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.

Day 3

Day 3 consisted of waking up early to go on a walk in a redwood forest. It was raining pretty heavy all throughout the day sadly. Then later in the evening we visited the largest school in New Zealand named Rangitoto.
 Of course waking up early and going on a walk did not sound fun. To add to the awful sounding morning was the rain but surprisingly the walk was fun. We walked in a forest that basically consisted of lots of red woods. They were massive but they weren’t that small either. The rain did take away from the trip but it was still nice. I enjoyed just walking in a direction and not knowing which way we were going and not caring. The nature in New Zealand is surreal. Everything is so green and growing. Although the walk was fun, I wish we could have had more freedom and also I wish it could have been longer and without rain. The school trip was so cool. It was awesome meeting kids from a different country and getting to learn so much from them. I know that all the answers I got from my questions I will always remember. I learned a lot from the students. It was cool to see a different countries school and how they learned and about the similarities and differences. In general it was a fun day that got better as it progressed.

Day 2

  Day 2 included going to the Maori village and learnign about their culture.
 I have to say my favorite part of the trip was visiting the village so far in the trip. Getting there in the morning did not seem like it was going to be the start of a fun day. I felt like the village was going to be some boring tour but it was actually the complete opposite. The whole village was incredible. It was cool to see how the Maori still lived in that village even though society was changing. The tour guide was awesome. IT was interesting to learn to actually learn about the village from someone who knows about it and lives there. The village itself was amazing too. There were geysers everywhere. They use the geysers and the geothermal heat to still cook their food. You can instantly tell they really try to stay with their ancestral ways by the way they live. They even saved their language by going to the government and making it a national language. They also make sure the kids stay in Maori school and learn about their past which is a good way to keep tradition. The tour in general was fun and it was nice to learn about the ancient and present life of the Maori.

Day 1

Today was the first day in New Zealand. We walked around and ate lunch and went to Rotorua and saw the hotel we were staying in.

   My first impression of New Zealand is that there is a so much nature.  Everything is so open and there are so many farms. Reminds me of a green Indians. While it doesn’t exactly smell good because of the geothermal heating, it is still beautiful. I don’t feel like there is that much culture. One of the things I did notice though is the driving. The whole driving on the other side and driving on the other side of the car is different. I always get so confuse when I look outside at the road. It is so different. I also get confused when I have to walk across the street because I don’t know which way to look. I think I most interesting in ogoing or zorbing. It looks like so much fun and I can’t wait to be trapped in the ball trying to stand up. I’ve actually seen videos of people doing that before on the internet and I have always wanted to do it. Besides that im looking forward to seeing more nature and people. Some other culture shocks had to be how nice the people are and the scenery. I’m not used to everyone being so nice because people generally aren’t in the US. Also all the nature is different then Grayslake because it is so green and mountainous.

  

Food and Cuisine

1. While New Zealand and Australia are very close in location, there cooking does differ. I think the biggest difference I am noticing is how sweet one is. I think New Zealand uses a lot more sugar and sweater ingredients then Australia. For example, the squares and biscuits both include lots of sugar and sweetener, while the patties and wedges include more spices and herbs. New Zealand on the other does not look like it uses herbs as much as Australia.
2. I am definitely nervous about trying new foods. I am more nervous then excited because I consider myself a pretty picky eater. I want to try all the candy I can while in Australia and New Zealand because candy is definitely something I am not picky about. Fish and other stuff, especially vegetables sometimes are not foods I enjoy or want to try.

Aborigines

1. The westerners and Aborigines began interacting in Australia around 1788 when the English first started to arrive.
2. The Australians were very cruel towards the Aborigines. Since the Australians felt that the Aborigines did not have a set government or a a dsesignated area of land, they told them to move. The English also brought them various diseases such as smallpox, measles, venereal disease, influenza, whooping cough, pneumonia, and tuberculosis, which the Aborigines were not used to. This lead many of them to die. The new Australian whites also decided to cut down forest and bring their own animals in order to take control of the land.
3. The Lost Generation is made up of about 100,000 Aborigine children who were taken from their parents and then given to white families in order to try and bring them into the white culture.
4. Being a part of the Lost Generation can definitely negatively affect you throughout the rest of your life. You will never know who your real parents are and that can often lead you to feel like you have been missing something since birth. Many people also feel like they have been mistreated since they were taken away and yet have not received an apology.
5.Many families still feel like they are missing something ever since they were taken away. Although the government did try and offer money, the stolen generation did not accept. People still know they have lost their lives and they will never get them back.
6. An official apology needs to be made simply because the Aborigines were here first. You cannot take someones land and then later when you realize what you did, hide and pretend like everything is back to normal. These people were hurt badly when they were taken from their families and although nothing will ever fully compensate them, an apology would help.