Inquiry Day 10

During this day we went to an Aborigine museum area and learned about how the Aborigines lived. We also watched a few shows and got to throw spears and boomerangs.
My inquiry was not a normal inquiry. Instead of doing something on nature, I decided to mix it up and do something about people. My question was "At dinner, would Mason talk more then Erik?". So during dinner at the pizza restaurant, I counted in my head when either of them made a new conversation or added onto the old one. I took trials in durations of one minute and I did 3 trials. My results were that in the first minute, Erik talked once while Mason talked twice. In the second minute Erik talked twice and Mason also talked twice. During the third and final trial, Erik talked once and Mason talked three times. The results were in three minutes Erik talked four times while Mason talked seven times. My hypothesis was that Mason would talk more then Erik so I was correct.

Top Ten

1.Great Barrier Reef: I loved all the animals and plants. It was cool to swim in something that amazing that you only hear about or see on tv.
2. Blue Mountains: Even though it was foggy, the mountains were still amazing. The landscape was beautiful and I loved climbing everywhere and seeing the water falls.
3. Rangitoto: It was interesting to see a school in New Zealand and also very fun to meet students who go to the school and ask them questions. I will never forget it.
4. New Friends: Going into this trip I didn't really know anyone because most of the people on this trip were not my age or even went to Central. During the classes I made new friends which helped me have more fun on the trip.
5. Zorbing: Zorbing was easily the most adventurous thing I did that did not involve nature. Being in a ball rolling down a hill at that speed was such a weird feeling. I loved it and I would definitely do it again if I ever get the chance.
6. Maori Village: The village was such a great experience. It was educational and fun. I learned so much about a culture I had never even heard before and the tour guide was so cool.
7. Cairns: Cairns was probably the nicest place we went to. It was so warm and the beach made it seem like such a chill place to live. The downtown area was also very nice and I loved all the shops.
8.Sydney Harbor and Tour: Seeing the opera house and the bridge was amazing. I don't think I have ever taken that many pictures of the same thing. Everyone knows about those two structures. They are probably the most famous things in Australia and I can now say I have seen them in person.
9. Duck Tour: The duck tour was fun because we got to see more of Rotorua. The guide was funny and very informative.
10. Baby Kangaroo: Even though this is number ten, I will never forget this. Seeing a kangaroo in the wild was incredible. It was kind of weird at the same time because I have only seen them in zoos, never in person. It was like I saw a secret animal that not many people have ever seen.

Day 8

This was the day that we went to the Great Barrier Reef practically all day and then walked around downtown Cairns for dinner.
 I think my favorite place now is definitely the Great Barrier  Reef. Even though the whole trip has been amazing and everything was memorable, this was probably one of my favorite parts. Just the fact that I got to swim in a place that not many people in the world have been to and that not many people will ever get to go to either. This is because of global warming and pollution from humans.  It’s very sad that something that beautiful could be gone so easily. This is definitely something I think everyone needs to see. It is probably not what people picture. It’s not that colorful but the plus is that the fish actually get close to you. I can admit that I am not exactly a fan of the ocean but I am so glad I did this. What we did to get there was we had to take a boat for about an hour to the reef because it was so far out. There was this big station looking thing at the reef that had tables and stuff to eat and get ready. I think one of the coolest parts was when the lady threw food into the water and all the fish would swarm by your head. They got so close to your face and some would even bite you. I think the only bad part about the Barrier Reef was we had to stay in a designated area. Also sometimes when the tide was down the coral would stick out of the water and you could get cut on it very easy. But besides that this trip was amazing. It was so cool seeing something you usually only see on tv or read about.

Day 7

This day was when my group got to hike the Blue Mountains which I definitely think was one of my favorite experiences. We got to be so close with nature and even animals, including seeing a baby kangaroo in the wild which was amazing.

     I do not think I could do this alone. I would easily get lost. There is way too much walking and I also don’t think I would know what to do. I’m glad Alec is with us because without a tour guide I wouldn’t know what to look at. He brings us to the places that I would not find if I was alone. He brings us to places that would only get me lost. I think one of my strengths is that I try to stay organized. I like to have all my stuff ready to go so I don’t lose any time when we are leaving. I think this is probably one of the most important things because you never want to lose something important on the trip or waste time looking for things because you weren’t organized. I think another one of my strengths is that I’m up for anything. I live by my motto “you only live once” which means I’m not opposed to trying anything new. I love challenges and adventures. I don’t want to be that one kid that just complains because I feel pretty fortunate to be on a trip like this. I think one of my other strengths is that I don’t like to just chill. I want to be doing something I couldn’t do in the US. I want to be living a life that not many can say they have done.

Day 6

I have to say one of the hardest parts of this trip is the walking. Every day is nonstop walking. I don’t remember the last time I walked this much. We have walked through cities, villages, towns, forests, you name it. IT is also not a slow pace either. It’s a pretty fast paced walk, mostly in the rain, because we have to get places faster than normal. The next hardest part is probably the sleep schedule. Before this trip I went to bed late and woke up as late as possible because its summer.  This trip is the exact opposite. I have to get up really early which leads me to try and go to bed earlier. The first few days were even harder because I barely got any sleep because there was a baby crying on the plane. Having to stay awake all that time was definitely was not fun but I am getting used to it. I think the last hard part is being with new people the whole trip. I don’t really know then but this trip is making me have to start to make new friends and learn more about everyone.



   

Day 5

                      Day 5 was when we really got to see more of the city. Lots of walking and lots of sights to see.
Sydney was a small city but it was still fun. We first walked to the Rocks and got to see the view of the Opera House and the Sydney Bridge. Both looked even cooler in person. We then went into the mall to eat and then after went up the needle. The needle was so tall and I took so many good pictures of the landscape below. Then after we went walking around Rocks Market which had a lot of crafts and art stud. I bought a sweatshirt that I thought I got a pretty good deal on. I think Sydney was closely related to Milwaukee. It was a nice city but it wasn’t very big. It was still very beautiful. It didn’t smell bad either which was nice. The shops were all very nice and the restaurant smelled and looked amazing. It is definitely one of the nicest cities in my opinion because it is nice and small but the environment around it is still amazing. It definitely has a lot nicer of parks then Chicago except Millennium but the walkway with trees was beautiful. I also thought it was nice that the harbor was so close to the city. Unlike big cities, I felt like I could walk the whole city.

Day 4

Day 4 was basically just a flying day. We got up kind of early because we had to catch a plane to Sydney from New Zealand. When we got to Sydney we walked around and then we went to our hotel. From what I saw that day I could already tell it was going to be a nice city. It didn't look huge or dirty. Instead it looked like a very nice city with great landscape. We walked around and Alec showed us some views including a view of the Sydney Opera House that everyone wanted to see.