Jenny's Trek Down Under

Walking the streets of Melbourne can sometimes feel like you're walking along the pages of Vogue...okay Vogue 6 months ago. Fashion here in the southern hemisphere is 6 months behind in terms of America and the rest of the world...wait who are we kidding America is the world...or at least that's what my 5 months traveling would have me to believe. So, behind the oversized sunglasses, leggings, umpire waisted shirts and flashy handbags lies a nation of girls subsisting on coffee, water and krispy creme doughnuts. Ozzie girls give new meaning to the American size zero...after spending months in New Zealand surrounded by healthy, active men and women it was a real culture shock coming here. Not only are the girls the size of my pinky finger, but the guys as well have seemed to bought into the whole coked out -heroine -kate moss- waif inspired look--frankly it's rather disturbing. Although America by no means is a role model when it comes to healthy body image, the thin or rather undernourished, underweight prepubescent boy bodies that crowd the city streets have become recognized as normal here...while girls that might be the American equivalent of a size 6 tug at their shirts and conceal their bodies in less than flattering sweaters to hide their apparent 'obesity.'
Another thing I can't help but notice is that Australia should be called 'land of the preggers' instead of the 'land down under' I mean seriously never in my life have I come across more beaming, fresh faced belly button poking out M.I.T's (moms in training.) But then again this shouldn't surprise me considering the shear amount of coupledom that seems to be bursting at every corner. It's funny how in tune you become to your surroundings and everything around you when you have spent the last 5 months or so traveling by yourself. I can honestly say that I have surpassed the level of 'people watcher' and moved to the elitist level of 'people observer' not to be confused with stalker thank you very much. The ordinary images of everyday life seem to stick in my mind in a way they never used to before--the sweet innocent little 6 year old asian girl dressed in hot pink from head to toe and high heels a few sizes too big being swept into the arms of a doting father who for that moment seems immune to the nagging reminders of a busy lunch hour restaurant business--for that moment it's just him and his daughter--these are the things, the banalities of life that in the past I would easily overlook, but now pass through my head, linger and bring a smile to my face.
It's hard to believe that in a month's time I will be back home in Annapolis. I mean how do you make the shift from 6 months of complete freedom, no real responsibilities and a sense of independence so few my age are ever really granted to school, deadlines, responsibilities and picking up snicker's poop in the backyard? Okay who are we kidding I never really picked up his poop, but rather strategically placed leaves in all the right places--and yes my parents were very appreciative of this discovery a few weeks in after I left. Although I'm preparing myself for what might be a rough transition there are some tools that I'm coming back with that I think will help me navigate life a bit easier.
1. An actual craving to be intellectually stimulated--crazy I know. Eventhough I have read more in these past 5 months then I have in my entire life (that is if you subtract all the US, Cosmo and People magazines) I have really craved using my brain. It's funny I don't think I would ever thought that my time abroad would cause this kind of response--but it has--and I'm actually excited to learn for the first time in well...ever. Although I'm coming back to a senior year where I will somehow tackle my whole major in one year...what once seemed daunting now seems kind of exciting--that is if I ever really find out what Development Sociology is...and keep your fingers crossed I actually like it.
2. A mastery of 'shooting the shit.' Traveling perfects your ability to talk with just about anyone on just about any topic regardless of language barrier. I mean there have been many a nights where I spent a good couple hours 'talking' to Japanese tourists through overt hand gestures and lots of pointing at maps and of course plenty of smiles. I have talked politics which I know just as much about as I do quantum mechanics...that has something to do with that 80s show 'quantum leap' no? I have talked about farming, the environment, life's deeper meaning like if you were stranded on a deserted island and could only bring one member of the 'full house' cast who would it be and why? like you even have to ask...the olsen twins...because well, the two of them put together just about equal one person...so it's like a 2 for 1 freebie!
3. Independence. So, I admit it I used to be one of those people who the idea of sitting alone in a restaurant or going to the movies by myself seemed to scream out social suicide. These last couple of months I have gradually made the transition from table for two cluttered in books, magazines, journals (basically anything and everything to make me look busy and occupied to the outside world) but seated one...to me, a table, a nice piping hot cup of joe and the ease and comfort of not giving a shit about what others might think as I linger, take in my surrounding and stalk...err I mean people watch.
So, these next couple of weeks will see me camping, coming face to face with koalas, kangaroos, the legendary ayres rock and hopefully and aboriginal or two. But before I forget another thing to take note of...the other day I was walking around some botanical garden and saw this mysterious creature peering straight at me while most of its body remained hidden by a thick branch. Now, growing up where squirrels and birds are common tree dwellers I was intrigued...who am I kidding I was pretty damn excited to discover what this mystery creature might be. I made my way closer to the tree, creeping along pretending I was in the wild safaris of africa stealthily keeping my camera out of view as I snapped picture after picture of this furry wide eyed 'taileypoe.' Excited about my discovery of some deformed koala or siamese twin wallabe I excitedly show the pictures to some hostelmates..waiting for the 'ohhs and ahhs' to ensue...okay so it took a while...in fact they looked at me with a look of bewilderment and then proceeded to ask why I took a picture of a possum considering I had just spent 5 months in New Zealand...what was so special about New Zealand's finest roadkill? Lesson learned....wait to share amazing life altering animal discoveries until I get back home with people who might just might accept my blurry pictures as proof that the Lochness monster does in fact exist!

I spent a couple days in Wellington and found myself wishing I had decided to crash there for longer instead of Christchurch. But alas life's too short for regrets--so I made the most of my time. Wellington is not only the capital of New Zealand it has stoplights. Okay this is a big deal after spending a couple months in the south island where what looked like a 'big town' on a map more often than not translated into a cafe and a loo if you were lucky--so you can only imagine my excitement to be in a town...with not just one loo or cafe but heaps and heaps--maybe thousands to choose from. I spent my days doing the obligatory touristy things like touring the historic sites, visiting parliament, aimless window shopping and checking out a couple of galleries. One afternoon while eating lunch in some city park I was greeted by about 10 prepubescent boys decked out in tracksuits with 'make some noise' emblazoned on the back of their hoodies. The boys did their best breakdancing to the likes of jay-z and oddly enough random clips from the theme song of 'inspector gadget'...but really it just reminded me of the kind of dancing that takes place at 6th grade dances...in other words plenty of side step shuffling, random offbeat clapping, the occasional pelvic thrust and plenty of fist pumping...what really struck me well was two things...one how badass can these boys really think they are wearing matching pink bandanas around their necks like cowboys and two why the hell was their a kid wearing a mask straight out of insane clown possee--I'm talking bloody white jason style type mask--either way I was amused.
The main 'cultural' attraction in Wellington is probably the te papa museum which is a 6 level interactive hub of history, art and countless ways to entertain the 8 and under crowd. Whatever it was the day I spent at the museum--I was not in learning mode, finding myself staring at pictures and walking closer to the prints then stepping back a ways...pretending like I was actually contemplating the bigger meaning behind a canvas with a black dot in the center--really I was just wondering how the hell are people enjoying this. Instead of learning about the history of the maoris I found myself spending most of my time in the children sections of the museum--you'll be proud of me to know I figured out who killed the crazy mad scientist and no it wasn't the transvestite looking environmentalist. Also I made many a kids wait in line as I spent a good amount of time perfecting my computer generated new zealand bird--getting to choose feet, wings, etc. Okay so maybe sophistication is not my middle name, but whatever your only 12...'cough' 22 once.
I arrived in Melbourne, Australia a couple days ago and could not have felt anymore like the country mouse coming to visit the city. Honestly, having to look both ways before crossing the street has just been unheard of these last couple of months--but apparently that's what city life calls for--so looking left and right it was. I'm definitely a Melbourne kind of girl--if I thought wellington was a cultural mecca of sorts...boy was I wrong Melbourne is a much bigger and better Wellington! The only downsides so far to this city are the constant rain, the fact that museums are not free and more importantly that I'm not a millionaire. I have definitely gotten a case of the 'I wants' walking the streets with so many shiny pretty looking thinga-mabobs screaming out to be bought...I mean everybody needs their very own ugg boots with painted images of koalas that actually make koala noises...okay I'm not that bad...tacky...but exciting...no? The Queen Victoria Market is like the farmer's lady market in Bethesda but a million times bigger and better...with stand after stand of fresh local fruit, veg, meat, cheese, bakeries and random chochkies of sorts--aka the boots. My first impressions of australia were that it felt much more familiar and like the United States then I was expecting--whether it was the streets lined with 7-11's, the ipod toting professional, the constant buzzing of cell phones...but really it was just the energy of life that felt like home more than anything else.
I had no idea how hard it would be to plan my trip in australia in my time allotted. Apparently unlike New Zealand objects in mirror are not closer than they appear...in fact cities that look like an hour drive away could easily be 24 hours away--crazy I know. So, trying to find the most economic way to see the country while at the same time not feeling too rushed proved challenging and ended with me spending a good 3 hours in the travel agent's office...but alas I walked away with the next 26 days planned...the last 10 or so I'm going to wing it as I make my way down the east coast to sydney. In the meantime I will be spending the majority of my days in the outback--which is much more my style. I'm excited for the weeks to come and to give control over to someone else for a bit and actually act like i'm on holiday--before I head back to the states and back into the real world...well, as real as living on a college campus can be.

So, I am finally emphasis on FINALLY leaving Christchurch and will spend this next week finishing up touring the south island and a bit of the north island before heading to the great land of OZ. After spending the last two months constantly on the move it has been nice having a leisurely week in Christchurch and actually unpacking my bag instead of living out of my trunk. It has also given me the chance to really see Christchurch...although honestly you could probably see/do everything this city has to offer in 2 days...so stretching it out to a little over a week has meant me indulging in the creature comforts of an occasional movie, home cooked meals and memorable talks with hostelitizens...a special breed of hostel stayers that take up longterm residency in the hostel, make no real effort to get to know the constant stream of tourists that come in and out, or there are the select few that see this constant flux of tourists as an excuse to get them drunk and go out every night. These hostelitizens also are your best bet to finding the cheapest places in town for internet, booze and food.
Now the hostel I have been staying at in christchurch has been an odd mix of 12 year old boy cross country teams and gassy 70 year old bright yellow long underwear wearing tourists--so on many a night it was the hostelitizens I was forced to seek solace in--that or watch prepubescent boys play monopoly...hostelitizens it was.
Now the three main hostelitizens are two women that may or may not be in a relationship...40 something americans...who seemmed to be constantly trying to be the demi moore's of the hostel..hitting on both the boy toys of the staff and the male travellers--these women I avoided. Then there was a canadian 27 year old guy who made the rare appearence during day hours but usually was at his peak around 5 am as he made his way home from the bars night after night.
One night in particular we got to talking and as we drunkenly in his case and tipsily in mine sipped wine and discussed the state of the world, the environment and America we did our best to offer up solutions...but alas like every other traveller I have encountered--the problems in the world seem too daunting to solve in one night, but the more acceptance and understanding we could offer one another the closer to world peace we seemed to get. I think one thing I wasn't expecting about my travels was how often I would get asked my views about America and what Bush has been doing--I'm the first to admit that I'm not the most informed person when it comes to the government...yet I can tell you all about the Nicole Richie pregnancy scandel...but I find myself wanting to be more informed even going to cnn.com and reading up on things. I like to think that for the handful of tourists I've encoutered I've helped to dispel the American stereotype of Bush loving, gun toting ethnocentricism...but who knows for sure. Anyways back to Mike the Canadian--throughout the course of our discussion he told me a story about his time spent travelling in Asia and one memorable I'd say life altering experience involving a 6 year old girl, poverty like you and I can't even begin to imagine--and the vulnerability and innocense of a child and how it can really put things into perspective--seeing this 27 year old electrician definitely a guy's guy oozing confidence fight back tears as he held out a note that this little girl had given him..humbled me, gave me goosebumps and just further proved to me that even those who seem the most ego driven crumble in the face of pure unadulterated human connections and emotions.
The days following were stressful as I tried to plan my Australia trip, wandered the city with a couple german girls and imparted my 'wisdom' from my travels in the south island. It's funny it seems in recent days I have encountered so many tourists just beginning their travels and as mine near an end I can see just how far I've come both in kilometers and on a more personal level.
Yesterday I took the bus to kaikora which is most known for it's snow covered mountains, beautiful blue waters, seal colonies and of course whales. On the bus I met an 18 year old German girl beginning her travels during her gap year before college. Although her english wasn't all that great and at times I wondered if she suffered from turrets as in the best Borat of accents she alternated between uttering 'a fuck' and 'shiiieeett,' but alas she seemed like good company. We spent the day walking along what we thought was the peninsula walkway only to realize we went the wrong direction and instead of taking in beautiful coastlines and raging waters we were met with cows, cow shit and my pants ripping as I tried to clear a barbed wire fence. We hitched a ride back into town and made plans to meet the next day.
That night I made it back to my hostel where I met some really great people and was sad to learn they were leaving the next day--but for that night the conversation flowed easily and stories of past explorations were traded.
The next morning I met up with the german girl and in the cold rain we made our way finally to the peninsula walk--it was interesting between her broken english and my painfully slooowww dumbed down english conversation we were able to have a pretty interesting discussion about germans, jews and world war II. We got the most intimate view of seals I have had thus far--coming within feet of them--as they tried to conceal themselves under branches from the rain, some seemed to be in comatose stupors as they pointed their noses to the sky and did what I like to call a classic case of the 'classroom narcolespy'. You know when you are sitting in a lecture trying to keep your eyes open yet after less than an hour of sleep the night before and a lecturer so painfully boring you find your head constantly bobbing as you nod in and out of conscience--all the while trying to mask this behind a textbook that so conveniently is upside down.
So, that brings us to the present...tomorrow I leave for picton where I will spend the night then the following morning, my birthday, take the ferry over to the north island, spend a couple days bumming around wellington, the capital, and then on the 4th head to melbourne. My planned route for australia is melbourne to adelaide to darwin to caines down to sydney--so doing this in 6 weeks is definitely going to leave me exhausted but I feel will be more than worth it.
I love and miss you all--have a wonderful weekend--and see you all in 6 weeks! yikes so soon!

Seeing as how I'm nearly 22 and by myself half way across the world I think it is the perfect opportunity to reflect on some of the things I have learned in these past 5 months...so without further ado...life's lessons on the road with yours truely...Jenny:
1. It takes your whole world being turned upside down to really find out what matters to you. I came to New Zealand with the intent to save the environment what I was left with was a couple of months spent mowing someone's lawn and an abstract almost artistic arrangement of bruises painted across my body--from the hard labor you ask? nope, more like the countless times I tripped in my wellies or fell on my bum attempting to jump off a cliff into the swimming hole.
With my program cut three months short I found myself scrambling to try and figure out what to do next--as much as I like spontaneity, when you've spent the last 2 months working 8 hour days with total structure it can be hard to enter a world of unstructured freedom. So, I did what any self respecting 21 year old would do I called my parents. Over the next couple of months I tossed aside my dreams of being the Rachel Carson of my generation and instead did my part in contributing to global warming by keeping the petrol flowing. I learned a lot about myself during that road trip across the south island. I learned that early on being cast into the role of nature girl dictated a lot of my future decisions including majors, summer internships, etc. but what I didn't realize at the time was saving the environment wasn't what got me fired up, rather it was something I respected but could never truly imagine myself doing...the idea of being tied to some oil derrick in chains chanting for the the end of oil exploration and drilling in the antartic--it just wasn't me. Heck I sometimes leave the light on when I leave a room...so me being an environmentalist just seemed out of the question. Life lesson one: be open to change.
2. I have always been a thinker--something my mom and dad could never really relate to. I find it amazing that at times my dad can just stare off into space and literally let his mind go blank whereas my mom somehow lacked the cerebral axon for thought...instead of inner dialogue she constantly engages in a 'thought pattern' she likes to call the running of the mouth. Whereas my head is constantly a chatter--I find it hard to really be in the moment at times because I am constantly visually assessing my surroundings, taking in the sounds, making assesments, reviewing my life...thoughts just like my life never seem to stand still they are constantly playing and replaying in my head--to nauseum at times. So, you can just imagine how fun the prospect of traveling by myself for months on end would seem. But the more time I spent on the trail, sitting on beaches, exploring museums, getting lost in a good book or journaling away in some cafe the quieter the voices got--for the first time I was channeling all of my energy into positive outlets. Life became less about trying to make sense of everything that has ever happened to me and all the decisions for good or bad made in my life and more about moving forward. I used to think that I couldn't really move forward in my life until I had discovered the cure for cancer, cured world hunger and designed for new york's fashion week...funny thing is I never really understood until now...none of that stuff can happen without paying your dues and the groundwork being paved and that as long as I kept waiting for things to happen life would continue to pass me by.
3. Life lesson 3: nothing and I mean nothing is as good as connecting to others. I used to think the 5 minute conversations you had with strangers or the 5 hour long talks you had with a friend arguing over the impact of 'saved by the bell' on our generation is what fostered closeness...boy was I wrong. These last few months I have taken a good hard and at times painful look at myself and realized connections are built upon 'I' statements and joined together by understanding. The more one can level and be real even utter the hated psych 101 'i feel' statements the less guesswork that needs to be done in learning about one another. During this experience I have had some of my highest highs and my lowest lows, but somewhere along the way I stumbled upon myself. Maybe spending months on end completely out of your comfort zone can do that to someone, who knows...regardless I learned and continue to learn that what defines me is how I think and feel not the clothes I wear, the job I aspire to have or the people I know. It's that damn inner beauty everyone is always talking about--it's those people who you pass on the street you might not even utter one word to, but there is something about them that makes you smile, makes you want to be around them--they beam a type of goodness and comfort in their own skin--something we all want yet continue to fall into that trap that material possessions and superficial lifestyles will bring us closer to--never has and never will. Lesson three: inner beauty is where it's at.
...well, that's it for now too beautiful of a day to be kept inside..for all of you or rather maybe just my mom and dad at this point who continue to read my ramblings...god love you. Love you all!

So after 35+ days on the open roads I have temporarily taken up residency in Christchurch until I figure out about the next leg of my trip. Today was an 'emotional' day of sorts, I spent the entire morning cleaning up the car and packing my things away--this was no easy feat...I finally understand how people can turn their cars into further extensions of their rooms and closets--honestly how I accumulated so much crap boggles my mind. When I first came to new zealand I had my backpack, a small backpack and a large purse...after cleaning my car I had all that plus three small duffles worth of crap. Okay a lot of that is me being way too sentimental and holding onto like every damn keepsake from this trip so that when I come home I can make the most comprehnesive scrapbook ever and well the other part is those damn rocks...heavy little buggers.
As I drove the car back to the dealership all I could think about was how much has happened on my roadtrip and the interesting characters I have met along the way. Now the official count of kilometers driven was close to 4700 or so a bit less than 3000 miles roughly speaking--not bad, eh? Leaving the car at the Apex parking lot was harder then I expected...I mean this car was not only my transportation for these weeks, but many a nights I spent sleeping in it as well. So, yeah that's the confession part...up until a couple days ago Nancy and Steve were under the illusion that gertie was a campervan...campervan...nissan pulsar same difference.

Now, I can honestly say I have perfected the whole sleeping in the car system and not getting caught--seeing as how carcamping is illegal. One of my better experiences in deceiving the police was I parked my car in between two parked cars on the side of the road that had for sale signs in their windows...so I made my own sign put it in the window and had quite the lovely slumber minus the sound of traffic whizzing by and the occasional police siren in the distance causing momentary freakouts...but would I change the nights of freezing sleeplessness in the front seat with my legs wrapped around the stickshift in a makeshift fetal position...hell frickin' no--made my experience a little more off the beaten path. The one time I almost got caught which I have to admit was pretty stupid on my part....I slept in the parking lot at the visitor center in Wanaka...but mind you there were like 4 other campervans there so I thought it would be fine...wrong. At 5 in the morning I was awakened by a flashlight being shined through the passenger side window and someone yelling 'security, security open up!' The guy supposedly was being trailed by the police and was giving us a heads up to move our cars so we wouldn't get fined...I didn't get it either...nevertheless I moved my car and all was fine. I just felt in my own little way I was living on the edge...never knowing exactly where I was going to sleep for the night and wondering how I could possibly put on any more layers of clothing so that I had a fighting chance of not spending the whole night shivering. The last couple of weeks as the weather turned even colder I decided to spend the nights at holiday parks instead so I was atleast guarenteed a hot shower and hot meal every evening and finally I am staying in hostels. It's funny the more 'civilized' I have gotten throughout the course of my trip the less I have found I have enjoyed myself...it's been a hard transition to leave the world of matted hair and muddy boots for jeans and blow dryed hair...but it was bound to happen at some point or another. Although I still hold on to a bit of my ruggedness...the only shoes I have to wear at the moment are my hiking boots seeing as how my sneakers have fallen victim to the curse of the new balance...in other words the plastic lining in the heal has made its way through and left my ankle a bloody mess..and wearing flipflops in this weather would just be asking for frostbite...so dirt covered hiking boots it is...the one bonus of it all is they do add a good inch and a half to my height.
I have never been a huge fan of cities, I just have never really been able to see the appeal of them--lots of flashy lights, neon signs, the overwhelming and at times faint smell of urine in the air, littered streets and people...lots of people. But the last couple of days I have spent here in Christchurch, I'm starting to find my whole 'city perception' being shattered...okay minus the pee part. I love waking up in the morning not knowing exactly where I'm going and just getting lost in the city. Lost in that way where each street seems new and like a mystery that needs to be unraveled and each person on the street someone with a story, a history that lets my my wander. Finding cafes to make my own or walking in the botanical gardens and stopping to feed stale bread to the thousands of ducks or watch a group of older men live out their childhood dreams through handmade sail boat competitions. Or spending an afternoon sipping coffee in the main square in town, with the infamous (and yes mom in this case it works) wizard of cathedral square who preaches about god knows what and will speak his mind on any topic...to my left a lifesize chess set and a homless man playing a fellow traveler. Ahead of me the beautiful cathedral square, under construction at the moment, seagulls littered across the pavement like the trash they consume and all around me the day slowly quieting down, with the sound of a skateboard hitting against the maze of walkways...and school children all aflutter in matching kilts and navy sweaters dillydallying around with mischief on the mind and my latest book from a local used bookstore in hand.
Now with my ipod temporarily out of commission and no more gertie to rock out to billy joel and cat stevens I made a hefty purchase and invested in a $5 handheld radio. Now while standing on the street corner waiting for the pedestrian walk signal some people flipped open their cell phones and texted away...I extended the antennae from my radio. I just had to smile at myself thinking about how ridiculous I look in this day and age with a radio in hand with an antennae a good foot and a half extended and my walmartesque fleece...I have honestly gotten more stares since toting this radio...people just seem in awe that a real life radio still exists and that someone is actually using one.
Well, I hope all is well with everyone and happy father's day especially to you dad...sorry none of us kids could be there to celebrate with you...but I'll sit and watch some tv in your honor tonight!