Colgate Goes to Jervis Bay

This past weekend, the Colgate group went to Jervis Bay, which is about two hours south of Wollongong.  A retired professor from Sydney University led us on our trip down the coast and back.  In addition to sixteen Colgate students, our professor came with us, with his wife, daughter and son.  On Saturday morning at 8:00 a..m we headed off to Jervis Bay, first stopping at Kiama.  There is a famous blowhole in Kiama (water that shoots up through rocks near the coast) but we didn't go there; we walked along another part of the city that had beautiful rock ledges.  We walked along the cliffs for awhile and took pictures.

After leaving Kiama, we headed toward Jervis Bay.  There were several campsites at the nature reserve we stayed on.  We all helped to unpack the van and started setting up the tents and cooking dinner.  I was on tent duty; we had two six-person tents, one three-person tent, and four two-person tents.  For dinner, we had chicken shishkebabs and homemade macaroni and cheese.  Eric, one of my fellow Colgate students, directed the making of all meals (he was the one who cooked the dinner at my professor's house).  Everyone helped with something... whether it was getting the fire ready, cutting peppers, washing dishes, or gathering wood.  We also roasted "s'mores" on our make-shift fire (they didn't allow real campfires there, so we made one with the roasting pit).  I don't think they have graham crackers in Australia, so we used biscuits instead.  Biscuits here are like glorified crackers--much thicker and a littler more tasty.  By the time we finished eating and cleaning up dinner, it probably 7:00 p.m. or so and dark.  For a long time, we all sat around the picnic table and played group games like "mafia."  At night, so many nocturnal creatures came out!  We saw several possums, one with a baby on its back!  The next morning Eric made everyone breakfast--"eggs in a basket."  He cut holes in the middle of slices of bread, put it in a pan with some butter, and cracked an egg into the middle of the hole.  So good!  Claire, an avid outdoor camper, made a make-shift dutch oven and cooked a few homemade cinnamon/butter/brown sugar pastries.  Before leaving our campsite, several of us walked to the beach--Jervis Bay has the whitest sand in the world!  It was so beautiful... white sand and blue water for as far as you could see.  It was also near the beach that I had my first kangaroo sighting!  We saw two just laying in the bushes, so cute.   Their heads kind of look like deer heads, and the rest of their bodies are what you'd think a kangaroo looks like.  Like typical tourists, we took so many photos and videos of the tourists.  We also saw a wallaby, which looks very similar to a kangaroo (tail and large legs for jumping) but is darker in color and has a different looking face.  The wallaby we saw was pregnant; it's joey kept sticking its head out of its mother pouch! That's Australian wildlife right there for you.

We left Jervis Bay and headed home, driving through Kangaroo Valley.  We didn't actually see any kangaroos in Kangaroo Valley; we just ate lunch there.  We also stopped at a small nature reserve, where we walked on several trails and saw two waterfalls.

All in all, great weekend!  For some reason, this blog isn't letting me load any pictures or videos.  I have literally photo and video evidence of everything I wrote about in this blog!  Until I can figure this blog problem out, look for photos on my Facebook! (if you have one).

My Beautiful Uni

Last week I got a new camera!  Actually same model as my last one; it's the latest Sony Cyber Shot.  I brought my last Sony camera snowboarding and soon after that, the pictures started coming out horrible (i.e. coloring was off, lines appeared on the screen, etc.)  I thought moisture from the air or from the snow (when I fell a few times) ruined the camera, but apparently it was just getting old!

The first pictures I took with my camera were of uni.  The UOW campus is very beautiful... much different foliage than you see on the Colgate campus. 

This is a panoramic shot of one of the ponds on campus.  Whenever I need a break from doing work, I go to this spot, sit on one of the large rocks, and just think.

This is the same pond, but this picture more accurately reflects how still and beautiful the water is.

A small waterfall, or babbling creek, as us Colgaters like to say.

 One of the bridges on campus... adds a nice touch to the billowing ferns and palm trees.

This is the pathway I walk to get back to the bus stop.  So picturesque!  And so typical of Australian culture.  See that guy walking?  Yes, he does have a surf board in his hand, and yes, this is a common sight.  Australians love to surf... all the time.

Today, George's family came to pick up all his stuff from his room.  I saw his mom, dad, grandparents, and two sisters.  I can't imagine the grief they are feeling at this moment.  They were here for quite a few hours, but I could only walk past once because it was just too sad to watch.  Now George's room is really empty.  There is no physical evidence of George left on Campus East; he's only a memory now.  It's funny how physical objects bring comfort after someone has passed.  Maybe it's because they represent that person, and those objects are like strings, which attach you to the memory of that living, breathing person.  The absence of any sense of George is the saddest thing of all, because George was the one who brought life to this campus.  And now he's gone.  And it still doesn't feel real.

Here's to You, Curious George

Rest In Peace George Matchett



You always hear tragic stories of young people dying in freak accidents and you think "That'll never happen to me, or anyone I know."  Well that's what I thought until yesterday when one of my dear Australian friends, George, drowned at Fairy Meadow Beach in Fairy Meadow, Australia. This news came to my friends and I at approximately 1:00 p.m.; George had died earlier that day around 9:00 a.m.  There was a meeting at Campus East yesterday at 1:30 p.m. to let everyone know that one of its favorite students had passed away earlier that day.  Last night, at 7:30 p.m., around 350 Campus East students gathered on the beach to commemorate George's life.  We all lit candles and stared with dazed looks at the ocean, thinking how could such an awful thing happen to such a wonderful person.  Now to all reading this, you may be sharing in my grief that a young person died, because young people aren't supposed to die.  But George was much more than your run-of-mill college student, George was so much more.  He was unlike anyone I've ever met before.  To fully understand my sorrow, you need to know a little bit more about George. 

George was a Residential Advisor at Campus East, which meant he was always around campus during Orientation Week and the first few weeks of campus.  I met George my second night living in Campus East.  Not only did everyone know George because he was an RA, but he also had the best room location in all of campus.  He room faced the quad, which is surrounded by four of the main buildings.  He didn't have a window looking out on to the quad, rather a sliding glass door, accompanied by a nice cement patio.  My friends were talking to George, standing in the door way, as George was sitting at his desk on his computer.  Right from the start, I could tell he was one of the nicest blokes I'd ever met.  Being a resident in Campus East last year, George knew many Colgate students, many of whom I'm also friends with.  In the following five weeks after our first encounter, George never ceased to amaze me with how caring, generous, and welcoming he was.  George LITERALLY knew everyone on campus, well maybe two-thirds, by name.  He was able to remember so many people's name because he gave everyone a nick name, depending on what their first name was.  My nickname was "Erin Brokovich," my friend Megan had the nickname "Megan Fox," and so forth.  Every time I walked by George's room, "Hey Erin Brokovich!  How's it going?"  "I'm great George, how are you?"  "I'm good Erin, all the more better for seeing you."  Our nickname for George was "Curious George." Because, as George said, "I'm just so curious about everything."  George's patio was the hang out place for everyone.  No matter if you knew George or not, you were always welcome to have a chat with George and his friends (which was seemingly everyone) on his patio.  George and I talked alot about his most recent obsessions... meditation and tea.  George loved to meditate.  Last year, George said he was the wild guy on campus, always partying, always having a good time.  This year, in his words, he wanted "to just chill out more."  In an attempt to become more chill, or "so zen," George meditated in a class on Mondays and on the beach at the morning various times during the week.  Immediately after, he loved to have a swim, come back to his room, drink some tea (lemon and ginger was his favorite), and make ham and cheese toasties.  George was always offering things to people, like his tea, food, and beer.  All the time, George would invite me to have tea with him on his patio.  Actually, he invited everyone to drink tea with him on his patio.  A lover of Australian rugby and soccer, George could also be caught in the TV room on campus watching sport.  He was also the type of guy who would come home from uni at around 4:00 p.m. but get caught up talking to people so much he wouldn't make it to dinner until 8:00 p.m.  Such a sincere person, really interested in talking to everyone around him. 

In the five weeks I knew George, he taught me so much, not just about Australia, but about life in general.  One of George's first pieces of advice to me was "Always be spontaneous Erin Brokovich.  You only live once."  George lived by that rule, and I will try my best to fulfill that advice while in Australia and when back in the U.S.  George also taught me to spend time with the people you care about.  If you're having a really good chat with someone, don't worry about going to class, you can get the notes from someone else.  George thrived off other people, gaining energy from the intimate bonds he formed with others.  One of my biggest regrets from the past five weeks was not meeting George on the beach the day before he died.  A few nights prior, we had promised to meet on the beach so we could watch the sun rise.  When I woke I saw he had texted me; he needed to push back the time that we met on the beach because he had a meeting that morning.  Overly consumed with work, I told him I wouldn't be able to make it any more because I had to go to uni.  I texted him "Can we reschedule for another time?"  If only I had taken the time to just talk with someone I cared about, someone I wanted to learn more about.  You hear in songs and movies, "You know, you or I could die tomorrow.  So don't wait too long."  Well I should have followed that advice and gone and spent time on the beach watching the sun rise with George.  Because now there's no rescheduling.  Never wait to spend time with others, because there may not be another time.  George also taught me there's no one that's not worth meeting.  Everyone has a story to share.  Lastly, George taught me to just be chill.  Don't sweat the small stuff, don't take life too seriously.

So now you might understand why the whole of Campus East is so upset over George's death.  It still doesn't seem real.  I walked by his porch earlier today and there was no one sitting there.  It was dark and there were several chairs empty, empty bottles, and a pair of George's flip flops sitting idly.  I wanted people to be there, to fulfill George's wishes of getting lots of people together to just have fun.  I would give anything to go back and just have one more chat with George.  George gave everything he had to others, and now I need to do the same.  My friend and I were talking about the reasons why God would have taken such a young life away, a life with so much promise in its future.  And my friend said to me, "Every one was sent to this Earth with a purpose.  And George fulfilled his purpose.  He inspired other people.  And now he's in a better place, looking over all of us." 

There's no more George sitting on his patio, inviting me to drink tea.  There's no more George inviting me to come meditate with him because he "reckons its the most awesome thing he's ever done."  There's no more George to tell me everything's going to be alright, that life works itself out.

But there was a George to teach me about the important things in life:  caring for and spending time with those you love and living life to the fullest.  Thank you, George Matchett, for being a part of my life.

Spiders, Birds, and Possums, Oh My!

I haven't written about the wildlife around campus yet which is surprising because it's so different than the U.S.!  For starters, the birds around campus are so beautiful... but also so loud.  There are Kookaburra's, Magpie's, Rainbow Lorikeet's, and Australian Crows.  Almost every morning, Australian crows wake me up.  They sound very similar to a dying baby, a dying cat, or a dying sheep.  Listen for yourself:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPsIu9y_wuE

Magpie

Kookaburra

Rainbow Lorikeet

Australian Crow

The spiders around Australia aren't annoying; they're scary!  A lot of people here are petrified of spiders and at first I didn't know why.  But then, within a week's time span, there were two huge spiders in our common room!  Spiders here different from back home--they're huge and hairy.  I'm not really afraid of spiders.. but these ones are terrifying.  And, you don't know which ones are poisonous, so you always have to be careful around them.  So the other night when there was a spider right outside my window, I almost freaked out.  Watch below : )



About a week and a half ago my friends and I also saw an Australian possum.  It looked like a mix between a raccoon and a woodchuck.  When my friend Mike made noises to catch its attention, it literally started running for us.  That was the last time we'd ever call a possum.

I have yet to see a kangaroo or a koala bear. However, this weekend I'm going to Jervis Bay with my Colgate group.  Jervis Bay is one of the really well known beaches on the southeast coast of Australia.  We're going dolphin watching on Saturday and then to a nature reserve of Sunday... where we've been informed there's many kangaroos!

I also got a new camera today, which is awesome because now I can take still-photos.  I took my camera with me when I was snowboarding about two months ago and it's been acting funny ever since.  The pictures started turning weird colors; I thought it was because of moisture that got in the lens.  Come to find out, once you've had a camera for 3 or 4 years (I've had mine for 4) the sensor starts to go and you're left with purple pictures and pictures with lines across the middle.  So yay!  New Sony camera to take lots of pictures with.

Destination: Blue Mountains

Today, a few of my friends and I went to the Blue Mountains, a famous mountain range about three hours away from Wollongong.  We took a cab to uni at 7:00 a.m. and boarded the bus to the mountains at 7:30 a.m.  First, we first stopped at Nepean River, which borders the Blue Mountains.  We eventually arrived at the Blue Mountains around 11:00 a.m.  Fun fact:  The highest point of the mountain region is 1,190 meters and is dissected by gorges which are up to 700 meters deep.  We took a railway car down to the forest, deep in to a gorge.  After arriving on the forest floor, we walked along several boardwalks to see different parts of the forest.  We took a cable car back up to the top of the mountain, where our buses were parked.  Following this, we drove to Katoomba, where we could see the "Three Sisters," one of the most well-known areas of the Blue Mountain region.  According to Indigenous Australian legend, "There sisters fell in love with three men from a neighbouring tribe, but marriage was forbidden by tribal law. Battle ensued, and the sisters were turned to stone by an elder to protect them, but he was killed in the fighting and no one else could turn them back."  This story is part of Aboriginal Australians' spiritual beliefs regarding the "Dreamtime."  The Dreaming is a collection of traditions, comprised of songs, ceremonies, and stories, that describe the creation of the world and correct human behavior in relation to each other and nature. Because it was raining all day, a fog covered our entire view of the Three Sisters rock formation.

This is a picture of the Three Sisters.  Too bad the fog prevented me from seeing such a beautiful site!

These birds, cockatoos, are everywhere in Australia!  In the U.S., I've only seen them in pet stores.  When we were waiting for the railway car, we saw these birds feeding on a nearby post.

This is the ride in the railway car down through the gorge, to the forest floor.  The first half of the video is pretty dark because we were going through a rock tunnel.  The railway car was probably driving down at a 70 degree angle--felt like I was on a roller coaster in the middle of the forest.

In this video, we are walking through the rain forest.  We accidentally went off the main trail; nothing like walking on the less-traveled path!



The Gap Year: Australian Educational Phemonena

After repeated discussions with my Australian friends about their high school and uni experiences, I've come to realize that many students here take a gap year in between graduating high school and going to uni.  In the U.S., where going to college right out of high school is normal, the opposite goes for Australia.  Almost all young adults here take a year off to travel and work.  Many work for 6 or 9 months and travel the remaining months of the year.  Some work in Australia, in the town they grew up in, and some go as far away as Europe to work.  If Australian students work for 19 months, 30 hours a week, the government will give them $500 every two weeks after they enroll uni.  So, essentially, they're getting paid to go to uni!  Also, school here costs about $5,000 per session (or semester as we say).


About two weeks ago, I was trying to think of ways to make my blog more interesting.  What would make people want to read my blog?  What do people want to read about/know?  Also, what am I interested in?  What do I want to learn about? 


This past Christmas, I received a video camera for Christmas... to "document my time spent in Australia, as well as all the other countries I'm going to visit."  In light of all this information, I've decided to start a video project documenting Australian students' experiences during their gap year.  I have a good idea of questions I'll ask each student, but I don't know exact questions yet.  Almost daily, I plan on updating my blog with a new story about what a student has done during their gap year.  I get to learn about this "gap year phenomena" and you get to listen to Aussie's and learn about Australian culture!


I wish there was more incentive, or it was more "normal" for American students to take a gap year.  Many of the Australian students I've spoken to are so cultured because they've been all over the world (not only does the upper class do this, but the middle class as well).  Are Australians better suited to become global leaders in this age of globalization?  To quote Thomas Friedman (you should look into his books and NY Times articles), more people than ever before can "connect and collaborate."  Connection and collaboration between people of different countries and cultures is contributing to an ever-increasing globalized society, a society in which cross-cultural connection and understanding is made easy and is encouraged.


I have to go to class but remember to check back for upcoming videos!

Random Thoughts on Australian Culture

There are so many interesting aspects of Australian culture I keep forgeting to post about!


For one, it is completely acceptable for people not to wear shoes.  Most public places require shoes for entry, but it isn't uncommon to see some bloke walking around uni with no shoes on.  It may be a product of a life lived on the beach, but who knows.  Men also wear their shorts very short, slightly above the knee.  Surfers can often be caught wearing their "boardies" (or bathsing suits) around campus and uni.  On top, guys usually wear loose fitting tank tops, or "singlets."  Regarding hairstyle, a lot of young men have a sort of psuedo-fohawk, except much shorter on the sides and much longer on the top (than how Ryan Seacrest used to rock it).


As for women, beachy hair and jean shorts all the way.  There's no set style for Australian women that I've noticed, but many wear loose fitting tops and comfortable shoes.

All school students, as in elementary and high school (there is no such thing as middle school), wear uniforms to school.  Every day when I get on the free Wollongong shuttle, there are school students on the way to school.  The uniforms look very similar to what a Catholic school uniform in the U.S. looks like--white collared shirt with skirt or shorts. 

All the money in Australia is very brightly colored and each monetary value is a different color.  There are also $2 and $1 coins; unexpectadly, the $2 coins are much smaller than the $1 coins.  Australian money is just called the "Australian dollar."  No fancy name like the "Euro."