Tag: Australia/Oceania

By gopro camera

One day, I decided to wear the GoPro on my head to record my friend and my self surfing on a local beach. While paddling through waves crashed down of me, I held on to the GoPro tight. We soon passed the waves and swam a football field out in the open water. And as we passed through a second break with waves topping eight-feet above my head, the most beautiful sunset I had seen that semester illuminated pink, purple, and orange over the Gold Coast’s Skyline, the waves, and our boards. Of course, I saved every moment with my GoPro.

Once back on shore, my friend said “Hey, Jesse give me the GoPro, we’ll record the waves crashing into us as we stand in front them.”

Hesitantly I responded, “Okay fine. Just make to wrap the head strap tightly around your wrist.”

“Yeah man, of course.”

Five minutes later, I saw him holding my “GoPro with just two fingers as waves crashed in. Two minutes later I saw his two fingers but no GoPro and then him running his hands frantically through the water. We ended up searching for my GoPro in the light-less waves for an hour without any luck. My eyes soon began to water.

He could replace the GoPro but not the memories that it contained. That GoPro not only contained footage of the sunset but also the only footage of a camping trip I went on the previous trip, which was one of my life’s favorite adventures. The next day, I went scuba diving with nine-foot manta rays, six-foot sharks, squid, spanish dancers, and a variety of fish. I was unable to capture the moment without the GoPro.

I was pissed. Not so much at him for carelessly holding another person’s GoPro over the ocean, but more at myself for letting him do something so foolish. I now had no tangible memory of my most prized memories of the semester.

My friend soon realized that his GoPro, which was broken, was still on warranty. We went in to exchange his GoPro for a new one, which he would then give to me. However since the store didn’t have the model I had purchased, it let us exchange the GoPro for the newest model.

I was then able to use this new GoPro to record my trip to New Zealand and filmed everything in top-notch quality. This was lucky, because my lost GoPro was starting to deteriorate after so much use, and its filming quality was beginning to get worse and worse. My New Zealand footage and all other future footage would not have been and will not be as nearly as good as the footage that was filmed with the new GoPro.

And my friend would never had thought to check the warranty on his GoPro if he hand’t lost mine, so he would not have had a working GoPro either way.

So despite my initial sadness, it all kinda worked out in the end.

My previous blog posts have discussed my identity and how my identity effects my future. I chose this story, because it reminds me if times get rough, good times will always be around the corner. And they end up coming around, I plan on recording it with a GoPro.

By jesse allan gurney

In my original post, I wrote that identified myself by the places in which I have grown: Vermont and in DC. Vermont has influenced my identity by endowing me with a strong moral compass and an appreciation for living life outside school and the office. DC on the other hand, has given my identity with a desire to work hard for a meaningful career. These dueling identities come into conflict, when I think about my future. After college, Vermont ideals hopes I will be able to identify as a person who lives life outside the office, while my DC side knows that I will find true life-satisfaction in a meaningful and challenging career.

During my time in Australia, I reflected on these identity-influencers and my post-graduation life, and it has both polarized and smoothed my internal debate. ...continue reading "Abroad Influencies on Identity"

While Australia has not challenged my identity as a white male, it has supported my identity by helping me learn about other identities and gender barriers. I am currently enrolled in a course called Gender Communication, which explores not only the societal effects on the differences between gender but also on queer and non-binary genders such as lesbian, transexual, and gender fluid (individuals who are sometimes attracted to males and sometimes attracted to females). The class teaches how to society unfairly treats discriminates against these individuals, and by taking the class I have learned how to contribute to safer environments for all. The same class has also discussed the differences between male and female communication techniques, and it has taught me how to more effectively mediate and resolve conflict with both male. female, and diverse gender groups. By learning how about non-binary genders and gender communication, I feel that my identity has not only been supported but that I have also become better member of society. ...continue reading "A Course on Identity"

By jesse allan gurney

At GWU, life feels very career orientated. Most students have one or two internships on top of a full course work load. Many, including myself, seem to be finding satisfaction and worth through advancing their career. However at Bond Uni, life feels more life orientated. While many Aussie students have had internships, they have them when school’s not in session. This  allows them more free time and appears to help them enjoy the moment and life as it passes. If the cultural difference was Will Ferrel’s bedroom in Stepbrothers, American rooms have two separate beds to better rest up for their interviews whereas Aussie’s make bunk beds to have more room for activities. I hope to find a balance of the two, but I have no idea how the beds are going to stack up.

...continue reading "Life Oriented"

How do you identify yourself and why?

As a straight, white male, I have never had to identify before. It feels to weird for me to discuss my identify at all. I have never had to, because others see me and accurately assume my identity. I have never had a need to correct someone on my sexuality or race. My identity can be better understood from my counterbalancing rural upbringing and urban college experience, which have impacted my life far more than my race, sexuality, or gender. My rural upbringing has embedded me with a moral compass: treating everyone respectfully, valueing happiness over money, and appreciating the importance of self-expression through art. These three rural-Vermont values will lead me until my death. Then I moved to DC for college, and it taught me something I failed to learn from Vermont: how to be successful. While I value happiness over money, I still hope for a flourishing career. In DC, I learned how move my career forward the practicality rather than ideals. As a result, my Vermont-ideals are my road, and my DC-realism is my car. With both together, I am sure that I will get to where I hope to go.

Is your background a source of pride, confusion, discomfort or something else? ...continue reading "Identity"