Friday, February 20th, 2015 at 2:19pm
Hey peoples!
I found animals!!! Today I went with the JCU student association to the Billabong Sanctuary! I got to pet a wombat, and a koala and a grey kangaroo. I also held a very large snake (really proud of myself for that, not gonna lie) and a baby crocodile. The sanctuary is really freaking awesome! There are so many wild birds running around and the kangaroos are just hanging out as well. One of them had a joey in their pouch! There was also a dingo, some emus and many very large crocodiles (all of those had their own enclosures). I was kinda sad because we weren't able to hold the koala because our group was to big so I'm most definitely going back so I can hold a koala. This WILL be a thing! :) I saw that they have a lot of hands-on volunteer opportunities so I'm considering maybe trying to volunteer there. I found out that the clubs I was interested aren't here anymore so I'm looking for either volunteer or research opportunities to get involved.
Last night I went with my hall to one of those giant trampoline places. That was fun and I was glad they finally hosted an event that was alcohol free. I also rode in my first Australian car. It was so weird! (before we were in tour buses so it didn't seem all that different) Then afterwards I caught the end of the campus wide party and got to watch some fire dancers. One of the guys had sparklers on the end of his twirling chains instead of fireballs and that was really really cool.
Other than that it's been really really freaking hot out the past two days. Ugh. But hey, the hurricane missed us so I'm not complaining. I'm sad to say though that Brisbane apparently got nailed pretty bad this morning. It was supposed to hit kind of right in the middle between Townsville and Brisbane but apparently it moved much further south than anticipated. Hurricanes (or cyclones as they're called here) are definitely not something I'm used to dealing with on a normal basis.
Go check out my pics from the sanctuary today! The animals are so awesome! (says the zoology major) Later peoples!
Classes and Awesome Opportunities
Wednesday, February 18th, 2015 at 4:10pm
Hey peoples! I'm still wondering if anyone knows how to change the time zone on this thing. Leave me a comment if you do!
Hey peoples! I'm still wondering if anyone knows how to change the time zone on this thing. Leave me a comment if you do!
I'm working on my class schedule right now and
blocking off dates for all my fieldwork/field trips. Here's what I'm taking:
MB3210 Life History and Evolution of Reef Corals which
includes 24 hours of lectures, 36 hours of practicals and 16 hours
of fieldwork at the Orpheus Island Research Station (OMG!!!) from April 2nd-4th
or the 4th-6th.
An introduction to the biology of corals and physiological processes involved in building reefs. An overview of the life histories of sessile, modular organisms, incorporating current research findings with respect to reproductive strategies and early life histories, algal symbiosis, and the evolutionary biology of corals. Aspects of the functional morphology and physiology of corals will be explored in relation to major issues impacting coral reefs, particularly bleaching and disease. A 2 day field trip will include an introduction to the taxonomy of reef-building corals and to lab and field research methods for the study of reef corals.
An introduction to the biology of corals and physiological processes involved in building reefs. An overview of the life histories of sessile, modular organisms, incorporating current research findings with respect to reproductive strategies and early life histories, algal symbiosis, and the evolutionary biology of corals. Aspects of the functional morphology and physiology of corals will be explored in relation to major issues impacting coral reefs, particularly bleaching and disease. A 2 day field trip will include an introduction to the taxonomy of reef-building corals and to lab and field research methods for the study of reef corals.
MB3160 Evolution and Ecology of Reef Fishes which includes 26 hours of lectures, 24 hours of practicals and 29 hours of fieldwork/fieldtrips at ReefHQ (the local Great Barrier Reef Aquarium) on April 11th and Orpheus Island Research Station (again!!!!!!) from April 28th-May 1st.
The biology of coral reef fishes with an emphasis on species from reefs and adjacent waters of the Great Barrier Reef. The subject covers the ecology, morphology, systematics and evolution of coral reef fishes. Practical work includes a laboratory and field program that introduces functional morphology, ecology and field identification of coral reef fishes. This subject will also provide an introduction to laboratory and field research methods.
BZ2705 Australian Vertebrate Fauna which includes 26
hours of lectures and 24 hours of fieldwork at the Wambiana Cattle Station
from April 25th-27th.
The biogeography, evolution and contemporary diversity of terrestrial vertebrates and marine reptiles and mammals in Australia. Topics include geological and climate history of Australia; biogeographic regions of Australia, origins and evolution of the vertebrate fauna; behaviour, breeding and life histories of vertebrates in relation to the Australian environment.
The biogeography, evolution and contemporary diversity of terrestrial vertebrates and marine reptiles and mammals in Australia. Topics include geological and climate history of Australia; biogeographic regions of Australia, origins and evolution of the vertebrate fauna; behaviour, breeding and life histories of vertebrates in relation to the Australian environment.
EV3203 Conserving Marine Wildlife: Sea Mammals, Birds,
Reptiles which includes 25 hours of lectures, 24 hours of tutorials and 16
hours of fieldwork idk where yet.
Role of wildlife in marine systems; threatening processes, current and historical, impacting on marine wildlife; indigenous peoples use of marine wildlife, including management strategies; the theory and practice of the scientific study of populations or marine wildlife; the theoretical basis to, and practical application of, management practices to control human impacts on marine wildlife.
I didn't really realize how big of a deal this is until I got here. It is extremely difficult to get into the two MB courses and to be allowed to go to the Orpheus Island Research Center. Not to mention that I'm a study abroad student who was approved to take not one but both courses. It's so crazy the opportunities I have here! I also didn't realize that JCU is ranked in the top 4% of universities worldwide. I am so lucky and so blessed to be here. It's going to be a ton of work but the education and experiences I'm going to get out of it will be beyond compare.
I'm a little nervous about their grading policies. Every class only has one exam and that's the final exam. Each final exam is worth at least 50% (yikes!) but the good thing is that we get a week off of classes to prepare. Another sort of downside is that all of the fieldwork trips take up my long Easter weekend break and my week-long semester break which makes it harder for me to travel. I'm sill hoping to go to Sydney for a weekend and Brisbane as well if I can manage it. I was kind of hoping to spend the week-long semester break in New Zealand (since I'm here) but that's not going to work out because of the field work. But hey, I'll be having an awesome time doing research on the Great Barrier Reef so it's totally worth it!
Today they had market day which is where all the clubs and organizations have booths set up. I didn't find the ones I was looking for but I'm still planning on joining a hiking club and the marine biology/science club. I might even try my hand at scuba diving. I'm not sure if my ears will pressurize like they're supposed to though. Other than that I've just been going to all the O Week lessons to try and get ahead as much as possible. I don't want to be struggling to figure out how to use all the online class websites etc. I'll also have some new ideas on how to study for the classes here since the requirements are very different from the ones back home.
I think that's plenty for today. Later peoples!
Role of wildlife in marine systems; threatening processes, current and historical, impacting on marine wildlife; indigenous peoples use of marine wildlife, including management strategies; the theory and practice of the scientific study of populations or marine wildlife; the theoretical basis to, and practical application of, management practices to control human impacts on marine wildlife.
I didn't really realize how big of a deal this is until I got here. It is extremely difficult to get into the two MB courses and to be allowed to go to the Orpheus Island Research Center. Not to mention that I'm a study abroad student who was approved to take not one but both courses. It's so crazy the opportunities I have here! I also didn't realize that JCU is ranked in the top 4% of universities worldwide. I am so lucky and so blessed to be here. It's going to be a ton of work but the education and experiences I'm going to get out of it will be beyond compare.
I'm a little nervous about their grading policies. Every class only has one exam and that's the final exam. Each final exam is worth at least 50% (yikes!) but the good thing is that we get a week off of classes to prepare. Another sort of downside is that all of the fieldwork trips take up my long Easter weekend break and my week-long semester break which makes it harder for me to travel. I'm sill hoping to go to Sydney for a weekend and Brisbane as well if I can manage it. I was kind of hoping to spend the week-long semester break in New Zealand (since I'm here) but that's not going to work out because of the field work. But hey, I'll be having an awesome time doing research on the Great Barrier Reef so it's totally worth it!
Today they had market day which is where all the clubs and organizations have booths set up. I didn't find the ones I was looking for but I'm still planning on joining a hiking club and the marine biology/science club. I might even try my hand at scuba diving. I'm not sure if my ears will pressurize like they're supposed to though. Other than that I've just been going to all the O Week lessons to try and get ahead as much as possible. I don't want to be struggling to figure out how to use all the online class websites etc. I'll also have some new ideas on how to study for the classes here since the requirements are very different from the ones back home.
I think that's plenty for today. Later peoples!
Welcome to Townsville/JCU - Culture Shock
Monday, February 16th, 2015 at 10:10am
Hey peoples! Does anyone know how to set the timezone on my Google account? Cause it's not right. Also, if you haven't seen yet, on the right hand side of my page under my picture there is a URL that takes you to my photo album for this trip so go check it out!
So the first few days with Arcadia traveling around really I felt quite comfortable. I was a little uneasy the first day but that was mainly because I was so tired. And I was thinking while I was in Queenscliff and Melbourne that I would feel even more comfortable once I got onto campus. I mean, it's a university campus, how different could it be? Yeah. I was totally wrong. I got here on Saturday and we were taken to our rooms. I have my own room so I will not complain there. However, their standards for keeping the room in good condition are different than they are at Miami. The cork-board is really beaten up and has writing all over it, the two plaster walls have tape and leftover hooks and sticky tack left on them. The two brick walls have writing on them. The furniture is made out of wood and each piece has definitely taken a beating. When I got here they didn't give me my sheets for my bed and when I did get them (they were very awesome and helpful about getting them right away) the fitted sheet doesn't exactly fit. The lights are also kinda sketch, especially the one over my desk. All that being said though, I've settled in now and it doesn't bother me anymore. And the room is clean. In the end that's all that matters. Another thing I'm having to adjust to is that we have co-ed bathrooms. Yup. Guys and girls all use the same bathrooms and same showers. There's a stall for everything though so again, not too bad. I'm up on the 3rd floor so I get a nice breeze through my screen doors and there's a ceiling fan so the room stays a reasonable temperature. Most people leave their doors open too which creates really nice circulation throughout the building. A weird but cleaver feature is that my closet door which is on a rolling track slides all the way over to the door of my room and can be latched to the wall. This provides some privacy while still letting the air circulate through the room because the closet door is slatted. They also have intercoms in the dorm and its a little like Harry Potter in that our dorm (college) is against all the other colleges for the equivalent of the House Cup. We are the University Hall Dragon Slayers. Kinda bad ass on that front. The sun rises early here and every morning we hear all the topical birds singing. They're so pretty and colorful! One last thing that's going to be an adjustment is that we only have our dining hall. That's it. So we have to eat at specific times and we have like two meals to choose from. The food is eatable, not great but eatable. We are so freaking spoiled in the states.
Yesterday, Sunday, we got up at 6am to catch a cab and go down to The Strand and have breakfast. Basically The Strand is the coastal shops area. The breakfast was paid for by Arcadia so we got to have so much amazing food. So freaking good! I had the best chocolate milkshake ever (cause why not?) and chocolate chip pancakes which came with ice cream and caramelized bananas. After breakfast Gizmo (our Arcadia leader here) showed us around Townsville. Then we took the bus to the shopping mall to buy some supplies. After that, we returned to the dorm where we had to go make headbands with our names on them which we're required to wear anytime we're out of our rooms. The amount of glitter in my room right now from that headband.... But yeah it's a good way to get to know people. All the Australians have been super nice so far and many have already offered to take us places. They love showing new people around, it's part of their culture and I love it :)
As for today, Orientation Week started this morning. I don't have anything going on until 2pm though so I'm just taking it easy this morning and planning out my O Week schedule. Later peoples!
Hey peoples! Does anyone know how to set the timezone on my Google account? Cause it's not right. Also, if you haven't seen yet, on the right hand side of my page under my picture there is a URL that takes you to my photo album for this trip so go check it out!
So the first few days with Arcadia traveling around really I felt quite comfortable. I was a little uneasy the first day but that was mainly because I was so tired. And I was thinking while I was in Queenscliff and Melbourne that I would feel even more comfortable once I got onto campus. I mean, it's a university campus, how different could it be? Yeah. I was totally wrong. I got here on Saturday and we were taken to our rooms. I have my own room so I will not complain there. However, their standards for keeping the room in good condition are different than they are at Miami. The cork-board is really beaten up and has writing all over it, the two plaster walls have tape and leftover hooks and sticky tack left on them. The two brick walls have writing on them. The furniture is made out of wood and each piece has definitely taken a beating. When I got here they didn't give me my sheets for my bed and when I did get them (they were very awesome and helpful about getting them right away) the fitted sheet doesn't exactly fit. The lights are also kinda sketch, especially the one over my desk. All that being said though, I've settled in now and it doesn't bother me anymore. And the room is clean. In the end that's all that matters. Another thing I'm having to adjust to is that we have co-ed bathrooms. Yup. Guys and girls all use the same bathrooms and same showers. There's a stall for everything though so again, not too bad. I'm up on the 3rd floor so I get a nice breeze through my screen doors and there's a ceiling fan so the room stays a reasonable temperature. Most people leave their doors open too which creates really nice circulation throughout the building. A weird but cleaver feature is that my closet door which is on a rolling track slides all the way over to the door of my room and can be latched to the wall. This provides some privacy while still letting the air circulate through the room because the closet door is slatted. They also have intercoms in the dorm and its a little like Harry Potter in that our dorm (college) is against all the other colleges for the equivalent of the House Cup. We are the University Hall Dragon Slayers. Kinda bad ass on that front. The sun rises early here and every morning we hear all the topical birds singing. They're so pretty and colorful! One last thing that's going to be an adjustment is that we only have our dining hall. That's it. So we have to eat at specific times and we have like two meals to choose from. The food is eatable, not great but eatable. We are so freaking spoiled in the states.
Yesterday, Sunday, we got up at 6am to catch a cab and go down to The Strand and have breakfast. Basically The Strand is the coastal shops area. The breakfast was paid for by Arcadia so we got to have so much amazing food. So freaking good! I had the best chocolate milkshake ever (cause why not?) and chocolate chip pancakes which came with ice cream and caramelized bananas. After breakfast Gizmo (our Arcadia leader here) showed us around Townsville. Then we took the bus to the shopping mall to buy some supplies. After that, we returned to the dorm where we had to go make headbands with our names on them which we're required to wear anytime we're out of our rooms. The amount of glitter in my room right now from that headband.... But yeah it's a good way to get to know people. All the Australians have been super nice so far and many have already offered to take us places. They love showing new people around, it's part of their culture and I love it :)
As for today, Orientation Week started this morning. I don't have anything going on until 2pm though so I'm just taking it easy this morning and planning out my O Week schedule. Later peoples!
Welcome to Melbourne!
Saturday, February 14th, 2015
Hey peoples!
Hey peoples!
I wrote this blog yesterday, the 13th but then was too lazy
to go downstairs to connect to the free wifi in order to post it. I am currently
sitting in the Melbourne airport waiting to fly to Brisbane and then Townsville.
P.S. Happy Valentine’s Day!
Friday, February 13th, 2015
Today we finished up our lessons in Queenscliff and then got on the bus
and headed back to Melbourne which is where we’re staying tonight. I am
currently writing from my 12th floor hotel room balcony while a
lovely thunderstorm is taking place. No worries, I have a roof over my head and
I’m sitting close to the doors. We arrived here around 2pm and dropped off the
University of Melbourne students. Then
after dropping our bags off in the hotel, the leaders took us on a 45min
walking tour of the city. It’s an amazing city, let me tell you. What I really
enjoy about it is that you know those creepy alleyways you’re supposed to avoid
in other cities? Well here that’s where all the life is. There are cafes and
restaurants and shops and so much more. They also embrace graffiti as an art
form here (when it’s on abandoned buildings of course). There are entire
alleyways filled with graffiti. It’s quite the sight. The city in general is a
mix of old buildings with all sorts of different architecture and then there’s
a ton of new very modern buildings as well. After the walking tour I went with
the group to find some food. After eating, I got tired of their gossip and talk
of partying and getting drunk tonight so I decided to take on the city by
myself for a while. So far that has been the best experience I've had here.
Just feeling comfortable enough with myself to wander the city on my own and to
be able to do my own thing was so liberating. I spent most of my time taking
pictures in Federation Square and walking along the river. When I decided the
storm was getting close I headed back to the hotel. Unfortunately I now have 4
roommates. We have an apartment, two bedrooms with two not even twin sized beds
and a pullout in the living room. They all plan to go out and get drunk tonight
even when we have a 7am call time (may I just also mention that orientation is
supposed to be dry). This is another
thing I love about Australian culture. Because they have been exposed to
alcohol from a very young age, the trend of going out to get drunk isn't nearly
as common here. It’s actually looked down upon. They drink responsibly here and
I greatly respect that. On a final thought, the hardest thing culturally for me
so far has been walking on the correct side of the sidewalk. Like in the United
States, people walk on the same sides of the sidewalk as they drive on the
street. In the United States that’s the right side of the street/sidewalk. For
Australia, it’s the left side of the street/sidewalk. It’s been a very
difficult habit for me to break, though I think I’m getting a bit better. Because
of the storm I think I’ll be staying in for the rest of the evening. I need
some rest and I saw everything I wanted to see when I was out on my own.
Hope everyone’s doing well stateside! Later peoples!
Penguins and Fur Seals and Kangaroos, Oh My!
Hey peoples! Two posts in one day, aren't you lucky lol
First off, sorry for the conflicting date/time on the previous post. I forgot to update the day/time on my computer. I posted that on February 12th around 2:50pm.
I wanted to take a second to share the awesome things I saw on the boat tour! Most importantly, I SAW A WILD PENGUIN!!! :) We also saw these cool sea birds called Gannets and they had chicks that were super cute. Then we found a group of fur seals (which are very endangered in the United States) and they had young pups! On our way back into the harbor we saw our first wild kangaroos on the shore. Lastly, walking back to the hotel we saw an opossum which are arguably much cuter here than the opossums we have in the United States. I was kind of sad that we didn't see any dolphins but the boat tour was really amazing and beautiful and we got to see so many other animals that we don't get to see very often.
I'm calling it a night, later peoples!
First off, sorry for the conflicting date/time on the previous post. I forgot to update the day/time on my computer. I posted that on February 12th around 2:50pm.
I wanted to take a second to share the awesome things I saw on the boat tour! Most importantly, I SAW A WILD PENGUIN!!! :) We also saw these cool sea birds called Gannets and they had chicks that were super cute. Then we found a group of fur seals (which are very endangered in the United States) and they had young pups! On our way back into the harbor we saw our first wild kangaroos on the shore. Lastly, walking back to the hotel we saw an opossum which are arguably much cuter here than the opossums we have in the United States. I was kind of sad that we didn't see any dolphins but the boat tour was really amazing and beautiful and we got to see so many other animals that we don't get to see very often.
I'm calling it a night, later peoples!
Welcome to Australia!
Thursday, February 12th, 2015 at 2:53pm
Hey peoples! I have arrived safely in Australia. That 15 hour flight was definitely something. I got lucky though and the seat next to me was empty so I was able to stretch out and get some sleep.
I arrived in Melbourne at 9:30am on February 11th. After going through customs etc. I met up with all of the Arcadia program members. There are about 50 of us right now but we're not all going to the same cities/schools. We traveled to a town called Williamstown outside of Melbourne for lunch and had about 3 hours to wander around. Then we continued on to Queenscliff where I am currently writing from. We're staying in an old hotel called the Vue Grand. It's very very pretty. Lots of unique architecture and stained glass. I got very lucky in that I have a room to myself. I do so much better mentally when I have a space of my own to "hide" in at the end of the day. After dinner at the hotel we learned about Australian slang and gave ourselves a potential Australian name. One of the leaders insisted on calling me Tomo [toe-moe] (from my last name Toms) but I settled with Jensy. Basically Australians love to shorten things and then add -o, -y, -sy, or -s/z. Their language is very very colorful to say the least. Due to their convict foundations way back when (the English sent their convicts here from Great Britain), it's hard to tell when they're being affectionate or insulting you. For example, Americans are called yanks but because that rhymes with septic tanks which shortens to seppo, we're called seppos as well. Why is that the logic behind it? I have no idea. It's just how it works here. Ketchup is referred to as dead horse here because apparently that rhymes with tomato sauce. Again, very creative. We did some research on some other language patterns and their swear words, more like swear phrases, are kind of brilliant. For example: you're as useless as tits on a bull. Yes, that's a thing. It seems like I have a lot to learn yet and they said that the people of Townsville have even a more colorful vocabulary than that. Anyways, after our language lesson we were able to return to our rooms for the night. I tried watching a few YouTube videos and I think I lasted maybe 10mins. I fell asleep with the light on.
Today we had to get up at 7am, our "lessons" started at 8am. From 8am until noon we had different activities to learn about cultural differences, studying in Australia and how to budget/if-you-haven't-figured-out-how-expensive-it-is-here-yet-then-let-me-tell-you. I am currently on lunch break, I spent two hours wandering around the bay and grabbed some lunch at a cafe. Now I'm just taking a break in my room to recharge for the afternoon sessions, which start at 3pm. Tonight we are going on a dinner boat cruise so I'm looking forward to that. Overall I'm doing well. The jet lag isn't as bad as it could be and I'm thrilled to be back in the world and especially by the ocean after the past two months of staying home due to medical stuff. The sunshine is also quite a lovely sight.
That's enough for now, later peoples!
Hey peoples! I have arrived safely in Australia. That 15 hour flight was definitely something. I got lucky though and the seat next to me was empty so I was able to stretch out and get some sleep.
I arrived in Melbourne at 9:30am on February 11th. After going through customs etc. I met up with all of the Arcadia program members. There are about 50 of us right now but we're not all going to the same cities/schools. We traveled to a town called Williamstown outside of Melbourne for lunch and had about 3 hours to wander around. Then we continued on to Queenscliff where I am currently writing from. We're staying in an old hotel called the Vue Grand. It's very very pretty. Lots of unique architecture and stained glass. I got very lucky in that I have a room to myself. I do so much better mentally when I have a space of my own to "hide" in at the end of the day. After dinner at the hotel we learned about Australian slang and gave ourselves a potential Australian name. One of the leaders insisted on calling me Tomo [toe-moe] (from my last name Toms) but I settled with Jensy. Basically Australians love to shorten things and then add -o, -y, -sy, or -s/z. Their language is very very colorful to say the least. Due to their convict foundations way back when (the English sent their convicts here from Great Britain), it's hard to tell when they're being affectionate or insulting you. For example, Americans are called yanks but because that rhymes with septic tanks which shortens to seppo, we're called seppos as well. Why is that the logic behind it? I have no idea. It's just how it works here. Ketchup is referred to as dead horse here because apparently that rhymes with tomato sauce. Again, very creative. We did some research on some other language patterns and their swear words, more like swear phrases, are kind of brilliant. For example: you're as useless as tits on a bull. Yes, that's a thing. It seems like I have a lot to learn yet and they said that the people of Townsville have even a more colorful vocabulary than that. Anyways, after our language lesson we were able to return to our rooms for the night. I tried watching a few YouTube videos and I think I lasted maybe 10mins. I fell asleep with the light on.
Today we had to get up at 7am, our "lessons" started at 8am. From 8am until noon we had different activities to learn about cultural differences, studying in Australia and how to budget/if-you-haven't-figured-out-how-expensive-it-is-here-yet-then-let-me-tell-you. I am currently on lunch break, I spent two hours wandering around the bay and grabbed some lunch at a cafe. Now I'm just taking a break in my room to recharge for the afternoon sessions, which start at 3pm. Tonight we are going on a dinner boat cruise so I'm looking forward to that. Overall I'm doing well. The jet lag isn't as bad as it could be and I'm thrilled to be back in the world and especially by the ocean after the past two months of staying home due to medical stuff. The sunshine is also quite a lovely sight.
That's enough for now, later peoples!
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