Week 6: Life is what you make of it.

Posted on August 12, 2014
by Patty Pollard

I have now been in Tasmania, Australia for one month.

I haven’t left the state of Tasmania at all, I’ve been to the city of Hobart a couple of times, and to be honest I’ve hardly left campus.

However, I have done many things which surpass any amount of land that I could step foot on, in my opinion. Here are some instances:

I’ve………………………..

Went river rafting

Seen 5 wallabies at the same time in their natural habitat

And a possum

Learned to play League of Legends- an intense computer game

Begun watching Game of Thrones Season 1

Went bushwalking

Perched inside of a fern plant

Applied to work at an Australian McDonalds

(I didn’t get the job….)

Breathed fresh air that smelled of eucalyptus

Eaten 5 (and counting) Cadbury chocolate bars of different varieties

and sizes… they weren’t all this size…

Seen abundant, green wildlife & snow covered mountains in the same day

Walked to and from the stores weekly to buy my groceries

Blew an Australian’s mind when I pointed out that they have a platypus on one of their coins (he thought it was a koala…)

Met amazing, friendly people that make my day every day, and that I wold never had met if I didn’t come here.

There’s a small chance that I would have done any of these things at home, even in a whole semester at SUNY Oswego. Some of them would not be possible at all.

However, I also believe that “travel” is what you make of it, meaning your experiences are what make traveling so breathtaking. While being in a different place makes it easier, anyone can get the same thrills as a traveler: all you have to do are things you wouldn’t normally do.

ANYWAYS… I’m having a great time. School is school. Hopefully I will be going to a wildlife sanctuary soon to hang out with kangaroos.

Until then!

-Patty

Week 1: Adventures in Hobart

Posted on July 13, 2014
by Patty Pollard

Oddly enough, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty was playing on the plane over to Sydney; the movie basically inspiring me to travel… but it’s just so bad I can’t bring myself to watch it a second time.

Anyways, I’ve made it to Hobart, Tasmania in Australia! I am currently sitting on my deck listening to a very loud, odd sounding bird, looking out to the beautiful mountain range and bay in the distance. Although it’s winter, I’m very comfortable with bare feet, yoga pants, a tee shirt and a cardigan at 11:13AM.

View on my way to class/from my balcony

It is very clean here! For the first two days I didn’t see any trash outside of a trashcan. Once I thought I saw a few gum wrappers in the road, but they ended up being the remains of an interesting looking plant. I exclaimed how clean it was to my Swedish roommate, and he didn’t think it was any cleaner here than his home… (way to go, New York).

Organic products AND aesthetics!

Tasmania is considered the “natural state” of Australia, so a lot of the products sold here are organic (in the city of Hobart, at least). There are also a lot of local products at the super markets and at the boutiques in the city.

Yesterday I spent six hours walking from Sandy Bay to Hobart, shopping and talking to store owners, and trying to find my way around. I got home around 4:30PM, and realized that from the time I left the house till when I got home, I counted three pieces of trash total… A leather strap that looked like it belonged to a purse, an empty cardboard cup near campus, and an abandon water bottle that looked like someone was coming back for.

PS: Things are very expensive here, but minimum wage is $18. It all makes more sense now.

In addition to touring the city on my own, I’ve been on a hike with a few friends! It was snowing pretty hard near the top of Mt. Wellington, but we had a great time.

View from Mt. Wellington

Lots of snow up towards the top!

Well, I don’t have that much for you… I’ve only been here a few days.

Until next time!

-Patty

Intro to Tasmania

Posted on May 20, 2014
by Patty Pollard

Hello! And welcome to my OZ blog. I am hoping this blog will demonstrate (somewhat mundane) sociological and cultural differences that I come across in Australian culture in Tasmania. For now, I am keeping the blog light, as this is just an introductory post to prepare my followers for my adventure (and to practice blogging skills…).

Honestly I still don’t really think about how I will be across the world In Tasmania, Australia in about a month and a half. It really hasn’t sunk in yet, I suppose. At the same time, I don’t know how I would be able to “expect” anything since I’ve never done something like this before. Sure I’ve traveled before, but never alone. Which happens to be the most appealing part of the entire experience for me.

It’s funny because being alone is what was once deterring me from the idea of studying abroad. Oddly enough, I eventually decided to follow in my sister’s footsteps, who recently traveled for a semester abroad to Tanzania, Africa. DISCLAIMER: Sarcasm should be included in the previous sentence. Following in my sisters’ footsteps is something I have been doing since I can remember.

I’m weirdly excited to be in a place where no one has any idea who I am. And I happened to choose Tasmania… mainly because I’m not ready to take on another language (AKA: I’m lazy).

a building on UTAS campus that I thought looked cool

Check out the school’s website here!

Before I go, I’d like to give a few shout outs. As the Spring 2014 semester came to a close, I became sad thinking about the many ineffable people I would be leaving behind for almost five months.

Dear…

OSWEGO:

I will miss you, my geese….

PATHFINDER:

I will miss working with this wonderful, hard working, personable crew. Thank-you so much for opening my eyes to a group of dedicated and caring individuals, and for being patient and helpful. You have impacted me in ways more than you will ever know, and I’m glad that I am showing my appreciation before I graduate! I’m excited for working for you for one last semester! 😉

me workin’ hard

NEWMAN CENTER:

Ahh.. the center. Sorry for not saying bye to anyone, by the way… I really wanted to avoid any crying that may have occurred, and I’ll see you next semester anyways so no harm, no foul. I hope everything goes well with the retreats and please know that I will miss all of you so much! I’m also upset I’ll be missing the Fall retreat… make sure you folks stay up late and have extra special conversations in dedication of my absence. And have some of those sugar cookies at the meetings at LEAST one time. You know what I’m talkin’ about.

peace OUT.

MY FRIENDS:
OMG you know I wish I could put a personal picture up with special captions for each of your individually, but I would say too much and then no one would take the time to read the blog. I will miss all of you SO MUCH and hope you have AMAZING SEMESTERS (but then have an even better one when I’m back from Australia). Thank-you for constantly supporting me, listening to my troubles, and giving me a good time. That’s all we need in life <3

Cats & hats!

the last [high school] dance!

FAMILY:

Thanking you over a blog post seems so lame… but if I didn’t include you it just wouldn’t be fair. I cannot express my gratitude to you in words. I hope I can show you it through my actions for the rest of my life. It is through your love, hardship, fighting, honestly, and trust that I am how I am today, and that alone is inspiring enough for me to go across the world in confidence. Thank-you Mom, Dad, Jenn, and Becca for making me a large part of who I am! I love you all.

Well, the next blog I post will hopefully have a picture of me holding a koala. See you then!

-Patty

About Patty Pollard

Posts by Patty Pollard

Week 6: Life is what you make of it.

Week 1: Adventures in Hobart

Intro to Tasmania