Boston- And another year has gone by

Well all the travels of the last post have come and gone and seem like a distant memory. I have since settled in Boston as a grad student. I thought the day that I graduated undergrad would be my final day as a student. But here I am in the educational capital of the world taking on the the role I was so very happy to give up. Student and English teacher. My experience here is a lot less culturally obtuse as my previous experiences but it has still taken some adjusting. Living in the suburbs, having a car, a bed, possessions, more than a couple weeks of clothes. I'm doing this all in the name of international education. My travels have been reduced greatly, although I can't abandon my passport completely. My student loans and left over money from Australia will be taking me on a trip to Rio de Janeiro. I yearn to be on the road but feel comfort with making new friends for longer than a couple of weeks or a month. I am almost certain that after the 2.5 years this degree will take I will be on the road again but constrained by loans and financial obligation. So for now I will leave you with a few images of Boston in the spring.

Moving On

In the event of struggling to find an apartment and interesting job, Ed and I have decided it is time to move on. I feel I have made the most of my time here but extending another month would only mean working admin and labour jobs. We wouldn't be travelling or experiencing anything too new. So on 15 May we are heading halfway around the world, stopping on 3 continents. First stop: Japan!



I will get a chance to visit old friends and students and see all my favourite spots.
Next we will head to Cleveland!



It's about time Ed has met the folks. Then we will head to New Hampshire to work at camp.


A quick stop over in Iceland:


And finally the UK to meet Ed's fam. Maybe I will even stop by my old school and flat while I am there.


Lot's of things to be excited about.

I would Root for you!

First of all I would like to mention a big vocabulary difference. In Melbourne Aussie Rules Football is VERY popular. Matches are sold out and everyone has a team they support. Rather than asking someone what team the root for (as root means to have sex with someone) they say "barrack" for them. I guess rooting for Collingwood would be quite a painful event.

Also, the world bogan is similar to "hillbilly" or someone that isn't exactly politically correct. Let's see if we can spot a bogan...



Oh yeah, that'll do!

Pictures from my birthday celebration a few weeks ago. (Thanks Noemie!)

New Camera, New Photos

Stolen Generation

Sometime being in a country so culturally similar to my own I just let cultural differences run over me like water. I have witnessed a few acts of history both big and small since coming to this part of the world. Before we left for NZ a new Prime Minister was elected in Australia. Kevin Rudd is his name and he seemed very popular amongst people of my generation. It reminds when Bush was relected almost 4 years ago and he seemed to be very unpopular, but I guess I was talking to the wrong people. That and I was in a foreign country around people from various countries and if they could vote I think that election would have turned out differently. When Rudd was elected he promised that he would make a speach apologizing to the Aboriginal people for the Stolen Generation. The Parliament would order people to go to the bush and collect children, separate them from their families and force them to live these alternate lives of Christian faith. Rudd's speach was very heartfelt and honest. Not full of excuses just apologies. I think it is safe to assume there are people in this country (and maybe even my country) thinking "Why does he have to apologize. He/this generation didn't commit the heinous acts, we should blame older generations". This process only perpetuates hate and unpeaceful acts. To this Rudd made a remark "We get to bear the blessings of our older generations so it is only fair that we should bear the burdens as well". It was a great speach and I commend him for doing this, as I don't think the leader of my home country would even think of making such an apology to anyone.

Various news articles of the apology.
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/rudds-apology-revealed/2008/02/12/1202760286861.html
This one has a video clip.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23202607-12377,00.html


A few other things that we have go to see first hand are a few deaths. The death of Sir Edmund Hillary when we were in NZ. We woke up one morning, turned the radio on and every radio station was dedicated to making a tribute to this fine, honest man. I was grateful to get to hear about Sir Ed from his fellow countrymen. Another sad one was Heath Ledger. It is a shame being a celebrity and dying young, they media doesn't properly celebrate your life. They just want to dig out all the dirt and explanations. May they both rest in peace.

New Zealand

Here is a picture summary of our NZ trip. Not many stories other than those that the pictures tell.

Best Deal of 2008

Before we went to Melbourne for Christmas my camera took a flop. One day it worked and the next it looked like a bad TV with no reception. I have only had this camera for 3 years however I think it gets used a lot more than your average camera. Nearly everyday for the last 3 years it has captured countless cultural oddities, it's been in extreme hot and cold, up mountains on the beach and much more. I think it has served me well, however it would have been nicer if it lasted another 2 years.



After searching and searching I have found a camera that satisfies my needs. It's a Lumix FZ18. Due to price I was going to have to get the next model down (FZ8). We looked in various camera shops around Melbourne and the FZ18 was priced at AUD$799. I was looking up reviews on the camera and I found a deal with an American site for $334 including a 1GB memory card. Needless to say I was quite pleased and I purchased the camera on the spot. The only problem being I had the company send it to my parents in America first and I won't have it before we go to NZ. Hopefully it will be up and running for other adventures.