Freedom and Buses

So the other day, I was scheduled to go to my service placement which is at a place called FRANS. It’s an organization that helps people with mental disabilities. I’ve worked with adults in a day program where we go on trips to the beach or the park and it’s always a really fun time. I’ve also worked with the kid’s program where we go to the playground or have music time. The kids are pretty low functioning so it’s hard to communicate and bond with them which has really put me out of my comfort zone. So through yet another miscommunication, my service placement was cancelled. This is a common thing in Australia. People here don’t seem to quite have the motivation for clear communication. It truly is a society where “no worries mate” reigns supreme. This mentality has its ups and downs, good and bad, but really, it doesn’t matter much what I think because it doesn’t make them move any faster or get back to me sooner or give me a clear answer on what my homework actually is. But I digress.

Okay, so this day was one of the best days I’ve had since being in Australia. Let me set the stage. I’m in Croydon which is about 1 town over from where I live in Burwood. It’s about 1pm and I literally have nothing to do…best feeling in the world. I start wandering around Croydon going into random shops, bought my mom a present like any good daughter would do. But it was about time for a plan. Trust me, one does not want to spend an entire free day in Croydon. It was almost an intoxicating feeling to just ask myself, “Where do YOU want to go today?” I didn’t talk it over with anyone, ask another opinion, or ask permission. I just hopped on the first train to Sydney (which happened to come one minute after I entered the train station. Score.) I rode the train down to Circular Quay, which is by far, one of my favorite places in Sydney. It’s right on the harbor and there is always something to see – aboriginal man playing a didgeridoo, man riding a unicycle, or a contortionist squeezing herself into a tiny box. Not only that, but the view is amazing with the Opera House and the Harbor Bridge right across from it. So I wandered around for awhile and ended up going to the Museum of Contemporary Arts, Billrich Gallery, Ken Duncan Gallery, The Rocks Discovery Museum, tons of shops and souvenir stores, and lastly, I spent about an hour in a book store. Now at this point, you may be thinking that I am quite possibly the most boring person in the world or the most easily entertained. The point of this day was not the places I went, even though I really did enjoy them. This was one of my best days because I was completely free to do whatever I wanted to do. I could have sat on the harbor in Circular Quay for hours that day and it would’ve been amazing because it would’ve been exactly what I wanted to do at that particular time.

But all good things must come to an end. And in this particular case, hunger did it for me. Too cheap to buy my own food in the city, I started heading home. I walked through the Rocks and back to Town Hall which is quite the trek. Town Hall is where I catch my bus to go home but I’m feeling pretty good so I keep walking towards the next bus stop without looking at the bus times. Now, anyone who uses public transportation knows this is living on the wild side. See, you run the risk of the bus coming at that exact moment when you’re in between the bus stops and then what?! The next one may not come for a half hour to an hour. The thing about public transportation is that it teaches valuable lessons. Lesson #1 – Bravery. It is completely acceptable to abandon all pride and take off after a bus with the speed that only an American can reach when there is food waiting on the other end. Lesson #2 –Cardio. You have already abandoned all chances of dignity by sprinting down the street waving frantically at the runaway bus. It’s even worse if you have to collapse into the bus driver’s lap, desperately gasping for breath. Lesson #3 – Patience. Some days you’re just not feeling the cardio workout as you tearfully watch your bus disappear into the horizon. Sit your butt down and WAIT. Lesson #4 – Flexibility. These buses don’t seem to care about my schedule…don’t they know who I am?! They could be early or late or simply not show up at all. Now’s the time to resist the urge to continually bang your head into the bus schedule. Instead, practice breathing deeply and muttering “No worries, mate” under your breath sarcastically. This is public transportation in a nutshell.

So I definitely thought I could do a little better with this blogging thing. Apparently not. I’ve just been so incredibly busy! Okay, so after I went to Canberra (couple weeks ago!), I went to the Great Barrier Reef. The Great Barrier Reef is northern Australia, up in Queensland, so I had to fly there. So super early in the morning, I headed to the airport with 7 other Americans from the ASC group. We stayed in a hostel in a town called Cairns (pronounced Cans because Australians don't say "r's"). Sunday wasn’t terribly exciting but we explored the town some and did some shopping. Then Monday was Reef Day! I left at about 7:30am and it took about an hour and a half to get out to the reef by boat. Now about this boat ride…I’m the kind of girl who’s totally up for riding roller coasters 14 times and has never gotten carsick or bus sick. But what did I spend an hour of that boat ride doing? That’s right. I actually lost track of how many times I threw up. I also was not alone. There were about 7 or 8 other people right there with me which, as you can probably imagine, doesn’t help when you’re already feeling sick. It’s at this point that I’m not only regretting coming to Australia but regretting my entire existence. Then, all of a sudden we stopped, and everything was right with the world. First, I went snorkeling and then scuba diving and it was absolutely amazing! I chased Nemo into his anemone about 4 times, played with sea cucumbers, and took my flippers off and did flips on the bottom of the ocean. I saw the most amazing and funky looking fish swimming around blue and gold metallic coral. Fish and coral of every color and huge squishy sea clams that closed up when you touched them! It was by far the most amazing thing I have ever experienced.
The next day, I went to the Daintree Rainforest! It was so incredibly gorgeous! (Lots of pics on FB) The guide took us all over the rainforest and to a pretty beach and a few look-out points. I got back late that night and met a bunch of friends at P.J. O'brien's for the $10 meal :)
It’s amazing how much culture I’m getting here. I knew I would get a lot of Australian culture but that’s not even the beginning of it! I live with a Greek family so I’m experiencing Greek food, traditions, and culture. My host brother, Anthony, knows more about American politics than I ever have and he’s got me pretty up to date on American, Australian, and Greek politics. I also live with Amir and Negin who are from Iran. I’ve learned so much about Iranian culture and I even went to a Persian festival! Hung out with a bunch of Persian people, had a BBQ, and saw some Persian dancing. I also met a lot of cool people on my trip to the Great Barrier Reef. There was a man from Zimbabwe who’d travelled all over the world, a couple from the Netherlands, and 3 Canadians who were on their way to go hunting in New Zealand. It’s so easy to meet people if you’re open to it and everyone always has really interesting stories!
So this was my reef experience :)