Catching Up

BROOME: Broome has definitely been one of my favorite experiences since being here. The week was filled with so much learning about the Aboriginal people and getting a first hand experience of their culture. Colin and Maria Morgan are an amazing couple who have dedicated their lives to teaching anyone and everyone who is willing about their culture. We learned about things ranging from health care, politics and rights, to cultural aspects like the Dream Time stories and Aboriginal ways of life.
The colors of the outback are unreal. The red dirt in the desert, and the blue ocean is beautiful. 

We had two days between Broome and our North Excursion for Autumn (Spring) Break. Nursing students didn't have that week off, so I had class and tutorial on Tuesday and had to take our 2nd exam before leaving Thursday morning. The only exciting thing to happen in these 2 days was going to see the Titanic in 3D with Shane Burke, best history teacher ever.


SPRING BREAK: Thursday we were up and ready to leave by about 6:30 and walked to the train station to wait to be picked up by our tour guide. An hour late, the bus pulls up driven by Adam, our tour guide for the next 4 days. He was under the impression that we were a group of 16 Canadian nurses...so we just went with that. On the first day we drove for houuuuuurs. Only about an hour in we almost hit an emu running across the road. Our first stop was the Pinnacles, which is a desert full of pointy rocks sticking out of the ground. Nobody really knows how they got there or why they look like they do, but Adam's theory had something to do with fossilized tree roots...After the Pinnacles we kept driving for a while until we got to North Hampton where we stayed for the night. We stayed at a farm owned by our new friend Reg. There were also two Australian guys staying at the same place, so we taught them how to play King's Cup. It was a rough night for some, and I got to practice my nursing skills a bit... but overall a good night. We woke up (never had made it to sleep) at 4:00 the next morning to start driving to the next stop. We stopped along the way at Pot Alley and other look out points to take some pictures. We made it to Kalbarri National Park by about 10 and went for a nice hike through the park. Some people chose to go abseiling which I did not, but it was fun to watch. There was a beautiful stream running through the park once we had hiked down quite a ways. It was so hot so we took a break here before heading back up. We also got to see Nature's Window which is a big rock arch that looks out to the water. Then it was back in the van for a lot more driving. We made it to Monkey Mia but sunset. A wild dolphin came swimming right up to those who were standing in the water. After dinner, we met up with an Aboriginal man named Capes who took us to a sacred camp ground and taught us more about the Aboriginal culture. This particular land is called 'Gadhaagudu' which means 'land of two waters' in his language. This was probably my favorite part of the north excursion. I got the experience of throwing fresh fish on a campfire and cooking them for the group-they turned out delicious. I never knew you could just throw a whole fish on some coals, peel back it's scales and go for it. Capes taught us about medicine wood (sandalwood) and how it is used to ward off bad spirits as well as protect you from mozzies. He also told us the Turtle Dream Time story which tells us how turtles came to have the pattern on their shells. One of my favorite fun facts from the night was that in Aboriginal culture, a shooting star symbolizes one of their ancestors returning home. Day 3 was Shark bay, Stromatolites, and Reg's Beach House. Shark Bay was a short stop where we went to an 'aquarium'  and got a tour. Basically we drove all day with a couple short stops. When we got to Reg's house, he was ready to party. He knew how good of a time we had had two nights earlier at his other property. Another tour group was staying at his beach house as well. We went down to the beach after dinner and had a bonfire and everyone was drinking and having a good time. The next day we went to a wildlife park where we got to feed kangaroos, emus, horses, donkeys, rams, and all sorts of other animals. We got to hold a joey and play with dingos! The dingos were by far the best part. If i could bring one home with me and have it as a pet i would. Ending the trip at the wildlife park was ending on a good note. We made it back to Fremantle by about 7:30 Sunday evening. Back to school Monday morning, and back into the normal routine. 
Since the North trip, I've just been catching up on school work and hanging out in Freo. I can't believe I'm halfway through the semester already. I'm jealous of everyone back home who is just about finished with their semester. At this point, the weather in Portland is better than here in Freo some days. I'm afraid the beach days are dwindling. I'm missing friends and family back home! 2 more months and I'm back in Portland for the summer. I'm going to enjoy every minute I have left here in Freo (: