California 2014

It was so great to see so many amazing people in our short three weeks in California. We stayed in Modesto with my family and Santa Clara with Spencer's family. We went floating down the Stanislaus River and saw a Giant's game in San Francisco. We got to hug so many loved ones and ate so much yummy food. Also, we shopped a LOT for all our Peace Corps supplies. It was amazing. Thank you for all the good times everyone! We love you and miss you already.

Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef

Unfortunately, we couldn't do much traveling around Australia because we needed to save up for the Peace Corps. However, there was one place we absolutely knew we had to see before we left and that was the Great Barrier Reef.

We made stayed three nights in Cairns at Traveller's Oasis hostel, which was a great budget place to stay. The first day we walked around Cairns. It didn't take long since Cairns is pretty small but it's a nice little tourist town. The next day we did what we really came to do, see the reef!! We went out to two spots on the reef with Sea Star Cruises.

The reef doesn't look as vibrant as it does on TV/Finding Nemo in real life. When they film it for TV, they bring in big underwater lights to make everything pop. In real life, our eyes can't process colors underwater like that. Not saying it wasn't great, because it was EPIC. Those drop offs that look like nothing in the photos are incredible to see for real-sies. Trust me on this. Also, some of the fish were so big....but in the pictures, they look small. It's really one of those things you have to experience for yourself. It was beautiful. It's like a whole other world under the water!

Our last day in Queensland, we went up to Karunda to see a waterfall and walk through the rain forest. Like Cairns, it's a nice little tourist town. The waterfall was just a trickle because it was the dry season.

Cairns was well worth the short trip and even though it was a bit of a stretch for us financially, I'm so glad we got to see the Great Barrier Reef!!

Vivid Sydney

Sydney is super awesome because there are all kinds of fun free things to do around the city throughout the year. One of the coolest public events is Vivid Sydney, an amazing light show to brighten up those short winter days. I was really looking forward to this one and it did not disappoint. Enough talk, let's see the photos!

Even though we only took pictures of the Opera House and the museum, there were so many other cool things to see. Sorry folks, but we were enjoying it too much to take photos! :)

Luna Park Anniversary Celebration

A couple weeks ago Spencer and I celebrated our third wedding anniversary (yay!) at Luna Park. Luna Park is a fun little, carnival-like amusement park located on the water right next to the Harbour Bridge. I didn't really know what it was going to be like and therefore had little expectations, which always makes for the best of days, doesn't it? First, Spencer and I went out to eat lunch at a fancy restaurant in the Rocks. We didn't take any pictures of it because it was so good and we enjoyed it so much! :) We took a quick photo with the Opera House and then we walked across the bridge to get to the Park.

hand rail from the stairs descending into North Sydney

Luna Park is geared more towards kids but was super fun for us big kids, as well. It's a bit pricey so we opted to buy the two ride pass along with entrance to Coney Island. For our two rides we chose the ferris wheel and the Wild Mouse roller coaster. My favorite parts about Coney Island were the slides and the pin ball. I don't think I've ever played so much pin ball! :)

We made sure to stay until dark so we could see the park all lit up in all it's glory. Right before dark they do a free raffle for any guest who wants to enter and then one lucky person gets to turn on all the lights. There's a lot of hoopla and fanfare. It's very fun!

Royal National Park

We recently had a couple long weekends due to Easter and Anzac Day (like Veterans Day in the States). It was nice to get a little break from work and one day we took a day trip down to Royal National Park. To get there we took a bus, a train, and a ferry. It was cloudy and drizzly the whole day but even so, it was worth it. Take a look...

Since the weather was not great, we were some of the few people out enjoying the park. Climbing over the rocky shore, it felt like we were all alone in uncharted territory. When we finally climbed up the cliff to try and find the real trail, we found this beautiful grassy area that looked like it came straight out of a Disney movie.

Then we saw a pod of dolphins riding the waves and leaping out of the water. It was incredible!! We were so happy to see them. What a treat! We took a little video of them.

Finally, on the way back to the ferry at the end of the day, we were right in the middle of a chorus of laughing kookaburras. Here's a video of one laughing, if you'd like to see. Now, imagine that multiplied by about 10 to get what we heard. It was very cool.

kookaburra

A big thanks to this guy for planning the whole day. You're the best, Spence!

Two Months Until Ethiopia

Photo by Ohnsoon Kim

Blogging has been on the back burner so far in 2014 but it's about to pick up in a big way. In just two (TWO!) months we'll be in Ethiopia! On to a new country we will go. I'll be ready to explore and I'll be sharing all my field notes here, of course. Until then, here are some updates.

Some good news from the Peace Corps: I'm medically cleared! Yahoo! :D I'm so happy. I would hate to bore you with the details, but getting medically cleared took a lot of trips to multiple doctors and lots of money. I'm so glad it's over!

Two months seems so close but in the meantime, if you want to learn more about Ethiopia and the Peace Corps presence there, I would recommend this website. It's run by the Peace Corps staff in Ethiopia and has lots of good information. They really did a nice job on it, don't you think?

I feel like I'm constantly preparing for all the changes coming up. Mentally, I'm ready. I'm so ready to go! But physically, I still have a lot to do! Here's my to-do list:

• Whittle down my wardrobe, once again (I always re-assess my clothes before moving) and possibly adding some new pieces when I get back to California (yay, for cheap American prices!)
• Study Amharic. There are some free lessons online and Peace Corps told us to start if we had time. The alphabet is super daunting with over 200 characters to memorize! I need flashcards. 
• Eating as much western food as I possibly can, mostly Mexican food.
• Hugging my family and friends in California when we go visit in June. Can't wait to see everyone! :)
• Taxes for both the US and Australia. (Ugh) 
• Enjoying Australia as much as possible during this last month. This is such a great place and I'm so happy we took the opportunity to live here. Enjoying Australia also includes our trip to the Great Barrier Reef! I'm so stoked!!
• Of course, the inevitable packing up everything here in Australia, visiting our storage unit in California, packing up things for Ethiopia. Pack, unpack, pack. This is my life. 

P.S. The photo above is from the Peace Corps Ethiopia website. 

Reaction to a Peace Corps Invitation

After we got our official Peace Corps invitation to Ethiopia in January (yay!), I was really focused on all things Peace Corps. I wrote an aspiration statement, all about how I'm going to be a great volunteer and adjust well to a new culture. I took official Peace Corps safety courses online. Spencer and I went to numerous doctor/dentist appointments to prove that we are indeed healthy humans. We visited the American consulate in Sydney to apply for our special Peace Corps passports. We've filled out and uploaded tons of paperwork. I checked out every book even remotely related to Ethiopia from our little, one-room local library (photo above, from my Instagram feed) I read blogs of people currently or formerly serving in Ethiopia. And then, I kind of took a break from it all (besides the doctor appointments...those seem to be never ending).

As I was reading yet another blog post about a Peace Corps Volunteer's frustrations with public transportation in Ethiopia, I realized I've done enough research. I felt like I was learning too much from other people's perspectives. I'm ready to experience it myself. Too much more information and I would be bringing prejudices and preconceived notions. I don't want to do that; I want my mind to be open. I know basics about the country, some history, and I know of a few cool places I'd like to travel to. That's enough for now. All the books went back to the library.

Since then, I'm trying to focus more on the present. We only have a couple months left in Sydney (where did the time go??!) and I want to enjoy it. So I made a commitment to myself to live in the moment as much as I possibly can. I sip leisurely at my coffee at trendy cafes on the weekends. I appreciate the architecture in CBD while I ride by on reliable (for the most part) public transportation. I enjoy the weather when I take the boys I babysit to the park. I wear short skirts, shorts, and sleeveless tops and appreciate that I can. I eat Mexican food and drink margaritas and savor every last mouthful.

It's strange to think that in a few months, I'll be Ethiopia and nearly everything in my day to day life will be different. To avoid the disappointment associated with the phrase "I just didn't expect it to be like this," I'm trying to find balance between being sufficiently prepared and not expecting anything. Instead of thinking about one scenario for what I think life will be like in Ethiopia, I try to think of as many as I can. Or I just don't think of any and go get a coffee. :) I'm trying to live in the present, remember?