Andi's Adventures

Hello friends, I spent a week and a half on the North Island of New Zealand- traveling to Rotorua and exploring the thermal pools and redwood forest, visiting a Māori village, wine tastings at various vineyards and hitchhiking on Waiheke Island, forest bathing in the Auckland Domain Park and visiting the art gallery. I really enjoyed my time on the North Island when I wasn't in Auckland- the grey city life just isn't for me. After traveling to many cities so far this year, I've come to realize that every city is basically the same no matter where you are. There are often great parks, restaurants, museums, etc. and I'm sure that when you live in a certain city the uniqueness of your own city emerges and is more important to daily life than when you're simply visiting. It's nice to have people to connect with in certain cities because then it seems a bit more personal than visiting it by yourself. But most of my traveling is solo so when I do get to spend time e...

Howdy folks, Yesterday I bade farewell to Australia. My last 3 weeks there involved returning to Mullum for the HNAT reunion, visiting the Blue Mountains to hike and interview people, and then spending time in Sydney. I can't believe 1/4 of my year is finished. Australia was amazing, I loved it there and I love all the people and places I came to know. You bet I'll be back! My time in NZ was off to a rocky start, because as soon as I got off the plane I realized I was quite ill and needed to get treatment but it was like 10 pm and so nothing but a hospital would be open. After crying to a poor bus station attendant, I got to ride in a police car to a hospital about 20 minutes away. Then I hung out in the emergency room for the entire night and was finally seen by a doctor at about 6 am. It was not fun, especially when I had my huge backpack with me and had to lug it around the hospital amid lots of weird looks. The doctors and nurses were very kind and were doing their best...

Hi everyone! As I'm writing this, I've just officially turned 23 in the US but I'm almost done with my birthday here in Australia! I had a really great day, thanks to a surprise birthday pie, beautiful weather, great conversations, and a delicious dinner where I managed to convince the waiter to give me free tiramisu! Thank you all for the birthday wishes (: My trusty green journal and I, where I write my notes and thoughts down each day. Trying to figure out where to eat, a decision I do NOT take lightly.  The last few weeks have been nothing short of wonderful. I spent some time in Byron Bay, which is a stereotypical surfer town. It was really interesting but not really my style, although my impression of it may be biased because of some really annoying people staying at the hostel I was in. Then I went to Brisbane and met with someone who is working on her Ph.D. about urban agriculture and greenspaces, which was really interesting to learn more about...

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...