Tongan Celebration

On Friday night, Stacy and I went to a Tongan 'Aloha Night'. While Aloha is actually Hawaiian, the Tonga Islands are another string of islands, south of Samoa and close to Fiji. I had never heard of Tonga before we arrived here, but I am glad we have now! It was quite the party and an UNBELIEVABLE feast! They roasted a whole pig, and it was fantastic. There were heaps of salads and amazing seafood. The amount of food was also unbelievable, and they just kept it coming!

It was also an evening of dancing and singing. These kids are just teenagers, but their talent is unbelievable. After meeting a few Tongans, it is evident that they are born with music and rhythm in their souls. To hear them break effortlessly into 4 part harmony, or watch them feel the music and just start to move. It truly is incredible. The boys below are doing a traditional Tongan dance. Can you imagine the high school boys you know doing this?

While its not a traditional Tongan dance, the girls of the group did a very impressive Hula. The girl in the center is a born entertainer- with a Beyonce voice and a hip sway to match.

The girl below did a traditional solo Tongan dance wearing a traditional Tongan garment. It was very beautiful, and was much more subdued and intricate using mostly the hands and head to tell a story. As is also tradition, her skin is oiled so that people can show appreciation for the dance by sticking money on her skin. She was covered in bills and even a fifty when she finished.The woman below won for the best Aloha outfit. She acted as if she won an Oscar when they called her up. Stacy snapped this shot as she took to the dance floor after the youth were done. She saw the camera and posed- hamming it up! She was a hoot.

Mt Ainslie

After almost a week of rain Monday was a sunny day so Tara and I decided we should get out for a hike and enjoy the sunshine. We headed to the Mt. Ainslie Nature Reserve for a steep climb to the top.

There were lots of cool Australian vegetation along the way. This tree was huge and cool. Thus warranting a picture with Tara in front.

Many of the trees we have seen around Canberra are loosing their bark or seem to have no bark at all like the tree below. We discovered a sign along the trail that explained this was a natural part of their growth cycle. Mystery solved.

In 2002 (I think) Bush fires swept through Canberra. You can see the evidence of the fires on many of the trees. The stump I am sitting on used to be a solid trunk attached to the blackened part of the tree behind me.

As we got closer to the top the view just kept getting better and the path a little steeper. Tara stopped to enjoy the view.

These steps are the final leg of the trail before the look out at the top.

Canberra was a planned city from the beginning. Part of the design was to create 3 different axis on which to build the city around. You can see 2 of them in the picture. The land axis starts from where we were at the top runs down Anzac Drive (the red street in the background) and finishes at New Parliament off in the distance. You can just see the big flag pole. The lake is man made and provides the basis for the water axis.

We had a picnic lunch at the top and enjoyed a much easier walk down. We came upon a BIG male kangaroo and a joey as we were walking. They really are awesome animals. We also spotted a wallaby (looks like a tiny kangaroo with black fur) but he was too quick to get a picture.

Yummy and Iron Fortified!!!

I have suprised myself since we arrived in Australia. I thought that I was a pretty sub-par cook. But so far, my culinary adventures have been turning out quite well. Like last night's dinner! I have been on an iron supplement since we got to Australia, so I decided to try some really iron-rich meals and see if that helps me to feel any better. Below is my first attempt- Borlotti-Baked-Beef with spinach.

I expected that it would be pretty good for us- Borlotti beans, red meat and spinach all chock-full of vitamins and iron- but I didn't expect that it would actually taste AWESOME! The spinach has horseradish in it- i thought it was a strange combination- but it was so good!!! As you can tell by Stacy's glassy-eyed expression, she really enjoyed it too. We both wolfed it down and have definitely added the recipe to the our favourites.

Yay to me and my not-so-shabby culinary skillz! I am definitely looking for more recipes to try out. Please send us your favourite yummy recipe so we can give it a try!

Our First Christmas Decorations!

A surprise package arrived in the mail this week full of CHRISTMAS! More specifically some awesome Christmas art work created by my cousin Dylan and a card from Aunt Judy. Tara and I were so excited to get this unexpected delivery. We wasted no time putting up our new decorations in our house.

We both got a picture of our own. This one is Tara's.
This one is mine.

Dylan you did a great job, and we love the artwork. Thank you Dylan and Aunt Judy for getting our Christmas off to a great start.

The HAIR! And the explanation

Some of you may know that I am sporting a new look. It's true! I am embracing my inner rockstar. Here is a picture of my crazy new 'do!

So now for the explanation. As many of you know, October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. However, being as busy as I was with school, I had little time to do anything more than wear a pink ribbon. October passed me by.

Some of the guys in our class, including some of the lecturers, have been supporting 'Movember' for Prostate Cancer and growing moustaches. Colby tried, and failed, to grow a respectable moustache- and told us all that he didn't expect anyone to sponsor it!

So, we hatched a plan. When we finished our last exam we all went to Colby's place and we both had our heads shaved (okay, so mine wasn't exactly "shaved" , but it was still alot of hair gone!). I collected money for Breast Cancer, and Colby collected for Prostate Cancer in lieu of his moustache. And then we let our roomates give us a haircut.

Clearly I was lucky I had Billy giving me my new look, as Jen took a huge strip off the back of Colby's head.
And here is a pic of me that night, with Billy and a couple of my other classmates. And, since I had always wondered what it would be like to go blond, and I only had about a centimeter of hair to damage by processing it, I thought I would take it one step further and bleach my hair as well. Its not my best look ever, but I am trying to work it for now. Its just hair, it will grow back, and I glad to have raised some money for the National Breast Cancer Foundation in Australia. If you are interested in supporting my little fundraising endevour you can make a direct donation to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation at http://www.cbcf.org/en-US/home.aspx. Just click "Donate Now".

It was a Happy Birthday for Me!

My busy (CRAZY BUSY) school schedule has kept me from blogging about my birthday until now, but it turned out to be a good thing as my birthday seemed to be stretch into the following month (I must of learned a thing or two from Marilyn). I even have some more celebrating to do, I have a birthday lunch coming my way this week.

So, I thought I would use my first blog back to say THANK YOU! Thanks guys for the birthday wishes, cards and gifts!
I am posting the gifts from my family for them to see- being overseas means that I get to pick own gift and then let them know what they got.


Mom and Dad bought me these awesome sunglasses. I have been SO thankful to have them as the Australian sun starts to become more intense- and they are bound to become important as the scorching summer approaches.

Mom, Dad and Kelly also sent me a fruit basket. Yes, I thought it was kind of a strange gift for a 25th birthday- but it was great to get a gift that I didn't pick out, and the fruit got quickly devoured!

And this is the flowers after they bloomed.... BeeaUUTiful! From Gramma, I got this beeeauuutiful shirt. Again, its perfect for the impending heat here. Its light-weight and comfy and little nicer than a plain t-shirt- I love it! Thanks Gramma!!!

Stay tuned cuz we are back! To come soon- posts on Stacy's mad basketball skillz, my new hairdo, and more kangaroos!

First Exam Done!!!

Hey everyone! Just got back from my first exam. It was the Cardiothoracic Interventions practical exam. I think it went pretty well. My 'patient' was a 25 yr old woman with Cystic Fibrosis and a partially collapsed lung and a chest tube in. Its pretty cool to think that pretty soon I could actually be in a hospital ward helping people like that. Anyways, I am off to study for my other 4 exams... wish me luck!