After four flights totaling 30 hours of air time, midway I began to question how badly I wanted to do this trip. As our last plane ride landed in Queenstown, New Zealand, and I began to take in the landscape I knew I had made the right choice.
When deciding on where I wanted to go for interim I pinpointed “Envisioning Environmental Science,” which took place in Queenstown and Christchurch, New Zealand, as well as Sydney and Cairns, Australia. At first, it was the location as well as the warm weather that I knew would await me that stopped any doubts of me taking the trip. However, once the trip began it became more than just the location, but rather the people, culture, and what I was learning during class time and on my own time. I not only gained new insight into where I see myself in the future, but also built new friendships with people that I meet from Lafayette.
The main focus of the course was to not only to read and discuss issues that are impacting our environment, such as climate change, but also observe them first hand. This was one of the main things that separated this course from taking it during the fall or spring semester in a classroom. New Zealand and Australia became our lab, so to say, where we were able to interact with it on a daily basis.
My favorite part of it all was that at the same time that we were learning and seeing it, we were also able to share our experiences with a class of third graders near Pittsburgh. While we were on the trip we would write e-mails to them, as well as conduct webcasts and use soapbox to post pictures. It became not only a great experience for us but also for these third graders.
We saw, did, and learned a lot in the span of 13 days. At first glance in every location we realized the drastic change in scenery. Queenstown, New Zealand, was surrounded by mountains and lakes as well as farmland. Christchurch, New Zealand, was a bit more flat and resembled a small city while Sydney, Australia, was a full blown-out one. Last but not least Cairns, Australia, had beautiful tropical weather.
Everything that we saw was breathtaking. There were various waterfalls and mountains in the Fiordland National Park, seals in their natural habitat during in a cruise down the Milford sound, and people without fear jumping off of bridges in the land where bungee jumping was invented. Not to mention the unique flora in the botanical gardens and the fauna that Australia is know for, such as kolas and kangaroos.
Everything was a first time. We experienced a freezing storm in the Antarctic Center, a night out in every city with the locals, the sounds of the didgeridoo being played by the aboriginal people, and the taste of both kangaroo and crocodile meat became something that we had to have.
Not to mention the things that we were able to do. We were able to go in a speed boat down the Dart River, luge down a hill in Queenstown after hiking the same hill, zip line in the Adrenalin Forest in Christchurch, snorkel in the Great Barrier Reef, and walk through the different rooms in the Sydney Opera House, as well as get a tour of The Rocks, the oldest area of Sydney.
This was a once in a lifetime opportunity and I am glad that I did it. I can always go back but the experiences that I shared with my classmates are ones that can never be repeated. All I have now is my journal, pictures, and memories. I have gone abroad before but this trip has topped all the rest and is truly classified as the best trip ever…for now. |
