Easter update (LATE), concerts and being sick
Blijf op de hoogte en volg Danielle
15 Mei 2014 | Australië, Perth
As I am typing this the holidays are three weeks behind me, and school is going in full power again. Assignments, small tests in preparation for exams in June and more assignments to hand in. I have been sick over the holidays, sadly! A little throat infection and a whole lot of couching, but that didn’t stop us from travelling! In two weeks time, we went on two big trips. One to Kalgoorlie, Esperance, Hyden and York and one to Albany for ANZAC weekend.
The drive to Kalgoorlie was full of beautiful stops and a very ‘African’ sunset. The land behind us was filled with red dirt, and there weren’t many trees around. The sun reflected on the dirt and left a glow on the trees, making them look black. It was like I was in the African dessert!!
The next day we walked around town, shopping and seeing what Kalgoorlie had to offer: one main street and heaps of mining accountancy businesses (and a big Target and Kmart). The streets weren’t busy, in fact it looked like everyone had left town. Kalgoorlie houses over 30,000 people, but the empty streets gave a different impression. In the afternoon, Adeline and I went to two art galleries for Aboriginal art and Katie’s dad took us to the Super Pit.
The next day we went on a tour that took us to the Royal Flying Doctors, The super pit, and a drive around town. One bit was Government housing where Aboriginal people lived and they did not look very happy when our bus came into their ‘village’. Aboriginal people get Government housing as an apology for ‘stealing’ their land in history, but they are not allowed to live where they want to. It was a bit sad to see because the houses were tiny, and some families live there with 6 or more people.
We had a lunch break in Boulder. Boulder used to be a separate mining town, but Kalgoorlie really expanded and they eventually joined up as one: Kalgoorlie-Boulder. The tour finished and we got in the car to drive to Esperance. We drove for a couple of hours, most of the time surrounded by empty land and small country towns with a house and service station (servo). One of them even had a fence!!! ‘Grass Patch’ was way up there for a country town haha!!
We all had a long night of sleep, and saw a lot of different beaches on the Great Ocean drive. The waves in Esperance are a lot bigger and stronger than the waves at the Perth beaches, and we stopped at almost all of the beaches to have a look. I almost got attacked my a small wave when I was trying to take a photo, and ran for my life ;) There was lots of driving, and after Esperance we drove to Hyden where the Wace Rock is. By the time we got there the sun was setting, so we took some quick photos and tried to find accommodation in Hyden to go back the day after. The next day we went back to Wave Rock and started the drive back to Perth. When we were almost back in Perth, we stopped in York for lunch, a very touristic and historical town. When we arrived home, we had just enough time to get ready for Bruce his baptism. The service was nice and there was a lot of singing, which made time go very fast. It was a long day, but a nice way to end the trip.
In the days after Kalgoorlie I mostly caught up on sleep and we got ready for the trip to Albany. We also had to buy some stuff for Art, as my painting was not working out the way I wanted it to. I was told to use chalk coal to sketch on my canvas, but the chalk coal didn’t come off. I had to start again, which I am still not really happy about because it is taking longer than I wanted to. But I am really happy with how it is looking so far, and think that my second one will be a lot better than the first one.
For ANZAC day (25th of April) we drove down to Albany, which funny enough is not as far in my mind as it was the first time we went down… ANZAC day is a day where Australia and New Zealand remember the soldiers that fought in the wars, kind of similar to our remembrance day on May 4th. This year was special tough, as it was a 100 years ago that the soldiers left from Albany. Next year, they will be celebrating the arrival of the soldiers, as it took them a year to reach their final destination. They did stop in between to fight in other battles. We got up really early (3.50am) to go to the entertainment centre for the buses. The bus took us up to the ANZAC memorial, and there was a service. The service wasn’t too long, and thankfully the weather wasn’t too cold. During the service flower circles were placed at the foot of the memorial, soldiers (serving and once served) walked down the memorial and a few speeches were given.
After the service was over we all went back to bed and slept for the rest of the morning. In the afternoon we drove to the Natural Bridge (next to the Gap where we got soaked last time). I was surprised at how many people were walking really close to the gap, without really thinking about the possibility of a king wave coming… The Natural Bridge was very pretty, and amazing to see how nature works. Because we didn’t wake up until later in the day, we got home just as the sun was setting. That night we went to see ‘The Other Woman’, a really funny movie and completely brain dead to watch :)
On Saturday, Katie wasn’t feeling that well, so Bruce, Adeline and I went for a drive around Albany, seeing Walpole, walking on the tree top walk and we saw the most amazing and random sign: Jesus Loves You on one side and Jesus Is Alive on the other side.
On Sunday Adeline and I had breakfast with the other exchange students and then did another big drive around with Katie and Bruce. Of course, when we passed the sign we couldn’t not take a photo with it!! On the drive, we passed a lot of wineries and changing land (which is still weird to see). You can drive for an hour and have the landscape change from dry and salty to rainforest in just a couple of minutes. Or just big pieces of nothing.
We arrived back home from Albany on Sunday night, and I took Monday off from school because I was really tired and didn’t really get to do my homework in the holidays. I was still taking my antibiotics for my throat, which I caught just before we left for Kalgoorlie. I also stayed at home on Tuesday, and stayed back home again since Wednesday. I am still feeling really tired and caught another cold, blocking my nose and forehead.
On the fun side, Katie, Adeline and I went to the MKTO concert on Friday night (2nd of May, also Katie’s birthday). We had a lot of fun and Katie almost lost her voice :)
Even though I was not feeling my best, I also went to the 5 Seconds of Summer concert on the 8th of May. I know it wasn’t the smartest thing, but I had a ticket and this might have been the only change I get to see them live (as they are getting more popular in America).
Then I had a doctor’s appointment on Friday, and another one on Tuesday. We are trying to find out what is wrong with me, because I keep feeling really tired all the time. I have been able to do the ‘fun’ stuff, because both doctors think I am running on adrenaline. This pretty much means that I pump myself up before going somewhere, and keep that up for an hour or so and then completely crash after.
We are getting all the tests done tomorrow, and until then I will be spending most of my time in bed resting…
Lastly, I know this update is super late and that I promised to update you all every month. I want to make a big effort and try to upload something every time something happens :)
Until next time!! Xxx Danielle
The drive to Kalgoorlie was full of beautiful stops and a very ‘African’ sunset. The land behind us was filled with red dirt, and there weren’t many trees around. The sun reflected on the dirt and left a glow on the trees, making them look black. It was like I was in the African dessert!!
The next day we walked around town, shopping and seeing what Kalgoorlie had to offer: one main street and heaps of mining accountancy businesses (and a big Target and Kmart). The streets weren’t busy, in fact it looked like everyone had left town. Kalgoorlie houses over 30,000 people, but the empty streets gave a different impression. In the afternoon, Adeline and I went to two art galleries for Aboriginal art and Katie’s dad took us to the Super Pit.
The next day we went on a tour that took us to the Royal Flying Doctors, The super pit, and a drive around town. One bit was Government housing where Aboriginal people lived and they did not look very happy when our bus came into their ‘village’. Aboriginal people get Government housing as an apology for ‘stealing’ their land in history, but they are not allowed to live where they want to. It was a bit sad to see because the houses were tiny, and some families live there with 6 or more people.
We had a lunch break in Boulder. Boulder used to be a separate mining town, but Kalgoorlie really expanded and they eventually joined up as one: Kalgoorlie-Boulder. The tour finished and we got in the car to drive to Esperance. We drove for a couple of hours, most of the time surrounded by empty land and small country towns with a house and service station (servo). One of them even had a fence!!! ‘Grass Patch’ was way up there for a country town haha!!
We all had a long night of sleep, and saw a lot of different beaches on the Great Ocean drive. The waves in Esperance are a lot bigger and stronger than the waves at the Perth beaches, and we stopped at almost all of the beaches to have a look. I almost got attacked my a small wave when I was trying to take a photo, and ran for my life ;) There was lots of driving, and after Esperance we drove to Hyden where the Wace Rock is. By the time we got there the sun was setting, so we took some quick photos and tried to find accommodation in Hyden to go back the day after. The next day we went back to Wave Rock and started the drive back to Perth. When we were almost back in Perth, we stopped in York for lunch, a very touristic and historical town. When we arrived home, we had just enough time to get ready for Bruce his baptism. The service was nice and there was a lot of singing, which made time go very fast. It was a long day, but a nice way to end the trip.
In the days after Kalgoorlie I mostly caught up on sleep and we got ready for the trip to Albany. We also had to buy some stuff for Art, as my painting was not working out the way I wanted it to. I was told to use chalk coal to sketch on my canvas, but the chalk coal didn’t come off. I had to start again, which I am still not really happy about because it is taking longer than I wanted to. But I am really happy with how it is looking so far, and think that my second one will be a lot better than the first one.
For ANZAC day (25th of April) we drove down to Albany, which funny enough is not as far in my mind as it was the first time we went down… ANZAC day is a day where Australia and New Zealand remember the soldiers that fought in the wars, kind of similar to our remembrance day on May 4th. This year was special tough, as it was a 100 years ago that the soldiers left from Albany. Next year, they will be celebrating the arrival of the soldiers, as it took them a year to reach their final destination. They did stop in between to fight in other battles. We got up really early (3.50am) to go to the entertainment centre for the buses. The bus took us up to the ANZAC memorial, and there was a service. The service wasn’t too long, and thankfully the weather wasn’t too cold. During the service flower circles were placed at the foot of the memorial, soldiers (serving and once served) walked down the memorial and a few speeches were given.
After the service was over we all went back to bed and slept for the rest of the morning. In the afternoon we drove to the Natural Bridge (next to the Gap where we got soaked last time). I was surprised at how many people were walking really close to the gap, without really thinking about the possibility of a king wave coming… The Natural Bridge was very pretty, and amazing to see how nature works. Because we didn’t wake up until later in the day, we got home just as the sun was setting. That night we went to see ‘The Other Woman’, a really funny movie and completely brain dead to watch :)
On Saturday, Katie wasn’t feeling that well, so Bruce, Adeline and I went for a drive around Albany, seeing Walpole, walking on the tree top walk and we saw the most amazing and random sign: Jesus Loves You on one side and Jesus Is Alive on the other side.
On Sunday Adeline and I had breakfast with the other exchange students and then did another big drive around with Katie and Bruce. Of course, when we passed the sign we couldn’t not take a photo with it!! On the drive, we passed a lot of wineries and changing land (which is still weird to see). You can drive for an hour and have the landscape change from dry and salty to rainforest in just a couple of minutes. Or just big pieces of nothing.
We arrived back home from Albany on Sunday night, and I took Monday off from school because I was really tired and didn’t really get to do my homework in the holidays. I was still taking my antibiotics for my throat, which I caught just before we left for Kalgoorlie. I also stayed at home on Tuesday, and stayed back home again since Wednesday. I am still feeling really tired and caught another cold, blocking my nose and forehead.
On the fun side, Katie, Adeline and I went to the MKTO concert on Friday night (2nd of May, also Katie’s birthday). We had a lot of fun and Katie almost lost her voice :)
Even though I was not feeling my best, I also went to the 5 Seconds of Summer concert on the 8th of May. I know it wasn’t the smartest thing, but I had a ticket and this might have been the only change I get to see them live (as they are getting more popular in America).
Then I had a doctor’s appointment on Friday, and another one on Tuesday. We are trying to find out what is wrong with me, because I keep feeling really tired all the time. I have been able to do the ‘fun’ stuff, because both doctors think I am running on adrenaline. This pretty much means that I pump myself up before going somewhere, and keep that up for an hour or so and then completely crash after.
We are getting all the tests done tomorrow, and until then I will be spending most of my time in bed resting…
Lastly, I know this update is super late and that I promised to update you all every month. I want to make a big effort and try to upload something every time something happens :)
Until next time!! Xxx Danielle
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15 Mei 2014 - 20:14
Annemarie:
Hey Danielle,
Superleuk dat je een groot verslag hebt geschreven over de trips! Leuk om te lezen dat je al snel went aan de lange autoritten.
Vervelend dat je ziek bent en steeds moe bent, gelukkig zijn jullie alles aan het uitzoeken
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