I included the picture above because it was the most recent photo I had of the item since I could not take a picture of the person I gave the item away to. I gave my item to an Australian kid in the airport and his parents did not what a random a stranger taking a picture of their kid. The kid I gave it to was named Nate and he was so happy to get something like this. I explained the meaning behind it to him and his parents and they were very nice about it. I told them how this is my state animal and that I from LA. I told them I wanted to give it to them because my trip has come to an end but I wanted the journey to still live on. My hope is that it will eventually get passed on to someone else and keep being able to travel. I brought this item with me on my entire journey so it was a part of my trip and I hope it can now be a part of someone else’s trip. I knew from the start I wanted to give to a kid. I am glad I was able to give Nate my item and end my trip in a memorable way.

smarsden

More Posts

This was a photo I took at the Australian Open. This was an amazing experience for me. I am a tennis player and have never had the opportunity to go to a professional tennis tournament let alone a Grand Slam. I am very happy I got the chance to go.

smarsden

More Posts

After going through the different cities, what did you learn about Australian culture that is similar to how it was represented in films and how was it different?  Give at least two examples of similarities and two examples of differences.

I found from visiting the cities that Australians are very similar to Americans. Overall the biggest difference between them and us is the accent. I have found they have a similar history and development of their country as we do since we were both colonies under Great Britain. In regards to film, I have found the biggest thing I did not see was Australians drinking a lot and fighting. I did not notice this anywhere. If any of the Australians did not speak I would not have known they were from Australia which was probably the most interesting part. In the movies, we see a lot of differences between us and Australians such as their humor, their rebellious nature, and their aggression but overall I did not notice much of this. Being in the city all the people seemed overly pleasant which was something I was not expecting from a city. None of them were aggressive or overly rebellious everyone just minded their own business. I was also expecting to see more of the outback. We know from movies that the outback is massive but it is strange how it is so massive yet we never saw it. The only time I saw it was flying into Melbourne from Cairns outside the window. I expected the edge of the cities to be along the outback but that just was not the case. I knew we would not go to it but I expected there would be easier access to the outback. I also expected based on movies for the climate to be a lot hotter. Overall I thought summer for Australia was fairly mild. I thought the weather was quite nice. The film also shows a lot more wildlife than we were able to see in Australia. The greatest similarities were how the people of the country dressed and how the cities looked. The only thing that film did not capture was the feeling you get when you walk around and enter the cities. When I walked around Sydney and Cairns I was blown away. I got this feeling greatest in Darling Harbor and in Kings Wharf. This trip was fantastic and I do feel like I have gathered a lot about Australian culture in this short trip. I am glad I went on this trip and took this opportunity. I wish I spent less money but I would not trade any of the experiences I had.

(more…)

smarsden

More Posts

Describe two things that you learned about the city and how do they relate to what you have learned throughout our travels and/or course study.

A lot of what we saw during the city tour revolved around the culture of the city. For things directly related to our class, we saw two different scenes used in the movie Ghost Rider. The first one we saw was an alleyway used for shooting in the movie. The second scene we saw was a bit more famous and it was where ghost rider rides up a bridge in Melbourne to then jump off. The most interesting parts of our walk to me was how many old arcades and places to eat there were in the city. We kept hearing prior to coming to Melbourne that there was so much food in the city and it was on this walking tour that I truly realized how much there really was. Everywhere we went there was either a show or a place to eat, but most of the time it was a place to eat. We also saw the most expensive space in Melbourne which was a small kitchen that could barely fit two people and sold Joffles. The most interesting part of our tour to me was where we ended. I thought that federation square was one of the coolest spots in the city and I really enjoyed seeing it. Seeing the city during the Australian Open was also very cool. Seeing a lot of change for the event and so many activities going on was really interesting to me. I really had a fun time exploring the city and enjoyed the mild climate of Melbourne. The two best moments in Melbourne for me was seeing our group and a bunch of other Americans all outside watching the Patriots play on TV. The best thing by far though was getting the opportunity to go to my first Grand Slam. This was a really memorable experience for me and it was a great way to end an overall amazing trip to Australia and New Zealand.

smarsden

More Posts

Describe two exhibits you visited at ACMI.  How do these exhibits relate to what you have learned throughout our travels and/or course study?

The exhibit I felt most related to what we are studying was about the show Cleverman. This is show and comic based in aboriginal mythology. Going through the exhibit I did not fully understand a lot of the props and set pieces that were there but it was interesting to see something like this exist. It is a futuristic drama using a lot of the culture of the aboriginal people. It is interesting to see a show like this especially with what we have been studying. We have seen a lot of the persecution of Aboriginal people but we have not seen a lot of regular stories using their culture. This shows the power of TV and film to use various cultures to make a product. I never knew a show like this existed but since this has happened I looked up the show. I am glad to see that there are entertainment products that are being used to expose people to other cultures without them ever realizing. The other exhibit with the history of moving images was also very interesting. I will admit the majority of my time at the museum was spent waiting in line to try out their VR game. This game allowed the user to have superpowers to fight a city with a virus. The city we were exploring happened to be Melbourne. It was also interesting to explore the city we were visiting. I also liked seeing representation from an Australian city in an entertainment medium since this does not seem to be too common. Overall the museum was interesting and had a lot of cool things to watch and play with. I did not feel like most of the exhibit applied to our class but I am still glad we went and saw what the museum had to offer. My favorite part of the museum was actually playing Super Mario Bros. 3 on a Nintendo Entertainment System. It had been a while since I had done this and I played as everyone was leaving the museum without realizing it.

smarsden

More Posts

I met a kangaroo while we were in Cairns. He was nice enough to take a picture with me while he ate.

smarsden

More Posts

Describe 3 things you learned about the Great Barrier Reef and its surroundings.  What did you enjoy most about having this experience?

The first thing I learned about the Great Barrier Reef is that not only is it a world heritage site but it meets all the potential criteria to be one while most world heritage sites only meet one. I found this very impressive because I already knew it was such an impressive natural occurrence but did not realize this. I was also surprised to hear how the reef has been around for a long time but many parts of it have died. The place we visited was not around one hundred thousand years ago due to an ice age making it pretty young for a coral reef. My biggest surprise of this trip, however, was the lack of emphasis on conservation. They barely mentioned preservation of the reef and this came as a shock to me. There was no talk of coral bleaching or the effect global warming is having on the reef. Based on research I have done this is one of the most important things I know about the reef. Humans are responsible for destroying the reef and it is our responsibility to preserve it for the sake of the wildlife there and so that other people can experience it. Surprisingly though none of this was mentioned. The next most impressive thing though that was discussed about the reef is that it is the worlds largest living thing. The Great Barrier Reef is massive and it is interesting to think about how little we truly saw. The two best parts for me at the reef was that I finally went Scuba diving. This is one thing I have never done and was a little afraid to do but to see everything up close and just go diving was an incredible experience. My only regret with it is that I wish I could have done it longer. I have been snorkeling many times so this was a natural step for me and seeing the ocean in that way was incredible. The next best thing but probably my favorite moment of the trip was my personal encounter with a sea turtle. Back in second grade I had to write an endangered animal report and I wrote about all the types of sea turtles. Ever since then I have had a fascination and a love for sea turtles. The moment I experienced with the sea turtle at the reef was a truly once in a lifetime opportunity. Watching this sea turtle try and find food and swim around for twenty minutes was amazing. The most incredible part was how close it let me be to it and even allowed me to touch it. That moment is likely something I will never forget.

smarsden

More Posts

After visiting with the Maori people in New Zealand and the Tjapukai people in Australia, discuss the similarities and differences between the two cultures.

The biggest difference I noticed between the Maori and the aboriginal people is the Maori were a warrior people while the aboriginals were quite peaceful. The most notable way to see this is that the Maori culture seems more integrated into the culture of New Zealand while the aboriginal culture is not nearly as present. This was likely due to the fact that the Maori fought back. The Maori seemed much more aggressive than the aboriginal people. The next most notable thing was the age of their cultures. You can tell that the aboriginals know the land very well and have adapted to it and you can tell that they are the original settlers. The way the two act are very different and it is clear that the cultures are from two very different eras. I also noticed a larger focus on the myths of their culture for the aboriginals. Also, the instruments and dances used by both were very different. Many of the Maori dances were war dances and used typically more modern instruments while the aboriginal dances were about aspects of their lives such as hunting while they used their own instruments such as the didgeridoo. Still, the biggest difference that I noticed was not in the places we went to specifically learn about their cultures. The clearest difference was that no matter where we went in New Zealand we heard about their native people and native cultures. Throughout Australia, we have heard a few places that have alternate names but the aboriginal names were replaced. It is very clear when coming to Australia that the British wiped out a lot of the culture and took over. They did the same in New Zealand but the Maori seemed to have survived better and the government works with the Maori and respects them. While the relationship could still be better between the two in New Zealand it was clear there is an effort being put in by the government to preserve both cultures so that they can live together. I feel as though it would be possible to visit Australia and hear nothing about the aboriginal people but if you went to New Zealand I do not think it is possible to avoid hearing about the Maori. It seems as though because the Maori are from a more recent time they were able to adapt to preserve while it was much harder for the aboriginals to do so.

smarsden

More Posts

A photo of the entrance to Luna Park. This photo was taken on our free day. That afternoon I went to Luna Park to see it and ride some of the rides and had a very enjoyable and memorable time.

smarsden

More Posts

Describe two things you learned about the city and how do they relate to what you have learned throughout our travels and/or course study.

During our tour of the city we learned about where various movies were shot along with the layout of the city and some of the history of the city. The majority of the stops we made were filming locations for one of the best films to be shot in Sydney, The Matrix. The most interesting part about this is while Sydney was used to make the movie the setting of the movie is intended to be a dystopian future city. Due to the lighting and the look of Sydney they were able to accomplish this task. The other big movie discussed that was filmed in Sydney was Superman Returns. The most famous location we saw for this was at Saint Martin Place in front of the fountain. This set was also used for The Matrix. That same day we went to see where a scene in X-Men Origins: Wolverine was shot. What I found interesting was that most of the time when films show Sydney it is in apocalyptic scenarios. Our guide talked about how when Sydney is used as a filming location it is almost never the actual location of the movie unless it is being destroyed. I found this interesting because I expected it to be the location of where more movies were shot than there actually were. Most films shot in Sydney were also filmed at Fox Studios as well. We did also learn about some of the history of film and how the very first feature-length film was shot in Sydney and it was about the Kelly Gang which happened to be the subject of my research paper last semester. Unrelated to movies I also learned from the guides a good place to eat kangaroo called the Australian hotel. I ended up going to this location and had a great kangaroo burger. The hotel was also very interesting because it was older and the restaurant portion looked like a saloon. The area this was located in was also the oldest part of Sydney and it was very interesting to see the older buildings and cobblestone streets in such a modern city. Overall the tour was very interesting and I enjoyed my time in Sydney. The city reminded me a lot of my home in Los Angeles just due to its proximity to the ocean and how large of an area it covered. At the same time due to its good public transportation and so many skyscrapers it felt like New York as well. Sydney seems to me like a place I could definitely live since it is so similar to the city I live in and it is definitely a place I would like to go back to when I have more money to spend and enjoy what the city has to offer.

smarsden

More Posts