RobyninAustralia

Debriefing

2005-05-26T18:03:00.000-07:00

It's funny how you travel half-way around the world to a little patch of land that is "yours." When it comes down to it, we all belong somewhere and no matter all of the reefs and rainforests in the world, this is the place I love. Good old Jersey Shore. Thank you all for your notes and comments on the site. I am so happy to be home!
R
ps--If you have trouble viewing any of the pics just click the "x" in the upper left corner.

2005-05-26T16:13:00.000-07:00

The best part of my trip.... Courtney!!! Love you all... so happy to be home!

2005-05-26T16:11:00.000-07:00

Last night in Australia... Tjabukai dance party... and making friends all over the world!

2005-05-26T16:10:00.000-07:00

Spear and boomerang throwing at Tjabuki

2005-05-26T16:09:00.000-07:00

Baby crocs in pens at the breeding farm

2005-05-26T16:08:00.001-07:00

Planting a tree in the rain forest

2005-05-26T16:08:00.000-07:00

Sky Ride to the top of the Rainforest

2005-05-26T16:06:00.000-07:00

Island in Low Isles where we snorkeled

2005-05-26T16:05:00.000-07:00

Trying not to throw up on the boat ride to the Low Isles, Great Barrier Reef!

2005-05-26T16:04:00.000-07:00

Visit to the Royal Flying Doctors for medical delivery to remote areas in the Outback

2005-05-26T16:03:00.000-07:00

Fresh coconut juice at Cairns marketplace! Yum!

2005-05-26T16:02:00.000-07:00

Arrival in Cairns

LAST DAY: Crocs and Aboriginal Culture

2005-05-24T03:39:00.000-07:00

Last night, we heard from a doctor who works at a health center to improve the health status of Aboriginal people. Aborigines are open to Western medicine, but there are still parts of Australia (NW of central Australia) that still strongly believe in the power of the "doctorman." Aborigines were among the first migration to leave Africa (controversial) 40,000 years ago. Historically, Aborigines are poor communicators; they do not have a well-developed written language... they say that their history is held in the land and their religion is the land. It is truly incredible the story their artwork tells us, as well. The Aboriginies are anti-land "ownership." Rather, they feel they are the protectors of the land. There does not seem to be much racial tension here in Australia. However, it is strange to note that only recently did the Australian census begin counting Aborigines as part of the population. Rather, they were considered to be part of the wild, regarded more as animals than people. Today, I got up early and ran with a friend in the program. Then Court and I ventured off with our group leaders to a Crocodile farm while the rest of the program nursed their hangovers in bed! HAHA! The farm is the largest in Australia--housing 200 saltwater crocs for breeding and over 23,000 altogether, as most of the residents are babies! http://www.cairnshabitatcruises.com.au/ Our tour started with a boatride down the Trinity Inlet, which used to be used as a trade route to Northern Australia from China and New Guinea. We passed tons of beautiful Mangrove trees with their roots exposed out of the water... which happens from centuries and centuries of cyclones blowing through. Pretty cool to note that this was the fourth habitat we have seen on the trip: rainforest, reef, bush, and mangroves (which was swampy). We were able to see lots of interesting birds, but no crocs in the wild. We learned that unlike other reptiles, crocs only have 1 penis. AAAHH!! As soon as we got off the boat we met our guide, who was actually a lot like Crocodile Dundee. The first thing he mentioned was how much National Geographic LOVES coming to this farm! Cool! He went on and on about the price of the skins and how all of the 1st grade belly skins are send to Paris within 3 days of skinning to Gucci, Versace, Louis Vitton, and Hermes. No scratched skins are EVER sent to Paris. The crocodile meat is also sent to Europe and a few local tourist spots, but the locals typically don't eat it. Crocodile blood is a popular drink in Singapore, believed to help ward off cancer since crocodiles are one of the few animals that cannot get cancer. The crocodiles are spoiled rotten with KFC and Mcdonald's and don't even bother with birds in the wild. The main goal is to fatten them up and then kill them... much like a chicken or cattle farm in the US! There are 6 females for every male and the most dangerous task on the farm is collecting the eggs from the nests! The bus ride home was great. I bonded with Tanya--our neurologist faculty guide--and truly feel like I have a very good friend that is a doctor! Kind of cool! She is definately on my list of strong women that will motivate me to be my best in all of my endeavors and I will miss seeing her everyday! After a quick lunch we were whisked away to an aboriginal culture park: http://www.tjapukai.com.au/ (ja-book-eye) Here, we started with a tutorial on spear and boomerang throwing. I think it would be safe to say I would starve it i had to hunt my food in the wild! It was an awesome experience being with the aborigines, throwing native hunting tools at the foot of the rainforest... draped in fog.. with tribal drums beating behind me. PS--the boomerang really does come back! After a few performance and videos we participated in a chanting, fire lighting, stick banging, singing ritual. It was crazy. Some guy lit a spear and shot it into the darkness of the mountain. Words completely ruin this experience. All I can say is this entire part of the country has a heartbeat, a rhythm, and a power in its people. It is amazing to know this kind of thing still exists and I was able to share in it. The bus ride home from the dance/dinner was sort of sad. I haven't really had a chance to absorb everything I've done here. I guess a 24 hour trip home will cure me of that. What I do know is that this trip has forever changed my world view. I have a new respect for the earth and its creatures. I have a new friend Courtney, who I adore like a sister. This trip leaves me wanting to travel more; to see more; to learn more. But more than anything, it makes me love my own home and everything that constitutes my own simple everyday life. Thank you Elaine for giving me this amazing opportunity and Mom/Dad for encouraging me to take part. None of this is worth it is you can't come home and share it! So I am signing off on the blog. More pictures up when I arrive home... Sorry I was not able to post them here during my stay in Cairns. Love you all and the Earth, Sun, Water, Sky and AUSTRALIA!!!

Rainforest Day

2005-05-22T23:39:00.000-07:00

Hi! This morning I got up early... dark out... to run and watch the sun come up. I found a trail along the water... lots of travelers sleeping on the beach. At one point I ran by a forest and the sounds from all of the different birds was DEAFENING!
After breakfast we had a debriefing meeting at the James Cook University. It was interesting to hear from the people who went to the needle exchange program. Apparently they will inject heroin FOR you here to prevent overdoses... as well as adminster methedone (sp?) to wean people off drugs. Brothels are also legal here, so the women are tested every 3 months. Interesting to note that the incidence of HIV is much lower here than in the states. Then we heard from the best speaker so far--a zoologist and applied entomologist who is also the world expert on Boxed Jellyfish. He is going to be on the Discovery Channel in a few months! We learned that the most feared species in the Great Barrier Reef is jellyfish--not SHARKS. Australia is home to the world's most venemous snake, spider, fish, and animal (male playtypus).... but the most venemous species by far are jellyfish--the Boxed Jelly in particular. If it stings you, it takes about 2 minutes for you to be dead as dirt. (The chances of this happening are the same as being killed in a car crash though). There is also a syndrome called Tirukaji Syndrome in which the effects of the sting are not manifested for 20 minutes. But when the symptoms do arrive, they are as painful as having a knife dragged though your skin. This pain does not subside for the next 20 minutes!!! Court and I were like, man, maybe we should have spent the $5 or whatever for the skin suit yesterday. Oh well! Life on the edge! This guy is totally fascinating and has a website:
www.jcu.edu.au/stingers.
After the presentation, we took a bus ride up a windy mountain into the rainforest to the mountaintop town of Karunda. Karunda is a village located at the top of the Barron Gorge in the Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves of Australia. We shopped around the markets and had the best lunch in the world: BLTs on Focaccia bread. It was the best sandwhich I have ever had.
Karunda's main feature attraction is the SkyRail that takes you over the huge canopy bed of trees in the rainforest. The rainforest here is a world heritage site along Australia's eastern coast that stretches for over 901,600 acres. The most extensive area of subtropical rainforest in the world, CERRA's inhabitants include more than 200 rare and threatened rainforest species. It is amazing how tall the trees are! The competition for light and lack of space in the rain forest keeps driving them up and up!
We were able to get off the sky rail for a quick walk on a boardwalk though the forest. When we got back on, we came over the mountain in view of the entire GREAT BARRIER REEF! Our time at the rainforest ended with the simple act of planting a baby tree and leaving our mark in the soil.
The only bad part of the day is Court and I didn't get to ride the sky rail together and had separation anxiety. I kept turning and talking to her out of habit. But she wasn't there so now everyone thinks I just like talking to myself!
So we're off to a presentation on the aboriginies and a pizza party.
I carried my laptop around all day looking for a place to post pictures. The kiosks don't allow me to put the cable into my laptop so I will keep trying!
R

Great Barrier Reef

2005-05-22T02:09:00.000-07:00

If you want to see the Great Barrier Reef here's what you have to do: First, take a plane to LAX and grab a 14 hour connecting flight to Sydney. From there, it's a 3 hour plane ride North to the tropical town of Cairns. From Cairns you will ride a bus 1.5 hours north to Port Douglas. From the Port, you will take a 1.5 hour boat ride through rough seas and white caps to the outer barrier reef/low isles where the snorkeling is good. From there, you will take a 5 minute shuttle boat ride onto and island, where you will put on your fins, mask, and snorkel and dive in. So you do the math. It takes a long time to get here and it is worth every second.
From the beginning... we left our beautiful hotel this morning at 8:30: www.cairnscolonialclub.com.au.
The bus ride is through sugar cane country, with plenty of rainforest and coastal views. The rainforest is the oldest one in the world still in existence--dating back 110 million years ago. Locals were against building a road through it until they realized it was actually a healthy thing to do in the name of research and preservation. We had a beautiful day for the ride. Port Douglas is a typical port town... small, quiet, and built around charters to the reef. There's only one thing people are here for.
To get on the boat you give your last name on video surveillance and they make a slash mark on a piece of paper... just like they did in "Open Water." Scary! They also offer you a "microsuit" which protects against sunburn and stingers. Once on board I took my ginger motion sickness stuff trying to be all natural and it didn't help much. As much as i hate to admit it mom, i am so glad you snuck the heavier stuff in my bag!!!
On board a marine biologist gave a presentation... mostly notably mentioning that the only sharks we might see would be the white tip ones which are only a couple of feet long (and one girl on the boat DID see one!)
The water was SO rough and we were dying laughing when a pen went flying out of my hair into the water. This is the only pen we've had all trip and we've been sharing it. WHEN THAT HAPPENED COURT STARTED LAUGHING AND YELLED OUT "I THINK I JUST PEED A LITTLE!" And the WHOLE boat heard. Literally everyone just watches us and laughs the whole time. Everyone is glued to their seats because it's so rough out... and Court and I are falling all over the boat laughing (and peeing i guess). Everyone wonders why we go to bed at like 9....
Court and i being the nerds we are were the only ones able to walk around the boat because we knew from gait training that you must lower your center of gravity and widen your base of support to achieve better balance. The neurologist with us thought that was hysterical!!!
Once we got out there and got all of our fins and stuff we were ready to snorkel. Court and I are quite possibly the world's WORST snorkers. I cut myself on the reef in like, the first 5 minutes of being out there. Court did later, too, but the people on the boat gave us iodine for it so it wouldn't get infected.
Underwater, it was surprising to see how BROWN everything was. It is actually 90% brown coral under there. The guide later told us that red is very hard to see underwater... and the blues and the greens are the last colors to get washed out of the reef. There are over 470 species of coral under there and they all have cool names like "brain coral," "spaghetti coral" and "vase coral." They are all named for what they look like... an interesting concept i wish they had applied in anatomy a little more!!! We saw sea turtles and sea cucumbers or snakes (not sure which) and a sting ray and lots of big pretty fish. I was surprised at how safe i felt in the water. It was fun to take a deep breath and go way down then blow all of the water out. The only part that stunk was the pressure in your ears as you went down too low.
We went back onto the boat for lunch and then went on a glass bottomed boat ride. After that we decided to go back down once more before the boat left. It was sooo much cooler this time because were more comfortable. Court swallowed a bunch of water and i literally saved her!!! I was like BAYWATCH!!! Seriously though, she was struggling so much that the guy even came out on his raft--but being that she had her own professional lifeguard... ;-)
When we got back on the island we realized the tide had gone out and we saw 2 objects out on the exposed reef.... one pink one blue. They were our noodle flotation devices we had ditched earlier!!!! The guides just stared at us and shook their heads. Most beautiful place in the world and somehow the jersey girls found a way to litter. Later we saw an osprey "raptor" dive into the surf at the end and pull his dinner out. What a great finish to the trip as we headed home for our own dinner!
Back on the main boat, a freshwater shower felt so good. I passed out. Perfect day.
We are in Cairns city center now for a quick dinner and email check. Back to the hotel soon and an early night to bed. Tomorrow we are going out to James Cook Univ in Cairns to hear from a dr. on tropical medicine. This university is actually a huge "caretaker" of the reef, research-wise. Then we are going on some sky rail or something.
We are having the time of our lives! Today will be hard to beat. I sort of feel like the trip is over after this. The only thing more exciting than snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef is coming home to all of the people you love!!!!
More tomorrow!
Unable to post pics at the hotel... i will bring my computer into town tomorrow.
R

Last Night in Sydney/Arrival in Cairns!!!

2005-05-21T03:11:00.000-07:00

Hi! So just to catch you up on yesterday, we went to a Worker's Health Center midday. These centers focus on treatment and prevention of injuries in the workplace and have important applications to "physiotherapy." One point I found interesting was the fact that Australians have an average of 4 weeks vacation time per yer (not counting maternity leave/sick days/bereavement). Imagine how many workplace injuries would be prevented if we were better rested and less stressed! Then we went to a cute restaurant downtown for dinner... down by Darling Harbor where there is lots of shopping and the Acquarium. Afterwards a bunch of people went to a club called the Cargo Bar down by the Harbor. There were SO many international people there and Courtney enjoyed herself dancing with a bunch of South African guys. We decided to head in early, since we had a big morning of travel to Cairns planned. Of course we packed at like 5 am anyway, and got on our way to Cairns on our 3rd out of 7 flights for this trip!!!
Cairns (pronouned "Cans") is a popular vacation spot in Australia offering tropic scenery, resorts and white, sandy beaches. Located in North Queesland, Cairns is the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef. The area is also home to the beautiful Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves of Australia. Officially founded in 1876, Cairns was established as a frontier town to support the rush of prospectors after the discovery of gold in the area. The main industries now are sugar cane and tourism.
It didn't hit me until we were landing that I was about to spend a day at the Great Barrier Reef! The landscape here is BEAUTIFUL with lush mountains and hills surrounding the area. Riding into town we were told that the houses are raised up on stilts to allow air to pass under the house to cool it off. This style of house is called a "Queenslander." The bus brought us into Cairns center where an open air market was taking place. There were sooo many cool things to buy it was hard to not go nuts on the wallet. The first thing I did was have a drink of coconut juice straight from a coconut. This ripped guy with a machete cracked it open for me and I proceeded to have the best drink of my life! Then Court and I bought some junk for everyone back home.... and went to McDonald's for the millionth time. I LOVE Mcdonald's here. It are so many more healthy options!
Afterwards we had a visit with the Royal Flying Doctor Service: http://www.flyingdoctor.net/default.htm
When the Service first began, the responsibilites of the Flying Doctor were to fly to urgent cases, render first aid and, if necessary, transport the patient to the hospital; give advice by radio; fly a regular clinic circuit to areas without doctors and consult with rural and remote doctors. In essense, these are still the duties of the doctors, but technology certainly helps out alot now.
The Flying Doctors is a free service covered by medical insurance and funded by state and federal governments. It is almost legendary in nature and certainly a unique part of living in the Outback and other rural areas. The doctors also provide med boxes in the towns with all kinds of supplies. One of the townspeople is given a key and plays the part of distributing the supplies whenever necessary. The service has 1200 landing strips all throughout Australia except up north in Darwin. They also provided aid to this area (Darwin) after the tsunami.
So now we are at out hotel... a BEAUTIFUL resort that is worthy of a honeymoon. So Court and I are trying not to get too romantic! I went for a run into Cairns city center. There are so many fresh fish restaurants and markets just PACKED with people flocking to the area for the seafood! There are some shacks down on the side streets, but for the most part it is very civilized and safe looking here. When I got back from the run, it was dark and I dove into the rock bottom pool. Court and I ate some dinner poolside. So I'm off to bed because tomorrow is a BIG day!!! No one wants a hangover for a day on a boat.
Just a little preview info to the reef:
The Great Barrier Reef, designated a world heritage site in 1981, is a chain of coral reefs in the Coral Sea off the coast of NE Australia. Thought to be over 10,000 years old, it is the largest deposit of coral in the world. Because coral will only develop in water that is clear and salty, above 68 degrees and less than 90 feet deep, the Coral Sea provides an environment in which coral can flourish. It is approx 1250 miles long and comprised of the skeletal remains of tiny flower-like animals called polyps that are held togehter by an algae-producing limestone. The reef is home to 1500 species of fish, 400 species of coral, 4,000 species of mollusk and 242 species of birds. It is also home to humpback and killer whales, spinner dolphins, (among other animals of course), 6 of the worlds' s 7 species of marine turtles and is the world's largest green turtle breeding area.
But mostly we can't wait to get TAN!!! Hopefully I will get some photos up tomorrow!
R

2005-05-19T20:09:00.001-07:00

SO far from HOME!!!

2005-05-19T20:09:00.000-07:00

Sunset and cool trees

2005-05-19T20:08:00.000-07:00

On our guided trailwalk

2005-05-19T20:07:00.000-07:00

Arrival at the Calga Springs Sanctuary

2005-05-19T20:06:00.000-07:00

Court chasing an EMU

2005-05-19T20:05:00.000-07:00

Into the BUSH!!!

Day 5

2005-05-19T19:36:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone, it's a new day but i just wanted to finish about about last night! So, we also saw a bunch of toxic berries that give you liver cancer... and then Court and I ate these other berries in front of the whole group. They were so sour Court spit hers out like uncontrollably and almost hit some kid in the head with it! We saw Hawksbury Sandstone, which the Uni is made from. It is the oldest rock in australia and the oldest sandstone in the world, dating back 65 million years ago to pre-dinosaurs. It was so wierd to look around the rock and think how much the surroundings have changed since then! We saw TONs of huge spiders stretched across the trails in their webs. We also saw a wombat hole and a mama kanga with the baby in her pouch! We were so tired when we got back to the cabin. They had the most unbelievable steak dinner barbecque for us and Court and I made sure we were first in line because we are always screwing around and missing out on all of the good food!
The people at the Sanctuary truly treated us like family. After dinner we sat around the lodge and listened to the guide play the Dijoridoo instrument (that wa-waah buzzing noise in aussie music). Of course i have heard this before because i used to work at the Outback Steakhouse!! ;-) Then we heard about bush medicine and we passed around lots of plants like tea trees and ferns and stuff.
Today we went to an alternative medicine lecture at the Australian School of Music in Sydney. One of the speakers was from a mental health org called GROW. She was previously one of the most dangerous women in North South Wales with a rap sheet including stabbings, car jacking, and armed hold-ups. She had antisocial personality disorder. I said to Court "I hope she doesn't open fire right now" and Court LOST it. The Chinese Medicine lecture was also cool. The guy told us that acupuncture has been used as an analgesic for a thyroidectomy!!! Are you kidding me? They send electricity down the needles and it numbs you, but it doesn't always work. Crazy! Acupunture was brought to the US after Nixon visited China and they treated him with it for post operative pain!
Ok, gonna try to get some pics up now!
Thanks for all of the comments!!!
R

Day 4 Continued

2005-05-19T03:39:00.001-07:00

Tonight we took a bus ride North of Sydney towards Brisbane. We went up the highway and passed beautiful rolling hills and lakes. Destination: the Calga Springs Sanctuary for a dusk tour of wildlife and vegetation in "the bush." This was by far the coolest part of the trip so far!
The Sanctuary has been a dream of former Federal Minister for the Environment, Barry Cohen and his family, for over a decade. Obsessed with saving Australian wildlife from endangered species, Barry and his youngest son, Adam, the Sanctuary Manager, have laboured long and hard to create a natural environment where the wildlife are safe and visitors can wander through the bush and enjoy the native wildlife. http://www.calgasanctuary.com/.
Court and I chased the Emu around for awhile and looked around for Rodney, the pet kangaroo. We saw kangaroos in the wild as soon as we got on the trail! We learned about "Banksia," which are these beautiful flower cones that look like corn on the cobs hanging on trees. You can eat their nectar just like honey suckle. We saw Scribbly Gum trees, which have these long veins made by caterpillars.
The sanctuary houses 51 species of kangaroo (we even saw a mommy with the baby in her pouch!) and 300 species of plants. Emu were walking all over the place. That is the bird in the picture with Court. They are the dummest bird in the world--literally--because they have the smallest brain.
We learned that in Alice Springs 2/3 of the aborigines have diabetes because they are missing a gene that Northern Europeans have that breaks down simple sugars. When the area was settled and foreign refined foods made their way in, the natives started getting diabetes. We also saw wombat carvings in the rock made by aborigines. The direction of their tail points to water... and their nose to food sources; it was their way of communicating to each other where to go for these things. They also left handprints made from berries in the rocks to show that they were the sacred protectors--not owners--of the land... which our guide told us we should learn from!!!!
I have to go, this internet place is closing... i'll finish up tomorrow and put up some more pics!
R

Day 4 Sydney

2005-05-18T19:48:00.000-07:00

Hi!!! Last night we went out in the Rocks, the city's oldest "village," so named because of its rocky shoreline. It was founded in 1788, when the first convict tents were erected here. This is now one of Sydney's most popular precincts. The bars here... excuse me... PUBS have slot machines in them. "Bars" are much classier, or, as I was taught on the plane ride, where you will take a girl if you want to "impress her." So last night we went out for dinner at this little Italian Restaurant and then to a pub and then to a BAR. Got it? I will spare everyone the details on that... especially you, Elaine! We had a fun night and all got home safely. Tomorrow night we are hoping to go out in Kings Cross/Wooloomooloo which is the "red light district" popular especially with backpackers. This morning I called home for the first time after my first bout with homesickness. Mom--it felt SOO good to talk! This morning we went back to the Uni and listened to a speaker talk about the future of medicine. One thing we learned about is this new microchip they might implant in people's arms with your entire medical history on a barcode! This will eliminate lots of paperwork and error in caring with patients. Of course there are tons of ethical issues linked to this so we discussed them. Some of them include a need for more doctors as the population reaches "K" (maximum capacity), etc. The speaker told us that doctors will soon be in more of an administrative position, directing an entire team of health care providers rather than giving such personal care.
My battery is running out.
We're going out to Calga Springs Sanctuary for the afternoon and night for a lecture on bush medicine.
More later!
R
Thanks for all of your comments!!!!

2005-05-18T19:20:00.000-07:00

The Rocks, oldest district in Sydney

2005-05-18T19:19:00.000-07:00

Day 1 at Bondi Beach... just off the plane

2005-05-18T19:17:00.000-07:00

SkyTram up to Zoo

2005-05-18T19:16:00.000-07:00

At Zoo with Syndney skyline

2005-05-18T19:14:00.000-07:00

Day at the Zoo

2005-05-18T19:13:00.000-07:00

YAY! Our first Koala Bear!

2005-05-18T19:12:00.000-07:00

Mary Poppins, our tour guide

Day 3 Sydney

2005-05-18T01:48:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!!! Well this has definately been the best day so far and it's not over yet. We are going to try try try to go out tonight and hopefully I'll have some fun adventure stories on that later. But for NOW.... the day started out with a trip to the "Uni" (University of Sydney), which is this beautiful campus founded in 1850 that is reminiscent of an Oxford or Yale in the gothic tradition with the gargoyles (some of them kangaroos), but all in beautiful pink Sydney sandstone, so it's not a dark ugly campus. The "Uni" is the biggest and oldest school in Australia with the largest library in the Southern Hemisphere. Anyway, so we went to this presentation on the "making of a doctor," which was more for the pre-med students than us but we still got something out of it. The education system here is based more on "problem-based learning," so there is less classroom and more hands-on. The school here also has a program where live actors are hired to reproduce situations to help students learn how to break bad news to a patient, deal with the family... and stuff like that... which I thought was cool. so after all of that was done we went on a bus down Glebe St. which is the main strip through the Uni with lots of quaint colorful bookshops and pubs. We had a "barbie" Q with the med students and then.... had an adventure. The University houses an anatomy library which has cases and cases of dissected cadavers preserved in glass boxes in some kind of liquid. It was a total shock to see these bloated looking heads staring out at you with half of their brains exposed or their entire eye dissected. They had everything from siamese twin babies, to fetuses, to reproductive organs, and entire nerve skeletons preserved. Totally amazing. Of course photography was strictly prohibited, but Courtney and I made our own rules up about that. We decided that one or two pictures wouldn't hurt so long as it wasn't someone's face or something disrespectful like that. so we are all hidden in the back of the library taking pictures of erector spinae ("we HAVE to get one for Elaine!!!--{our teacher}). Then we start getting the hairy eyeball from one of the administrators so we go running out of there. Most people get arrested for drug possession or something like that. Not us. We would get arrested for taking illegal pictures at an anatomy library. what nerds.
So after the Uni we jumped on a bus down to Circular Quay--which is the docks area--to the ferries--where we went across the harbor onto a tram up a mountain to the zoo in search of kangaroos and koala bears.. which we found and i will post pics of ASAP. Court was so funny... she's running around saying, "This is just like Great Adventure but OUT of the car!!!"
We saw all of the animals that were offered to us to EAT at the Revolving Restaurant. Yes, camel, kangaroo, and EMU were all on the menu the other night. I swear I haven't eaten a thing since bread or veggies since then because everything suspiciously looks like kangaroo to me all of a sudden!
At the zoo, we learned that koalas are like permanently drunk from the fermented gum leaves... the eucalyptus they eat is difficult to breakdown which gives them little energy and makes them sleep like 20 hours a day! So, they were all asleep but so cute!!!
Ok... we are going to go rest and try to go out. We'll see!
Miss you all! Thanks for your emails and comments!
R

Day 2 continued

2005-05-17T03:17:00.001-07:00

I'm so upset! I have so much to say, but this little internet place is closing soon so i'll type as fast as i can! So we had another funny day. After the lectures this morning, we went to Mcdonald's for lunch and it is sooo different. They had really good sandwiches and healthy burgers and stuff. Oh, i also forgot to mention there is a ridiculously huge Asian population here, i guess because of the proximity to Asia. Anyway, so we ate lunch and then went out to this public hospital. We were supposed to go to a cardiac one, but Court signed us up for the wrong one! So we are in the front of the bus and we're screaming like we're in an IMAX theatre because we just can't get used to driving on the other side of the road! Then we arrive at this public hospital which was the first hospital to break away from the English architecture to become an open air hospital suitable to the tropics. We're walking through the corridors and it's all cold and raining and we're like, you wheel patients through here???? We went into a burn unit and they explained to us about disinfecting and environmental swabbing and this skin spray stuff that is still in development. This was a huge research and teaching hospital that we were at. They talked to us a bit about experimental testing on humans and the ethics of it and all of that. One of the interesting things about the public hospitals is you really can't choose your doctors. So then we went into cardio, which wasn't anything new and then.... the big deal... was the experimental workshop. They had these stations set up where you could put a nasogastric tube down a patient. Which i did. But the next three stations I failed with a capital F and reminded me why I am not in medical school. They had this station with a fake arm with a vein and fake blood running through it to teach you how to do IVs and take blood. The demonstrater thought he was being funny and made it spray fake blood all over and I almost passed the hell out. Then there was a station to teach you how to cathetarize males and females with the dummy repro organs. It was so funny watching court with the male dummy, but i couldn't do that one either because i was busy drinking apple juice, trying not to pass out. So then we went to dinner at the Revolving Restaurant and are so tired that we're going to bed again at 9! So much for a big night. I had one glass of wine and am practically comatose!
We are excited about tomorrow morning, because we finally learned how to order a cup of coffee... a short white or a flat white or something. Whatever. We'll somehow screw it up again;-) Goodnight. Love you alll!
Especially you, Joc!

2005-05-17T03:17:00.000-07:00

Cliffs at Bondi Beach

2005-05-17T03:15:00.001-07:00

Boat Ride of Darling Harbor

2005-05-17T03:15:00.000-07:00

Finally made it

2005-05-17T03:14:00.000-07:00

Opera House

Day 2 Sydney

2005-05-16T19:06:00.000-07:00

Today is our first full day in Sydney. It's actually sort of dreary out but it's supposed to clear up tomorrow. I had to fight the urge to jump out of bed at 1:30 am since we went to bed at 9! This morning we worked out and had breakfast and then went to a local university to hear a lecture on Australia's healthcare system. It was really interesting to learn about the issues that face a public healthcare system vs. a private one. For example, anyone can walk into a hospital and be treated soup-to-nuts for a condition and be covered by insurance. However, this presents its own list of implications. Since so much money is put into providing primary care, this leaves less money for research and specialists. However, there are also advantages. People seem to get themselves to the hospital in the earlier stages of an illness, whereas in the US people put it off for long as possible, hoping their condition will improve. Thus, doctors are treating healthier patients. Some other issues are due to geography. Sydney is the most influencial city with the most hospitals per square mile. For a population of 20 million (280 million in the US), spread across the continent of Australia, this poses its own set of problems. People in rural areas have an average mortality age 20 years early than those closer to rural areas. Solutions such as the Royal Flying Doctors have been developed to ameliorate this problem, but there is still much left to be done.
That's enough for now. We're off to lunch and a cardiac hospital this afternoon. Tonight is dinner at the fancy Revolving Restaurant and then maybe we'll go out and find some trouble. ;-) Hopefully I will get some pics up later.
R

Crossing the Dateline/Arrival in Syndey

2005-05-16T02:49:00.000-07:00

After killing the day in L.A., we finally had our first group meeting. 80 of us assembled at the hotel, where the details of the trip were laid out before our midnight departure. Our group leaders are super cool—Tanya, a neurologist and Jim, a biologist. After a three hour meeting, we packed into shuttle buses to begin the VERY, VERY long process of traveling to Australia. We flew out on QUANTAS airlines, which I later learned stands for Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Service. Sydney, our first destination, is located in New South Wales, North of Victoria, East of S. Australia, and South of Queensland, where Cairns is located. note: Sydney is NOT the capital!
The plane was enormous—two levels—and extremely comfortable, although I think I could have slept in a gutter after taking an Ambien. I woke up for awhile just as we were crossing the International Date line and had fun tracking the plane across the Pacific on our monitors. I also learned the art of taking a shower in an airplane bathroom, thanks to the day of sightseeing planned after our 14 hour flight.
Upon arriving, our group boarded buses and was taken on an amazing tour of Sydney and the surrounding areas. Courtney and I were TERRIFIED driving on the other side of the road and almost run over numerous times today trying to cross the street!!! Court literally saved my life once. Thanks Court.
Anyway, so we are all on this bus headed out to the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. I LOVE the architecture here... definately old-meets-new with a British influence. There are lots of "terrace houses" and "small stone cottages"... complete with a pub on every corner. We passed all of these little shops with names like "physiotherapy" instead of physical therapy and "chemist" instead of pharmacy. The whole bus ride we're like "wait, how many degrees is it? How fast are we going? Am I supposed to be tired right now? What is my money worth?" The locals are very helpful with little conversion rules and tricks. Double the Celsius temp and add 30.
Our first stop was in Bondi Beach City this beautiful, colorful town built on cliffs and rolling hills on the Tasman Sea. It looks like the French Riviera. We're all excited because as Court said, "I've never seen a SEA before!" The guide informed us that the Pacific Ocean is just north to the Tasman Sea. So we got out there and exchanged some money and took pictures and I bought a "Pepsi Light." So funny.
The guide was great and told us all about the history of Australia as we rolled through more suburbs into the city. Australia was originally a British colony where prisoners were sent. At first it was composed of colonies but now there are 6 states and 2 terriotories. The country is still very much under English control and the Queen.
So, we continue along on the bus, just howling laughing the whole time because we are SO disgusting and none of our basic needs are being met (food, sleep, shower), but for some reason we're just so exhausted and tired that it's funny. We took great pictures of the harbor in Watson's Bay... and later pass through Rose Bay where there are lots of sailboats and sea planes. For some reason this place keeps reminding me of La Jolla with all of the colors and shops, but it of course has a very heavy European influence at the same time. Everything is very hilly with winding streets and quaint shops and SOOOO clean. It keeps sunshowering so everything looks clean and brand new for our arrival.
As we get closer to the city center, we start passing beautiful churches and museums. We stop under these fig trees (I'm like, "What are these squishy acorns???") for pictures of the Opera House and the big bridge next to it, which people actually climb up for like $150 and have to wear these grey suits so cars don't crash trying to look up at them as they drive by.
All of this culminates in a lunch time boat ride around the harbor. We were starving at this point and both of our plates were loaded up so high it was like we were at an NFL feeding table. Darling Harbor was beautiful.... lots of runners and people out sailing enjoying a beautiful winter Monday.
The best part of my day though was the shower. It has NEVER felt so GOOD to shower.
Tomorrow I have to introduce our guest speaker in front of the group.... some guy talking to us about the hospital/healthcare system in Australia. Then we're visiting a cardiac hospital... have some free time (I really want to take the rail out/specially built for the Olympic Village), and then dinner at the Revolving Restaurant overlooking the city.
This place is AMAZING.
Over and out. I feel like I'm on Mars.
;-)
R
ps--Still having probs with the voltage adaptors. I almost lit my hair on fire so I'm going to wait to post pictures. I'm on battery right now.

L.A.

2005-05-14T12:23:00.000-07:00

So Courtney and I are here in L.A. We're all messed up time-wise... and it's only going to get worse... so we had a relaxing day at the pool...worked out...and went to Burger King for lunch since we spent too much money on wine waiting at the airport yesterday!!! Courtney is still in shock because a bus let out at Burger King after we got our food and the line was out the door to the street. She even took a picture and is still talking about it. She also wants to know if we talk different. She keeps saying "Do we have an accent Robyn?" Funny. "Yes, we do," I tell her. When I lived out here in middle school I was teased relentlessly for being from Jersey.
We met another girl in the program at the pool... some girl in an Athletic Training Program at Michigan. We're so excited to meet everyone at our meeting at 5:00! So now we're just killing time packing and repacking and packing again and trying to figure out how to minimize our feelings of grossness on our 14 hour flight. To be continued. Oh, mom and dad, you will be very proud of me. Some divorced guy at the pool offered to drive us to the beach and we said, "No thank you. We are not allowed to go in the car with strangers."
Elaine, we know you're so excited to read our posts. :-)

Program Overview: Destination Australia

2005-05-13T04:19:00.000-07:00

The International Scholar Laureate Program Delegation on Medicine in Australia takes participants to the extraordinary cities of Sydney and Cairns and into the distinguished halls of The University of Sydney School of Medicine and James Cook University. Through observation and dialogues with medical staff, participants gain perspective on how western doctors administer care to Australia's many ethnic groups.

Participants learn about bush medicine and the pharmacology of the Aboriginal people, and get a glimpse into the current medical research being conducted at the Great Barrier Reef. They also visit world famous Bondi Beach where the internationally acclaimed Bondi Beach volunteer lifesavers perform a live rescue demonstration in the Australian surf.

These are just a few of the opportunities awaiting participants on this 12-day journey.

(Source: http://www.scholarlaureate.org/medicine/australia.cfm)

Mission

2005-05-12T19:14:00.000-07:00

The International Scholar Laureate Program Delegation on Medicine in Australia, Brazil, China or South Africa gives participants a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work with distinguished medical leaders, researchers and practitioners to gain a tremendous head start toward their career goals.

In Australia, participants meet with representatives of the Royal Flying Doctor service, who reach out and treat the people of the outback; in South Africa, they experience the challenges of caring for growing numbers of HIV/AIDS patients; in China, participants witness western medical science working hand-in-hand with traditional Chinese healing; and in Brazil they see public health officials mobilize to treat disease and promote good health for a diverse population.

The International Scholar Laureate Programs are sponsored by the Envision Institute, which focuses on experiential education in which participants learn by doing. These programs give participants the skills and resources they need to succeed in an ever-evolving world and help them reach their full leadership potential.

(source: www.scholarlaureate.org)

2005-05-12T16:10:00.000-07:00

Last Night at Home!