Canada

Antigonish, Nova Scotia

The Atlantic-IMN Summer Institute was held in and around Antigonish in 2018. The institute itself was great, but my favorite part was the medicine walk.

St John's Newfoundland

The 23rd Annual Canadian Conference on HIV/AIDS Research (CAHR) was held in St. John's in May 2014. It was my first time there.

Thunder Bay, Ontario

On some of my work trips to Elevate I have been able to do some sightseeing.

O'ahu

First time in O'ahu

My first trip to Oahu was made on a whim in 2014.

O'ahu

My second trip to Oahu was in 2016 and I was hoping that I would be able to see a lot more of the island.

O'ahu

During my last visit to Oahu in 2018, I spent time with a friend that I met there a few years ago.

Australia

Melbourne

In May 2013, I went to Melbourne and unfortunately wasn't able to take many photos, but I did have the best chicken pot pie of my life...topped with mashed potatoes, gravy and peas.

Looking forward to returning in 2023 for work in Sydney this spring and Cairns this summer.

Sydney

Arrived in Sydney early Sunday (end of March 2023) before my check-in so I was lucky to make my way to Darling Harbour and took a ferry around Sydney Harbour.

Sydney Opera House

Sydney Harbour Bridge

Royal Botanic Garden Sydney

I encountered a little bit of wild life - water dragon, flying fox (if you can spot it), the white Australian ibis, and what I think is a golden orb spider.

The garden was spectacular. The plant that looks like a cabbage on the tree is a staghorn fern, but I'm not 100% certain.

Three Sisters located at Echo Point Katoomba in the Blue Mountains

A few of the trails and lookout points along the way to Bridal Veil Falls. There were some parrots, lyrebirds, a bowerbird, and currawongs along the way. I photographed cockatoos and minor birds in Katoomba. The pictures weren't great so maybe on my next visit I'll be able to take better photos.

University of Sydney

The campus was beautiful.

Graffiti tunnel

I made wampum bracelets, crow loop necklaces, and chockers as gifts for my hosts at the University and everyone that spent time with me.

Cairns

I went to the 3rd Lowitja Indigenous Health and Wellbeing Conference (June 14-16, 2023). It was the most well-organized conference I had ever attended. In the mornings, I went for runs along the waterfront and one thing I didn't expect was a 'watch out' for crocodile sign.

Short 17-second clip of the Esplanade, specifically the Coral Sea.

3rd Lowitja Indigenous Health and Wellbeing Conference

Amazing presentations from my colleagues.

I attended the plenary speeches. Lisa Bourque Bearskin delivered an inspiring presentation on her journey as a nurse and role in mentoring other Indigenous nurses.
I also got to hear a poem by Linda Tuhiwai Smith and an impromptu performance from a group of Aboriginal women.

Great way to end the conference with a panel discussions from the youth. The conference was a success because of the staff so it was nice to see them all together and getting the props they deserve for their amazing work.

Just a few of the performances at the Welcome Ceremony that used dance as a form of storytelling.

There were a few performances at the Gala Dinner and they were all very good, but my favorite performance was by Barkaa, an Australian rapper. She sang a few songs including 'Blak Matriarchy' which was my favorite song with a pretty strong message.

Great Barrier Reef

After the conference I went to the Great Barrier Reef to snorkel with my colleagues from Canada. The boat went about 2 hours out before we arrived at the first location. The water was pretty clear and calm. Then we went another 10 minutes to a second snorkeling location. The waves were rolling, the sky was grey and the water was cloudy so a little more scary. I have always been afraid of the water. It's another world. I can't really explain how overwhelmed I felt, scared, but excited at the same time. I looked down and the water seemed so deep especially at the second location and I could have easily freaked out, but I tried to stay in the moment. We were encouraged to swim with a buddy, but honestly it seemed easier to stay calm when I was alone. I was still grateful, that my buddy stuck with me at the beginning and then I went out on my own. I learned how to use my GoPro on the day about 1 hour before we got to the first location so not the best photos or videos, but I'm getting better.

Short snorkeling clips coming soon...

Daintree Rainforest

The following day, we went to the Daintree rainforest. It was described to me as the oldest rainforest in the world being between 135 to 180 million years old. We took the sky train over the rainforest. It was a bit exciting. I prefer to actively be doing something, but my colleagues made it interesting; some of them were scared so they were pretty brave and kept a smile on their face throughout. We made two stops along the way until we arrived in Kuranda which reminded me of Kensington market. Touristy with lots of shops, a koala 'zoo' that included other marsupials, a butterfly sanctuary, and bird world. I did go to see the marsupials. We took a train on the way back and the train itself was old and pretty interesting. There were some nice views of Barron Falls which I also got to see on the sky train stops.

A lit bit of wildlife lounging about: a wallaby, saltwater crocodiles, sleepy koalas, and a wombat. I always wonder how the animals got there. No one could give me a clear answer.

At this point, I was a bit tired and thankfully one of the kids of a colleague working at the conference was able to take my phone and snapped the top two photos for me.

Cairns Botanic Gardens

One of my favorite parts of travelling is visiting botanic gardens. Cairns had the most amazing tropical garden and a rainforest boardwalk. I could have stayed there all day. The sun was shining through the trees and I don't think I captured this. I feel lucky I was just able to see it. I was there by myself so it was calming and I was able to take the time to reflect. I did take some pictures of flowers and hope to post them soon in my 'flower section'.