The Gabtrotter

Traveling is not always easy. Right now I am having a weak moment. I am worried about the future, haunted by my past and thus having problems focusing on the present. A friend of mine had said some unsettling things to me the other day, and I have yet to be able to shake their sting from my soul. What is it they say, “sticks and stones…” such utter nonsense that is, I’d take the stones any day. Sometimes I find it difficult to realize all that I am, or try to be, while in a foreign country. It can get a little lonely on the road, and when these moments happen it can get difficult to remember that somewhere, not too far away, I belong to a community, a family, friends, a school; even though not many people know it here, but somewhere someone does know my name. When I feel lonely during a long train ride, I try to keep as many pictures as I can on my iPhone and I start paging through them. Seeing the smiling faces, the times that have passed, brings sunshine to the chill that loneliness can bring. I think about what my friend are doing now, and I think about the USA and how it is starting to become summer and how that always had meant something to me. It doesn’t really mean anything to me now, because I feel so far away from it all.

us at the Panethon, Rome

The one-month whirlwind with Sarah has come to a conclusion; although my own journey continues.   It is almost impossible to know where to begin talking about our trip, but I will eventually. I really want to do something with all the information I have accumulated and the random stories of experiences and new people met. I am in the brainstorming process now, but am open to any suggestions. I am taking a memoir writing class in the fall, perhaps I will use some of this there. Traveling is just one big learning experience. Of course there are moments of indulgence, but for the most part, it has been one lesson after another. I have to force myself to start writing more, especially since I will be alone the rest of the way. Classes start July 5^th, and I will move into Cambridge July 4^th. July 4^th has always been my favorite holiday, so it will be interesting to celebrate it in the country Americans celebrate their independence from.

Sarah in front of the Parthenon, Athens

One conclusion/ beautiful thing I have observed is that people are people no matter where you go. This is most obvious when observing people on the metro. In all of the metros in all of the world, people get on, and a lot of times you can find similar expressions on people that you have seen in other cities. You wonder if you had seen these faces before. People chatting on their phone, sitting listening to their ipod, people heading home from work or school, tourists, couples – same faces just different races — same common feelings, the commonalities amongst humanity. It is these commonalities that make art, movies, history a uniting force.  As Sarah observed, no matter where you come from, what your status is, or what type of person you are – you can go to Rome and still appreciate The Colosseum, or Athens and the Parthenon, etc. At least a part of each of us are still amazed by our past, and humbled when in the presence of such influential pieces of our history, such as artworks like the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. People with so many different cultures and backgrounds all wait in line to see the Mona Lisa. Part of traveling is of course seeing these things for yourself, but also recognizing the why you go to see them, and noticing what is around you when you finally do. Maybe the reasoning behind the fame of the Venus de Milo does not quiet make sense to you, but there is still a level of appreciation for a piece of art that was around when Julius Caesar was creating the 365 day Roman Calendar.

The crowd around Mona Lisa, Paris

The weekend of Feb 19^th, my friends and I went to Byron Bay. About an hour from Bond University, Byron Bay, home of Australia’s most easterly point is a great weekend trip to take. Although I wrote about my personal experience, this time I am going to give you advice as someone who has recently traveled there.

How did we get there?

You can buy a $20 bus ticket on Greyhound Australia. It leaves from Surfers and takes you right into town.

Where did we stay?

Nomad’s Hostel. They were rated best hostel in NSW of 2009 and I’d have to agree Nomad’s was awesome. Overall I’d give this place a 9. Sure, it’s definitely more on the expensive end as far as hostels are concerned. We booked an 8-person room, because there were 8 of us on the trip. We each paid $34 a piece, which in hindsight is a lot of money. Nevertheless, the room was very clean, and had a balcony. The bathrooms were very modern and were also the cleanest I’ve been in (for a hostel). They have co-ed bathrooms and also many individual restrooms within the hostel.

The staff was very friendly and sincerely knowledgeable.  They were also happy to give advice and actually remembered (or made an attempt to remember) your name. There is internet provided from Global Gossip, which of course costs something. However, if you post a picture on their facebook, or are the one who booked the hostel, you get 30 minutes of free internet. A very nice gesture, 30 minutes is the ideal amount for a weekend trip: just enough to double-check that restaurant you were recommended or to update your status or send a quick e-mail to mom and dad. Thirdly, they allowed for free printing, another major benefit.

The location of Nomad’s is perfect, right in the center of it all across the way from several bottle shops (which are liquor stores). The main beach is within walking distance. It’s also very close to the bus terminal.

Any negatives? The beds did make a lot of noise upon movement, but all things considered it wasn’t all that bad.

What did we do?

The first day we went to the most easterly point. Note, cabs are hard to come by on the street. Taxi Limousines was what we used and they were reasonably priced. From Nomad’s up to the top of the Lighthouse it cost us about $3 each of 6 of us. Definitely well worth the price and the trip, here are some more pictures.

We hiked down the other side of the mountain, and found ourselves at the Wakes Beach. Definitely the most beautiful beach I have been to in Australia thus far. The water was crystal clear, and the waves were manageable. In the distance one can see Julian’s rocks, and to the right you can see the most easterly point of Australia. It’s definitely a scenic and just beautiful place to swim around and get some sun. People were getting married while we were there. Personally, I’d prefer to swim at this beach than the main beach by town. It’s smaller and had less people, and the scene was just more visually appealing.

Afterwards we went back to town and got ready for our evening activities. A major benefit of Byron Bay, something I have never in my life, is that the clubs in the area of their own buses and will pick you up and take you to their club, for free. Take advantage of this!

Buddha Bar had a drink special, $2.50/pint for happy hour. It was a good place to start, and I recommend that if you’re in town ask the receptionist at your hostel or hotel to point you in the right direction for what is going on in the area for the night. We had the Cheeky Monkey bar pick us up and we headed over there for the ladies night special. Afterward we went to dinner down the street from Cheeky Monkey, but I can’t remember what the place was called. As the night went on, our group split up to do what the individuals wanted to do. I ended up at the Beach House bar/club. There was a live band playing and it was right on the beach. When Leigh, Kim and I were done with that we decided to go to the beach and hang out for a bit. This was a great idea. What’s great about the beach? It’s always free (at least in Australia). There were a lot of people on it (but not too many), just admiring the beauty of the ocean. There were entertainers on the beach, for example there was a girl twirling flame sticks.

When we grew tired we decided to head back to the hostel and called it an early night because we were going kayaking in the morning.

We booked a kayaking trip through our school’s Exploration Society. It cost us $65 and included transportation and lunch and dinner.  They arrived in the morning, but we were on the afternoon trip, so we shopped around in the morning.

The kayak trip was fun, but not exactly as fun as I thought it would be. We each had a partner; mine was Simona (She’s originally from Lithuania, but moved to the Bronx at the age of 12 and currently goes to Northeastern with me). She’s athletic, so I knew I didn’t have to worry about riding with someone who couldn’t handle the trip, and (even though I don’t like to admit it) she’s fun. Nonetheless, I felt like the kayaking trip was wayyyy too guided. I guess because I had kayaked before, their instructions were a bit redundant. They also were very concerned about everybody sticking together to find the wildlife in the area. We didn’t see any dolphins, but some we did see some turtle’s that were sticking out of the water. Personally, I was mainly interested in just paddling around and getting out and snorkeling near the reef area. It was kind of funny, after a certain point I just wanted to hop out and cool off. I asked if I could and they told me not yet, so I just decided to fall off the boat; however, I knew once I got in that it would be nearly impossible to get back on the boat. Well, somehow with assistance from one of the guides, I was pulled back on the boat. Although I nearly drowned Simona with my frequent (but purposeful) boat tipping, we carried on quiet well and were in my opinion, the best kayakers in the group. If it were less of a guided tour, this would have been a 10; however, given the way the trip was conducted I’d give it about a 7.

That concludes our trip to Byron Bay: overall a great weekend trip to make, with a good vibe. I took a lot of video and will try to make a video of this trip within the next month or two.

This weekend my friends: Anita (from Finland), Leigh (from Cleveland), Kristen (from Mass.), Stine (from Norway) and I all went to Brisbane for Saturday and Sunday. We took a train from Robina, which cost us a total of $5 each way.

An excerpt from my journal as we were on the train to Brisbane:

02/06/10

“Right now I’m on the train to Brisbane. It’s funny, I feel like I’m on a nicer version of the commuter rail in Boston. A trains a trains a train. If only the commuter rail could be as nice, would have made my commutes a couple of years ago much more bearable.

I just started thinking about age and how sometimes I don’t realize how young I am. But at times, it’s hard to realize because age is relative. Why should I realize it if I haven’t experienced anything else? Well, the obvious answer is of course through other people.

Another thought I had was about love and how love is maddening – just thinking of the things that I’ve done when enraged by love. Even now I could do crazy things for it, and I’m sure crazier things have been done. Things like flying half way around the world and spending insane amounts of money are a couple of things that come to mind. How many people have done these things only to be rejected? Or worse.. To find their love with a new love?

There’s an Asian woman of about 60-70s holding a girl of about 3-4. They look beautiful. I don’t want to forget this image… sitting on a train in Australia, looking to my right and seeing many people but being intrigued by the beauty of the woman and child. Looking ahead I see my new friends and the Australian countryside flying by me at a staccato rhythm. Just as I think it’s going to be a green field it turns into a brown swampland, Australia, you’re as inconsistent as my thoughts and words on this page. I love you for it. “

My video series regarding the trip:

Video 1: Accommodations

Video 2: Day Time Fun

Video 3: Nightlife

Video 4: Reflection

As always, for all of the pictures taken from the trip please click on me at the top left hand corner.

Before we studied abroad, Northeastern held an orientation where they talked about the different phases of culture shock. First there’s the honeymoon phase and then there’s the “Negotiation Phase” which Wikipedia sums up well: “After some time (usually weeks), differences between the old and new culture become apparent and may create anxiety.” When I heard about these phases, I didn’t think they would apply to me because Australians speak English and I’ve never been one to miss home; I’m the one who moved from Cleveland to Boston not knowing anybody but adjusted well and quickly. With that being said, I guess I’m surprised that I’ve entered into the Negotiation Phase, and so quickly.

Instead of appreciating the small town and small campus, and short hours, I’ve started to become frustrated by it. The main cultural difference that bothers me is the fact that Australia is so Americanized and it is clear that they are in part trying to be American, but they aren’t doing a good job of succeeding. Everything here costs money too, it’s like they are trying to nickel and dime you from every angle. For example, my friends and I were at a restaurant, and one of them got a container to bring the food home, and they charged her 50 cents.

At Bond University everything is so expensive too. The books at the bookstore are double the price of what they should be. In the corner you see the American recommended price and then they just put a sticker on it and it’s literally double the amount it should be. I know shipping books out here can be expensive, but come on. The way they do the meal plans is terrible. A coke zero (a regular bottle that you can buy at the store) is $3.40 (Australian), which is still expensive. The school is obsessed with partying and this afternoon I’ve gotten conned into going on the university pub-crawl, which if I could return my ticket I would.

Oh well, not everything is bad… I love my classes, the weather, and the fact that someone cleans my room/changes my sheets every week. I’ll write about the perks tomorrow. Until then.

11:30 AM (Sydney Time)

I’m on the flight to Brisbane.

Going through customs was fun and they were trying to figure out what my iMac was. I told them it was a computer, and then the guy picked it up and said, “Oh it’s a screen!” I didn’t argue, he was partially correct.

Getting off the plane and walking into the airport, was pretty exciting. Mainly because it had been a long time since I had been through customs and going through it makes you realize that you’re entering a foreign country, even if they speak the same language.

On the bus to the next gate, I was alarmed that the driver was driving on the wrong side of the road, and then it dawned on me… the driver is driving on the wrong side of the road, but then I remembered that Australians drive on the opposite sides here, and was happily amused.

At first glance, Australia does not have as many palm trees as I would have imagined, at least I haven’t seen any in Sydney. Instead, the trees look like trees I see in Ohio, or New England. But we’ll see what the trees in Brisbane look like. Some of the girls in my group were loud and obnoxious on the bus; I could see the Australians looking at us: No wonder America has the reputation that it has. If we were in the US, I wouldn’t mind that kind of behavior; it only bothers me when it is fulfilling a stereotype, in another country.

It feels like I’m in a warm climate, everyone has that cheery summer tone and that golden sunny glow. I can’t wait to get my sun on.

Unfortunately my original blog had been erased and now I need to restart, refresh and renew. Luckily I had only written a couple of entries, so not too much has been lost. That is one scary thing about digital technology, one can spend hours creating and working and changing, then it can all be lost with a click of a button.