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.