Cassie and Casey's Visit!

Cassie and Casey finally arrived in Australia!!! I met them at the train station after their flight and then we took a bus back to the village. They just relaxed and then I showed them around the campus. While I went to class they went to the UniBar on campus for a little bit. Later, we did a little bit of grocery shopping and made our plans for the rest of their time here. They were both pretty tired and jet-lagged so they fell asleep and I went to the Retro Party that the UniBar had that night. On Saturday, we took a bus to Surfer’s Paradise and spent the day relaxing on the beach and walking through the city and downtown area. The next day we had tickets for an island cruise. We took a cruise to an island where they had beach volleyball, soccer, kayaks, parasailing, dancing, food, and drinks! There were even a few wallabies on the island and one jumped right near our towels as we were laying on them! On the cruise back we got to see the sun set over the ocean which was gorgeous.

Monday morning, Cassie, Casey, Sari, and I woke up early, rented a car, and made our way down to Byron Bay. Before we checked into our hostel we went to the beach, walked around the city, and rented surfboards for a few hours!! After that it was time to check into the hostel, which Cassie was verryyy nervous about. But the hostel was really clean and she had nothing to worry about. We all showered and got ready for Mexican Monday at Cheeky Monkeys. It was fun to go out and dance and have a few margaritas. Cassie and Casey also had their first Australian kebab from AbraKEBABra!! On Tuesday we woke up, checked out of the hostel, and spent a few more hours on the beach before leaving to go to Springbrook National Park. We drove up the mountains through narrow, windy roads to find gorgeous views and waterfalls. We also stopped in Numinbah Valley to see The Natural Bridge. We walked down below it to see another waterfall, glow worms in a cave, and plenty of bats flying right above us. We got back to the village that evening and went out to Surfer’s to celebrate Lauren’s birthday. Cassie and Casey left for the airport early Wednesday morning to catch their flight to Cairns!

Bali

For our mid-semester break from Uni, a group of us decided to go to Bali to forget all about essays, exams, and school! Laura, Sari, and I arrived on Tuesday night and checked into our hotel, the Taman Sari Cottages. The rest of our friends were staying at the Bounty Hotel so we went over there to meet up with them. It was only a 3-minute walk, but the streets were chaotic. People were walking everywhere, car horns were blaring, scooters were weaving in and out, and all the shop owners constantly tried to get us into their stores. But we got to their hotel, found our friends, and had a great first night in Bali! There seemed to be many other Australians also spending their holiday in Bali. We met Michael and Travis, two guys from Perth, Australia. They had been to Bali a few times before so they gave us all their tips about where and where not to go and hung out with us for most of the week.  The next day it was extremely hot and humid, and we all went to the beach. The sand burnt our feet to walk on so we had to stay on our towels or in the water. Going in the ocean was very refreshing and the waves were huge and so much fun to play in. We all got worn out from the ocean so we went back and relaxed by the pool at the hotel before going to the Foam Party later that night. Thursday morning we walked to the Waterbom Waterpark. It wasn’t anything like Noah’s Ark but they still had a lot of fun rides, especially one in particular. One of the rides was similar to The Point of No Return, but instead of starting off the slide by lying on your back, you step onto a platform and are enclosed in some sort of “coffin.”  All of a sudden the floor drops from underneath your feet and you get launched straight downward and through a huge loop. I think this is the fastest and best water slide I have ever been on. Friday, we woke up early and got picked up for our elephant rides! Laura and I rode our elephant, Sim Sim, through the jungle and saw a monkey that could chug beer, and all the elephants could play the harmonica too! Afterwards, we had lunch and then were able to feed the bear! We got back to the hotel and got ready for the party that was happening there that night. It was very exciting, they had live performances on stage and by the end of the night everybody was getting pushed in the pool.

Massages in Bali are very cheap, so Saturday I woke up and got a 90-minute massage and body scrub, all for around $20…not too bad! Then it was a day of shopping along the streets and lounging by the pool until dinner, where we went to a seafood restaurant right on the beach! It was gorgeous to see the sunset on the ocean and enjoy delicious food. The next day we had a full-day tour. We got picked up at the hotel and were driven around to see Indonesian dance performances, waterfalls, sacred temples, Monkey Island, and had lunch looking over a volcano and dinner on the beach again. Sadly, it was our last night so we spent it hanging out by the pool one last time. The next morning I got one last massage by the pool before our 6-hour flight back home. The week went by extremely fast and we had awesome, hot weather so we were all sad to have to leave, but we all had an amazing time!

Sydney

Sari and I booked another adventure to Sydney. We left from the Brisbane airport on Friday night and got to the Base Sydney Hostel around midnight. We were a little worried about how the hostel would turn out, because things always seem to look nicer online, but we very surprised by how clean and nice it was! We went up to our room to find 3 sets of bunk beds, picked the 2 open beds, and went to sleep right away. The next morning, we woke up early to get breakfast and get picked up for our tour through the Blue Mountains! A shuttle bus picked us up and took us for a drive through Sydney. We then stopped to see some wild kangaroos, and had a later stop on Flat Rock for a gorgeous view of the Blue Mountains. At the next destination we went for a short hike to see the Katoomba Falls. After that, we made a quick stop for lunch, and then made our way to Scenic World. There, we had the option of going through the Blue Mountains to see the Three Sisters Rock Formation via the Skyway, Railway, and Cableway. Sari and I decided to just walk along the pathways instead to see all the different views…which were all breathtaking! Next we took the bus back through Sydney, through Olympic Park, and then took a ferry ride to Darling Harbour. This was really neat because we arrived back at night when the Harbour Bridge and Opera House were all lit up. When Sari and I got back to the hostel we got ready for a night out in Sydney! We went to the Scary Canary (a bar attached to the hostel) and then to Ivy, a popular night club in Sydney.



Flat Rock




Blue Mountains






Three Sister Rock Formation



Katoomba Falls





















The next morning we woke up and made our way to Bondi Beach. It was a lot of fun to relax on the beach and walk through all the little nearby shops and cafes. Once it started raining we found a bus back to the hostel. The sun and beach took a lot of energy out of us, so we went to the Scary Canary for a little bit and played a game of pool and hung out with other students and backpackers at the hostel. We really enjoyed the hostel because we got to meet so many friendly people around our age from all over the world-it was like living in the dorms again!



Bondi Beach

Monday morning, Sari and I checked out of the hostel, rented a locker to put our backpacks in, and went for a walk around Sydney. We walked across the Darling Harbour and went exploring through the Australian National Maritime Museum. After that we made our way back to see the Harbour Bridge and Opera House during the day. Right next to that were the Botanical Gardens so we went on a stroll through there as well. We took the long way back to get our bags so we could see more of the city before heading back to the airport. Once at the airport, getting home was another adventure with delayed flights, closed train stations, and lack of buses. We ended up spending more money than planned and getting home much later than expected, but it all worked out and the Sydney trip was worth it!

      



Melbourne

Over the weekend Sari, Ashley, and I made a trip to Melbourne-the 2^nd most livable city in the world! Ashley had a friend, Kate, who is from Melbourne so we were able to stay at her apartment for the weekend. Kate picked us up at the airport on Friday night, took us back to her place to get dressed, and then we went out to La di das. There was some “international event” going on that night and Kate had heaps of friends there. It was a lot of fun being able to meet lots of other local Aussies. On Saturday we walked around the city and did a little bit of shopping and sight-seeing. We were happy that Kate was with us, because she showed us all the hidden local spots that we would have never been able to see otherwise. We went out to a Chinese restaurant for dinner, and then to a few local bars and pubs. Again, Kate led us down side streets and alleyways to more local places that seemed to be pretty well hidden.
Sunday, we woke up early and went to a big market with lots of cheap, little stores to do a little more shopping. In the afternoon we had a barbeque at Kate’s apartment with a few of her friends before heading to the AFL (Australian Football League) game or “Footie.” It was such a fun experience to learn about the game, which is a mix between American football, soccer, and rugby, and see all the rowdy fans in the big stadium.
Monday morning we went to the Melbourne Aquarium. It was awesome to see all the different, crazy-looking fish. They also had the world’s largest stingrays and we were able to see them get fed by divers. Afterwards we met Kate for lunch and then had to head back to the airport. We were all sad to go, because Melbourne was such an awesome city with so many different things to do…we all wish we could’ve stayed longer!


Aquarium




AFL (Footie) game




Sari, me, Ashley




view of part of the city



the "container" bar...all old pallets and containers  



Mojo Surf Weekend!

When we were in Cairns, a lot of us had signed up for a Mojo Surf Weekend, where we would all (hopefully) learn how to surf. The weekend had finally arrived, and a bus picked up a big group of us and took us to Arrawarra in New South Wales. Some of the kids from our week in Cairns went to different schools, so it was fun seeing them again. We got picked up Friday night by the bus driver and his dog, Pepper. On the way down we watched Blue Crush, of course. It was around 1am when we got to our accommodation and everyone was pretty tired. We took one short walk to the beach and came back, and I hopped into bed with my sweet Jonas Brothers sheet and pillowcase.



The crazy surfing group!



            They woke us up at 8AM for our first surf lesson!! They gave us a quick safety lesson, let us practice getting up on our boards on the beach, and then we went out in the ocean to do the real thing. All of the instructors were pretty crazy and made everything a lot of fun, and made it easier to get up on the boards. After the first lesson, I think everyone in the group was able to get up and catch a few waves-even Pepper was out surfing! Afterwards we had lunch and then another surf lesson. It rained while we were out there, but we were wet anyways and the ocean water was warm so nobody was bothered by it. Everyone was pretty tired after this lesson and anxious for dinner. Dinner was amazing…it seemed like an actual home-cooked meal which I hadn’t had in awhile. Later that night, there was a “Bin Bag Party.” Everyone was given a garbage bag to make some sort of clothing out of and wear it for the night. It was a lot of fun hanging out with everyone and having a few drinks around the campfire.

            The next morning, wake up was at 6AM! I was tired, but very excited for one more surf lesson. We ate breakfast and got our boards. This time, the waves were bigger and a little rougher. We also surfed tandem, where an instructor would hop on the back of our boards with us while we rode a wave in. After our last lesson, we packed up our stuff, had lunch, and then boarded the bus to head back home. On the way home, we stopped in Bryon Bay for about an hour. Because it was pretty cloudy and a little rainy, we didn’t venture to the beach, but we walked up and down the streets and grabbed a burger at The Burger Master. It was such a cool, little, local town and definitely a place that I want to visit again for a weekend!

First Week of Classes

Sadly, classes had to begin eventually. Although I wasn’t too happy about starting school, I have to admit that I was looking forward to getting back into some type of routine. And the first week of classes wasn’t too bad at all. Each class usually has one lecture and one tutorial, and most of the time they are on the same day. I have classes on Monday, Thursday, and Friday so I have Tuesday and Wednesday to get caught up with all my homework instead of going by the pool or beach ;) All of the professors seem really nice and laid back. They ask us all to call them just by their first name, and the lectures seem more relaxed. Students aren’t afraid to shout out an inappropriate joke in the middle of class, and its not uncommon to see a lizard or cockroach crawling around on the floor. Everyone wears thongs (flip-flops) to class, and many of the girls get pretty dressed up. Lots of them wear dresses or nice skirts and shirts, while the guys will show up in swimsuit bottoms and a tank top…life is so not fair! But so far I’m enjoying my classes, (my nutrition class is basically a roast to Americans for being fat) and meeting many more Australians.

On the completion of our first week of school, of course we had to go out to celebrate on the weekend! One night we took the bus to Surfer’s Paradise, and the next night I went to the casino for the first time! Since it was my first time, I really had no idea what I was doing so I only spent a little money and just played until I lost it all. It was still a fun time and I can now understand why everyone always wants to go to Vegas!
Sunday, our friend Petrina drove us down to Snapper Rock on Coolangatta beach to watch the Quiksilver Pro Surf Competition, which was the first part of the world tour. We could sit on the beach and watch or walk out to the sandbar and be right in the action. It was awesome to see the world’s best surfers not too far out in the ocean. They were all super friendly too, always willing to give out high-fives as they ran down the beach before going out and signing autographs and taking pictures after just finishing a heat.

  



Kelly Slater running out





O-Week!

We finally arrived in Brisbane! We got all our luggage and boarded the bus one last time for an hour-long drive to the Gold Coast. Once we got to the Griffith University Village we were immediately greeted by some of the staff members and given our room numbers. I found out that I was living with Sari, who was also one of my roommates in Cairns, and a few other friends I met in Cairns were in the same block as us. Sari and I got to our apartment and met our other 3 roommates Laura (an Australian), Ben, and Ian (2 Canadians). It felt good to unpack my suitcases and start getting settled in to longer-term accommodation. We each have our own bedroom, 2 bathrooms to share, and living room and kitchen. The entire floor is cement, so I’ve come to terms with the fact that the bottom of my feet will never be clean. I love the location of our apartment. From our balcony, we have a good view of the basketball court, pool area, and BBQ area, so we can always tell what’s going on.


Part of the Village!




               

The kitchen



The living room--we need to decorate      



That night, we had an orientation meeting for the village to learn a little more about the place and things we needed to do. Things were starting to feel a little overwhelming with enrolling, ID cards, having to go to the store, figuring out the bus system, and a few other things to do. However, we decided not to worry about it until the next day, and all the roommates went to Surfer’s Paradise. It was a fun way for all of us to get to know one another, and so far it seemed like we would all get along great!




The Roommates! Me, Ben, Sari, Laura, and Ian

The next day Laura, Sari, and I got our bus passes and student IDs, and took a bus to do some shopping for food, fans, and a few other things for the apartment. Everything was more expensive than back home, but we found out that Kmart was just like our Walmart, which was very helpful to discover. After that we took a stroll through campus to get ourselves a little more familiar with all the buildings. Everything was starting to fall in place and I could tell that I was going to love it here.

Soon was the start of Orientation Week (O-Week) at the Village. It was a week of lots of different activities for all the residents living at the Village. We had Village Olympics, where each apartment block competed against eachother, our block got 2^nd place! There were also lots of live band performances, buses to Surfer’s Paradise, a Las Vegas Night, buses to the beach, a Mexican Night, a beach party, outdoor movies, Aboriginal Australian workshops, and lots of free barbeques!!! The entire O-Week experience was awesome and it was an easy way to meet lots of people. The Village contains about half Australian students and the other half international students, so I’m meeting people from all different parts of the world!
Like UW-La Crosse, GUV (Griffith University Village) is very active. There are always people around that are willing to go shoot some hoops, hangout by the pool, kick a soccer ball around, or play some rugby.





Limbo contest!



Some of the blocks battling








Day at the beach!



Cairns, Australia

Day 1: Arrival After 2 hours of bus rides and 20 hours of plane rides, the entire AustraLearn group finally arrived at Bohemia Resort in Cairns, Australia. It was extremely hot and humid, but the views of the mountains and rainforests surrounding us were gorgeous. We waited near the pool until we found out who our roommates were going to be for the week. I was with 5 other girls in a tiny dorm-like room with one small sink and one mirror-yikes! Once we got into the rooms, everyone quickly changed into swimsuits and jumped in the pool before having a typical Aussie Sausage Sizzle--it was delicious! Later, we had an information session and then dinner at a restaurant called Cock and Bull. The food was great, and the portions were huge! Once we got back to the resort (which was really more like a hostel), I was so jetlagged that I went to bed around 8:45, it felt great to lie down and get some sleep.

 

5 out of the 6 roommates!

 Day 2: Rainforestation We took a bus to the Rainforestation Nature Park, and split into five different groups for all the different activities. First, we painted on canvases using only natural colors from the earth. I felt like I was in 2nd grade again doing arts and crafts, and my painting also looked like a 2nd grader did it. Next, I felt like I was in the Wisconsin Dells because we took a ride on the ducks! We went all through the rainforest along trails and the river and saw some amazing plants, lizards, and other wildlife. At lunch, I tried Passion Fruit, and it is one of the most flavor-filled fruits I've ever tasted...it was amazing!! Later, an Aboriginal man taught us how to throw a spear, play the didgeridoo, and throw a boomerang. We all got to try throwing the boomerang--mine didn't come back to me. Afterwards, we saw a series of different Aboriginal dances, and some of the kids from the group even went up on stage and tried to learn the dances. At the wildlife park, we were able to take a picture holding a koala, feed the kangaroos, and see dingoes, lizards, and crocodiles! Once we got back to Bohemia, a group of us walked to a nearby park and attempted to learn how to play cricket! It was not the prettiest game, but everyone was having fun trying the new sport.

Day 3: Great Barrier Reef We woke up bright and early for breakfast at 6:30 and caught the Passions of Paradise boat out to the Great Barrier Reef. It was so relaxing hanging out on the front of the boat, soaking up the sun, and looking out on the ocean and mountains. When it was time for scuba diving and snorkeling, we looked like a giant Blue Man Group, as we all had to wear bright blue stinger suits in case we got stung. At the first stop, the water was deep, but the reef had grown so much that it wasn’t far below us at all. I saw eels, stingrays, and other fish and plants that I never could have imagined. After 2 hours of snorkeling, we got back on the boat for lunch and headed to the next dive spot, which was right near a large island. Once the boat was anchored, there were giant fish swimming around right where we jumped in, and a shark swam right under the boat! We quickly put our stinger suits and flippers back on and jumped right in with the fish! The crew members thought it would be funny to throw bait at us right after we got in so the fish jumped right at our faces—Cassie you would have freaked out!! Natalie and I eventually ventured over the reef closer to the island. The water wasn’t as deep here so we were able to get even closer to all the sea life. After snorkeling a little bit, we looked down and saw another shark swimming just a couple feet below us. It was so exciting! That was our last spot to dive, so we all got back on the boat and hung out with the crew members on the way back to the harbor. The Great Barrier Reef was one of the most amazing things I have ever been able to do, the underwater life that I saw is unforgettable!

                        

 

Day 4: Community Day Today, we took a bus to an old farm house that sits on 500 acres of land. Everyone was tired from the day before so we were all planning to sleep on the hour-long bus ride. However, the majority of the bus ride was spent winding through the tops of the mountains and rainforest so it was too beautiful to sleep through. When we got to the farm, we took a hike and planted over 500 trees! This was a great experience because we were able to give back to the environment, and it felt great knowing that the trees we planted would eventually be part of the rainforest canopy.
Later that night, we hopped on a double-decker bus that drove us all around town, stopping at all the fun night spots!

Day 5: Adventure Day For my free day, I booked a full-day whitewater rafting tour. A small group of us girls got picked up at Bohemia Resort in the morning and were driven to the rafting area. We got breakfast there and took another bus to the Tully River. This drive was also very interesting because we saw lots of damage from the cyclone that hit 2 weeks earlier. Once we got off the bus, we put on our lifejackets and helmets and loaded into the rafts to get ready for our adventure! Because of the cyclone, they hadn’t been able to start at the top like they normally do, but we were their guinea pigs and trying it for the first time since then-woo! We traveled down the Tully River for 5 kilometers, took a BBQ lunch break, and continued on for another 10 kilometers. We went through 45 different rapids, each one with a crazy name and a different drop or twist that we hoped wouldn’t flip us over! (We only flipped once) There were areas in between rapids where we could jump off of cliffs into the river or just hangout and swim and let the current carry us a little ways. After the rapids we went back to the office and saw pictures and videos taken while we were rafting. It was a very extreme and awesome adventure!

Day 6: Departure We woke up early to pack up all of our things. I think everyone was anxious to get to Gold Coast since we had been packed tightly in all the rooms, and living out of suitcases was not fun. We hopped on the bus to the airport, got on the plane, and arrived in Brisbane, Australia!