Melanie Down Under

Friday, 3 October 2008 – Scuba Dive Class…or not

I don’t get colds incredibly often. When I do, they’re not fun, but in general I tend to be pretty healthy. So I should have known that my body would conspire against me to get sick the very week I was signed up for a 5-day PADI learn to dive course on the Great Barrier Reef. I took a chance in attending my first class, knowing that they conduct a medical to ensure your level of fitness prior to taking the course. And I got a clean bill of health too…until the doctor failed my medical because she thought I’d have trouble equalizing due to my cold. They gave me no choice but to drop the class, thankfully giving me a full refund, and I suddenly found myself with 5 unplanned days in Cairns. Needless to say, I had an instant craving for chai tea and some travel brochures.

Yes, I’m a little bummed at the lost opportunity to scuba dive the Great Barrier Reef. Who wouldn’t be? But at least due to the change in plans, I have some downtime to get over my cold. And anyway, I don’t think I’ll have a problem finding something to occupy myself…I’ve already found three bookstores within a block of my hostel.

Oh really, come on, folks – do you really think I would spend my entire time in a foreign country holed up in a bookstore? Of course not! …Just an hour or so each day will suffice...

Saturday, 4 October 2008 – Skyrail, Kuranda, and Scenic Train

I have seen the light at the end of the tunnel! Of course, it was an actual light at the end of an actual tunnel. Hey, if reality is all I can find, I’ll take what I can get. But before we get to that, let’s rewind to the beginning:

After my dive trip plans were canceled, I signed myself up for a day trip to Kuranda, a quaint village in the rainforests. I took the Skyrail to get there, which used to be the longest in the world until they outdid it in some place I might remember the name of if I had been listening to the guide more closely. It was a little scary to be hanging from one bar attached to one cable high above the treetops! It also occurred to me as my ears were popping that it was a fitting sort of revenge to go up to the highest elevation I could find the day after I was told I couldn’t handle the sea elevation. Take that, dive doctor! Never let it be said that a cold got the best of Melanie! *cackle, cackle*

Oh, and a funny thing happened on the way to the Skyrail – I ran into my German friend Maike from my Jillaroo week in August! We hadn’t seen each other since Tamworth, so imagined how surprised we were to run across each other all the way in Cairns, and on the same daytrip, at that! I joined up with her and her three guy friends (also from Germany) for the day of sightseeing.

Pictures: That’s Maike in the middle of the first picture. You can see a portion of the Skyrail cables and cars in the second.

Kuranda was cute and there was quite a bit of Aboriginal art and shopping, plus beautiful jungle walks, but really we only needed a few hours to see all there was to see.

Pictures: Me at the entrance of Kuranda Village / My German entourage / A jungle view

The best part of the trip was the several-hours train ride back on the Kuranda Scenic Train. Gooooorgeous views! We learned quite a bit about its history, which I’ll not bore you with, except that it wasn’t originally built as the tourist attraction it mainly is today. The relaxing rocking of the train, with the breeze from the open window and the countryside rolling by, was a perfect end to the day. The train even stopped for 10 minutes by Barron Falls to let all the passengers get out, stretch their legs and take pictures of the beautiful sight.

Pictures: Me on the train / Barron Falls / The train in motion / View of the countryside

Okay, now wait for it…

Wait for it…

It’s the light at the end of the tunnel!!!

Stay tuned! Next stop, more of the Great Barrier Reef…with some better pictures this time around!

My first view of the Great Barrier Reef came from an airplane as I approached a landing in Cairns (pronounced “cans”). At first I thought the reefs were little islands dotting the coast, but as I got closer, I could see that most of those “islands” were under the water. Megan and I both could hardly wait to go snorkeling the next day and I could hardly wait to go scuba diving later in the week!

Monday, 30 September 2008 – Great Barrier Reef

My first day on the reef. Wow. My first thought, admittedly, was “my mask is too big for my face.” But my second thought was “and I thought God was creative on dry land!” I can’t even begin to describe how amazing the ocean floor is. But snorkeling from a boat so far out that all you can see around you is blue sky and blue water, then viewing the amazing coral and fish and learning how they all interact together to form a complete working system…well, I am simply amazed at God’s handiwork.

My disposable camera didn’t take as nice pictures as I would have liked, so I’ll try again later in the week with a better camera. For now, look at the pretty fish that swam past us!

Tuesday, 1 October 2008 – Rainforests

Our daytrip to the rainforests was packed full of adventure, not least of which was our Aussie guide’s um…enthusiastic driving on the narrow, windy roads. All in one day, we visited the Rainforest Habitat Wildlife Sanctuary, Mossman Gorge, Coconut Beach (beautiful!), and a Daintree River wildlife cruise to spot crocodiles! And yes, we did spot one or two.

See the pretty pictures of (in order) Coconut Beach, Mossman Gorge, the Daintree River, and our crocodile friend:

Wednesday, 2 October 2008 – Jungle Swinging

As Wednesday was Megan’s last day in Cairns, we decided we had to do something extra special. We thought about doing jungle surfing canopy tours (where you’re connected to a zip line and “surf” through the jungle), but we decided on jungle swinging. Instead of floating softly through the trees, we went what I like to call “bungy jumping light.” Basically, we were strapped into harnesses and dropped from 45 meters (approx 150 feet) high down to 1 meter in 3 seconds. The cables caught us so that we swung back and forth through the trees…just like Tarzan and George!

Here we are, starting to slow down:

Unfortunately, this day marked the end of Megan’s time in Cairns, and here is where we parted ways. Megan left for Sydney to spend Australia’s Labour Day weekend before returning to the States. Meanwhile, my plans involve staying on in Cairns one more week to take a scuba dive certification class and dive trip before continuing on to Darwin.

Farewell, Megan! You’ve been an awesome travel companion these past months. See you in November!

Have you ever wondered what it would feel like to roll down an Australian hill in a giant plastic bubble? Maybe go bowling for cows while you’re at it? Or am I the only one?

No? Um, oh… I feel a little conspicuous all of a sudden.

This past week, I started my trip up the east coast of Australia, beginning with a brief 2-day stop in Byron Bay, a cute little coastal town. After flying in Saturday, I spent the afternoon strolling around the quaint shops and basking in the ocean breezes. Megan arrived a few days before me, so after meeting up with her at the hostel, we did the first thing on our agenda and really the main reason we decided we just HAD to stop in Byron Bay:

ZORBING!

In case you didn’t gather from my question above, zorbing involves being strapped into a large plastic bubble, surrounded on every side by walls of air, and rolled down a potentially bumpy hill. Here – in case you can’t picture it, I’ve included some pictures and a video.

Disclaimer: Yes, Megan and I are inside this very bubble. No, we were not aiming for the cow, so no animal activist complaints.

Hehe, we rolled down that hill in style, didn’t we? The ride was a little bumpy, and both our feet fell out of the straps and were flopping every which way around the bubble, but it was an experience we’ll not soon forget.

That night and the following day, we took it easy – girl talk at the beach, a couple of sushi rolls and ice cream cones, and massages at a day spa. Isn’t that just how life’s meant to be lived? This time you can answer “yes.”

Stay tuned as I continue my travels up to Cairns and Cape Tribulation to see the Great Barrier Reef and rainforests!

It has been about three weeks since my last blog post. Three weeks! So for those of you who may have wondered: I have not been eaten by sharks, stranded on a desert island, or run off to Fiji with Wentworth Miller. I have, however, completed the portion of my trip where I live and work in Sydney! That’s right, friends and family, my trip is approaching its last month and I have begun my travels around the country. I have heaps to tell you about my adventures the past few days, but first allow me to give you a rundown on my time in Sydney:

Last Days in Sydney

Since I returned from my Jillaroo experience, life has become…well, life. Sure, I am living in a foreign city, meeting people from all over the globe, and not noticing the melting pot of accents so much as I did initially, but for a while now I have not had any grand adventures or new sightseeing. It’s just me, an apron, and a job near the beach. I’ve loved almost every minute of it, but due to how Americanized Australia is, I have had a hard time truly believing that I am living in another country. Sydney itself…well, it’s difficult to explain how much I can love a city and at the same time not want to make my stay here long term. It’s like New York on a smaller scale. Downside: dirty, crammed with people, impersonal. Upside: no shortage of shopping and basic non-necessities, short distance to the beach and beautiful sights. But even though I will never move here, I hope to visit again and a part of myself will always consider Sydney as a home.

Working at the Beach

I don’t think I’ll ever find a job more suited to me than working as a runner at Gertrude & Alice, a café/used bookstore on Bondi Beach. Essentially, I get paid to work on the beach, eat free food, borrow books at my leisure, and serve what has been voted as “the best chai tea in Bondi.” How I found such a perfect travel job for me, I’ll never know. But perfect it was – and I made some pretty awesome friends from all over the world while working there!

Australian Money

In my young life, I have worked my fair share of cash registers. But until now, they have all been in United States currency. While taking money and making change in Australian dollars took a bit of getting used to, it is quite a bit easier here. Firstly, Aussies don’t have 1-cent pieces. All costs in Australia are in increments of 5. Second, Aussie taxes are required to be included in the published prices. If a drink is $2.50, then you will pay $2.50. Period. I love this – it makes things so much easier when you don’t have to worry about tax! Third, no tipping. Certainly, you may tip if you receive exceptional service, but it is not expected, and you will not be starting an international courtesy war should you not tip your waiter. It makes things so much easier when you go out to a restaurant and know that since tax and tip are not a factor, what you see on the price list is exactly what you are expected to pay.

Canadian or American?

Working in a café/bookstore is a good way to meet people, particularly the locals. I have begun to recognize people by name, and many more by face, and they are coming to know me as well. Many people have struck up conversations with me due to my accent, most by asking me first if I am Canadian. (Some have been more reluctant to guess and simply ask me, “States or Canada?”) When I asked two people why most people guessed I was from Canada, one responded that Sydney attracts more Canadians. The other said I sounded more Canadian because of my speech and word choices. Huh. Who knew? Guess I gotta get me more American slang, yo! Um, or not…eh?

Response to Poll

Thank you Karen, April, Lisa, John & Nathan for your votes on what I should do during my trip! So far zorbing, scuba diving, and jungle swinging have made my list. Unless time, money and bravery allow, I'll probably skip the skydiving, shark diving and ballooning. Stay tuned - I'll be posting updates shortly on my first trip to the Great Barrier Reef and rainforests!

Meet some of my new friends!

These are a few of the ladies I worked with at Gertrude & Alice Cafe Bookstore.

If someone refers to The Gap in Sydney, they’re most likely not talking about dressing their kids in preppy clothing or khakis. They may perhaps be referring to the hazardous gap between Sydney trains and platforms. Or perhaps they are comparing the gap in size between their Chihuahua and their neighbor’s Great Dane. OR they could be referring to something else entirely…

Let’s rewind to about two weeks after we arrived in Sydney. See, at about that point, Megan and I were still seeing quite a bit of each other and jointly experienced the unfortunate state of boredom. Moving to a foreign city is bound to be fun, but it’s not all it’s cracked up to be right at the first. After settling in, finding a place to live, and beginning our job searches, we had not yet made friends or become familiar enough with our surroundings to know what to do or where to go, particularly after mid-afternoon. (Things close earlier here than they do in the States, despite being in the middle of a city.) After realizing that Megan and I deal with boredom in decidedly different and potentially mutually annoying ways, we determined that something had to be done. And so, armed with our daypacks and good walking shoes, we bought travel passes, allowing us complete access to Sydney’s trains, busses, and ferries for one week. Of course, we didn’t have a clue as to where we were actually going to go, but it turned out to be quite the travel memory in and of itself. Throughout the next several days, we developed a short-lived habit of hopping on and off random buses and ferries without a care as to where they were headed – only making certain that we had a way back. This is the way we first discovered most of the places in Sydney that I described in my Sydney Suburbs posting, including my first ferry view of the Opera House.

On that very first day, we took a bus to a pretty place we later discovered to be Watson’s Bay. Complete with green grass, jagged cliffs, sparkling blue ocean meeting the horizon, and even a little lighthouse on the cliff, it was made for Melanie to visit, yes? I think yes! What made this trip memorable, however, was Megan’s venture over the fence and onto the cliffs themselves. I wasn’t keen to join her (I love life, thank you very much), but as she was set on it, I agreed to take video and pictures. What I didn’t count on was hearing the comments of every person walking past. Bits of conversation such as “foolish girl,” “can’t believe anyone would…” and “did you hear someone died out there?” were enough to cause me to urge her back into the land of the safe and the sane. She’s fine, of course, but the interesting part came a bit later when we relayed our story and pictures to our Aussie roommates back home and Jessica exclaimed wide-eyed, “I think you went to The Gap!”

Apparently The Gap is an Australian cliff where many people have been killed or committed suicide. Saying someone “went to The Gap” is basically another way of saying someone met a tragic and untimely death.

Megan is not allowed on the other side of any kind of fence ever, ever, ever again.

Even if the view is to die for. (Pun not originally intended...but if it can't be used now, then when?)

And now it’s time for a few of my random observations:

* Walking the streets of Sydney is like walking into a Robin Hood movie. No joke. I think I mentioned before the tights, but the fashion also seems to be to wear them with big boots and sweaters or dresses with belts, plus hats. If not Robin Hood era, it’s definitely an updated version of the ‘80’s. Oh, and in case you thought you men were in the clear, I just saw an advertisement for a new line of tights for men. Yeah, that’s right. Run! Run far away before the trend gets all you guys I know and love!!!

* I've heard that Americans are perceived as loud by other countries, and while I cannot stand generalizations, I've never before thought of myself as being in that category...and truly, I still don't. But wow - Australians sure are quiet! And by quiet, I don't mean that they never speak or raise a ruckus. Oh, no. I mean the volume of their voices while engaged in normal conversation. When the locals say something to me in an accent, with Aussie slang and their shortened versions of words, all in just above a whisper...well, it's already made for a few mistaken messages. At least I can tell they're talking by the moving lips - you've no idea what a help that indicator has been. Now to be fair, I have met more of the Aussies lately who favor spending Saturday nights in trendy cafes & bookstores and therefore probably prefer the quieter lifestyle, so it is not true of all Aussies... but it's true of quite a few!

* Men here aren’t afraid to hold cute little flower-patterned teacups. Hmm…as opposed to some nameless American men who refuse to set foot inside a tea parlor in the States… (And I’m talking about the tough-looking guys, not the tights-wearing ones).

* I gave someone directions!!! And I was able to give tips for a good afternoon in Sydney! And to recommend the best way to get places! And to recognize street names and rail stops and know where they are without looking at a map! I’m adjusting to life in the city, and it took one conversation with a newbie to the area to realize just how much I’ve learned. I’ve much, much more to learn, however…so don’t get too excited for me yet.

Poll of the Audience

I’m working on my travel plans for seeing more of Australia in October. (Updates to follow as I finalize my plans.) But it’s time for a poll:

Melanie would like to do all of the following, but as time and money are a factor, some may need to be eliminated from the itinerary. If you were her, which would you do no matter what?

* Skydiving in Cairns
* Shark Diving near Sydney
* Scuba Diving the Great Barrier Reef
* Climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge
* Ballooning in Cairns
* Jungle Surfing near Cape Tribulation (in which she is attached by a harness to a zip line and “flies” through the rainforest)
* Zorbing on the Gold Coast (in which she is rolled down a hill in a giant plastic bubble)

Life's been busy since I started working in Sydney, but more updates on my life here are to come shortly! I love and miss you all!

Can you understand this sentence? “My mate’s gone walkabout, and we were supposed to get chocka on capps and sammies this arvo at footy!” Well, I can! Translation: “I can’t find my friend, and we were supposed to fill up on coffee and sandwiches this afternoon at the football game!”

Now, to anyone else, the translation of such a mediocre sentence such as the one above would not be cause for celebration. But I think I deserve a cuppa tea for the accomplishment! Maybe even a chockie capp!

So you want to learn to talk like an Australian? I’ve yet to master the accent, other than basic observations such as the fact that Aussies love their T’s and Arizonans love their R’s. I’m tempted to give up on trying to pronounce the Aussie “o” as in “no,” but I’m too stubborn. Even the knowledge that I’m doomed to fail cannot deter me – I’ve still got three months to fail before I get it right! In the meantime, I’ll give you a few pointers on word choice:

* Want ketchup? Ask for tomato sauce.

* Want silverware? Ask for a serviette.

* Want fries? Chips is what they’re called both here and in England, but people aren’t picky. Half the places list them as fries anyway, so no worries – call them what you want.

* Responding to someone’s “thank you”? Any of the following will do: “No worries,” “Cheers,” or the simpler “Ta.”

* Didn’t understand what someone said? A simple “what?” is uncouth. Saying “pardon?” will keep you on the right side of the polite police.

* “How ya goin’ mate?” isn’t asking whether you’re taking the bus. Proper response: “orright.”

* “How ya findin’ it?” isn’t asking if you found your missing keys. Proper response: “orright.”

* Don’t say “ah-LOOM-i-num.” People won’t have a clue what you’re talking about. Here aluminum is aluminium, pronounced “al-u-MIN-ee-um.”

Note: If someone says you’ve got kangaroos loose in the top paddock or that the lift doesn’t go to the top floor, they’re insulting your intellectual adequacy. Now that you’re up on your Australian phrasing, that shouldn’t be the case.

In other news, I found a treasure trove of U.S. junk food the other day when I found upon a store across from the Queen Victoria Building that sells candies, etc. from the US, UK, & New Zealand. Some of the foods they carry and which many Aussies I’ve talked to have never tasted or have never even heard of:

* Root beer

* Reese’s peanut butter cups

* Graham crackers

* Hershey’s chocolate syrup

* S’mores gets an honorable mention here, even though they technically did not carry them in the store. I was flabbergasted when I mentioned S’mores around the campfire at my Jillaroo school and was met with a dozen blank faces. I’m not saying the States has it all together, but to not have the wonderful goodness of S’mores in your country? Why, it’s a tragedy worse than Romeo & Juliet and the saggy jeans fad put together!

Also interesting to note, there are a few foods that Aussies have but that taste different. Two examples: Aussie mayonnaise tastes more like Miracle Whip, and Aussie marshmallows are sweeter; to me, they taste like those sugar-coated marshmallow peeps.

And there you have it! You are on your way to talking and eating like a genuine Australian!!!

Before I go on to new and improved Australian adventures, I thought I'd share a few videos from my Jillaroo week!

During our Natural Horsemanship lessons, we learned techniques that Tim used with the horses. It was interesting to see the way he trained the horses to respond to both touch and gestures before riding them, then translating what he taught them on the ground to foot and reign gestures while on their backs. One of the important things I learned was that in training a horse, you don't keep going until you reach the perfect movement. If they make one right step or give one little indicator that they are starting to understand what you want them to do, stop. Go away and let them think. Whether it takes one minute or three hours, the point at which you stop with the horse will teach them more than the amount of time you work with them. Interesting and makes a lot of sense.

So in order to make it fun for us while he showed us a few ways he trained the horses, we played a few games in our Wednesday class. One was a limbo match between us and the horse. If you spot me, pardon the fact that if it were a subject in school, I'd have failed Limbo long ago. But in any case, here is one of our feeble attempts to out-limbo the horse. (We had a music section, but they were slacking during the video. Tsk, tsk.)

On Thursday, we took turns catching and "wrestling" calves (in groups of two or three since the calves were very strong). Here's a video for the sole sake of showing you that despite what you shall soon see, I am not a wimp - these calves are strong! Even Collin and Ben found some difficulty in catching and keeping one.

So in case you wondered how many people it takes to throw a calf to the ground, the answer is two, plus a little time, effort, patience and possibility of failure. For my group, the answer was six. Three to handle the calf, two to direct, and one to take a picture. Hehe, calf wrestling, I fear, also does not seem to be in my future. Good thing I have other aspirations, because otherwise I would have had to try, try again. And that would annoy any self-respecting calf.

I should’ve been a cowgu-url. I should’ve learned to ro-ope and ri-i-ide! Wearing my six-shooter, riding my pony on a cattle dri-i-ive. Stealing a cowboy’s heart, singing those campfire so-ongs – oh, I should’ve been a cowgirl!

Pardon the alteration of Mr. Toby Keith’s song – had to be done, seeing as how I have no actual desire to be a cowboy. So show of hands, who else can say they’ve done everything on that list??? No? I can! Well, except for stealing a cowboy’s heart...but that wasn’t included on the Jillaroo course curriculum, so I haven’t learned how to put that part into practice as of yet. But I did everything else, including strapping a toy gun onto my horse’s saddle so I could have a six-shooter. In case you are utterly and completely lost, allow me to announce that I am now a Jillaroo, otherwise known as an Australian cowgirl. For the past week I have been on a real working farm about an hour out of Tamworth, Australia, learning how to rope, ride, muster sheep and cattle, lasso, crack whips, train horses and even how to sheer and butcher a sheep. I slept in a bunkhouse, ate every meal around a campfire, rolled around in the dirt to catch sheep and wrestle calves, and perhaps most shocking of all, took 3-minute showers - gasp. Some people take these courses for holiday, while others take them for work experience or actual training for working on a farm. It’s a good thing on a resume for someone wanting to work in the Outback.

Since I was away from civilization and therefore without phone or internet connection for the entire eventful week, this blog entry can and will be fairly long. But don’t worry – I included pictures for you visual folk out there!

Day One – 18 Aug 2008

* 9:00 a.m. pickup from our hostel
* Quick stop at a second hand clothing store for work clothes
* Introduction and a cup of tea over campfire on arrival at the farm
* A grooming and saddling up lesson
* A lesson on Natural Horsemanship riding followed by a 2.5 hour ride including bush survival and local bush tucker

There are eleven students in my group, plus the farmhands and the family who own the farm and head the course. Most of my group, farmhands included, are 20-somethings from Australia, England, Germany, Norway, Denmark, Holland, and America. The bunkhouse is separated into two areas, one for students, one for staff, both connected to a common bathroom. The staff does all the cooking, but each of the students has been assigned chores each day, such as dishes or cleaning the bathroom. Every day starts with a 6:30 wake up call, and every mealtime is spent around a campfire with open-air oven cooked meals.

After our morning lessons and lunch, we were each given a horse which will be ours for the duration of our stay. They gave me a pretty white "intermediate rider" horse named Cheeky. They teach Natural Horsemanship here, which is different from the Traditional Horsemanship that I’m used to. No western saddle, no kicking the horse to go faster, and different reign commands than I’ve learned before. Will definitely take some getting used to.

My first impression of Cheeky: Nice horse, shies away from me when I try to touch her head, but follows my basic riding instructions pretty consistently. A little slow downhill and uphill but I’d rather her find her footing than for her to feel rushed and stumble, so I let her take her time.

Day Two – 19 August 2008

* Catch and saddle the horses
* A two hour Natural Horsemanship lesson
* A horse shoeing lesson
* A whip cracking and lassoing lesson
* Play some Natural Horsemanship games with horses
* A barrel race on horseback
* Mustering sheep on horseback
* A talk on sheep health and husbandry, demonstration of tail trimming and neutering a lamb
* A sheep shearing lesson
* Slaughter / butcher a sheep

It was COLD this morning – BRRR! Still, the staff somehow managed to get us up soon after our 6:30 wakeup call. We caught and saddled the horses by ourselves for the first time today, then left them to eat for a two hour Natural Horsemanship lesson, followed by a horse shoeing lesson and whip cracking and lassoing lessons. I’m a pretty good whip cracker if I do say so myself, but lassoing will perhaps be an aquired skill.

My Second impression of Cheeky: She’s Cheeky with a capital “C”. Lets me touch her face now, but still shies away sometimes. Hard to ride when she wants to do her own thing, and she’s also hard to control around other horses. Wants to be in the middle rather than around the edges of the arena like my group was supposed to, which meant that I spent my entire trotting and cantering practice correcting her, not getting any actual trotting and cantering practice. I'm not planning on sending her Christmas cards when all this is done, I can tell you that much.

But I suppose it was a worse day for the sheep we sheered and slaughtered. Lamb stew on the menu for tomorrow…yum!

Day Three – 20 August 2008

* Finish butchering the sheep
* A two hour Natural Horsemanship lesson
* Fencing and yard building
* Pasture improvement

No horseback riding today, but it was a taxing day with heaps of manual labor involved. It makes sense to me now why they started a bit slower this morning (we stayed by the shed and learned how to butcher the sheep we slaughtered the night before) and allowed us a bit more time to relax in the evening. It was definitely needed after tree felling, clearing pastures, and working on building a chicken coop. If anyone thought they’d just be shown how to do these things and not be expected to grab an axe and and shovel and put their backs into it, they were dead wrong! I’m glad we were so hands on though – despite the sweat, dirt, and sore muscles, I learned quite a bit today and had fun to boot! Plus, it was nice to take a semi-nap in the beautiful outdoors during our break!

Day Four – 21 August 2008

* Catch and saddle the horses
* Play some Natural Horsemanship games with horses
* Mustering cattle on horseback
* Yarding and drafting cattle
* A talk on cattle breeds and husbandry
* A lassoing competition
* Wrestling, branding and marking calves
* A demonstration in using working dogs

Yes, that’s right – today I mustered cattle on horseback and roped and wrestled a calf! Yeehaw! It was also our longest ride of the week. We packed our lunches to eat around a mountaintop campfire after we finished mustering the cattle, then headed back to the farmhouse.

Third impression of Cheeky: When checking her back hoof, she brought the side of her metal shoe down hard on my foot and then lifted her tail with the clear intention of farting in my face. On the ride, she attempted to bite and kick several horses. While mustering cattle, she reminded me of a shopping cart that constantly wants to veer right which you have to overcorrect to go left. As if all that weren’t enough, when we finished the first leg of our trip, she tried to headbutt me. Oh, joy. BUT I sensed a clear turning point on our ride back. I think I’m becoming more comfortable with this way of riding, and Cheeky and I were able to work pretty well together by the time we reached the farm. Despite the rocky start (or maybe because of it), I left today’s riding with a sense of accomplishment. I think I feel much better about my ability to keep her under control for tomorrow’s riding.

Day Five – 22 August 2008

* A lesson on maintaining saddlery
* Catch and saddle the horses
* Play some Natural Horsemanship games with horses
* A ride where we take the horses for a trot and canter
* Return to Tamworth YHA around 6:00 p.m. for a big night out

On Wednesday night Becky and Laura hid the radio so that the staff couldn't turn it on to wake us up so early on Thursday. Thinking ahead, they also hid the dinner bell, pots and pans, and anything else that could potentially be used to make noise. In retaliation, the staff made sure that Friday morning we woke to the loudest ruckus of clanging and banging I've ever heard at 6:30 a.m. It was quite funny.

Last day impression of Cheeky: Still a stubborn horse, that’s for sure. But I think now that I’m both more comfortable with this way of riding as well as getting used to her quirks, it was a pretty good day for both of us. Her biggest problem today was getting antsy and wanting to get going when she knew her turn was coming up for barrel racing or cantering practice. I had to reign her in every single time, and not without a struggle. Tim (our instructor & owner of the farm) showed me a few techniques to use with her, and so after getting used to the idea that I would be spending a fair amount of time getting her under control, my riding with Cheeky became more of a fun challenge than a frustration. And as soon as she did what she was supposed to do, I rewarded both of us with some exhilaratingly fast riding.

This day was not without its problems for others, however. During cantering practice, Kate (my new American friend through IEP) fell off her horse. Because she lost consciousness for a moment, she was sent to the hospital by helicopter to get checked out. Diagnosis: mild concussion and a bruised rib. She was walking and talking, but understandably sore and tired by evening. Thankfully, it was her last day and so she didn’t miss out on anything except for our Friday evening out in Tamworth.

Meet some of my new Jackaroo and Jillaroo friends:

Clockwise, starting with top left: Stephen (American), me (American), Andre (German), Danica (Australian), Jannik (German), Tracey (British), Laura (from Jersey?), Becky (Australian), and Marleen (from Norway?). There were more people not in the picture.

And there you have it - my Australian farm experience! Now that I'm back in the city, I still have an urge to look for some cattle to muster. Ah, well. Perhaps a few more Outback adventures will be in store for me during the next three months of my trip.

Alright people! Here is the inevitable blog entry in which I go on and on and on about what I have learned throughout Sydney’s suburbs. Please forgive me if I sound at times like a travel guide, and my feelings will not be hurt should you choose to skim this entry. (Unless you are an immediate family member, in which case you are naturally held to the highest of standards.)

CITY CENTRE

I spent most of my first week in the downtown area, and I still spend time there every couple days because that is where my exchange program office is located. The center of the city is basically where I know I can find $1 sushi rolls (on King & George Streets), specials on smoothies (one block from my program office), a three-story bookstore (be still, mine heart), and fashionable shops, bars and restaurants everywhere in between. An important lesson I have learned is to watch my back in the central business district (known as CBD) – the taxi drivers aren’t exactly polite, plus if you don’t keep pace, you can count on getting trampled by crowds of businesspeople power-walking to their next appointment.

One tip I am going to share with you, should you go to Sydney: Don’t forget to look up! Yes, that’s right – stop (hopefully out of the way of the people ready to run you over), tilt your head back and LOOK UP. It’s funny how easy it is to become wrapped up in the craziness on the ground level of the city and not notice the amazing architecture and history right in front of your nose. Some of the buildings are pretty amazing. (Not all of the buildings. Not even most. But some are worth looking up for.)

CIRCULAR QUAY

Firstly, it's pronounced "circular key." It's funny how one feels like laughing at the tourists who come through pronouncing it "kway." Then I remind myself that I did too...only three weeks ago. But we won’t talk about that...

Circular Quay is what I think of as the "connected and connecting" area in Sydney. That's where I go if I want to catch a train, bus, or ferry to just about anywhere. And walking down by the ferries at night will give you a gorgeous view of the Opera House, the Bridge, and the Harbour. Not to mention, there are pretty decent restaurants overlooking the views which I have yet to frequent due to their pricey menus. Thankfully there are also a few cheaper options not right on the water, one being McDonalds (which is called "Mackers" by Australians, as I came to realize after a few confusing conversations).

DARLING HARBOUR

We discovered Darling Harbour one day after misunderstanding that our roommate was telling us to find a place in Darlinghurst. Darling Harbour, Darlinghurst...anyone could make that mistake, right? Well, not anyone who has been to both places, apparently. As we figured out for ourselves, one is home to fancy shoppers and well-to-do businessmen and the other is known as Sydney's red-light district. Haha...yeah... (But don't worry. I may not have mace, but I have daylight, a pointy umbrella, and Megan. She took a kickboxing class, so she's practically on par with the karate kid now.)

Darling Harbour, by the way, is the well-to-do of the two. We didn't actually see the water in the harbor due to the fact it was filled with yachts for the Sydney International Boat Show. If you want to go shopping in Sydney, go to Darling Harbour. It’s not the cheapest place in the city, but there’s a three-level mall complete with fancy restaurants overlooking the water. That’s also where you’d find the Sydney Aquarium and Wildlife World, FYI. And when we’d finished our day there, we took a ferry ride back to Circular Quay and saw yet another view of the Bridge and Opera House, just approaching sunset. Beautiful!!!

KINGS CROSS & DARLINGHURST

Known as Sydney's red-light district, we were guaranteed to meet an interesting assortment of people almost immediately after stepping foot off the train at Kings Cross. Despite the shady shops and strange people in this area, we did discover a fairly decent pizza place, a chocolate shop and a temporary job for Megan. (A DECENT job , people!) What place can be so bad if it has all that, right? Of course, right! Megan’s first job was at a little take away shop directly across the street from the station. And as her friend, I was entitled to free chips. I've decided Darlinghurst, while not a place I will spend a considerable amount of time, is actually an alright place to visit.

DOUBLE BAY / EDGECLIFF

I often say I live in Edgecliff because the two are so close and I take the train to Edgecliff to get home, but the truth is that I actually live in Double Bay. You know how some Arizonans refer to Scottsdale as “Snottsdale”? Well, here the locals have a habit of calling Double Bay “Double Pay” due to the high incomes of most of its residents; people also jokingly refer to it as the plastic surgery capital of Australia. Apparently it’s viewed as a nice place to live, which Megan and I didn’t find out until after we moved in. Lucky us, it is a nice place to live – our place is in a cute apartment building only a short walk from expensive shops, trendy cafes, and pretty views of the harbor.

BONDI JUNCTION

This is where I would do my shopping if I weren’t on a budget. Westfield Mall has six floors, including a Target and a Borders, plus a movie theater. Right now the main reason I frequent Bondi Junction is because it’s the connecting point for me to get to my new cafe job on Bondi Beach and my art class on Bondi Road.

BRONTE BEACH

On one of my solo days (Megan was at work), I decided to meander down to Bronte Beach. Bronte is a cute little beach with more kids and grass than Bondi Beach. Also fewer people and quite a lot smaller and less trendy. Basically, if Bondi were the hardback bestseller of beaches, Bronte would be the cute paperback version you just want to stick in your pocket and take with you to the coffee shop. (Yes, that really is the way my mind works.)

I’ve more places to explore and some I’ve barely visited, but I’ll leave you there for now. Too much information cannot be fit into bite-sized blog entries…at least not without stuffing your mouth so full that you cannot chew. But beware - Now that I have my computer, I've some catching up to do!