Jerrabomberra Wetlands

I am sitting in the Public Library enjoying the free public internet service.  I love Australia!

As you can see by the title of this post, I am working in Jerrabomberra Wetlands.  These wetlands are important because the migratory birds that come down from Asia nest here.  We are close to nesting season and these wetlands need a lot of help.  You see, Australia has a sensitive ecosystem.  It is basically a large island, so when an invasive species gets here, it takes off and destroys the dynamics of the environment here.  There is an African Thornbush that had made itself at home in these wetlands.  A CVA (Conservation Volunteers Australia) team came in here before ours and killed a good deal of it.  So our task for the week is to plant native plants to reclaim this ecosystem.

On Monday, we planted 100 native species (and this is no easy task).  It starts with digging, then planting, then securing with a box guard for protection from rabbits and roos, then watering, and lastly mulching.  (The mulch is made from the chipped African Thornbush...a fitting end to the invaders I think.)

On Tuesday, we planted 133 native species of trees and shrubs.  We also painted some duck nesting boxes for weatherproofing.  After work that day, a teamate and I went for a hike to see if we could see some wild Kangaroos.  TASK ACCOMPLISHED!  Those things are running around as common as rabbits once you are up in the hills. (But they are easier to see than rabbits because they are huge!)

And today, we planted 70 natives and also prepared and placed 3 of the duck boxes in the marsh.  I really enjoyed this part because I got to wear rubber waders and operate a power drill.

I am having a good time but I am finding myself really tired.  We are working from 8:00am to 4:00pm everyday.  And when you are swinging a Maddock all day digging, you find yourself rather beat at the end of it.

Church family, please pray for my team, we spend so much time with each other that sometimes we need to get away for a bit.  Also, please pray big time for my health.  I hurt my foot and have been fighting with it...trying not to get infected.  I have been keeping it clean, but it hurts.  And it kept me up a good part of last night.  So Caroline is sleepy today.  Also, I am wind-burned and sunburned at the same time, and my hands have taken quite a beating.

I will try to get back on the internet when I finish here and head to Melbourne.  Wish me the best!!!

Canberra

Hello all from Down Under....

So I arrived in Sydney after a really long flight.  I got off the plane and on the bus.  It feels like November here weather-wise and it has gotten me all in the spirit of the inpending holidays (which are not really inpending...but don't break my spirit folks...haha).
The bus drivers here don't drive crazy enough.  I miss Korean buses...they are fast and they announce the next stop.  Luckly, everyone speaks my language here, so I just asked random people on the bus and they told me when to get off.  I got off at Centenial Park, which is FLIPPING HUGE!  I wandered around for 45 mins lost and found myself at a gas station asking for directions.  This older man overheard me and said he knew the place I was going to.  He offered me a lift.  Normally, I don't get into cars with strangers...but I had to get there, and the guy was old, so I could probably take him if there was any funny business.

I approach his car to get in and found myself on the driver's side.  "Sir, I didn't mean to get in on the driver's side, but Australia is backwards....haha". Yes folks, they have the drivers seat on the right and they drive on the left side of the road.  Te he..silly American.

Needless to say, he got me there safely and quickly.  He was pleasant conversation too.  I was there early enough to check in and found time to do my bible study in the park with all the crazy Australian birds.  (And I mean there are a TON of crazy looking birds here...black swans, wild cockatoos, etc.) After a few house of orientation they drove me to the bus stop and sent me to Canberra on a Greyhound.  It's the political capital of Australia (4 hours out of Sydney) and it's right in the middle of many different types of ecosystems. 

I met up with my group, who are all Asian (execpt a girl from Denmark that I will meet tonight).  Anyway, there are 3 Koreans and 2 people from Taiwan.  They had dinner on the table for me when I got there.  :-)  YAY Taiwanese food!!!

Anyway, we have today and tomorrow off to get settled and we will start our service project on Monday in the Marshland.  We went to a few museams today and I think I might try to go to the Mint or the Parliment house tomorrow.  Who knows?

Thanks guys for reading this...I know it is not as interesting as an exotic blog about Laos or Thailand...but hey, Australia IS pleasant. 

Photo Color Contest

          I have been invited by a friend to take part in a photo contest.  The prize is pretty hefty and though I am not confident in winning this contest, I thought I would give it a shot anyway.  It couldn't hurt right?  So here is more info on the photo contest: http://www.travelsupermarket.com/c/holidays/capture-the-colour/ 

          For this contest, I need to select a photo that represents each color.  So here it goes:

Blue:

I visited Mexico as a treat to myself for surviving University.  This photo is of the edge of Isla Mujeres, where the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea meet.  

Green:

During my time teaching English in South Korea, I visited Laos.  This is probably the most beautiful country I have ever seen.  I met a friend in a cooking class and together we hiked around. This waterfall was a pleasant surprise. 

 Yellow:

 I did some volunteering in Thailand at an "At-Risk" girl's home.  I had free evening and was able to go to a culture dinner.  At the end of the very delicious Thai meal we were invited to release these celebratory lanterns for the Lunar New Year.

White:

I had very good neighbors when I lived in Ohio (America).  We both grew rather large gardens of flowers, herbs, and veggies.  We would trade delicious home grown goodies and spend hours talking.  I took this photo on one of my visits to her garden.

 Red:

I had so many photos of red-leaved trees in the fall...but I wanted to do something a little more interesting.  Here is the brick wall of an aged building in the States.  There is just something Nostalgic in the shape of it all.

I hope you guys like this post and hopefully I can win something.  Who knows?

I nominate the following for the photo contest:

Kyle and Melody @  http://kyleandmelodythibodeau.blogspot.kr/ 
Justin and Kat @ http://www.twomonkeysinatent.com/
Abi @ http://www.abigailjasmine.com/
Nancy @ http://graceexp.blogspot.kr/
Chelsea @ http://trackintucker.blogspot.com/ 

Tears for Mayo

So, this sounds a little embarrassing, but it gives you some insight into the human mind.

I haven't shopped for a good two weeks because I wanted to be sure that I had enough cash to pay my phone bill.  I got back from work today at a little after noon (1/2 days for English camp.) I was REALLY hungry and sleepy...  I thought I should maybe nap then eat something small for a late lunch.

I got a little rest (thank God because I haven't been sleeping well at night).  When I woke up, I went downstairs and out to the market.  I walked around the store with my $3 budget but nothing looked good.  I have been severely lacking in fruits and veggies because I can't even imagine buying apples at $10 for a bag of 5.  Mom sent me vitamins, but sometimes you just want real food.

So, I saw the tomatoes.  I was like...yummy!  Those are only $1 each...and I can get some lettuce for $2.  Ohhh...I was building a sandwich in my mind.  They had some fake meat that resembled ham that wasn't too pricey.  And in the fridge section they had a tube of white cream, "Mayo", I thought.  It was outrageously priced though, a small tube for $5.

I walked around for another 3 or 4 mins craving that sandwich that was out of my budget. Then said, "Why not!?!?  I just will be good about my other meals this week!"  Between the aforementioned sandwich supplies and a pear (which was $2.50  OH MY GOSH!) I spent $18.  But, this has to be worth it right?

I get back to my apartment and start piecing together my prize only to find that the "Mayo" was really sweetened condensed milk.  I can't read anything here with the language barrier.  Tears began to flow....

Then I beat myself up, "Don't cry over Mayo.  You can eat the sandwich without it."  But it was no use.  I lost it.  So I just let myself go.  I sat on the couch and cried about Mayo.

This taught me that sometimes you have to cry, even over the little things.  And I am a little embarrassed.  I mean, I can give things up...mayo is no different right?  I can shower cold out of a bucket in Thailand, I can sleep on the floor in India, I can survive nights filled with sweat and mosquitoes....but, every once in a while, a girl needs to cry.  And it took the form of Mayo this time.

Which one is Mayo????

No worries friends...I am too stubborn to eat my sandwich without Mayo.  I traversed to two more shops while my sandwich lay open on the counter.  In the last store, I found a bottle.  And the sandwich was worth it, believe me!

Now I just have to figure out what to do with the sweetened condensed milk....

AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So...
I have just one more week before vacation.  I CAN DO IT!!!!

It's so hot and humid that it's miserable though.  I have moved my sheets, pillow, and stuffed monkey down to the couch and have been sleeping there for the past few nights.  My A/C won't go below 27 degrees Celsius with is about 81 degrees Fahrenheit (building policy).    (And I will probably cry when I get the energy bill this month because they add up everyone on the floor's bill and divide them equally among the tenants.  This sucks...because my neighbors are not as conservative as I am.)

Just one more week of summer classes...then after a few more days I can run off to the land Down Under (where it is a pleasant 55 degrees F.  So happy it's winter there because they are south of the Equator.)

If I can't start sleeping better at night...this is going to be one tough summer.

I do get a small reprieve though because I will stay tomorrow night at a friend's apt in our neighboring city, Ulsan.  She has her birthday shindig this weekend and I am going to join her over there for Italian food, Batman in the cinema, and to visit her church on Sunday.  It should be quite pleasant.

Mini-Holiday

So last Sunday I decided to skip UT, Church, and Yoga, and give myself a little mini-holiday anywhere but in the city.  I promised myself that if I got the apartment cleaned, I could treat myself.  Well, I got it mostly clean.  :-P

My Woodpecker Friend

Beautiful Flowers All Over Gyeong-Ju

Korea Has It's Moments 

The place I chose to visit on my mini-holiday was the old Shilla Dynasty Capital called Gyeong-Ju.  It was quite pleasant.  It is only a $4 bus ride away and takes only an hour and ten minutes to get there.

As you can see from the photos, it is quite out of the city.  There was much more nature than I expected to find.

I spent the morning wandering around and sketching a bit.  I am learning to not be afraid of my color pastels, but I think I need far more instruction from my art teacher friend Carolyn before I can be truly comfortable.

Hopefully the two of us will get some sketching in when she comes hiking this weekend.  (Hint Hint, Cough Cough :-)

So, after a delicious toast dinner (where the sweet old lady cut my crusts off), I called my friend Sarah, who lives in the area.

Together we visited the Anapji pond, which is an absolutely splendid view at night.  The pagodas reflect the lights off of the water.  After that, she deposited me back off at the bus station and I slept all the way home.

Train Ticket to Anywhere

With Carolyn on the Train to Yeosu.

Happy on a train as usual.

 I swear... I am most happy when I have somewhere to go.  And this weekend was lovely.  I went to a friend's place in Jinju (a nearby city) and then we headed out the next day to the World's Fair.

Yeosu Expo is what they are calling it this year...and it's all about preserving the World's Oceans and Coasts.  That's right up my ally. :-)

At the World Expo we saw things from so many places.  This is actually my second time going but I just couldn't see it all the first time.  (And honestly I didn't see it all the second time either.  But I am content with all I saw this last time).

Below are a couple photos.

Displays at the Expo

Shows in the Street

Ice Core in the Swiss Exhibit

Anyway.  That Sunday morning I stayed with Carolyn again in Jinju.  We went to the Fort that makes Jinju famous.  During the Japanese colonization, the Japanese attacked the city of Jinju and all the people had to hide in the fort and fight them off.  The Korean people won this battle but Japan attacked again with vengeance to  preserve their honor.  They sent so many forces that Jinju didn't stand a chance.  They destroyed the whole city and killed everyone.  We lit incense in honor of the 60+ generals that were buried there.

I know that the past events of this city compose a sad story. But I think it is good for me. I so often get frustrated with things in this country.  And sometimes it helps you understand the people a little better when you know where they are coming from.



~Caroline R.