On Monday, my Marine Environment class had a field trip to the tide pools at Maroubra Beach to learn about the organisms that live in the rocky foreshore. To learn species names during my internship with the Bureau of Land Management this summer, a nerd-hack I started doing was taking photos of organisms using my phone, then editing the photos with textboxes of the species name and any other notes I had. This way, I could go back to the photos on my phone for quick recall while doing field work. To prepare for my field trip, I did the same thing but with googled photos since I hadn’t seen the organisms before.

While working to evaluate the species diversity in the tide pools, my team was impressed by how fast I could identify the organisms. When I promised I hadn’t practiced memorizing them at all, they were confused. Excitedly, I gathered my team and some others to show them how to add annotations to photos on an iPhone. We all spent the rest of the field trip taking our own photos of organisms and adding annotations of the common and scientific names together. I was glad to see my nerd-hack embraced by the various psychology and engineering majors taking the Marine Environment course with me and for us all to marvel over the tide pool creatures together. 

Although I love getting up close and personal with sea stars and snails I can hold in my hand, I also appreciate those creatures too big and fast for such close interaction. Presented with beautiful weather and no class, on Thursday I signed up for a boat ride to go whale watching. Even though my friends still had class, this could be my last opportunity to see the humpbacks on their southward migration before I got busy with research and my trimester classes and they were all back in Antarctica. 

On my own, I grabbed my binoculars and got on the bus to Darling Harbour. Enjoying the sun and sea breeze while we waited for a sighting, I asked another lone female traveler to take a photo of me. Since we were both alone, we ended up chatting for the rest of the boat ride. We did see two beautiful humpback whales right outside the harbour, but my favorite part of the boat ride was absolutely meeting Caroline. Caroline is from China and just started her graduate studies in commerce at the University of Sydney. We talked about our common love for animals and nature, our favorite parts of Sydney so far, and how our home cultures compare to our experiences thus far in Australia. I enjoyed listening to her perspective of Australia and discussing how it compared to my own. 

Near the end of the boat ride, we decided to get lunch together. It was a bit awkward at first when I asked if she had plans for afterward – I proposed we go together to a cafe I had scoped out beforehand and she replied “That’s okay.” I was disappointed because I thought we had hit it off so well, so I clarified, “Oh, no?” She explained she did want to go, and I explained that in America, “That’s okay” typically means “No, thanks” rather than “Yes.” Laughing about cultural nuances, we walked down the Harbour Promenade where we got lunch together. We bonded over our love of spicy food and our goals for future travel. We even have plans to go to a weekend market together when I come back from my Great Barrier Reef trip. 

I’m thankful for the happy chance that I went on the whale watching boat ride alone, and that Caroline’s friends had class that day as well. If we hadn’t each been alone, we might not have reached out of our comfort zones and started talking. Perhaps on our next outing, Caroline and I will meet another lone traveler, and by knowing what it’s like to be alone, be inclusive and inviting enough so that we may continue making new friends while out with the ones we happened upon thus far. 

Growing up on the California coast, I’ve always loved the ocean. Whether swimming, boogie boarding, or (poorly) surfing, even after getting tossed around by rough waves, I would always come out of the water thrilled and with that much more respect and appreciation for the ocean. 

My favorite animal has always been sea turtles, and for a while, I had my heart set on being a marine biologist. My younger brother and I would watch Shark Week together and wish we could experience the same underwater grandeur. Obviously, scuba diving in the ocean is something I have always wanted to do, but I never had a reason more than simple interest to make the investment… until my friends and I planned a once-in-a-lifetime trip to the Great Barrier Reef during our inter-term break, coming up in a few weeks!

I could not imagine going to one of the seven wonders of the world and not experiencing it to the fullest, so immediately after booking our trip, I found a PADI Open Water Diver certification course. Although my friends were noncommittal, I would not let this lifetime bucket list item fall to the wayside. Deciding to do the course regardless of who else was there, I booked it for just myself, and that’s what I spent this past weekend doing. 

Unwilling to chance anything that could jeopardize my certification (thus my interaction with one of the seven wonders of the world!), each day I woke up much earlier than necessary so I couldn’t possibly miss the bus and train to get to the dive shop. An incessant planner, I packed plenty of warm clothes, snacks, a pen in case I needed to take notes… Throughout the course I was reminded of the relaxed, accepting attitude of Australians, but I was fine with being over-prepared.

As anticipated, throughout the weekend I learned countless technical skills that will allow me to scuba dive safely, whether that be around Sydney or up at the Great Barrier Reef. What I hadn’t considered is that I would end my weekend utterly in love with diving and that I would walk away from the course with so many new friends. 

Outside of my Professors, this was my first legitimate interaction with local Australians. Whether it was the instructors of Abyss Scuba Diving or the other students in the certification course, I enjoyed getting to know them all throughout the weekend. Working together to check the gear, assemble our kits, and learn scuba skills, I found a camaraderie similar to what I enjoyed playing water polo. I hope to continue my newly established friendships, whether that be through diving or otherwise. 

Although I have spent much of my life underwater swimming, playing water polo, enjoying the ocean, or researching the Susquehanna River at Bucknell, what I felt while scuba diving was incomparable to any of my previous experiences. With this new-found awe, I walked away from my Open Water Diver course with a membership to the Abyss Scuba Diving club and plans for future dives. Who knew I’d want to take what I haphazardly named my blog so literally!

You may remember from my first blog that one of the things I am most excited about during my time in Australia is doing research with frogs. In fact, many of my friends and family may be rolling their eyes right now because I have talked about it so much. This is only the beginning.

Today, I met Dr. Jodi Rowley of the Australian Museum and UNSW!

Several months ago, when I was looking for a possible mentor/lab for the research component of my program at UNSW, I was star-struck when I read about Dr. Jodi Rowley. Senior lecturer at UNSW and curator for the Australian Museum, Dr. Rowley travels the world documenting biodiversity and leads the FrogID project aimed to encourage citizen science and conservation using Australia’s first national frog count. 

I agonized over sending the perfect email introduction asking to work in Dr. Rowley’s lab, all the while assuming that I wouldn’t even make it onto her radar and would never get a reply. 

A week or so later, my assumption had been wonderfully proven wrong. In my inbox was an email from Dr. Rowley, apologizing for a delayed response (due to traveling the world in search of new frog species nonetheless) and presenting the possibility of working in her lab. In shock, I was so thankful for my determination to write a message worthy of Dr. Rowley’s time and courage to actually send it. 

Today, four months after that initial email correspondence, I was still nervous. Will the lab team like me? Do I really get to work at the Australian Museum? Am I dreaming? 

By meeting with Dr. Rowley today, I was reminded to have confidence in myself, my previous experience, and my goals. I sat across from a pioneering, prolific herpetologist and was complimented on my science communication skills (I did a mental happy-dance).

It’s nerve-wracking to see people as their accomplishments, but finally meeting Dr. Rowley in person reminded me that scientists are just people too, and in fact, I am a nascent one myself. I’m glad for this reminder so I may carry this confidence into my graduate school applications, which I’ll actually be sending off during my time down under. Moreover, I cannot wait to get started on meaningful science with a constructive mentor.

My friends and family: “Hi! How’s Australia?! Aren’t you simply having the time of your life?!” 

Me: “Uh, sure… but I’m really sick…”

Catching a cold less than a week into my abroad experience felt terrible. When they handed me my Medibank card at orientation just days earlier I had no intention of using it so soon. And amidst my cold, I was starting class (which is awesome), organizing my daily life, and trying to explore my new city. 

I used the days I was especially sick and didn’t feel like going out to put my daily routine together and make future plans. I listed out activities I plan to do, I bought kitchenware and groceries, and I looked for a bike to ride around the city. After reaching out to several online ads, I found the perfect used bike and got it tuned up. Since feeling better, I have ridden it to class, to the grocery store, and to the beach. 

But anywhere I don’t want to ride my bike, I take the bus. Sydney has fantastic public transport that will take you almost anywhere anytime, but to make that possible there are a lot of bus lines… Literally hundreds… 

Most people use a few apps to figure out which buses to take and when, but I had no cellular data to do that because my Australian SIM card could not yet work in my phone due to ~technical difficulties~. I could load navigation on WiFi before I left for the day, but could not use data to navigate home. Although I took to researching the bus lines beforehand, during this time I may have unknowingly missed an hourly bus by just minutes, got on a few buses which took me the wrong direction, and asked many bus drivers and bystanders for help. I managed to still explore awesome places around Sydney (see photos below) and get home each day, although not always in a reasonable amount of time. 

While frustrating, feeling lost and confused has actually helped me feel more at home in Sydney. I found that Australians are genuinely kind and helpful, so going forward I’ll feel comfortable talking to people I meet out and about. I have already memorized a few bus lines, namely which ones go to the beach. And in my wanderings, I stumbled upon cool places I can’t wait to get back to! It was annoying to be lost and under the weather, but I’m thankful that I was pushed so far out of my comfort zone so early on. I may have failed a few times, but with persistence and positivity, I now know Sydney so much better than if I’d been glued to my phone navigation my first week here.

Hello from the Southern Hemisphere! Also known as “Down Under!”

A week ago I departed from my home in San Jose, CA to embark on a four-month study abroad experience in Sydney, Australia.

This experience wouldn’t be possible without my Fund for Education Abroad scholarship, and I’ll be blogging weekly to share with their donors as well as my friends and family how my time in Sydney, Australia is helping me to learn and grow.

This video gives a little more about me and why I’m excited to be in Sydney:

I hope you stay tuned for the adventures down under that lay ahead for me!