New Zealand

I have been here in New Zealand for about a month and a half now. It is nothing like Australia, even the accent is different. My friend Brady came to visit for the first couple of weeks that I was here. This was a great experience for both him and for me. We went on a long roadtrip along the South Island's West Coast, hit Queenstown and come back to Christchurch. This was a great trip and a great opportunity for me to catch up with Brady. It was strange to have him over here, since I have been so used to being "on my own" for so long in Australia. When I saw him in NZ, it felt like I was back at home. This was nice but kind of threw me off. I was so used to being basically an unknown person to the Southern Hemisphere, which is a free feeling. It was strange to have a piece of home here in NZ, and I think I went through a little bit of a reverse culture shock. I am very happy that Brady came over, for many reasons. I know he had a great time, and that is one of the most important things. He got a small taste of what it's like to be away from home for awhile.

So adjusting to life in NZ became difficult at times. All my friends from Australia had settled back at home, I was meeting new Americans, I was not going to a community dining hall anymore where I saw a large group of people. So I think I was expecting NZ to be the same as AUS, but I was in for a suprise. This was actually a good thing, because it has taught me not to have any expectations, because they will almost always be wrong. It's much better to take each day as it comes and experience the moment when it's happening. This had become deeply rooted in me as I went on this journey. At home before I left for AUS, I was starting to feel a quiet contentment inside myself based on the way I viewed life. This sense of inner quiet and peace was able to flourish while I was living at home. I then saw this develop throughout my time in Australia, and I could see it affecting my daily life in ways I could not have imagined. Everything seemed right in the world. I cannot truly put it into words, for that would belittle the feeling entirely.


But as the semester progressed, I formed relationships with all kinds of people, went to wonderful places on holiday, and learned a whole lot about myself and what I wanted to do in life. This growth happened all the time, and I was expecting it to continue in New Zealand. It was difficult to say goodbye to all my friends in Aussie, but I knew that if we were god friends we would see eachother again. I got to New Zealand and met all the new Americans and was in a vacation mode. Everything in NZ seemed magical and I was ready to see it all. My time with Brady and meeting all these new people kind of put my fantasies to a halt. I realized that I was going through some sort of reverse culture shock since I felt like I was back at home with Brady. I was very confused, because I was on such a high after leaving Australia and I entered this whole new world in NZ and felt like my journey was just beginning. After Brady left, I had some struggling with accepting the fact that my fantasies about NZ were in fact not all true. I realized that I had to go to school and still get down to work. Traveling was going to be difficult without a car, and a whole bunch of other things just kind of threw me out of place.
About a month later though, I look back on that time and understand that I was going through a journey, there were some rough parts and some great parts, which affected me in ways that I didn't realize were happening. But now I see that I basically let it all get to me. I had developed such a sound mentality in Australia and forgot all about that when I got to NZ. I think a number of things were factors in this, but now I understand it and am able to get back to my center. For awhile, I was lost in the woods, but now I feel like myself again.

There have been a few things that keep me centered, and they all involve doing something to bring me to the present moment. I now that I will always be able to live in the moment if I really allow myself to.

So now I am just continuing schoolwork and have a 2 week break starting next weekend! I am going to Tonga to work on a coffee plantation, and Auckland right before that with my roomate Leslie. I am soooooo excited to see Tonga, and am going to be open to anything and everything.

Well I think that's about enough for now, but can't wait to have a great semester and come home and see everyone I love!

Wrapping up the times

So, it's June right now and school is over. I have finals this week, and it seems like this semester has flown by. I know that I have done a whole lot, and I have developed some great relationships while I've been over here. I am now on the last few weeks until I go to New Zealand. It is a strange feeling because I am very excited to go to New Zealand next semester, but I am sad to leave all of my friends that I have met here, and Australia itself.

I have grown a lot since I've been here, and learned a lot about what path I want to take in life. I have learned all about traveling, and have developed a new found confidence in traveling alone. New places are exciting instead of overwhelming. I have come to understand what my life is all about and what place I hold in the grand scheme of the world. I have felt myself growing day to day, and been a witness to what is going on in my mind.

I feel that everyone who can live abroad should absolutely do it. It will open new doors that one never knew existed. All you need to do is walk through those doors, expect nothing and be ready for anything.

I will definitely miss Australia. The land itself gives off a very primitive vibe. The people here are very enthusiastic and like to have fun. The stereotype that Aussies like to drink is somewhat true, but not for all of them. They are very lively, and I have enjoyed being in their company for this semester. Being with people that lead a different lifestyle has been very interesting, because I have been able to compare their ways of life with my own. This has shown me things that I like about home as well as things that I don't like. It has helped me to appreciate and respect my home culture and the land that I grew up on. I learned how much I love the mountains, the pine trees, the cold rivers and the cool crisp air.

I will be leaving for New Zealand on July 1st, and meeting with Brady on the 6th where we will tour the south Island in a Wicked van for a week. I am very excited about this and know that Brady will have an awesome time.

So for now, Cheers, but I will be back to share more.

New Insights

Being in Australia now for awhile, I feel very comfortable here. This is a feeling almost like being at home. I am into the routine, schoolwork is becoming a focus, and I'm starting to go on a lot of trips. This is a strange feeling, because I never expected it to be like this. What I've realized from it is that I will always be James no matter where I am. This is a great thing I've learned about myself. I am learning new things about myself everyday, and these are contributing to my time abroad greatly.

I went hiking and camping out on Magnetic Island today, off the coast of Townsville. It was great to see the wild side of the island, and go swimming in the ocean.

I have decided for sure now that I will be studying in New Zealand next semester in Christchurch. This was fueled by a few things. The main reason is that I want to make the most of my time here, and get a lot of diversity. New Zealand seems like a great place to go because it's so close, and has many opportunities for me to learn more about Recreation and Tourism Management. This is also a driving force for my decision, because I am starting to think a lot about ideas for the near future. I am getting more and more excited about the direction I am going and the choices I am making everyday. I can the change in action, and I'm loving every second of it. It's strange, because I can't really know if I would have felt like this if I didn't study abroad, but I think thats a major reason.

I am learning more and more about myself, others, and the world in general. I have started to enjoy every moment in every day for what it is. Not thinking about the past, not worrying about the future, but understading that this moment is all that really exists, and is all that really matters. This has come about from a few different experiences. I have a place in the mountains behind my dorm that I go to watch the sunrise and sunset every now and then. This is always incredible to watch. The sunrises and sunsets here in Australia are like nothing I've ever seen. Absolutely beautiful. In these times I remember how small I am, and helps me to get outside of my head. I have always felt something that feels right when I'm close to nature, and now I know to include this in my future.

Every experience here has helped me to get out of my comfort zone and have courage to be myself every moment and enjoy it. I have developed an incredible appreciation for the people at home that I know and love. Everything that I miss and don't have here, doesnt leave me sad, but thankful that I have them.

A month in!

I've been here in Australia for just over a month now. I feel like its going by pretty quick, especially since I am getting into school papers and whatnot. I have noticed that being here is sparking my imagination a lot, which I am liking a lot. I have been thinking about my work ethic and what I want to do in the next few years. There are a few ideas that have come up that I am serious about pursuing. I have realized that I can do anything that I really want to, and all I have to do is work towards it. Being here so far has really made me realize how capable I am.

This past weekend I went to a full moon party out on Magnetic Island off the coast of Townsville. It was pretty fun, basically a party at a hostel that was right on the beach. Me and my friend didn't have reservations, so we were planning on sleeping on the beach. We left the party and went to a hostel with a few friends who said we could sleep on their floor. When we finally got there, I decided to set up my Hennessy Hammock so I wouldnt crowd the beds any more than they were. I slept like a baby, looking up at the stars through the branches of a tropical tree.

I am really enjoying living out here overseas, and love the freedom and independance that it brings.

Alligator Creek!

I start classes on Monday here and I'm pretty excited for that. This week has been orientation week and it has been really wild and fun, but I think things are gonna die down when classes start. My classes are Tourism and the Environment, Anthropology of violence, Tourism management, and Pacific and Australian Exploration. I'm really looking forward to the Tourism and the environment class. I think that will be a good one. I'm also looking forward to the Pacific and Australian Exploration class, I think that will be really interesting.

Yesterday I went to a place called alligator creek, and it was amazing! It's a lot like the river back at home with the jump spot called Big Tit and the areas by lake Natoma. I'll attach some pictures because it was really great. I did however learn again how brutal the sun is, because I applied and reapplied sunscreen but still got kinda burnt on my shoulders. I will just have to be really conscious of that. That is defenitely one thing that I miss about home is the sun. I like to be able to go outside and enjoy the sun. Here, I'm almost kind of afraid of it. But hopefully that is something that I will get more used to.




Last night was the last night of our orientation and it was pretty fun. We had a little shindig in our dorm's dining hall and had beer and music so it was a pretty good time. And at the end of the party all the freshers got together for a picture and the fossils(upper classmen) poured water and flour all over us. I knew about it before hand so I stayed out of the firing area but it was fun to watch.

I'm here

Well I made it to Townsville where I will be living for the next year. I like it a lot here and my dorm room is pretty nice. I got here a few days ago, and before that I was in Cairns for 3 days. While there, I went to a rainforest park where we got to throw a boomerang, watch an aboriginal didgeridoo show, and also got to pet some kangaroos and hold a koala. We also took a ride through the rainforest on an amphibious truck, so we went into the water and it became a boat. This place was really great and it was probably my favorite part of our program introduction.

The next day we took a catamaran out to the Great Barrier Reef where we did some snorkeling. the ride out there was great, and I saw a lot of cool marine life. A lot of the people we were with got pretty sunburnt since there is no ozone layer over most of Australia. It's a lot different than back at home where you'll be okay to go out in the sun. Here, you are guaranteed to get burnt if you stay out for too long without sunscreen, meaning about 30-45 minutes of sun exposure.

We took a bus from Cairns to Townsville the next day, and were lucky that the road in between them cleared up from the recent flooding that they have been having. Townville is also pretty much rainforest so when it rains here, it dumps with lightning. I like it.

Here in Townsville, I have met SO many people that I have become pretty good friends with. Most of them are Americans from the midwest and east coast, but I have also became friends with some Aussies that are alot of fun. And I'll tell you that they drink like Aussies, the stereotype is 100% true that they are wild drinkers, but they are really great. I have orientation week this whole week and there is a lot of activities going on, so I am pretty excited about that.

2 Days until I leave!

Well it's Thursday, Feb 5th, and I leave Saturday. I'm getting pretty excited and starting to pack. I got my surfboard bag and my Hennessy Hammock in the mail the other day. I set it up and it seems pretty good. I'll use it whenever I go camping Down Unda!

Pre-Departure

It's January 18th, and I have a few weeks before I leave for Australia on February 7th. I've set up a blog so that all can see what's going on in Australia!