An American Student spends a semester in Australia. Here's what happened...
Thursday, May 31, 2007
News from the other side of the world: Volume 5
Considering the last time I did one of these the Australians were preparing for a big showdown with England in the Cricket World Cup, I figure its time to discuss whats making news in Australia.
By the way, the Aussies won the Cricket World Cup. Here's the photographic evidence.
So, about two months later, here's whats making news in the merry o' land of Oz.
~Australia is taking the lead in creating an international forum to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. As with anything involving politics, there's a bit of bickering between the two parties here about what Australia has been doing about pollution. A heads up if you read the article, the Liberals are the conservative party, while Labour is the more liberal party.
~Hats off to Kevin Reynolds for the greatest quote ever, "Kevin possibly wants us all to go to bible class with him or something but that's not for us." Reynolds is referring to opposition leader Kevin Rudd and his policies regarding unions. Union leaders are beginning to fear that Rudd and his party (Labour) is losing touch with common workers.
~Kind of a bizzare story in the War on Terrorism. There was a group of Islamic men who are to be tried for plotting an attack on Australian soil. However, they are refusing to stand before a judge because of a religious observance. Aussie Islamic scholars aren't buying it.
~David Hicks, an Australian that had been held in Guantonomo Bay is back, and his family has seen him for the first time in years. Their virdict: he's not a terrorist.
So, I figure'd I would actually show you guys a picture of the Australian money. After all, it is awesome. Basically, if you think its weird that the US's new twenties have a colour other than green on them...get ready for a good 'ol fashioned mind blowing.
Like, woah, man.
Not pictures are the 50 (which is yellow) and the 100 (which is green). They are not pictured because, as a uni student, I am not allowed to possess such currency notes, as it may entitle me to meals other than two minute noodles.
One thing you will notice about all the bills is (outside of the colour) the clear spot in each of them. In every bill, there is a bit of plastic inserted into paper. I'm guessing this is an anti-counterfiet measure. Its also made out of polymer, which I found out at the always academic Wikipedia.
Personally, I've taken a liking to the 10 dollar note, as I must agree with the man's fashion regarding hats.
I could totally be on the ten dollar bill.
The other thing you might notice is the bills get smaller as the value decreases. I'm fairly certain the Euro does the same thing to help the vision impaired. Thats pretty cool.
Along the side of the bills, I displayed the coinage used by the Aussies, and this coinage has been a source of frustration for me. At the top are the two dollar coin and the one dollar coin. Guess which one is smaller?
If you said the 1-dollar coin, congratulations: you have more sense of logic than the Australian mint. Instead, the two dollar coin is relatively small, and is therefore a good candidate for getting lost. The added benefit is my habit of finding coins during my room cleaning has become slightly more lucrative.
The most unusual coin is the fifty cent piece. Its by far the largest coin, and does not have round edges. Instead it has flat edges. This makes it easy to find, and easy to handle.
Currency isn't the most exciting topic I've discussed here, and I really don't have much more to add. Though, the value of the Australian Dollar is gaining, which while I'm usually totally opposed to this, now that I'm a little under four weeks from coming home, I'm openly cheering on the Aussie dollar to reach unparalleled heights...sometime around June 23rdish.
Because, just like Pink Floyd, I think I need a Lear Jet.
About a week after the fact...I'll throw you guys a bone and put up some pics from Cairns.
This is the Lagoon, which is a saltwater public swimming pool right next to the ocean. Its free to use. The only thing I paid for was a locker to store my camera and the such while I flaunted my new bod around the pool (see the GBR photos post...stop laughing.) On a side note...those electronic lockers are sweet.
Back in the day (1956ish) the Olympic torch came to Cairns on its way to Melbourne for the Olympic Games. Here's the commemorative statue.
Along the Cairns beach there is a danger of crocodiles. I did the only thing a brave tourist can do in these situations: take a picture of the warning sign. I was actually kind of disappointed that I didn't see a crocodile because I wanted to take a pic, but looking back on it, thats kind of like being sad that the IRS didn't call you in for an audit because you wanted to have a chat with someone.
The fabulous Cairns beach! The tide was possibly just way, way, way out. But, I figure these mudflats are slightly more permanent then that.
Captain Cook orders you to stop for a meal.
Reflection Flame and Garden. This was a nice memorial to the various branches of the Australian military as well as police, fire, and ambluance workers.
Because its been to long on this blog without a Styx reference..."Come sail away, come sail away, come sail away with me."
And we'll close out with some Aboriginal art that was on the side of a shop along the beachfront. Aboriginal art is pretty cool, and looking at a few galleries was a fun experience whilst in Cairns.
You've asked for it, I have finally delivered. Its time for the vegemite post.
For starters, it could be argued quite easily that Vegemite is a big a part of Australian culture as are Qantas, rugby, and akubra hats. Possibly bigger, because outside of the bush, no one wears akubra hats.
The Aussies love Vegemite. It might be its own food group. So, it was time to see what all the fuss was about.
First off, there is a right way and a wrong way to try vegemite. Most people when trying Vegemite stick their finger in it and put a big dallop of it in their mouth. After all, it LOOKS like chocolate, so why not? Let me ask you this: if you knew a guy who had never had butter before, would you tell him to just put a big glob of it in his mouth? Of course not. You would tell him to put it on toast first. Same with vegemite.
Yes, in fact, I did eat this.
Vegemite has a distinct scent to it. Its hard to describe. It doesn't smell like vegetables (nor mites, not that I know what they smell like) Whatever it is, it doesn't exactly scream "eat me" when you take a whiff. Think the opposite of a good wine.
Anyway...its time to chow down.
Hey, YOU try taking a picture of yourself while eating Australiana.
First reaction: This is really salty. Whodathunk it? Vegemite is salty. Then it tastes kind of like vegetable paste. I know, you're thinking, duh...thats what it is. But honestly, the secondary taste is exactly what you might expect out of a vegetable paste. In fact its not that bad. Then the aftertaste comes and...well, the after taste, which lingers longer then an unwanted drunk guy at a party, is not enjoyable. That said, I struggled valiantly through. I was determined to eat the whole piece of toast. But, eventually, Vegemite won. The half eaten toast is the result of my battle with Vegemite.
In general, visitors to Australia hate Vegemite. Its found to be disgusting, repulsive, and just all out nasty. I found it to be not that bad. In all honesty, it wasn't terrible. Would I eat it again? Hell no! Did I spit it out or spew because of it? No.
My reccomendation: if you come to Australia, try it. You have to try it at least. Actually, according to the last part of this article, its available in the US, though I've never seen it. At any rate, try it.
And Mom, yes, I know that right now you're remembering all those times I refused to try (insert food here) and no I'm not taking you up on those offers.
At any rate, to close out, here's a YouTube clip of Vegemite's latest ad campaign.
We all enjoy our Vegemite for breakfast, lunch, and tea...
Don't worry dear readers, pics from Cairns are coming. However, I found a place in Canberra with free wireless that I can actually log onto. Plus, that place serves pancakes. So, tomorrow, I'm taking the laptop there and will post the pics and the like.
However, I feel I must talk about State of Origin. Mostly because it deals with sports, and that to an American, this whole idea is really weird for reaons I'll get into.
State of Origin is a rugby league match between Queensland and New South Wales. The plyers on the teams are from those two states. Hence, they play for their "state of origin."
State of Origin is huge. Its been discussed in the rugby league shows and websites for the past month. Players try to get selected for origin, as representing your state is a high honor.
In a way, its sort of an equivelent of an all-star game. Its the best players from a particular region. However, unlike all-star games back in the States which are usually laid back, exhibition matches, State of Origin is a fierce rivalry and its played with a great deal of passion and energy. No one takes the game lightly. As evidenced by the following pic.
A few things to keep in mind...the NRL season is in its 11th week, nearing the halway point. Origin was played Wednesday, week 11 starts Friday. No rest for the weary. Also, they play this game two more times, in the middle of the NRL season.
To use an example, this is like the best college football players from Texas and California getting together in mid-October for a clash to see whose supperior. They play the game Wednesday, and then go back to their campuses and play a regular game on Saturday. Could you imagine it if the NCAA instituted this? It would be insane, the idea would probably be ripped to shreds. Coaches would scream and yell about it.
Here, its a tradition and a well anticipated event. And, just like any other good rivalry, the two teams can't decide on the official record for State of Origin. Ironically, the United States (not exactly a rugby league hotbed) is involved.
In 1987, after Queensland topped NSW 2-1 in the series, the teams went to California to put on a show for the American public. Try to grow the game there a little bit. Queensland, having already won, took the match as an exhibition game. New South Wales on the other hand, wasn't to happy about losing the series and told its players to view this as the deciding match. The result was a 30-18 win for the Blues (New South Wales).
Now, the Australian Rugby Leauge and the two state rugby league bodies had decided that while the match would not count in the overall standings, it would count towards players stats. Then, after the match, the ARL said that it would count towards the overall standings. Just to add to the confusion, here are two quotes from the ARL President back in 1987.
'It's an exciting experiment but the match isn't and won't be billed as an exhibition match'."
"There is absolutely no doubt in my mind it was an exhibition game and should not count towards official match scores."
You can see where the confusion lies.
At any rate, the match last night was fantastic. NSW jumped out to a 18-6 lead at halftime, thanks in part to a fantastic try by Jarred Hayne just at the end of the first half. Hayne (an Eel, BTW. Go the Eels!) blocked a kick from Queensland at about midfield. It went off of him, but backwards, negating the possibility of a knock-on. He then collected the ball and sprinted down the sideline. Just as he was about to be knocked out of bounds he kicked the ball into play and gave chase. Hayne won the race to the ball, put it over the try line and put the ball down (got to do that for a try) to secure a thrilling four pointer, and increase the Blues lead.
But, the second half was all Queensland (nicknamed the Maroons) who scored a few brilliant tries as well as a rubbish one due soley to a horrible NSW mistake. Queensland had kicked the ball down field, but it was going to go into touch (out of bounds) for a 40/20 kick. (That is, a kick from behind Queensland's 40 metre line that goes out of bounds past the NSW 20 metre line. This results in a scrum feed for Queensland, and would have given them a great chance to score). So, the Blues player dives on the ball, and tries to keep it in play, so from the ground passes it to a teammate. The teammate wasn't ready for the pass, and it bounced past him. The Maroons scooped up the ball and scored a bizarre try that gave them the lead and ultimatley the 25-18 win.
It was an awesome game. You could feel the excitement in the crowd, and the level of play was excellent.
Cairns is pretty much what you would call a tourist community. Between my hostel and the ocean, there are no less then five billion souvenier shops. Half of which sell opal jewelry.
The tricky thing is, people don't come to Cairns to see Cairns. They come to Cairns to see the Great Barrier Reef or the Rainforests, or the beaches that aren't in Cairns. Cairns is a jumping off spot for tourist activities in other places.
Basically, to use an analogy, Cairns is to Tourist Hotspot as Independence is to Oregon Trail. Sure, you go there, but you don't stay there.
So, days 1 and 3 were spent wandering around town trying to find cool things to take pictures of. I accomplished this, but I left my camera in my room, which means we get to do everyone's favorite activity: a retroactive post.
But really, there was no special building or statue that was a must see. This was a typical resort town. A few good resaurants, some great places to get a drink, and a whole lot of not much else.
There is the Lagoon, which is a public saltwater pool right next to the ocean. Its free to anyone, and it was fairly busy this weekend.
Oh, and the ocean? Its there, but the beach is this mud flat thing, that while highly attractive to look at (sarcasm) it prevents one from dipping their toes in the water.
That said, its a nice town, and I've enjoyed the stay. And, considering the headline in today's Cairns Weekend Post screamed that there was a man shortage in Northern Queensland (Headline said 50 women for every 1 bloke) I still might move here. I would link to the story, but it appears the Cairns Post does not have a website, because its a subsidary of New Limited. Thanks conglomoration!
Anyway, time to go grab a Guiness from the Irish pub down the street. Mmm...delicious Guiness. Pics of the weekend, plus (and I promise) the vegemite post this week.
So, usually I would go with Cairns Day 1. Guess what, forget day 1. Day 1, while enjoyable, is nothing comapared to Cairns Day 2, which was a day trip out to the Great Barrier Reef. I even rented an underwater camera to take photos of the event.
I had to be down at the wharf by 7:45 this morning. Trust me, I have never been more eager to jump out of bed at 6:30. Got down there with pleanty of time to spare, so I took in the early morning on the Pacific Ocean. In a word...it was nice. Calm breeze, some birds, yeah, it was nice.
Get on board the boat, fill out some forms that basically boil down to "Don't drown, and if you do we don't owe you money." Then, a few more talks from the crew about what we're doing on the day and then its off to the reef!
Now, if you look at a map, the GBR as I'm going to call it from now on, is right next to Australia. You wouldn't reckon it would take you that long to get out there, but it does. Two hours by boat. Most of that two hours was me thinking that maybe I should go get some of those ginger tablets. I soldiered on though, and once I went up to the sun deck, and looked at the horizon, the need for the tablets went away.
(I'm trusting all you extremely intelligent people in Internet land to figure out what ginger tablets are for)
After getting my fins on and mask situated, it was time to do some snorkeling. Of course, having never snorkled before, using the snorkel takes a little getting used to. You breathe out of your nose for so many years and then you can't. So, my first few minutes in the water were spent reminding myself to breather through the mouth, take deep breaths, and enjoy myself.
Once I did, I was able to see things like this...
Underwater photography is hard, and so some pictures of fish are kind of blurry. It does not take away from the awesomeness.
Here's a better looking fish.
You can watch shows about the GBR or see pictures, but one you're there, its just amazing.
And, I'd write more. But the day absolutely wiped me out. That and the potential already-gave-me-cancer sunburn I'm sporting on my back, I'm tired. I'll post more pics, probably when I get back to Canberra. Until then, here's a pitcure of a turtle. Everyone loves Turtles.
G'day readers. Greetings from a nice, warm, Cairns.
Its winter down here in the southern hemisphere, and its been kind of cold in Canberra. So, I came here where its nice and warm. Should be a great holiday, and the complete opposite of my post exam trip to Adelaide, which is further south than Canberra. In June. Brr.
No pictures yet, as I just got here and its been dark. Hooray for that. So, I'll give you a few observations about the air travel system in Australia.
Basically, you have Qantas and Jet Star to get around. So, your options are kind of limited. Of course, when the entire country is the population of New York City (a bit over actually, but their roughly the same) this sort of thing happens I guess.
On a related note, the airline network is not as deep as you might expect. Take for example, Canberra. Canberra is the nation's capital. You'd think this sort of place would have flights going all over the place. Well....not really.
You can fly to Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, and Brisbane and then other places from there. thats what I know of. My flight to Adelaide in June is routed through Melbourne, so its not like provincial capitals are the ticket out of Canberra. Again, this is probably due to the limited population, but I still found it surpring.
Also surprising, was checking in at Canberra Airport. I did not have to show my ID once. In fact, I only had to show it once the whole trip, and that was checking in at Brisbane airport when I stiwtched airlines (to JetStar). Remember that the next time your in the security line in the states. "Australians do not put up with this..." Well, they do. Just not to the extent we do.
Also, there is no wireless at my hostel, the first one that has had that issue. Australia seems bound and determined to keep me from posting on this blog from my laptop.
Tomorrow will probably be spent exploring Cairns and setting up a reef trip for later in the week.
Time again for another travel adventure. This weekend, its off to Cairns, in northern Queensland. Cairns is a tourist hub because of some reef that's nearby.
There's also heaps of beaches and other stuff to do. Should be a fun weekend.
I just wrapped up a couple of assignments. What better way to kick back and relax then have a few beers? Hell, whats a better way to do assignments then over a few beers? (Answer: Better? None...wiser? A lot of ways...)
During my time here I've tried to drink a variety of beers from Australia. This is for two main reasons. 1) I'm in Australia, might as well see what the locals drink and 2) beer I'm used to is heads expensive. Think 20 bucks for a six pack of Sam Adams.
At first I was a bit scared to try the beer down here (my first six pack was a very, very expensive Guiness) because Lonely Planet says something to the affect that the beer is chilled so cold so its still refreshing regardless of taste. And indeed, the tap at Uni Bar of Toohey's New says that its Super Chilled. And yes, its refreshing and quite good, but once it warms up a bit, its not the greatest beer to drink.
So, here's a crash course on beer in Australia. It might be more extensive had I not taken up a liking to Bourbon and Coke.
Part of the Aussie Big Three (their version of Budweiser, Miller and Coors) and, at least in the ACT and New South Wales is the most popular beer. Its a major player in sponsorship, and it has some great ads.
Overall, the beer has got an alright taste to it. Its nothing special, but it can be refreshing after playing some Ultimate or if your on the cheap and still want to get your drunk on.
Its fairly popular, but I think more so down in Victoria. Its a good beer, and I prefer it to Toohey's New. Has a nice flavour to it, though its different from American Beers. Ditto the good ads.
**Note to the people on Facebook, as always with YouTube clips, come to the actual blog to view the clips. If you don't, you will regret it and possibly loose sleep.
Not much else to say, its a good beer and I like it. Wanna fight about it?
A proud supprter of the three time defending World Cup Cricket Champions (w00t! Australia...FTW!) Vitoria Bitter is, despite its name, not that bad of a beer. I haven't had a lot of it, because they don't really advertise, and the first time I mentioned that I kind of liked it an Australian guy looked at me as if I had no taste in beer. That and, while enjoyable, it wasn't as good as Carlton Draught. But, they do sponsor the cricket team. That counts for something.
XXXX is a Queensland Beer, which I bought a six pack of because it was a beer I had heard of while in the States. I opened the six pack during Old Res Wedding, while in a state of absolute blitznitude. Now you know how when you're drunk things taste incredible? Take for example, nachos. Now, everyone loves nachos. They are already amazing. Drunk nachos? INCREDIBLE. That doesn't even describe it. Drunk nachos are amazingly awesomelly, gift-from-God, great. Things taste better whilst drunk.
Upon drinking my first XXXX, I remarked, "This is the worst beer I've ever had." It was like the opposite of drunken nachos. There's still one in my fridge. I'm afraid to drink it.
In other words, I don't reccomend this beer.
Toohey's Old/Carlton Black
Back in the states, I'm a fan over darker beers, such as Amberbock. So, I figured darker beers over here would be great!
Not so much. They have a distinct flavour to them, but its one that isn't quite as refreshing as a dark lager thats American brewed. I didn't find these beers to go down as smooth as I'm used to, and they can be difficult to drink. Though the folks at Beer Advocate disagree with me, I didn't like Carlton Black or its Toohey's cousin.
In a related story, I count Amerbock as one of the things I miss from the states.
Here's the story. I was at the Lighthouse, a local watering hole. I had been watching the footy, and drinking Carlton Draught. I was having a good time. Then I went to the bar to order another drink, when I saw Beez Neez on tap. the tap said "Honey wheat beer". I thought, "Honey? Beer? Benjamin Franklin was right! I ordered one.
And, from the first sniff (I'm one of those weird people that smells their beer before they drink it) and taste I have loved this beer. Its got a good beer flavor, and then a nice, sweet aftertaste. Its got a microbrewery feel to it, and I like that. Again, I disagree with the fine folks at Beer Advocate who claim Beez Neez is "worth a try". Its beyond that. I would consider it a must drink if you're down here. Got to try it at least once, right?
I will probably count Beez Neez as one of the things I miss when I return home.
A few notes about the post, some of those sites might ask for a birthdate to enter. Drinking age in Australia is 18, so if you're under age...well, feel free to log in anyway. Alan in Oz: Corrupting youth since 2007.
I also linked to Beer Advocate twice. For anyone that enjoys beer, or wants to enjoy beer more its a great site. Reviews of beers, tips on how to enjoy the flavor of beer more, and just all in all its general beer greatness.
Its Sunday, so no absolute blitznitude tonight. Which is to bad, because all this talking about beer has made me thirsty.
I should probably be doing other things, like school work, but I'll blog about doing school work instead. Besides, I have a fairly good idea of how things are going to go in terms of the big essay thats due, so I'm not all that worried.
Anyway, here's my view of higher education in Australia. In general, its more independent then American college is, and that has its perks and its drawbacks.
In a typical class, you'll have one lecture and one tutorial (discussion) a week per class. So, you're in class for eight to ten hours a week. Most people get Friday off, and if you're awesome like I am, you get Monday off as well. There's something like sixteen weeks in a semester, so I'll go to Uni for about 48 days...probably closer to 45 with public holidays.
At least at UC, a lot of the content is put up on WebCT. Now, we have WebCT in the states, but not to the degree that its used here. Lecture notes get posted, lectures are streamed, and the professor will interact with students on the forums. Does this happen in the States? For some classes, yes. This has happened in all four of my classes here. Given that at SIU, a lot of courses don't even use WebCT, I found this to be interesting.
As far as grades go, you basically get three shots at grades. Tutorial participation, an essay, and then a final exam. Some courses do give out homework, and there are weekly readings, but that hasn't happened in my courses, or at least the weekly readings isn't tested on.
Now, I come from the American education system who, if students had a motto, might be "Slack off to win." The professor isn't going to test you on your readings? Why am I reading it then? There are more important things to do, like video games and drinking. Maybe you do some readings, but if there isn't a sense of urgency around it, people don't bother.
Here, you're on your own for the most part. And if you don't do the readings, it doesn't hurt you now but it probably will later on. I'm starting to realize this. To me, its hard to get into the flow of my classes because I'm used to having homework and things due every week or so. Here, that sort of thing doesn't happen and what I did normally back in the states doesn't work here.
The moral of the story: if you study abroad, do the readings!
That said, I'm pretty good at studying at the last minute and doing school work under pressure. So, two points to me.
After essays I turned in and tutorials are done its time for final exams. This is going on in the states now, and I remember this week to be actually fairly relaxing with a few bursts of stress when I would take tests. I'm sure others have a different version of Finals Week (one that includes no sleep and/or pulling of hair).
Here's a great alternative: spread out finals over three weeks. Thats what they do here. All the finals take place at the gym, and so they have to spread them out over three weeks. Why do they do this? I don't have a clue. Its possibly the most inefficiant way to run a finals schedule. Plus, they only do two tests a day, each one lasting two hours.
So basically...my final three weeks are going to be easy as pie. I'll study, do some sightseeing around Canberra, get around to posting about Vegemite. Those sort of things. I only have two exams in three weeks.
Considering I find exams to be low stress anyway...I can't wait for finals here. Three weeks of nothingness! Awesome.
To those back in the states, enjoy the exams. I'm enjoying Australia.
The other night I was walking back to ressies with my friend Joel. It was after ultimate frisbee, so it was dark and also prime kangaroo watching time.
By now, we've seen a lot of kangaroos. And while they're still awesome, its not the "oh my God, look!" moment it was in February. We hear this weird sound, kind of like a grunt and a scream. I have no idea how to describe it.
Joel: Was that you?
Me: Uh...no.
Then we look over to the bush where there are kangaroos. But they weren't grazing. They were fighting. The whole boxing kangaroo thing...absolutely true. And its awesome to watch. Though nothing as spectacular as this...it was similar.
Facebook readers, you may have to come to the website to watch the YouTube clip.
A few housekeeping details. The dreaded words "Uni work" have reared their ugly heads once more and I'll be busy for awhile. Posts when I can, but it might be a few days.
I put tags on all the previous posts so you can go back and read some of your favourites or whatever. If anyone out there is using this site as sort of a guide to how their study abroad experience might go, maybe the labels make it easier.
Australian Word of the Non Specified Time Period: Heaps
You may have noticed that "heaps" has crept into my vocabulary here on the blog. Thats because "heaps" is...well, heaps good.
Basically, it means "very". I've heard, "Thats heaps good," or "That heaps awesome."
It can also mean a lot. "He got heaps of chips."
Its a simple word, so not a lot of length to this post. I'll probably be using this word when I get home as well, possible in some sort of fun Australian combination like this:
