Middle of Nowhere

This is a really big place.  And really big doesn't even come close to a realistic description. Following our stay in Kakadu and Darwin, we were on to Alice Springs, Kings Canyon, and Uluru.  THe flight was two hours and 20 minutes to Alice, and yet we didn't even leave the "state" we were in, the Northern Territory.  Our accommodations in Kings Canyon for the few days were pretty lackluster, even mice infested in some areas.  However, four of the thirty of us were randomly chosen due to insufficient cabin capacity to be upgraded to the Holiday Inn-style rooms in another area of the Kings Canyon Resort with our own double beds and bathrooms.  I was one of the lucky ones in that boat.

But regardless of room quality, we were still no more than 200 kilometers from the geographic center of Australia, which meant one thing- we were in the middle of nowhere.  There are innumerable "middle of nowhere" places in Australia, because most people live on the coast.  For example, Alice Springs is the second largest "city" in the Northern Territory, home to a whopping 17,000 people.  There are around 21 million people here total, in a country geographically larger than the United States. Clearly, Australian very sparsely inhabit their country's interior.

Living in the middle of nowhere means you have to deal with some things, such as no internet in most areas and limited phone reception.  It's like camping, except you don't leave.  Electrical power is driven by solar paneling and a generator on the edge of town.  Gas was 50 cents more per liter than it was in Darwin, and packaged lunch meat was $55 per kilogram. 

Yet, people still live here.  And I could see why- the landscape is incredible, shown through Kings Canyon, Uluru, and Kata Tjuta.  But these people were different than the Darwin crowd, for sure. Still inhabited partially by tourists, the Australian mentality here was entirely different- survival.  I(n the summer it can get up to 130 degrees Fahrenheit, while in the winter the temperature can drop below freezing.  There is definitely little intermixing between tourists and locals in Alice and Kings Canyon, unlike in Darwin.  I'd venture to say that this van mainly be attributed to the aspirations of tourists, which is to find interesting places.  Locals don't always go looking for those sort of places, like Uluru.  The town of Darwin is interesting so there is mixing, while in Alice the landscape is interesting.  While the view towards American tourists is still favorable, there is not nearly as much of an American culture our tourism industry in Alice and the surrounding area.

The most interesting cultural difference between central Australia and Darwin was in Uluru and Kata Tjuta.  Basically, there is a board of directors of sorts that oversees decisions regarding tourism and construction in the immediate area.  Eight of the members are Aborigines, while four are white Australians.  There is much more of a racially intermixed community in these places, while in Darwin the Aborigines definitely stay together.  Aborigines own houses next door to Australians, and seem to be more highly respected.  Interesting fact- Aborigines actually didn't have rights until the 1960s or so, and were regarded as part of the landscape, like animals  and wildlife.  That's why in places like Darwin, like I said in a previous post, that there were different rules about harming Aborigines versus Australians.  Relations have definitely improved much more in central Australia than in Darwin.  Uluru and Kata Tjuta, in a sense, define the cultural significance of the Aboriginal culture to the white Australians and help put them in their place- as inhabitants of a country that is Aboriginal land.

Enough of the rock art, though- I'm in Sydney now, and its a pretty happening place.  Tonight I'm taking a trip to the Opera House to see the theater production Faustus.  Next post, Sydney.

 You know this one.

 One of the best pictures- Uluru from a plane window

 Kata Tjuta, the best hike we went on hands down

 Would you like camel, crocodile, or kangaroo with that?

Kings Canyon

A Nation of Foreigners

Oh, you can try. You can try, but your Aussie accent will always be inaccurate.


Maybe it's an American thing, but almost every time I talk to Australians I attempt to speak in an Australian accent. I'm really not that bad though- honestly. I'm not the only one either; most people in the study abroad group try it naturally as well. And the thing is that Australians actually really like American accents- so why do we try to imitate them?


A large part of it has to be that we are all caught up in the incredible opportunities that this trip offers. The group has only been here for a week and a half, yet we have experienced so many things outside of American norms. For example, at our hostel we are constantly meeting Australians from all over. College graduates in their twenties from all over Australia and the world flock to backpacking hostels in places like Darwin and spend months working, before they decide to settle down somewhere else and get a legitimate full-time job. This is one of the reasons the hostel has been so interesting, and Darwin itself. Over 90% of my text messages have been between me and Australians from Brisbane, for example. They, like most Australians, are much more receptive to outsiders than Americans. The Brisbane guys were more tahn eager to hang out and meet us, and we have met up with them multiple times in the past week to go to pools and throw a frisbee around.  From them we've learned how to play Rugby League and Rugby Union, as well as Australian football and the peculiarities that separate Australians from Americans like language.


One of the most noticeable differences between Australians and Americans that I have seen so far is their temperament. Americans seem to be much more fidgety and always on the move, while Australians are perfectly content taking a breather every once in a while- such as the lifestyle of a backpacker. We have definitely learned that while in Darwin, because there are not many things to keep you busy. Darwin is forcing us to relax (when we're not in class) and enjoy what is around us- the incredible landscape of Australia.
The most significant way we were able to see Australia's landscape so far was a three day long camping trip to Kakadu National Park.  The park covers 20,000 square kilometers (yes, like everywhere else in the world but the US, Australia uses the metric system) and has six different landscapes- savanna woodlands, monsoon forests, southern hills, stone country, tidal flats and coast, as well as floodplains and billabongs, which speak to the area's natural diversity. There are also many types of wildlife that can only be found in the national park.


Most interesting though are the people who own the park.  Kakadu National Park, as well as the entire country, is technically owned by the Aborigines.  This basically means that Australians are a nation of foreigners. Ancient rock art dates back to 60,000 years ago, making the Aboriginal culture the oldest continuous culture in the world.  Their tribes have their own languages and religion, and their culture has constantly been strained as young Aborigines become interested in F-150's and videogames.  Normally it is illegal for Aborigines to be known by name after their death, so that they may be remembered as part of a group rather than an individual.  This also helps them move on as a spirit into their next life.  However, one prominent Aborigine, Bill Neidjie, is remembered because of his goals for future aboriginal culture.  He, as well as other Aborigines, understands that their culture is constantly threatened.  For this reason he has chosen a policy of openness for Aborigines so that Australians and foreigners can receive insight into Aboriginal culture and the culture may be more effectively preserved.  This goal of cultural preservation is the reason our group was able to see so much of Kakadu and the Aboriginal way of life.


As the country's national owners, Aborigines are paid a small allowance by the companies and government of Australia, and were even given housing. Unfortunately, many of them sold these houses and now walk the streets of the Northern Territory spending their money mainly on alcohol. Alcohol has also been a huge suck on the continuity of Aboriginal culture.  Around Darwin, Aborigines are seen in many places wandering streets with no real noticeable purpose or end traveling goal.  Relations between Aborigines and Australians are strained in the Northern Territory- an Australian will actually receive less legal punishment for harming an Aborigine than an Australian. However, I have had the chance to talk to local Aborigines and they are quite nice towards outsiders.  They said their "welcome to country", a sign of respect, and even offered to cook a meal for us at their bonfire. I guess all you have to do is just be nice first.

 Anyone want to hold the python?

 Men.

More men.

Eats men.

Aboriginal rock art. This here is supposed to be one of their most famous rock paintings. Drawn by men.

Getting My Feet Wet

I really don't think any length or quality of blog could do this trip justice. Just saying. But I'll try. Its Saturday right now, and already this trip has been incredible and so much has happened.


And before I confuse you by talking out of order, I'll just say what my flight itinerary was for the flights. I flew from Pittsburgh to Dallas on American, then from Dallas to LA on American, then LA to Sydney on Qantas, and finally from Sydney to Darwin on Qantas. Everyone that had talked about Qantas Airlines was right- it is definitely one of the best airlines in the world and far outshines companies like American and US Airways. Our US flights were 3 hours long and they brought you a single drink. Reasonable, right? The Qantas flight from Sydney to Darwin was 3.5 hours long and they brought out a full meal, as well as coffee, tea, and ice cream after lunch.


But the real flight that deserves discussion was of course the 14 hour 30 min flight from LA to Sydney.  It took off on June 11th at 1030pm and landed June 13th (Monday) at 630am in Sydney. Qantas showed what they are made of, and the flight was incredible. The seats had carbon fiber chair backs, plush red seats, and an entertainment centre that had never ending options for movies to watch and games to play right in front of you.  The entertianment centre had over 100 games and movies each, all recent and Oscar winning classics. After playing multiplayer local network battleship against a friend on the plane, I watched The Hurt Locker and The Adjustment Bureau to occupy my time.  They also brought out multiple meals, and there was a drink and snacks cart in the back that you could visit at any time and get whatever you want for free (including free alcoholic drinks, if that's your thing. Not something you'll see on US Air).


When we got our baggage and rode to our hostel in Darwin (they drive on the left here if you didn't know), immediately we could tell we were somewhere else entirely. Car brands like Holden, newspaper headlines about what the "ballyhoo" was with local labor movements, and Australians proudly wearing their Queensland Maroons or State of Origin Blues rugby jerseys were all over the place.


It may look like the group is solely learning Australian culture, but inf act we're learning about the cultural differences between our own culture and so many others.  In the Energy Tomorrow group alone there are people from Seattle, Indiana, Georgia, California, Venezuela, and Colombia, not even talking about other groups or people at the hostel which include students from Hong Kong, Germany, and other areas in Australia. The best way to learn cultural differences is of course to talk to others, and the group has come together really quickly and its been a lot of fun.


This blog is already probably too long and starting to bore you, so I'll leave you with this.  In later posts I can start getting more into Australian culture and how interesting it has been to meet up and talk for hours with Australians from places like Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Darwin, and Perth- they're some of the nicest and most interesting people I've met in a long time.

It's true- we're actually in Australia

Some of the guys

Some of the girls

Local Aborigines with a Didjeridu

Sunset in Darwin, Australia at the Mindil Markets

One Flight, Three Days

It still hasn't hit me yet. I'm leaving tomorrow, my bags are mostly packed, and still it is hard to conceive that in just a few days I'll be in Darwin, Australia. Packing has been going well under the scrutinizing supervision of my dad the past week or so, but you can't blame him for wanting it all to go well. 


I have learned some things about my family in the process- for example, how much my dad loves sunscreen (or sun tan lotion, if you are one of the many that believe the words are interchangeable, like myself).  Apparently we have eleven bottles/tubes of sunscreen in our house- you'd think we live in a desert or something.  Let me repeat that- eleven. tubes. of. sunscreen. You have to pack light, too- they suggest that you bring a sleeping bag, which will take up at least 30% of your total luggage space.  But packing is only one aspect of pre-travel arrangements. After all, there is so much to do before traveling to a different country!


At least there are no required shots for traveling to Australia, but the list of to-do's still piles high.  You need to get travel health insurance, get travelers insurance, book and confirm flights, call credit card companies and inform them you are leaving, get Australian money (they use the Australian dollar, which currently is a little stronger than the US dollar unfortunately), make sure your passport is current, get an international student ID card, alongside packing and other preparations. After all of that and having to wait endlessly in anticipation for the day you leave, its time to fly. And that day is tomorrow.


And if the pre-travel sounded like a lot, the flights alone will take even longer. I fly from Pittsburgh to Dallas to LA to Sydney to Darwin, four flights. The LA to Sydney is undoubtedly the longest, and notably the 23rd longest flight in the world.  We fly out of LA at 10pm on Saturday, and arrive in Sydney around 630am on Monday.  That's a three day long flight! However with the international date line, and knowing that Australia is 15 hours ahead of Pittsburgh/Michigan time and 18 hours ahead of LA time, its not really as long as it seems. Pull out your calculators and you know that it's going to be a long flight- around 15 hours long. Not to mention the other flight lengths, which add up. However, the flight is going to be filled mostly with students from the 7ish programs that UNSW sponsors (Energy Tomorrow is one of them), so it will definitely be exciting to meet everyone on the long flight out from LA. But that's all for now though, keep checking in once we start getting to the meat of the story- the actual trip!

Qantas, the Australian airline we'll be on