Erin Papke

Though the journey to Australia can be strenuous, it is well worth it. Growing up in the states my view of the world has been very skewed towards western mentality and that the US is the center of everything. We don’t celebrate or respect our indigenous cultures and that was a stark contrast when arriving in Australia. Indigenous cultures are respected and celebrated in most aspects of Australian culture. I was surprised to see many stores with art and products created by indigenous peoples. This became even more apparent as we entered the rainforest.

Before beginning this trip, I had no idea that Australia had a rainforest let alone the oldest rainforest in the world. I felt even more connected to the rainforest by sleeping in the rainforest and listening to all of the sounds it offers. Starting our rainforest tours with an indigenous perspective was a great introduction to the Daintree. I was fascinated by the stories told by our guide and was interested to learn more about the spiritual components to the rainforest. This was again emulated in our long hike through the muddy rainforest with a new guide.

Neil provided a lot of information, but the most interesting thing for me was the concept of places having memory. The thought of places having memory connects people to their ancestors in an incredible way. I think that this concept also helps people cope with death in a way that culture in the US doesn’t experience. I’d like to incorporate this mentality in my life for my future children and continue throughout the generations. A lot of ancestry is disconnected in the states partially due to immigration but also because of a disconnect in our want to remember our own history - the good and the bad. Starting out this trip in the rainforest gave me a greater appreciation of this country and its desire to protect its land.

I was thrilled when we flew over another area of land that Australia is protecting. The Great Barrier Reef is truly awe striking and seeing it has fulfilled one of my lifelong goals. Lizard Island is truly off the grid, but the research center has many resources that a lot of other research stations do not. The remoteness was jarring at first, but I know that it allows for the supreme maintenance of the land and the surrounding reefs. Snorkeling on our first reef was breathtaking even though a lot of the coral has bleached. The diversity and structure of the reefs in the Caribbean doesn’t compare to the reefs here in the Pacific. Though I’m not familiar with the identification of Pacific corals, I’m eager to learn throughout our stay. We even saw an octopus and a sea turtle! I can’t wait to see what our other adventures bring.