Abroad with Megan

The pressure-filled slogan “the future is in our hands” can be daunting to our generation. We constantly hear about the threats of global warming and how mega companies are continuously destroying our rivers and oceans. We hear about epidemics of disease in countries that have been previously rid of them and massive violent outbreaks tearing countries apart. These problems seem so incredibly paramount that we are perplexed as to how we can even begin to approach these issues. There is another saying “out of sight, out of mind” that I believe explains perhaps why there have not been monumental strives in saving our environment. I for one have fallen victim to this predicament. It was not until studying abroad in Australia that I became aware of just how bad things were. I got the opportunity to stay in Heron Island which is an island on the Great Barrier Reef. I remember being thrilled to swim among beautiful coral and vibrant reef fish. My friends and I went

Last week, our program had the opportunity to visit a local village here in Fiji and partake in a welcome ceremony known as sevusevu. This ceremony is performed for visitors coming into and being accepted into the village by the village headman or Turaga ni Koro. Before we went inside for the ceremony, the Turaga ni Koro said a chant in order to announce our presence for the ceremony to begin. All of the students and staff then entered the building where the ceremony took place and removed our shoes before coming inside. We also all dressed moderately out of respect for the people of the village, and the Fijians were similarly wearing clothing that covered their shoulders and knees. We then all sat down on a woven mat before the Turaga ni Koro and the elder men from the village with Dr. Garton sitting before us as our representative. For this ceremony, a half bundle of waka is offered to the village which is the lower part of the same plant that produces kava. The Turaga ni

My absolute favorite part about Heron Island was snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef. The statement itself sounds surreal to me, and I definitely never imagined I would ever be able to before I heard about this program. I remember the ferry ride to Heron Island was incredibly choppy, and I got seasick for the very first time. Once I saw the island from the ferry, I was immediately cured by the excitement that rushed over me. The water was a vibrant turquoise color and there was a huge shipwreck with snorkelers exploring all around it. I knew at that moment I could not wait to go out and snorkel. My friends and I chose to snorkel on the south side of the island for the first time mainly because of how close it was and we were just eager to get into the water. Before we even entered the water I saw a baby blacktip reef shark swimming around was thrilled because sharks are my favorite animal. Once we got in the ocean we saw huge cowtail stingrays lurking below us. I was scar

I love to swim swim swim Deep in the sea I love when the fish fish fish Are all around me The island life Can be quite nice Sand in my toes And that’s how it goes We saw baby turtles hatch More than just one batch They did their best to follow the moon But the mean seagulls got them too soon I love to swim swim swim Deep in the sea I love when the fish fish fish Are all around me I saw coral and sea stars Even a few gars But the sharks sharks sharks Were everywhere near and far I saw lemon sharks Reef sharks Even epaulette sharks I saw them out in the sea They were swimming with me I love to swim swim swim Deep in the sea I love when the fish fish fish Are all around me We were out on the Great Barrier Reef Too bad our time on Heron was oh so brief I am going to miss miss miss Swimming in the sea With all of the fish fish fish Swimming ‘round me

The anticipation surrounding the Koala Study day on Magnetic Island was unreal. All of us in BIOL 3100 were thrilled to be studying and “working” with these adorable animals. I even remember back in Sydney some people at the Featherdale Zoo claiming they didn’t want to pay for the picture with the koala because we would be holding them and studying them up close and personal in Magnetic Island. I had even expressed how excited I was to my mom the day before the koala study to hold an actual koala. Boy, were we in for a rude awakening! The day finally came to do the koala study, and our day started bright and early in the morning. That was when we learned we would actually be collecting koala poop! This tidbit of information was a bit of a disappointment, to say the least. We thought all of our hopes and dreams of interacting with these animals were completely crushed. So, we carried on with the study and each grabbed a bike of our own to make it down to the forest where we wo

We just arrived here in Magnetic Island, and after a plane ride and ferry ride have made it to Bungalow Bay. At first, I wanted to sleep, but I decided to go sit on the bean bags outside and relax. Now that I am here, there is no one else around and it is so peaceful and quiet. I am also realizing that this is the first time in a long time that I have been in solitude. It feels like a breath of fresh air. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love my roommates and spending time with them, but it also feels good to have some alone time. I haven’t been alone in so long that I am not even sure what to do with this fleeting time. I could read or enjoy the scenery or just do nothing at all for once. The options are endless! As I look around me, all I can see is green. There are palm trees, shrubs, tall trees, short trees. There is a very tropical feel here, and the heat here is relentless. I occasionally feel a breeze throughout the humidity, but it is a rare commodity. Regardless of t