2/24-2/25: Back to the books

Cheers family and friends!

Well I've been here in Freo now for over a week, and the time flew by. I went to the markets on Sunday with Sara and it was overwhelming in that place. We arrived around 4pm and since it closed at 5pm the farmers were shouting out prices and deals all over the place. It was half off for all the bakery goods, so we each got a huge loaf of fresh bread for $2 each! We bargained for Zucchinis too and got 8 for only $4! All in all we spent only $9 each and have enough food to last us the next two weeks! I cannot wait to eat my Strawberry Mango and fresh nectarines!...I was sad though that I didn't get any cherries, since I recently discovered that I love them- thanks Matt :) Luckily I'm here for 4 months so I have plenty of opportunities to go back and try all sorts of food.

School started today and Mondays will be very long days, since I have my Aboriginal People History class for 3 hours followed by 3 hours of Theology. My Aboriginal People class was so interesting and the professor just had a baby 6 weeks ago and she showed us pictures- he is so precious! She said he might be joining us in class some days, and might even be in some of our one-on-one meetings we schedule...I'll be sure to schedule extra meetings with her!! We have the afternoon off from 10:30- 3:30 and then a night full of Theology. The professor is awesome and he is very understanding of the fact that we are there because it is a requirement and we may not have read the Bible from cover to cover yet, like the nuns and seminarians sitting in the back row of our class. One man knew so much and was so intelligent it honestly sounded like gibberish and we were all scared to death to take the class, but like I said the professor is very laid back, like most people here, and we were fortunate to find out the students in the back row are in a 500-level class, while we are in a 300-level class, with different expectations, fewfta! Well, day two tomorrow. Only one class, I get to read Harry Potter! Lucky me! The weather is supposed to be in the 90s and 100s this next week, I'll be sure to cake on the SPF 45 :) Until next time, peace and love

Molly

2/19-2/23: All around Freo

This week has been pretty busy here in Fremantle, what with all my Orientation business and such. I'm finally getting settled and life here is pretty relaxing. For orientation on Wednesday, the group headed to the train station in Freo to go to Perth for the day; about a 40 minute train ride. Our leader, Sandra, showed us the cemetery where Heath Ledger is buried, and a few weeks ago the ceremony took place and apparently Michelle Williams was here along with many others. We were told they got their privacy, so that's good to hear. Doesn't seem like people from Hollywood get that very often! Also on the train, she pointed out many beautiful beaches where we can learn how to surf or just spend the day relaxing. When we arrived in Perth, Sandra brought us around to different shops in the city and to a place called London Court. Since we were on a tour we didn't get to spend much time shopping, but it was a little alley-way straight out of medieval times and it was very quaint. We went to the Perth art gallery and walked around and got to see some of the artists work there. It was very interesting and I will be sure to go back another day when we have more time to explore on our own. For lunch we went to The Shed for some delicious pasta. The Aussie's tend to put Chili sauce on their meals instead of marinara or alfredo. It was very good though, and always fun to try new things! We were shown all of the hot spots in the city where we should come at night to go dancing and which pubs to go to as well.

After lunch we went to King's Park to watch an Aboriginal dance performance which overlooked the bay and the city of Perth. Fremantle on the weekends is the place to be! On Thursdays and Fridays there are these markets down High Street, right by the P&O with people selling homemade goods. There are many jewelry stands, photography, weird trinkets such as cassette tape coin purses, food, clothes, fudge, and much more! I could spend an entire day in this one-block stretch! Also, starting on Friday and going through Sunday there are these other markets that are indoors and they are so fun! Apparently if you go on Sunday, they practically give the food away- like fruits, veggies, and bread. I'll be there every Sunday night, bargaining with the locals to get my fresh produce! Sauteed Zucchini is my new favorite! We're learning to cook some pretty extravagant meals here at the P&O- including Halibut! We bought it at the market with everything but the head! Pulling the spine out was one of the lesser fun things I've done before, but oh boy was that fish good! I'm not usually a seafood person either, but I'm learning to adapt to the culture, and it's actually not half bad!

Sara and I walked around Freo for most of the day hunting for cute dresses. No luck! They're all way too expensive! We're hoping to have better luck in Perth when we get there again. On our shopping trip we scoped out all the good places to eat, especially ice cream! Only one place has phenomenal homemade waffle cones but their scoops are too small! Haha. I guess I'll have to suffer lower quality cones for my big scoops of amazing gelato at this shop called Amano...or an even better idea may be to just by a gallon at the grocery store! Cheaper option, probably not better though!

I went for a run down the coast to South Beach with a kid named Guillaume. He's from France and I swear this kid runs marathons, man is he fast! I saw my first Australian sunset at the ocean- it was absolutely beautiful, I wish I had my camera! I can't wait to see more of those this semester! Wow, class is starting in a few days! That will be a good change though and keep me busy during the day. Until next time, peace and love always~

2/17: $40 bathtowels?!

Cheers everyone!

How are you going?! Ok, that's my effort to speak like the Australians :)

Last night Sara and I slept with the light on the entire night, we were scared. I forgot to mention dinner last night, which consisted of kangaroo meat in our pasta sauce...luckily I had the vegetable sauce, although I am all for trying new things, but it might take a while. Apparently kangaroo is the new beef :)

A few of us got ready for the day, we went for a run around Freo and the weather was absolutely beautiful! We saw the beach and a little bit of the historic town. It's a Sunday so most shops are only open 12-4pm. Also on weekends there is a fresh produce market and if you go right before it closes on Sunday at 5pm, they practically hand the food to you. We went to the grocery store and Target- which is very different from Minnesota! Hair dryers are about $50, bath towls are $40 each, and makeup, like mascara is about $15-20! Yikes- good thing I packed these necessities!

For the night we got dressed up and headed to Little Creatures, a town pub/restaurant where they brew their own beer! To get to the pub, we have to cross this big park and our director warned us that if we go alone we might get thumped (robbed). There are many homeless people and Aborigines who are in the park late at night. So no worries, I walk around the park and not through it!

After the bar, we all walked down to the beach. There were a group of random people around a bonfire strummin' on a guitar. Now, for those who know me, I'm always paranoid about not only the dark, but also strangers. The people turned out to be very friendly and one guy is a swordfish and tuna fisherman and he'll be leaving Wednesday for a month out at sea. He hasn't seen his family in 5 years! I thought 10 days was hard! They live on the other side of Australia in between Brisbane & Sydney. He invited a few of us out on his ship the following day to go snorkeling- um no thanks!

Tomorrow is an early morning, we start Orientation or "O week" at Notre Dame Australia. I can't wait! As for pictures, I will try to send some and eventually I'll have a website set up so you can all see them. We still don't have internet in our rooms. Until next time,

Peace and Love always~

Molly

2/16: G'day Mates!

On Saturday, February 16, we departed from Queenstown for a long day of flights ahead of us. While leaving the airport we walked out to our plane and saw the end of a rainbow in front of the mountain range. We saw it touching the ground! A great last sight to see before leaving this beautiful city!

I made it safely to Australia after almost 12 hours of flying and three different planes. Chuck, our director greeted us in a coach bus to take our group back to the P & O (Pacific and Orient) Hotel/ dormitory- my home for the next 4 months.

Sara & I are rooming together and the rooms at the P&O are of all different shapes and sizes. We were very fortunate to be placed in a HUGE room! We also have doors leading out to the balcony which overlooks High Street. Down the street from the P&O you can see the old prison built by the convicts who came from Europe roughly 200 years ago. It is right on the beach and only a 5 minute walk from the hotel.

Getting settled was a bit rocky, considering a big black spider greeted me in the shower and who knows if it was poisonous or not- but all I know is that it did not look like a friendly daddy-long-leg like back in Minnesota! The town of Freo (Fremantle) is a very social town. People go out frequently, dressed in cocktail dressses and stilhettos! Back to talking about the P&O, we share it with students from Indiana, France, and Portland. With that, we also share one large kitchen. Keeping that clean will be tricky, but we have to be diligent about that, otherwise we will be accompanied by cockroaches and ants.

As for sleeping, it will be a light one this first night, or even first few weeks. There are many bugs, big and small and I'm far away from home. At dinner the tears kept on comin' and I just couldn't control myself. I think not having internet for a few days and no contact made it hard, but this is unusual for me, but now you can all see that I do miss home and all of my family and friends! I can't wait for this semester to get kicked off. This is a phenomenal experience and I'm so fortunate to have this opportunity!

2/14/08: Love is in the air

Hello everyone!

Today was a low-key day. It's Valentine's Day here on the island and there are decorations all around. It makes me miss Matt a lot! I slept in today and Sara and I went power walking this morning out to the peninsula and around Queenstown. That's the closest we get to exercising right now, and it counts. The colors are so vivid here. Green pines covering mountain sides, crystal-clear blue lakes and cottonball-white clouds...I know those colors are everywhere, but it's different here. It is so peaceful and the lifestyle in Queenstown is completely different. Walking down on the Boardwalk right by the lake there are people playing their saxophone and singing some great tunes. Others are juggling or doing tricks with a glass ball. It's a lot different from Eagan, MN or St. Joseph. I'm so lucky to have this opportunity and I am doing as much as possible and trying to see as much as I can!

For lunch Sara and I went to Winnie's bar and supposedly their pizza is to die for and the best in town. I wasn't aware of this until after the fact, but at the time I was craving a good salad and we were searching every cafe for the best, and cheapest options. Winnie's was the place and that's where I enjoyed my Greek salad with tomatos, feta cheese (my favorite), spinach leaves, and vinegarette. Absolutely scrumptious. We walked around the little shops for most of the afternoon and held back the temptation of buying anything foolish. Then we came across an ice cream parlor and I could NOT resist! Second day in a row, yikes! I better take it down a notch...maybe tomorrow I'll be able to resist, but today my huge waffle cone with one scoop of White Chocolate and Hazelnuts and one scoop of Vanilla and Cream satisfied my sweet tooth. Tomorrow looks the same for plans, since it is our last day in New Zealand, we're just planning on laying low. I'll definitely be taking the opportunity to snap some great pictures, even though as I said earlier, you truly have to see this place for yourself. Until next time, peace and love always~

Molly

2/13/08: Funyaking down the Dart River Valley

A bright and early morning for us world travelers, so no going out the night before; especially considering the fact that we are walking on very thin ice with management at the Peppers Beacon. When you have 24 people in one apartment, and those guys’ voice are not quiet, it’s easy to receive a few noise complaints. And as I may have mentioned earlier, this place we’re staying at costs $500 per night! I have no idea how we managed to get such a good deal, but we have to be on our best behavior here on out!

A group of 5 (Emily Smith, Katie Carlson, Chris Schultz, Sara Dockendorf, and I) woke up and caught a Kiwi Discovery coach bus at 7:45am and headed towards Glenarchy where we would Jet boat up the Dart River Valley and then take Funyaks (inflatable kayaks) back down the river. The little town of Glenarchy is charming and scenic. They have a library where the children get their coloring books, a school with 18 students (3 teachers), and 4 bars. That pretty much sums it up! We arrived at the Dart River building to put on our gear, and being that is was only 8am, taking off my warm layers to put on another wetsuit did not sound enticing. I just wanted to bundle up back in bed again, but hopefully the sun keeps us toasty and we don't get too wet on the river.

We took a jet up the River, and this Jetboat is infamous in New Zealand. They whip you around, make sharp 360's, and come within inches of boulders and the shore. It was an exhilarating ride a bit chilly at the same time. At one part the driver told us to take out our cameras from our water-proof bags, and so we all did. Unfortunately another jet driver came whipping around the corner and white-washed our boat. Now, anyone who knows me, probably knows of my luck with cameras...I don't have any! I was absolutely furious! I couldn't believe my camera got wet! Luckily there were towels in the boat and I got it dried off right away and it still works, but why the guy told us to take pictures when boats were whipping around is beyond me. Oh well, no damage was done, luckily!

Once reaching our destination on the river, we had to manually inflate our Funyaks. Sara and I took turns. It was hard work and warmed us up quickly! Sara and I got the privilege to ride with one of the guides, and he told us we were lucky because we wouldn't have to do much work--my kind of ride :) He is from Canada and has been living out of his van in Queenstown since October. He looked kind of "outdoorsy." I was disappointed to hear that he didn't know where Minnesota was!! Are you kidding?! We're touching Canada! Well I did my best to explain, and he said, "Oh right by Iowa." He knows where Iowa is and not Minnesota?! Come on!

Riding down the river was a blast, and we even got to stop for lunch, which consisted of delicious sandwiches with Gouda cheese, my favorite!! We got fruit, hot cocoa, and dessert too, my ultimate favorite! Coming up to where our journey would end, we saw the mountain that was filmed during the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, which is the mountain where the tower of Isengard was located in the movie. Also, we got to go to the site where the new film Wolverine is being filmed with Hugh Jackman. They were filming last week and again in a few weeks. We were shown this white farm house that was built just for the movie and that they were going to blow up...so everyone watch for that in a few years when the movie comes out, because I was there!

The day ended with a Pub Crawl around town. We went to 5 bars and got a drink at each one. Don't worry I was just the camera girl and I made it home safely! Only a few more days here, and they should be pretty relaxing. I can't believe I start school in a week...although it's probably about time! Until next time, peace and love always ~

Molly

2/12/08: Battling the Canyons

Today was truly fabulous! We woke up and at 10:30am the canyoning people picked us up, which is what we did today. On our drive to Routeburn, which is near where they filmed Lord of the Rings, our van broke down and started smoking while we were on a steep uphill incline. Yikes! Luckily another bus came to get us. When we arrived on site we put on our gear, a wet suit, booties, life jacket and helmet. We Traveled to the head of Lake Wakatipu to a hidden spot in the Routeburn Valley. A canyon is different from an ordinary stream because the narrow passages are created by erosion into bedrock, creating beautiful sculptured walls and spectacular waterfalls. Canyoning involves traveling down creeks or streams within a canyon y a variety of means- walking, scrambling, climbing, abseiling/rappelling, jumping and swimming. We walked through some streams at the bottom of the mountains and from there we could see waterfalls in the distance further up the climb. The water was freezing! That is because it is coming from the melted snow at the top of the mountains. It was a crystal blue, similar to the color of the Caribbean water, but it’s fresh water! We hiked up the mountain and that’s where the fun began. We started out by climbing up this canyon and we laid down on the rocks on our backs, headfirst and slid completely down, similar to a slide with the pool of water at the bottom. The frigid temperature takes your breath away. We walked through the canyon to our next spot where we were instructed to jump in specific spot at the bottom of the waterfall, roughly 30ft down. We were instructed to look up at the sky to help us “sit in a chair.” There were huge rocks on either side and we had to keep our knees up so we wouldn’t hit the bottom. Once we plunged into the water, the strong current took us along the canyon. We were in the water for about 3hours and I wish I could do it all over again! This is the highlight of my trip so far. Tonight is low key back at the resort. An early morning tomorrow when we will got on a jet and funyaking (inflatable kayaks down the river!)

2/11/08: Sheep rule the country

New Zealand is by far the most beautiful place I have ever been! Our apartments at the Peppers Beacon are like a penthouse. They are gorgeous. Somehow we got a great deal plus an upgrade, because typically the rooms we have are $500/night and we’re here for 6 nights and we paid probably $500 total! Our walk-out balcony overlooks Lake Wakatipu in Queenstown. We are approximately 10 minutes fro mthe town which is filled with shops and fun places to eat. Last night our roommates, Mike Schumacher and Stephen Foertsch went to a burger place called Fergburgers. I got a Cajun Chicken burger and it was literally the size of my face! The fries were to die for. They were perfectly salty, like sea salt, yummy! After dinner we walked to a small super market to buy food for the week. Prices are different with the exchanger rate and instead of listing calories, each food item lists Energy and it’s measured in kilojewels. Who knows what that means!? Walking around town is so much fun and the scenery is phenomenal. We are in this valley surrounded by mountains, which cut through the clouds creating a nostalgic sight. Did you know there are more sheep in New Zealand than people?!

Sara and I went for a run around part of the lake and out onto the peninsula. It was completely wooded in the middle, filled with pine trees and running trails. If I could move here right now, I would. They have a disc golfing course and sailboats filling the bay. It’s nothing like a Minnesota lake. Most of the mountains are brown right now because it is summer so they don’t have snow on them. Other mountains filled with pine are a lush green.

For dinner, we walked up the hill behind us and took a gondola up the mountain. It was a bit pricy, but this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The gondola ride was a bit freaky considering I am aftraid of heights but looking over the entire city, seeing all the residential homes up on the mountain sides and the lake is enormous. You cannot truly see its size unless you are up really high. The restaurant at the top of the mountain that actually comes out the side, hanging over a little was really fun. The buffet was extravagant. There was every type of seafood, vegetable, delicious tomato soup, cheese and crackers that you cut yourself, like bleu cheese, gouda, sharp cheddar and much more! Oh, and did I mention the dessert table?! There was Tiramisu, Chocolate Mousse, a Hazelnut Crunch, and much, much more. I spent most of my time there! It was definitely an experience and I am so glad I did it!

2/7-2/9: Blue Starfish and Daiquiris on the Beach

The sun is hot here in Fiji and a reapplication of SPF 45 sunscreen is required at least every hour! While laying at the beach with Sara, Gabe, and Mike we talked to a lady from England who has been traveling over 10 countries for the past 8 months. She worked at her job for 6 years, saved up money, and then quit her job to travel.

Henry, a worker at Mango Bay found a ripe coconut for us, cracked it open and shared the milk and flesh with us. It was pretty tasty! A small group decided to go see a waterfall and jump off of it, but other than that, relaxing is what we mostly did. We also went kayaking along the shoreline while it was high tide and so we rode the waves. Unfortunately I couldn't see any tropical fish, maybe next time.

For the record, napping in the sun for 2 hours is never a good idea, especially when we are this close to the equator! While walking along the beach, Sara and I saw a few blue starfish at low tide. One was stranded on the dry beach and he was shriveling up so we defied nature and helped the little fellow out and put him back into the ocean where it was cool.

That night we all dressed up, had a few drinks and they had a Limbo contest for us at the resort. For the record, I am not flexible at all, but apparently i can arch my back really far, because I won the entire contest, haha. The prize was a free drink called "the devil." Let's just say, I've tasted better things. The remainder of the night was filled with dancing and a bonfire on the beach.

One more day in Fiji, and at 3am we had to be all packed to take the bus back to Nadi to catch our flight at 7:30am to Auckland.
The 9th was Sara's 21st birthday! We enjoyed some Mango & Banana daiquiris on the beach. Yum! For dinner, the resort decorated a long table for us and lit candles. Some people ate the tuna they caught the day before. During dinner some of the natives from the nearby village came to perform dances and songs for us. They were in beautiful costumes decorated with flowers. They made an announcement wishing the group from the US farewell and thanked us for coming to their beautiful island. It was a very nice performance. We got some pictures with the dancers too.

2/4- 2/6: Falling coconuts like tourists

Greetings all!

Passing through the Minneapolis/St. Paul gate and leaving Mom, Dad, and Matt on the other side was difficult! Luckily only 3 1/2 months until he comes to visit me in Perth. As we boarded the plane, Sara (my roommate) and I were stuck behind a hacking woman with her 10 kleenex & runny nose-- good thing we have Airbourne! Well, as things turned out, we had the privilege of sitting right next to this woman.

Fiji greeted us with humidity- something I had forgotten about! No lost luggage, another plus. On our way to Mango Bay Resort, our guide Zach taught us a little bit about Fiji, the culture, and the government, or lack there of. "Bula" is a friendly term used to mean: hi, welcome, and what's up. Zach also brought to our attention Fijian time- which basically means "when we feel like it" People move very slowly, and that may seem annoying, but really it was kind of nice to slow down the pace a bit. The economy in Fiji is dependent on tourism and sugarcane. Other than that, the country is full of poverty. Zach also told us about cava, a Fijian drink similar to alcohol and he recommended we try it.

Upon arrival, we were brought to our huts and told nothing is charged up front. Eat, drink, and be merry, until departure when your bill is given to you- that could mean trouble! We can snorkel, go scuba diving, take a boat tour, sand volleyball, hiking to waterfalls, and much more! It is truly paradise here.

While playing sand volleyball with the natives a coconut fell from the tree and landed directly next to Ryan Rosenberg. One worker said, "watch out for falling coconuts, they like tourists."

Peace and love always~
Molly