How Ya Goin'?

Surprisingly, that typical Australian saying is not asking by which mode of transportation you plan to arrive at a destination, rather it's a greeting. So if someones asks you, "Howyagoin'?" (and yes, it sounds like one word when they say it), you now know how to respond.

So: "Howyagoin', America?"

I'm alive and well, safe in Newcastle. Classes started a couple weeks ago, and the semester is going by so quickly already! Newcastle is a quiet area and the university is set back from the center of town. This distance from town was a little unexpected and, after going to school in the heart of Boston for a few years, took a little bit of getting used to. But enough of that boring stuff!

My time in Cairns was AMAZING! **I do have to make an amendment to my last post, however: I told y'all that my orientation group was spending a day on the Gold Coast and the Great Barrier Reef. Well, this would be a little impossible to do from Cairns because Gold Coast is a city south of Brisbane (about 4-ish hours away by plane). Silly me and my American concept of distance in other countries!**  I found a place to stay my first night at Gilligan's Backpacker's Hotel, where I had my first Australian meal: Bolognese, which is meat sauce and macaroni noodles. Not entirely impressive, but hey, it was free. When I got back to my room (dorm style with eight beds), I slept from 7:30pm to 8:30am--jet lag is a killer! Once the week began it was full of:

White Water Rafting

After working at a Boy Scout camp with a High Adventure program for three years, I had to travel 5,000 miles to have my first white water rafting experience. I must say it's pretty cool! On this particular rapid, one raft before us completely flipped, and in another raft, one girl fell out and broke her arm. We were pretty proud of ourselves for covering it with no problems. In a couple calm areas, we all got out of the raft and floated down the river (one word of caution though, keep your feet up, and beware of sneaky rocks just waiting to come out of nowhere and leave you sitting sore for a couple days afterward). The hardest and most embarrassing part of the trip was trying to get back in the raft. There's really only one way to describe it: bob, bob, bob, tug on the life jacket, face in the tugger's crotch, and laughing hysterically as you try to maintain some dignity while flopping around like a fish in the bottom of the raft.

Aboriginal Dancing

We went to Rainforestation, a nature park in the mountains of Cairns. All week, our orientation leaders told us that if we got the opportunity to volunteer to do things, we shouldn't let them pass. Well, not wanting to let them down, when the dance leader asked for volunteers, my hand shot straight up. Little did I know, I'd be enrolled in a contest to see who could jiggle their thighs the fastest (not really, it was just to do a couple of dance moves, but they were basically what I described). The dances (minus volunteers) that the men did were actually really interesting. Like many native tribes, they used dance and music/song to describe events and happenings (like going on hunts or imitating a snake in the grass).

Kangaroo Petting

This was also at Rainforestation. I got to hold a Koala as well--strange fact, Koala's are not as soft as everyone thinks; their fur is actually really thick and coarse. Kangaroos, on the other hand, are really soft! However, a Kangaroo's meat is really tough, but kind of sweet (I know, I'm a terrible person).

and SCUBA Diving

I finally decided, once we were on the boat and speeding towards the reef, that I'd go ahead and try out the diving. The instructor-- in a sea-faring Aussie brogue--said, "Alrigh' the lotaya, there's gonna be two divin stops on this trip. The costa the firs' one is $70, and the costa the secon' is $45; an you can't do the firs' withou' the secon'." So, after a crash course in "SCUBA Diving 101", I was straped into the ridiculously bulky gear and jumped feet first into the Pacific Ocean. For some reason, I had a really hard time sinking, which in normal circumstances is a good thing; not so much for diving. . .We eventually got it all sorted out--let's call it, underwater problem solving. Apparently, SCUBA diving is all about balance.

Remember how I was so nervous about SCUBA diving and snorkeling in waters known to house sharks? Well, guess what we saw while skimming the ocean floor. That's right, a shark! Granted, it was just a Tawny Nurse Shark, but needless to say, I only did the first dive. I spent the rest of the time snorkeling and I think I liked that better because I could take my time and "lap it up" (another Aussie saying; means to live it up, or take it all in). But for the purposes of the blog, saying, "I went SCUBA diving on the Great Barrier Reef!" just sounds more awesome and adventurous, ay? ("ay"- a common Aussie way of turning a perfectly good statement into a question; not to be confused with "oi!", an awesome way of getting a person's attention; "yeah" may also be used for "ay")

*Does anyone see the awesome surprise in the top of the last photo? That pretty much made my life!*

All in all, I highly recommend Cairns (pronounced "cans"), Queensland as a must-visit-location in Australia. The weather was hot/humid, but gorgeous and the people we so chill and helpful. I'm planning a couple more trips soon, and will have to let you know how they stack up to Cairns. I'm thinking maybe Gold Coast (the real one, this time), Fiji, Sydney, Bali, and/or New Zealand. Any suggestions or tips on traveling to these particular places??

If there's anything in particular y'all want to know about Newcastle or Australia in general, let me know and I'll give you my thoughts/impressions. Until then, have a "G'day!"