My Australian Experience @buckner-in-australia - Tumblr Blog

Thank you Australia!

Everything from Melbourne to Sydney and all that was in between, is still so surreal to me! Yes, I will miss you but nothing compares to the feeling of being home <3

Day 30: June 25, 2017 pt 2

Update:

So all of that over exaggeration about customs? It was easily nothing but a 15 minute process. What honestly took the longest was walking and waiting in the lines lol. Now the part of LAX that I wasn’t expecting was what happened at baggage claim. It seemed like we were all being set up because we were first told conveyer belt #3, then there was an announcement for #4, and then before you know it, we were back at 3. Not only were we going back and forth, but our bags seemed to never come. We stood, waited, walked, and waited some more but they never came. After about 30 minutes after our second arrival at belt #3, here came our bags. Mine was one of the first one’s out and I was so happy, but boy was I in store for a surprise. My precious red bag was wrapped in all different ways with neon orange tape. I had no clue what it was for until I physically touched it. MY BAG WAS DESTROYED! My bag has survived over 19,000 miles of travel and now it was so damaged it couldn’t even stand upright, all the zippers burst and were off line, clothes were exposed, the handle wouldn’t go up, AND it couldn’t even roll!! SUITCASES ARE MEANT TO ROLL! Qantas severely disappointed me.

After trying to think of a solution and calling my mom, I decided to go on and head to check-in to see if anything could be done even though I wouldn’t be able to purchase a legit suitcase. Once getting to Southwest that was another trial. Since my bag was destroyed by an airline (QANTAS) and I was miles from home, I didn’t have any options besides to ask for more tape. The advisor came and told me that they couldn’t accept my bag and that I had to purchase one of their duffles. I got two and nearly with the speed of light had to transfer all 20 kilos / 45 pounds of my belongings into two narrow duffles. Need I remind you that my flight started boarding at 9:05 and it was 7:45 when I began, and I had yet to go through domestic security. Some how some way I managed to survive this and the workers examined my duffles and then sent them on. Security was a breeze and I soon made it to the gate. I was pretty hungry by that time, but after all those events my appetite dwindled to goldfish, plain chips, and a Coke Zero. Ali and I (she had to buy a bag too) ended up finding a group of our peers who were on the 11 flight and we sat with them and talked.

Once it hit 9 am Dakota, Sophie, and I headed to our gate to finally go home. I was so worn out by then that once I saved us a row of 3 and they got settled, I went fast to sleep. It was literally 5 minutes before I felt the heat of Arizona and we were home! Before the flight my home girl Jessie hit me up and told me that she was in PHX waiting for her 11:45 flight, and luckily we had landed at 11:00! I hadn’t seen her in nearly 5 years and so you know I had to go see her! Since I got into gate C I thought that the B gates would be close. I was wrong! lol, I literally walking for ages, and then we created a compromise because she was at B10 and I was exhausted at B1. It was great seeing her again! After catching up and a quick selfie, I was on my way to baggage claim from the B gates.

During this whole time my sister kept texting my phone asking where I was, how long it would take, and if I was at the “regular gate”. I had no clue what that meant so I told her that and then headed on my way lol. Right before I turned to get on the escalator, I saw the backs of three very familiar people with a royal blue gift bag and two balloons. I called out “Hey Bucknerssss!” And then turned around in pure happiness and shock. My mom was so happy to see me! And come to find out they were trying to surprise me lol!

After hugs and a great little photo shoot, we headed down to baggage claim. After retrieving one bag, guess whose bag was mess up again? Me (: Thank you SOUTHWEST! One of my bags was missing for 30 minutes so then I had to go to their office. Surprisingly it was found and was TORN UP! I could literally stick my hand through the holes made in my bag. Thank the Lord only two of my things were destroyed (my favorite ASU pullover and my lovely sweater from Melbourne).

After all that shenanigans, I was on my way home way! And I am literally on cloud 9. I love traveling so much, but it always feels good to be home!

Day 30: June 25, 2017

So you know how I talked about how I set an alarm at 5 and Ashley set her's? Yea that didn't happen at all!! We didn't get up until Ashley's second alarm at 6:10 which was supposed to be the alarm to tell us to go downstairs. In situations like this, I remain cool because if I get all frazzled I can't think straight. On the flip side, Ashley was completely frazzled lol. She was also in shock by how I wasn't lol. Luckily we both had our clothes laid out so getting ready was a breeze. We actually were downstairs before half of our group and even Kayla and Morgan who had woke up much earlier than we had.

There was some slight confusion from the coach driver (we want Alan back!) but we managed to get it together. Several of our peers stayed back because their parents were either coming out or they were going to another city. I really wish that my mom could fly out here but my sister has volleyball nationals so that's a no lol.

Like we've done so many times before, we headed to the airport, this time international, to head back to our home country. The whole process was definitely bittersweet, but like all situations we make the most out of it. While waiting to board we talked and exchanged last minute Snapchat names. Thankfully, I was reminded to check into my flight from LAX to PHX because I could've been stuck, and also reminded to submit my topic for this ridiculous research paper we have to do. Don't worry, it will get done because I found out my mom has planned a family trip to Vegas and I'm not trying to work on it then.

The boarding for the flight was weird to say the least. After security and grabbing food, we sat in front of our gate and then when it was time to board we moved into another sitting area and waited. Once on the plane and settled (shoutout Qantas for my aisle seat & my flight partner Kayla) it took us forever to leave the tarmac.

And now guys I am writing this in current time. I am now 7 hours into the flight and not sleepy at all. I had been quite bumpy, but overall it has been okay. I can't wait to go home but also sad that I won't see the Fantastic Four (what I named us) everyday or be in a brand new country. There's about 7 hours left and hopefully I'll be able to sleep! I have been walking around which helps but let's face it, economy flights can only get so comfy lol.

I am so uncomfortable it makes no sense like my head feels like it weighs 3 tons lol.

Hopefully everything works out smoothly once I get into LAX and that it's not too busy. My flight to PHX boards at 9:10 and I touch down at about 6:15. It is currently 5:41 (and 10:43 pm which is throwing me off) and we have 26 minutes left. And I still have to go through customs. I'm not tripping though. So we'll see!

The next time I check in will be once I'm in "the states" as every travelled individual calls it lol.

Things I've learned - always make sure that your alarm will play sound!! - The Fantastic Four is invincible - Australia has been great - I can't believe I'm going home - I really miss my bed - I'm not ready for 125 degree days!!!

Day 29: June 24, 2017

Today is our last day in Sydney and most of all, Australia. My, oh, my has time flown by! It seems like yesterday we all met each other at LAX to fly to Melbourne to begin our journey and now, this journey is slowly coming to a close.

Since today is a free day and our last free day of the entire trip, we honored it by, you know it: sleeping in and going to brunch. We ended up finding a little nook not too far from Liverpool where there was two breakfast places situated. Kayla and Morgan ended up going to one place, and Ash and I to another. The server was kind enough to let us all sit together. For breakfast I had mini pancakes, bacon, and hash browns. I have really indulged on this trip which is always occupying the back of my mind. But my friends and my dear mother have been able to help me with that lol. After brunch and stopping to the hotel to get nose spray (Ash) and my windbreaker we headed for CQ for our boat tour. Thankfully the day prior we stopped by the booth to ensure our ticket confirmation and the location for pick up because the location was in a whole other wharf. Though Ash was worried that we wouldn't find it, I eased her worries and found the boat safely. We were even the first ones there.

My first impression was why was the boat so small and was so all docks rock and sway with the water?? Lol, after getting over the dock and the boat, I had another worry: how was I going to get in the boat?? The boat was about 18 inches from the dock and all I could imagine was me falling in the harbor (while Ashley was talking to some locals about the government lol). As you can tell, I made it onto the boat and did not fall in. The human mind is a powerful thing lol. To our surprise the boat tour was full to capacity but luckily since we were the first ones in, we got front row seats side by side.

Now when I say that boat was going fast! Omg! At times we were 100% airborne and would drop back into the ocean. Thankfully I love going fast and roller coasters so the ride was very pleasurable. Once we got a good ways out we began to spot whale pods. Honestly this was one of the hardest things I've ever done in my life because it's like finding a needle in a haystack. The developmental evolution to environmental camouflage is astounding! It was so rewarding when we finally spotted them, it was like a miracle. It was crazy at first because your almost right at the wave level and moving with the waves, but once you saw them your eyes locked in from pure fascination. This year they estimate about 23,000 whales will migrate this winter. We were a very lucky group for many reasons: - we saw dolphins - Whales came in arms reach to us - A whale performed a very rare behavior of only sticking his eye out of the water - And we saw (the left side of the boat besides me and Ashley) a whale breech Even though I didn't see all of it, I only saw the splash that it left. It was like the whale was waiting for us to move so it could make its mark. It is just amazing how a 40 ton whale can throw itself in the air! And need I remind you, this is now routine behavior and can't be timed like when they come up for breath. Scientists still to this day don't know completely why they go airborne. Magnificent, right? After the breech a whale came so close to the boat to breathe that it nearly scared us to death. Luckily the lady behind me caught it on video and she was willing to airdrop it to me once we got back to the wharf. We were late on the way back so the Captain Blake put on the jets! We were going about 60 mph and were practically flying! He even took us super close to the rocks to get a better look at the sandstone landscape! Surprisingly my phone or GoPro didn't go off into the wind! My mom will be so proud how much my phone has held up & which still is completely undamaged.

At the dock the nice woman airdropped me the video clip and asked me how it worked because she had never used it before. Before I knew it I was telling her about the trip and she was so intrigued. She asked what was I learning here, about our school, the climate, and if we all studied the same thing. I told her how I am premed and want to become a doctor & she gave me the most heartwarming confirmation: "You'll make a great doctor. I can tell. You have a great energy about you." I honestly felt so good about the plans I have set for myself. Soon after we had to part ways, her words will never be forgotten.

After the tour, I headed to a souvenir shop one last time and then we made it back to APX. Tonight was our group dinner, so we made it right on time to prop our feet up for 45 minutes before we were up roaming the city again. We all, well majority of us, met up in the lobby about 5:45 to head over the Blackbird Cafe for our last hoorah. What would be a group dinner without going the long way to places super close lol? It was enjoyable though, being able to take in Darling Harbor's night life one last time.

The dinner was really nice like surprisingly nice. The venue has a great vibe too with music in the background and everything. I even ended up trying kangaroo! It wasn't bad, but I probably wouldn't order it by itself. If steak could be any steakier, it would be considered kangaroo lol. I'm glad that I tried it because most people can't say that. Plus I'm glad that Jess let me try a more cooked part of her's because it's usually served rare to medium rare & I'm not bout that lol.

After dinner, Delilah and Jessica Fong, the producers of our talent show decided to do superlatives during dinner. With Cody as our host, it was a lovely experience. All the superlatives fit everyone to a "t" and even Saorise got one lol. Mine didn't really fit me that well, but it was funny. As y'all can see from reading my blog, I am a very chill person, but if someone is out of line I will politely inform them of so. I've been through lands of milk and honey to places unknown, and best believe I have become a stronger woman because of it. My superlative was the "Callout Award" lol. Though I don't force my opinion on anyone or am I the first one to state what's on their mind or always have to be heard, when something is completely out of line, I will stand up for what is right regardless of the time or hour. There's no need for obscenities but only the reality of truth that will set people free (don't get me to start preachin in here! Lol).

After dinner we all dispersed. The bar at the venue was very nice and the girls wanted to try the Fairy Floss Cosmo. Since Morgan had paid for several Uber's during our stay, I treated her to her drink because I literally ran out of cash lol. After drinks we headed for gelato one last time at Gelatisimmo and ya girl sealed the deal (and this month of indulgence) with a cup of plain ole vanilla.

As we ate out gelato on the way back to APX, I couldn't help but think of all the memories that have been created with people who were once strangers. I have literally spent a third of a semester with all these people I know call my friends, and now sadly our adventure is coming to a close. It's remarkable how time gives us room for the best memories but yet escapes us so quickly. I seems like yesterday I was dropped off and heading LAX on my own. Now, I am trying to mentally make sure that I won't forget anything lol.

Once we got to the room I decided to take a nap (until 11:30 ) and then start packing while Ashley got her stuff together. I set my alarm for 5 so I can take a shower.

Keynote: Ashley also set her alarm (keep this in mind)

All in all, tonight was definitely one for the books. I can definitely say that we truly are a huge family & that we genuinely care about one another. Usually study abroad groups aren't like that. I am so blessed to have these individuals in my life.

Things I've learned - I am literally having the time of life - Whales are amazing - I don't want to go home but I miss my family - I don't miss the AZ heat - I've made some wonderful friends - I've also met some great people - I WILL be back to visit Australia

Day 28: June 23, 2017

Oh my gosh y'all! The end of our trip is coming so quick! It seemed like it took forever to get to Monday, but now it's Friday and it's full steam ahead! I still can't believe tomorrow is our last day in Australia!!

Before I begin recalling my day, I have been thinking. After spending nine days in Melbourne and about 7 in Sydney, I do believe in my heart that I enjoy Melbourne much more. Both of the cities are great, but yet so different. Before coming to Australia I only knew of Sydney and Bondi Beach. I didn't even have a clue what or where Melbourne was. The proximity of everything, the street art, the culture, the free tram system, everything about Melbourne I loved. There was also so much to do there both in the city and the suburbs. To me it seems like Melbourne was much less touristy and wasn't as massive a Sydney. With the harbor dividing the city into halves, it expands for miles it seems. Also in Sydney there really isn't much to do besides the Bridge Climb and the Sydney Opera House. I really do appreciate being able to see both cities though. A lot of trips only focus on one area/landscape, but on this trip I have been able to see just about every part of the country. It has been amazing.

Anywho, back to my day. This morning we had the Walking Tour of Sydney's Public Art, but thankfully Dr. Miller made it optional. We really have been hitting the ground running since the day we touch down in Sydney. Between classes, essays, homework, and group activities we really haven't had that much time. I really appreciated this because we were able to sleep in again.

Since we slept in until about 11, we headed to Circular Quay for lunch. I really do wonder why we didn't stay over there because we are literally over there everyday. Thank the Lord for Opal cards, they have truly been my best friend! For lunch we ate at this Italian place right off the harbor called East Bank. It was really good and we also ran into Dr. Miller, Dr. Dove, and Saorise. Once again, we grabbed some gelato from Gelatissimo. They have some bomb flavors. I tried this one called Macadamia and Sea Salt Carmel. It was hella sweet, but very good. Nya would have loved it! I ended up having vanilla and sea salt caramel, not my usual but amazing as well.

After gelato we headed to the Museum of Sydney. This museum, which was also guided, was very interesting and symbolic. Every pedestal and stone had a meaning. Where the museum stood was where Arthur Phillip, the first governor of Sydney staked his land and built himself a house. Over the years by the surrounding tiles, you could see how the home expanded as newer governors rolled in. Even though he stood for colonization, I do have to say that he had a great view of the harbor from his front door lol. The most interesting entity of this museum was the articles that reflected the 29 Aboriginal tribes of the harbor region. Before entering the museum, there was a wooden and metal column structure to symbolize the intertwining of the two cultures and how the Aboriginal way of life would never be the same again. Carved into the wooden beams were words and the names of the clans, and there was also a recording playing as well. The steel beams represented the colonizers and how this was the one entity that the Aboriginal people did not possess.

I love how there were two pieces of artwork featured in the museum from Dr. Miller's pre-departure bootcamp. I can't remember the artists right now, but the painting with the blue landscape is my favorite. Though both pieces are moving, that one in particular strikes a chord. After being in the bush surrounded by him trees and being up close and personal with the gums of Sydney, I could only imagine how it would feel to see full blown sails from peering behind one of the trees. Both in sheer curiosity and fear, I wouldn't know what to think honestly. I also wouldn't think that my life would change forever.

After the guided tour we were free to roam as we'd like. The museum also offered a "Sand In The City" so you know all of us rushed over there as soon as possible. It was like we were all kids again, playing in the moon-sand and building Lego masterpieces. I spent a little time playing with Saorise, she has quite the imagination. While I was playing with her some of my peers constructed "Sydney ASU" with a red pitchfork on the Lego wall. It was iconic! Of course we all took pictures with it. Needless to say, ASU always leaves their mark no matter where we go lol. I also made a drawing that said Bondi Beach for the wall their to be on display. Oh the joys of childhood lol.

After the museum, me and Ash found out that we could climb the pylons of the Sydney Harbor Bridge for $15 rather than the $150 it takes to the climb the whole thing. So you know what we did? We headed for the bridge (after we got directions of course)! So then we headed to Circular Quay.

LORD HAVE MERCY! It was so many stairs!! Not only did we have to climb 3 sets of stairs to get to the bridge but we also had to climb about 200 stairs to get to the top of the pylon! Your girl was WORN DOWN! Lol, but y'all it was so worth it! We made it just in time for the sunset! And we took some fabulous pictures! I mean, you can never have enough photos of the Sydney Harbor Bridge and the Sydney Opera House in your phone right? We even met some girls from Chicago who had been in Australia for 6 months studying in a local university. They said the expectations were so much higher here and that grading was even more of an adjustment. I couldn't imagine being away that long.

After our photo shoot, we headed back down and snagged something to eat then went back to APX. Since this is our last Friday in Sydney I knew that I definitely wanted to go out, have a good time, and dance. Ashley was luckily on the same page so once we got back we chilled and then we were off to Star Bar. Surprisingly throughout this whole trip Ashley and I have been on the same wavelength so we knew that we didn't want to go far and Star Bar was the right fit for us. We got there a little bit too early, but once our area turned into the dance club it was on and popping! Of course every time we go somewhere to dance we show out & that we did! Even though the dance culture is very obscure here, I had to notice that many people tried to replicate our infamous American dance crazes. Oh what a sight it was! Lol, needless to say we had a great time!

After Star Bar, Ashley, Morgan, Dakota, Ashley, and I walked back home. We were exhausted!

Then it all sunk in...

Tomorrow is our last day in Australia! Like where has the time gone?? I'm ready to see my mom and family but I'm not ready to go home home. Oh the agony!

But until then... I can't wait for tomorrow! I will be seeing humpback whales in the middle of the ocean and it will be our last/closing night dinner as a family! *tear* (both sad and happy)

Things I've learned - McDonalds sells macaroons - The dance culture is so weird in Australia - Some people don't understand the concept of personal space on the dance floor - English convicts were first sent to America, then the war of Independence changed that and they started prepping to send them to Australia - Sydney exists on a big rock of sandstone - Sandstone is the rock of Sydney - Costumes for one Opera take a year to make - Need to watch "Zach's Ceremony" - NITV is a channel about Aboriginal peoples like BET - Today is the first time I've turned on a tv since being here

Day 27: June 22, 2017

Guess what I have again?? Class (: But thank the Lord that we have the later session. Even though I don't like having classes in the evening, at least that leaves the morning and afternoon free until we have to meet at the Hyde Park Barracks.

Since Kayla and I are in the same Wallaby class, it was just us two this morning. We ended up sleeping in until about 10 o'clock to head out into the city by noon. We bought love the finer things that life has to offer, so in our free time we made our way down to Hyde Park and to their fashion square. I was immediately in love: Gucci, Louis, Prada, Tumi, any designer you could possibly imagine was there! Being the angelic and loving child that I am, I recalled that my dad had been looking for a particular all red Gucci belt. When he originally wanted it, it was sold out internationally and given that it has been several months since then, why not give it a shot? After moseying through the store, to much dismay, they too, all the way in Australia, did not have the belt either. I really wish they did, my dad would be so happy and surprised!

After shopping, we stopped in an underground food square called David Jones Foodhall and grabbed some takeaway sushi. In Australia, since everything is so grab and go, sushi even comes in a little mini burrito style. I ended up purchasing a chicken teriyaki burrito sushi and a roll with chicken, shrimp, and crab. Once we got our sushi we headed above ground to eat in the park across from the barracks. It was such a lovely day and as soon as we sat down our friends who had been in class came and joined us.

The Hyde Park Barracks are a very interesting heritage monument in Sydney. During this class activity, we had a well-guided tour through the building that used to house up to 700 men at a time. It was crazy how the curators reinvented the space and allowed "the building to tell its story." Between the information we learned and the layers we could see, the building was definitely before it's time. You would think that the ceilings would be short because people were shorter back then due to malnutrition but they were very high. We learned throughout the tour that after convict culture ended, the barracks housed immigrating women and children, and then acted as an asylum, judicial offices, and now a museum. The most interesting part for me was the amount of artifacts that were found from things falling in between the floorboards and the barracks themselves. Given that the convicts only had to sleep there, I would think there would be rows of bunk beds. Little did I know, the sleeping quarters were burlap hammocks lying side by side. We even got to lay in them for a little bit and BOY were they low to the ground!! You would have thought I was 95 years old by how long it took me to get back up, lol. Even more surprising, when the barracks ran out of hammocks men had to sleep on the floor between them. Bless every single one of their hearts!

One thing I also liked about the barracks was their artwork and how interactive everything was. I particularly was found of the artwork because of it's display of the Aborigines. I have noticed since being here that there is very little diversity shown to the public about the Aborigines. Since the beginning of this trip I had been saying that it is like they are so similar to me yet so different. Just like media only shows certain perspectives or the stereotypical AA, the same goes for Aborigines. In the media they are usually very dark with very fine hair. Come to find out THEY'RE JUST LIKE ME! Kinks and Coils and all! I honestly don't see how people can argue that the first people didn't come from Africa. The Aboriginal people are a PRIME example. We are truly one and the same.

After the barracks, instead of the initial plan of going back to our classrooms on the other side of town for class, our professors made the decision to have class in the Royal Botanical Gardens. This was also very bittersweet. It was sweet because we didn't have to travel all the way back and we could see the garden, but it was bitter because we lead by the blind (we were terribly lost) it was getting cold and there were mosquitoes. Tons and tons of mosquitoes! They literally lit my feet up! They were huge!!! Though completely distracted my those blood sucking creatures, I was able to make contributions to the class discussion which is all that truly matters.

Sidenote: On the way to class, I got approached by a local girl about my age who asked what we were doing. She said, "Are you here for uni? I love your accent!" After telling her what we were up to, we ended up talking about shopping and how I much more prefer Melbourne over Sydney. She was really cool. Unfortunately we had to part ways because she came to her street. It's good to know that they're still good people in the city of Sydney.

After class, you know what time it was...TIME FOR THE SHOW! After the class discussion, I literally booked it to the hotel. Since I had my noodles left, I ate those quick fast and in a hurry so that we could head down the Circular Quay. Ash and Kayla hadn't eaten so we stopped by City Extra again so they could enjoy a nice meal before the show. Despite getting lost trying to get in the opera house, we made it! And the show was AMAZING!

The lights! The colors! The music! The cast! They were all phenomenal! "Fighting the power never taste so sweet!" The show touch on so many things. From cultural awareness to rape culture. The show was for the empowerment of women from all walks of life & what touched me the most the empowerment of women of color! No one in the cast was white, which is HUGE in the performing world. Nearly 99% of the time people of color are the minority because it is so hard for POCs to find roles that the director thinks they fit into. "Too heavy, too curvy, too dark, too ethnic" Those are all phrases that are used in performing way too much. My two favorite scenes were the "Don't Touch My Hair" and the "I'm Still Here." The "Don't Touch My Hair" segment really broke down what white privilege was for the white audience and joyfully informed them that our hair is not an open invitation to be touched. What was said in this segment is things that I have to face everyday where as my roommates informed me after that they never had a clue lol. Especially the line "if you can go into any makeup store and can easily find your shade of foundation." This is constant struggle for me (reasons why I don't even bother) where they didn't even notice because it has always been so accessible for them. The "I'm Still Here" piece was about how the monarchy and Australian society try to forget about the Aboriginal, aka the TRUE Australians, whose land was taken. It was so touching. The female that performed this piece walked out fully covered in the Australian flag in a bonded way. As the song progressed she back to tear away the shackles of the flag garment to reveal a tshirt saying "I'm Still Here." The old white couple beside me was super uncomfortable, but DJ BustyBeats informed us from the very beginning how the show was gonna play out.

The end was by far my favorite part! After the curtain call and presentation of the 6 person cast, there was a "dance party" where the audience could come on stage and dance. After listening to the music for a bit, I grabbed the girls and we hit the stage. It was like not having water for a week or not seeing a loved one for months on end. I was back where my heart and soul belonged. On the stage, spotlights, flood lights, and music. Oh how I miss performing! It was like my heart skipped a beat! After dancing, the show was officially over and need I say I had the time of my life! I knew I definitely wanted to take a picture near the billboard and at least meet one of the cast. I got all of that and some! We had a little photo shoot! The girls were so nice and loving (because my first photo shoot was interrupted by a drunk couple lol). I will never forget this evening ever!

Things I've learned - All the coins still confuse me. The 20 coin is unnecessary just like our penny lol - Designed by convict architect & built by convicts - 1788 first fleet from England, 600-700 convicts - Barracks were opened in 1819 - "Important building worthy of the British Empire" - No permission, no money, but he had all free labor - Efficient use of convict labor. Streets roads bridges churches - 1788-1868 forced migration of people. - Barracks have seen 160,000 ppl - Responsible for making 500 bricks a day - Used finger tallying to ensure correct numbers - Let the building tell you it's story - Convict barracks from 1819-1848 - Became a women's institute for immigrated and the destitute and old - 200 a floor, 70 men per room, 30 men per smaller men - When overoccuppancy, men would see under the house - Functioned as an asylum as well - Not all convicts were government owned, some were privately assigned - Can't have a will if you are not of a sound mind and judgement - Wouldn't waste nails on convict barracks (because they were saved for ships) so everything is made with wooden pegs like a jigsaw - Den of thieves - Come convict stories are brutal but some come full circle (Our guide and his ancestor had a very positive story. From 14 years of time to becoming a bake to having a land grant and building a factory

Day 26: June 21, 2017

This morning I realized just how miserable I'm going to be when I get home. In the morning here it's a nice 52 degrees and by the afternoon a pleasant 65, but at home... At home it's like our state, the state of Arizona is prancing on the sun. 123 degrees!!!! Lord have mercy! I have been so spoiled here that it doesn't make any sense! Oh how I'm gonna miss this weather!

Once again we were broke off into our little groups, not because we have class but because we had the Writers Walk. At 9:00 this morning my group, the Wallabies, met up with our tour guide at the Sydney Opera House. She explained how she was an English teacher and how she is going to inform us of all the writers of Australia. We literally had no idea what we were getting into lol. Come to find out at Circular Quay on the very ground we walked in there were circular plates that indicated a writer that had an impact on Australia. Similar to the stars of Hollywood, the people featured ranged from Peter Carey, who wrote our novel about Ned Kelly, to Charles Darwin. I found the tour rather interesting especially the markers that showed where the old shoreline was. Contrary to my enjoyment, the guide ended up talking bad about my group saying this and saying that. I didn't care to mind because this lady had a lot of opinions from people featured that she thought was a waste a space, novels that were horrible, to not liking how we were focusing on Aboriginal authors like Alexus Wright and how "that's not a reflection of Australia, they only make up 3% of the population". Crazy right? You know Dr. Miller stepped in ever so swiftly with, "Well they did used to make up 100% of the population and it's about time their story is being told." I know that shut that lady up real quick lol. So yea, that's how the Writers Walk went lol.

Since we were divided in groups, when we were finished, Kayla and I had to wait for Ash and Morgan. After getting a croissant, we wound up moseying along the harbor and stumbled into an Aboriginal Art Gallery. The art was beautiful, vibrant, and full of so many stories. What intrigued me the most was the didgeridoos. Magnificent instruments and pieces of art with a sound harmonious and from the earth. I wanted to purchase one so bad but my budget was saying otherwise lol. The one I particularly liked was $990 lol. After having to part from the gem I found, I needed to catch up on some reading so Kayla and I sat in a Hungry Jacks to be productive lol.

After reading and then meeting up with Ash and Morgan we headed to Cafe Extra right in Circular Quay. This, by far, has been the most American restaurant that we have yet to go to! Everything was exactly how we imagined it, especially the hash browns. I had recently been missing home so I helped myself to a nice bowl of Spaghetti Bolognese which is basically spaghetti and meat sauce. For lunch Delilah and Jessica Fong accompanied us and it was very delightful.

Once our lunch was completed we headed to the Art Gallery of New South Wales. When I say I have never seen a museum that massive and well thought out! Y'all it was absolutely breathtaking! The museum had a little something for everyone. If you love Victorian art, there was a section. Anything, you name it, it was there! Aboriginal, Contemporary, Japanese, Hindu, Oragami, it was there! And any possible medium you could imagine was there! All shades, shapes, sizes, and vibrancy, it was amazing! My favorite piece was (I didn't get the name or artist) was a massive wall piece behind a royal blue background. It sparkled, shined, and also told a wonderful story. It was breathtaking!

After taking my time through the museum we decided to check out St. Mary's Cathedral. I'm not catholic at all, but I do know a few things about their religion. One, is that they pray to the Virgin Mary. Two, rosaries assist one with their prayers. Three, cathedrals are always beautiful. And boy was this one gorgeous! Massive ceilings reaching for the sky! Vibrant stain glass depictions of stories from the Bible of Jesus. Sets of three confession booths aligned along the parallel walls. And most extravagantly, the pulpit of which the pope resides during service. I even got to see the baptism bath. Everything was amazing! I can't wait to show my mom and my grandma! They would be speechless!

After the Cathedral we headed back to APX in Chinatown and took a nice nap. Lol, I swear naps have always be my best friend but now they were like a tangible piece of heaven. After our nap, Ash had been saying how she was craving ramen. I have never had ramen from a restaurant before or even authentic ramen for that matter. The closest thing I've ever gotten to ramen was the summer of my 6th grade year where my mom bought boxes of Ramen to satisfy my siblings and I. Just so y'all can picture how much ramen that is, I haven't made a square yet and I'm currently 20 lol. After researching she ended up finding this place called Menya Noodle Bar. So guys, that was our next destination.

At first I was really skeptical about the whole ramen thing because I don't like broth and because I have never had it before. Before we left, I found a ramen option that didn't have broth so score for me! The one I selected was Dragon Jya-Jya Men. It was a chilli infused ramen, that resembled spaghetti a lot because it didn't have the broth. I wanted something spicy and usually add extra spice into whatever I get but thankfully I asked the lady taking our order how it was because Lord Have Mercy! That ramen was on fire! And I loved it! It was so good! Plus it paired very well with the teriyaki chicken I order (ya girl needs that protein). I was so good I couldn't even finish it! And luckily I had a whole meal to take home because I couldn't eat all of it (score for Nia once again!).

On our way home, Ashley and I got some gelato. I swear I'm gonna turn into one lol. It's just so good! The place we found, once again, had the Durian fruit. So y'all know I avoided it lol. After that we went down to Coles so Kayla could pick up a few things. Since Ashley and I didn't need to buy anything we went into the neighboring wine shop and had a go. It was crazy how expensive everything was. Very common wines and liqueurs back home were nearly triple the price here, how crazy is that?! I don't even drink and know they're prices were outrageous!

After Coles we made it back home and decided to chill. During lunch Ash had found this brochure for whale watching, so I decided to bring it back into conversation. Since we don't have anything planned for Saturday during the day, we thought that whale watching would be a great last hoorah before going home. Now, I since being on this trip I have discovered my love for water BUT my love for boats is not congruent. I knew that I wanted to see whales but the only thing that was getting in the way was the boat situation. Y'all this boat looked a bath toy for a toddler, an inflatable for a backyard pool! It was so small!! But guess who ended up purchasing a ticket anyway? This girl! Lol, though not really caring too much for the boat, I am SUPER excited. It also would've helped if I would've known the boat would be airborne! But hey, I love a good rush lol.

Also guess what??? HOT BROWN HONEY IS TOMORROW NIGHT & YA GIRL CAN'T WAIT!!! I've literally dreamed about the opera house and seeing a show there! A dancer's dreams really do come true!

Things I’ve learned - Smoothies have icecream - Cathedrals are more beautiful than I ever imagined - Japanese Ramen is GREAT (not the broth kind though lol) - You can never assume that if a food has the word "burger" in it that it actually does lol - Many schools travel to Sydney for field trips - Sydney and Melbourne feud. Reason for why Canberra was created as the capital - People in Sydney think Melbourners are stuck up - You can tell a lot about people from the city they like the most - Melbourne was a planned settlement whereas Sydney just popped up and started booming - The wharf/harbor area used to be the slums of Sydney. People of high society would not step foot in this area in fear of contagions - Heroes of Australia are the paupers from the working class - Peter Carey had a spot and is infused in Aboriginal Dreamtime - The world of writing is never a vacuum

Day 25: June 20, 2017

Boy did today start early! Today is the first day of classes in Sydney and instead of having classes simultaneously like we did in Melbourne and the Outback, we are now broken up into different time blocks. This morning I had the earlier time block meaning that I had to be in the lobby by 7:30 in the morning! It was so hard trying to get up that early! I literally had to roll myself out of bed! Even though I despise waking up that early, I am definitely glad that I did because class was all the way in Kingdom Come. As we were walking to class and as it began to rain, it was as if the whole city was sleep. I appreciate times like this because it allowed me to really take in everything that was around me. The Chinatown architecture, the few people passing by, and how life can be similar to mine back home yet so different. After finally reaching the building, I stopped with Dakota to grab some breakfast. What a better why to make through class and break your last Aussie 20 with a Coke Zero and a gigantic blueberry muffin?! Thank the Lord for that Coke because I was so tired. We all were! Although fatigued, we all pushed through class (which ended at 11:30) so we could meet up with the others for our tour of the Museum of Contemporary Art.

After dropping my things off at the hotel and talking to my sweet mama for a couple minutes, Kayla and I headed down to Circular Quay to meet up with Ashley and Morgan. In order to get to Circular Quay, we've been having to take Sydney's version of Melbourne's tram system. In all reality, it's practically a subway but it's much better! I never thought that I would say that I actually enjoy taking a subway ever. But y'all, the ride is so smooth! I wouldn't reckoned sleeping one because you never know what might go down, but if you had to you could! And they're super clean! New York definitely needs to step their game up! Getting off the subway I had another experience that is very common at home. While taking the escalator from platform 6, I felt a slight tug on my hair. Slowly turning over my left shoulder, low and behold it was a little white lady about 65 in awe and amazement of my braids. "They're so beautiful, how long does it take?" Knowing her category of curiosity, I politely explained how mine only took two hours where some can take up to ten, and we exchanged a couple laughs. She was so intrigued lol. I love having experiences like this because even though I don't represent the whole black population, at least she can walk away with a positive experience. I could tell that she didn't know that she shouldn't stick her hand in my hair, but if that one experience can change anyone's preconceptions of me then why not?

Thankfully, the museum is situated right in the heart of Circular Quay so the walk from the tram to the museum wasn't long at all. But most importantly, being situated in Circular Quay means that you're right off the harbor which further means that the fish n chips are BOMB! As you can see upon my arrival at Circular Quay, I was quite peckish so why not indulge in an Australian delicacy. I ended up selecting a place called Quay Seafood and was in heaven. Not only was the staff very welcoming, I love how I was able to grab it and go. What made it even better was that I was able to eat it on the museum's steps. Very picturesque, right? Y'all, it was so good and fresh that I couldn't even finish it all! Boy won't I miss these days!

The Museum of Contemporary Art was definitely breathtaking. This by far, has been my favorite contemporary art display that I've seen on this trip. Some of the pieces were so moving to the point where they resonated with you on a whole other level. My favorite piece was Ghost by Kada Attia. This piece was made up of over 100 aluminum foil sculptures, all in a praying/kneeling position. I loved this piece because it touch on the essence of religion how one is both full and empty, but yet satisfied. Each foil sculpture had its own form, no two were alike, further showing how each one's life journey, spiritual or not, is unique to only them. I could go on and on about this piece because it was just that amazing.

After the museum, I headed back to the hotel and decided indulge in a marvelous nap. It seems like here in Sydney we're in our hotel so much more than in Melbourne. I think it's because there's really not much to do in Sydney and all the major things we've been doing as a class like the opera house. After about four hours of chilling, we headed for dinner at this place called Grill'd. I wasn't really hungry at all so I got some sliders (my dad loves sliders) and a small fry. I love how restaurants and small chains in Australia really focus on healthy foods and maintaining quality. Imagine an upscale Smashburger with Wagyu burgers lol. After dinner we stopped to Coles so Morgan and Kayla could pick up some food. Ashley was really in the mood for some gelato so we found this place called Icreamy that specializes in gelato flowers. They literally take a cone and use a special spoon to create a beautiful rose. I didn't indulge in this delicacy but enjoyed watching the creation of it. Also, I never thought that I would see anything Durian flavored in my life! If you don't know what Durian is, it is a very pungent fruit that is native in Asia. I don't think Ashley knew that because she tried it but I knew better lol.

Like the past several days, after this excursion I came back to the room thinking I would fall asleep. Crazily enough, I stayed up and worked on my assignments for Thursday's class. And then like I do best, I fell fast asleep lol.

Side note: I once again experienced racial profiling at the Museum of Contemporary Art. Oh how I love the social atmosphere of Australia!

Things I've Learned - I never thought I would spend $4 on one Coke Zero...but I've been doing so for a whole entire month lol - Trying to explain why my parents aren't from Africa is a very difficult conversation lol - Grill'd needs to come to the US - I love when people I don't know say, "You're so sweet". Thank you mama for the good home training! - You can be followed around a museum no matter how many floors it has and be stalked by staff - You can be observing art like your peers and still be deemed a threat and dangerous - Knowing the two bits of information above this, can really change your perspective on things - Grocery stores are always underground - Coles is lit at 7 pm lol

barrettaustralia2017

Walkabout: A Battle Between Nature and Culture

In Nicholas Roeg’s Walkabout, nature and culture seem to be at odds with each other, with the divide being reinforced in image, narrative and characters. Walkabout has also been described as a visual poem, a film that eschews standard narrative techniques in favor of visuals as the driving force behind the narrative. The film has also been described as “an intercultural ‘walk into nature’,” that remains timeless, “despite a sometimes dated view of ‘Third World’ peoples. For some of you, who’ve not spent much time in nature, your stays at Chillagoe and Sheoak Ridge might function as your own “walkbout into nature.”

Discuss how this dichotomy between nature and culture operates in the film, while also considering how the visual poetics contribute to such a divide. How does it attempt to break down the divide? Are the ending depiction of the girl’s life and the death of our also-unnamed Aboriginal character, signs that such a divide is insurmountable? How do you read the ending of that film?

buckner-in-australia

Though initially confused by the ending of the film, after my stay at Chillagoe and Sheoak Ridge, I do believe that the film has a very specific ending. Even though Roeg does not state his intentions blatantly, I believe that the walkabout is not for the Aboriginal man, but is a walkabout for the teenage girl. As discussed in class prior to watching the film, a walkabout is a coming of age ceremony for young men. As they enter the walkabout as a child, which can last from a couple of days to weeks, they emerge from the bush as a man. In the beginning of the film the protagonist is seen in school nearly blending into the crowd during a vocal class. From these beginning scenes, it can be assumed that the protagonist and her younger brother are both of high middle class society, therefore having each and every one of their needs met. As the film continues, Roeg issues in a plot twist that no one would’ve guessed was bound to happen. Though dramatic in almost every way, it was not until the protagonist was forced into complete survivor mode by her psychotic father that Roeg’s meaning of the film begins to unravel. Due to this traumatic event, Roeg displays how this film is about the female protagonist’s walkabout, her coming of age, and this is necessary for her to display the strength and resilience of womanhood.

Throughout the film Roeg also ushers in the dichotomy between nature and culture. I interpret this entity of the film through the lens of Australian culture, particularly Anglo-Australian culture. From all that we have learned on this journey, we have definitely learned how much pride Anglo-Australians put into being able to tackle the landscape and how they can swiftly navigate the terrain. During this film, Roeg plays with this notion by showing how even though the culture’s foundation rests upon the Australian landscape, in many ways there is also detachment. By placing the protagonists in this landscape and in many scenes making them only a tiny piece of the huge picture, Roeg displays how nature encompasses every way of life. Most importantly, how nature encompasses every way of life for the original Australians.

Day 24: June 19, 2017

HAPPY FREAKING BIRTHDAY ASHLEY!

This morning is one of the mornings I've been looking forward to in Australia: our tour of the Sydney Opera House!

As a former performer, I had always dreamt of seeing the opera house in person, and now this dream is finally coming to fruition! Before knowing much about the opera house, I assumed that it just contained one huge concert hall with beautiful architecture and acoustics. Little did I know that I was both right and wrong. The SOH is an architectural master piece in every way. Taking inspiration from ancient Mayan temples in Mexico, Jorn Utzon used the staircases as the foundation for his masterpiece. By incorporating the sails, waves, and shell shapes the harbor produces, Utzon found this to be the ultimate visual icon for a country yearning for an emblem to be recognizable on a global scale. Y'all I learned so much about this building, I absolutely love it! And what better way to express ones love for something than investing in it?! Guess who got tickets for their show Hot Brown Honey on Thursday! The last show I saw was Wicked last year so it is due time for another. Also who all can say they saw a show at the opera house?! And say that it features Aboriginal women?? Not many at all lol!

After the SOH tour we went to The Rocks Centre to learn more about the indigenous peoples of this region known as the Rocks. I appreciate all museums but I especially appreciate museums that showcase Aboriginal culture. As many minority groups, Aboriginal peoples are usually clumped together as if there are no distinctions between any of the tribes/clans. I loved this museum because it showed how the harbor shaped the lives of the natives and how the environment was shaped by them. I could've stayed in that museum for hours even though it was much smaller than the others we've visited.

Once we were finished touring the museum we broke for lunch then met up for an Aboriginal Heritage Walking Tour of the Rocks Area. I absolutely love activities like this. I learned so much about their way of life and how the colonists devastated all arenas of their live. The two biggest points of the conversation that struck me were our guides way of speech and just how much the Aboriginal people of the area shaped the land. Before we started the tour, our tour guide gave reverence to the elders past and present, and for the female elder that relayed all her knowledge to them. Everything was as if she was speaking through him. Everything was an elaborate story of interconnectedness and dependence. The story never ended nor did I want it to. I wanted to know everything. As we wondered throughout the area our guide acknowledged just how long his people have been on this land comparing it to western civilizations. It's literally like from the Great migration from Africa the Aboriginal people stayed down here and molded the land into what they needed it to be. For instance he made a connection how the culture of the harbor is that during a certain time of year they would pat the waters where the dolphins would come in as a form of communication between them. He expressed how after generations of this culture evolving there were also generations of dolphins who now had this knowledge engraved into their conscious. This knowledge allowed for connectivity and dependence on levels imaginable. Breathtaking isn't it?

It was also interesting seeing actually Australian ochre because tribes of Africa use ochre as well. For those who do not know, ochre is a natural substance that can range from yellow, reds, oranges, to white that is used for its pigments. It was also interesting thinking about how the middins, sacred Aboriginal collections of seashells from centuries, were demolished by convicts to make the cement to hold the building of The Rocks aka Old Sydney together. Could you imagine that day? I know there was great mourning and would've been a spectacular sight if it was still present today.

Even though the tour was amazing, afterwards your girl had to take a nap. Even though Sydney is not as fast pace as Melbourne, being on the ground easily wears down on your energy levels. After the nap, Ash, Morgan, Kayla, and I headed to Darling Harbor for a nice dinner looking onto the harbor. At dinner Kayla had kangaroo for the first time. I was debating it but they said that it is only its best prepared at medium rare. I'm just like I might as well just bite into the kangaroo if that's the case lol. Since that won't be happening anytime soon, I just took a nice photo of her dish and lived vicariously through her lol. After dinner, y'all know what the business was. We headed back and did some homework and then were soon floating in the clouds of our dreams.

Things I've learned - SOH built in 60s and opened in 1973 - The "Spherical Solution" - Cultural image recognizable on a global level like the Eiffel Tower and the Statue of Liberty - Competition in 1956, winning number 218 - Evokes cliffs and sails - Foundation imitates the base of the Mayan Yuccan temples - Took 20 years and 10,000 workers and absolutely no deaths even without safety harnesses - Initially 3 years, 7 million then 16 years and 102 million - left in 1966 because the new government wanted to demote him to an advisor because construction took too long. He left after the sails and foundation was complete - Will Harry Potter movies in the concert hall and have a symphony playing the sound track live - 10,000 organ pipes behind the visible 200 - They close down concert halls for 18 months for renovations which will coast 220 million will be the Concert Hall, Drama Theater, Corridors - Playhouse first acted as a space to play surfing movies - 1000 rooms and 300 corridors - Current Sydney winter weather is Germany's summer - Utzon's son and daughter are both architects and are both still active in the renovations and building process of the SOH - 2,000 shows and over 2 million visitors

Things I’ve learned pt 2 - An elder taught them what to say everything is revered and had to be perfect - Boundaries are natural land formations like rivers and mountains - The rainbow serpent shed his scales to gives us colors - Different totems plants or animals. Must know everything about the totem and then informs their siblings of such - No left or right you move toward the water or toward the land. By doing that you'll never get lost - Tribal names reflect the region and what they are known for padigal from the padigal river etc. - Pattern of weaving is found discretely within the plant itself. It's inherent - Dolphins would recognize the sounds bc for generations people would whack the water and for those generations the dolphins became in tune to the noise at that time of the year - Connectivity - 120,000 years ago continuous uninterrupted culture of the indigenous people of Australia - Tribal, men, women totems - Dots are desert people, lines and hatches are water people - Rock carvings are still present in Sydney one is a giant whale bc whales would come into the other harbor. South of Bondi there's a shark. The markings reveal knowledge about the land the food plants animals breeding areas - Air condition in SOH comes directly from the ocean and the ocean stays the same temp year round - Know totem and it's interaction - Australia gets more snow than Switzerland because the mountain range is so expansive - The importance of sandstone - Sacred area where shells were collected for centuries were ground into mortar for old Sydney - Harbor is a flooded mountain range from the ice age - The culture of the people resonates throughout the environment, the landscape is shaped by the people. Some rivers will not form without the bush fires etc

Day 23: June 18, 2017

Oh happy day! Today is our 2nd free day in Sydney (well until the evening). And guess how we're gonna spend it? BONDI BEACH!!!

Over the course of the trip, I kinda beat myself up because I didn't have time to look into all the attractions and activities Australia had to offer because I was moving. But one thing I was able to do was look at Bondi Beach and from the pictures I fell in love & new that I HAD to see it. And boy did my dream come true!

We started the day by leaving the hotel at 11:30. We had to catch an Uber because the public transit ride would've taken 90 minutes in comparison to the 20 minutes that an Uber would take. The winds were so strong! Never have I ever felt winds that strong to the point that my phone was going to be taken away in the breeze!

Y'all, guess what? The beach was SO Beautiful! God knew exactly what he was doing once again! Even though initially it was cloudy, the water was still full of so many distinct shades of blue and the waves were perfect in shape and in their tinges of white foam. It was cold but the view and the coastline was definitely worth it! There were surfer rental tents up & amazing wall art that stretched down the coast line. To the west side the coast was decorated with colored beach houses and to the east side, laden with rocks weathered from centuries of ocean tides and Coogee Walk. It amazes me how the ocean used to come up the highest rocks that we were walking upon. If you think about it, it's quite magnificent.

After a marvelous day at Bondi, we headed back to the hotel to get ready for the Film Festival and Ashley's Birthday night out! We were all looking so good! Even though I was very self-conscious because I have been on my usual summer routine, I think I was feeling really good about how I looked.

The Sydney Film Festival was absolutely amazing! That night there was the awards ceremony and then a premiere of the film Okja that has never been in theatres and hasn't been shown since a film festival in France. While I read the description of the film, I thought to myself that it could either go really good or really bad. Thank the Lord, the movie was amazing! It not only pulled on your heart strings but also had a great message! And even better one of the main characters in the Walking Dead was featured in the film & was there at the screening! Some of the girls were even crying when he came on stage!

After the movie screening, we headed out to celebrate and bring in Ashley's birthday! After some minor deliberations we headed to the Argyle to meet with her best friend Alyssa and mine, Justine! We danced the night away & brought in Ashley's Birthday in the process!

Even though I had a great time at the Film Featival, before all the goodness began. I was once again racially profiled and targeted. I can now say that I know exactly how it feels to be a black male or any age in the US. I even began to cry because I was so frustrated. A security guard kept harassing me. Out of the group of 40 I was apart of, he persistently targeted me despite my professors being right there. Thankfully, the second time this occurred Dr. Miller filled in the gap because the man did not try to address anyone else is such a rude manner but me. And then the third time thankfully Dr. Miller was there and came to my defense and supported me because it was getting out of hand. The third time I literally performed the same act as my girl Ashley, but who was taunted, yelled at, and called out by 2 people? You're right, me again. It was a shame how when I approached Dr. Miller concerning the individuals that 2 others interrupted and talked down on me like what I was saying didn't even matter. At one point in the conversation, I gave up. I was tired. No matter how much I stood up for my truth, it was like my words had no meaning and weren't warranted. I didn't raise my voice, I didn't roll my neck, I didn't use vulgar language, but none of that mattered. Y'all my voice was quivering so much. It broke my heart to be treated like this. I really just wanted to go home. Even though Arizona has its problems at least I am treated like a human being.

Things I've Learned - Surfboards are an investment and can start at $850 - I have to come back to Bondi Beach in the summer - when the waves fold their sea foam green but a completely different shade towards the sea - Being racially pointed out in a group of 50 is unacceptable no matter where you are in the world. - I said "Keep the change" and the cashier was very confused. I guess that isn't a thing here - This is the 64th year of the Sydney Film Festival - The speaker acknowledged the customs of the land and elders of the past and present Aboriginal rights to the land and the history that lies before and around them - "I would like to acknowledge my country I am a ...woman" Leah Purcell - "I'm from the bush" - Left Queensland for Sydney "who would have thought what this little black girl from the bush could get into" - Thought of film in 2010 and has been swimming in his head since then - Doesn't see language as a huge barrier, but must be on same wavelength and page. The most important is being on the same page regarding emotions (question about how does he feel about crating film in his second language)

Day 22: June 17, 2017

Guess what y'all? Today is our first free day in Sydney! And you know what that means... SHOPPING! Y'all...After being on this trip, after all the things I have learned, the one thing that is most important is to never ever waste a free day lol.

To begin our day before shopping we went to have a late breakfast at the Bamboo Lounge. A rule of thumb while traveling: If you think food is one thing in a foreign country it will probably be the complete opposite lol. They had advertised French toast which I never get at home but was like hey why not. To my surprise the French toast were very eggy like a fried egg that happened to have a slice of toast in it. If you know me, I don't like eggs so that was a no go. Luckily I had a side of bacon and hash browns and the hash browns were on point. So I ordered 3 more. Why not indulge in carbs goodness in Australia? I know for sure that all this will soon come to an end so why not?

After breakfast we headed to the Queen Victoria Building for shopping. This building was five levels and very upscale. Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Ferragamo, and everything in between filled the shops. If only my father could've been there. We would've had a ball! And would've probably got yelled at by my mama lol.

Since Ashley's Birthday is coming up, our main mission was to find something for her and for the Closing Night of the Sydney Film Festival. We at least went into 20 some odd stores for the search for outfits. Low and behold the store Ally that we had first went in was the jackpot! Out of our whole trip I ended up getting a cute maroon top, a tshirt dress, extra underwear, and a Becca highlighter (I wasn't even suppose to step foot in Sephora!). But still absolutely nothing to wear for the Film Festival! It was like everything was either too small or too big. Nothing fit at all. Thankfully, I packed a cute army green halter top and a black denim skirt so that might just be the move.

After shopping we admired the street performers of all ages and craft and then stopped by Haigh's Chocolates to satisfy Morgan's tooth. I only wanted 5 chocolates but ended up buying a whole little pouch because they "couldn't go smaller." Either way it was a win win, with Morgan and the other girls around it will get eaten sooner or later.

For dinner we got all dressed up and headed to Hardrock Cafe on Darling Harbor. After dinner Justine and a couple friends stopped to say hey at a neighboring bar. They were hiking for 12 hours in the Blue Mountains and were exhausted so they didn't stay long. Ash want a pretty drink for pictures so you know who stepped up to the plate lol. It was the last night of Vivid so we were able to have a front row seat with no obstructions or people in the way. The light show was so beautiful! The lights, the water, the fireworks! I love fireworks so much so they were definitely the icing on the cake!

After the light show we went to this dance club/bar called the Scary Canary! And boy did we bring the house down! There were about 10 of us from our program there and we were showing those Australians up on the dance floor! It was so crowded but everyone was having a great time and it seemed as though time just floated away from us all. What's better than ending a great day with shopping? Today was absolutely great!

Things I've learned - Australian 12s are American 6s - Music is not typically censored, Swimming Pools by Kendrick Lamar was playing in Ally explicitly. I enjoyed it lol - Party dresses start at $50 even at Forever 21 - Grocery stores commonly underground ex. Coles - Trying to find outfits for birthdays is fun yet stressful - It's crazy how a 16 story building has only 2 washers and dryers and 3 out of those 4 appliances are broken

barrettaustralia2017

Discussion Question 9: The Limits of Reality

A literary mode rather than a distinguishable genre, “magical realism” is characterized by the presentation of two conflicting perspectives: one based on a seemingly rational view of reality and the other on an embracing of the fantastical. Magical realism is distinguished from fantasy in that it is, by definition, set in a “normal” modern locale. According to literary critic, Ray Verzasconi, magical realism is “an expression of the New World reality which at once combines the rational elements of the European super-civilization, and the irrational elements of a primitive America.”

Wright’s Carpentaria is often described as magic realism. How do you see that concept presenting itself in the novel? Does this definition place the style, structure, or purpose of the novel in a different light?

buckner-in-australia

Within the first few pages of Wright’s Carpentaria, it is very evident that this novel is both spectacular and unique. Throughout the novel, Wright takes her audience on a mystical journey that intertwines narrative and the supernatural in a timeless essence. This timelessness not only breaks down the barriers of Western writing conventions but also causes the audience to float and meander through time without many specifics of where the narrative chronologically takes place. Without initially realizing or labeling the style of the novel as magical realism, my mind immediately jumped to Toni Morrison’s novel Beloved. Similar to Wright’s prose, Morrison intertwines reality and the supernatural in ways that both hypnotize and at many times leave the reader to reread sections in order to get the full grasp of the concept.

The first indication of magical realism that is also seen in Beloved is the presence of a house, an inanimate object, possessing supernatural abilities. When Wright introduces Angel Day, she purposely focuses on how the house makes Normal feel. In her description, the narrator states “But when he knew whenever he left the house, he would instantly feel as though he had unshackled himself from the weight...Then when he came back, he felt as though he had been hypnotized into thinking he would never be able to move away from its field of gravitation...” (13). In this description, Wright discloses to her audience that one, if they hadn’t realized it by now, this was not going to be their everyday novel, but also that objects do possess meaning and can interact with the people who exist in them (prime giveaway that magical realism is in the air).

Wright also presents magical realism in sentence structure. A prime example is presented on page 149, “The familiar sounds of his past were falling from a magician’s wand, waving around specks of memory in a trail of glitter, until the specks became millions of flooding, crashing helter-skelter visions in the stars, flooding through his mind”. Extended and descriptive, Wright’s sentence structure reflects the notion of magical realism that evokes her connection to her cultural identity. While reading, I found myself feeling as though I was sitting at the feet of an elder reciting a tale. As listening to an elder telling a story of the past, the novel demands one’s full attention and willingness to realize how one’s voice is used as a paintbrush to illustrate meaning.

By labeling Wright’s text as magically realistic, I indeed believe that it showcases the novel in a different light. The label not only allows the audience to better grasp its unique styling, but also causes the audience to unearth the cultural relevance that Wright is trying to express.

#Carpentaria

barrettaustralia2017

Discussion Question 6: The Politics of Segregation

Director Thornton Warwick said this about his film, Samson and Delilah: “We gave Australians access to a place they’ve never been before. The only time they’ve ever been to that community, or met kids like Samson and Delilah was on the 5 o’clock news! It made me so proud and so happy that people were watching this film and getting access to information they didn’t have before.” This is clearly also a problem in the United States (and in Canada) in that most Americans have no idea what life is like for the nation’s indigenous peoples, in large part because of a lack of honest engagement.

How do you see Warwick’s film giving access to information about Aboriginal lives? What methods does the filmmaker use to break down such barriers and teach spectators about the injustices and problems faced by Australia’s indigenous peoples?

buckner-in-australia

Within the film, Samson and Delilah, Warwick strategically illustrates the reality of Aboriginal lives post-referendum. Though Aboriginal natives were recognized as citizens after 1967, Warwick displays how this congressional effort was not the fix-all that many would have hoped. Many assumed that this event would lead to an awakening in both the Aboriginal communities as well as the white Australian society that they would soon converge with. In order to showcase the lifestyle of the protagonists, Warwick minimizes dialogue, focuses heavily on the actions of the characters, and the hones in on the environment in which they exist. From the opening scene, the audience can see levels of chaos as well as levels of the mundane. By manipulating the essence of the mundane, Warwick is able to break down pre-existing barriers to showcase the problems that strike the Aboriginal community. Viewed in the opening scene, Warwick brings to light the a major problem affecting the Aboriginal community: petrol huffing. By eliminating the dialogue and displaying this occurrence routine in nature, Warwick shows his audience how Samson’s act is not one that is rare in his community and seemingly, how it has failed to be dealt with. Warwick also breaks down barriers by displaying their environment chaotically and empty in fashion. Given that Samson and Delilah’s environment is quite barren for majority of the film, the audience can get a better feel of what realm the characters exist in. Their environment displays emptiness, abandonment, being forgotten, and at times emerging from the dust. By displaying the environment in this way, Warwick opens the door to problems concern the great distance between the everyday Aboriginal lifestyle and the westernized white Australian culture surrounding them.

Day 21: June 16, 2017

Hello world, guys what we’re up to today?! We’re going to Sydney!! Once again this is very bittersweet because this is our very last stop on our Australian adventure! It makes me want to tear up so bad! I love Australia and if I could stay longer to explore the countryside you know I would!

Like our other travel days we woke up, packed our bags, headed to breakfast, loaded our bags, then were off to the airport. The best part about Australia is that when you meet people from America you automatically have an instant connection. After checking in and during security, I ended up talking to a girl from Michigan State. It was like we became immediate friends lol. Since we arrived at the air port 2 hours before our flight departed I attempted to us that time to write my essay. But guess who had writer’s block?? This lovely lady. It’s absolutely horrible when you know what you want to say but it just doesn’t come out. I already had a thesis and everything. Luckily, right when I was about to throw in the towel, it was time to board.

I don’t know if it was the change in scenery or the assistance of my ear plugs, but right when I got into the plan my creative juices were flowing. I literally went through 5 thesis statements before I found one that resonated with me. After finishing the rough draft of my paper I took time for myself to watch Trolls. I love animated films and the soundtrack was amazing so I was good lol. I ended up falling asleep and woke up to an excruciating pain in my right ear. It was like the whole right side on my upper body was numb because of the surge of pain. I even started crying and almost forgot to breath. Thank the Lord the 3 hr flight was almost over but those last 15 minutes were pure agony. Once we hit the landing strip I grabbed some ibuprofen so fast it would’ve made your head spin! But hey y’all, we made it to Sydney!!

After getting our bags we went out to our new bus. Our bus driver wasn’t Alan but I guess he still got the job done. Even though Melbourne and Sydney are both top cities in Australia they are very different. I couldn’t really tell at first which one I liked better, I’m thinking it’s Melbourne but everything is still growing on me. Regardless of which one outdoes the other, they are both beautiful and full of character. As we arrived to our accommodation we had to be let out a ways away because the streets are so narrow! At least we had some scenery to look at because we walked right down the heart of Chinatown.

After getting situated, we were absolutely starving so we headed into town to find some Italian food (Its Ashley’s favorite). We knew that we didn’t want to go too far because we had to meet back up with our group for Vivid Sydney. Vivid Sydney is this elaborate light show illuminates the harbor. We knew that we had to get on a ferry to do so but little did we know that we were signing up for a triathlon.

Of course our time estimation and location were wrong. Imagine seeing about 45 Americans running through a harbor, bobbing and weaving, in a hurry, without knowing what in the world was going on. I would’ve been terrified. Some how some way, by the grace of God we made it on time sweaty and all.

I knew that people liked boat cruises but I was not expecting that many people. Everyone was on the top deck so that you could really take in the scenery. The harbor was absolutely beautiful! The Sydney Harbor Bridge was illuminated, the Sydney Opera House had an amazing light display, and the surrounding buildings were flooded with light. It was absolutely immaculate!

After this ordeal Kayla and I found the best Gelateria in the world! Y’all it was so creamy. I don’t even think there’s a word to describe how good and rich it was. I was in heaven!

Now I knew that my girl, Justine, from back home would be in Australia for study abroad because we had talked about it. We were under the assumption that we would never be able to see each other because of the demand of our trips. But guess who got to see Justine tonight!! It literally felt so good seeing her! I hadn’t seen her in so long and we needed to catch up on everything! Come to find out our programs share 2 days together in Sydney so there we were in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia catching up at the bar!

Another amazing this is that Ashley’s birthday is June 19, and since her friend and Justine are here, we’re gonna go all out!! It’s about to go down y’all!

Things I've learned

We always stay relatively close to Chinatown

Just about everyone smokes cigarettes in Australia, especially the major cities

Old industrial docking warehouses have now been converted into very expensive apartments with a beautiful view over the harbor

I have enough willpower to keep myself out of every Louis Vuitton I see in passing

Good friends are hard to come by.. so when you see one in a whole different country, there’s nothing but complete joy!

Running nearly 2 km to get to a ferry cruise is not the business lol

Day 20: June 15, 2017

Here we go with another bittersweet day. Today we are leaving the rainforest :( Even though everything was super damp, the rainforest definitely grew on me and almost made me want to stay there forever.

Like every morning every two days, we packed up all our belongings and boarded the buses to our next destination. I still can’t get over how much sugar cane there was. Acres upon acres spanning down the twists and turns of the highway. Since Paul was on our bus, we dropped him off in his neighborhood. Though we didn’t get much time with him, we really enjoyed his company. He also spread some words of wisdom to our group:

“You all are the single handedly most influential generation that has ever existed. Your impact as college educated Americans will affect the whole world in ways we haven't seen or witnessed before. You can pull the world out of the mess we're in but it is up to each and every one of you” -Paul

To say the least, his words were very enriching.

On our drive the only placed we stopped was at Rex Lookout. Once again, it was an absolute beautiful view and we water was an mesmerizing sea-foam green. I could stare at that water for days.

Sooner or later we made it to Cairns and our accommodation, the Cairns Queenslander. Now this location wasn’t the Four Seasons but it was better than the last. I was just grateful for the absence of humidity, a hot shower, and a normal toilet.

During the first days of our stay in Melbourne, Ash and I scheduled to do the Minjin Swing and guess what today’s the day and it’s scheduled for 3:00! We ended up getting settled into our room at about 12:30 and then we were starving. After trying to find a place to eat we decided to take a taxi closer to the facility and eat on that side. I ended up having calamari at this sit-down resaurant & it was delicious and was only $9! You can’t beat that! We were told that we would be able to get a taxi to the facility from the restaurant but little did we know what was in store.

Since our driver told us that the shifts changed everyday at 3, we though that calling our taxi at 1: would give us plenty of time. Boy were we wrong! We requested a taxi 5 separate times! It got so bad and we were so anxious that we even decided to separate. There was a Woolworths around the corner so Cody decided to go up there to wait for taxi and if he got one he would bring it back and if we got one we would go get him. After running back and forth, calling more taxis and the company (need I remind you none of us have a phone plan or service) we finally snagged a taxi 50 minutes later lol. We were all out of breath.

As we neared the facility, we were super pumped! When we got dropped off, low and behold, there was another steep hill in order for us to get up there. Best believe we got up there. As we entered we were greeted by staff who called us out by name to sign in. This time I made sure to read the terms and conditions because there was no way I would be hanging upside down anymore! After this process was completed, we were weighed to make sure that we didn’t go over the maximum weight. If we were 1 kilo heavier, the three of us wouldn’t have been able to swing together lol.

After Tristen went it was time for our turn. We wake dup another hill to receive our harnesses, helmet, and GoPro. All I could think was that this was going to be like the Superman at Six Flags. Boy was there a difference! I tried to convince myself that it wasn’t that high but you better believe it was! And what made it worse, as we were hoisted up we saw a huge python coiled up!! And what also made it worse, we thought that we would be the height of the trees…No. We were OVER the trees! We were so high that we could see over the canopy to the ocean. Great view but dang we were high!

As we sat the the very top we had to wait for a green light to flash then it would be safe to pull the cord to drop us. I literally had to have a little talk with everyone to pull my thoughts together. We then decided that it would be pulled on 3. Oh my Lawd! When we dropped it was like my soul left my body and then caught up when we swung over the building! It was insane! They had a deal that if you booked the swing it would only be 35 to go again. Ash and I loved it so much that we did it once more and the adrenaline rush was still A1.

After our wonderful time we headed back to the Queenslander and got ready to go to dinner. Once we finished our food we decided to just walk around to see what the city of Cairns offered. I really wish that we would’ve had more time there because the area was very cute and stylish with so many shops and restaurants. While walking around Ash got snagged into a travel shop that I thought was sketchy from the very beginning. Before we knew it we were heading with a group of 40 people from this travel place to go to a bar named Gilligans for free pizza, drinks, and VIP access. We ended up meeting some cool girls from from England and Wales who decided to travel for a whole year. One of them has been in Australia since March. We also ran into the English girl we adopted for ziplining. I then made friends with 2 black girls from Germany and we met 2 girls from Ohio (Ally and Victoria) that were just finishing up their semester here. Little did we know that tonight was ladies night so there was free champagne and a dancing contest. I did not participate but I sure did have fun! The music was good, the friends we made, and the experience was priceless. Who would’ve thought that strolling into a travel shop would’ve lead to such a great night?

This night, again, was amazing and tomorrow morning we head for Sydney! I can’t wait to see what this city has to offer!

Things I've learned - Sticking your arms out of the window while driving is illegal and you can be fined - I really love calamari - The McDonald's empire is truly an empire. How did they manage to find little places like Cairns? - Cairns has jellyfish not crocodiles - To be protected from the jellyfish, stinger nets are put up. - “Daintree? That's my country. Right over dere (over the mountain). Nice little town whites and blacks living together.” -man that approached Ashley and I while waiting for our taxi. He was more confused about a black and a white person being together than the fact we stuck out like sore thumbs waiting for a taxi - On Thursday's there is late night shopping where the shops are open until 9 pm - Grocery stores close extremely early, at about 5:30 pm - Tire = Tyre - Goonbag = box wine (how they came up with this name perplexes me greatly) - We dropped/swang from 155 ft in the air

Day 19: June 14, 2017

Props to our first night in the rainforest & not being eaten by crocodiles! BUT I really wish someone would have told us just how damp we would all feel. I grew up predominantly in the south so I know humidity, but the rainforest?! Our sheets? Damp. Our towels? Damp. Our existence? Damp lol. Just know that the humidity got to everything hahah.

Breakfast was normal as usual despite the most unusual facet of my all my breakfast experiences put together. This abdominal force is known as Vegemite. Now I knew that I had to try this thick, dark pasted before I left. Not only because it is a staple of Australia but also because you can't get this substance in the US. After hearing other people's responses to the paste, I knew that I wouldn't want a whole mouthful so I sparingly spread a little bit of the paste on the crust of a sliver of my toast. My first thoughts were: why is this so dark, so potent, so enjoyed by thousands? But nothing would've prepared me for the taste. The taste... Lord have mercy, nothing can prepare you for the taste. Thick, salty, soy sauce paste is my best description. As you can probably tell, I was not fond of Vegemite and could not swallow the substance lol.

After breakfast we loaded the yellow buses for the Discovery Centre. During our stay in the rainforest we have accompanied a new guide, Paul thus Paul accompanied us on the activity today. Using our sound reasoning, we thought that the Discovery Centre would be the same as our other museum tours where we wonder around at our own leisure. Oh boy we're wrong. Not dissing our guide at all, we really enjoyed his presence and all the knowledge he contained, but we were not expecting to be standing outside the entrance for an hour. You would've thought we were a bunch of kindergarteners the way we were fidgeting around lol. We also didn't know that after his hour speech that once we got in he wanted to sit us down and talk again. It was definitely an experience. I love how he broke down the importance of the rainforest medicinally because a lot of people don’t know how many of our medicinal treatments are from the wonders of our rainforests. In the Centre there was a canopy tower and the view of course, was AMAZING! We were also gifted by the great Lord Almighty to be graced with seeing a Cassowary in person! Now Paul said that Cassowaries are modern day dinosaurs and he was not lying! It was crazy because we were so close! He even said that out of all the groups that he has been a part of he has never SEEN one in person with them. We were so lucky! This also happened again, when we saw a very rare spider that National Geographer literally kills to get footage of because they’re so rare. And because of us Paul was able to get that footage.

After the Discovery Centre we stopped by John Rumney (the GBR expert) daughter's world renown ice cream shop, Daintree Ice Cream Co. When he was describing her shop, he was so passionate and you could tell that he was proud of his daughter. He told us that her shop features flavors that you will never get anywhere else in the world. You know why? Because all the flavors that are served are grown on their land and change everyday and sometimes during the day. The flavors offered today were soursop, raspberry, passion fruit, and wattle seed. I am so glad that we came at the time we did because right after we got our ice-cream the shop flooded with people. By far, my favorite was the raspberry, it was nice and smooth. Here’s how I described the other flavors:

Soursop : creamy, citrus-like, yogurty, very bizarre, could be related to coconuts

Raspberry : delicious, sweet, not too tart, perfect

Passion fruit : delicious, pineapple-berry like, very fresh and vibrant. It had seeds that were crunchy which interrupted the taste a little bit

Wattleseed : coffee-like, who ever thought there is a fruit that tastes like coffee lol

After ice cream we headed back to the hotel to get ready for our jungle surfing! Ashley and I should definitely become scouts and recruiters because we rallied 9 other people to come with us. We gave those people almost $1000 because of our efforts. We were very proud about that. After convincing Kayla to come ziplining we had: Morgan, Cody, Faith, Ali, Lanie, Delilah, Dakota, Cassie and Marissa. We needed a thirteenth person so luckily there was girl from England that needed a group. We adopted her and she was amazing. She told us all about she just graduated med school at 23 because in England you don’t have to do four years of undergrad. She said that if you have the grades out of high school you can go directly. Y’all I should’ve went to school in England lol.

Thankfully, the company sends a van to pick us all up so it was absolutely perfect! Once we got to the location, we had to sign some paperwork and received a cool scarf thing. Being like every American or person in a rush, we didn’t fully read the Terms and Conditions which we would son realize was a mistake lol. After signing papers we headed up the mountain a little bit to get suited up. Up the mountain we were given our harnesses and our helmets. The helmets were cool because we were all given fictional names and mine was Xena, the Warrior Princess. I don’t know who that is but I definitely embody a warrior princess.

After gearing up we hiked up a huge mountain. Thankfully we were prepared because we had been climbing hills all during our stay at Sheoak Ridge. Once we made it to the top of the hill, there was a large hamster wheel and the first line. Little did we know, we would be human hamsters and use our energy to propel our friends up into the canopy. It was definitely fun and an experience. Morgan was my partner and we had a ball!

We literally had so much fun! The whole process took a little bit over 2 hours. There were six lines and they were all fun. The first three were partner lines. You know how I said that we didn’t read the terms and conditions? In the T&C we initialed that we said that we would hang upside down on a line. And the fourth one, we were instructed how to hang upside down. It was so sick! The fifth one was a single and it was so fast! Nothing compares to the drop feeling as you edge the drop-off to begin. The last one was a fast race between our partner. Luckily, me and Morgan tied so our bet was nulled lol.

While we were finishing ziplining we noticed from above that it was raining. The crazy thing was that we couldn’t even feel the raindrops because the canopy was lush! Like they were not joking about the canopy being such a shield!

After ziplining we headed over to another group dinner. It was raining so hard and thanks to no canopy we were soaking wet! Ya girl was so tired from all of our adventures today. Also, I honestly can’t believe that the swing Ashley and I scheduled in Melbourne is tomorrow! It seems like it was forever ago that we signed up for the swing! And luckily we were able to recruit two others, Tristan and Cody. I can’t wait! Supposedly we’re supposed to be dropping from 155 ft!!

Things I've learned

- Vegemite is disgusting and super salty - the Daintree Rainforest is the worlds oldest rainforest - Australia had slaves, but called it different. Would invade islands off the coast at gun point "blackbird, colacka" - All primary rainforests besides daintree need an expedition in order to get to it. Hiking and helicopters - We are the first study abroad student group that has seen a cassowary on the ground in person

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