Nothin like a Straddie Vacay

Yikes - it's been a few days since the last update! That's because I spent the last 3 days here:

~North Gorge at North Stradbroke Island, Australia~

And their internet cost $8 an hour! But the good news is that the beaches were FREE!

After getting back from the Gold Coast, I had noticed a blurb about an island just across the bay from Brisbane that was remote, peaceful and beautiful - North Stradbroke Island - so we decided to try it out for a few days. They had a lovely backpackers hostel called Manta Lodge where we stayed with in the good company of a few locals and a kind Canadian named Paul who ran the place.

~Our lovely accomodation - YHA Manta Lodge at North Stradbroke Island, Australia~

The hostel also featured a dive shop (as seen in the picture above) where you can take day trip to snorkel or scuba dive around the island. Usually the waters around the island are host to some exciting species of fish and marine life, such as sea turtles, manta rays and grey nurse sharks. Also in the early spring, you can see dolphins and humpback whales as they make their annual migration from Antarctica to warmer waters.

~Manta ray & diver~

North Stradbroke Island - or 'Straddie', as the locals call it - is host to several unspoiled, fairly deserted beaches that look like something out of a pirate movie. The waters are crystal clear and the waves are HUGE! We went swimming Friday afternoon and it was exhausting just keeping up with the waves pounding the snot out of you every few seconds. We were in water up to our waists and the incoming waves towered well over our heads!

~Surfer at Cylinder Beach~

After we got back from the beach, Paul told us about a surfer who had been surfing over at Main Beach around the same time we were swimming at Cylinder Beach (about 2 km apart). The surfer noticed a shark tailing him, so he went in and told the lifeguards, who hopped on their jetskis to chase the shark away. Apparently, the shark came back later and made himself known to the surfers, so they had to close the beach. Paul said the unusual thing about the shark was it was much more aggressive than the usual sharks around the area - and that it was much larger too. The lifeguards speculated it was either a tiger shark or a great white - neither of which are common in the area, except during the month of the whale migration.

~Main Beach at North Stradbroke Island, Australia~

I'm just glad I heard about it after I had been swimming...I wouldn't have gotten NEAR that water if I'd heard about it before!

Now we're centered in Brisbane city for a few days. I head off to Bali on Wednesday morning, and there will be no updates from Indonesia through the rest of my trip because there's only sporadic internet on the islands. Maybe I'll sneak one update in somewhere, or maybe at one of the many airports (Bali, Taipei, San Francisco or Detroit!) I'll be traveling through on my way home.

Until next time, cheers mate!

Summer again!

Hey y'all -

We arrived in Brisbane yesterday morning, and in a spontaneous move decided that we didn't want to really be in Brisbane - we'd rather be at the BEACH! So right now, and for the next few days, we are stationed at Surfer's Paradise (that's the town's actual name) right in the middle of Australia's famed Gold Coast, where the beaches are extensive and the sand is white as snow.

The weather has been perfect so far, and we're looking forward to a few days of sitting in the sand and playing in the waves.

I don't have time to leave an extensive report, but hopefully I will later on this week. Before I forget though, I'll give you the answer to last week's puzzler. The question was:

"What does the following phrase mean in Aussie English: I've chucked a sickie and I've got my budgie smugglers, now I'm ready to hang ten, mate!"

The equivalent phrase is:

"I've called in sick to work ('chucked a sickie') and I have my Speedo ('budgie smugglers' eeeeeewwwwwww), now I'm ready to go surfing (hang ten), my good friend (mate)."

Thanks to all of you who played along :) Until next time!

American

Lately, this fact has come to my attention:

I am an American.

As obvious as this statement sounds, it has only been brought to my attention in the last year or so. Before then, it didn't matter. When I was at Purdue, in a group I identified myself by what I studied. And then in DC, I identified myself with where I went to college. And then in Korea (amongst friends), it was by my home state. Amongst my colleagues and students, it was by saying I was from "near Chicago" (because they had no idea where Indiana was). And finally here, circling the globe amidst travellers from every corner of the world, I have simply become "American".

This makes me uneasy. Am I proud to be American? I'm still figuring it out.

I would venture to say that almost everyone in the world (who has access to the global news) cares about America. They care about the President. They care about the election. They care about the war. I can't escape it. The mere mention of my nationality brings up heated debates among people who haven't lived there, can't vote and generally have no voice to be heard in the situation.

And I'm expected to defend my country and my people. My label is "American", and it represents something that 95% of the world either disagrees with or finds fault with. Some of the time, I agree with their complaints. Some of the time I laugh it off. After all, there's not much I can do but listen to them.

But I can't seem to find the line between between loving my country and loving "being American". Other citizens can love their countries; if an Italian man is proud to be Italian and defends such a right, he is patriotic, perhaps even noble. If an American is proud to be as such and defends America, many times he ends up looking like a jerk.

I love my rights. I love my freedoms. I love my opportunities and my big, American dreams. I love that literally, anything is possible. I love that I belong somewhere. I love that I have a home. I love that there are people who stand beside me and defend me. I love that I have a voice and that I am heard.

And I appreciate the people I meet and the people I call friends who have grace for America and its sons and daughters.

So, after all of this processing, I still don't know if I'm proud to represent all that America stands for.

But I am certainly not ashamed to call myself "an American".

Down Undah

So far we've spent 3 days in Sydney, and its been a whirlwind. I literally cannot believe how fast this vacation has gone! Next Monday marks the halfway point, and by then we'll already be in Brisbane!

Australia is not what I expected it to be. Granted, my expectations were along the lines of Crocodile Hunter meets Crocodile Dundee meets kangaroos and wallabies. There are much fewer crocs in Sydney than I had anticipated :)

On one hand, being in Sydney is really like being in any other city. There are lots of people (LOTS of non-natives here), big buildings and touristy things. However, Sydney is impressively green. There are SO MANY parks and a HUMUNGOUS Botanical Gardens area. It makes walking through the city a relaxing experience. Not to mention such impressive sights as the Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge.

Another thing I've noticed that sets Sydney apart is that these people LOVE to exercise. All the time. Day and night. I tried to count the runners I saw when I was walking through the park to get downtown today and I stopped at 150 after walking about 20 minutes. People also kickbox in the park and bike everywhere. I was (and still am) highly impressed with their disciplined regimens, however, I often wonder to myself:

"Do these people ever work?"

Yes, of course they work. At least I'm pretty sure...

And now, a short Aussie vocabulary quiz:

Take a guess at what the following Aussie phrase refers to. NO CHEATING! (No cunning either, for all you Koreanites)

"I've chucked a sickie and I've got my budgie smugglers, now I'm ready to hang ten, mate!"

I'll post the answer when I get 5 guesses. If you guess right, I'll buy you a wombat. Or a boomerang. Or some budgie smugglers.

Cheers, mate!

The Christ in Christchurch

Today was our last day in Christchurch; tomorrow we'll be leaving (at 4:15 AM - YIKES) to fly to Sydney. We'll be spending a week there, and then we're off to Brisbane. JCrew and I used to sing "The Prayer" by Josh Groban and Charlotte Church in the noraebang in Seoul, so I've got some good experience under my belt. I hope it wows the people at the Sydney Opera House :)

Today was (and still is) Sunday. Its the first Sunday we've had on this trip where we've actually been able to attend church. We did some research and found an evangelical-ish church in the center of the city. The message was interesting (I'm still chewing on it) and the church seemed really community-focused. Overall I think it was a good experience, though it reminded me that church is about community, family - and I'm still missing my Seoul church family.

More than wanting to hear a moving speech, more than wanting to sing good songs, I want to worship amongst people I hold dear. I want to surround myself with family and with one voice worship the Creator. So the service today didn't exactly fill what I expected it to. As it turns out, the empty "church" slot in my week yearns to be filled with people, not a place.

After church, I walked to the grocery store to buy food to cook with tonight. As I passed the main square I saw a man holding a sign. The sign was ranting about the church and about Christians and next to him on the ground was a Bible. He was encouraging passers-by to literally stomp on the Bible. And there was a group of about 4 teenage girls around him who seemed all the happier to oblige.

As I walked past the scene, I was surprised to find that I wasn't angry. Granted, what they were doing was quite offensive, but my reaction was not anger. I wasn't stirred with a "How dare they!" attitude. I was surprised to find myself quite sad for them.

If I took a copy of "Green Eggs and Ham" and stomped on it, I don't think Dr. Seuss would give a hoot. Even if I wrote a book, which someday I hope to do, and someone spat on it, ripped it to shreds, poured gasoline on it and lit it, I don't even think I would be that upset. This is because their action cannot destroy my work, just as my proposed offense could not destroy Dr. Seuss by simply destroying his words on paper.

I thought of the verse: "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." - Hebrews 4:12

The Word of God is. It has been for thousands of years. If I write the word "Hello" on a piece of paper and you rip it up, the word "hello" still exists. I was (and still am quite frankly) perplexed of the motives of the whole incident.

And that's what brought the sadness, wondering what they've experienced in their lives to make them so determined to spite God and all the believers who witnessed their act. Is their anger against Christians? Probably. Our seemingly "hypocritical" natures often deserve that. Is their anger against the Church? Maybe. Against parents who pushed their beliefs onto them? Or is it against their own feelings of guilt that come as a result of their rebellion?

What a heart-breaking sight.

And while the pages crumple and tear, the azure blue sky simply exists, and brings more glory to God that they could ever take away.

Kaikoura musings

Hello!

We have successfully navigated our way down the east coast of New Zealand and have arrived in Kaikoura, a beautiful beachside town about halfway down the south island. I can't help but imagine how much more beautiful this place is in the summertime - its cold (about 50) and rainy today and the sea is still strikingly aqua in color and stunning to gaze at from inside our nicely heated backpackers' residence.

Kaikoura is typically known for its seal colonies and whale watching tours. For awhile this morning there was a seal perched on a rock not too far from the front window of the kitchen. As Trevor bundled up in preparation to go capture this cute pup on film, he promptly swam away (the seal, not Trevor). Perhaps he had a lunch date.

In addition to seals and whales, there are large numbers of dusky dolphins and a variety of birds here as well. Though Kaikoura is, in numbers, so much smaller than Seoul or any other place I've lived in, I can't help but feel that it is so much more alive. I can't explain it, but there is a harmony here that resonates into a soft, peaceful atmosphere. I'm reading The Four Loves by C.S. Lewis, and at one point he says:

If you take nature as a teacher she will teach you exactly the lessons you had already decided to learn; this is only another way of saying that nature does not teach. The tendency to take her as a teacher is obviously very easily grafted on to the experience we call ‘love of nature’. But it is only a graft. While we are actually subjected to them, the ‘moods’ and ‘spirits’ of nature point no morals. Overwhelming gaiety, insupportable grandeur, somber desolation are flung at you. Make what you can of them, if you must make at all. The only imperative that nature utters is, “Look. Listen. Attend.”

There is comfort existing in a place that says to you, "I am bigger than you. I have existed longer than you. And I will continue to exist even after you have gone."

Kia Ora!

'Allo from New Zealand, mate!

We are currently in Wellington, NZ. We flew into Auckland last week, and from there made our way to Rotorua (the Maori cultural center/geothermal hub of NZ) where we spent a couple days, and then yesterday we hopped on a bus and cruised 7 hours south to Wellington, a pleasant harbor-side city full of history and fun free things to do!

Some of the most impressive things so far:

1) Waiheke Island (Auckland, NZ) - Stonyridge Winery

~Leaving Auckland by high-speed ferry for a day trip to Waiheke Island~

~A view of the vineyard - this is the greenest place I've ever seen!~

~Unfortunately, August in NZ is winter...so there were no grapes :( ~

2) Wai-O-Tapu Geothermal Zone (Taupo, NZ)

~This area is the most active geothermal zone on the planet~


~The flora of this area was so unique, due to the generally inhospitable environment produced by the mineral-rich geothermal pools~


~All of these pools were near boiling temperature - and brightly colored due to the various mineral deposits present~

We're currently in the process of exploring Wellington City; today we visited the Botanical Gardens and the world-famous Te Papa Museum, an AWESOME interactive museum covering everything from the driving geological forces behind the formation of New Zealand to the rich cultural history of the indigenous Maori tribes that once lived an isolated life on these remote islands. We learned so much today!

So far Wellington is my favorite place we've visited. Its got a blend of visible, preserved history and a modern attitude, where the people are friendly and there are lots of places to explore.

We're slated to take a ferry on Thursday morning to the South Island, where we'll finish our trek through NZ with stops in Kaikoura and Christchurch before heading to Sydney on the 8th. In Auckland, the temps hovered in the 55-65 range during the day, and about 50 at night. As we head farther south, it gets colder and colder! Right now its about 45 outside and its 8:30 PM. By the time we get to Christchurch, it'll be even colder...quite the shock coming from a Seoul summer to a New Zealand winter in only 12 hours!

Please pray for our safety and our relationships with each other - so far we're having a blast! 1 week down, 5 to go!