ER x2

Disclaimer: I talk about peeing a lot in this post, so if it is TMI for you, then you should probably stop reading.

Woke up Friday morning feeling pretty okay. Stuffed a muffin bar down my throat before I had the chance to feel nauseous. I showered and tidied the downstairs. Georgina came over for an hour or so to visit (and bring me yummy popsicles and beautiful flowers). Very shortly after Georgina left I started feeling pretty nauseous - not the "oh gosh I'm definitely going to vomit" nauseous just the "in your throat I wish I could just vomit" nauseous. I also started feeling a lot of pressure right below my stomach and had to pee what felt like every 3 minutes. I called my mom, as you do when you aren't feeling well, and during the time of the conversation the nausea got a bit worse. We decided if nothing else, I at least need to go get some anti nausea meds. On the doctor's notes from the Wednesday ER visit it says to call if you have any questions or concerns about the visit, so I called them and they told me to come back in.

My flowers from Georgina

Jen could have taken me, but she would have had to drop me off at the door and go because she had Joseph and had to go pick up Ben. Luckily, I have amazing people surrounding me here that I can call (who luckily have Fridays off). I called Nikki and she was more than willing to come pick me up and take me.

When the triage nurse asked the general questions of pain or what's concerning you and I started with I was seen here on Wednesday night, she immediately remembered the situation, my visible pain, the diagnosis, etc. It made that whole process much quicker and way more personal, which was nice. They took me back to a kid's room, which was pretty cool. The walls were brightly colored. There were decals on the walls and ceiling. They came in and set up another IV site, which I wasn't too pleased about, and drew my blood. However, I was very pleased with the anti nausea medicine they gave me as it worked almost instantly. Then told me they needed another urine sample... oh boy... this went so well the last time I was here I'm sure this will just be a blast... (note the sarcasm please) Luckily, thanks to my annoying need to pee every 3 minutes, this went much quicker than Wednesday.

Because we were in a kids' room, there were toys, books, and coloring stuff which Nikki immediately started going through to find us something to do. Mostly we used the magna doodle to draw each other pictures and play 3D tic-tac-toe (naughts and crosses) and hangman. Nikki taught me how to do 3D block letters too. We also discovered the TV, which would turn on but the screen wouldn't light, so we could hear the shows but not see anything - that was... um... interesting, from some random musical neither of us had ever heard to Ellen.

One of the flowers Nikki drew me

The doctor came in and we chatted a bit about the pain and symptoms and she said she wanted an ultrasound to see if tubes were inflamed or if there was a twisted ovary, etc. She also said the CT scan from Wednesday night/Thursday morning was at such a low dose of radiation (because I'm so young) that it was almost impossible to interpret. While we waited for the ultrasound Nikki and I continued our magna doodle shenanigans and conversation. After what seemed like too long since I really really had to pee, but the doctor told me not too since for an ultrasound it is best to have a full bladder, they finally came to get to me for the ultrasound. They made me sit in a wheelchair, which honestly, I totally could have walked, but it made for good entertainment later.

Never in my life have I ever had to try not to pee as hard as I did during the ultrasound. A full bladder, cold jelly, and someone pushing on your bladder time after time... not a good combination. I'd also like to add that never in my life have I had an ultrasound, so there is another first in Australia. Once the ultrasound was over we went back into the hallway and waited for at least 30 minutes for someone to take me back to the ER, which was ridiculous honestly because I could have walked there myself or at the least Nikki could have pushed me. Luckily though, Nikki was there to chat with me and I decided to use this time to be further productive by mastering the art of wheelchair spinning. Someone finally came and wheeled me back and now it was time to just wait some more for the results.

Unfortunately Nikki had to leave for work just after 3:30, which is later than originally planned, but she got her work hours pushed back so she could stay longer. However, I am entirely grateful for her taking 3.5 hours out of her Friday off to pick me up, stay with me, distract me, and make all the uncomfortability, waiting, and newness much easier to handle. Once she left I called my mom and updated her and then Georgina called so I updated her as well. Then I went to watch YouTube on my phone but didn't have enough service and my battery was dying, so I tried the TV again, but still wasn't working properly. Then I sat there staring at the walls, the hallway, the ceiling... twiddling my thumbs... really wishing Nikki could come back. It's amazing what a difference the company and distraction makes. I decided to go look through the toys and found markers and coloring sheets so I colored a pretty pot of flowers and a butterfly, while I waited for the doctor.

Around 4:30 the doctor came in to tell me what she found on the ultrasound. I appreciate her sitting down to try and make it casual... but for a girl who watches way too many movies and TV dramas... this gave me a slight heart attack because usually doctors sit down if it's serious. Well, turns out the ultrasound shows very healthy ovaries, tubes, kidneys, this and that, and that and this. Everything is the right size, right shape, and in the right place. However, there was very clearly a stone in each kidney and there is still blood in the urine sample. No telling when they'll pass - tomorrow, 20 years from now, or never. She also thinks I may have a bladder infection - hence the pressure and constant need to pee. She gave me a prescription for the anti nausea medicine and an antibiotic for the possible bladder infection and then told me I could go.

I got dressed, packed up, checked out, and went outside to wait for Joan, who was leaving her family who was in from out of town to pick me up. She picked me up, we went to the pharmacy, and then I went home and got ready for a birthday party of a friend. People thought I was nuts, but I just couldn't sit in my bedroom alone or a hospital room  for one more second, and it was totally worth it.

So what happens now? I drink a lot of water, which is hard because I thought I already was drinking a lot of water. And I live my life no differently than before. I can't let the thought that at any moment one of the stones could decide to pass, potentially putting me back into that debilitating pain, stop me from going and doing.

It's now Sunday and I'm still a bit tired, but nothing that some sleep won't fix (however, waking up at 4 and 6am to watch ACC basketball games probably isn't helping). I'm still a bit sore in my lower right back, but as long as I'm not thinking about it it's practically unnoticeable. And my stomach isn't quite back to normal yet, easily full and quick to feel unsettled, but hey at least I don't have to worry about gaining weight since I can't work out just yet.

***A huge thanks has to go to Nikki for everything she did for me on Friday and to Joan as well who was willing to drop her own family for an hour or so for me. I must also thank my host mom though who let me have off and took on caring for all 3 kids on her own like a champ, especially after having all 3 of them on her own the day before as well.***

Unexpected Firsts - ER

Around 6:50p Wednesday night I started feeling cramps in my abdomen. I just thought they were menstrual cramps so I continued on with work. I went downstairs and told Jen I wasn't feeling well and she asked if I was supposed to start soon, I said yeah and that I figured that's all it was. I sat on the couch with Ben to read books before bed and that's when it went from uncomfortable to mild. The cramps were seeming to only be on the right side and after reading when I went to stand my lower right back was in serious pain - like stop me in my tracks pain. I made it off the couch, apologized to Jen that I couldn't finish out the evening, and went upstairs to the bathroom. By this point (about 7:10p) I was starting to think it was something more than menstrual cramps - I was extremely nauseous and my entire right side was in immense pain and all I wanted was my mom and to cry, but I couldn't have the first, and I couldn't do the second because I needed to be in some kind of control. After lying on the bathroom floor for some time because I was so hot and sweaty I ended up throwing up. Afterwards the nausea seemed to subside a bit so I went to my room and laid in my bed. I was in and out of sleep from the exhaustion of throwing up and the pain. One of the times when I woke up I felt nauseous again so headed back to the bathroom floor. I laid there for a bit and threw up again. As I laid on the bathroom floor, exhausted, hot, clutching my side, writhing in pain I was trying to think clearly about what needed to be done - go to the hospital or would this work itself out? I called Georgina (she's a nurse) and she said to go to the hospital right away - she suspected appendicitis, just like everyone else suspected. Jen called a 24 hour GP just to double check that that was what we needed to do. Right after this Daniel walked in the door.

Jen called Daniel upstairs and filled him in as she she packed my toiletries, my purse, my blanket, my kitty, my phone, and once I told her, my phone charger. Luckily I was already in pjs so I didn't need to worry about that. I slipped on some flip flops and we were out the door. Daniel drove as safely and quickly as he could, sometimes with his hazards on. Luckily I'm a pro at vomiting so I was able to tell him with enough advance that I was going to and he pulled over right away. First first - vomiting on the side of the road. However, I'm thankful for the location as it was a side street so there weren't tons of cars or people around and there was a cold pole for me to support myself. Daniel (or anyone here for that matter) hasn't seen me in this much pain before (the only other time I can relate it to is my menstrual cramps in high school and early uni years) so I'm pretty sure it freaked him out a bit when I started lightly hitting myself on my forehead and the side of my face. It doesn't hurt and I don't have much control over it. It's just too much pain for my body to handle so it has to release it somehow.

We got to the ER (second first) and I was seen by someone (that someone was a jerk) automatically. He looked at me and talked to me like I was crazy and over reacting. When going through the questions and things he went at a snails pace when I was clearly in pain that was way over my ability to handle. When he finally finished and walked me back to a bed he went so fast I lost him at times. I was dizzy, in pain, and standing (let alone walking) only made it worse so I had to go slowly and stop at times. Once I made it to the bed I never saw him again and everyone else after that was very nice. However, their intern lady should learn how NOT to pull on and shake the tubes/needles at the IV site. Luckily, since my mom is a nurse I've heard numerous times about this kind of thing happening so I knew to just hold it still myself while she pulled and shook it.

Everything was pretty much a whirlwind between different nurses putting in IVs (third first), taking my temperature and my blood pressure, testing the pain, asking questions, etc. All this was happening while I was still pushing against the foot board (which I was grateful for), gritting my teeth trying not to scream and/or cry, rolling back and forth, rubbing my legs with my feet - anything my body could do to try and release the pain. However, I was complimented on my ability to relax my arm for the IV and blood pressure while the rest of my body was still very tense. Again, which is something I remember hearing my mom say is important - relaxing makes it less painful and easier. The nurse gave me one dose of morphine (fourth first), but it was clear that it wasn't making a difference. She then gave me a second dose, but again, no let up in the pain. The doctor came in and did a quick assessment and after taking my blood pressure okayed a third dose. Ah... the sweet relief of pain!! I was still nauseous, but I wasn't in pain. However... the dry mouth side effect of morphine... pretty freaking annoying especially since it was in addition to the gross, after vomiting taste already in my mouth. All I wanted was to lick the condensation of a bottle or suck on a wet paper towel, but in case they were going to have to do a procedure, I couldn't.

In doing his assessment I could see that he wasn't convinced that it was appendicitis. There was pain in my lower back and there wasn't tenderness or the right kind of pain in my abdomen. He was pretty sure it was kidney stones. This may be TMI for some of you, so if you don't want to read about my urine, then skip down a paragraph. They needed a urine sample (fifth first) to see if there was blood in the urine though so they pumped me full of a liter of saline. I went to the bathroom to pee, but threw up instead. So they pumped another liter of saline in, and that didn't help either. I went into the bathroom again and could only get the smallest sample. Oh yeah, and threw up again. When the tested the sample it came back positive for blood, but it also came back positive for a bunch of other stuff that didn't seem right to them. So they told me that I was going to go have a CAT scan in a little while and that I'd need to try and get them a better sample later. The only thing I remember from that conversation was the word, "cancer"... Apparently, when the doctor said CAT scans increase your risk of cancer due to the radiation I then said, "Yeah, apparently so does living in Australia". I don't remember this, but I figure I was referring to the sun.

All this time I was in contact with Georgina (she works at the hospital I was at) and my mom. And Daniel was doing what he could to help me feel comfortable and not alone.

Daniel left to go find some food because he hadn't had dinner and it was pretty late. It was during this time that the lady came in and wanted to take me for the CAT scan (sixth first). I asked if we could try and wait until he came back. We waited, I started shaking/shivering, but she couldn't wait any longer, and after rejecting her offer for a warm blanket, I agreed for her to just take me (at 1am Thursday morning). Thinking about it now, I still get teary eyed... This was by far the scariest thing I've ever done. I was laying in a hospital bed shivering although I wasn't cold with a complete and total stranger who was wheeling me down a long, dark, empty corridor to get a scan that has enough radiation to increase my chances of getting cancer. I couldn't stop the tears from rolling out of the corners of my eyes and down the sides of my face as I lay there... feeling helpless, alone, and scared. I cried throughout the CAT scan and the whole way back to the ER. Not crying crying, just silent tears rolling down my face.

Some time later Daniel returned and apologized for not being there, but I played it off as it was no big deal. It wasn't him that I wanted anyways... it was my mom or a best friend. Someone who could hold me as I cried and just dealt with all the emotions in my head.

During the hour and a half or two hours we waited for the X-Ray results I was able to get them a good sample which came back negative for all the other stuff, but still positive for blood. The nurse brought me a warm blanket regardless of what I said when she asked again. I was thankful for it because it seemed to help, which was weird, because I didn't feel cold. During this length of time I threw up one or two more times, Daniel and I had a good chat for most of it, he set my phone to charge, and he got me another warm blanket when mine cooled down. Shortly after I started drifting in and out of sleep. The doctor came in around 2:30am with my X-Ray results and said there was no kidney stone showing on the right side, but the pain was from it passing. However, the X-Ray was showing another kidney stone on the left side. He explained how kidney stones pass and what's happening in your body during that time. He also told me there is no way for them to tell when the other one will decide to pass - it could be tomorrow or it could be 12 years from now. He said it is only 2mm so I need to drink as much water as absolutely possible to keep it from growing. He also mentioned that once you have kidney stones, you are more than bound to have them again. He then told me I could either stay until the morning or go home.

When the doctor went away to do some paperwork Daniel and I just sat there. I tried hard to stop them, but the silent tears came again and when Daniel noticed he asked if there was anything I needed. I said no, but in my head I was screaming my mom or a best friend. I was just so physically exhausted from the pain, vomiting, and morphine. I was mentally exhausted from the change of nurses and doctors, the new information, and thinking about what this all means. I was emotionally exhausted from trying to control my emotions when I was scared, upset, frustrated, and really just wanted to be hugged/held and let everything out. Once I sucked it all back in again for the millionth time Daniel and I just sat there in and out of sleep until the doctor came back around 3:15am. He brought me some anti-inflammatory meds to take home and I told him I wanted to go home. I was still incredibly nauseous and in some pain, but I just wanted my bed, my blanket, my stuffed animals, my sleep music, etc. Daniel paid the bill before leaving and then we got in the car.

On the ride home I asked Daniel how much it was and he wouldn't give me an exact number and told me not to worry about it. We'd check with my health insurance to see if we can get some or all of it back, but if not, it didn't matter. When we got home Daniel helped me find some pain meds while Jen went upstairs and cleared off my bed for me. She helped me get settled and made sure I understood I wasn't to get up in the morning to work or go to my CRE training even though I really wanted to. Once in bed I called my mom to update her and then cried myself to sleep.

This morning I heard the kids when they woke up, because I always do, but then I didn't hear them again after that until they walked out the door. When Jen got home she helped me figure out when I could take what medicines and brought some food/drink up to me. She checked on me throughout the day and brought food/drink up to me throughout the day as well. The kids were so quiet when they came home from school. The evening got a little rocky with some temper tantrums and things, but overall amazing. Luckily, Daniel was able to be home this late afternoon/evening to help Jen. When I mentioned to Jen how quiet the kids were she said that once she told them what happened they were absolutely amazing. Michelle was actually quite concerned and just itching to see me, but Jen told her she needs to wait until tomorrow. And during dinner this evening I overheard Ben say something, then it went quiet, then he said, "I whispered that to Michelle because Nikki is sick and I need to be quiet". And apparently they have made me cards, which I will see tomorrow. Gah, just love these kids.

I have been in contact with my mom during the day when the times line up as well as Georgina. I have had several messages, texts, phone calls, and comments of love and get well wishes, which I greatly appreciate. Nothing like a flood of love after this whole ordeal. To this point, I've been awake for maybe 4 hours of the day (all spent in bed). The rest has been spent in and out of sleep. I am a bit sore still, but mostly what's keeping me down is the nausea. I'm having a hard time eating/drinking, which just adds to the physical exhaustion. I've been crying a lot today sometimes just randomly, sometimes if I think about the way I was feeling last night, sometimes wishing I had my mom or a friend here with me to make me laugh and make these 4 walls seem a bit more friendly. I'm hoping to shower in the am though and actually be up and moving around a bit. If I could just get rid of the nausea, I could handle the pain and be functional.

I don't know now what is going to happen with CRE since I missed the training. I don't know when this other stone with decide to pass and if it will cause as much pain as the other. I don't know if I'll have to experience this all over again at any given moment in the future. I'm trying very hard to be mindful of the positive things like the fact that Daniel was home to go with me, this didn't happen in a week when I'll be in NZ, that it wasn't appendicitis because then I'd have to have surgery and wouldn't be recovered in time to bungee in NZ, that my host parents knew what to do and where to go, that my host parents have been so attentive, that I had contact at least with my mom, that my friend is a nurse and was able to tell me what to do, etc etc. For now though, I think it's time to turn in for the night and get a solid night's rest and hopefully wake up feeling much better. I'll keep you updated. Keep praying please.

Children Are The Teachers

All in one day/night the kids taught me 3 valuable lessons and each one has its own story. So get a snack, get comfy, grab a blanket, and listen in.

Benjamin
Story: I picked Ben up from school and he was in his normal good mood, which is generally quickly ruined once we pick up Michelle. It was Tuesday though, which meant Michelle was getting picked up by her grandmother so Ben and I continued to the car as his good mood held firm. We got home and continued working on a countdown chain that we had started the day before. Just Ben and I, hanging out in my room, chatting and doing craft. Once we finished we went into his room where he wanted to take pretend naps and read/sing books. For about an hour and a half Ben had my complete, undivided, one-on-one attention where he was doing everything at his own pace and no one was telling him what to do or not to do. Come dinner time he ate it all right away, didn't fuss over what was for dessert, and went right upstairs for bath. He got in at 5:45 and didn't get out until 6:45. The whole time in the bath he just quietly played with a bath book, boats, duckies, and sponge by himself. He got out, got dressed right away, he had his milk, we read books, we got silly making Old McDonald animal noises and playing with Joseph, then he went right upstairs and brushed teeth right away and well. Then he went to bed with no questions or fussing.
Moral: Sometimes a child's poor behavior is simply their way of expressing their need for things to slow down to their pace and for some attention.

Joseph
Story: Daniel was sitting in a chair in the living room holding Joseph who was being quite fussy. Ben and I were at the end of the Old McDonald book and started making crazy animal (and tractor) sounds together. Instantly the most beautiful giggles started pouring out of Joseph. I've never heard him giggle like that for as long as he did. Needless to say, Ben and I continued with our ridiculous noises until we tired out.
Moral: Saying "gobble gobble" over and over again and Ben making the engine sound of a tractor will turn a fussy baby into a baby full of smiles and laughter.

Michelle
Story: Michelle got in bed and was finishing a book she had started early. I told her once she finished that book that I would play the 2nd half (she listened to the 1st half the night before) of the princess story on her Sonos. I then went downstairs to cut up some pear for my dessert. While I was down there she finished the book and then started yelling for me to turn on the story. I can't count on one hand the number of times she yelled for me. Instead of getting upset and ruining the beautiful evening we've all had, I decided to ignore it until I got upstairs. When I got upstairs I put my stuff in my room and then walked into hers and said in a soft/sweet voice, "Why yes your highness, what could you so desperately need?" By the look on her face she knew she shouldn't have done all that screaming. She told me what she wanted (without screaming it) and I replied with, "I was downstairs preparing some dessert for myself and was going to turn it on when I came up. You could have waited without screaming or you could have come downstairs or even to the top of the stairs to tell me you were ready. Only spoiled, rotten princesses scream like that if they want something and you are a clever, polite princess who can come up with other solutions." She gave me her cheeky grin, again showing me she knows she shouldn't have, and then apologized. I said, "I'm going to go turn the story on. Good night clever, polite princess. See you in the morning."
Moral: Sometimes an angry voice is necessary when children display poor behavior, but other times there are more appropriate, more fun ways to shape their behavior that work just as well.

Sydney - Canberra, The Capital

Not surprisingly, most people think that Sydney is the capital of Australia. The capital, however, is actually Canberra, which is about 3 hours or so outside of Sydney. A lot of people here hate on Canberra, saying it's boring and that there isn't really much to see or do there, but I set my mind to it when I first knew I was coming to Australia that I would visit Canberra. If I'm going to visit a country and live there for 16 months, I feel like it is only right that I see the country's capital.

I took a Greyhound bus (for the first time ever) to Canberra. It was a smooth, quiet ride with power outlets, wifi, and reclining seats. The seat next to me was empty so I had double the space. Got to the hostel, bought groceries, got cash out, got my bus card (because Canberra's only public transport is buses, they don't have trams or trains), and headed out to see what Canberra had to offer.

I started with the Parliament House. It was just as all the pictures had shown it - A large white rectangle with several rectangles cut out of it and sloping gray on either side with sparkling water in the front, and on top was a massive flag pole. The building is actually built into the side of a hill. When I went inside my bag got checked, I went through a metal detector, and my hands got swabbed for explosives.... Kind of killed the whole beauty of the architecture thing, but understand it needing to be done for safety measures. Once inside, the foyer looked like somewhere a princess would have a ball with large columns and grand staircases leading up on the left and the right. From upstairs I saw where the House of Representatives and the Senate sit. I also went onto the roof and get a better idea of the size of the flag pole and look out over Canberra at the beautiful view. Then headed back down and on to my next location.

Australia's Coat of Arms - Seen EVERYWHERE in Canberra

House of Representatives - Compare to photo of when I visited the National Museum of Democracy (or the Old Parliament House)

The ANZAC Parade, War Memorial, and Mount Ainslie

I got to the War Memorial around 3:45, thinking that an hour (the memorial closes at 5) would be plenty of time. Boy could I not have been more wrong... After an entire hour of constant reading, taking in dioramas, and looking at artifacts... I had only made it through 1.5 sections/rooms of the memorial before it was time to gather outside for the closing ceremony - there were at least 5 more sections to go through. I decided I would have to make time to visit again while here. Since I had to go back, I'll save the experiences and pictures for a separate post (http://dreamjourneytooz.blogspot.com.au/2013/03/sydney-canberra-war-memorial.html). 

I headed back to my hostel for dinner and a shower. This hostel was probably the best experience in terms of roommates (my first hostel, at Sydney Harbour / The Rocks, was the best hostel in terms of facility). There was just me and 2 other girls, both from Sydney. They were friends and in Canberra on a placement for Vet school. The best part about this is that they went to bed at a reasonable hour and while they woke up quite early, they were extremely quiet when they did and by the time they were leaving it was time for me to get up anyways.

For my 1st full day in Canberra I decided to start my day off with a morning in the Bible Gardens before heading out to do all the national things. The Bible Gardens are located on the campus of Sturt University. It is a decent sized garden where every plant has a plaque with the plant's name, a Bible verse where the plant is mentioned, and then a description of its significance in the Bible. While, the garden could have been better kept, it was still pretty cool to see all these plants from the Bible all in the same location and read about how they were used or when they were mentioned.

To begin my day of national locations I went to was the National Archives. There are over 40 million items housed here. Security almost kicked me out when they found me taking pictures of some of Australia's most precious documents. I explained to them that the lady at the front desk said nothing to me about not taking pictures and there were no signs about not photographing. I told them I would delete the photos (since I thought it was a possession issue), but they explained it's the light from the camera flash that is the issue - it fades and damages the documents. I sincerely apologized and made sure they understood that had I known not to, I certainly wouldn't have. The items and stories were so interesting and such a huge part of Australia's history that I could have spent way more time here than I did, but there were just so many other places to go.

Australia's Coat of Arms (Again)

That was followed with a trip to the National Museum of Australian Democracy which is actually in the Old Parliament House. The Old Parliament House was opened on May 9th of 1927 by the Duke and Duchess of York. Next to the War Memorial, this was probably my favorite of the "national" places. The whole thing was really like taking a step back in time - it even smelled old. One of my favorite areas was the press rooms upstairs because it responded to your presence. The rooms were triggered to play certain recordings when your feet hit the top stair or the doorway of the different rooms. It sounded just like it would have years ago when it was in operation. They also still had all the old equipment up there. I could have spent a good portion of my day here, but I had other things to see/do so I moved on.

The Old Parliament House - Now the National Museum of Democracy

Prime Minister's Office

Press Filming Room for Prime Minister

The old equipment in the upstairs press rooms

House of Representatives - Compare to previous photo of when I visited the Parliament House

On March 18th of 2003 'No War' was painted on the sails of the Sydney Opera House to protest against Australia's support of the invasion of Iraq by the USA. 

Australia's Coat of Arms (Again - 3rd time)

Next was a stop at the High Court (which started in Melbourne), but not before I had a slight panic attack at the fact that I couldn't find my phone. I retraced my steps and found it face down in the sand/dirt. For as square and somewhat boring the outside of the High Court is, the inside was big, grand, open, and had a lot of artwork. Because the courts don't sit during the time I was there I got to go into Courtroom 1 and 3. The first one was very red/purple with high ceilings and a balcony area to sit in addition to on the floor. The third one was very teal and while I love that color it just kind of clashed with the wood paneling and the size of the room - which was much smaller than the other courtroom. In the courts in Australia they still wear the wigs and robes so they had some of those on display as well.

Notice the Australian Coat of Arms (Again, 4th time)

Court Room #1

Right next door was the National Gallery so I decided to take a quick stop there. And by quick, I mean I took a 5 second look and then went back out the door. It's not that I don't appreciate art, but I feel like I needed a lot of time to be able to actually appreciate the pieces and time was something I didn't have much of. Plus, I was hot, hungry, and tired of reading/looking at things. I went outside to something called the SkyScape, which is an art installation outside the gallery, but it was really the wrong time of day to get the full, proper effect. The installation itself though was pretty cool and looked like a massive effort.

I continue my "national locations journey" by heading over to the National Library where there were two exhibitions on at the time. One was called Things: Photographing the Constructed World. This was a collection of photographs taken over time, by major Australian photographers, as well as little known or anonymous photographers. The collection included pictures of anything and everything - old barrels, old syringes, billboards, a robot dinosaur, etc. One thing mentioned in the explanation of the exhibition is that every photograph is taken for a reason at the time it is taken and sometimes when looking at a photo that reason may be hard to see or it might be obvious. It made me think about some of the photos I've taken or been in and the purpose behind photographs. The other exhibition was titled The Treasures Gallery. This gallery included items that all have something to do with Australia and the country's history like James Cook's journal, an original manuscript of Waltzing Matilda, and a display of how Jorn Utzon designed the Opera House. He designed the buildling and won the contest, but no one thought about how to actually build it. After quite some time Jorn Utzon came up with this idea inspired from an orange peel.

I was going to call it quits for the day after all of that, but when I realized I still had an hour or two before everything closed - that's one of the hard parts of being in Canberra, because everything is national/governmental it closes at 5, which doesn't give a whole lot of time to see everything - so I decided to push on forward to two more locations. My second to last stop of the day was the National Film and Sound Archive. This was much smaller than I thought it would be based on the outside of the building, but it was quick, air conditioned, and entertaining for what it was. There was a sound effects area where I played with different things like coconuts, shoes, rain sticks, etc to make different sounds. There were sections done by decade (for the most part) with a TV screen that played TV shows, documentaries, and news from that time period in Australia - these portions were my favorite. There was also clothing and artifacts from certain popular Australian films and TV shows. My last stop for the day before heading back to the hostel was the National Museum. This is another place I could have spent more time at if I had the time. The building itself takes time to take in - their is a huge loop outside, many different colors, different metals, it's set along the water, the inside is like a puzzle with random doors and staircases leading to different sections of the museum and the main hall's walls are curvy and twisted. In one way or another each aspect of the architecture represents Australian history and culture. The items and displays inside also represent Australian history and culture. Some of the displays were interactive, like when I got to record a radio broadcast in Broome, Western Australia.

All materials were local to the forest... The door had to face away from the cold southerly winds that came off the ocean. The flooring was always hard packed dirt, which was an insulator, staying cool in summer and warm in winter. There had to be a two-metre clearing around the hut to keep at bay the leeches and other nasties... The beds were always located to the back of the hut, away from the food area... During winter, people would put a brick in the fire, and once warm put it into the bedding. Beds were always off the floor constructs with hessians bags stuffed with fern fonds for the mattress, overlaid with kangaroo or possum fur or sheets if you had them. - Plaque posted with 1920s hut

The first aboriginal person to be elected mayor in New South Wales (2004)

To start off my 2nd full day in Canberra I began with Questacon - the National Science and Technology Centre. The people I had talked to about Canberra raved about Questacon so I went in with high hopes. Honestly, I was fairly disappointed with the centre. A few interactive displays/exhibits weren't working, one I had already done in Philip Island (and it was better than Questacon's), a couple required crazy skill and strength that I watched even big men fail at, and several were just so far beyond any typical person's (especially children's) intellect or didn't have proper signage/explanation that they would just mess around with it and then walk away bored (I know from watching, but also experiencing). However, there were a few interactive displays/exhibits that were done very well and I thoroughly enjoyed like the colored light beams that made a sound when you stepped on them and you could change the theme of the sounds, the copper pipe and extremely strong magnets that allowed you to make the magnet float in the air, the white wall with the light projector that showed how images are made of a base 3 colors, the mirror that makes it look like there is an infinite number of yous, the entire deep sea exhibition, the robot that could move every part of its body (even individual fingers), could answer questions, and knew what you were "saying" (through choosing options on a computer) to it, and the periodic table done with shadow boxes that had examples of what each  element was and things that it is in in your daily life. There was another experience that sounds weird saying I liked or enjoyed, but it was the earthquake simulation. You walk into the living room and kitchen of a small house, sit down, and start watching TV. Next thing you know the house starts shaking, cupboard doors open, the TV goes to static, light fixtures sway, the fridge tilts forward and the doors hang open, the lights go out except for one dim one, shelves are tipping, and then the side of the house splits. And suddenly out of nowhere the shaking stops. The lights come back on and everything just slides right back into place. I didn't really "enjoy" it per se, but it I've never experienced an earthquake before so it gave me a better understanding of what it might be like. It really got me thinking about the fear that people must experience, the damage, the heartbreak, the defeat of having to start over, etc. In the deep sea exhibit I learned about a fish called the Smalltooth Cookiecutter Shark. Aw, that sounds cute and lovely doesn't? WRONG!!! When they attack they attach themselves to their prey's side (usually whales and dolphins) using their lips to stick like suction cups. Then they spin their bodies like power drills to create cookie-cutter shaped holes!!! They travel near the surface at night... so if I was you... I would stay out of the ocean at night unless you want to become cookie dough!!

Einstein statue from the front

Einstein statue from the side

Massive and Cool Periodic Table

Just a few of the individual elements in the periodic table

Ah, the world needs a few more of me. ;)

My Advice to You... Don't go down into the deep waters of the ocean!!!

I then took a 2km walk to the National Carillon to hear a concert. The carillon is a 50m tall bell tower with 53 bronze bells weighing between 7kg and 6 tonnes. The concerts are about an hour long and can be heard from a number of locations in certain proximity to the carillon. The carillon is located on a small island just off the edge of the lake connected to the land by a bridge. I walked onto Aspen Island and found a shady spot under a weeping willow (my favorite tree), had lunch, and then laid back as I waited for the concert to begin. The concert began and the chiming and gonging of the bells was beautiful. I remember thinking about what I was doing - laying under a weeping willow on a beautiful sunny day in Canberra, Australia listening to a bell tower concert... and then the next thing I know I opened my eyes, 30 minutes of so had passed, and there was only 10 minutes left to the concert... If you know me, you know I love my naps and that I can nap anywhere at any time... well this was one of those times.

Once the concert was over I headed off on what should have been a nice, breezy, quick walk along the edge of the lake to Captain's Cook memorial... What it really was was a tiring, 2km walk along the water, with NO shade. I'm pretty sure with the combination of the heat, direct sunlight, and reflection off the water, I could actually feel my skin burning. I finally made it though to the memorial for Captain Cook who had the first recorded European contact with the east coast of Australia. The globe has Captain James Cook's expeditions mapped out in different colors for different expeditions and the water jet throws 6 tons of water 147 metres in the air.

Then I had a 3.5km walk back to the hostel. Because the memorial was technically in a park it was kind of confusing to get out of and back to roads I recognized because the park paths weren't on the map. Luckily, I ran into a local guy who walks the area every day. Unluckily, that guy is a speed walker / runner. He speed walked me through the crazy park paths and since he worked right across from the hostel he just walked me all the way. It was a lovely chat so I didn't mind the company, I actually welcomed it after not really chatting with anyone for a couple days. I didn't really welcome the speed though, especially after all the walking I'd already done. I went into the kitchen at the hostel to refill my water bottle before setting back out. I then caught a tram back to the War Memorial, which I will post a link to once that blog is written. That blog will also include my walk along the ANZAC Parade.

Then it was time to head back to the hostel, have dinner, pack up, and prepare for my last stop in the morning before heading back to Sydney. In the morning I headed off for a tour of The Australian Institute of Sport. AIS is Australia's sports training institute. There are 36 programs in 26 different sports. Students of AIS live and train on the campus. The dining hall serves up to 1,100 litres of milk, 960 tubs of yogurt, 860 litres of juice, and 120 kg of bananas each week!! There is an interactive museum at the AIS that has simulations and activities ranging from wheelchair basketball, to balancing, to rowing, biking, sprinting, luging, bars, soccer, and more. The gymnastics room had a huge foam pit along the entire back of the room, a long runway trampoline, and a spring floor with any kind of gymnastics equipment you could possibly require. The pool was an infinity pool and their is a place underneath it where the coaches can go to watch the swimmers' technique. And one of the ends of the pools could be disconnected and pushed down the pool to shorten the length for swimmers to practice their turn arounds so they wouldn't waste energy swimming the length of the pool just to practice turning around. There were so many really crazy facts and things that I wish I could remember, but it was just too much and I was tired and it was time to head back to Sydney.

Luc Longley was the first Australian to play in the NBA in the US, where he played for 11 seasons.  He played alongside Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Dennis Rodman. 

The Gym

I took the Greyhound bus back to Sydney and once again had the seat next to me open so I could stretch out to read and sleep. Before my next big adventure. Riding home I just got to thinking about Canberra, everything I did, everything I didn't get to do, and my opinion on the place since everyone I talked to back in Melbourne seemed to not have any good feelings towards it. Here's my final opinion: As a capital city to visit, I love Canberra. There are so many tours and opportunities and so much history and culture. There are mountains and lakes in the scenery no matter where you look. There are no buildings over a certain height, so you can always see a good amount of the sky. However... A city to live/work in (as I almost did...), I would hate Canberra. You would quickly run out of things to do after just a couple weeks and there is no ocean or bay nearby and the mountains aren't massive so you could quickly explore them. There isn't the feel of "culture" like Melbourne or Sydney have (which are two different cultures) and there is nothing going on after 5pm. So... after visiting, I love Canberra, but I am also grateful that my first potential job with a family in Canberra didn't work out. And honestly, as mentioned before I believe God knew I'd be miserable there and he had already arranged my host family and church in Melbourne for me. I just so pleased that the door to a job in Canberra slammed shut before I could walk all the way through. =]

Random Photos From the Trip:

Melbourne Building. There was a Sydney one too. 

Black Swans. Not sure I've seen any white ones since I've been here.

The Aboriginal Embassy (not considered official by the Australian government). Controversial. Started in 1972 in response to the government's refusal to recognize Aboriginal land rights.