Jen and Tim's Aussie Adventure - Part II

In my last recap of Jen and Tim's visit to Australia, I left out our day trip to the Great Barrier Reef since it is deserving of its own post.  So, here goes!

We left early Wednesday morning to drive 1.5 hours to the town of 1770 (yes, that is the name of a city) where we would leave for our day trip to the Great Barrier Reef.  This was my second trip to the GBR (you can read about my first experience here).  It is so amazing to be so close to this reef that is one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World.  It really is incredible when you realize just how large it is and that it can actually be seen from space. 

Shortly after we arrived, we boarded the boat and set out for Lady Musgrave Island.  We had perfect weather that day and smooth water, which we were thankful for since we had heard the water can sometimes be quite rough and the cause of extreme sea-sickness.  Phew! 

The way our tour worked was that the boat docked on a pontoon in the open water, a short distance from the island itself.  From the pontoon you can snorkel, go on a glass bottom boat ride to the island for an island walk/tour, and/or ride a semi-submersible boat for more viewing of the reef.  It was a great setup! 

Left: view of the pontoon - Right: Lady Musgrave Island in the distance

 

As expected, everything you see in the reef is just beautiful.  I'll let the photos speak for themselves. 

 

 

 

SO excited to see sea tortoises!  You can't tell from this photo, but this one was HUGE- it's shell was probably at least 2 feet in diameter.

 

Me breaking one of the rules and touching one of the sea tortoises

Lady Musgrave Island tour

 

 

The island is referred to as a coral cay (what we call keys).  Basically this means that the entire island is a giant coral mass.  The sand itself is very finely ground coral.  Here you can see some of the old pieces of coral that will eventually be sand. 

 

Tide pool with tons of sea cucumbers

 

 

Jen and Tim!

I put in a good effort to try to convince them to stay, but alas, I was unsuccessful and I had to let them return to the motherland.  Thanks Jen and Tim for coming all this way!  We miss you already! 

Sorry I'm Not Sorry

Day 13, Monday: Issue a public apology. This can be as funny or as serious or as creative as you want it to be.

Dear Shoeless Australians,

Sorry, but I'm not sorry for thinking it is totally unacceptable and gross to not wear shoes in public places.  Yes, I am judging you when I see you do this, and you will get the side eye from me.  I like to be barefoot as much as the next person, but I just cannot wrap my head around or get used to the fact that so many people here go shoeless in public places. 

Although I am most likely judging you, I also am somewhat concerned for you.  Of all places to go barefoot, really Australia is probably not the best place to do so.  I mean, you're dealing with high temperatures (how do your feet not burn?!) and a high concentration of poisonous snakes and insects.  Shouldn't you be protecting your feet from these dangers?  Also, can we talk a bit about how unsanitary and unhygienic this is?  Do I need to list out some of the unmentionables that you might be stepping in and then carrying around with you into your homes, beds, restaurants, the grocery store, etc.?  Just yuck.  In America we have something called "no shirt, no shoes, no service," and I think this slogan would be invaluable here. 

Australia, I enjoy your country and your culture, and I am soaking in and appreciating as much of it is I can.  However, this no shoes thing?  I'm sorry, I just can't accept or deal with it.  Not OK. 

Sorry I'm not sorry,
Megan

Sneaky photo I snapped of an all too common sight here.  <<shudder>>

Catch up with my "Blog Every Day in May" challenge here:

Day 1

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Day 5 (Oops! :-/ I did blog on day 5, just not following the prompt...)
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Day 12

What DON'T I Miss?

Day 12, Sunday: What do you miss? (a person, a thing, a place, a time of your life...)

What don't I miss?  As I approach the nine month mark of living in Australia, I've definitely been thinking a lot about what and who I miss from home.  I actually wrote a post about this same topic back in December.  Looking back at that post, a lot of the things I missed then are still things I miss now, although of course that list has grown.  When I think about things and people I miss from home, I also try and make myself think about what I will probably miss about Australia once we move back.  That really helps me keep things in perspective and realize that there really are a lot of great things about living here.  But for the purpose of today's topic, here is what I miss.  I've purposely left out family and friends, because it goes without saying that those are always at the top of the list. 

*Mexican Food

Having lived in some of the cities known for excellent Mexican food (Phoenix, Los Angeles, Houston), this is huge for me.  I think I could conceivably be OK with the fact that there aren't Mexican food restaurants here (like not even one) IF the general ingredients to make some of my favorite dishes were readily available. But they're not. I get so frustrated when I find a recipe I want to try that includes typically Mexican food ingredients, because I pretty much know I won't be able to find those ingredients or a suitable replacement.

 

 

 *Target

Don't even get me started on the imposter here that calls itself Target, because it is really just upsetting to me. 

 

*Oprah

Well, the Oprah Winfrey Network to be exact. Yes, it's true, I'm an Oprah fanatic. And unfortunately I let myself get addicted to her shows (mainly "Oprah's Next Chapter") in the months before we moved. I got excited the other day when I saw O Magazine in the grocery store... until I saw the $9.99 price tag!

 

*Diet Dr. Pepper

My life blood. Honestly, I don't know how I've survived over 8 months already without it. Coke Zero will do as a substitute for now, but that doesn't mean I'm happy about it. There is just no replacing good ol' DDP.  And while I'm at it, let me add fountain drinks to this item.  There is nothing better than a fountain soda in my book.  And if you're from Arizona, then you will know what I mean when I say I would pay big money for a QuikTrip 32oz DDP.   

 

At Christmas, my family made a "Megan On A Stick" so I could be with them for the holiday festivities.  Even THEY knew that I really missed DDP

 

The QuikTrip fountain soda machine in all its glory

 

 *Tall buildings, freeways, crowds, heck even traffic

Basically all the things you find in a big city. I very much feel like a city mouse living uncomfortably in a country mouse's shoes.

 

*Online shopping

Australia as a whole is really not too big on online shopping. It's probably good for our bank accounts, but oh how I miss Amazon and all the other amazing online shopping in the US.  Over the past months, I've been ordering a ridiculous amount of clothes, etc from online sites and shipping them to my parents' house.  When they come visit in a couple months, they will probably have a suitcase just full of my junk.

 

*Being within 1-4 hours of the same time zone as my friends and family

With a 14-17 hour time difference (depending on what part of the US I'm trying to call someone in), my brain is on auto-calculate CONSTANTLY adding or subtracting hours to figure out what time it is in any given place in the U.S.   There is a very limited time frame each day where "acceptable phone talking hours" overlap between here and the U.S.  Being in such a different time zone (not to mention day and even season), is enough to make you feel like you're living on another planet. 

Tipping

Yes, I miss having to tip at restaurants, salons, etc.  Tipping is not customary in Australia.  Sometimes it's kind of nice not to have to worry about it, but honestly, I now appreciate what tipping actually gets you- good service.

 

Miller Outdoor Theatre

Miller Outdoor Theatre was one of my favorite places to go in Houston.  David and would spend many nights there during Spring and Summer.  I loved bringing a picnic dinner, wine, chairs, and enjoying the free show in the fresh air under the stars.

 

One of my favorite shows at Miller Outdoor Theatre was an interactive Stomp Performance.  So fun!

My School

While the school where I taught in Houston was often full of drama and dysfunction, I really do miss it.  I miss my co-workers, I miss the community, and boy do I miss my kiddos.  There are several teachers that I remain in contact with, and they are really good about giving me updates on my babies.   

 

One of my favorite (although blurry) photos of some of my students at the end of last school year. 

I could go on and on, but I'll leave it at that for now.  It seems like a lifetime away, but I know that before I know it, I will be writing a post about the things I miss from this crazy Aussie land :-)  



Catch up with my "Blog Every Day in May" challenge here:

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Day 5 (Oops! :-/ I did blog on day 5, just not following the prompt...)
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Day 11
 

For Sale {10 Words}

Day 11, Saturday: Sell yourself in 10 words or less

I was an over-achiever on this one :-)  Not only did I meet the 10 word limit, but I went for extra credit with the additional 5-7-5 syllable limitation of a haiku.  BAM!

Patient, thoughtful, kind
Wine aficionado
You can't afford me

Catch up with my "Blog Every Day in May" challenge here:

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Day 5 (Oops! :-/ I did blog on day 5, just not following the prompt...)
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Day 10


 

Embarrassing Moment {& Why I'm Just Not Cut Out For Cold Weather}

Day 10, Friday: Most embarrassing moment (s). Spill.

While totally humiliating at the time, this story now cracks me up whenever I think back on it.  Feel free to have a good laugh at my expense :-) 

As I've mentioned on this little blog multiple times, I went to college at Gonzaga University in the lovely Spokane, Washington.  The winters there can be pretty cold, icy, and snowy.  One particularly cold and icy morning, I began a cross-campus trek to class with my good friend and roommate.  As we passed through one of the "high-traffic" areas on campus (Desmet Circle for any fellow Zags out there), I was giving said friend a hard time for her shoe choice.  While I had chosen sensible and weather appropriate shoes/snow boots to avoid any mishaps with ice, my much more fashion-aware friend had chosen cute wedges.  In the middle of poking fun at her shoe choice and warning her that she better watch out for black ice- BAM!  My feet flew up from under me and before I knew what happened, I was on my back in the middle of a pretty large crowd of students on their way to class.  I just kind of laid there for a while feeling both shock and embarrassment.  A couple people had to come over and help me up- including my cute-shoed friend.  I tried to hurry away as quickly as possible, but you better believe that hurt (both my backside and my ego). 

My friend and I still laugh about this story.  Now, I just think of this story as more evidence to my argument that I am just not cut out for cold weather. 

*Disclaimer: Please excuse the poor photo quality/old photos.


The beautiful (and treacherous) campus during winter



Had to post a snowy photo of the awesome "Doll House" of a house I got to live in senior year.  Would you believe my rent was $300/month?! Why did I ever move?  Oh yeah... snow...



Happier times in the snow



Catch up with my "Blog Every Day in May" challenge here:

Day 1

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Day 9

A (Very Ordinary) Moment In My Day

Day 9, Thursday: A moment in your day (this can be just a photo or both a photo and words).

Of course this prompt fell on an extremely boring and uneventful day.  But hey, this is real life.  Each time I line dry clothes here, I feel like I've traveled back in time.  The driers here are very hard on clothes, not to mention that they take longer than air drying anyway.  What's hanging on the line are David's high-visibility (high-vis) work shirts.  I feel like I am constantly washing these things, but I know when our time here is up, I will most likely feel some sort of nostalgia when I see these shirts.  They have somehow become almost symbolic of our time here.  I think I will always associate neon yellow with Australia now.  Looking past the laundry, I love the bright blue, clear Australian sky showing through. 

Catch up with my "Blog Every Day in May" challenge here:

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Day 8

A Piece of Advice

Day 8, Wednesday: A piece of advice you have for others. Anything at all.

A piece of advice that I think can benefit everyone in one way or another is,

"always assume good intentions." 

 

I actually heard this advice/guideline in one of the marriage classes my husband and I had to take before we got married.  It really stood out to me that day and still does today.  I absolutely think that this piece of advice is important for any relationship- marriage, friendship, professional, even in interactions with strangers. 

As important as I know it is to assume good intentions, I have a difficult time with it.  I often find myself assuming the worst when certain situations or interactions arise.  A "worst case scenario/ it's the end of the world" type of thinking, if you will.  However, since hearing this advice, I really try to make a conscious effort to reframe my thinking and assume good intentions.  Just taking a moment to remind myself that a person most likely had good intentions when they did xyz that upset me, immediataly helps me to be less upset about a situation, avoid overreacting or becoming defensive, and most importantly to give people the benefit of the doubt.  

Catch up with my "Blog Every Day in May" challenge here:

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Day 2
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Day 5 (Oops! :-/ I did blog on day 5, just not following the prompt...)
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