Monday, March 28, 2011
Dying with Dignity
Just sitting on the couch this lovely evening, watching tv, and the news started talking about the choice to die. Got me wandering if this is a controversy in the states as it is here, as I hadn't heard anything about it previously. The idea is euthanization on demand from a doctor if or when you want to end your life. I haven't done any extra research, but it sounds like it is only available for elderly people. Please do share your thoughts/ideas on this. I'm a bit bewildered by the idea myself.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Beaches, Big City and Beautiful Sights to See!
On Friday morning I woke up bright and early to head out to Sydney for the weekend! Upon leaving the house, I realized that the directions I had gotten off the internet for the bus stop were wrong. 6:00 in the morning and here we are driving around foggy Bathurst, completely lost. Luckily we happened to come across a gent walking across the street and he kindly pointed us in the right direction. It was 6:15 when I arrived at the bus station - good thing it was running a bit late! I squeezed on the bus in a hair, and set off to catch the train from Lithgow! 
When we arrived in Lithgow, however, the train was broken. Not a bother though, because they simply bused us to Mt. Victoria where we caught the train. The bus ride up there was long - total from Bathurst to Mt. Victoria, about an hour and half, and had I a window seat, would have been much better. Mt. Victoria was awesome, see the pictures below - I felt like I was living in the 1940's traveling far and about to see someone dear to me on the other side. In fact, there was no one on the other side, just a giant, exciting city!!
The train ride through the Blue Mountains was delightful. I met a very nice Lady and her friend who were headed out towards the city as well, but departed the train long before I did. 3 other elderly ladies ended up sitting next to me. Ingrid, Jesse and Igna - Ingrid and Jesse were from Florida, so immediately we got to talking. They were so wonderful, Igna lives here in Australia, and was telling me all about what I needed to do and see in Sydney - I don't think I accomplished half of her to do list. When we arrived in Sydney, they sort of adopted me, and wanted me to go with them around the city, however I had made plans to go to the beach previously, so I skipped out, though I am sure it would have been a very fun day if I did go. Imagine spending the day with the Golden Girls. A few were missing, but these three were the epidemy of the characters.
Dumped in Central, the huge, overwhelming train station in the heart of Sydney, I was left to figure out where the hell I was going and how to get there. It was somewhat of a daunting task, but I was proud of myself by the end of it. Eventually I found the train to the Bondi Junction and I headed out west towards the Beach! The train only took about 10 minutes to get to the junction at the most and from there I took a 15 minute bus ride to the shoreline. HELLLOOO BEACHH!!! Part of me has been missing this whole time I've been in Oz; that is until I found myself sitting on the sand, watching the surf competition and bodysurfing in the water. Absolute Bliss!!
The day was a bit bleak, it rained for a while, at which point I took cover under the large area for changing and getting lockers. But the sun came out eventually. I met a friend from UNM who is working on his PhD out at the University of New South Wales. Together we walked around the shops near the shore and found some lunch. While eating, the sun came out and we thought it a good idea to go back to the beach and finish the day on a good note! We swam and laid around for the remainder of the afternoon, and eventually headed back into Randwick where he is staying.
The suburbs of Sydney are much like any other large city. They are tangled together and, on the first visit out, are impossible to piece together or separate exactly where you are. The evening we just relaxed, and hung out at his place. Exhausted from the travels of the day, I turned in early and got ready for a long day of exploring on Saturday.
The sun greated us Saturday morning and it was obviously going to be a warm, humid day. We set out early to the harbor, hopped from bus to train and made
our way out to the Sydney Opera House. Talk about an exquisit work of art. I'm no architect, but it was stunning. I reckon anyone would think so.
After walking around it, we ventured through the Botanic Garden area - it was full of grass and interesting art here and there, a couple of neat rock formations (pictures below) and then a tropic sort of area where you ran into spiders whose leg's spanned as big as your hand around every corner. Looking up at the fig trees were hundreds of large bats sleeping through the day whil
e tourists (like me!) stared in awe at how many there were. That bat I caught in the 3rd grade were nothing compared to these babies! Finishing the walk through the gardens, we were dumped out at the New South Wales Art Museum.
The most noteable thing in the museum to me, aside from all of the normal historic art exhibits, was the high school art exhibit. I saw some of the most unique pieces of artwork that were seriously intriguing and made you think about what the work meant. I was very impressed by the work of art the young population is doing around here. Of course this is the best of the best in the city, but what a great representation!
Leaving the art museum, we ventured and wandered our way over to Pott's Point. This is a lively area that is filled with eclectic people, backpackers, hippies, busnessmen/women, you name it. Tons of small shops along the walk ways, unique buildings and a market that was going on, which I think occurs every weekend. What a fun community to live in. I really enjoyed this part of the city. After walking around for a bit we found the train sign (actually we had to ask because we couldn't find it). We popped back on the train and headed back towards the harbor to find some authentic fish and chips for lunch.
We never made it back to the harbor. We got off the train near the Central Point Tower. This is the large tower that stands high above the city giving you breathtaking views of what is around. We did find a small cafe one the path o
f Hyde park that served fish and chips and, as starving as we were, decided that that would be good enough. We ate on the patio and watched a life size game of chess that was underway. The old man in the plaid shirt beating a group of 3 shirtless young mates time and time again. What a champ!
After eating we walked to Central Point Tower and did the touristy thing. We took the lift all the way to the top where we sat and watched the sail boats in the bays, pointed out where the footie fields, rugby fields and cricket fields were. Found where the campus of UNSW was, and where "Home Bush" (the Olympic Stadium) would be if you could see that far out. Looking out over Darling Harbour you could see the National Maritime Museum and the Navy Ships that were docked. Anzac Bridge takes you over to another part of the city, as does the famous Harbour Bridge. The Opera house was absolutley dwarfed by the collosal magnitude of the city. What an experience.
By the end of the lift going down CPT, I was already overcome by how incredible it is out here. Then we found ourselves at The Rocks. This is a small area on the north side of the Harbour Bridge. The Rocks is enveloped with history but was covered today by another wonderful market that occurs every weekend. Here we found the most amazing gelato I think I have ever Ever EVER had!! (sorry ECCO)! I had hazelnut and oh my, was it delicious! We walked around the market, looking at the stuff vendors had (If only I had money to buy some of it!!) and eventually stopped at a lovely Irish Pub that was packed with people and live music.
The suburbs of Sydney are much like any other large city. They are tangled together and, on the first visit out, are impossible to piece together or separate exactly where you are. The evening we just relaxed, and hung out at his place. Exhausted from the travels of the day, I turned in early and got ready for a long day of exploring on Saturday.
The sun greated us Saturday morning and it was obviously going to be a warm, humid day. We set out early to the harbor, hopped from bus to train and made
our way out to the Sydney Opera House. Talk about an exquisit work of art. I'm no architect, but it was stunning. I reckon anyone would think so.After walking around it, we ventured through the Botanic Garden area - it was full of grass and interesting art here and there, a couple of neat rock formations (pictures below) and then a tropic sort of area where you ran into spiders whose leg's spanned as big as your hand around every corner. Looking up at the fig trees were hundreds of large bats sleeping through the day whil
e tourists (like me!) stared in awe at how many there were. That bat I caught in the 3rd grade were nothing compared to these babies! Finishing the walk through the gardens, we were dumped out at the New South Wales Art Museum.The most noteable thing in the museum to me, aside from all of the normal historic art exhibits, was the high school art exhibit. I saw some of the most unique pieces of artwork that were seriously intriguing and made you think about what the work meant. I was very impressed by the work of art the young population is doing around here. Of course this is the best of the best in the city, but what a great representation!
Leaving the art museum, we ventured and wandered our way over to Pott's Point. This is a lively area that is filled with eclectic people, backpackers, hippies, busnessmen/women, you name it. Tons of small shops along the walk ways, unique buildings and a market that was going on, which I think occurs every weekend. What a fun community to live in. I really enjoyed this part of the city. After walking around for a bit we found the train sign (actually we had to ask because we couldn't find it). We popped back on the train and headed back towards the harbor to find some authentic fish and chips for lunch.
We never made it back to the harbor. We got off the train near the Central Point Tower. This is the large tower that stands high above the city giving you breathtaking views of what is around. We did find a small cafe one the path o
f Hyde park that served fish and chips and, as starving as we were, decided that that would be good enough. We ate on the patio and watched a life size game of chess that was underway. The old man in the plaid shirt beating a group of 3 shirtless young mates time and time again. What a champ!After eating we walked to Central Point Tower and did the touristy thing. We took the lift all the way to the top where we sat and watched the sail boats in the bays, pointed out where the footie fields, rugby fields and cricket fields were. Found where the campus of UNSW was, and where "Home Bush" (the Olympic Stadium) would be if you could see that far out. Looking out over Darling Harbour you could see the National Maritime Museum and the Navy Ships that were docked. Anzac Bridge takes you over to another part of the city, as does the famous Harbour Bridge. The Opera house was absolutley dwarfed by the collosal magnitude of the city. What an experience.
By the end of the lift going down CPT, I was already overcome by how incredible it is out here. Then we found ourselves at The Rocks. This is a small area on the north side of the Harbour Bridge. The Rocks is enveloped with history but was covered today by another wonderful market that occurs every weekend. Here we found the most amazing gelato I think I have ever Ever EVER had!! (sorry ECCO)! I had hazelnut and oh my, was it delicious! We walked around the market, looking at the stuff vendors had (If only I had money to buy some of it!!) and eventually stopped at a lovely Irish Pub that was packed with people and live music.
By now it was turing into evening and we headed back down towards the harbor where lots of people were out and about. The views of the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House at dusk were simply gorgeous. We stuck around for a few and then made our way to another Irish Pub (we were on a mission to find the best ones around town!..) This one was called Scruffy Murphys, it was great. It was where the younger generation hangs out at - maybe not so much David's scene, but it was still fun. They had a rugby game projected on their large screen. I had yet to actually sit down and focus while watching a game, but I did it here. Explaining the difference between Rugby League and Rugby Union teams is much more complex than the different between AFL and NFL. Rugby League is a bit more popular, it is like a mix between American Football and Traditional Rugby. All rugby rules apply, however the teams each get 6 tries when they are in possession of the ball, if they don't make a goal, they are forced to kick the ball back to the other team. It is fun to watch and there is not a lot of time waste
d like there is in american football. I'm likin it a lot. In Rugby League, the biggest difference is that there is no designated tries that a team has while in possession of the ball. Both teams just go for it and don't stop. I haven't yet seet Footie - but it is like a mix between rugby and soccer. All of it is fun to watch! And hello very rough and buff manly guys ;)
The rest of the evening involved bar hopping a bit, one of the other noted bars we went to was a little strange to me. The bar area was upstairs while they had more of a night club type area below. The girls bathroom was located in this really complicated-to-find, completely dark and eery back corner. With the amount of guys that were in that club - literally a ratio of about 19:1; I was sure I was going to have a go at kickin the shit out of a guy, but in fact it didn't happen. Haha, seriously strange.
The next morning involved more walking down to the neuroscience lab that David is completing his research at, as well as a quick tour around part of UNSW (University of New South Wales). Talk about a huge campus! Very nice though. We got brunch at The Spot - which is basically the market area in Randwick. The number of delicious hole-in-the-wall places that exist around this place is huge, and wonderful!
If there is one thing that I can say about Sydney, besides the fact that it was impossibly energetic, excititng and culturally diverse, is that I sure didn't feel as much of a foreigner out there as I do in Bathurst. Not sure which I like more - fitting in, or standing out. I think I chose the latter of the two - people understand when you don't get something the first time in Bathurst and they take the time to really help you out. All in all, I love love love Sydney, but I am so happy that I am living here in Bathurst. A simple $3.90 trip to the big city and the beach is nothin if you ask me. I'll be doing it often :)
The trip back home to Bathurst treated me with an unexpected surprise. On the way to Sydney, I was caught up in conversation with people on the train. On the way home, I was one of only a few people in the cart. I can't begin to explain the massiveness of the Blue Mountains and the glorious views they have to offer. It was the most amazing thing ever. I hope that one day you have a chance to take the Blue Mountain Line from Sydney to Lithgow. It is marvelous, stunning, spectacular, breath taking, awe-inspiring, fabulous, miraculous, calming, overwhelming, invigorating, the list goes on. Do you get it? Do you understand how blessed I am to be here? I'm not sure I do. It just keeps getting better. Cheers!
You can see more pictures on FB: https://www.facebook.com/album.php?id=11606551&aid=2192336
Thursday, March 10, 2011
I'm the Little White Girl from Mexico
Finally, someone thought I was from Mexico. I've been waiting for that to happen, I'm surprised it took almost a month!
I went to 'Down Unda', the liquor store down the street from our home today to get a bottle of wine as a gift. After wandering around through the store, and obviously looking lost, one of the workers (who, might I add, was very cute) came up and asked 'You doing alright, doll?' I love that I get called doll here on a daily basis. And trust me, the accent never gets old in these instances!
Eventually, I found the Shiraz I was looking for, and went up to pay. The other worker immediately asked where I was from, to which I replied, 'New Mexico'. He said, 'MEXICO?!' Whether he was excited to meet someone from Mexico, or that I, being one of the whitest girl's ever, said I was from Mexico, I am not sure. But when I reiterated the NEW Mexico, his response was...'Oh! Well whats the difference?'
What is the difference? Clearly we are north of the border - part of the United States. I mentioned that slight detail, and the fact that we are in a WHOLE DIFFERENT COUNTRY, but his next question was, 'Well is it safe there?' I told him I felt safer in Bathurst than in the city I'm from - I think that led him to believe I am indeed from Mexico. I told him our food in New Mexico is much beetter too, but he didn't seem to get it.
I want to be critical of this, but I had a long walk back in the rain (see pciture!) and on second thought, I realized, I wouldn't have an ounce of knowledge about the country down here, I didn't have an ounce of knowledge about the country down here until I moved here, so I can't say too much. Well, no longer am I the American in town, I'm now the Extremely White Mexican. I can dig either - good thing I didn't mention my last name was Vargas, that would have totally solidified his thoughts. Needless to say, I'll be goin back there to visit the other worker ;)
I went for a run yesterday, and almost stepped on this huge snake! See picture below. While I was taking a picture - like a dumb american would, a kid walked by and kicked it. I was seriously ready to run as fast as I possibly could - if there was ever a time to test my abilities of out running a 5ft long 4 inch round snake, that would have been the time!....but it was dead. I wanted to punch that kid in the face! Not really, but put yourself in that position, what would you do??
PS. Tomorrow I'm going to Sydney!!! I can't wait! Even though its barely supposed to be 21 degrees and raining all weekend long. It will be a good time. I'll take lots of pictures!
Cheers :)
That's a rose from our bushes outside, they are exquisite! And they smell amazing in when it's raining!
Also, I was watching the news and they were talking about a study that was completed that inolved several countries, but the US and UK did not take part in it. It said that Australia has the 2nd most cars per family compared to the other countries, Italy won by.3. Do you think the US would have more than Oz? Their numbers were 2.4 cars per family, while Italy had 2.7. I wander..
I went to 'Down Unda', the liquor store down the street from our home today to get a bottle of wine as a gift. After wandering around through the store, and obviously looking lost, one of the workers (who, might I add, was very cute) came up and asked 'You doing alright, doll?' I love that I get called doll here on a daily basis. And trust me, the accent never gets old in these instances!
Eventually, I found the Shiraz I was looking for, and went up to pay. The other worker immediately asked where I was from, to which I replied, 'New Mexico'. He said, 'MEXICO?!' Whether he was excited to meet someone from Mexico, or that I, being one of the whitest girl's ever, said I was from Mexico, I am not sure. But when I reiterated the NEW Mexico, his response was...'Oh! Well whats the difference?'
What is the difference? Clearly we are north of the border - part of the United States. I mentioned that slight detail, and the fact that we are in a WHOLE DIFFERENT COUNTRY, but his next question was, 'Well is it safe there?' I told him I felt safer in Bathurst than in the city I'm from - I think that led him to believe I am indeed from Mexico. I told him our food in New Mexico is much beetter too, but he didn't seem to get it.
I went for a run yesterday, and almost stepped on this huge snake! See picture below. While I was taking a picture - like a dumb american would, a kid walked by and kicked it. I was seriously ready to run as fast as I possibly could - if there was ever a time to test my abilities of out running a 5ft long 4 inch round snake, that would have been the time!....but it was dead. I wanted to punch that kid in the face! Not really, but put yourself in that position, what would you do??
PS. Tomorrow I'm going to Sydney!!! I can't wait! Even though its barely supposed to be 21 degrees and raining all weekend long. It will be a good time. I'll take lots of pictures!
Cheers :)
Also, I was watching the news and they were talking about a study that was completed that inolved several countries, but the US and UK did not take part in it. It said that Australia has the 2nd most cars per family compared to the other countries, Italy won by.3. Do you think the US would have more than Oz? Their numbers were 2.4 cars per family, while Italy had 2.7. I wander..
Friday, March 4, 2011
I Made Friends!...With Other Foreigners...
In the land of the unkown, we lost people stick together. Haha, that was the theme of last night on the town as I met two Irish lads and one Scot lad at Jack Duggans, the Irish pub in town. Man, what a fun time! Think Girard Butler in real life! Suddenly I think I'm in the wrong country...perhaps I belong in Scotland?! In an instant I got over the Aussie accent when the Scotish fella started talkin! Anywhoo, I had fun bar hoppin around with them! By the end of the night I ended up with a half brother who was Scotish - he was protecting me from creepers in the bar - though I have to say, none of the guys really were creepers..
One of the things I love the most about here is that everyone is so friendly to each other. When they are jokin with each other and making fun of eachother, they don't get all hot headed like back home. I noticed a couple of instances where my heart rate spiked because they were saying things that, if I were back in Abq, would have warranted a fight and probably a gun being pulled in the heat of the moment. But here, it's not dodgey like that. Guys can shoot the shit and just have fun with eachother. That's not to say that fights don't break out - I have yet to see one, and I am sure they do happen, but in general, the demeanor of males towards eachother is so much different.
Also, I have to admit I love that there isn't nearly as many ladies as there are blokes. What girl wouldn't love that ;)
Ps. I'm going out with them again tonight! And I have people to go to Sydney with because they actually live there and go home almost every weekend! Yay! They said they'd show me around the city. Can't wait for that adventure! Cheers!!
One of the things I love the most about here is that everyone is so friendly to each other. When they are jokin with each other and making fun of eachother, they don't get all hot headed like back home. I noticed a couple of instances where my heart rate spiked because they were saying things that, if I were back in Abq, would have warranted a fight and probably a gun being pulled in the heat of the moment. But here, it's not dodgey like that. Guys can shoot the shit and just have fun with eachother. That's not to say that fights don't break out - I have yet to see one, and I am sure they do happen, but in general, the demeanor of males towards eachother is so much different.
Also, I have to admit I love that there isn't nearly as many ladies as there are blokes. What girl wouldn't love that ;)
Ps. I'm going out with them again tonight! And I have people to go to Sydney with because they actually live there and go home almost every weekend! Yay! They said they'd show me around the city. Can't wait for that adventure! Cheers!!
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
All Aboard the School Bus :)
School started today. I am so so excited! I feel so blessed to have this amazing opportunity. The Honours program that I am in is technically a continuation of a Bachelor's Degree out here. But it is perfect for me! Essentially, it is similar to our Master's degree in the states if you chose the thesis option.
In 10 months, we are working on a research project that has to be approved by the Ethics commintee for the school, we have to do the lit review, data collection and analysis, write a publishable paper, and finish of with a full thesis all by October. That is on top of the other work provided for the 2 classes we take each session. All in all, I don't doubt for a second that it is going to be busy, but busy is what I sign up for all the time, isn't it??
The first class we attended today I got in trouble in. I'm such a trouble-maker, let me tell ya! Haha actually it was because I wore thongs (my flippy floppys) to class, and the class was in the lab. Of course, like many labs, we aren't allowed to go in if we don't have the tops of our feet and heels covered. On the first day, usually they will give le-way, but of course we had a lab introduction last week with Jason, so I should have known better. Had I known class was in the lab, I swear I would have worn shoes. Damn. From now on I'm only wearing tennis to class. Haha.
Anyway, Rob Duffield is one of our Professors and also the coordinator of the Honours Program at CSU and he is awesome! He is young but has his shit together (obviously), but is fun and can relate to us to. As Honours students, we have more access and responsibility, but the labs out here are still very strict and in some ways, as Dr. Robergs puts it, there is too much organization. Is that possible? Haha.
The thing that I am most impressed with is the structure of the program and the fact that every teacher/professor works together to create a working program for us. All of them coincide with each other and several of them team teach together. If they aren't team teaching, they still have developed a program that seems to be very comprehensive. With only 6 students in the Honours Program, you better believe that there is competition and I'm ready for it!
One of my favorite things is that we are required to attend seminars that the faculty are at. They come together on set dates to talk about the research that they are doing or other things of interest in our field. I am so excited about this because it gives me a chance to check out what else is going on with the other supervisors in the program, which in turn, just by hearing different research topics, might help me to narrow down what I am seriously interested in and what I might want to focus on for a PhD. If not, I'm just going to have to go to Frank and start reading through the thousands of papers he has collected on different topics to find what I am really keen on.
Anyway, two great things to leave you with today:
1. They say dodgey out here a tone - like.."that gymnastics job was so dodgey." Meaning, it sucked so I didn't take it. (For many different reasons that I won't go into!) But I talked to Sara today and it sounds like she will have a good amount of hours for me at her sports shop! Keep your fingers crossed!!
2. We found red chile. Looks like an over grown red hatch chile! Yep, its cooking now and oh my god, it smells like home. Oh, how I miss you all!! Cheers!
In 10 months, we are working on a research project that has to be approved by the Ethics commintee for the school, we have to do the lit review, data collection and analysis, write a publishable paper, and finish of with a full thesis all by October. That is on top of the other work provided for the 2 classes we take each session. All in all, I don't doubt for a second that it is going to be busy, but busy is what I sign up for all the time, isn't it??
The first class we attended today I got in trouble in. I'm such a trouble-maker, let me tell ya! Haha actually it was because I wore thongs (my flippy floppys) to class, and the class was in the lab. Of course, like many labs, we aren't allowed to go in if we don't have the tops of our feet and heels covered. On the first day, usually they will give le-way, but of course we had a lab introduction last week with Jason, so I should have known better. Had I known class was in the lab, I swear I would have worn shoes. Damn. From now on I'm only wearing tennis to class. Haha.
Anyway, Rob Duffield is one of our Professors and also the coordinator of the Honours Program at CSU and he is awesome! He is young but has his shit together (obviously), but is fun and can relate to us to. As Honours students, we have more access and responsibility, but the labs out here are still very strict and in some ways, as Dr. Robergs puts it, there is too much organization. Is that possible? Haha.
The thing that I am most impressed with is the structure of the program and the fact that every teacher/professor works together to create a working program for us. All of them coincide with each other and several of them team teach together. If they aren't team teaching, they still have developed a program that seems to be very comprehensive. With only 6 students in the Honours Program, you better believe that there is competition and I'm ready for it!
One of my favorite things is that we are required to attend seminars that the faculty are at. They come together on set dates to talk about the research that they are doing or other things of interest in our field. I am so excited about this because it gives me a chance to check out what else is going on with the other supervisors in the program, which in turn, just by hearing different research topics, might help me to narrow down what I am seriously interested in and what I might want to focus on for a PhD. If not, I'm just going to have to go to Frank and start reading through the thousands of papers he has collected on different topics to find what I am really keen on.
Anyway, two great things to leave you with today:
1. They say dodgey out here a tone - like.."that gymnastics job was so dodgey." Meaning, it sucked so I didn't take it. (For many different reasons that I won't go into!) But I talked to Sara today and it sounds like she will have a good amount of hours for me at her sports shop! Keep your fingers crossed!!
2. We found red chile. Looks like an over grown red hatch chile! Yep, its cooking now and oh my god, it smells like home. Oh, how I miss you all!! Cheers!
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