ZOO

My sister, her sisters and I went to a zoo yesterday.  It was a different one than last time so I saw couple of new animals like dingoes, crocodiles and different birds. :)

Angry bird! :DD

What a great day that was,

Liisa

Sunday

After a good sleep we went to the beach, which is only three minute walk away from the house.

We bought a packet of traditional German ginger breads.  I don't know how traditional they were, but really artistic anyway!

Needs a sleeeeeeep,

Liisa

Saturday

My host sister's host sisters (meaning the host sisters she had when she was an exchange student in Germany) are here in Australia, and they are staying this week with us.  We all went to Forster on Saturday because my host sisters' granddad lives there.  It's usually less than three hours drive away, but now it took more than that because we had our boat with us.  We had our lunch at this place, and I had my first Australian-style pie.  The filling wasn't crocodile so I liked it. :D

The boat trip we had when we got there was really nice; below you can see couple of photos about it:

In the evening we walked to beach with my sister and her German sisters:

Wait a minute and you'll see pictures about my Sunday as well,

Liisa

Holiday

I've spent last two weeks relaxing and travelling with my host family, not even thinking about school.  That'll end soon, because after this weekend my everyday life is back.  Or actually there's a slight difference compared to what it used to be;  I'm not a year 11 student anymore.  That's because I'll move to year twelve, which is the last year of school here.  It sounds funny to me, because in home I haven't even started year 11 yet... :D

Here there's four terms (instead of five which I'm used to back home), and after every term is two week holiday, though summer holiday is longer. Term one starts in January, so now it's time for term four.  Usually new year starts at the same time as the first time, but for some illogical reason year 12 starts in term four.  I don't get why, but that's the way it is.

I'll tell you more about that next week, as well as our weekend to come; we are going to travel to my host sisters' grandparents' house. :)

Can't wait my last holiday weekend,

Liisa

p.s. For those who think it's always sunny in Australia: I can convince that that is far away from the truth.  I bet that about half of the days I've been here it has been raining, or at least really cloudy or windy. I don't mind rain and I know it's getting warmer so there's no problem, I just wanted to share this little fact with you.

Girls' night!

Unlike my previous post, this one is filled with nonsense...  So, here we go:

My youngest three host sisters and I had a girls night last night.  We did face masks and after that painted out nails.  My slimy, see through, peel-off mask was really weird looking, but a lot of fun to do; see the pictures below... :DD

And how scary is this!

Finally I've found people who have the same kind of relationship with nail polishes than I do! 

Had a great night,

Liisa

Homesickness

Usually when I meet new people and we'll discuss about my time here, they ask me if I'm homesick.  I guess it's because often people get homesick when they are away from their homes and families, and if they are young it's the first time when they're living without their parents.

My answer has so far always been pretty much the same: I know that I should say yes, but no.

I don't actually even know what homesickness is.  Because yes, there has been special events, for example the birthday of my brother's, when I've been thinking that it would be nice to be at home and be part of that day, but I'm just saying it would be nice; I'm not desperate to be.  Or when I'm listening to songs from my music player there's one which I was listening to at a cold and snowy winter day, one I heard in a car just before we were saying goodbyes at the airport, one I've been listening with my brother when we were little, one I heard when I drove to different city to see my dear friend, one which my dad played to me years ago, one from my ballet spring show....and so on.  They all tell me about different situations with different people at different times.  They are all my memories and they are part of me and my life, they will always be.  But thinking them makes me feel happy and meaningful, not desperate and sad.  I guess that's the difference.

I know how it's like to miss someone, and I would say that this is nothing like it.  Maybe it's because I understand the difference of loosing people and exchange year; I'll see my family and friends soon, this is not a separation for the rest of my life.  I know that it should be hard to live on the other side of the world alone, but I'm actually confused to tell it's not that bad.  Not bad at all.  One thing which makes it way easier is my host family, because thanks to them, I'm not alone.  You can feel yourself alone even if there's people all around you, but it's not like that; they are actually supporting me and I feel like I'm part of their family.  Nothing makes me happier than the moment they say without  noticing "where's our dad" or "this is our family holiday".  I can't even tell how much I appreciate their effort trying to make my life here as good as it possibly can be.  And when I can't imagine anything being better I guess their try has been pretty successful. :))

We have been warned that first three months are the worst ones because you miss your friends and family and home a lot, but after that it's getting easier.  If that's true, then based to what my 'homesickness-level' is at the moment, rest of my year will be really easy!  I mean, of course there's days when I think  my family a lot and feel like it would be nice to be with them, but it's only a thought.  I would never voluntarily end my exchange year and go back home, never!  

Feeling good,

Liisa

About the safari

I got an email full of information about our Capricorn Ramble, so I'm going to share some of it with you:

• 18th of April - 9th of  May
• 550AUD (1/11/2011) + 2850AUD (1/2/2012) = 3400AUD
• about 10000 kilometers 

DAY 1

All people from three different districts will be picked up early in the morning, and we'll head to North passing by Port Macquarie and Coffs Harbour. We'll arrive at Byron Bay early evening, so we have time to practice setting up tents.  That'll be really useful skill during this trip!

camping at BYRON BAY

DAY 2 

All of us will take surfing lessons in the best surfing location around Byron Bay, and after that we have time to explore the city on Byron Bay.

camping at BYRON BAY

DAY 3

We'll head to Gold Coast and spend our day in Dreamworld.  After that we'll head to North, to Coolum Beach, and set up our camp.

camping at SUNSHINE COAST

DAY 4

Going North again, this time passing through the country towns of Nambour and Gypmie.  The weather will get warmer when we reach Tropic of Capricorn.

camping at ROCKHAMPTON

DAY 5

We'll see fields of sugarcane flank the road from Mackay, site of the world's largest sugar handling facility.  At the end of the day we'll be able to see the crystal blue waters of the Whitsundays.

camping at AIRLIE BEACH

DAY 6

We will spend the day visiting the idyllic Whitsunday passage with Ocean Rafting, and eco guides will explain modern worlds impact to the wilderness.  One place we'll also visit during the day, is the world famous Whitehaven Beach.

camping at AIRLIE BEACH

DAY 7

Moving forward.  We'll leave Airlie Beach and head to North, to the tropical home of the Great Barrier Reef.

bunking at CAIRNS

DAY 8

The day everyone has been waiting for! We'll snorkel the Outer Barrier Reef, the marine biologist on board will inform us about the wonders of the Great Barrier Reef, and we'll also be able to view coral from a glass bottom boat.

bunking at CAIRNS

DAY 9

Our guide will take us up the spectacular Gillies Range and onto the tropical Atherton Tablelands. We also have an opportunity to explore the Cathedral and Curtain Fig Tree, take a rain-forest walk at Lake Barrine National park and swim at pristine waterfalls.

bunking at CAIRNS

DAY 10

We'll board our flight and arrive to Alice Springs.  This day is quite free, so we have time to explore the city and buy souvenirs.  At the evening we'll make a musical and visual journey at Andrew Langford’s ‘Sounds of Starlight’ theater.

bunking at ALICE SPRINGS

DAY 11

This day will be spend driving around Alice Springs seeing the major landmarks.  We'll also visit Reptile center where we'll learn more about Australian reptiles.

bunking at ALICE SPRINGS

DAY 12

We'll head to Kings Creek Station, and go to Kings Canyon, which is the deepest gorge in Central Australia.

camping at KINGS CREEK STATION

DAY 13
After we've done a short ride on a camel, we'll head to Uluru.  In the evening we'll go to Sunset Strip to see Uluru while sun sets on the horizon.

camping at AYERS ROCK RESORT

DAY 14
Time for a day we'll never forget; visiting Uluru!  Despite the wish of Aboriginals, we may be able to climb to the big red rock.  We'll also visit Kata Tjuta, which is even larger rock landmark 25 kilometers from Uluru.

camping at AYERS ROCK RESORT

DAY 15
After heading East we'll head South, passing the oasis of the Marla Bore. In the early evening we'll arrive to Coober Pedy where we'll sleep underground.

camping at COOBER PEDY

DAY 16
We'll head off down the centre of Australia towards the Southern Coast. We'll sleep in Gaol in Gladstone, and we will be taken to a ghost tour around it.

bunking at GLADSTONE

DAY 17
We'll have a brief tour of Adelaide, before heading further South to Naracoorte.  At sunset we'll visit the Naracoorte Caves to see the Bat Cave and Blanche Cave. At the Bat Cave we may be able to see the Southern Bent-wing Bat using the infrared cameras.

bunking at NARACOORTE

DAY 18

Day to head to the South Coast of Australia.  We'll watch a sound and light show depicting the history of the “ship wreck coast”; a spellbinding chronicle of how Victoria’s western coastline earned its cruel distinction as the Shipwreck Coast.

camping at WARRNAMBOOL

DAY 19

We'll tour part of the Great Ocean Road and see the Twelve Apostles, rising columns of rock surrounded by treacherous reefs and tides. We then head inland and arrive to Melbourne.  Before returning to the camp we have time to shop and explore Melbourne.

camping at MELBOURNE

DAY 20

Day for visiting the Southbank and the Eureka Skydeck 88, the highest observation deck in the

Southern Hemisphere.  Skydeck 88 is the only observation deck in the world that can thrill you with

‘The Edge’ – a glass cube which projects 3 metres out from the building, almost 300 meters above the ground.  We'll also be able to use the telescope to get a bird’s eye view of Melbourne.  Later we'll visit the Docklands and we'll have free time to explore Melbourne.

camping at MELBOURNE 

DAY 21

One more opportunity to explore Melbourne.  There's a lot of different options; we can take a ride on Australia’s last remaining tramway system, visit the Queen Victoria Markets or poke about its galleries and museums. In the afternoon we'll head off to Gundagai.

bunking at GUNDAGAI

DAY 22

LAST DAY!!! Time to say goodbyes and head back home.

If that didn't really make sense, the route is roughly showed below.

Excited,

Liisa

Ski trip

After my weekend in Tocal my host dad and my two youngest host sisters picked me up, and we drove all the way to Mount Perisher, which is Australia's largest ski resort.  It is  located in the Snowy Mountains, and it's in the Kosciuszko National park.  It's part of the same mountain range as Mount Kosciuszko; Australia's highest mountain (2228 meters).

We drove to Australian Capital Territory, which is a small Territory in New South Wales.  We drove through Canberra, but because it was dark I didn't see that much of it.  At least I can now say I've been there! :D

You can see the whole route we drove from here. 

In the same lodge there were also three other families with children, but either of them was in my age.  For me it didn't really matter, because we spent most of our time skiing, and after that I was pretty ready to go to bed.  At one night we played games, and as you can see I was allowed to cheat a bit... But seriously, there were no English words with those letters!

Our 'timetable' for each day was like this:

(7.00 Waking up, because this was my time to take a shower)

7.30 Breakfast and getting ready

9.00 After walking a bit down the road; SKIING!!!!!

9.30 Lessons started.  I did only one snowboarding lesson, because I felt like I'm good enough in skiing

13.00 Lunch 

13.30 More skiing

16.30 Lifts closed, so after returning our skis and boards we walked back to the lodge

18.30 Dinner!  Food there was really good, and because we had our lodges own chef we didn't need to make it by our own :)

19.15- Free time.  At this point I was so tired that I was just getting ready for bed

20.30 Sleeping time.  I guess this wasn't the time we had to go to bed, but we were so tired that we didn't even think about staying awake... :D

Skiing here is really different than in Finland, because here it's so special. If I'm back home and I say I'm going skiing, people's answer is 'ok'.  Here when I said that I'm going skiing, one old lady said that I'm a spoiled kid. Nice.  

I prefer downhill skiing rather than cross country skiing, so I really enjoyed the trip. I already mentioned it earlier, but I'll tell it once more; I tried snowboarding! :DD  It was great fun, but I got really frustrated because even after one lesson I didn't get the way how you can get up after you had fallen over.  It was maybe stupid thing to do, but after lunch I went back to the place where you hire stuff and changed back to skis...  But when I go back home I'm definitely trying boarding again! :)

Thanks to my host family for a great experience,

Liisa

Tocal weekend

I spent my last weekend in Tocal because we had a Rotary meeting there. The last one was only for inbounds, but this time we met also outbounds. Inbound student is the term for people who are coming to country, and outbound is the word for the people travelling to other countries.  So I am an outbound to Finland, but here I'm an inbound student.

The meeting started in Saturday and ended on Sunday so it was shorter than last time.  There was still a lot to do:

SATURDAY:

6.00 Early wake-up call because of packing  (Maybe I should have done that last night... :D)

7.30 Rotarian from my club picked me up

8.30 Registration in Tocal college

9.00 Introductions and welcome speeches

9.45 Lesson about living in Aussie homes, attending school and travelling = The subject of these lessons is always the same; just talking about rules and regulations

10.30 Morning tea

10.45 Lesson about police matters = One Rotarian is a policeman so he was telling us about Australian laws compared to Rotary rules

11.15 Lesson about illnesses and medical issues = Insurance stuff; surprise, surprise...

11.45 Country group discussion = Scandinavian people talking about our lives here and back home.  These discussions were, in my opinion, clearly the best  parts of our weekend.

12.30 Lunch

13.30 Group photos

Picture above by George Konz

14.00 Guided activities and speech preparation = Chilling out...

15.30 Afternoon tea

15.45 Lesson about personal issues = We were just rating our time here and telling what is good at the moment and if there's problems somewhere

16.30 Physical activities outside = We were trying to throw a ball to a bucket, hard!

17.00 Free time = Inbounds and outbounds got to know each other a bit

18.00 Dinner = The best dinner in a while!!! I met a guy who has been an exchange student in Finland, so we were having our private conversation; half in Finnish, half in English.  It was unbelievably hard for me to speak Finnish so I changed to English quite a few times; maybe it was just because I couldn't be sure how good Finnish speaker he was.  Anyway, the high light of my weekend! :)

19.00 Bush dance = What can I say. Other people didn't maybe had that much fun, but I and my constantly changing dance partner were doing it with a full heart, so at least it was a good workout for my abs because of that never ending laughing :DD

23.00 Lights out = Didn't really affect to us; we just went outside and talked... :D

SUNDAY:

6.30 Rise and shine = Always the same thing.  This time I was so tired that I was laying in by bed 'till seven o'clock though :DD

7.30 Chapel = The reason why we woke up way too early

8.00 Breakfast

9.00 The day's program

9.30 Country group discussions = Same than on Saturday

10.00 Facts about Australia = Nice little quiz and more advice about how to avoid snakes

10.45 Morning tea

11.00 Speech presentations to parents = I failed again.  It should be really easy to talk about yourself for three minutes in other language even without planning, but no.  Actually it wasn't as bad as last time, but people just started clapping so I had to leave.  I can make it sound really bad, can't I? :D

12.00 Capricorn ramble = More information about our safari.  The price is 3400 AUD (ouch), but the route is 10000 kilometers, so I bet you end up having great time and seeing a lot more than you otherwise would!

12.30 Final comments

12.45 Lunch

13.15 Goodbyes = We were in hurry to going skiing, so I left as quickly as I could.  I don't see the reason to take a photo with every single person in the room, because we see each other constantly

Writing about our ski trip tomorrow,

Liisa

The plan

Tomorrow I'm waking up before six o'clock, and I'm heading to Tocal at 7.30.  It's about one hour drive from Singleton, so I'll be there when our first program starts at 8.30.  So I'm having a nice Rotary weekend again, and after that on Sunday, I'll be going skiing with my host family and their friends.  I have no idea where still  is snow at the moment, but they said that it's about eight hours drive from here; nice.  We'll be coming back from there on Wednesday, maybe, so I 'll make a huge post then.  Now I just say bye for few days, I really need to go to bed.

Exhausted without a reason,

 Liisa

P.S. It's pretty funny when people here are packing all of their super warm winter clothes for ski trip; those ones we wouldn't use even if it was -35.  I just asked my host father how cold will it be, and his answer was "Five, maybe ten if it's a warm day."  And seriously; we're talking about +5 and +10 now. :DD

P.P.S.  I'VE BEEN IN AUSTRALIA FOR TWO MONTHS NOW, YAY!!! :)

Countryside

I don't live downtown, so there's a lot of animals and fields here.  I'm used to small city so for me this is okay, and I actually find myself enjoying the peacefulness. :) 

Loving it,

Liisa

p.s. I saw TEN kangaroos today, so the total is 18 at the moment, hooray!!! :DD