Adelaide and the Red Center

Part of Uluru (Ayers Rock) - sorry folks, it turns out it may not be the largest rock in the world.  It can't be confirmed as they are not 100% how far down it goes, this is according to a tour guide.  Apparently the largest rock is located in Western Australia.

Looking at my calendar, it would seem that I'm about due for a nice little blog.  Hopefully I can keep it little so as to not bore you to death.  As usual, I'll give you a run down in chronological order, as opposed to Tarantino style.

A couple weeks ago I arrived in Adelaide where I've been staying with some amazing family friends of mine.  Out of the hostel, and into the home, I've been enjoying my time here immensely.  Showering without sandals, eating proper meals, and reading by the warmth of fire, my time here has been very relaxing.  After a week or so of being here, I made a journey to the center of Australia in order to see Uluru (Ayers Rock), Kata Tjuta (the Olgas), Kings Canyon, and the huge mecca of Alice Springs.  I rode the Ghan line train up (25 hours) and took the bus back (20 hours).  On my trip, I met some amazing people, as is almost always the case, saw some amazing rock formations, and even some wild camels, although I don't know if I would refer to them as amazing more so than just "camels"

I could explain go into a lot of stories about my trip to the red center, but I'm going to limit it to what I feel is most important to know, and that concerns the aboriginal people of Australia.  If you ever go to Uluru, you will be presented with the opportunity to climb the rock.  Although you are allowed to climb it, the aboriginal people do not want you climbing it as it is a sacred site to them.  Unfortunately, they can not stop you if you want to.  Although the National Park and land is owned by aboriginals, the Australian Government has a 100 year contract (starting in 1985) that allows visitors and tourists to come onto the land.  Sadly, the original contract restricted people from climbing, but at the last minute the government said it would not agree to the terms unless people were allowed to climb on it.  Before I advance any further, I want to be clear that I am not condemning Australia or its people for their treatment of the aboriginal people.  Although much of the historical treatment of the native aboriginals in Australia is quite saddening, the same can be said for American treatment of our own Native Americans.  Either way, I bring all of this up because I felt it was a good time to incorporate the idea of respecting other peoples and cultures.  Seeing the aboriginal history in Australia only made me reflect more on the history of the U.S.  I myself have dabbled in a book or two concerning the trail of tears and battle of bighorn, but I know that I am naive to a large portion of the history.  I encourage you to check out this part of our past.  Maybe it will change you, maybe you already know about it, but I strongly believe it's something maybe we should all know a little better.  I chose not climb the rock, and if ever presented with opportunity, I encourage you to do the same.

Now...on to more uplifting things.  My journey to the center took about a week, upon which I have returned to Adelaide.  I  am sticking around here until the 26th of August.  The family friends I am staying with are not all home at the moment.  The parents are travelling and don't return until later, so in order to see them, I have opted to stick around a little longer.  To fulfill my time, I nearly found the perfect job.  I applied for a research study at University of South Australia.  I applied as a participant for a sleep study.  The study required me to stay at the university for 12 days in row where I would be subjected to different sleep patterns (they wake me up at odd times and tell me when I can sleep, etc).  This is all done with no daylight and no clocks (i.e. - no concept of time allowed).  Essentially, 12 days in a room and living room area with 2 other participants being tested on my cognitive skills while being sleep deprived (along with a bunch of other things).  I thought I was perfect for the position.  12 entire days with no communication allowed - who has time for that besides backpackers?!  Well, I got my hopes up to0 high and could not be a part of the study because I had travelled through timezones in the past 3 months.  I looked at this question on my survey and knew that it would hurt my chances, but I knew, after doing research, that I would not jeopardize the integrity of their data.  Honesty killed the cat and I lost out on an opportunity to free meals and lodging for 12 days in addition to $1500 in pay - oh ya, and not to mention potential mental and physical pains.  : )  I told my family about this whole ordeal and was amazed they weren't as excited as me.  After all, who can say they've participated in a sleep study, let alone in a foreign country! 

In Adelaide I will remain until the end of the month where I will be moving on to my first destination that does not speak English as its first language (Hong Kong!).  The remainder of my time is divided up between reading, relaxing, driving around one of my family friends (she's elderly), and occasionally attending classes with her.  I'm usually on-line to skype most evenings (US time), but on Monday evenings (Tuesday morning for me), I have my Spanish and Shakespeare classes, so you probably won't encounter me on that day.     

Nara, my new Japanese friend, and I at Kata Tjuta