Week #5

My last week in Australia, wow. So many things have happened; so many reflections so many opportunities I decided to take advantage of in the last minute. I finally went into a submarine; I made a box, a stuffed animal, skated again, and so much more. This week was both sad and exciting; it was full of endings and new lifelong friendships. This last week was one that I will never forget, this is proven by the fact I am writing this one week late. I could not figure out why it had taken so long for me to start this entry, and then I realized it wasn’t because I was jet lagged or because I didn’t want to document it. Now that I have begun writing, I am overwhelmed in sadness excitement, gratefulness, happiness and a strange combination of jet lag, and surreal-ness. My last week, so many fun times, first times and exciting times- now  that it’s over, I am so thankful that I had the memories and those will carry me through until I go back.

Monday was obviously that first day of my last week. It was HOT outside, the sun shining, no wind or clouds. The first thing I did was go with the Year Nines for my last ice skating in Australia. We got on the bus, and drove down a familiar road to the skating rink. Once we got inside, Maddy and I walked over to the counter and asked for our sizes. I suppose that it was because it was so hot outside, but the rink was so cold, I was glad I brought my hoodie to skate in. When we began to skate, we realized that it was much too slippery, abnormally slippery. I looked at our skates and saw that we were given hockey skates as oppose to the figure skates that we had last time. When I noticed this, I asked Maddy if she wanted to come with me to change our skates. Once they were changed, I was able to skate sooooo much better! I was able to skate quicker than before, I was able to stop and start up again, and I was able to take pictures of my friends and I skating. It was so much fun, I didn’t want it to end. I knew that once that was over, it was the beginning of the end.

The next day, Tuesday, we (the four Canadians and the year nines) went to the Maritime Museum at Darling Harbor. The museum was big, open, just like everything else in Australia even though it was in the city. I remembered coming here a few days before with the Chalkers. However, this time I was with my friends. We were divided up into our tutor groups, which I suppose can be the same as homeroom classes, but you don’t have all your classes with those people. I was in Kates group, but ended up walking around with Bree and Bec. It was really great and fun to walk around and see Australia’s military history, and to for the first time on the trip, goof around. I have three highlights from this day that I will write about, because if I was to write about all of them, this blog would go on foreverrrr. Before I talk about the memories, I would just like to describe the area. Like I said before, the museum property was open and huge.  It was directly on the harbor, and surrounding the docks were old vessels that were used in the wars. They were big, their paint, though slowly rusting off, was a dark shade of blue/ grey to match the water. I could only imagine how great and powerful these boats would have looked in their prime. This was only the outside; the inside of the museum was very impressive as well. When you walked inside, the lobby was full of windows and natural light; it was all painted in bright colours and reflected a bright surface, almost as if you were on the shore. As you walked into further into the museum, the walls became darker and the light became dimmer. The feel was as if you were travelling down into the ocean and walking on the ocean floor. The museum began at a top level; the museum was one room with different facets. It was organized so that one could see everything from anywhere you stood, but to truly see what was there, you would have to walk close up to the window. Like I said, we began at the top level, and we could see all; even below. The walkway that we were all standing on was not glass, but grate-y- like the grates that you walk on in New York. As you walked across the walk, to the left, you could see down below, however to the right you could see the different models of war boats and documents that were both found during the war time as well as documents explaining the events. As a group, we continued walking downstairs until we got to the lowest floor. It was on this floor that the first highlight happened. On the far right side near the back, there was a submarine simulator. There was the captain’s area, the control area as well as the bunkers. Like I said, I was walking around with Bree and Bec; so the three of us tried to fit into the bunkers… despite what you thought, it turned out quite well… eventually we all fit on. The bunkers were like a triple bunk bed—it was kind of awesome- and the great memory from this was just trying to get on, and really, it was the first time I let loose and laughed and did something strange. The next exciting event happened was a little later. We got a bit lost from our group, as we were looking we came across a little room under the stairs. It was padded with blue, and filled with stuffed animals (mostly fish). We decided to go lie down and ‘chill’ there until we came up with where to look next. As I settled down, I took my first look above me and low and behold, legs. I FREAKED out! I don’t think I have screamed that loud in a very long time out of fright. Bec and Bree are laughing at me-  so I looked up again only to see that the legs were fake and they were supposed to simulate a man sitting on a dock with his feet in the water… oops.  The last memory I would like to talk about from that day was the submarine tour. If anyone who is reading this blog has ever been to Ottawa and has been to the bomb bunkers, then they would know what it’s like to be in a submarine. I said this when I was in those bunkers and I will say it with the submarine- too small- the toilets are gross, and why would someone want to live in a pl ace where there is random recordings of people talking simulating what it is like to live there. The rest of the day was very fun. We went to the Darling Harbor mall for lunch, and hung out in the sun for the rest of the day. As we were sitting on the outside of the submarine, there was a moment, like one the day before, when it just hit me, these are my last moments here- it could be countless months or years until I am back and never will I be there again with my friends.

The next day; Wednesday, Kate for the rest of the week was off at carols camp so I was left to go where I pleased. Originally, I planned to spend the whole day with my Year Tens, however found myself with Maddy, Bec, Bree and Emily for most of my time. The first period, I went with Maddy to wood working. The wood room was quite small compared to everything else. It was crowded with saws, tables and cabinets and tools. I used to do woodworking at camp, and knew the basics, but these people were masters.  Maddy was making some sort of cabinet/ box- so I thought I would help her. I knew that I was not allowed to carry wood over the boarder so whatever I made, would have to stay in Australia. I ended up making a tiny box that was eventually going to go inside Maddy’s big one as another compartment. The wood teacher was so much fun- he was all for taking pictures and playing music and helping me with my box- it was a lot of work- seeing as I am artistically challenged. The next period I went to was textiles. Thinking that my wood experiment wasn’t embarrassment enough- I decided to join Bec so I could make a stuffed animal to remember this by. The textiles room was very colorful; as oppse to the wood room that was very dusty, green and brown, this classroom was full of life. The teacher was very nice as well- very welcoming and not at all annoyed by my lack of experience. Naturally, I need to be taught how to sew, use the sewing machine and how to measure and cut the fabric and how to sew on the eyes etc… in the end, I was proud to say that I was able to sew about two inches of the bird and designed all of it. I was successful in learning how to make this bird, and next time I am in that school- I will make one myself.  It’s a done deal. The last period that I had with my four new best friends was food tech. Nothing too exciting happened, but like in wood, we took lots of pictures; and unlike wood, we made cookies. It was really an amazing morning. The rest of Wednesday I spent with my Year Ten friends, just sitting talking making up for the past few days and enjoying the last bit of time we had.

At this time, you would probably expect me to talk about Thursday, seeing as nothing except for the first round of tears, goodbyes and pictures happened. There was one event that happened on Thursday, and that was a speech in front of the school, speaking about our experiences and simply thanking the school for everything; it was not such a big deal, so I will not waste your time to write about it. Instead, I will skip to Friday.

Friday- the saddest of all days. We got to school extra early, not on purpose, but that’s just how it happened. I was sitting with Kate- waiting for carols camp to begin, just talking and waiting. When the warning bell rang, I became very sad- for it was the last warning bell I would ever hear. As I looked around me, I realized that for many of the students it was their last days too. It was a sad day for all. I caught up to my friends from Year Ten, and we went off to class. It was the last day of school for them, so everyone was reflecting on their years. Signing shirts, and in my case, the flag. Everyone was taking pictures and really just living in the moments. Friday was also super hot outside- the hottest day yet. I knew that I wanted to spend lunch with Maddy, Bec, Bree and Emily because I knew that I would be spending my last afternoon with the year tens. Due to the extreme heat- we decided to have a water fight. We all went to the canteen (cafeteria) ate our lunch, drunk our water bottles and then re filled them to throw at each other. Emily and I had a truce, however no one else agreed with us so we were NAILED. Just when I thought we couldn’t get any wetter, it started to rain at the beginning of our next class. Not like rain like ohh look mom it’s drizzling- NO- it was like in New York when it seems that there are people throwing buckets off the top of buildings. To make it even better- it was a thunder storm; fork lighting, loud room shaking thunder, perfect for such a solemn day. By the end of the day, no one was paying attention to the teacher, and everyone was in one class room, talking, and documenting. It was the same for us four exchange kids. We were all so sad; and then the last bell rang.

We all gave our hugs and last goodbyes, promising to email and keep in touch. I walked slowly towards Kate’s locker for the last time, accompanied by all my friends. As we said our final goodbyes, my friends gave me a booklet full of poems, pictures, and letters for the plane. I walked towards the car, between Kate and I, it was very quiet. However they had a surprise for me. Kate had invited two of our friends to go see the premier of New Moon- the theater was amazing. It was very big, they had much better snacks then what we have here (not that I tasted them—we brought our own snacks from home…). Inside the theater, there were about twenty rows of big, huge, Sunday night football black leather seats. I don’t think any theater chair could have been more comfortable. While watching the previews, I was surprised to see which movies were delayed and which movies were premiering at the same time ours were. Suddenly the movie began, it was epic. I cannot tell you about the movie because a) it would destroy the plot for you because I wouldn’t have been able to describe it right and b) because by now all of you who wanted to see it- probably have.  When the movie was over, we went to dinner to an Italian restaurant, to be honest- I don’t remember the evening too well- but I do remember how I felt. It was a cross between excitement, sadness, and relief. I remember sitting through dinner, distracted, I couldn’t stop thinking about the people I was leaving behind, the memories I would be keeping with me, and the people I was coming home too.

Suddenly it was over; all I had left of the five week trip was nothing but memories. The ride to the air port was solemn. I sat in the car, and looked around, watching the city I have grown to know leave me behind. Despite my sadness, exchange was not over- in three months, Kate would be coming to my house, and I can show her around my city. So until then- byee.

Alanna

Week #4 (Weekend!)

This weekend deserves a post all to its self. It was spent entirely in the city doing the remainder of activities that is a must during your first trip to Sydney. My mind was sprung in every direction. There was music, rollercoaster’s, and soaring through the sky. My last weekend has turned out to be everything I could possibly ask for, I think the best way to spend it and I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. Like I said, this is a continuation from last week; the moment we have been waiting for has arrived, it was the weekend that Kate was singing at the Opera House as her end of the year performance at the Australian Girls Choir. This year was their 25^th anniversary so I knew that this was going to be a great show. However there was preparation to be done; we had a whole weekend to get through, 14 hours of rehearsals and of course, we had to take lots of pictures to document the experience.

Friday at school was pretty fun, not much had happened. During all of the classes, we watched movies- I finally saw Johnny English, good movie, very funny. That is all.

Friday night, we drove into the city to check into the hotel. Excitement was in the air all of us were excited for the weekend away. The drive was the usual hour or so into the city, Kate was doing her math homework and I was helping her. We were nibbling on Mrs. Fields cookies and talking about what was in store. When we arrived at the hotel, it wasn’t where they originally showed me, we were in front of the Four Seasons hotel. The hotel was beautiful. It was nicer than the one in Toronto. The lobby was large; everything was wooden paneled, framed in mirror. There was a grand piano in the middle surrounded by a wedding party and photographers. There was a grand stair case right night to the piano where I think the bride would have walked down. Once we checked in, we went to the elevators to get to our rooms. The elevators looked like any ordinary elevator from the outside but in the inside there was something different; there was the classic spots for the buttons as well as one on the west wall. Three button pads- umm okay….? The Chalker’s booked two rooms, one for them and one for Kate and I. The room that Kate and I were in overlooked the highway and the Canadian Embassy where the Chalker’s room over looked George Street, (their younge street). After about an hour of settling in and watching Harry Potter, we went out for dinner. The hotel was in a great spot; near the harbor and yet near the city as well but most importantly, near the only Starbucks in the city. As we left the hotel, we walked down toward the Port and sat down at this Diner type restaurant. The first thing I saw were waiters dressed in polo shirts that looked like news papers; and that is exactly what the menus were. The menus were printed on that thin paper that will rip with no problem, and the ink ran onto your hands. It was very well themed and the food was quite acceptable and, there was an exceptional view. After dinner we walked over the Warf 3 and the father bought tickets to go to Luna Park.

The ferry left every half an hour until 10 o’clock when it was on the hour. We planned to be back on the 10 o’clock ferry. What is Luna Park you may ask? Luna Park was built in the late 1930’s right after the Harbor Bridge was built. Originally, that sight was a construction centre and the city didn’t want to leave as a pit, so they changed it into a theme park. All of the rides except for a few have been there since the beginning and the park has only closed down once in its very long past. In the 1980’s, there was a fire on the Ghost something… this was a wooden ride I imagine to be like the ghoster coaster at Wonderland. According to the stories, someone light it and 40 people unfortunately died. They shut down the park for a few months and then re- opened it without that ride. When I was talking to my friend about the weekend, I told her that Luna Park reminded me of the “Ex” 50 year old rides that are just there and you pray they don’t break. She said something which is so true, the thrill one gets from these rides are not ones that are from the intensity of the ride, it’s from the hope and fear that the rides don’t break while you are on them.  Kate and I are both ride people so we did them all. My favourite and hers as well was this ride like that space ship ride at wonderland. You are in a banana shaped seating area and it swings back and forth and eventually goes upside down. It was so much fun that we did it twice in a row and every ride after that was boring, we called it the upside-downy curse. When you don’t save the best for last and everything sucks in comparison. I am sorry I didn’t type this before, but I should have spoken about the ride over to the park. The ferry rice was scenic and fun. The ferry took us that famous spot between the Harbor Bridge and Opera House. We sailed under the bridge and suddenly we saw the famous Luna Park opening. It is this giant clown face with really bad teeth. You walk through the open mouth into the front area where people dressed as Ziedico band members and people on stilts welcome you. All around you can hear music that just put you into happy moods as you walk down. The song that was playing when I walked through was Footloose. It was magical. I am sorry that this is so out of order, but you can follow along, I think…  After our fun time we finally caught the ferry at 10 and made it back to the hotel in time for the next Harry Potter installment.

Saturday was great, though not much to talk about. We woke up at 9:30 in the morning and we got on the ferry again from Warf 7 to go to Manly Beach. The terminal at Manly was great. There was a Subway, Booster Juice, Max Brunner, and Gelato. Along the board walk, there were stores of every kind; from tourist places to bathing suit stores to fancy watch stores. Everything. At the end of the walk, there low and behold, the beach. We walked down to where the flags were because apparently that is where the safest place to swim in. Kate and I jumped into the water and began body surfing. We let the waved push us over and we floated along the waves. After a while of that, we realized how far out we were and stood up. Instead of the waved pushing us over; we jumped over them. This was much more fun because we had control over what we were doing and where we were in the water, on top of that, the sand was smoother. When we decided that it was time to get out, we began to swim towards the shore like any other person who was ready to get out. As we began to stand up, a mammoth wave snuck up behind us and took us down. We stood up, laughed at our stunned expression and continued walking. A few seconds later, another mammoth wave hit and this time three others continued directly after. For those of you who get caught in this situation in the future, stay under the waves, that way you have control over your body and won’t drown, also keep hold of your sunglasses. This was a lesson Kate was forced to learn, her sunglasses are now making a fish look sly and cool. After the beach ate dinner by the water caught the ferry and went back to the room to unwind and to let Kate get to bed early for her big day.

Lastly, Sunday; Kate left to head over to the Opera House at six in the morning. It was finally the day for her performance. It was her time to shine, and my time with the Chalker’s to kill a day and find things to do. The first item on the agenda was to walk to the QVB and went onto the monorail! I know- this city amongst everything else has a monorail! To make it even better, they are all different colours so if you are standing in the street, you can sit there and call the colours as you see them. The train in the sky was very small, only about eight people could fit in each car comfortably; and if my memory served correctly there are about ten to twelve cars on each train. We went on the blue one. J Our first stop on the trip was to Darling Harbor, a place that I would go to with the Year Nines a few days later. It was very nice there; clean not one of the best places on my trip so I won’t spend time talking about it. All you have to do is picture a tourist trap with a food court and that’s what it was like. We spent about an hour or so there and then moved onto walking around the QVB, where we originally took off from. This time, on the way back we were on the red monorail. The sights and perspective from the monorail was one I think a bird would get from flying over the city. The train went past windows of office building, over George Street, past stores, and past the harbor. It was in my opinion the scenic route everyone should see at least once if they are here. When we got back to the hotel, it was about three o’clock and that meant we had to change for the concert and check out. Once we were out, Warren went to go and park the car by the Opera House while Catherine and I walked around the Farmers Market. At about 5 o’clock, we were met by Kates grandparents and a few of the Chalkers friends for dinner. The restaurant we went to was right on the water. The restaurant was decorated in different shades of blue with silver streaks. It blended in with the scene outside its windows. From the restaurant, you could see both the Harbor Bridge and the Opera house, which was both beautiful and I think was the point of the restaurant placement. This restaurant was a seafood restaurant however did also have other alternatives if you are like me and don’t eat fish. We sat at the table with the Chalker’s, their friends and Catherine’s parents who just got back from a round Australia cruise. Everything was wonderful, Kate’s grandparents are very nice, and welcoming; and the Chalker’s friends I have met once before when we went out for dinner. Their daughters were singing with the Australians Girl Choir as well, and were going to see the concert with us. After dinner we walked over to the Opera House, about a ten minute walk and arrived there just in time for the final warning bell. When we got inside the Opera House, all of the many seats were filled; the room was tinted with gold light. It complimented the wood seats and made everything look just- elegant. Then the music began. All of the girls filed in, wearing their costumes, each level/ age group had a different colour costume. The music was beautiful, they sounded- words just can’t describe it. It didn’t sound like these girls were in-between the ages of nine to eighteen, they sounded and looked professional. When half time came, I couldn’t actually believe that an hour had gone by, me and I think everyone around me was so into it, that when the gold lights came back on, we had a sudden shock. Everyone was so absorbed, unlike at normal kid performances, where the parents are always oh you were so good even though it was a school performance and 9/10 times, its really bad. The last song of the concert was an ABBA medley. All four hundred girls were standing on the stage doing the same hand movements, and it looked so cool! All the hands were moving in sync, it was like a sea of skin making waves across the sand. (yes, that makes no sense I suppose you had to be there…)

That concluded the weekend, my last weekend in Australia for a long time. I don’t think it could have gone better and I don’t think I would have wanted to spend it another way.

Week #4

My second last week I think has been my best one yet. The event that we were all waiting for had arrived and the celebrations began. It began on Monday and from there everything just went up hill. I went to Kiama, I climbed a up to the tree tops, I finally accessed my inner Canadian, went to the zoo, spent times with my Year Nines and got beaten in Disney Trivial Pursuit- not something that happens to me, its classic Disney!

As I wrote above, my adventures began on Monday. Our first stop on my journey was to a forest/ scenic walk type place. It was about an hour and a half drive out of Windsor up through the highway toward the mountains (not the blue mountains from a few weeks ago different ones). The drive was very similar to a drive toward cottage country, scenic, quiet, and smooth. Eventually, we arrived at the foot of a mountain and began driving up the road that reminded me of those hybrid commercials and the zoom zoom commercials. Twisty roads steep all empty and if you were to make the wrong move you would for sure fall off. When we arrived at the top of the commercial set, there were a few tour bussed carrying elderly’s. Frightened that they would slow us down if they went ahead of us into the forest; we bought our tickets quickly and went on our way. It was drizzling a wee bit so the air was nice and warm; it was almost like walking through a sprinkler. As we were nearing the end of the pathway we saw a suspension bridge that stretched on a very long way in all directions. The bridge had a grate type floor, and metal bar rails so that you could see all of the wild life. We walked all along the bridge until we reached the main event- the climb. 106 stairs later, we were up to the top of the trees. From there we were able to see everything from the different types of birds to the different trees to the towns that were below. We spent about half an hour up there and then continued our decent to Kiama.

The drive back down the mountain was almost as scenic and quiet and magical as the ride up- almost because I had done it once before. I think I fell asleep for most of the drive because when I woke up, the car was facing a beautiful, big blue body of water. The ocean was so clear, you could see to the bottom all of the choral and fish; however there was one main attraction that us as well as everyone else came to see, the blow hole. It is very interesting, I am not too sure how it works but my theory is that when the waves get into this whole and when the water pressure builds up the water eventually explodes and flies up into the air. It was very cool, we could hear the water build up and eventually we saw a big water fountain pop up in the middle of nowhere- I will put up a video of it because it is very hard to explain.  Kiama its self was equally as great as the blow hole. Everything was so alive and the atmosphere was energetic and ecstatic. We walked around for a bit of time, stayed at the beach, and dipped our feet into the water. We drove to a nearby town I believe it as called Berry; it was very much liked Kiama, almost as an addition to it another street. We could have walked there but it was on the way home. Once we got there, we walked around to the entire little cottage town like shops including a magnificent art store. It was like Michaels with an old fashion feel. I bought some string to make bracelets out of and am currently making one for Kate and a similar one for me. ‘

Tuesday was another experience all together. For this week I was placed with the Year Nines, Kate’s grade and went to all of her classes with her. The first class was gym and she had just starting a new rotation; ice skating. Everyone supposes that Canadians can ice skate but we all know that’s not true- I am case and point. For the first twenty odd minutes, I was clutching to the wall for my life and everyone kept saying “you’re Canadian don’t you guys like skate to school” and “how do you not know how to skate you’re Canadian”. Eventually I let go of the wall and accessed my inner Canadian and was able to skate without a fall. It was increasable, though a short story, a great personal success story.

Wednesday was pretty boring; I went around to classes again with Kate. We had science last and we ended up doing an experiment. It was great, I actually learnt a new formula that I had never learnt before. It was to estimate the population of “x” in a certain area; for example how many spiders are there in the York School? Nothing too impressive, but we got to use straws and they were really fun.

The next day was a PD day; the Chalker’s took us to the Taranga Zoo. It is the big zoo in Sydney that overlooks the harbor. When we got there I automatically knew that I wanted to see the Platypus. as we walked through the zoo,  we saw the new main attraction, the baby Asian elephant. He was so cute! The workers at the zoo were cleaning him and feeding him, it was incredible to watch. We also saw giraffe’s, hippo’s, and seals (oh my!) as well as the classic Aussie animals such as the Wombat, the Kangaroo, the Koala, and luckily the Platypus. Taranga Zoo has events daily that cater to all ages, there are bird shows and seal shows, informational videos, and animals of all sorts. My two favourite events were the seal show and the bird show. I am not sure if you have ever been to marine land in Niagra Falls or Sea World in Florida/ California but that is what the Seal show was like. They brought out four seals from different parts of the world and they did tricks for us, the balanced a ball, they waved, they swam and jumped, sat on boxes, got people wet. It was very entertaining and interesting to see that even though animals like people live on different sides of the world, their behavior and natural way of life is very similar. Yes I do know how that sounds, they are caged up and trained, however there was a video that showed us those types of animals in the wild. The other show that I saw was the bird show. They brought out different birds from all over Australia; there were rare parrots, owls, and a vulture. The vulture had a wing span of three meters, and was HUGE! After the shows, like I said, it was time for the main event, the Platypus. We walked through the 42 degree heat to the other side of the zoo.  We walked into a dark room with a giant tank in the middle and dry land “cages” on either side. When you look really hard you can see a duck like thing swimming and there is the classic “What animal am I thinking of” animals Platypus. It was a very big moment for me.

This weekend was so much fun and so much happened that I will blog about it in another post. Can’t wait to write about my last week and tell you all about the amazing people and things I have met. Byee!

Sorry

Dear active blog readers,
I am very sorry that there has not been a new blog lately however there has been some technical problems with the internet/ computer with all of my documentations. Hopefully everything will be back to normal soon!

Alanna

Week #3

This week was a learning experience. I was opened to a world of modern and historical sciences, music, religion and much more. Over this past week, I was privileged enough to see two of Sydney’s attractions; the Power House Museum and Opera House. I also had a chance to experience what it was like to go to church, and how to belay in rock climbing.

Over the last seven days things have been pretty low key. Everything has fallen under the same routine- wake up, go to school, chat with friends, come home; the works. The excitement began on Thursday when Macaulee, Steph, Sam and I went to the Power House Museum in Sydney with the Year Sevens. They are currently learning about astrology, and the PHM has a temporary exhibit on the solar system and our galaxy. They also have a permanent exhibition about space research and travel. It was all very interesting and exciting. In the Space research and Travel section, there was a model rocket ship that people could go into and see what a ship looked like. There were models of space toilets control panels, and even a zero gravity simulator. The simulator was unfortunately not working when we were there however by the looks of it, it seemed very similar to the bridge at the end of the “Ripleys Believe it or Not” museum in Niagara Falls. the grade due to its size was divided up into seven groups; when ours was leaving the mastermind behind the exhibit came and spoke to us about what was in the exhibit and how it was made etc…  The one thing that I did find very interesting in her talk was how the zero gravity simulator and simulators like it work. It turns out that when one is in space, they get something called Space Sickness from the feeling in zero gravity. What causes this is your brain is telling you that you are off balance, however your eyes are telling you what is up and what is down. In the simulators, they give you the experience, however doing the complete opposite. While you are standing on the floor, your brain knows you are stable, however because the walls are turning, your eyes say that you are off balance because they cannot tell what is up and what is down. Very clever space people- very clever. Another fun thing that was at the PHM was the ancient fasion exhibit. It wasn’t just clothing that was there- also furniture and decoration. My favorite area of that exhibit was the glasswork window. Directly behind it was one of those circular screens that give you the full view of a specific scene. In this one, there was a glass factory (shocker I know ) it was actually very cool; there was a computer mouse that was a ball, and you could spin it to see all around the factory. The really amazing thing about it was that you could smell the burning glass and  feel the heat coming from the oven when you were looking at the oven. It was all very real and well done. All in all- I think that the museum, though not the most interesting, served its purpose in the Year Seven studies.

This was not the only excursion I went on this week. Friday was gym day for the Year Ten’s. Gym at St Paul’s like I wrote two weeks ago is very different. For rec sports, the grade is one again divided into different groups and go off campus to learn different skills and sports; this week was rock climbing for the group that I was going with.  The bus ride was very fun, I sat with one person I had met last time we had gym and with two new people. They were trying to teach me how to speak like an Aussie (it didn’t go over very well- so when I get home, PLEASE don’t ask me to talk with the accent). It was very exciting at the rock climbing place- it was small, clean and looked very fun. It was only us there so I assumed that the school booked it out for the short time we were there. The first thing I did was get all harnessed up. My new friends helped me with that and the taught me how to belay. Belaying a skill that would be very helpful if you wanted to be like Dani Klein or Lisa Lang/ any other ropes staff. It also would be helpful if you wanted to go rock climbing. They belayer is the person who stays on the ground and keeps the climbers safe and keeps the rope tight. It was so much fun! At one point one of my friends that I was belaying told me that I was doing a bad job at this and let them drop quickly for a few milliseconds. This was not all the excitement I had in this day. In the afternoon, the Year Nines were putting on a play, and we were to go and watch it. The play was called “War, everyone’s talking”. It was a typical school play written by a teacher, everyone has an equal part, kids had input, it was about 1.5 hours longer then it should have been, there was almost no plot or conflict, but rather an idea or lesson that they want to get across. There were musical numbers, mature subject matter (death because it was about a war or rather how war affects people). All in all, a job well done for these kids first performances.

Finally- Sunday! Kate once again had choir practice so I was off to go sight seeing with Warren (her father). First we went to the Opera House. The building has so much history in its not so long life. Planning began in the late 1950’s early 1960’s buy the conductor of the Sydney Orchestra. Back then, Australia was a country with a total of about Eight Million people so to have to idea of an Opera House was very far fetched, however they assumes that it would put Sydney on the maps. Before even thinking about the type of building it would be, they had to find a location. After a long search, someone suggested they use Bennelong Point (named after and aboriginal who made friends with some of the Europeans). It was a beautiful spot right on the harbor- over looking the water. Prime Local!  Now that the land was picked, the organization sent out a world wide contest for a design that would soon be the Sydney Opera House. There were about 300 ideas and designs from about 30 countries. An American architect who was a judger arrived late, and when he got there, he decided to look through the dismissed piles and there he found Denmark’s Jørn Utzon’s design- the Opera House that we know today. It wasn’t all fun in games and the rest is not history- well it I, but its interesting. The government thought that it would take three years and Seven million dollars in total- they were wrong. There were many problems with trying to get the roofs to look like they do etc… because you can look this up if you are interested, I will just tell you this: it took 14 years and 102 million dollars- after seven years ’s Jørn Utzon was kicked off and he died just last year. He never had a chance too see the Opera House in person. It was a great tour. The other tour I went on today was to the Olympic Stadium. It was very cool- we saw where the athletes wait, the no reporter zone, the radio booths, the tv booths, the private boxes, the video of its history and how it works and what it is used for today (like the Sydney’s ACC). My favourite part was standing on the metal podium- yes the real one that was used in real Olympics in September 2000. Eventually I will load up the pictures.

Until then- have a great week and look forward to another post- next week this time!

Week #2

My second week in Sydney- though not as new and full of unknown as my first, still was a great time. This week was filled with new friends and new challenges as oppose to the process of falling into a rhythm like last week. This week I reached great heights (literally) was placed with a group of students that I have never met, and had an Australian Halloween.

At school this week, the year tens (who we were with last week) were doing their exams, so the four of us Steph, Macaulee, Sam and I were placed in year eleven IB classes. The year elevens I found, were originally not as welcoming as the year tens. It wasn’t until Wednesday that I knew who my person/ buddy was and what classes I had to attend. On Monday and Tuesday instead of looking for our people, we sat in the library and did whatever work we were assigned. However, on Wednesday like I said before, we were finally introduced to our buddies and were off and away. Macaulee and I were paired with a girl named Kimberley, and Sam and Steph were paired with another girl whose name I think is Rose(?). They seemed to be very nice people and the teacher s and other classmates were very kind and easy to get along with. The week was very boring because we did absolutely nothing in class; because we finished all of the work that we assigned and due up until this point, we listened in class, spoke with the other kids entertained ourselves with… other work…

I was all geared up for a non existent Halloween, to pop my orange popcorn that I brought and watch Halloween Town by myself or with Kate once everyone else went to bed; but no. Catherine (Kate’s mother) made me a Halloween dinner that consisted of Decorations all over the house, a ghost candle that when lit, changed colours, and a straw that when there was liquid made screaming type noises; however my favourite part must have been the cookie cake with a haunted house on it that said Happy Halloween. It wasn’t the cake that got me all excited, I don’t usually like eating chocolate as I get sick from it, but it was such a nice gesture and it was really and truly the thought that counts. We never ended up popping the popcorn- at least not yet, but hopefully soon; I want to see if it really does pop orange.

On Halloween day (the dinner was on Friday night) we went into the city where the famous Oprah House is and the Harbor Bridge. We parked in the parking lot of this GIANT mall, that had the most gorgeous Christmas tree I have ever seen- it was about four or five stories tall and it was decorates with the classic lights, red ribbon and Swarovski crystals. The escalators were decorated as well with stickers and sparkles- it was all very majestic and eye popping. It reminded me of New York during the holidays if you have ever been there, you’d know what I meant. There are just no words to describe it; if you wanted a miniscule comparison you can go look at the Holt Renfrew windows in a few weeks. After walking around the mall, we took a taxi down to the Harbor Bridge for the Bridge Climb. There was a group of about fourteen of us, most of the people in our group were from Australia, but like me there were two others from over seas; there were two girls from Holland for an internship. At 2:05 pm, were taken into a room with fourteen yellow dots that we were to stand on so that the person who was taking us on the climb can size us up for the ever-attractive jumpsuits. They were grey, darker grey and blue so that we would blend in with the bridge. Once we were given the jumpsuits we were sent into the next room with change rooms. We were told that it was pretty hot out there so we wouldn’t need our pants on underneath the suit. Lucky for Kate and I, I am so paranoid about diseases like Swine and STI’s that could infect you by touching something someone infected has touched or ever gross people who have not worn undies when they wore this suit and so on… that we wore leggings so we could keep them on. In the next room, we were given the other gear we would need for the climb- a harness, a radio to hear what the person who was guiding us was saying and hats (lice) hakies (swine) and fleeces in case we got cold. The next bit of preparation was the climb simulator; we were sent up and down a ladder similar to what we would have to climb to get to the arch of the bridge. We were hooked onto the simulator and told the five rules to the ladder. 1. One person at a time. 2. Always use the inside rail because the outside is the bridge. 3. Three points of contact while climbing. 4. Face the bridge at all times. 5. One step at a time. I personally think that they could have used a 6th as a summary: COMMON SENCE; but that’s just one mans opinion. We were then sent out onto what they called the climb of our lives. I could tell you about the pre amble and the boring steps to the arch and what it was like climbing through the middles of lanes 5 and 6 of the highway but there is really nothing to tell.

Once I was finally emerged from the underneath of the bridge – and up on the arch, it took a few minutes to take in everything that I was seeing. The view was gorgeous. It could see everything from the Oprah House, to the Prime Minister’s House, to Manley Island, to Lunar Park, to the Mexican Restaurant we are going to in two weeks. The rest of the climb was admiring the view and it really was something to marvel at. The bridge was built just under a century ago and there has never had to be an adjustment made to the highway because these builders thought ahead to the future and our needs as oppose to building for the present. Things like the blow my mind, how people can come up with things like that, knowing that in the next few decades, we will need eight car lanes and two train tracks to go across when at the time people where still using horse and buggy. I will leave you with that idea, and the confirmation it really was the climb of a lifetime and an experience like all the others that I will never forget.
Have a great week!

Week #1

It has been a week since I arrived here in Sydney Australia. My first week has been filled with new experiences that I thought were never possible, from thinking that the air port was the end of a Disney ride, to freaking out when we drove on the wrong side of the road, kissing a kangaroo, and playing water balloon volleyball.

The plane ride down from Toronto to Sydney was an experience I think only to be matched with the plane ride back home. Steph, Macaulee, Sam and I were dropped off by sad families on Saturday evening after hanging out and reminiscing at Starbucks at Pearson Airport in Toronto. The four of us were released into the world, parent free at the security check before going onto the plane that was headed to our first stop, Vancouver. Security went fine, and once all through, headed to the duty free shop to purchase the last Canadiana gifts for host families and real food for our selves. The wait and atmosphere at gate 139 was full of excitement, fear and last minute bathroom breaks before the flight and experience of a lifetime. Half an hour later, we were in the plane, finally seated after musical plane seats and off into the air. We all tried to stay up before landing in Vancouver but it became hard as the hours got closer and closer to midnight and the sky continued to get darker. Once landed in Vancouver, we said our last goodbyes to Canadian soil, and set the last text message to our parents without substantial roaming charges. After about forty-five minutes of waiting to re-board the plane, we finally got back on a got comfy in the seats that we would be in for the next sixteen hours. I cannot tell you much about the flight mostly because I either slept through it or because I have pushed most of it out of my mind. What I do remember was waking up with four more hours to go and watching the sun come up, and the people on the plane waking up, and getting the gross plane breakfast and not eating it. At the same time breakfast was being put out, the customs cards were being handed out to all the passengers. When I was looking at the sheet, the fact that I was going on exchange and not going home for six weeks set in. I also found out that I was not too ready to have this experience, because when I was looking at the customs sheet, I had no idea what to write. I knew my passort number and I knew my home country and ho long I was there for, but I didn’t know the address that I was staying at, or my contact information. I was also scared because of the Australian Warnings about Quarantine. We saw many videos about how there was no food or anything being allowed into the country and if they caught you, you would go to jail and there would be a fine. I had some food leftover in my bag from my parents and Macaulee had maple syrup or her family, and we just didn’t know what to do. With all of this panic, the plane finally landed and we stepped off into the city that would be our new temporary home.

The way towards the baggage claim and customs was a long hallway that you would usually go on if you were exiting a rollercoaster or ride. It was very bland, and you had to walk very slowly because you were still getting used to being on your feet. This analogy became more realistic when we finished the ramp that led directly into a Sydney Duty Free shop, like one of those theme shops that are at the end of every disney ride. If I wasnt so tired, that probably would have been my first pitcure of my trip. The next little bit of our journey was not too exciting, we went through customs, got our bags and left the security point and headed out to meet out host families. We all found our way to our families, and we said our first hello’s and began the very awekward walk to the car, get to know you, and how was your flight conversation. When we got to the car, I saw the father, Warren get into the right side with the keys in his hands and the mother Cathrine get into the driers side without anything. The car started moving and I realized that Warren was driving, but on the wrong side of the car and road. We made a turn out of the parking lot and another car was coming in the opposite direction, and I thought that we were going to be hit becuase we were on the wrong side. The rest of the car ride was a nice in car tour of Sydney. We drove over the Harbour Bridge, and next to the Oprah House. We drove past the Olympic Stadium and by the concert halls, it was all so new, fasinating and clean. Once we arrived at their home, I took my bags into my new room and went into the kitchen to call my parents and the Chalkers made lunch. The rest of the day was spent trying to keep myself awake- so anyother activites that took place that day are not in my memory. I went to bed very early that night because the next day was my first day of school. We were to be presented to the whole school during an assembly.

When we first arrived at St. Pauls Grammar School, I was in total awe. The school layout was very different from York; everything was very open, there were no stairs anywhere because there didnt have to be. The school grounds like the rest of Windsor (where I was staying) was very spread out and big enough to have different blocks for every general subject. Cathrine, Warren, Kate and I all walked into the school towards Kates locker. Her locker conveniently was placed right next to the exchange coordinators office where we all had to meet before the assembly. When the four of us finally got there, we were paired up with Year Ten students who were taking the same electives as us and we were to follow them around for the time we were at the school. It turned out that we were all early enough to be presented at the full teacher meeting. We were put on the spot by the principal to talk infront of all of the staff members just to hear our accents. I thought that that was very strange.  After that, we were taken to the assembly which took place outside in the middle of the school. We were invited up to the stage and told to say our names, who we are staying with and who we will be following, and that we were excited to be here. No paraphrasing. After the assembly, we met up with the people that we were paired up with and went to our first class. The day went by great, and I was all excited for the next six weeks.

The next few days, went by just as smoothly, and making friends was as easy as anything; the days were also very boring. There were a few problems, at first, for example we weren’t given any internet until thursday and none that worked until friday this made it hard to do any of the work that was assigned by York; St. Paul’s students are now just beginning their exams so the whole school is studying for their examinations so the four of us had virtually nothing to do for the first week.  As the week was ending the Year Tens had gym, and that was the first piece of excitement that I first encountered. During this PE class, the teachers had nothing planned because the grade was supposed to be beginning exams, so the teachers got creative and came up with five stations that we were to all participate in. These games ranged from team building activities to Duck Duck Goose to water balloon volleyball. Water Balloon Volleyball was my personal favourite. The group that I was in was split into two teams that were placed on either side of the net. Then, one player was given a water ballon that they had to throw to the other side, however you had to aim for the person on the other team and each time you caught it, your team would get a point. It was awesome!

Then came the weekend. On saturday, Kate had choir practice for four hours in the afternoon. In the morning before the practice, we went to one of the zoo’s in Sydney that gives people chances to interact with the animals throughout the zoo It was incredible! I kissed a kangaroo, hugged a koala, and saw a peacock open its feathers. It was like nothing I have every seen before.

Today, (sunday) was an altogether different experience. We went up to the Blue Mountains today to see the Three Sisters, a formation of rocks that were told to once be three sisters whose father had been worried about an evil spirit and changed his daughters to protect them. It was raining all day today, so the view from the mountains were not to great. On the way home, however, we stopped at a few stores, to look for Uggs- the brand does not exist here so the search for them have been a true challenge. After the search, we went back onto the highway, and ended up in a traffic jam. We thought that it was going to be five minutes but after about fifteen, Kate and I went up onto the bridge that overlooked the freeway. From there, we saw the car crash and the police that were cleaning up the mess. We thought that we would be there for a while, and it turned out to be true. When we came back down, we saw that everyone else who was stuck on the freeway had gotten out of the car, had a snack, the kids were sitting out of the windows, it was truly a sight to see. After about an hour and a half waiting, the traffic finally cleared up and we were off to home, and ready to order dinner.

Tomorrow is the beginning of the second week of school and because of the Year Ten exams, we are going to be placed with the Year Elevens. Can’t wait to report next weeks news!

Have a great week everyone!!
Alanna

Introduction

Hello, and welcome to my blog.

In these entries, I am going to speak about my life changing experiences. In some entries I will write about camp, certain trips I have taken with my family or friends, some experiences at home that I have had that have shaped my perspective of the way the world works and more.  For the next few months, however, I will be documenting my process and trip to Australia. Hope you enjoy!

-          Alanna

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