A Day in Paradise

Last night, I returned from a day in paradise, and it was WONDERFUL! As many of you know, there was quite a bit of question on whether or not we would even be able to go. Our plan was to leave for Heron Island (paradise) at 1am. In class, Gartonius (Prof. Garton) told us we may not be able to go because of a cyclone approaching fast. I immediately messaged Kati on facebook (Thank you Pops for having Kati online!) and asked her to get some believers praying for the situation. We all REALLY wanted to go. At 4:30 pm, we had a meeting to discuss options. He told us that we could postpone the visit, possibly, or we could cancel, or we could go and see what happens. He decided we should try for it! The storm had lessened a grade so the ferry was going to be running the next day. Thank you GOD!

So we left Tuesday early, early morning at 1am. After a little trouble with the first bus (we broke the baggage compartment door completely off – don’t ask how it happened – I have no idea), we started out. I had pj pants, a comfy t, and flip-flops – I was set! I slept all night – it was nice to get 6 hours of sleep! Then we arrived at Gladstone the next morning in time for the ferry.

We got on the ferry and were warned that the seas were going to be a little rough – uh huh, they were a little rough! I must say, the ferry ride was pretty exciting – I mean, not for the people losing their brekky – but for me, it was like a 2 hour rollercoaster! SWEET! (Thank you God for blessing me with a very stable stomach!) I spent most of the ferry ride on the top outside deck. There were 7 foot swells which we had to drive over, and they splashed up the 20some feet up to the top deck! I found a fun game where you hold onto the edge of the boat and then leap back when you see the big wave splashes coming for you. I stayed relatively dry :) I really enjoyed the wind against my face – I think my hair looked pretty crazy though – but whatever! Near the end of the ferry ride, God blessed me by showing me a sea turtle! He was lazily floating along as we zipped by him. A REAL SEA TURTLE!

Then we arrived…in paradise! It was beautiful – pictures can’t relay how beautiful it was! Heron Island is situated on a huge reef. The entire island can be traversed in less than a half-hour, but the reef is huge! The beaches were white sand and shell-covered, the waters green and blue, the sky clear with a few white puffs of cloud, the air clean and summery. And to top off the ambiance, there was a wrecked ship just offshore! They escorted us to the research center and assigned our rooms – 8 person bunks – no prob. Then we got our first catered meal – it was delicious! The catered food we ate there was so good! She made us fresh bread – fresh vegges – so good! Then we rented some snorkeling gear and tested out the gear. The water was pretty turbulent – the winds were beginning to pick up – so we decided to go on a reef walk. The reef walk was a sand path about knee height in the water through the reef surrounding the island. I went with Miranda and eventually met up with Drew and Katherine. We saw some fish and colorful corals, but the most exciting thing was the sting ray! We walked up to the sting ray to where we were about a foot from him! He didn’t sting us, so that was good ;)

After we returned, we had dinner – delicious again – and learned some disappointing news. The island was being evacuated the next day. Cyclone Ului was going to get to close to the island. Possible waves as high as 13 meters were projected to hit the island. Just to put that in perspective, the island’s highest elevation is only 4 meters! (For those who don’t know meters-feet, that’s 40 foot waves for a 12 foot high island!) Coming to terms with that, we decided we had to do all we could to make the most of our stay. So immediately following dinner, we went to the beach to look for baby sea turtles – we were told it was hatching season up through the middle of April. We enjoyed walking around the island, looking for turtles. From the dock, we saw HUGE adult turtles and a GIANT eagle ray! We were told not to shine our lights on the turtles because it’s not good for them (?) but we were able to make out the outline of the turtles. It is also possible that we shined a light on a few of the turtles so we could see them. They were awesome! (My brother’s favorite animal used to be the turtle, so I have a special place for turtles in my heart, and I’ve always wanted to see them in the wild.) I then crashed for the night.

Alarm went off at 5am. Sunrise time! We figured since we only had a day, we were going to a sunrise. I went with Jourdan and we met up with Charity, Aerin, and Allison at the beach. The sunrise was beautiful! The sky turned golden for about 10 minutes then faded, and figured that was the end – nice but not amazing. THEN…the real sunrise started and the sky started turning pink, and then pinker! The clouds turned a pinkish orange and then the sun emerged below the bottom level of clouds. It was beautiful. There were even the birds flying in the distance! Then Jourdan saw something in the water, so naturally I went to explore. I was dressed in my bathing suit, so I waded into the water. It was a cool ray/shark! We called it a flounder, but it wasn’t that. Then we saw about 6 other rays just resting in the water. We walked down the beach for a while, and saw two flocks of sting rays going towards each other. I thought they were going to duke it out but they didn’t :( Then it drizzled for a couple minutes and a rainbow appeared! But not just a rainbow – it was a layered rainbow with three full ranges of the colors! And it was almost complete! It was a very pretty sunrise.

After brekky, we grabbed our snorkel gear and made for the reef. We snorkeled for about an hour and a half. We saw LOTS of fishes! Then I chilled on the dock for a little and enjoyed the scenery. I saw another sea turtle – the laaast sea turtle. And then I went back for lunch and evacuation.

The boat ride back was fun – just like the ride over, except I got a little more wet. The news was waiting for us when we got off the boat. Several of my classmates were interviewed by the reporters and ended up on the news later that night! We also were in the paper the following morning! When we got to the bus, I changed into my pj’s again and threw on a comfy shirt. The busride was nice. We watched two movies and then I slept. We got back almost exactly 48 hours after we left. 24 hours traveling, 24 hours in paradise. It was well worth it! Our group is so thankful to have had the privilege of going! And we learned that you can volunteer, and stay for a day! If I ever come back to Oz, I am making a point to do this. The island is so worth it! Or if I’m a high roller – I’ll rent a hotel for the $400 it costs each night.

Cyclone Ului is projected to head towards northern Australia, sending big waves to Heron Island. Cyclone Tomas was right behind it and was a concern for my diving trip in Cairns, but it appears to have ‘changed’ it’s mind and turned to travel south east – away from Australia! Thanks God! I am believing for the cyclone to cause minimal disruption to the waters near Cairns so that the waters are clear for our trip. God has already done so much, a little more is no problem!

Conclusion: I am SUPER blessed!

Brekkie in Brissie

Brisbane is AWESOME! I'll just start there. And breakfast is awesome too! They have a pancake machine, and fresh fruit, and eggos that taste like waffle cones! De-lish!

I've now been here in Brissie (Brisbane) for a day and a half, and I am loving it. The sidewalks here are really wide and the city just feels really open. Our hotel is pimpin'! I'm rooming with just Drew (they don't have 3 person rooms, so Tomas has his own room). We each have a queen bed and we have a desk and flat screen TV. Only downside: no microwave. I guess that means more peanut butter and honey. oh darn! ;)

I've spent my first days here exploring. There's a mall really close and lots of stores around. We visited a few festivals yesterday because Brissie was celebrating St. Pattie's day - that which was pretty fun. I've also had to work on classwork quite a bit. Last night though was where the fun was at.

Last night, my friend Jay turned 23 at midnight. So we decided to celebrate! We bought him a chocolate chocolate cake and put candles in it. Sherry bought him a birthday boy pin for him to wear. Then we went clubbing, but not just clubbing - we went pub crawling! That was AWESOME! We visited 5 bars and had a blast. Jay got called up to the mic at one point because it was his birthday. Another of my friends, Joey, karaoke'd Sweet Home Alabama - which was hilarious! After clubbing we also hit up the casino! In NZ and Oz you can go to the casino once you're 18, so I tried my hand at the 2 cent slots! I failed. but I only wasted 3 dollars, so it was ok. Maybe I'll try blackjack sometime soon. I finished off the night by eating pb+h sandwiches with Charity and Aerin and talking for a while. It was a good night!

Last of Sydney...

Today was my last full day in Sydney, and I definitely packed in what I could! My biology class went on a field trip today to the Blue Mountains, pretty close to the Jenolan caves. We hiked for several miles and took records of the vegetation we saw. In addition to a whole bunch of Eucalyptus trees, we saw some sweet animals! The first was a giant black parrot with some splotches of yellow. It was about 2 feet long! We also saw some lyre birds playing by a river. Lyre birds, for those of you who don't know, are excellent imitators - they even imitate construction noises, like chainsaws! So that was pretty cool.

After we got back, we decided it was about time we try some traditional Aussie food. So we agreed on kangaroo. We ventured close to Darling Harbor (near where we saw Avatar) and found a place that cooks kangaroo. IT WAS DELICIOUS! Kangaroo is very lean, and a little tougher that beef steak, so I ordered it on the red side. Then we got ice cream - so good! - and headed over to Hyde Park.

In the first week of living in Sydney, Tomas mentioned finding some possums at Hyde Park and being able to even pet them! So I had to try it! And I did! I successfully petted no less than three possums this evening. They actually look kinda cute, not all mean and ugly like the ones in the US, but fuzzy and cuddly.

Tomorrow, I leave for Brissie (Brisbane) around 1pm and then for the Heron Island research center on Monday. Life is about to get pretty busy because I have a few assignments due Monday, but I am very pleased that I completed the things I really wanted to in Sydney! What I look forward to most in Brisbane: Pancakes and waffles - apparently the breakfast has hot pancakes and waffles! WhooHOO!

More than a movie...

So, tonight I saw Avatar, and it was amazing! Not only was it an amazing film (!), but I also saw it in the largest Imax in the world! The screen was huge! I sat in the fourth row, with 7 of my friends, and really felt like I was in the movie! The screen just fit in my 3D glasses - it was perfect! As to the movie itself, the scenery was beautiful and the plot was excellent! I definitely recommend it, though I think it is possible I saw the last 3D showing of it in theaters!

Just kidding - I mean, echidna-ing!

.

Last Saturday, was awesome! I now have a greater appreciation for Australia because today we left the city. IT felt so great to see mountains again! Charity, Katherine, Tomas, Allison, and I rented a car and drove to Jenolan Caves for a little caving adventure. It was so cool!

The morning started off a little off, because the car rental I had planned on fell through. But it’s all good, God had it covered. The very next car rental place I called said we could rent a car (day-of mind you) and get it for cheaper than we were planning! Thank you God! So we got the car and started driving to Jenolan caves. We drove across huge prairies and then over the Blue Mountains and arrived at Jenolan some 3 hours later. Four of us did the Plughole adventure caving. Tomas went on a cave tour. And we loved them both! The Plughole was pretty fun – not too crazy but exciting enough to definitely keep me entertained. Beyond that however, the caving was also a cultural experience. We caved with a French family – and when I say French, I mean they had to be visiting from France – the mom was the only one who spoke understandable English! And we also caved with a Czech girl. The French and the Czech hadn’t really done caving before – or at least that’s what I observed. But it was fun! And it was pretty cool to listen to the family talk in French. So yeah, it was fun. There was also an Aussie guy who thankfully took pictures of us in the cave, because we didn’t bring our cameras. He also told us of this spot where you can see kangaroos.

After we finished, we met back up with Tomas and explored the mountains around Jenolan. While walking around we saw the coolest little creature – an echidna. Echidnas are one of 3 remaining monotremes, which means they are mammals that lay eggs. Then we saw a kookaburra! After that, we ventured to the kangaroo place the Aussie told us about … and we saw about 10 kangaroos! AND we got to walk right up to them! But if you get within about 10 feet radius of them, they bounce away. (There is a slight possibility that I purposefully invaded one kangaroo’s bubble just to see him bounce away.) After that, we headed home having completed a wonderful day! My Australian experience would not have been the same if I had not seen kangaroos in the wild!

Extra! Extra! Read all about it!

So I just got a lot of extra - money that is! (Note to readers: You cannot deny that this is a answer to prayer from God!) As I wrote before, I have chosen to go on the scuba diving trip in March. Downside: it's a lot of money - about $850 to be exact. And $850 more than my budget allows. SO... I had a talk with God and said, "God, I really want to go on this trip, so if it seems good to you, I would like to go. Now I don't have the money, so I'll also need you to provide the money to do this. Thanks Pops!" I felt very at peace about going on the trip, so I gave the financial situation to God. I called up my dad and asked him to deposit $900 into my account, which he did five days ago. Now the cool part: Today, actually yesterday, my dad received an unexpected check from Georgia Tech ... for $1000! My dad told me just now and after looking into it, I found out that the GT Mechanical Engineering Department decided to grant me a $1000 scholarship on March 5! Note: That is the next day after my dad deposited the money into my account, the day after I asked God to take care of the situation! So, out of God's abundant grace, Georgia Tech has decided to fund my weekend trip to the Great Barrier Reef! WHOOHOOO! What an AWESOME God I have!

Seahorse or Sea horse?

I am OFFICIALLY scuba certified. Whohoo! And it was a LOT of fun! Friday (yesterday) we finished our course with Abyss Diving by diving 3 (THREE!) times at the reef we dived at last Friday. We saw so many cool things!

In our first dive, we saw whole schools of fish called Australian Mado. We also saw a nudibranch - which is hard to describe. And of course, we saw the big blue fish - the Eastern Blue Groper. (we saw him last friday.) And this time we brought food which he liked a lot! I guess it kinda looks like a slug - but not slimy - and beautifully colored. (My biology friends who read this blog will probably nail me for this poor description, but whatever - this is why I'm an engineer, not a biology major! Side note: today I saw a blue and red bird that looked like a parrot. Allison, who also saw it, laughed at that description. I think it was effective.) Anyway, that was pretty cool! We stayed underwater for 39 minutes at a depth of ~25 feet.

But the next dive was even cooler! We saw TWO Giant Cuddlefish! And TWO Old Wives (which are a fish named because they make all sorts of chatter when you annoy them - at least that's what i was told). And a long finned pike. And TWO Biscuit Stars (red and white star fish with the typical 5 legs). And we dived even deeper - to about 30 feet, and for 38 minutes!
The last dive was by far the coolest because we found even more stuff! We dived to a little over 30 feet for 48 minutes. (As you can see we are learning to conserve our air more effectively). We saw a really big star fish. He (She?) had 12 legs! And we saw a cute little yellow baby box fish, another nudibranch, a trunk fish, a red rock cod (pretty cool, I was looking right at him and didn't see him until the dive instructor nudged him so he would swim a little!), and a Crested Horn Shark! Yes, I dove with a shark! And I was only about 10 feet from him, but don't worry mom, he's not too dangerous ;) And to top it off, as I was swimming to shore, I saw a few jellyfish! very cool. On top of that, we saw a sea horse! A real sea horse - or rather a sea rocking horse! As we were swimming along our dive instructor started tugging on this rusted piece of something and turns it upright. It was a rocking horse - you know, like the thing you play on when you are 4 - yeah! I tried to sit on it, but it fell over.

That last dive wrapped up our training course. We got a packet filled with goodies, like a dive journal - to keep track of everything you see on your dives - and a dive chart - so you know how long you can stay under the water before your body becomes filled with too much nitrogen --> very helpful - and some other stuff. So far I have dived a total of 2 hours and 29 minutes!

However, by the end of this study abroad, that number will be a lot higher! I have decided to definitely do a weekend diving trip to Cairns. (I don't know if I mentioned it earlier.) I've been debating it for a week, and came up with my decision. It'll cost a bit of money, but for what I get to do, it's an AWESOME deal! On March 25, I am leaving with a group for Cairns, from which we will take a 3-day/2-night cruise to the Great Barrier Reef and go diving. We will live on board the ship (obviously) and do 10 dives - 2 of which are night dives! That will be AWESOME! I cannot wait!

Scuba Diving is quickly becoming a very fun hobby!