A close to a semester in Australia...

I was born in La Mesa, raised in El Cajon, and I am a college student in Linda Vista. I’ve loved both San Diego and USD, but I have always been curious about how I would do somewhere else. What if I had gone to college outside of California? What if I lived in a city other than San Diego? What would life be like? With a desire to answer these questions, I decided to spend the first semester of my senior year away from San Diego. And fortunately, USD’s great international program allowed me to also take this adventure to a foreign country –Australia. For 5 months I lived in Sydney, Australia and attended classes at Macquarie University. As I sit here back on campus at USD, I am very pleased with the decision I made and the last several months. Embarking on a semester abroad has comforted my “what if” feelings and given me a new sense of appreciation for my home.

As a closing entry to my adventure abroad, I want to recapture all the feelings I experienced over the 5 months.

Look at that facial expression! Adrenaline rush? (and nice strap on your glasses too!)

The beginning started with a rush! My program’s orientation was held in Cairns. During my first 3 days in Australia, I scuba dived at the Great Barrier Reef, I held a koala and a snake, and I met several other exchange students excited for the 5 months to come. I couldn’t have asked for a better introduction; however, the initial rush did slow as classes began. The early weeks of my abroad semester did not go near as smoothly as expected. Naively I expected my adventurous spirit and liking of strangers to be more than enough to adjust effortlessly in a foreign city. But as each new syllabus was handed out and each afternoon spent confused, I began realizing that I was experiencing what it is like to live somewhere other than home. I was without comfort, without routine, and without anyone close to rely on. I felt physically and mentally lost living in a city other than San Diego. Sydney is enormous and I had no sense of direction. Australians spoke English, but I still had no idea what anyone was saying. Every other word seemed to be local slang or abbreviated beyond recognition. I often didn’t understand Australian humor and felt awkward. I made lots of small talk, but I struggled to make any meaningful friendships. Starting over in a new city was nowhere near as effortless as expected :)

During these first 6 weeks in Sydney I did a lot of cool things. I was driven by a desire to get the absolute most out of my stay and a need to be doing things to avoid feeling homesick. I went deep sea fishing, visited the dugongs at the Sydney Aquarium, roamed Darling Harbour and The Rocks, tried to surf, attended an Aussie Rules Football game, played pickup football with Aussies, ate kangaroo, and chilled at Bondi Beach…all these things were AMAAAZING, but when I returned from each adventure I was missing something. I didn’t feel I was getting exactly what I wanted out of my experience in Australia, but unfortunately, nor did I know what I was looking for.

However, things began to change for the better in mid-September without me even recognizing it. Friendships began forming that would ultimately MAKE my experience. My Australian neighbor Huey took a liking to our household. Although I lock all doors to prevent a stolen laptop, Huey seemed to always find a way into our apartment without a key. I don’t know what crafty skills he used to get in, but his loud footsteps up our staircase and his Australian accent always made us smile. (And eventually, we just began leaving our sliding glass door unlocked permanently:) ) Huey became my best friend in Australia. We had many heated video game battles and these battles gradually evolved into many quality conversations. The conversations ranged from similarities and differences between Australia and the U.S…to life desires and dreams…to questions about faith…and even to ladies and long-distance relationships. In the end, these meaningful conversations became many of my favorite moments in Australia. They helped me explore questions about community, purpose, and friendships at a time when I was homesick and lost. This friendship provided my first feeling of a real connection to Australia and paved the way for many more connections to follow.

Hanging with Dayna, Huey, and Megan

As my time in Australia continued, more friendships developed and I became more aware of their impacts on me. These friendships introduced me to inspiring people and allowed me to share moments with locals in the community that most exchange students are not fortunate enough to partake in. Additionally, I was able to explore parts of Australia that I would not have discovered on my own. Below are a few of these highlighted friendships and memories:

• The White family (Lynda, Jess, and Ally) welcomed me into their home in Melbourne. We shared a scenic road trip along the Great Ocean Road and a fun-filled week on the beautiful Hamilton Island. We shared many laughs and created a genuine bond between Australian and American friends.
• I was invited to a BBQ with several leading Australian adults. I was impressed by this community of friends and how they each seemed to know the real person within one another (what drives him, morals, life changing moments). I enjoyed watching these men sincerely get to know others beyond their status, occupation, and job title.
• I was served dinner by a household of 22-year old students. These guys stressed the importance of showing love through service. I was inspired by their choice to spend Friday nights cooking dinner for friends, discussing faith topics, and promoting brotherhood.

The Great "Great Ocean Road" Road Trip with the Whites

Throughout the rest of my stay in Sydney, I continued to value moments of friendship the most. The simplest moments shared with the right people seemed to mean the most. Below are a few other highlighted friends and memorable events.

• I road tripped New Zealand for 2 weeks…in a SPACESHIP!...with two great buddies and fellow exchange students named Ben and J.R. We camped all around NZ, bungy jumped together, and each shaved a mohawk for road trip camaraderie. (fun fact: I also visited Ben and J.R. this past month in Connecticut. We traveled to New York City together for my first visit to the Big Apple)
• I attempted to cook dinners with my friend A.J. Although he is from India and has not yet been to the U.S., I always enjoyed when he would explain to me why CA is the greatest U.S. state and why he loved the television series “Friends”. He is always welcome in CA :)
• I laughed hysterically at several youtube clips and Steven Seagal movies with my Chilean roommate Carlos. No one has more funny (but supposed to serious) one-liners than Steven Seagal!...not even Nicholas Cage!
• I shared a Thanksgiving meal on foreign soil with my American roommates Megan and Dayna. We almost burned down our apartment when the oven caught on fire, but the turkey turned out DELICIOUS!

Cooking dinner with AJ, JR, and Ben

All in all, my semester in Australia was just what I needed. I experienced the typical homesickness, but I also overcame this feeling and began to build a second home. However, at 5 months my VISA did expire. As I said “See ya soon!” to my newest city of comfort, I was pleased to be simultaneously welcomed home by my original city of comfort, family, and friends. I miss Australia, but also I’m excited to be back in San Diego finishing out my college degree and soon beginning my work career. My semester abroad has currently comforted my “what if I lived somewhere else” feelings and given me a new sense of appreciation for my home country and city. I’m lucky to have grown up where I have. Additionally, I am lucky to have lived in a foreign city for 5 months. I like knowing that wherever my life leads me, I can find/build a community and be happy. There are great people all around our world, and there’s nothing like meeting great people and sharing moments of life with them. Australia has sparked my interest in friendships and building community, and I am currently enjoying life with a focus on these aspects. Lastly, Australia also solidified my love of traveling. I like seeing our world and how other people live. There is so much to see and I look forward to much more traveling to come.

Farewell

Thank you for reading!

Delayed Post

Closing post still to come....Everything is still sinking in :)

Nzed Return

As I have mentioned before, New Zealand is a good place. It is beautiful, friendly, and unique. The country is content with its own culture and seems to have discovered its own secrets to life. Kiwis cherish time spent with one another. It is not unusual for dinner conversation to carry on an extra hour or more after eating --without anyone immediately asking to be excused or the television playing in the background. (I am often guilty of both of these, but this is something cool I observed in Nzed) Leisure time is spent enjoying a brew in each other's company, getting to know one another. Hence, when offered the chance to accompany my friend Jeff on an end of the semester trip to New Zealand.....I was definitely going to return to NZ :)

Through family friendships, Jeff had a great contact with the Fox family in New Zealand. We were lucky enough to experience another side of the NZ culture that most visitors do not get to see --living on a NZ farm. As the picture above shows, lamb was a major commodity on this farm.

The truck of choice on the farm is this awesome Toyota pickup. I was very excited to get to ride in this truck. Andy, Jeff, and James are leaning on top of the pickup.

With the guidance of Andy and James and the muscle of the bulldozer, Jeff and I laid piping on the farm for water flow. We also helped build a fence and saw the sheep dogs herd the pack.

James taught Jeff and me how to play some cricket in the front yard...

Then we tee'd off from the backyard driving range....

This is just a picture of a typical New Zealand sunset. ( I love the NZ sky) The clouds seem to have more levels than back home in San Diego and the lighting is incredible. This picture was taken from the family's backyard porch.

Next, Brian and George took Jeff and me on a few-day road trip down to Queenstown --the adventure capital of New Zealand.

We had an amazing view of these mountains in from our Queenstown hotel room. In the morning, we awoke to these mountains being snow capped.

This is the LUGE Track! One must take a gondola ride up the Queenstown mountain and then luge down. It is an exhilarating ride with a Mariokart feel.

Jeff and I chose to partake in an adventure than can only be done in New Zealand. We went for individual rides in this 2-person plane doing aerobatics in the NZ sky. We did barrel rolls, spins, dives, etc. for 20 minutes in the sky. The force varied from -2 to 5+ G's. (instant changes from a feeling of floating to a feeling on being shoved down in your seat) Only in NZ can a plane this size be commercially used. An amazing ride and luckily only one of us spewed in the puke bag :)

Fergburger is a hamburger restaurant in Queenstown. It has arguably the best burger I have ever had. (a mouth-watering combination of daily raised bread, NZ beef, and special sauce) For anyone visiting Queenstown, a Fergburger is a must have. Also, rumor is that the cast of Lord of the Rings ate Fergburgers during filming in NZ.

When you see a "Free Salmon Feeding" sign on the side of the road, who isn't going to stop?!?!

I hope you enjoyed my picture/sumary documentation of my travels. This return visit to New Zealand just expanded my fascination with the country. The trip shows another unique opportunity abroad that I was fortunate enough to be able to partake in. A couple days on the farm and spending the week with locals gave Jeff and I a look into NZ that we had yet to see. I have been to NZ twice now, and I look forward to my third trip in the future :)

Post.Script.....one more final post to come after Xmas.

Completing the Sydney Checklist...

Today is my final day in the Land of Oz....at least for my abroad adventure. Tomorrow morning at 5 am I will waddle down the street to the train station, then awkwardly carry luggage through the airport, and finally embark on one final adventure in New Zealand with my buddy Jeff. However, over the past few days I have crossed the final handful of "Things to do in Sydney" off my checklist. Here's a summary of my final moments in Sydney....

I visited Paddy's Markets in downtown Sydney. These markets are basically an enormous indoor swap meet....so you know it fit my style! I will come home with a couple keepsakes from this market.

We ate Chinese food in China Town.....check mark!

Took a picture with an Aboriginee. (Dad this picture is for you and Gary Sopata!! Keep in mind that I generally prefer not to be in pictures and it is also very unlike me to take ask a stranger to be in a picture with me :) Sorry I closed my eyes but there was no chance of me taking a 2nd picture!)

I was chosen from the crowd to be in a street performer's act!! As you can see, the performer was quite the daredevil. He is juggling three items (a stick on fire, a knife, and an apple) while standing on his bicycle which on the top of a pole that is being held up by 6 strangers pulling on 6 ropes in all different directions (I was one of these stranger rope holders). It was shocking to see this man trust his life with complete strangers. If he fell and hit his head on the concrete he would have been a goner. Luckily, he did not fall and he probably received some nice donations. The whole act lasted about 45 minutes. I think I chosen because my half-green/half-blue shirt made me stand out. (fun fact: street performers in Australia are called "buskers" and there are many of them)

Some of my friends climbed the Sydney Harbour Bridge. If you look very closely, you can see a group of 12 walking on the top. They look like ants up there!

I, instead, elected to walk across the Harbour Bridge. It was free this way and only a couple meters lower....I like my decision :)

Huey and I got inside the Opera House!....cheeeck mark!.....However, we were immediately escorted out of the Opera House because we were caught sneaking in. Still, our goal was to get inside for free...so we considered it a success!

Wandered around Sydney's Botanical Gardens. However, this is a much better picnic or date spot with a pretty lady. 30 minutes was enough for me.

Tried to Body Surf the waves at Dee Why Beach. These were some of the most powerful waves I have ever been in. The waves crashed right on the sand, and I literally could not stand up in them because of their power. The waves would sweep my legs out from under me and when I opened my eyes I was laying on the wet sand. Thus, it was a blast!

These fun check marks complete my time in Sydney this semester. I will be back to Australia someday though. The country has treated me well. Plus, the Australian Open Tennis tournament is held in Melbourne every February! (I have a life goal to watch all the Tennis Grandslam tournaments in person).....but for now, it is back to New Zealand with Jeff!!

There will be at least one final blog post to come, but it will be sometime after Christmas and before New Years. See you in San Diego??

Cheers Mate!

Jones Jr vs. Green

During the past week, there was a much hyped boxing match between American Roy Jones Jr. and Aussie Danny Green. Both were arguably past their prime, but their past successes looked to set up a great battle.



I watched this fight in a pub at Hamilton Island. The pub was jam packed with Australians. It was quite the experience to be in this all-Australian environment. I was torn between who to cheer for. Here were my thoughts....

Reasons I wanted to cheer for Danny Green
1. He entered the fight as the underdog
2. I have been watching Australian sports for 5 months and cheering for the Aussies
3. Roy Jones Jr. is one cocky SOB

Reasons to cheer for Roy Jones Jr.
1. I am from America
2. In a sea of Australian fans, America felt like the underdog

It was cool to hear all the Australians in the pub sing their country's national anthem. And it was difficult to listen to the American national anthem to be made fun (however, I did also recognize the rivalry of a sports match creates this fun-poking atmosphere...and possibly some Americans "Jones Jr-like" arrogant attitudes). For these reasons, for being conflicted on who to cheer for, and for being far outnumbered....I elected to speak sparingly and just watch the fight.

Shockingly, the fight ended in only 2 minutes and 2 seconds! The first round! Danny Green KO'ed Jones Jr. with only a few punches. The pub went crazy!! I sat stunned with my mouth hanging open. Even after the fight, I had mixed feelings on the result. It was a strange feeling to not know to cheer for but a very interesting experience to go through...

Hamilton Island....

You may remember a previous blog post about my adventurous weekend in Melbourne. I was fortunate enough to explore the city, road trip the Great Ocean Road, and spend the weekend with my friends Lynda, Jess, and Ally. That weekend was amazing and this past weekend was round 2....but this time the adventures took place at the lovely Hamilton Island. Here is a picture-summary of the week....

Hamilton Island is within the Whitsunday Islands, located on the northeastern coast of Australia. The sun shines, the water is warm, and the people are beautiful. Above is a snapshot from the Island's beach.

There are very few cars on the island. Instead, the buggy (a.k.a. the golf cart in the States) is the ride of choice. You can literally buggy around the entire island. Above is a picture taken on the evening of my arrival. We all buggied up to top of Hamilton island and enjoyed this beautiful sunset.

The following morning our crew sailed out to another island to enjoy Whitehaven Beach. This beach is located on the eastern side of the uninhabited Whitsunday Island. This means that no one lives on this island (at least no one outside of the large lizard-like creature we spotted and a few other creatures of nature). Thus, Whitehaven Beach is its own private beach. Additionally, the beach is recognized for its extremely white sand and is often listed as one of the most beautiful beaches in the world.

An unexpected fun moment from the trip came during a game of bingo we participated in. The majority of the prizes were free drinks from the bar. We did not win any of these rounds, but Lynda did win the grand prize! She won the Bongo round for a day trip of snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef! And then to top things off, Lynda was kind enough to pass the trip to me. The next day, Jess and I got to cruise out to the Great Barrier Reef for a snorkeling sesh and some reef gazing. We spent the whole afternoon in the water exploring and chasing fin. (and yes we did find Nemo....no joke...we saw a clownfish like Nemo above) Also, here are a couple quick facts about the Great Barrier Reef (GBR):

• The GBR consists of over 2,900 individual reefs
• There are over 1,500 different types of fish
• The GBR is visible from space

And to complete the weekend in Hamilton Island, we PARASAILED!! Above is a picture of Jess and I tandem parasailing. Surprisingly, it is an extremely peaceful activity. We floated 30 meters above the island and could see all the different routes we had taken the previous days on the boat trips.

All in all, the week was a blast. I can't say enough good things about the week. The activities, inside jokes, great food, buggy, and hanging out made for a wonderful trip. Plus, it was another opportunity in Australia that I was able to enjoy and one that very few (if any) other exchange students get to experience.

Lastly, I leave you with a video of nature. There were a handful of sandflys on the island. These bugs have a painful bite/sting and everyone once in awhile they are smacked by a backhand swing. Jess took this sandfly down. Then a team of ants worked together to carry the much larger bug up a rock wall to their home. The ants are moving this dead big without any help. It was impressive to watch this teamwork and communication....

Random Observations

1. There are no bears in Australia. Apparently the Koala Bear is not actually a bear.

2. I wrote 4 papers for my philosophy class. Despite increasing effort for each paper, I received the exact same grade (to the percentage) on all 4 papers. Big coincidence or is something sketchy going on?

3. Three flights in a row I was asked to sit in the emergency row. Once I was specifically hand-picked out of a crowd of travelers. My thoughts...flight attendants must look for travelers my age and size. (fun fact: I enjoy the emergency row...more leg room and there is often an empty seat in the row too)

4. Pilates is great for working out your lower abs.

5. Although a big surprise, ZombieLand is a pretty funny movie. Woody Harrelson is hilarious and the film has witty humor.

6. There are no cockroaches in Chile....my Chilean roommate is amused by the coachroaches here in our apartment.

7. Ironically, I have more room in my suitcase now than when I arrived.

8. Some movies debut in Australia a couple months later than in the U.S. However, other movies come out a few days before the States. I don't know how this is decided.

9. If a small fine is not paid before leaving a country, will any significant consequences actually follow?

10. Australia does not limit liquids in your carry-on luggage to 3 oz. You seem to be able to have as much as you would like.

11. There are many street performers in Sydney. I believe they are referred to as buskers.

12. The temperature outside is blazing hot. It does not feel like Christmas is approaching.

13. Australia is physically about the same size as the U.S.

14. You get what you pay for with batteries.

15. "Bundaberg" is a fun word to say. (exaggerate a vowel or two)

16. In Australia you have to flip a switch to turn on an outlet. Multiple times this semester I have had items plugged in that I thought were charging to later discover that I never flipped the switch on...