A post by Larry Horton

Today I woke up to the sound of birds chirping. This is significant for several reasons. You know those exotic tropical bird sounds you see in jungle scenes of movies. There is one in particular that is pretty much the standard for exotic bird sounds in jungle movie settings. It's a long drawn out bird call that changes tones and speeds throughout. That is the Kookaburra. Here's a video of what it sounds like to wake up in Murwillumba or Grafton:

I'm also very much appreciating life outside of the big city. People don't lock their doors here. The windows are open all night and the slightly humid air is wonderful to wake up to. I don't have that luxury in Phoenix.

And along that same note, I saw the Southern Cross in the beautifully lit up night sky of Coomera on Saturday. The clouds finally broke and revealed the most gorgeous site in the sky. It was so fitting when Bronwyn, my host family mother, saw a shooting star blaze across the sky as she pointed out the details of the Milky Way only for it to be followed by another shooting star for me.

More things to add to my list that I won't see in America.