Two finals down! Thank goodness. Now the only thing standing between me and the end of this semester is one paper and one more exam. Simple stuff! Just lots of studying to do for that exam, a ton of info to remember! That should be no bueno, but I'm willing to do it to keep up my good marks.
And I think my other incentive is the fact that I booked some wonderful travels last night with the girlies! And we leave on friday! Definitely going to be an amazing trip. Three nights in Melbourne, three in Sydney, and three in Adelaide. Feel free to google maps that! Quite the flight pattern, but at incredibly cheap prices. We also managed to score some very cheap hostel prices as well! Now all we need to do is stick with ridiculously cheap food, and I'd say we did pretty well in planning a 10 day trip! Impressive, at least.
I find myself hoping that visits to these three incredibly different cities will help to open my eyes to more of what Australia has to offer. It's impossible for the entire country to be as boring (sometimes) as where I'm living, or as Americanized. I came abroad again to escape America and experience something new! Some new culture that would amaze me with every turn of my head. So far, not quite finding that. Praying I get to find it in the next week. All I've heard about Melbourne is that "Jess, you will love it" which excites me. Sounds like my kind of place! And Sydney, well you can't come to Australia without going to Sydney. That would be like going to New York City and not going to Time Square, or going to Egypt and not seeing the Pyramids. I don't know too much about Adelaide, but I've been assigned by my partners-in-crime to investigate it! Ha ha. Sunniva, Kristen, Kaitlin and I begin the journey late friday night the 6th and return to the Gold Coast on the 15th. I'll be sure to fill in all of the details once I return, unless I can squeeze in a quick update at a hostel internet cafe.
All of that aside, I found out some very sad news the other day. The lecturer for my film class, one of my most favorite teachers I have ever had the pleasure of knowing, always misses class or his office hours. He never told us it was anything but for "personal reasons", occasionally saying he was sick. But I managed to find out that he is actually suffering through his second round of Leukemia. I guess he had it once before, but now it's back. I'm deeply saddened for him! My thoughts are with you, Scott! God speed.
Cheers
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Beautiful Sunday Morning Update
Time could not be moving faster if I wanted it to! The semester ends in three weeks time, and then everyone will go their separate ways into the world. This week will definitely be the most stressful of all for me, which I'm not looking forward to. Just hoping everything goes smoothly! I've got two finals, one monday, one tuesday, and a paper due. Plus a few minor homework assignments and studying for another final. And I've got to do it all by thursday at the latest! Me and girlies are leaving for Melbourne on Thursday night for a few days, then to Sydney for a few more days. I must say that I'm most excited for these trips because I've been itching to see a new city for quite some time now.
Nothing else really going on as of right now though... This past week went super fast, and I really think it's only because I've actually been well enough and strong enough to go back to classes. That was an adventure! I feel so far behind, yet at the same time I don't have much to do in order to catch up. I guess just attendance reasons make me feel like I'm missing out so much. But oh well! It'll all be over soon, and hopefully I'll get to feeling better before I have to start the next round of classes.
I had to go to a counseling session this past week in order to get extensions on some of my assignments. Basically, if you can plea your case, they'll give you the extensions for all classes/tests/assignments etc. I really had no interest in talking about other things, but they make you fill out a questionnaire beforehand where you essentially rate aspects of your life on a scale of 1 to 10. Well, I'm not one to lie, so I was as honest as I could be. Little did I know that we were going to discuss the things that had been rated poorly! It wasn't part of the original reason for going, but she suggested that it couldn't hurt to speak about it. And now, I must say, I have had quite a good head on my shoulders the past 48 hours. I'm highly enjoying it! Let's hope it keeps up.
So here I'm sitting, drinking a wonderful cup of English Breakfast Tea, contemplating my life. Again. Nothing new on those lines. There is just too much to do and too much to see, I really need to start cramming it all in. Truly live life to the fullest! And that's what I'm going to do. Starting with trying something new every chance I get. I find that inspirational quotes really do hit home for me sometimes, so I'm definitely going to start living by those as well.
Cheers to life!
Nothing else really going on as of right now though... This past week went super fast, and I really think it's only because I've actually been well enough and strong enough to go back to classes. That was an adventure! I feel so far behind, yet at the same time I don't have much to do in order to catch up. I guess just attendance reasons make me feel like I'm missing out so much. But oh well! It'll all be over soon, and hopefully I'll get to feeling better before I have to start the next round of classes.
I had to go to a counseling session this past week in order to get extensions on some of my assignments. Basically, if you can plea your case, they'll give you the extensions for all classes/tests/assignments etc. I really had no interest in talking about other things, but they make you fill out a questionnaire beforehand where you essentially rate aspects of your life on a scale of 1 to 10. Well, I'm not one to lie, so I was as honest as I could be. Little did I know that we were going to discuss the things that had been rated poorly! It wasn't part of the original reason for going, but she suggested that it couldn't hurt to speak about it. And now, I must say, I have had quite a good head on my shoulders the past 48 hours. I'm highly enjoying it! Let's hope it keeps up.
So here I'm sitting, drinking a wonderful cup of English Breakfast Tea, contemplating my life. Again. Nothing new on those lines. There is just too much to do and too much to see, I really need to start cramming it all in. Truly live life to the fullest! And that's what I'm going to do. Starting with trying something new every chance I get. I find that inspirational quotes really do hit home for me sometimes, so I'm definitely going to start living by those as well.
Cheers to life!
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
The trip to Slicker's Riding Ranch this past weekend was more than I could have ever asked for. After meeting the rest of the group at 6.30 am Saturday morning, we headed out to the Sunshine Coast. It took us about 2.5 hours and a stop at McDonalds for coffee to get there, but everyone loves road trips! Once we arrived, I immediately knew it was going to be a good weekend. We had to wait around for a bit to get all of the horses saddled up and ready, as there was about 11 of us from Bond, then about 25 or 30 others there. Each person was matched with a horse based on number of times on a horse, weight, and height. That's how they do it at these places, I guess. I'm sure I've been on a horse more times than I could count, but I know I'm not advanced. Plus I wanted to stick with my friend Kaitlin, who had never even touched a horse before ha ha.
Therefore, I was paired with a horse that wasn't a beginner horse, because there were too many beginners and not enough horses. I found myself on top of a fiesty Redhead, rightfully named Redman. He normally leads the experienced group, so walking for 6 hours in one day was not necessarily his cup of tea. But we managed! We rode for about 3 hours up and down mountains, through rivers, over valleys and rock croppings, to find ourselves at a Winery, which is considered a hidden gem. It was the most beautiful ride I have ever been on! We had a glorious lunch, then headed back to the ranch. We were all so dead tired that we didn't do much that night but stuff our faces with pizza and junk food and sleep.
The next morning, I switched horses with another girl who wanted a faster one for the experienced ride. I took her horse, Sonny, and we headed out for a four hour property ride around the 3500 acre ranch. It was such a good ride!! We went through bigger river crossings and more hills that day, but it was equally as fantastic. The feeling of running a horse up an incredibly steep hill is something else..definitely an experience I'll need to do again. It was a perfect weekend! I'm still pretty tired, and sore as all get out. But that's alright.
Sunday night was the series finale of Master Chef Australia, which I have been following since the beginning. Therefore, I became addicted! It was the most exciting episode, even though my first choice for the winner didn't win. But it was still fun to be apart of it! It's the highest grossing television show in the history of Australian television. Pretty exciting! Ha ha the simple things in life.
I've actually managed to get to classes this week so far, which is refreshing. Getting out of the house for something as simple as classes is so nice. I also met up with a group of 12 or so people and went to $8 movie mondays to see Inception. Words cannot describe the brilliance that is this movie. I had already decided that I needed to see it again ten minutes into it! Otherwise, I've just been hanging around the house and around campus this week. It's been raining cats and dogs for the past three days! Pouring like no other, which is no bueno because I have no umbrella and walking to campus is, well, outdoors. Ha!
Planning for the beach this weekend. The weather is really starting to warm up, minus the rain! We're also going to visit a place called the Carerra Markets, which is essentially a flea market of sorts. Let's see how that goes! Only two weeks of classes left! Then a week off to travel to Sydney and Melbourne, then finals week. I only have one final, and so do most of my friends, so I'm pretty sure we'll be traveling around that week as well. Not sure where to go yet! We'll have to figure that all out pretty soon. And then it's three weeks off until classes start again haha. It never ends!
Cheers!
Therefore, I was paired with a horse that wasn't a beginner horse, because there were too many beginners and not enough horses. I found myself on top of a fiesty Redhead, rightfully named Redman. He normally leads the experienced group, so walking for 6 hours in one day was not necessarily his cup of tea. But we managed! We rode for about 3 hours up and down mountains, through rivers, over valleys and rock croppings, to find ourselves at a Winery, which is considered a hidden gem. It was the most beautiful ride I have ever been on! We had a glorious lunch, then headed back to the ranch. We were all so dead tired that we didn't do much that night but stuff our faces with pizza and junk food and sleep.
The next morning, I switched horses with another girl who wanted a faster one for the experienced ride. I took her horse, Sonny, and we headed out for a four hour property ride around the 3500 acre ranch. It was such a good ride!! We went through bigger river crossings and more hills that day, but it was equally as fantastic. The feeling of running a horse up an incredibly steep hill is something else..definitely an experience I'll need to do again. It was a perfect weekend! I'm still pretty tired, and sore as all get out. But that's alright.
Sunday night was the series finale of Master Chef Australia, which I have been following since the beginning. Therefore, I became addicted! It was the most exciting episode, even though my first choice for the winner didn't win. But it was still fun to be apart of it! It's the highest grossing television show in the history of Australian television. Pretty exciting! Ha ha the simple things in life.
I've actually managed to get to classes this week so far, which is refreshing. Getting out of the house for something as simple as classes is so nice. I also met up with a group of 12 or so people and went to $8 movie mondays to see Inception. Words cannot describe the brilliance that is this movie. I had already decided that I needed to see it again ten minutes into it! Otherwise, I've just been hanging around the house and around campus this week. It's been raining cats and dogs for the past three days! Pouring like no other, which is no bueno because I have no umbrella and walking to campus is, well, outdoors. Ha!
Planning for the beach this weekend. The weather is really starting to warm up, minus the rain! We're also going to visit a place called the Carerra Markets, which is essentially a flea market of sorts. Let's see how that goes! Only two weeks of classes left! Then a week off to travel to Sydney and Melbourne, then finals week. I only have one final, and so do most of my friends, so I'm pretty sure we'll be traveling around that week as well. Not sure where to go yet! We'll have to figure that all out pretty soon. And then it's three weeks off until classes start again haha. It never ends!
Cheers!
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Time Moves Quickly
It's hard to imagine that I've been sick for three weeks already, but when I've been sleeping most of the days away, I guess it makes sense. But at least I'm able to eat some solid foods now! Enjoyed a quesadilla the other day that was quite delicious, although it tasted nothing like Mexican food ha ha.
Haven't really done much of anything this week. Been watching this show Master Chef Australia, and it's finals week. Someone gets eliminated every night! I'm so addicted, I must know who wins! That's been about it, really. That and sleeping and watching movies. I went to a place called Teriyaki Mate yesterday with Sunniva and we had the BEST dessert of my life. Banana tempura, which is essentially a caramelized banana with ice cream and caramel sauce. AH! So fantastically delicious. We've decided to go there once a week just for dessert ha ha. Pathetic, really. Guess I just take after my Granny that way!
I've just noticed how most of this post is about food. Well, I guess that's what happens when you've been deprived of it for nearly two weeks =)
Went out to see a movie last night, which was nice. I haven't been out to the Cinema since March! And goodness knows that's one of my favorite things to do. However, when it costs $16 dollars for one movie, I can now understand why we haven't gone out much. Missing Elvis Cinemas just about now! We went out to meet the bus at 12:14, but we had about half an hour to kill. Epic photography shoot, let me just tell you. However, the bus never came, and that's because we looked at the weekend schedule, not the weekday schedule. HA! Hello taxi ride.
Got into a bit of an argument with one of my roomies yesterday, so that was pleasant. Selfishness is quickly becoming one of my least favorite traits in a person. More and more everyday! It amazes me how people can act that way and think it's okay. Or perhaps they don't realize how incredibly rude and wrong they are. Oh well! Such is life. Somethings will never change.
Headed to what I'm sure will be my favorite trip of the summer this weekend! Horseback riding on a 3500 acre ranch. Bring on the smiles and memories!
Cheers!
Haven't really done much of anything this week. Been watching this show Master Chef Australia, and it's finals week. Someone gets eliminated every night! I'm so addicted, I must know who wins! That's been about it, really. That and sleeping and watching movies. I went to a place called Teriyaki Mate yesterday with Sunniva and we had the BEST dessert of my life. Banana tempura, which is essentially a caramelized banana with ice cream and caramel sauce. AH! So fantastically delicious. We've decided to go there once a week just for dessert ha ha. Pathetic, really. Guess I just take after my Granny that way!
I've just noticed how most of this post is about food. Well, I guess that's what happens when you've been deprived of it for nearly two weeks =)
Went out to see a movie last night, which was nice. I haven't been out to the Cinema since March! And goodness knows that's one of my favorite things to do. However, when it costs $16 dollars for one movie, I can now understand why we haven't gone out much. Missing Elvis Cinemas just about now! We went out to meet the bus at 12:14, but we had about half an hour to kill. Epic photography shoot, let me just tell you. However, the bus never came, and that's because we looked at the weekend schedule, not the weekday schedule. HA! Hello taxi ride.
Got into a bit of an argument with one of my roomies yesterday, so that was pleasant. Selfishness is quickly becoming one of my least favorite traits in a person. More and more everyday! It amazes me how people can act that way and think it's okay. Or perhaps they don't realize how incredibly rude and wrong they are. Oh well! Such is life. Somethings will never change.
Headed to what I'm sure will be my favorite trip of the summer this weekend! Horseback riding on a 3500 acre ranch. Bring on the smiles and memories!
Cheers!
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Dolphins, Gelato, and a Taxi Ride
Still feeling pretty under the weather, but I thought that a bit of fresh air and a stroll along a beautiful coast line would help me out. And it did! Kaitlin, Sunniva, and I headed south to Rainbow Bay yesterday to enjoy the scenery and the beautiful weather. It was the most gorgeous stretch of coastline I've seen yet! The trees were typical palm trees, laying next to clean cut black rocks, with crystal clear water splashing over everything! And there were surfers everywhere. It was unbelievable. We walked on a path that hooked around the end of the bay, then up a steep hill to the main lookout point. Beautiful! And the city of Coolangatta was beautiful as well. Seeing all of that was just what the doctor ordered.
We headed down the other side of the bay, around the beach again, and found a rocky pier that had some vicious waves crashing into it every few seconds. It was so loud! But again, amazing. We walked out as far as we could without getting soaked and took some fantastic photos. There was a bunch of kids on boogie boards out in the vicious waves, riding them until they crashed into the receding water. It was hilarious! It was as if the whole purpose of being out there was to be drop kicked by the waves. So long as no one got thrown into a rock, it looked like tons of fun. And watching it was highly entertaining.
There was another outlook, so we hiked up the steep path to that as well. While we were looking out at the horizon, some guy started shouting about a pod of dolphins and a few whales playing in the waves. We ran over to where he pointed, eager to see some real marine life. Well, we never saw the whales, but we did see a pod of dolphins! They were jumping in and out of the waves, about five or six of them, and because the water was so clear we could see them even underwater. We watched them while the circled the entire lookout, then continued down the coast. It was too cool. The highlight of the last few weeks, that's for sure! That's definitely not something we can see in Colorado ha ha. After a quick break in the shade and out of the vicious wind, we headed back to the main street. We found a store that sold food in bulk, so we stocked up on some dried fruits, nuts, and chocolate covered goodies and headed to the bus stop.
Last night everyone was going out for dinner and drinks to celebrate Chris' 21st birthday. I felt like death after all of that walking, but I decided I could at least go for dinner. Not that I could eat anything, but being there would mean something to Chris. We found ourselves at the Hog's Breath Cafe in Broadbeach, which is a pretty popular chain down here. We didn't realize it was an attempt at an American restaurant until we noticed all of the license plates on the walls, one from each State, among other American-esk things. It was cool! I had decided that swallowing wasn't so painful at the moment, thanks to extra strength tylenol times 3, so I ordered a quesadilla. Well, it didn't taste anything like mexican food, but it was delicious! And I could actually eat it. My throat felt rather raw afterwards, but it was worth it. My first solid meal in more than a week. How thrilling.
Everyone was going to a club called East afterwards, but I had no interest in that. All I wanted was to sleep! My bed was calling, and I could no longer ignore the comfort it offered. With the tickets everyone had to get into East, they would receive a free drink. Kaitlin wanted her free drink, but then wanted to leave after that. So I agreed to wait outside for her. At this point, my throat was protesting my early decision to eat solid food, so I found some gelato and sat outside at a little table, playing games on my ipod. I only had to wait about twenty minutes, and it was worth it because riding the bus alone at night is scary. She and I wandered over to the bus stop, only to find we had just missed the bus by five minutes. At this point in the night, the buses only come once an hour. Last night was particularly cold for Australia, we were both dead tired, and I just wanted to be home. So I said screw that to waiting for an hour and decided to take a taxi. Cost me $15 bucks, but I didn't care ha ha.
Once I got to the warmth of my bed, I took some nyquil, hoping for some legitimate sleep. Needless to say, that didn't happen as well as I would have hoped. I'm wicked tired this morning, and my throat is screaming at me. The plan for today? Nothing of any productivity. Sleep, liquids, movies, that sort of thing. Ugh can't I just be better already?!
Cheers!
We headed down the other side of the bay, around the beach again, and found a rocky pier that had some vicious waves crashing into it every few seconds. It was so loud! But again, amazing. We walked out as far as we could without getting soaked and took some fantastic photos. There was a bunch of kids on boogie boards out in the vicious waves, riding them until they crashed into the receding water. It was hilarious! It was as if the whole purpose of being out there was to be drop kicked by the waves. So long as no one got thrown into a rock, it looked like tons of fun. And watching it was highly entertaining.
There was another outlook, so we hiked up the steep path to that as well. While we were looking out at the horizon, some guy started shouting about a pod of dolphins and a few whales playing in the waves. We ran over to where he pointed, eager to see some real marine life. Well, we never saw the whales, but we did see a pod of dolphins! They were jumping in and out of the waves, about five or six of them, and because the water was so clear we could see them even underwater. We watched them while the circled the entire lookout, then continued down the coast. It was too cool. The highlight of the last few weeks, that's for sure! That's definitely not something we can see in Colorado ha ha. After a quick break in the shade and out of the vicious wind, we headed back to the main street. We found a store that sold food in bulk, so we stocked up on some dried fruits, nuts, and chocolate covered goodies and headed to the bus stop.
Last night everyone was going out for dinner and drinks to celebrate Chris' 21st birthday. I felt like death after all of that walking, but I decided I could at least go for dinner. Not that I could eat anything, but being there would mean something to Chris. We found ourselves at the Hog's Breath Cafe in Broadbeach, which is a pretty popular chain down here. We didn't realize it was an attempt at an American restaurant until we noticed all of the license plates on the walls, one from each State, among other American-esk things. It was cool! I had decided that swallowing wasn't so painful at the moment, thanks to extra strength tylenol times 3, so I ordered a quesadilla. Well, it didn't taste anything like mexican food, but it was delicious! And I could actually eat it. My throat felt rather raw afterwards, but it was worth it. My first solid meal in more than a week. How thrilling.
Everyone was going to a club called East afterwards, but I had no interest in that. All I wanted was to sleep! My bed was calling, and I could no longer ignore the comfort it offered. With the tickets everyone had to get into East, they would receive a free drink. Kaitlin wanted her free drink, but then wanted to leave after that. So I agreed to wait outside for her. At this point, my throat was protesting my early decision to eat solid food, so I found some gelato and sat outside at a little table, playing games on my ipod. I only had to wait about twenty minutes, and it was worth it because riding the bus alone at night is scary. She and I wandered over to the bus stop, only to find we had just missed the bus by five minutes. At this point in the night, the buses only come once an hour. Last night was particularly cold for Australia, we were both dead tired, and I just wanted to be home. So I said screw that to waiting for an hour and decided to take a taxi. Cost me $15 bucks, but I didn't care ha ha.
Once I got to the warmth of my bed, I took some nyquil, hoping for some legitimate sleep. Needless to say, that didn't happen as well as I would have hoped. I'm wicked tired this morning, and my throat is screaming at me. The plan for today? Nothing of any productivity. Sleep, liquids, movies, that sort of thing. Ugh can't I just be better already?!
Cheers!
Friday, July 16, 2010
An Update From the Sickly
Oh to celebrate the joys of solid foods! How I wish I could partake in your glorious tastes! And one would think that after nearly a week of antibiotics, that I would be able to. Truth is, I'm in as much pain as day one, and that's with extra strength Tylenol. Why?! Oh why?! I just wish I could eat instead of drink. But oh well. Such is life, I guess.
Finished my biggest assignment of the semester today and turned it in well before the deadline. I felt accomplished! Now that that's done, the rest of the semester should be smooth sailing, minus a final in five weeks. Not too shabby! It's nice to feel almost done... a ton of stress off my back, that's for sure. And goodness knows I don't need any stress on top of this mono crap. Ugh! Otherwise, I didn't do too much today. Watched a movie, black and white! I'm really starting to love old films. You can't go wrong with the classics. There's just something about the, oh what's the word...the innocence of them. That's where true Hollywood comes from.
Not much else to report, I'm afraid. Going to try and get out of the house for a bit tomorrow. I think some fresh air will do me some good, so long as I bring plenty of pain killers and avoid the sun. I'm just hoping that sleep will be my friend tonight. I could really use a decent night's sleep for a change, that would be lovely. Other than that, not much planned for the weekend. Just rest, as the doctor ordered! Really, really hoping for the ability to swallow by monday. That would be glorious. This is two weeks in a row that I've missed Eggs Benny breakfast on fridays! Not happy for that. Guess I'll just have to make up for it once I can eat again. However, this is an excellent diet plan. Loving it!
Cheers!
Finished my biggest assignment of the semester today and turned it in well before the deadline. I felt accomplished! Now that that's done, the rest of the semester should be smooth sailing, minus a final in five weeks. Not too shabby! It's nice to feel almost done... a ton of stress off my back, that's for sure. And goodness knows I don't need any stress on top of this mono crap. Ugh! Otherwise, I didn't do too much today. Watched a movie, black and white! I'm really starting to love old films. You can't go wrong with the classics. There's just something about the, oh what's the word...the innocence of them. That's where true Hollywood comes from.
Not much else to report, I'm afraid. Going to try and get out of the house for a bit tomorrow. I think some fresh air will do me some good, so long as I bring plenty of pain killers and avoid the sun. I'm just hoping that sleep will be my friend tonight. I could really use a decent night's sleep for a change, that would be lovely. Other than that, not much planned for the weekend. Just rest, as the doctor ordered! Really, really hoping for the ability to swallow by monday. That would be glorious. This is two weeks in a row that I've missed Eggs Benny breakfast on fridays! Not happy for that. Guess I'll just have to make up for it once I can eat again. However, this is an excellent diet plan. Loving it!
Cheers!
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
It's Official
And the results are in: I do, in fact, have mono. The excitement of this statement is, obviously, hard for me to contain. So please, won't you celebrate with me? Nothing but bedrest and some movies for the rest of the week. Chin up for a better monday! I'm in a particularly interesting writing mood the last few days, so I'm just warning you. I probably have nothing very interesting to say, but I feel the need to write it down nonetheless. Feel free to comment, or ignore it for that fact. Ha!
Lately, I have felt somewhat, bored with this place. I've fallen into a routine, one that does not suit me. If you know me at all, you know that regardless of what the routine is, routine is not good for me. I get antsy, bored, uninterested, essentially I feel stuck. And as of now? I'm feeling rather stuck. I'm bored! Australia just isn't doing it for me. However, I've forced myself to think long and hard about this, because I don't want to make any rash decisions. Any decision made now would probably only be made because I'm sick, and home is always comforting when you're sick, especially when you're alone across the world. And although I feel as though I'd much prefer to be stuck in a boring routine back home where I could be saving tons of money, I've come to the conclusion that there is a reason I'm doing two semesters here. Australia hasn't given me what I'm looking for yet, but it has a chance to redeem itself. After all, 5.5 more months is a very short time in the grand scheme of my life. Plus, I'm sure I would regret it once I got home. I need to find something here within the next few weeks that will convince me of Australia's worthiness in my book.
And lucky for me I received an email two days ago giving me a chance to love this country for what it truly is. A trip to a cattle ranch up north! Precisely the definition of Australia, in my mind. Riding horses, canoeing, swimming, delicious food, a ranch, wine tasting.. exactly what the doctor ordered. Paid my share just this afternoon! I'm being rather optimistic about this adventure, hoping that I can eliminate the "This trip was a bad idea" bug that's been bothering me as of late. So cheers to a cure for this bug!
On a side note, I've decided that I very much dislike when people around me think they are better than me. Who gives them that right? Exactly, no one. So grow up, stop being a spoiled brat, and consider yourself an average Uni student, just like the rest of us.
Cheers!
Lately, I have felt somewhat, bored with this place. I've fallen into a routine, one that does not suit me. If you know me at all, you know that regardless of what the routine is, routine is not good for me. I get antsy, bored, uninterested, essentially I feel stuck. And as of now? I'm feeling rather stuck. I'm bored! Australia just isn't doing it for me. However, I've forced myself to think long and hard about this, because I don't want to make any rash decisions. Any decision made now would probably only be made because I'm sick, and home is always comforting when you're sick, especially when you're alone across the world. And although I feel as though I'd much prefer to be stuck in a boring routine back home where I could be saving tons of money, I've come to the conclusion that there is a reason I'm doing two semesters here. Australia hasn't given me what I'm looking for yet, but it has a chance to redeem itself. After all, 5.5 more months is a very short time in the grand scheme of my life. Plus, I'm sure I would regret it once I got home. I need to find something here within the next few weeks that will convince me of Australia's worthiness in my book.
And lucky for me I received an email two days ago giving me a chance to love this country for what it truly is. A trip to a cattle ranch up north! Precisely the definition of Australia, in my mind. Riding horses, canoeing, swimming, delicious food, a ranch, wine tasting.. exactly what the doctor ordered. Paid my share just this afternoon! I'm being rather optimistic about this adventure, hoping that I can eliminate the "This trip was a bad idea" bug that's been bothering me as of late. So cheers to a cure for this bug!
On a side note, I've decided that I very much dislike when people around me think they are better than me. Who gives them that right? Exactly, no one. So grow up, stop being a spoiled brat, and consider yourself an average Uni student, just like the rest of us.
Cheers!
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Week 2 of Bedrest
Woke up this morning feeling no better than I had when I first could barely swallow my own spit. Excellent. I rushed off to the doctors to get another check up, where they took some blood samples for testing. I'm still waiting for my results, but they are pretty sure I have glandular fever AKA mono AND tonsillitis. How splendid! I was given a stronger prescription to help with the swelling, which I only started taking about two hours ago, so let's hope that really kicks in by tomorrow. I'd like to enjoy some solid food for once in almost five days.
So I'm meant to do nothing again this week, doc's orders. And then I had a thought! Perhaps I could go to the beach and sleep it off in the warm sun, because the weather is supposed to be glorious this week. Yesterday and today were, so that's usually a good sign for the rest of the week! However, upon receiving my new drugs, there is a massive warning label that says to avoid the sun for long periods of time, otherwise I could end up with an unsightly rash on my arms and legs. Wonderful.
So here I'll be, enjoying the indoors yet again until these meds are gone. Then it's about six weeks of total recovery, which makes me super angry. That's the rest of the semester! And then I started thinking, it's a really good thing that I'm spending two semesters here because I'd be super pissed if I was sick for the remainder of my trip. The doc did say, that by the looks of my tonsils, it could get much worse instead of getting better, but let's just hope that doesn't happen. If I do go home early, I don't want it to be on such horrible circumstances.
Any suggestions of what I can eat that's non-dairy and easy to swallow? I'm bored of smoothies, and peanut butter is painful. =)
Cheers
So I'm meant to do nothing again this week, doc's orders. And then I had a thought! Perhaps I could go to the beach and sleep it off in the warm sun, because the weather is supposed to be glorious this week. Yesterday and today were, so that's usually a good sign for the rest of the week! However, upon receiving my new drugs, there is a massive warning label that says to avoid the sun for long periods of time, otherwise I could end up with an unsightly rash on my arms and legs. Wonderful.
So here I'll be, enjoying the indoors yet again until these meds are gone. Then it's about six weeks of total recovery, which makes me super angry. That's the rest of the semester! And then I started thinking, it's a really good thing that I'm spending two semesters here because I'd be super pissed if I was sick for the remainder of my trip. The doc did say, that by the looks of my tonsils, it could get much worse instead of getting better, but let's just hope that doesn't happen. If I do go home early, I don't want it to be on such horrible circumstances.
Any suggestions of what I can eat that's non-dairy and easy to swallow? I'm bored of smoothies, and peanut butter is painful. =)
Cheers
Sunday, July 11, 2010
This One's a Long Time Coming...
First of all, let me just apologize for the very long amount of time in between posts. But I do have, what I would classify, as good reasons. Last week was just one exciting event after another, so there was no time for blogging. And this monday I woke up with the strangest Australian flu bug ever, and it's still working its magic on me. So unfair! But allow me to update you on my other adventures, post-bed-ridden.
The previous week started out as nothing too fantastic, just a few classes, some studying, Taco Tuesday, and so on. Wednesday was when things really started to get exciting! My friend Kaitlin and I adventured out to the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary. It was very similar to the Rainforestation place I went to in Cairns, like an interactive zoo, but much bigger. We actually got to feed the kangaroos this time, and we saw a few with joeys! So precious. I even got to hold a baby crocodile while they took a professional photo, which I later stole ha ha. They print them all for everyone to look at, then if you don't buy it, they just throw them away! Well I wasn't going to pay $16.00 for a 5x7, so I just took it. Hmm yes there is thievery in all of us.
Before the stealing could commence, however, Kaitlin and I did what they call a Challenge course. It's basically a ropes course, where you have to wear a harness and suspend yourself from wires high up in the trees and make your way from tree to tree on different obstacles. Not sure if I've had that much fun since I've been here! It was so neat to be up in the trees like some sort of primitive beast. Oh wait.... Well in any case, check out the photos! Amazing.
Thursday wasn't all that thrilling, but it was nice to actually relax a bit. Studying is cramping everyone's style lately. Friday we went out to have some fun, and ended up stuck walking a couple miles in the pouring rain. Crappy as it sounds, it makes for a good story and some excellent memories.
Saturday we focused on studying because a few of us would be gone all day Sunday, so we needed to make sure everything got done. After only a few hours of sleep, we found ourselves standing on a street corner waiting for our ride to Moreton Island at 6am. The island lays about an hour north of us, then about 1.5 hour ferry ride east of there. It was so cool to actually drive the 4WD vehicle onto the ferry! I've never done anything like that. Moreton Island is the 3rd largest sand island in the world, so tons of locals and tourists make a day trip out of it, if not an overnight camping trip. Because the ferry ride itself was so fantastic, I was sure the island would bring equal amounts of excitement. By the time we arrived on the Island, it was about 1015 am, so we had the whole day ahead of us to do the many activities listed on the brochure ha ha.
There are no roads on this island, mind you. The highway is the beach—we were about three feet from the surf while driving. Our guide, Russell, took us into the middle of the island, through some incredibly bumpy sand roads through a thick jungle. Once we got through it all, we found ourselves in the midst of rolling sand dunes. Bring on the sand boarding!! We hiked to the tallest dune, at the steepest part, and waxed our boards. These boards are about a foot wide and three feet long with one rough side and one smooth side that we waxed. The wax helps the board glide easily over the sand. At first, Sunniva and I didn’t want to do it because the hill was so steep! But we decided to buck up and at least give it a try.
So you lay on your stomach, grip the front of the board and pull it back, elbows up, abs and legs tight, and toes pointed. If you drop your elbows, that’s when you get a face full of sand. No bueno. However, the four of us had some master skill and we rode that hill like pros. The walk back up to the top was the worst! It’s nearly impossible to walk up an almost vertical wall of sand, especially more than once. Your body gets too tired to handle that. We had a contest of who could board the farthest, and I held the winning spot until literally the last run! Some Aussie guy beat me by only a foot, but he beat me nonetheless. I tried so hard!
After that, we headed back to the 4WD truck (named Tina) to remove the sand from every crevice imaginable. We bounced around in the back of Tina during the 45 minute drive back to the camp, where Russell made us some excellent sandwiches for lunch. The afternoon was meant for snorkeling and/or sea kayaking, but this was when I started to really feel sickly. I just wanted to curl up on the beach and sleep away the afternoon in the warm sun. So that’s just what I did! I know that it wasn’t what the trip was all about, but I honestly don’t think I could have held my own weight in the water, let alone constantly remind myself to breath. They dove in a man made cove just off shore from the camp. In the early 1970s, massive ships were purposefully sunk in order to create the cove, so divers can explore in and around the ships. Apparently the place is just teeming with fish of every size and color!
Everyone spent about three hours with their water fun before it was time to close up camp and head back to the ferry. The line to get on the ferry was crazy! Almost 100 cars, I was sure that they wouldn’t all fit. But after waiting to get on last (we had the biggest vehicle) I was surprised to find that there was still room for nearly 20 more vehicles! That ferry was massive. I managed to stay awake long enough to catch the sunset, which was gorgeous, but then I headed to the second level to have a sleep before we got back to Brisbane. I was so deliriously tired; I could barely stand it.
During the day we hung out with three German girls, who said they wanted to talk with us to perfect their English skills. Glad to be of service! We also hung out with a girl from Ireland, who was insanely nice. It’s so cool to meet people from all over the world like that. It’s probably one of my favorite things about traveling abroad.
It took us about four hours to get home, from the time we got on the ferry to when we walked through the front door of our villa. So tired! I knew then that I was getting sick, but I figured a good night’s sleep was all I needed. Moreton Island was beautiful! Absolutely worth the trip… just wish I wasn’t sickly for the second half of the day.
It’s taken me nearly five days to finish writing this. Everytime I’ve been up long enough to want to write, I’ve gotten too dizzy to continue. I went from simple flu symptoms to full on tonsillitis. Ew. Still in major pain this morning, but I’m taking antibiotics now. I really hope things start looking up for me soon! Being sick and being alone sucks. Just wish I was home for this! And I promise to update more frequently now.
Cheers
The previous week started out as nothing too fantastic, just a few classes, some studying, Taco Tuesday, and so on. Wednesday was when things really started to get exciting! My friend Kaitlin and I adventured out to the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary. It was very similar to the Rainforestation place I went to in Cairns, like an interactive zoo, but much bigger. We actually got to feed the kangaroos this time, and we saw a few with joeys! So precious. I even got to hold a baby crocodile while they took a professional photo, which I later stole ha ha. They print them all for everyone to look at, then if you don't buy it, they just throw them away! Well I wasn't going to pay $16.00 for a 5x7, so I just took it. Hmm yes there is thievery in all of us.
Before the stealing could commence, however, Kaitlin and I did what they call a Challenge course. It's basically a ropes course, where you have to wear a harness and suspend yourself from wires high up in the trees and make your way from tree to tree on different obstacles. Not sure if I've had that much fun since I've been here! It was so neat to be up in the trees like some sort of primitive beast. Oh wait.... Well in any case, check out the photos! Amazing.
Thursday wasn't all that thrilling, but it was nice to actually relax a bit. Studying is cramping everyone's style lately. Friday we went out to have some fun, and ended up stuck walking a couple miles in the pouring rain. Crappy as it sounds, it makes for a good story and some excellent memories.
Saturday we focused on studying because a few of us would be gone all day Sunday, so we needed to make sure everything got done. After only a few hours of sleep, we found ourselves standing on a street corner waiting for our ride to Moreton Island at 6am. The island lays about an hour north of us, then about 1.5 hour ferry ride east of there. It was so cool to actually drive the 4WD vehicle onto the ferry! I've never done anything like that. Moreton Island is the 3rd largest sand island in the world, so tons of locals and tourists make a day trip out of it, if not an overnight camping trip. Because the ferry ride itself was so fantastic, I was sure the island would bring equal amounts of excitement. By the time we arrived on the Island, it was about 1015 am, so we had the whole day ahead of us to do the many activities listed on the brochure ha ha.
There are no roads on this island, mind you. The highway is the beach—we were about three feet from the surf while driving. Our guide, Russell, took us into the middle of the island, through some incredibly bumpy sand roads through a thick jungle. Once we got through it all, we found ourselves in the midst of rolling sand dunes. Bring on the sand boarding!! We hiked to the tallest dune, at the steepest part, and waxed our boards. These boards are about a foot wide and three feet long with one rough side and one smooth side that we waxed. The wax helps the board glide easily over the sand. At first, Sunniva and I didn’t want to do it because the hill was so steep! But we decided to buck up and at least give it a try.
So you lay on your stomach, grip the front of the board and pull it back, elbows up, abs and legs tight, and toes pointed. If you drop your elbows, that’s when you get a face full of sand. No bueno. However, the four of us had some master skill and we rode that hill like pros. The walk back up to the top was the worst! It’s nearly impossible to walk up an almost vertical wall of sand, especially more than once. Your body gets too tired to handle that. We had a contest of who could board the farthest, and I held the winning spot until literally the last run! Some Aussie guy beat me by only a foot, but he beat me nonetheless. I tried so hard!
After that, we headed back to the 4WD truck (named Tina) to remove the sand from every crevice imaginable. We bounced around in the back of Tina during the 45 minute drive back to the camp, where Russell made us some excellent sandwiches for lunch. The afternoon was meant for snorkeling and/or sea kayaking, but this was when I started to really feel sickly. I just wanted to curl up on the beach and sleep away the afternoon in the warm sun. So that’s just what I did! I know that it wasn’t what the trip was all about, but I honestly don’t think I could have held my own weight in the water, let alone constantly remind myself to breath. They dove in a man made cove just off shore from the camp. In the early 1970s, massive ships were purposefully sunk in order to create the cove, so divers can explore in and around the ships. Apparently the place is just teeming with fish of every size and color!
Everyone spent about three hours with their water fun before it was time to close up camp and head back to the ferry. The line to get on the ferry was crazy! Almost 100 cars, I was sure that they wouldn’t all fit. But after waiting to get on last (we had the biggest vehicle) I was surprised to find that there was still room for nearly 20 more vehicles! That ferry was massive. I managed to stay awake long enough to catch the sunset, which was gorgeous, but then I headed to the second level to have a sleep before we got back to Brisbane. I was so deliriously tired; I could barely stand it.
During the day we hung out with three German girls, who said they wanted to talk with us to perfect their English skills. Glad to be of service! We also hung out with a girl from Ireland, who was insanely nice. It’s so cool to meet people from all over the world like that. It’s probably one of my favorite things about traveling abroad.
It took us about four hours to get home, from the time we got on the ferry to when we walked through the front door of our villa. So tired! I knew then that I was getting sick, but I figured a good night’s sleep was all I needed. Moreton Island was beautiful! Absolutely worth the trip… just wish I wasn’t sickly for the second half of the day.
It’s taken me nearly five days to finish writing this. Everytime I’ve been up long enough to want to write, I’ve gotten too dizzy to continue. I went from simple flu symptoms to full on tonsillitis. Ew. Still in major pain this morning, but I’m taking antibiotics now. I really hope things start looking up for me soon! Being sick and being alone sucks. Just wish I was home for this! And I promise to update more frequently now.
Cheers
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Of Hot Tubs and Rainforests
Yesterday was nothing special, until about dinner time. Basia, Kaitlin, Sunniva and I headed out to Cafe Bond to grab some dinner before a night of film and hot tubbing. Although, it's technically called a spa here, but we won't go into details. On the way out, we snatched a few photos of the gorgeous night sky. A passerby shouted out that there was to be a Lunar Eclipse at 9pm. I was so excited! I'd never seen any sort of eclipse before. So we hurried up and grabbed some grub, ran home and watched a movie, then set out for the spa. It was amazing to sit in the glorious bubbles and gaze at the stars, and as we sat we saw the beginning of the eclipse. It was slow, but beautiful! Attempted some photos but..well, I don't have a fabulous-night-vision camera, so it just looks like a white blob ha ha. Amazing though!
I laid on my back with my head on the stairs of the spa and my legs hanging on the outside. Sounds awkward, but amazingly comfortable. And as I stared up at the thin clouds, the clear stars, and glorious moon, I realized just how lucky I was to be in that place, with three incredible ladies, at this time in my life. I could not have asked for anything sweeter.
Today we headed up Tamborine Mountain, which is in the heart of the Hinterland rainforest, which is the biggest sub-tropical rainforest in the entire WORLD! How amazing. I needed to go for a journalism project, to cover the annual Scarecrow Festival with photos and interviews. But the six of us drove up, thanks to Aussie friend Ben, a few hours early and hiked through the rainforest. I've been on more hikes than I can count, but nothing as different than that. I forest of palm trees and vines? Definitely not like home. It was exactly the wake up I needed! I feel like this country has been calling to me to come explore, and I've just become too comfortable with my school routine that I ignored it. Seeing mountains again, clinging to dear life while Ben threw us around the curves of the windy mountain road, the fresh humid air blowing in our faces...exactly what the doctor ordered. Again, I could not have asked for anything sweeter.
Ben is also helping me to pick up more Aussie lingo, so that I may better blend in once all of the crazy Americans get here in September. He said he'll fit me with the perfect accent. He's my professional teacher ha ha!
Enjoying every minute! Living life like it was meant to be lived.
Love!
I laid on my back with my head on the stairs of the spa and my legs hanging on the outside. Sounds awkward, but amazingly comfortable. And as I stared up at the thin clouds, the clear stars, and glorious moon, I realized just how lucky I was to be in that place, with three incredible ladies, at this time in my life. I could not have asked for anything sweeter.
Today we headed up Tamborine Mountain, which is in the heart of the Hinterland rainforest, which is the biggest sub-tropical rainforest in the entire WORLD! How amazing. I needed to go for a journalism project, to cover the annual Scarecrow Festival with photos and interviews. But the six of us drove up, thanks to Aussie friend Ben, a few hours early and hiked through the rainforest. I've been on more hikes than I can count, but nothing as different than that. I forest of palm trees and vines? Definitely not like home. It was exactly the wake up I needed! I feel like this country has been calling to me to come explore, and I've just become too comfortable with my school routine that I ignored it. Seeing mountains again, clinging to dear life while Ben threw us around the curves of the windy mountain road, the fresh humid air blowing in our faces...exactly what the doctor ordered. Again, I could not have asked for anything sweeter.
Ben is also helping me to pick up more Aussie lingo, so that I may better blend in once all of the crazy Americans get here in September. He said he'll fit me with the perfect accent. He's my professional teacher ha ha!
Enjoying every minute! Living life like it was meant to be lived.
Love!
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Watching History
Thursday was the biggest day in Australian Political History! Four of the five channels on our TV covered the even from late morning forward, and they're still covering it. I'm having a hard time understanding why it happened, simply because I don't understand the Australian government system. However! I will explain it to you all as best I can, though I'm sure it's been on the news somewhat in the States.
The Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, has been slowly failing his country, or so the country thinks. Parliament called for change in leader early last week, and on Thursday the voting began. It was unanimous to overthrow him and replace him with the Deputy PM, Julia Gillard. It was amazing! We watched the polls actually climbing on the internet during class, and then I rushed home to watch the results on the news. I was so excited, and I'm not really sure why. Ha ha!
I have been reading the newspaper since I've been here, so I've been reading tons about how people feel about Kevin Rudd. I just never knew that he could be overthrown like that! So this occasion was the biggest day in history because a) it was the first time a PM had been overthrown before the end of his first term and b) Julia Gillard is the first female PM. And I was here to witness it all! How thrilling. Though I'm sure, like I said, that it's been on the news, if not CNN, back home. Gotta love history in the making!
Love!
The Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, has been slowly failing his country, or so the country thinks. Parliament called for change in leader early last week, and on Thursday the voting began. It was unanimous to overthrow him and replace him with the Deputy PM, Julia Gillard. It was amazing! We watched the polls actually climbing on the internet during class, and then I rushed home to watch the results on the news. I was so excited, and I'm not really sure why. Ha ha!
I have been reading the newspaper since I've been here, so I've been reading tons about how people feel about Kevin Rudd. I just never knew that he could be overthrown like that! So this occasion was the biggest day in history because a) it was the first time a PM had been overthrown before the end of his first term and b) Julia Gillard is the first female PM. And I was here to witness it all! How thrilling. Though I'm sure, like I said, that it's been on the news, if not CNN, back home. Gotta love history in the making!
Love!
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Rainy Wednesday
Woke up to some drizzly skies this morning. It's so beautiful when it rains. And peaceful. Coming from Colorado, however, I'm not a big fan of humidity. Bleck.
I have an interview this afternoon for a volunteering position at an Aged Care facility about two blocks from campus. I figure that I really need to do something with myself, and since finding a job is becoming a job in itself, I thought this might be a good alternative. Plus it's close, so I don't have to worry about transportation. Let's hope all goes well!
It sounds like Elly is having a fantastic time overseas so far. It's weird to think that neither of us are in the States right now. Poor mommy! All alone. At least she has Kevin. I'm so proud of baby sister! Watching some of her dreams come true is fantastic..I'm glad she loves traveling just as much as I do. Although I've recently added "sail around the world" on my bucket list, so we'll see how that goes. Love ya sis!
We might be making a trip up to the rainforest this weekend for a big festival. It's about an hour drive from home, so we're hoping to convince a friend with a car to drive us. Or we're going to look into renting a car, because the busses can't drive up the windy roads. It'll be so beautiful! I really hope it works out...I need to get out of the city, I'm about to lose my mind. Feeling stuck is not my cup of tea, hence why I'm halfway around the world right now. I didn't come down here to feel that way again.
No big plans for the rest of the week other than that, though. Just looking forward to Eggs Benedict friday morning! It's so delicious, I can't even begin to explain. I could probably eat it almost every day for brekky. I'll have to have some family members learn how to make it so we can eat it when I come home =) cough Granny! cough
Love!
I have an interview this afternoon for a volunteering position at an Aged Care facility about two blocks from campus. I figure that I really need to do something with myself, and since finding a job is becoming a job in itself, I thought this might be a good alternative. Plus it's close, so I don't have to worry about transportation. Let's hope all goes well!
It sounds like Elly is having a fantastic time overseas so far. It's weird to think that neither of us are in the States right now. Poor mommy! All alone. At least she has Kevin. I'm so proud of baby sister! Watching some of her dreams come true is fantastic..I'm glad she loves traveling just as much as I do. Although I've recently added "sail around the world" on my bucket list, so we'll see how that goes. Love ya sis!
We might be making a trip up to the rainforest this weekend for a big festival. It's about an hour drive from home, so we're hoping to convince a friend with a car to drive us. Or we're going to look into renting a car, because the busses can't drive up the windy roads. It'll be so beautiful! I really hope it works out...I need to get out of the city, I'm about to lose my mind. Feeling stuck is not my cup of tea, hence why I'm halfway around the world right now. I didn't come down here to feel that way again.
No big plans for the rest of the week other than that, though. Just looking forward to Eggs Benedict friday morning! It's so delicious, I can't even begin to explain. I could probably eat it almost every day for brekky. I'll have to have some family members learn how to make it so we can eat it when I come home =) cough Granny! cough
Love!
Thursday, June 17, 2010
I'll Try Not To Bore You...
And by saying that, I only mean it because this week has not had as much adventure as the past few weeks. But I'll update you anyways :)
Last weekend we went about an hour south of Surfers Paradise to a small beach town called Byron Bay. Gloriously beautiful place, I cannot even BEGIN to describe it. You'll just have to explore my photos, once they're loaded that is haha. Currently in the process of doing that. We mostly just hung out at the beach, ate food and gelato, and bonded. Byron Bay is famous for this lighthouse which is situated at the Eastern most point of the Australian mainland. Amazing! So we ran up there as quick as we could in order to see the sunset. However, there were 8 people for a 5 seater car. So what did we do? Hid Kristen on the floorish of the back seat, and shoved Kaitlin and Marcio into the trunk. Fantastic. Good thing the drive was only about 10 minutes.
This was the first lighthouse I have ever seen in person. I was awestruck! It was incredible and I took way too many pictures of it. The sunset was equally as beautiful....never seen anything like that. Colorado sunsets now have a competitor in my mind! We went to a place called the Beach Hotel on saturday night, it had live music and plenty of people. It was really, really fun! The town itself is so cute and quaint, definitely different than Surfers. I could see myself living there, if only for a while.
Sunday we didn't do much else besides eat food and gelato (new guilty pleasure, by the way). We were so tired! It was a lazy, rainy day. But unfortunately our bus ride didn't come until 4.30, so we ended up sleeping in the main lobby of our hostel for a couple hours. It was awkward/amazing. Ha!
We had our weekly traditional brekky this morning. Everyone meets at the cafe called Juicy Bits for some of the most delicious breakfast food we've ever tasted. Eggs Benedict with a large Chai latte is now my new favorite. And it usually keeps me full until brekky on saturday haha, which is nice. The less money spent on food the better!
Not many plans for this weekend. School and classes are starting to get tough for everyone, so people are just buckling down and studying most of the time. It's raining like crazy today, so Kaitlin and I are just going to have a movie day. Excellent work! Tomorrow, hopefully, we're hittin up the beach! Gotta love year round beach weather. It's glorious.
Hopefully I'll have some more exciting things to update on starting next week! Cheers for now!
Love!
Last weekend we went about an hour south of Surfers Paradise to a small beach town called Byron Bay. Gloriously beautiful place, I cannot even BEGIN to describe it. You'll just have to explore my photos, once they're loaded that is haha. Currently in the process of doing that. We mostly just hung out at the beach, ate food and gelato, and bonded. Byron Bay is famous for this lighthouse which is situated at the Eastern most point of the Australian mainland. Amazing! So we ran up there as quick as we could in order to see the sunset. However, there were 8 people for a 5 seater car. So what did we do? Hid Kristen on the floorish of the back seat, and shoved Kaitlin and Marcio into the trunk. Fantastic. Good thing the drive was only about 10 minutes.
This was the first lighthouse I have ever seen in person. I was awestruck! It was incredible and I took way too many pictures of it. The sunset was equally as beautiful....never seen anything like that. Colorado sunsets now have a competitor in my mind! We went to a place called the Beach Hotel on saturday night, it had live music and plenty of people. It was really, really fun! The town itself is so cute and quaint, definitely different than Surfers. I could see myself living there, if only for a while.
Sunday we didn't do much else besides eat food and gelato (new guilty pleasure, by the way). We were so tired! It was a lazy, rainy day. But unfortunately our bus ride didn't come until 4.30, so we ended up sleeping in the main lobby of our hostel for a couple hours. It was awkward/amazing. Ha!
We had our weekly traditional brekky this morning. Everyone meets at the cafe called Juicy Bits for some of the most delicious breakfast food we've ever tasted. Eggs Benedict with a large Chai latte is now my new favorite. And it usually keeps me full until brekky on saturday haha, which is nice. The less money spent on food the better!
Not many plans for this weekend. School and classes are starting to get tough for everyone, so people are just buckling down and studying most of the time. It's raining like crazy today, so Kaitlin and I are just going to have a movie day. Excellent work! Tomorrow, hopefully, we're hittin up the beach! Gotta love year round beach weather. It's glorious.
Hopefully I'll have some more exciting things to update on starting next week! Cheers for now!
Love!
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Pictures! Finally!
Alright, so I've finally figured out a way for everyone to view my photos. Besides facebook, that is. Shutterfly offers a way for you to make a website that has pictures, videos, journal entries, everything I want to share. Well, I won't be using the journal on that page since I have this blog, but please feel free to explore my photos!
http://traveljunkiejj.shutterfly.com/
Love!
http://traveljunkiejj.shutterfly.com/
Love!
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Sad News From Home...
This morning I woke up, and do what I do every Monday morning: head to campus an hour before class to get my copy of the The Australian Weekend Ed and sit at Juicy Bits (campus cafe) with a warm cup of Chai and read. Upon opening the paper this morning, I was greatly disturbed. News from home struck at my heart, and I wanted to scream. On the front page of the World News section are pictures from the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill. But not shots of the spill itself. Pictures of once beautiful sea creatures, caked in a slick, black evil from which they cannot escape.
I gripped the edge of the table, biting my lip to keep the tears that had formed in my eyes from spilling down my cheeks. I simply could not believe that mankind had let this happen. It was devastating, and it was all I could to go to class in one piece. You all know me... animal lover extraordinaire. I couldn't help it. The pain that those poor animals must have been feeling, to know that they are suffering, is more than I can physically bare.
But here I am, across the WORLD, not able to help. What can I do but send out my love and prayers for the victims of mankind's carelessness. If I were home, there is no doubt that I would be on a plane to the South with as much dish soap as I could carry to wash the black death off of the winged beauties. It really tore at my heart strings, and has yet to let go. My goal of saving innocent animals is freshly beating in my heart of hearts, and I will never stop helping them. I'm putting aside every selfish thought in my head, however few there are.
Let's embrace the animal kingdom with a whole new light, and promise to keep our fellow citizens on the same track. The men of BP deserve punishment for torturing innocent lives, regardless if they are human or animal. This situation better be fixed soon, or you might all find me on American soil rather soon.
Love.
I gripped the edge of the table, biting my lip to keep the tears that had formed in my eyes from spilling down my cheeks. I simply could not believe that mankind had let this happen. It was devastating, and it was all I could to go to class in one piece. You all know me... animal lover extraordinaire. I couldn't help it. The pain that those poor animals must have been feeling, to know that they are suffering, is more than I can physically bare.
But here I am, across the WORLD, not able to help. What can I do but send out my love and prayers for the victims of mankind's carelessness. If I were home, there is no doubt that I would be on a plane to the South with as much dish soap as I could carry to wash the black death off of the winged beauties. It really tore at my heart strings, and has yet to let go. My goal of saving innocent animals is freshly beating in my heart of hearts, and I will never stop helping them. I'm putting aside every selfish thought in my head, however few there are.
Let's embrace the animal kingdom with a whole new light, and promise to keep our fellow citizens on the same track. The men of BP deserve punishment for torturing innocent lives, regardless if they are human or animal. This situation better be fixed soon, or you might all find me on American soil rather soon.
Love.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
June? Already?
I honestly cannot believe that I have been here for a month! Time is flying by, and a little too quickly I might add. Although everyone and everything says this is the winter season, I'm not seeing it. So as far as I know, the rest of this year is summer. And this excites me.
Nothing too much this past week. Just studying, chillin with friends, that sort of thing. We had Palaver, which is a massive party held every semester. It was amazing! Had to buy a new dress and shoes for the party, but who's complaining =) Spent a few hours at the beach yesterday, enjoying the glorious sun. We really did nothing of any importance, it was fantastic. Today we're all studying, and by that I mean laying in the sun and chatting with our textbooks somewhere nearby. I'm loving the chill life! It's so relaxing, and yet I feel more productive than ever.
I definitely recommend a small dose of Australian culture for anyone stressing about life. It's glorious down here, and there's plenty of room for all!
Nothing too much this past week. Just studying, chillin with friends, that sort of thing. We had Palaver, which is a massive party held every semester. It was amazing! Had to buy a new dress and shoes for the party, but who's complaining =) Spent a few hours at the beach yesterday, enjoying the glorious sun. We really did nothing of any importance, it was fantastic. Today we're all studying, and by that I mean laying in the sun and chatting with our textbooks somewhere nearby. I'm loving the chill life! It's so relaxing, and yet I feel more productive than ever.
I definitely recommend a small dose of Australian culture for anyone stressing about life. It's glorious down here, and there's plenty of room for all!
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Spot X - Mojo Surf Camp
Although our weekend trip only lasted about 48 hours (of which only 8 of those we were actually sleeping), it's definitely something to put down in the books as "awesome".
Sitting in the rain on the curb waiting for the bus with backpacks and boxed wine (better known as "Goon") is where we found ourselves late Friday evening. Once the very late bus did show, however, we immediately knew this weekend was going to be worth it. A black bus, with screaming lime green designs all over it. It was a MASSIVE coach bus, and once the driver got off to officially check us it, we loaded up and found ourselves in a crowd of 40 or so Brazillians. Ha. Bring it on.
It took us about 4.5 hours to finally get to Spot X, meaning we arrived at about 1 in the morning. After a quick tour (in the complete dark, mind you) we found ourselves with two germans, one irish girl, and one scot in a hostel/dorm style room. Six Americans. Talk about a room full of party animals! Ha ha kidding kidding. After a few hours of sleep, everyone headed out to surf while I found myself walking down the beach. Did I mention it was pouring down rain? That was a huge bummer. But it managed to clear up a few hours later, and stayed clear for the rest of the weekend.
Saturday night was a big party, with live music, dancing, a DJ, good food, and wonderful new friends. We met a ton of people from all over the world, including a bunch from England. We bonded over London and Brighton, and I soon found myself more homesick for London than ever. Needless to say, their wonderfully amazing accents didn't help either. But it was still a good time! We went for a moonlight walk on the beach after the band finished playing, and then found ourselves back in bed, if only for a few hours again.
The atmosphere at Spot X was amazing. Everyone was so chill, the ocean was amazing, the music was lively, and everyone was having such a good time. I could have stayed there forever! Alright, maybe just a week or two. But still. Definitely a place to go back to at some point.
The kids all went surfing again Sunday morning while I ventured out to a rocky point on the beach. It was beautiful! I took over 200 pictures in 48 hours time. How fantastical. On the way home we stopped in Byron Bay for dinner and quick look around, although 45 minutes was hardly enough time. We've already decided to head back there for a weekend as soon as possible! We got home last night tired, sore, and somehow still hungry.
I'm pretty sure I slept for 11 hours last night. However! It was the best sleep I've had since I've been here, so no complaints. My entire body is sore, and I really have no idea why, since I didn't surf. I'll get pictures up to Shutterfly/Facebook as soon as I can! Hopefully my shutterfly link works for everyone...? If not, shoot me a comment/email and I'll see what I can do.
Love!
Sitting in the rain on the curb waiting for the bus with backpacks and boxed wine (better known as "Goon") is where we found ourselves late Friday evening. Once the very late bus did show, however, we immediately knew this weekend was going to be worth it. A black bus, with screaming lime green designs all over it. It was a MASSIVE coach bus, and once the driver got off to officially check us it, we loaded up and found ourselves in a crowd of 40 or so Brazillians. Ha. Bring it on.
It took us about 4.5 hours to finally get to Spot X, meaning we arrived at about 1 in the morning. After a quick tour (in the complete dark, mind you) we found ourselves with two germans, one irish girl, and one scot in a hostel/dorm style room. Six Americans. Talk about a room full of party animals! Ha ha kidding kidding. After a few hours of sleep, everyone headed out to surf while I found myself walking down the beach. Did I mention it was pouring down rain? That was a huge bummer. But it managed to clear up a few hours later, and stayed clear for the rest of the weekend.
Saturday night was a big party, with live music, dancing, a DJ, good food, and wonderful new friends. We met a ton of people from all over the world, including a bunch from England. We bonded over London and Brighton, and I soon found myself more homesick for London than ever. Needless to say, their wonderfully amazing accents didn't help either. But it was still a good time! We went for a moonlight walk on the beach after the band finished playing, and then found ourselves back in bed, if only for a few hours again.
The atmosphere at Spot X was amazing. Everyone was so chill, the ocean was amazing, the music was lively, and everyone was having such a good time. I could have stayed there forever! Alright, maybe just a week or two. But still. Definitely a place to go back to at some point.
The kids all went surfing again Sunday morning while I ventured out to a rocky point on the beach. It was beautiful! I took over 200 pictures in 48 hours time. How fantastical. On the way home we stopped in Byron Bay for dinner and quick look around, although 45 minutes was hardly enough time. We've already decided to head back there for a weekend as soon as possible! We got home last night tired, sore, and somehow still hungry.
I'm pretty sure I slept for 11 hours last night. However! It was the best sleep I've had since I've been here, so no complaints. My entire body is sore, and I really have no idea why, since I didn't surf. I'll get pictures up to Shutterfly/Facebook as soon as I can! Hopefully my shutterfly link works for everyone...? If not, shoot me a comment/email and I'll see what I can do.
Love!
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Of Groceries & Thinking Stairs
How ya going!?
(Aussie greeting--similar to our "hey what's up" or "how's it going")
Because there is so much to absorb, and so quickly at times, I've been keeping a running list of everything I want to write in my posts. I'm going to try and knock a few off of the list this morning, providing the most entertainment possible for my wonderful audience. Whoo!
One of the most interesting things about restaurants and bars here is that many of them are Bring Your Own Beverage facilities. And I mean that literally. There'll be big signs posted outside of the place, informing customers that they do not serve beverages, regardless if they are alcoholic or not. The reasoning for this? Alcohol permits are very hard to come by, and pretty expensive too. So, restaurant owners made it simple by not serving nay drinks at all. We went bowling a couple of weeks ago, and the group of guys in the lane next to us show up with red cups, soda, and a handle of rum. I was quite amused! You could get arrested for that sort of thing in the States.
Another fascinating thing is ordering groceries online to be delivered to your front door. How about that! It's a 30 minute bus ride to the closest store, and then the bus only comes twice an hour, and then it's usually late. So having to carry multiple heavy bags with cold items on a public bus that costs 2.20 roundtrip is no fun. So my flatmates and I just order them online, for a $5 delivery fee. Between the 4 of us, that's cheaper than each of us riding the bus. And yet, I'm not quite sure if this makes me lazy or if they grocery delivery man thinks we're too old to leave our house...? Hmm...
I've also noticed that all of the tall buildings over in Surfers Paradise are not actually office buildings. They are hotels! All of the sky scrapers. Or they are holiday apartments, which is just a fancy/bigger hotel. Just goes to show how much of touristy town this is. Also. Gay Australian Accents. I'll let you picture that one on your own.
And for those of you who greatly appreciate Lolli Cup, they serve it on campus! Another reason for you to visit.
So I think I'll wrap up this lovely update with an insight into the structural fascinations of Bond Uni. The campus is split in two by a gorgeous waterfall/fountain thingy. On either side of it, there are staircases. It's the only way to get from one side to the other, so one must take the stairs. Well, these aren't your ordinary stairs. They're the kind that are too small for little steps, and too big for regular steps. Know what I mean? So for the first two weeks we're all so frustrated by these damn stairs, and trying to find alternative routes. Then this past monday, an Aussie in one of my classes who has been here at Bond for a year or so explained the purpose of the stairs to me. "They're called Chinese Thinking Stairs," she says. "They're purpose is to frustrate you, forcing you to use your brain to figure out the most natural step-to-step-ratio." Well then.
Bring it on, stairs. I'm ready for the challenge.
Love.
(Aussie greeting--similar to our "hey what's up" or "how's it going")
Because there is so much to absorb, and so quickly at times, I've been keeping a running list of everything I want to write in my posts. I'm going to try and knock a few off of the list this morning, providing the most entertainment possible for my wonderful audience. Whoo!
One of the most interesting things about restaurants and bars here is that many of them are Bring Your Own Beverage facilities. And I mean that literally. There'll be big signs posted outside of the place, informing customers that they do not serve beverages, regardless if they are alcoholic or not. The reasoning for this? Alcohol permits are very hard to come by, and pretty expensive too. So, restaurant owners made it simple by not serving nay drinks at all. We went bowling a couple of weeks ago, and the group of guys in the lane next to us show up with red cups, soda, and a handle of rum. I was quite amused! You could get arrested for that sort of thing in the States.
Another fascinating thing is ordering groceries online to be delivered to your front door. How about that! It's a 30 minute bus ride to the closest store, and then the bus only comes twice an hour, and then it's usually late. So having to carry multiple heavy bags with cold items on a public bus that costs 2.20 roundtrip is no fun. So my flatmates and I just order them online, for a $5 delivery fee. Between the 4 of us, that's cheaper than each of us riding the bus. And yet, I'm not quite sure if this makes me lazy or if they grocery delivery man thinks we're too old to leave our house...? Hmm...
I've also noticed that all of the tall buildings over in Surfers Paradise are not actually office buildings. They are hotels! All of the sky scrapers. Or they are holiday apartments, which is just a fancy/bigger hotel. Just goes to show how much of touristy town this is. Also. Gay Australian Accents. I'll let you picture that one on your own.
And for those of you who greatly appreciate Lolli Cup, they serve it on campus! Another reason for you to visit.
So I think I'll wrap up this lovely update with an insight into the structural fascinations of Bond Uni. The campus is split in two by a gorgeous waterfall/fountain thingy. On either side of it, there are staircases. It's the only way to get from one side to the other, so one must take the stairs. Well, these aren't your ordinary stairs. They're the kind that are too small for little steps, and too big for regular steps. Know what I mean? So for the first two weeks we're all so frustrated by these damn stairs, and trying to find alternative routes. Then this past monday, an Aussie in one of my classes who has been here at Bond for a year or so explained the purpose of the stairs to me. "They're called Chinese Thinking Stairs," she says. "They're purpose is to frustrate you, forcing you to use your brain to figure out the most natural step-to-step-ratio." Well then.
Bring it on, stairs. I'm ready for the challenge.
Love.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
A Morning Tea Update
So biggest news of all: the AUD dollar dropped a ton, leaving us foreigners with more money in our pockets! Currently, we can get $100 AUD for only $82 US. That is fantastic! Everyone is rushing to ATMs to withdraw oodles of money before something changes. This still does not take away from the fact that I need a job.
I'm becoming more and more accustomed to the culture here, even though it doesn't vary much from the social culture of England. The land is streaming with people who couldn't be more carefree--even our professors! Each and every authority figure on this campus refuses to be called by their proper title. I'm on a first name basis with 3 out of 3 teachers, all of whom have doctorates. See? It isn't all about ego and title.
This weekend is our trip to Spot X, a remote beach where the surfers can find the best rip curl. Although I won't be surfing, all of my friends will be. I'll be there for moral support, you know...lying on the sand, taking pictures, riding horses in the surf...that sort of thing. It's the last of these trips for the season, since winter technically starts in June. And on that note, all of the natives keep complaining about how cold it is getting. Hello! 72 degrees is not cold, my friends. All of us from the North are so amused. People are bundling up in boots, hoodies, and scarves while us "crazy foreigners" are lying on the beach in bathers (Aussie word for swim suits).
Just finished my lovely cup of English Breakfast tea, so that's all the time I have! Class in 20 minutes, then off to the beach! Gotta love the bum life =)
Love!
I'm becoming more and more accustomed to the culture here, even though it doesn't vary much from the social culture of England. The land is streaming with people who couldn't be more carefree--even our professors! Each and every authority figure on this campus refuses to be called by their proper title. I'm on a first name basis with 3 out of 3 teachers, all of whom have doctorates. See? It isn't all about ego and title.
This weekend is our trip to Spot X, a remote beach where the surfers can find the best rip curl. Although I won't be surfing, all of my friends will be. I'll be there for moral support, you know...lying on the sand, taking pictures, riding horses in the surf...that sort of thing. It's the last of these trips for the season, since winter technically starts in June. And on that note, all of the natives keep complaining about how cold it is getting. Hello! 72 degrees is not cold, my friends. All of us from the North are so amused. People are bundling up in boots, hoodies, and scarves while us "crazy foreigners" are lying on the beach in bathers (Aussie word for swim suits).
Just finished my lovely cup of English Breakfast tea, so that's all the time I have! Class in 20 minutes, then off to the beach! Gotta love the bum life =)
Love!
Monday, May 24, 2010
Bondy Family
So I guess I should probably introduce my new family to my family and friends back home! It's been a few weeks, and although we're constantly meeting new people, everyone has pretty much settled into a routine with groups. It's really nice to feel welcome =)
I first met Chris (Michigan) and Andrea (Illinois) at LAX on the day of departure. We hit it off really well almost right away, which was comforting. We met Kristin (Missouri, but goes to school in CA) a day or two after we got to Cairns, and that was pretty much the entire AustraLearn group for the May semester.
Once we got to Bond Uni, Kristin and I met our flatmate Basia (Poland) who is always hyped up on sugar. Ahh! Chris and Andrea's other flatmate is Felipe (Brazil). That night we also met Ashley (Canada) who has lived in Australia for 15 months, and Jass (Australia) who has taught us much about this country ha ha.
Tuesday of 0 Week, I was in an orientation for study abroad students. I asked a couple of questions, so people could obviously tell I was American. Chris and I left and started walking towards the next activity, when this girl stops me and says "Hey, are you American??" I was so surprised I couldn't really answer! Totally caught me off guard. Turns out she's a study abroad student too, but the only one in her program. I was the first American she found on campus! Ha ha her name is Kristen (North Carolina) and she's fabulous. Once her roomie got to campus a few days later, we all bonded with her too! Kaitlin (Massachusetts) is my adventure buddy, and we've decided to see everything while we're here.
We've also met Sunniva, who is from Norway! Between her and Basia, I've learned so much about European culture. For example, when someone in either of their countries says "Oh, I don't care" it's basically a way to say "Oh, f*** off, I don't care what you want/say/think. F*** you!". It's very rude and demeaning. Well, us Americans say that all of the time when it comes to making plans and we're indifferent about which activities to do. So for the first couple of weeks, Basia always thought we were mad at her, and I really couldn't understand why! She and Sunniva had a conversation about it, and realized that it was probably just a cultural difference. They told us and we all laughed for about 10 minutes. It still baffles me, though. Some silly little phrase can mean two entirely different things! Needless to say, we both gained a little more worldly knowledge that night.
Since our kitchen window stares directly into our neighbor's kitchen window, we've met them by accident. Jesse is a native to the Gold Coast and Adam is from Chicago. Both really cool guys! We've also met Mo and Mo, one from Egypt, one from somewhere else. And then we've met Isaack Blake, who are also natives. We were the first Americans they've ever met!
So, as you can see, my Aussie Land family is quite large and it's only week 3! It's really rather comforting to know that I have so many people around me already. I'm absolutely loving it down here, and I can't wait to share more stories with everyone. I'm working on making a site for my pictures on Shutterfly, but it takes almost 2 hours to load 40 pictures. It's a work in progress, but I promise to post the link for that as soon as I can.
Love!
P.S. It's incredibly weird not having people call me JJ. I've gone by that since 5th grade, almost 14 years, and it's just plain weird. This is one change I don't like!
I first met Chris (Michigan) and Andrea (Illinois) at LAX on the day of departure. We hit it off really well almost right away, which was comforting. We met Kristin (Missouri, but goes to school in CA) a day or two after we got to Cairns, and that was pretty much the entire AustraLearn group for the May semester.
Once we got to Bond Uni, Kristin and I met our flatmate Basia (Poland) who is always hyped up on sugar. Ahh! Chris and Andrea's other flatmate is Felipe (Brazil). That night we also met Ashley (Canada) who has lived in Australia for 15 months, and Jass (Australia) who has taught us much about this country ha ha.
Tuesday of 0 Week, I was in an orientation for study abroad students. I asked a couple of questions, so people could obviously tell I was American. Chris and I left and started walking towards the next activity, when this girl stops me and says "Hey, are you American??" I was so surprised I couldn't really answer! Totally caught me off guard. Turns out she's a study abroad student too, but the only one in her program. I was the first American she found on campus! Ha ha her name is Kristen (North Carolina) and she's fabulous. Once her roomie got to campus a few days later, we all bonded with her too! Kaitlin (Massachusetts) is my adventure buddy, and we've decided to see everything while we're here.
We've also met Sunniva, who is from Norway! Between her and Basia, I've learned so much about European culture. For example, when someone in either of their countries says "Oh, I don't care" it's basically a way to say "Oh, f*** off, I don't care what you want/say/think. F*** you!". It's very rude and demeaning. Well, us Americans say that all of the time when it comes to making plans and we're indifferent about which activities to do. So for the first couple of weeks, Basia always thought we were mad at her, and I really couldn't understand why! She and Sunniva had a conversation about it, and realized that it was probably just a cultural difference. They told us and we all laughed for about 10 minutes. It still baffles me, though. Some silly little phrase can mean two entirely different things! Needless to say, we both gained a little more worldly knowledge that night.
Since our kitchen window stares directly into our neighbor's kitchen window, we've met them by accident. Jesse is a native to the Gold Coast and Adam is from Chicago. Both really cool guys! We've also met Mo and Mo, one from Egypt, one from somewhere else. And then we've met Isaack Blake, who are also natives. We were the first Americans they've ever met!
So, as you can see, my Aussie Land family is quite large and it's only week 3! It's really rather comforting to know that I have so many people around me already. I'm absolutely loving it down here, and I can't wait to share more stories with everyone. I'm working on making a site for my pictures on Shutterfly, but it takes almost 2 hours to load 40 pictures. It's a work in progress, but I promise to post the link for that as soon as I can.
Love!
P.S. It's incredibly weird not having people call me JJ. I've gone by that since 5th grade, almost 14 years, and it's just plain weird. This is one change I don't like!
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Just An Update...
One would expect a student who is studying abroad to learn things about the culture, as well as the educational system. But so much so quickly?! It's nuts. I've been in classes for three days, and I already view the world just a little differently. I'm really enjoying these new perspectives though. Very enlightening.
In my International Relations class, we were asked to explain how we identified with our own culture/heritage. One girl raised her hand and said that Australians have the most independence, and that's how the identify with each other and/or their country. She went on and on about how no one else really understands independence like Aussies do. The teacher eventually stopped her, and quickly asked how many Americans were in the class. Out of 100ish, two of us raised hands. She proceeded to explain that Americans have a better appreciation of independence, simply because we had to fight for ours, and Aussies were essentially handed it. I was stunned. It's something drilled into our head since kindy, and yet I had never heard someone not American defend us like that. I sort of felt like we had just been put on a pedestal, and now the entire class knew I was American. Exactly what I didn't want! It wasn't a good feeling like I thought it would be. Yes, I am incredibly prideful of my country and grateful to every soul who has died for our freedom, and yet, I absolutely did not want people thinking I thought I was better than them! Because I absolutely am not. It was awkward. And yet very surprising.
It's amazing to see how people view our country. Most of the Aussies know more of our own history than theirs, and it's very evident. I've met so many people from so many different countries. I have friends from Norway, Poland, Zimbabwe, Holland, America, Canada, and Australia. Loving it! So many stories to share with each other; learning about other countries from real people instead of textbooks is outstanding. I have such an appreciation for the world.
On another note...it's crazy to see Orion (constellation) from another angle! And I saw the moon for the first time tonight. Why? No idea. It's been missing for 2.5 weeks. Strange.
In my International Relations class, we were asked to explain how we identified with our own culture/heritage. One girl raised her hand and said that Australians have the most independence, and that's how the identify with each other and/or their country. She went on and on about how no one else really understands independence like Aussies do. The teacher eventually stopped her, and quickly asked how many Americans were in the class. Out of 100ish, two of us raised hands. She proceeded to explain that Americans have a better appreciation of independence, simply because we had to fight for ours, and Aussies were essentially handed it. I was stunned. It's something drilled into our head since kindy, and yet I had never heard someone not American defend us like that. I sort of felt like we had just been put on a pedestal, and now the entire class knew I was American. Exactly what I didn't want! It wasn't a good feeling like I thought it would be. Yes, I am incredibly prideful of my country and grateful to every soul who has died for our freedom, and yet, I absolutely did not want people thinking I thought I was better than them! Because I absolutely am not. It was awkward. And yet very surprising.
It's amazing to see how people view our country. Most of the Aussies know more of our own history than theirs, and it's very evident. I've met so many people from so many different countries. I have friends from Norway, Poland, Zimbabwe, Holland, America, Canada, and Australia. Loving it! So many stories to share with each other; learning about other countries from real people instead of textbooks is outstanding. I have such an appreciation for the world.
On another note...it's crazy to see Orion (constellation) from another angle! And I saw the moon for the first time tonight. Why? No idea. It's been missing for 2.5 weeks. Strange.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
O Week
This past week has been a whirlwind of new friends, new places, and new memories. The Uni (what Aussie's call college) calls this week "O Week", essentially Orientation Week. There were all kinds of classes we could take, anything from introductions to the Uni, meeting faculty from your degree, study abroad students' tips, and even a cocktail welcome party. In the evenings, we participated in a ton of activities that helped Chris and I to meet lots of new people! It was a blasty blast.
We went to the Cocktail party, where we had to dress all kinds of fancy, and drink champagne. That's where we met our Norwegian friend Sunniva! She's so nice, and I've already learned a few Norwegian words! ha ha. Then we had an adventure to the Robina Town Centre, where we can shop for groceries, clothes, anything we need. It's about Park Meadows times 5. Only about an hour's walk, but we just take the bus and it's only about 15 minutes. Wonderful!
Wednesday night was a trivia/comedian night. We only got to see the comedians, and they were alright. Very different sense of humor down here, that's for sure. They are much more open with sexuality, and rather vulgar at times. There was quite a few times when I was sure that what the comedian was saying would've been considered very offensive in the States. Interesting how cultures work like that. Needless to say, it was still an enjoyable evening! Thursday night was the Tight and Bright party, meaning everyone needs to wear neon colors and very tight clothes. We did just that, but had seriously underestimated the "tight" part of the ordeal. And it wasn't the girls! It was the guys! They were ALL wearing neon tights with neon ladies panties and the tightest shirts ever. It was insanity/disturbing. Ha!!
Friday we went back to Robina so Sunniva could buy a Mac (yes, I converted her! Whoo!) and then went to the Bond Uni rugby game that night. Yea, it was boring. Saturday we went to Broadbeach for a day of fun in the sun. And it was literally fun in the sun! The ocean is amazing, and the sand was incredible. We went back to the beach on Sunday, but it was rather chilly. So we walked around Surfers Paradise for a couple hours, then took a two hour stroll in the surf on the beach. It's so peaceful. I LOVE IT!!
Just starting classes today, so hoping that goes well! So far so good. Working on uploading pictures, so check out my facebook for those =)
We went to the Cocktail party, where we had to dress all kinds of fancy, and drink champagne. That's where we met our Norwegian friend Sunniva! She's so nice, and I've already learned a few Norwegian words! ha ha. Then we had an adventure to the Robina Town Centre, where we can shop for groceries, clothes, anything we need. It's about Park Meadows times 5. Only about an hour's walk, but we just take the bus and it's only about 15 minutes. Wonderful!
Wednesday night was a trivia/comedian night. We only got to see the comedians, and they were alright. Very different sense of humor down here, that's for sure. They are much more open with sexuality, and rather vulgar at times. There was quite a few times when I was sure that what the comedian was saying would've been considered very offensive in the States. Interesting how cultures work like that. Needless to say, it was still an enjoyable evening! Thursday night was the Tight and Bright party, meaning everyone needs to wear neon colors and very tight clothes. We did just that, but had seriously underestimated the "tight" part of the ordeal. And it wasn't the girls! It was the guys! They were ALL wearing neon tights with neon ladies panties and the tightest shirts ever. It was insanity/disturbing. Ha!!
Friday we went back to Robina so Sunniva could buy a Mac (yes, I converted her! Whoo!) and then went to the Bond Uni rugby game that night. Yea, it was boring. Saturday we went to Broadbeach for a day of fun in the sun. And it was literally fun in the sun! The ocean is amazing, and the sand was incredible. We went back to the beach on Sunday, but it was rather chilly. So we walked around Surfers Paradise for a couple hours, then took a two hour stroll in the surf on the beach. It's so peaceful. I LOVE IT!!
Just starting classes today, so hoping that goes well! So far so good. Working on uploading pictures, so check out my facebook for those =)
Monday, May 10, 2010
From Cairns to Gold Coast
Sorry I haven't updated all week! Things have been crazy out here, and we didn't have easy access to internet at our hostel in Cairns (pronounced Cans). But here is a nice long post for you, since I know I can't tell all of you on the phone individually!
So the week of holiday in Cairns was amazing, and I've already decided that I could live there. Although it is quite a touristy town, all of the suburban housing is far enough outside of the city that you wouldn't have to deal with all of that. And by touristy I mean people from Asia. Ha ha they are everywhere!!!! It's crazy. We spent a day at RainforeStation, which is like a petting zoo/Aboriginal historical site/Army duck ride place. Well, whatever it was, we got to play with kangaroos and hold snakes. So I'm good with that.
We also white water rafted down the Barren River in the mountains, which was so beautiful! The rapids were nothing like I expected, very easy stuff, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. We had life jackets on, so there were parts of the river where we could get out and float instead of staying in the boat to paddle. And we couldn't have picked a nicer day!
The best day was the day out on the Reef!! We took a two hour boat ride that our AustraLearn Gudie Russell works on when he isn't working with students like us. There was around 40 to 50 people on the boat, including the staff, and it was incredible. We snorkeled off the coast of a tiny island that was a bird sanctuary for some 50,000 birds. Amazing! Then we got to do an optional scuba dive, which I had been pumped for all week. But when it came down to it and we had the tanks and gear strapped to our backs, I was having a panic attack. I don't mind going underwater, and I don't mind breathing from a tank. I just really mind doing that for a long period of time with no hope of the surface. My instructor Simone calmed me down and said we would just be staying on the surface (me and two other girls who were scared too). So we went out, away from the boat, and needless to say in about five minutes we were all under the water completely!
I totally calmed down, so no worries there. It is probably the most incredible thing I have done so far. I really, really enjoyed it. We saw sting rays, every kind of fish imaginable, starfish, and of course the beautiful coral. I even ran into a jellyfish! It was about the size of a plum ha ha so I just pushed away from it, cause those will still get ya. When we snorkeled, we saw a massive turtle that we just followed for about five minutes. I LOVED it. Definitely something I will be doing again. Simone and I have a special bond now ha ha. He tricked me, but I'm glad he did!
And now we're in Gold Coast for school! We got here yesterday, and instantly fell in love with it. We're about a block from campus, so it takes no more than 5 minutes to get there, which is quite nice. We live in gorgeous Townhouses called Varsity Shores. There is a garage, a basement, two floors, and a backyard. It's massive and incredible!! I share a bathroom with Kristin, but otherwise we have our own rooms. Our other flatmate is Basia from Poland! She is so excited about life and everything, and I just love her. She's the first and only Polish student at Bond, so she's kind of special to the University haha. Now that we're all in our own places, I can tell this is going to be a fantastic year.
They gave us sheets and a comforter, but I will definitely be investing in another set haha. The sheets feel like paper, and are an ugly tanish neutral color, and my comforter is almost neon aquamarine. Nice combo, huh? But the bed is way comfy!
So this is all for now, and I'll be posting pictures on my facebook soon enough! Just need to unpack and do some orientation things the majority of today.
Missing everyone!
So the week of holiday in Cairns was amazing, and I've already decided that I could live there. Although it is quite a touristy town, all of the suburban housing is far enough outside of the city that you wouldn't have to deal with all of that. And by touristy I mean people from Asia. Ha ha they are everywhere!!!! It's crazy. We spent a day at RainforeStation, which is like a petting zoo/Aboriginal historical site/Army duck ride place. Well, whatever it was, we got to play with kangaroos and hold snakes. So I'm good with that.
We also white water rafted down the Barren River in the mountains, which was so beautiful! The rapids were nothing like I expected, very easy stuff, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. We had life jackets on, so there were parts of the river where we could get out and float instead of staying in the boat to paddle. And we couldn't have picked a nicer day!
The best day was the day out on the Reef!! We took a two hour boat ride that our AustraLearn Gudie Russell works on when he isn't working with students like us. There was around 40 to 50 people on the boat, including the staff, and it was incredible. We snorkeled off the coast of a tiny island that was a bird sanctuary for some 50,000 birds. Amazing! Then we got to do an optional scuba dive, which I had been pumped for all week. But when it came down to it and we had the tanks and gear strapped to our backs, I was having a panic attack. I don't mind going underwater, and I don't mind breathing from a tank. I just really mind doing that for a long period of time with no hope of the surface. My instructor Simone calmed me down and said we would just be staying on the surface (me and two other girls who were scared too). So we went out, away from the boat, and needless to say in about five minutes we were all under the water completely!
I totally calmed down, so no worries there. It is probably the most incredible thing I have done so far. I really, really enjoyed it. We saw sting rays, every kind of fish imaginable, starfish, and of course the beautiful coral. I even ran into a jellyfish! It was about the size of a plum ha ha so I just pushed away from it, cause those will still get ya. When we snorkeled, we saw a massive turtle that we just followed for about five minutes. I LOVED it. Definitely something I will be doing again. Simone and I have a special bond now ha ha. He tricked me, but I'm glad he did!
And now we're in Gold Coast for school! We got here yesterday, and instantly fell in love with it. We're about a block from campus, so it takes no more than 5 minutes to get there, which is quite nice. We live in gorgeous Townhouses called Varsity Shores. There is a garage, a basement, two floors, and a backyard. It's massive and incredible!! I share a bathroom with Kristin, but otherwise we have our own rooms. Our other flatmate is Basia from Poland! She is so excited about life and everything, and I just love her. She's the first and only Polish student at Bond, so she's kind of special to the University haha. Now that we're all in our own places, I can tell this is going to be a fantastic year.
They gave us sheets and a comforter, but I will definitely be investing in another set haha. The sheets feel like paper, and are an ugly tanish neutral color, and my comforter is almost neon aquamarine. Nice combo, huh? But the bed is way comfy!
So this is all for now, and I'll be posting pictures on my facebook soon enough! Just need to unpack and do some orientation things the majority of today.
Missing everyone!
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Can You Say "Humid"???
Holy cow. Humidity.
However, it's quite fantastic. Sitting outside of a cafe with my friends enjoying the wonderful weather, and of course, on facebook. So far, this is my new favorite city. The beach is about a block to our left, the mountains a few miles to the right. Palm trees everywhere!! It is the best weather ever. At first, Cairns seems a little like Florida. But we just keep telling ourselves that it's not Florida, it's AUSTRALIA!!! OOOOOOH YES!!!!
Missing everyone though! But I still couldn't be more excited to be here. Everything is so expensive! Almost 8 dollars for a smoothie. However, the minimum wage is $17.00 an hour haha. Nice. I'll be excited for a job once I get down to Gold Coast/Surfer's Paradise. Bring on the beach!!
More updates soon! Check out my pictures, to be posted later ha ha.
LOVE!
However, it's quite fantastic. Sitting outside of a cafe with my friends enjoying the wonderful weather, and of course, on facebook. So far, this is my new favorite city. The beach is about a block to our left, the mountains a few miles to the right. Palm trees everywhere!! It is the best weather ever. At first, Cairns seems a little like Florida. But we just keep telling ourselves that it's not Florida, it's AUSTRALIA!!! OOOOOOH YES!!!!
Missing everyone though! But I still couldn't be more excited to be here. Everything is so expensive! Almost 8 dollars for a smoothie. However, the minimum wage is $17.00 an hour haha. Nice. I'll be excited for a job once I get down to Gold Coast/Surfer's Paradise. Bring on the beach!!
More updates soon! Check out my pictures, to be posted later ha ha.
LOVE!
Monday, April 19, 2010
A Photographic Preview
I though I'd upload a few photos so everyone could see where I'm off to in two weeks! I will definitely be posting more photos of my own on here and facebook once I get down there. The countdown continues!
Friday, April 9, 2010
Last Minute Craziness...
So. I'm leaving in three weeks. Holy hell.
This means that I'll be missing the last two weeks of my semester here, which is no big deal, but I'll be doing my finals and final projects before we finish learning everything. Nice, right? Stressful is more like it.
So far, everything for Australia is going wonderfully! I get to register for classes next week, and I've already become friends with my roomies on facebook. There are only 4 Americans going to Bond in May through the same program I'm in! How insane. This means that I will definitely be making more friends outside of our little circle than I ever did in London. Which excites me, big time.
I have quite a bit of shopping to do, which I can't decide if that's a good thing or a bad thing. Who knew that "Moving Across The World: Round Two" would be even more crazy than the first time! I know I've never been down under before, but I've done the study abroad thing. However, this time? I'm losing my mind.
Stay tuned for details...
This means that I'll be missing the last two weeks of my semester here, which is no big deal, but I'll be doing my finals and final projects before we finish learning everything. Nice, right? Stressful is more like it.
So far, everything for Australia is going wonderfully! I get to register for classes next week, and I've already become friends with my roomies on facebook. There are only 4 Americans going to Bond in May through the same program I'm in! How insane. This means that I will definitely be making more friends outside of our little circle than I ever did in London. Which excites me, big time.
I have quite a bit of shopping to do, which I can't decide if that's a good thing or a bad thing. Who knew that "Moving Across The World: Round Two" would be even more crazy than the first time! I know I've never been down under before, but I've done the study abroad thing. However, this time? I'm losing my mind.
Stay tuned for details...
Saturday, March 27, 2010
The countdown has begun..
Welcome to my blog. You can keep up with my crazy travels on here! I hope you all enjoy reading and sharing in my experiences. I encourage you to pretend money isn't an object and come visit me in Australia/New Zealand this year!
Off to Australia for a semester at Bond University in The City of Gold Coast. For those of you that are unfamiliar with Australian geography (myself included) that is about 2 hours south of Brisbane on the East Coast of the country. Bring on the sun and sand! I am more excited than I can say in a few words... I'll be living in a townhouse (five minutes walk from campus) with two other people, Chris and Krista. We each get our own room and bathroom, and then share a kitchen and living/dining room. That is WAY better than my London living situation, although I was in London so I didn't really care. I wasn't sure about living with two other Americans, but at the same time, we're the only Americans in this program for this semester. So it'll be nice to at least know someone and not be completely on my own.
After four months out there, I'll be heading to New Zealand for an internship with a printing company. I'll be receiving college credit for that as well! I don't know much about either place, so I've been researching in travel books and online to find out as much as I can. However, I'm sure I'll learn more in a week being there than any travel guide can tell me....
I have installed a countdown clock onto my Dashboard, and I'm obsessively checking it everyday. As of right now, I leave in 36 days, 5 hours, 7 minutes, and 43 seconds. Perhaps I should start packing?
Off to Australia for a semester at Bond University in The City of Gold Coast. For those of you that are unfamiliar with Australian geography (myself included) that is about 2 hours south of Brisbane on the East Coast of the country. Bring on the sun and sand! I am more excited than I can say in a few words... I'll be living in a townhouse (five minutes walk from campus) with two other people, Chris and Krista. We each get our own room and bathroom, and then share a kitchen and living/dining room. That is WAY better than my London living situation, although I was in London so I didn't really care. I wasn't sure about living with two other Americans, but at the same time, we're the only Americans in this program for this semester. So it'll be nice to at least know someone and not be completely on my own.
After four months out there, I'll be heading to New Zealand for an internship with a printing company. I'll be receiving college credit for that as well! I don't know much about either place, so I've been researching in travel books and online to find out as much as I can. However, I'm sure I'll learn more in a week being there than any travel guide can tell me....
I have installed a countdown clock onto my Dashboard, and I'm obsessively checking it everyday. As of right now, I leave in 36 days, 5 hours, 7 minutes, and 43 seconds. Perhaps I should start packing?
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