In exactly 12 hours I will be hanging our show and I couldn't be more excited! The plan is for about 5 of us to help our professors tomorrow morning. We'll hang the show and talk to some local media, both the newspaper and tv crews. We'll also have our camera crew back to document this process in the morning and the opening.
It seems like the opening is going to be quite the show! All twenty students are showing one picture from the trip; mine in particular is a 16x20 (on a 20x24 canvas) B&W (4x5) digital print.
Neil, our main coordinator, will officially kick off the opening around 6pm. Peter, our aboriginal guide and dear friend, will also be in attendance to speak to the public. He will be bringing a didgeridoo player and three female aboriginal dancers to perform as well. I can't wait to see whats in store, crossing my fingers for a good turn out!
Today was so nice... Free day! We finished everything Wednesday so today turned into a free day. The weather was gorgeous so I went running by the river again, did laundry and started packing up. Such a relaxed day, the rest of my time was spend finishing my journal for the program and hanging out in the common room, I just might have taken a nap out there as well ;)
Mom and Grandma: Dinner last night was SOOO good! I wish I could have shared. Geoff, who learned to cook from Stefano di Pieri's family & who is one of our cooridnators as well, came to our hostel and cooked us homemade risotto and a meat pasta. With a delicious glass of red wine, is was perfection.
In all this excitement I'm sure I'll have some good stories soon enough; however, it might be awhile. Sat morning we're "up" at 3am, still debating whether to sleep or not. At 4 our greyhound bus leaves and drives 2 hours to the train station and we go my train the rest of the way to Mildura. We'll drop our stuff at the hotel/hostel and I get special treatment, hehe! Darren, whom I have been speaking to, will take myself and one other student to Melbourne's Center for Creative photography! YEY! Then we'll rush over to meet the group at a footie game. It's supposed to be the biggest game of the season with an estimated 80,000 people in attendance so I'm pretty excited. Sat night is up in the air, but Sunday morning rise and shine because miss Tiffany is here! Adventures I tell you, adventures!
Hope all is well in WA, AZ, FL and everywhere else you might be!
Wish me luck tomorrow, it will be a big night for me to say the least.
Cheers,
Kayla
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
3 days until show time!
Hey everyone! I've been working hard in the lab since we got back into Mildura. There has been a lot of digital work and I also spent hours and hours of time developing 4x5 film over in the darkroom. Exciting news: 22 slides out of 22 = perfect! I was so excited and proud that I had so much success when at times I had to set up and shoot pretty quickly.
The day after the field trip was only a half day and we were all able to go to the local pub and have a great time.... yes, all 20 americans. It's pretty funny, everyone knows who we are around here. Last night a few of us went out for ice cream and we talked to the parlor and he had met all the groups and knew all about our exhibit this Friday night. Oh America :)
Thursday was our free day, which was so nice! I spent some time running along the river and hanging out with my friends. Friday-Monday was back to it. I ended up scanning my 4x5 film and thats what I'll be showing in our exhibit. If you'd like to see the venue, we're showing at The Art Vault (theartvault.com.au).
During this process, I didn't get much attention (one on one) but once I was done scanning Darren, one of our professors, sat down and looked at my work. He was really impressed to say the least, which lead into conversations about my current work and latest portfolios. Interested in my work, the next night I sat down with Darren and showed him some of my work that I luckily had on my external and got some wonderful feedback and a few names to get in touch with. He then showed me his work and I really respect him as an aritst and a teacher. He showed me some work that I'd like to work up to; a lot of installation and creating cameras.
The following night, he sat down with me for a few hours and helped me map out some plans for Tiffany and I to do after the program. Some REALLY exciting news, currently on display at Sydney's Art Gallery of NSW is an Alfred Stieglitz exhibit! Beyond that, I noted some great hikes, lake tours with crocs, camra museums and much more! All very exciting.
Yesterday was perfect! We went to Mungo National Park. (http://www.pleasetakemeto.com/australia/mungo-national-park/information) It's such a beautiful place and very sacred to the aboriginal people. It's where Mungo man and Mungo women were discovered. Based off their cremation and burial site, it's believed it shows tradition and culture that dates back 40,000 years. I just packed my 4x5 and my point and shoot camera's which was a nice break for my back!
Another one of our girls here had a birthday so it's back to O'Mally's tonight for karaoke. Then more work thursday and Friday is the show. 4am sat morning we'll be back on a bus headed to Mildura to watch some footie and celebrate our class. Sunday morning Tiffany flies in.... adventures round dos!!!
Keep in touch,
XOXO Kayla
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Enough writing, time for pictures!
Group picture the morning we left Mutiwintji National Park
Meet Peter! Our aboriginal guide who allowed us to experience things most Australians never get to see and do, let alone a group of 20 Americans!
When I left the group, climed a mt and saw about 20 roos feeding in a field behind me, the hiking trail and water way the other way, all while the sun was setting to my right behind iconic Australia trees and more roos
Me one of the hikes with all my gear
Johnny Cakes with our roo dinner. Everything cooked over the fire using chicken wire
The group who did the optional gorge hike on the last day
Sam and I before we went through the water way, after we climbed down a rock side using a rope!
Group photo during the middle of our day hike
Smaller group picture on our day hike
After our first roo hunt! It was unreal
Interesting little guy!
Our professors shouted us for a few good drinks
Tricking the Americans at the bar in Silverton. They were told to try to balance it on their head and carefully roll it into their funnel, before they were able the bartender dumped water down their funnel which was stuck down their pants!
Mad Max car in Silverton, just outside of Broken Hill. (pretty neat huh Dale!)
These are some of the children I met while at Mutiwintji National Park
I will never forget these days....
Meet Peter! Our aboriginal guide who allowed us to experience things most Australians never get to see and do, let alone a group of 20 Americans!
When I left the group, climed a mt and saw about 20 roos feeding in a field behind me, the hiking trail and water way the other way, all while the sun was setting to my right behind iconic Australia trees and more roos
Me one of the hikes with all my gear
Johnny Cakes with our roo dinner. Everything cooked over the fire using chicken wire
The group who did the optional gorge hike on the last day
Sam and I before we went through the water way, after we climbed down a rock side using a rope!
Group photo during the middle of our day hike
Smaller group picture on our day hike
After our first roo hunt! It was unreal
Interesting little guy!
Our professors shouted us for a few good drinks
Tricking the Americans at the bar in Silverton. They were told to try to balance it on their head and carefully roll it into their funnel, before they were able the bartender dumped water down their funnel which was stuck down their pants!
Mad Max car in Silverton, just outside of Broken Hill. (pretty neat huh Dale!)
These are some of the children I met while at Mutiwintji National Park
I will never forget these days....
Pretty pictures from the outback!
A few quick edits... not to be used in fine art so here they are for you!
Look at my new friends! :)
I love the kangaroos here!
I saw lots of wild roos, emus and wallabies :)
More pictures to come shortly
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
When was the last time you tried something for the first time?
I just got back from the most rewarding 5 day camping trip of my life. Staying out in the bush for 5 days, hiking at night and a camp fire at night. Attempting to write about it is already difficult because I know that no matter what I say it won’t come close to describing what a life experience it was. I wish you could have been there but here’s my best attempt to describe what I’ve been up to, what I’ve seen and how I felt during this adventure.
So Friday morning we loaded up the bus, stopped at school for a quick lecture and time to meet our film crew. This is the 13th edge of the outback program and they decided to hire a camera crew to create a video for La Trobe University and youtube in general. I was picked as one of the five to be interviewed and holy cow, my first interview was in the bus (note I was the first person) and I sounded ridiculous! HA! Oh well, must not have been that bad cause they keep following me!
We finally arrived at Broken Hill, our first stop on the trip but we quickly rushed off to Silverton, a small out dated town. Side note: Mad Max was filmed in this town and they have the replica of the car there, cool if you have watched the films which we did Wed. Anyways, we photographed the old, lonely yet characteristic town as the sun went down. Our professor then shouted us at the bar; which means, he bought us rounds of drinks at the local bar. The wine was delicious and the bar tenders played a prank on five group members. They handed them all a funnel and a potato… being college kids they all got excited thinking they would be chugging beer but oh no! They were told to tuck the funnel into their pants and then they were instructed to balance the potato on their head. As soon as they all looked up to balance the potato the bartender took a bottle of water and squirted water down everyone’s pants. I honestly could not stop laughing. It was hilarious and everyone should have seen it coming. The pictures are great! After dinner we just headed home. Our “hotel” aka hostel was CRAZY! Mario’s Palace is extremely old and every wall is covered in huge murals.
The next morning, after yet another nerve racking 15 min interview, we left for Mutawintji National Park. If I didn’t tell you already we were so lucky to have Peter Peterson with us for this trip. He is an aboriginal man and because of his status he was able to take us everywhere we went. We stayed in the middle of Mutawintji National Park, somewhere most Australians never get to visit and a place where very, very few people ever get to stay the night. We were so lucky to stay there, explore the land, hear aboriginal stories and meet some locals (all of two families because it’s so remote). Our accommodation was two long buildings facing an outside common room with two picnic tables and a huge fire pit. I roomed with three other girls in a room that was probably 10x10, but we got lucky and got one of the heaters so we didn’t freeze too bad!
That night I went on my first ROO HUNT! Some people spotted some kangaroos so Maggie, Nick, Meghan and I all went out trying to find some. Next thing I remember we were chasing kangaroos up a mountain side. I was honestly like a little kid. My heart my racing and I was crazy about my blurry, far away kangaroo pictures. I hope I never forget that pure excitement. Then we had to run back to our camp because before we knew it was super dark! We came back and had a group dinner, songs by the fire, night photography and a few drinks with everyone.
Sunday was my favorite day yet! We had a full day hike, 9am-4pm at Mutawintji. The hike included lush green water ways, mountain ridges, water canyons and everything in between. I packed my four by five, including all accessories, and my digital SLR with 3 lenses… let me tell you I got a good work out! It was so difficult to carry all that (around 40 pounds) but it was so worth it. We ate lunch on one of the mountain ridges, feet dangling off with a view that overlooked a canyon as the wind rushed up the side of the ridge (mom not your ideal spot but it was beautiful!). At the base of our hike I saw some more kangaroos. This time I had my zoom lens and made friends with the roos! I got so close to the kangaroos and was surrounded by about 6 of them. They were so comfortable when we were still that they would even feed in front of us. I couldn’t be happier that night.
So any guesses what we cooked on the fire that night for dinner? Dun, dun, dun: KANGAROO! Caleb and I cut and BBQ’d all the Kangaroo for everyone! We literally cooked the thinly sliced kangaroo on chicken wire over the fire. Once it was all cooked we tried it and it was the most delicious thing I’ve had since I’ve been here and that was with nothing on the meat. That night I also tried my bubbly wine, called Passion Pop with a bright pink label and it was so good! Very girly and cute, Peter even said it was good! That night was a ton of fun and I spent some quality time talking with the camera guys, my friends and Peter.
Sunday night it rained which is terrible in the outback with all the roads. Our original plan wasn’t possible so instead we had a slow morning. I took advantage of this and got some portraits of Peter, the National Parks people and some of the children in the house next to us. The children…. They were so loving. I have nothing bad to say about them, it was such an eye-opening experience to spend some quality time with them. It’s a different way of life. There isn’t any worth for a wide expanse of clothing options, they don’t care if they don’t have shoes on, it doesn’t matter if their face is covered in dirt and grime, but hand any kid a crayon and sure enough a smile and a messy scribble is to follow. I don’t think I’ll ever forget those children.
Our next adventure was off to the” Mutawintji Cultural Centre”. This tour made me really appreciate culture, tradition and family. They opened up their land, built a cultural center and have made great efforts to inform the visitors about their land and history. Our guide was a part of the five families that owns the land and he showed up cave art (hundreds of years old) and rock engravings (thousands of years old). This was a quiet and reflective event and I’m extremely grateful for this experience.
We then crammed in one more hike, by far my favorite hike. It started with a traditional and iconic Australian landscape then we moved into green wetlands and finally got to the gorge. In ways it reminded me of seven falls in Tucson at the end, but it was even better. I loved this hike. We split into a faster group and a slower group where I fell out of the fast group about half way back went off the trail by myself and climbed to the top of the mountain on the way back. I finally got to the top, huffing and puffing from carrying my pack, and I looked out to a breathtaking view. It was nothing but me and my cameras with a 360 degree view of my surroundings. I looked back from where I came from and it was a lush waterway with a lot of green vegetation, turned over my shoulder to see a field of grass with about 20 kangaroos feeding, and one more turn I overlooked the sun setting behind Australia’s iconic stringy, bare trees. The quality of light was incredible. In a rush, I took a few pictures but more than anything I just stood there taking everything in I possibly could. I spotted the slow group and headed back down. I took some remarkable sunset pictures with of trees, grassland and kangaroos. The kangaroos in this area were not scared like all the others. I got within ten feet of some of them. This is exactly why I signed up for this program and I’m so thankful for all the experiences I’ve had at Mutawintji and Australia in general.
The weather wasn’t as bad as I was expecting. The outback, especially right now, is freezing cold. The two days we went hiking the skies cleared and once we were hiking it was pretty warm. During the night we just had to stay close to the fire and bundle up, but I survived! As far as animals go, I saw many wild kangaroos, emus, and wallabies. I don’t care if I’ve seen a hundred kangaroos; I still get ‘little kid excited’ every time! Which leads me into the food I’ve tried; I’ve had kangaroo, vegemite (GROSS), a lot of lamb, curry (yuck), chicken snitchel (sp?) and lots of other things but when you’re hungry it’s a lot easier to eat just about anything.
Overall, I couldn’t be happier with the field trip portion of this class. I had a lot of time to take it all in and reflect on the way back to Mildura, which is about a 4-5 hour drive in our bus. I just want to thank everyone who has supported me and has a role in my life today; without you I wouldn’t be who I am today. I will write soon, sorry this one is so long! I could write forever but I hope you had picture where I’ve been!
Love you all!
XOXO Kayla
So Friday morning we loaded up the bus, stopped at school for a quick lecture and time to meet our film crew. This is the 13th edge of the outback program and they decided to hire a camera crew to create a video for La Trobe University and youtube in general. I was picked as one of the five to be interviewed and holy cow, my first interview was in the bus (note I was the first person) and I sounded ridiculous! HA! Oh well, must not have been that bad cause they keep following me!
We finally arrived at Broken Hill, our first stop on the trip but we quickly rushed off to Silverton, a small out dated town. Side note: Mad Max was filmed in this town and they have the replica of the car there, cool if you have watched the films which we did Wed. Anyways, we photographed the old, lonely yet characteristic town as the sun went down. Our professor then shouted us at the bar; which means, he bought us rounds of drinks at the local bar. The wine was delicious and the bar tenders played a prank on five group members. They handed them all a funnel and a potato… being college kids they all got excited thinking they would be chugging beer but oh no! They were told to tuck the funnel into their pants and then they were instructed to balance the potato on their head. As soon as they all looked up to balance the potato the bartender took a bottle of water and squirted water down everyone’s pants. I honestly could not stop laughing. It was hilarious and everyone should have seen it coming. The pictures are great! After dinner we just headed home. Our “hotel” aka hostel was CRAZY! Mario’s Palace is extremely old and every wall is covered in huge murals.
The next morning, after yet another nerve racking 15 min interview, we left for Mutawintji National Park. If I didn’t tell you already we were so lucky to have Peter Peterson with us for this trip. He is an aboriginal man and because of his status he was able to take us everywhere we went. We stayed in the middle of Mutawintji National Park, somewhere most Australians never get to visit and a place where very, very few people ever get to stay the night. We were so lucky to stay there, explore the land, hear aboriginal stories and meet some locals (all of two families because it’s so remote). Our accommodation was two long buildings facing an outside common room with two picnic tables and a huge fire pit. I roomed with three other girls in a room that was probably 10x10, but we got lucky and got one of the heaters so we didn’t freeze too bad!
That night I went on my first ROO HUNT! Some people spotted some kangaroos so Maggie, Nick, Meghan and I all went out trying to find some. Next thing I remember we were chasing kangaroos up a mountain side. I was honestly like a little kid. My heart my racing and I was crazy about my blurry, far away kangaroo pictures. I hope I never forget that pure excitement. Then we had to run back to our camp because before we knew it was super dark! We came back and had a group dinner, songs by the fire, night photography and a few drinks with everyone.
Sunday was my favorite day yet! We had a full day hike, 9am-4pm at Mutawintji. The hike included lush green water ways, mountain ridges, water canyons and everything in between. I packed my four by five, including all accessories, and my digital SLR with 3 lenses… let me tell you I got a good work out! It was so difficult to carry all that (around 40 pounds) but it was so worth it. We ate lunch on one of the mountain ridges, feet dangling off with a view that overlooked a canyon as the wind rushed up the side of the ridge (mom not your ideal spot but it was beautiful!). At the base of our hike I saw some more kangaroos. This time I had my zoom lens and made friends with the roos! I got so close to the kangaroos and was surrounded by about 6 of them. They were so comfortable when we were still that they would even feed in front of us. I couldn’t be happier that night.
So any guesses what we cooked on the fire that night for dinner? Dun, dun, dun: KANGAROO! Caleb and I cut and BBQ’d all the Kangaroo for everyone! We literally cooked the thinly sliced kangaroo on chicken wire over the fire. Once it was all cooked we tried it and it was the most delicious thing I’ve had since I’ve been here and that was with nothing on the meat. That night I also tried my bubbly wine, called Passion Pop with a bright pink label and it was so good! Very girly and cute, Peter even said it was good! That night was a ton of fun and I spent some quality time talking with the camera guys, my friends and Peter.
Sunday night it rained which is terrible in the outback with all the roads. Our original plan wasn’t possible so instead we had a slow morning. I took advantage of this and got some portraits of Peter, the National Parks people and some of the children in the house next to us. The children…. They were so loving. I have nothing bad to say about them, it was such an eye-opening experience to spend some quality time with them. It’s a different way of life. There isn’t any worth for a wide expanse of clothing options, they don’t care if they don’t have shoes on, it doesn’t matter if their face is covered in dirt and grime, but hand any kid a crayon and sure enough a smile and a messy scribble is to follow. I don’t think I’ll ever forget those children.
Our next adventure was off to the” Mutawintji Cultural Centre”. This tour made me really appreciate culture, tradition and family. They opened up their land, built a cultural center and have made great efforts to inform the visitors about their land and history. Our guide was a part of the five families that owns the land and he showed up cave art (hundreds of years old) and rock engravings (thousands of years old). This was a quiet and reflective event and I’m extremely grateful for this experience.
We then crammed in one more hike, by far my favorite hike. It started with a traditional and iconic Australian landscape then we moved into green wetlands and finally got to the gorge. In ways it reminded me of seven falls in Tucson at the end, but it was even better. I loved this hike. We split into a faster group and a slower group where I fell out of the fast group about half way back went off the trail by myself and climbed to the top of the mountain on the way back. I finally got to the top, huffing and puffing from carrying my pack, and I looked out to a breathtaking view. It was nothing but me and my cameras with a 360 degree view of my surroundings. I looked back from where I came from and it was a lush waterway with a lot of green vegetation, turned over my shoulder to see a field of grass with about 20 kangaroos feeding, and one more turn I overlooked the sun setting behind Australia’s iconic stringy, bare trees. The quality of light was incredible. In a rush, I took a few pictures but more than anything I just stood there taking everything in I possibly could. I spotted the slow group and headed back down. I took some remarkable sunset pictures with of trees, grassland and kangaroos. The kangaroos in this area were not scared like all the others. I got within ten feet of some of them. This is exactly why I signed up for this program and I’m so thankful for all the experiences I’ve had at Mutawintji and Australia in general.
The weather wasn’t as bad as I was expecting. The outback, especially right now, is freezing cold. The two days we went hiking the skies cleared and once we were hiking it was pretty warm. During the night we just had to stay close to the fire and bundle up, but I survived! As far as animals go, I saw many wild kangaroos, emus, and wallabies. I don’t care if I’ve seen a hundred kangaroos; I still get ‘little kid excited’ every time! Which leads me into the food I’ve tried; I’ve had kangaroo, vegemite (GROSS), a lot of lamb, curry (yuck), chicken snitchel (sp?) and lots of other things but when you’re hungry it’s a lot easier to eat just about anything.
Overall, I couldn’t be happier with the field trip portion of this class. I had a lot of time to take it all in and reflect on the way back to Mildura, which is about a 4-5 hour drive in our bus. I just want to thank everyone who has supported me and has a role in my life today; without you I wouldn’t be who I am today. I will write soon, sorry this one is so long! I could write forever but I hope you had picture where I’ve been!
Love you all!
XOXO Kayla
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
For a few special people ;)
We had a great photography lecture yesterday and for my art friends who are following this I have some work you should look up. (wrote it in my journal and put your names next to each person, awhhh) First of all, mom I almost laughed out loud when he came up on the slides, guess whoooo! bud-in-skiii! Edward Burtynsky had done a good amount of work in Australia. Jason, you need to look up Murray Fredericks SALT film. Go to, http://www.saltdoco.com/movie-info/timelapse-photography.htm - I loved it! Matthew (Trowbridge) Martin Parr did a series a lot like your documentary project a few years ago with the tourist. He's asking a lot of questions like why do we have to take a picture of us at a place to prove we were there, whats the purpose ect, while depicting these people in not the most flattering way. Mr Carlos! Look up Mathieu Bernard-Reymond. He's a Swiss/French artist and does some amazing digital manipulation. He finds and creates beautiful white, silver and grey tones that are just stunning. One of our professors (Kristian Haggblom) is friend with Bernard-Reymond and told us about a few frames in complete detail. I hope you enjoy them.
Some other great artists to look up are Ricky Maynard, Petrina Hicks, Polixeni Papapetrou, David Stephenson (look up his star trails) and Siri Hayes. Also Tomoki Imai's work is pretty interesting and slightly funny. He went into Tokyo Disney with a toy camera and made landscapes/scenes that looked like real places outside of Disney. I could keep going and I have more names and info if anyone is interested. Hope you enjoy!
OXOX
Kayla
Some other great artists to look up are Ricky Maynard, Petrina Hicks, Polixeni Papapetrou, David Stephenson (look up his star trails) and Siri Hayes. Also Tomoki Imai's work is pretty interesting and slightly funny. He went into Tokyo Disney with a toy camera and made landscapes/scenes that looked like real places outside of Disney. I could keep going and I have more names and info if anyone is interested. Hope you enjoy!
OXOX
Kayla
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
I think I figured out my my photo situation...
So I'm at school right now and had to sit through part of the intro to the darkroom... Not exactly my cup of tea. After much frustration, I finally got a min to talk to the professor and figure out my schedule. The other students are printing their film today because an outlab processed their film, but I have to take up the entire lab to hand process my film, which means I have to process when no one is here. Basically I'm going to work digitally today and tomorrow and then after our 6 day backpacking trip I'll come back and be REAL BUSY! I'll have to go through all the digital classes and do my own work, while still finding time to process my sheet film. It should be interesting but at least it's more or less figured out.
Off the topic, last night was so much fun! One of the girls turned 21 and we had a little in-hostel party night. We watched a movie while working in our sketchbooks earlier in the evening. Then some of my friends started a game of Kings Cup and off we went. Two of my roommates and I watched the game with a few others but it was such a good time. We finally got to know each other really well, questionably too well. ;)
The other thing is I haven't said much about my hostel. We're the only people in the place, one long hallway with many rooms ranging from 2-4 beds, a boys and a girls bathroom with 4 showers, 2 sinks, and two toilets each. We also have a kitchen, dining room and a common room. The kitchen has about 12 gas burners (mom you need this!), two ovens, a microwave and everything else you might need. The place is pretty cold with only one heater to heat EVERYTHING (including the rooms) but that heater makes the common room the place to be!
Another side note... I'm not allowed to buy Tim-Tams anymore. These might be the most delicious, incredible, amazing, mind-blowing desserts I've ever had. I ate an entire box on my own! They are little cookies candy magical things. If I can fit any in my suitcase, I will!
Alright until next time!
XOXO from your little Aussie :)
Off the topic, last night was so much fun! One of the girls turned 21 and we had a little in-hostel party night. We watched a movie while working in our sketchbooks earlier in the evening. Then some of my friends started a game of Kings Cup and off we went. Two of my roommates and I watched the game with a few others but it was such a good time. We finally got to know each other really well, questionably too well. ;)
The other thing is I haven't said much about my hostel. We're the only people in the place, one long hallway with many rooms ranging from 2-4 beds, a boys and a girls bathroom with 4 showers, 2 sinks, and two toilets each. We also have a kitchen, dining room and a common room. The kitchen has about 12 gas burners (mom you need this!), two ovens, a microwave and everything else you might need. The place is pretty cold with only one heater to heat EVERYTHING (including the rooms) but that heater makes the common room the place to be!
Another side note... I'm not allowed to buy Tim-Tams anymore. These might be the most delicious, incredible, amazing, mind-blowing desserts I've ever had. I ate an entire box on my own! They are little cookies candy magical things. If I can fit any in my suitcase, I will!
Alright until next time!
XOXO from your little Aussie :)
I saw a kangaroo in the outback today! :)
I finally saw a bunch of kangagroos today! Next step is just making friends with one of them :)
So today we packed up on our bus and headed out to the outback to have our first day out shooting. They gave the class two rolls of 35mm film to shoot, but I have have 4x5 and only shot a few slides.
We took our bus everywhere and the view from the bus was perfect, we were all kangaroo hunting and the entire bus would turn into small children when we'd spot one! We even saw a emu, which was huge! OH, and at one point a kangaroo was hopping along right next to us! He was only about 10 feet away and on my side, I'm sure you can imagine my smile. We visited Hattah-Kulkyne and Murray-Sunset Nation Park today. Our bus stopped every so often and we'd hop out and go shoot for an hour before we moved onto the next place.
To my art friends, believe it or not but I found death in the outback! (to everyone else this probably sounds bad) but I found some decomposing bodies and a lot of bones in a dried up waterway and it should make for a good portfolio that will go with some of my other work. I used my digital camera for this, and Pedro I used my new lens too! :)
Our day was cut short by the rain. We had to quickly get out of the national park as soon as it started to rain because the road have a lot of clay in them and once they get wet they become impassable. We got out no problem and it was back to the backpackers.
I realized a few things today, first is how much art school and my particular course work has made me into the artist I am. Its difficult to be in a basic class where the goals are different, and I can see how much conceptual focus I have after a few years of study. It will be interesting to see what I end up shooting and exhibiting in the show. The other thing is my independance. I always knew I was pretty independant but I think this course is proving that. It can be difficult for me to not have any control over my daily schedule and be around people all the time. It's quite a change and there are particular things I miss about being in control of everything I do and how I manage my time and studies (especially my photography).
Overall I'm having a great time and I hope my thoughts aren't too scattered. I had to rewrite this blog because the wifi dropped, but at least I could update you with my studies and travel! We have two days of class/lecture/darkroom then its off on our 6 day backpacking trip. The trip seems promising, especially because Peter (aka Petaaaaa) will be with us. This aboriginal man is such a character and I can't wait to share photos of him!
Tiff, I can't wait until you're here. I keep talking to locals and trying to find things we must do in every town. I talked to a kind lady today who was from Adelaide and she suggested a few things, don't worry I've been writing them down so you don't have to worry about me forgetting things! ;)
Alright love from your little Aussie!
XOXO Kayla
So today we packed up on our bus and headed out to the outback to have our first day out shooting. They gave the class two rolls of 35mm film to shoot, but I have have 4x5 and only shot a few slides.
We took our bus everywhere and the view from the bus was perfect, we were all kangaroo hunting and the entire bus would turn into small children when we'd spot one! We even saw a emu, which was huge! OH, and at one point a kangaroo was hopping along right next to us! He was only about 10 feet away and on my side, I'm sure you can imagine my smile. We visited Hattah-Kulkyne and Murray-Sunset Nation Park today. Our bus stopped every so often and we'd hop out and go shoot for an hour before we moved onto the next place.
To my art friends, believe it or not but I found death in the outback! (to everyone else this probably sounds bad) but I found some decomposing bodies and a lot of bones in a dried up waterway and it should make for a good portfolio that will go with some of my other work. I used my digital camera for this, and Pedro I used my new lens too! :)
Our day was cut short by the rain. We had to quickly get out of the national park as soon as it started to rain because the road have a lot of clay in them and once they get wet they become impassable. We got out no problem and it was back to the backpackers.
I realized a few things today, first is how much art school and my particular course work has made me into the artist I am. Its difficult to be in a basic class where the goals are different, and I can see how much conceptual focus I have after a few years of study. It will be interesting to see what I end up shooting and exhibiting in the show. The other thing is my independance. I always knew I was pretty independant but I think this course is proving that. It can be difficult for me to not have any control over my daily schedule and be around people all the time. It's quite a change and there are particular things I miss about being in control of everything I do and how I manage my time and studies (especially my photography).
Overall I'm having a great time and I hope my thoughts aren't too scattered. I had to rewrite this blog because the wifi dropped, but at least I could update you with my studies and travel! We have two days of class/lecture/darkroom then its off on our 6 day backpacking trip. The trip seems promising, especially because Peter (aka Petaaaaa) will be with us. This aboriginal man is such a character and I can't wait to share photos of him!
Tiff, I can't wait until you're here. I keep talking to locals and trying to find things we must do in every town. I talked to a kind lady today who was from Adelaide and she suggested a few things, don't worry I've been writing them down so you don't have to worry about me forgetting things! ;)
Alright love from your little Aussie!
XOXO Kayla
Monday, July 12, 2010
First day at school! Yey for La Trobe University
6:30am everyone was up, which you know what that means.... I was up too! The paper thin walls don't hold heat and sure don't block out noise. We went to bed so early it wasn't too bad, and by 9am we were packed into our bus and off to school after a quick bus tour of Mildura. We got to school and the campus is tiny! Its just fine for our purpose but still quite interesting and a huge change of pace. Neil lectured about our trip for awhile and then we started our lecture about our artbooks and photography. Dun Dun Dun.... I knew way too much to be in this lecture. I feel like a lost a little bit of my life but I could help everyone else so that way nice and I know they were thankful. After many hours at school (9am-5pm), we left just in time to get ready to go out to our welcome dinner!
Stefano de Pieri, a world known chef from Australia, cooked for us. We walked into Art Gallery 25 (which he also owns in addition to his bar and restuarant) to one long table lined with beautiful wine glasses and white plates, enough for our group of 26 or so. It was all the students and Peter Peterson (an aboriginal elder who will take us on our 6 day backpacking trip), our two other main leaders and a couple other staff who are assisting us in our studie and travel. Right away Mario, who called himself an italian stallion, brought out all sorts of local wines and beer. The red wine was amazing and it was an endless supply. Mildura is known for their amazing wine which typically brings many italians to reside here. Our first course came out, spinach and ricotta creps. I couldn't believe how good it was, mom & grandma you would have loved one! The creps were followed by meatballs and pasta and then a fresh salad as well. We also had fresh bread with olive oil and local Murray River salt throughout the dinner. It was delicious and everyone, including the professors, enjoyed all the drinks as well.
As for the weather, ITS SO COLD. Mornings are unspeakable... today I wore two pairs of pants, a tank top, a long sleeve shirt, a sweatshirt and a rainjacket. I think that says enough!
Money - The Australian money is very different coming from America. So many different coins (including 1 & 2 dollar coins). Also everything is extremely expensive here. For example, my small soda at McDonalds was 3 dollars. We're all trying to save our pennies but it can be difficult!
Stefano de Pieri, a world known chef from Australia, cooked for us. We walked into Art Gallery 25 (which he also owns in addition to his bar and restuarant) to one long table lined with beautiful wine glasses and white plates, enough for our group of 26 or so. It was all the students and Peter Peterson (an aboriginal elder who will take us on our 6 day backpacking trip), our two other main leaders and a couple other staff who are assisting us in our studie and travel. Right away Mario, who called himself an italian stallion, brought out all sorts of local wines and beer. The red wine was amazing and it was an endless supply. Mildura is known for their amazing wine which typically brings many italians to reside here. Our first course came out, spinach and ricotta creps. I couldn't believe how good it was, mom & grandma you would have loved one! The creps were followed by meatballs and pasta and then a fresh salad as well. We also had fresh bread with olive oil and local Murray River salt throughout the dinner. It was delicious and everyone, including the professors, enjoyed all the drinks as well.
As for the weather, ITS SO COLD. Mornings are unspeakable... today I wore two pairs of pants, a tank top, a long sleeve shirt, a sweatshirt and a rainjacket. I think that says enough!
Money - The Australian money is very different coming from America. So many different coins (including 1 & 2 dollar coins). Also everything is extremely expensive here. For example, my small soda at McDonalds was 3 dollars. We're all trying to save our pennies but it can be difficult!
First ROO I saw was dead.... of course that would happen to me!
Alright, so Saturday we left Melbourne with our destination of Mildura in sight. We left our hotel by 9am sharp, loaded our beautiful charter bus. Everyone had their own pair of seats and an ipod plugged in. Our instructors had a surprise for us - "dogs eye for lunch!". What's dogs eye you might ask? Dogs eye = meat pie, and in this situation it meant we were having lamb sandwiches with salad for lunch. We pulled into the tiny little pub bursting with character. It was tiny and in the middle of nowhere, but the couple that ran the place we delighted we were there. Again, can't wait to post pictures of this place, there were so many random signs and things inside the pub. We were treated to our lamb sandwiches with a fresh green salad and it was delicious. I really enjoyed it. She also brought out homemade lemon bars and cookies with tea and coffee. We felt right at home in this little place, minus the spider webs everywhere but they seemed to just be part of the pub. Oh mom & dad, the place smelled just like grandpa's old farm - it was unreal. We walked the town, for a lack of a better word, to see a few homes and yet another dead ROO!
Okay, so as we left the hotel I was on a serious kangaroo watch! Sure enough I saw one..... one dead on the side of the road being eaten by two birds. I couldn't believe it. OOOH but that wasn't all, on our little walk we found another dead one. So not how I wanted to see my first kangaroos! (that was fixed today, tue, but still). We got back on the bus for another hour or two until we stopped for a bus change. I guess the last group's bus broke down and thats why we had the nice bus. They dropped us off in another small town where we went adventuring and took some fun group pictures. We had a good time and then all of a sudden "the bus" pulled in. Not sure if I should call it a downgrade or an amazing upgrade.... ;) Lets just say there wasn't a open seat in the house, we became real good friends and hold your breath if anyone hit the seat cause a dust cloud was to follow!
So we left at 9am and got to our backpacker's (aka hostel) by 7pm, a real long day again. We picked roommates in a quick shuffle and I absolutely love my roommates. I'm rooming with Ariell (from UA), Megan (who already graduated with a degree in Bio) and MollyAnn (senior just like me, very sweet!). We have two sets of bunk beds, that squeak and sway but they work. We ran off for some quick dinner, a stop at the grocery store, showers and bed by 10:30pm.
Mildura, where we're staying and studying, is a small town along the Murray River. It was founded and planned by two guys from Canada who were brought out from the California gold rush. It's rather small but with access to the river, it's still an important town. The water way was the only way people got to and from this area until the railway and later roads were built.
Our hostel is in walking distance to the main town square that is fitted with everything from cute little clothes shops, to McDonalds (Free Wifi) to the grocery store. At night we have to walk in groups for sure, which we do anyways, but its a pretty good location overall.
I <3 Mildura
Okay, so as we left the hotel I was on a serious kangaroo watch! Sure enough I saw one..... one dead on the side of the road being eaten by two birds. I couldn't believe it. OOOH but that wasn't all, on our little walk we found another dead one. So not how I wanted to see my first kangaroos! (that was fixed today, tue, but still). We got back on the bus for another hour or two until we stopped for a bus change. I guess the last group's bus broke down and thats why we had the nice bus. They dropped us off in another small town where we went adventuring and took some fun group pictures. We had a good time and then all of a sudden "the bus" pulled in. Not sure if I should call it a downgrade or an amazing upgrade.... ;) Lets just say there wasn't a open seat in the house, we became real good friends and hold your breath if anyone hit the seat cause a dust cloud was to follow!
So we left at 9am and got to our backpacker's (aka hostel) by 7pm, a real long day again. We picked roommates in a quick shuffle and I absolutely love my roommates. I'm rooming with Ariell (from UA), Megan (who already graduated with a degree in Bio) and MollyAnn (senior just like me, very sweet!). We have two sets of bunk beds, that squeak and sway but they work. We ran off for some quick dinner, a stop at the grocery store, showers and bed by 10:30pm.
Mildura, where we're staying and studying, is a small town along the Murray River. It was founded and planned by two guys from Canada who were brought out from the California gold rush. It's rather small but with access to the river, it's still an important town. The water way was the only way people got to and from this area until the railway and later roads were built.
Our hostel is in walking distance to the main town square that is fitted with everything from cute little clothes shops, to McDonalds (Free Wifi) to the grocery store. At night we have to walk in groups for sure, which we do anyways, but its a pretty good location overall.
I <3 Mildura
Sightseeing in Melbourne & meeting my class
Hello family & friends! I'm still alive, sorry its been awhile. We've been crazy busy and internet isn't everywhere like in the states. I'll just try to update you about what I've been up to since I last wrote on here.
So the next morning I grabbed breakfast by myself at a cute little shop and went back to check out of my (NICE) hotel room. As I was checking out my group showed up! It worked out perfectly. There are 20 people in my class (4 guys, the rest girls, ages 19-24). Our two main instructors are hilarious. Two men that never really grew up and enjoy the Aussie spirit, with a drink or 10 normally! We got checked into our room and I shared my dorm style room with Julieann and Caitie. Both of the girls were awesome, but we were only in that room for one night.
That day we went down to the lobby and enjoyed pizza and drinks while some of the La Trobe University staff talked to us about various things and then we were off to see the city. We walked down to the main quare, where the day before I listened to some great live music and relaxed in the sun. That day wasn't as nice weather wise, pretty overcast and chilly. I didn't realize how lucky I was, weather wise, my first day until now. But anyways, we went into an art gallery and saw some aboriginal art. There were many large scale paintings, and quite gorgeous at that. I really enjoyed all the art in there. Next adventure was the free trolly. Melbourne has a lot of trollys and they are huge, and seem to be a great way of transportation. However, did I mention we took the free trolly? All 20 of us packed on, standing room only. I was pretty crowded, little did I know I had a lot of space then. People kept packing on at every stop! I couldn't see a thing, well except the asian man's armpit in front of me.... long story short, I lived and we all got a giggle out of it. Next stop was an inspiring coblestone alley with some contemporary street art. I can't wait to post pictures. The walls were so colorful and filled with different subjects and interests, things aren't sensored in the same way as the states here and I love it. After a quick stop at our hotel we took a walk to the South Bank, which is along the water way and absolutely gorgeous. We ate at The Blue Train that overlooked the water. I was a really nice and upscale restuarant. After the long walk home and some pictures with the girls, we showered and hit the hay by 8:30pm!
So the next morning I grabbed breakfast by myself at a cute little shop and went back to check out of my (NICE) hotel room. As I was checking out my group showed up! It worked out perfectly. There are 20 people in my class (4 guys, the rest girls, ages 19-24). Our two main instructors are hilarious. Two men that never really grew up and enjoy the Aussie spirit, with a drink or 10 normally! We got checked into our room and I shared my dorm style room with Julieann and Caitie. Both of the girls were awesome, but we were only in that room for one night.
That day we went down to the lobby and enjoyed pizza and drinks while some of the La Trobe University staff talked to us about various things and then we were off to see the city. We walked down to the main quare, where the day before I listened to some great live music and relaxed in the sun. That day wasn't as nice weather wise, pretty overcast and chilly. I didn't realize how lucky I was, weather wise, my first day until now. But anyways, we went into an art gallery and saw some aboriginal art. There were many large scale paintings, and quite gorgeous at that. I really enjoyed all the art in there. Next adventure was the free trolly. Melbourne has a lot of trollys and they are huge, and seem to be a great way of transportation. However, did I mention we took the free trolly? All 20 of us packed on, standing room only. I was pretty crowded, little did I know I had a lot of space then. People kept packing on at every stop! I couldn't see a thing, well except the asian man's armpit in front of me.... long story short, I lived and we all got a giggle out of it. Next stop was an inspiring coblestone alley with some contemporary street art. I can't wait to post pictures. The walls were so colorful and filled with different subjects and interests, things aren't sensored in the same way as the states here and I love it. After a quick stop at our hotel we took a walk to the South Bank, which is along the water way and absolutely gorgeous. We ate at The Blue Train that overlooked the water. I was a really nice and upscale restuarant. After the long walk home and some pictures with the girls, we showered and hit the hay by 8:30pm!
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Made it to Australia!!!! (30+ hours later)
Hi friends and family, I made it to Melbourne, Australia no problems.... okay thats a lie but I made it! haha I flew seattle to salt lake to lax to Brisbane (13.5hr) to Melbourne.... over 35 hours of traveling!
Traveling was either a crazy run to try to make things happen or a boring time killer. I met an lady from Australia in Salt Lake and she was great! Gave me tips and helped me with cities names (mel-bin & cans). The two people I sat next to on my long flight were awesome! The guy to my left was a middle-aged Australian and the girl to my right was a study abroad student. The guy gave me great tips, for example, "make sure to wear a rain jacket if you hold a wide kola", I giggled and said okay, why? He just laughed and said oh, you'll find out. The girl next to me ended up being on my flight to Melbourne so we struggled through terminal changes, customs and security together. The Australians around us must have noticed we were in a hurry (our layover was way too short) because multiple Aussies helped me with my bags and I'd thank them generously and their response was always an Aussie, "No problem, just enjoy your trip!". Anyone who saw us literally running to our terminal must have laughed. Sweating and panting at our gate the gentleman taking the tickets looked me up and down and said, just come from an international flight? it was pretty funny and an adventure to say the least.
Today I spent my day sightseeing and walking the city streets for hours. It was such a eye-opening experience. No cell phone, my cameras and just me. I walked multiple "walking tours", adventured to other places, watched magic shows, listened to live music and just took in the city as much as possible.
My hotel is right in the heart of the city. I walk down to the ground floor and its shops, diners, banks, you name it. It funny, there are McDonald's, KFC, Subway and even KrispyKream (sp?) and I also could hear a lot of popular music in many of the shops (Danny Kesha was even playing for me haha).
Well I believe this post is long enough, just know I made it safe and I've already taken in so much Melbourne has to offer. OH! and I forgot, the city is SO multicultural! Its unbelievable and I love it. I don't seem like an outsider until I speak ;)
XOXO,
Kayla
Traveling was either a crazy run to try to make things happen or a boring time killer. I met an lady from Australia in Salt Lake and she was great! Gave me tips and helped me with cities names (mel-bin & cans). The two people I sat next to on my long flight were awesome! The guy to my left was a middle-aged Australian and the girl to my right was a study abroad student. The guy gave me great tips, for example, "make sure to wear a rain jacket if you hold a wide kola", I giggled and said okay, why? He just laughed and said oh, you'll find out. The girl next to me ended up being on my flight to Melbourne so we struggled through terminal changes, customs and security together. The Australians around us must have noticed we were in a hurry (our layover was way too short) because multiple Aussies helped me with my bags and I'd thank them generously and their response was always an Aussie, "No problem, just enjoy your trip!". Anyone who saw us literally running to our terminal must have laughed. Sweating and panting at our gate the gentleman taking the tickets looked me up and down and said, just come from an international flight? it was pretty funny and an adventure to say the least.
Today I spent my day sightseeing and walking the city streets for hours. It was such a eye-opening experience. No cell phone, my cameras and just me. I walked multiple "walking tours", adventured to other places, watched magic shows, listened to live music and just took in the city as much as possible.
My hotel is right in the heart of the city. I walk down to the ground floor and its shops, diners, banks, you name it. It funny, there are McDonald's, KFC, Subway and even KrispyKream (sp?) and I also could hear a lot of popular music in many of the shops (Danny Kesha was even playing for me haha).
Well I believe this post is long enough, just know I made it safe and I've already taken in so much Melbourne has to offer. OH! and I forgot, the city is SO multicultural! Its unbelievable and I love it. I don't seem like an outsider until I speak ;)
XOXO,
Kayla
Monday, July 5, 2010
Information about my study abroad program
I've had some family and friends asking about my school/program so here it is!
I'll be at school for three weeks, studying at La Trobe University but the program is based around a 5 day trek in Midldura's outback. After sightseeing in Melbourne we travel to Mildura for introductions and a welcome dinner by one of Australia's top chefs! Then we have a day of classes about photography, but after that it's out of the classroom. We have an excursion to Hattah Kulkine NP, a sunset at Murry National Park and then its back to process our film. Our next excursion is our five day trek. Our itinerary is as follows: Mungo National Park, sunset and cultural night; sunrise at the walls of China, depart for Broken Hill, sunset at Silverton, film; sunrise at sculpture Hill, depart for Mutawintiji NP, Gorge Walk, film; Historic site tour, sunset visit to Split Rock, journal work; Return to Mildura via Broken Hill. We will be joined by a aboriginal guide and cultural officer Peter Peterson who will help us understand the culture and heritage of the region. All of these places are well known and easy to google, so check out where I'm headed!
We get one day off after the trek and then its to the darkroom/processing for 5 days in order to print for our gallery show, to be displayed in Gallery 25. We will be there for opening night and our work will be on display long after we leave.
We will also have the time to meet some Mildura students and June's group shared a lunch with them and had traditional indigenous foods such as Johnny cakes and kangaroo!
Should be a great time and there will be 18 students in my group including myself. They come from all over, including AK, CO, VA, TN, FL, NY,MN, and even one other student is from the UA. There are mostly other ladies on the trip and a few gentlemen as well! I can't wait to meet everyone!
I'll be at school for three weeks, studying at La Trobe University but the program is based around a 5 day trek in Midldura's outback. After sightseeing in Melbourne we travel to Mildura for introductions and a welcome dinner by one of Australia's top chefs! Then we have a day of classes about photography, but after that it's out of the classroom. We have an excursion to Hattah Kulkine NP, a sunset at Murry National Park and then its back to process our film. Our next excursion is our five day trek. Our itinerary is as follows: Mungo National Park, sunset and cultural night; sunrise at the walls of China, depart for Broken Hill, sunset at Silverton, film; sunrise at sculpture Hill, depart for Mutawintiji NP, Gorge Walk, film; Historic site tour, sunset visit to Split Rock, journal work; Return to Mildura via Broken Hill. We will be joined by a aboriginal guide and cultural officer Peter Peterson who will help us understand the culture and heritage of the region. All of these places are well known and easy to google, so check out where I'm headed!
We get one day off after the trek and then its to the darkroom/processing for 5 days in order to print for our gallery show, to be displayed in Gallery 25. We will be there for opening night and our work will be on display long after we leave.
We will also have the time to meet some Mildura students and June's group shared a lunch with them and had traditional indigenous foods such as Johnny cakes and kangaroo!
Should be a great time and there will be 18 students in my group including myself. They come from all over, including AK, CO, VA, TN, FL, NY,MN, and even one other student is from the UA. There are mostly other ladies on the trip and a few gentlemen as well! I can't wait to meet everyone!
Sunday, July 4, 2010
3 more nights in the USA
Happy 4th of July everyone!
I've spent my day packing, charging batteries and testing film. I only have a 3 days before I leave (icky rainy) Seattle, WA and then its off to LAX to Brisbane and down south to Melbourne. I've been pretty stressed out with packing/planning and paper work details but I just got to talk to my good friend Matt who is currently in Australia. He put all that stress in perspective and I'm so excited to get there! Matt said, "I don't want to leave.... ever!". It was cute, even though I don't doubt he was fairly serious!
We'll I hope everyone is having a great day, if you didn't see you can "follow my blog" and I believe it emails you when I post something new... might be something to consider!
Love you all and thanks for following - I'm excited to share my experiences!
I've spent my day packing, charging batteries and testing film. I only have a 3 days before I leave (icky rainy) Seattle, WA and then its off to LAX to Brisbane and down south to Melbourne. I've been pretty stressed out with packing/planning and paper work details but I just got to talk to my good friend Matt who is currently in Australia. He put all that stress in perspective and I'm so excited to get there! Matt said, "I don't want to leave.... ever!". It was cute, even though I don't doubt he was fairly serious!
We'll I hope everyone is having a great day, if you didn't see you can "follow my blog" and I believe it emails you when I post something new... might be something to consider!
Love you all and thanks for following - I'm excited to share my experiences!
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