New Zealand 3 (75 photos), by Amanda Fucinato

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album 12\07\2009 (12 photos), by Amanda Fucinato

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Queenstown 2 (30 photos), by Amanda Fucinato

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Final Days (46 photos), by Amanda Fucinato

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Down in the South of the South (91 photos), by Amanda Fucinato

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Queenstown 1 (7 photos), by Amanda Fucinato

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Glacier (72 photos), by Amanda Fucinato

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New Zealand 2 (76 photos), by Amanda Fucinato

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Sydney (166 photos), by Amanda Fucinato

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New Zealand 1 (79 photos), by Amanda Fucinato

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5 semesters down, three to go

Now there is a scary idea! I took my one and only final exam today, and I am now done with my academic career in Australia. What have we learned in our time doing the "study" part of study abroad? One is that I have been hard-wired by the American education system to judge myself based on my academic achievements. In Australia, an "A" is called a "HD" or high distinction. Not only is this grade near impossible, it is attainable with a 80-100%. The best part is, there is no GPA. I had to perform my best, and forget about the number on a paper. I had to learn to be proud of a 75% instead of horrified. I also learned that university is not for everyone, and that in the Australia society where entering the workforce or going to trade school is not looked down upon, the stress to conform to one future path is gone. I never thought about not going to college, and here it seems strange to go to school because it is "expected" of you. I will be happy to go back to Madison where I know exactly what is required to do well. I can't wait to take a multiple choice test again!

The second part of being on this campus was my life in the student village. Living in a flat full of Asians, where my next door neighbors are German and my best friend is from Sweden, I learned a lot. One is that it is important to be understanding when living with others. You have to respect their space, habits, and sleeping patterns (no matter how strange). My tolerance for mold has increased (gross I know) and I now know the value of a nice shower. I will miss everyone here a great deal. The world seems a little smaller now that I have friends in every continent. I hope life brings us together again some day.

The final part of the journey is a question. I came here thinking I would have my whole life figured out when I left. I would know how I felt about more school, work, and my relationship. Thankfully, I will be spending a few days in Sydney and two weeks in New Zealand before heading home. So I don't have to answer the question right now....

what's next me???

Penguin Island

Penguin Island (54 photos), by Amanda Fucinato

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quokka

Rottnest (50 photos), by Amanda Fucinato

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school is out for... summer?

I never thought I would be in a class in November where people wish you a "Merry Christmas and a great summer!!". I just felt like screaming "DO YOU KNOW HOW COLD IT IS GOING TO BE WHEN I GET HOME? YOU HAVE NO IDEA.". But I kept myself in check. So class is done for the semester, and I am going on a little vacation before I start studying for my one final. I know, feel sorry for me. I will be on Rottnest Island, "Perth's playground", for a few nights camping with friends. Don't worry, I will bring back plenty of pictures.

wildlife videos

AQWA and Caversham (114 photos), by Amanda Fucinato

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A beautiful vacation and a life cut short

I had a fantastic weekend in Melbourne. The city is very similar to Chicago, with parks and large pieces of modern art scattered throughout the city. I enjoyed being back in a big city, and was overjoyed to have the escape of beautiful parks to walk in after my days of shopping. Melbourne is the shopping capital of Australia, and I managed to escape with fewer purchases than I thought I would. I also went to the shrine, Australia's largest monument to its war veterans, located in the world famous botanical gardens. Melbourne is also home to the largest ice skating rink in the southern and the largest stadium with a retracting roof in the southern hemisphere. The larger stadium in town holds 100,000 people, and is full on any footy match day. The beautiful Yarra river winds along the edge of the city and all of the beautiful museums. It made me miss my city even more. I ate my way through the italian, chinese, and greek neighborhoods, as well as the ocean-side dinning in St.Kilda. I would recommend this city to any theater lovers as well, and having taken in a very funny comedy show, and wishing I could have seen all the broadway shows in town.

Coming home on tuesday at 12:30 a.m. , I decided to check my email before bed and was hit with some tragic news. Last week on Saturday, while heading back to Madison, my very close friend Craig was hit by a car while on his motorcycle. He was killed instantly, and at 20 years old, far too soon. Going through the grieving process via webcam, facebook, and instant messenger makes the whole experience seem hollow and surreal. The reality of the situation will really hit me when I return to Madison and have to remember not to c all Craig because he is no longer here. Craig's spirt was caring and free. He followed his dreams, and always managed to put life in perspective for me. When I got overwhelmed with school, he and I would eat ice cream and just talk. I felt safe and warm in his presence, which I now hope to carry with me in his passing. I couldn't sleep last night, and today I am on the edge on tears constantly. I am keeping busy, but I am longing to go home and hold my friends as we cry together. Craig will be buried on Halloween, his favorite holiday. Please keep his family in your prayers, and know that life is a gift.

Melbourne (151 photos), by Amanda Fucinato

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30 days

That was the thought that hit me when I got out of bed this morning. In 30 short days, I am getting on a plane and starting the journey back to the states. Is it just me, or did this go really fast? I know some people who would tell you my absence has been far from easy, but I am shocked at how quickly I have settled into a pattern of life here. Honestly, there are some days i forget I am on the other side of the world. It feels like a home now, and I could picture my family living right down the road (even though that will never happen). So what did I do after I had this actualization this morning? I worked, all day, on the big essays I have due for the end of the semester. Pretty awful, right? Well don't feel sorry for me because I am going to Melbourne this weekend, and I am not taking my work with me. I also spent the whole weekend at the beach in 80 degree weather. This is a picture of Cottesloe Beach. So this day was much needed. They really know how to pile all the work on at the end though, that is some universal college thing. I hope you like the pictures from the ball. It was great to get dressed up fancy for something. I going to take this last month and make sure, while finishing my work, I live a little everyday in the australian culture. I will be eating tim tams and saying g'day a little more as my adventure comes to a close. I will spend a few days in Sydney when I leave Perth, and then take a two week vacation to New Zealand before coming home. My flight plans are almost laughable, but I will share that with you later. Enjoy your cold weather!! : )

The Ball (22 photos), by Amanda Fucinato

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a very entertaining weekend

After my awesome night at the festival, I had more fine arts fun to look forward to this weekend. As some of you may know, I joined the university choir on campus, which combines adults from the community as well as staff and student from the three universities in Perth. We had our concert on Saturday night, and I had forgotten how much I love performing. It's been three years since I was in choir, and while I knew I missed it, I didn't realize how much until I had that post-concert high pulsing through my system again. I'm thinking now I should make an effort for the short time I have left at Madison to get back into the fine arts community. Today I treated myself to a childhood indulgence and went to see the Moscow circus with a friend. To be honest, it was my mother that insisted I go, and I couldn't thank her enough for the prodding. The circus does not tour in North America, and today they announced the company will be on a three year tour break in order to design a new show. The performance was incredible, complete with all the magic and wonder of the big top tent (yes they had a real tent!). A little cultural difference would be that there was no big space between the performance and the audience the way we have in the states. Also, the Moscow performers deserve credit for having much less safety netting than any circus I have seen in the U.S. . I was tempted to buy myself a big "nemo" mylar balloon, but then I found out they were twenty dollars and was able to restrain myself. I had a great time. In tribute to my mother, I have to close by saying, may all your days be circus days!

Swan Festival of Lights

Last night I went to an amazing festival in Perth. The performance is sponsored by Smoke Free WA and a fine arts school in Perth. It featured dance performances from many cultural backgrounds such as belly-dancing, Cossak dancing, and chinese fan dancing. Th final number included fire works and the Swan bell tower, which I have pictures of in my Perth album. I found the unity of all these backgrounds in one performance to be very moving. The best part was, it was free! Check out the website! www.swanfestivaloflights.com.au

Recap of the Northwest Trip

What an action-packed vacation! I don't even know where to start, we covered so much on this great trip. The ten days took us over 6,500 km of the beautiful northern part of Western Australia. I kept a log everyday of our activities which I will share with you. Overall, I learned to appreciate how spread of everything is in this country, and some much I enjoy being a city kid. I was proud of myself on the camping front, no crying at all. It felt good to come home and take a hot shower. I slept great on a real bed for the first time in over a week. I could have never seen these sights on my own, it is too much driving and without the knowledge of our guides I would have missed so much. I am very happy to have had their knowledge and experience on this journey.

Day 1 = Over six hours of driving was broken up by stopping at gas station every two hours. This was a great way to drive though several small towns and take in the changing landscape as we got further north. One minute you were staring at miles of fields with sheep, and then suddenly the ocean would peak out on the horizon. We slept at a sheep station in a barn.

Day 2 = More driving, including a stop in Kalbarri, a town known for the view where its river meets the ocean. It was beautiful. We also stopped at a gorge and hiked around, taking pictures at "nature's window", a rock formation that has a perfect snapshot through a hole in the rocks. We slept in tents at a caravan park.

Day 3 = We spent the day at Monkey Mia, the world famous beach where wild dolphins come everyday to be fed. Apparently, the process used to be much more natural, but for the dolphin's safety it is now very regulated. A few fish are given to a couple dolphins by scientists who give a talk about the animals. You as a tourist must stand on the beach and watch. Lucky for me, the rule is once the feeding is over you can go in the water and take your chances with the dolphins. I was treated to a great show, but I was not able to pet them. After the dolphins, we took a boat out into the water and went boomnetting. This consists of four or five people getting dragged behind the boat at a fast speed and playing in the waves like dolphins. It's like tubing without the tube. I loved it. We spotted some manatees, but they were too far away for me to take photos. We spent the night in tents at the same caravan park.

Day 4 = Full day of driving again, but that evening when we arrived at our sheep station for the night, we went swimming on a private beach and watched humpback whales jumping about a half a mile off shore. It was beautiful

Day 5 = Diving at Ningaloo Reef in Coral Bay, the only fringe reef with coral in the world. The weather was stormy, so the big manta rays were not around, but the coral was beautiful. There was more diversity than in the Great Barrier, but less color. I was happy we didn't see any sharks. That evening we went to the only bar in coral bay (they only have one of everything really) and my peers indulged in two dollar beer night. We spent the night in a sheep station that had dorm rooms with real beds. It felt so good to have a real room!

Day 6 = All day drive to Kaijini national park. We got there after dark so setting up our tents was a challenge. I was really worried about spiders, snakes, lizards, and dingos. We managed to scare them all away with our noise I guess.

Day 7 = We spent all day hiking through gorges and swimming in fresh water pools at Karijini. It was so nice to be active all day after all that driving. The land was beautiful.

Day 8 = We hiked and took a swim in the morning before starting another long drive. I ran into a snake, but it was a pygmy python so I wasn't in any danger. I did scream though. We arrived in the mining town of Newman in the afternoon. It is home to the biggest iron ore mine in Australia. The miners work hard days, four weeks on and one week off. Our guides took us to the local miner bar, and as you can image a large group of international students got a lot of attention, especially the women. We stayed in groups, and managed to all get home without having our butts touched too much. I don't know if the work is worth the money because the lifestyle is so lonely, but to get paid 100,000 to hold a stop/go sign all day isn't bad. We spent the night in the tents in the parking lot of the caravan park where the miners live.

Day 9 = All day driving to a sheep shearing shed where we had a big fire to mark the end of the trip.

Day 10 = Driving all day to get back to campus. It was cool to watch desert turn back into farm country and then city again. I will miss the random emu or kangaroo standing by the road side (or laying if they were unlucky). I really am not a camping girl at heart though.

Monkey Mia

the long red road

The Northwest Trip (280 photos), by Amanda Fucinato

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study break #2

I For the record, it took close to an hour to upload those kangaroo videos, so y'all better love them. I went to Kings Park in the heart of Perth yesterday to see the wildflowers. Apparently they are there all year long, but September is when they re-plant and make everything look nice again. The park provides a fabulous view of the city and the rivers surrounding it. The natural beauty of the land was very calming for me in this stressful week before my second break. They really do love to heap on the work right before you have some time off. I also picked up a side project of writing some article for the women's edition of the school magazine which will be out next month. I thought getting published in another country would be cool, and I am really passionate about women's issues (as you may know). I got really upset on Tuesday night because one of my flatmates said (while intoxicated) that "women are objects, and as soon as western culture adopts that belief from the east, the better off they will be". I didn't even know how to confront that kind of discrimination. You honestly can't reverse a belief someone has been raised with their whole life, but it is comments like that that push me further into the fight for women's rights. As you can see, the fight is far from over. for this break, I am going on a camping trip that the international student's office puts together that explores the Northern part of Western Australia. I will be gone for ten days with no access to the Internet, so I will not be blogging. I can give you a few things to look at while I am gone. The first is Monkey Mia and Ningalroo, two of the sights I will be visiting on my trip. Second, check out the Aussie news to see the dust storms they are having on the east coast, The pictures are pretty cool. Finally, I encourage everyone to take some time and educate yourself about the Aborigine issues in this country. It has an amazing history, and I am shocked that we are not told about in our education system. I've been working on a project about the intervention in the northern territory, and I think it is worth a look at for you as well. Wish me luck on my first out door trip ever.

Kings Park wildflower festival (45 photos), by Amanda Fucinato

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Bunbury

I had a wonderful weekend down south in Bunbury and Margaret River. The trees are a beautiful full green because of how wet the spring has been. Margaret River is home to the famous wineries in WA and the only chocolate factory in the region. The wine and the chocolate were delicious, and I felt very privileged to have a local person to show me all the finer points of the region. The ocean pictures are from the Bunbury beach and a region called Yallingup. Both are big tourist spots for surfers. If you went south from the beach, you would run into Antarctica, and going west would take you to Africa. It is fun to look at a map and see how the world is laid out. My perspective is really different now that I am out of the US.

Bunbury and Margret River (46 photos), by Amanda Fucinato

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Perth Zoo

The faculty at Murdoch University went on strike today, so I had my classes (including a take home exam) cancelled today. I made good use of my time and went to the Perth Zoo. It was half off admission for adults and swarming with school groups. I always find it hard to go somewhere where there are a lot of families when I am away from mine, but I keep them in my mind and heart as I tour around. Overall, there is much less fencing and separation between zoo guests and animals compared to in the states. As with every other wild life park here, the kangaroos are free to hop right up to you and say g'day. It never gets old , I promise you. I was taken aback by the size of the crocodile they had on exhibit. Apparently, it can get twice as big in the wild if it has the food resources. This male was taken out of the wild because it was too aggressive. It was eating female crocodiles in its group, a rare behavior only seen in the most vicious of crocs. I was fearful of the creature, and we were separated by glass. The other great giant of the zoo was the pelican. I had no idea how big they were, I had lunch by their lake and watched them preen themselves. They were beautiful. Something rare at the Perth Zoo is that during the day they take their elephants out for walks around the zoo. It keeps them fit and allows people to pet the animal. I didn't see them out while I was there, but the elephants certainly weren't in their cage either. Two interesting animals I saw were the Tasmanian Devil and the Numbat. Both have sad stories and face extinction very soon. Devils suffer from facial tumors that are very deadly, and will only be in captivity 15 years from now. Numbats are the mammal of Western Australia, and because they are so shy hiding in one type of tree, their habitats are ruined. The final special animal was the black cockatoo, who can only be seen in this part of Australia. They were very chatty! I hope you enjoy the pictures. I am attaching some videos so you can see the devils eating and playing, as well as the numbat running about. This weekend I am going to Bunbury, WA. More beautiful ocean pictures to come!

Numbat video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpVN-kDneW

Tasmanian Devils

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SU44KwIfBXM

Perth Zoo (84 photos), by Amanda Fucinato

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Choir Camp

I spent the weekend at choir camp at a site nearby in Fremantle. It was really great to be back around music and singing all day. The people in the choir are all out of college but stay involved because they like each other's company. They are all very gifted musicians, and I truly enjoy spending time with them. There was no heat at the camp, so I was cold and had trouble sleeping. Apparently, the current weather trend is unusual for the area, but that doesn't change the fact that I am getting grouchy about it. I have my first exam on Tuesday. I'm very nervous to the point where I feel I have over studied, making my nerves worse. I hope it goes well. The class is human resource economics, and it is confirming my choice to not go into a business field (despite what my dad may prefer). I picked up a new cookbook today and plan on cooking tonight to ease my nerves. The faculty here will be on strike on wednesday, so I am going to the zoo. Stay tuned for the pictures!!!

Perth 2 (18 photos), by Amanda Fucinato

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Cairns (211 photos), by Amanda Fucinato

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back from the reef

When I came home, I opened my suitcase to unpack and was hit with a wave of smells. Yes, some of it was of sweat from laying in the warm sun and walking in the afternoon heat, but I could also smell the salty ocean. I closed my eyes and could see the coral, holding my breath underwater, I hear parrot fish chewing on coral. The reef looks just like it does in Finding Nemo. I saw every fish and plant from the movie, all living in beautiful harmony ( except for the occasional predator). An equally as beautiful sight was the rainforest in Cairns. The Kuranda rainforest town had a mammal sanctuary, so I got to pet kangaroos again. It never gets old. I still had some of the food from their pen in my pocket. To get to Kuranda, one can take an old scenic railcar that has been in use since the 1800s. On the way down from the forest mountains, there is a skyrail. The little cars float above the trees, and I could see cockatoos in their nests. When I wasn't sightseeing. I stayed at my first hostel. I really enjoyed the experience, and I feel that having it as an all girls hostel makes the experience less intimidating. All of the girls I met told me our hostel was unusually nice and clean. This makes me nervous to go to a hostel again. Many of the girls were from Ireland and traveling around the country for the next year, working as they went. I can't even wrap my mind around traveling that way. Everyone was very nice, and I got a lot of good advice. I was surprised at how open all the buildings were in Cairns, with geckos and bugs running in and out all the time. This is apparently just part of life in the tropics. As hard as it was to leave the warm weather, coming back to Perth really did feel like coming home. Even though my flat was a mess, I missed my little room and all my friends. I didn't miss school, but like it or not I have a test in a week. I'm having trouble getting my pictures on the blog, so bear with me until I get that fixed. In the meantime, go watch finding nemo!

first study break

Today marks the official beginning of my first study break. I am leaving tonight for Cairns, hometown of the Great Barrier Reef. I don't know how much time I will be spending on the computer, so just know that I will be coming home with tons of pictures and stories. It is my first time going on vacation alone and I am a little scared. I'm sure with my winning personality and charming good looks I will get by just fine. ; )

Down South (172 photos), by Amanda Fucinato

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feeling a little helpless

So of course one of my biggest fears about being away from home for this long (and this far) was that something was going to happen and I can't get home. My brother had a soccer accident and broke his leg. Surgery went well, and after a lot of pain he will recover. Now I know this is not death in the family or a natural disaster, but it torn me apart to sit at my computer and see my brother suffering on the other side of the world. I just want to hug him. I won't fly home, but the thought has crossed my mind. Please keep him in your thoughts as I am.

Perth (72 photos), by Amanda Fucinato

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doing the tourism thing

I spent last Friday doing some sight seeing. I went to the Western Australia Museum and art gallery. Then I wandered around the city a little and had lunch. I am looking forward to my first study break, including my trip to Cairns.

chow down

So I don't know about you, but when it rains I like to eat. I thought I would share a few new foods I have had here. Enjoy!

Tim Tams are a chocolate biscuit made by Arnott's Biscuits, Australia. A Tim Tam is composed of two layers of chocolate malted biscuit, separated by a light chocolate cream filling, and coated in a thin layer of textured chocolate.

According to Arnott's, around 35 million packs are sold each year – nearly 400 million biscuits, an average of approximately 1.7 packs per Australian^] Tim Tams were first put onto the market in 1964.^[] They were named by Ross Arnott, who attended the 1958 Kentucky Derby and decided that the name of the winning horse Tim Tam was perfect for a planned new line of biscuits.

Lamingtons are a sponge cake (or, more traditionally, butter cake) in the shape of a cube, coated in a layer of traditionallychocolate icing then desiccated coconut. They are sometimes served as two halves with a layer of cream and/or strawberry jambetween, and are commonly found in Australasian outlets such as cafes, lunch bars, bakeries, and supermarkets.

The chocolate coating is a thin mixture, into which cubes of sponge cake are dipped, and the chocolate is absorbed into the outermost layers of the sponge where it sets. The cubes are then covered with coconut and left to set.

They have traditionally been popular as fund raisers for Australian youth groups such as Scouts, Guides and churches to the extent that such fund raisers are called "Lamington drives."

Milo is a milk beverage with chocolate and malt, produced by Nestlé and originating from Australia

Kangaroo meat is used in barbecues, stews and various other types of cooking. The meat is also a staple part of the Aboriginal diet

Damper is a traditional Australian soda bread prepared by swagmen, drovers and other travelers. It consists of a wheat flourbased bread, traditionally baked in the coals of a campfire. Damper is an iconic Australian dish.

rain rain go away

The weather here has been so horrid these last two weeks, I can hardly work up the motivation to get out of bed most days. I am proud to say, unlike many of my friends, I have not missed class due to the rain. It is cold and rainy everyday, and I cling to the hour or so of sunshine we have in the afternoon. I've been lectured multiple times by my Australian friends that I should be grateful for the rain because of the great drought that has hit Australia over the last decade. The water table here is rising, causing the farmlands to become saturated with salt. A movement to plant trees is helping, but it is only with a few good hard years of rainy spring will the soil here have a chance to survive. This spring is due to be on of the rainiest ever, and I am not looking forward to that. I keep holding out for days at the beach in the middle of American winter and sending home pictures to my family while they start bundling up in the cold. I have my first exam tomorrow and I am very nervous. I hope it's not as hard as I'm predicting. All you can do is study your hardest, right? At least the rain helps keep me inside and working hard!

Do you believe in ghosts?

I'm not a hard-core believer in the supernatural, but I find when visiting sights where many people have died, there is something hanging in the air. Going to the prison at night certainly added an element of spooky to the maximum security center that was closed in 1991. The prison was built by prisoners in the 1800s, and then the prisoners were moved in. The tops of the walls surrounding the prison are covered with broken glass and razor wire, making me glad that I live a life of freedom outside of prison walls. If you look at the pictures, you can see some of the spirit orbs that haunt the prison halls. 43 people were hanged in the gallows at Freo, only one of them being female. I left the pictures of the gallows out of my album because I felt it was too graphic. I felt a little sick standing in that room, the tour guide telling us the timeline of a prisoner's last day on earth. The site has over 200,000 visitors a year, making it the most popular site in Western Australia for tourist. The prison will receive world heritage status next year, the highest honor a site can receive. I recommend you check out their site, www.fremantleprison.com .

Freo Prison 08/14/09 (34 photos), by Amanda Fucinato

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back to the music

I made the trip to the University of Western Australia for choir practice. There is one undergraduate for three universities in Perth. It is a 45 minute commute, but after a night of practice I decided it is going to be worth it. I miss choir, and I can't believe it has been two years since I have sang in one. I was relieved that one of the pieces we sang was one I performed in high school my senior year. The majority of the choir members were older than undergraduate. Apparently their fees are higher, but they are still welcome to join. I was amazed that the same choir stereotypes (sopranos are divas, bass men never stop mocking altos) still existed in a totally different culture. I have been sadden by all the rain the next couple of days, but I am looking forward to cooking a new dish with some of my friends tomorrow night.

holy sunday

I went to St. Paul's church today in Perth. I thought finding a religious community may give me a sense of comfort and familiarity. A couple from the church who live near Murdoch picked me up in their truck this morning. They kept asking what I was having trouble adjusting to. What is different here that you find strange? What do you miss? What do you not like? They seemed disappointed that I was not as disoriented as they imagined. The church is small and cold. The congregation is about eighty people. The first service was a "band" service, consisting of one guitar, three violins, and a keyboard. The later service has an organ with more traditional music that I might have recognized. The couple that drove me finds the traditional church service to be dull, so I was able to witness a different type of worship. It was nice, but I missed being able to sing along with confidence. They also did not have communion, which to me is an important part of my worship service. During announcements, a woman I met before service stood up and pointed at me. "Everyone, this is Amanda from Chicago. She is here for the semester and will be here every Sunday to worship with us. Be nice to her.". No pressure, right? So I was swarmed with curious people after church, asking me general questions about my studies and my family. A large percentage of the congregation are couples, of whom one person is from the states. They came to the land of Oz, fell in love, and never left. I had no idea this happened so frequently. I certainly haven't met anyone here yet I would switch continents for, but the semester is still getting started. I went out to lunch by myself in Freo before meeting the other American students to go to the footy match, Australian football is intense and lacks the nice padding we have in the U.S. . I'm not in love with the sport, but it was fun. People here, just like at home, get very rowdy and drunk at sporting events. There was a lot less advertising during the game compared to american football, and no one did the wave. I came home tonight to find a dinner party of twenty people at my house. I'm staying in my room, too tired from the day to be social. A small note about my flatmates, they came in from their Saturday night out at 8 Sunday morning. Now that is a party.