Heaps of Updates from Down Under!

May 27, 2012

G’day!

       So I know it has been almost two months since I last wrote in my blog. I find it so hard to keep up with! During the weekdays I have been busy with schoolwork and on the weekends I have been traveling around or spending it with friends visiting Brisbane or me visiting friends! I figured instead of writing about a bunch of things I have done in the past two months I would list them. There’s a lot that I have done and I am so grateful for every opportunity I have had while I’ve been here to try new things and see these beautiful places. A few things that I have done in the past 2 months are the following:

- Learn to surf in Byron Bay (I stood up on my first try and every time after that (besides for a few wipeouts). I have field hockey to thank for that!)

Before our surf lesson!

- Go to Cairns

- Swim at waterfalls (it was so cool to be on the backside of this a huge waterfall and see the water falling down)

Before going to swim under that waterfall!

- Rock climb in Port Douglas (with bare feet and hands! The rocks weren’t too steep so it was safe enough)

Standing on some of the rocks we climbed in Port Douglas.

- Take an intro scuba dive lesson in the Great Barrier Reef (by far one of the best things I have done here in Australia. Being able to swim with the fish and be under water for that long was amazing)

Welcome to the Great Barrier Reef!

Me looking like a pro already

Our Spring Break group after scuba diving in the reef!

- Swim with a sea turtle and pet it (again, this was an another amazing and beautiful experience. Call me cheesy but if you didn’t know, sea turtles have become my favorite animal and to be able to swim with it was so cool)

Look closely, there's a turtle there!

- Attend Supafest (a large music festival with Kelly Rowland, Ice Cube, Ludacris, Lupe Fiasco, Trey Songz, Tpain, and Chris Brown. This is the kind of music that my parents can’t stand but I had never been to an all day music festival like that so it was great to listen to live music that I knew all day long and to see all those performers in person)

Chris Brown on stage.

- Have a beer and wine tasting at Mt. Tamborine

- See glow warms in a man made cave (glow warms are similar to our firefly but they’re only found in New Zealand and Australia)

- Explore parts of Australia with Mom, Dad, and Patrick

The Donlins in Syndey!

Me and Dad <3 One of my favorite pictures from their trip visiting me.

- Climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge with Mom (such a great experience and what a view!)

On our way to the top of the bridge!

- Take a tour of the Sydney Opera House

Patrick and I at the Opera House!

- See sea turtle hatchlings move from their nest (in the sand) to the water on Heron Island in the Great Barrier Reef

Hatchlings coming out of their nest!

- Snorkel around shipwrecks in Heron Island

The island we stayed at for the weekend. Absolutely beautiful.

- Go to the Steve Irwin’s Australia Zoo

- Hold a koala and feed elephants! (These obviously happened at the Australia Zoo)

Feeding elephants has become a favorite hobby of mine.

- Go to Whitsunday Islands off of Airlie Beach (there are at least 74 of these islands that are surrounded by beautiful water and white sand)

On our boat in Whitsundays at the start of sunset.

This was one of the prettiest sunsets that I have ever seen. Pictures don't even do it justice.

- Go to Whitehaven Beach (one of the most beautiful beaches in the world! The sand is so pure that you can clean your jewelry in it)

Loving Whitehaven Beach!

Too pretty for words.

The girls and I went at sunset on our second day on the boat on the Whitsundays!

Another amazine sunset. You can tell why I never want to leave.

- Go to my first horse race in Brisbane!

Julia and I at the horse race! (She plays field hockey at St. Mike's so it'll be fun when we play each other in the fall)

- Surf in Agnes Water

Looking at this list, it’s crazy that I did all of these things in just two months. There’s still so much I want to do and for some of the things I may not have the time (or money) to do while I’m here. I guess that’s a great excuse to come back and do more exploring in the land of Australia sometime in the future!

Opportunities with Working with Kids Abroad

       While I have been here, I have also had the opportunity to volunteer at the day care on campus. Our campus is huge, but it is so convenient that they have a place for kids on campus so I can see how the childcare system works over here. I have so far worked with kids mostly from the ages of 3 to 6. They are not older than that because after day care, the kids go to primary school, which is similar to our kindergarten or first grade. The great part about volunteering at the day care is that I can go whenever I want! Since I have been so busy these past few weeks it’s been tough for me to go in and get hours. But I normally go there and just play outside with them. There is nothing better than having a child walk over to you and immediately think you’re friends. The Aussie kids are so friendly here! On my first day, I instantly had 3 new friends who were in preschool (which the age group similar to our Kindergarten) and they wanted to play tag with me. I loved it! This age group is a little bit younger than what I am used to working with back at home for both field work and camp, but it is still so much fun.

      One of our Aussie friends here is a teacher for 7^th grade. Since my workload is slowing down and classes are ending, I am going to try to visit his classroom for a day or two just to see what the school system is like. I’m so excited for that to happen!! I am so interested in seeing what the students learn, how they learn and if everything is completely similar or different compared to back home. My friend even told me I could teach a lesson or two, which may be a little too much but what a great opportunity! I can’t wait to get in that classroom.

      Being here has made me realize that I want to work with kids from all over the world (that may sound a little extreme, but I just mean that I want to travel and work with kids in the school systems when I have the opportunity). Even though I have had little experience with volunteering and in the school system here, it has sparked an interest in me. I wonder how other school systems are and how teachers teach and how students learn. I guess this really confirms that I want to be a teacher because education is something I have really grown to love. I think that working in other school systems in different parts of the world would make me a more well rounded teacher and it would open so many windows of opportunity. I already can’t wait to go home and start planning another trip abroad (sorry Mom and Dad!).

       It’s so hard to believe that there’s only one month left in Australia. Our study abroad program has their farewell dinner for us this week and everyone in my program can’t believe how fast the semester has gone. It’s so bittersweet that I go home soon. I can’t wait to see my family, friends, to enjoy summer and to go back to work. But at the same time, it will be tough leaving this beautiful country where I have literally had the best time of my life with great people. I have become one of those people who believes that studying abroad has really been one of the best times of my life so far and it has made me see things in a completely different light (for the better, of course) and I haven’t even left the country yet!

In the next few weeks, I will try to get better about updating this blog and recording my journey. I still have some more adventures planned before I come home so stay tuned!

Cheers!

Moreton Island Adventures!

Hello!

I have lots to talk about since it’s been almost two and a half weeks since I last posted something. I have time in between my classes now so I figured I would take some time to update everyone.

Two weekends ago, my study abroad program had planned a day trip to Moreton Island. It’s the second largest sand island in the world. We took a ferry from Brisbane to the island. The ferry took about an hour and it was enough time to catch up with the other people in my program that I hadn’t seen since orientation. When we were approaching the island, the water seemed to be more clear and blue than anything. It was beautiful! The island is known to have shipwrecks in the water so it was so cool to see as we got closet to the island. We got into our 4-wheel drive (that fit about 15 of us) and drove directly onto the beach.

So beautiful

We took a bumpy ride through the forest and ended up at the desert part of the island. It really did look like the desert in Aladin! The sand dunes were huge so climbing up them was a bit difficult. I couldn’t help but run up it thinking that that would be my workout for the day. We then went sand tobogganing down the 150 foot sand dune. We went down on snowboard-looking boards. I was hesitant at first, but once I went, I wanted to keep going! I went 3 times on my stomach and 2 times sitting up. It was fun going down, but that walk back up the dune (5 different times!) was exhausting. Like I said, that was my workout for the day! After sand tobogganing, we drove back to the beach and had a barbie (BBQ) and hung out on the beach and in the water. We then went snorkeling through the shipwrecks. It was kind of a hectic snorkel. We had to keep swimming because the current was really strong and we couldn’t touch the shipwrecks because they were really sharp (because of the rust and barnacles). We saw 2 sharks and so many fish. It was pretty cool!

Welcome to the desert!

In the desert!

Sliding down the 150 ft. dune

Ready to go!

The shipwrecks

A few of us for a group shot

Ready to snorkel!

It may be tough to see, but that's a shark!

Thanks for the underwater camera, Mom and Dad :)

Leaving the island on the ferry.

The day was amazing and it makes me so happy that I chose the study abroad program that I did. They set up so many trips for us to enjoy and they’re definitely trips I will remember!

St. Paddy's Day in Brissy!

This past weekend was Saint Patrick's Day and I couldn't help but show my Irish pride even in Australia! It seems like St. Paddy's Day is so much more popular to celebrate in America than it is over here, which I was surprised about. That didn't stop us from having fun though! My friends and I got together on Saturday morning to get ready for the day. The boys made green eggs and kangaroo, which is obviously putting an Australian twist onto the breakfast. I didn't try it but they all seemed to enjoy it! We went through Brisbane all day on Saturday and that is where we found all the Irish celebrations going on. It's funny because it seemed like we were the only ones in the city wearing green until we actually got to the Irish pubs. We all had a lot of fun and enjoyed ourselves.

Green eggs and kangaroo in the process of being cooked.

There are a few things I want to note in here that are kind of funny about this country:

• Whenever I introduce myself to someone, whether they are from Australia or another country that makes them have an accent, they cannot say my name correctly. Most of the time they think my name is Peach. I then have to correct them, saying my name again. As I get a confused look from the other person I then continue to say "like in a book, turn the page," and they immediately understand. My name still sounds like Peach when they address me.

• A lot of people ask me if I am from Canada when they hear my accent. I'm not sure where they get that from but I thought that was odd.

• Also, for those people who have ever heard of Connecticut over here, they either (a) don't know where it is in the states, (b) think it is full of rich people with big houses, and Stepford wives, or (c) they immediately think of Yale, which is a great reference point since I go to school like 10 minutes away from the school. But then it's also a let down because they then find out I am not smart enough to go to Yale.

Okay so maybe I didn't have as many funny things to say but I just thought I'd mention a few things!

Byron Bay Adventures!

G’day!                                                   12 March 2012

I am finally settled in back in my apartment after a long and amazingly fun weekend in Byron Bay. The trip planned was through a club on campus. The club focuses on hosting events and trips mainly for international students. So this weekend wasn’t only fun, but it was a great way to meet people from Australia and from all over the world. I went on this trip with 2 other girls from my program, and we had a lot of fun!

We left on late Friday morning, and got to Byron Bay at around 3ish. We stopped at a liquor store on the way there, which I thought was cool and interesting. Back in the states I feel like a school-run-event would not encourage drinking. Here they are all for it! I went to a party a few weeks ago at a college (aka a dorm on campus), where they were selling beers and wine right at the party. It’s more acceptable to do that here because everyone is almost legal to drink, as the drinking age is 18. But once we finally got to Byron, we got settled in at our hostel, changed into our bathing suits and left for the beach! The walk was about 15 minutes and once we got to the beach the site was breathtaking. One of the things I couldn’t wait to do here before I came is to see and swim in crystal blue water. The water is so beautiful here and the waves can get pretty big! The water was full of surfers and people. Even though it was almost 4 in the afternoon, the sun was still pretty strong. We laid out for awhile, grabbed dinner, and went back to the hostel to get ready for the night.

A glimpse of the hostel we stayed at.

The beautiful beach!

A lifeguard and his rescue board.

On Friday night, we went to a place called Cheekey Monkeys. It was so much fun! It was full of backpackers and people from all over. The Byron locals like to stay away from Cheekey Monkeys just because it is full of tourists. The next morning (at 5am!) I woke up with a few other people from the club that set up the trip and we walked to the lighthouse to watch the sunrise. It was a little tough to wake up so early, but I knew I had to wake up because it would be worth it. The walk there was about 3 miles, and all uphill! It always seems like the way there is longer than it seems because you don’t know where you’re going. But once we got up to the lighthouse on the hill, it was such a breathtaking view. One of my favorite times of day is the sunrise, and the sunset is my other favorite time. Skies before the sunrise are always so pretty because the light is shining through the clouds and the moon is still out as the sky brightens. I’m glad I woke up so early to see the sunrise. I also found out that the point at where the lighthouse stands is the most easterly point of land in Australia. That lighthouse also has the strongest light in the Southern Hemisphere. Pretty cool! The walk back to the hostel also seemed like a long walk. That was another 3 miles. I had walked about 6 miles before 8:30 am which I was pretty impressed with.

5:00 am

The most easterly point in Australia!

Favorite time of day!

On Saturday, we spent the day at the beach. The town of Byron Bay had a lot of little shops and places to stop into. I of course had to buy postcards (I buy some whenever I’m in a new place I’m visiting), and some souvenirs for my friends back at home!  After a day of some shopping and beach, I got ready for the night. I went to hang out with my roommates that I lived with in the hostel. I didn’t know them coming into this trip, so it was nice to meet some new people. We all got along great, which is pretty lucky for living in a room for a weekend with 5 other people. That night, we had lots of fun dancing and meeting new people.

On Sunday, I wanted to snorkel with turtles and take surf lessons but those were all booked up for the weekend. So instead we took a sea-kayaking trip into the ocean! The company guarantees that you see dolphins in the ocean when you are on this 3-hour adventure. We all got into 2 person kayaks and paddled off into the ocean. We had to leave from the beach, so getting over the 5-foot waves in a 2 person kayak was pretty interesting. Sara and I were the first ones of the group to get into the water and the first wave that hit our kayak tipped us over completely. Once we rowed out into the ocean, it was beautiful. The water was so clear and even away from the land the waves can get pretty big, so it was fun to ride them in our kayaks. We were in the water for about 2 hours until we finally saw dolphins. It was such an exciting moment when we finally saw them! It was amazing to see such beautiful animals in their natural habitat. I know I sound really cheesey right now but being 5 feet away from a family of dolphins in the ocean is a pretty cool experience. They liked to ride the waves. When Sara and I were going over a wave, a family swam underneath us which was so cool!! Although swimming with dolphins is on my bucket list, and this weekend I only got to row with them, it’s still definitely something I will remember. Once the sea kayaking adventure was over, we had tea and Tim Tams (amazing Australian treats) on the beach and left for the hostel. It was a great weekend and everyone was passed out on the bus ride back!

Sara rowing life it's her job.

On the lookout for dolphins!

Too excited to see dolphins!

My favorite picture from this trip. Don't be fooled! That's a dolphin fin :)

Family of dolphins

Post one!

G’day!

So I wanted to finally start my blog just to keep everyone who is interested updated with what I have been doing in Australia. Today is the three-week mark and I feel like I have been here forever. This country is full of friendly, happy, and beautiful people. Everyone is normally very helpful here in the city of Brisbane. Whether you need help finding out where the bus or ferry goes or if you are looking for a cool place to eat and hang out, I have found it easy to walk up to people and ask. It’s nice not having a huge language barrier. That’s one of the main reasons why I came to this country. However, I have found that some accents of Australians can be thicker than others. It’s tough to understand an Australian when you’re in a loud, noisy place like a bar or restaurant. They also speak certain slang over here, which is really fun to learn and pick up.

The flight over here from LAX was long, but it was helpful having a flight at 10:30 at night (1:30 am our time). When we landed at 8am in Sydney, I felt ready to go and decently rested. It’s tough falling asleep in a chair for a 15 hour flight! But so far I have not felt jet lagged. The only problem I have is that I can’t sleep in past 9:30 am. I continue to wake up earlier which is good because it’s so beautiful here I don’t want to waste a day of sleeping!

My program IFSA Butler held orientation in Sydney for the first 4 days. I had an amazing time. I think spending 4 days in Sydney was enough to get all the touristy things out of the way. When we got there on day 1, we had an Australian BBQ with sausage and salad. We then took a 3 hour walking tour of the city. You’d be surprised how much we saw in the 3 hours. Sydney is such a modern city but at the same time it has so much history. Australia is a young country. People didn’t start living here until the later 19^th and 20^th century. It was cool to hear about the history there and see parts of the city that I probably would not have seen if I went there through my own travels. That night we ate at the restaurant right next to our hostel (which seemed more like a hotel to me. We had a rooftop and impeccable view of the Sydney Harbor Bridge and the Opera House. I never wanted to leave.) But the food at the restaurant was good. I tried kangaroo pizza. Kangaroo is dark meat here, similar to steak, but just not as tastey. To be honest, I only had a few bites of the pizza. I couldn’t bare the fact that I was so excited to pet a kangaroo and there I was eating one before any of that.

Kangaroo Pizza!

On day 2, we had an early breaky (breakfast) and ventured off to the zoo! There they had wallabies, birds, a crocodile, koalas, kangaroos, 2 headed lizard, and many more. It was a very hands-on zoo so we were all able to pet the animals and feed them. We got to see the crocodile being fed which was crazy. He was huge! You don’t actually realize how big and heavy they are until one is right in front of you. On the same day, we went to the Blue Mountains, where we took a hike in the rainforest. The views from every angle were beautiful. There were waterfalls and beautiful plants to look at all over. The Three Sisters were also cool to see. They are three tall rocks that are park of history here in Australia. The Aboriginals have many different versions of stories to tell about the Three Sisters. The hike was all uphill. I’m pretty sure we climbed up a couple thousand steps! After our hike, some Australian Aboriginals gave us a presentation on their culture. They played songs and danced to them, mimicking the animals of Australia. It was a pretty cool thing to be a part of and see. That night, we all went out in the city to a few bars. It felt pretty good being able to buy a bottle of wine, and especially since it was only $5!

A Wallaby! They look a lot like kangaroos.

Kangaroo!

The Three Sisters are over my right shoulder.

Huge waterfall in the Blue Mountains. 

Posing with the Aboriginal performers!

About to head out in the city!

On day 3, we had a free day. A group of us took a ferry over to Manly Beach. The beach was beautiful and I didn’t wand to leave! We stayed for about half the day because it started to rain. That night, we had a dinner cruise on the Sydney Harbor. We got lucky with the weather because it stopped raining and we got to see a decent sunset while we were on the boat. I decided to dress up for the cruise just because I knew I’d never for cruising around the Sydney Harbor again, so I made it worth while! It was a great way to end orientation with our whole group.

Surfer's Paradise!

You don't want to swim where they tell you not to!

Grabbing a drink after a day at the beach :)

Sydney!

Beautiful.

Since I’ve been in Brisbane, I couldn’t be happier. My living situation was a little rocky in the beginning. I was originally living on campus in a “college.” That’s what they call the dorms here. After being there for only 2 days I decided that the college lifestyle was not for me. They had a meal plan as part of the college, but it was only for an hour every morning, lunch, and dinner. I knew that would mess me up, especially when classes would start. I would have to depend on the college for food and I didn’t like that. You can call me spoiled or unappreciative, but I got so used to having my own kitchen last semester that I knew the dining hall experience wasn’t for me, especially if it wasn’t open all the time! Most of the people at the college were really nice and genuine people. The people that worked there were so accommodating. One of the cleaning ladies, Jackie, really could have been my mom away from home. She took the time to get to know me and where I was from. She made sure I had everything I needed and that I was taken care of. I love how people here really try to get to know you and make connections with you. I will definitely plan to stop by sometime over the semester and say hi to Jackie. Overall, I know I didn’t give it much of a chance, but I was not happy at the college and I knew I’d be happier living off campus and in the city.

Since I have been living in my apartment in South Bank, South Brisbane, I couldn’t be happier. I’m close with the group of people from my program. At least ten of us live in the same building. I have my own bedroom and bathroom. Two of my roommates are from Thailand, one is from Malaysia, one is from Vietnam, and the other one, James, is from Massachusetts (he is in my program). Na, my roommate from Vietnam, made dinner tonight and invited James and I to join her. She made white rice, pork, and edamame, and it was so good. Talk about diversity in Australia! I enjoy getting to know Na as the time goes on.

A glimpse of my Uni!

Uni (aka school) started last week. My classes are going well so far. The beginning of the semester usually is weird because I don’t know how to space out the work I need to do. But 3 of the 4 classes I am taking have tutorials once a week after the lecture. The lectures are full of about 200 students and the tutorials are smaller class sizes with about 30 people in them. This helps break down the lectures and this way we get more group work in. I actually like this concept. It’s a good way to meet the professor instead of just going to their office hours and meeting with them. The University of Queensland (my uni) is a beautiful school. Once you enter the great courtyard, you’re amazed at the building that surrounds it. It’s so green and big. There’s always so many people on campus and there’s always something to do while you wait for your next class to start. We have a gym, athletic fields, a pool that anyone can swim in, a candy shop, many coffee shops, a huge food court, a smoothie place, a bar (which you have to be over 18 to enter, even in the middle of the day!), post office, a daycare center (which I am trying to volunteer at), microwaves to heat your own food, co-ops, multiple libraries and plenty of areas to sit and just enjoy yourself. I love all the activity going on. I have been staying on campus awhile after classes end just so I can be around everything and take it in. When I get back from class, I change into my bathing suit and head to the lagoon right down the street. The lagoon is a manmade beach in the middle of the city. Clear water with sand and everything! It’s the perfect place to relax after class, even if I have reading to do for class, I just bring my books along with me! I love it!

A glimpse of the lagoon :)

I haven’t done much travelling yet since Sydney. It’s taken awhile to just settle in here. The first weekend in Brisbane, there was a huge toga party that we all went to. They were trying to break the Guinness Book of World Records for the world’s largest toga party and we broke the record! That was cool to be a part of, and it was so much fun! It was in the rain which made for a better experience overall! That weekend we went to the Gold Coast and visited some people in our program. It’s about an hour and twenty minutes of a train ride south of Brisbane. We went to Surfer’s Paradise, which is a beautiful beach right off the city of Gold Coast. The water was amazing. The beaches here are something I will always enjoy. I can’t help it to I look at the water around me and look for dark shadows or a fin. Getting attacked by a shark is still one of my biggest fears so I will always be on the look out even in the shallow water!

Jess and I before the toga party!

After writing this post I realize that I should catch up on this blog more frequently rather than just writing every 3 weeks. I am going to Byron Bay this weekend so I will keep everyone updated and fill you in when I get back from there! Hopefully I get to snorkel around while I’m down there. But for now.... Cheers mate!