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Fiestas Patrias in Chile!

“What are your plans for the 18^th?” “Are you ready for the 18^th?” “I’m so excited for the 18^th!”

People were exploding with excitement about THE 18^thas I sat in confusion. All I thought was, “Can someone please clarify what in the world THE 18^this?”

Very quickly I was able to understand all of these phrases being thrown around among crowds of Chileans and the meaning of THE 18^th.

During the week of September 18^th, the streets of Valparaíso explode with Chilean flags, people dancing La Cueca (the national dance of Chile), massive amounts of grilled meat (“Asados”), and so much joy, as Chile celebrates its independence (similar to the 4^thof July in the United States). However, it is not just a one-day celebration; rather the entire week is considered a holiday and everything closes, giving everyone the chance to celebrate. It is clearly known by every Chilean that THE 18^threfers to the 18^thof September, regardless of what time of year you mention the 18^th. And I was blessed enough to experience THE 18^thfor myself.

“Fondas” or “Ramadas” (essentially what we know as fairs, but with way more food and way more people) take place every day of the week, and every hour of every day. There are rides, games, drinks, food, and hand-made crafts covering every centimeter of the space that has been designated for this crazy celebration. The micros (the city transportation) fill with people at every hour of every day hustling to these celebrations to simply enjoy time with family and friends, and of course, to dance La Cueca.

La Cueca is another sign that “fiestas patrias” (the week of celebration) has arrived. There is an insane amount of Cueca music being played in every place in Chile, as people dance the night away… and the day… because it’s really always a good time to dance La Cueca. All celebrations will incorporate some designated time and space to participate in this dance. I had the opportunity to learn La Cueca and participate in the Chilean celebration through this form of dance (which by the way, I did not do very well, because I wouldn’t consider myself a dancer haha). However, I couldn’t be more grateful for this opportunity to learn about and try to understand the Chilean culture and appreciate the things that they value and that are unique to them.

The smell of “asado” fills the air on every street of the city as families, friends, schools, churches, and any and every person gather in small groups to enjoy massive amounts of deliciously grilled meat. “Asados” are an important part of this week in Chile, as they create space for Chileans to converse, share, and enjoy time together.

The 18^thwill always have a deeper significance for me after this week in Chile, and for that I am very grateful! Viva Chile!

Fun fact about the 18^thand 19^thin Chile: There is a law that states that every house, business, and building must clearly hang the Chilean flag outside during these two days, and if they don’t, they can be fined. Chile takes this celebration very seriously and wants every person to take part and be involved.

Daily Life in Freiburg

Week two in Freiburg provided me with the opportunity to finally immerse myself in the daily life of this city. Though we did have two hours of German per day, our only other class was an “Integrative Seminar” course, which has mainly been giving us informative background on the EU and its current state. This has given us plenty of time to get lost exploring the city and helped us to get a sense of what the rest of our semester will be like while we are in Freiburg.

Franziska, my German teacher, gave our class an assignment to walk around and ask questions about the Münstermarkt, which is essentially a large open-air market held in the main town square of Freiburg. And these shop owners are dedicated. Münstermarkt runs every day of the year except for Sundays, including throughout the winter months. It also isn’t your typical farmer’s market – Münstermarkt has souvenirs, flowers, ‘Holzkunst’ (or wood art), wine, and various other items.

The market surrounds the church in the town center, pictured on the right. Here is one of the many stands selling various flowers and plants.

The famous “Lange Rote.” Many Euros will be spent at this stand in the coming months…

Both locals and tourists frequent the market, and many of the stands are quite well-known. From the cheesecake stand ‘Stephans Käsekuchen’ who are famous for their secret recipe to the hot dogs on steroids called ‘Lange Rote,’ the options provided at Münstermarkt are delicious and relatively affordable for a college student like myself.

Only locally produced fruits can be found here, so you won’t see any bananas or pineapples, but the quality and relatively cheap prices of what they do have certainly makes up for it.

After completing our assignment, my classmate Medina and I managed to make it all the way through the market with only four purchases. We then walked through the city center and sat down at a little park to eat away at our delicious lunch pictured above. All of the food sold at Münstermarkt is produced locally, and the produce we bought there was some of the best I’ve had. When in Europe, one finds it incredibly easy to get past minor speed bumps like seeds in your grapes.

A slide some of us stumbled upon about 10 minutes from the city center. I’m not ashamed to say I went down it 3 times.

Need a place to socialize and get a good German beer? The Biergartens are the place for you.

Another great thing about Freiburg are the Biergartens, the best of which is located at the top of a hill right next to the city center. Though we got there slightly too late for it a couple of nights ago, you can catch an incredible view of the sun setting behind the city. Combine that with the delicious local beer and you’re in for a treat.

Speaking of hills, Freiburg is in the region of Germany which produces the best wine, and there are vineyards draped along many of the hills that surround Freiburg. The vineyard pictured above is one I see every day on my tram ride to class. As I discovered a few days ago on a run through a large vineyard by my apartment, they are also a common place to find students gathering for picnics in the evenings. One of my roommates says there are castle ruins somewhere around these vineyards, and on future runs I hope to find their whereabouts, so I will keep you posted…

Exploring Durban

After our Kruger excursion during spring break, we still had the rest of the week to travel, so my friend Noelle and I decided to go to Durban. This is a city on the eastern coast of South Africa known for its beaches, warm climate, and Miami-esque architecture.

We were able to spend a good amount of time on the beachfront. There’s a 5 kilometer promenade that connects several of the beaches to make it easy to walk or bike between them. Our first day we ate brunch at a restaurant right on the beach and walked along the promenade for a while, seeing the different beaches until we ended up at Ushaka Marine World. This beachfront area has an aquarium, water park, and lots of restaurants and shops. We decided to go to a restaurant at the end of the pier for a snack, admiring the view of the city.

The next morning we came back to the beach nice and early to go stand up paddle boarding with one of our friends from UCT, Tristan, who is from Durban. We had to get there before the wind picked up and made it too difficult to balance on the water. It was fun paddle boarding with the waves and trying to keep our balance when waves swept under us. After an hour or so of paddle boarding (and falling off the paddle board) Tristan gave us a little tour of Durban. Our first stop was the Kings Park Soccer Stadium, which was built for the 2010 World Cup. It’s not used much anymore for sports because the field isn’t big enough for rugby, and that’s the main sport played here. However, it is used a lot for concerts and tourism. There’s even a giant free fall swing at one end of the stadium so people can swing through the stadium to get their fill of adrenaline.

The World Cup Stadium (if you look closely you can see people near the top getting ready for the stadium swing)

After admiring the stadium, Tristan took us to a part of Durban called Umlhanga. This is a little beach town on the northern end of the city that’s much quieter than the central part of Durban. We walked along the beach here, which was pretty rocky and had a lot of crabs and coral growing along the rocks. It was a very pretty beach in a quieter, charming part of Durban.

We then went to get some bunny chow, which is curry served inside a half loaf of bread. Its a popular South African dish that’s supposedly the best in Durban, so of course we had to try some while we were there. You eat it by scooping the curry with the piece of bread that was cut from the middle of the loaf. Once that piece of bread is gone, you pick up the loaf with two hands and dig in. It was a pretty messy experience, but still good!

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The next day, Tristan invited us to go to the Hilton Art Festival, the second largest art festival in South Africa. It was held by his old boarding school, so he was super familiar with what it had to offer. There were plenty of food vendors, art stands, and art displays scattered around the campus. We walked around admiring all of the different crafts and artwork, and also saw a show. Shows are a unique part of this art festival, and there are dozens of live performances throughout the weekend. We saw one called James Cairns vs. Humanity, which was an improv show based on the popular card game Cards Against Humanity. It was very well done and really enjoyable!

We got to the festival pretty early, so we had a lot of time left to explore the surrounding area and drove to a few places nearby. The best place we stopped at was the Mandela capture sight, where Mandela was captured and arrested in 1962 for encouraging workers’ strikes and leaving the country illegally without a passport. There was a long walk to freedom pathway which had markers spread along the way with significant events in Mandela’s political and personal life. At the end of the walkway there was a statue comprised of many irregularly shaped poles. When you stand in the right place, the poles lined up to form Nelson Mandela’s profile. It’s a magnificent piece of art with a lot of meaning as well. I{m glad we ended up at this very thoughtful and educational spot.

We made the most of our short time in Durban and were able to see and experience a lot! And thanks to Tristan, we were able to see some places we wouldn’t have known about without a local Durbanite. What an amazing week it was, and now we are headed back to Cape Town and classes!

Coming Home?

To fully understand where you are going, I think you have to understand where you are coming from. Study abroad for many of my peers is a new and exciting experience unlike anything they have ever done before. For me? Not so much. See, I lived in Prague, Czech Republic, from when I was 8 until I was 16. Coming to Freiburg for the semester is not necessarily diving into the unknown for me. I went swimming a while ago and I’ve just been drying off for a while, anxiously preparing for the next jump and anticipating whether it will still feel the same.

The first few days were a blur. Between jet lag, meeting the 74 other students in the program, and finally moving into our apartments, it was a whirlwind. As part of the European Union Program here in Freiburg, we focus heavily on the European political scene. Our first class two days ago was our Integrative Seminar, which will primarily be a study of how the EU functions, how it is structured, and what purposes it serves. Actually, the only classes we take until the first of our three week long trips throughout Europe are this Seminar and two hours of German each day.

The city itself is wonderful. Though it has mostly rained on us so far, Freiburg is just big enough to be a lively city and just small enough to learn how to get around quickly. If you come to Freiburg expecting stereotypical German culture, you may be surprised. Though everything is still very pünktlich (punctual), this southern German town is very easy-going, eco-friendly, and quite welcoming.

Along the lines of experiencing this new culture, I had my first dinner with my new housemates. There is something about sitting around a table for an hour engaged (or at least trying to be engaged) in conversation that truly makes living abroad finally seem real. Because I am only living with German students who attend the local university here, I am looking forward to interacting with the people I will be living with not only to experience the lifestyle of Freiburg, but also to hear and speak as much German as possible. So far, I have been able to get recommendations on where to go for runs and which bakery is the best bakery in the area. Accomplishing simple things like these are essential to the experience from what I have seen, because they give you confidence and comfort moving forward.

After the craziness of the first week, we got our first chance to get out into the countryside today. A short train ride followed by a brief bus trip left us in the small town of Sankt Peter, where we had the opportunity to explore the Abbey of Saint Peter.

This church was built in the baroque style which was much more colorful and bright than most cathedrals you will find in Europe.

The beautifully painted ceilings of the Abbey.

I could have probably spent another half hour in the Abbey, but naturally our German trip leader Karin ran a tight ship in order for us to get our hike started on time. The hike was about 3 hours long and provided us with a great opportunity to take in the rolling hills and beautiful woodlands, while also getting to get to know the other students in our program. Also on the trip was Jona (the German version of ‘Jonah’), a student studying at the University of Freiburg who basically functions as one of our RAs. He shared with us that he grew up in one of the small villages like Sankt Peter in Germany and explained how he got into american football on accident while trying to help his aunt find the right channel to watch the lottery. His goal is to teach German and coach football in America once he finishes his studies. One career path I am interested in pursuing is working for a European soccer club, so it was fascinating to see how we each have such a similar passion for each other’s culture. It is also a reminder of how connected we truly are despite growing up in completely different environments.

This area of Germany in particular heavily focuses on sustainability, and even outside the cities you will often find solar panels draped across roofs.

Our final stop was Himmelreich, which literally translates to ‘heaven kingdom.’ I certainly wasn’t going to disagree.

On the left is Schwartzwald Kuchen, or Black Forest cake, which combined nicely with hot chocolate and delicious strawberry ice cream.

Our hike finally ended in another small town, where we stopped for some traditional German Kaffee und Kuchen, or “coffee and cake,” at a building that used to be a farm, and has now been renovated into a hotel/restaurant that helps employ adults with mental disorders. I myself am not a coffee drinker, but the hot chocolate and other items pictured above were the perfect treat to finish off our hike.

I still can’t decide if this week has seemed to take forever or if it has gone by in a flash, but I am finally starting to feel somewhat settled. The initial anxiety has mostly worn off and I am ready to finally get into a rhythm this first week of classes. There is a lot to look forward to, but for now I’m off to bed…

A Typical Week in Singapore

Whenever someone asks me, “What do you think of Singapore so far?”, I’m never quite sure what to answer. Even though I’ve been here almost a month, the experience so far was basically a surface-level, touristy view of Singapore (hence the Singaporientation blog) and settling into the daily cycle of classes, eating, and studying.

Sorry, doesn’t sound so exciting for future study abroad students, right? But after the honeymoon period of studying abroad ends, that crosswalk is no longer a crosswalk in Singapore but a normal crosswalk, not the famous hawker center, but just another place to eat. It’s kind of sad, but after this liminal period, I do feel like I’ve moved onto a new stage: reality. Many people have this idea that reality is dull, but to be fair, reality is as interesting as it gets.

The following are my day-to-day adventures:

On Safari

We are halfway done with our semester here in Cape Town, and that means Spring Break! Here they refer to it as vac, short for vacation, and we get a week off of classes. So that means time to travel!

On Saturday we took an early flight to Kruger National Park and were met by three safari cars at the airport. The cars were trucks with raised rows of seats in the back with open sides so we could have the best views of the animals on the safari. We then went straight into the national park, the largest reserve in South Africa, and went on an afternoon game drive, hoping to spot the Big 5. The Big 5 include Elephants, Buffalo, Lions, Leopards, and Rhinos. Only a few minutes into the drive, one of the guides spotted two leopards up on a rock behind some bushes. It wasn’t easy to spot them, but after looking for a couple minutes I was able to see them moving around on the rocks. Our guide, David, told us that leopards are the most uncommon of the big 5 to spot, so it was pretty cool that we saw two right off of the bat!

After admiring the leopards we kept driving through the park and were able to see a herd of buffalo crossing in front of us, lots and lots of impalas (a type of antelope), a beautifully colored bird called known as the lilac breasted roller, some zebras, a hornbill (the type of bird Zazu in the Lion King is), a group of baboons, and some hyenas with their pups. It was crazy to see so many animals just in our first of four game drives and seeing each in their natural habitat and how they behaved was amazing. When observing the zebras, they were standing in pairs, side by side but facing opposite directions. David explained that it looks like they are trying to hug each other but they are actually protecting each other and watching out for predators. It was neat seeing them stand like this!

Herd of buffalo crossing the road

Lilac Breasted Roller

Zebras standing to protect each other

A Hornbill (Zazu!)

Group of hyenas

Family of baboons

The next morning we got up before dawn and headed on our first game drive just after sunrise. Because it gets so hot during the day, the animals are more active early in the morning and later in the evening. So, people usually are luckier with animal spottings during these times. Despite starting our drive very early, the park was pretty quiet and it took a while to sight some animals. However, throughout the morning and early afternoon we got to see quite a lot. Some of the highlights were seeing a family of giraffes snacking on some trees just feet from our car. We stopped to watch them and they crossed the road right in front of us to start munching on a new set of trees. It was so cool being so up close to them and watching them interact with each other! Not much longer we encountered a rhino nearby the road, and stopped to look at him. David explained to us how serious of a problem rhino poaching is, even in Kruger. Poachers will come and remove the horns of the rhinos and leave them to die, which is bringing them closer and closer to extinction. This was only one of several rhinos we saw throughout the day though, so it was reassuring seeing so many in one day.

Giraffes munching on some leaves

Rhino crossing the road

A little later on we spotted a couple of monkeys across the road from us. They then ran across the road and into a tree directly next to us. We were watching the handful of monkeys climb the tree when someone in our car noticed more across the road, and a few dozen monkeys started running from deep in the bush out across the street into the tree to meet up with the others. It was crazy to see so many monkeys running together at once; some of them were carrying babies on their backs and stomachs as well, which was a cute bonus. Another highlight was seeing a honey badger, which might not sound like it would be exciting, but they are one of the most rare species in Kruger! They are nocturnal, so seeing one during the day (seeing one at all!) was pretty neat.

After a quick break back at the lodge for lunch, we got picked up for an evening game drive on our way to eat dinner in the bush. We headed out right before sunset, so it got dark pretty quickly. Since it was dark, the car came equipped with two heavy duty flash lights that we used to try and spot some animals. A little into the drive a couple of girls said they saw something in a tree, so the guide backed the car up to where we could see the tree and we shined the lights towards it. It turns out that there was a leopard sitting in the tree eating whatever prey it had just caught. Even the guide was amazed that we were able to see such a cool sighting at night. Seeing another leopard was crazy in itself, but seeing one in a tree at night was even crazier! We also saw a family of elephants a little later on, including two babies. One of the older elephants saw us and started to approach the vehicle and raise his trunk at us as a way of protecting the others, so we headed out to let the elephants be.

We made our way to the middle of the bush where a traditional South African meal was being prepared for us. We got out and there were a couple of guards holding guns that were there to watch out for animals during our meal (we even had to have a guide walk us to the bathroom with a gun if we had to go). The food was delicious and the view of the stars from the middle of the bush was incredible. We could see them so clearly and were able to point out a few constellations. It was such a unique experience being able to be out in the bush and made for a great end to our safari experience! Even though we didn’t get to see all of the Big 5, since we didn’t spot a lion, being able to experience African wildlife so up close and in their natural habitat was one of the coolest experiences of this semester so far!

Wes

Today a close friend of mine died.

He seemed to be ever present, ever entertaining.

He was a calming presence and knew just when you needed a lift up.

In a word, he was consistent.

He will be dearly missed.

He was a wasp named Wesley.

My wasp friend, though we never really spoke, did bring a sense of meaning to my life (and of all the lives who came to his funeral). I think it was his consistency that did it. Every morning, sitting down to breakfast, Wesley greeted us with a buzz. Now I’ve seen plenty of wasps in my time here and none have meant anything to me.

I think the difference is consistency and I think this consistency gives meaning. I’m going to talk a bit about why I think this is based on my summer experience and then dive into how consistency is a huge part of the Oregon Extension (which we call the OE).

This summer, I lived at the base of Rockies in Boulder, CO. Coming from the flat farmland of Indiana, the landscape was breathtaking.

Every day, as I drove home from work; I was in awe of towering figures crowding the sky.

Why?

Was it the fact the landscape was so unusual?

Coming home to Indiana after a long summer away, I cherished seeing the red bricks, red porch, and red car I associate with home.

Why?

Was it the fact the landscape was so familiar?

In either case, I think consistency is the bedrock fo our source of meaning and wonder.

Without my lifetime of exposure to the flat farmlands of the midwest, I would not be shocked and awed by towering mountains.

Likewise, without my consistent exposure to and then absence from, home, I would not give meaning to silly things like bricks and deck paint and car color.

Here in Oregon, this sense of consistency is deeply present. You stay with the same 25 people for a whole semester. You are in a new, breathtaking place.

You are consistently challenged in your thinking (yes even in the first week).

You are consistently cared for by professors and peers alike.

There’s a stability here. A calm.

I hear the same gravel crunch on my way to class every morning, hear the same rooster interrupt lecture an hour later, see my favorite dog (her name is Kuma) shortly thereafter during discussion at a Prof’s house and I make a killer meal with my cabin mates to end every day.

Our days are full of good books, good food, and good thinking. It’s odd because I worry if I will be able to bring these consistencies home.

But maybe I shouldn’t worry so.

Wesley, a wasp I only knew for days, imparted enough meaning for me to write about and remember him. I think the chances are good I will remember the consistent thought and care I give and am given here.

Singaporientation

Sunday, Aug 12: Settling In and Familiarization Tour

Touchdown at Changi Airport.
Met up with my Resident Director, Andrea, and one of the other visiting students, and took a taxi to my new apartment, Sunshine Plaza.
Familiarization Tour – Andrea showed us the surrounding area, places where we could grab some quick food, some general stores, and the MRT.
Took the MRT to Clarke Quay – The train stretches across almost all of the city and goes several stories down; it took us seven escalators to get to the blue line.
At Clarke Quay – Treated out to McGettigans for fish n’ chips by RD (thank you :D).
Time to chill at the apartment – We activated our SIM cards, discussed tomorrow’s schedule, and got to know one another. The rest of the time was spent unpacking.

The view from my apartment 🙂 Not bad, not bad at all

We had some fish n’ chips by the river

The MRT entrance to the blue line — it goes anywhere and everywhere

Monday, Aug 13: Suntec City Mall, Haji Lane, and a short stop at SMU

Woke up at 6 a.m. and couldn’t go back to sleep so I watched some Youtube videos. The night before I was sneezing like crazy because we haven’t figured out how to control the room’s AC yet. Needless to say, I was tired.
We had the morning to ourselves, so I called with my parents. It was about 10 a.m. in SG but 10 p.m. in CA.
Breakfast (toast spread with a Singaporean coconut jam called Nonya Kaya and cereal).
Enter Andrea who brought us to Suntec City Mall.
- In-door Hawker Center (tried chicken rice for the first time and iced calamansi tea).
- Post Office/School Supplies.
- Giant Mall (I appreciate how literal some of the names are. For instance, we saw a bag of chips that was called “Bag of Chips”).
- The Fountain of Wealth.
Haji Lane.
- Narrow walkways, street art, charming mom n pop shops selling a wide array of textiles and food.
Andrea dropped us off at SMU to get our Student Pass slips.
Self-tour around SMU (one of us had some trouble with the ID picture, so we missed the free official campus tour).
- Because we haven’t gotten our student cards yet, we had to get into buildings using our passports. Even then, most buildings said no, so we were only able to get into the library.
- At one of the vending machines, we tried a can of grass jelly which two of us hadn’t tried yet.
Hung out at the apartment and got to know one another some more before heading back to Suntec City Mall (with much confusion and discussion, we finally figured out the MRT system).
- Bought some avocados, an extension cord, bread, onions, and a rice cooker.

Here for the long haul ;D (pun intended)

Fountain of Wealth – I followed the instructions, except for the most important one: Make a wish. Woops.

Haji Lane has gorgeous wall art…

Tuesday, Aug 14: SMU Orientation

Showed a friend from Hope who was visiting for a few days around the school and the apartment (s/o to my roomie, Yeji).
Met up with the other three at the SMU Admin building for SMU Orientation.
After signing in, we got goodie bags filled with SMU swag and were served delicious Singaporean food including laksa, a spicy noodle soup.
We had to sit on the floor because of the lack of tables, but as a result we were able to meet a few kind Canadian transfer students.
The actual SMU Orientation.
- Ice breakers (What’s an orientation without ice breakers?).
- Introduction to the different student organizations, tips on how to get around SMU and what to do when traveling abroad.
Naptime (I’m an introvert, I needed to recover).
Meeting with Yeji and her family at Makansutra Gluttons by the Bay: chili crab, carrot cake (it’s not actually made of carrot or cake; it tastes more like pork belly), cereal prawn, and iced barley.

SMU Orientation

Before

Aaaaaaand after

Wednesday, Aug 15: Botanical Gardens and Riverboat Tour

Morning at the pool.
Orientation presentation by Andrea: Cultural lessons.
- Don’t clean up after yourself when eating out, because the workers will see it as rude. Leave your leftovers neatly on the tray and let the workers do their thing.
- For some elder Chinese vendors, use both hands to give and accept money.
- The same thing goes when handing out/receiving business cards.
Trip to the Botanical Gardens.
- Lunch at the Bee’s Knees at the heart of the Gardens.
- Trails through the Learning Forest.
  - Saw some wild chickens and monitor lizards.
Suntec Mall again (I know, we go a lot).
Recharge at home.
Riverboat tour at Clarke Quay.
Back on boardwalk for dinner at Ras, a stellar Indian restaurant: paneer, chicken tikka, daal mahkni, rice and naan, and iced tea.
Music and chill at home.

Iced lemon tea, yum…

This place is gorgeous!!! I love the Botanical Gardens.

We found a wild chicken stuck in a tree. I hope it found its way down.

Ras, an Indian restaurant by the river

Thursday, Aug 16: Gardens by the Bay and Marina Bay Sands

Morning at the pool.
Meomi Cat Cafe on Haji Lane.
- They take stray cats from the streets and those who are fit for cafe life spend time around doting visitors.
Quick stop by Suntec Mall.
Gardens by the Bay.
- Took a self-driving car to…
- Satay by the Bay: Prawn, pork, beef, fish, and a lot of different meats with a peanut dip.
- The Cloud Forest/Flower Dome.
- The Supertree Grove.
- Marina Bay Sands Observation deck.
Andrea treated us to Din Tai Fung: Xialongbao (Chinese steamed buns) and other side dishes.

Andrea, my RD, looking into the distance (waiting for us to finish taking our tourist pictures)

Meomi Cat Cafe except the cats didn’t want to be petted, only fed treats.

Satay by the Bay — best meal in SG so far

Cloud Forest, higher level

Hello, shrimps.

Cloud Forest, lower level

Friday, Aug 17: Free Day

Morning at the pool.
Suntec Mall with roommate, ate at McDonald’s and had a Durian McFlurry and a breakfast curry burger, shopping at H&M and Cotton On.
A short stop by SMU Vivace, the university’s student organizations fair.
Chilling out at the house, bonding with housemates.
Got Dominos delivered to the apartment and watched The Italian Job with an HDMI cable.

They had the Big Mac but why would I pick that when I could get the curry burger?

SMU Vivace is a student activities fair where students perform on stage and pull Bambi-eyed freshmen to their booths.

Not my cup of flurry…

Bondi Beach

Recently I started spending some time at the beach which showed me an entirely new side to Sydney. With Sydney being so close to the water, it should come as no surprise that they have plenty of beaches, the most famous of which is Bondi. Bondi beach and even just Bondi in general just feels different from the rest of Sydney. Similar to the Opera House or Darling Harbour, Bondi is clearly a tourist destination but it has a personality distinct from the CBD. Bondi is more relaxed and slowed down. The people are almost all tan and in great shape. If you walk in from the beach you are greeted by an array of restaurants and bars, along with the sound of live music as musicians busk between cafes.

Naturally I had to explore the rocks around Bondi a little bit

I had the opportunity my first visit to Bondi to attempt surfing in a group with an instructor. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, the waves were coming in perfectly and because it is still winter the beach wasn’t all that crowded. Coming from Michigan, Bondi beach surprised me a lot at first because it was just so much smaller than I had imagined! It certainly couldn’t have been much bigger than Holland State Park and this was to serve as the main beach for all of Sydney! And unlike the beaches of Lake Michigan, the sand doesn’t extend down the shoreline connecting one beach to another, rather, on either side of Bondi there are large rock outcroppings between each beach. Admittedly, the sand is extremely soft, and perhaps even softer than the beaches on Lake Michigan to those in Florida the sand on Bondi. And for those of you wondering how my surfing went…I was absolutely terrible. It was incredibly fun nevertheless and I will be coming back to try again.

Another question and concern I heard a lot prior to leaving was people nervous about the sharks while surfing. This actually isn’t much of a concern for beaches like Bondi because the beach is at the bottom of a small inlet and shark nets are set up across the rock outcroppings I mentioned to ensure that sharks don’t get through. This isn’t to say that shark attacks never happen, but they certainly aren’t too much of a concern for the Aussies. There also are apps that can be downloaded to one’s phone where you can see where sharks are at a given time because many of them have been tagged over the years.

This is inside a tiny burger place called Bonditony’s Burger Joint. I had easily one of the best burgers I’ve ever had

All around the beach there is a lot of colorful graffiti like this

Some of the other fun things to do in Bondi, other than checking out the various surf shops or eating at some amazing restaurants is to swim in the Bondi Iceberg pools or to enjoy the coastal walk. I had a chance to visit the Iceberg pools recently, and they lived up to their name! A group of friends and I opted to try to swim there, which is a swimming club with an above group swimming pool that is right on the rocks over the ocean, and it is so close that on windy days, waves can go into the pools. My friends and I had wanted to swim there instead of the ocean because it was just so cold, little did we realize that the Iceberg pools aren’t heated and are still saltwater! So, we hopped in, hopped out and dried off and called it a day but the location of the pools makes it a popular attraction as well. The coastal walk actually goes just above the Iceberg Swimming Club and connects Bondi to Coogee beach, Sydney’s second most popular beach. The walk is about six kilometers and along the way you go past various smaller beaches and see more rocks outcroppings over the ocean which is beautiful as well. I can’t wait for the weather to get warm enough so I can spend more time over in Bondi.

Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!

Faithful friends. Furry animals. Fluorescent sun. Fearless snakes. Fierce lions. Fascinating toucans. A day spent at “Parque Safari” filled with new adventures and unforgettable moments.

The adventures of the day began with our first Safari where we piled onto what seemed to be an army truck – a truck with cages surrounding us completely. We had the opportunity to enter the home of many roaming lions, hungry after a long night without food. We drove into the exhibit and immediately, chink, thump, clatter.We looked up to see the paws of a heavy lion taking large and powerful steps on top of the cage of the truck. The guide was holding what seemed to be full, raw 18-ounce ribeye steaks for the lion to devour. We got to examine the detail of its paws, feel its fuzzy fur, and watch him roar. It was quite the up close and personal experience, and it was incredible to learn about this large and beautiful animal.

For our second Safari we rode in a trailer that was open and had feeding troughs on the sides, filled with grains for the animals to eat. We entered into the next exhibit and had the opportunity to pet, feed, and even kiss zebras, sheep, deer, giraffes, donkeys, cebraznos, and some other unidentifiable creatures, all while trying to avoid the angry spit of the jealous llamas (Don’t worry, we didn’t kiss the llamas!)

Great question. A cebrazno is a mix between a donkey and a zebra — strange, right? There are only 6 cebraznos left in the entire world and two of them happen to reside in this safari in Chile, and I had the opportunity to feed and pet them. It was truly a magical experience.

The day was filled with many other adventurous moments. I had the opportunity to hold a beautiful toucan that was rescued from an abusive situation and is now the biggest and best photo opportunity in all of “Parque Safari”. I was also able to swallow my fear and let a giant snake wrap around my neck and arms. Although I was a bit terrified, it was awesome to feel its skin and hang out with him for a few minutes! Haha.

My close Chilean friend, Isa, and I also went kayaking in a small pond type thing where there were ducks swimming around us and the donkeys, zebras, sheep, and cebraznos were nearby wandering and watching us go in circles. It was a time full of smiles, laughter, and so much joy.

We concluded our time at “Parque Safari” by eating a famous anticucho, which is essentially a Chilean Shish Kabob, filled with only meat. We loaded onto our bus and began our 3-hour bus ride back to Valparaíso, telling stories and laughing about our day the whole way home.

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