June 11

Day 6

What did we do today?

We woke up at 4:45 this morning. ‘Nuff said. It’s tired out. We got on the bus and drove to the Auckland Airport. Today we took a walk around the city. We went to the park and saw a fountain, we to the Sydney Tower, and saw Sydney Harbor. We went to an Opal Factory and had lunch in a giant food court. I ate a pide… It was like a pizza without sauce. It had cheese, chicken, and pineapples on it. It was delicious!! We went to an open air market and I got to try out my awesome China haggling skills. I could only get the price down minimally though… Australia is nothing like China! It started raining when we began walking back to the hotel. We must have walked two miles in the rain… it was crazy! Our spirits were high though and we made it through. We were really tired when we got back though… We ordered pizza and had fun bonding at the hotel.

Prompt: Talk about Sydney and compare and contrast it to other major cities you’ve been to.

Journal:

Sydney is absolutely gorgeous! It looks more like Chicago than Auckland did because the buildings in Auckland were all mostly only a few stories high, whereas in Sydney there are plenty of skyscrapers. When we first arrived in Sydney, Katie turned to me and asked if we were really staying here for the next couple of days I told her yes and asked what was wrong with that. She told me it looks just like Chicago and that it was just a city. This made me think: well… why is this city so important? What makes it unique and stand out against all other cities across the world? It’s the similarities and the differences that make a place memorable. The similarities help connect the traveler to the place. Once the person has this personal connection to the area, they can understand and relate it back to their own lives. You’re no longer looking at scenery; you’re looking at something meaningful to you. An example of this is today when we saw how the buildings looked a lot like Chicago or when we saw a Subway restaurant. The differences between cities are important to see after you recognize the similarities. The differences show a city’s uniqueness and individuality. These are often the monuments, like the ones we saw today: the Sydney Bridge, Harbor, and Opera House. These things are unique to the city and make Sydney, Sydney. You can truly appreciate the differences once you can see the similarities.

The more you travel, the more connections based on similarities and differences you make. For example, the Sydney Tower allowed us to see for miles all around the city just like the Skydeck at the Sears/Willis Tower in Chicago. The Sydney Tower offers bungee jumping, but the Chicago tower offers aerial views. Another example is the smells in the city. It smells really clean and open in Sydney… I love it! Chicago doesn’t smell as nice as Sydney, and Xi’an smelled even worse than Chicago. There seem to be many green zones in Sydney which is similar to Hong Kong and St. Louis. Places such as Chicago and Beijing don’t have many of these.

The differences and similarities between cities is what makes you remember the important things in life and travel!

June 10

Day 5

What did we do today?

Today we woke up at 5:30… We went downstairs for breakfast. I love having kiwis for breakfast! The fruit here is wonderful. The best I’ve ever tasted! Today we braved ourselves for the vegemite. Yup… it was bad. We went out in the rain and took a public bus to get to the Redwood Forest. It was wet, very muddy, and rainy beyond belief. But, it was also a wondrous good time. Our group consisted of Maddie, Katie, Amanda, Steven, Bridget, Lexa, Reilly, Schags, Ewen, and Ms. Titus. We sang all the way through the trail. Mostly they were Disney songs… ‘Be a Man’ from Mulan was a popular one. We went back to our hotel and dried off as best we could. We got on the bus to Auckland and stopped to have lunch. I had a homemade burger and shared a weird chicken pie pastry with Katie and Steven. After we made it to Auckland we went to Rangitoto College!! I met Charlotte and she was so nice and adorable. We had so much in common! I really liked the Maori kids’ haka performance for us. They sang to us and we sang the national anthem to them. The barbeque they had for us was really good… I’ve found I really like sausage rolls. Katie, Amanda, and I stayed in a creepy hotel room that night…

Prompt: Talk about day 5.

Journal:

Today was so much fun! We went to the Redwood forest early this morning for a hike. I loved it! I t was one of the many examples of how people are getting to know each other and participate on the trip. I feel like we are stepping out of our comfort zones. In the forest, our excursion group was singing songs, laughing, and having a great time! We would never sing like that back home. I have also stepped out of my comfort zone while luging and zorbing. I love it!

I feel like everyone is beginning to be more open to change and excitement. We’re all starting to mingle and talk to people we normally wouldn’t. It’s wonderful! Out here we are all put on the same level. It’s out in the real world of travel that one’s true character shines above all else.

We got to meet the kids from the Rangitoto College today! The experience was amazing! I cannot even describe it… Even though our pen-pal buddies were a random pick, I feel like it was fate we had them. Me, Amanda, Katie, Maddie, and even some of the other kids from our school feel like they met their kiwi twin today. Charlotte, my buddy, is interested in all of the same things I am (including art, skiing, and travel!) and basically had my personality in a nut shell. She was so sweet; I can’t wait to talk and see her again!! J

June 9

Day 4

What did we do today?

Today we had brekkie in our hotel. The hotel was serving vegemite… we smelled it, but it was a no go. It smells revolting. Just sayin’. We woke up early today, so we went outside and watched the sunrise. It was incredible. The colors were indescribable and breathtaking. We took many many many pictures. We then went on a duck tour! We got to see Lake Rotorua but couldn’t go in it because there is an invasive weed living in the water. In order to protect the other lakes from the invader, the boats cannot travel from Lake Rotorua to any of the other lakes. We went to the Blue Lake next. It was really pretty but it was so foggy we could hardly see! Afterwards we went to another lake that was less foggy… there were so many different species of birds! The ducks dropped us off at the Whaka Village. We got a tour of the hot springs, saw the giant geyser, and watched our tour guide sing us a welcome song. After that we stopped in town for some lunch and free time in Rotorua. I had a very good steak sandwich at the Art Café. We also went to a fruit market and got some amazing apples. We got back on the bus and watched more sheep and cows go by… we even saw an emu! We went to the Agrodome and saw the show. Then we went OGOING!! The first time I went down the hill with Maddie and the second time Maddie, Alex, and I raced Steven and Nishant (we beat them!). So much fun!!! We dried off at the hotel and went to our traditional hungi dinner an hour later. We saw the Maori challenge (places down token), greeting (hongi- the touching of noses), and haka (war dance). Tonight we packed our bags for Auckland.

Prompt: Talk about the Maori culture we saw in the morning and at night.

Journal:

We went outside to watch the sunrise over Lake Rotorua. It was unreal… Incredibly beautiful! This was the perfect beginning to our day. It got us excited for the duck tour and the Whaka Village. We were greeted and invited into the village by a wonderful tour guide. He gave us a tour of the area, the hot springs, and the mud pools. I loved Whakawerawera because we got to see the two contrasting cultures working together under one meeting house. The traditional culture is in perfect harmony with the modern era. I loved how everyone was so in tune with the Maori culture. Everyone was involved. I think the fact that this pride for an ancient culture can be so prevalent in modern times is truly an amazing thing.

In the afternoon we went to the Agrodome and saw how the culture is applied to the modern day. We saw how a cultural aspect of the country has turned into an attraction for tourists. For dinner we had a traditional hungi dinner. We saw a traditional Maori greeting, challenge, and haka. The food was incredible and I loved the performances. It really gave us an insight to the Maori culture and how the people are today.

Me and Amanda's haka faces... How'd we do?

June 6-8

Day 1-3

What did we do today?

Today we met outside of the school and collected bags, said our goodbyes, and left for our adventure (June 6, 2011)! We waited in O’Hare Airport and boarded our plane to Los Angeles praying our bags would show up where we did. After arriving we transferred onto our plane to Auckland, New Zealand. After a tedious long flight, we made it!! We got on our bus ride to Rotorua. We stopped in the town of Matamata for lunch and some free time. I had a pineapple and ham sandwich. The town is famous for the Lord of the rings movies. After a few hours we left and headed for Rotorua. In Rotorua we went up a skyline gondola ride and went luging!! Luging is pretty much the best thing ever. J After our luging adventure we went to the hotel for an hour of free time. We went out to eat at “Burgerfuel” and I had pretty much the biggest burger in the entire world. It was called the biofuel and it was life changing. We then went to a “grocery store” called the Pack n’ Save. It was cool because we got to compare and contrast the Pack n’ Save to something similar in America, like Wal-Mart or Jewel. We walked back to the hotel and slept after a very long and fun day!

Prompt: Give a summary of events (first impression), discuss culture shock, and tell what you’re looking forward to.

Journal:

Today has been a very long day… fun, but long. We got on two planes to get to New Zealand. After almost missing our plane out of O’Hare due to technical difficulties, we landed in Los Angeles. We then flew to Auckland, New Zealand. My first impression, walking into New Zealand, was its open beauty. The air was clean and the sky was slightly foggy. New Zealand is an exciting new place; I can’t wait to see more of it! We left Auckland and began traveling to Rotorua. We stopped in Matamata to have lunch. The people seem very nice and curious about who we are and where we come from. The food seems interesting and unique. For lunch, I had a sandwich with ham and pineapples on it. I liked traveling on the bus to Rotorua; the land is so rich in color! The trees are a thick green and the earth is a rich red-brown. I loved how Rotorua is a really popular place to visit but it’s still a small town. Some of the things that shocked me were the way the people talk and the food. The food has been similar to the food in America, but with its own NZ twist. I expected communication to be relatively easy considering the New Zealanders speak English. This is not the case… We have to pay close attention to what the locals are saying because sometimes they are hard to understand. Luging was very fun today! I loved it! New Zealand is really free flowing and easy going- just all around fun! The people are very friendly and optimistic here (This, I have to say, is different from the U.S. Americans are usually nice but not always optimistic). Later in Rotorua we went to “Burgerfuel” to grab us some dinner. One of the workers, Leighton, was very nice and described his trip to America as we described our trip to New Zealand. It was a great experience. The burgers were amazing tonight! The beet root was an interesting touch to a giant burger. I love trying new things and can’t wait for more!

I’m looking forward to visiting the Whaka area and meeting the Maori tribe. I love catching onto new phrases and givin’ ‘em a go. I’m excited to see the Agrodome too. I’m really just excited for everything! What a great way to start off a trip!!

Green Eggs and Ham: Here or there?

One thing I find really unique and interesting about traditional Maori history is the way they viewed food and cuisine. The Maori people believed “…food was noa, or non-sacred” (Maori Cuisine 1). The Maori religious places and objects had to be separated from the food supply. Any contact with the food left these tapu, or sacred, items at serious risk. People such as high chiefs, tattoo artists, or anyone else engaged in tapu work were not allowed to handle food. They had to be fed by non-tapu people. I found this very interesting because I had expected the exact opposite. I had just expected the Maori people to find food as a very cultural thing. I was shocked that they not only found it non-sacred, but they saw food as being so non-sacred that it couldn’t come in contact with anything sacred. I suppose I had expected the opposite because to the Native Americans, food was important in their culture. When a native would kill an animal, they would be sure to use the entire animal, never wasting any part of it or over killing any species. This is commonly known with the bison they would hunt. Students are often taught in American schools that the pilgrims made peace with the native tribes over a shared meal. Although food wasn’t really seen as a religious item in the Native American culture, it was still a positive part of the culture. It certainly wasn’t as extreme as food was seen in the Maori culture.

New Zealand fern- Pikopiko

I’m certainly not as afraid about the food in Australia and New Zealand as I was last year in China, but of course I still have concerns. I love trying crazy new foods and eating the cultural foods I find in different places. If it’s something I can find at home, it’s most likely not going in my mouth (within reason). I want to and plan to eat as many new things as I can. The one thing I’m concerned about is when you’re traveling, it’s very easy to get a stomach ache and not feel well after eating something you’re not accustomed to. I don’t want to be sick on the trip and I hope I feel okay throughout the trip. I think the food on this trip will be safer than the food in China. I believe that we will encounter foods in Australia and New Zealand that are closer to what we are used to eating in America. I’m excited to see what we’ll find!!

The Invasion of King Cane

Heard of the rabbit problem? Well… There’s more.

What is it? Cane Toads are large amphibians with large swellings behind each shoulder. They can be grey, yellowish, and olive or reddish-brown. They are normally about 15 cm long. The largest female cane toad was found in Queensland at a shocking 24 cm long. Cane toads are native to the southern United States and tropical South America. They were introduced to Australia in 1935 from Hawaii in order to control the scarab beetles. These beetles were pests of the sugar cane growing in Australia. They can be distinguished from the native Australian frogs as they sit upright and are active in the daytime and in dense clusters. Cane toads survive in habitats ranging from sand dunes to rainforests. They are the most abundant in open clearings and urban areas. They flourished in Queensland and most of the Northern Territory.

What’s the threat? Like many invasive species the cane toads soon became a problem. They have a wide array of toxins and chemical defenses present in almost all stages of their life cycle. The large glands on the back of the toads’ heads secrete the toxins. The toads will eat just about anything. When threatened, they will poison their predators and try to eat them. The population of many predators has declined. Unfortunately these predators are native to Australia. Native quolls, snakes, goannas and freshwater crocodiles may and have been lethally poisoned. Some species are predicted to adapt and learn to stay away from the toads, but it is unknown at what cost or if the species will even recover. For example the Northern quoll is now considered critically endangered. A major concern is the risk of children and pets being poisoned from contact with the toads, especially because the toads inhabit local areas.

Goannas are affected by the invasive toads -->

What to do? CSIRO has conducted research on the toads. They researched specific pathogens and tried to create a genetically modified virus to infect the toads with to help control the population. The project was shut down due to technical issues and lack of support of a genetically engineered virus. They’ve switched gears and have begun researching in other areas. There is a Cane Toad Advisory Group that offers advice and monitors the spread of the species. There are many other groups similar to this as well. Manual removal of the toads has become popular in highly populated areas and areas of important biodiversity.

What about here? The United States also has had problems with invasive species. The Asian carp has infected the Mississippi River and is traveling upstream headed for Lake Michigan. It is believed that the fish escaped into the river. Whatever the means, the invasive species is growing in population by the hour. The carp consumes about 40 percent of its body weight in plankton daily. This starves out the less aggressive species. As more native species die out due to the Asian carps’ feeding habits, the problem grows. The carps are endangering the biodiversity and wildlife in the Mississippi River. The public is afraid the situation will spread to all of the Great Lakes. If this were to happen the area would lose $7 billion in the fishing enterprise.

What did they do? One thing that has been attempted to stop the progression of the Asian carp was the creation of the electric devices. The U.S. Army Corps placed the devices in the waterway south of Chicago (links the Mississippi River to Lake Michigan) in 2002. The intention was to stop the carp by emitting electrical pulses at the water. Even though they replaced this system with an advanced one later on, scientists have still found DNA traces of the Asian carp on the other side of the system. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has stated their intensions to keep fighting the invasive species and keep the carp out of the Great Lakes.

Should we be concerned? Invasive species are something the world needs to be concerned with because they can severally impact and even destroy a native species. The iconic animals that are native to specific countries are destroyed as a result of these invaders. The invasive species affect the ecosystem often in negative ways. This can be seen in the situations in Australia and the United States. Humans affect the environment argumentatively too much; we should not affect nature any more than necessary.

Resources:

http://www.worldfishingtoday.com/news/default.asp?nyId=4497

http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/invasive/ferals/cane-toads.html

http://australianmuseum.net.au/Cane-Toad

Rabbit-Proof and Culture Dividing

Human rights have been challenged throughout history. It has occurred in different places, different situations, and different time periods. Things such as the Manifest Destiny, the Holocaust, and African American rights have challenged they way mankind views its members. A major violation of human rights was left unchecked for a long period of time. Doris Pilkington’s Rabbit-Proof Fence describes life in the unsettling world of the Aboriginal culture during the time of the European settlement of Australia.

While the European settlers were executing the abduction of the Aboriginal children, the Australian government became a part of the United Nations. They were one of the first to join after the UN’s creation in 1942. Australia joined in 1945. When joining the United Nations a country must accept the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This was created by the UN to protect the rights of all people in the world. Although centered on the ‘30s, the Stolen Generation policy in Australia continued on until the 1960s. During that time between 1945 and 1960 the Australian government overstepped the UN’s boundaries on human rights.

One of the first things the Aboriginal people came into conflict with was the separation of land between themselves and the European settlers. As the European settlers began moving in, “…the entire Aboriginal population… grew to realize what the arrival… meant for them: it was the destruction of their traditional society and the dispossession of their lands” (Pilkington 13). The Europeans took all of the fertile land for themselves and left the Aboriginals with insufficient farming land. This is a direct violation of the United Nation’s stand on human rights. Their policy states that all people have the “right to adequate living standard.” It also violates the first declaration of human rights stated in the United Nations: the “right to equality.” Clearly the Aboriginals did not have the same opportunities as the Europeans.

As seen in the text the Aborigine culture was violated in other ways as well. One of these ways was the way their culture was limited for growth. The Aborigines remember the “…corroborrees and songs that they were forbidden to dance and sing, unless commanded by government officials” during this time (Pilkington 16). This is a terrible occurrence. The settlers were forcing the native culture to change. They limited the culture and way the people lived their lives. This is a violation of the “right to participate in the cultural life of the community.” The Aboriginal people no longer felt like a unified culture. They were broken apart by the invaders.

The text describes how the Aboriginal “…laws [were] not… recognized by these strangers” (Pilkington 15). The European settlers didn’t allow the Aboriginals to use their laws because they wanted to be in control of the people living in Australia. Once they were the head of laws and punishments, they would control the country. The Aboriginals were punished for carrying out their own laws. They were forced to follow the settlers’ system. However, they were discriminated under this system. The Aboriginals “…expected the same form of justice under the white man’s law,” but they were not given it (Pilkington 15). The settlers violated the UN “right to equality before the law.” As described in the novel, a man came before the court saying “…that a white man stole his wife,” but instead of the action they would have given a white man, they gave the man “… a bag of flour and told [him] to go home” (Pilkington 15). This was clearly a violation of human rights.

The settlers in Australia believed they were “civilizing” the nation and that their actions were necessary for growth as a country. This was a similar thought in the United States when the European settlers were trying to spread westward. The Manifest Destiny was the American belief that it was the United States’ divine right to expand westward and control all of North America. The idea for the Manifest Destiny came even before the United States was formed. Christopher Columbus, Spanish monarchs, and the pilgrims all had the same intentions. The Native Americans were treated very poorly during the time of westward expansion in North America. Many of the human rights issues that occurred in Australia happened in America as well. The Native Americans’ land was taken from them, they were discriminated against, and were not seen as equal under the law. There are many parallels between the two occurrences in history.

There are different perspectives on every situation. The European settlers in Australia, just like in America, did not believe what they were doing was wrong. By looking at the situation of the Stolen Generation through the eyes of history, one has the opportunity to ask: Was it justified? Some may argue the Australian government was justified because it was for the children’s betterment. Personally, I don’t believe you can’t ever justify taking a child away from its mother. The pain and sorrow the families had to go through was excruciating. To express their sorrow, the families “…gashed themselves and infected [the] wounds” (Pilkington 45). I don’t think it was justified for the government to inflict that much pain on the families and subject the children to ridicule in a white society for the rest of their lives.