Happy as a Clam!

Written 16/07/13

Yesterday, I immersed myself in one of the world's seven natural wonders: The Great Barrier Reef! We sailed out on a boat called the Passions of Paradise. It was really choppy that day and I'll admit that I got pretty nauseous along with most of the other students in my group, but once I jumped into that 70 F water (21 C), I felt amazing! It was so much fun to levitate up and down with the rolling ocean. As you can imagine, I saw the most incredible fish! There was one the size of a door mat that I called a Barney Fish because it had the same purple and green colours as the dinosaur. I saw a butterfly fish that I could almost reach out and touch! And, of course, I found Nemo!

(Photo by Chelsi Kuebler)

Our next stop was a reef surrounding a sand bar that was a protected area for birds and sea turtles. There was a roped off area for snorkellers and divers. I have to admit that I wasn't feeling very well by the time we got to the second stop. I still felt a little crummy from being seasick, the wind had picked up and I was freezing. I wasn't sure if I wanted to snorkel much. I had to rally myself and say: "gosh darn it, I'm on the friggen Great Barrier Reef and I'm going to stay out there as long as I possibly can!" And man, did I see some amazing things!

There was a beautiful green sea turtle foraging in the sand and a manta ray gliding over the reef.



My favourite part was the giant clams! I saw one that my own father could fit in to. They reminded me of castles with a textured, stone grey shell. The inside seemed to be lined with purple velvet with emerald specks. The calm's mouth was like a velvet tower with opaque lips.

    

I even made it out to the bird sanctuary! It smelled awful, but it was so cool to see the birds hoovering overhead. I took my sweet time swimming back to the boat. I followed the canyons of reefs and stocked a few more funky fish. It wasn't until I saw a shipmate gesturing for us to come back to shore that I came in. I'll never forget that day! And I had better not, because the crew told us that the reef loses more colour every year. So watch what you're putting down the storm pipes!  

Crash Course: Australia

After about 24 hours of travelling, I landed in Cairns, Australia with the approximately fifty other students who used GlobaLinks Learning Abroad to set up our cultural exchange. We started off our orientation the next day with a crash course in Australia -- covering important historical events like when James Cook discovered Australia (1779), the Prime Minister's apology to the lost generation, the recent controversy over the change in prime minsters and that time Australia beat America in the World Cup.

Then we skipped off to the RainForeStation to get all the tourist stuff out of the way in one day! We took a tour through the rain forest in a duck boat. I saw a vine with nasty hooks jokingly called a waitawhile, because if you get caught in it, you'd have to wait a while for someone to release you, unless you want your skin ripped off. There was another plant that was like stinging nettle, except the nettles sting your nerve endings and the pain will reside for months!

After that, I got to hold a koala! It was like holding a fat, fuzzy baby. It was so cute and from the moment it was put into my arms, I couldn't stop smiling. We saw an aborigines dance and I learned how to throw a boomerang! You hold it straight out at one end with the curve facing outward and then you turn it one degree to the right. You throw your arm back like a baseball pitch and throw forward with a flick of the wrist on the release. I got it to curve around a bit! I might have to consider getting one as a souvenir before going home. 

The best part of the day was the wildlife exhibit. The zoos in Australia are awesome, because you can pet all the tame animals. I held a python! I used to think people who thought snakes are cute were crazy, but I sort of get where they're coming from. I pet some kangaroos and feed a wallaby! The wallabys were really sweet, because they perch their front paws on your hand as they eat from your palm. If you spent enough time with one, they could actually because really comfortable and lie down next to you! 

I also got to see (not touch) this massive crocodile called Jack the Ripper. He had eaten twelve of is girlfriends and it showed. When it snapped it's jaw, it made a sound like a gun shot!

I think that was the best first day in Australia I could ask for!         

Out on the Road

I'm really lucky that my dad isn't a weepy kind of guy.

We were standing at the entrance to the security line at the Oakland Airport and I was just staring at him like a lost lamb. My only thought was five months, five months, I'm not going to see my family for five months. 

I couldn't even allow myself to be scared when saying goodbye to my mom or else I might have sat down on the couch and refused to go. I just said a goodbye like another other -- as if I was just leaving for the store or a friend's house -- with a simple hug and kiss on her forehead.

All week I've been fighting the fear that I'm in way over my head -- that this trip was way too much for me to handle and that I had been spending more time day dreaming than actually planning. When I addressed my fears to my mom, she said:
"Do you know up from down?"
"Yes," I replied.
"Do you know right from wrong?"
"For the most part."
"Are you stupid?"
"No."
"Do you know where your mom is?"
"Yes."
"You'll be fine."

It was hard for me to remember that while standing petrified in front of my dad. Then he gave me his "be brave hug." He gave me a big hug and a squeeze to let me know he loves me and then quickly releases me with a pat on the back to let me know that I'm on my own. He reminded me that this is what I wanted, to expand my horizons.

One thought got me on the plane that day: you can't grow as a person while being in your comfort zone.