Top Ten

1. Blue Mountains: This to me was one of my favorite spots. It was inspirational and breathtaking and absolutely beautiful. Even in the rain and stormy weather it left a huge impact on me, somewhere I would love to visit again in the sunshine.

2. Great Barrier Reef: Stunning. The symbol of Australia, something they are most known for an for a reason. It was fantastic and so strange to actually be in. Somewhere I only thought I would see in movies but can now see how majestic it was in person, and it shocked me.

3. Rangitoto College: These kids made my whole trip to New Zealand. They were gracious and welcoming and so happy to see us, how could we not like them? They put in so much effort for us it was hard to leave them behind.

4. Ogoing: Probably the most simple pure fun I had on this trip. Nothing historical or part of a tour group, just something I'm glad I did while I was there.

5. Sunrise @ Rotorua: Waking up in the morning to see such a brilliant light coming through this sulfurous lake was a great way to start off our trip. Pictures were being taken all over the shore and it was so great to see such a stunning sunrise right as we walked out.

6. Walk to the Hotel in the Rain: Getting lost in Sydney, not really knowing that many people in my group, and getting poured down on was actually quite fun. We finally bonded with people when Ty and Joey gave us their sweatshirts and cemented out friendships.

7. Sydney. The city was so much fun. Everywhere you go no matter what day or time there is something unique and fun going on in the streets or in a market. Being spontaneous there is no problem at all.

8. Whaka Village: I'm not sure why this place touched me so, but I really liked being there. I know it wasn't that big of a highlight for everyone else but I liked that they all use the steam for cooking and regularly take baths in their pools everyday as a community. They all stick together no matter what..

9. Cairns: Although it may be very touristy the coastal city is very pretty and well maintained because of all the traffic it sees during all seasons. It was warm and inviting, a perfect city built around the water.

10. Burger Fuel: A delicious hamburger joint that was one of the first dinners we all ate together. The burgers were giant and expensive but we got them for free and definitely enjoyed the heck out of them! They were so good and were talked about for the rest of the trip.

Today we took a secnic train ride up the side of a mountain and through the rainforest to the little town of Kuranda. The town was a tourist trap with high priced foods and sourveniers everyother store. We tried to go into reptile houses and butterfly observatories but they were all way to over priced so we just ended up hanging around the park until we found a little market. I bought some postcards there but had run out of cash so I didn't get much more. Later that night we all poole dour money together for grapes and monsters during our free time and pulled an all nighter for the plane ride tomorrow.

Great Barrier Reef

My Great Barrier Reef experience was absolutely amazing. I think the entire boat ride, swimming, and playing with fish was one of the best parts of this trip. The anticipation on the boar built up as we sat there for almost an half hour soing who knoes what! Finally as we set off and our high speed boat sped through the water into immense blue. I thinkthat in heneralthe sea relaxes me and being out there, not even in the water, just made me feel so happy. Even when the wind got a little cold and I was being sprayed with salt water the entire ride, I stuck it out the entire rideout there. Surprising fact I learned today, is that salt water dissolves/condenses very quickly! When the boat slowed and there was no more water hitting me i looked down at my arm and had a grainy layer of white salt all over my body. When we were finally allowedto leave the boat everyone rusehd to the tables, took of their clothes, and ran over for some life wests. I feel like we hardly got any instruction on what to do out there and how to do it because we only learned form a 20 minute video. But I liked how much freedom we had to go out there are learn what to do from experience and mistakes. So while kind of understanding what was happening we put on all our equipment and jumped in. That first glance under the water was breathtaking. All thesefish and bunches of coral are only things that I have seen in movies. My first contact with the fish were the dark blue and yellow ones that swarmed me right when I got in the water, I freaked out, paniced, and kick around as Arnaud laughed at my pain. We kept swimming into shallower coral that at the time sounded like a good idea until I was right on top of it and it was too close and I kicked around again and cut up my leg. Lesson learned I swam out of there best I could and got back on the boat for some lunch. While on the boat there was a little semi-submersible boat tour that we decided to take out in the water where we saw a little sea turtle! Although the boat was fun I woul dhave to say that I'd rather have been in the water checking it all out but it was something different to try out. We did get to see clown fish and turtles which was very cool. Our next and last dive was after we got back to the boat and lasted about 2 hours. Well mine did, everyone else got out at about an hour but I just couldn't leave. I loved looking at the fish and exploring everything that was in the reef. It was so beautiful and warm and I just felt like I belonged there.

(Summary included)

No Prompt!

Today was our flight into Cairns and the moment we stepped out of the airport I was so happy with the warm weather and sunshine I felt! All we did today was lounge around. Alec took us to an artificial lagoon which was pretty much a big pool on the edge of the water. They don't actually have beaches in Cairns because the low tide just keeps building up mud along the shoreline so there is no where to jump in and swim but the city still boasts itself on being a beach town. We sat out in the sun and tanned all day and then were told we could have three hours of free time to go find some dinner. We all got together and roamed around, eventually finding ourselves at Outback Jacks where Arnaud competed in the Jack's Challenge. He had a steak about the size of his face, and a side of multiple different cooked veggies and huge potato wedges. He had to eat all of that in under 30 minutes and guess what? He did. Me and Ty split that whole thing and couldn't even finish. Overall it was a good relaxing day, something that we haven't been able to have!

Are you a good traveler?

Personally I believe that I am a pretty good traveler. It's usually just me and my mom going somewhere so I'm more independent with what I was to do and where I want to do. Being just me and her promotes is to be a little more risky and adventurous with what we want to do. It makes us live more in the moment than with a big group. But while on this trip I feel like I have had more responsibility and had to keep track of what I am doing and what everyone else is doing too. There is Independence when I and with a group too because I have to make my own decisions personally, complaining and whining doesn't work out here like it might back home. It doesn't matter if your tired or your feet hurt you have to keep pushing ahead if everyone else is. I think my strong point is, as a traveler, U have learned to get over stuff quicker and easier because it's not work hanging on too. Dwelling on things that might have happened earlier in the day doesn't  matter anymore. Especially after hiking for six hours int he pouring rain with four hours in a bus and all you want is a hot shower and dry clothes and they say "I know the hotel is nice but eh light show is supposed to be awesome, you guys wanna go?" How do you say no? Pushing through and dealing with whatever comes along has been a very helpful trait to have learned during this trip. Not being a baby is my way of becoming a good traveler.

Today might have been my favorite part of the entire trip so far. It was excursion day and I picked the Blue Mountains. As the only girl I was a little freaked out about having ot keep up with everyone but hiking was honestly the best thing I've ever done. We went 1,000 steps down a mountain (coming back up was the worst pain I've ever felt) and saw beautiful forests and waterfalls. Even through the pouring rain we hiking up and down and ever got to ride on the steepest train in the world. It's controlled by a barrel of water, very sturdy. This excursion also helped me bond alot with the other hikers and get to know them so much better.

Top 3 Parts of Travel

Best:

1. I am so inspired but the traveling that I want to do it so much more for the rest of my life! Seeing this whole other culture, slang included, makes me just want to live here. Seeing new thinks that we really don't have back home just pushes me to NEED traveling and try and make it a part of my life forever!
2. Bonding withthe people on this trip reallywas one of the good things that came out of travelling with all the school kids. I really only knew about five people and the rest were pretty much total strangers. I am very pleased to have met and already be making plans to hangout for the rest of this summer. All these dinner snad rainy walks really have brought us together just through different situations all around.

3. Learning independence, like taking responsibility for your actions while on your own. You have to fend for yourself and make your own decisions without having mommy and daddy there to protect you or tell you what to do.

Worst:

1. Feeling bad. Overall feelins sick and not knowing what to do about it. Usually I would go to my mom when I am not feeling good and she just tells me what to take or what not to take but while on this trip you have to listen to your body and yuse past knowledge to cure yourself. You also really don't want to guess wrong becuase it could end up in you not participating and having a bad time the next day.

2. Not packing the right stuff or not packing enough. You really have no idea what situations you are going to run into so without any prior knowledge and with limited space you just have to pack whatever you can think of and hope it works out!

Today we got to go to the actually front steps of the Opera House, even with a little rain it was beautiful. After that we got a little free time before a boat ride so we walked around shopping and eating. Later we got to see a great tour of the harbor from atop a boat which was awesome! Riding through the bay was beautiful and a little cold, but it didn't stop anyone from staying on the top level of the boat! Lastly was the wildlife center that was full of the cutest and/or grossest animals. It started off with spiders and disgusting insects but then led up to the pretty butterflies and fuzzy koala bears.

Comparing Sydney

Sydney is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever been too. It may be a little dirty and smelly in some places, but overall the air is fresh and the parks are green. Our day here was lounging in Sydney in the was sunny skies with only a little chill. Not only was the weather nice but so was the view! The bay is absolutely amazing even if we only got a little peek at it because of the downpour of rain that came down. We headed over to a popular mall that was actually owned by Westfield, a name recognizable by us Americans. It was about 5 stories high and had so many high fashion stores, mostly ones we would never have back home. There was really only one store we found in our short amount of time that was inexpensive and not so fancy looking. Next was the Sydney Tower that was something like the Chicago sky box in the Sears Tower. I was a tall needle like structure with huge windows all around with 360 views of the city. They even had a green screen back round for those who wanted an "authentic" city landscape, even though you could just go all the way to the top. Soon after that the weather started to get worse and rainier. This is when we took a trip to the Sydney bridge and harbor. Chicago also has it's large body of water with little canals and rivers running throughout the city so it wasn't a big surprise to have water running down the middle of the city. One big difference between cities was the Rocks and the market within. Thea market happens every weekend and it sells all sorts of clothing, jewelry, and food. It is sort of a farmers market but ten times larger and better. There is also a lot more expensive think at their stalls than I would usually expect. Our farmers markets aren't really in the city and they are much more low key. Although they are at a set and sell all those things I mentioned earlier, they just don't compare. Sydney's architecture is a lot more European looking with its old buildings and cobblestone walkways.

Today was spent entirely in Sydney exploring the city on tours and on our own. The markets were so great and fun to look around because of all the different stalls and vendors. Walking around the city was beautiful and just learning about different historical areas was cool to see in this modern place. We had a lot of time to go hangout at the Rocks and enjoy some real Australian culture, something I think we are lucky we didn't miss just because we hadn't been there on a weekend or something.

Forest & Rangitoto

This morning started out rainy and cold and I almost made the group late because I forgot my raincoat. On any other day this would have been perfectly fine but we had a public bus to catch and we had no idea where we were going. I was very excited for hiking because I love nature and blah blah blah but I think I would have enjoyed the whole experience a lot more if we would have had a set trail. We were going back and forth and turning around right in the middle of trails with no set direction. But otherwise, the forest was beautiful! A much needed escape from the smell of sulfurous rotten eggs. Besides all contact with the buses (many minutes waiting on the sides of the roads in the rain) the rest of the day got so much better. I feel like my whole trip to New Zealand was complete when we were able to go meet the Rangitoto College students. The whole set up they had for us was so inviting and they all were so excited  to see us. I love that they had teenagers perform their native Haka for us because it made it feel so much more like us! Their Maori group was a little but segregated from the rest of the group which makes me think that while they are being welcomed into New Zealand with recognition and preserving their land, they are still outsiders in their own country. Even with all of that, it was an excellent party. All the foods and treats were made by the students and the whole room was decorated. You could tell how much effort they put into all of it and trying to please us.I don't think any of us has experienced this from foreigners before, but it was good for us to see this other side. I would love to come and house with any one of these students because they all were wonderful and have a good name to their school and country.

Our day started out a little iffy in the freezing cold and rainy forest. It wasn't even hiking that was bad but the bus stops in the cold that got to everyone. Almost our whole day consisted of travel though beyond the forest and ended with our stop in Auckland for Rangitoto. Probably one of my favorite parts of the whole trip was going to their school. They do things so differently but think nothing of it. It was just great overall to meet these people that we had been talking to in person and finally be able to see them.

Hangi Dinner & Whaka Village

The Whaka village was and great and beautiful. Those villagers all have been able to protect and preserve their traditional cooking and living styles, even with this new rush of technology and modernizationg. The have been abkle to stay true to their ancestors and ancient way of life but using tourism as a way to teach the world. They knew that is they didn't let outsiders in peacefully they would eventually be pushed aside so they decided to open up their village and branch out to neighboring communities in a calm and welcoming way. By not threatening others they were allowed to show and preach their beliefs and tell about their traditions without any fight.The Maori people have fought for their independence and prominence within the country by demanding for respect. Fighting for their spot in society is something they have done for awhile and just recently achieved. Personally I just liked to see all the old fashioned houses and decorations all over. I also loved that they still use the heat microwaves to cook their food. To see how they understand the land and utilize it without harming it is inspirational. They know their country like the back of their hand and are their own rulers. Now fast forward to the the Hangi dinner and there just is no comparison. The "native" people were laughing and talking to each other right on stage DURING their performance. Even after yelling at us multiple times to be quite they giggled and whispered throughout their songs, like we couldn't see them! I definitely was more into the village because you could actually feel their attachment to the culture, not just as performers.

Today we got up early, saw the beautiful sunrise, and jumped on a duck tour before the day began. Our duck travelled out onto two different lakes which were mostly covered in fog. Later we were able to get a first hand account into the lives of native Maori people. We were allowed to

go through all of their village and check out different baths, mud pools, schools, and kitchens. All of their kitchens were outdoors so their "microwaves" were boxes on the ground filled with steam that they just leave their food in to cook. Their village was very close knit and beautiful and had some delish pieces of sulfur cooked corn! Back at the hotel we went to a traditional Hangi dinner/dance that really didn't impress much of us considering it was just a buffet and the dancers weren't even into what they were doing.

First Impression, 3 Culture Shocks, and What You Look Forward Too

I loved this country the moment I stepped off that plane. Although their cities isn't too big or like our at all, their countrysid emakes up for it. I thought about how wonderful it would be to be able to drive only about 30 minutes max, out of the city and be surrounded by beautiful hills and open fields. I guess my first impression was that their were so many animals and so little people. Auckland holds about 1/4 of the country's population so their countryside really has hardly any people. Besides that, my biggest  culture shock was the landscape. We have nothing as beautiful as the mountain sides near us or really anywhere in our country. Their strange trees, abundance of sheep, and fog covered mounstains sprawl across the country. Never have I been able to just drive through such beauty, the camera can never capture how pretty the mountains are in reality. Secondly I couldn't get over the driving on the other side of the road. Watching cars drive the exact opposite of us just looked like mass chaos. Walking across streets and seeing people on the other side of the car was just bizarre. My third shock was how kind and inviting the Kiwi's are! Random people on the street asked us all about our trip and where we were from on a regular basis. Many of them gave us tips and advice on places we should go and things that we should do, some real inside knowledge of the country. People in America never really take the time to get to know strangers or customers, or at least not anymore. While walking into a cafe the owners were lounging around driking coffee and put no pressure on us to buy anything at all, infact they directed us to another near by cafe and asked if we needed to use their bathroom. Mostly what I am looking forward to is the Agrodome or the Hangi dinner. I want to experience some less tourist-y sites and get more in depth with their New Zeland culture. 

Today was mostly landing and driving throughout the rolling hills. We saw the complete beauty of it all just out our windows everywhere that we drove. It was only a hour drive through the country, but it was so beautiful. It was like driving straight onto a movie set in some far away forest or something, and now I see why New Zeland is chosen to shoot such scenes. When you get out of the countryside though, we came to a small little town with a bunch of cafe's and souvenirs. A little like the Wisconsin Dells. We only stopped for lunch though and then headed out to Rotorua and into the rotten egg smell for the next couple of days.

Traveling

We arrive at the school right on time to say goodbyes and board our bus. All of the students were looking pretty happy while all the parents just looked nervous. We were 3 hours early which made everyone pretty mad but it ended up to be a good thing when all the computers crashed at the airport and it took us about 2 hours to even check in! Finally we get through and have to board our plane to LAX where some people's tickets weren't working. After our short 4 hour flight which included sitting next to Mr.Barry (woop!) we get to get onto our long 12 hour flight. The plane was gorgeous and came with headphones, blankets, pilllows, and a toothbrush kit. I've never been on a plane like that so just being on there was very exciting. Mr.Ewen switched seats with me so I got to sit next to kaitlyn and we watched movies and ate breakfast, lunch, and dinner of iffy plane food for 12 hours straight. Overall the flight wasn't that bad, exxcept only getting 5 hours of sleep, and when we arrived in New Zealand we walked out where we could see some windows and there was a beutiful rainbow. Just a sign of how the rest of our trip is going to go.

Fine Dining

1. d) Traditions and Customs

The New Zealanders are pretty similar to the Americans on customs and traditions, at least with food. They have very similar dinner times and lunch. Many other European countries have lunch as the biggest meal, but like America they have dinner as their large meal. They also have it later in the afternoon/late night just like us. Their other similarity with food is their barbecues! These are usually bigger gatherings with meat as the focal point. Same as our parties they have guests bring wines or beers and/or other dishes, they even have big 'potluck' parties. Their main differences are that even though they may stop into cafes for snacks or coffee like us, they still consider restaurants are considered very special occasions. Another very big difference is that as Americans always get take out, Kiwis cook mostly from scratch. They don't even use cake mix!

2. After researching all of this I am so excited to try all of the foods there! I was very eager to eat their new foods even before cooking and researching because I am very open to new foods. I am not picky at all and I don't even think that their food will be that different. They prepare things very much the same as we do just with different ingredients.

Rabbit Proof

The three big injustices done to these people were:

1. While out searching for food in their usual hunting grounds the natives realize their land no longer belongs to them.""When we climbed over the fence , one of those men pointed one of those things-guns-at us and threatened to shoot us if we went in there again"" (14)
This was said my one of the native tribe members who was angered by being held back from hunting. I believe this is a violation of the "right to own property" because all of the natives lands were taken out from under them without consent. These people are not allowed to be on the land that they once had to themselves and are confines to wherever the Europeans want them to be.

2. Because the natives decided to strike out and steal a couple sheep from the white man because they wouldn't share, "they received several years imprisonment and were transported to Rottnest Island Penal Colony... They were never seen again." (14)
I believe that this is a direct violation of the "freedom from arbitrary arrest and exile". These men were both arrested and sent away from taking a couple sheep because they could not find any food elsewhere on the land. This tiny punishment was found unacceptable to the white people because they believed the natives were savages and had to sent the tone with stealing away people, to send a message.

3. ""Yet when old man Udja complained to the magistrate that a white man stole his wife, Nella, he was given a bag of white rice and flour and told to go home. That old man expected the same form of justice under the white man's law. He never got it."" (15)
Just because these people are from another race means that they could not be given the same rules as the white man, they were treated stricter and more brutally than any European on this island. This rule is in obstruction of the "equality before the law" declaration.

Only in America:

Just like in Australia the Europeans forced Native American tribes farther and farther out of their lands until they were cornered and too weakened to fight back. They brought down their populations with diseases, starvation, and war with better weapons. Because of the huge difference in ratio the Native American tribes had no chance and were only left tiny squares of land to live on, the least fertile and worst climate squares. Another coincidence is that the white men tired to take out Indian children to educate them in European schools and teaching them European ways. By converting them they thought that it would persuade the future generations of Indians to willingly give up their lands and join the European race.

Relocate the Children:
The European government thought that their race was superior to all others which made them believe that they had to convert and change any others that stood in their path. Even though they were not threatened or harassed the white men needed to change these other races because they wanted one educated and European race. I do not believe that the government was justified in doing this though because they ripped apart homes and families for their own selfish beliefs. They didn't stop to think about how they were affecting other communities because they don't care about these other families.

Invaders!

A little backround:

These creatures are not native to the Australia country at all, they naturally derive from North, Central, and South America.

Why they are here:

The toad was origionally introduced to Australia in the 1930's in order to kill off and control different types of pests that were going after sugar cane plants, that included rats and cane beetles.

Problems:
Cane toads are so problematic because of the bufogenin poison it excretes. This poison cannot be tolerated by other animals that have not adapted to eat these toads. All possible predators are killed off by these toads and do not have a chance to attack. These poisons are killing off species all over the continent and now moving into the sea waters where many more are in danger.

Solutions:

One way of helping to solve the problem was to help train different marsupials and mammals, like the quolls, in a taste test. To help these animals not be attracted to Cane toads they set up nauseasting tastes and smells to be associated with the toad. Thus making the animals not attracted just based on instinct.

In America:

The Cuban Tree Frog was introduced by travel and trade of different plants between Cental America and North America. These frogs are seen to be cempeting with native Floridian frogs for survival and are winning. In lab tests it was shown that given the choice between insects (more commonly preffered) and native species of other frogs, they attacked the natives.

Solutions:

There is not a huge danger in them multipling and moving upwards because of the climate so they are contained more towards swampy florida, but they are trying to keep their predators, snakes and owls, protected and healthy in order to keep the alien species down.

Blog #1

1. The Great Barrier Reef is considered the "largest living thing on earth"
2. Coral takes the calcium carbonate from the water to make tentacles.
3. Red algae acts like glue to keep the shells and sand together with the calcium carbonate.
4. The Great Barrier Reef became a national park in 1975.
5. Only about 33% of the Reef is protected from fishing.
6. Scientists believe that the ancient reef is about half a million years old but the current reef is only about 20,000.

Blog #2

Coral Bleaching-

1. Polyps are created from larva and act as homes for tiny algae to move into. To be considered a coral their must be a whole colony of polyps.
2. Temperature, especially warmer water, just by a few degrees.
3. When algae are agitated by warmer temps. they move out of the coral leaving it bleached in color.
4. Temperatures of water are heating up due to the massive amount of pollution caused by people.
5. We can help by saving electricity, avoid using your car when you can, and recycling.

Why do we care?

1. 1,500 species of fish, 3,600 species of hard coral, 1/3 of the worlds of the soft coral, 22 species of sea birds, and 32 species of shore birds.
2. All the pollution caused by people and land dwellers.
3. Increased flooding causes more pollution from land to be swept into the ocean.
4. Buy environmentally safe products, open windows instead of air conditioning, and dry clothes on the line.

Educating Children-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEdoizgeNJk&feature=related
Cartoon that would be able to appeal to tourists who are already interested in coral reef and looking to learn more. Entertaining and would make them want to help out something they like.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miLyqOrnwZc&NR=1&feature=fvwp
More educational and closer to home with real photos and videos that native Australians can relate too and learn from.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liG_ZV289VM&feature=fvwrel
More urgent and in the news for foreigners who are not as in tuned with other countries problems. If the facts are given to the straight and in the news, it may help them get the idea faster.

Sowwy.

Dear Prime Minister,

     When white Europeans came to this country they were immediately surprised at finding another race already inhabiting the island. The Europeans, now white Australians, thought themselves much more superior to these original land dwellers and set out to wipe them out from the country.
     Most Aborigines were expected to only work as domestic servants or laborers and because of this widely known and accepted belief, these were the only jobs they could get. Especially for the women who were sent off to homes to work as maids and nannies.
     The APB or Aborigine Protection Board was created by the white Australians and the name seems to say that they were actually looking out for the well being of the natives while in reality, this program made it legal to take Aborigine children from their home without warning to be put in new European run homes. This was called the stolen generation. Hundreds of thousands of children were taken from their families just to be raised in what the English considered and more "civilized" environment.
     Not only were these children and families affected at the time but many years after these horrible events people were still feeling the blows. Families had been torn apart and parents lost their children without any sort of warning and were to never see them again. Children, who often grew up in thees new homes with much sexual and physical abuse, suffer depression and post traumatic stress disorder for the rest of their lives. Not only that but they can no longer retrace their family trees and try and find their family because all connections are lost.
     The people of Australia feel an immense sense of guilt towards these people who have been mistreated just as Americans did towards the African Americans. As for an official apology, it needs to be made. Although the people who have been hurt will never get back what has been taken from them, they can at least be sure that prior offenses have been recognized and no longer are being ignored. They will now be assured of the fact that their suffering has been noticed and will try to be corrected from now on.

Sincerely,
Zoe Bean

Savor it, don't tweet it.

In Elliott’s article he believes that even though technology can be helpful and keep you safe, it can also take away from the whole experience. Basically you can’t actually feel your trip through a computer screen. It’s not like you are sent on vacations just to record it on your phone, you go there to relax and unwind and get away from the everyday. My purpose for going to Australia is like that. It has always been my dream destination and for that reason I know it’s going to be hard to just soak it in without snapping photos of it.

Already I think I am already good at this because I realized that your photos never actually capture the beauty of what you see in front of you. Or maybe it’s just that I don’t take very good pictures. Either way, I always seem to come home saying, “you had to be there to understand what I mean”. This is what intrigues people and inspires them to go out and see for themselves, not just on a screen.

As a class I think we should have restrictions because I think the temptation is really hard to get over. We will already have our cameras so I don’t see the need to have our phones with us anyways. Who is so important that we need to call on the way out to sea over the coral reef?

Timelines

    
     Both America and Australia have had similar histories all thanks to Great Britain for establishing colonies in both places. Australia was claimed by Britain in 1778 and six colonies were settled there while around the late 1600's British companies were landing on America shores. The 13 colonies were actually revolting against British rule around the time that Australia was being claimed. This means that the aborigines had been left alone for a longer time than the Native Americans had and these new American colonies were growing and industrializing while Australia was just beginning. (Wikipedia.com)
     Just as Christopher Columbus came and discovered America, New Zealand had James cook who helped pave the way for more Europeans to make their way over to this small island. Mostly through trickery the Maori tribes signed a peace treaty with the Europeans expecting to receive help and protection when instead Britain’s used this as their in to sabotage the people and take their lands. (History book, History class)
     While Australia might have taken more time to be found, their gold rush happened around the same time America's did. Australia's in 1850's and America's in 1848. From this I infer that British sped up modernization of their new home much faster than they had in North America and actually caught up to the California Gold Rush. A shorter time after in the 1860's New Zealand also has a gold rush in a town called Tuepeka. (historyplace.com)
     Six colonies then formed together to create the Commonwealth of Australia where they ruled with democratic rule and where Britain only has a ceremonial role. This revelation came much after the 13 colonies revolt yet both countries seemed to get their way out of Britain’s rule for good. Although it seems that New Zealand was headed on the same track because they became a self governing community but are still held under Britain’s rule. It isn't till 1947 that New Zealand actually gains independence, a whole lot longer wait than America or even Australia.
     New Zealand’s wars between the natives and settlers are much like the ones between the Europeans and Native Americans for the colonies because both were about putting down the original culture. While America's happened all the way through the 16th to the 19th century New Zealand's was happening in the 1860's, twenty years after the Maoris’ signed their "peace treaty" with Britain.
     In 1924 America's president Calvin Coolidge signs the Indian Citizenship Act making it official that Native Americans are welcome and sort of a way to make an apology for the way they were excluded. Australian governments did this too in 1962 and later in 1976 make it possible for the aborigines to reclaim their traditional lands taken from them long ago. 2008 Australia made an apology and decided to "right it's wrongs" against the aborigine people that it had hurt so much. (Americanhistory.about.com)

     

Creation Stories

1. People are afraid of the unknown. If we don't provide a story for our past, everyone would be super upset. These stories are meant as a way to explain where a culture comes from and provide a lesson as well. Myths are not told very much anymore, besides to children, but I believe they can still be used. Just like in our class this month we examined them to find the message within. Just because the literal story isn't like our world now doesn't meant what the aboriginals were trying to say is any less true than it was back then.

2. It seems to me that one creation story is a lot lighter than the other. The early Australians were a lot more focused on new beginnings and life while the New Zealanders talk more about darkness and the people. Australians come off as more nature lovers and are more centered on the new life and animals in their story. Maori versions have more to do with the gods and people that the world itself, this means that they appreciate their people and love more.

3. Even though each story is much different, their similarities are that both have a mother-father figure to guide the characters, and yet they both have some sort of rebellion during the story. In the Aborigine's the animals change their shape because they don't like how they are created and in the Maori story the sons yearn for freedom and sacrifice their mother and father's love in order to get it. A main difference that I noticed was that the Australian version began with light and happiness while the New Zealand story begins in darkness which carries out throughout the story. I am not sure why one is different than the other but it is just something I noticed.

4. Both stories that have a story within that may not be in line with today’s discoveries, but have a message that rings true. One message that comes through is the fact that people need to respect nature. Event though the animals turned on the mother, they Aborigine had a main focus of the earth for a reason. Their message is like any tree huggers, "save the trees". As for the other message I believe both stories have something to say about rebellion and wars. There were repercussions for each of the rebels but in the end they got what they wanted. I think these early people wanted everyone to think about being selfish and whether fighting back is just for yourself or if you really have a cause.

5. My creation story comes from faith and religion and it has always been something I have believed in. I know it's a struggle when we went through biology and learned about evolution because it's just something I never believed in. This helps with my morals and values because it is like I already have a set of rules for me and I just have to keep myself on the right track to following them. I think it is just a matter of blending together your beliefs to find something that works for you and you religion.

Pico Iyer



1. I do think that Iyer's reasons are very accurate because I believe why all people travel is to gain knowledge. To step outside their boundaries and find new experiences outside of their comfort zones. You have to be an adventurous person in the first place to even TRY to put yourself out their because it's all about vulnerability and how you react to it. I like to travel just because I like to see and be in new places just because I generally like change, and traveling around the world is defiantly a change.



Pico Iyer



2. It means that just going to a country and seeing all of its sights isn't enough, you have to put yourself in the shoes of someone who lives there and see what they see. To truly learn about the country you have to put forth the effort of reaching out to natives and experiencing their daily lives. Only then can you really have an opinion on the country that you visited and what you did there. You have to be open to new things and new ideas just to allow yourself to form a different opinion.

3. The fear of stepping onto that plane and knowing that you could turn back and cancel all your plans but that you want to go out and see the world, is very great. It's hard for everyone to drop all insecurities and just go with the flow of your travels in new places. I think our main fear (for the students on this trip) is that our parents won't be there to shield us. They're like a safety blanket and we're having a whole chunk of a life changing experience without them and that is very scary!

4. I feel more like bringing back ideas is more important than spreading ideas somewhere else. It isn't really your duty to try and force your ideas on other cultures unless you really believe that your idea could in some way help them. But I do think that bringing things back from your trip to share with others who didn't get to experience it is very important. You want them to know what you did, what you saw, and mostly what beliefs you picked up along the way.

 "We travel, initially, to lose ourselves; and we travel, next, to find ourselves."

5. I like this quote because it ties in all that I have been trying to say. It is the beginning sentence of the article and kicks off to the rest of what he's saying but I think it's still one of the most interesting sentences. We travel because when we are in another country we can be whoever we want and really let our souls come alive. And still in that whole process we are absorbing and taking in the culture of another place. That knowledge just adds to who we really are inside and becomes apart of us forever.


    

In the Beginning..

Hey. I'm Zoe. This is my first blog.

I have a dog named Cinnamon, I'm an only child, first day of class and I've already embarrassed myself by giving 3 truths in our little "get-to-know-each other" exercise, and I've been excited for this trip since day one. I go to Central and so are couple of my friends that are also on this trip and I'm a sophomore. Australia is my dream place since, like, forever and getting the little postcard in the mail for this trip was a dream come true. Anyways, if you can't tell I'm supa excited and it's only a six month countdown starting now!

1. Why did you sign up for this course?

I signed up for this course because my mom and me planned on going to Australia for a combined sweet sixteen/graduation present but then I heard about this course. I jumped at the idea and after a little convincing my mom did too. Even though she didn't get to come with (not that she didn't try to get herself in as a chaperon) she and I are both so happy that I even get to have this opportunity. I also think that this will be a life changing experience and something that I will forever keep with me.

2. What do you hope to learn from traveling abroad?

I hope that I have a chance to learn about the world and everything traveling has to offer. Getting out of your comfort zone and being dropped into a new surroundings is something everyone should experience just to say that they have done it and conquered it. But not only sight-seeing will bring you new knowledge but the fact that we will be out there without parents is defiantly a test of independence. Knowing that we have to keep our cool thousands of miles away from home sounds a little iffy but that is something else I hope I will learn to deal with. Independence is something I will need to deal with for the rest of my life so learning it now isn't so bad.

3. What specifically interests you about Australia or New Zealand?

I like everything about these countries. From the fact it isn't a volatile part of the world and I'll be safe there, to them speaking our language. Not to mention that they have beautiful sights are are an all around breathtaking country. Since looking through our itinerary and searching the places on google it's made me want this June to come so much faster. The more specific things I would like to see are the Great Barrier reef and the jungles plus overall beautiful landscapes.

4. Why do you think learning about where you are going before actually going can improve your traveling experience?
Personally I can't really say how it will help since my mom has always planned our trips, but I know that it helps build up the suspense before you go! Researching it just makes me 10x more excited and I know it helps me feel more like I know what's going on. It would probably help you get an idea of where you are going/what you are doing and make you feel less in the dark. And even though you can see pictures of it online, it can't take away the feeling of seeing it in person.