The thing I always loved most about my hometown in Oregon was the thunderstorms. The temperature during the day would soar above 100 degrees and would remind me of how much I hated the heat. But then the entire sky would go orange and hazy and the world seemed to become electrified. The sky would crack with thunder, followed by a blinding flash of lightening and finally a downpour of fat raindrops. Mother Nature would put humans to shame with the fury she unleashed and during these wicked thunderstorms I could never stop smiling. When I moved to Seattle, I found myself really missing the storms that were legendary in my hometown. And although Seattle is known for its amounts of rain, the thunderstorms are few and far between and tend to be somewhat weak when they do make an appearance. It’s amazing how if you make an effort to put something out of your mind you can almost convince yourself that you don’t miss it anymore; that is, until you’re reminded of how much you once loved it. I never thought that being in Australia would remind me of how deeply I love thunderstorms, but here I sit, on a continent that is known for white sandy beaches and amazing pristine waters, listening to the thunder rumble so loudly I can almost feel it. I have now been in Australia for one week and one day and it has been a whirlwind that feels more like a year and a day. The day after I landed in Melbourne, I drove to Sydney (about a 10 hour drive) with my roommate, Georgia, and delivered supplies to Sea Shepherd’s ship, the Bob Barker. This was my first time seeing this vessel and I was happy to see many familiar faces aboard, including my cabinmate from the Steve Irwin. It was a fantastic day of reunion complete with near-constant laughing and reminiscing. I’ve always struggled to find a place where I feel I truly belong and even amongst my own family I feel out of place, but here, surrounded by these amazing and passionate ocean activists, I feel at home. After our departure from Sydney, Georgia and I drove back to Melbourne along the coast. We slept in the back of the van and did everything from petting a wallaby to jumping on a giant jump pillow (much like a jump castle, just in pillow form). The very first kangaroo I saw was dead on the side of the road. As was the second one and the third, fourth, etc. When we arrived back in Melbourne we were instantly overwhelmed with the final preparations for a big Sea Shepherd event that Captain Watson was speaking at. Merch was counted. Badges were made. Auction items were sorted. Like usual, Paul’s speech awed the crowd and the event was a success. And what Sea Shepherd event would be complete without some douche saying that all the Japanese deserve to die? To all my fellow Floater fans reading this, it’s much like being at a show and having some drunken idiot start screaming at the band to play Danny Boy… it just makes that person look like a dumb ass groupie who only knows the lyrics to one song. So as this woman at the event was handing over her credit card for a one hundred dollar donation, she says to me that when she wins the lottery she’s going to go to Japan and “murder all of those cocks and cunts” (apologies to my American friends for dropping the C-bomb but a quote is a quote). I see many, many wrong things in this statement but what most people who say shit like this don’t realize is that #1: my brother was murdered and it’s just not cool to say you’re going to murder someone and #2: I lived in Japan for four months and have never been more impressed by any country. Yes, they kill whales and dolphins but what most people don’t realize is that the United States is also a whaling country. Canada clubs seals. Australia is fishing the southern bluefin tuna to extinction at a rate faster than the northern bluefin tuna is being fished. Bottom line: it’s not one individual country that is raping our planet…it’s the human race that is destroying the beautiful earth and if this woman truly cared about the cause and had done her research then she would realize that a number of the Sea Shepherd volunteers are Japanese. The ignorance of mankind truly sickens me. So with that rant out of the way…my plan now is to spend the summer (enjoy winter, USA!) working at an eco resort on one of the islands in the Barrier Reef. After I’ve stashed some cash away I will spend the rest of my time in Oz focusing on my conservation and activism. Once my allotted year has run out…well, who knows…that’s a year away:)