I’m no Kerouac, but…

BY: KAITLIN IN AUSTRALIA

Reader, is there anything better than a dusty, old van and the open road? I spent half the day on a van trundling along an Australian highway at a leisurely pace, and I can’t imagine anything better. I’ll try not to be too effusive or anything like that, but no guarantees! It was something perfect, and one of those times you keep forever, a snapshot of how good life can be.

How I love a good road trip! When I was young, I loved the feel of sticking my arm out the open window of a vehicle and snaking my fingers through the flowing air. (I guess I haven’t grown up very much after all has been said.)

The vans here, as I’ve mentioned, all have traces of serious wear—the kind of wear you’d expect from traveling on rocky and unpaved roads through a tropical rainforest. All the tires look wheezy and only about half full of air. With these vans, there’s just the slightest element of danger, but naturally, that’s part of the fun.

We had a geology field lecture today, by which I really mean that we traveled around the surrounding area of Queensland, Australia called the Atherton Tablelands. Although it looks and feels hilly, it’s actually part of a plateau formed long ago by the shifting of continental plates. And even longer ago, it was a deep sea basin, huge and vast and full of water.

Geologically exploring the Tablelands was a little like being a time traveler. To see all the remnants of things that happened in 420 million years ago—is it weird to say that I felt a twinge of nostalgia? I’d have liked to have been there in the prehistoric age and to have seen those oozing lava flows.

We stopped at a local quarry, which looked like a huge monolith of rock. But as soon as you touched it, small pebbles of volcanic rock fell away—your own mini avalanche. A couple of the guys tried scaling the 100 foot formation, but it was a lost cause.

Next, our trusty van took us to Mount Hypipamee. We spent some time hiking up to a huge gorge, which was caused by a violent gas explosion (insert fart joke here) millions of years ago. As I type this up, I’m cursing myself, wishing I had remembered to bring a camera because it was truly out of this world: a huge gaping hole in the earth 82 meters deep, with green murky water at the bottom.

But even if I had had the foresight to bring a camera, I know I wouldn’t be able to make you know the feeling, the sight, the thrill of peering over the ledge of a vertigo-inducing gorge.

I guess what I’m trying to say is this: It was the best geology lecture I’d ever had.

As we headed back, I couldn’t have been more tired. The day had been long, and these days, my head generally hits the pillow at around ten o’clock. Everyone else was the same, and we were all quiet except for the sound of our van, which, it must be said, tends to make a high-pitched whirring at all times.

So, in the light of a rare moon (remember, clear skies are a big deal here), we headed back to a place—so wondrous, so new—that I’ve learned to call home.

Next time: I'll show you the contents of my pack and all the essentials of hiking through a rainforest.

All my love,
Kaitlin

P.S. I’ve updated my Flickr account with eight or so pictures from around the field station. Here’s the address, again:

http://flickr.com/kaitlinkyi

A view from a path around our field station

Senegal, wat up?

BY: AURORA

SPAIN:

I took a 7.5 hour bus ride from Madrid to Barcelona on January 23rd. It was beautiful; I didn't know that Spain had such amazing terrain. But since it was an 8:30am ride, I quickly passed out, and didn't enjoy the scenery that much. I did make friends with a Swede who was also traveling to Barcelona. I suggested some good Latin music for her, and she told me of some "cool" Swedish bands, but she's into some crazy heavy metal I think, so I won't be checking that out anytime soon.

I thought I had prepared my trip well, by going onto GoogleMaps and searching the nearest metro to my hostel, Grafitti Hostel, but as things would have it, google lied. So I was lost in the middle of Barcelona; all the signs were in Catalan and I had a heavy duffle bag. Luckily, I went into a CyberCafe and got directions there. I hated Barcelona at that moment.

My hostel was as ratty a place as they come, but the staff was amazing. A beautiful Brazilian(?) man with dreadlocks graced the information desk at most hours, so that made up for the unfortunate bathroom (no joke). I did meet two very Italian twins there- they seriously use the expression "Mamma Mia!" I didn't know they're names until the last day, when we exchanged emails, so I just grunted at them most of the time. They were really too nice to me, since I persisted on butchering their language. They knew little English, and could understand some Spanish. But we hung out most of the time, and cooked together, which forever because one was always waiting for the other to do or finish something. I don't think they got the twin thing down very well. They also had a guy friend there, who always wanted to go to "A club... gaaaay," but didn't want us to go with him. We did go to a club together; I had my share of house music... for a lifetime.

Dylan and I explored the city, and went to a sweet club once (we failed at going to places most of the time too- my fault I believe). I recommend going to La Boqueria, and Park Guell. Much fun was had with Dylan's Barcelona friends; they're a crazy bunch and get eyed a lot by the locals. I believe Dylan needs to add more about our adventures.

I flew back into Paris for a couple of days. I had a great departing dinner with some Swat ladies and then had to take a 1am bus ride into the airport because I had a 6am flight. It was one of the worst flights ever- everyone smelled really bad, and I was really uncomfortable and hot, but the arrival was great because the pilot showed us all of the coast with a magnificent U turn.

SENEGAL:

It's been about a week that I've been here, and I love this place. The program is amazing and truly relaxed. Orientation was like camp, so Apolline says, we did a lot of scavenger huntesque things in the city and the surrounding area. Dakar is busy and sandy, and the people are friendly; at first they seem like they are too friendly, but really they are interested in the new toubabs (white people).

The dos- and don'ts of Senegal:

Don't look your elders in the eye.
Don't wear skirts that show your knees.
Don't be offended if women touch your breasts.
Don't call babies cute; it's bad luck.
Don't assume pedestrians come before cars.

Do watch a lot of TV. Mostly Mexican soap operas dubbed into Senegalese French. Super funny "Mais qu'est-ce que tu fais, Vicente?"
Do use as much Wolof as you can. They love it.
Do not buy street food.
Do shake everyones hand.
Do lock your door; they have a key for friggin' everything.
Do buy your own toilet paper; the Senegalese don't use it.

My Family:

I live with my 70 year old mom and dad, mid 20s sister, 21 year old niece, mid 20s cousin, 2 brothers, one's wife, and three of their kids. Plus 2 maids live with us, and we have a chauffeur that's mostly always there. My family is middle class, so they can afford bonnes (maids), and I have an amazing terrace. But most homes have bonnes, so I don't live in the lap of luxury here. My French is getting better, but I feel incompetent sometimes because my family can't understand me. My Wolof is atrocious, but everyone feigns glee when I try to speak it, but mostly they laugh at me.

Eating is a big deal. They feed me tons of food (Il faut bien manger!); and since I'm the only vegetarian they're ever met, they feed me lots of vegetables, which is good because most of the other kids are getting greasy rice and fish 24-7.

SIT:

My program is the chillest thing in the world. I do have to go to class everyday at 8:30am, but I'm usually really pumped to be there, and don't want to leave when classes are over. After my 8:30 class, which lasts until 10am, we have a 30 minute break. We lounge around in the courtyard, lay on the grass and talk, then are called back in. We have a 2 hour class, and then a 2.5 hour break for lunch. We do the same thing during this break, plus eating. After that we have another 1.5 hour class, which usually involves listening to music, dancing and singing. It's a harsh life.

The staff here is the funniest mixture of people. Senegal is big on kidding around and making fun of one another, so that's how we constantly interact. And the other students are also excited to be here, so it's a good atmosphere to be around. We're also comfortable with each other because we have to discuss diarrhea and our hygiene everyday.

The only thing I can complain about is the flipping cars. They love getting in my way and almost running me over every morning. Aside from that, I love most everything, but as everyone here tends to remind me, we're just in the honeymoon period.

I'm getting a pretty great tan, and I'm not even trying, and tomorrow we're of to the beach. Now that my internet is working, I'm sure to be posting a lot more, since I have so much leisure time.

I can smell the jealousy.

Raindrops keep falling on my head

BY: KAITLIN

Here's a fact for you, gleaned from all of three days in my new digs in Queensland, Australia. In the rainforest, it rains...a whole heck of a lot. And since I've arrived here, I've been met with an onslaught of it.

One thing I've never realized is how many different varieties of rain there are. There is the slight misting, which you don't notice until your shirt settles uncomfortably across your shoulders. There's the blinding rain, which is so heavy and oppressive you can barely see through the wall of it. And then there's the pitter-pattering rain, like an old friend--constant and familiar as you fall asleep.

The field station I'm studying at is nestled in the heart of the rainforest, and I'm not just saying that. We are smack dab in the middle of it, and that also means dealing with all kinds of creatures.

If ever I was squeamish about bugs or rodents, if ever I proved other than dauntless in the face of a spider, never again!

Three days have passed and already I've been bitten by four leeches, dealt with a centipede the size of a banana, and chased away three-inch spiders. Seriously...this whole place is teeming with all kinds of animals. I wake up to the sound of birds that sound like car alarms or like children screaming, and even in this short span of time, it's no longer starting to faze me.

One thing that did stop me in my tracks happened last night. Heading back on the forest path, with my little flashlight, I saw something move in the corner of my eye. I thought it was the comically bold brush turkey that hangs around the outdoor dining area, and I stopped to take a closer look.

Let me tell you, it wasn't my friend the brush turkey. Staring back at me, with the beady, shiny eyes of an unscared animal, was a bandicoot. In other words, a rodent-like creature bigger than most house cats. Yech!

But so far, I'm really liking it here. I'm getting tougher than I ever thought I could be, and I love that. If you had told me a week ago that I would unflinchingly be able to pull off a leech from my leg and crush it with the bottom of my shoe, I would have laughed in your face. And then laughed some more.

In my next post, I'll talk a little bit more about the program and about those crazy Aussies. (They really do love their short-shorts, I'll tell you that much.)

Until next time, have a g'day, mates!

All my love,
Kaitlin

P.S. I'll try uploading pictures from the rainforest as often as I may. Wireless in the rainforest is pretty difficult, as you can imagine, so I've only uploaded two from Australia so far. Here's the Web address for my Flickr account: http://flickr.com/kaitlinkyi

Siesta Time

BY: DYLAN

I was reminded by Macy that I've been slacking a little bit with my posts, so I guess it's time to get going.

I arrived in Barcelona on the 7th and so far it's been a lot of fun and a lot to take in. The first day I was here, I found out that everything closes in the middle of the day. Apparently people start work in the morning like the rest of the world and then just close shop for a break come about 2:00. They go home and nap or just chill out until about 5, then come back and finish the work day. Like I said, I figured this out the first day and ended up aimlessly wandering around my neighborhood, checking out the area. Then I got lost and wandered around some more. Finally I'd had enough and hailed down a cab. Luckily I knew my address and told the cab driver....his response: "Que? aqui es muy cerca de este direccion (What? that address is very close to here)," my thoughts: "yeah, that doesn't mean I know how to get there." I got home a little fed up with the whole siesta thing, I mean seriously, I haven't had a structred nap time since kindergarten, why should adults have one?

Then my housemates arrived and I learned to appreciate siesta. Do a little sightseeing in the day, party at night...EVERY night until about 6 or 7am. Siestas become essential and a much needed part of the day. However, by the end of the first week or so, it seemed as though the whole program had partied too much because everybody was sick with a cold or the flu or anything in between (no worries though, we'll all be back at it soon enough).

We've seen a lot of cool sites, churches, and other cool buildings. Parc Guell is a Gaudi designed park that sits on top of a mountain, overlooking the city and La Sagrada Familia is one of the coolest buildings I've ever seen (I guess it better be though since this is the 100th year of construction and they don't plan on finishing it until 2026). The beach also looks really nice and I can't wait to go to the beach in between classes. With all that said, one of the highlights of my time so far was an FC Barcelona game, soccer is a big deal here, so I'm loving that.

Stay tuned for Aurora's visit this weekend and my visit to Paris the following weekend.

¿Pero que dices, tio?

BY: AURORA

(The title must be read in a very thick Spanish accent or else it will not have the same effect)

On Wednesday January 14th I left a cozy, warm flat in Paris, and came to Madrid. I had to ride a bus to the Paris Beauvais Airport, and then wait about 3 hours to board the plane. This airport is the tiniest thing. Only 5 gates and all in the same room. Nobody knew what to speak to one another. People would ask ´´español?´´ ´´english?´´´or any of the other pertinent languages before engaging in deeper communication. The flight was a breeze. I sat next to a Chinese man-boy who lives in Southern France and is currently touring all of Europe. Of course I had to tell him that I know how to say ´hair´in Chinese. He didn´t seem to care much- I think my charm was simply lost in translation.

On my arrival, I was regretted by my hostess, Hermi, and her boyfriend, Victor. They are probably the cutest couple I´ve ever encountered. I can´t really do them justice; they are people you have to meet.

It is true that Spanish is my first language, but I wasn´t prepared for SPANISH Spanish. My confusion was made evident when noting that the Spanish version of Wheel of Fortune´s clues were even more of an enigma, and when I had no idea what I was being offered by a restaurant´s menu. I ordered the salad- clear in all languages.

I´ve become more used to the weird expressions used here, and my hosts have also begun to understand my ultra-Mexican lexicon.

I´ll relate what I have learned:
something is ´´mola´´ really cool
something is ´´ güay´´ also really cool (not gay)
someone is ´´maja´´ also really cool

Cojer does not mean the same thing that is does in Latin America. Funny misunderstandings. I thought that I was going to be violated if I went to the Metro.

For some reason, everyone is referred to as a tio or tia (uncle or aunt); instead of saying guy or girl.

And I don´t know if it´s my Hermi and Victor´s way of speaking or a general Spanish condition, but people speak in exaggerated terms here. A familiar expression is ´´ Que fuerte!´´ which means ´´How strong!´´ It´s used here after most sentences. Other expressions of extreme anguished used commonly ¨A la!´´ and ´´JJJJJOOOOO!´´

Example:
-A la, mira que esta lloviendo! Oh, look it´s raining.
- JJJJoooo, tio, pero que fuerte! Oh man, that´s too strong!

And Hermi seems to always think that impossible things seem to always be happening because her most common expression is ´´Oye, pero no me lo puedo creer.´´ or ´´Listen, I can´t even believe it.´´She uses it when we can´t find a parking spot, when she finds 3€ shoes and handbag in El Rastro, an awesome, open-air mega market that happens every Sunday.

I love these expressions as well as I love Madrid in general. I´ve been exploring the center of the city on my own for a couple of days now since my hosts both work (they are music teachers). When I am done cruising the old boulevards, like the Gran Via, and eating in parks (El Retiro = beauty) and plazas (Plaza Mayor is unreal) because I´m too cheap to eat in restaurants, I come back to their apartment and talk about Beyoncé, Madrid´s Big Brother (it´s a huge deal) and how stupid it is, or the Real Madrid (soccer is no joke here).

On a later post I´ll talk about more serious topics, like Barack Obama (he´s on the news 24-7), and what I´ve found Spanish people think about the US and it´s way of life-- well at least what my hosts and their family think.

Hasta luego!

Vistas de Costa Rica

BY: MACY

The beautiful road that I live on, just a little further down and off to the right. Not too shabby, methinks.

A great rainbow shot - right after a nice misting. 

This is a view over a beautiful valley only five minutes from my house, complete with an overhanging bridge that you can walk onto, if you're feeling especially adventurous.

The town of Santa Elena enveloped in mist - usual appearance early and late in the day. Hence, the "cloud" forest region :)

You can borrow some of my rainbows if you need some.

Mi casa - complete with one of our dogs (Goofy), 

to welcome you! My room is on the right side, in the back... you can sort of see my window from this view. We're the last house on a little lane off of the road I showed earlier - so cozy!

Sorry for the goofy format - still getting this all figured out. I'm hoping to post more later, but blogger didn't like it when I tried to post more than 5 at a time.

Mud on Arthur's Seat

In my little room with faded pink walls there's a window with ugly polka doted curtains and through this window I can see what people walking through the streets of Edinburgh can see most of the time, a big hill, or small mountain, known across the land as Arthur's Seat. Wikipedia and my guide book are both confused about the origin's of this name, so I'm not going to attempt to explain it. However, being the good tourist that I am I did climb the 251 m (823 feet) beast.
Now this may not seem like an incredible feat, and I've been told that it can be climbed in 30 min., but let's face it I don't exercise. Now add Scotland's powerful wind and some mud and you get the following epic story.

We were four at the bottom of this hill/mountain and the weather was beautiful. We started climbing. Kept climbing. Still more to go. The wind kept blowing, my hair turned into a mess and my fingers lost feeling. We finally got to the top and the view was indeed beautiful, through flying strands of hair. Took some pictures (which I'll try adding later once I get them), oohed and ahhed at the view some more and finally started making our way down.

I thought climbing was supposed to be the most difficult part, but not when what you're climbing is steep and muddy. I had a couple of narrow saves using Saturday Night Fever dance moves to help me balance but the inevitable happened. Aurora and Maria you called it. I finally fell. I didn't get a bruise, but I did get a lot of mud. Everywhere. And then I was able to walk back across town with mud.

And then a bike ran into me.

So far a very productive day and more to come from Edinburgh. Cheers.