Time is the fire in which we burn

...as a wise man (Delmore Schwartz) once said.

I keep a list of stuff I want to do before I die. It helps keep me motivated and out of the rut I find myself in sometimes. It was a really busy year for me thanks to nursing school, so I'm proud of what I was able to experience this year. My brother and sister and I had planned to go to Ireland in the summer and Australia just sort of happened instead, which was absolutely thrilling and the highlight of my year. These are the list items I accomplished in 2010.

4. Snorkel the Great Barrier Reef (Cairns Australia, 08/14/10)


We were too busy snorkelling and soaking up the sun to bother much with cameras on the reef trip, not to mention it was a little windy and we sacrificed a towel to the Coral Sea, but I got this shot of our first destination: Michaelmas Cay. Lovely little sand island, but it's a bird refuge so the boats anchor just offshore and you can swim in if you like. I did for a tiny moment to adjust my fins, but it smelt like bird poo and the water was feathery, so back out to the reef for me.

29. Volunteer at a USO or at a VA hospital (June/July 2010)
Technically, it wasn't really volunteering, but I think it counts. I learned more than I expected.

32. Go ice-skating (Portland OR, 12/15/10)
It's really sad I've never done this before, but my very good friend took pity on me and we went out on a "Holidate" (get it?) and I skated for two hours without ever falling down. Darn straight I just high-fived myself!

53. Jump off a waterfall (Columbia Gorge OR, 09/09/10)
My Dutch friend came to town on her trip around the world. I took her on a hike (in the rain, don't worry, we brought beer) in the beautiful Columbia Gorge and convinced her and two other poor shivering hikers to jump off a waterfall with me. We chose the 15-foot smaller waterfall because we didn't wish to die. Worth the icy water. She still has all the pictures.

92. Participate in a flash mob event (Portland OR, 12/04/10)
Simple, really, meet a bunch of strangers, do something random and crazy in public together, then disappear. We sang carols and did a 5-minute freeze one Saturday at a mall. Next you'll see me gluing fake eyeballs on trees. Or something.

113. Learn to sandboard (Moreton Island Australia/Florence OR)



Obviously a work in progress, but I discovered the awesomeness that is sandboarding in Australia and was ecstatic when I learned I can do it on pretty much any dune anywhere. Took my Dutchie sandboarding in Florence in September, then dragged my family in November (wouldn't recommend it after rain...the sand is sticky and you go slow and fall harder). My parents tried it. For the win!

One goal I know I'm crossing off in 2011 is #22: Graduate nursing school. Can't wait! :)

When people say they want to eat your baby, beware.

Australians really don't mess around with naming things. They call it like it is, even when it comes to their food labels. Or should I say especially when it comes to food? We went grocery shopping for lunch one afternoon and found tasty cheese, extra tasty cheese, and Australia's tastiest cheese. When faced with choices such as these, how is one to choose?

Tasty cheese... or extra tasty cheese?

Australia's tastiest cheese!

All the cheese we tasted was delicious, by the way. I think it was mostly aged (white) cheddar.

They also have strange taste in candy there. When I'm craving a sweet snack, the first thing I grab is my handy dandy bag of squirty crazy babies. Or my jelly babies. We thought it was hilarious, but then, we readily admit that our humor is a little twisted.

Ha! they eat babies in Australia!

Little black babies and Sambo

Of course, if the fruity babies aren't your favorite, you can always chow down on some chewy black babies. Mmmmmm.

More on funny food later.

I could really go for a TimTam or a Lamington right now.

West coast represent, now put your hands up

It’s hard to go from finals to Australia back to studying in less than four weeks. Not the Australia part… the return to the head games of nursing school. Sometimes, when I find a place that is special to me, I get homesick for it after I leave. I say this at risk of sounding like I would rather be anywhere else in the world at any given time, but the wanderlust is a part of my soul and I fell in love with Australia. It’s such a lovely, fascinating, wild country.

I miss the gum trees and the weird, dangerous animals. I miss TimTams and Lamingtons and ginger beer and Vegemite. I miss the obvious system of naming things (examples of dangerous snakes to watch out for: the green tree snake (green and lives in trees) and the red-bellied black snake (black with a red belly, go figure)). I miss being called “lovely” and “sweets” and “doll.” I miss the rainforests and the clear blue water and the accents.

Gum tree in Queensland's Tamborine Rainforest

Once upon a time, I was not a fan of the music of Katy Perry. Bear with me, for a moment. The average Australian has no idea where Oregon is. When they ask where you’re from, they prefer you to be more specific than “I’m American” in the unlikely event that you’re from either California or New York. We found that the handiest description is “the state just north of California*,” since everyone know where that is, and they usually respond with “ohhhhhh… west coast!” Whereupon we teach them the gangsta sign for west coast and the Katy Perry song “California Gurls” comes on the radio. On our trip to Moreton Island, the scenario I have just described took place, and when our tour guide’s iPod shuffled to California Gurls, he took special pride in pointing it out to us. I like to think that from now on, when that song plays, the Aussies I met will think of me. Katy Perry says we're unforgettable. Not that I'm from Cali, but I did live there for awhile...

Bridge in Brisbane

*Once in awhile, we’d just ask if they’d ever played the computer game Oregon Trail, and usually someone had heard of it. Or we’d talk about cowboys and Indians and the gold rush.

Sand toboganning in The Desert

One of my favorite days in Australia was a trip to Moreton Island off the coast near Brisbane. It's the second largest sand island in the world and home to the largest free-standing sand dunes. Among the many things we did that day was sandboarding (like snowboarding, but on sand dunes) and sand toboganning in "The Desert."

This video is my spectacular wipeout*, followed by my little brother's. Little sister was nice enough to video and laugh hysterically.




*Doesn't hurt... SO MUCH FUN. Seriously. Go do this immediately.

Headfirst gets you down the fastest, but you can ride sitting like a normal toboggan, or even double.

Stand up boards take the most skill. Our guide, Josh, told us "Put 40 percent of your weight on the front foot and 60 on the back" and after we all wiped out over and over, his critique was "I told you 60-40. You're like, 100 on the back foot. Of course you're falling down." It was hysterical.

Abridged Schedule of Events in the Land of Oz

Day 1/2: Day of flights from hell (PDX-LAX-Auckland-Brisbane)
Day 3: Raining in Brissie. Botanical Gardens, shopping.
Day 4: Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, Brisbane Art Gallery
Day 5: Flight to Cairns
Day 6: Sunbathing. Shopping. Bats in trees.
Day 7: Fitzroy Island... hiking and swimming on the coral beaches of paradise
Day 8: Great Barrier Reef trip on the Passions of Paradise catamaran. Mind blown.
Day 9: Markets, bungy jumping at AJ Hackett Cairns - 50 meters. Backwards.
Day 10: Sleeping in, shopping, sunbathing
Day 11: Trinity Beach north of Cairns, party party party
Day 12: Hanging out with new friends at hostel, return to Brisbane
Day 13: Walking tour of dowtown Brisbane, Southbank and Kangaroo Point, pub crawl
Day 14: Friends, pub crawl
Day 15: Dinner with Sam's friends
Day 16: Tamborine rainforest trip + beer, cheese and wine tasting
Day 17: Brisbane Museum
Day 18: Moreton Island trip + FWDing, sandboarding and snorkelling shipwrecks
Day 19: Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast
Day 20/21: Day of flights from hell.

Going to Oz to see the Wizard about a brain

Off to Queensland, Australia for a blissful three weeks!

Maybe I'll send you a didgeridoo.