Living on Top of the World

Been missing home, and I found this gorgeous picture of the Salt Lake City Valley.

It's amazing how you can be so desperate to leave home, but once you do you realize what you had and what you take for granted.  

No matter where I am, there is always a spot in my heart for Salt Lake City. It will always be my home.

Well, let's start with the good news that had me calling and waking my mom up early in the morning with tears running down my face and kept me up until at least 3 in the morning.  

I got into the nursing program at the University of Utah and start this fall!!

I was up a bit later than I wanted to be up that night.  It was one of those days where you fall into a slump for no reason, and I had read a few articles that had me a bit emotional for the night. 

Just a few minutes before going to bed I got an e-mail, and it popped up on my phone

"University of Utah College of Nursing" 

Immediately my heart was racing and I started to shake.  I seriously did not know what to expect.  I didn't know if I should call my mom already before evening opening it up to read or if I just read it and call them later.  What if it was bad news? I didn't want to share that news right then and there.  I decided to just read it.

I was still shaking and had my heart racing a million miles per hour.  I had to log into my  application, and of course I had to go back and look up my pin number.  The anticipation of knowing was killing me.

Of course, once I got it to open, I was shaking even more and I'm pretty sure my heart sped up even more, but finally my eyes spotted the 

"Congratulations" 

and at that moment, I felt like all the weight had been lifted off my shoulders and I had nothing else to worry about in this world.  I'm in Australia and my life is perfect.  I have amazing friends and a supportive family.  My hard work and extensively difficult and full semesters have finally paid off.  My C in my elementary chemistry finally didn't matter.  All my other work pulled it off.  My volunteering, my clinicals, my work, and my courses have all come together to get me through to finally see my dreams come true.

I got into nursing school.

After that I finally picked up my phone.  I called my mom with tears rushing down my face. She picked up.

"Mom!!!" 

Immediately I knew she was worried.  I was crying and screaming her name, and it was late in Australia.  But I kept going 

"I got in! I got into nursing school!" 

I could feel the weight lift off her just like it did for me.  She was so happy for me, telling me congratulations and telling me how happy she was for me.  She asked me if I was crying because I was happy.  Of course I was.  I have never cried from so much enjoyment and relief.  It just felt like everything in my life was finally coming together.  

The day after I got accepted.  I was a happy camper!

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Anyways, my week was good after that.  I was actually leaving to Tasmania just a few days after that e-mail came through.  Tasmania is one of the areas that I knew I wanted to go to as soon as I found out I was for sure coming to Australia.  I had read about the Aurora Australis, which is just like the Northern Lights, Aurora Borealis.  However, we are in the southern hemisphere, so they are called the Southern Lights, instead.  It's been one of my dreams to see them, so I was excited to go down South and have a slight possibility to see them.  Plus Tasmania is just beautiful.  Mountainous and just a nature-lovers home.  I had to at least check it out.  Many of the Australians say "Don't go to Tasmania.  There is nothing there."  But I think it is because they have not been there.  They do not know what they are missing.  They do not incorporate Tasmania as part of Australia, so no one really sees it how it really is.


There is actually even a necklace we saw in Australia.  It was an Australian outline, and of course to add Tasmania to the necklace was fifteen dollars extra.  When I say they do not incorporate Tasmania to their country, I mean it.

Either way, my roommate and I headed down to Tasmania.  I was so excited to go.  We were originally going to rent a car there so that we could see more, but as soon as we got there my roommate realized he forgot his license, and I of course am still underage so we had to do tours instead.  Oh well, mistakes happen.

The day we got there we walked around Hobart and got an idea of what tours we wanted to do.  Unfortunately the main tours we wanted to do were already booked, but we managed to get into a couple that seemed a little interesting. 

The first tour we did was one I was pretty excited about.  We started off at a Wildlife Sanctuary that helps animals that have been hurt in the wild and help them grow and go back out into the wild.  They also help Tasmanian Devils that are endangered.  Basically, if the Tasmanian Devils go extinct in the wild, they have some there in their sanctuary and can try to get them to reproduce and regrow a population.  They also have them there to learn more and do research on the face tumors that are killing off the devils in the wild. 

 We also got to go to Mount Field National Park and do some hikes and see some waterfalls.  It was nice to get out in the middle of the jungle, away from everyone and everything.  I definitely miss hiking and just getting out and away from the city, so it was nice to do this for a change.  There wasn't too much to the tour.  We stopped at a couple random places.  We got to see some Hops Fields, which are the flowers they use to flavor beer.  (They smell awful, I will admit!).  We also got to go to some salmon ponds/farms. 

 After we went up to Mount Wellington.  It was amazing and I felt like I was home.  All the mountains and overlooks made me miss home and hiking.  I truly loved Tasmania just because the air was drier, the temperature was cooler, and there were mountains everywhere around me.  The day was just nice and relaxing and a good way to see parts of Tasmania. 

Wombat.  Apparently wombats are very aggressive creatures, but they are not aggressive until about age two.  This wombat is a year and a half years old and the cuddliest thing I have ever seen.  She also still has a bit more growing to do and weighs about 50 pounds!

Kangaroos are my favorite.

Especially when they are little!

Tasmanian Devil

They love their food.  They are pretty blind and deaf.  People think they are dangerous, but they often just go for dead food on the road.  They do not attack, but they will if you get in their way. 

They eat ALL of the animals.  Feathers, skin, bones, everything. 

That being said, they may not attempt to attack humans, but the trainer had to keep her distance and make sure the devil was only going for the food.  If they bite, they can bite all the way through the leg. (They eat bones, remember?)

Cuddley koalas

Weird birds that look like owls in a way and blend in!

Tiny roo

Caught in action

Tassie!

The Hops Farms

Huge tree

Our walk to the water falls

Pano of Tassie

HUGE tree!

Waterfall

Gorgeous area.

Waterfall

Mount Wellington

Overlook

Felt like home

Pano from Mount Wellington

I took a selfie with the Koala!

Early morning start!

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The next day we found a tour that brought us to Tasman Peninsula and the Port Arthur Convict Prison.  I was pretty excited to see Tasman Peninsula.  It was just another area that is a nature-lovers perfect world with lots of site seeing things.  

However, we first started out by going to the MOMA museum.  "Museum of Old and Modern Art."  Apparently it's the reason that Hobart, Tasmania is the #7 top city to visit.  Because of this, we knew we had to go to at least experience it and say we went.  It's was fun to see some of the stuff there, especially some of the more modern art.  However, I sometimes wonder what goes through some artists heads and how they come up with the pieces that they make, but that's a story for a different time.

Port Arthur was pretty fun.  It's always neat to go to an old historic site to see the old buildings and the ways of life.  We actually did a ghost tour and learned about the history and a bunch of the ghost stories that have been spotted throughout the area.  All I can say is I sure am happy we didn't have any ghost experiences while we were there!  

To be honest, the tour wasn't anything spectacular.  We actually had a tour guide who we were not fond of that kind of killed the experience, but we met some super nice people and if it wasn't for the people on the tour, it may not have been worth it!

The shore line at Tasman Peninsula

Port Arthur Convict Prison

Sun was setting at Port Arthur

My outfit for the day.  I was SO happy to bring my scarf back out!  I love colder weather!

Some of the graffiti on the MOMA ferry.

Selfie at Tasman Peninsula

Port Arthur Church

Cliff side at Tasman Peninsula

Tasman Arch

The oldest bridge in Tasmania.

Remarkable Cave

Port Arthur

The cliff side

Tasmanian Devil Crossing Sign!

The oldest church in Tasmania

Remember me mentioning that I wanted to go to Tasmania and maybe have the experience of seeing the Southern Lights?  Well I got my chance and was able to see a glimpse of them while at Port Arthur.  Since we are so south and on a little peninsula island, it is dark with very few lights nearby. (The stars above us were AMAZING!)  I got the chance to look out over the coast and managed to spot some of the Aurora Australis!  Unfortunately I did not have my good camera with me, since it was so late and we were on the ghost tour.  I'm sure I would have stopped to take a photo, but would have had to set up and do a long exposure photo and would have lost my group.

However, here is a photo someone else took that night of the lights.  I'm just happy I was able to experience it first hand!

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Anyways, I'm home.  My friend and I got to pull out my rock climbing shoes and harness and put them to use this week.  I was happy to get back up on the rocks!

Back up on the rocks!

Yay!

My "I'm so excited" face!

Climbing

(:

Also! I went on a morning hike just the other day.  We did not sleep at all and we left at 2 AM and drove for an hour to Mount Warning.  We were on the mountain by 3, and at the top by 5AM.  We got to watch the sunrise, and it was absolutely spectacular!  I felt high on life, as if everything was in place.  I was so happy to experience the sunrise from the mountain top.  I've never climbed a mountain in the pitch black darkness, so it was definitely an experience I will not forget.  

The beginning of the sunrise.

The color and the clouds were amazing!

The sun was finally up!

This is what we had to climb up.  We weren't too happy that we had to go back down it...

We were truly on top of the world!!!

That is all for now.  Life is good, however I do keep getting a little homesick once in a while but I just have to keep reminding myself that I will be home soon enough.  I've learned that I have taken for granted what I have in Utah and this is my once in a lifetime opportunity in Australia.  I can't have my homesickness keep me from having fun and experience everything that I have right in front of me at this moment.

Miss and love everyone!  You shall hear from me again soon enough! <3

Internship Shenanigans

This weekend was quite an adventure.  For those of you that do not know, or do not remember, I am doing an internship at Wild Mountains, which is a non-profit organization that helps teach people about the environment and reconnect them to their surroundings. 

To start out with, I had to go to Brisbane to meet with the girls who I would be interning with so that we could all drive up to the mountains together.  My friend Sarah decided to join me in my excursion in hopes that if we get lost, then we get lost together and can help each other get unlost. 

Starting the day off right: with a selfie.

Just a look out into the city.

Besides figuring out the Brisbane bus system, we finally found our way to the meeting point with the girls.  Even though I was a few minutes late, I was still the first to meet up with Miranda who was the one driving us up to the mountains.  It was fun because all of the girls were all so fun and kind and instantly a friend.  

Once we got the other two girls, we finally made out way up to Wild Mountains.  We were worried because the organization told us to call them as soon as we left Brisbane, but we could not get through to them through phone or e-mail, and we needed to contact them before we lost cell service and so that they could decipher when we would be there so that they could come pick us up.  The road is a steep dirt road that only 4WD can get up, and even if you have it they suggest leaving your car down at the bottom.  We decided to keep driving and hope that they would call us back or that we could reach them in advance. 

As we got closer to the area that we would lose service, we decided to call again.  This time we got through, but we were talking to someone who had no idea what was going on, but thankfully it all worked out and as we reached the bottom of the dirt road we were able to meet up with the person picking us up to bring us to the top. 

The end of the steep road.  The sign said "Welcome Earthkeepers"

The first night was very relaxing.  They gave us dinner when we get there, which was a pasta pie and some salad.  After dinner they wanted us to stay and play some games, but we were all tired and decided to go to our tent and get our stuff set up and sleep.  We slept in some A-Frame tents that were fairly big and could fit a few people.  The four of us girls slept in one and didn’t seem to have too much of a problem with space. 

The first day was a lot of work.  We woke up in the morning and got some food in us before heading out to start work.  We started out with a lot of yard work and weeding.  Our supervisors are building a house for them and their son, so they are trying to clear out weeds in the area and plant trees.  We surprisingly got a lot done in the couple of hours that were there.  I also helped with getting water up to one of the tanks higher up on the mountain so that there was enough water for us to use for showers and dish cleaning.  We got a little break in the middle of our weeding: “Morning Tea.”  We were able to sit around, try to find shade, and grab something to eat and drink.  We sat inside the house that is being built and we got to learn a bit about it.  The house is made out of Bali Straw.  Apparently it is strong enough for a house and it is very sustainable.  It is like hay, but it is not food, so animals will not eat it.  They have the straw up as a wall barrier and have some areas picked out for the bedrooms, bathroom, and study room.  It seems like an amazing idea to be sustainable!

The views during the morning were spectacular!

This is the hill that we had to weed.

We cleared out the weeds and put down straw to make it look nicer.

Nice walks around the mountain

This is where we worked all morning.  This is the house that they are building and the extra straw that they have not used yet.

A closer view of the house.

The inside of the house, and the view of the rooms that they will be building.  This is the "back door."

Did you also know that the toilets that they use do not use any form of water?  It’s basically a deep hole and whenever you go you pour down a scoop full of sawdust.  The saw dust is carbon and helps decompose everything.  It only takes a few days to decompose.  I told my mom everything I learned about decomposing.  She has some boxes in the back yard that will help decompose, but it has never worked.  She even tried to put cut grass in it, but it still hasn’t worked.  I learned that grass does not have enough carbon in it and it needs to be stuff like straw or sawdust.  It also needs to be oxygenated and turned around a bit to keep it from sitting too long and only having the top being decomposed.  It really should not be a long process, but it needs heat and carbon to do the job right.

Anyways, after lunch we went back out to the same area we were in.  A few of the volunteers that were up there helped take out a weed called Lantana.  It is a weed that grows big and has roots that grow down and strangle roots of other plants and trees in the soil.  It’s a weed that is very pokey, so we were told to wear long pants and sleeves.  We were also going more into the bush, so there was more of a chance for ticks.  A couple of us freaked out about the thought of having a tick on us, but we had to do the work anyways.  The girls that I came up with and I actually went over and watered some trees that had been planted.  It was a bit of work since they were on a steep hill, but we managed to get it done.  Then we went up into the bush to help find lantana and pull it out.  After that we helped move a 200 kilogram piece of concrete to the opposite side of the house.  It took a lot of teamwork, patience, and strategy to move the piece of concrete, but by using the rules of physics we managed to get the piece to where it was intended to be. 

On our way to work again.  Grabbing some water for the trees!

Miranda watering some of the trees

Some of the girls taking out the lantana

The concrete block we had to move

It was all about teamwork...

...And strategy

Ta Da!

Finally we were done for the day and able to go home and eat and relax.  We decided to walk back since we drove there and only had one truck with.  Unfortunately, though, we ended up taking one slightly wrong path and went down into the rainforest.  It was getting really dark and we seemed to be going nowhere since we kept going downhill.  We finally decided to turn around and head back before it got pitch black outside, and we managed to find the right trail.  We were only 2 minutes away from the campsite, but it took us a bit longer than expected due to the detour. 

The sunset over Mt. Lindsey

We were able to shower up and enjoy dinner. We relaxed and played some card games later that night and finally headed to bed.  I slept like a baby until 2 AM, and that is when everything seemed to come crashing down on us.

I woke up to some itching and pinpoint pain in my back that night.  I kept scratching it while I was half asleep, but finally decided to feel it.  It felt like a bump, and I told myself it was either a mosquito bite or the most dreaded moment: a tick.  I tried to forget about it and just sleep through the night and figure it out in the morning, but the pain kept coming and was getting worse.  It wasn’t a bad pain, but it sure wasn’t something I wanted to sleep with all night.  I finally decided to wake one of the girls up and ask her to have a look.  Unfortunately, since we were all so tired, she could not understand what I was saying when I was whispering.  I was trying to not wake the other girls up, but I finally asked her in a regular voice if she could look at my back, and they finally started to move around.  She turned on a light, and sure enough I had a tick in my back.  A big one, to be exact. 

I started to freak out.  I couldn’t just leave a tick in my back for the rest of the night.  I wanted that thing out of me.  Of course, none of us knew about how to take a tick out, so I decided to go wake up one of the other volunteers in another tent.  She had taken out 3 already that day, so I assumed she knew what she was doing.

One of the girls and I walked over to the tent and woke her up, but unfortunately ended up waking up the whole tent, instead.  She rolled over to the door in her sleeping bag and looked at my back.  She was willing to help me get it out, but she, however, did not have her tweezers with her in the tent and she was unsure about how to pull it out.

One of the volunteers in the tent decided to come over and look at it. She said she had finger nails and would try to just pull it out.  I started to cry at this point.  I knew that ticks would sometimes get pulled out with the head still in the person’s body and this was the last thing I wanted to happen.  It also hurt.  I just wanted it to be gone.  It took the girl one try to pull it out though, so it wasn’t bad.  I thanked them and went back to our tent.  After this incident, though, I was too scared to go back to bed.  I didn’t want to have more ticks in my sleeping bag or something and get another one while I slept.  Plus my back still hurt.  I ended up sending my parents an e-mail and played on my phone for a little bit before I was able to sleep 2 hours after pulling out the tick.  However, we woke up just 2 hours shortly after me falling back sleep.  We woke up to a lot of rustling, and found out we had a rat in our tent.  We started to freak out because we did not want it chewing through our bags.  We tried to ignore it and fall back asleep, but it kept crawling around.  We discovered it was above us and so one of the girls hit the ledge above us really hard.  It moved around, but it sounded like it was falling down on us, so of course we all screamed and took cover under our sleeping bags.  The rat finally stopped making sounds so we attempted to sleep again, but at 7 it woke us up again, and at this point we would have to be awake in 30 minutes anyways, so we decided to pack up everything and clean out the tent and just leave to the kitchen and dining area to get ready for the day. 

Of course, everyone heard about our adventures that night, or they were woken up by them.  Our supervisor looked at my back to see how the tick bite looked.  To everyone’s amazement, I barely had anything on my back, which surprised everyone because of how big the tick was.  They came to the conclusion that it was in my hair, and since I only rinsed in the shower and did not wet my hair, it stayed in my hair and started to dig in while I was sleeping.  With that being said, that is probably why it wasn’t too hard to pull out that night.  They do not think it had dug too far in and therefore I had little reaction to it.  Either way, I know I never want to deal with a tick again.  I am so happy it was on my back where I could not see it because I do not know how I would react if I had actually seen it. 

Sunday morning we did some more planting, but this time it was somewhere else.  They told us there was little chance of there being ticks in the area, so that relieved me.  We planted some trees and plants and watered a lot of the trees and plants that had been planted by previous volunteers.  Since I hardly slept the night before and because we worked so hard the day before, I was worn out before lunch and could not wait to leave and sleep once I got home.  Oh, I was also excited to shower and get a deep clean.

The view from the worksite on Sunday morning

We watered and planted many of the trees and plants in here.  They are wrapped in plastic because it helps create its own moist climate for the plants.

Our view from the trip down the mountain.

The solar panels that power the entire campsite, warm the water, and give electricity.

We left just a little after lunch and it was kind hard to leave.  Everyone is such a family up there.  Everyone came around and gave us hugs and were waving us goodbye.  It’s amazing how a little community could feel so much like a family or a good friend. 

Anyways, after a long weekend I couldn't wait to sleep and relax in my village.  As dirty as it may be sometimes, and as"unhomely" as it could feel, it finally seemed like home to me, and I couldn't wait to be back. 

My absolute favorite pano picture from the first morning we worked.  We were in such a gorgeous area!