The End

Well the end of my study abroad has actually come. I guess it really hit me when I was on the plane for Singapore, and I looked on the automated tv-map of where we were. It was tough saying goodbye to the friends I've made and the place I called home for 5 months. But, alas, all good things must come to an end. I hope you've enjoyed the blog, especially since it'll be closing in the coming weeks -- I don't need anything to come up in my records 20 years from now. I'll still have all the pictures on my flckr page, and can't wait to see all of you when I get home.

Signing off from Singapore,

Niles

Australia: My Favorites

With my departure from Australia looming, I have decided to post about my favorite things that I've found in this country so far. I'd like to start out by saying that I've had an incredible time that can't be matched by any experience I've had in my life thus far. I've experienced a lot, travelled four continents and studied in places as close as Knoxville and as far as the Australian Sunshine Coast. This semester while studying abroad I've been able to expand my world view and experience another way of life. Australia really isn't that different from the U.S. Other than the higher prices, bigger government, kangaroos, and accent, we are very similar. I have found that the U.S., UK, Canada, and Australia are fairly similar for countries that span three different continents and have quite different histories, but there are differences that set us apart, whether they are positive or negative is of personal preference. So enough of my philosophical life-changing dribble, let the list begin (in no particular order):

1. The People. I think my favorite aspect of Australia is the people. Australians are fun-loving people who seem to have a strong sense of Australian self-identity. even in the bigger cities, they are laid-back and inviting -- much reminiscent of the American south. They are always up for a party and are open to new friendships and people. I think these values could have a positive effect if espoused by our country. Full of life and yielding cutting wits, you can never get tired of Aussies.

2. Kangaroos. Kangaroos are a nice aspect too. In the US we have squirrels and deer. Here, there are kangaroos, lots of them. I have found it quite nice to see them while sitting on my back patio or on my walk to uni.

3. The Language. Sure, they speak English, but they have a very distinct style and different set of idioms and words. I like how Australian English is quite distinctive from other English-speaking countries and representative of the history Australia cherishes. The longer I've been here, the more I notice how American English, while different, doesn't offer much originality -- rather we are known for being loud and having no accent (or having an accent depending on where you're from). I wish we had a language that was more representative and exclusive to America.

4. Tim Tams. They are a tasty chocolate cookie filled with chocolate cream and dipped in melted chocolate. We really need these!

5. Natural Beauty. Australia has scenery that is unlike anything I've ever seen on Earth. When I went to Uluru seven years ago -- has it really been that long? -- I saw the beauty of the desert. These five months I've been here, I've seen the Great Ocean Road and the beautiful beaches of eastern Australia. The Great Ocean Road is one of the most beautiful lines of scenery I have ever gazed upon. The rock formations that sit in the middle of the ocean are breath-taking and the nature is like none I've ever seen. The beaches of the Sunshine Coast are pristine and have the air of a casual, island lifestyle I dearly love. You could never get tired of what you see here.

6. State Pride. I enjoy seeing people from Queensland who consider themselves Queenslanders, or those from Melbourne who see their distinction in being Victorians. There is a great state pride here, something we lack. You don't see a large segment of the population saying, "I'm a Virginian!" or "I'm a Michigander!" It just doesn't happen anymore, and I think it's quite positive on Australian national pride.

As you can see, other than the tim-tams and kangaroos, I've grown to enjoy the non-tangible aspects of this country. This is not to say I've had some great spiritual awakening and am now relinquishing all of my prized possessions, but I think this experience has been more important than "things". I like the "bigger" things Australia has to offer and will never come close to forgetting or duplicating the experience that I have had.

The Final Countdown

No, it's not the beginning of a trashy 80s big hair anthem, it's almost time for me to bid adieu (I'm not sure if the spelling is right, but I know Aunt Nella will be correcting that one) to the Sunshine Coast and Australia.

It's not that I haven't enjoyed my time here, but before I came I thoroughly researched the Sunshine Coast to ensure that I packed all provisions needed for such a difficult journey - almost on par with that of the pioneers moving west on the Oregon trail. And, by thorough research, I mean: I scanned the Wikipedia page the night before I was supposed to leave, in between mom nagging at me about how it was the 15th time she told me to start packing and dad telling me what kind of USC t-shirt he wanted, and decided that it was just like Vero Beach, Florida. Boy was I wrong. It got cold, real cold. And, by real cold I mean in the 60s (how am I able to survive such suffering?). Oh, and I only packed shorts, t-shirts and polos, and flip-flops.

I have just under three weeks until I get to enjoy the blistering heat of the swamp we call our nation's capital (Note: Washington, D.C. was a swamp before they built it, I'm definitely not making any type of parody about the current political situation).

I do miss everyone, and am excited about heading home to return to my American way of life and values of freedom, liberty, decadence, waste, and cheap crap made in China.

Oh, and before I head out, I was reminded about a few more Australian words that I left out in my previous post:

Brekky (n. Pronounced: breh-kee) = Breakfast, and no I definitely have yet to pick that one up yet.

Thong = Flip Flop -- In case you were wondering, yes, it is fairly awkward when you have to go to K-Mart and ask a middle aged woman where men's thongs are when one of your pairs breaks.

Heaps = Lots (but can also be interchanged with words like: so, very, totally, etc.) -- everything is heaps... Corky's tamales are heaps delicious. School work is heaps hard. I have heaps of things to do when I get back to the U.S. President Obama seems to be doing heaps about the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico!

Compare and Contrast

As of Thursday, May 20th, 11:25 PM, $1 AUD = $.0.8279 USD

So, since I haven't been updating my blog as of late I decided to put up a post. The main reason I haven't been updating is that I've pretty much not been experiencing anything that out of the ordinary recently, just hunkered down studying and enjoying the good life. This post is a little different though. This post is a comparison of the U.S. of A., land of the free, home of the brave, versus Australia. I've come to find a great many differences in the two countries, and when you read this you'll probably come to appreciate the United States more than ever.

Soda

United States: Three 12 Packs of Coke for $10 (Harris Teeter)
Australia: One 12 Pack of Coke = $24... One time I saw a really good deal! $13.99 for One whole pack!

Alcohol

United States: Fifth of cheap gin = $9
Australia: Fifth of cheapest gin possible = $40

United States: 24 Case of cheap beer = $15
Australia: 24 Case of cheapest beer = $50

Water

United States: Water is cheap (unless you live in Arlington, VA), there is no limit to how much you can use.
Australia: We get to use 200L per day. Now, this may see like a lot but, it is really only 50 gallons. This also may seem like a lot of water but, considering the average shower head pours out 6 gallons of water every minute means showers are short. Also, don't forget flushing the toilet, washing your hands, washing your dishes, brushing your teeth, and drinking during the day. If you go over the 200L mark, well let's just say you'll be receiving a nice bill in the mail with more than one '0' on the end of it.

Internet

United States: We get unlimited Internet to do whatever we want, whenever we want for the low monthly price of around $50.
Australia: We get 3GB for $40/month and then $10 for every GB over that. To give you an idea of what a GB means: The average person around the world uses 12GB per month (which means Americans probably use at least twice as much). But, we'll continue to use the 12GB as an example. This means to use 12GB of Internet you would have to pay about $130 per month. Yeah, this pretty much means you can only download/upload so many pictures per month, no YouTube, no streaming music, no online games, limited file download capacities.

Freedom of Speech

United States: Say whatever you want whenever you want. Except for 'Fire!' in a crowded theater, unless of course that theater is actually on fire... I think?
Australia: Well as a few Australians have said to me, "Yeah, you guys take that free speech thing too far." Hmm, yes, we have to much freedom!

Well, the end of my vacation.. err.. study abroad is fast approaching. I have a little over 5 weeks left until I come back to the States. Am I ready to leave Australia? No. Am I ready to see family and friends in the U.S. and be able to suckle on the teat of Lady Liberty's 24/7 convenient and unlimited lifestyle? Absolutely! Life is so hard, is it not?

Finally, I'm Back

Yes, I know, I haven't updated in a while. But, I do have good reason. I've been swamped with school work and I had to cut down over 600 photos I've taken since my last post. There are far too many pictures to put in here so I'll give you my Flickr URL so you can see them there. As for my trip, I'll give you a short Itinerary:

Day 1: Arrive in Melbourne. It was the first time I ever stayed in a hostel. It was the last time I'll ever stay in a hostel. When I walked in the first thing I asked was where the complementary toiletries were. Yes, I was out of my league.

Day 2-?: Wandering around Melbourne. We went up into the Eureka tower (which is the tallest tower in the Southern Hemisphere) and I did something called the "Edge." You get into an all glass box and they push you out over the edge. It was awesome. It was like standing on air. We also went to an Art Museum and on a boat tour of the city.

Next: We get off on our trip to the Great Ocean Road. It started at around 6am -- so I wasn't in the best mood ever -- and we went to a national park that had Kangaroos (which I was so glad to see because I hadn't seen any kangaroos yet) and Emu, and an Aboriginal Learning Center.

Next: We arrive at the cabins we are supposedly staying at which are quite nice. They have a TV, clean kitchen, nice furniture, I was pleased because they didn't have the feel of a hostel. Well it turned out we had been dropped off at the wrong place and had to wait about 4 or 5 hours for our tour guide to find us and pick us up to take to the other place we were staying. This place was a cold hostel, but at least it had hot water.

Next: We are on the road again to a national park. Here we had to do a 2 mile hike up to the top of what I consider to be a mountain. I barely made it, and my lungs were on fire when I got to the top, but It was a pretty sweet view.

Next: We get on the great ocean road. We saw some amazing sights, which you can all see in the Flickr gallery. Stayed in a decent hostel. Finished Great Ocean Road, and then went back to Melbourne. Oh yeah, I almost forgot. I took a helicopter ride up and down the coast of the GOR, it was one of the coolest things I've ever done.

Back to Melbourne: We spent some more time in Melbourne and went to the Aquarium and Botanical Gardens. Then it was time to go home.

That was the very abridged version of my trip. It was great, and I'm still having an awesome time in Australia. I can't believe I have less than seven weeks left. I don't think I'm ready for the real world. Although, I am ready for 24-hour stores, conveinience, cheaper crap, and having a car.

I also came to the awful realization that I'll be a Graduate in less than a year. UT had graduations last week, so, the real world is fast approaching.

Here is the link for my photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/47131936@N02/

I'll try and get on a few more times before I head back to the good ole' US of A.

Cheers.

Fall Holiday

Well, starting Friday -- which was Thursday for you all -- I went on Fall holiday. In Australia we get two weeks, instead of the measly two days in the US. I will be traveling down to Melbourne tomorrow to go on a tour of the Great Ocean Road. I'll be doing extensive traveling and I'll be sure to take many pictures.

Week two will be filled with studying. I have two presentations and one assignment due the week I get back. I'll update when I get back from Melbourne!

Campus and more kangaroos

Chillin.

Whatchu talkin bout Willis?

The prestigeous unviersity I'm attending.

The library

I'm Still Alive

I haven't updated lately because I have been so unbelieveably immersed in my studies. And, there really isn't much to update at this point. I booked my spring (or fall) break trip and I'm travelling around the southern coast, also known as "the great ocean road."

It has been raining like mad here. I feel like my parents should get their money back because I'm supposed to be at the University of the Sunshine Coast. There was a period where it literally rained non-stop for over 48 hours. The past two weeks have been nothing but rain, they keep telling us that it will stop. God, I hope it does.

Classes are totally boring, but being here is awesome. I'll try and do more than just study so I can put up some updates haha.

America the Beautiful

It sure isn’t easy being an American! (Especially if you are one of the few and proud who worked for President George W. Bush) Although we are the biggest, best and most prosperous country in the world, most everyone else can’t stand us. While I’ve been in Australia, I’ve tried to be the best ambassador possible for our great nation. I’ve shown that we don’t all lack a basic knowledge of geography and international politics. I have also shown them that we are not all close minded ideologists who want to live in the dark ages. Unfortunately, there are still those who choose to believe that the United States is the “great Evil.”

I’ve made some unsavory commentary on my blog about people from other countries. Obviously, I love satire, and pretty much everything I’ve written in meant to be humorous. I realize that others may not interpret my words in the way in which I intended. If I have offended, I am sorry. If I made you laugh, I’m glad. I’m not one to beat around the bush and I always tell people that we shouldn’t take life to seriously because we all end up dead.

I will continue to believe that America is the bastion of hope for so many in this world, and that it remains the best. No non-American will make me feel differently. I love my country, but I also love this experience afforded to me. From now on, I’ll keep my blog a-political (unless, of course, I see something on Drudge that I cannot resist commenting on).

God Bless America, and here’s hoping I can still find a job after 4 years at UT and a lifetime of being outspoken!

I figured that today I'd teach everyone what I've learned (and retained) of the Australian language thus far. So here's a list of words, and what they really mean, in American!

G'day -- Hello, obviously. But, no one says it here.
Mate -- Friend, used all the time. It also replaces the words: dude, man, sir, and ma'am
Cheers/ Ta -- Thank You
Cheers/ No worries -- You're welcome
Cheers -- This word is actually quite versitile, it can be used to describe a good thing.

ex:

Australian: Hey Niles, I found out that Gin is half off!
Niles: CHEERS MATE!

Goon -- Boxed Wine
Pav -- Pavillion
Rubbish -- Trash
Service Station -- Gas Station
News Agency -- Convenience Store
Trolly -- Grocery Cart

Another phrase used in Australian is saying something is ____ as.

ex:

In American: It's cold as a witch's tit!
In Australian: It's cold as.

Makes no sense I know.

This is all I can remember for now, but there will be updates as I learn more of the lingo.

Cheers

Beach and Kangaroos

Sorry it's been a few days. I had a very busy weekend, filled with all kinds of activities relating to my educational endeavors. I was able to squeeze in a trip to the beach in between reading all my syllabi and pre-reading the textbooks. I also took some pictures of the kangaroos on campus. Yes, they live on our campus. They have claws that are as long as our fingers, and they just gave birth, so we definitely do not approach them. Enjoy!

Kondalilla National Park

Today on the Australian Hinterland Tour we went to two different parks. The first was Kondalilla National Park. The park is beautiful, but it was hotter than hell. It is part of the Australian Rainforest, and I was completely drenched. The falls were amazing. And the uphill climb... let's just say, I thought I was going to pass out from how many and how steep the steps were. We also had to spend more time looking at our feet than at the scenery, there was about 2 feet of path across, it was muddy, wet, rocky, and had drop offs -- and much of it had no railing. Here are a few pictures of what I got to see. (I'll be uploading pictures from the second park tomorrow).

This is from the top of the falls looking down.

The scenery here sucks doesn't it?

Picture Perfect Problems

First off, I would like to apologize for my diatribe against Canadians. I still think they are abnoxious, but I had been drinking a few "adult" beverages and have realized that cursing is terribly inappropriate, especially when you are trying to make a valid point. Sorry to everyone, that I stooped to the level of a Canadian.

Second, I know you are all looking forward to seeing pictures. Well, Australia is not America, and there are a few reasons why I have not uploaded any photos (other than the ones outside my apartment). First, I have been busy/partying so photos have taken a back seat. Second, Internet in Australia does not equal Internet in America. In the U.S., you pay $40 per month and do whatever the hell you want. Here, you pay $40 per month and get to do 3GB (gigabytes) worth of surfing. Those of you who are computer people know what I mean. For those of you who aren't, it means I can do e-mail, Facebook, and Drudge (aka. a video will max me out for the month). If I want another GB I have to pay $10.

Unfortunately, the 3G limit applies to uploads as well. At first I thought I could bypass this by going to the Uni (they call university here Uni) and uploading all I want on their servers. As it turns out, they have daily limits. So, unfortunately, I won't be able to post hundreds of photos (until I get to the end of the month and max out my usage).

This means, please don't send me e-mails with attachments, photos or video. I'm sure I'd love to see them, but I need to be able to get online so Mom and Dad know I haven't perished in a boxing match with a kangaroo.

In other news.... I am going on the Hinterland Bus Trip tomorrow which takes us to Kondalilla Falls. It is about a 2 hour walk through the Australian rain forest and at they end (they claim) you see the most beautiful waterfall on Earth. The picture of that will go up. The tour organizer also told me that I could go swimming. I said FTS (f*** that s***). Australia has crocs, 7 of the 10 most poisonous animals, and all kinds of other shit. I'm not swimming anywhere unless it is a pool with a fence around it that is small enough to get out of in a hurry.

I talked to Mom today and told her of all my exotic adventures. My biggest one being to the shopping mall in Mooloolaba. Moolooolaba is the closest "city" to Sippy Downs (where I'm living) and it actually has a great mall. The best part about it is the grocery store. I know, when I first got there and saw it I was like WTF, they have a grocery store in a mall?? But I'm not complaining because you can take a bus there, and when the closest one before that is a 20 minute walk, psh, unless they are selling Bud Light for $10 a case I ain't goin!

Well, I think that's long enough for today. I'm still having a great time and still haven't been bitten by any exotic animals/insects. At least, not yet. If you think you've seen a spider, think again. There is a fucking HUGE spider that lives on my patio. It's at least 4 inches long and has a huge stinger (I guess that's what you call it?). Then, today, some big hairy-ass spider came int he apartment because one of my friends didn't shut the door all the way. I wanted to kill it but the Aussie's said it didn't deserve to die. I decided to use her favorite cup to pick it up and throw it out - hahaha. Anyways, there are no bugs in the U.S., no in the U.S. I'd call them specks. Here the bugs are the size of small children. Enough rambling.

Cheers! (as they say down under)

We're not in Kansas anymore...

So, today we've been having a torrential down-pour of rain. Thank God. The heat has been blistering. Now, I love the heat, but even the Australians here say they can hardly bear it. It's been around 90+ degrees at 90%+ humidity. And there is no AC anywhere, except for classrooms on campus. This is not the Outback.

On a side note, I have found that the hardest barrier Americans have when studying abroad is conversion. People don't think about how much they use units of measurement. People go, oh its 28 degrees. What the hell? Trying to explain the standard units to people who live with metric and vice versa is difficult. Fortunately I found an application on my cell phone that does conversions.

I've been too busy to take pictures for the past couple days, but it is gorgeous here.

Another thing I've noticed about Australia, is that our American tag line "No rules, just right," is a farce. Don't get me wrong, I love it here, but it's a police state. The government levies high taxes (on everything) and the rules and regulations are endless. Then everyone from Europe says, oh it's so cheap and there is no government. I tell them psh, come to the United States, you would think it was anarchy!

Having fun on the sunshine coast while everyone is snowed in, in DC.

My Resort... err Student Housing

Here are a few pictures of the Resort I will be living in for the next 5 months...

The front of my apartment, thankfully we are on the bottom floor so I won't have to lug up a ton of groceries, or stumble up or down the stairs on a late night.

The pool area.

The babie... I think the landscaping is a tad shabby.

The University of the Sunshine Coast, or the view from my back yard.

I have lake front property, and I can't wait to dive in!

The Patio... it could have been bigger.

Finally Made It

Well, after the scare of whether or not I would make it out of DC, I have finally made it to the Sunshine Coast. I got in around 7:35pm on Friday which would have been around 2:35am eastern standard. There is a 15+ hour time difference, so most of the day I'll be in a totally different date from you.

My first flight from DC to LAX was fine. I spent the night in LA. Then...... came the neverending voyage. It was 20 hours from LAX to Singapore with a stop in Narita (Tokyo) on the way to re-fuel. I took some pics of the Singapore airport, probably the best in the world, and definitely the best I've ever been to.

(Yes, they had Mrs. Fields, and they were everywhere.)

After spending about 7 hours in the Singapore airport, which was desolate because it was from the hours 2am-9am, I bid adieu to Asia and got on the plane for Brisbane. Another 8 hours later I landed, and the stewardess announced it was Friday, February 12th. Needless to say, I was thouroughly confused. I had left LAX on Wednesday, then landed in Australia Friday. Whatever, I was there. Then I got into my apartment at 10pm. Of course the office was closed and the lights were all out. I remembered that I saw no hotels on my way in and I had no intention of dragging 4 bags to one anyway. I had no mode of communication. Then I saw the night-manager's room, knocked, and he showed me to my room.

Death Storm 2010

I am leaving for Los Angeles on Tuesday, then flying to Australia Wednesday, and won't arrive till Friday. But before I left, God decided he wanted me to endure Death Storm 2010. Two+ feet of snow. The sunshine coast keeps looking better!

If you want to see more pictures of Death Storm 2010 go to my Flickr at:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/47131936@N02/sets/72157623241109931/