Lest we forget

G’day friends,

I hope that everyone is well. You may be wondering why I haven’t written for several weeks. Well, besides the general business of life, I took a nice long vacation and traveled around a few parts of Australia. The Australian school system feels that it is important to give students many “study days” to work on assignments, projects, etc. I decided to take advantage of those class free days to see something new. Now, don’t worry. I am on top of my studies, so I could afford the vacation.

First I went with a few friends to Sydney. One of my roommates lives in a suburb of the city, so she offered to let us stay at her house and to take us to the Blue Mountains. We spent a day climbing around the mountains and visiting some small towns in the area. The next day, we went to the Taronga Zoo, which is a really big zoo in Australia. I saw several Australian animals, and surprisingly there are a large number of critters that hop.

The next day, my friend and I flew down to Tasmania where we spent 5 days exploring the state. We joined a 3-day backpacker’s tour of the west coast, and we saw some incredible scenery. On the first day of the tour, our group went to Cradle Mountain – Lake St. Clair National Park, and we took a 4 hour return hike to a beautiful peak called Marion’s Lookout. On our way back to our cabins, we saw wombats! Wombats are pudgy bear-like creatures that have such cute faces that it’s tempting to reach out and touch one; but apparently, they’re not as friendly as they look. After the hike and supper, we went out with our tour guide to look for more Australian animals, and we saw quolles, wallabies, poteroos, and more wombats. The next day, we went to a temperate rainforest and hiked another 3-4 km to Montezuma Falls. It was really interesting for me to compare this temperate rainforest with the Amazon rainforest in Ecuador. They are both humid, but the temperate rainforest has lower temperatures. Finally, we ended up on the coast in a town called Strahan. That night we watched the longest running play in Tasmania about a great escape from the prison that was on Sarah’s Island, an island just off the coast of Tasmania. On the final day of our tour, we headed back to Hobart. Along the way, we stopped at Nelson Falls, Russell Falls, the Henty Sand Dunes, Lake Sinclair, and a forest that has the tallest hardwood tree in the world, a member of the Eucalyptus family. Once in Hobart, I met up with a former director of Rotary International, John Thorne, because he had invited me to stay with him and his wife on my last day in Hobart. He took me to a couple of museums in the city where I learned about the Antarctica explorations that set sail from Hobart as well as some of the history about the Aboriginal people in Tasmania.

The next day, I left Tasmania for Melbourne, where I met up with the Aggies that I mentioned in my last journal entry. There were five Aggies present as well as their family members. We held Muster, remembering some of the Aggies who had fallen in the past year, and then we had an amazing barbecue. There were ribs and sliced beef with a barbecue sauce that tasted just like home. After sharing Aggie stories and eating until I could eat no more, I met up with some friends of my Rotary counselor who invited me to stay at their house while I was in Melbourne. So for three days, I was treated like a daughter in this family. They showed me the Queen Victoria Market, Melbourne Museum, the Koorie Heritage Trust Cultural Centre, and several of the cultural neighborhoods in the city. It was a great overview tour of a city that could really take years to fully explore. After four days in the city, I finally came back to Canberra with a pile of dirty laundry and homework assignments to welcome me.

Today, April 25 is Anzac Day in Australia. Anzac stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, and on this day Australians honour veterans and current servicemen. In 1917, the word ANZAC meant someone who fought at Gallipoli, Turkey, and later it meant anyone who fought in the First World War. During the Second World War, Anzac Day became a time when all Australians lost at war time were remembered.

This morning at 5:30a.m., I gathered with my host counselor and thousands of Australians to honour those who sacrifice their lives to give the rest of the world hope for a better world.

As you can see I have been busy having fun and absorbing all sorts of knowledge about the Australian culture and people.

I hope that you all enjoy your week. Thank you again for your support and encouragement.

Cheers