They didn't have anything arranged for us yesterday so we were completely on our own. We ended up gointo the beach (a 10 minute walk) which is breathtaking. We also found out rather quickly that the hole in the ozone is very real here down under. Everyone was fried in less than an hour, but luckily I had my base from being in Hawaii and survived without burn.

My First Look at Sydney

North Wollongong Beach

Today we had orientation. The UOW campus is absolutely beautiful. There is mostly bushland, so even though there is a small city right next door, you're surrounded by nature. I am excited about this course, but also realizing that it is going to entail a lot of work. We are here until Saturday (Friday for everyone on the other side of the dateline) and then will be leaving on a 10 day field study along the coast, in Canberra, and in the Snowy Mountains. It should be quite the adventure.

For now, I am very happy. I know that this is just what I needed to do this semester. If the first 2 days have been this amazing I am psyched to see all that is to come. I have a whole new country to conquer and I intend to do it right.

Cheers for now!

Much Love,

Anna

PS. Here is the sign above my computer. They have amazing signs down here. We saw one for a "weed man" yesterday as well as one warning about the swooping birds..don't forget to duck and cover your head. Love the Aussies

Aloha 2008...Here Comes a Fresh Start!

We just rang in the New Year here in Kaua'i (one of the last places to do so in the world).  It was a great day filled up with beaches, friends, and food.  

Course 3 of the New Year's Dinner: Fish Trio (mahi-mahi, opakapaka, butterfish)

The Girls before New Years Dinner

Wailua Beach

Frolicking with Daddy

Surfs Up!

As this year finishes, I look back on all that has happened.  I never knew that so much could change in my life in one short year.  Even though some of the change has been difficult, if not unwelcome, I have realized that it is all for the best.  Yes,  I have lost friends, but I have gained more.  Yes, I have taken big risks, but I have reaped far bigger rewards.  Yes, I have broken promises I made to myself, but I have kept many more.  Yes, there have been fights, but there has been much more love.  Whether I understand the happenings in my life or not, I am trying to accept them as they come knowing that they will soon make sense and further me along my journey.  My friend Luke recently recommended that I read "The Alchemist" and it was a wonderful way to finish out my year.  It taught me many lessons and opened my mind even further to all the possibilities that lie ahead.

This year I will not be making a specific New Years resolution, but hopefully this one will guide me throughout my year in regard to many aspects of my life.  This year I am hoping to embrace change, stare fear straight in the eyes and overcome it, live in the moment (thanks Luke), accept that the universe will guide me in the direction I need to be going in (thanks Bails), remember that the unanswered questions are what make life interesting (thanks V), and of course believe in and surround myself and my friends with all the love I can possibly muster.

Since this year will be full of all sorts of "newness" for me I think that remembering these things will be of the utmost importance.  

I wish all of you the happiest of years, may it be filled with adventure, fun, and hope, but above all may your year be abundant in LOVE.  Do things you never would have done before.  Say "yes" to all the things that you think should be "no's."  Laugh until it hurts as much as you possibly can.  Find hope in our new leadership, and in all the infinite possibilities that lie ahead.  Be kind to one another.  Show compassion.  Reveal that this world is one that still operates under the supreme law of LOVE.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

PeaceHopeLove,

Anna

"And when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it."

***The Alchemist***

WILL WRITE MORE FROM AUSTRALIA...