'Quiet' Days and the Australia Zoo

September 15th, 2006 Bridgewater Apartments, Brisbane, Australia
I really can’t remember if anything extremely eventful took place during the day on Wednesday (13th). Classes commenced as usual. We did take our Australian Civilization test. I was happy to find that I made an A. Only two more tests will comprise the grade given in that class, which I figure I can handle. We did talk about hypnosis in Psychology. It’s a very interesting subject. Dr. Byram asked who we thought would be the most susceptible to hypnosis in our class. After a moment, Anna Justus said, “Jonathan, I don’t think you could be hypnotized. You think too much.” She then added, “But not in a bad way.” I took that as a compliment. Dr. Byram said he couldn’t be hypnotized either.
I believe I have previously mentioned my fabled worn jacket. I must say, in all humility, it is the coolest jacket known to man. As Indiana Jones is incomplete without his leather coat and fedora and James Bond without a suit, Jonathan McRay is incomplete without this brown, incredibly comfortable, and rugged piece of material. I have owned it for almost a year now (Mom was gracious enough to buy the jacket I picked out in Searcy last October) and I had as of then to wash it. While this does sound questionable and a bit disgusting, it wasn’t like I exercised rigorously and soaked it in sweat. Nevertheless, I began to notice a very slight, but somewhat odd, odor arising from the recesses of the cotton. I figured it could use a dip in some soapy water. I was apprehensive because of the fact it is made from 100 percent cotton. My least desire (well, one of them) was for it to shrink beyond wear and I would be left cold and alone in a world devoid of my brown jacket. As I have stated, I would be incomplete. Then I was rescued by Felicity, who claimed she had the power to wash it without losing its present size. And lo and behold! it was returned to me later that evening and, after slowly and carefully slipping it on, I found that it was exactly the same as before, except that it now smelled faintly like laundry detergent. And I was happy.
Wednesday night worship (which was the first we have had opportunity to have since we’ve been here) was held here at the apartments, so many of the members of the Cleveland congregation came here. I was, for some reason, asked to lead singing. I have never led singing before in my life, and starting songs in BOA (Brothers of Accountability was an accountability group Caleb and Daniel Meeks and I started at Harding every Friday night in Caleb’s and my dorm room) doesn’t really count. It’s harder than it looks. I always think I sound horrible and I know my voice is going to pull a puberty and squeak on me. We guys watched The Return of the Jedi after church.

I led singing the next day (the 14th) in chapel. I forgot how one song started, but I suppose that was the worst thing that happened. We had another great class session in Missionary Anthropology. It centered on faith and what it means, as well as ethnocentrism. A few minutes into Australian Civ., Rich’s cell phone rang. Heather’s contractions were ten minutes apart and painful. He hung up and said, “I gotta go. Class dismissed.” He then walked out, leaving behind his computer and books and projector. I went for a phone and wrestled with William, Annie, and Shelby for a few minutes. I sat in the Common Room a few minutes later when I heard three voices from outside chirping my name. I walked out on the balcony and saw Rich’s parents and the kids standing on the pathway.
“The baby’s here!” Annie said excitedly.
“The baby’s here!” added Shelby enthusiastically.
“Hey Jonathan!” called William.
“Yeah punk?”
“The baby’s here!”
Rich and Heather had left only a little over an hour ago and, after two pushes (so I was told), little Claire Little was born. Mr. Ray and Ms. Pam were smiling, so I assumed she was healthy.
After dinner Katie, Darren, Heidi, Felicity, Morgan, and I went out for a walk to a little restaurant on the river where jazz music was played nightly. We arrived too late to deem it worth buying a ticket in, but we had an enjoyable time afterwards walking along a portion of sandy beach beneath the Story Bridge. Somehow, the conversation led to religious topics and some very strong disagreements surfaced. I was saddened and upset by some of the opinions shared, but I led a prayer afterwards and we all walked away still friends and with (hopefully) high opinions of one another still intact. That’s important. After returning to the apartments, we watched Robin Hood, and by that I mean the classic Disney version. That was a breath of fresh air. And I was happy. I spent a little bit of time afterwards talking to Felicity, expounding on some things I had said in the conversation. Hopefully I clarified some things and made what I said more understandable. She admitted she hadn’t thought about a lot of it before, but she seemed to at least be thinking about them then. Even if I’m wrong about things (which I know I am), I hope something I say to someone will spark a new thought or open a new way of thinking in someone’s mind.

I was tired this morning. We had no classes, though it wasn’t because of the new baby. We were going to the Australia Zoo. We left on the bus at 8 and drove approximately an hour. I slept the whole way. Flowers had been laid around the gate and drawings done by local school children were propped up in different places as a tribute to Steve Irwin, as well as pictures of the Crocodile Hunter. It made me sad. We were given maps of the zoo and set loose. I wandered off by myself for quite awhile. For most of the time there was a light rain. It was a very impressive zoo. I went straight for the crocodiles. Ever since I was little, I have been a huge fan of these reptiles. There’s something majestic about them, and something mythical. They are reminiscent of dinosaurs and dragons. I pretty much think they’re the coolest animals on the planet. And this zoo had a large quantity of them. And some of them were very large. They are pretty intimidating creatures. They kept smiling at me. Needless to say, I took a lot of pictures. I made my way all around the zoo. I must make a correction to a statement I made about the Lone Pine visit: the Eastern Brown is not the most poisonous snake on the planet. It’s the second most poisonous snake on the planet, which is still fairly poisonous. I also saw a trainer snuggling with a tiger and a bunch of camels. Here’s an interesting piece of trivia: there are over 100,000 camels in Australia and the Middle East actually imports camels from Australia. Weird.
At 11:30, we all gathered in the Crocoseum, which can seat 5,000. Racks of t-shirts signed in homage to Steve Irwin lined the corridors. A snake show came first. The reticulating pythons were really big. This followed by a bird show and then came the real deal. A gate was opened and a thirteen-foot saltwater crocodile came swimming into the elongated pool of the arena. Its name was Monty, and he was the first croc captured by Steve Irwin for the zoo. These trainers were amazing as they slapped the water with pieces of meat, this gigantic beast slowly moving towards them. It would then lunge from the water, opening its menacingly powerful jaws and snap at the guys standing nearby. It was an incredible sight to see as these Aussies skillfully interacted with the reptile. I was very impressed by the show. Perhaps that’s something I should look into.

September 16th, 2006 Bridgewater Apartments, Brisbane, Australia
I was unable to finish typing last night, because Derek and Will liked to pretend my faint tapping at the keyboard was keeping them awake, although they were watching a movie half the time and then immediately proceeded to act peeved by my “noise.” And yet they sleep with the door open with the nights of the city and the birds coming in and Will has a slight tendency to snore. Interesting.
Anywho… after the show ended we went towards the exit, stopping in one of the many gift shops. I picked up a few things, including a little toy crocodile that squeaks when you squeeze him for William, who basically resorted to begging. I may regret the decision later, considering it makes a noise like a chipmunk. But I’m glad he enjoyed it. And it was cheap.
We then drove into the Blackall Mountain Range where we had a delicious barbecue lunch at an open-air restaurant. The view was incredible. The valleys rolled away from us in greens and light browns. In the distance rose nine peaks, a striking vision in the midst of the flatness around it. These were the Glasshouse Mountains, named by Captain James Cook, thinking they resembled the glass furnaces of his home in Yorkshire, England. I didn’t exactly see that, but whatever floats his boat (ha…..Captain Cook, boat…anyway). They are the remains of the core of an extinct volcano thousands of years old. As I looked at them I immediately thought of Meteora in Greece. Though perhaps not as beautiful or arresting, they were still both of these adjectives. From there we went to Montville Village. First settled in 1887 by citrus growers, it has become a very lovely village of restaurants, timber churches, potteries, galleries, and antique shops. We spent a little less than an hour walking around. William jumped on my shoulders and we set out on our own. We found a little Scottish and Irish shop, which had pictures of the MacRae castle. We also visited a woodworking shop and an African store. As we walked, William asked me if I wanted to come and see Claire later that evening. I told him I might, but I didn’t want to disturb the family, because I know they’d want to rest.
“Well, you sood see huh (if you really need a translations: “You should see her.”),” he said, “Cause we’re gonna keep that baby.” He then said, “Am I heaviuh?” I told him not really. He added, “Cause I’m a big bwudduh now.”
We then drove back to Brisbane, and I attempted to sleep. I ran as soon as we got back. I stopped by the Little’s apartment on the way back inside so I could say hello. Claire is a beautiful little girl with a head of black hair. The Little family isn’t really so little.
Darren, Katie, Felicity, and I went across the river for dinner. Since it was Friday night, the city was pretty lively. In such a laidback culture, I found it interesting that everyone seems to wear suits. My idea of dressing up is putting on my pants first. There was a kebab restaurant on the way to where we shop. And it was good. I’m an advocate of schwarma. We then walked around for awhile, ending up at a Borders. Bookstores are some of my favorite manmade places. If ever I write a book about my life, I think I’ll call it Castles, Cathedrals, Bookstores, and Airports. I thought about buying a book entitled Dune, which is regarded as The Lord of the Rings of science fiction. However, the paperback was expensive, and I didn’t feel like spending $20. On the way back, there were quite a few drunks standing outside clubs, stumbling around. Not only was I thinking, “You’re an absolute idiot for drinking that much,” but also, “It’s not even 9 o’clock yet.” We then returned to Wharf Street where we watched A Goofy Movie. The simple things in life can be so enriching.

I woke up this morning at 10:15. I spent the morning reading for Sociology and Psychology and did a little bit of research for my presentation on aborigines for International Studies. A couple of people came into the Common Room and starting watching a comedy called Benchwarmers. I was sucked in. My brother was right: it’s pretty darn funny. As soon as the movie was over and my laundry was done, I grabbed my backpack and went into the city on this fine rainy day. I love being myself and exploring. It’s a cool feeling walking through a big city. I went to the store for groceries and then headed back. It wasn’t an extremely long trip, but it was good to get out.
I’m not exactly sure what all the plans are this evening. I’ve been invited to dinner once again. Free food is always good. I need to do a little more homework. But, as the Australians say, “No worries.” I doubt, however, that means I can get away without doing the homework.