Abroad with Megan

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...

This vlog shows a snippet of my time here in Sydney. Compared to Dunedin, Sydney is fast-paced and has a true city feel. The beaches here are absolutely beautiful, and I got the chance to go surfing. In my BIOL 3100 course, we visited the Long Reef Reserve where we did field work counting various mollusks. It also would not be a true vlog of mine without featuring some animals! My friends and I went to both the Taronga Zoo and Featherdale Wildlife Park, and I got to feed some adorable kangaroos and wallabies . I got to see a platypus and koala for the very first time which was super cool. There was so much to see and do in Sydney, and I can’t wait to see what I will be doing next time I upload a vlog!

Waitangi Day is a New Zealand national holiday celebrated on February 6th to recognize the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi. Unfortunately, I had an organic chemistry exam to prepare for on this day and was unable to partake in any of the events on campus, but this did not stop me from researching more about this unique holiday. The indigenous people of New Zealand, the Maori, and the early European settlers known as Pakeha clashed until the creation of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840. Before the making of the treaty, New Zealand had not been recognized as a sovereign nation, and the British became responsible for doing so under its name. Representatives from the British Crown and over 500 Maori chiefs worked together to make this living document. The treaty was drafted by William Hobson, and two interpretations of the treaty were made: the English version and the Maori interpretation. These two carried different interpretations on both sides which led to some conflict. In 19...

My very first activity when arriving in Sydney this weekend was visiting the Taronga Zoo. A group of my friends and I mastered the transportation system of the city and made our way to the zoo which was only a bus ride and ferry ride away from our hotel. Once we arrived, we got the chance to take the sky shuttle across the zoo which was absolutely massive. My friend Hannah’s favorite animal is a platypus, and the Taronga Zoo is one of two zoos in the world that has them. When we entered the room that had the platypus, it was very dark which surprised me. The biggest surprise, however, was seeing how small they were in person. I always had this preconceived notion that they would be around the size of a beaver, but they were very tiny and fast in the water. Watching them dart from one end of the tank to the other in the darkness made capturing a photo very difficult. I was also amused at how adorably clumsy these animals were. Every time they swam they managed to get themse...

During my visit to the Dunedin Botanic Garden, there were so many beautiful plants that caught my eye. However, I found the flowers native to New Zealand to be the most intriguing. These were indigenous plants that I would most likely never get the chance to see again, so I focused my attention on these incredible flowers. The first plant I saw native to New Zealand was the Leptospermum Pageant. The pale pink and bright neon green center is what initially caught my attention, and it reminded me of a lily pad. I learned that it is a low growing shrub that grows flowers in order to attract bees and butterflies. The next plant I decided to draw was the Kowhai which is the national flower of New Zealand.  This entire flower is dangerous when consumed, but the seeds are the most poisonous to humans. The Maori also use this plant within their homes because of the bright coloring and for their medical properties. The next plant, the Koru, is special to Maori culture, an...

This weekend I had the opportunity to travel to Christchurch and Akaroa, and I recorded memorable moments from the trip. On Friday, we stopped by Orana Wildlife Park, and I got the chance to get up close to the lions which was incredible. We then spent our Saturday in the city of Christchurch and went to the local farmers market. Before we left to go back to Dunedin, we drove down to Akaroa where we went on a boat tour and encountered penguins, fur seals, and dolphins. Overall, this weekend was filled with good food, friends, and cute animals!