Denver, Thanksgiving Day.

The Turkey Trot.

Every year I come to Denver for Thanksgiving, our family participates in the Turkey Trot, a 4 mile race through the city. The Macias family has completed the run 14 years straight. This year was the first year that Uncle Pete, Aunt Shelly, August and Aunders have also been there while I have.

A couple weeks before I left for Denver Aunty Shelly had messaged me on Facebook, telling me to prepare for the run, because Aunders, the track-star was going to kick everyone’s ace. Honestly, I didn’t pay much attention to it. But, when everyone was finally together, and we had time to hear about Aunders’ other running accomplishments, everyone was choosing him as the 2009 Turkey Trot Winner, no joke.

The morning of the race we were forced to wake at the butt-crack of dawn, well 7:30 am, but when you haven’t slept in a few days it sure feels like the butt-crack. Uncle Danny, Aunt Mimi, Uncle Pete, Aunt Shelly, August and Aunders met us with the RV at Kevin’s apartment. We all headed into the city tired, but excited to run.

We arrived at the race site with about an hour before start time. While we waited, we had a good time eating bananas, drinking chocolate milk, supposedly a great pre-game drink, and telling funny Hallsten family stories. I don’t know why, but the Hallsten family sure does have a lot of gross, nasty, disgusting, fart-filled stories, and they always seem to involve  Todd, and, always come out when everyone is eating. Good thing we are all used to it. The family newcomer, Paige, learned how to deal quick.

The race began at 10:15 am. We stood at the front of the starting line, sizing up all the competition. When the gun sounded, Kevin, August and I tried to keep at the break-neck pace, set by our half Kenyan cousin, Aunders. Kevin fell back after the first mile, August and I managed the first two miles, then Aunders decided we were all too slow and disappeared into the mass of Olympic runners in the front of the pack. I was alone the last two miles of the race, and had to stop multiple times with the; honest to god, worst side-ache I think I have ever experienced. But, after about four or five 80-year-old women and their husbands who looked twice as old passed me, I suddenly felt much lighter on my feet (no offense to any old folks reading).

I came into the finish line with a time of 35 minutes, meaning I was running about 8 minute miles. Aunders beat me by a good 10 minutes, meaning he ran 6 minute miles, all the while looking as if he could run 10 more miles. The rest of us (me) were hunched over coughing up our lungs.

The old-farts all came in a little later and after a short break headed for the beer garden. Shelly, August, Aunders, Kevin, Paige, Sara, Pojke (Macias family dog) and I headed back to the RV. While we were walking back, I had my first bird-turd experience, not very fun. Don’t walk under trees I guess is the moral of that story. How it happened I still don’t know. I was simply walking and talking with Auntie Shelly, when the next thing I know I feel something hit me on the forehead, hear the birds chirping, get that nervous feeling, ask Aunt Shelly if I have something in my hair, and then watch her almost fall on the ground laughing. Yeah, even worst, she announced that I have been ’shat’ on to just about everyone in our general vicinity, which was like 749327598357923 people. A thick skin comes in handy when the Hallsten Family gets together.

After the race Paige and Kevin had to go to her mother’s, for Thanksgiving dinner number 1. The rest of us headed over to Einsteins’ Bagels and enjoyed, bagels, obviously. The nice man in the store even let Uncle Danny carry Pojke through to the outside seating so he could be with us.

Thanksgiving Dinner.

The ride back to the house was a sleepy one. Everyone was completely spent from the race. When we got back to Mimi and Danny’s, I rode back to Nanny’s with Uncle Pete, Aunt Shelly, August and Aunders. I got to meet their ginormous dogs, Nilla and Moose, who are both gentle-giants. They made me miss Teal, Max and Indy a ton. At Nanny’s I showered, put on pants and sat down on the bed for about a second. I woke 3 hours later, Aunt Shelly and Uncle Pete had left, Aunders was in Nanny’s chair knitting, August asleep as well. Nanny was frantically trying to finish the last-minute cooking. We all got up to help her carry things to the car and were soon on our way to Mimi’s

Once there, we filled our glasses with wine, began eating amazing cheese and crackers, and waited for the dinner to be ready. I called home and spoke with Mom and Dad and Grandpa John. I even got to talk to Aunt Suzette. Sorry to those who I didn’t get to say hello to.

Dinner was amazing, couldn’t have been better. The younger people sat at a different table, not far from the ‘wise.’ We all went around and said what we were thankful for. I don’t wanna get all mushy, so I’ll spare you the details. We told more funny stories during dinner, and the wine seemed to make everything ten times as funny. I told some terrifically funny stories about Todd, the best ones always seem to include him like I said before. We also got to hear drunken tales of the past from Aunt Shelly and Uncle Pete. Nanny even chimed in a few times to add to the hilarity.

After dinner, Kevin, Paige, Aunders and I got to enjoy the hot tub at Mimi and Danny’s. It was s relaxing. Aunders was approximately three sheets to the wind, and acting hilarious. Mimi made us Margaritas, and they were amazing, the whole night was amazing, amazing was the word of the night.

After the hot tub we went back in and had pie. I love pie. There were many choices to choose from: Pecan, Pumpkin, Lemon-Meringue, Apple, all very yummy. Soon after it was time for everyone to go home. We hugged, kissed, said our goodbyes. It was a bittersweet ending to a great week in Denver with the best family in the world.

Now the hard work for finals next week begins, and then, Friday, off to Siberia….oh boy!

My final day in the USA to come.

Denver, Days 3-5.

Day 3.

Monday morning Kevin had to work. He is a life gaurd at Trails Recreation. I wanted to go and sit in the hot tub and enjoy the steam room. I also swam in the ‘river’ pool. It has a built in current system, which made it pretty nice to just float on my back an go in circles for an hour. Kevin had to work for four hours, and their was no way that I was going to swim, or do anything for that long, so I called Nanny.

The rest of the day I slept, trying to catch up on sleep from not going to bed the last 2 nights. We left for Uncle Danny’s birthday around 3. It was a quite, little celebration. Danny enjoyed all his gifts, which included: money for gambling from Mags, Mexican hot chocolate from Nanny (how authentic) and the Under Armour shirt from Kevin. Kevin made dinner. Ribs, salad, broccolli. Mimi made flour-less chocolate cake, which was also delightful.

After the party Kevin and I returned to the apartment, after stopping at the Red-Box to get a movie. “The Goods,” is absolutely hilarious and I recommend it to everyone. I got McDonald’s while we were there because I am fat/addicted. Which means I am even more excited to go to Russia because I won’t be able to eat it for 7 months.

I went to bed relatively late again.

Day 4.

The next morning, Kevin again had to work. Tuesday was also the day we were going to get Sara from her college in Steamboat. Mimi, Danny, and I left Denver around 4. We drove 3 hours until we reached the town of Silverthorne, where we stopped to eat at Wendy’s (yay! more fast food). After dinner we drove another hour and a half and checked into our hotel. After check-in we went to Wal-mart where Sara works. I was so happy to see her and had been looking forward to it for months.

She had to work another hour, so I walked around the store until she was done. I bought a ‘nice’ watch (we’ll see) for only $26.00. After Sara finished working we drove her car up to the dorm and started packing all her things. Well, she packed, I played on her computer. We also took pictures and caught up on everything  and everyone in our lives.

Danny came and got us around 10:30 and we got to the hotel a few minutes later. There waiting were two CPK Pizzas, which we ate very quickly. Mimi had said that she wanted to leave around 5 in the morining to avoid traffic, therefore, Sara and I decided to pull an all nighter. We sat on the couch of the main lobby playing on the internet, talking on skype, charging food to the room (it was approved) and never left our little lobby-bunker.

Day 5.

The next morning was a tired morning, of course. We were the first to get to the continental breakfast which opened at 6 (yeah, we didn’t end up leaving until 8). We ate and then got back on the computers until Auntie Mimi and Uncle Danny woke up.

The drive was a long and cramped one. Sara had brought way too much stuff, and as punishment for doing so, all of it had to be piled where we were sitting.

CRAZY! – Okay, as I was typing this entry right now, my grandmother just fell off of her chair, ran into the dishwasher, and didn’t make any noise. She scared the shit out of all of us, but is alright.

Back to the story. So all of the stuff was piled in the back and made the ride very, very uncomfortable. Thanks Chicana! We got home around noon, and upon arrival I plopped down on the couch and slept. Nanny came and got me later so I could get a change of clothes. I slept more at her house.

Mimi and Sara picked me up later. We went to the mall so Sara could buy some fake hair extender thing, which turned out later to be a waste of money. Mimi needed to buy things for Thanksgiving. I looked for some winter boots for Russia at Famous Footwear. Everything turned out to be super expensive, so I decided that I would just purchase some when I get to Irkutsk.

Uncle Pete, Aunt Shelly, August and Aunders arrived later that night. Mimi, Danny, Sara and I met Shelly, August and Aunders at Wal-mart. We all, with the exception of Mimi and Danny went to the movie theater to watch the Twilight Saga: New Moon. Kevin and Paige met us there after speding over from an Avalanche game (jealousy). The movie turned out to be a total dud. I wouldn’t recommend anyone go. Shelly and I fell asleep halfway through it, and the only fun part was laughing at all the corny acting, really corny acting.

After the film Sara, Kevin, Paige and I went back to the apartment and immediately went to bed.

The horrors of the Turkey Trot to come.

Denver, Day 2.

Day 2.

I awoke the next morning tired as all hell. Paige and Kevin were already up, looking refreshed from a good night’s sleep, I was jealous. They are quite the couple, very cute, very in love and very generous. Well, Paige is at least, Kevin just does what she tells him. This morning his assignment was to make his favorite cousin breakfast, but Kevin felt like procrastinating and letting me starve. Paige ended up making mine, and it was delicious. Cream of rice (Paige has that wheat disease thing), eggs, over-easy and two waffles. I don’t remember what I had to drink. I think we finished our wine from the night before. After breakfast we watched the football game on TV. Paige and Kevin spooned on the couch for the two hours while we watched, how cute I know. Paige asked if I wanted to join, I declined.

We all eventually got ready to go to the mall to pick out a gift for Uncle Danny’s birthday. I also wanted to get a haircut, so tired of long hair… As soona s we arrived Kevin and Paige took me to the haircut place and left me, not intentionally. I got my haircut and met a Russian woman. It was amazing.  Her name was Elona, she didn’t tell me much about her, but she cut hair good for a Russian.

Two of my good friends who studied abroad in St. Petersburg last year say Russians give the worst haircuts, “you never know what you are going to come out with,” they always say. But, remember Lareesa? Well she is from Duluth (all relevant I promise) and she has gotten her haircut in the same place for many, many years, by guess who…Russians! I have never seen her with bad hair, whenever she gets a new haircut she looks amazing (especially this last one Reese Piece!). But back to my haircut, Elona did a great job. I look sexy and more Russian if I do say so myself, must have rubbed off.

My conversation with her was a little strange. I knew almost the second I met her that she was Russian from her accent and usually in this situation I get so excited because I love talking, to anyone really but especially a Russian, and if they are an older Russian woman, well that is icing on the cake. But today I was unusually nervous. Maybe that’s because my Russian class at GAC is, well, there aren’t really enough negative adjectives in the English language to describe it. That said, I waited until after she washed my hair to ask, in Russian, where she was from. We got back to the hair-cutting chair and I finally found enough courage to ask her. She stared at me in the mirror with puzzling eyes. Москвы (Moscow) she replied. “А вы говорите по русски?” (And you speak Russian?) she asked. “Да,” (yes) I answered. I won’t bore you with the whole conversation (and I really don’t want to switch keyboards 50,00 times to tell you the whole thing) but basically she told me I was insane to go to Irkutsk, a response I have been getting a lot but I refuse to budge. On a happier note, she said I had excellent intonation and spoke with a native accent, something every American child of Russian dreams of hearing. THANK YOU TATIANA & EVGENII!

This was the best haircut I think I have ever gotten, and will be hard to beat. I tipped Elona extra and said goodbye. She wished me good luck with that sarcastic Russian look, and with a hint of you know I really think you’re crazy, boy in her voice. But, it didn’t matter that she thought I was crazy, she still liked me. I rate my like-ability by the haircut I received, two words, damn sexy.

I met up with Paige and Kevin in Express. A horrible first choice to start shopping, by the mere fact that it is one of my all time favorite stores, and I knew it would take everything to keep from buying something. Paige had a great strategy though, she kept me in the women’s section, and therefore, I was unable to bask in the Express-ness.

After Express we went to the food court to eat. I got Subway, Kevin, a gut-buster, i.e. the biggest f-ing burger you have ever seen. Paige had more trouble, as for her wheat disease. She was left with ice cream with walnuts and peaches, which turned out to be disgusting. Dissatisfied, she went back up and asked for a new drink, and they gave it to her. Oh to be a beautiful woman and able to get anything you want.

After lunch there was more shopping. We hit up all the good cooking stores for Uncle Danny’s gift but left empty-handed. Everything was god awful expensive. Nonetheless, we did manage to have tons of fun playing with all the neat salt and pepper shakers and imagining all the cool things we would want in our houses. That is, if we ever get houses. Like I said, everything is so freaking expensive. One can dream though.

Cooking utensils out, we headed over to Finishline to try our hands at athletic wear. This was more of our kind of store. While Kevin looked around Paige and I took pictures and danced to the store music; Beyoncé, Lady Gaga and Jay-Z i.e. great dancing music. Kevin got Danny a UnderArmour work-out shirt, pretty cool. I, feeling especially happy about being a cancer survivor that day, asked Kevin to purchase a Livestrong bracelet in mine and Lance’s honor, he obliged. Cancer card, works every time. Paige got two buttons for her Crocs in support of the bankrupt company, and she has Crocs.

Exhausted, or at least I was, we left the mall and headed back home. Paige had to go home, sadly, leaving me alone with Kevin, not that, that was bad. I was just sad she had to leave. Kevin and I chilled at the apartment and watched TV. Feeling hungry later we headed to McDonald’s and took advantage of the Red-Box DVDs. I rented ‘The Goods,’ ‘Wolverine,’ and ‘Gran Torino.’ The first was amazing, the second okay, and the third ended horribly. You can all probably guess what time I went to bed…yup, 4.

Day 3 later.

Denver, Day 1.

Day 1.

My first day in Denver was spent on my grandmother’s couch. As I had said, I watched three movies, eventually falling asleep at 4 am. Nothing out of the ordinary from GAC, but I was hoping Denver would allow me to find a better sleeping schedule, I’m not in Irkutsk yet. I woke at around 3 pm to the sound of the garage door opening and my grandmother’s voice asking if I was alive. I fell out of the couch and went over to the table were more food awaited. My friends in Russia tell me that piles of food on the table is a norm, obviously Nanny knows this too, many of our conversations so far this trip have consisted about how I will be eating while I am in Russia. After finishing off the pizza from last night, and eating the rest of the brownies with milk it was time to motivate and see the rest of the family.

Nanny took my cashmere-silk $90.00 Banana Republic sweater, which I so intelligently decided to participate in an art project in, to the dry cleaners while I took a bath, yes a bath, something I have wanted to do for months, I get tired standing in the shower and I miss our jacuzzi tub at home so much. After primping and polishing I got dressed in my best and set off to see my Aunt Mimi, Uncle Danny and Cousin Kevin at their favorite Irish Pub, McCabe’s.

We ordered food, Calamari for me, my favorite and played I don’t know how many games of pool. There was also this unfortunate child sitting in a booth not far from us, who was screaming his head off. By screaming I mean screaming at the top of his lungs, just because. The parents sat there with the slightest bit of  acknowledgment toward the little shit, while the rest of the people in the pub covered there ears and gave deathly glares of disapproval. I hate parents who don’t know how to discipline their children. At one point I was contemplating doing it for them.

After the pub, Kevin and I headed back to my Aunt and Uncle’s house to wait for his girlfriend to get off work. 9:30 rolled around and we went to go pick her up from work. All of us then went back to Kevin’s apartment, dropped off my things and caught up a little bit. I had tons of new information to share.

The two of them also gave me a quick history of the film ‘Boondock Saints,’ did I mention we were going to number 2? We got to the theater around 10:30. The ticket man was a douche bag. Let me explain: He thought I was 13, and was just a douche bag. I mean what 13-year-old has stubble and dresses in nice clothes?  not many. I was taller than him too. Anyway, I had to show him my ID, he looked at it and then at me as if it were fake. I gave him the ‘yes asshole, people do live in Alaska and yes asshole I am 19′ stare right back and got my ticket. Clearly he made me a little upset, thank god the movie was amazing! I won’t spoil it for any of you.

After the movie we headed back to Kevin’s apartment. Paige and I each had a glass of wine, well not all of the glass, it was gross. Don’t buy Fat Bastard. I was still super excited about ‘Boondock Saints 2′, so much so that I begged to watch number 1. It was equally if not more amazing. Went to bed at 4 am, and woke up the next morning tired, of course.

Breakfast by Paige next.

Family Week.

Leaving behind my family to go see my other family.

In my one and a half years, and last semester at Gustavus Adolphus College, I have come to meet  some of my closest and most dear friends. My roommate Brandon, the two “girls next-door” Lareesa and Allison, Brandon’s and my suite mates, Wade and Julio and our “senior citizen,” Jenn. Our last months together have been so great, so fun and much too quick.  It seems like yesterday when I first moved into IC, met my roommate Brandon, with great skepticism might I add (not knowing what to expect as a result of a horrible first-roommate-experience my freshman year. Who could ever forget Thomas Lany?) but, thank god, he turned out alright , seeing my girls, Lareesa and Allison again, hanging out with the P.I.C. Jenn, that is “partner in crime” for those old folk, and getting to know two awesome people in Julio and Wade.

All of us have become so close, and it is so amazing to have such a great group of friends and be included in a group that shares so much in common with each other. Memories that come to me most from this semester are: our late, late night study sessions in the lounge of 3rd floor IC, Brandon introducing me to the best show ever “How I Met Your Mother,” he even watched all four seasons, again, with me, Julio and Wade gaming on Brandon’s PS3 for hours on end, seeing how many cheese balls we can fit in our mouths, well I wasn’t there but I got to see video, Jenn’s and my adventures to the cities and through the Arboretum, watching Lareesa and Allison beat Brandon’s ass. My friends are the greatest, and I am going to miss you all so much.

Departure for Denver.

Lareesa, Brandon and I left Gustavus for MSP at around 3:40, Brandon was late from doing shopping in Mankato…No biggie roomy . Lareesa’s iPod synced with the radio and the PARTAAAAY MIX!!! blasting, we hit the road. Not too much went on in the car, mostly the singing of old country songs, which we are never allowed to do because Allison hates country music. A nice breath of country. We started counting cops after about the 300th cop car, Brandon explained that the Nicolette County Police Department had screwed up a case and where trying to “make up for their stupidity.” We got onto 494 at about 4:15 and of course entered into the bowels of rush hour traffic. This tragic event, turned our trip from jolly to miserable in all of about 45 seconds.

Moving at the speed of slow, we weaved our way in and out of traffic, trying to find the quickest lane. Lareesa didn’t like this at all and kept sharing her thoughts on how actually inefficient it was to switch lanes when it might change our arrival time by 3 seconds. In frustration, Brandon and I began screaming obscenities out the windows, not in the direction of anyone, simply to release tension. Lareesa also didn’t like this and subjected Brandon and I to the silent treatment for the remainder of the drive.

Finally, moving at a speed above 10 mph, we arrived at MSP with an hour and a half for me to get to the gate. We all hopped out of the car, Brandon got my bags out (what a guy) and Lareesa got happy again, maybe because I was leaving…. I hugged both of them, we said our goodbyes and I got in line. The lines for check-in were not bad at all, surprisingly quick. I reached the gate with an hour before departure. I questioned getting food but decided against it, realizing Nanny would cook me anything I wanted once I arrived.

The plane ride was very comfortable. I sat in an exit row (more leg room), the only problem was my seat had no recline, always a sacrifice. Nobody occupied the middle seat, and the woman in the aisle seat was most kind. I didn’t talk to her until the last 20 minutes of the flight, and sort of regretted not doing so. Turned out she was a world traveler, and had been to all the places, to which our J-Term class is traveling. Needless to say, she made me even more excited for my trip.

We arrived in Denver 45 minutes early. As soon as we landed I called Nanny, and was met with confusion on the other line. She had just dropped Araselli (sorry if I butchered that spelling), Alex’s girlfriends off at the airport and driven all the way back home. Thank god she loves her grandchildren. I enjoyed walking through the Denver Airport and seeing the giant tepees, one of my favorite airports.

Baggage claim was quick and I soon met the embrace of  my grandmother. Nanny never looks any different, 77 and still looking 50 what youth! We caught up on the 20 minute drive home and like I had expected, I was almost immediately battered with questions about what I would like to eat , gotta love those grandmas. Digiorno’s Pizza, a giant salad, cran-grape juice and the best brownies and milk a grandson could ask for. After I was finished eating, we headed to the McDonald’s (not to eat, I’m not fat) to get a couple Red-Box movies. I chose “Ghost of Girlfriends Past,” (don’t judge) “The Ugly Truth,” and “Ice Age 3.” I watched them all, and finally went to sleep at 4 am, for some reason I have turned into a night-owl of sorts.

Day 1 in Denver to come.

Irkutsk

Map of Russia with Irkutsk Oblast in red.

An aerial shot of the city.

Irkutsk is the 8th stop in blue moving west to east.

The amazingness of Down Under.

WARNING! THIS ITINERARY MAY CAUSE ENVY. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.

2010 New Zealand-Australia Itinerary

Minneapolis to Queenstown, NZ – Saturday Jan 2 – Monday Jan 4.

United Airlines 586 – Minneapolis to Chicago – 1:30- 2:52 pm – 1.3 hrs

United Airlines 107 – Chicago to Los Angeles – 4:00 – 6:34 pm – 4.5 hrs

Air New Zealand 1 – Los Angeles to Auckland – 9:15 – 7:05 am – 12 hrs

Air New Zealand 639 – Auckland to Queenstown – 10:00 – 11:50 am – 1.7 hrs

We cross the International Date Line and lose January 3rd.  However, on the way back we experience January 29^th twice.  Look forward to the wonderful Air New Zealand service! Good meals, movies, and more hours for sleep than normal.

At noon on Monday, January 4^th we arrive in beautiful Queenstown, surrounded by mountains and the shores of Lake Wakatipu. It is the middle of summer with daylight lasting for 17 hours. Our hotel is perfectly located next to the lake in the heart of Queenstown. We have class for two hours and then take a gondola up the mountain to a spectacular overlook.   It has a restaurant, a luge run, and a platform for bungee jumpers. We spend the rest of the day recovering from jet lag, exploring Queenstown, and going to bed early.

Queenstown (January 4 to 11) Stay seven nights at the Novotel Queenstown Lakeside, Earl & Marine Parade, Queenstown, South Island, NZ.  Phone is 011-64-3-442-7469.

January 5 - Morning class from 8 to 1 p.m.  The class watches a high profile cricket game on a large screen with the assistance of a cricket expert who will answer questions.  Afterwards the class practices cricket skills and plays cricket with the assistance of coaches.

January 6 - Morning class is from 8 to 1 p.m.  The class watches high profile rugby and netball competition with the assistance of experts who will answer questions.  Afterwards the class practices rugby and netball skills and plays these sports with the assistance of coaches.

January 7 - Class departs at 8 am for a bus ride along Lake Wakatipu, through Glenorchy, and up to the head of the famous Routeburn Track.  We spend much of the day hiking into and out of the famous valley where Lord of the Rings was filmed.

January 8 - Morning class at 8 am to 10 am followed by a Kiwi Haka Maori Cultural Experience in the Queen Elizabeth Gardens.  We learn about Maori traditional culture and values and their relationship to sporting activities.    Afternoon sporting options include white water rafting. In the evening we take a cruise on the vintage steamship The TSS Earnslaw.  Enjoy the Wakatipu scenery as we cruise to the Walter Peak Station.  Enjoy a great BBQ dinner, farm displays, sheep shearing and a sing-along as we cruise back to Queenstown, arriving at 10:00 pm.

January 9 - Morning class is from 8 until 11:30 a.m.   Part of the morning is spent in the Queen Elizabeth Gardens with the local lawn bowling club participating in lawn bowling.  In the evening the class attends the Rugby 7’s tournament that is held in Queenstown.

January 10 - This is a free day with many options.  One is a bus trip to Fiordland.  We go over Kawarau Dam Bridge to Kingston, through Mossburn, and along the shores of Lake Te Anau and Cascade Creek.  Then we pass through the Homer Tunnel, enter Cleddau Canyon, and descend into spectacular Milford Sound.  We take a cruise out to the Tasman Sea past Mitre Peak and Bowen Falls.  Seals and dolphins are usually visible.  The bus returns the same evening to Queenstown.

Queenstown, NZ to Cairns, Australia- Monday, Jan. 11, 10 am to 10:15 pm

Air New Zealand 636 – Queenstown to Christchurch – 10:35 – 11:20 am – 45 min

Air New Zealand 205 – Christchurch to Brisbane – 3:40 – 4:30 pm – 4 hours

Qantas 786 – Brisbane to Cairns – 7:55 – 10:15 pm – 2.25 hours

We fly to Cairns (pronounced Cans), the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree Rainforest.  We arrive in the tropics, where the days are shorter (about 12 hours) and the heat and humidity can be oppressive.  The “birds” that you hear and see at night are not birds.  They are giant fruit bats with wingspans up to four feet, feeding on fruits in the treetops.

Cairns – (January 11- 16) Stay 5 nights at the Cairns Colonial Club, 18-26 Cannon Street, Cairns, Australia.  Phone is 011- 61-74053-8834

January 12 - A coach picks us up at 7:00 am. We go by bus to the Cairns Marina where we board the Silverswift, a ship that takes us out to the Great Barrier Reef.  Travel time is used for journal entries. Snorkeling is included. Join a marine naturalist on a guided snorkel tour, learning and seeing the wonders of the Great Barrier Reef.   Scuba diving is optional and costs extra.

January 13 - Morning class is from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m.  A coach picks us up at 8:45 am.  We go to the Rainforest Habitat Wildlife Sanctuary near Port Douglas.  Trained wildlife experts show us unique Australian animals and birds up close on a guided lecture and tour through the facility. Afterwards we return to Cairns for optional activities.

January 14 - A coach picks us up at 8:20 a.m.  Morning class is at the Tjapukai Aboriginal Center from 8:40 am until noon.  We concentrate on the place of sports within traditional Aboriginal culture. We see a movie, listen to a lecture, and experience Aboriginal dances, native wildlife, and spear and boomerang throwing.  At noon we take a 7-mile gondola ride (longest in the world), over the canopy of the rainforest and up the side of a mountain to Kuranda, an Aboriginal town.  The afternoon includes time at a flea market that sells local clothing and crafts.  We return to the hotel by bus at 3:30 p.m.

January 15 - Morning class is from 8:30 to 11:00 a.m. at the hotel. Optional activities are possible in the afternoon. A free shuttle bus leaves the hotel for downtown Cairns hourly.

January 16 - Morning class is from 8:30 to 11:00 a.m. at the hotel.  We depart for Melbourne in the afternoon.

Cairns, Australia to Melbourne, Australia. Saturday Jan. 16. 12:40 to 5:05 p.m.

Qantas 703 – Cairns to Melbourne – 12:40 to 5:05 pm – 3.5 hours

We fly to Melbourne (pronounced mel-bun), and take a quick tour of the city.

Melbourne (January 16-23) Stay seven nights at the Batman’s Hill on Collins, 623 Collins St., Melbourne, Australia.  Phone is 011-61-3614-6344.

The class meets daily from 8:30 to 11:00 a.m., studying sports ethics topics that relate to both Australian and American culture.  The sites for class include Melbourne parks, gardens, shrines, and museums.  We also learn about Australian history, government, and culture, knowing that this information is important background for understanding sport ethics in Australia.  At 11 am the class moves on to the National Tennis Center, where we have tickets for the first five days of the Australian Open.  A beautiful plaza area outside the stadium is an excellent place to interview fans and gather sportsmanship questionnaire responses.

The hotel is near Melbourne’s business district and the Melbourne Convention Centre.  The Yarra River, with a beautiful promenade and footbridges, stretches for two miles from our hotel to the National Tennis Center.  We are within walking distance of the Victorian Arts Centre, the National Gallery, the Shrine of Remembrance, the King’s Domain, the Royal Botanic Gardens, the State Parliament House, Fitzroy Gardens, Captain Cook’s cottage, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the Australian Gallery of Sport, and Queen Victoria Market.

January 17 - A day without class or tickets to the Australian Open creates the opportunity for a number of interesting alternatives.  Consider the Royal Melbourne Zoo, one of the finest in the world.  Or go to the National Gallery of Victoria.  The Melbourne Cricket Ground, which seats 120,000 spectators for important test matches, is located next to the National Tennis Center.  A short train ride takes us to Kooyong Stadium, the site of the Australian Open before 1988, when it was played on grass.  Another short ride on the tram goes to St. Kilda Beach.  Or we can choose trips to the Great Ocean Road or Phillip Island with its Fairy Penguins.

January 18 - Morning class is from 8:30 to 11:00 a.m.  Included is an hour at the Shrine of Remembrance.  We observe its beauty, learn about Australia’s involvement in war and their appreciation of veterans, and see the city of Melbourne from a special vantage point.  At 11 a.m. we walk to the National Tennis Center, watch the first day of matches at the Australian Open, and interview spectators.

January 19 - Morning class is from 8:30 to 11:00 a.m. After is an hour at Queen Victoria’s Market, which is famous to all Australians for a wide variety of foods, clothing, and merchandise at bargain prices.  The rich and poor from a surprising number of ethnic backgrounds shop and sell here.  Afterwards the free City Circle trolley takes us to the National Tennis Center.

January 20 - Morning class from 8:30 to 11:00 a.m. Included is an hour at the Victorian Parliament House.  Afterwards we take a short walk to the National Tennis Center.

January 21 - Morning class from 8:30 to 11:00 a.m. After is an hour at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, a beautiful Gothic structure that rivals the great cathedrals of Europe.  Started in 1850, it is the largest in Australia.  After class we stop in the Fitzroy and Treasury Gardens as we walk to the National Tennis Center.

January 22 - Morning class from 8:30 to 11:00 am after, we go to the Royal Botanic Gardens, rated as one of the finest in the world.  Within its 100 acres are 12,000 species of native and imported plants and trees.

Melbourne to Sydney- Saturday, Jan. 23 – 10:00- 11:25 am.

Qantas 422 – Melbourne to Sydney – 10 to 11:25 am. – 1.5 hours

We transfer by coach from the hotel to the airport for our flight to Sydney.  The largest Australian city is famous for its beautiful harbor, attractive surfing beaches, and the famous Sydney Opera House.  We arrive in time for the Sydney Festival, a three-week cultural celebration that ends on January 26^th, Australia’s Independence Day. The city comes alive with fireworks displays, tall ships in the harbor, Opera in the park, parades, concerts, choirs, and performing groups from all over the world.

Sydney (January 23- 29) Stay six nights at the Novotel on Darling Harbor, 100 Murray St., Sydney, Aust.  Phone is 011-61-2-9288-7174. The hotel is located next to Darling Harbor within easy walking distance of downtown Sydney.

January 23 - At 2:30 p.m., after checking in to the hotel and having lunch at one of the many restaurants that surround Darling Harbor, we take a walking tour through Sydney.  It ends at the Circular Quay (pronounced “key”); where boats, subways, busses, taxis, and an elevated rail all converge.  We will learn about daily and weekly passes that permit us to use most of Sydney’s transportation options.  It is fun to explore Sydney with a travel guide and an excellent public transportation system.  Returning to Darling Harbor by boat is the preferred way to go.

January 24 - Morning class is from 8:30 to 11 a.m.   After class we go by boat to Circular Quay and then across the Sydney Harbor to Manly, one of Sydney’s two most famous beaches.

January 25 - Morning class is from 8:30 to 11 am after; we go to the beautiful St. Mary’s Cathedral, the largest and one of the oldest churches in Sydney.  The afternoon offers opportunities for sports participation travel to Bondi beach by train, or exploration of other points of interest.

January 26 - There is no morning class. We take full advantage of all the Independence Day activities.  See the tall ships in the Harbour near the Sydney Opera House.  Listen to the free music on the streets and in the parks.  Enjoy the parades and special displays on the streets.  Eat the wide variety of foods that are being sold at numerous street stands.  Interact with Australian families who are enjoying a special day with each other and friends.  Go to the special services where new immigrants become citizens.  And do not miss the huge fireworks display in the middle of Darling Harbor, right in front of our hotel.  Some 200,000 people crowd into the plaza areas around the harbor, making it nearly impossible to walk.

January 27 - Morning class is from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m.  Afterwards we go to the Art Gallery of New South Wales. We study its fine collections of Australian and Aboriginal Art, noting particularly the religious and ethical values revealed in the art that relate to sports participation.    In the evening we attend opera at the famous Sydney Opera House.  The opera is La Travolta by Verdi.  This is a love story set in Paris in 1850.  A woman sacrifices herself for her lover to allow him to fulfill his family obligations.

January 28 - Morning class is from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m.  Afterwards we go to the Chinese Garden, located near Darling Harbor.  The beauty and tranquility that has been created here in the midst of a busy city is amazing.

Sydney to Auckland, NZ and Auckland to Minneapolis. Friday Jan. 29. 11:30 to 8:15 p.m.

Air New Zealand 104 – Sydney to Auckland – 11:30 to 4:35 pm – 5 hrs

Air New Zealand 6 – Auckland to Los Angeles – 7:15 to 10:15 am – 11 hrs

Northwest 2698 – Los Angeles to Minneapolis – 3:00 to 8:38 pm – 4 hrs

Students going to Minneapolis continue by plane home.  Those who choose to spend touring week in Fiji spend the evening in Auckland.

Many pictures and great stories to come.

 

January 18- Morning class is from 8:30 to 11:00 a.m.  Included is an hour at the Shrine of Remembrance.  We observe its beauty, learn about Australia’s involvement in war and their appreciation of veterans, and see the city of Melbourne from a special vantage point.  At 11 a.m. we walk to the National Tennis Center, watch the first day of matches at the Australian Open, and interview spectators.

Last days in the US of A.

The long and the short of it all.

In little over a month I will be heading to Irkutsk, Russia in Siberia. As I count down the days I can’t help but  feel excited but also nervous to leave everything that I have ever known behind. Having never layed foot on foreign soil, (well, there was that one time in Mexico, but that was back when you didn’t even need a passport so we won’t count that) I can honestly say that this adventure that I am about to embark on, is going to be the experience of a lifetime. I can also truly say I have no idea what to expect.

As many of you may know, I attended the Russian Language School at Middlebury College this summer. It was 9 weeks of intense Russian learning, no English and of course preparation for my actual travel to Russia, did I mention it was amazing?. In my time there, I was blessed with the one of the best professors I have ever had the pleasure of studying with. Tatiana Edyardovna, a full-time professor at Middlebury during the regular school year, and Russian native has given me everything I will need to survive these 6 months in Irkutsk and around Russia. Not to mention, with her help and watchful eye this summer, I think I now have what it takes to become a “настоящий русский ” (true Russian”) in Russia.

My friends and family have shown mixed feelings about my future travels. Some are super excited (friends) while others are seemingly dreading it (family), well, the travels to Russia anyway. I forgot to add that after my first month in Irkutsk I will be traveling to Australia and New Zealand for the entire month of January for my J-Term course at Gustavus Adolphus College. Included in this J-Term is one of the most exciting itineraries a traveler could ever wish to experience: Hiking through the mountains of New Zealand where many of the scenes from ‘Lord of the Rings’ were shot, scuba diving and/or snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef (did I mention I am scared of sharks?), 4 days at the Grand Slam of the South Pacific; the Australian Open, where I will have the opportunity to watch not only my favorite tennis players in the world sweat it out at the 2 week-long event, but Gustavus Adolphus College Alumni and former player, Eric Butorac compete in the doubles event with some of the best doubles players in the world, lessons in rugby and cricket, proper boomerang throwing, dinner with true Australian aboriginals, a week in Sydney, and so much more.

I am not entirely sure if a boomerang will come in handy in Russia but who knows? it is Russia. I return to Russia in the beginning of February for last 5 months of the school year.  That’s right, after a “quick” flight back from Australia to the US for 2-3 days I am back on a plane to Russia. Where 3 days of orientation in Moscow awaits. Our orientation is our time to get familiar with Russia (too bad I already will be, ha!), where the new students embarking on their Russian journeys with Middlebury College’s studdy abroad programs in Irkutsk, Moscow and Yaroslavl will be informed about everything from  survival on trains, to how to properly identify a skin-head. Then it is off to Irkutsk, again, for my 5  months of Siberian fun.

Think I am crazy, think I am the coolest person you know , either way I hope you will all join me on this incredible journey of new friends, new places, and a new way of thinking. I don’t know about you but I am just a little bit excited.

Stay tuned for ‘The Final Day,” on December 3, 2009.