The last field trip...to Australia ZOO!!!

Hello Everyone!

This post is going to be all about my trip to the Australia Zoo. I went yesterday as the last field trip with my biology class. We spent the entire day in the Zoo, getting a backstage tour of all the animals and their enclosures. We even got to hold, feed and touch some of them which I will explain below!

The morning started off with a tour of the reptile house. Along one side were all the venomous snakes in Australia....something like 9 out of the world's 11 species. Along the other wall were the pythons -  another group of snakes found in Australia, except these ones won't kill you via venom. They kill you via constriction. Dad would not have liked this at all!

We then split up into two groups - the first group heading off to see the Echindnas and the Tasmanian Devils, while the second group went off with our professor to see some of the Freshwater and Saltwater crocodiles. I was in the first group, and had the opportunity to see both an echindna and a Tasmanian Devil up close and personal, as the zookeepers picked them up and let us pet them both. After spending some time talking about these two very unique animals, we swapped groups and then headed over to learn about the crocs.

I have to admit, the crocs were not as interesting. I mean yes, seeing a 17ft predator about 3 feet from you with nothing but a fence of separation is really cool, but I am more for the cuddly, furry animals. Luckily, I was able to get my fill of what I liked  shortly after the croc talk, as we had to walk through the kangaroo enclosures to get to the "Crocoseum" to watch the wildlife show. Here, we hand-fed groups of both Grey and Red Roos....they were amazingly adorable. I captured a couple great shots, and could literally spend the rest of my life hanging with the roos. I love them.

Before lunch, we watch the extremely tacky and touristy "wildlife show" designed to educate the population on Australian Wildlife, and how to live with them in harmony. We saw many species of birds flying about, some snakes, as well as a very brave Croc Man hand-feed a hungry crocodile with a skinned chicken. It was neat.

After lunch, we were given the backstage tour of the different animal groups by their handlers. One by one, they would come to us in our UQ group, usually with an animal or two and explain a bit about the animal and some of the hardships they are currently facing. We saw a koala, some more snakes, a parrot, and a baby croc. This normally doesn't happen, as tourists you are required to just visit the respective enclosures, but since we paid extra to come as a uni tour, we got the full blown deal. My fav animal? The Koala. For sure. How can you resist this face?? The dingoes were super cute also....reminded me of the dogs back home!!!

After this presentation was our own free time. Kelsey and I decided to start by taking some epic photos with the largest croc at the zoo....

And then head back to the kangaroo enclosure. Enough said.

Some heavy rainfall forced us to wait under the enclosure with the roos, which was interesting because as soon as it began to pour, they all hopped as fast as they could from out in to open to come and huddle with us under the roof! We waited here until the rain subsided, before making our way to the South East Asia part of the zoo, and a little detour through through the Koala pens on the way.

Upon entering the South East Asian portion of the zoo, we headed directly to the Tiger enclosure. Here, we were able to be literally a foot away from these amazing creatures while they played with the trainers. Yup, you read correctly, the trainers were actually playing tug of war and "tag" with these jungle cats. I captured some really excellent photos just to show you how close I was to them!

To wrap up the day, Kelsey and I visited the elephants during their feeding time, and were able to hand-feed the three girls. It's a really neat feeling feeding elephants, you basically just hold out your hand and they pick up the food with their trunk and shove it into their mouths. The cutest one was the baby, Bimbo, because she wasn't as adept at picking up food directly out of your palm, she had to curl her trunk all the way around your hand and fiddle for a bit before actually getting the piece of fruit!

All in all, it was a great day and makes me realize how amazing all the animals are. You don't really think about the worries and bad things like poaching going on until you see these majestic creatures up close and personal....and then wonder what life would be like if they were gone!

I'm at the uni today, trying to get some internet as my laptop wireless refuses to work. So this aft it will be back to the Mac store for me to try and get that sorted out. Then this evening I am going to be baking Derek Gma Arlene's chocolate chip cookies.....and then taking tomorrow off.

I'll be sure to write back next week, and let you know about the computer situation, as well as update you on any new events in my life!!

xoxo Danielle

Byron Bay and the damn weather

Hello everyone!

Here is a much overdue update regarding my past weekend and the events I have been up to since I last wrote. The computer is still under repair, and will be until next week. Which is slightly unfortunate.

House: As most of you know (at least the family members), my cousin has moved into the empty room in the house, and is now my new housemate. It's been an interesting couple of first days together, and should be fun from here on in. He's also fit right in with the other boys, and even have ganged up on me to try and get me to come out and party with them instead of study! Bad influences, I tell you.

The weekend: This past weekend we went to Byron Bay to celebrate my friend, Beth's 22nd birthday. We had free transport up, since her sister lives here and has cars, so we splurged on accommodation. We stayed at the Rainforest resort, which had two rooms, a kitchen and basically the greatest pool and spa ever. To celebrate, we partied at the same club Andrea, Derek and I hit up back in February - Cheeky Monkeys.

         The birthday girl, Kelsey and Alexa celebrating with some champagne

Sunday was a bit of a disappointment, since Alexa, Kelsey and I had booked a skydive outside of Byron. I know, Dad, reading this, you are probably very angry (and I'm hoping it's not the reason for a lack of communication lately!) but it's something I chose to do. Risky, yes, but so is living these days. According to the company, I have a higher risk of dying in a vehicle on the way over than I do jumping out of the plane. At any rate, this sky dive did not happen, due to bad weather and high winds. So I didn't jump. Plans have not been made to reschedule, and perhaps this is a sign that I'm not supposed to do it at all! Dad - I am safe and on the ground...for now. KIDDING.

In other news, I received some photos via facebook of my sister's grade 12 graduation. One of the sad parts about being on exchange is not being able to attend major events like this, and I was mad about not being able to be there. Judging from the photos, it seemed like a fantastic night, and I can't believe how great my sis looks. She definitely seems more mature than her 18 years, and will be breaking some hearts while out in Australia, that's for sure! I've uploaded only a couple, and will leave the rest for her to share.

                    Cass, looking amazing.


In other news, tonight Derek and I are going into the city to watch a rugby game on TV in a pub. It's the State of Origin game, where players from all teams across New South Wales and Queensland return to their "home state" to play for their state team in an epic battle. It's similar to the All-star games that occur in the NHL, or the Olympic games. It's apparently a very intense 3-game series, and so hopefully the action in the city pubs will be as exciting as the action is supposed to be at the actual venue!

I think that's about it for now - I have to run to an anatomy practical, but will write another update this weekend about my very last field trip this Friday to Australia Zoo!

Much love to all,
xoxo Danielle

A quick update

Hello all!

This is a quick update to let you know that for the next week, I am sans computer as it is getting fixed up at the Mac store here in Brisbane. I will try to update you about my weekend using the school computers, but until I get mine back, don't expect any epic sagas.

At the home front, Derek has moved in and we spent the day grocery shopping and me showing him around the city. It will be an interesting month left for me with family in the house....so definitely keep your eyes posted on the blog for further updates on our shenanigans! I can imagine we will be getting up to some crazy things while together.....

I love you all and miss you tons!
xoxo Danielle

Winter Musings

I can't believe that my time here at UQ is almost over. Preparing for this semester exchange, booking my flights and seeing the return date in August seemed like an eternity away....now, I have only 2 weeks left in the semester before exams, then 2 weeks of exams and a month of "vacation time" with the family before I set foot back home. It's been an amazing experience - and I'm sure I will have a couple more "experiences" to share before the end.

This post is dedicated to the little (and sometimes odd!!) thoughts that have popped into my head over the last couple months, and all of them are Australian-induced. If that makes any sense at all!!

1. Jello does not exist over here. Instead, what they consider Jello (you know, the jiggly, clear dessert) is jelly. Jello is an American brand, and you cannot find it anywhere.
2. The same goes for pudding. They have custard, which is similar but pudding has a thicker consistency. I was trying to explain this to my housemates and I have to resort to getting someone from back home to send me out a package to prepare for them. Any takers??
3. I have searched high and low for a decent dill pickle. I cannot find one anywhere. They have some random Polish brands that will do until I get back home, but all I am craving right now is a decent Bicks. SO BAD. (Note to whomever picks me up at the airport back home in August...)
4. People walk on the lefthand side of the sidewalks, which they call footpaths. I'm so used to walking on the lefthand side now, that when a tourist (most likely an American, since they refuse to move!) walks towards me on their right (which is my left, and the WRONG side) I give them a look that screams, " YOU'RE ON THE WRONG SIDE!!!" I'm definitely going to be creating some problems when I come home. Can you picture the escalator situation??
5. To an Australian, 21 degrees Celsius is COLD. I never thought I would say this, but after experiencing some of their summer, I have to agree with them. Acclimatization much?
6. One thing I can't get over, is that June/July is winter. July has always been associated with watermelon, PEI beaches and mussels, which screams summer to me. The shops here are all displaying winter jackets (yes, actual puffy jackets) and uni students are all rugged up with scarves, hats and wool sweaters. The daily average temperature? 23 degrees. Explain that.
7. Peanut Butter is a foreign item. Heaven forbid that you would make cookies out of it, like I did. My housemates enjoyed them though, and one even went as far to suggest Vegemite cookies. I politely explained that despite being able to put both Vegemite and PB on toast does not mean you can make cookies out of both items.
8. I miss Tim Hortons, cheap donuts, and drip coffee. A donut over here costs at least 3 dollars each, and drip coffee is unheard of. Instead, a black cup of coffee is a long black, and is basically a watered-down espresso.
9. Speaking of coffee, it's a whole other world over here. You have to specify the color (black, white), the length (tall, long, short), and an angle to the perpendicular (flat). Examples: long black, flat white. Lattes and cappuccinos still exist in addition to these Aussie examples. I have yet to figure out the difference between a latte and a flat white.
10. Aussie's pronounce the letter "H" weirdly. While we say eh-tch, they say hate-che. Reading that probably makes to sense whatsoever, but ask me to demonstrate when I get back home. It's hilarious. I laugh my head off in Anatomy when my partner asks me what I think the hate-ch is pointing to on the cadaver on the practice exams!!
11. No matter how much I protest to the contrary, I am the one with the accent.

Miss you! Sending you all my love,
xoxo Danielle

Gateway Bridge Opening!!

Hello All!

Here is my weekend update - nothing much happened on Saturday, except for me playing an epic squash game against a girl from Australia who is a tennis pro. As such, she had quite the skill level on the court and had me running around to return her serves....I actually did quite well against her, but pulled my right groin in an effort to keep up. It had me immobile for most of the day, but luckily I managed to rebound back in time for Sunday!

Sunday morning Dave and I got up early to pick up Kelsey in the city and drive out to the opening for the new Gateway Bridge. This bridge is the second one of it's kind, the first one having opened up in 1986. We went for the view, the freebies and the 3km return walk across it. As of today, traffic is now using it and the bridge normally doesn't allow pedestrians across it. It was a really neat experience and I have to marvel at how the Australians always seem to have this epic opening ceremony for everything - bridges, theatres, libraries....you name it!

Afterward, Dave drove us out to the factory outlet shops, where Kelsey and I searched in vain for a pair of leather boots for the both of us. I settled on a skirt and cardigan for a total of $40 (the skirt was originally $100, on sale for $30! - I think mom would have been proud!!) but could not find boots to save my life. Oh well, something to search for back in Canada and it's probably best that I don't accumulate too much to take back!

As well, I did take my laptop into a Mac store to get it looked at as the battery has not been working well, and everything seems slow. The specialists there told me that I needed to stop using my battery immediately, and that it may explode on me. Scary. I'm taking my laptop back in on Friday for a full repair, and I'm hoping that it won't cost me anything (and that my computer is still under warranty!). The joys of technology.

I've attached a couple photos from the bridge opening, but I must wrap this up to go and grab lunch and continue to make plans for the coming weekend. Apparently, we may be making a trip up to Byron Bay to celebrate a friend's birthday party....and rumour has it that I now have a new housemate. DEREK! Yup - he's moving into the empty room. That will be interesting, I'm sure!!

Anyways, stay posted for more musings from Brissy and I look forward to hearing from you all soon!


xoxo Danielle

Update Birthday Photos

Hi Everyone!

This will be a really quick post - mainly to upload some of the photos taken on my birthday at the party hosted by Marilyn and Jean. I'll write a longer post after the weekend's events!

xoxo Danielle

Coolongatta and Casinos

Hello everyone!

I'm going to start this post off by wishing all my Aunties and Grandmas a Happy Mother's Day. It's not actually Mother's day here, but it is back in North America so I figure it counts!! I hope you all have a wonderful Sunday, you each deserve it!!

This post will update you on the last couple days, as my weekdays are not that exciting anymore. Apart from classes, tutorials and practicals, nothing worth writing happens at Uni.

                    At the border between the two states....

However, this weekend was a different story. Again, Dave volunteered to drive a gang of us to Coolongatta beach on Sunday, followed again by a visit to the Casino on the way home. Kelsey, my new mate from Saskatoon, came along with us as well as my other housemate Shiva. We spent the morning on the beach, lying in the sun as well as swimming the ocean, then hit up the boardwalk for some much deserved fish and chips. I think one of the best things ever is fish and chips on the beach, in the sun. Amazing. We also visited the border between Queensland and New South Wales. Everytime I cross a border, I always think of the movie A Walk to Remember and how Mandy Moore's character just wants to be in two places at once, so the boy takes her to the state line.....

Next up was the Casino, but this time instead of winning money, we lost it all. I only gambled away 10 dollars, but Dave lost a little more....the Casino this time was quite busy, probably because it was Mother's Day. I couldn't get over all the people, and can only imagine what Las Vegas is like! We had fun no matter the loss, and I think we mostly chuckled over the fact that we had to change clothes in the carpark behind the boot of the car instead of a bathroom because they wouldn't let us in while wearing our beach clothes!!

Sunday night was another fun time - Bill Elliot, an old friend of Uncle Donnie's, was here on business (something to do with the RCMP/international police) and he offered to take me and another couple Canadians out for dinner. We went to a place not far from the city called the Regatta Boatshed. A few bottles of wine and a plate of Barramundi later, we were all swapping stories about PEI, Saskatchewan and weird Australian things like Vegemite. It was a great meal out, and I was very fortunate that a distant contact thought of me while on his trip down under! It goes to show just how small the world is, and just how lovely people are.

Today is Monday, I'm basically doing nothing except for a fitness class tonight with Dave - something called Zumba and it's a form of dance-fitness. Should be interesting! I'm also meeting up with Marilyn for coffee now that our schedules have quieted down a bit! I hope you enjoy the photos I've posted....I had fun with my camera on this trip, snapping photos of places like Miami Beach and Palm Beach (Just for my Floridian family!) and some shots of us at Coolongatta.

I miss you all! Keep those emails and letters coming!!

xoxo Danielle

Beaches, midterm results and a little gambling....

Hello everyone!

I think it's been a sufficient amount of time since my last entry, and I apologize for the lack of posts. I've been quite busy since my birthday weekend, mainly recovering, but now that all my major assignments are out of the way I have no excuse to catch you all up!

I think my last entry was about my party weekend. The week after that, nothing much happened except for me coming down with a cold and sore throat, so I pretty much took the week off and didn't go out. It was also the week where I got my midterm results back and much to my surprise....

I DIDN'T FAIL ANATOMY!!!

Yeah, I know. Huge relief. In fact, I managed to pull of an 85% on my theory exam without really studying. Hahaha - what a gong show. Seriously. With studying for my biology exam, however, I managed to get a 92%. Even with the made-up answer about possums floating over the ocean on sea debris (I got 0.5 marks for that - sick as!!) Basically, I was super pleased on both fronts and now I'm sitting in a sick position for finals, as both these midterms were worth 25% of my final mark. Excellent. In the end, I only even need a 60% to pass and get full credit back home at Queens!!

Next up, the weekend's activities. My housemate Dave and I drove down the Gold Coast to a place called Coolongatta. It's this great beach town, and we spent all of last Sunday lying on the beach, soaking up the rays. It was perfect. The temperature was about 26 degrees, (cold according to the Aussie's, but it's winter here remember!) but what blew me away was the water temperature. About 18 degrees. Back in Canada, on PEI, I think the warmest I've ever seen the water get was 10. I could have spent the entire day in the ocean, but Dave needed to introduce me to a little thing known as a Casino....

Yup, I went to my very first Casino (and thought of you Gma Arlene and Auntie Sharon!!) and played on the slots with Dave. Between the two of us, we managed to win $70!!! Not bad, considering we only put in $20. I had to suppress a scream when I won the silver item at $50. I'm going back this weekend and am certain the platinum $9500 is mine. Hahaha. I'm not addicted, I swear.

Other than plans for another beach weekend, and working on review now for the finals coming up in a couple weeks (man, the time has FLOWN by!!) I have no big things on my plate. A couple friends are talking about going down to Byron Bay for a birthday celebration in a couple weeks time, which could be a blast....

I love you all and miss you guys like crazy! Keep the emails and letters coming - I love hearing from you!

All my love,
xoxo Danielle