Freedom, Summer and Life's big choices!

For an in depth title one should do it justice by writing something profound and deep....all Ive got for the moment is...

I'm free! I'm free! I'm free! I'm free! I'm free! I'm free! I'm free! I'm free! I'm free! I'm free! I'm free! I'm free! I'm free! I'm free! I'm free! I'm free! I'm free! I'm free! I'm free! I'm free! I'm free! I'm free! I'm free! I'm free! I'm free! I'm free! I'm free! I'm free! I'm free! I'm free! I'm free! I'm free! I'm free! I'm free! I'm free! I'm free! I'm free! I'm free! I'm free! I'm free!

Oh yes, and It's summer! It's summer! It's summer! It's summer! It's summer! It's summer! It's summer! It's summer! It's summer! It's summer! It's summer! It's summer! It's summer! It's summer! It's summer! It's summer!

I have already borrowed my first 2 books from the library and have big plans ahead for career investigation, self discovery and possibly a little globe trotting thrown in there too! For the first time in my life...there is nothing ahead. No uni starting in March, no a job waiting or commitments.....I doubt this will be a repeated offer so I am going to enjoy it wh8ile it lasts...not be afraid of it!

Briming with confidence and ready to take on the world,

Cara x x x x

Oaks Day!

Friends! My first trip to the the races!


Flemmington Race Course


Pretty! Spring racing carnival = spring = flowers!


The boys!

Congratulations GRADUATION!

WOW!


I have my graduation ceremony for my Bachelor of Science from Melbourne University on the 19th of December 2006 at 10:30am.



WOW!


Here are some party photos of my friend Gills' 50th Birthday =):
(I met Vero and her children on the Spirit of Tasmania in...2001? I was keen to practice my French and eager to make friends with them...and we have been friends ever since...6 years later here we are! Gills is her husband)



Veronique et Cara!


Cara et Gilles...the real one!



Cara and 'Gilles'!

Photos on the net!

Hey ya!

Photos on the net of the Musex (Melbourne University Student Exchange) Par-tay!
Fun photos! I dont think my grin could get any bigger!

www.flickr.com/photos/musex

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The exam timetable is out!

Cara's last exam as an undergraduate science student! BIG OHH YAY!

526-314 Medical Microbiology: Viruses Tue 21 NOV 9:30 a.m.
REB Rathdowne 3 hrs 15 mins

YAYAYAYAY!!!! Celebrations! Exubrance! Euphoria! Wow-wee!

Claire's letter

Hey!

Today's BBQ went well (pictures soon). People turned up (that's always a start) and we sat in sunny shade in the great outdoors on picnic rugs! Two great social achievements were seeing David, a friend form uni who I have not seen since we both deaprted on exchnage, he was in Virginia while I was in France and my good friend Ben who was my housemate in Lyon. Seeing him was great and he came bearing French cheese, Comte, oh the memories, oh the cheeeese!!!

The weather was amazing! Perfect! Our warmest day yet in this fast approaching summery weather I think! Couldn't have ordered better weather myself! I can't wait until I can sit outside, guilt free and not thinking I should be studying the replication cycle of polio or learning how the Adenovirus protein assembles...very useful for later on in life I am sure you will agree!

I will leave you with a letter I received from my dear friend Claire who was a teacher at Camp America and is at this moment discovering other parts The States. She will soon head off to Europe and she wrote me the following which I thought I would share. To me it is beautiful and cherished:

I am so sorry that it has taken me so long to reply, but the last 3 weeks have been spent crossing this BEAUTIFUL country, so far I have seen many broadway shows, ridden on the maid on the mist at niagara falls , visited art galleries and blues bars in chicago, went horse back riding on the badlands at sunset, visited both yellowstone and yosemite national parks, taken a thousand photos on the corn palace (in north dakota) seen Mt rushmore and the crazy horse monument, slow danced with a cowboy in Jackson hole Wyoming and saw my first snow fall. I am now sitting in a bar/internet cafe in San Francisco!!!!

Cara, you come from an incredible country!!!!!! The people are amazing, generous and kind and I have never seen such beauty in my entire life. I miss you like crazy and think on you every single day.

Love you, Claire bear

Nice hey? Goodnight. Sweet dreams of the wide world and it beauty,
Cara =)

RANDOM EVENT...your presence required!

Hey all!

We are having a RANDOM EVENT picnic/BBQ this Sunday (October 1st)!!! The weather forecast is fine and 25 degrees!! YAY! And yes, you're invited! Go to Chelsea Bicentennial park (Melways: 93 D12). Starts 1pm till late!

BYO: food (munchies and/or thangs to BBQ), friends, frisbees (any kind of outdoor toys and games), alcohol, rugs.....dogs!

IMPORTANT: BYO friends (the purpose of random events is to have fun and the more the merrier! To meet randoms you need to bring randoms to share! Bring fun people that you never get the chance to catch up with, or new people who you'd like to get to know better through work or uni or socially or good friends or family or.... if in the end its all to hard you wont be penalised if you bring yourself!)

SEE YOUS THERE!!!
Cara =)

Recent activities of the Cara...

How cool is this!?!

What's happening!

On a completely different note....I have been fine....dandy...? Im on holidays from uni so things are a bit calm. Found some motivation lying around somewhere too and bought a cap and goggles the other day and am turing acquatic! Well I have only been once but tomorrow is looking good!
Cara

My favourite place...

Mordialloc pier....it might not be anything special to many but I love it. It is a special place....the place for sunsets, breathing in fresh air, looking out at the endless horizon and having deep conversations with my soul. I must admit that I missed it while I was away. I never found anywhere (in Europe or the States) where I could look out at the sea and feel as content. xoxoxoxo

Photo from a friend!

My freind Ivan, whom I met on my flight from Zagreb (Crotaia's capital) to Hamberg (Northern Germany) and who kindly showed me the best parts of Hannover (south of Hamberg, has just finished cycling around Croatia with his brother! He took this photo for me! I love it! =) It's fabulous!

Tahiti photos

Greetings and Welcome to Bora Bora!



Going into Papaette



Swimming...or floating with my cousin Kaylen! Look at the colour of that water!!! Paradise!

Australia

Today the air was warm, still and fresh.
Today, for the first time since I have been home, I opened the door to let the fresh air in.
Today I smelled summer.
It is coming. It might rain next week or in the near future but it is coming.
Today I smelled Australia.
I smelled the gum trees, the red dirt, the kangaroos, the cockatoos.


Several days ago I went to the Dentist. The waiting room is full of all kinds of posh magazines. I read an article on the current Chilean president, a single Mother of 3, a pediatrician, who was imprisioned, tortured and exiled (to Australia) after the military coup of 1973.

'Because I was a victim of hate...I've decided to dedicate my life to turning hate into understanding, tolerance and - why not say it?- love'
-Michelle Bachelet, President of Chile

'They can cut all the flowers, but they cant stop spring'
-Pablo Neruda, great Chilean poet.

Cara the Aussie Girl!

Cara the Skippy Chick!


My boxes finally arrived. One from Germany and 2 from France (sent on the first of April)...speedy hey? They contained all sorts of goodies- mainly books, postcards and souvenir ticket stubs & pamphlets for my 'non-existant but perfectly planned in my head' scrap book. You can see my Bescherelle in this photo...the French verb bible! I imported my own copy! YAY!

Good to be home! And yet....the travel bug continues to bite...where to next...after university and some decisions?

For those in Melbourne:

Hi Everyone! Salut, Ciao, Szia, Guten Tag, Hoi, Hola, Bok, Aloha, Sawatdee and Ei!


***************Cara is back in Melbourne!!!!!*********************************
I have returned from my world tour and its time to par-tay!!!!!



WHAT: Coming Home Party/House Warming (yes, I have moved too!)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WHEN: Saturday Aug 26th...let's say 8pm so people turn up sometime before midnight!

WHERE: My new house! 62 Keith Street Parkdale (Off Nepan Highway, Melways p87 F9)

WHY: To have FUN and catch up!

BYO: Alcohol, munchies also welcomed, photos of things that I missed and anything else entertaining really!

Crashing: You are welcome to stay the night since most people arent local....comfort isn't gaurenteed....new house has hardwood floors...lol...no something could be sorted out!

R.S.V.P. if you like....however that seems to be no ones strong point so SEE YOU ALL SOON!

Cara =)

Moorea and Melbourne!

Hi everyone! I am home! I have reurned to Melbourne once again!

Moorea was great. We stayed in nice hotel huts on the beach of the Black Pearl Resort. Very posh. I then made my way back to Papette on the island of Tahiti to fly out for Melbourne. Between very bad airplane food and long delays in Sydney as the planes were coming from Melbourne frozen (urg,cold!) I was glad to get home eventually. I am organising myslef for uni and cleaning my still disasterously dishevelled room! Coming home party....or Reutrn to reality party soon!
Cara =)

Island hopping in Tahiti!

Hey!
This is our last day in Bora Bora. The last couple of days have been slow, lazy and lovely. I went to the Hieva festivities which basically celebrates July (why not celebrate the whole month right?). Bora Bora is known throughout Tahiti to have the most beautiful Hieva celebrations. I saw dancing and singing. It was wonderful and similar to other Polynesian dances...the Hula in Hawaii and Haka in New Zealand....only this was local people performing for themsleves as much as everyone else. All other performances that I have seen have been just that, a performance, a show. I dont know how they can hula for 2 hours straight! Went to Club Med yesterday. Took a boat trip out and went snorkling...the water was incredibly clear and that perfect blue colour!

Tomorrow the gang is off to Moorea. I think everyone is excited for a change....Bora Bora seemed a bit small to contain everyone. Moorea should promise many things to do. We will be staying at a dreamy 5 star resort apparently...what more could you ask for in paradise?

En Tahiti!

Salut et Bonjour!

Je suis en Tahiti! I am in Tahiti! In my element speaking French again! I love it! It is wonderful! So what has happened so far?

Well I arrived in Tahit...made it and everything with my Mother and Patrick chasing the airport bus at 5am with my plane tickets....gosh, made it 'round the world fine but home is challenging it seems! I pulled another all nighter packing...can't seem to kick that habit! So, I flew first to Sydney and then onto Tahiti, the best known island in French Polynesia which has a total of 180 islands. I met my grandmother Nonie at the airport and went to stay at the Sheraton Hotel! Nice, nice, very nice after my extensive budgety trip in Europe and Thailand's 'charm'. It was nice to see everyone again- my Papa Chuck, Aunt Jill, Uncle Danny and cousins Jason and Kaylen. I took a shower and was feeling the heat abit since I had just come from Melbourne's winter and before that Thailand's heat and before that Europe's average temperatures! My body must be begging for stability! Had a quite night after that.

In the morning it was buffet breakfast (just in case you didnt feel completely spoilt in the hotel already) complete with mago and banana juice. We then walked into the city, Papaette. Where I went sightseeing....a bit different to Europe! I saw the main church which had stained glass windows with dipictions of Christ and Ialnd themes...very different to Europe. Did you know Christ has a conch shell!?! lol. Tahiti is a translators dream as most things are bilingual in French, English and Tahitian! So I spent ages in the Peral Museum reading everything 2 or 3 times!

The next day the family flew to another island...the island of Bora Bora. Beautful blue water and white sand that you see in the photos....that what you see in Bora Bora! We have rented 2 condos. The first is a house on stilts over the water...where I am currently couch surfing with Noni8e and Papa in the bedroom. The second is designated to the Colegroves and is across the road on the moutainside supplying nice views of the water. We have also rented a tiny green Fiat...the next size up from a smart car or golf buggy I tell you! We squeezing 7...yes, SEVEN people into this tyiny thing....I am stikll not sure why. I guess people can't seem to decide what we wantt o do each day and since the island is so so so incredibly small (32km of round circumnavigates the outside) it doesn't make sense to have 2 cars doing nothing. It is even more of an insentive as the pacific franc here is pegged to the Euro so everything is nice and pricey!

So yesterday we went swimming and snorkling right off our front deck. The water is clear and warm (although Thailand wins the warm water award thus far for Riley beach in the south). There is a ladder into the water and shower to rinse off. Its lovely and Cara feels posh as! We then tried out Auntie Jill's 'seven to a car theory' and circled the island in our green golf buggy. Nonie made scones in the evening...imported from Califonia...one of the falvours was California Apricot...how cute is that!

Today we were going to spend the day at Club Med doing activities and going out on boat trips but we post phoned utnil tomorrow as the wather looked questionable! We ventured to the Bora Bora hotel for another posh breakfast! And then the rain started! And it still continues as I am writing this...however I am prefectly happy sitting in pardise whether the weather it is wet or dry (a few days of rain and I might reconsider that statement). I am borrowing the Activities Room in the Bora Bora Hotel on this rainy day! Bye for now. Maybe photos soon thought probably not as it seems a bit too much to ask of Tahitian computers!

Love Cara xoxox