First Impressions

I was groggy when I woke up on the overnight flight into Brisbane. I was stuck in a middle seat, and the people in front of me had their seats back as far as they could go, so my legs straddled my backpack at an uncomfortable angle. Thankfully, the flight was almost over.

When I unboarded the plane, there was some confusion with my luggage, and I ended up missing my flight (that’s an extremely dumbed down version of what happened). I made it into Cairns four hours later than expected, but I was finally there.

My eyes were glued to the window the entire flight as we passed over what I thought were currents, but later realized was parts of the Great Barrier Reef. The turquoise of the reef marbled with the deep blue open waters. As we neared the coastline in Cairns, I could see the waves crashing on the shores. The coast was bordered directly by the dense mountainous rainforest. From above, I could see massive waterfalls with roaring rapids through cracks in the foliage.

Stepping out of the airport was a bit of a shock to my Wisconsin system. Coming from -64°F just a week earlier to 96°F and humid was a lot to handle right away. Not to mention I still didn’t have all my luggage, so I was stuck in the leggings I had been wearing on the flight.

Driving onto campus was something like a scene from Jurassic Park. The campus is bordered by a mountain and resides partially within the rainforest. There is a mountain stream running between the buildings and under walkways. The campus and the landscape are entirely intertwined.

When I arrived at my dorm, I was the first one in my shared apartment. I have a rainforest view from my balcony, and in the mornings, the chorus of birds wake me up. My roommate, Karoline, and I have explored the town a bit since arriving. Our first time walking out into campus, I was transfixed by the wildlife I saw.

Every bird that I’ve seen is nothing like what I’ve seen in the United States (save the seagulls). I’ve seen birds that look like small storks with shorter beaks and others that are small and black with fanned tails. There are small grayish-blue birds that you can get pretty close to too, but I stay clear of the black and whites because they swoop.

At the bus stop, a small gecko climbed up the side of the overhang. I didn’t realize that geckos made sounds, but this little guy was chirping. It was possibly the cutest thing I had seen since arriving and definitely made me want one.

Birds and geckos are pretty much the extents of animals I have seen so far, however, I still jump a bit every time I see something move in case I have a spider on my trail. I signed up for a trip next week to go see crocodiles, kangaroos, koalas and wombats at an interactive park further north! Stay tuned for that experience!