Definitely the last one. First stop in Australia was Darwin. It took forever to get off the boat because we had to clear Australian customs. We had some extra time to shop around town, so we headed out. Mom was in search for an Australian Aboriginal painting. We ended up at this little book shop that had a ton a beautiful paintings. Mom found one she liked but put it down to search some more. Moments later, a man neither of us like on the ship was holding OUR painting. He kept holding it and holding it and we kept waiting for him to put it down. He never did. So we settled on another painting by the same artist. It is beautiful and could easily go in a museum. The artist was even there at the shop and mom was able to get her to sign it. Later on, we headed out for our afternoon excursion. It was a trip to the wildlife museum. Disappointing to say the least. Not nearly as cool as the other zoos and such I had been to, but we did get to see a pretty big crocodile. That's about it. I had to run back to the ship to grab my stuff before they left dock. I was spending a night in a hotel by myself so I could fly back to Sydney the next morning and take my exams.

Back in Sydney, I studied and passed both of my exams before coming back home to pack and prepare the room for leaving. We had a little get together at the house for Anna Craven's birthday and to say goodbye to the rest of the crew. Somehow the night ended with a dip in the sea. Amy, Anna, Blake, and Souf headed out to New Zealand the next morning. I headed out the next afternoon to go to Cairns to reboard the ship with my parents the next morning.

I got to the dock an hour earlier than anticipated thanks to a miscommunication between mom and I. I dropped off my suitcase and jumped on the bus for our jungle excursion. We headed by bus up the mountain and into the jungle. We jumped on something called an Army Duck which took us by land and water through the jungle. Then we watched a cute little Aboriginal dance show. On the way out, my parents needed to stop and get a picture holding a koala. The bus lady was not happy about us making them a tiny bit late. We then went to a cute little shopping village called Kuranda. There we found the most adorable little koala bears made from kangaroo fur. Dad walked out with a crocodile belt. Typical.

The next morning we were docked in the Whitsunday Islands. We boarded a catamaran to take us out to the Great Barrier Reef. It was a nice ride at first, but once we got out in the open waters, it got a little bumpy, and needless to say, a lot of people were getting sick. Our private platoon was not so private and quite rushed. Dad and I were able to get in a dive which was amazing. I wish it had not been so short though. We also boarded a semi-submersible where I was able to get a few pictures. The ride back was not as bad, but the sea sickness took a while to go away. My mother was not so lucky the next day unfortunately.

We were then able to go make a stop in Brisbane. We started out by doing a sky walk through the rainforest. It was pretty neat. We were able to sit and enjoy some nice coffee before heading out to lunch at this cute little pub. The pub was called St. Bernards and it had a huge St. Bernard dog walking around the grounds. The views were beautiful. From there we headed to a little shopping street. Not many exciting things there. We ended up at winery. The wines were good, but Dad decided to sneak off and take some pictures of some kangaroos. He found a pretty good one with a little joey in the pouch.

The final sea day on the ship was spent playing trivia and being with friends. I also won the blackjack tournament which was very exciting. I had managed to earn a spot on the last night possible (with the casino manager coaching me). The guy next to me at the tournament was named Dick and he sure was one. I managed to get an 11, and then 2, and then an 8 for 21. I was the only one at the table which beat the dealers 20. It was pretty exciting winning that $850.

The next day was in Sydney, sadly. The weather was not good, so we took a bus tour around the city. Then I took the parents around Coogee and the University before heading back to the ship to get ready for dinner. My parents took my friends out to eat at Cafe Sydney which was an amazing meal. My friends really enjoyed it. Then we got a drink after dinner where I had to say goodbye. It was by far one of the hardest things I have had to do. The next day, we boarded the plane.

This semester has by far been one of the most amazing semesters of my life. I met some of the best people and saw some of the most beautiful places and experienced the most amazing things. It was wonderful. Thanks to all who followed my blog and thanks to all who made my semester abroad a truly memorable one. Yall will be missed.

So here is the last blog post of my journey. I am sorry it was so late.

So the next stop was Semarang, Indonesia. It was interesting to say the least. The day included a bus ride to a train station. Then we crammed onto this tiny and hot steam train. It took us through neighborhoods and rice fields. It was very pretty. We stopped about half way to move the locomotive behind the train to push it the rest of the way up. Thankfully, they switched to a bigger train. The ride was nice because we made friends with Mike and Amy from Washington D.C. I bet the youngest couple on the ship. They were funny though. We experienced our first Eastern style toilet together. Hopefully my last Eastern style toilet experience too. Anyways, when we took the train break, there were tons of people outside waiting to sell stuff. In your faces big time. I had to try and stop mom and dad from buying junk. Mom swears I convinced her not to get this Batik bag but whatever. Dad somehow managed to buy a metal water buffalo and almost succeeded in buying an elephant too. Mom bought some shadow puppets and a cool carpet dress. Thankfully, the train was leaving. It took us to a supposed coffee plantation, which was cool since we were on Java island, but it ended up being more of a rubber plantation. We had lunch and then a "guide" who spoke very little english took us around and showed us the steps of the rubber process, from tapping the tree, to adding the acid, to smoking it. Then they took us to a room where someone was roasting some coffee beans. Mom gladly accepted a handful of hot coffee beans in her hand to taste. After that, we took a bus back to the ship.

The days on the ship were spent studying, playing blackjack, attending tea time trivia, and playing bingo. At one point I was even the chip leader for the blackjack tournament. We even recruited a group of people for trivia. Mike and Amy were obsessed.

The next day was Bali. Truly amazing. It was like the Mexico of Asia. Dad and I spent the first day in Bali going scuba diving off a beach called Nusa Dua. It was very cool. There were all these water sports boats around, para-sailing, banana boats, and flying fish. We took this little wooden boat out to dive. Then we had a wonderful lunch on the beach, and we even got to see a cremation funeral procession. We stopped at a silver store before heading back to the ship to get ready for dinner. We had dinner at this bird park where I almost got attacked by a crane. The dinner was good, deserts were interesting. Then we watched a tribal Kecak dance. It told a story, but no one knew the story, so we were all a little confused. It was good though.

The next day we went on a shopping tour. First stop, Batik place. People would use the Batik wax to make different designs on your shirt. I had flowers while Dad got a dragon. We then went shopping. Afterwards, we went to another silver shop. It was a little expensive but we managed to haggle it down. Next we went to a wood carving shop. We managed to buy way more than we should have. Dad, of course, ended up with a huge wooden ram. We then drove through the village of Ubud. Ubud was the village where the lady in Eat, Pray, Love stayed. It was so cute, all the shops and little eateries. I wanted to stay there so badly. Our final stop was at a painting shop. Mom and I each bought some paintings. The shop was located in a beautiful, traditional, Balinese home. Then, back to the ship.

The next stop was Komodo Island. It looked like Jurassic Park from the ship. Unfortunately, it was raining that day. We tendered to the island and then began an hour trek through the forest looking for dragons. We ended up seeing 3 along the trail. The only protection we had were some boys with these sticks which they hit the dragons nose with. We saw one more on the way back to the ship. We went through this little market, which was quite sad to be honest. People were doing everything they could to sell pearls and wooden dragons and shirts. Goodbye Southeast Asia, hello Australia.

The Adventures of Thailand

So I can't remember where exactly I left off on my last blog. Basically, my last week in Sydney was spent finishing papers, laying on the beach, and shopping at the market. On Friday, my housemates threw an awesome 90's party as a farewell. It was honestly one of the best parties ever. My housemates and I each dressed up as a spice girl (I was sporty spice). We played games, and danced to 90s music all night long. The night just got better and better. We had Peter Pan, Monica and Bill, Aladdin, Smurfs, etc. Then the next night, a wonderful chocolate cake was made, and we were able to pass around each others pictures from the semester. The next morning I caught a flight to Bangkok to meet with my parents.

My mother cried when she saw me. Really. From then, we went to a real authentic Thai place for dinner. The sushi was really good, but I am not too sure about the rest of it. I'll stick to my pad thai thank you. The next day, we went to the Temple of Dawn, the Grand Palace, etc. We saw a golden buddha, an emerald buddha, a lying down buddha. So many buddhas. But it was all very pretty. Then we went to the Jim Thompson house (an American who brought a silk technology to Thailand but then disappeared). Our last stop of the day was a jewelers where we got to see how they created sapphire and ruby jewelery. My dad probably would have been happier not stopping there. i found a beautiful Thai silk dress though.

The next day we were in Ko Samui, a Thai island. There we saw a pretty gross mummified monk. It was cool but I definitely could have done without it. We also saw how they taught the monkeys to get the coconuts from the trees. Then we headed to an elephant place. They gave us fresh coconuts to drink. I wasn't too fond of it, so I gave my coconut to the baby elephant instead. She liked it. They had this cute little baby elephant show where they danced and did tricks and played soccer. I enjoyed it. Unfortunately it was raining all day so we were not able to do much shopping.

We had a day at sea and then landed in Singapore. Singapore was amazing. I had no idea how clean and modern it was. It is a beautiful city. Wonderful architecture. We spent the day going around the city by subway, trishaw, and water taxi. We were able to go into another buddhist temple and a Hindu temple. The day ended at the Raffles Hotel, (Raffles colonized Singapore) where we were able to drink a Singapore Sling. It was delicious and very refreshing. All in all, I enjoyed Singapore. Tomorrow we are at sea, and I need to do some studying. Next stop, Semarang, Indonesia.

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. School has taken over my life. I got back from New Zealand and I had to prepare for a discussion the next day with Anna and Cait. We rocked it I think despite our lack of knowledge on the subject. The next days were spent doing research and writing papers. On Thursday was Oktoberfest!!! A mostly all day extravaganza with food and drinking. We started the festivities at 3 and continued into the night. It was pretty fun. The next day, Anna and Kate and I were recovering from the day before, so we stayed in bed all day and watched Gossip Girl. Yes, I know. We discovered the password to the internet next door and have been getting them from online. It is our guilty pleasure to say the least. Unfortunately, all day Saturday was spent in the library. That evening we went to these girl's birthday party. It turned into quite another eventful night. Sadly, we didn't make it to Chinese Laundry. Despite what I may have said on Friday, I love my roomates and friends and I am going to miss our fun nights together. We spent Sunday, again watching Gossip Girl, never to see the light of day. Now its Tuesday, one paper down and one more to go. Then I pack up and head to Bangkok to see my parents, but not before the awesome 90's party on Friday. I can't wait for the exciting things ahead, but I can wait for the awful goodbyes.

New Zealand

September 29, 2010

Arrived in Auckland at 11:30 at night. Customs took an hour and a half to get through. Thankfully, we found a nice little hostel owned by a husband and wife with a pick up service from the airport. It was very homey.

September 30, 2010

The man from the hostel was nice enough to offer us a ride to the campervan place. From there, it took us only an hour of checking in, getting the set up, and finally leaving in our lovely campervan, which we named Rocky. We headed to the supermarket and then headed out of Auckland, which was trickier than you would think. We were on the way to Rotorua. Unfortunately, the weather was not too good. However, we still enjoyed the city for the little bit that we were there. We walked through a little park with thermal pools and hot mud. We even took a nice break and soaked our feet for a bit. Then we headed to the lake and the gardens to hang out before leaving town to head to our next destination. Due to bad weather and fog and Oliver not feeling the best and a bad night of sleep the night before, we decided to stop short of our destination in Taupo.

October 1, 2021

Due to the rain in the morning, Oliver and I slept in a little longer than expected. When we finally did get up, the rain had stopped and we headed to Tongariro National Park. Ideally, we wanted to do the Alpine crossing between two mountains, walking up the crater to Mt. Doom from the Lord of the Rings. However, because of our late start and the bad weather of snow, we could not do this. So instead we chose a 2-3 hr walk to Tarawaki Falls. It was beautiful. Open lands and great views of the Volcano and Mountains. Then the river and waterfalls. Despite the disappointment, it was still a good trip. We were debating whether or not to stay the night and go skiing the next day, but we decided to head South to Wellington.

October 2, 2010

Our first stop in Wellington was the ferry terminal. We wanted to leave on a ferry that afternoon, but they were all full. This pushed us behind schedule a bit, but nothing to worry about. We still had a wonderful day in Wellington. It is a cute little city in the hills along the harbor. A very nice day with the beautiful sun shining. We decided to go to Te Papa museum first. It was free and 6 stories high, going through New Zealand culture and history and such. They had all sorts of interactive and simulation stuff. Then we decided to take a tour of the Parliament building. It was interesting to say the least. Our tour guide might have been a little too excited about the information. Then we headed into a suburb to see the Weta Cave. It was the original warehouse of the Weta team, or creators of Lord of the Rings and King Kong and other movies. It was a little disappointing but oh well. Basically, it was a little room with tiny replicas. It did show a 20 min behind the scenes video that was pretty neat. The day ended on top of Mount Victoria. The highest point in the city, it had a beautiful 360 view. Although we spent more time in Wellington than expected, it was a good day. This was a little cultural stop in New Zealand. Definitely my favorite city in New Zealand.

October 3, 2010

Oliver and I woke up very early to catch the ferry to Picton. We had a nice 3 hr cruise where we could relax and do some work. We got some great pictures of the south island as we cruised in. Then we hit the road again. Instead of going south as we were supposed to, we decided to take this little road north. It was a curvy road that went along the coastline. It was beautiful, and a good detour. We stopped in Nelson for a little bit to book our kayaking tour in Abel Tasman and our glacier helicopter tour. From there, we headed to Abel Tasman National Park. It was a bit tricky to find but we made it. Marahau left little to be desired. We asked what we could do for the night and the lady told us to go see the Split Apple. We drove and then walked to the empty beach to see the apple and take some pictures. We explored the caves a little bit and then headed back to our camp.

October 4, 2010

We spent the entire day doing a kayak tour in Abel Tasman National Park. We started in Marahau and then kayaked for maybe an hour. Then we stopped on a beach to have some coffee and tea and muffins. After, we headed to another beach to have lunch. Our guide was named Sally. She came from Canada, and really easy to talk to. Along with our group were two guys. One was from Malaysia, a tour guide. The other guy was from South Korea, a student/farmer. They met here in Auckland and decided to work and travel south together. They left us after lunch to go hiking, so the rest of the day was just Oliver, me, and Sally. We then headed to another little island where we had the opportunity to see some seals. We stopped at one more little hidden beach before heading home. Then, we got in the car again and headed further south, this time along the west coast. Sally recommended we stop in Punakaiki and that is exactly what we did.

October 5, 2010

In the morning, we decided to check out a little of Punakaiki. They are “well-known” for their pancake rocks and blowholes, so we took the little trail to check them out. We weren’t supposed to, but we went over the barrier with our coffee to take some good pictures. We headed down to the glaciers. Unfortunately, clouds were coming in, and we could not do our helicopter flight. However, that did not stop Oliver and I from seeing the glacier. We took the trail to the bottom of the glacier and then followed the guided hikes over the barrier and up the hill to get up close to the glacier. It was beautiful from the top. After the glacier, we got back in the car and drove further south. As we got close to Haast, we thought it would be a good idea, since it was the last beach on the west coast, to catch the sunset and make some dinner. We pulled down this little dirt road. We wanted to back up so that we could see the sunset on the beach better, but then we realized we were stuck. We were really stuck. The back right wheel would not move out of the sand, but was digging us into an even deeper hole. Thankfully, there was a French guy in a campervan that came to help us. He let us use his jack, since ours was not working. We dug the tire out and put wood under the tire to give it some traction. We failed, miserably. Eventually, this nice German couple came to help. Well, the guy helped while me and the girl talked. After several failed attempts, on our last try, we pushed the campervan and eventually got it moving again. It was pretty close to staying there on that beach for the rest of our trip. We got the car out just in time to catch the sunset, but not dinner. Word of advice to those traveling to NZ. Sand flies are nasty little creatures that bite and leave itchy red marks for the rest of the trip. Bring insect repellant. After the sun went down, which was so beautiful I might add, we headed even further south towards Queenstown. We wanted to make it to a snow mountain so we could have an early start in the morning to get gear. We drove 13 km up a windy dirt road late at night only to find that there was nothing except a ski lodge at the top of the mountain. We drove the windy road back down in the cold and dark. We could not find a place to sleep, and thankfully a nice cop told us a place under a bridge that we could stay for free. He was very helpful, as he could tell we were lost and circling about. We didn’t get to bed until pretty late that night.

October 6, 2010

Oliver and I woke up early to get to the ski lodge. Oliver was more excited about skiing than I have ever seen him the whole trip. He was pretty patient with me as I attempted to learn how to ski again on the baby slope before heading to the mountain. It was a pretty small ski area, but we had fun. I fell once at the beginning. After a lunch break, I even attempted some blues. Then, Oliver left me to try out some blacks while I stayed on the other mountain with my easier mountain. After a nice coffee break, we handed in our gear and headed down the mountain to Queenstown. From there, we went to an information desk where we booked our water rafting trip and Milford Sound boat ride. Then we headed to a holiday park for a much needed shower. We ate some pasta and then walked into town where we went to a Starbucks to do some work and get some internet. It was nice having a relaxing evening.

October 7, 2010

We woke up this morning to do our white water rafting trip. The morning air was cold, and the water was icy. The trip started with us putting on layers of a wet suit and then taking a bus up to the top of the canyon. The bus ride was pretty scenic and a bit close to the edge. After that, we got into our boats and headed down the river. It was cold but exciting. Then we headed back into town for some lunch. We spent the afternoon just walking around town and sitting on the edge of the lake. It was relaxing. Then we headed to a supermarket and out of town towards Milford Sound. I drove the first part to Te Anau. I thought I did a pretty good job since I was driving a stick on the left side of the road. Oliver slept the entire time I was driving, so I guess I did a decent job. I didn’t stall once. Then, the rest of the drive to Milford Sound was quite scenic. We took some good pictures before finishing the drive and doing some work in the beautiful surrounding nature.

October 8, 2010

We were able to sleep in a little since our cruise did not start till 10:30. We were lucky that there was not rain for the first part of the trip. The fjords are amazing, and I definitely recommend them to anyone. Amazing waterfalls and rocks cut out from glaciers. The wind picked up and eventually the rain started. Not surprising since it rains every day there, usually. In a desperate attempt to get amazing pictures, Oliver and I ended up a little wet. We were able to see a little blue penguin though. The cruise was a little over 2 hours. Afterwards, we headed back to Queenstown and up north. We were debating whether or not to spend the night at Mt. Cook and try another helicopter flight but unfortunately the weather forecast was not looking too good, so we just drove all the way to Christchurch. It took 11 hrs and was definitely our longest drive. But we made it eventually, camping beside a nice little creek.

October 9, 2010

We weren’t exactly sure what we were going to do in Christchurch, so we headed to the information center first. After a little advice and grabbing a trees worth of brochures, we sat down at Starbucks and planned our next 2 days. After a shower at the hostel, we headed to the Cathedral, aka the church of Christchurch. It was pretty cool, but Oliver said he had seen better in Europe. Of course. We even paid to go up the tower to see the beautiful views of the town. Not so beautiful from the top. After that, we took the free bus and decided to go to a museum. I am not going to say what kind of museum, but there was a rock wall and a slide. Then, the weather got a little nicer, so we headed back to town to the botanical gardens, stopping in the Canterbury Museum for a quick stop. After the gardens, we went back to the van and made some pasta. Then, we decided, since it was our last real night, to go to the Casino. We stayed at the Roulette tables all night. At first, I was not doing too well. But eventually, it got better. I was up 20 dollars and I was expecting to lose 40 so pretty good. However, for the sake of being fun, we took the 20 dollars to the blackjack table. We lost. Oh well. At least I walked out of there with the same amount of money I came with.

October 10-11, 2010

The weather was so nice in the morning. Oliver really wanted to do this rope course, so that is what we did. It took us quite a while to find it. The free maps in New Zealand are not the best. However, we eventually got there. We did all 6 challenges. We got back in the van around 3, realizing we had to drop off our van at 4. Oops. We headed back to the hostel quickly to check in and drop off our stuff and then cleaned up Rocky and headed towards the airport. It was cold and rainy and I thought we might not make it. We did though. It was a sad day giving Rocky back. Hungry and sad, we took the bus back into town. We ate at this little New York deli shop, which was really good. Oliver was definitely a fan. From there, we headed back to shower and pack up our stuff. Then we spent the rest of the evening at Starbucks working on our school work for the next day. We tried to get to bed early since we had to be up at 3 in the morning to get to the airport on time. We might have overcompensated for being late for the flight to New Zealand, and we got to the airport before security even opened. Thankfully, it was cold and rainy when we left. We arrived in Sydney early in the morning, and I headed straight to campus to get to class. New Zealand was a beautiful and exciting adventure. I loved every minute of it. As sad as I was to leave, it is good to be back in Sydney with my friends. Till next time!

So this week has been less eventful due to the fact that I am trying to get all my work done before leaving for New Zealand on Wednesday!
Monday and Tuesday were spent on campus, of course. Then on Wednesday, Kate and Sophia and Blake and Souf all headed to Maroubra to try our hands at surfing. Kate and I failed miserably, but it was a good time. Sophia is Kate's friend from England located on the left. She is a firecracker that one. But we have a good time with her all week. Wednesday night, we went to World Bar to see an exchange student DJ, and of course ate delicious $5 steaks. On Friday, I spent the morning in the library, and the afternoon lounging on the beach. The weather is getting so nice these days. That night, Sophia, Lieke, Kate, and I went to this little underground Indie bar called purple sneakers. We had a great time, but unfortunately were unable to drink out of the small wellington boots. On Saturday, we headed to the Glebe Markets. It was quite a trek but we made it eventually. I didn't buy anything because I was too tempted to buy it all. I just couldn't decide. That night, Kate, Sophia, Amy, and I went to see the Marriage of Figaro at the Sydney Opera House. It was a wonderful time, except for the whole Kate and Sophia bus disaster, almost not getting a ticket situation. It all worked out in the end though and made for a wonderful night. The weather was so nice on Sunday, and there was a beautiful barbecue and party on Coogee beach. Too bad I missed it because I was in the library all day. Oh well, I guess you just have to make sacrifices. I'll try to keep you posted on New Zealand! See you next time.

Unfortunately Spring Break is over and its back to work. Sorry I have not updated in a while. Nothing too excited has happened since my last post. Basically, last week, I had a ton of school work. Wednesday, we had steak night. Thursday, I was on campus all day doing work with my Marketing and Management groups. Thankfully, the group work is dwindling down. Thursday night, our roomate's friend from France made us crepes. MMM they were delicious. Then we headed out to World Bar for the famous teapots and Indie Music. It was a good time, but I wasn't feeling my best. Possibly a strep throat. Who knows. Then on Friday, I headed into town with Anna, Kate, and Anna. I got a new dress and skirt. Saturday morning, kate's friend Sophia came into town. She is really sweet and funny. We welcomed her to the frangipani house before setting out to lay on the coogee beach. Finally, it is getting warmer here. That night, we got all dressed up and headed to the Argyle in the rocks area for this Australian girls 21st birthday. Apparently when you turn 21 here, the parents put on a bar tab. It was very classy, and completely different to every 21st birthday I have been to in Austin. After that, we met this guy named Andrew who Kendra and Logan met while traveling in Germany. Small world. We ended up at the Coogee Bay Hotel for a few drinks. Sunday, we headed to a Brazilian festival in Darling Harbour. Sadly, it was not as big as expected, but the food was delicious which is always a plus. Basically, lots of meat and lots of fried food. Since then, its just been school. Unfortunately I have two 6 page papers to write by next week before I leave for New Zealand. I am really excited about it. Till next time!

P.S. Thanks Mom for the package
Happy 21st to my bestie Danica Saxon, love you!

I decided to post this picture in honor of the Longhorns winning their first home game this weekend. Sadly, I was not there, but this is a picture from the AFL game I attended. Not too much has happened since returning from Melbourne. It was nice to be a homebody for a few days. Thursday, I spent practically all day in bed catching up with some friends and doing a little bit of homework. Then Friday, it was an early morning, as the crew headed to the Blue Mountains. The Blue Mountains are located about 2 hrs west of Sydney by train. They are a collection of small mountains. The eucalyptus trees give off a toxin in their air creating a blue hue in the sky, hence the name blue mountains. We arrived, grabbed a map, and were ready for our day of exploring. We asked a guide which walk we should do, and she recommended a 4 1/2 hr one. We are young, we were ready for the challenge. So we bought some sandwiches and headed off into the bush. Everything was good at first, until we realized everything was alot further than it looked on the map. It took about 2 hrs just to get to the cascades along the cliff walk, where we sat and hide a nice lunch. There were beautiful views along the way. The second part of our journey circled back around and went down the side of the mountain. Down, down, down we went. We had a bad feeling about the amount of stairs we continued to descend. Our legs were shaking. This was no lame hiking trail my friends. Although the waterfalls and areas were beautiful, the terrain was quite difficult, with rocks and steps and fallen trees. It was quite an adventure. So, next we came to a fork in the road. We could either walk 2km further along the trail and get to the skyrail which would cost us $11 to ride back up the mountain. Or we could take the short cut by the great staircase. (No one had the patience for 2km or the money for that matter) SO, we ventured up the staircase. This was not just any staircase. It was 900 steps up a mountain. Up steep rocky unstable steps and slippery metal. Let's just say I took my sweet little time to get up there. After this, the girls headed to a cafe for drinks and dessert. We deserved it ok. We got back home in time for dinner, a shower, and a good nights rest. The next day, Saturday, I had planned to do homework, but the weather was just too nice. 70 degrees and sunny. Perfect day for the beach. Eventually, the wind picked up and we headed back inside, where Kate and Anna and I had a gossip girl marathon. Don't judge. Sunday was spent inside doing work, and now Monday is here. A week full of fun school again. Hope all is well in Texas!

Spring Break Part 2: Melbourne

So after a long day of traveling, I made it to Melbourne late Sunday evening. There was just enough time to catch up with everyone before heading off to bed. We stayed at Urban Central hostel, which was pretty nice. Kate and I woke up early to get some free Corn Flakes and toast. MMM. But after that, we headed into town. Basically, we just spent the whole day walking around the city center. We went through these little alleyways. They were nice. Some were full of wonderful looking cafes, some were full of graffiti, and some had wonderful boutiques. Lets just say I would be so fat if I lived in Melbourne. Unfortunately, it was really cold that day. We spent the rest of the afternoon looking for a car rental place, and ended up with Thrifty. That night, we went out with Soufyan's friend Floor to a place called Turf. The music was awesome. The next day, we hopped in the car to drive the Great Ocean Road. It is a pretty famous coastal drive. It was beautiful. We drove through fields and along the coast and through a rainforest area. Through lots of national parks. I eventually got behind the wheel for my first experience driving on the left hand side. It wasn't too bad. I just couldn't get the whole blinker being on the opposite side of the wheel. The trip ended at the 12 apostles, which is this famous rock formation. Then we headed home to Melbourne, where we ate and grabbed drinks before heading to bed. The next morning we went to the Tim Burton exhibition. It was really cool. It showed his progress through school and all his sketches and his inspiration for his films. Some clips and costumes. Then we headed for lunch at a cafe. That afternoon we went to the art museum. It was really nice. The rest of the afternoon we hung out by the river drinking Lindtt hot chocolate before flying home. I am about to do some homework before heading off to the Blue Mountains tomorrow. Hope all is well in Texas despite Hurricane Hermine.

Paradise

So, I am currently in Airlie Beach writing this blog. On Wednesday, I flew to Hamilton Island with Oliver (German) and Jack (American) and met up with Jochan and Hans(Germans). We hung around the rich beautiful resort island for a few hours, basically just driving around on the golf cart. It was fun, until security pulled us over for apparently driving the cart too fast. Then the guard couldn't read the German driver's license. It turned into a pretty funny story. Basically, I think the mall cop type guard was bored with dealing with old rich people all day, so he wanted to mess with us. Shortly after this, we left on a ferry for Airlie Beach, checking into a hostel. We just explored the one street town for a little bit, checking in for our sailing trip the next day. We added the optional dive in which Jochan made a huge fiasco because his transaction did not go through apparently. German bankers, don't fight with them and their credit cards. We had a good night's rest and woke up the next day ready for our trip. Unfortunately, it did not leave until 2. So we ran some errands around town getting sunscreen and food and sunglasses. We then boarded the British Defender that afternoon with a crew named Ritchie, Lachy, and Alex. They were all very nice people. Basically, everyone on the boat was either English or German. It was fun though, hearing everyone's stories and where they had been. I have a whole new apprecation for backpacking. One guy has even been traveling for 7 months now, he plans to see the whole world. Such an amazing opportunity. The sun set early on as usual. Dinner was delicious grilled chicken and rice. After dinner, we hung out under the stars. Oh the stars. The most amazing and beautiful stars I have ever seen. It was definitely cool seeing the Southern Hemisphere's constellations. The next morning, we were up bright and early to see this spectacular sunrise. A sunrise that was actually hidden behind and island, and slightly less than spectacular. Oh well. It got everyone up and early to go to Whitehaven beach, aka Paradise. Honestly, I can say, out of all the places in the world I have been to. This has by far been the best. It is on Whitsunday Island and it is a national park, so it is untouched. Literally, not a building, road, or car in sight. Amazing. And the sand. The sand was like flour on your feet. It was so pure and white. No rocks, no seaweed. Nothing. Pure Bliss. Pure blue water. Not a soul in sight except the few people you went there with. I have never experienced anything like it. No picture can capture it. After that, we headed to Luncheon bay for some snorkeling and diving. Now, I am not much into coral and such, but it was beautiful. So colorful. The fish were huge and colorful and came right up in your face. So much fun. Then the weather turned a bit for the worse, and we spent the rest of the day on the boat just hanging out and hearing stories. The next morning we were up early to snorkel around Hook Island. Nice, but not nearly as nice as the other site. Then we headed back for shore, and here I am writing this blog. It is amazing how we keep running into the same people. I would like to backpack around some day. Anyways, I will post pictures and stuff on Melbourne next time.

This picture was taken from the cable car at the zoo. But anyways, let me fill you in on Brisbane. I got in on Wednesday night. Erin and I split some delicious Mexican food (oh how I have missed it). She is the only other person I have found who dislikes vegetables in food as much as me. Onions are gross. But our dish came full of onions, so we ended up getting a free taco and a 10% discount. Not bad. That night we went out to this place called the Regatta and the RE. Both very fun and very Australian places. The next morning Erin and I explored the city. It was beautiful. We watched some rock climbers, crossed bridges, played in fountains, walked around gardens. We were everywhere. That night though, we decided to stay in and get a pizza and rent sex and the city. We got up early the next morning to meet the rest of the housemates at the gold coast. It was beautifully tacky. The sun felt so nice though. We headed back to town and got ready for the night. We did a little bit of bar hopping, and the night was successful to say the least. The next morning we awoke to Souf joining the crew. We packed up and headed to Lone Pine. It is a koala sanctuary, and I definitely have a new found love for koalas. They are such interesting and funny creatures. I even got to hold one. We saw a sheep dog show, and fed kangaroos. We also saw a platypus (my favorite animal now) attacking a shrimp to eat. Later that day, we headed back out to enjoy the city, and eventually ended up eating in Chinatown. We went out again that night to a place called the Valley. It was an interesting night to say the least, between the people and the places we went. There was this really beautiful bar we went into it. Very magical feeling with swings and such in the bar. We got up the next morning to head to Brisbane National Forest Park. The exhausted crew took a hike around the reservoir. Note to self: next time take a car to the park. That afternoon we headed to Coles and grabbed stuff for grilling in the park. We came unprepared, and this nice couple let us use their grilling tools. The food was delicious though. We stayed in the rest of the night to catch our early flight the next morning. Brisbane was a good weekend. Thank you Erin for letting us come and hang out! Next time: Whitsundays and Melbourne.

So I had an exciting week this past week. On Wednesday, the horse races were free! So a couple of the housemates and I headed over there. We went to 3 races, betting a dollar on 2 horses a race. I picked the winning horse twice, walking away $15 dollars richer (I know its not much but it is still more than expected). Then on Thursday, I headed to the beach with Lieke and Anna and my surfboard, only to find there were no waves :( Literally, no waves, flat ocean. It was pretty sad. Friday night, I went to Lieke's place to cook and hang out. Saturday night, the gang headed out to an Australian Football League game (AFL). No, it is not football as in soccer. Basically it is a bunch of men with shaved legs and short shorts running around with a smaller version of a rugby ball. They can run with it, kick it, pass it, bounce it. They can get tackled. It is a circular ring, and at each end there are 4 posts. If the player kicks it in between the middle posts (whether in the air or by rolling), they get 6 points. If it goes between the outer posts, it is 1 point. It was alot of fun, but not nearly as much fun or enthusiastic as a Texas football game. Sunday was a lazy day, just doing homework and laundry. I have got class on Monday and Tuesday and then I head out to Brisbane on Wenesday. So next time I post, I will fill you in on all the fun I had in Brisbane. See you then :)

I have had a great but busy week. Wednesday night Erin came into town with all of her friends. We went to Bondi Junction to a place called Eastern. It was fun. The next day was unfortunately spent all day working on a group project for Marketing, but we finally finished it. Thursday night we went out to Darling Harbour to this place called Unipackers. It was fun but the views of the city at night were amazing. On Friday I went to the observation deck of the Sydney Tower and took some amazing pics. Unfortunately my camera died :(. On Friday night we went to the Empire Hotel for $10 bottle champagne to celebrate our housemates Anna's birthday. She had a very good time as did the rest of us. On Saturday, we went to the Taronga Zoo. It was amazing. I felt like a little kid again. The weather was so nice too. Not too hot but not too cold. A perfect spring day. You have to take a ferry to get to the zoo. It is so cool looking out at the animals and seeing the Sydney skyline, and opera house, and bridge in the background. I went to the beach with Erin on Sunday until it started raining. That night I booked my flight to New Zealand. I leave on Sept. 29 and come back Oct. 11. I am so excited. So many fun things ahead in the future.

Hey guys! So I have officially booked a weekend trip to Brisbane at the end of August. Now everyone is coming. I am really excited. It will be good to get out of Sydney and do some exploring. Unfortunately for this week I have been bogged down with nasty school work. No fun. But it was an English exchange student's birthday last night. He turned 21 last night. Conveniently it was on $5 dollar steak night. Everyone convened at our place after to hang out which was a pretty good way to break up this busy week. Everyone that comes into our house is so jealous. That's because our house is made up of the best people. I am really excited about all of the opportunities ahead of me. I am planning a week in New Zealand the first week of October with some friends. Spring Break is still undecided. Now its between a week in Melbourne and the Blue Mountains (a famous bushland area with hiking and kangaroos and such). This will probably be the better option because it is cheaper for everyone. Cairns is still an option, and I would love to spend a week on the Great Barrier Reef, but thankfully I will be able to see it with my parents (as long as my exams work out the way I want them too). Happy 30th anniversary to my parents. Have fun in Georgia!

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I will probably be posting only once a week now unless I go traveling in which I will post more then. Life has been good in Australia. I have made some amazing friends. The picture to the left is when we went to the aquarium. Mostly I have just been hanging out, surfing or shopping. We went to this market this weekend in Paddington. It was really cool but once again, it was pretty expensive. On Monday, a couple of us went to this little Irish bar that had a live Reggae band in the back room. Then on Friday we went to this place called the Gaff. On Saturday, our friends from the Netherlands through a house party. Yesterday, Aug. 1, (I can't believe it is already August and that I've been here a month!), was my french housemate, July's, birthday. She is vegetarian and gluten free, so we cooked her a delicious dinner and ate together as a house. My friend from Texas is coming to Sydney in 2 weeks. She is studying in Brisbane so hopefully I will be able to visit her there soon. Right now, everyone is worried about where to go for Spring Break. Possibly Fiji or New Zealand or Bali or the Gold Coast. Who knows! I want to go everywhere and unfortunately thats not possible. I have got class the next 2 days, but it is supposed to be a beautiful sunny week this week. Anyways, hope all is well in the U.S.

So the first week of class is officially over. Overall, I think it is going to be a good semester. I went on Wednesday and Friday to Bondi beach with 2 other girls to learn how to surf. The first day was rainy and cold, but ironically, it was pretty warm in the water with the wet suit on. Friday was much better, with sunny weather. I managed to stand a couple of times but for only a short time. Hopefully by November, I will be better. Other than that, I have just been hanging out. Getting groceries, cooking with the roomates, or eating $3 dollar sushi rolls. Last night we went out to the UNSW welcome back party. It was pretty fun and pretty crazy for a party at the school. I think I am just going to take it easy today, and do some reading for my class on Monday. Till next time.

Here are the housemates. Blake, back left, is from UT. Soufyan, back right, is from Amsterdam. The girls in the front are from England. From left to right, Anna, Anna, Kate, and Amy. We are standing on the cliffs somewhere on the walk from Coogee to Bondi. It is surreal that I actually live here. It's beautiful.

I just attended my first class at UNSW. So far, it doesn't seem too bad. The professor prided himself on being a lenient grader. Just what I was looking for! It is meant to be a first year class as well, so that could also work in my favor. The weather is cold again today, sadly. But I have alot of things to look forward to this week. Two other girls and I booked surfing lessons on Wednesday morning. Should be interesting to watch. And then on Thursday, the housemates are going to the zoo up north. Maybe by then I will have some pics of kangaroos and koalas to post. Tonight, we are going to the scubar. It is another backpacker's place. You can pay a dollar for a hermit krab and race them. Should be pretty exciting. Now that I have access to the university wifi I will actually be able to post some pics.

So the past few days have been pretty relaxing. On Friday, the housemates and I walked from coogee to bondi again. That night we threw a house party. It was pretty big, and I think there were about 100 people there from all over the world. It is pretty fun talking to people from different countries. It was also pretty fun watching them learn beer pong.

The next morning we cleaned up the house and headed to the shopping center to get some groceries and hang out. Last night we went out to a club called The Gaff. We got a free meal and free drinks. The bar and food were pretty shitty because it was a backpackers place. But eventually the downstairs opened up and it turned into a club with techno and dance music. I have made alot of German and English and Dutch friends. I live with 5 English girls, and apparently I am starting to sound English. Not sure if that is a good or bad thing. Two people thought I was Canadian upon first speaking to them. I will try to post some pictures of the housemates and friends.

Orientation is over and class starts next week. I just joined an aboriginal gender identities class. I am having the best time ever. I really love my housemates. Last night, we taught them all how to play beer pong but with boxed wine because we are cheap students. It was hilarious. They are addicted I think.

Tonight, we are throwing a house warming party for all the exchange student friends that we have met. I am really excited. I think the house mates are going to walk from coogee to bondi again. The weather has been beautiful. I am really in the honeymoon stage of the study abroad process (that is what we learned about at orientation). I am going to try and post pics soon.

No Internet

I am sorry I have not posted for a while. I am sitting in the McDonald's down the street from my apartment because I currently have no internet, but I will soon. I have moved into the apartment and I really love it. The people are great. I am living with a Dutch boy, a group of English girls, an Austrian girl, and a French girl. They are all very nice and fun, so even though the apartment is lacking some, I came for 5 months to experience things with new people, and I feel that I am getting that from where I am living.

Last Sunday, all the exchange students went out for drinks. Then we walked to the harbor where they had these big screens up to watch the final of the world cup. The final was at 4 in the morning. By the time it was over, we were walking through town to go home when everyone was just getting to work. Even though I do not really like soccer, it was really fun since I was watching it with people from both the Netherlands and Spain. It was definitely an experience I won't forget, even though it was difficult trying to stay up 24 hours straight.

We had orientation the last 2 days. The weather was beautiful today, and after orientation, everyone took the bus to the opera house and walked around the bridge and through these beautiful gardens. It was really wonderful, and everyone is so fun to be around. Everyone gets along very well, despite all our different backgrounds. I love talking to everyone. I took so many pictures this afternoon. I will post them once I get my own internet. Tomorrow we are going to this island in the harbour where there is an art festival, so it should be interesting. I am going to try to get into this aboriginal class, so we will see how that goes. But anyways, I hope all is well in the US.

The walk to Bondi

So yesterday was the first sunny day we had. It was beautiful. Nice enough that people were at the beach and tons of people were surfing (with wet suits of course). Blake and I decided to be touristy and take the walk from Coogee to Bondi. A good 6 mile walk that took probably 4 hours. It was amazing though. A beautiful coastline. Every now and then you would pass little inlets of small beaches. Tons of people were out either walking their dogs or playing soccer and rugby with the kids. Every place closes on the weekends, so it was nice to see everyone in the town out with their families. Today, we are moving into the new place. There is no internet there, so it might be a while until I post again. Tuesday starts orientation and then class starts the following week. Very exciting.

Note to self: adjusting to people driving on the left side of the road is more difficult than you would think. I am constantly looking to my left when crossing the road. Even people walk on the sidewalk on the left side. I tried to go up an escalator and by nature went to the right, when the up side was on the left. Who knew that we were so accustomed to everything on the right?

Found a place to live

So, yesterday was a very productive day. My friend Blake and I found a place to live. Its close to the beach, shops, restaurants, groceries, etc. It is not ideal by any means, but it will work for 5 months. Its a small studio apt. with a little hot plate and fridge and such.

Unfortunately, it has rained every day, so its been hard to explore the city. This morning, I went to the university to check out my schedule. As of right now, I only have class on Monday-Wednesday. Ideal for traveling. It was sunny for the most part this morning. It felt really nice. So Blake and I took a bus to the city center. The streets were lined with Asian places, but it was really neat being in the actually city. We went in to grab lunch, and all of the sudden the blue skies turned to rain. I don't understand this crazy city's weather yet. We are about to head down and sign our lease, so I am hoping the rain will stop as it randomly does. Unfortunately, I am still not on a good sleeping schedule, but some exchange students are going out tonight at King's Cross which apparently is the 6th street and red light district of Sydney. Should be interesting.

Finally Here

Hey everyone,

Sorry it has taken me a while to post, but I haven't had the easiest time getting internet. The plane ride was easy. I slept most of the time. It has been a little cold and rainy. I met some very nice exchange students from all over, Germany, England, Netherlands, etc. We all went out last night and hung out, ate $5 steaks, had a drink. I woke up this morning and headed to campus for pre-orientation to set up my student account and such. Now I am about to head out and look for housing in the Coogee beach area. Wish me luck! Anyways, I hope all is well in the US. I will post more later.

First Post

Hey Everyone.

I thought I would start this blog for anyone who was interested in my time in Australia. I leave on July 5th and get into Sydney early in the morning on July 7th. Until then I will just be packing and getting ready. My next post will be in Australia. I hope you all enjoy the blog. See you in November.