Recently, IFSA–Butler organized a farewell dinner for all the students to see each other before heading home. The dinner consisted of students from different universities in Sydney, which gave me an opportunity to meet others that I haven’t yet. However, the dinner was also a minor reminder of our departure back home, leaving Sydney. At the dinner, we went through a long slide show that showcased all of our adventures in the past couple of months. It was interesting to see how my friendships had developed, or rather changed over time, how many adventures I had taken on, and my changing attitude over the course of the semester. In the beginning, I had been friends with a whole crowd of different people, which then slowly condensed to merely three or four close friendships. It was quite funny to see my first koala picture, in which I looked scared and uncomfortable, transform to me diving in the shark cage at Port Lincoln. The slideshow was a reminder of how much I had changed, yet remained the same. I had changed through my thinking processes, my way of experiencing adventures, and learning to enjoy every moment. However, I realized that I had maintained my value for quality friendships, lasting relationships, and a desire for learning.

A bit later in the program, we received the letters that we had written on the first day. I remember writing the letter in the hot February weather thinking about all the crazy fun I will have and all the cool people I would meet. I had thought about learning, but exploring was my main focus. After opening the letter, I felt so immature. The letter started with, ” It’s not the end, just yet,” which made me smile. In the letter, I had written myself encouraging notes, talking about crazy adventures, sky diving, getting my first tattoo, and making heaps of friends while abroad. The reality was that I had only accomplished one of the things-getting a tattoo. I did not make lots of friends, but made some really close friends that I would want to visit sometime. I did not go skydiving, but went to the tallest tower in Sydney. I did have crazy adventures though, just not the ones I had originally planned for myself. My adventures consisted of visiting mostly all of Australia, getting lost on the streets of Sydney, taking a 5am train from the city to Newtown, meeting random people on the streets and having long conversations, and creating lasting memories every step of the way. I actually was right. Even though I have only 2 weeks left until I leave, it’s not the end just yet. I have lots to see, lots to do, lost of places to get lost at, and lots of conversations waiting to happen.

Around a weekish ago, Ifsa-Butler took us to the countryside to experience a different kind of Australia. Each group of students had different farm locations, and different hosts. Our farm was located in Bathurst, specifically in Burrangalong. We were located about 50 miles north of the town of Bathurst.

The country life experience was one of the most unforgettable moments in my life. I have roots in the countryside, so it felt like home. My hosts, Karen and Paul were incredible, and I couldn’t have asked for better hosts. They were kind, sweet, patient, and overall amazing. Also, Karen makes the best food ever. Besides my mom, of course. Well, the first day we just had a meal, and chatted with our hosts for a bit. It was quite cold up there, so electric blankets were extremely helpful! The next day, Karen took us to see their backyard pets, and then the farms. One of their dogs had puppies, so all of us got to hold newborn puppies. They had some pet sheep, chickens, dogs, and cats. Then Paul took us to his 1300 acre farm, which was HUGE. There were heaps of sheep, lamb, and cows. The next day, our hosts took us to see the caves. This was my first time going to the caves, and it was beautiful. It felt so serene and peaceful inside the caves. The last day, all of us got to shear the sheep. YES, I SHEARED A SHEEP. The sheep were pretty calm when we sheared them, but very heavy when held. That was a once in a lifetime experience. The entire trip to the countryside made me realize how much of a ‘city-girl’ I am, and how much I want to be in the countryside. It’s nice to have stores and shopping centres all around me, but not necessary. It’s even better to take a long trip to get your groceries, have fresh eggs and milk in the morning, tend to the animals, and at nights hang out at the town bar with familiar, and weird folks. It just makes sense. Cities are good, but as humans, we also need a break from the rush and intense walking. Karen and Paul seemed so much at ease with their lifestyles, although most of their children had gone off into the city. They just did not want to leave the farm life. I understand why. Life living at a farm is different. You make your own rules. You have your meat, your calcium, and your protein in front of you. It’s so fresh, and completely underrated. I think everyone who plans to come to Australia must see the countryside once in their lifetime. It will definitely be worth your time, I promise!

It’s been a while since I have blogged, so I have a lot to say!

Uni has been going quite well, but assignment submissions have begun. Starting May, most of my assignments were due, and they will continue to be due until June 12th. One of my assignments required me to creatively reflect on some of the most significant experiences of my life. Well, Hello there Australia! Australia has honestly been an extremely worthy period of my life because I learned. I did not grow, I did not suddenly gain maturity, I just learned. I learned lessons, I learned how to take in experiences, I learned how to experience life. Then, when I look at others, did I learn the right stuff? It’s a bit odd to think about myself in relation to all the other students on the program that I have spent so much time with, but also necessary. I am the only SouthAsian person on this trip. Yes, it’s true. Initially, it felt a bit weird because when everyone was trying to catch a tan, I was in the water catching some waves. I didn’t really mind it much, but just felt the odd one out at times. Also, the others would vibrantly talk about their previous trips to Europe while I sat there trying to engage myself in the topic. The best one was the arrival of people’s boyfriends/girlfriends, parents, and family members to Australia just to take a time out and visit their loved ones. I nearly had to go to wits end to pay for this trip, and others just casually take super expensive trips to Oz. I was a bit snarky for that, but I shouldn’t have been. Yes, most people on the trip are white. Yes, they are extremely wealthy, and spoiled. So what? That doesn’t mean I shouldn’t engage myself in the conversations, or learn from them about their adventures, or tell them about my experiences. I shouldn’t feel bad for myself, but rather applaud myself for getting here, and staying here, and learning here. Perhaps, even after traveling the globe, some people don’t achieve the experiences that I have, or the friendships, or gratefulness that I have for the trip. With that said, I did learn. I learned to learn.

Who would have thought that I would be seeing an American famous comedian and talk show host in Australia! Any guesses who I saw?

It was Ellen DeGeneres!

On March 21st Ellen DeGeneres tweeted: “All right Sydneysiders, tomorrow’s on! Come to the Opera on the Harbour at the Fleet Steps. The fun starts at noon…If you’re planning on coming tomorrow, and I hope you are, Sydney, you can’t line up over night. The line starts at 6am!”

The next day, I woke at 3:30AM in order to get in the line for Ellen’s planned “fun” that she mentioned on her Twitter. I later found out that this “fun” was The Ellen Show. I took the train from Macquarie Uni to Circular Quay and walked to the Opera House by 6:00AM. By 6:30AM, the hundreds of people I was with and I were told we were in the wrong area to line up for the event. There was then a stampede of people running around the Botanical Gardens to the new destination of the line. My friends and I waited in line for about an hour until a few people from the staff came around to give us pink wristbands. These wristbands meant that we would get tickets for the show! About 1,000 people got tickets in total. A few hours later, we received our tickets and entered the venue.

There was lots of dancing, competitions, and games before the show even began. The “Gangnam Style” dance competition was probably the highlight of the preshow. The people in the competition got SO into it. It was hilarious.

I was extremely excited when Ellen finally appeared on the stage. She has such an energy about her. Portia, Russell Crowe, and Jessica Mauboy also made guest appearances on the show which was pretty cool. Russell Crowe tried showing Ellen how to use a whip. It was SO funny because Ellen wasn’t succeeding in the least.

After the show, a few friends and I walked through the Botanical Gardens to go get lunch near Circular Quay. I got a salmon sandwich and a side salad at a small bar called The Ship Inn. It was delicious. After lunch we went shopping for a short bit and then headed back to Mac Uni. Overall, it was a hectic but absolutely fabulous day. I wish I could experience it all again.

Here’s a video of Ellen dancing! Sorry for the shaking camera. . . I was dancing myself!

Find more videos like this on Institute for Study Abroad – Butler University

I have landed in Australia and my past week has been nothing but amazing and surreal. But MAN! have I been a busy bee. Here’s a basic summary of everything I’ve done at IFSA-Butler’s amazingly planned orientation:

Institute for Study Abroad – Butler University

Semester 1, 2013 Orientation

Sydney Harbor YHA – The Rocks

February 13th:

1. Arrive at the Sydney Harbor Youth Hostel (YHA)

2. Welcome Presentation

3. Lunch

4. Received our IFSA-Butler mobile phones with a $10 credit.

5.  Got a mobile phone plan, in addition to the $10 credit, to text friends from IFSA-Butler’s program for FREE.

6. Sydney Walking Tour – saw all the main sites near The Rocks, including the Opera House, Sydney Harbor Bridge,

Botanical Gardens, Hyde Park shopping centres and more!

7. Free time to freshen up and relax a bit (Yes, we still hadn’t showered since the 11th! YIKES!).

8. Burger and salad dinner at the YHA

9. Travel Presentation for advice, recommendations, and tips!

10. Relax and finally SLEEP! (Got through the day without any naps to fight the jetlag and it surely has paid off!).

February 14th:

1. Breakfast or should I say “Brekkie” at the YHA – pancakes, yogurt, and fruit, YUM!

2. Visited Featherdale Wildlife Park to get introduced to all of the Aussie animals! Pet some wallabies, kangaroos, koalas, and more!

3. Lunch near the famous 3 Sisters and Echo Point. We were given a wrap, a piece of fruit, and an Australian candy bar to try! I had a spicy chicken wrap, a green apple, and an Aero bar. Everything was delicious!

4. Bushwalked (hiked) down into the rainforests of the Blue Mountains (walked down over 1,000 steps!). Luckily, we didn’t have to walk back up. We took the Scenic World railway — the steepest in the southern hemisphere! The views were INCREDIBLE.

5.  Next, we went to a Aboriginal Culture center to paint some boomerangs (which tell stories through their symbols), learn about the Aboriginal culture in general, and watch some extremely entertaining performances through music and dance.

6. After falling asleep on the bus home from the Blue Mountains from exhaustion the IFSA-Butler crew went to dinner at The Orient in The Rocks. Dinner options were great and I was able to try kangaroo for my first time. It was served with beetroot relish, rocket, tomato, mustard mayo on sourdough with fries. I would definitely get it again!

7. After going back to the Sydney Harbor YHA to freshen up, a bunch of us decided to go back to The Orient for a few drinks, a live band, and a bit a dancing. It was a blast! And that is exactly why we went back again the following night for the same guaranteed good time!

February 15th:

1. Day 3 of orientation consisted of compulsory information sessions. The sessions focused on academics, health and well-being, and university specific information (Macquarie Uni). I learned a lot and felt one step closer to being prepared for my upcoming semester in Sydney.

2. From noon to 6:45PM we had free time to do whatever we wanted. A group of us decided to take the ferry to Manly beach from Wharf 3 at Circular Quay. I loved the town of Manly with all of the cafes, restaurants, boutiques, and shops. We decided to eat at a small cafe with a beautiful view of Manly beach. Next, we hit the beach and I touched Pacific waters for my very first time!

3. We took the ferry back home and started getting ready for our Sydney Harbor Dinner Cruise in which we were offered chicken, ravioli, salads, and desserts buffet style. There was also a cash bar to buy some drinks. I decided on some white wine with one of my new mates.

4. The cruise had beautiful views, some dancing,  and prize drawings. I won an “Australia” flip-flop (or as the Australians say “thong”) keychain!

5.  After the cruise, we made our way over to The Orient again for a similar night to the last. The Orient didn’t disappoint.

February 16th:

1. Move-in day finally arrived and after a short bus ride to Marsfield, all of the IFSA-Butler students made their way to the Macquarie Village reception center to check in.

2. After checking in and getting our room assignments, my new roommate Amy and I made our way up the hill to our apartment. We were lucky enough to get a little help with our multiple bags from a German international student.

3. After we put our bags in our rooms, we headed back to reception for our IFSA-Butler advisor Joanna to lead the way to the Macquarie Centre. She showed us the Mac Centre so we could walk through part of campus and buy some things for our new living spaces. It was a bit of a walk (15-20 minutes), but I found everything I needed.

4. Once getting back from the Macquarie Centre, I unpacked some of my things and had a BBQ with some of the IFSA-Butler students. It was a great way to kick off the semester!

I know that for all of my posts so far I have talked about traveling, minor mishaps, spontaneous adventures…you know, all the fun stuff you do when you are abroad. But yes, I do have classes. And I do have essays and tests, and now and then yes, yes I do get homesick. Even when I am surrounded by palm trees, sunny warm days and am a fifteen-minute bike ride from three different beaches, I still can’t help but miss the comforts of home. I’ve only been here close to 4 months, but I honestly feel like I have been here my entire life. A lot of Australia seems like a new home to me now.

Yes, classes are different here. And although there isn’t much work (at least, compared to the tremendous amount of work I tend to get at home), they have challenges in their own ways. One of the main suggestions I can tell you is take classes when you’re abroad that you normally wouldn’t take at home and are unique to the area you are studying in. You’re probably never going to have the opportunity to gain that type of knowledge again. I am a biology/pre-med major, and this semester I am only taking one biology course (Biodiversity of Tropical Australia) and the rest of my courses meet general liberal arts requirements at my home university (Ecology & Australian Indigenous Cultures, Anthropology, and Human Rights and Social Issues). At home, I am used to being able to check my grades every week and see where I am at and how I need to do on last minute assignments and exams. However, here, I only have one week left of the semester and I still have no clue as to what my combined grade is in any of the four classes I am taking. Plus, the finals I have to take are worth close to fifty percent of the overall grade…yikes!

Our IFSA advisor joked with us before we came to Cairns that everyone tended to run a little…late. That is, being prompt wasn’t really that important. So, throughout the course of the semester, I have seen this first hand. The buses hardly EVER run on time. Normally, they are about five to ten minutes late. That is, if they decide to show up. Classes never start on time. If the professors aren’t late, about more than half the class always is. At home, it is frowned upon to walk in late on a class. Here, people walk in late all the time. Or just don’t come to class at all. My one professor here didn’t have mandatory attendance, so we literally had maybe five people in class every week. She would always simply say “Oh, they must have that stomach flu that’s going around” or “They must be enjoying the lovely weather outside.” Completely non-chalant haha.

At home, I’m used to having classes with everyone being around my age. Here, I have classes with people ranging from teenagers to people in their sixties. Also, people don’t wear shoes here. And it’s completely acceptable haha! But, in general, the people here that I have had class with have been extremely nice and helpful. The professors aren’t always as helpful. They grade really strict here. The grading system generally goes as follows: HD (high distinction), D (distinction), C (credit), P (pass) and F (fail). Hahaha way more different than the grading system I am used to at home! In most of my classes, the only tests I have are finals (and I have yet to find out how hard those actually are). But, I have had a lot of essays. And I have found that in some classes, it is very, very hard to get an HD. Australian writing is more simplistic than American writing (at least in the class setting here), so if you are used to using complex sentences then you need to be careful. Otherwise, if you work hard and put the time, effort, and research into all of your papers, you will be successful. However, you may feel you deserve a higher grade than you receive. I have observed that professors here have a tendency to not explain what they want you to do and expect something on an assignment that you wouldn’t have even thought of (which is very frustrating). It will be interesting at the end of the semester to see how Australian grades transfer to American grades.

So. Lets talk about homesickness. Yes, it does happen. And depending on the person, you’re going to have different levels of it. For me, I actually didn’t get severely homesick during the course of the trip. Sure, I have missed a lot of things. I miss my family and friends at home. I miss my dogs. I miss the fall weather that I love every year. I miss homecoming at my school, my sorority, and all the clubs I participate in. I miss familiar places. And driving. But….more importantly…FOOD. GOOD food. Because, in all reality, the dining hall is a hit or miss here. And I am kind of getting sick of supplementing my meals with ramen every night. I can’t tell you how ecstatic I am that I will be home for Thanksgiving! However, homesickness is very, very manageable. For me, it was very easy to get rid of. Sometimes, I would just go and workout for a few hours, or phone or skype a friend or family member for a bit. I think my biggest coping method was writing postcards to friends and family back home. Don’t get sucked into things that can spike homesickness though- spending hours on facebook seeing what everyone at home is up to is not the best thing to do, in addition to skyping people for hours on end during the day. You’re only abroad once, so make sure to live up every second of it!

Also, while we’re at it, let’s talk about good things to pack/bring with you. Looking back on it, I packed WAY too many nice clothes and not enough workout clothes. I am in workout clothes the majority of the time here. I only have classes three times a week, and besides that and going out, I literally am in shorts and t-shirts 24/7. Bring a long Ethernet cord if you’re used to doing homework in bed and don’t want to deal with the wifi going on and off every 5 minutes. Hats are a GREAT thing to bring- it gets super hot and chances are your scalp will get sunburnt if you are at the beach or pool all day. If you like to run or hike a lot, I would suggest bringing a head lamp. I know it sounds ridiculous, but a number of my friends have them here and we use them all the time. Plus, it gets ridiculously hot during the day, so running in the evening may be your best option. Pack a really nice water bottle and a great backpack because you will have those items with you the majority of the time. I basically live out of my backpack. A waterproof/shockproof camera is a good idea- I destroyed my camera within the first month of being here because it got a little wet on a trip. Also- don’t forget extra memory cards because you will be taking tons of pictures. I know my school told me not to bring my iphone abroad- if they tell you that don’t listen to it. I just shut off the data and use the wifi so I can text me friends and family, which is a lifesaver! If you have certain medicines or toiletries from home that you love- bring them! More than likely you can find them here, but they will be way more expensive. Plus, pack some things that remind you of home to put in your room. I packed a lot of pictures that I put on my wall, in addition to a pillow, blanket, and a huge stuffed dog from home. Some of the little things like that will mean the most to you in times you just want something from home. 

Lets also talk about the change in environment. Yes, it is gorgeous. Beaches, palm trees- it’s literally out of a magazine! But, there are also scorching hot days, torrential rain showers, and bugs…bugs everywhere! Sunscreen and bug spray will be two of your best friends. You will never be able to thank yourself enough for packing a great rain jacket and umbrella. Also, extra pairs of good flip flops is always a great thing because they tend to wear out fast. And just remember- never EVER leave food sitting around your room. Unless you want to be subjected to hundreds of fruit flies swarming around. Some of my friends have learned that the hard way.

Being abroad for a long period of time is a really great experience! You just have to recognize that it’s not going to be all smooth sailing, and you will have some stressful times. However, I am convinced that this has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. And you just have to remember that if you ever get stuck with something, you have a lot of people in your life who can help you.

Also! The highlights of this past week included:

My last biodiversity class consisted of a field trip into Cairns to the Red Ochre Grill. There, we sampled a bunch of different bush foods. My favorites were the kangaroo and crocodile meat, in addition to the pavlova dessert. 

We also had our farewell dinner with our IFSA advisor. We ate at the Cock n’ Bull, which gives HUGE portions of really amazing food! It’s crazy to think I only have 18 days left here. I will be posting soon on the roadtrip I took to Townsville this past weekend! Cheers

From being abroad for the past three and a half months, I’ve learned that what I love more than anything is to be more of a traveler than a tourist. I really like just going somewhere and discovering things to do, instead of having a scheduled itinerary and being stuck in one of those horrible buses having facts screamed at you that you’re never going to remember. But, when you travel, you get to do what you want, when you want, and how you want. To me, that’s so much more rewarding.

So, 4 am rolls around Thursday morning (the 20^th of September), and myself and 3 of my friends grab a taxi to the Cairns Airport for our 6 am flight to Brisbane. And this is the beginning of spring break… in September haha! So, of course, our airport experience had to be stressful in some way (never runs smoothly, does it?). First, one of my friends couldn’t get his boarding pass to print, so he had to go to the counter. And, naturally, they wanted to weigh his bags. For the next 9 days, we decided to live out of a backpack and small carry on (which we packed to the brims and both items were WAY over the weight limit). So, the lady working at the counter wouldn’t give him his ticket until his bags weighed in at the right amount. So, we hid behind a ticket kiosk and just started unpacking all of his stuff and hiding it. Eventually, we made it through. However, once it was time to board the plane, my carry on became the item of concern. This is because it JUST met the measurement requirements. Before I boarded, I got pulled aside to place my bag in once of those pre-measured metal boxes. I literally forced my bag to fit (which it did), but the wheels were hanging out. The one airport attendant was like nope this is not acceptable, but the manager was like that’s fine just go through. So, for the rest of the flight, I was on this attendant’s bad side and he called me out two more times for having my phone out (the flight attendants didn’t even announce to put them away yet) and because my seat was slightly reclined (which I didn’t even notice haha). But, the rest of the flight was uneventful and we arrived in the Brisbane Airport at 8am. Then, we caught a taxi and headed to our hostel (Chill Backpackers). 

Chill backpackers was a decent place. The rooms were a little crammed and it was on the way outskirts of the city- but we managed. The first day we just explored Brisbane and at night went to the Brisbane Festival. Brisbane is a unique city, but there wasn’t too much to see or do in the area (which we soon found out from a travel company we talked to in town haha). But, the next day, five more of our friends flew in to Brisbane. So, we explored and decided that we wanted to go rollerblading. Rollerblading was awesome! It was years since any one of us had done it last, so we felt like we were little kids again. Later that afternoon, we had a brewery tour at XXXX Brewery (which we had to take a boat, a train, and a bus to get to haha). Then, that night, we were at the Brisbane Festival again enjoying the music and nightlife. The next day, we did some shopping in the city, grabbed dinner out, and packed up for the bus we had to take the next morning.

At 7:45am the next morning, we took a 6 hour bus ride to Hervey Bay. The bus wasn’t too bad, since we all got our own seat and basically slept the entire ride. Our hostel in Hervey Bay was perfect though! We got two cabins with beds, a kitchen area, and a bathroom. The hostel was located in a really residential area, but we were able to walk to the beach and the pier. The next day, we booked a day tour for Fraser Island -the largest sand island in the world! It was quite a trip to say the least and totally not what I expected. I’m not a big tour person (I hate being stuck in vans driving around all day and having like 5 minutes to see sites), but a tour was virtually the only way we would get to see the island. The roads were CRAZY- all sand, bumpy, and tricky. The huge tour buses were fine since they were equipped with the wheels and power engines to take on the sand. However, a lot of cars were stuck at points. Fraser Island was amazing though! The beaches were stunning, and we got to see a lot of gorgeous places on the island and even a few wild dingoes! 

The next morning, we were off on a whopping ten-hour bus ride to the Gold Coast (yes, we really didn’t plan this trip well haha). The amount of traveling we did was insane- but we loved every single moment of it. This was a long ride- but before we knew it we were in the Gold Coast at Aquarius Hostel! The next day, six of us decided we wanted to go deep sea fishing.  We are notorious for screwing up directions- so we ended up on the opposite side of the bay we were supposed to meet the boat. So, the boat came and picked us up so we could start the day on time. On the boat ride out, we caught smaller fish for bait and saw a few dolphins and a sea turtle. Then, for the entirety of the afternoon, we were out in the middle of the ocean fishing. We caught a ton of huge tuna from poles that were hanging off the back of the boat. I caught a bonita fish on my line, and another friend of mine caught a flathead. We were really pleased, since apparently the group that went fishing that very morning caught nothing. Also, on the ride back, we saw whales jumping out of the water. It was one of the coolest things I have ever witnessed and I can’t believe we saw it- simply incredible.

 When we got back to coast, we had to take the fish we caught with us (which the guys on the boat were nice enough to gut). However, we now had six huge tuna, a bonita fish, and a flathead fish in our possession, and our hostel didn’t have the knives we needed to filet. Therefore, I walked into a seafood shop and was wondering if I could make a deal with the people that if they filleted our fish for us we would give them some of our fish (market value of the tuna we caught was approximately $200-$300 a fish, and the flathead fish is valued at $70 per kilogram). Therefore, we had over a grand worth of freshly caught fish in our possession. I had the one lady who worked there convinced that it was a good deal, but then the manager came over and shot the idea down, saying he’d charge us per kilo to fillet the fish (which was way too expensive). So, we left the seafood shop, and a lady came out and told us to go to the camper van park and that there was more than likely someone there who had knives we could use. The camper van park was quite a trek (especially carrying 6 huge tuna), but we made it!  We were able to borrow two fillet knives and use their fish cleaning station. Our group became quite a spectacle haha- six girls filleting these HUGE fish. But, we did it! We took the filets home, marinated them, grilled them, and ate them- super delicious! That experience was probably one of the best and oddest things I have ever done haha. 

The next morning, we had surf lessons on the beach. Well, one of the many beaches (it was kind of on the outskirts of the Gold Coast). It was a great day for surfing- bright blue skies and awesome waves! Surfing wasn’t as hard as I expected, but that is probably because I have snowboarded and skateboarded before. However, it was completely exhausting and you got beat up a lot from the waves and what not. The rest of the day we spent on the gorgeous beach, which wasn’t too crowded and had a ton of adorable dogs running around on it. The following day we spent at the beach in Surfer’s Paradise, did some shopping, and ate out at a Chinese restaurant. 

The next day, we took a flight home to Cairns. And we were COMPLETELY exhausted. It was quite the adventure! And it’s something we will always cherish, with all of the crazy mishaps and what not. But, it is always good to be home. Living in crammed hostels for so long was kind of wearing on me. But, we made it, and we got to see a lot of different places in Australia. And, I am pleased to say, we were definitely travelers more than tourists (which makes me INCREDIBLY happy). Here’s to one month left in Australia!

A lifetime can be defined as the time that the life of someone or something continues. I feel like I am living a lifetime in Australia. I believe that the person I am here will in a sense always remain here in a perfect stitch of time. And, yet, I know I will go back to the US a completely changed person (all grown up in a sense).

The weekends leading up to spring break, my friends and I have decided to wander and explore. A lot. And get out there and see things. The first weekend of September, we found ourselves on a kayaking tour at Palm Cove out to Scout (Haycock) Island and Double Island. It was an absolutely gorgeous day. The waters were electrifyingly blue. We set off on our adventure a little past eight in the morning and made our way out to Haycock Island. It was a long, long paddle stretch. But, we made it! It was a small island, but the view of the coast was incredible. Plus, the island had purely dead coral beaches, which was really awesome to see.

Next, we set off to Double Island. We saw a few turtles skimming the surface on the way, and then once we were on one of the beaches, we spotted a few stingrays in the water among the mangroves. We went to one beach on the front of the island, and then paddled to the back of the island to another beach where we had some food and rested. Our guide also had us lick green ants, which tasted sour haha (kind of like Sour Patch Kids). Then, we started to go around the island. During this part of the trip, we got a chance to paddle in and out of a cave in the island, which was a little tricky but really cool to see! After that, we saw the resort on the island, which costs $33,000 a night to stay on. Also, the movie Fool’s Gold was filmed on Double Island, which os pretty neat. From this point, we started to paddle back to shore, which took an incredibly long amount of time because the water was really rough. But, eventually, we did it! After a 5 hour kayaking tour, the whole group was exhausted. After eating at a local restarant, we ended up crashing on the beach for about an hour. We must have been a sight, especially since we ended up being uncomfortably close to a wedding that was occurring on the beach when we woke up. Pretty sure we’re in the background of a lot of the pictures haha.

School started to pick up the next week. My friends and I found ourselves busy with essays, projects, presentations, and quizzes. It’s funny, because all of the work here doesn’t really pick up until the second half of the semester, so you really have to brace yourself. It’s not that the work here is impossible by any means, it’s just a lot of it takes research and can be very time consuming that way. And, lets be honest, it’s very difficult to get a lot of work done when you’re living in a kind of paradise.

The next weekend, a few friends and I went on a day tour to the Atherton Tablelands. JCU Cairns can book awesome walk about tours for you to go on. Tony (the guy who does the tours) operates his own tours by himself and he does a superb job! We were up early in the morning, and took an hour and a half ride from Cairns up to the Tablelands. During the ride, we had to drive up a mountain that had 97 turns, which was kind of crazy. During the day, we stopped at Lake Eacham National Park, the Curtain Fig Tree (which was inspiration for the movie Avatar), Malanda Pub (for lunch), Hypipamee Volcanic Crater, Dinner Falls, Millaa Millaa Lookout, Millaa Millaa Waterfall (where they shoot the Herbal Essence commercials), and, finally, Josephine Falls (which had an AWESOME natural rock waterslide). Overall, the Atherton Tablelands were absolutely gorgeous, and the rolling hills, large amounts of open land, and farms all reminded me of home. I am still so amazed how in Australia driving such a short distance can bring you to an entirely different landscape.

And then, it was a week full of school again. Only this week, our awesome IFSA advisor Lalena was up on Thursday and Friday to see us! Also, this was the week of the Moonlight Gorge Gallop at Barron Gorge. Basically, jam-packed. School flew by, and Thursday night we were scheduled to lawn bowl with our advisor. Well, it didn’t work out very well, because someone from our group said he knew where we were to lawn bowl and it was near Palm Cove. The bus driver looked super confused as to where he had to drop us off. We were dropped off in the middle of a highway haha. Eventually, we went down a few hills and found a lawn bowling place. We felt pretty accomplished since we were right on time. The people there didn’t know anything about lawn bowling reservation made by IFSA-Butler, but we just figured that we had to wait for our advisor to get there to get everything squared away. While we were looking at the wallabies in a field, we got a call from our advisor asking where we were because she was in the parking lot. We tell her that we’re looking at the wallabies and she just goes “What? Wallabies? There’s no wallabies here.” That’s when we discovered that there were, in fact, many many different lawn bowling places in Cairns. Whoops. We went in the total opposite direction- a full hour away where we were supposed to be. We called the maxi taxi company at least three times, and finally were able to secure a taxi after over an hour of waiting (I mean we were kind of in the middle of nowhere). So, two hours later, we were finally at the correct lawn bowling place for lawn bowling and dinner. An embarrassing mishap on our part, but definitely a funny night to look back on.

So, basically this wasn’t our week. And it was about to get slightly more complicated. We had dinner with our advisor in town (which had to be shifted since a number of us were running a race that night) and then caught a bus into the Tablelands and toward Barron Gorge. We are literally riding the bus forever and are convinced that we missed our stop. We kept asking the driver to tell us when to get off, and he never actually did. Eventually, we were the only group of people left on the bus. We went to ask the driver and third time and he semi freaked out and said that he didn’t want to deal with this because he’s been up since three am and he doesn’t care and wants us to get off here. So, here we are in the middle of nowhere and the bus drives away. The race starts at 7pm (it’s already getting dark) and it is currently 6:45pm. Thank goodness someone had internet on their phone and we were able to look at a map. After some time, we made it to the race route but couldn’t find the start of the race. It wasn’t until 7:20pm that we actually found the start of the race. The people that organized the race were awesome though and waited for us to arrive. We all got suited up with glow sticks, and the race began! It was amazing- the sky was so clear and dark you could actually clearly see the Milky Way. At the end of the race, we got pizza and then sprinted (literally) to catch our bus. Overall, it was a great night!

The next day, myself and three other friends were up bright and early to go camping on Fitzroy Island! It was an absolutely gorgeous day and the water was incredibly blue and spectacular! The island wasn’t what I expected. I half expected it to be super touristy (like Green Island), but it really wasn’t packed at all. We got off the boat and checked in at the resort campground, then started putting up the tent. Thank goodness I knew how to set up a tent because no one else really new how (funny thing is, I didn’t learn until this past summer and I didn’t dream it would come in handy here). After setting up camp, we headed to the beach! The beach was COVERED in dead coral (not the best place to hang out for the day) so we ended up sunbathing on a large rock (which was kind of cool). We could even see parts of the reef right in the water (barely three feet from shore). After a full day at the beach, we played some ping pong, ate dinner at the resort, and headed to bed. Bed (the tent, a few very unsupportive foam pads, and sleeping bags) was not comfortable in the slightest. And, to top it all off, the bats would not stop shrieking all night and the bush turkeys kept coming super closer to our tent and rustling around in the leaves. Then, in the middle of the night, it got super windy and started raining. Naturally, we had the tent with broken zippers, so we kind of got slightly rained on for a good 20 minutes or so. Lets just say it really wasn’t the most restful night hahaha.

The next day, we all decided to hike! On our first trek, we found Nudey Beach (which we were convinced we were at the previous day haha, but the island was slightly larger than we made it out to be). The beach was stunning! Then, we decided to hike to the summit in Fitzroy Island National Park. First, we hiked to the lighthouse, which really reminded me of the lighthouse in the movie Shutter Island and it was super creepy. Also, the land around the summit was completely burned from the planned burning that was occurring on the island. It kind of reminded all of us of the elephant graveyard in the Lion King (I know, too many movie references hahaha). Next, we started hiking up the summit, which was a pretty good trek. We went a little higher than the marked summit and climbed up onto some rocks, so we got amazing panoramic views of the entire island.

After hiking, we spent some time at the resort pool….well, until it started torrentially down pouring. It was about 3ish when we decided that the rain wasn’t going to stop and we had to go pack up a soaking wet tent. Joy. Unfortunately, the tent filled slightly with water and some of our things were pretty soaked. But, eventually, we got everything packed up and were ready to catch our 4:30 ferry back to Cairns.

The beginning of the following week was jam-packed with homework and spring break planning. We had booked our flights weeks ago, but had neglected to find hostels to accommodate all nine of us. We lucked out in the fact that we were able to find nice places to stay (but I would strongly suggest to anyone else to really do their research and plan in advance because it was a bit of a hassle). But, we did it! Tomorrow morning at 4am, I am off the Brisbane, then Hervey Bay, then Fraser Island, and finally the Gold Coast! We are going to be doing A LOT of traveling over the next 10 days, including one ten hour bus ride (that should be reallllyyyyy interesting). Spring break here we come!!!!

Last Saturday, we went on a trip to Green Island as a part of our orientation at JCU. The trip started out with a little over an hour boat ride to the island. The ride was BRUTAL even though it was a pretty large boat. But the island was awesome! The high amounts of tourism were a bit of a negative for me, because I am really not into doing things that are “too touristy” per say and swamped with tons and tons of people taking pictures every second on end. Then again, I say this, and just my luck I went to take a picture of the ocean and dropped my camera into a puddle. That being said, the LCD screen is shot. However, it still takes pictures. So here’s to being surprised every time I upload my photos haha. Despite that minor mishap, I got to go on a glass bottom boat tour, snorkel in parts of the Great Barrier Reef and see awesome neon fish, and simply explore the island and that was incredibly enjoyable. So, overall, it was a worthwhile trip and the colors of the ocean were stunning.

Last Sunday we visited the Cairns Farmers’ Market. It was fabulous! So many stands with various fruits, vegetables, baked goods- basically anything and everything you could want or think of. My favorite purchase- HUMMUS. Best hummus I have ever had! It was delicious! The guy who ran the stand even gave a few of my friends and I a free container and free bread (haha sometimes just mentioning you’re a college student has its benefits). The Monday after, a few of my friends and I decided to go on a jungle hike in Smithfield Conservation Park. The hike wasn’t too challenging (except for the first initial incline up). We were immerged in the jungle for a little over two hours. We saw a few birds, ancient looking trees, and cool Tarzan like vines. I’ve never had the opportunity to hike through this type of biota before, so it was really awesome to follow the footpaths through the palms and massive ferns.

And then it hit- BAM! Class time. Tuesday I had my first class: Ecology and Australian Indigenous Cultures, and then Wednesday I had Human Rights and Social Issues, Cultural Anthropology and Biodiversity of Tropical Australia. And the first week is never that bad. I got my syllabuses and a few assignments.Through the rest of the week, we made a few trips to the beach (one of those trips we met a  dog that was exactly like Air Bud and played soccer with us haha), the city of Cairns, the night markets, and Smithfield Mall. We even had a bus ride home from Cairns where the bus window caved in (apparently kids like to throw rocks at buses here), and we had to wait for a connecting bus. But hey, the more you get out, the more random stuff you see haha.

On Friday we visited Palm Cove Beach. Absolutely stunning. The beach has virtually no waves. The water is a surreal blend of teal and turquoise colored waters, with palm trees lining the beach and two private island lingering on the horizon. The beach is very popular, and it reminds of beaches at home because the general area is filled with resorts and unique restaurants and eclectic shops.

And then it was Saturday, when we decided to hike Mount Whitfield. The hike was a little over two hours in length (the estimated time on the signs was five hours). All I can say is STEPS. Everywhere. Up the mountain. Never ending. To say the least, going uphill was a challenge. But the view was completely worth it. The airport and highways looked so cool below us. Plus, you could see the ocean from the height we were at as well. I’d do it again in a heartbeat. Challenge is great. Plus there were bush turkeys…..EVERYWHERE.

And Sunday, it all caught up to me. I was completely exhausted. A day of rest is never a bad thing. And then the next week was filled with more beach days, class, biking, and studying. Highlights included a Domino’s pizza dinner (I caved, we caved- it was grand), going to Gilligan’s in the city of Cairns for the first time, volunteering at YAPS (a local no kill animal shelter) and playing with puppies all morning, and seeing the beach at night. Each day is jam-packed. But I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’ve almost been here a month and the time has truly flown by. But it really has been the time of my life and I know I am never going to get this time back. Therefore, I am living up every single second of it.

And yes, there still are the everyday struggles:

1)   Sun Bus has no reliable timing chart. And some days they just all decide to be out of service or something. The forty minute ride to Cairns can get strenuous. Public transportation is a joy haha.

2)   I must have a REALLY strong American accent. Sometimes people from around here can’t understand me. At all. And honestly sometimes I can’t understand them. But I’m working on it haha. Maybe I’ll even pick up a slight Australian accent.

3)   Sometimes you just miss things from home. Even little things. I miss Goldfish of all things. And most of all the people. For me, it’s never the location that matters. It’s the people- they’re the ones that help me feel familiarized and at home.

And the best parts yet:

1)   My friends here are awesome and we have made so many memories together here already. It’s cool how you can bring people together from all over the world and they all connect in a sense. I almost feel like I’m starting freshmen year of college again.

2)   Each day is an adventure. And every day it kind of hits me and I realize, oh wow- I’m actually living in Australia. This is pretty awesome.

3)   I’m challenging myself. Academically, socially, physically- you name it. The classes are different and the material is like nothing I have ever dealt with/ seen before (all brand new knowledge). I am meeting all new people and also people that are from a different culture then I am (and, ye,s they have many different words that I have to get use to. Like they call flip-flops “thongs” here haha). And I have to bike and walk to get everywhere in addition to working out.

In the end, the challenges are great. Because, once I accomplish them, it’s a reward all its own. The challenges here are unique because a lot of them I can’t avoid. I have to face them head on or they won’t get done. Like if I want to go to the beach. Biking it. I don’t want to pay the bus fare all the time. So, anymore for me, it is truly a thought process of “how do I make this work?” versus a “how can I avoid this completely and take the easy way out?” All positive things and all influencing me each and every day while I’m here. I’m quickly understanding why people say that studying abroad makes you grow up and change- it’s all beneficial in the long run and makes you a stronger person overall.

So, to all the challenges to come…. bring it on! haha

After departing Sydney, JCU students boarded a flight for Cairns! Everyone dreaded getting on another plane. However, we were very excited to go to a place that had warmer weather. The flight was a quick 4 hours and soon we found ourselves in Cairns!

Our luggage was loaded into a pick up trailer (haha kinda funny) to head to the Cairns Student Lodge. 15 minutes later, we were at the lodge getting our rooms and then dinner. Let me just say- our Sydney Orientation SPOILED us in terms of amazing food! It’s not that the lodge food is bad by any means or there isn’t a variety- it’s just different. For instance, they put bbq sauce next to their hot dogs. I was SO excited because I thought it was ketchup. Well- I was COMPLETELY wrong. Ketchup was nowhere in sight. Plus, I expected to have lot of fresh fruit and vegetables- but that really wasn’t the case. Instead, there was like six different types of pasta dishes. But hey, as our advisor, would say: “food is food, so just eat it.” So, like any cafe food, we have our good days and bad days haha.

So. You’d think that moving into our apartment and everything would allow everyone to settle down and what not. Nope. The next day, my two roommates and I went to find the Smithfield Shopping Center. Unfortunately, we went in the completely wrong direction and instead hiked an hour up the coast. We missed two buses on the way back (one passed us because we weren’t on the right side of the road and the second we barely missed). Finally, we caught the third bus to Smithfield Shopping Center. The mall was way bigger then I expected, with a variety of stores and lots of people. We found a Kmart in the mall and, while we were shopping, we came across an aisle with bikes. That’s when we decided that we were going to buy bikes and, yes, assemble them in the middle of the mall. We didn’t’ really think it through- because we then had to carry all of our stuff back to the lodge while riding our bikes. Now that was tricky. But, we made it! (even in time for dinner). Longest six hour adventure ever, but it’s something we’ll always remember! Sometimes when things go wrong when you’re abroad you just have to laugh it off and keep moving forward.

Our next big adventure was a trip to Trinity Beach! We knew that we could bike it- I had NO idea how long the distance would be. It was about a combined 8 miles round trip (an awesome workout haha) but it was completely worth it! The beach was GORGEOUS with bright blue water and tons of palm trees! I’m sure I’ll be making a lot of trips back to hang out with friends and study (beats the library!).

My time in Cairns is filled with sunny days, cold nights, beach volleyball, biking and tons of beaches. Then- BAM! Reality hits and I remember oh- I actually came here because I’m going to school here. That’s right. And then began…orientation! Yes- it was JUST as awkward as orientation freshmen year. I had no idea where on earth I was going and papers and information was just consistently thrown at me. But I mean it all worked out (it always seems to). During orientation week, a bunch of my friends and I decided to check out Aj Hackett Bungy Jumping. We can literally walk to the place from where we’re staying, and many of us were interested in jumping. The jump is 50 meters (164 feet) and looks SCARY, TERRIFYING – basically any word you can think of. As we were walking up the path to the bungee jump, we kept hearing terrified screams coming from jumpers. The second we got up there, a number of my friends started signing the forms and getting ready. Initially, I decided to wait and see how they faired before signing up. All of them RAVED about it and before I knew it I was signed up and headed up the staircase to the bungee tower.

The funny thing is- I really wasn’t nervous anymore, I wanted to do this and overcome my fear of heights. I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it. And I did! I was strapped up and ready to go and I jumped. The two-second free fall was probably one of the scariest experiences I have ever had in my life. One second I was on the ledge and the next I was flying toward the pond centered in the middle of the jungle while my friends cheered me on below. But I survived! And actually- I think I would do it again! It was an awesome experience and one of the most memorable things I have ever done in my life. I say this because I was able to overcome my fear of heights, and it’s a great feeling to know that you’re brave enough to be able to overcome your fears and just simply live and experience new things.

As part of our JCU orientation week, we went on a bus tour of Cairns later in the week. And yes, they did in fact rent out the party bus, which was really cool to sit on top of, and so many people were waving and honking their car horns (pretty funny). During our tour, we got to see different parts of the city of Cairns (like the Cairn Esplanade), Crystal Cascades (which was absolutely stunning!), and Palm Grove Beach.

And yes- it is winter here. The only bummer is that it gets dark pretty early (like around 6:30/7ish). The bright side is that the weather is gorgeous and that a bunch of the deadly animals (like the boxed jellyfish and crocodiles) are not as active (but they’re still around haha). So I’m loving it! And each day has its struggles. On and off I find I get homesick and start comparing things to the U.S. and my university at home. Also, there are HUGE spiders here which I am not a big fan of. But, also, with each day, there are numerous rewards. It all balances itself out and I am finding that I am adjusting to life here a lot better then I initially expected. I know that it takes time and I am excited for the next four months here. I’ve already had a lot of great experiences and have met some really interesting and friendly people- I can’t imagine all the fun times to come!

And, with each day, I keep this quote in mind: ”Everyday, you should do something that scares you. It reminds you you’re still alive.”