Bucket List

To Do While in Australia: (in no particular order)

1) Pet a kangaroo (Currumbin wildlife sanctuary had a huge, barely monitored enclosure where you could go inside, feed, and pet the kangaroos)

2) Eat a kangaroo (had a piece of kangaroo meat during orientation at a student organization's booth. It was quite good)

3) Take a ferry in Sydney Harbor (Took a ferry to and from Manly across the harbor. so pretty)

4) Gain respect from Aussie frisbee team (I made the team, and it's clear they are happy to have me, but I'm more grateful for them welcoming me)

5) Get a standup barrel (I came close, but I was too deep to make it out. I'm going to be picky on these surfing objectives because I hope to improve my surfing while I'm here.)

6) Land a big air (launched a big one, landed with my feet on the board, but just couldn't ride it out. really close)

7) Land a blow tail

8) Land some kind of reverse, either an air reverse or just spinning through a turn

9) Jump off something tall: a cliff, bungee jumping, sky diving, etc. (sliding down the Clarrie Hall Dam satisfies this one)

10) Watch the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast at Snapper Rocks (I watched Taj Burrow win in a very close final)
11) Surf Snapper Rocks (I caught 2 waves out at the peak, neither of which were good. I got spooked by the 10+ people duck-diving right underneath me as I dropped in...very crowded)

12) Surf Kirra Point (wasn't breaking while I was there)

13) Snorkel a cool reef

14) Scuba dive the Great Barrier Reef (looks like I'll have to go back to mark off this one)

15) Have my American accent admired by a girl (I was working the ultimate frisbee booth, and when these 2 girls stopped to sign up, a very energetic girl said, "oh, he has an accent!" after the words I spoke...but I'm update this if a there is a better occurrence)

16) Pick up a good Aussie accent, but rarely use it (it's decent at most)

17) Learn about the history of Australia (Intro to Aboriginal Studies has sufficiently taught me)

18) Go to and spectate an Aussie rules football match or rugby (watched my first AFL match on TV...interesting sport) (watched the Australian team take on Scotland in Newcastle)

19) Drive on the wrong side of the road (the left side) (I drove "the Stallion" around the Gold Coast all the while flipping the windshield wipers on instead of the turn signal because they are the wrong side of the steering wheel here)

20) Cage dive with sharks

21) Learn to play the didgeridoo (learning)

22) Learn to throw a boomerang (apparently it's similar to a frisbee)

23) Buy a round at a bar for my friends ("Gaeta's shout" as they will say) (At the Nationals party, I smuggled in a "goon sack," which is a bag of wine, and shared it with my mates...that counts. Also, I shouted individuals on multiple occasions)

24) Go to mass at least three different churches (got 3 just in Newcastle, but I wolln't be stopping there)

25) Watch an Aussie movie (just watched "The Dish" with my housemate. Good feel-good movie!)

26) Go on a walkabout

27) Explore a new surf spot (Stoddard and I walked around a small headland to a spot inaccessible by car...waves were bad though, which kind of reminded me of home)

28) Make friends with at least 3 people in each city I visit (and I hope to go back and visit them)

29) Get someone to sing a verse of "Land Down Under" by Men at Work to me (Justin, Mary, and Challiss sang me a verse over Skype. I didn't count it by itself, however with the addition of a room full of Aussies singing the Star Spangled Banner on the 4th of July by my request...item completed!)

30) Eat veggemite (I put some on the corner of a piece of toast....grooooss)

31) Teach the Aussies "the odds game" (I recently got Davies to do Mustache March with me! Even though I have crossed this one out, I will not rest until the entire nation plays the game)

32) Enlighten the Aussies about Ricky Bobby (I have been wearing El Diablo my jerseys, but while everyone knows Will Ferrell and Anchorman, no one has seen Talladega Nights. Fortunately, however, they don't know much Spanish, so for the most part they don't know what el diablo means)

33) Compete in the semifinals....or quarter finals.... of Australian Nationals (that's ultimate frisbee) (I-Beam finished 8th at Nationals)

34) Collect some Australian currency to bring home

35) Return a better a version of myself

36) Bring back an Aussie frisbee (I got from Regionals and from Nationals)

37) Learn to cook an Aussie dish (I have made fish and chips and have a recipe for meat pies although I haven't tried making them yet)

38) Bring back an Australian flag (cashier forget to charge me for it and I didn't notice until we had already left...let's say he meant to give me the flag to bring home)

39) Surf with a pro surfer (the day after the Quiky Pro was over, I surfed with Mick Fanning and Josh Kerr at Snapper Rocks. I shook hands with Mick on the beach afterwards)

40) Find an Aussie musician that I like (I learned this weekend that Jet is Australian, and I have already been listening to "are you gonna be my girl." Also, the national public radio station Triple J is awesome. I learned of The Wombats while I was there, but they aren't Aussie. However, Sparkadia is Australian)

41) Go to the Sydney Aquarium (it was pretty cool. The Great Barrier Reef exhibit was gorgeous)

42) Check out the Outback

While I may not have every item crossed off the list, I did accomplish many things that were not on the list: I got signatures from many of my favorite pro surfers, I shook Mick Fanning's hand after surfing Snapper Rocks with him (well I more just watched him shred), I was a Eucharistic Minister for the first time ever for the Easter mass, I surfed waves so large I was one of only a few people out there (and I was pretty nervous), I made friends with Frisbee players all over Australia and made a bit of a name for myself (an Aussie came over to UNCW for a semester and he recognized me and knew my name), and made many more memories and friends!
Looking back, it seems surreal that I went and had that adventure! I will cherish those experiences and memories!

Sydney Melbourne Open (Frisbee Tournament)

Last weekend we went to Minto, NSW (just south of Sydney) for I Beam's first tournament, the Sydney - Melbourne Open. I Beam keeps a small roster, and this weekend there were 13 of us, which makes the 23 players Clemson usually brings to a tournament seem like an army. The weather was hot, and I was reminded that there is a hole in the ozone layer above Australia...reminded first by the sun and then afterwards by Davies. Thank you, Dad, for the Mediterranean skin tone, because by the end of the weekend I was fortunate enough to escape with just a farmer's tan, a mild sunburn on my calves, and chapped lips. Lesson learned.
We finished 4th in the tournament, which is a good result in my opinion, although we lost badly to a good team in the showcase game. The footage from the showcase game and the tournament is supposed to be edited into a video; I'll post a link to the video when it's completed. As more evidence of how friendly Aussies are, after every game both teams come together for a spirit huddle. The captains say a little speech to the other team: congratulating them, wishing them luck, and making witty jokes. Then it's, "three big cheers for ____. Hip hip, HOORAY! Hip hip, HOORAY! Hip hip, HOORAY!"

Up until now I have been just an American visitor here. With time seeming to slow to half speed in these first 2 weeks, July 10th appears to be a very long way off. It occurred to me that by the end of that time I will not be just a visitor, but a student, a resident, a temporary Aussie. This week has been the beginning of the transition away from being a visitor and towards immersion into the culture. Orientation (or O-Week as they call it) was this week, and I got to hang out with the other 2 Clemson boys here and their friends. I now have my schedule finalized, setting in the reality that I AM in school after such a long break (the last time I had school work was exams at the beginning of December). I am taking a senior level electrical engineering course called Automatic Controls, a project management course, a professional communication course, Intro to Aboriginal Studies (Davies gave me crap saying every American takes that course...of course we do!), and an international business course. All in all that will transfer back as 15 credit hours of work, but we'll soon see if the workload is truly equivalent to 15 credit hours.
Also, I now have my own mode of transportation: I bought a used road bike! I had been told by the guys on the frisbee team that there was a place where I could get a bike for a fully refundable deposit. Just return the bike after however long and get all your money back. I questioned how this could be the case, and how the profit was to be made. When I got to the location, I realized that profit wasn't the primary goal. It was a residential house entirely surrounded by bicycles and parts. I honestly thought this was the home of a hoarder because just as the Earth is predominantly covered in water, this lot was predominately covered in bicycles! Stacks of old, partly rusting, donated bicycles as high as the fence enclosing his property. Dan the bike man, as he is called, was sitting in what was left of his front yard working on the spokes of a bike tire while wearing tattered and patched clothes. I really wanted to pull out my camera and take a few pictures, but not knowing the guy, I did not want to offend him by outwardly displaying any notion that his place was a gross and bizarre spectacle. After asking for a library bike, he didn't say much and went inside the house. I did not go inside with him because, again, I did not want to risk being rude by entering without invited inside. He returned with a mountain bike. I couldn't see into the house, but I could only imagine more bikes piled as high as the ceiling with nothing but small pathways to move about the house! He showed me a few more bikes, and I ended buying a silver road bike, a crappy blue helmet, and a short, thick chain with a padlock all for $130. I signed a contract printed on the back of half of another sheet of paper with scratch outs, arrows, and hand written comments which documented the price and description of all that I had purchased, so that I could return it all for a full refund at anytime. He kept a copy, and I got a copy. Oh, and I have to send him a copy of the email that I must send to the proper government authority petitioning for safer biking conditions in Newcastle. When riding my bike home I gained respect for Dan the bike man, because that old bike rode amazingly well! He is a true craftsman. And yes, I will be getting a picture of his compound before I leave the country :)

Things are moving closer and closer towards me moving into Tats's place. He is the frisbee guy who's room I hope to move into. I went and saw the place, and I am quite keen to live there! It is a two story house in a great location: 3 blocks from the beach, 5 blocks from a shopping center, and 6 blocks from a Catholic church. In the shopping center there is a surf shop, a Coles where I can do my grocery shopping, a local fresh produce stand, and a bunch of other little stores. More on the house to come when there is more definitive news. In the mean time, here are a few pictures of the waves at the beach by this house:

Well that's it for now. Tomorrow I am going with Danielle and her friend to the Hunter Valley for some wining and dining. Next week classes start. Also, I will likely being flying to Gold Coast for my 4 day weekend to hang out with Keegan and George (my 2 friends from Isle of Palms) and watch the world's best surfers compete in the Quiksilver Pro!

Love y'all!
~Christian

P.S. The Catholic churches here ARE using the new English translation of the liturgy, in case you were wondering.

Pictures of Newcastle

I borrowed Davey's bike and rode it into town the other day. My explorations led me by some cool places, buildings, and sights, and I did my best to take some pictures. At first I couldn't help riding on the right hand side of the bike paths, but I eventually realized that I should stay on the left hand side. It was long day of riding, but exploring the town was "heaps" enjoyable. Here are some pictures:

I ment to put this in the last post

Australia's version of Burger King (also notice "Brekky" on the sign. They totes abbrev everything)

Meatpies. They're pretty good and very popular here

Cockatoos walking around like pigeons

Catholic Cathedral

        

Holy water fonts

 

Inside of the Cathedral

Newcastle Harbor & Knobby's Head

Knobby's Beach. Follow the beach all the way to the harbor & Knobby's Head

Right hand point break I wandered upon

Cool houses overlooking the right hand point break

Ocean bathes at Newcastle Beach. Rationally, why build a pool right next to the beach, you can just swim in the ocean? And yet it's so cool!

I think this was a kid's ocean bath, again at Newcastle Beach. Check out the waves in the background

This was just a poor day at Newcastle Beach! Can't wait for a real swell to come through

The cliffs at Newcastle Beach

Anglican Cathedral up on a hill. Didn't go there yet, but it was cool how it appears to be hovering over the city.

Downtown Newcastle: Roundabound, clock tower, and Norfolk Island Pines

That's it for now. I'm off to Sydney this weekend for a frisbee tournament!

A Warm Welcome to Newcastle, NSW, Australia

Dear Family & Friends,

I have been in the land down under for a total of about 4 days. All in all it took me about 32 hours of traveling to get here. I flew out of Charleston on Tuesday at 2:50PM, and my host picked me up from the train station on Thursday at 2:00PM local time. You could figure out the time difference from that, but I'll save you the trouble. I am 16 hours ahead here. So it is currently 8:45AM on Monday the 13th. From y'all's point of view, it's already tomorrow here! Anyways, the flights were not bad. On the flight over the Pacific I had free meals and free movies (and a pretty good movie selection I might add). For the entire 3 hour train ride, I was constantly looking out the window, absorbing all the new sights. I had to chuckle when I saw a billboard for Dexter; they love American television among many things American.

First look at Sydney, Australia

Here's a little story as evidence of both how friendly the people are here and how much the Lord has been looking out for me. While I was lugging my 50lb suitcase, 70lb boardbag, and my backpack through the Sydney airport to the train station, a man and his son held the elevator (or "lift") for me. It turns out he got a degree from the College of Charleston! They helped me with my suitcase, while I steered my boards to the train, and then they led me to my platform where I would transfer onto the train to Newcastle. Gordon and Tim gave me their contact information and offered me a place to stay with their family just outside of Sydney if I were ever in need.

My host for the first 2 weeks is the captain of the University's (or "Uni") frisbee team, Ryan Davey. I met Davies through a friend named Chuck who plays frisbee for USC and who studied abroad here last semester. Shout out to Chuck: this trip would not have been the same without you, in an entirely good way! Since I timed my sleeping on the flights according to my new time zone, I felt relatively energized upon arrival. Davies took me grocery shopping with him, where I learned that peppers = capsicums, rather than ketchup they have tomato paste, and that the Lord is still showing me how much he has my back. I'll explain that last one. I have been emailing 3 other Clemson students who are here in Newcastle, and when in the check out line (or "queue''), Davies pointed out 2 other Americans behind us. They just so happened to be the 2 Clemson students who had arrived before me!

The rest of my time here has so far revolved around frisbee (hey, just like back in Clemson haha). On the first day here, Davies brought me with him to I beam's training session that afternoon. I beam is Newcastle's club team, and the name comes from the fact that Newcastle used to make lots and lots of....that's right...I beams. All I knew about this team was that they were an Australian Nationals contender each year, so I was eager to keep my mouth shut, play my best, and let them judge my abilities for themselves. It was love at first sight. All the guys were really welcoming, friendly, and funny, asking me what I thought of the place so far, and pointing out uniquely Australian birds. Since they already have too many people named Chris on the team, and apparently Christian is too long for a culture that abbreviates every word in the language, and I did not want to be called Chuck / New Chuck (no offense Chuck; I know it would have been an honor), I offered to be called by my last name...so now everyone calls me Gator :) . Davies later told me that during the deep throwing drill when I took off to receive my first deep throw, they were happy with how fast I ran, and by the end of the first training session, they were "keen" to have me on the team. There was another training session last night, followed by a barbecue, where we all watched the Australia v India Cricket match....and where I learned how the heck cricket was played! After chatting with all the guys, I found it impressive how much they know about frisbee back in the states. Davies watches "heaps" of games online and knows the names of more players than I do. He has even heard of EO, the captain of the club team I play for back in Charleston. The captain of I beam played for Truck Stop last year, and a number of the guys have played at Worlds. Last night I was officially invited to play for I beam by the captains, as well. We have our first tournament in Sydney this coming weekend!

I am only staying with Davies temporarily, until the semester begins Feb. 27th, when his roommate returns from his trip to America. So I have been diligently searching for a place to live. Newcastle is an old city filled with lots of small old houses, and if they have AC at all, it is confined to just the living room, and it is quite warm here especially since it's summer time in the southern hemisphere! There are a lot of listings, and I have called at least 20 people by now, and inspected 4 places. So far there hasn't been a winner yet, but I am waiting to hear from a guy on the frisbee team. He may be moving to Sydney and sublease me his room near the beach. At this point I only will have classes on Tuesday and Thursday since half my classes are online classes, so living near the beach would be doable, and his roommates are surfers and frisbee players, which increases the odds that we'll get along. Needless to say, I am hoping that place works out for me, but it also needs to be within my budget. I do have a backup plan, too. Two guys on the team have offered to house me temporarily if need be.

In Australia the drinking age is 18, so when they turn 18, they go out and drink a lot, but when they turn 21, it's more of a family affair. Davies, Danielle (his girlfriend), and I went to a 21st this past weekend. Everyone was dressed up, and speeches were made by the parents and the birthday girl before cutting the cake. I'm not sure if dressing up is typical of an Australian 21st, but I'm told the speeches are. So while I'm sad that I wolln't get to celebrate my 21st with my family and friends, I do like their custom here of having a rather classy 21st birthday. Oh yea, Davies and Danielle said they are going to throw me a 21st party. 

Me, Courtney (Davies and Danielle's friend), and Kat (the birthday girl) 

Davies and Danielle

Last but not least, yesterday I FINALLY MADE IT OUT TO THE BEACH!!! I was in awe of the beauty of the pacific ocean, and the cliffs that line the beach, and the houses covering the rolling hills, and the crystal clear water, and of course, the stomach high waves with a shoulder + high set breaking with good power and form when the report called for a lousy 2ft day. I want to spend more time on the beach! On the way back from the beach, Danielle and I got fish & chips, which was delicious. Actually, I should have gone ahead and looked like a ridiculous tourist and taken a picture of the fish & chips. I will next time.

Downtown Newcastle 

Bar Beach

Walkway along Newcastle Harbor

I love you all, miss you all, and may the Lord bless you all as He has truly blessed me with such an undeserved and amazing trip so far!

~Christian

P.S. They drive on the wrong side of the road here with the steering wheel on the wrong side of the car and with crazy speed limits in kilometers per hour through a maze of roundabouts.