Looking Back

It didn't hit me I was coming home until my second to last plane flight from LA to Baltimore. It was midnight, and I stared out the window unable to sleep because frankly I had no clue what time it was, let alone what it should have felt like to my body. So as I looked out my small airplane window, I scanned the sky for a familiar constellation just as I had done every night down under. Only it wasn't there. Yes, I could only see a small portion from my window, but yet the constellation wasn't where I was accustomed. It hit me cold. I was not going to be able to see the Southern Cross anymore. I had made it back to the land of the North Star, Big and Small Dippers. That was the defining moment that I was back in the United States, that I was going home. I sunk back in my seat, closed the window flap, and tried to get acclimated to this new feeling.

When people ask me how was my trip, I struggle to find an answer other than amazing. It was simply the best experience I have ever had. I struggle to elaborate, instead my mind begins to wonder and reminisce. Its hard to relate just how spectacular that trip was to someone who wasn't there. Now with more time to digest the past four months, I have compiled my final list. Below is a summary of things I have learned from 3 amazing months abroad.

1) Limits. The more I looked back through this blog the more I feel in love with my limits post. It is my singular favorite piece of writing I have ever produced. This trip taught me so much about every type of limits imaginable. It brought me to my physical, emotional, spiritual, academic, and social limits. I learned the limit of hiking without my inhaler, which isn't much. I learned  the limit of my time with people, occasionally I just need me time. I  learned how to be pushed to my absolutely emotional limit away from home, without being able to immediately talk to someone who understands, without being able to get a hug from someone I loved. That was my toughest limit. However with every new limit tested, I found new strength and abilities.

2) Attitude is everything. It makes or breaks a weekend trip, a night out on the town, group work. How people approach things changes everyone's experiences around them. You cannot be an island. You affect people. Why not try to get the most out of your experience and go into everything with a positive outlook. No one enjoys a negative nancy. Be the positive Pollyanna.

3) Leeches are not fun. This only pertains to a small portion of the trip.  Yet it counts as an invaluable life lesson. If the teacher tells you to wear pants because of leeches, listen. Don't wear short running shorts and expect to come out of the rain forest unscathed. You will get your legs covered by leeches, you will have to wait until they get plump to squeeze them off, and you will have to deal with the scars that cover your legs. They don't hurt, but they aren't fun especially afterward when they begin to itch. Lesson learned, listen to the teacher who has done this before.

4) Home is where you make it and it always there for you waiting. Enough said.

5) My last a final numbered list. STUDY ABROAD. Every single person needs to go somewhere new and have an adventure. You will see incredible things, meet incredible people, and learn a whole heck of a lot. The Pacific Program has made my grow more in three months than I could have in three years at home. It is an individual journey. I can tell you all I have learned, experienced, seen, but until you get out there yourself, you are not going to learn as much. This is also my shamless plug for the amazing program that brought me all of these opportunities. The Pacific Program is amazing. Simple amazing. If you ever doubt that, I encourage you talk to some of the students who have gone. We all have amazing stories, pictures, and memories.

I have officially gone abroad. I have left Atlanta and explored the world. I spent three spectacular months in New Zealand and Australia. I have gone on one-of-a-kind adventures, seen more new places imaginable, and did a whole lot of focusing on classes. It was most definitely a trip of a life time, and I got to share me adventures. Now on to the next one.

My Spring Break

 

Spring Break. Facebook statuses slowly start to change from being about tests, classes, etc to about hitting the beach, roadtrips, a week of relaxation. This slow transition occurred at just the perfect moment. I got to read posts about people being in Panama City, Miami, hiking, etc while I packed for a week on the Great Barrier Reef, my own little spring break. Yes we still had classes. Yes we still had assignments. However, it was my break. It was my chance to rejuvenate, sit on a beach, snorkel, and relax. So I am sorry but no one could top my spring break.

Heron Island is a small coral reef island 70km off the northeastern coast of Australia. It is located on the southern tip of the Great Barrier Reef. It is half five star resort and half University of Queensland's research station. It was 100% spectacular. White sands, clear blue water, shipwrecks, and a ton of research projects going on at once. It is my paradise. We spent a week on the island, with an intense biology focus. We has guest speakers, we took reef walks, we snorkeled for class. It was amazing (sorry Allie, please give me another word to abuse). This was my spring break but I still got course credit.

We traveled from Brisbane to Gladstone, an eight hour bus ride, hopped on a ferry and set sail. After two hours, the ferry approached this deserted island. It seemed untouched minus the shipwreck to the right, and the dock straight ahead. Welcome to Paradise. Welcome to my own LOST. With sun shining and the warm breeze, we were welcomed. We then toured the research station, got our snorkel gear, ate an amazing lunch, and headed straight for the beach. There was no wasting time. The beach immediately reminded me of Maho Bay in St. John's. I was immediately transported to family vacations of reading on the beach, mom and dad dragging us into the water, kayaking. It felt comforting. Susan and I then walked from one side of the island to the otherside preparing to snorkel.

This is when the epicness of this trip sunk in. This first snorkel tops almost any snorkel I have ever done. We were first greated by baby turtles swimming into the beach. They had just hatched and were crawling along the shore to the water. A few of them made it. A few were eaten by seagulls. However, that remained our introduction into the island. In all my years of visiting my grandparents on the beach in Florida, I have never once seen a sea turtle. Now, I get to see babies make it into the ocean. Good way to start a snorkel. The rest of the snorkel was just as perfect as the start. We went around the shipwreck. Saw sharks, rays, giant giraff spotted fish, lion fish galore. The coral is breathtaking when it isn't bleached out. The wreck itself is pretty  specatacular. Nothing like the ones underwater. But you can get up close and personal. I wish I would have had an underwater camera.

Dinner. Then out to the beach to star gaze. You can see everything. The southern cross, the milky way, every constalation imaginable. I went in with the notion that I would be able to find the big dipper, and just about every constellation I can see at home. I then realized I am down under, aka southern hemisphere. No north star. No big dipper. That is when it really hit me I was down under. I know understand how big that is. Even the entire sky is different. It was a duh-huh moment. We waited for the moon to rise. The stars went away. Then we went to bed thouroughly exhausted.

The next morning we woke, headed straight for the beach, and went for a snorkel. In just forty minutes, we saw every major type of coral, more sharks, giant brightly colored clams, rays, and tons of fish. This was all 20meters off the beach. I am pretty lucky. Back to the beach for a nap. Lunch. Then more beach. On the way heading back for dinner, we ran across a baby turtle on the path. The researchers instructed us we could only touch them if they were too far from the beach. So we took this opportunity to save little Sally and help her get to the water. These baby turtles can melt any ones heart. Sally made it. Lets just pray she got passed all the sharks. After dinner, we got a chance to walk along to  beach again. This time I talked to one of TA's on this trip. The two TAs are a married couple both phd candidates for some type of marine ecology. They are the couple that every one wishes they could be. They are spectacular people, a better couple. I got to talk to Doug a lot about after college, graduate school, professors, research. He made me think about a lot of possibilities. This is what this trip boils down to. Possibilities. Each talk, each experience opens up new possibility.

The next day was more of the same. Went to a few classes. By classes I mean, we walked along the reef and got things explained to us as we went. That was class. I am extremely lucky. Add an intense game of movie charades and that is a spectacular day.

The next day, for once I didn't go the beach. It rains even in paradise. Instead, we went snrokeling off a boat. I got to go snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef. That has not sunk in yet. Even writing this it doesn't seem real. It is the Great Barrier Reef. I got to go with a group of sevenish students, our TA's, and our professor. This doesn't happen in real life. Before I go into how amazing it was, let me first relay one of the biggest disappointments of my trip. When I wrote about limits, I talked about physical limits keeping you down. Well one of my biggest limits is a problem that I haven't thought twice about in a long time. When I was little, I ruptured my ear drum. No hearing loss, so not a big deal. Well that injury has meant I cannot sky dive and now I cannot SCUBA. It is just something that I won't be able to do because I cannot equalize my ears in one atmosphere, let alone more. So I wanted to scuba more than anything, but I cannot. It is disappointing, but this snorkel trip made it ok.

We snorkeling right where the coral reef dips off into the deep dark ocean. We got to see three giant momma turtles swimming around. 5 rays in a perfect 2-3 formation swiftly swimming. Three huge sharks. This are big sharks. Every time one popped up I would start singing Jaws. The people near me didn't appreciate that. I am not sure why. We saw plenty of Dory's, a few Nemos, lots of their friends. Brain corals. Branched coral. The visibility was a bit low due to the rain, but that didn't stop the group from exploring everything. We all exited the water shivering with cold, but it was well worth it. Well well worth it..

The rest of the day was filled with lecturers from scientists working at the research station. These people are incredible. We had scientists range from graduate students, to post-docs, to a woman who was featured on shark week. Shark Week! This woman is legit. I am  not that into marine eology but these talks are from the experts in the field. It is nice to hear the cream of the crop talk to you about something they love. It is refreshing to hear people excited about their work, to hear they love it. I want to be that passionate about what I do. I want to be that dedicated. I learned a lot about sharks, coral, shovel nose rays from the talks, but more importantly I got to learn more about science, more about passion, more about drive. They were incredible talks.


Saturday was still raining. However, we got to collect data on the coral reef. Again for class. I really could get use to this whole class on the beach thing. More class. Then for lectures we got to hear Doug and the most spectacular lady ever. First i felt like a proud parent when Doug went to talk. We have gotten to know both of them so well, I was proud and happy to let them show off. Doug and Rachel both love what they do, it is good to see that and ask them questions about their work. They both shone when they talked. Their demeanor got happier, they talked faster, they seemed confident. I want to get that point in something in my life. They next woman (I will apologize now for the extreme nerdyness that is about to erupt) works with coral virus and diseases. If I was smart enough to come in as bio, I would change from pre-med and go work for her. I want to snorkel all day collected samples, then do awesome chemistry, extract viruses and figure things out. How freakin awesome would that be? It is coral viruses. She gets to find out what they are, what diseases they cause, where they came from. I want to do that. She is the only one in her field. The only one, which isn't that surprising. She works out of Hawii, travels to other reefs around the world. She has the perfect job. I want to go intern in her lab. I would give anything to do that. Nerdiness over.

Sunday. Our last full day. We got to see a turtle hatching. We got to see them all crawl out of the nest and pour over the beach. It was a spectacular event. So many turtles. Hundreds they completely covered the beach. More class, then more talks, then group pictures, and just hanging out. Enjoying out last day in paradise. The next day we packed up, and head back to Brisbane.

This detailed account doesn't come close to the experience I just went through. It was a vacation, a learning experience, lots of people time, lots of amazing food, even more incredible sites. I learned a whole lot. Got a lot of me time. Read multiple books. Had lots of heart of hearts. Saw some of the most beautiful skies, turtle hatchings, ocean views. It was exactly how I needed this trip to end. This was the last horrah. It was a perfect one too.

So when people asked me what I did on my spring break, I can answer I went to Heron Island. I saw more, learned more, did more, and experienced more than I ever thought imaginable. What did you do?

The Best Moments

I am doing a lot of lists recently. I just like adding numbers to things. I cannot help it I am an engineer. There are a few things I have learned/ realized in the past few days. I also have noticed a digression in these posts from things I have done to thoughts. That will just have to be put up with. And so here is my list.

1) The best way to explore a new city is to take your map and rip it up. Toss it away. Shred it. Crumble it. Go ahead relief some stress. It works wonder to set out with no direction in mind and get lost. Our first night in Brisbane started with the search for dinner. We took random turns, talked to locals, asked for directions, but most importantly we didn't have a map. It didn't matter how long it took us to get to dinner, where we ended up, we just wanted to explore. We did end up at the most fantastic dinner place. Got cheap amazing pizza. Talked to a local about his life. Found out cheap things to do in the city. We even found out about free salsa lessons being held that night. So because we got lost, we found amazing food, something fun and different to do that night, and we could get ourselves around the city. I call that a successful dinner.

2) Go for a run. Again without a map. You get exercise, you get happy endorphins, you get runners high all while seeing a new place. I figured out that I love cities a lot more if I run in them because I am happy running. I like looking around, I like exploring, I like seeing things while achieving a goal. It is all-encompassing activity. You achieve multiple goals. Multi-tasking. Love it.  Also you meet happy people running. Runners are just happy people. Take a run and you will receive more smiles then if you walk down the street. I promise.There is no way to have a bad day when you start it with a run. Yes, I also just realized how much I sound like my parents right now. It is freaky.

3) The best moments are those you wont have a camera for. They are the random afternoon walks where you happen upon a neat site, a run where you see an amazing sunset, a chat with a local at dinner. These are the moments you aren't going to whip out your camera and try to capture it. You are just going to live it. I began this trip taking so many more pictures then I do now. However, I also learned to put down the camera, walk away, and just look. Really see it. Yes a picture can say a 1000 words, but you have to remember the 1000 words that should be said. You have to remember the feelings, the sites, the memories that goes along with them. I have a really bad memory. I cannot memorize facts, names, places. Memorizing capitals was torture for me. But here it is so much easier to just live it and remember it. You aren't going to get those things through a camera. I promise.

Hope

I wear two pieces of jewelry constantly, if you don't count my sports watch. The first is a ring my parents gave me when I was 16. It sits perfectly on my right ring finger always reminding me of home. My second is a newer addition. A small silver disk with a simple four letter printed on the side of it. Hope. It is a simple reminder of an idea that can change everything. My necklace was given to me by someone who really taught me how to appreciate that word. They taught me the benefits to always having it and the power of giving it to someone.

This trip more than ever has showed me the powers of hope. My group has traveled close to the three biggest disasters of this year so far. 1) The Brisbane Floods 2) Christchurch Eathquake 3) Japan's recently earthquake and tsunamis. The one thing I have already seen is how hope can get people through.

Today, we were lucky enough to get to volunteer in a neighborhood that was greatly affected by the flood. A little back ground knowledge, most of which I learned today. The floods were caused by increased rains in the beginning of January. The last floods of this magnitude occurred in 1974.  The reasons these floods were not near as bad (shocking that these weren't comparatively bad) was that they had a two damn system. The first dam was in place in 1974 and helped some. The dam ahead of that was put in place after. The floods were better this time because that dam was able to keep back a lot of the water. It was filled to 190% capacity (so 100% is the normal level, but not the real capacity which is actually 200%). At 200%, the dam would have broken and everything would have spilled out. So the water that did get through was no where near what could have actually flooded the area.

The flood affected different areas differently. Some houses were completely covered. While others remained untouched. The area we went to today was a lower class suburb. On one half of the street, the water line was visible cutting across all the houses midway through windows. The other half was untouched. It was eerie. The stories these people have of their homes being washed completely away was devastating. But they all had a smile on when we came to help them. They were just grateful we were there. They had hope that today was better than the last, and tomorrow would be even better.

An interesting fact we learned was the order in which they fixed their homes. Most of these homes from the outside don't appear to be damaged. However, when you walk on the inside of things that is when you can see the bare walls, the water damage, the evidence that disaster struck. At first this seems a little backward. Fixing the appearance of something before the necessities. But when you look a little deeper, it makes perfect sense. They all want hope. They all want things to get back to normal. They don't want to be in a disaster any more. So by fixing their outsides they acheive a couple things. 1) Everyone's house looks the same. You cannot tell the difference between those who have had damage and those who have. Everyone is on the same page. 2) It builds a sense of unity, of strength in numbers. Even in your ravished house, you aren't alone when you walk outside. 3) It is an external sign that things will get back to the way they were. That things are getting better, they are all in it together, and everyone is willing to help.

These people have more courage and more hope than any group I have personally interacted with. They know things will get better, they keep going, and they move on with their lives. They aren't expecting any help, aren't asking for anything, being a burden on anyone. They have hope they will get back to where they were before and be able to move past them. It took me going to a place of disaster to realize it doesn't take much to have hope, but that even a little can work miracles.

Food and Religion

After a long hike in the Blue Mountains, a few of us started discussing what defines a culture. We came up with two major factors. Food and Religion. Food affects the day to day aspects of the culture. Religion determines the long term aspects.

Food. It is the single most driving factor, at least for me, on how you plan your day. You wake to eat, make sure you either pack a lunch or are able to get food around midday, then you make sure you finish your day in time to eat. Spanish cultures allow for a large break midday for lunch and then a nap. Each place has a food that defines them. You go to Italy to eat pizza and gelato and spaghetti. Food brings families together, celebrations are dotted with mass amount of food. It is simply just important.

I have always been willing to spend more on a nice meal than on clothes or anything else. To me I value eating. Call me a fat kid at heart, I really don't care. I just like food. So far I have noticed a few amazing things about Australia and their food.

1) Living in chinatown is the biggest blessing. Cheap food. Large quantities and it is authentic. I have loved it.
2) Pizza and Kebab places will always be cheap and always give you the most for your money. If you are looking for protein, go there. It will be good meat, lots of it, and cheap. The pizza is just a side product. On friday's, it works. Yay lent.

3) Thai is my new favorite type of food. I had the best dinner in their world. Six of us decided that a nice meal was in order. So we headed to an off the beaten trail to a tiny ity bity thai restaurant. It was packed so we knew it was going to be good. We had to wait an hour, and it was completely worth it. For those of you who know was Spoon is in Atlanta. It was sorta like that but better. We all got different decision, brought our own wine, and just ate. My staple Thai dish, Panang Curry, was even better here. It was spicy, delicious, and oh so good. Everyone else had completely different stuff. It was authentic, there was a lot of it, and it was cheap. Perfect meal in my book.

So if food defines the every day aspect of things, religion has to define the long term things. Think about it. Why did Australia start? Well, Britain needed a new place to send convicts. Why? The US just gained their independence so that was no longer available. The US was started in part for religious freedom. Why were aborigines treated as inferior, they were different. Their beliefs didn't match up with the Europeans. New Zealand was started to form a "Better England." Without all the troubles that Britain had, it was to start a place that had the potential to be better. Huge aglican churches dot these two countries, despite their natives not being Anglican or even being christian.

You become more aware of what affects a culture the more time you travel. Even the surfers had an attitude towards life that contributes to the culture. Their carefree, get the most out of life, ambitious in regards to how much the fit into their lives feeds to the culture. They might not go to church, they might not have a faith, but they believe in something. That affects their culture. It affects how they live day to day. They also value beer as a food more than the average person, but that's a different story.

There are many other factors that goes into a culture. However, the two I have noticed the most that are universally large are those two things. I miss food from home. I am glad I am able to go to mass anywhere in the world. I am glad I have been able to experience a new culture and see different views from what I get at home. At the end of the day, as long as I can get edible delicious food I don't care where I am.

Even a bad day in Sydney....

My suitcases are packed. Hotel room picked up. I am ready to go to Brisbane. I am not sure if I am really ready though. I thoroughly explored the city. I saw an opera. I learned how to surf. I got to be a beach bum. My list of things I got to do says I am ready to leave. But a check list doesn't really say much. Sydney isn't my favorite city either, but I am not ready to leave. I want to explore more. I want to explore the culture more. I am not regretting any of my decisions regarding how I spent my time. I just always think there is something more to see. I am leaving with some incredible stories and lessons learned though.

1) We are super dependent on computers. For those of you who didn't know, my computer broke at the end of the first week here in Sdyney. I had to be grown up and deal with it all by myself. I found a laptop store, looked into the best one. Asked around to Dell. I was going to do this the right way, and as cheap as possible to. I was devastated when I realized I might not have a computer for a week. How was I going to communicate with home for those weeks? It was a blessing in disguise if you looked at it the right way. Part of the study abroad experience is getting out of your shell. To branch out, to not be at home. I needed that reminder. I miss home. I do. But my parents did not pay this much for me to stay in a hotel room on my computer. I am supposed to get out and explore. Learn things. So my computer being broken was a gentle reminder that I need to get the most out of this experience. Then it came back safe and sound. So now I have a reminder and my computer back. It is a double win win situation.

2) There are horrible things in everyone's past. Australia is a rough country with a rough past. But more than that it has deeply seeded racial problems as well. Compared to the Maori people who were treated with some respect, the aboriginals were given not even an once. Reforms didn't even start to happen until years ago. They just were considered a inferior people and treated as such. We went through the Australia museum that had an exhibit of their past. It was incredible. The children were taken from their homes and brought up in the white culture. They were stripped from their families, put into orphanages, and treated cruely. There was entire section of paintings dedicated to this "Lost Generation." Those kind of things make you realize how good you really have it. I cannot complain about anything ever. I am so lucky to be given all the things I have been, to have a family that loves me, fair treatment under the law, opportunities.

3) My people skills are also greatly expanding. It is  nice to figure out what you really value in a person. One characteristic is positivity. Someone who always looks at the bright side of things is so much more enjoyable to be around then someone who is constantly complaining. For lent, I want to complain less. Second, appreciation. When someone can look around and notice the little things and really appreciate them. That is one of the best qualities. I was talking to someone and he said that even a bad day in Australia is better than a good day in the States. It is so true. Even when things went wrong here, you cannot get that upset. You
are in Australia. People dream about coming here. Letting something get in the way of you enjoying it is just silly. Silly silly. Third, people who make the best out of any situation. We had our bus break down on the way back from surfing. For starters, we were at McDonalds in a well light area. So things could have been worse. But it was nice to be with people who didn't complain and made the best out of the situation. You come to appreciate those people.

I have loved my time here. I have learned a lot. Gotten close to different people. Seen a lot of amazing things. I am extremely lucky person. I cannot believe I get to see these things I have gotten. I love Australia. New Zealand has my heart. However, there has been a little space left for Australia. I am excited to explore a new city. Travel a little bit more north. See new things. I am ready to be home though. I cannot wait to get off that airplane hug my family. Until then, I am going to get the most out of this experience. Three weeks left.

A Night at the Opera

My first real production was a graduation gift from a family friend. They took me to see Phantom of the Opera in Charlotte. It was an amazing production, the singers were magnificent, the costumes amazing, the acting fantastic. That was my first taste, and let me tell you I was hooked right then and there. Since then, I have seen a few shows here and there, Wicked with my sisters and mom, Nutcracker with E. Those are all spectacular. However, nothing can quiet compare to what I was able to do here. It started with visiting the Sydney Opera House.

If I can recommend anything to architecture majors, if you come to Sydney go on the tour. You have to. First you get to hear the story behind the House. Second, you get to see the House up close and personal. Third, you get to ask all the questions you can imagine. The House was built in the 70's and the design came out of a contest. The guy who won drew really rough sketches had incomplete notes and it seemed liked it was just thrown together. However, he won because he was different. He dared to come up with something completely new and original. That is a lesson I think we can all learn from. Just be different, you might win the biggest commission of your life time. Also on a side note, I kept thinking of Fountainhead the entire time. Every time the mentioned the word commission, or never been done before, or original, or not expected, I had a flashback to some random page of some Roark design. Anywho, the story is incredible. The engineering more spectacular. Those sails are engineered beautifully out of the simple design of a circle. Take a circle make a bunch of slices, rearrange them, join them together and you have the Opera House. Seems simple right. It wasn't.


There is nothing simple about this building. Take the tiles for instance, you would think they are all white. They aren't. There are over 16 shades, all placed in a particular pattern so that they catch the light and glimmer. They are also self cleaning and require no gutters. Why? because the ground is engineered to hide all of that system, carry the water into sea, and it is never seen. Simple task, made not so simple. The only thing that was simple surprisingly was the appearance of the theaters. They took their time building each and every concert hall, opera stage, etc for their purpose. The concert hall where the Symphony plays has to be one of the best acoustical rooms ever. No echo, a single sound fills the entire room, it is perfect. The opera theaters are designed so that the singers do not need to use microphones. Their voices fill the entire room. The stage however is simple. It is just a black picture frame around the stage. It lets everything else stand out. That was seriously the only simple thing in that whole building.

The best part of the whole entire tour was that I got to see it in action. The House does this really neat thing with tickets. An hour before the show, they sell any unused tickets to students only for 50 dollars no matter where the seats are. That means you can get front row or even box seats for 50 bucks. We got the second best priced seats you can get, so 200 dollar tickets for 50 bucks. That incredible. Yep. So my night at the opera started off just splendidly. Run to McDonalds for a meatless dinner, thank you ash wednesday. This was the start of a great night.

In our best dresses brought, which wasn't that nice, we entered the House with a reason to be there. We found our amazing seats, and the lights dimmed. First off, I have never seen an opera so I don't know what to expect. Second, my first opera is in the Sydney Opera House. You cannot cannot get better than that. There is humanly no possible way, no matter what the show was like, that anything can beat this. The curtain rose up, and the music of Carmen started playing. The orchestra was fantastic. The strings and flutes were amazing. They were also showcased throughout the night which was pretty impressive. Carmen is a french opera set in spain. They sing in french, but luckily enough they had English surtitles above the stage. The basic plot line is about this excuse my language but slutty gypsie. She is. I am not exaggerating. She sings a whole song about how boys love her and she uses that to her advantage. That to me is slutty. Anyway, she gets put in prison, convinces the guard to let her go, he falls in love with her, follows her, then goes mad with jealousy as she flirts with everyone else. She then falls in love with another guy, the guard goes mad and kills her. So typical love story right.

The voices were fantastic for the most part. Only, I cannot really judge because I don't know what counts as a good opera voice. Anyway, Carmen i thought could have been better. She had a powerful voice, I just didn't like her tone. Don Jose, the main guy role, had a spectacularly smooth voice. It was less operatic than the others, but I liked it so so much more. He was perfect for the part. The best voice of the night has to go hands down to a minor character. Micaela is a young girl from Don Jose's hometown that is sent to carry a message to him from his dying mother. She is in love with Don Jose, and they sing this epic song. Her voice was spectacular. I can see why she wasn't given the lead, she wasn't as dominating of a presence as Carmen; however, when she sang people listened. In a few years, I will not be surprised if she is a leading operatic singer. She just goes to show that even small parts have big impacts. She got the loudest ovation. Easily. I was glad to see people acknowledged it too.



So my first opera was spectacular. Thank you mommy and daddy, that was the best birthday present ever. I want to learn all those romantic languages now. I think had I understood french that it would have been even more pretty. However, it was amazing to see how you didn't need to understand the language to know what was going on. You could have not read the surtitles and still been able to pick up on exactly what was going on. That has a lot of credit to the acting. They portrayed the emotions perfectly. It was also a relief to not hear English for a solid three hours. Not once. I love our langugages and to be immersed like that was fantastic.

The next day was followed up by a trip to the blue mountains. The blue mountains are similar to the blue ridge mountains if you took added eucalyptus and removed the potential for bears. It was a very similar feeling hiking though. The most well known feature is the Three Sisters. How appropriate. Allie is the tall skinny one that looks like she is about to topple over. This is by no means a reflection on her, however, that is the one I picked for her. I am the cutest one of course. I get to be the fat one. I take up a lot of space. Then MJ is the short one. I want to super impose all of us beside our formation. I will make it a point to do that. I had a lot of fun there. It was nice to be constantly reminded of my sisters. The legend behind them is also appropriate for us. The three sisters fell in love with three men from another tribe, but they weren't allowed to  marry. So a battle ensued, and the sisters were turned into stone so that they were protected. However, no one ever could turn them back. Yep, that is pretty appropriate. Good job Maggie and Allie, getting us turned into stone...kidding.

The rest of the hike was amazing. Ferns, moss everywhere. Lyre birds. No koalas or snakes. Oh well. You win some you lose some. It was also nice to get back to hiking. I have missed being in New Zealand where I can hike to amazing scenery whenever I wanted. My boots got so much use. I want to use them more. I am making it a point to wear my boots in to the point where I need new ones. Plan of action