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!