You Might Say This Post Is Fascinating...

Why yes, Mummy, I'd love some tea. 

What's that? Shall we have Jeeves take us to the races today? Splendid idea, Mumsy, just brilliant!

Can you see where I'm going with this one? It is true - I, a lowly commoner from Canada, have been to the races. And when I say races, I don't mean the kind they have at Woodbine, where a lack of trucker hat constitutes dressing up. Aussies do their races right - just like the Brits, only... erm... with a slight Aussie flair, shall we say.

This past Wednesday was Ekka Day in Australia - also known as Show Day. It's a Queensland holiday that celebrates the Ekka fair (Ekka is short for Exhibition - I don't know HOW you didn't guess that one). For those who have been to the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair or the CNE in Toronto, it's sort of a combination of both - plus a lot of alcohol, of course.

post-race tea and fondue

But when in Rome, as they say - so the girls and I got all dolled up and headed off to the races. I bought my very first 'fascinator' ($11.88 at Target, thankyouverymuch!), put on a pretty dress, and joined the crowd. 

I'm PRETTY sure I saw some horses at one point. 90% sure. But had a very fun day and definitely celebrated in true Aussie style ;)

Insert Jaws Theme Here

In honour of Discovery Shark Week, I decided to put myself out there and become a statistic. 

That's right, ladies and gents - I am an Australian shark attack victim. But before you get all crazy and picture me in a hospital - may I remind you that sharks come in all shapes and sizes. Some sizes are very small. And some sharks don't really bite, so much as... ram your ankle.

That's right - the ankle-biter, as I have been nicknamed in the past, was ankle-attacked by a shark. Ironic, don't you think?

But I'm getting ahead of myself - back to the beginning of the trip...

Because life is extremely difficult when one doesn't vacation every three weeks, 10 girlfriends and I decided to hop up to the Whitsunday Islands for a long weekend. For those unfamiliar with the landscape, the Whitsundays are a cluster of 74 islands termed "fringing reef" - they are located just off the southern tip of the Great Barrier Reef. We decided to do a live-aboard boat for 2 days, followed by 2 days on the mainland, Airlie Beach. And there is no better way to get close to your friends than to live aboard a small boat for a couple of days, let me tell you! 

No, only kidding - I'm lucky to have a (mostly) sane group of girlfriends, the crew was great, and the cuisine was surprisingly awesome! Minor seasickness occurred, but otherwise an excellent trip. The highlights? Hanging out under a blanket of stars (in a hot tub no less - I travel in the lap of luxury!); hanging off the back of the boat as a dolphin plays in the boat's blue light; watching a mamma and baby whale crest alongside the boat; scuba diving and hearing the whales call to each other; scuba diving and making it through 2 dives without any near-death experiences (a first!!); visiting the famous Whitehaven Beach; and... oh yeah. The shark.

So we're walking in calf-height water near Whitehaven Beach - just me and 20 of my closest boatmates. And my crew leader decides, in typical male fashion, that he is going to corral and jump on a small black-tip reef shark. (I think that's the type. Could be wrong.) Now this little guy is barely over a foot, but we all know what happens when creatures panic - strength comes out of nowhere. 

So crew member Richie jumps on the shark, which of course manages to escape. But as he turns to leave, what does he see but 20 different pairs of (extremely pasty) legs blocking his escape route. I could feel his panic. And then I really did feel it, because that wonderful little guy decided to choose MY pasty legs in particular to ram his way out. And let me tell ya, those sharks do not have slimy skin - they have SANDPAPER. Apparently it's a defense mechanism - who knew? So while there were no tooth marks, I did have quite a nice little scrape along my ankle - and now I can officially say I was attacked by a shark whilst living in Australia. 

I swear it looked bigger in real life.

James Bond ain't got nothing on me.

Thailand - Land of Smiles

He's not impressed.

Alright, I know this post is a long time coming - considering that I was in Thailand in June/July, I've been a bit slow on the uptake. But let's pretend it's because I'm focusing on school and being a good girl :)

So, Thailand - truly the "Land of Smiles". They smile when they're happy. They smile when they're angry. They smile when they're confused. Which basically means that you smile all the time, because you're constantly confused as to whether they are confused, or angry, or happy. But no one can tell. Makes for a great postcard when there isn't a frown to be seen (except the guy doing the headstand, of course). Personally, I think there will one day be a giant explosion of emotion once the smile dam bursts and the frustration reservoir runs over. But that's just me. 

One of many temples

The thing about the Land of Smiles is that they even smile when they're conning you out of things. And that makes for a great vacation experience. It's such a nice feeling to be kindly conned out of something. Almost makes it worth it. I mean, if a criminal is willing to put in that much effort and can keep up a calm demeanor - I think he pretty much earned his keep! Not that anything really happened to us - we had loads of people try to tell us that places were closed for "Buddha Day" (bet you didn't know Buddha had 365 birthdays....), or for lunch, or just to bug the tourists, but they had a really nice "other museum" or "great tailor shop" to take us to. But we were not taken in... for the most part ;)

So refreshing...

And the food - I think I had more Pad Thai in 3 weeks than in my entire life. And not one of them tasted the same as the other - not an easy feat for a peanut noodle dish, but fait accompli! And the Diet Coke (I know, Mom, I know)... was NORMALLY PRICED! No 3.50 for a 600 mL bottle - I was in aspartame heaven. Meanwhile, my travelling companions were feasting on touristy fare of fried crickets and cockroaches. Amateurs, both of them.

Climbed up here in flip-flops - that's right Dad!

Thailand is a beautiful country, and words cannot do it justice. You can hit up floating markets, ride elephants, go white-water rafting, go scuba-diving, or get a "Thai tattoo" when you fall off your scooter (thankfully avoided). Not to mention haggling at the market - and it's true what they say, you catch more flies with honey than vinegar! Thai people are very particular about being polite and respectful, so should you ever find yourself in Thailand, don't ever get mad or rude - it won't end well for you. 

The real Bridge over the River Kwai

 

Village craftswoman

The other thing that you will notice in Thailand - or for that matter, most developing countries - is that Canadian musicians will follow you EVERYWHERE. Riding in a taxi through Bangkok? Your Heart Will Go On. Trying to be stoic as you observe the real Bridge over the River Kwai? A little Summer of '69 to pick you up. There is something about Canadian music that is so appealing to the international crowd - a little bit of home, wherever you go. 

As of the end of this trip, I'm officially an Open 
Water Certified PADI Scuba Diver - not a small feat for someone scared of drowning, not breathing, open water, sea creatures, and um, death. Next stop? The Great Barrier Reef!

Queen of the Jungle!

The End of the Beginning

 Well, I made it all the way through semester one! Not that there were any doubters (ahem, Uncle Lester). 

School-wise? Still waiting on most final marks, but have managed a 94% in Reproductive, Child and Maternal Health - a great start to the year. Haven't seen 90s since first year psychology :D

Overall, had a terrific semester - a holiday visit from Dad, several trips to Sydney to see Amy and Lauren, a massive kick-off tour with Megan, and one day of class skipped to go to the beach :)

I wasn't sure, in the first couple weeks, how I'd be adjusting to Brisbane. I definitely had a few of those "it's only for a year or so" moments. But now? I can honestly say that I love this place, and it feels like home. Today I walked into town through beautiful Roma Street Parklands, had lunch at South Bank and checked out the newly opened Streets Beach (damaged from the floods), sat on the South Bank lawns and read my book in the sunshine, and then spent my evening ice-skating at the Brisbane Alpine Winter Festival. I kid you not - and for a bunch of Aussies, they make some pretty good ice!

Sure, there are quirks to the city and the culture - you'll never find a bank open in the evening, times and dates are approximations only, whether it relates to the TV schedule or buses, and bananas still haven't gone down past 13 dollars a kilo. But it's worth it for the chance to do something new every day, enjoy the sunshine, meet new people, and, oh yeah, further my education.

Next semester - more epidemiology, environmental health, health economics, health policy, and health systems. All great courses (I hope), and hopefully all straight A's ;)

But first up - a trip to Thailand with a couple of girlfriends... an adventure from which there are sure to be a few blog posts appearing!

A la prochaine, my Canadian friends!

And She's Back!

But don't get too attached, it probably won't last.

Am just capping off 1.2 weeks of holiday with Dad (a.k.a. parent-funded fun).

We started off our trip in Sydney - Dad flying in from South Africa, me flying in from Brisbane (I win, clearly). We checked out Darling Harbour, Circular Quay, and the Opera House (meh, seen 'em before). Then we headed off to the Blue Mountains for a foggy, misty quasi-view of Three Sisters. 

Now, a little thing about Sydney. We had some rain. Big deal, right? I get rain all the time in Brisbane. A few times a day. But rain in Sydney is poured directly from a freezer. It is ICE cold. Hypothermia-inducing for sure. I had to buy pants. I bet a lot of tourists don't bring enough pants to Australia. Maybe I should start a pants company.

So, legs covered, we did the Indiana Jones-style railway of doom, had a cool hike through some rainforest, "saw" the Three Sisters (nearly walked smack into it, actually), and visited Katoomba and Leura. 

And on Sunday (happy Easter!), we started the drive up (and up, and up). First stop was Yamba - a beeyootiful surfing spot just south of Byron Bay. We attended a dawn ANZAC service (war commemoration), checked out the beaches, and then headed out to Fraser Island.

Now, I've seen Fraser Island, which means you read about it (or you skipped that post, in which case read it now and pretend you read it before). We did most of the same sights in a shortened time frame, and under slightly rainier conditions - but still beautiful, of course!

And now, am capping off 3 days in the Whitsundays. Apart from sunning ourselves, we tried out snorkeling (very cool) and scuba diving (near death experience).

You know how you're not supposed to touch the Great Barrier Reef coral? Um, oops. But not touch in a "MOOOOM can I touch it" kind of way. This was an involuntary, "oh-man-my-knees-are-scraping-along-the-ground-it-hurts-it-hurts" kind of touching. My newbie instructor, super nice guy, did not provide instructions on the inflate-deflate buttons - which means I scraped that poor coral until he saw me floundering (like a fish? Flounder? get it?). So the coral stole some skin from me. And then, my instructor tried to "adjust my mask". Now, if you're rational, you'd allow your instructor to adjust your mask. But my brain (too many spy movies) thinks "HE'S TRYING TO KILL YOU! SURFACE! SURFACE!" Probably didn't help my paranoia that when I tried to surface, my instructor held me down. But as you might've guessed, I made it back to shore, and he's providing yummy food for some sharks.

Only kidding. 

Tomorrow - back to the grind - school in Australia. I know, life is tough!

No, I Haven't Been Eaten By A Python - I Only Saw One In My Backyard

Just kidding - although my next door neighbour apparently did. I try not to think about it. And I'm learning to run very fast. 

This is only a short post for those who haven't given up on me to say that YES I am here, alive, well, happy, settled into a new place (I can sneeze across the whole room in one go, but we can't all have mansions!) and looking forward to a visit from my dad for Easter, yay!!!

Easter = a week long break (+ 2 extra days - Aussies love Easter) which means more time to update this darn thing and maybe add in some new travels while I'm at it. I'll be re-visiting the Blue Mountains, seeing Yamba, Byron Bay, and the Whitsundays - so lots of new photos will be taken!

Stay with me!
xoxo Caroline

A photo to demonstrate my studious nature while here in Oz. I took advantage of a night out to become one with Australian foliage. The girl to my left, in one of those weird life coincidences - also grew up in Mississauga, and went to high school a couple blocks away. Isn't life funny? :)

It's Too Hot To Type

Just wanted to post a short update so as you don't all think I've been eaten by a snake or something...

I heard Ottawa had inclement weather today. You probably won't agree, but it's kind of inclement weather here too... too freakin' hot! Honestly, it is possible. Think of those awful summer days when kids with asthma can't go outside and you go door-to-door checking on the elderly. It's like that here - except they don't check on the elderly (meanies). So, needless to say, I lie under the fan a lot and try to avoid all movement. 

I am still searching (scavenging?) for housing - facing the toughest market I've ever dealt with. They've apparently got a little bit more competition from the flooding (put some places out of commission, put some people out of their own homes and requiring temporary accommodation). It's also a more - how shall I say this - laid back job market? For example - you call a property agent (everything's managed here, there are very few individual landlords). You say you have an interest in X apartment. They say "Ok, we have a viewing for that in a week or so. Come by then. But make sure to double check with us first." Nothing happens quickly - not even when they could turn a profit from it! So I'm stuck on the air mattress for some time yet.

I had my first day of school yesterday and that was quite fun (no joke). My biostats professor quotes Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and I'm thinking my PHAC courses have given me a pretty solid base in epidemiology. And best of all? NO EXAMS THIS SEMESTER! No more last-minute studying (I was never good at studying) and panicking and failing (oops). 

More updates to come, I promise - I'm just adjusting to the Australian way of doing things - very slowly :)