Audiobooks and Itineraries

In a world of ipods, wiis, and blue ray discs, I never thought I would be using a cassette player again, but here I am, listening to a book on tape using quite the archaic piece of technology. I am listening to In a Sunburned Country by (somewhat) humorous travel writer Bill Bryson. 

(Image source here)

Seven tapes, more than seven hours of audio. Upon ordering this book from interlibrary loan, I expected a compact disc to say the least..surprisingly, however, the tapes have been great for car rides and even at home during downtime. In fact, I tune in as I write this post. It's a good mix of history, modern culture, ecology etc. Though to be honest, it's making me a little leery due to all of his talk of poisonous creatures..good thing my mom isn't listening..


For those of you who don't know, I am enrolled in the School for International Training (SIT)'s Sustainability and Environmental Action program. It is a field studies based program for which I won't be learning in a conventional classroom setting but rather, we'll be moving around a lot and engaging with guest lecturers. 


So I thought I'd post my program itinerary to give you all a better idea of where I'll be traveling:

• Feb 1 – Feb 8 Program orientation, Brisbane, Byron Bay & Seven Mile Beach (camping I believe..)
• Feb 9 – Feb 16 Sustainability and Environmental Action (SEA) Seminar and Field Studies Seminar (FSS), Byron Bay
• Feb 17-20 SEA Seminar field study: Urban sustainability, Melbourne
• Feb 21-28 SEA Seminar field study: natural environment, tourism, forestry, 
• hydroelectric power, mining, National Park management, Tasmania
• Feb 29 - Mar 2 SEA Seminar field study: Urban sustainability, Sydney
• Mar 3 - Mar 18 SEA Seminar & FSS with concurrent homestay in Lismore
• Mar 19 - Mar 22 SEA Seminar field study: Aboriginal culture and relationship to land, Bundjalung country, northern New South Wales
• Mar 23 – April 4 Sustainability and Environmental Action (SEA) Seminar and Field Studies Seminar (FSS), Independent Study Project (ISP) preparation, Byron Bay
• April 5 – May 9 Independent Study Project
• May 10 – May 14 ISP Presentations & Program evaluation, Lennox Head
• May 15 End of scheduled program

I am staying a week after the end-date to travel around. Hopefully I'll make it up north  to the Great Barrier Reef! Having done a brief oral presentation on the environmental and human threats to the GBF for my Coastal Geology and Environmental Oceanography class last semester, I am eager to see it first hand.