Andi's Adventures

It's been a while since my last blog update, I've been quite busy! After the AABAT Forum, I traveled to Mullumbimby with the director of Human Nature and I lived in a caravan on his property for about a week and a half before the expedition. I had barely any phone service while there, so I spent lots of time reading and drinking tea, which was delightful(: Although once I opened a cabinet in the kitchen area of the caravan and saw a HUGE spider, I'm talking the size of my hand. I surprisingly haven't encountered many terrifying bugs/creatures in Australia even though that's one of the things it's known for, but this spider made me want to burn the whole place down. But, seeing as I didn't have another place to live, I merely closed the cabinet door and never opened it again, praying that it wouldn't come out and kill me in my sleep. Andy's family was so kind to me and welcoming, and I really enjoyed and appreciated spending time with all of them. O...

Hey friends, Leaving Dungog was very bittersweet. I’m happy to be continuing on to the next phase of my journey, but I’m so sad to leave the people and home I’ve grown to love deeply. I do plan on coming back to Dungog though before I leave Australia, so it’s not goodbye forever. I’m currently hanging out on my bunk at the Australian Association for Bush Adventure Therapy (AABAT) forum, and figured I’d write a little update. This forum has been incredible, it feels like summer camp for adults where everyone is really smart and has lots of interesting things to say and is very friendly. I’ve met, ate meals with, and played kanjam with some of the most well-regarded researchers in this field and they’ve been so welcoming to me. I’m the only American at this conference (I’m not including one guy because he moved to Australia like 7 years ago) and it’s so fun talking to everyone I meet about why I’m here. They keep asking “you came all the way to Australia just for this?” and I’m like, “...

Hi everyone! Exciting news- I've heard back about the opportunity I hinted at a few weeks ago. Beginning 2 days after the AABAT conference, I'll be working as a volunteer mentor on Human Nature Adventure Therapy/Recre8 Young Women's Program ( www.humannature.org.au )! This is really exciting. The Recre8 Young Women's Program is a four-month long therapeutic process using a combination of traditional office-setting psychotherapy and Bush Adventure Therapy. The program is for "troubled" girls aged 14-19 who are interested in developing self-esteem and self-efficacy skills, and may be experiencing or have experienced mental health issues, childhood trauma, drug and alcohol problems, behavioral difficulties, or social exclusion. Recre8 serves the northern region of New South Wales, so while I am in NSW right now at Wangat, Recre8 is still almost 7 hours away! During the 10-day expedition portion of the process, I'll be coming along with the participants and ...

I arrived at Wangat last Sunday and have spent the week with Verity and Dan, and I’ve been busy! I’m not quite sure how to go about describing everything I’ve seen, done, and learned in a way that feels like I’m conveying that parts that matter, but here’s my attempt: Wangat is an outdoor education/family camp/retreat center that hosts individuals, families, school trips, and camps at various times throughout the year. It's located in New South Wales near the edge of the Barrington Tops National Park, about 4 hours north-ish of Sydney and an hour west-ish of Newcastle. The closest town is Dungog. There’s a big lodge that has 10 cabin-style rooms, and a nice little cottage called Melia Cottage (that’s where I’m currently staying) and a bigger cottage for families called Clancy Cottage. Verity and Dan own and run Wangat. I’ve really enjoyed helping them out with all sorts of things, from leading bush adventure hikes to preparing lunches in the kitchen with many i...

After a grueling 22 hours of travel, I made it to Sydney. Aside from the fact that I got lost in the Sydney airport even though all the signs were in English,  I think I'm navigating Sydney quite well. (As I was writing that sentence 3 different parrots flew onto the table next to me, wow cool.) My adventures in Australia began perfectly- my new friend Joelle and her friend Simon picked me up from the airport, and then we drove to Simon's home in Paddington where I got to take a hot shower and was fed avocado toast (omg) and espresso. Yesterday I walked around Sydney all day and visited the Australia Museum near Hyde Park, trying to force myself to stay awake until it was evening. I failed, and went back to Simon's to take a nap before dinner. Simon made us the most delicious dinner, complete with wine and Australian beer. It was the perfect end to a wonderful first day. I'm so grateful that I didn't have to spend the first 2 days of this year stressing out about ...

I've shared this with a few of you, but my plans for Australia are finally falling into place. I leave Minneapolis on July 2nd and get to Sydney early in the morning on July 4th. A wonderful stranger whom I met via a Facebook group for female travelers has kindly offered me a place to stay for the first few nights in Sydney, and I'll be getting dinner with her my first night in Australia. She is actually the person who recommended my first site in Australia- Wangat Lodge! ( http://www.wangat.com.au/ ) Wangat Lodge is located in Dungog, New South Wales. The description on Wangat's website reads: " Wangat Lodge, set on the Chichester River amongst the forest in the sub-tropical foothills of the Barrington Tops, means, in the local Gringai dialect, a place where whispers are heard. The lodge was built in the early 80s by retired foresters Geoff and Isabel Armstrong, their vision being to create a place where people could connect with nature, learn about ecology and h...

A few weeks ago I received a letter in my mailbox from myself, written on the last day of my freshman year orientation trip. Reading it was a truly strange experience, and I laughed at how perfectly appropriate my past words seemed to be for my present self. I wanted to share what my letter said, because through reflecting on it I've been reminded that this entire Watson year I'm about to embark on has been in the works of my life for quite some time, even if I didn't know it. 8/22/15 (in the chapel by a window at night-- bell rang right at 9 as I finished this letter)  Well, Andi. It's Saturday night and I'm on my Freshman Orientation Trip at Hamilton. It's still hard to believe I'm here. I ended high school so well and I was so  excited to go to Hamilton. Remember how happy you were when you got accepted? It was the best feeling ever.  Hamilton is full of so many insanely smart people. There will probably be days over these 4 years where you'll f...