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| What I did as soon as I got home |
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| What we had to sit on for over 20 hours... |
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Day 10 June 17th 2011
This was our last traveling day of the trip so I was happy about that. We had to take three connecting flights from Cairns to Sydney, Sydney to LAX, and LAX to Chicago. Finally home! The plane rides were not bad but they were not fun. They took forever and I was super tired when I got home so I went right to bed as soon as I got home.
Day 9 June 16th 2011 Last Non-Traveling Day
Prompt: End of the Trip: Top Ten
Summary: Today we visited the rainforest and went to the town of Kuranda and got to explore around and eat at some cool places. We took a gondola ride over the rainforest which was awesome and also took the train out to the rainforest.
My top two are tied for the top 10
1. Alec taking us to watch the Rugby game. Alec took us to a palce to watch the state of origin Rugby game so we got to see what it was really like when Australian's watched Rugby and how they treated it within their culture.
2. Rangitoto College- It was so much fun to make friends with New Zealanders and see how much different they are from us in many ways.
3. Maori Village- In New Zealand we saw an awesome Maori village and saw what life was like for the natives and had an awesome tour guide to show us around.
4. Sydney- This city was a spectacular city and I fell in love as soon as I got there. Sydney made me think that maybe when I'm older it would be awesome to live here or anywhere else in Aussie.
5. Cairns- The city of Cairns was awesome and also inspired me to live here because it was so chill and the restaurant Outback Jack's was great which we went to two nights in a row.
6. Great Barrier Reef- The GBR was very cool obviously and is only far down on the list because there were so many other amazing things that we experienced on this trip so it was hard to make a list of everything.
7. Blue Mountains- Even though it was wet and foggy, it was still awesome to see all the waterfalls and different hiking trails, but unfortunately not the views.
8. Rotorua- Despite the smell, it was a cool town and it was nice to see the sulfur lake which was right outside of our hotel.
9. Ogoing- Ogoing was awesome and was unique because it originated in New Zealand. Rolling down a hill in a ball full of hot water with my friend Erik definitely deserves a spot on my top 10.
10. Pot Pies- Eating the delicious meat pies throughout the trip was awesome and they were delicious. It was nice because they had these pies at basically every cafe we went to.
Summary: Today we visited the rainforest and went to the town of Kuranda and got to explore around and eat at some cool places. We took a gondola ride over the rainforest which was awesome and also took the train out to the rainforest.
My top two are tied for the top 10
1. Alec taking us to watch the Rugby game. Alec took us to a palce to watch the state of origin Rugby game so we got to see what it was really like when Australian's watched Rugby and how they treated it within their culture.
2. Rangitoto College- It was so much fun to make friends with New Zealanders and see how much different they are from us in many ways.
3. Maori Village- In New Zealand we saw an awesome Maori village and saw what life was like for the natives and had an awesome tour guide to show us around.
4. Sydney- This city was a spectacular city and I fell in love as soon as I got there. Sydney made me think that maybe when I'm older it would be awesome to live here or anywhere else in Aussie.
5. Cairns- The city of Cairns was awesome and also inspired me to live here because it was so chill and the restaurant Outback Jack's was great which we went to two nights in a row.
6. Great Barrier Reef- The GBR was very cool obviously and is only far down on the list because there were so many other amazing things that we experienced on this trip so it was hard to make a list of everything.
7. Blue Mountains- Even though it was wet and foggy, it was still awesome to see all the waterfalls and different hiking trails, but unfortunately not the views.
8. Rotorua- Despite the smell, it was a cool town and it was nice to see the sulfur lake which was right outside of our hotel.
9. Ogoing- Ogoing was awesome and was unique because it originated in New Zealand. Rolling down a hill in a ball full of hot water with my friend Erik definitely deserves a spot on my top 10.
10. Pot Pies- Eating the delicious meat pies throughout the trip was awesome and they were delicious. It was nice because they had these pies at basically every cafe we went to.
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| Sydney: One of the Coolest Cities Ever |
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| Rugby game we watched in Aussie |
Day 8 June 15th 2011
Prompt: Summarize your day at the Great Barrier Reef
Going in today, I did not know what to expect. There are so many cool pictures and talk about the Great Barrier Reef so I had high expectations. I was very antsy on the boat ride out because I couldn't believe I was actually doing this and I just wanted to get into the water. As soon as I saw the reef and all the clear blue water, I was just in awe. I thought it was so cool to see this huge reef in the middle of the ocean just sitting there. The GBR is so popular and talked about a lot so I was so excited to be in the middle of it. I was one of the first ones to get into the reef and I was amazed once I got in. When I got in, I didn't care about the temperature of the water, I only cared about all the fish and coral I saw. As soon as i dove into the water there were some awesome blue fish with yellow tails and they were basically surrounding me. I then explored around in most of the shallow coral and was barely floating above it. On most of the oral beds, it was so shallow that I had to hover my body above the coral so I wouldn't knock into it or get any scrapes. It took a little bit to get used to breathing through the tube but after swimming around for a while I strapped my life jacket on to one of the rest stations and I started diving around and getting closer to the reef. There were a lot of cool rainbow colored fish that live within the coral and there were also these cool fish with basically needles on their foreheads. Once my life jacket was off, I dove to the bottom and touched the sand but it hurt my ears a tremendous amount. Even though it hurt and i got a mouthful of saltwater, it was very cool to be so close to the coral and all the other animals down there. It was such a surreal experience and it is hard to explain the beauty of the Great Barrier Reef. The only bad part about swimming around in the reef was that every once in a while I got a mouthful of saltwater, but I wasn't very worried about that. It was so cool how they had a roped off area for everyone so I knew exactly where to explore. I was hoping to see some sort of shark or turtle but i only saw a turtle when I was on the glass bottom boat tour. Mr. Schagrin and Mr. Ewen saw a shark so after that I wanted to find it so Caleb, Mason, Erik and I went in to find it but we didn't have any luck. After getting out for the final time we had the opportunity to feed the fish which was awesome. Overall, the GBR was quite the experience and is something I'll most likely never do again so I can cross that one off the bucket list.
Going in today, I did not know what to expect. There are so many cool pictures and talk about the Great Barrier Reef so I had high expectations. I was very antsy on the boat ride out because I couldn't believe I was actually doing this and I just wanted to get into the water. As soon as I saw the reef and all the clear blue water, I was just in awe. I thought it was so cool to see this huge reef in the middle of the ocean just sitting there. The GBR is so popular and talked about a lot so I was so excited to be in the middle of it. I was one of the first ones to get into the reef and I was amazed once I got in. When I got in, I didn't care about the temperature of the water, I only cared about all the fish and coral I saw. As soon as i dove into the water there were some awesome blue fish with yellow tails and they were basically surrounding me. I then explored around in most of the shallow coral and was barely floating above it. On most of the oral beds, it was so shallow that I had to hover my body above the coral so I wouldn't knock into it or get any scrapes. It took a little bit to get used to breathing through the tube but after swimming around for a while I strapped my life jacket on to one of the rest stations and I started diving around and getting closer to the reef. There were a lot of cool rainbow colored fish that live within the coral and there were also these cool fish with basically needles on their foreheads. Once my life jacket was off, I dove to the bottom and touched the sand but it hurt my ears a tremendous amount. Even though it hurt and i got a mouthful of saltwater, it was very cool to be so close to the coral and all the other animals down there. It was such a surreal experience and it is hard to explain the beauty of the Great Barrier Reef. The only bad part about swimming around in the reef was that every once in a while I got a mouthful of saltwater, but I wasn't very worried about that. It was so cool how they had a roped off area for everyone so I knew exactly where to explore. I was hoping to see some sort of shark or turtle but i only saw a turtle when I was on the glass bottom boat tour. Mr. Schagrin and Mr. Ewen saw a shark so after that I wanted to find it so Caleb, Mason, Erik and I went in to find it but we didn't have any luck. After getting out for the final time we had the opportunity to feed the fish which was awesome. Overall, the GBR was quite the experience and is something I'll most likely never do again so I can cross that one off the bucket list.
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| Fish hidden in the coral |
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| Great Barrier Reef and a Sea Turtle |
Day 7 June 14th 2011
Prompt: No Journal.
Summary of the Day:
This was the first day that we arrived in Cairns and we were all so excited to be there because it was the warmest part of the trip. It was nice to be out of the rain and in some nice 80 degree weather and sun. We were driven to the hotel and afterwards we went to some kind of pool/beach and got to chill out and get some lunch with our friends. It was a very chill day and later that day we were aloud to walk around and get dinner wherever we wanted which was fun. We went to a place which was called Outback Jack's which was really good and afterwards we all got some good sleep that night so we were all well rested and ready to go for the Great Barrier Reef the next day.
Summary of the Day:
This was the first day that we arrived in Cairns and we were all so excited to be there because it was the warmest part of the trip. It was nice to be out of the rain and in some nice 80 degree weather and sun. We were driven to the hotel and afterwards we went to some kind of pool/beach and got to chill out and get some lunch with our friends. It was a very chill day and later that day we were aloud to walk around and get dinner wherever we wanted which was fun. We went to a place which was called Outback Jack's which was really good and afterwards we all got some good sleep that night so we were all well rested and ready to go for the Great Barrier Reef the next day.
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| Restaurant we ate at |
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| Beautiful Cairns |
Day 6 June 13th 2011
Today was a long day, we visited the Sydney Tower, we went to the Opal store, we then took a tour of Sydney and also went on a harbor cruise. We ended the day by going to the wildlife center and then eating.
Prompt: Could I do this trip alone and what are my strengths as a traveler
This trip is very long and requires a lot of traveling so I don't believe I could do this alone, definitely not at my age. I think that if i was above eighteen and had everything planned out, I would be able to do it. I think they key to successful traveling is being organized and knowing exactly where to go. I am a well organized person but i think I would get lost because I have never been to these countries and I am still very young. As a traveler, I am very organized and never lose any of my belongings. I am also a very experienced traveler within the states and also internationally. Because of this, I feel like once I am a legal adult, I will be able to travel on trips like this alone or with some of my friends. However, I feel that now if I went somewhere in a different country, I would not know what to see but on this trip now we have Alec who is awesome to show us all the best places and that is a real help. Once iI am more educated and older I will be very interested in traveling to many different parts of the world either alone, with friends, or with family. I love traveling and meeting new people so I think if I traveled alone it would not be a problem as long as i went to the right places where I could meet new people. TRaveling with a tour group is always good but I feel that if I am not clearly dressed as a tourist I would be able to meet some new people and explore on my own. My main strengths as a traveler are mostly that I am very outgoing, organized, and love to explore different places.
Prompt: Could I do this trip alone and what are my strengths as a traveler
This trip is very long and requires a lot of traveling so I don't believe I could do this alone, definitely not at my age. I think that if i was above eighteen and had everything planned out, I would be able to do it. I think they key to successful traveling is being organized and knowing exactly where to go. I am a well organized person but i think I would get lost because I have never been to these countries and I am still very young. As a traveler, I am very organized and never lose any of my belongings. I am also a very experienced traveler within the states and also internationally. Because of this, I feel like once I am a legal adult, I will be able to travel on trips like this alone or with some of my friends. However, I feel that now if I went somewhere in a different country, I would not know what to see but on this trip now we have Alec who is awesome to show us all the best places and that is a real help. Once iI am more educated and older I will be very interested in traveling to many different parts of the world either alone, with friends, or with family. I love traveling and meeting new people so I think if I traveled alone it would not be a problem as long as i went to the right places where I could meet new people. TRaveling with a tour group is always good but I feel that if I am not clearly dressed as a tourist I would be able to meet some new people and explore on my own. My main strengths as a traveler are mostly that I am very outgoing, organized, and love to explore different places.
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| Traveling the globe |
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| Traveling alone, having the opportunity to explore |
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Day 5 June 12th 2011
Today Alec took us to some more view points and we also got a walking tour of the rocks. It was a cool place to be and there were so many spectacular views.
Prompt: Reflect on overall travel experience
Coming into this trip, I knew there was going to be a lot of traveling but I knew what was coming because I would say that I am an experienced traveler. There were many things that were easy for me while traveling but it can be narrowed down to 3. One easy thing that I got used to was passing through customs. Customs is not very hard if you know what to say which I do because I have traveled internationally before. Another thing that was easy for me was checking in and getting my boarding pass. I am an organized person so it was easy to check in because I knew where everything I needed was so I was quick and efficient. The easiest thing for me was passing through security which is always significantly easy. Having traveled multiple times with my family, I have learned the ways of traveling so going through security is a breeze. However, over the course of this trip I believe I have grown as a person because my mindset has changed. Seeing how simple traveling can be if one is organized, I now feel like it would be awesome to come back to Australia later in life with friends or family while it is summer time there. I also feel like later in life somewhere down the road, I will want to move somewhere out of the U.S.A., possibly somewhere in Europe, but especially Australia/New Zealand because this trip has been awesome.
Prompt: Reflect on overall travel experience
Coming into this trip, I knew there was going to be a lot of traveling but I knew what was coming because I would say that I am an experienced traveler. There were many things that were easy for me while traveling but it can be narrowed down to 3. One easy thing that I got used to was passing through customs. Customs is not very hard if you know what to say which I do because I have traveled internationally before. Another thing that was easy for me was checking in and getting my boarding pass. I am an organized person so it was easy to check in because I knew where everything I needed was so I was quick and efficient. The easiest thing for me was passing through security which is always significantly easy. Having traveled multiple times with my family, I have learned the ways of traveling so going through security is a breeze. However, over the course of this trip I believe I have grown as a person because my mindset has changed. Seeing how simple traveling can be if one is organized, I now feel like it would be awesome to come back to Australia later in life with friends or family while it is summer time there. I also feel like later in life somewhere down the road, I will want to move somewhere out of the U.S.A., possibly somewhere in Europe, but especially Australia/New Zealand because this trip has been awesome.
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| Airport Security, easy |
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| Airplane, how we mostly traveled |
Day 4 June 11th 2011
Today we arrived in Sydney and it was amazing. It was such a big clean city and we were taken to so many cool spots where we could see the Opera House and the bridge. We also went to one of the markets in Sydney.
Prompt: Sydney compared to other major cities
For expectations of Sydney, I knew that it was going to be a big city but I didn't know what it would be like in comparison to other cities such as Chicago and New York City. Because we live near Chicago, most cities seem like nothing because we always see Chicago which is one of the biggest cities in the world. Sydney is a very big city and is unique in its own ways compared to other cities. Sydney has a lot of unique buildings and structures that other cities do not have. However, in comparison to other cities such as Chicago and New York, they also have unique buildings such as the Sears Tower and the Empire State building and also the Opera house and that Sydney Bridge for Sydney. When we went to the top of the Sydney tower I was amazed at the view from all the way up there. It was very cool to be able to see all the different buildings of Sydney at once and we could also see the suburbs of Sydney. Walking around the city was quite the adventure because we were exposed to a lot of the town and got to see one of the parks which had a really cool fountain in the middle. Everything in Sydney is just so much bigger and it is much like any other big city in America because there is a lot of traffic, people, and places to see and visit such as different unique structures and buildings. It is also a lot different because I feel like it is much cleaner than the US and the people are nicer. Compared to New York City, Sydney is a lot smaller suburb wise and in general because NYC has more parts where there are suburbs and also has more sky scrapers. Sydney does have suburbs and buildings but just not as much. Sydney is a very big city and has so much to offer just like any big cities in America.
Prompt: Sydney compared to other major cities
For expectations of Sydney, I knew that it was going to be a big city but I didn't know what it would be like in comparison to other cities such as Chicago and New York City. Because we live near Chicago, most cities seem like nothing because we always see Chicago which is one of the biggest cities in the world. Sydney is a very big city and is unique in its own ways compared to other cities. Sydney has a lot of unique buildings and structures that other cities do not have. However, in comparison to other cities such as Chicago and New York, they also have unique buildings such as the Sears Tower and the Empire State building and also the Opera house and that Sydney Bridge for Sydney. When we went to the top of the Sydney tower I was amazed at the view from all the way up there. It was very cool to be able to see all the different buildings of Sydney at once and we could also see the suburbs of Sydney. Walking around the city was quite the adventure because we were exposed to a lot of the town and got to see one of the parks which had a really cool fountain in the middle. Everything in Sydney is just so much bigger and it is much like any other big city in America because there is a lot of traffic, people, and places to see and visit such as different unique structures and buildings. It is also a lot different because I feel like it is much cleaner than the US and the people are nicer. Compared to New York City, Sydney is a lot smaller suburb wise and in general because NYC has more parts where there are suburbs and also has more sky scrapers. Sydney does have suburbs and buildings but just not as much. Sydney is a very big city and has so much to offer just like any big cities in America.
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| Sydney Bridge |
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| Opera House |
Day 3 June 10th 2011
Prompt: Reflect on our day and the forest walk and also when we met the New Zealand students at Rangitoto
In the morning we woke up and we were all pretty tired. We were surprised by the rain and were all pretty upset that we had to deal with the rain. IT took a while but we eventually found the bus stop we had to go to and we took the bus to the only redwood forest in New Zealand. Walking around the forest, it was all wet and muddy but we toughed it out. Our group was sort of split up so it was kinda of a mess. The whole time we were walking rhe rain was coming down very hard. After the walk when we got back, all of our clothes were soaked but looking back on it I am glad that I went out in the rain because you only live once and I really experienced what difficult traveling like. Later in the evening, we got to visit a New Zealand school which was my my favorite part of the trip. I felt as though the trip to the school was very personal because I really connected and talked personally with a select few students and made great friendships with some kids such as a girl named Nicole (she told me to include her in the blog). Even though the visit was not very long, I miss the friends I made because they were so nice and informative. The people we talked to were very easy to make a conversation with which was awesome. I definitely want to stay in touch with the friends I made because they were so welcoming to me and taught me so much about their school, sports, social life, and anything else I asked about.
In the morning we woke up and we were all pretty tired. We were surprised by the rain and were all pretty upset that we had to deal with the rain. IT took a while but we eventually found the bus stop we had to go to and we took the bus to the only redwood forest in New Zealand. Walking around the forest, it was all wet and muddy but we toughed it out. Our group was sort of split up so it was kinda of a mess. The whole time we were walking rhe rain was coming down very hard. After the walk when we got back, all of our clothes were soaked but looking back on it I am glad that I went out in the rain because you only live once and I really experienced what difficult traveling like. Later in the evening, we got to visit a New Zealand school which was my my favorite part of the trip. I felt as though the trip to the school was very personal because I really connected and talked personally with a select few students and made great friendships with some kids such as a girl named Nicole (she told me to include her in the blog). Even though the visit was not very long, I miss the friends I made because they were so nice and informative. The people we talked to were very easy to make a conversation with which was awesome. I definitely want to stay in touch with the friends I made because they were so welcoming to me and taught me so much about their school, sports, social life, and anything else I asked about.
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| Awesome school we visited in Auckland |
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| New Zealand Redwoods |
Day 2 June 9th 2011
Prompt: What we experienced and learned about the Maori culture throughout the day
In the morning we visited a native Maori village which was very cool and gave us a great, thorough representation of their culture. We got to see exactly where the Maori people live and how they still represent their culture today. This village is exactly how they lived ages ago for the most part so it was cool to see. We received a very informative hands on tour and got to know more about the village from a man who lived there. Our tour guide was the coolest guy ever and we eventually got a picture with him doing the battle face. It was very nice meeting the tour guide because i felt as if i connected more with the culture and understood it better. Everything that the Maori did was so much different than us and it was so cool. Some examples were how they used the hot springs for so many things such as cooking most of their food and also bathing. The Maori are very resourceful with everything nature has to offer and we learned that during our tour. In the evening we visited the Agrodome and went Ogoing but that was not very cultural. Later in the evening we experienced a native Maori performance and got a full representation of their culture through song dance, and food. While eating the food we were allowed to get involved in the dance which was much more personal because we were learning a part of their culture. Today was a very culture filled day and we learned so much about the MAori tribe and received a better understanding of their culture.
In the morning we visited a native Maori village which was very cool and gave us a great, thorough representation of their culture. We got to see exactly where the Maori people live and how they still represent their culture today. This village is exactly how they lived ages ago for the most part so it was cool to see. We received a very informative hands on tour and got to know more about the village from a man who lived there. Our tour guide was the coolest guy ever and we eventually got a picture with him doing the battle face. It was very nice meeting the tour guide because i felt as if i connected more with the culture and understood it better. Everything that the Maori did was so much different than us and it was so cool. Some examples were how they used the hot springs for so many things such as cooking most of their food and also bathing. The Maori are very resourceful with everything nature has to offer and we learned that during our tour. In the evening we visited the Agrodome and went Ogoing but that was not very cultural. Later in the evening we experienced a native Maori performance and got a full representation of their culture through song dance, and food. While eating the food we were allowed to get involved in the dance which was much more personal because we were learning a part of their culture. Today was a very culture filled day and we learned so much about the MAori tribe and received a better understanding of their culture.
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| Hot springs that our tour guide showed us |
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| The face the Maori make while doing the Haka |
Day 1 June 8th 2011
First day we walked around Rotorua and went out to lunch. We were told some of the main things about the city and we also checked into our hotel and went to dinner at burger fuel.
Prompt: First Impressions of New Zealand and three culture shocks I experienced and also what I am excited for tomorrow
When we first started driving after we got out of customs, I just thought, there is so much green everywhere I look. At first, the country reminded me of Ireland because of all the different shades of green. My first impression was that everything was very spread out and nothing was cramped, it was more laid-back. I was also under the impression that things here are so much different such as how the energy is used in Rotorua. My first culture shock was that the people are very open and friendly and are willing to make conversation. One example was when I went into a shop and the owners started a conversation with us for about 15 minutes. Another major culture shock was driving on the left side of the road. I was so used to driving on the right side that it just didn't seem right to me. It will probably take a while to get used to, but it will happen eventually. My last culture shock was obviously getting used to the different currency. At some places I went to, I had to have the cashier help me pick of the right coins because New Zealand has coins for so many more amounts. Another thing that surprised me was the amount of diversity within the towns. There were people from all ethnicities in the towns and that was one thing I was unaware of. For tomorrow, I am very excited to explore more around Rotorua and have a full energy filled day of exploring. Specifically, I am excited for Ogoing because that is something that originated in NZ and is hard to find in America. I am also anxious to learn more fun facts about New Zealand culture and learn how everything we do ties in to what we learned in class.
Prompt: First Impressions of New Zealand and three culture shocks I experienced and also what I am excited for tomorrow
When we first started driving after we got out of customs, I just thought, there is so much green everywhere I look. At first, the country reminded me of Ireland because of all the different shades of green. My first impression was that everything was very spread out and nothing was cramped, it was more laid-back. I was also under the impression that things here are so much different such as how the energy is used in Rotorua. My first culture shock was that the people are very open and friendly and are willing to make conversation. One example was when I went into a shop and the owners started a conversation with us for about 15 minutes. Another major culture shock was driving on the left side of the road. I was so used to driving on the right side that it just didn't seem right to me. It will probably take a while to get used to, but it will happen eventually. My last culture shock was obviously getting used to the different currency. At some places I went to, I had to have the cashier help me pick of the right coins because New Zealand has coins for so many more amounts. Another thing that surprised me was the amount of diversity within the towns. There were people from all ethnicities in the towns and that was one thing I was unaware of. For tomorrow, I am very excited to explore more around Rotorua and have a full energy filled day of exploring. Specifically, I am excited for Ogoing because that is something that originated in NZ and is hard to find in America. I am also anxious to learn more fun facts about New Zealand culture and learn how everything we do ties in to what we learned in class.
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| New Zealand |
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| New Zealand currency |
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Food and Cuisine
1. From what we made in class today, there is a clear difference between the two countries cuisine's although many would think they would be very similar. Many of the New Zealand food we made was very sweet and contained more sweet ingredients such as butter, sugar, and other things such as chocolate chops, coconut, and vanilla. The Australian dishes were much more focused on other ingredients. Both the recipes included potatoes in the recipe, a vegetable, which is different from the New Zealand food which had no vegetables. The Australian food also called for more spices and seasoning.
2. I am excited and also nervous about trying new foods. I am nervous because if there is a restaurant we go to where they serve mostly native food that I have never tried, I will be nervous and not know what to get because when I order something that I don't know, I usually am nervous to eat it. However, I am also excited because I believe that these countries both have great food that I have never tried and I am excited to be exposed to this food and have an understanding of it.
2. I am excited and also nervous about trying new foods. I am nervous because if there is a restaurant we go to where they serve mostly native food that I have never tried, I will be nervous and not know what to get because when I order something that I don't know, I usually am nervous to eat it. However, I am also excited because I believe that these countries both have great food that I have never tried and I am excited to be exposed to this food and have an understanding of it.
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