Hey look! Here's a video documenting my time in Enzed (that's NZ): CLICK FOR YOUTUBE VIDEO
New Zealand was a lot of fun, and it's the first and only big trip I've ever planned and carried out all on my own without my parents or other facilitators. I'm really proud of the research I did beforehand, and it definitely taught me that there is value in planning. I'm not one to just wing things, even though in some cases that may be more fun/feasible.
It was also a great way for me to get a little taste of a different culture and different people, and I was able to compare to both Perth and the US and gain an even more well-informed perspective.
People have asked me what my favorite part of the trip was. I always give a really annoying answer by saying I can't choose a favorite; all parts were good. The Auckland War Memorial Museum particularly resonated with me, though. It was very well-designed, extremely educational, and had neat stuff. It took a few hours to get through, and could've taken even longer had my traveling companion Cara and I chosen to, but we made that stop during our Coast-to-Coast walk, and we wanted to finish the trek before it got too late.
The first full day in NZ, we went to the Waitomo glowworm caves. No cameras were allowed inside so I didn't get to take pictures, but I don't think it would've done the glowworms justice. We went on a boat tour within the caves where we just floated around in the pitch dark, the only light source being the bioluminescent little blue worms spattered all over the cave ceiling and walls. It was surreal and I remember just staring up in dazed awe at how beautiful it was; it felt nearly like I was floating in space staring at stars. Waitomo was about a 2-3 hour drive out from Auckland and the tour bus driver gave commentary as he drove us, so it was really nice seeing the scenery and little towns that we passed along the way.
As for the Coast-to-Coast walk, I highly recommend it to anybody in Auckland who has a day to kill! And your feet, because we took 9 hours to do it including going into the museum and also eating lunch. After the walk, my feet were equal parts in agony and numbness and were tingling for about the last 2 hours of the walk. Regardless, the walk was fantastic as it took us through many of the iconic spots in Auckland: Mt. Eden, One Tree Hill, the museum, the ferry wharf, a couple of parks, and was just a really good way to get to know the different aspects of the city. As with all things, it's what you make of it, and the walkway has a specific path to follow but you can stop whenever you want or make detours, so you can really make it your own adventure.
Aside from that, we went ziplining at Waiheke Island, which is a lovely place to visit in itself and I think I would've liked to spend the night there to explore more of it. There is a small village with cute shops and food joints, and the beaches along the island are beautiful as well as the forested areas. I got a pretty good view by ziplining, and the company which I did this through, EcoZip, is a not-for-profit organization which uses revenue to preserve the bit of rainforest on its campus and provide educational and fun experiences for visitors. As someone who had been in a nature-based tourism class and was learning about ecotourism and how to conduct it sustainably and effectively, I can tell you EcoZip is doing it right! (I'm not being sponsored or paid, I really genuinely believe this).
We also did a "Bush and Beach Wilderness Tour" which took us from Auckland city central to the Waitakere Ranges Regional Park, where we saw ancient Kauri trees in the rainforest, a black-sand volcanic beach at Piha, the Karekare falls, and learned a lot about the plant life of New Zealand.
Then we visited Rangitoto Island, which was covered in dark volcanic rock which we hiked through and climbed over and under. My favorite part of this was going through the lava caves, which were honestly a little bit creepy at first, but also very neat. It was pitch black down there and I was glad I brought a flashlight because my phone flashlight didn't feel like enough for me. After the caves, we made the long and arduous hike up to the summit where we had lunch and looked out at Auckland across the water. So many beautiful views.
Anyway, I told myself I wasn't going to be able to say much, but here we are yet again... watch the video for visuals!
Until next time,
~ JP
Friday, July 14, 2017
Friday, June 23, 2017
From home to home
In case you're wondering, yes I went to New Zealand a couple weeks ago, and yes I will post about it! Final exams and spending time with my friends before we all leave Australia have been the priority the past couple weeks, so I will make the NZ post once I'm home.
Yes, that's right, it's nearly time to go home.
Before I arrived in Australia, I had absolutely no idea what to expect. I remember sitting in the car on the way to the airport thinking about what the next few months would be like. Not for the first time in my life, I was at a complete loss. I'd felt this way before my first flight to Wisconsin to begin my university career: full of anticipation, curious, a little scared, mostly excited. Except this time I was headed toward an entirely different country with different people from all different cultures and world perspectives.
When I landed in Perth and was in the car to my cousin's house, I was struck by the strange vegetation, and I was terrified when we veered left at a roundabout for the first time.
When I arrived at Murdoch in the student village, I anxiously paced around my room because I had no phone and no wifi connection and knew nobody in my flat and wondered if I'd ever feel comfortable in this strange new place where I didn't have any friends.
The first few weeks I felt very alone and a little confused and lost about everything because it was all so much to adapt to all of a sudden.
For that first while, I didn't know that I would meet the most amazing, unique, fun, wonderful people from many different states and countries. I didn't know I would come to love so much about the culture and landscape here. I didn't know how much perspective I would gain about the environment and how we use it. I didn't know I would learn the things I have come to realize about myself as a person, and I certainly would not have been able to guess how much potential for change within myself that I had.
Tomorrow I'm leaving the student village, and on Monday night I will depart Perth. I do not know when I'll ever get the chance to come back, but I know I would like to one day and definitely will return. Perth is so vastly different from every other place in the world I have been, and yet it has become familiar to me in the past few months. It has become home.
I've been thinking recently about how home isn't just one thing, one specific place, to anybody. Sure, you live in a house, but your home can be anything. It could be the house or apartment you sleep at every night, it could be where your family is, it could be a person or group of friends, or it could be a place you've explored and feel some sense of familiarity, some comfort.
That's all that it is: a space in the world where you feel like you belong. I never thought I would make a home for myself here. Of course I figured I'd grow to like it, but here in Perth I have created a little niche in the big big world for myself, with the friends I have met and grown to love. I've become a local.
These past few weeks have been especially difficult for me as I've come to terms with the fact that I'm leaving my newfound home soon. As I've mentioned before, Perth is a relatively laid-back place where the people are all about "no worries" and taking things as they come. I have not had much anxiety while I've been here, and I have gotten along on friendly terms with many more people than I have anywhere else. The university life is much more lenient than that at UW-Madison or anywhere in the States, I think, and yet it's all about what you choose to put into the class that determines your final grades. There's something here for everybody, whether you like the city area or if you prefer the outdoors or the beach bum life. You can live a quiet life or you can go out for the nightlife. There's not very much pressure to be better than everybody else; it's more about egalitarianism. You can go for weeks here without hugely bad things happening on the news, and most of the bad news I ever got was related to America or other countries.
Apart from the place itself, the people I've met here are the hardest to let go of. Maybe it's been a combination of my evolving personality and the open friendliness of the area itself, but I have made more friends here than I ever expected I would. We have grown close through shared travel experiences, similar interests and personalities and senses of humor, mutual quirkiness, tough school assignments and annoying lecturers, and most importantly lots and lots (and lots) of laughter together. And now it's time to march forth as we all part ways and continue on with our separate lives.
Or maybe our lives won't be as separate as we think. I know I may never see or talk to some people again. Others I may speak to a couple times over the internet, and then we'll drift apart. And with some I may visit them or they'll visit me, and we'll keep talking over the internet and phone and stay updated on each other's lives and maintain our lifelong friendships. It won't be quite the same as it's been here, but that's okay.
I take comfort in the fact that I made these beautiful memories and shared bonds, and I will never forget the people I've had the honor and privilege of spending time with here. After all, I could not possibly forget laughing until I was literally on the floor; getting lost with while trying to navigate around a new place; making granola balls in my room and spilling honey and muesli all over the floor; snorkeling and learning how to swim for the first time; eating more Aussie sweets and snacks than can probably be deemed healthy; convincing each other to buy stuff we didn't need; grocery shopping and struggling to carry it all back home; lying in bed and listening to music for hours and just talking; trekking across an entire country; convincing somebody to drive us to McDonald's at 1am; eating meals together and talking for hours; watching ridiculous YouTube videos together; whizzing through the streets of Perth on a motorcycle; riding the bus and train and arguing about the best routes; yelling in frustration when the bus was late; agonizing over a ridiculous midterm; bothering and perplexing Paul in the CIEE office; getting hit on by a stranger in the Perth Underground; falling/slipping humiliatingly on the ground (numerous times); living in the same flat and getting up to the most normal yet strange shenanigans; walking along the beach side by side; seeing the sunset while eating biscuits; learning and imitating Australian accents and phrases; having inside jokes that nobody else will really understand; and exploring an entirely new frontier, whether that frontier be ourselves as people or an entirely different culture.
It is because I know the time I spent in Australia was valuable and full of fun and laughter and love that I am able to leave without any regrets. I am deeply sad to go, but that sadness will dissipate and fade to a dull occasional feeling of homesickness once in a while, and I know I can manage that just fine. Because indeed, this is home to me now, and I think it's a beautiful thing that I'm traveling from one home to another, and that this isn't goodbye. It's just a "see ya later." We're lucky to live in a world that's growing increasingly smaller, and I'm honored to have been a part of making the world smaller these past few months through the connections I've made.
If anybody else is reading this who feels sad about the end of the semester as well, I wrote a little poem that I think is very appropriate and I hope you take comfort from it as I did when I first wrote it:
Yes, that's right, it's nearly time to go home.
Before I arrived in Australia, I had absolutely no idea what to expect. I remember sitting in the car on the way to the airport thinking about what the next few months would be like. Not for the first time in my life, I was at a complete loss. I'd felt this way before my first flight to Wisconsin to begin my university career: full of anticipation, curious, a little scared, mostly excited. Except this time I was headed toward an entirely different country with different people from all different cultures and world perspectives.
When I landed in Perth and was in the car to my cousin's house, I was struck by the strange vegetation, and I was terrified when we veered left at a roundabout for the first time.
When I arrived at Murdoch in the student village, I anxiously paced around my room because I had no phone and no wifi connection and knew nobody in my flat and wondered if I'd ever feel comfortable in this strange new place where I didn't have any friends.
The first few weeks I felt very alone and a little confused and lost about everything because it was all so much to adapt to all of a sudden.
For that first while, I didn't know that I would meet the most amazing, unique, fun, wonderful people from many different states and countries. I didn't know I would come to love so much about the culture and landscape here. I didn't know how much perspective I would gain about the environment and how we use it. I didn't know I would learn the things I have come to realize about myself as a person, and I certainly would not have been able to guess how much potential for change within myself that I had.
Tomorrow I'm leaving the student village, and on Monday night I will depart Perth. I do not know when I'll ever get the chance to come back, but I know I would like to one day and definitely will return. Perth is so vastly different from every other place in the world I have been, and yet it has become familiar to me in the past few months. It has become home.
I've been thinking recently about how home isn't just one thing, one specific place, to anybody. Sure, you live in a house, but your home can be anything. It could be the house or apartment you sleep at every night, it could be where your family is, it could be a person or group of friends, or it could be a place you've explored and feel some sense of familiarity, some comfort.
That's all that it is: a space in the world where you feel like you belong. I never thought I would make a home for myself here. Of course I figured I'd grow to like it, but here in Perth I have created a little niche in the big big world for myself, with the friends I have met and grown to love. I've become a local.
These past few weeks have been especially difficult for me as I've come to terms with the fact that I'm leaving my newfound home soon. As I've mentioned before, Perth is a relatively laid-back place where the people are all about "no worries" and taking things as they come. I have not had much anxiety while I've been here, and I have gotten along on friendly terms with many more people than I have anywhere else. The university life is much more lenient than that at UW-Madison or anywhere in the States, I think, and yet it's all about what you choose to put into the class that determines your final grades. There's something here for everybody, whether you like the city area or if you prefer the outdoors or the beach bum life. You can live a quiet life or you can go out for the nightlife. There's not very much pressure to be better than everybody else; it's more about egalitarianism. You can go for weeks here without hugely bad things happening on the news, and most of the bad news I ever got was related to America or other countries.
Apart from the place itself, the people I've met here are the hardest to let go of. Maybe it's been a combination of my evolving personality and the open friendliness of the area itself, but I have made more friends here than I ever expected I would. We have grown close through shared travel experiences, similar interests and personalities and senses of humor, mutual quirkiness, tough school assignments and annoying lecturers, and most importantly lots and lots (and lots) of laughter together. And now it's time to march forth as we all part ways and continue on with our separate lives.
Or maybe our lives won't be as separate as we think. I know I may never see or talk to some people again. Others I may speak to a couple times over the internet, and then we'll drift apart. And with some I may visit them or they'll visit me, and we'll keep talking over the internet and phone and stay updated on each other's lives and maintain our lifelong friendships. It won't be quite the same as it's been here, but that's okay.
I take comfort in the fact that I made these beautiful memories and shared bonds, and I will never forget the people I've had the honor and privilege of spending time with here. After all, I could not possibly forget laughing until I was literally on the floor; getting lost with while trying to navigate around a new place; making granola balls in my room and spilling honey and muesli all over the floor; snorkeling and learning how to swim for the first time; eating more Aussie sweets and snacks than can probably be deemed healthy; convincing each other to buy stuff we didn't need; grocery shopping and struggling to carry it all back home; lying in bed and listening to music for hours and just talking; trekking across an entire country; convincing somebody to drive us to McDonald's at 1am; eating meals together and talking for hours; watching ridiculous YouTube videos together; whizzing through the streets of Perth on a motorcycle; riding the bus and train and arguing about the best routes; yelling in frustration when the bus was late; agonizing over a ridiculous midterm; bothering and perplexing Paul in the CIEE office; getting hit on by a stranger in the Perth Underground; falling/slipping humiliatingly on the ground (numerous times); living in the same flat and getting up to the most normal yet strange shenanigans; walking along the beach side by side; seeing the sunset while eating biscuits; learning and imitating Australian accents and phrases; having inside jokes that nobody else will really understand; and exploring an entirely new frontier, whether that frontier be ourselves as people or an entirely different culture.
It is because I know the time I spent in Australia was valuable and full of fun and laughter and love that I am able to leave without any regrets. I am deeply sad to go, but that sadness will dissipate and fade to a dull occasional feeling of homesickness once in a while, and I know I can manage that just fine. Because indeed, this is home to me now, and I think it's a beautiful thing that I'm traveling from one home to another, and that this isn't goodbye. It's just a "see ya later." We're lucky to live in a world that's growing increasingly smaller, and I'm honored to have been a part of making the world smaller these past few months through the connections I've made.
If anybody else is reading this who feels sad about the end of the semester as well, I wrote a little poem that I think is very appropriate and I hope you take comfort from it as I did when I first wrote it:
Clouds hang like marionettes in the sky
A well-behaved flock in a pasture of blue
Now I want to assure myself as well as you
That this is not goodbye.
This will not be our last laugh
These need not be our final words
This must not be a time to cry
For this is not goodbye.
The clouds go away and so must I
Off to better (or worse) times they fly
We never know what the skies ahead bring
But fear not, grieve not, for this is not goodbye.
So, to my dear friends who are going home like me, safe travels and I wish you all the best as we carry on in our lives. To the friends staying in Australia, I hope to one day visit again and I hope you may get to visit the U.S. too. And to everybody that I love, thank you for being in my life and for helping me to live the best possible life. I will forever cherish the good times we've had Down Under and look forward to more good times in the future.
Until next time!
~ JP
Wednesday, May 31, 2017
She's alive!
*peeks out from behind a shadowy corner*
Hi....so I haven't blogged in a while, oops...things have been very hectic and my mind has been scattered all over and lots of stuff has occurred since I last posted. Like, a LOT of stuff. I won't go into too much detail but despite the stress of exams and the impending knowledge that I have to leave Australia in a month, this lovely month of May has been fantastic. I've had many laughs, lots of good memories made with my friends, and have felt more settled and happy than I ever have here, so that's a good reason for forgetting to blog, right? (...right?)
I'm typing this as I wait to go to the airport. That's right, I said airport...I'm going to Auckland, New Zealand for the week to see what there is to see! It's our third and final study break before exam period officially starts on Saturday, 10 June. I'm a bit apprehensive for my final exams because for a couple of them it seems all we can really do to prepare is know everything. For Nature-Based Tourism, I think I've got a pretty good grasp on the exam since it's really just going to consist of some of the study questions we've had throughout the semester to think about. For Water & Earth Science and Spies, it seems like the exams are sort of free-for-all, where everything is fair game. This gives me anxiety because that means I can't really have a clue on what to prepare for specifically. However, I have confidence that I will do okay on them, especially since the grading system here is different than back home.
So far, I've done very well in Spies and Nature-Based Tourism, because for the last few big projects/tests in those two classes, I've scored HDs (High Distinction: A) and a D (Distinction: AB or A-). For the other two classes I haven't gotten enough grades back yet to determine whether I'm actually doing well, but I'm not failing and that's all that matters at this point, right? *insert grimace here*
Aside from academics, I've been having a beautiful and wonderful time. I've really found good people who I have lots of fun and many, many (many many many...you get the point) laughs with. It's such an amazing experience to be able to connect with certain people such that you can truly be yourself around them. Maybe that shows my growth as a person; I've put myself out there a lot this semester and tried new things, let myself feel uncomfortable, and figured out more about myself as an individual. I think this has really helped me feel more at ease around the friends I've made these past few months. As someone's told me, my own confidence in my personality acts as a filter so that I only have to spend time with the people I actually care about and who make me feel good about myself. I don't have to waste my time and energy around the things I don't like or care for. And being able to recognize this fact has been pretty eye-opening and I find I can be more outgoing and accessible to people. I'm still introverted, but now I'm way more confident in what I am.
That being said, I will miss the friends I have made here a lot. It's the home stretch, I've already had to say "see ya later" to a few friends who are leaving earlier, and though I know I should be appreciating and enjoying the time I still have here (and I certainly am), I still can't ignore the fact that my time in Australia for the semester is nearly at an end, and I'll have to leave behind the little niche in the world I have made for myself here, and part ways with some of the people who have become intensely dear to me. It's sad when I put it that way, but as the saying goes, we should be happy that it happened. Stay strong, June!
Okay, now that I've temporarily made myself and all the people reading this really sad, I'll get to actually talking about some stuff I've been doing. I'm running out of time and I want to post this before I leave for NZ, so let's make a list, shall we?
There was definitely more that I've done, but I can't remember and don't have the time or attention span currently to write about it. But just know: I'm okay, I'm alive and kicking, and having a great time. Now to go spend a week adventuring in New Zealand!
Until next time!
~ JP
Hi....so I haven't blogged in a while, oops...things have been very hectic and my mind has been scattered all over and lots of stuff has occurred since I last posted. Like, a LOT of stuff. I won't go into too much detail but despite the stress of exams and the impending knowledge that I have to leave Australia in a month, this lovely month of May has been fantastic. I've had many laughs, lots of good memories made with my friends, and have felt more settled and happy than I ever have here, so that's a good reason for forgetting to blog, right? (...right?)
I'm typing this as I wait to go to the airport. That's right, I said airport...I'm going to Auckland, New Zealand for the week to see what there is to see! It's our third and final study break before exam period officially starts on Saturday, 10 June. I'm a bit apprehensive for my final exams because for a couple of them it seems all we can really do to prepare is know everything. For Nature-Based Tourism, I think I've got a pretty good grasp on the exam since it's really just going to consist of some of the study questions we've had throughout the semester to think about. For Water & Earth Science and Spies, it seems like the exams are sort of free-for-all, where everything is fair game. This gives me anxiety because that means I can't really have a clue on what to prepare for specifically. However, I have confidence that I will do okay on them, especially since the grading system here is different than back home.
So far, I've done very well in Spies and Nature-Based Tourism, because for the last few big projects/tests in those two classes, I've scored HDs (High Distinction: A) and a D (Distinction: AB or A-). For the other two classes I haven't gotten enough grades back yet to determine whether I'm actually doing well, but I'm not failing and that's all that matters at this point, right? *insert grimace here*
Aside from academics, I've been having a beautiful and wonderful time. I've really found good people who I have lots of fun and many, many (many many many...you get the point) laughs with. It's such an amazing experience to be able to connect with certain people such that you can truly be yourself around them. Maybe that shows my growth as a person; I've put myself out there a lot this semester and tried new things, let myself feel uncomfortable, and figured out more about myself as an individual. I think this has really helped me feel more at ease around the friends I've made these past few months. As someone's told me, my own confidence in my personality acts as a filter so that I only have to spend time with the people I actually care about and who make me feel good about myself. I don't have to waste my time and energy around the things I don't like or care for. And being able to recognize this fact has been pretty eye-opening and I find I can be more outgoing and accessible to people. I'm still introverted, but now I'm way more confident in what I am.
That being said, I will miss the friends I have made here a lot. It's the home stretch, I've already had to say "see ya later" to a few friends who are leaving earlier, and though I know I should be appreciating and enjoying the time I still have here (and I certainly am), I still can't ignore the fact that my time in Australia for the semester is nearly at an end, and I'll have to leave behind the little niche in the world I have made for myself here, and part ways with some of the people who have become intensely dear to me. It's sad when I put it that way, but as the saying goes, we should be happy that it happened. Stay strong, June!
Okay, now that I've temporarily made myself and all the people reading this really sad, I'll get to actually talking about some stuff I've been doing. I'm running out of time and I want to post this before I leave for NZ, so let's make a list, shall we?
- went mountain biking in Jarrahdale (not actually at a mountain, but same concept). It was about a half-hour drive from Murdoch, and this was the first time I'd ever done off-road biking so I was a little freaked out. Fortunately I was in good hands because my friend who I went with is quite experienced and showed me the ropes. I only fell a few times, and only managed to get away with a few bruises (to my body and ego).
 |
| it was a lot more tricky than it looks it this picture, I swear! |
- went to Yanchep National Park with my Nature-Based Tourism class, where I tried to spot koalas but they were all up in the trees. We watched a presentation on Aboriginal culture and learned about some tools and handmade items that the local Indigenous people have used. The presenter was very good, as he was informative and hilarious and did a fantastic job engaging the audience. We also got a tour of a cave there, and if you know me, you know I LOVE CAVES. Needless to say I was very excited about this.
- went to the Purrth Cat Cafe! All the cats were adorable and friendly and I hadn't petted a cat in months so I was very happy. I went with the person who took me mountain biking, Zee. He has officially declared himself my personal tour guide around Perth, which I am more than happy about.
- went to the Perth zoo with CIEE! We saw many animals. Obviously. Jerry was very disappointed that we didn't get to actually see river otters, and I was disappointed that the red pandas were all up in the trees sleeping, but other than that it was a blast. The zoo was quite large so we spent a lot of time speedwalking everywhere to see what we wanted to see. Afterward, Jerry, another dear friend Jenna, and I took a ferry across the Swan River from the zoo to Elizabeth Quay in downtown Perth (a quay is like a pier, harbor, dock sort of thing. I'm just throwing synonyms at you now). Our destination was Northbridge in Perth to eat dim sum. We must have visited at an off-peak time, because there was only one cart going around, which was slightly anticlimactic because we were hoping for a smorgasbord. But dim sum is dim sum and it was still great.
- went to Serpentine National Park with my cousin! There was a waterfall, a dam where we had coffee at the Cafe on the Dam, and the geology there was great. It was a rather quick trip, but lovely nonetheless. The weather had been kind of sketchy a few days prior, so it was nice to have some sunshine again that day. I've been getting really cold at night, no thanks to the dinky heater in my room and the poor insulation in the buildings; the Australian winter is definitely on its way!
There was definitely more that I've done, but I can't remember and don't have the time or attention span currently to write about it. But just know: I'm okay, I'm alive and kicking, and having a great time. Now to go spend a week adventuring in New Zealand!
Until next time!
~ JP
Tuesday, May 2, 2017
Espionage and late night adventures
I learn a lot of things while I'm studying. I know, shocker, right? But I don't just mean I'm learning because I'm studying; I mean when I sit down to study I get really easily distracted by my own thoughts and end up googling the most random things that pop into my head. Maybe that's a good sign because it means my brain is working. Maybe it's not so good because it means I succumb to distractions easily. Either way, while doing some reading for a class yesterday evening, I managed to come up with burning questions like "where are churros originally from?" and "how does the nickname Dick come from the name Richard?" and my personal favorite: "do all animals in Narnia talk?" which led to me reading a bunch of Wikipedia articles on Narnia which then led to me really wanting to reread all the books which then led to an article debating the order in which the series should be read, which finally led to me adding a Chronicles of Narnia boxed set to my wishlist on Amazon.com.
Also, now I'm just ranting, but have you ever thought about the fact that some animals in Narnia can talk and some can't? I thought all of them could talk and were sentient, which would naturally mean that humans would have to be vegetarians; otherwise they'd be killing and eating sentient beings and that'd just be really messed up. Heck, even natural predators would have a hard time hunting if their prey could argue and plead for mercy, right? But according to the Narnia Wiki, Aslan the lion gave all animals the choice between having the ability to talk and not being able to talk; thus, some creatures in Narnia can and some can't. This made things a little better for me, but I was still unsatisfied with the answer, and then the rational side of me came out and I remembered it's just a fantasy children's series. It's cool. It's fine.
If you're reading this right now and getting a little concerned, I'm not intoxicated or anything, I promise. I'm just really passionate about the Chronicles of Narnia. And the power of Google.
Anyway, our second out of three study breaks happened two weeks ago and I spent it frantically doing assignments. I had an online midterm for my Spies class and let me tell you, that was Stressful (so much so that it warranted a capital S)! We were given a list of nine possible essay questions a week beforehand, and then three of those would be chosen by the professor for the actual test. This is all swell and good, except for the fact that all the questions had complicated answers which required lots of research and lots of thought and lots of pain and suffering on my part. I'm not sure how many hours I put into preparing for the exam, but I can tell you that in addition to an hour or so here and there during the week, I spent the entirety of the Friday, Saturday, and Sunday before the test opened online figuring out how I would answer the questions. When I say entirety, I mean during those three days, all I did was eat, sleep, and work on the questions. But as a result I now know a lot more than I thought I ever would about espionage and intelligence operations in the 20th century. And there's still more to learn, folks!
After I took the exam, I still wasn't done with assignments. I had a Water and Earth Science lab report to do, which required lots of data and Microsoft Excel work and in summary I don't want to hear the words "sand, silt, and clay" for a loooooong time, thank you very much. I also had a short synopsis for Indigenous Sustainability, which was easy to type out since I understood the material. This is more than I can say for some others in the class, because I overheard some people talking during class who said they didn't understand the topic at all. This put me off a little bit, but confirmed what I have said before: sometimes people have a super tough time grasping certain social issues because they really have never had to think about it since it has never actually affected them directly. And that's the definition of privilege!
On Wednesday of the study break I went on a field trip to a farm kind of in the middle of nowhere (okay, to be more specific, I'm told it was near Beverley) for Water and Earth Science, where we walked around and talked about soil, soil salinity, groundwater flow, and geological landforms. It was interesting but also hot and I was exhausted by the end. My favorite part was when we got to look at the layers of soil in the ground and describe their texture. We hopped into a big trench and waddled around trying to avoid getting our shoes wet, all while doing our work. It was quite the experience.
On Thursday and Friday I had other learning sessions I had to attend for the same class, which were frustrating because all I wanted to do was be left alone to finish my assignments in peace. But eventually they ended, I finished my assignments, and I finally got my true break from studying on Friday evening, when I took the train to my cousin Laure's house, where I hadn't been in a few weeks.
I spent time with my family until Wednesday morning, because I had no class on Monday, and Tuesday was ANZAC Day, a public holiday (ANZAC = Australian & New Zealand Army Corps) which commemorates military servicepeople. During the long weekend, we visited New Norcia, which is Australia's only monastic town. It was quiet and quaint.
On Tuesday Laure and her husband Sandy hosted a family lunch party. Sandy's relatives in the area came to visit and it was very nice to talk to people over some good food. His family is Greek and a lot of them lived in South Africa before coming to Australia, so they've all got interesting experiences and perspectives that I enjoy hearing about.
The rest of the week was spent going to classes and studying (of course), and then on Saturday, Paul invited CIEE to a rugby match. We watched the Western Force play against the Johannesburg Lions. The Lions won, to Paul's disappointment. I thought the game was interesting, even though I had no clue what was happening the entire time.
After the game, I was hungry, so my friend Larissa and I decided to go into Perth city for some food (mind you, it was nearly 10pm). This is kind of when the adventures of the night really started. On the way to the train station, she tripped on the sidewalk and fell rather gracefully, in my opinion, but emerged unscathed save for some bruises on her palms. Then once we got into the Perth underground station (which is HUGE!) a man came up to us asking for directions. Here is a comprehensive transcript of the interaction for your reading pleasure:
Man: hey I'm just wondering if you could help me, I need directions.
June: I'm not sure if we can help, we're not from the area. But we'll try--
Man: oh, you're not? I'm from New Zealand, where are you from?
June: America. So what did you need directions for?
Man, to Larissa: actually I need directions to your heart. you're gorgeous.
Larissa and June, in disbelief: !?!?!?
...and then he asked if we were going out drinking. We said no and got out of there as quickly as we could. How pathetic and gross is it that this guy was walking around the train station alone late at night trying to pick up girls?
Larissa and I continued on our quest for food by walking toward Northbridge, which is the hub for nightlife in Perth city, with clubs and bars. It was a really cool experience just walking around watching people progressively and collectively get wilder and weirder as the night went on, and we ended up eating at a place called Lucky Chan's. We got to sit up on the roof of this eclectic place. They have a laundromat theme going on, and serve interesting twists on Chinese/Japanese food. They were also blasting rap and hip-hop music, which was very incongruous to the vibe the place had, yet it seemed to work with the overall feel of the place.
After having some delicious dumplings and popcorn chicken, Larissa and I headed back down onto the street and went into an Asian convenience store where we bought some sweets before exploring Northbridge. Then at around 1am we decided to call it a night and headed toward the train station, where we found out that the train wouldn't be coming for another 48 minutes; we ended up calling an Uber.
The rest of the weekend and up until now, I've pretty much been back to studying and being kinda-sorta-very stressed about impending assignments and the fact that my semester is nearly over here. But let's not dwell on that just yet...
Until next time!
~ JP
Also, now I'm just ranting, but have you ever thought about the fact that some animals in Narnia can talk and some can't? I thought all of them could talk and were sentient, which would naturally mean that humans would have to be vegetarians; otherwise they'd be killing and eating sentient beings and that'd just be really messed up. Heck, even natural predators would have a hard time hunting if their prey could argue and plead for mercy, right? But according to the Narnia Wiki, Aslan the lion gave all animals the choice between having the ability to talk and not being able to talk; thus, some creatures in Narnia can and some can't. This made things a little better for me, but I was still unsatisfied with the answer, and then the rational side of me came out and I remembered it's just a fantasy children's series. It's cool. It's fine.
If you're reading this right now and getting a little concerned, I'm not intoxicated or anything, I promise. I'm just really passionate about the Chronicles of Narnia. And the power of Google.
Anyway, our second out of three study breaks happened two weeks ago and I spent it frantically doing assignments. I had an online midterm for my Spies class and let me tell you, that was Stressful (so much so that it warranted a capital S)! We were given a list of nine possible essay questions a week beforehand, and then three of those would be chosen by the professor for the actual test. This is all swell and good, except for the fact that all the questions had complicated answers which required lots of research and lots of thought and lots of pain and suffering on my part. I'm not sure how many hours I put into preparing for the exam, but I can tell you that in addition to an hour or so here and there during the week, I spent the entirety of the Friday, Saturday, and Sunday before the test opened online figuring out how I would answer the questions. When I say entirety, I mean during those three days, all I did was eat, sleep, and work on the questions. But as a result I now know a lot more than I thought I ever would about espionage and intelligence operations in the 20th century. And there's still more to learn, folks!
After I took the exam, I still wasn't done with assignments. I had a Water and Earth Science lab report to do, which required lots of data and Microsoft Excel work and in summary I don't want to hear the words "sand, silt, and clay" for a loooooong time, thank you very much. I also had a short synopsis for Indigenous Sustainability, which was easy to type out since I understood the material. This is more than I can say for some others in the class, because I overheard some people talking during class who said they didn't understand the topic at all. This put me off a little bit, but confirmed what I have said before: sometimes people have a super tough time grasping certain social issues because they really have never had to think about it since it has never actually affected them directly. And that's the definition of privilege!
On Wednesday of the study break I went on a field trip to a farm kind of in the middle of nowhere (okay, to be more specific, I'm told it was near Beverley) for Water and Earth Science, where we walked around and talked about soil, soil salinity, groundwater flow, and geological landforms. It was interesting but also hot and I was exhausted by the end. My favorite part was when we got to look at the layers of soil in the ground and describe their texture. We hopped into a big trench and waddled around trying to avoid getting our shoes wet, all while doing our work. It was quite the experience.
On Thursday and Friday I had other learning sessions I had to attend for the same class, which were frustrating because all I wanted to do was be left alone to finish my assignments in peace. But eventually they ended, I finished my assignments, and I finally got my true break from studying on Friday evening, when I took the train to my cousin Laure's house, where I hadn't been in a few weeks.
I spent time with my family until Wednesday morning, because I had no class on Monday, and Tuesday was ANZAC Day, a public holiday (ANZAC = Australian & New Zealand Army Corps) which commemorates military servicepeople. During the long weekend, we visited New Norcia, which is Australia's only monastic town. It was quiet and quaint.
On Tuesday Laure and her husband Sandy hosted a family lunch party. Sandy's relatives in the area came to visit and it was very nice to talk to people over some good food. His family is Greek and a lot of them lived in South Africa before coming to Australia, so they've all got interesting experiences and perspectives that I enjoy hearing about.
The rest of the week was spent going to classes and studying (of course), and then on Saturday, Paul invited CIEE to a rugby match. We watched the Western Force play against the Johannesburg Lions. The Lions won, to Paul's disappointment. I thought the game was interesting, even though I had no clue what was happening the entire time.
After the game, I was hungry, so my friend Larissa and I decided to go into Perth city for some food (mind you, it was nearly 10pm). This is kind of when the adventures of the night really started. On the way to the train station, she tripped on the sidewalk and fell rather gracefully, in my opinion, but emerged unscathed save for some bruises on her palms. Then once we got into the Perth underground station (which is HUGE!) a man came up to us asking for directions. Here is a comprehensive transcript of the interaction for your reading pleasure:
Man: hey I'm just wondering if you could help me, I need directions.
June: I'm not sure if we can help, we're not from the area. But we'll try--
Man: oh, you're not? I'm from New Zealand, where are you from?
June: America. So what did you need directions for?
Man, to Larissa: actually I need directions to your heart. you're gorgeous.
Larissa and June, in disbelief: !?!?!?
...and then he asked if we were going out drinking. We said no and got out of there as quickly as we could. How pathetic and gross is it that this guy was walking around the train station alone late at night trying to pick up girls?
Larissa and I continued on our quest for food by walking toward Northbridge, which is the hub for nightlife in Perth city, with clubs and bars. It was a really cool experience just walking around watching people progressively and collectively get wilder and weirder as the night went on, and we ended up eating at a place called Lucky Chan's. We got to sit up on the roof of this eclectic place. They have a laundromat theme going on, and serve interesting twists on Chinese/Japanese food. They were also blasting rap and hip-hop music, which was very incongruous to the vibe the place had, yet it seemed to work with the overall feel of the place.
After having some delicious dumplings and popcorn chicken, Larissa and I headed back down onto the street and went into an Asian convenience store where we bought some sweets before exploring Northbridge. Then at around 1am we decided to call it a night and headed toward the train station, where we found out that the train wouldn't be coming for another 48 minutes; we ended up calling an Uber.
The rest of the weekend and up until now, I've pretty much been back to studying and being kinda-sorta-very stressed about impending assignments and the fact that my semester is nearly over here. But let's not dwell on that just yet...
Until next time!
~ JP
Tuesday, April 18, 2017
The Saucepan of Impending Doom
I said in an earlier post that I wanted to try something new, so this is a bit of a different sort of post, and it's also a tough topic for me to write about. It's hard because I'm not used to publicly talking about my vulnerabilities, and I also know it may change the way others see me. I assure you that right now I'm fine; I just thought it'd be good to write a bit about a little thing called anxiety.
The anxiety that plagues me plays a large role in how I deal with daily situations and how I interact with people. It's a constant thing and it's always there. The blessing/curse is that I have become extremely good at toughing it out even while anxious, which is why it can be classified as high-functioning anxiety, and it's also why sometimes you really can't tell if I, or others like me, am just an aloof, sometimes annoying, antisocial jerk or if we're feeling really crummy inside.
Let's state it loud and clear: I have anxiety. I think most of it is social anxiety, because much of my distress comes from social interactions (or the thought of them) and interpersonal relationships. I want to establish now that some things I say in this post may be contradictory and confusing. Trust me, I'm confused too. But I'm really saying it how it is, and I don't think anybody could truly make sense of it all in a succinct and definitive way. The first paradox: I love who I am. I think very highly of myself. In some ways, I don't care what others think of me because as long as I know my own worth, it doesn't matter. However, I still have this desperate urge to feel liked and appreciated. This is an inherent trait in everybody, I think. Who doesn't want to feel like they're cared about?
But here's the problem: I get obsessively worried about what other people think about me, and no matter how much I try to shut up the little voice in my head, it's always there picking at every interaction I have with everybody, wondering if they like me and wondering what they think about me. It's maddening and frustrating. Obviously I'm aware of the fact that not everybody is ever going to like me as a person; that's impossible. And then, I know that even if I am likable, it still doesn't mean I'll be everybody's favorite person. And yet I still try and aspire to be, and there's that tiny annoying hopeful gremlin in my head that's like "listen, June. You gotta make sure these people think you're awesome and want to talk to you all the time! you GOTTA!"
I realize this makes me sound desperate for emotional validation and that I sound weirdly obsessive. I know. It annoys me more than I could ever communicate.
That leads me to another thing: it's okay to feel. I'll say it again: it's okay...to feel. To just feel a certain way, to let your emotions have their way for a few minutes. I grapple with this a lot, but we have to understand that our emotions are valid. Whatever you feel is what you feel and there's no changing that. Part of the process of feeling better - less nervous and less anxious (for the moment, that is) - is understanding your own thoughts and emotions. It's aggravating sometimes but I find that if I actually listen to my internal concerns and worries, understand the reasons for why they exist, and acknowledge their existence, I feel a little better. Sure, the problem may not be solved, but that's okay. Now at least I understand what the problem even is. I can sort through what is in my control and what isn't, and work from there. Or I can just acknowledge how I feel and leave it at that.
When it comes to all this, I'm still working on remembering that exterior validation isn't and never will be as important as the validation I can provide for myself. Does that mean I don't seek validation? Haha. No, it doesn't. I'm constantly on the fence between thinking "forget everybody else, I'm doing me and that's great!" and "maybe I'd ultimately be happier if I didn't do this or if I improved on that..."
Another struggle I have is something I've talked about with a therapist. Yes, I went there; I started talk therapy last semester because I was overconfident and took a full 18-credit load and suddenly felt my mental health spinning out of control. I'm making a point of this because I hate the stigma that comes with mental illness and getting help with it. Mental illness is valid and real, people!! You don't have to feel sorry for me or think any differently of me because I go to a therapist to help me sort out my anxious thoughts. If you feel like you need or even just want help with mental stuff, please just go for it. You go to the doctor if you feel physically ill or break a bone, so why wouldn't you go to get help for something inhibiting your mental state from feeling better?
Anyway, back to the struggle. My social anxiety stems from my inherent longing to feel liked. My need to feel liked comes from the fact that I was kind of lonely as a little kid. I was shy, introverted, and probably had some sort of social anxiety back then too, because I tried so hard to fit in with other kids but somehow couldn't, either because I was too shy to show that I wanted their company and ended up pushing them away unintentionally, or because I simply wasn't interested in what they talked about or did. This is not to say I didn't have friends or meaningful relationships, but rather what I'm trying to say is that even with my best friends I still felt like something wasn't right. I've always had this inherent fear that suddenly my friends will decide that I'm too annoying/boring/weird/all of the above, and that they'll stop wanting to be around me. This was true back when I was a young child, and it's true now as I sit here typing this. So sometimes what may seem like nothing or an offhand, meaningless comment from someone will be overly picked part and analyzed by yours truly, all the way until I manage to somehow convince myself that all my friends actually all dislike me and only agree to speak to me because they're nice. Yeah, I know, it's very dramatic, but that's what it feels like.
So at that point I'm suspicious that nobody actually really likes me, and I'm very introverted and am usually content spending time alone anyway, so I avoid being around other people. Usually I don't like being in groups of people unless I'm very comfortable around all of them, because otherwise my shy nature causes me to be left out. And then me being left out leads to me feeling unliked, which isn't necessarily true, but my anxiety thinks it is. But then I get lonely, as one does, and seek out my friends, and then the agonizing cycle of overthinking starts again. I usually prefer spending time with just one good friend, because that's where I'm most comfortable (and where I can re-convince myself that my friendship is actually real and not something I just made up). Two's company, three's a crowd. And you wouldn't ever be able to tell all this chaos is happening unless you're really trying to read me.
With all this, then, why do I still find myself spending time in groups of people? If I am so nervous about being around people, why do I still go to social events and how in the world do I seem so composed while I'm doing presentations in front of people? If I know that I don't like being in crowded places, and that I will kick myself for saying stupid things later when I'm with friends, why do I still put myself out there? Part of it is the cycle described above that I keep getting stuck in, but part of it is my aptitude for putting things on the back burner of my mind.
I'm told that I am amazingly high-functioning despite the inner turmoil my mind is in most of the time. But I want you, as the reader, to understand that this doesn't mean the anxiety isn't there. It's always there. I like to think of it as being an annoying pot of any liquid of your choosing - actually, let's call it a saucepan (to keep things saucy, of course) - that's constantly on the stove. Sometimes it's on high heat and everything is boiling over and I feel terrible about everything and nothing can go right and my head is spinning with racing thoughts and I start feeling funny in my stomach and I don't feel like I'll ever be okay because everybody hates me and--and you get the picture.
But other times the saucepan is just on the back burner, simmering and gurgling anxious thoughts at me every so often. I can ignore those or work to reason with them as they come because it's not all that overwhelming. Due to my combined experience with this over the years, my natural inclination to just "suck it up" when it comes to my feelings, and lots of practice, I've gotten really good at turning the heat to a lower setting and shoving the hot pot aside to simmer in the back of my head. But it's always there, and it's always threatening to boil over. It's my Saucepan of Impending Doom.
Some people aren't as good as I am with tending to the Saucepan, and some are even better than I am. This is why we shouldn't ever compare different people's mental conditions, and we should never make concrete assumptions on how somebody is feeling. I may have a saucepan, but someone else may have a huge pressure cooker and somebody else might just have a tiny pot.
I appreciate a gentle check-up every so often, especially if I seem off, but I hate when people hear that I have anxiety and immediately start treating me like an oversensitive, fragile baby or a mentally incapable person. I'm a frickin' adult, and I've been handling this on my own for years, so just treat me as you would treat anybody else. If something makes me feel uncomfortable, I've learned that I need to voice it explicitly to people who otherwise won't pick up on it. And in my experience people don't typically like to bring up matters of the mental illness variety. Hence why I'm writing about it now and hence why, if you've noticed it when you're with me in person, I speak very frankly about my mental turmoils. It's uncomfortable and it's hard, but some things are better left unsaid and some things are waaaay better when they're talked about.
While we're talking about uncomfortable things, let me talk write to you about my thoughts on mindfulness. Because I've heard that phrase way too often: "have you, you know, tried...mindfulness?"
First of all, yes, I have tried being mindful. Sometimes I think that my problem is that I'm too mindful. I'm an introvert and my specialty is being alone to think about things. I work constantly to understand myself. Many of my friends have told me I think too much and that I need to go outside and just do stuff for a change, and quit being so conscious of the entire world and overthinking everything.
Mindfulness is about being conscious of your thoughts and feelings and being in the moment. It's about accepting things as they are, right now, right here. That's cool and all, but what I hate is when people treat mindfulness as a solution, a cure. Do you ever get this? You're stressing about something, you're complaining about your back hurting, or you've got tension headaches and that one person just comes up to you and is like, "okay, but have you tried meditation?"
Listen up. Meditation and mindfulness are not the cure-all. It helps for some, and it doesn't for others. If it helps you, good. But it sure don't help me and my saucepan. And that's okay.
Really, it's okay. Because with all my complaining about being in emotional hell and struggling to cope with my anxiety sometimes, I always know deep down that it'll be okay. It definitely doesn't feel that way sometimes, but at the end of the day I'm still here and still pushing through. You can call it grit, resilience, or whatever you want. All I know is that this is what I live with, and it may or may not be what you have to live with, but at least now I hope you have a better understanding of my anxiety and maybe it helps you think about things a little bit differently.
I also want to point you in the direction of a nice article I came across about coming to terms with your own thoughts and how to lessen anxiety, because to some extent everyone's got some sort of Saucepan of Impending Doom (or, if you read the article, a mammoth) in their lives. It was helpful and put things in perspective for me, and it might for you too.
Until next time!
~ JP
Tuesday, April 11, 2017
The kinda-sorta halfway point
Oh my gosh. It's Week 7 of the semester. There are 14 weeks in the semester, not including exams. I'm halfway finished with the semester here and I feel like I've barely learned anything in my classes! That just goes to show how not rigorous the classes here can be, doesn't it?
This isn't to say that I haven't gained new insights and perspectives from my classes, because I definitely have. What it does say is that I need to get serious about preparing for exams soon. This week is pretty much the first time I've had to hear/think about assignments and exams, which is kind of funny if you compare to back home, where everyone's constantly got homework and assignments to do. Here, I've just been completing the recommended reading every week with nothing to really hold me accountable except for my own honor (and my resulting capability to participate in class discussions).
Since I've been getting into the groove of things here, I thought it'd be a good idea to reflect on the time I've had so far. At first I was a bit lonely and lost, so it's interesting to take a step back and realize how much I've grown used to life here. I've found some friends whom I absolutely adore (if you're reading this, you know who you are) and I've gotten into a weekly routine which keeps me on top of things. I don't really struggle all that much anymore to understand Aussie accents and slang, and I've gotten used to being more relaxed (or at least I'm trying to relax). One thing I surprisingly got used to is the heat. You know how I know? Because now when it's less than 21 degrees C (that's 70 F) I get cold. That's right, COLD! I've had to break out my sweatshirts already and it's not even winter here yet. Never again will I make fun of people for being cold when it's not literally freezing out, because I'd be the biggest hypocrite.
Something I've recently thought a lot about is the culture of Aussies. I've mentioned before the Uncertainly Tolerance that Australians seem to have a high measure of. That means, very generally as a whole, they're fine with not knowing exactly what's happening or what's going to happen. Aussies are also okay, from my observations, with leaving things unsaid sometimes. At first when I got here I thought it was so nice that I never saw any racism or homophobia or anything of that sort. There are even ads I've seen often about mitigating the issue of domestic violence, and by extension, rape culture, while kids are still young, by teaching young boys to be kind and respectful to young girls. I still haven't personally seen any homophobia, thankfully, nor have I seen or heard of overt acts of racism. However, what I've noticed is that Aussies are sometimes uncomfortable with talking about issues of racism. There is a highly marginalized group here, and that's people of Aboriginal descent. Yet I barely ever see them represented anywhere, and the only place I've heard people talking about them is in my Australian Indigenous Studies class. Even then, I find some people are uncomfortable or unfamiliar with the notions of race affecting how certain people are treated. It's clear they haven't had to think about it, from the way people struggle to come up with words to the way the professor teachers us the material carefully and extra thoroughly, as if he knows people will be very confused. It's hard to describe. It's not that people here mean to be racist, but sometimes they just haven't had to think about the things I've thought about, and may not have a grasp of it. They're okay with not talking about it explicitly.
I find Americans tend to be bold, both in our actions and words at times. In the environments I'm used to, there have been more and more people willing to get out of their comfort zone to talk about issues that are important. Maybe that is a thing here too, and I just haven't found it yet.
What else have I been up to, other than studying (or trying to and getting distracted) and thinking deep thoughts that I have trouble articulating? ;)
Last Friday I went with my Nature-Based Tourism class to Penguin Island for the morning, which was pleasant. It's a little island where little penguins reside (no, I'm serious, they're really called "little penguins") and we got to see ten of them which live in the Penguin Discovery Centre. They're penguins which can't make it in the wild due to injuries or being raised by humans their whole lives, so visitors get to watch them get fed. They were really cute.
After seeing the penguins, we walked around the island on the boardwalk that lines it and saw some really neat fossilized roots.
Then we went on a short cruise in the marine reserve and followed some dolphins and saw some sea lions lounging on the beach. I was mostly intrigued by the pelicans because I don't think I've ever seen birds that big except at the zoo.
This past Saturday I hung out in Freo for a few hours with my friend Jerry who showed me some of his favorite parts of the area that he's found, and then we decided to be "spontaneous" and bought iced drinks. One of the things here that Aussies do with iced coffees, from what I've noticed, is they put a scoop of vanilla ice cream in it. Jerry, who hates coffee normally, decided to try it with a scoop of ice cream to see if he'd like it better. He didn't. To my amusement I got to watch him plug his nose as he finished his drink. Meanwhile, I got an iced chocolate, which was essentially hot cocoa but with ice and ice cream. So...chocolate milk. I honestly don't know what they put in it, but it was pretty good after I realized I had to stir it to get the chocolate flavor.
Overall, the afternoon in Freo was a nice and well-needed break from studying, and I'm very happy to have found a friend in somebody who has such a similar sense of humor as I do, so it was full of laughs!
That same day, we CIEE peeps went to a footy game! Footy, of course, is the Aussie shortcut for Australian Rules Football. It's fast-paced and features constant passing of the ball between players, and players try to make a goal by getting the ball between posts; two side spaces and a middle space. One difference I noticed is that whenever players get tackled and there's a bit of a pileup, the game sort of just continues, whereas in American football there's some kind of pause before continuing gameplay. Also in footy the players don't wear armor like in American football. People get knocked unconscious in this too, because you can try to jump to prevent others from getting the ball. And if somebody gets knocked unconscious, the game keeps going around them on the field. It doesn't ever have timeouts or pauses, ever. The only time it stops is at the end of each quarter, and honestly, I'm not even sure if there's an exact time each quarter ends, because the timer just kept going and the buzzer went off vaguely after 28 minutes from what I noticed. That's Australians and their uncertainty tolerance for you. I must say I enjoyed the game and the commentary of some rabid fans around me, but halfway through I got cold and sleepy and hungry, so it was a struggle staying focused on what was happening. Yay sports, am I right?
That's all I have for now! As a side note, my friend Rori was inspired by my blog to make her own, and her posts have lots of insights on traveling as well. She's got some really interesting ideas and isn't shy about saying it like it is, so give her blog a read if you like by clicking here!
Until next time!
~ JP
This isn't to say that I haven't gained new insights and perspectives from my classes, because I definitely have. What it does say is that I need to get serious about preparing for exams soon. This week is pretty much the first time I've had to hear/think about assignments and exams, which is kind of funny if you compare to back home, where everyone's constantly got homework and assignments to do. Here, I've just been completing the recommended reading every week with nothing to really hold me accountable except for my own honor (and my resulting capability to participate in class discussions).
Since I've been getting into the groove of things here, I thought it'd be a good idea to reflect on the time I've had so far. At first I was a bit lonely and lost, so it's interesting to take a step back and realize how much I've grown used to life here. I've found some friends whom I absolutely adore (if you're reading this, you know who you are) and I've gotten into a weekly routine which keeps me on top of things. I don't really struggle all that much anymore to understand Aussie accents and slang, and I've gotten used to being more relaxed (or at least I'm trying to relax). One thing I surprisingly got used to is the heat. You know how I know? Because now when it's less than 21 degrees C (that's 70 F) I get cold. That's right, COLD! I've had to break out my sweatshirts already and it's not even winter here yet. Never again will I make fun of people for being cold when it's not literally freezing out, because I'd be the biggest hypocrite.
Something I've recently thought a lot about is the culture of Aussies. I've mentioned before the Uncertainly Tolerance that Australians seem to have a high measure of. That means, very generally as a whole, they're fine with not knowing exactly what's happening or what's going to happen. Aussies are also okay, from my observations, with leaving things unsaid sometimes. At first when I got here I thought it was so nice that I never saw any racism or homophobia or anything of that sort. There are even ads I've seen often about mitigating the issue of domestic violence, and by extension, rape culture, while kids are still young, by teaching young boys to be kind and respectful to young girls. I still haven't personally seen any homophobia, thankfully, nor have I seen or heard of overt acts of racism. However, what I've noticed is that Aussies are sometimes uncomfortable with talking about issues of racism. There is a highly marginalized group here, and that's people of Aboriginal descent. Yet I barely ever see them represented anywhere, and the only place I've heard people talking about them is in my Australian Indigenous Studies class. Even then, I find some people are uncomfortable or unfamiliar with the notions of race affecting how certain people are treated. It's clear they haven't had to think about it, from the way people struggle to come up with words to the way the professor teachers us the material carefully and extra thoroughly, as if he knows people will be very confused. It's hard to describe. It's not that people here mean to be racist, but sometimes they just haven't had to think about the things I've thought about, and may not have a grasp of it. They're okay with not talking about it explicitly.
I find Americans tend to be bold, both in our actions and words at times. In the environments I'm used to, there have been more and more people willing to get out of their comfort zone to talk about issues that are important. Maybe that is a thing here too, and I just haven't found it yet.
What else have I been up to, other than studying (or trying to and getting distracted) and thinking deep thoughts that I have trouble articulating? ;)
Last Friday I went with my Nature-Based Tourism class to Penguin Island for the morning, which was pleasant. It's a little island where little penguins reside (no, I'm serious, they're really called "little penguins") and we got to see ten of them which live in the Penguin Discovery Centre. They're penguins which can't make it in the wild due to injuries or being raised by humans their whole lives, so visitors get to watch them get fed. They were really cute.
After seeing the penguins, we walked around the island on the boardwalk that lines it and saw some really neat fossilized roots.
Then we went on a short cruise in the marine reserve and followed some dolphins and saw some sea lions lounging on the beach. I was mostly intrigued by the pelicans because I don't think I've ever seen birds that big except at the zoo.
This past Saturday I hung out in Freo for a few hours with my friend Jerry who showed me some of his favorite parts of the area that he's found, and then we decided to be "spontaneous" and bought iced drinks. One of the things here that Aussies do with iced coffees, from what I've noticed, is they put a scoop of vanilla ice cream in it. Jerry, who hates coffee normally, decided to try it with a scoop of ice cream to see if he'd like it better. He didn't. To my amusement I got to watch him plug his nose as he finished his drink. Meanwhile, I got an iced chocolate, which was essentially hot cocoa but with ice and ice cream. So...chocolate milk. I honestly don't know what they put in it, but it was pretty good after I realized I had to stir it to get the chocolate flavor.
That same day, we CIEE peeps went to a footy game! Footy, of course, is the Aussie shortcut for Australian Rules Football. It's fast-paced and features constant passing of the ball between players, and players try to make a goal by getting the ball between posts; two side spaces and a middle space. One difference I noticed is that whenever players get tackled and there's a bit of a pileup, the game sort of just continues, whereas in American football there's some kind of pause before continuing gameplay. Also in footy the players don't wear armor like in American football. People get knocked unconscious in this too, because you can try to jump to prevent others from getting the ball. And if somebody gets knocked unconscious, the game keeps going around them on the field. It doesn't ever have timeouts or pauses, ever. The only time it stops is at the end of each quarter, and honestly, I'm not even sure if there's an exact time each quarter ends, because the timer just kept going and the buzzer went off vaguely after 28 minutes from what I noticed. That's Australians and their uncertainty tolerance for you. I must say I enjoyed the game and the commentary of some rabid fans around me, but halfway through I got cold and sleepy and hungry, so it was a struggle staying focused on what was happening. Yay sports, am I right?
That's all I have for now! As a side note, my friend Rori was inspired by my blog to make her own, and her posts have lots of insights on traveling as well. She's got some really interesting ideas and isn't shy about saying it like it is, so give her blog a read if you like by clicking here!
Until next time!
~ JP
Monday, March 27, 2017
Strange happenings and the first study break
Remember when I said my flat was at full capacity with two Americans, two Australians, one German, one Singaporean, one person from England, and one person from Papua New Guinea? Well, the two Australians left, so now it's all just international students in the apartment. One of them, who was very very shy and never really spoke to any of us except to reply to our greetings and to tell us to move so he could fill his glass with water from the faucet, left with merely a message on our common room whiteboard saying "I've moved out."
The other Aussie moved out a week ago while most of us were out for study break (we get a week off every three weeks of classes!! Thanks Australia). His specific reasons for moving out are also rather mysterious, but I suspect it may have something to do with the strange occurrences that have been going on in our flat. I'm not saying he did any of this but a couple days after we reported everything that had happened to the village director, he was gone.
Since the beginning of my stay here, some people's food has gone missing without explanation. It wasn't anything major, and accidents can definitely happen when you're sharing fridge/cabinet space with a bunch of other people. Still though, I don't think any of us truly minded; we were merely slightly disturbed by the lack of honesty and communication.
A couple weeks ago, somebody found a knife in the freezer. I kind of shrugged it off as someone being really forgetful, but it was still a little funky.
One of my flatmates also got punched by another one with zero explanation. I'm told there was an explanation later, but I don't know if it's a trustworthy one.
Then, the final straw came in the form of slashed curtains. Yep, you read that right. My flatmate and I both went into the kitchen area and noticed something was wrong with the balcony curtains. They looked like they'd been slashed by a knife or something. This was deeply unsettling, so we decided to report it, if for the very least just to avoid a fine for destruction of village property.
I left the next day to go to my cousin's house for the week, and learned that the remaining Australian man had moved out. I'm still a little confused as to the culprit of all the strange happenings in our flat, but nothing's happened since I got back a couple days ago, so let's hope things are okay now.
I told Paul when the curtains got slashed and he looked both concerned and amused and said "this is certainly an interesting semester." I agree!
My first study break wasn't all that eventful, but I enjoyed it regardless. It was a semi-relaxing week spent with my family, just going about everyday life. I got to look after my six-year-old nephew (technically first cousin once removed, but honestly, who has the time to say that?) while his parents were either working or on a business trip. This involved getting him ready for school and walking him there, and then picking him up afterward. It was kind of the first time I'd ever been responsible for a child, so I was a little nervous, especially since my nephew, though sweet and adorable, is also stubborn and very temperamental. The first morning I managed to get him to dress himself and he was very happy to comply, probably because he sees me as a friendly figure rather than a parental one. We walked to school together and I was reminded of when I walked to school with my grandma as a little kid. Afterward I picked him up and he was still happy to go along with me, so I considered the first day a success.
The next couple days were tougher, because he got used to me being around and thus felt more comfortable defying my requests to dress himself and clean up after himself. I do think it was a good experience for me though, and I'm very glad to have gotten to help my cousins out, because they are amazingly diligent and doting parents who work very hard.
Apart from taking care of my nephew, I got to go explore the Lakeside Joondalup shopping centre, which is apparently the largest shopping mall in WA. I didn't recognize any of the store brands there except H&M and Lush, so it was a small adventure seeing what the different shops had.
I spent the rest of the week studying, writing poetry, and finding new music to listen to; essentially, just taking a mental break. Since getting here it's kind of been one new experience after the next with barely any time for me to just be lazy and do nothing productive. Because that's healthy too (in great moderation, that is).
Also, I booked tickets to visit New Zealand during my third study break! I'm going with my friend Cara and we're both super duper excited about it. I've always wanted to go to New Zealand, ever since I had the idea of running away there disguised as a sheep when the going got tough in the US (I was a middle schooler during the time, so bear with me). Jokes aside, it'll be the first time I'm visiting a country where I have no relatives, and I'll truly get to explore the place on my own terms. We're staying a hostel and everything, so I really look forward to that life-altering experience.
This is a rather short blog post, I know. I'm thinking of trying something new: I started this blog partly to update people about my study abroad experience, but also in part to write about issues I care about. That way when nothing interesting happens during the weeks I can still make posts that are interesting (or at least I think they'll be interesting) and educational! At my very core I am someone who loves to teach and inform, so this will be good practice for me.
Until next time,
~ JP
The other Aussie moved out a week ago while most of us were out for study break (we get a week off every three weeks of classes!! Thanks Australia). His specific reasons for moving out are also rather mysterious, but I suspect it may have something to do with the strange occurrences that have been going on in our flat. I'm not saying he did any of this but a couple days after we reported everything that had happened to the village director, he was gone.
Since the beginning of my stay here, some people's food has gone missing without explanation. It wasn't anything major, and accidents can definitely happen when you're sharing fridge/cabinet space with a bunch of other people. Still though, I don't think any of us truly minded; we were merely slightly disturbed by the lack of honesty and communication.
A couple weeks ago, somebody found a knife in the freezer. I kind of shrugged it off as someone being really forgetful, but it was still a little funky.
One of my flatmates also got punched by another one with zero explanation. I'm told there was an explanation later, but I don't know if it's a trustworthy one.
Then, the final straw came in the form of slashed curtains. Yep, you read that right. My flatmate and I both went into the kitchen area and noticed something was wrong with the balcony curtains. They looked like they'd been slashed by a knife or something. This was deeply unsettling, so we decided to report it, if for the very least just to avoid a fine for destruction of village property.
I left the next day to go to my cousin's house for the week, and learned that the remaining Australian man had moved out. I'm still a little confused as to the culprit of all the strange happenings in our flat, but nothing's happened since I got back a couple days ago, so let's hope things are okay now.
I told Paul when the curtains got slashed and he looked both concerned and amused and said "this is certainly an interesting semester." I agree!
My first study break wasn't all that eventful, but I enjoyed it regardless. It was a semi-relaxing week spent with my family, just going about everyday life. I got to look after my six-year-old nephew (technically first cousin once removed, but honestly, who has the time to say that?) while his parents were either working or on a business trip. This involved getting him ready for school and walking him there, and then picking him up afterward. It was kind of the first time I'd ever been responsible for a child, so I was a little nervous, especially since my nephew, though sweet and adorable, is also stubborn and very temperamental. The first morning I managed to get him to dress himself and he was very happy to comply, probably because he sees me as a friendly figure rather than a parental one. We walked to school together and I was reminded of when I walked to school with my grandma as a little kid. Afterward I picked him up and he was still happy to go along with me, so I considered the first day a success.
The next couple days were tougher, because he got used to me being around and thus felt more comfortable defying my requests to dress himself and clean up after himself. I do think it was a good experience for me though, and I'm very glad to have gotten to help my cousins out, because they are amazingly diligent and doting parents who work very hard.
Apart from taking care of my nephew, I got to go explore the Lakeside Joondalup shopping centre, which is apparently the largest shopping mall in WA. I didn't recognize any of the store brands there except H&M and Lush, so it was a small adventure seeing what the different shops had.
I spent the rest of the week studying, writing poetry, and finding new music to listen to; essentially, just taking a mental break. Since getting here it's kind of been one new experience after the next with barely any time for me to just be lazy and do nothing productive. Because that's healthy too (in great moderation, that is).
Also, I booked tickets to visit New Zealand during my third study break! I'm going with my friend Cara and we're both super duper excited about it. I've always wanted to go to New Zealand, ever since I had the idea of running away there disguised as a sheep when the going got tough in the US (I was a middle schooler during the time, so bear with me). Jokes aside, it'll be the first time I'm visiting a country where I have no relatives, and I'll truly get to explore the place on my own terms. We're staying a hostel and everything, so I really look forward to that life-altering experience.
This is a rather short blog post, I know. I'm thinking of trying something new: I started this blog partly to update people about my study abroad experience, but also in part to write about issues I care about. That way when nothing interesting happens during the weeks I can still make posts that are interesting (or at least I think they'll be interesting) and educational! At my very core I am someone who loves to teach and inform, so this will be good practice for me.
Until next time,
~ JP
Tuesday, March 14, 2017
Exploring Fremantle and going to prison
The weekend after my first week of classes consisted of me being practically mute because my throat was so sore that I lost my voice. That combined with the fact that I love exploring places all on my own led me to Freo for a day. Since I don't have classes on Fridays (can I get a hip-hip-huzzah?), I decided I'd go and finally explore Fremantle to my heart's content.
I caught a bus and walked along as many of the streets as I could, taking my time and going into any shop that caught my eye. The architecture of the buildings in the main areas of the city center are really interesting and kind of reminiscent of pictures I've seen of Bourbon Street in New Orleans (which, by the way, is another place I'd love to visit). I was enjoying walking around so much I forgot to take pictures, but I have a feeling I'll be in Freo a lot this semester, so I'll be sure to get some snapshots later on. The streets were lively yet relaxed and there were many eclectic eateries, bars, and shops. In this regard, I was a little bit reminded of Williamson Street in Madison, which has some neat little shops and a diverse assortment of restaurants like Freo. I had a great time from morning till late afternoon, and it was just a very pleasant, laid-back day.
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| A little courtyard of sorts between buildings on South Terrace |
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| The main entrance to the Fremantle Markets, similar to a swap meet |
The next time I was in Fremantle was not laid-back in the least. The next Friday, Paul had all us CIEE peeps meet at the Fremantle Markets for dinner, then a nighttime torchlight tour of the notorious Fremantle prison. Dinner was really nice because Paul told us he was giving us all "red vouchers" that we could "exchange for food," then proceeded to pass around $20 bills to everybody. By the way, Australian money is colorful and made out of plastic and in my opinion is much cooler than US money. Just saying.
I bought a poke bowl, which came with rice, lettuce, avocado, salmon sashimi, and various other toppings and it was fantastic. Towards the end of my meal, I was informed that the prison tour would be scary. Not just scary because it was at nighttime in a potentially haunted old, maximum-security prison which only had stopped housing prisoners in 1991 (yes, it was THAT recent!!), but the tour would include jumpscares.
I. Hate. Jumpscares.
Filled with nervous energy and very sure that horrors were quickly headed my way, I walked with the group towards the prison. Once there I was getting very anticipatory about what would happen on the tour and made a playful jab at Paul for not telling us about the scary nature on the tour. He told us about a thing called Uncertainty Avoidance which basically refers to a society's tolerance to ambiguity. Apparently, Aussies are very tolerant towards not knowing exactly what lies ahead. I told him I liked adventure as much as the next person, but I like to be told explicitly what's happening. Paul only smiled and said "oh, there'll be adventure tonight." This did not comfort me.
He didn't actually go on the tour with us, saying only that he'd been on it enough times and that when we reached Solitary Confinement to stand in the back of the group.
The torchlight tour began, and by torchlight I mean we were given dinky little flashlights to shine on the floor so we could see where we were walking. Otherwise, it was eerily dark within the prison. You could hear and feel the wind blowing through and there were plenty of cockroaches skittering around. I saw a huge one the size of my thumb.
Everything started out tamely enough, and our guide was very informational and very much enjoyed making morbid jokes. We walked through the different sectors of the prison and saw where inmates spent their time outside, as well as the kitchen area. The only scary part there was when someone screamed and threw a dummy dressed as an inmate from a cell on an upper level, which then landed with a horrible thud on the rigid metal netting just above our heads. This was, of course, staged to give us an example of how the netting worked. The metal netting was put in place to prevent inmates from committing suicide by jumping to the limestone floor, and also to prevent them from dropping their metal buckets (which they used as toilets) onto unsuspecting guards' heads on the first floor.
Other unsettling parts were when we went into the solitary confinement building, where I failed to stand in the back of the group. An actor posing as an inmate burst out of his cell and loudly rambled at us, showing us by example how awful the mental conditions of inmates in solitary confinement could become over extended periods of utter isolation. Part of the act included him picking out somebody in the tour group and essentially hitting on them, making eyes and doing suggestive dances and making verbal advances. Guess who the lucky victim was for this tour? (Hint: it was me)
Let's just say I was the most uncomfortable that I have ever been in my life.
We walked through the rest of the prison and saw the gallows where they hung inmates, the flogging post where inmates would be punished, and then headed down to the basement where another actor leapt out to terrify us and told us a story of a prisoner who had attempted to escape the prison.
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| Those who warranted punishment were tied by the wrist and ankles to this structure, then flogged severely. |
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| Art classes were provided in the prison's later years, and some inmates took it upon themselves to paint on their cell walls. |
The tour guide then brought us to the "dead end," where we concluded the tour with a visit in the morgue. The smell was dank and sort of moldy. As we left, he warned us to be silent lest we wake up any spirits. Then he set off a very loud noise which to me sounded like popping a balloon, solely to startle us, and laughed, saying we had to "end the tour with a bang." I think he enjoys his job a little too much.
Afterward, Paul bought us all some well-deserved and well-needed ice cream before we all parted ways. I promptly headed back to the uni village with some friends because if anything, that tour was exhausting. I do recommend it because though silly at some points it was educational. We even got to keep our torches as a "consolation prize" (yippee, right?).
The next morning, I took the train to my cousin's house since I hadn't been there in a couple weeks and was a little homesick. I can't stress enough how nice it feels to have family all the way out here, and that on the weekends I can just catch a train and take it easy with them. Ironically, it's such a difference for me from being at UW-Madison, where I have to go months without the comfort of being with my parents.
See, I haven't spent all my time studying! Though admittedly I probably should commit more seriously to actually studying, because it's harder to do than I originally thought. There's so much to do and see, and new people to interact with, so academics aren't the only thing pulling at my attention here. Maybe that's not such a bad thing, so long as I keep up with my readings. :)
Until next time!
~ JP
Monday, March 13, 2017
What classes am I taking?
I know what you may be thinking. You're thinking, "June, I was under the impression you would make a new blog post every week! Where's last week's post?"
I'm not going to make excuses. We could all go on and on (and on and on) about how busy we are and all that, but that's boring and quite frankly I think it's annoying. (Think about it! How boring is it when your friend texts you or you see an old acquaintance and they apologize for not getting in touch because they've been soooo busy?) I know it's absolutely true; we ARE busy and we have to take care of ourselves first, and I'm not trying to downplay anybody's experiences, but it's an established fact that in this day and age it's hard to find free time. This just means you have to make time to do the things you enjoy. I have little patience for people whose sole excuse is that they were "just busy."
In my case, let's say I haven't been responsible in making time to write my blog posts. Now on to the good stuff, the stuff you're here for.
Do you ever wake up with a sore throat and suddenly you just sort of think back to the day before and regret every single potentially-health-endangering thing you did/ate? That's how I felt the very first day of classes for the semester. Yes, I know that's very unreasonable of a thing to think about right when I just woke up, but if you know me, you know that I am the biggest worrywart you'll ever encounter. And if you've ever lived with me, you'll know that I am miserable and mildly angry at everything if I feel even the slightest bit unwell. And I ended up feeling unwell for a week and a half, so I was not a happy clam.
So what am I actually doing here at Murdoch? Good question. I'm taking four units (that's what they call classes here), worth 3 credits each. On Mondays I have Nature-Based Tourism, a class revolving around the different types of tourism which take place in and around nature areas, like ecotourism and wildlife tourism. There is only one workshop per week for this class, so it's about three hours of combined lecturing and group discussion/work in a small classroom setting. For the first workshop, we talked about good ecotourism and what makes it good or bad. I found it all very fascinating and we even touched upon the ethics of some aspects of tourism, like the environmental impacts of it when it isn't conducted or managed properly, or when there is just so much visitor traffic that it affects the ecology of an area that is meant to be protected. The professors (there are two lecturers) are very fun and make the long class session go by fairly easily, and there's plenty of time given for us to work on our group projects both inside and outside of class. The overarching project for the semester involves coming up with a tourism management plan for a selected nature-based tourist site. My project partner and I were given Lake Gwelup Reserve, a city park, to work with, which we've found a little challenging because it isn't what one would normally consider a tourist location. I am confident, however, we'll come up with something great. In fact, we've already gone and visited the site and even went to IKEA for lunch afterward. I mention this because I'd never actually been to an IKEA before (yes, I know, it is shocking), so it was a very memorable experience for me.
On Tuesdays I have lecture and a tutorial (a discussion section) called "Spies, Saboteurs, and Secret Agents." It's a super cool title for a class, and the subject matter is also very interesting. I wish I could say the same for the readings, though, because there's a lot of it and some of it is very dense. The professor for this class is a very passionate and well-informed man who has an affinity for lame jokes. He's also Canadian so it's much easier for me to understand his accent. During tutorials, he challenges us with questions about the readings and is very enthusiastic to just sit there and discuss, which I appreciate.
On Wednesdays, I have an Australian Indigenous Studies unit titled "Country, Nature, and Identity: Indigenous Sustainability." This class is very fascinating and encompasses material I'm passionate about: environmental issues, the meaning of identity, and underrepresented groups of individuals. The prof for this class is, I've been told, the "rock star" of the indigenous studies department at Murdoch. I agree with this statement because when he walked in on the first day I thought he was Guy Fieri for a wild moment because he was wearing a button-up short-sleeved shirt with green dragons printed on it and had wild tousled hair. He immediately told everyone to put their phones away, so clearly he means business, but at the same time he's a bit sarcastic and cracks wry jokes with a straight face. That's my type of humor, and combined with the subject material, the 1.5 hour workshop goes by fairly quickly.
On Thursdays I have Water and Earth Science, which is essentially a soil sciences class. It's not required of me for my plant pathology major, but I figured it'd be good for me to have a basic grasp of soil science. So far we've covered basic geology, and the first lab session merely consisted of looking at rocks and identifying them. I got to impress a couple people with my basic knowledge of geology because of my tour guide position at the UW-Madison Geology Museum, so that was nice. There are lots of field practicals for this class, so I'm pretty excited to go out and learn about soil!
Though classes these first two weeks have been a lot for me to take in, I find I am more or less enjoying them just fine. The manner in which we must study for them is way different and perhaps more difficult in a way than I'm used to. Since there is practically nothing due each week unless the prof assigns a paper, it's hard to keep focused and it's hard to just sit there and do the readings. All I've done so far is read and take notes on what I read, which is monotonous. Plus, I haven't had to study since December, so I'm slowly relearning my focusing skills.
I really like how friendly and easygoing workshops and tutorials are here. I don't know if it's because of the specific classes I'm in, and the professors I have, or if that's just how it is in Aussie unis. Tutorials consist of just talking about the material, and there is no homework. This I feel is a little dangerous because that means in most of my classes, there are only three or four grades which make up the final mark in the entire unit. This consists of projects, essays, and exams which are thus all high-stakes. I'm a little nervous as to how that will all turn out, but as always I am going into the semester headfirst and stubbornly determined.
I'm not going to make excuses. We could all go on and on (and on and on) about how busy we are and all that, but that's boring and quite frankly I think it's annoying. (Think about it! How boring is it when your friend texts you or you see an old acquaintance and they apologize for not getting in touch because they've been soooo busy?) I know it's absolutely true; we ARE busy and we have to take care of ourselves first, and I'm not trying to downplay anybody's experiences, but it's an established fact that in this day and age it's hard to find free time. This just means you have to make time to do the things you enjoy. I have little patience for people whose sole excuse is that they were "just busy."
In my case, let's say I haven't been responsible in making time to write my blog posts. Now on to the good stuff, the stuff you're here for.
Do you ever wake up with a sore throat and suddenly you just sort of think back to the day before and regret every single potentially-health-endangering thing you did/ate? That's how I felt the very first day of classes for the semester. Yes, I know that's very unreasonable of a thing to think about right when I just woke up, but if you know me, you know that I am the biggest worrywart you'll ever encounter. And if you've ever lived with me, you'll know that I am miserable and mildly angry at everything if I feel even the slightest bit unwell. And I ended up feeling unwell for a week and a half, so I was not a happy clam.
So what am I actually doing here at Murdoch? Good question. I'm taking four units (that's what they call classes here), worth 3 credits each. On Mondays I have Nature-Based Tourism, a class revolving around the different types of tourism which take place in and around nature areas, like ecotourism and wildlife tourism. There is only one workshop per week for this class, so it's about three hours of combined lecturing and group discussion/work in a small classroom setting. For the first workshop, we talked about good ecotourism and what makes it good or bad. I found it all very fascinating and we even touched upon the ethics of some aspects of tourism, like the environmental impacts of it when it isn't conducted or managed properly, or when there is just so much visitor traffic that it affects the ecology of an area that is meant to be protected. The professors (there are two lecturers) are very fun and make the long class session go by fairly easily, and there's plenty of time given for us to work on our group projects both inside and outside of class. The overarching project for the semester involves coming up with a tourism management plan for a selected nature-based tourist site. My project partner and I were given Lake Gwelup Reserve, a city park, to work with, which we've found a little challenging because it isn't what one would normally consider a tourist location. I am confident, however, we'll come up with something great. In fact, we've already gone and visited the site and even went to IKEA for lunch afterward. I mention this because I'd never actually been to an IKEA before (yes, I know, it is shocking), so it was a very memorable experience for me.
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| Overall I think the park was ugly and had large fields of plain grass, but there was a nice boardwalk and some trees partially submerged in lake water |
On Tuesdays I have lecture and a tutorial (a discussion section) called "Spies, Saboteurs, and Secret Agents." It's a super cool title for a class, and the subject matter is also very interesting. I wish I could say the same for the readings, though, because there's a lot of it and some of it is very dense. The professor for this class is a very passionate and well-informed man who has an affinity for lame jokes. He's also Canadian so it's much easier for me to understand his accent. During tutorials, he challenges us with questions about the readings and is very enthusiastic to just sit there and discuss, which I appreciate.
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| The product of a tutorials' worth of discussion...make of it what you will. |
On Wednesdays, I have an Australian Indigenous Studies unit titled "Country, Nature, and Identity: Indigenous Sustainability." This class is very fascinating and encompasses material I'm passionate about: environmental issues, the meaning of identity, and underrepresented groups of individuals. The prof for this class is, I've been told, the "rock star" of the indigenous studies department at Murdoch. I agree with this statement because when he walked in on the first day I thought he was Guy Fieri for a wild moment because he was wearing a button-up short-sleeved shirt with green dragons printed on it and had wild tousled hair. He immediately told everyone to put their phones away, so clearly he means business, but at the same time he's a bit sarcastic and cracks wry jokes with a straight face. That's my type of humor, and combined with the subject material, the 1.5 hour workshop goes by fairly quickly.
On Thursdays I have Water and Earth Science, which is essentially a soil sciences class. It's not required of me for my plant pathology major, but I figured it'd be good for me to have a basic grasp of soil science. So far we've covered basic geology, and the first lab session merely consisted of looking at rocks and identifying them. I got to impress a couple people with my basic knowledge of geology because of my tour guide position at the UW-Madison Geology Museum, so that was nice. There are lots of field practicals for this class, so I'm pretty excited to go out and learn about soil!
Though classes these first two weeks have been a lot for me to take in, I find I am more or less enjoying them just fine. The manner in which we must study for them is way different and perhaps more difficult in a way than I'm used to. Since there is practically nothing due each week unless the prof assigns a paper, it's hard to keep focused and it's hard to just sit there and do the readings. All I've done so far is read and take notes on what I read, which is monotonous. Plus, I haven't had to study since December, so I'm slowly relearning my focusing skills.
I really like how friendly and easygoing workshops and tutorials are here. I don't know if it's because of the specific classes I'm in, and the professors I have, or if that's just how it is in Aussie unis. Tutorials consist of just talking about the material, and there is no homework. This I feel is a little dangerous because that means in most of my classes, there are only three or four grades which make up the final mark in the entire unit. This consists of projects, essays, and exams which are thus all high-stakes. I'm a little nervous as to how that will all turn out, but as always I am going into the semester headfirst and stubbornly determined.
I think I'll end this post here, though attending classes has obviously not been the only thing I've been doing the past two weeks. I apologize for the radio silence last week, and I'll make it up to you (and myself) by publishing this now and immediately writing about the other stuff I did recently! Until next time!
~ JP
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