First (well more of a recap)

Well, been here about 3 weeks now (maybe?) and so far I have found nothing wrong with this country except for the price of food and drink. Started off the trip in a site south of Brisbane called 7 Mile Beach (must refer to nautical miles), we camped there for about 4 or 5 days for orientation and then headed into Byron Bay. Byron has no American equal, this place is surf town rolled into New York City then deep fried in island culture.

Definitely feeling the ozone hole so far, I think I have gotten tanner in these few weeks than a summer of being on the lake back in hkweezy. Everyone here is extremely nice and very environmentally conscious. There are tons of cisterns around and solar panels litter the skyline. I haven't touched a cell phone since I departed Charlotte on January 26th and I feel great. It is so nice to just drop off the grid at a moments notice and be completely worry free. Some of the kids on the trip have their international crackberries but I don't miss my Droid for a second. I am on skype though (zachuey) so I will occasionally check in with the states when we come back from various field excursions.

The Australian culture is a good blend of the island time mantra and some typical western ideals. Aussies are very egalitarian with their society and no one is actively trying to flaunt wealth or social status (welcome change). It is beyond "frowned upon" to insult a waiter much less a maid or janitor.

After we spent some time in Byron we headed to a Buddhist retreat center in the rain forest (yes RAIN forest) of The Channon. This place was remote. The bus about slid down a wet forest road and we ended up having to walk up a hill to get enough weight out of the bus so it could make it up the hill. We spent 3 days in class (meditating) learning about how there are numerous views on how to save the world. From a 'technological fix' to what is called 'deep ecology' (this is what the Sea Shepherd "Whale Wars" people subscribe to). It is a very interesting way to classify the green initiative. Learning a lot even though I have yet to spend a single second in a class room. With the rain forest and remote locations come big animals and leeches. Never had a full on experience with a leech and granted it doesn't hurt when they remove your blood, it still isn't a welcome feeling to see a shiny black creature squirming around on your leg and then plucking it off only for it to bleed profusely for over an hour. Our accommodations were right up my alley though, we had the option of sleeping in tents or in an open air loft above the kitchen area. Naturally, I selected the open air loft which held about 12 people on the first night and 4 on the second. Apparently I don't taste sweet to mosquitoes. Who knew? It was a great time but I think my grand total of hot showers was 2 since arriving in country.

After returning from The Channon, we spent another few days in Byron Bay which always leads to going out and a damn good time during the day. Doing homework on the beach or poolside is quite possibly the most relaxing thing in the free world. We have a decent amount of readings but they are all really interesting and lead to engaging class discussion.

Listening to: All Along the Watchtower-Dave Matthews Band

The time spent in Byron is always welcome after a field excursion but by about the third day I am always ready to bust out the sleeping bag and toss up the tent for some good 'ol time with nature. Which leads me to our most recent expedition. This time we traveled north of Byron Bay (maybe?) and ended up in Bundjalung country to hang with a few Aboriginal elders and other members of local tribes. The Aboriginal culture is one of deep, spiritual respect and understanding of nature along with a generosity that puts anyone to shame. They are the nicest, most genuine people you will ever meet. Even after being hunted for essentially sport by the whites in the early 1900s, they welcomed us "whitefellas" into their land and showed us how they live and work on a daily basis when they are in the bush. I cannot even begin to write down the countless stories told around the campfire, but I have never learned so much and had so many new experiences in such a short amount of time. Before we left we were told to leave all electronics, books, papers, and non-essential clothing behind. I was quite skeptical about leaving my camera behind as I wanted to document this experience, but I know now that I will never forget this experience. We learned to throw spears, create a bush hut, "get a feed in the bush", how to interpret Aboriginal art, what our individual totems were (I am an Emu), and even a tree that has sap with enumerable uses. We took short trips to a National Park beach with one of the most pristine coastlines I have ever seen in my life and even swam in a freshwater pond that had an 80 degree water temperature. Nick and I started climbing some of the trees and jumping off them into the pond while Doug (Aboriginal owner of land) rigged up a rope swing that had been in place for past groups. By the end of our time there even the girls were climbing up the trees and leaping into the pond. With bodies falling from the sky we all realized that we were all having an absolute blast, had no concerns about the day ahead, no worries about work, and were just outright relaxed about the whole time. After swimming to our hearts content we journeyed back through the bush to camp and the guys (all 6 of us) took off into the bush with Dougy and Pete. Nick, Jesh, Dave, and Myself wielded machetes with no more than shorts and flip-flops on. Upon reaching an outcrop of palm trees we began falling them to create our bush hut. We just got into the spirit of being one with nature, (brace for male moment) running around with just the bare minimal clothes, tromping through the bush, cutting down palm trees with machetes and bringing the fronds up to the girls who were waiting back down the trail a little bit. Good to share a male bonding experience like that. Good shit. That was definitely the time when I was able to feel how they work on a daily basis, just living off the land. Needing no money, no consumer products, no TV, no internet, just you, your buddies/family, and the bush. Once we assembled the bush shelter we began work on Bush Damper (pronounced Bush Dampa). This bread-like product will blow your socks off and make you want to slap your grandma. It is just self-rising flour, instant milk, and some salt, but once you put some butter and syrup on it. SHOOWEE. It was another highlight of my trip. I do wish I had pictures to post to share the experience but the memories will never leave my mind.

Listening to: The Escape Artist - August Burns Red

It was a very sad time to have to leave Dougy, Pete, Russ, and Ian but I know that they opened up their hearts and minds to us in order for us to learn as much as we could about their culture. Sitting here typing out my experience from the past few weeks seems like I have just put down a semester worth of experiences but knowing that it is barely a quarter over makes me happier than anything. I do miss you guys in HKY, and Valpo, but I wouldn't trade these past few weeks and the six guys here and all the girls on the trip for anything in the world.

Next up: Overnight train to Melbourne (pronounced Melbin) for a sustainability festival this weekend and then Tasmania!!

Cheers Mate!
-zuey