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!
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