Just Keep Swimming

I've been trying to write this post for the last day and every time I try and start to write, I feel a sense of inadequacy given that there's no way I can put words to my experiences in Cairns. It was too indescribable, too surreal, too dream-like. Because in fact, it was a dream. It's on the Bucket List even before the "going to Australia" one. (My sophomoric self obviously didn't consider the "killing two birds with one stone" concept when I was writing it out.) And now, "Scuba dive in the Great Barrier Reef" earned its rightful, red cross-out and date mark on that Bucket List.

We landed in Cairns around 5pm Thursday and were bussed to our hostel, Gilligan's. We settled in and checked out the free dinner at the bar. It was an interesting meal that was called sausage and mashed potatoes but I don't know if I would call it that myself. I'm just going to tell myself that their sausage tastes really different than the meat I'm used to at home. Blah. Anyways, we told ourselves that since we had a huge day on Friday we wouldn't go out. That quickly changed when we realized just how fun our hostel was. Gilligan's is pretty much the staple party scene in Cairns and we wanted to savor every moment we could dancing away there and meeting the plenty other international and domestic people. Even if there were a couple crazies such as: the bald, 70ish year-old man dancing; middle-aged men that didn't belong and guys with eyes tattooed on their butt. I have no shame in the fact that I never changed out of my comfy, airport clothes and just stayed in them all night as others were dressed up cute. Totally fine with it.

Friday was the day I had waited for since I was little. A 6:45am wake-up call wasn't going to bother this night owl the slightest bit. We walked to the marina, checked in with our tour company and all 33 of us were en route to the Reef. I do like to praise myself for now deciding on Australia, and not Semester at Sea for studying abroad because my motion sickness doesn't play around when I'm on a boat for a long time. Sorry, body. After about an hour and half of boating and an introduction to diving lesson later, we arrived at our first diving spot. I really wasn't nervous up until the point where I was sitting on the edge of the boat with my feet dangling in the sea, respirator in and air tank buckled in, mask on, 45lb. weight strapped on me and one of the instructors saying, "Good luck down there."

We had to show them that we were able to clear the water out of our masks and the water out of our respirator if water happened to get in it when we were down there. My heart and stomach sunk to depths like never before when I was holding onto the bar proving to the instructor that I was able. It was scary, I won't lie and say that it was one of those moments when I was just ready to go. I second guessed myself and probably could have cried if it wasn't going to affect my mask getting all foggy. But, before I knew it, I was linked arms with three of my friends and our instructor and we were off into one of the seven natural wonders of the World.

Despite the pain I was in because of the pressure on my ears by not being able to really equalize them, those twenty minutes of scuba diving 35ft below in the Great Barrier Reef made everything in my life make sense. I thought of the lyrics in a song by Darius Rucker, "All the doors that I had to close. All the things I knew but I didn't know. Thank God for all I missed 'cause it led me here to this." Every thing in my life finally made sense. Like all the mistakes and accomplishments, thoughts and dreams I've ever had led me to the Great Barrier Reef, scuba diving. I flipped around, maintaining perfect breathing pattern, and gazed at the most beautiful things I'd ever seen.

A clam. If you put your hand in it, it will close. I didn't do it though!  

I give credit to my friend Jack on the pictures. He's a certified scuba diving instructor and can multi-task (like taking pictures, breathing, trying to take it all in, and still look graceful) down there. I haven't mastered that. Partly because my lack of equalizing on the ears distracted me and partly because I was just so enamored by the fish swimming along side of me and the coral just so intrinsically there. It was only after we came up that I found out Katie was doing the same thing I was: trying to get my attention at some point to do one of those "holy [bleep], we're in the Great Barrier Reef together" signals. Although we failed to meet each other's gaze at the same time, scuba diving down there with her made the experience that much more quintessential.

The pictures have a filter on them that allow for the color to come through. When we are down that deep, some colors just don't show up to the naked eye. I could see the colors of the fish down there but it was only after looking at Jack's pictures that I could really see them for all of their beauty.

We had only paid for one introductory dive and were given the option of paying for a second. I was just so satisfied with my first one, that I didn't need to do another one. Plus, you got to snorkel around as long as you wanted with no pressure on the ears! Snorkeling was just as cool because I got to really dissect into the coral, not touching it of course, and watch all the different schools of fish feeding on plenty of things. And I was swimming along with a barracuda. Whenever I would get a little scared I thought of my girl Eleanor Roosevelt and her quote, "Do one thing every day that scares you" that's featured in Kurt Vonnegut's commencement address at MIT in 1997. It calmed me.

We wrapped up the day with one of the crew members singing. I'm sure they have it down to a science because of their fitting, reflective song selections; I was so content with life in those sing-a-longs that I literally think I transcended reality into the clouds. Don't worry, be happy. Be well.

Saturday we enjoyed the pool at the hostel and then set off for another Bucket List item: white water rafting! We were brought to Barron Falls to a grade 3 experience; although I don't think it was much past a grade 2, I'm ignorant in that subject though. I was nervous for this too but more like the excited nervous, rather than the feeling-like-you're-going-to-die nervous. It was a scenic route that made me feel like I was in the Land Before Time movie or something. The mountains and rocks and sounds of the river brought me to simplistic mentality and to appreciating the slightest thing such as fish just randomly jumping in and out of the water, or the birds trying to catch those fish.

I was able to stay in the raft despite three of my friends being flown from it after experiencing some "surfing" in the undertow. We were able to float down the river out of the raft and I really think I enjoyed that more than the rafting. We slid through one of the rushing parts and I was spit right out at the other end, allowing the current to just drag me and float on by. "And we'll all float on okay."

You just can't not laugh at this. 

Given that this was the weekend before Halloween, Gilligan's had a Halloween bash planned for Saturday night and we weren't about to miss it. Although none of us brought costumes, we flaunted our everyday-ness and had the time of our lives dancing, singing, laughing, and making even more Australian friends. It was the perfect end to the best weekend of our lives. Hands down.

I hope the pictures posted here are able to justify just how amazing this experience was because I still feel as though my words have failed me, once again (or maybe you could just go watch Finding Nemo). I wish all of you could have the permanent images that are engrained in my mind of this place. I wish all of you the happiness and love I have of life right now.

Aerial view of some of the Reef. 

Happy Birthday!!

According to my mother's memory, my first couple months of high school were miserable and I wanted to transfer. I, of course, don't recall this whatsoever and some many even be dropping their mouths in shock right now as I did when she told me that one time. However, even though my much more youthful memory seems to seldom fail me, I don't believe my mom would make it up and this is just a classic case of me remembering the good and not the bad. And that maybe I should praise her for seeing through my "miserable months" and not allowing me to transfer to any other high school because if she had, I would have never met some of the greatest people in my life to date.

And I would have never been able to share this four-month, life-affirming journey with one of those great people, and one of my best friends, Katie. Or celebrate her 21st birthday here in Australia! We were homeroom buddies and ended up taking more classes than not with each other in high school. We went to SLU together and when I left there after a year, she didn't hold a grudge against me. I get her and she gets me. And when we're missing home over here, all we need to do to see each other and everything seems to fall back into place. A slice of home 9000 miles away.

I mean, there's not many people I would voluntarily go out on a Monday for. Especially with my class schedule on Tuesdays! But, to ring in her 21st birthday with her is something that I had the utmost pleasure in doing. Even if she doesn't really remember my invaluable gift of presence.

We just went to a low-key bar off campus and actually we were the only ones in the place but honestly, it couldn't have been better. Her best of friends here were there and we all just celebrated her, and might have given her a little too many celebratory drinks. No regrets. I couldn't help but remember our friendship through the years as I watched her laugh and just enjoy life all around. Whether it was the high school birthday dinners, locker decorations, lunch parties or even her visiting at Dayton for her birthday last year, I've got the birthday memories with her but it has been so much more than that. We've lead Kairos together, survived a tornado outside in St. Louis, and have a "you do it, I'll do it too" friendship mentality of eating sweets. We've sang our hearts out at a Sugarland concert and traveled halfway across the world. But the best part of it all? We have a picture of every one of our adventures, thanks to our tradition of always taking a picture whenever we're together.

So beyond lucky to have this girl by my side through all this but even more excited to see where our friendship takes us in life. Happy 21st Birthday Kates! The birthday thunder was all yours.

Through the years...

Earliest picture!

Latest picture! 

Running Through (and to) the Rainforest

For all of those who know me well enough, you know there are few things I hate more than being late to something. I don't like the associated feelings that come with it: panic, doubt (that you won't get there on time), anxiety. So because of that, I set my alarm early for things, plan outfits the night before, pack my bookbag hours beforehand and double check bus times. Maybe the only thing I really do like about being late is that I get to run fast.

I went on a Rainforest tour this past Saturday and although they carted us around in a tour van, we had to get to a specific train station that wasn't within walking distance from Uni. We relied once again on the public transportation system here and at 7:33am, we needed to be on the 748 bus to catch a train to the designated pick-up, train station. I woke up well in advance thanks to not being able to sleep and I was ready well beforehand. But, somewhere between picking up my friends at their rooms and walking to the top of campus to the bus stop, it turned 7:33 and we weren't at the stop. Thankfully, a couple of our friends had walked in front of us and called to tell us that the bus had shown up and we needed to get there now. Cue running while screaming, "Hurry! Hurry!." We hopped on the bus to see two of us were missing: one of the guys had left his discount bus card in his room and had ran back, another was waiting for him. The bus driver asked if we were all here (she had so kindly waited) and we said there were two more but that we didn't expect her to wait. The kind soul she is, waited. We had quite the laugh seeing the two of them bolt to the bus but made it after only a few minutes of waiting. But, did I mention we had to catch the transfer train that wouldn't wait for us like Ms. Bus Driver?

We got to the first train station when it turned 7:53am, the time the train was leaving. I softly told everyone, "Okay, we need to run as soon as she stops." The brake engaged, we jolted back a bit from the stop, the doors opened and everyone (well, so I thought) ran. Through the passage barriers, jumping down the flights of stairs, the train was on the platform and my heart was racing! I slid right into those doors and into a seat with only about 30 seconds to spare. Problem. The same two who we waited for were missing, yet again. One of the guys had somehow lost their wallet on the bus. This time, no one waited for them. The doors shut and they were out of luck. They didn't have phones for us to call. And we weren't even sure they even knew the name of the pick-up station to take a cab to. We were helpless and stuck. We arrived at the pick-up train station a short time later and waited in anticipation to see if they would get there before the 8:15am leave from there. With a couple minutes to spare, the two of them strolled up out of a cab and we were all together again. Too much anxiety for that early in the morning!

Our first stop was a place known as Natural Arch. This was of course after a very scenic route through the back-country roads and pretty scary winding/steep ones at that; I felt like our van was going to die out about six times. Our tour guide, Nev, showed us poisonous roots and plants, deadly spiders and trees known as Strangler Figs that grow around another tree and eventually "strangle" that tree to create a hollow inside and very neat design of roots.

We hiked some more and reached a spot that was like nothing I'd ever seen before,

 The spot is named Natural Arch because if you see, there's a natural made arch that opens way to the waterfall. Inside there is a cave that houses bats but thankfully we weren't able to see any! Which now that I think about, might not have been the most reassuring thing. Anyways, we snapped our photos there and made way to see the top of the waterfall. Our tour guide said that when he was mid-teens, he would jump from a little cut out at the top into the bottom. But, strict rules have since prevented this but it's still scary nonetheless!

The grass area is the little cut-out my tour guide used to jump from. They would Spiderman the wall to get there.

We finished the rest of the hike there and then headed to one of my top 3 favorite things I did on the trip: feed wild parrots! We drove to a privately-owned land by a person who allows groups to come to. After you walk through a souvenir store, you are welcomed by one of the prettiest birds ever,

These are in no way held captive. They're wild and just stick around because there's constant food and people feeding them snacks (sunflower seeds). I was a little freaked out at first because you can literally hold your hand out and a bird will fly to it. Their claws didn't hurt that much, it was just a little poke when they landed right on your hand but it was such a surreal experience that I wouldn't have even minded if it hurt. They chomped away at their seeds while I gazed in awe.

When I thought it couldn't get any better, we were brought to an underground cave (so dark in there!) and were able to see thousands of glow worms. I knew there was such an insect but never really thought about what they would look like or even what the glow part was. Simply put, I don't really remember what he told us about them but I do know it was so cool walking through the "glow worm alley" and just seeing specs of neon. We were able to see the fishing line the glow worms have to capture flies and it resembled a thin piece of string about the length of an index finger; the glowing was at the top of that. It was one of those things I never thought I would do, but glad I did. It always fascinates me how many things I have done so far, that I never thought existed, let alone that I would do, and have completed it having an Aha! moment. Knowing that I needed to do that. So, thanks glow worms!

Next on the tour was Springbrook National Park. The drive there was even more scenic than before and I couldn't help but notice the tucked-away houses in the mountains and wild animals just grazing the fields. We even passed a section of houses/shacks that were designated as the Theosophical Education and Retreat Centre spaces. I think I could reach Enlightenment if I had retreats in those places. We started off at Springbrook with a lunch at the picnic area and continued onto the two hour hike. We saw the Twin Falls Circuit, although there was only one twin there since it has been so dry in Australia. A little irony in that?

See the rainbow at the bottom? If it rains more, the second twin will be to the left.

I became one-with-nature when I drank straight from the Spring. This water is so clear and free of any metals or toxins; it was probably the freshest water I've ever drank. I was amazed by that considering it was coming from the ground!

People always talk about moments taking their breath away, well, I finally had one of those moments when we walked up to the Canyon Lookout and saw nothing but majestic views.

I got to walk along this sight for the whole hike. Although, per the title of this post, I should write, run along this sight. My friends and I were so keen on getting the perfect photo opportunities that half the time the tour guide would leave and we would stick behind until we were satisfied with the pictures. After, we would scramble to catch up to everyone else.

I think it's worthy of note to mention that the day was 90 degrees. But we were relieved of that heat given that we were in the rainforest, but also because the whole day was just build up to the best part: swimming in a waterfall! I fought back and forth with myself whether I was going to do it or not. Nev told us it would be the coldest swim of our life and I really didn't want to be sitting in a wet suit for the rest of the trip back. But, once I saw it, I couldn't resist.

The picture of Katie and I perfectly captures everything. When you were under the waterfall, the pressure of it was so strong that it actually hurt. We were laughing but crying, happy but in pain. All about the photo opportunity, once again. It was funny because it hurt. And it was also funny because we couldn't move away from it fast enough. The rocks were so slippery and you literally had to hold on for dear life with whatever you could in order to move around. The water was full of them too so whenever we walked, you either stubbed your toe or sunk right down and submerged yourself once again in the frigid water.

After about ten minutes of it, we were done. Dog-paddled across back to dry land, dried off, and finished the rest of our hike.

This kind of day was right up my alley on things I love to do. I would choose hiking and national parks over five-star restaurants and Broadway shows any day. The power of nature and its beauty should never cease to amaze anyone. Or maybe not necessarily the beauty of nature, but what you take out of it. I guess there's waterfalls and wild parrots and ice-cold water in the States but being here in Australia makes these places so much better. Being who I am here, makes these things so much better. I appreciate things more, I stop and smell the flowers, I try water from its natural form and voluntarily freeze my body for the experience. But hey, when in Australia...

All Fun and Games

You know those certain things you experience which you struggle to find words to adequately describe them? That's how I feel about this weekend. It wasn't anything extraordinary, but it wasn't mundane. It was homework, laying by the pool, a rugby game and a night out. But it was just really, really fun.

Thursday was just a casual night out to the campus bar with my best of friends. We hung out in the dorms before, headed to an off-campus accommodation only to trek back because the bar there was closed. We didn't fret and just headed back considering it was only a five minute walk. Don's (the bar on campus) is a hoppin' place on Thursday and it's always filled with people I go to class with, as well as new faces. Bond is actually a really small school, compared to what I'm used to, so I can recognize a lot of the same faces day in and day out. We stayed there until about midnight and everyone went off to Surfer's Paradise but I headed back to my dorm. (My cheap self didn't want to have to pay for a cab later).

I came back and decided to check to see if my class schedule times were available for next semester, and they were! So, I stayed up until 3am figuring all that out only to get some anxiety over the thought that my registration time is on the last day and the last time slot. I decided to e-mail my dean and explain the situation of me possibly graduating early, needing specific classes, and being 15 hours ahead here; and that I might not have internet at the time of that registration either. I figured the worst she could say is "Sorry, that's just how it is" and I would be in the same position as I was. Well, I think my maternally-inherited Benson curse of "nothing ever goes as you plan, or want it to" is subsiding a little here in Oz because she responded with the best news ever! I quote, "This is not an unusual request, but it is unusual for the University to register a student - even when they are studying abroad. Kaylie, I will register you for your classes." HALLELUJAH! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I feel like the world is my oyster and I must choose wisely, so I'm revising my initial schedule plan and making sure I make the best of this opportunity. Stay tuned for my final decision on classes for next semester! 

Friday was actually the first lazy day I've had here. I literally laid in bed all. day. long. It was wonderful; I never do that kind of stuff! I never have the time to but here, I have all the time. (Especially when I ignore my homework due dates.) I caught up with some of my friends at home and then watched a movie later on with my friends here. Friends, friends, friends...I love it! 

Saturday I got to experience my first rugby game and gain a new appreciation to all my guy friends who played in high school. It's quite the work out from what I can see! I attended the World 7's series that had its start-off here. It will continue on to eight other countries, ending in May 2013 in England. It features 16 international teams delivering 45 matches over two days. But, it wasn't just about the rugby; this tournament has turned into a carnival-like atmosphere. That was apparent as soon as we walked up to the park and we were welcomed by bananas, gypsies, Avatars, pink ladies, and everything far and few between. 

We saw a couple of matches: USA v. South Africa; Samoa v. Africa; New Zealand v. Canada; Fiji v. Tonga; Australia v. Scotland. They were only about 25 minutes each so it always had us on our toes. We decided a couple minutes into being there that the high-up seats weren't for us. So, about twenty of us made our way into the second row of seats and met some pretty interesting people while chanting, "USA!" as well as singing "Living on a Prayer" and "Olé , Olé , Olé." But nothing tops the fact that we made it on the Jumbotron not once, but twice! I guess we really were making an impression, even in a stadium this large:

It was really hot, like really hot. And it doesn't help that I've also inherited the paternal trait of always being warm. I'm going to be running around in my bathing suit 24/7 when it actually turns Summer here. It's only about two weeks into Spring and it's high 70s, low 80s almost every day. Although, it did dip down to 65 degrees yesterday night and I got a hot chocolate...

  
It's hard to put into words the fun we all had here. It's like a big 10 football game mixed with a frat party, spiced up with a Halloween theme of America. It was the perfect day to distract me of the night/Sunday full of homework I had ahead and this week of midterms I have as well. Sometimes I really do forget that I'm "studying" abroad and not just "traveling/living/making friends/laughing/changing" abroad. Fortunately, the latter makes more memories than the former.