Today begins my last month in Australia--November is the month for reflection and action. There's so much to do left (listed in my previous post) plus my ICRP. Instead of going to SERCUL I've been emailing interviewees and doing research. It's been a bit too warm to go out and plant anyway, and Vickery manages to stay cool enough to study. But I study no more! My last exam last night went pretty well. I wish I had learned more about Coral Reefs, but there was so much detail in the lectures that I only learned what I needed for the exam. I'll probably do some independent research on the marine life before I dive the Great Barrier Reef.
I've also been applying for jobs at home. I applied for the Seattle Aquarium winter internship but did not get it. So I've been on an app writing spree for Starbucks, Caribou Coffee, Dominicks, etc, plus some volunteering at the Garfield Park Conservatory--one of my favorite places in Chicago. It's just incredible how the year is flying by. Pretty soon I'll be brainstorming for a SIP.
But back to Perth! This past weekend was CHOGM (Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting). Leaders from all over the world come together (including the Queen of England) to talk about global issues. In the city there were protests alongside the festival celebrations. All public transit was free, so Elaine, Katie and ventured into the city for $2 sausage sizzlers. Australia doesn't have hot dog or brat buns, so they were served on white bread. Still really tasty, and super cheap. All proceeds went to the Australian Red Cross. We sat in the Supreme Court Garden lawn and ate them. Then we took a beautiful stroll along the promenade (as Olga would call it) to get to Kings Park. It reminded me of my days in Seeing the World at 3 MPH--my freshman seminar--because we took our glorious time to get there. We were truly enjoying the scenery and the ambiance of the city: the calm river, children playing, people running and biking, families and friends eating together, all under the gorgeous sunshine.
When we got to Kings Park, we wandered quite a bit because of some security detours for the government representatives. The park is absolutely huge! I wish there were more parks like Kings Park throughout the city and metropolitan area. That's something I really appreciate about Chicago--the playgrounds, parks and forest reserves. We got to the heart of the park where all the gardens were--full of native species like Boob Trees (pronounced bow-ob), Banksias and flowers. We went through a tree-top walk, an elevated walking path that gives you a view of the city and river.
The day was perfect. We got back just in time to study a bit, and then we decided to show Perth how America celebrates Halloween. I was a cowgirl, Elaine was a lifeguard and Azia was a 70s dancer. The clubs were a ton of fun and I was glad we weren't the only ones dressing up, since Australia doesn't really celebrate Halloween the way America does. Although I did notice that costumes were not home made--they were either brides or zombies (basically dressy ish or rag clothing with blood on them) or store-bought costumes. Also, pumpkins are super expensive, from 5-10 bucks per kilo. Anyway, it was still a great Halloween. I'm still looking forward to that candy corn my mom is saving!
Speaking of my mom--happy birthday! Dunno why I didn't mention it in my last post. Can't wait to see you! Love you! Until next time...
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