oh hey, I'm home.

It's been a while since the last post.....like more than three months. Let's see, where did we leave off...

I had just left Launceston and was heading to Melbourne for my last week in Australia. It was a great week, and a great end to the trip at the end of another great trip. I basically spent the week reading the Da Vinci Code in the botanical gardens, falling in love with Fitzroy, and eating my last meal in Australia at Creatures.

But all of this seems so far away and so trivial compared to everything else. Coming home was the hardest adjustment I had to make throughout the whole study abroad experience. For five months I had just been happy. I wasn't worried about school and I wasn't worried about what I was doing with my life. I was in new place and had such completely different priorities from what I had before I left and what I have now. So coming back home to a place that was anything but new was an adjustment.

Being that happy for five months sets you up for a huge let down. I found myself continually trying to get that "study abroad high" again but nothing did the trick. Even when you're back to being yourself at home and are happy, it's such a different kind of happiness and just pales in comparison to how you felt when you were abroad.

But even when I was abroad and felt so content to be where I was, I still missed Madison. So I try now to think positively about being back in Madison and to get out and do all the things I missed when I was gone. And that helps. I find myself just stopping on the bike path to the grocery store to take a minute to appreciate the lake and the capitol. And going to the farmer's market has never been more appreciated, even when it's 50 and raining. Just being able to get on bike and go somewhere after class feels great some days. It's too hard to sit around and think back to all the great, but really specific moments I had when I was abroad. When I first got home all I could think about was getting on the 98 bus route and going into Freo. But now I find myself focusing on the experience of study abroad as a whole and the journey it truly was. Thinking of the five months as a whole makes me appreciate the experience without missing any one thing too much.

I still cling to my specifics, though. I have one of my favorite photos framed in my apartment. It's made an appearance on here before. It was taken at sunset on one of the last nights of my marine biology field camp my first week in Australia. That week really set the tone for the rest of semester. I was in a new setting and found it absolutely beautiful. It hit me that week that for the first time in my life, I was going to be living on the ocean. And that it was summer in February. And that I was meeting new people every day. And that I was taking classes not because I needed them to graduate, but because I wanted to (and as it turned out I got the perfect amount of credits for those classes, because what I'm interested in is my major-another great lesson learned). It was a week of learning things academically and learning things about myself. Little did I know what the rest of the semester had in store for me.

And now as I sit here at Trout Lake, in northern Wisconsin on this perfect fall day, I realize how much I like being home and how much I can still appreciate the semester abroad.

        

In Australia I woke up to views of the Indian Ocean, here I wake up to views of a forest at peak fall colors and Trout Lake behind it. In Australia I headed down to the intertidal zone in my swimmies to do some sampling. Here, I drove to a small lake and took a canoe out while wearing pants and a sweat shirt. No trips to Penguin Island on this trip, but instead Culver's.

I miss those views from Australia, but I'm still happy being at Trout Lake. This is a landscape I'm familiar with. Trees are changing color in October, not May. And the 'right' trees are changing colors. This is home, for better or worse, and this is what I have a connection to. As much as I loved living someplace new, I had no history with Australia.

But the great thing is, now I have a history with the midwest and Australia. Both places feel like home in their own ways. I'll never forget my last trip to the grocery store when I was still in Perth and how I was basically crying the whole way home because I realized I might never walk down South Street again. South Street is another one of those great examples of how much things changed, including myself. My very first night in Australia I walked down that same street to the same grocery store. I remember thinking how almost unattractive the town was, or how there really wasn't a town there at all. South Street has no charm to it in the traditional sense. It's basically a four lane highway with a sidewalk along it. And yet when I left, I knew I was going to miss it. Just as much as I was going to miss those traditionally beautiful views of the Indian Ocean and the great finds in Freo. It was part of my new home and had become part of my daily routine. And if/when I go back, I will have a history with Western Australia, and even though it is bound to change dramatically in the next decade, I know it will still feel like home.

I'm not sure if any of that makes any sense at all. For me, sometimes it does and sometimes I just miss Australia too much to take that step back and appreciate the semester. But I'm getting there.
Signing off?

Launceston

Photos are up!

Launceston

Monday morning I grabbed a quick breakfast at the cafe down the street from the hostel in Hobart before catching the bus up to Launceston. I was able to get to Launceston by the early afternoon, but had to wait around the hostel for a few hours before I could check in, but I was able to get some laundry done.


The hostel in Launceston would have been great in summer, or really any season other than winter. The TV room was heated, and was actually warm, and then individual rooms were "heated." So at 5:30 every night everyone congregated in the TV room right when the heater turned on and then waited a few hours to head up to their rooms before those heaters were turned on. During the middle of the night and early morning you could see your breath in the hallways and bathroom of the hostel!


Tuesday I spent the day at Cradle Mountain and had the best weather for it! It was decently warm for being winter, sunny and clear, and no wind! I was talking with a man later on the bus out of Launceston who said that the one time he has been was in summer and he got caught in a blizzard! It was about a two and a half hour drive out to the national park, and then we (I ended up on a tour as the insurance prices for renting a car to a under-21 year old are ridiculous) ended up hiking up to Marion's Lookout because the weather was so nice. It was a pretty straightforward climb up...until the last section where you had to use chains to pull yourself up the rocks. The views from the top were amazing-we were basically level with Cradle Mountain and then could see the surrounding peaks and lakes, and even out to the ocean! The hike down took a different route that took us back through the temperate rainforest before coming onto a clearing where we spotted about ten different wombats.


Wednesday morning I walked just out of town to Cataract Gorge and did a quick walk along the water. I spotted a gondola going across the gorge and immediately thought I would want to do it, until I realized that it's like a ski lift with no real bar keeping you in, just tilted back seats. Decided I wasn't up for doing this one alone and walked back along the water and back into town. I found a great chocolate cafe to warm up at before spending more time walking around Launceston in the afternoon.


Thursday I packed up and headed to Melbourne, where I am now, and will be until I head home on June 30!

Hobart

The photos are finally up!

Hobart

Hobart was great, and the weather cooperated for the most part! I got in Thursday around lunchtime so decided to head straight to the grocery store to get some things to make lunch. But I got distracted and ended up going on a tour of the Cadbury Chocolate Factory. In its prime, you could eat all the chocolates your tummy and heart desired, but nowadays you view a presentation and a movie, and go to the demonstration counter where you taste the chocolates in their various states of production. But you get a free 200 g block of milk chocolate! It was still worth it and a fun afternoon....but I was hungry and the free samples of chocolate didn't really fill me up. Lucky for me, and some of you back home!, the store at the factory sells their chocolates at a reduced price. I grabbed as many as I thought I had room for in my suitcase, as in they will be replacing the weight of my shampoo/conditioner that I'll throw out before coming home to make room for the chocolate!

Friday I spent the day in the Huon Valley, which is southwest of Hobart, which is in southern Tasmania. The Huon Valley is known for the Airwalk which is similar to the walkway at King's Park in Perth. But this one was anywhere from 40-60 meters up and only had a grated bottom and then vertical wires for siding! A little scary, but gave great views of the temperate rainforests of the area.
I decided to cram in all three bushwalks available in the time provided on the tour I went on. I did the Airwalk and another short hike through the pine forest along the river, and then the Swingbridge walk. I don't know what I was thinking, but the idea that these bridges would actually swing never crossed my mind. By the time I hiked out to the swingbridge, I wouldn't have had enough time to backtrack and make it to the visitor's centre before the tour left, so I had to cross it. It swung much more than expected, but I was glad to cross it and be done with it....until I realized that 15 minutes down the trail there was another one.....

Saturday morning I went to the Salamanca markets and for once felt like I was almost back at the Madison Farmer's Market...but not quite. It was a fairly large market, though mostly selling clothing, jams, wood products, and basic souvenirs. That afternoon I went to the top of Mt. Wellington, the mountain you can see from town, and was surprised at how cold and windy it was at the top of the mountain-there was even snow up there! The views were pretty good-some clouds were coming in from behind us, but the views down to Hobart and beyond were pretty good. This area of Australia is beautiful and just so different from Perth and basically every other part of Australia I've seen. It's not as intense as New Zealand, but it's just as gorgeous in it's own way.

Sunday I did some urban hiking and walked out to Battery Point, one of the oldest areas of Hobart, and then on to the Domain and the nearby Botanical Gardens. Lots of walking again, but the gardens were great and the weather was still nice.

I left Hobart this morning (Monday) and have arrived in Launceston, which is farther to the north of Tasmania, and yet is colder than Hobart! And Melbourne is looking cold and rainy....so I'm looking forward to the hot and humid summers of Chicago!

Sydney (by foot)

These last five days have been all about walking around Sydney and exploring the city. But first I had to get here. I took the train from Adelaide to Sydney and enjoyed all 24 hours of it.

Indian Pacific

I was supposed to be in  day-nighter seat (read:  cheap) but decided that my lack of a view out the window, which was the whole reason for taking the train, made the upgrade to a cabin worth it. Happy birthday to me! They had a last minute deal that made it a lot cheaper than what I would have paid initially, and it was great! I ended up having a cabin to myself and an actual bed for the night. I had great views for the whole trip and actually slept at night.

So when I got into Sydney the next morning I was pretty well rested and was ready to tackle the big city. I realized that this was the first time I've had to fend for myself in a big city. It was a little overwhelming at first, but after I got out and started walking around I got used to the layout of the city pretty quickly.

Sydney

So I arrived in Sydney Saturday morning and spent that afternoon walking through the botanic gardens and out to the lookout point of the harbour bridge and opera house. I stopped in the Art Gallery of NSW before heading back to the hostel that evening.

Sunday I got out of the city and took the train to Glenbrook in the Blue Mountains. Here I took a few short 1 hour loop tracks into the gorge and back out. I had planned on doing a longer loop but it wasn't easily accessible from the visitor's centre unless you had a car...
After I had had enough hiking I decided to head into town and ended up grabbing a slice of carrot cake before heading to the park-where I think half the town was on that beautiful winter day-and had my cake and then took a nap in the park! It felt great!

Monday I walked everywhere! (And two days later I'm still paying the price) I walked through the botanic gardens once more to the opera house and then out to the bridge. The Pylon Lookout wasn't open yet, so I walked across the bridge and back. Once the pylon was open, I went on the self-guided tour and got some great views of the city from the top of the pylon closest to the opera house. It's only about one story below the top of the bridge (which you can climb if you're crazy and have some cash to spare).
After the lookout I headed to the Museum of Contemporary Art, grabbed some lunch at the argyle markets, and then made my way over to the Sydney Film Festival to see Creation, which was amazing! It's all about Darwin writing On the Origin of Species and the mental, and subsequently physical, issues he had to battle through while writing it. The screenwriter was there and fielded questions after the movie.
After the movie I walked around The Rocks and tried to get some views of the city at sunset, and then walked back to the hostel via the main tourist drag of the city.

I guess I should mention that the hostel I'm staying at is in Kings Cross, which is the red light district of Sydney. It's been interesting.....my hostel isn't in the crazy part of the area (thank god) and it's been kind of interesting to see another part of the city. I took a walk to the other side this morning for breakfast and it still seems fine and safe and all, just filled with adult shops! My hostel is also predominantly filled with German guests, which has been great since Germany beat Australia in soccer this week.

Tuesday I walked over to Darling Harbour, and stopped at St. Mary's Cathedral on the way, to go to the Aquarium. It's a really nice aquarium with lots of underwater tunnels and was a nice variation from the one in Perth which focused solely on the west coast of Australia.
After the aquarium I had my picnic lunch at Darling Harbour before trying to go find the fish market. My map doesn't really include this area, and so I got lost pretty fast. But I did stumble onto a great little cake shop to make myself feel better, and get some directions!
That afternoon I headed back to the botanic gardens for some down time in the park with a good book as I was exhausted from all the walking.

Today (Wednesday) I took the ferry out to Manly thinking this would be a relaxing day at the beach. But what do I end up doing? Walking. I decided to walk the Manly Scenic Walk and spent the first four hours of the day walking along the coast. It was gorgeous and I'm glad I did it, but I'm so tired! My feet don't approve of my broken Chucks as walking shoes and my hips make me feel like an old woman, but I'm just too restless to stay on the beach all day.
I made it out to the beach though in the afternoon and found a great lookout spot above the beach with great views of the ocean. It was here that a woman came out to the lookout area with binoculars and told me about the whales that were there! The migratory season has started and the tour boats where right off the coast. She saw the whales through her binoculars and I saw the spouts of water after they came up for air. A little while later the postman came out here, too as he heard the whales were back and was telling me about how they normally don't come this close to Manly. He said in September all the locals head several kilometers down the coast, bring picnic lunches and lawn chairs, and watch the whales migrate from off the farther down cliffs. He said one year you could see three pods all at once!
I took the ferry back to Sydney in early evening to get some night views of the city, and then made the long walk back to the hostel. Now I'm getting ready for my flight to Tasmania tomorrow morning, which will be a welcome break from the big city!

Adelaide

I'm about to leave Adelaide for Sydney (in about 15 minutes!) but wanted to give a quick update. Photos take too long ot upload, so we'll try something new...

Adelaide

Adelaide has been great-a smaller city than Perth, but it feels so much bigger as it's much more compacted and not so spread out as Perth seems to be. There are churches everywhere, but it makes for a really nice mix of new and old architecture. The weather has been okay, kind of raining while the sun is out....so I headed to the Art Gallery of SA and the Museum on the rainiest day, and then took a walk over to St. Peter's Cathedral yesterday when it was only drizzling. And yesterday afternoon when it cleared up I went into the hills to check out the views from Mt. Lofty lookout point and then to the German town of Hahndorf.
I've met some cool people at the hostel, but my favorite is the older woman who is in my bunk room. She's probably about 55-60 years old, from Brazil, and is here for a work conference for a couple of weeks. Such a nice woman, and really interesting to sit down and talk with her at dinner.
Now I'm heading to the train station to take the train to Sydney, where I'll stay for about five and half days before flying down to Tasmania.

Lately I've been....

leaving sunny Perth for cloudy Adelaide

exploring the numerous churches in this city

wandering around Adelaide

getting some quality chocolates at the Haigh's Chocolate Store

and beginning my three week diet of grocery store/market dinners

Goodnight Perth

goodnight light

Wanderlust

Maybe it's the studying I'm (finally) doing right now that's getting me more and more excited for when the semester ends, or maybe it's the fact that the semester ends in a week and a half. Either way, I can't stop thinking, and mentally planning, for the few weeks I'll have after the semester ends. I always knew that this would be a completely different part of my time away from home, but it's really hitting me now just what an adventure this is going to be. I'm going to have just over three weeks to leave Perth behind and go check out the east coast of Australia.

I'm already excited to go check out some of the films at the Sydney Film Festival and some of the local shops recommended by Frankie while in Melbourne, and of course celebrate my 21st at the Little Creatures Dining Hall. But I'm most excited to just get out and travel (there's no link for that one). I know I love to plan my days and know exactly what I'm going to do before I even get on the plane, but I'm starting to get better at just going off and exploring. And that's what I can't wait for.

I was reading one of the Frugal Traveler columns today where Matt Gross talks about his travels over the years and what he's taken out of them. And while he appreciates the global connections that travel has to offer, I've come to the appreciate the sense of exploration that travel brings. Some of my favorite times in New Zealand were spent searching out good breakfast spots early in the morning or heading to the local cinema in Te Anau and watching the great local doco about the surrounding area. I could have never planned for those while still in Perth.

Maybe I'm not making any sense. And neither does Bjork sometimes. But maybe this time she does.


I'm excited to call my own shots everyday and see the cities as I want to see them. I'm excited to see the more typical Australian sites, as well as some of the more off the beaten path ones. I'm dreading excited to live out of my pack for three weeks. And I'm excited to just stop planning and let the travels begin.

Margaret River

Classes have ended for the semester and now I have a week off before finals start. No big trips planned for this week, but I did manage to get away for a few days and head south to Margaret River. Margs is a few hours south by car, a little more by bus, and is known for the wine and surf.

I headed down on Sunday morning by train to Bunbury and then caught a bus further south to Margaret River.

Sights of Freo

The streets, the places, and the town I'll miss most.
Slowly but surely I've learned my way around, discovered new cafes, and come to love my little day trips into Freo. The first time I headed into Freo I had the bus route map unfolded in my lap and could not have looked more lost. But after another few trips, I had the bus route down. Another few trips after that I was discovering cafes. Then came leaving the center of Freo and adventuring into South Freo. And now going into Freo is my favorite excuse not to do homework, my favorite way to spend a lazy Friday afternoon, and the place I now associate this study abroad experience with.
So here are some of the sights of Freo-some new, some old.

The view when you get off the bus-the beginning of Capuccino Strip

the heart of Cappucino Strip

the Fremantle markets

the heart of the tourist strip

Market Street

Kakula's Sister

High Street

the park before you get to Little Creatures

Little Creatures

Fishing Boat Harbour

South Freo-La Vespa Cafe

the staple 'no worries' van of South Terrace

Lucy in the sky...

Today my friend Leah and I headed into Freo for some parasailing, and luckily the weather cooperated! Though it was a bit chilly, about 65 degrees, the sun was out and it was a clear, calm day to be on the water. Although our parasailing ride was only about 10-15 minutes, we were on the boat for about an hour and a half. It was the first time I've been on a boat out in the Perth area and that alone would have made for a great trip. We decided to do the tandem parasail as a way to save a little money and have someone to share the experience with.

smooth sailing

lucy in the sky...

We decided to take a disposable camera up with us and grab some shots of the surrounding area, and ourselves of course. We couldn't see quite as far inland into Freo as we thought we would be able to, but the views of the ocean were amazing.

looking out to sea

looking back to Freo

It was a fun little trip, and yet another thing that can get checked off my to-do list! We spent the rest of the day, while waiting for our photos to get developed, at Little Creatures just soaking up the sun and writing postcards. Another great Saturday afternoon in Freo!

Yesterday the CIEE study abroad group headed out to Yanchep National Park for the Aboriginal Experience tour. We were shown some of the native plants and their uses, weapons and how they are made, learned a dance, and got a didgeridoo performance.

The park is on a lake and there is ample room to spread out and have a picnic on the grassy area around the lake. We brought all the supplies to have, what will probably be my last, barbi.

views of the lake

After the barbi we went on a tour of the crystal caves, and seeing as how I love caves, this was probably the highlight of the day for me.

The caves used to have water in them, as most caves do and require water for their formation. But because of the drought-like conditions over the last 20 years, the huge population growth in the Perth area, and just a general increase in water usage....there is no water here. The water issue is a pretty big one here, but there aren't usually such apparent signs of how much of a crisis it is. I don't think I've ever been in a cave where they have had to pump some water in both for the tourists, but also to support an endangered species of amphipod that requires water to live in the cave.

This last set of photos was taken of the same area in the cave, where the roof gets much lower to the ground really quickly. We were only allowed to get so close, but they showed us the view with two different lighting effects. The one on the left uses more energy efficient lighting that also doesn't produce as much heat, and the one on the right is the standard lighting found throughout the rest of the cave.

The study abroad diet

Forget the Tim Tams. Forget the Toblerone you can get out of a vending machine. Forget the fake soy ice cream. This these last few weeks (read: semester) have been all about the real food finds. From cafes in Freo to restaurants in Subi to my very own kitchen.

Last Saturday afternoon I found myself in Subi, the super posh district of Perth, on a hunt for some dinner with some friends. Should we try that great pizza place? Or the gourmet burger restaurant? Wait?? No one's been to Nando's yet?

late afternoon and the livin's easy

Nando's is that upscale type of fast food you would only expect to find in a place like Subi. The chicken is marinated for 24 hours before being cooked when you order it and the fries are so good you know they can only come from a fast food joint. And my 'chicken meal' (so fast food) came with a Coke, quite the luxury out here.

But a big dinner on a late Saturday afternoon was well deserved that day. We had to make our way out to the Subi Oval for another footy game, nearly bake in the stands on one of the last hot days of the year (don't you love that though? when you're just getting used to the fall weather, with its crisp, cool days, and then all of a sudden it feels like summer again?) and cheer on our team to victory.

the perfect day for footy

A couple of weeks earlier I headed into Freo to do some studying at a cafe right on the main tourist drag of the town. Hush Espresso was surprisingly hard to find-maybe the Subway next door hid it? It somehow manages to get tucked away in one the busiest streets of Freo and is a great little study oasis. And their all day breakfast menu is just what you need to get through your readings on seagrasses that week.

yeah, the banana nut waffles were great, but see the books??

And sometimes the food adventures happen at home, too. One of my flatmates and I have both been baking a lot more these past few weeks, after realizing that our oven isn't so horrible after all. Sure, the temperature is never constant, or even guessable, and the gas flames in back tend to die out sporadically, but it is capable of making muffins. But, when the oven fails to impress, there is always chocolate mousse. My flatmate made this one, not me, but was kind enough to share the love and it was the best mousse I've ever had. And I've had plenty of chocolate mousse to compare. Maybe it had something to do with the block of Cadbury chocolate she used to make it?

But not everything has to be about sugars and sweets. My other flatmate has turned our walkway/awkward patio into a garden. And the basil was finally harvested last week, just in time for my homemade hummus kick.

distance from farm to plate of less than 30 meters?

And today I headed to another cafe, which has become my favorite one out here, to get some homework done and to cuddle up with some hot chocolate on this rainy day.

eclectic, homey, and just plain comfortable

I've passed Wild Poppy heaps of times on the bus into Freo all semester and have just now discovered how great it is. They have free Wifi, which is quite the find out here, and a combination of tables and super comfy couches/rocking chairs. The first time I went I felt more productive than I had all semester, and it felt great!

So I headed back today with the friend who recommended it to me in the first place, but got distracted by my new favorite magazine (of which they have the last 3 issues) and just people watching on a rainy day in Freo. As soon as the weather shows any signs of cooling down and raining, out come the closed toed shoes and wool sweaters! And the so-chic-you-know-they-never-get-used umbrellas that everyone totes around. The change in weather was nice, but can it clear up for the weekend please? I have some parasailing to do on Saturday!

T-minus one month....

I have just about one month left here in Perth. Actually, make that one month to do the day. It's crazy to think that I've been here for three months already and that the semester is already winding down. I think everyone is feeling the time crunch now and trying to pack in as much as possible over the weekend. At points it can feel like there isn't enough to keep you busy and that you've seen everything, and at other points it seems like there are just some things that will slip through the cracks.
So these last couple of weekends, and assorted school days, have been packed full of activities. Everything from visiting the Maritime Museum in Freo to another King's Park visit (this time during normal hours). All were things on my to-do list before leaving Perth, but just as I crossed these off I was adding more things to the list.

Maritime Museum

walkway at King's Park

view of Perth CBD during the day

One of the things that I've wanted to check out all semester was AQWA-the Aquarium of Western Australia. Our study abroad group has a few activities planned throughout the semester to show us around Perth, and we headed over to AQWA this afternoon. It's a great aquarium that focuses solely on the coastlines of Western Australia. And after taking a marine biology class out here, I can assure you that this coastline is amazing. You follow a loop throughout the aquarium, moving from southern Australia up north along the coast. It's a great showcase of all things local and how diverse the 12,000 km coastline is.

I found Dory

some tame looking jellies

One of the features of the aquarium is Shipwreck Coast, Australia's largest walk through aquarium. You walk (or get on the moving sidewalk) through a tunnel where you can get up close and personal with sharks, stingrays, turtles, and heaps of fish.

underwater tunnel

The rays were by far the coolest part-they were huge first of all (10 feet across??) and would just glide over the top of the tunnel, hovering above you. I kept thinking back to the first study break when we were at Ningaloo Reef and got to swim with a Manta Ray, and how this is as close as I'm going to get to that for a while.

walking with the rays?

There were sharks everywhere, and they too would swim right alongside you as you moved through the tunnel. We were lucky enough to go through the tunnel at the end of feeding time and so all the fish were out.

The rest of the aquarium was devoted to the Perth coast and farther north. Lots of coral exhibits, saltwater crocodiles, jellyfish, and octopus.

jellies

moray eels

corals galore

They even have a section devoted to all the poisonous/deadly marine life of WA, and I've finally been here long enough that they don't really phase me anymore. The 'Danger Zone' features blue-ringed octopi (thank god I never saw one of those, however), stonefish, coneshells, sea snakes, and the list goes on.

The rest of this weekend will be spent checking things off my to-do list. I have this weekend and next weekend, a 10 day study break, finals week, and then I'm off to Adelaide! Where has the time gone??