First Week at Uni

As of this week, I am officially a student at University Technology Sydney.  During this autumn semester I will be taking three classes – illustration, furniture design, and strategies for interior design. I’m definitely excited to learn more about the design industry here in Australia.  Classes seem to be a lot different here then back home in  the states.  We only meet once a week for 3 or 4 hours (I’m only going to school on Monday and Tuesday!!) and there are only a couple projects/assignments in each.  The kids and teachers in my classes seem to be fascinated with the fat that I am American, asking the typical, what’s different about this? And have you noticed that..?  They then of course link my California background with Beverly Hills and Hollywood – not the first assumption of this nature.  School is only about a 5 or 10 minute walk from my apartment which is very convenient, since simply getting to class can sometimes be difficult.  I have my Monday morning illustration class with Jenna which is nice – this class is going to be very laid back considering we just paint with different techniques for a few hours once a week.  My furniture class might be somewhat difficult because it is for level 3 students (not sure how I was eligible to enroll, but I did) and we have to design a foam chair for a furniture contest and present it to a panel of judges.  I do not know much about furniture development or construction, but I am excited to learn more; my teacher seems really awesome and eager to help as well.  The interior design class will probably be my favorite considering it is my main interest.  It's a beginner class and we have some really cool projects like designing a hotel room and coffee shop.  I can tell it is going to be a lot of work but I'm really excited for the challenge.  I have to admit that it’s nice to finally get into a schedule and calm down on the tourist/partying activities.  While all of that has been a blast, I know feel like I am actually living in Sydney and comfortable with my surroundings.  There’s a few welcoming activities planned in the weeks coming up that I am also looking forward too.  That’s about all I have to report on for the first couple days at Uni, not too exciting but after all it is the reason I am here so I figured it should be mentioned.  Let’s just hope I can stay focused long enough to create some awesome projects (pronounced PROjects here in Aus) for my design classes.  

Last Day of Summer

On Sunday we we down to the Domain, near the Botanical Gardens for Tropfest, the world’s largest short film festival with over 70,000 people attending. I wasn’t too sure what to expect, but everyone was totally excited for it so I went along for the experience. We spent the morning preparing for the event by making a picnic lunch and getting our things together. It was one of the hotter days in Sydney, but I was unaware of this, which was obvious by my choice of jeans. Thus bus ride there was short and sweet. The “close” walk from the bus stop, however, was not. I think we might have walked in a few circles before eventually finding our way to the festival. Luckily I was not stuck carrying the bags full of sandwiches and beer – it’s good to be a girl. I felt bad for the boys because we definitely over packed for this day event. Since we arrived early in the day, we were able to get a great spot on the lawn to camp out and spend the day. At this point it was even hotter and I was definitely regretting my outfit choice. Luckily we brought plenty of cold drinks and delicious fruit to enjoy during the hot weather. There was a stage with music and tons of people surrounding us; it was such a cool environment. The 16 short films didn’t start until about 7, so we had plenty of time to socialize and eat the bags of food we brought. People started piling in as the sun began to set; it was packed! Another thing I haven't talked about yet are the bats here in AUstralia -there are tons! We saw them all over the trees in the botanical gardens on our walk to Tropfest and as soon as the sun set, they were everywhere. I was honestly more interested in he massive bats flying overhead then some of the films. I have a cool video to post at the bottom of this blog, just in case you do not believe me. Anyways, back to the film part (and the whole reason we came). The films began at about 8pm and after a few glasses of wine and the warm night weather, I must say it was easy to close my eyes and relax; after all I am my mother’s daughter. I really did try to stay awake and I managed to see several short films (7 mins max) and the one’s I saw were definitely interesting. But I did regrettably end up sleeping through a few, but not without heavy criticism from everyone I came with! All in all it was a lot of fun, but after the films it was time to go home because the next day was the first day of classes at Uni!! What a great way to spend the last day of summer!

Welcome to UTS

One thing I am impressed with is the orientation activities that UTS has planned for both new and international student in the weeks prior to the start of Uni (that’s how they say college here). There have been many exciting events and activities planned for us pretty much everyday– from orientations to BBQ’s to festivals and other social activities. The older students and advisers have been very friendly and welcoming, making our transition to this new culture easier. UTS seems to be a great school with a good network of people to meet and a friendly staff to help work with us. The main city campus is about two blocks away from my apartment, a massive 25 story building (quite different from the campus at Long Beach that I am used to). We had a welcoming BBQ on Monday – the food wasn’t that great, but o well. On Wednesday night three was a cocktail party for international students – free beer, wine, and champagne for three hours; this is something that we would never experience back home. We rarely have social activities like this, let alone an open bar for the evening. There were tons of people that showed up and then we all went out for the beginning of the year pub-crawl. I’ve heard of crazy pub-crawl stories from friends in Europe but never experienced one. We were scheduled to go to a couple bars down at “the rocks” (an area down by Sydney harbour). It had the makings of a crazy night, but I am proud to say I paced myself and was able to enjoy the entire evening. Then on Friday the design department held an orientation for all first years – while we aren’t in the four-year program, we went to meet some of the faculty members and become familiar with the design building. The program here seems to be really intense, but also totally awesome. I am so excited for some of the classes I am taking, although I am disappointed that my photography class got canceled. They are doing work on the photo lab and wont be able to start the class until April which would extend my trip until July or August. While I do love it here, I can’t stay out here much longer than my anticipated departure at the end of June. After the meeting, we made our way to the Alumni green, a field behind the main campus, for Ofest. With live music and heaps of people, this was looking to be a pretty cool event. We spent most of the afternoon socializing and drinking a little. With all these end of summer activities, it was hard to picture starting school on Monday. We have been so distracted by meeting new people, getting settled in, and finding our way around the city, that I forgot the real reason I came here. I am taking classes that I know I will enjoy though which will make things easier, even though they may be challenging since they have a strict design program. With all this free time on our hands these days I know it will be nice to get into a routine next week.

Sydney is Wonderful

Sydney is quickly becoming one of my favourite cities – besides San Francisco of course. It is so amazing here and I have really enjoyed exploring different parts and getting to know my way around the area. Our school/living situation is in a perfect location; we’re close to bars, restaurants, downtown, the harbour, the train station and much more. We’ve been walking a lot – well ever sine the weather cleared up; luckily the sun has finally started to come out and give us the warm weather we were counting on. As I said earlier, I do not like he cab drivers here, and besides the bus, walking is our best (and also most interesting) option. When the weather is nice, I definitely do not mind the scenic walk downtown or the pleasant trip though the park. The train station has also proven to be quite convenient; it’s only about a 7 or 8 minute walk. We’ve taken it to go to our favourite, Bondi Beach, and the shopping centre across the Sydney Bridge. (p.s. my computer has automatically converted to the spelling they use here in Australia which is why some words seem to be spelled wrong – I haven’t just forgot how to spell these words in the month I’ve been here). Back to my Sydney exploring; on Monday I made my second trip downtown to visit the Apple store. The only recently opened this store and I’m so thankful since my computer problems have seemed to follow me overseas. I was having trouble with my iTunes and was eager to get it fixed. It's about a thirty-minute walk, but since I had plenty of time to enjoy the scenic walk, I passed up the bus that hits every light along the way. After heading past a bunch of popular bars and then china town, you head into the business district (reminding me much of downtown SF). With all the tall buildings and the busy business workers rushing from one corner to the next, I feel right at home – especially with a Starbucks on every other corner. While not as frequently seen as in the states, Starbucks seems to be quite popular here….along with McDonalds and Subway. The apple store is huge, three stories of friendly workers and the newest Mac toys. The genius bar workers have been very friendly and helpful, and also quite interested in the fact that I am from California – they always seem to think I’m from Hollywood or Beverly hills. After my trip to the apple store, I met up with the rest of the group and we head out for some more exploring. The time we took a different route to china town for some good old Chinese food. We pass through some really quiet, peaceful parts of the town and then the UTS library. Soon we found ourselves in China town, but we also found ourselves arguing about where to eat. Sadly we ended up eating at the food court in the nearest mall – it was definitely a disappointment. The trip home however made things much more interesting. As we stood on a busy corner we noticed this man “fishing” and by fishing, I mean he had an imaginary pole and I’m assuming an imaginary lake in front of him. He was casting his pole in and reeling in fish after fish. It seemed as if he was putting on a show for passer-by’s, but when some other tourists went up to pose with him he freaked out. It soon became a three on one fight between the fisherman and these three foreigners. It was very odd and actually quite awkward. The security guard didn’t even step in to break it up. After a loss of one shoe and a rainfall of someone’s notebook paper the fight fizzled out. While it’s hard to explain if you weren’t there, it was something I wanted to include in my blog. It was too funny to pass up. The next day we decided to go visit on of the most popular images associated with Sydney – the Opera House. I’ve seen pictures and heard about the infamous shell shaped building in Sydney Harbour many times before and was very eager to see it in real life. The walk there was an interesting adventure through downtown Sydney and then the Botanical Gardens eventually ending up with a gorgeous view of the harbour, the opera house and the Sydney Bridge. For the first time, I feel like I’m really here – thousands of miles away from home in a place some people only wish to visit in their lifetime. Like I said, I’ve seen this before in pictures, shows, and movies, but it is a whole different experience to see it in person. The building is made up of a mixture of white and tan tiles, a very interesting look up close. While the weather turned on us when we arrived, it was still an awesome trip. The bathrooms in this place were also really cool. The whole design and architecture of the building was very inspiring. We then bought tickets to go see Shakespeare’s “a Midsummer Night’s Dream” in 2 weeks which should be really fun. I’ve seen this play before, but I am sure this will have a different interpretation that will prove to be interesting. The city of Sydney has so much to offer and I’m definitely enjoying my time here and the experiences to learn more about this culture.

Miss You Uncle Tom

Today was probably the hardest day since I’ve been here. Those of you at home know how difficult today is and how much I wish I could have been at home with Nonna and the rest of the family. It’s been 5 years since Uncle Tom died and the memory of him is still very present in my life, especially being here in Australia. I cannot believe it’s been 5 years – it feels like just yesterday he was off on a wild adventure in Brazil, then coming back home with a hundred interesting stories about things he had done, people he had met, and further plans for a future trip. I’m here in Australia in part because of him and his love of traveling. While I may be a little less adventurous than him, I still gained the courage to travel and break out of my comfort zone from my Uncle Tom. He experienced things in his lifetime that some people only dream of. I remember missing him when he was away for months at a time and anxiously awaiting to hear his stories and see pictures, or perhaps learn a bit more Portuguese. He was a traveler at heart and followed that love to places far away. The decision to come here and leave everything behind for several months was definitely difficult; some even doubted that I would follow through. However, I knew this was a once in a lifetime experience that I just could not pass up. I only wish Tom could be here because I know he would be so proud of me and my adventures in Australia. I am determined to make the most of my time here and learn all I can over the next 5 months and I know this is what Tom tell me to do. I still miss him very much as I know we all do and it’s sad to think about him not being here anymore, but I am keeping his spirit with me while I’m here, to guide me and inspire me to do all that I can and make the most of my time here. I thank him for giving me the courage to come here and have this experience.

♥ Valentine's Day ♥

Our first real weekend here in Sydney brought yet another good reason to celebrate – Valentines Day. While the hallmark holiday doesn’t seem to be as popular here as it is in America, it still seemed like the perfect opportunity to go out with the group and experience a Sydney Valentines. We made reservations for 15 at a restaurant near the opera house and got dressed up in our best pink and red outfits – well not the boys, but us girls. While the food wasn’t the best of quality and the service a little frustrating, the atmosphere and location of this restaurant was absolutely beautiful. It was the first time I had been down to Sydney Harbour and it was just as pretty as I had imagined. The rain hadn’t cleared up for this holiday, but we came prepared with umbrellas and jackets. Sydney harbour is only a 15-minute cad ride from my apartment, although the cab situation is getting more and more frustrating. The cab drivers here are more difficult to deal with then in America. I’ve taken a few cab rides since I’ve been here and none of them have turned out to be a good experience. The drivers are rude and have no idea where they are going, not too mention a few of them drive like maniacs. I’m hoping to learn more about the bus system because it seems to be pretty convenient and helpful in avoiding any more nightmarish cab rides. After dinner we went to a nearby nightclub called Lands Downe. It right up the street with live music and cheap drinks. I’ve noticed that the drinks at the bar aren’t too expensive compared what I’m used to in San Francisco or Long Beach. There are plenty of bars within walking distance and the neighbourhood I’m living in seems pretty safe, BUT I still do not walk home alone (don’t worry dad, I’m sticking with the group!).

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

Well as it turns out, we arrived just in time for the end of summer rainstorms here in Sydney. As soon as we thought we might be hading to the beach every day, the beautiful sunny weather turns into gloomy rain showers. As I mentioned in an earlier post, my Dad warned me about the funny weather here. While the rain may not be as crazy and intense as it was in Cairns, it’s still not the perfect weather I had pictured Sydney to have. You wake up and it looks like it might be a nice day, get dressed in a summer outfit and then head out to a freak rainstorm. Or it could be the complete opposite. I’ve been wanting to take pictures of the beautiful scenery around me - there’s a beautiful Catholic church I can see form my window and also some pictures of my school to show you guys back home, but the weather just has not been cooperating with us every since that first Sunday when we went to the beach. Weather forecasts say it is going to be like this for a few days and into the weekend – bummer! We were planning on taking a trip somewhere before school starts. We have two weeks, enough time to get settled in and go somewhere for a few days. The Blue Mountains seem to be a desirable location but no one can make a definite decision. My throat was really bothering me and I didn’t think a couple days out in nature with rainy weather would be the best for me. The other girls agreed that we could find a better time to do this. They are only a few hours away – a perfect weekend get-away in one of the weeks to come (it’s pretty cheap to travel an stay the night there). The boys still ended up going and come back with fabulous stories, telling us how we missed out. Although the weather wasn’t the best in the mornings I guess it cleared up in the afternoon making the trip a success. I thought they were just trying to make us feel bad, but the pictures they took were pretty awesome and it looked to be fun. Our rainy day activities back in Sydney included seeing He’s Just Not That Into You and a lengthy/expensive shopping trip at a nearby mall (I’m going to have to get used to the shopping here, it’s more expensive and frustrating!) It was good to just hang out and relax for a bit, especially after the excitement of traveling and moving in. And plus, I woke up on Saturday feeling much better so I’m confident that I made the right decision – after all it was Valentine’s Day and we were going out to celebrate!

Beach Girl

This blog post is for Mags and Mands – I hope you’re reading it!! Anyways, after living in Long Beach for three and a half years, I could probably count the number of times I went to the beach on one hand. It just wasn’t my thing and I always seemed to be busy with something else. However, I’ve been in Australia for a short time and I’d have to say that the beach is one of my favorite’s so far. We woke up Sunday morning to beautiful weather and a desire to go out and explore Sydney. We headed out to Bondi Beach – a huge tourist beach, but I guess you could still consider us tourists at this point of our trip. We have to take a train and a bus to get there, probably a thirty-minute trip one way. The train station is really close though, about 7 minutes walk, just past our school. The beach was so beautiful, bright blue water and pretty houses all along the edges. It was filled with hundreds of people – like I said a very popular place. It was so nice to relax and enjoy the day. The water although comparing in looks to a beach in Hawaii was the exact opposite in temperature – it was freezing!! But we continued to walk along the beach and gasp every times the waves crashed in. The shops along the street were so cute as well, it was such a little beach town with vendors and food stands lining the streets. We ended up eating at this place that faced the water, I’m finding that the food just isn’t the same here but I’m trying to deal with it. Although I know we’d like to find some other local beaches, Bondi is a great place and I’m sure we’ll be back soon.

Birthdays in Australia are heaps cool!!

Well I must say that my 22^nd birthday was much different from those in the past – not bad, just different; a little hectic and overwhelming but also a lot of excitement.  To be honest, my time spent in Cairns was secretly really just looking forward to getting to Sydney and settling in; the exhaustion of the past few days really began to set in. I hated living out of these massive suitcases that carried everything I possibly own.   Plus, the humidity in Cairns was awful and I was hoping Sydney would bring more comfortable weather.  I woke up a little bit sick on the morning of my birthday and had to scramble to fit everything back into my airtight bags that I was using to fit all my clothes.  We then made our way to the airport and split with the other group heading to Perth.  The twelve of us waited in the airport for our final flight of the week; I just wanted to be in Sydney at this point.  The flight was long and uncomfortable – no food or drinks were offered to us in the last row either!! - but I used the time to begin my journal and get a little more rest.  When we landed in Sydney, I so excited and nervous at the same time.  I was very grateful that all my luggage made it this time though! We went to UTS to meet with the housing people and figure out the living situation.  Little did we know that the driver would leave us to walk the 3 blocks with ALL of our luggage – we must have looked ridiculous coming down the street in a group like that.  Luckily we ran into the Unilodge people (the other half of the group not in student housing) and convinced them to help us out.  I was assigned to live in an 8 share apartment on the 5^th floor, but was ecstatic to find out I had my own room! We were all anxious to get sheets and other necessities so we made our way to the nearest shopping mall of course – about 2 blocks away.  At this point I was a little stressed, hungry, and tired and I honestly just wanted to talk to some people from home.  It didn’t even feel like a birthday anymore.  I kept trying to use a calling card on a payphone but ended up losing like $10 or something like that.  SO I ended up splurging and getting a cell phone.  I called my mom from it and said thanks for the birthday gift.  She knew I was upset and was so happy to hear from me that she didn’t mind me putting it on the credit card - thanks mom :).  I hadn’t decided for sure if I was going to get one before I came, but I soon realized it was going to be necessary. I was then able to get some shopping done, I was thrilled to see they had a target on the top floor, but a little bummed when it wasn’t exactly like the ones I’m used to at home.  Things are different here and it's the beginning to my realization that I am (and will be for 5 months) in a new culture.  After hours spent searching for important items, we finally made our way back to the 9 story residence building.  We had planned to go out to dinner for my birthday but we lost track of time and ended up getting something quick.  It had been a really long day and like I said, it didn’t even feel like my birthday anymore.  Plus, just being in Australia and know I have 5 months here to explore and travel is a great gift - 22 isn’t that exciting anyways.  We went up to the roof of my building – its on the 9^th floor with a nice view of the city and my school building.  We hung out with a few of my roommates and their friends, most were from Australia.  They were fascinated with us from “the states”, asking about differences between there and Australia.  My favorite new word they use is “heaps” like “o that’s heaps cool” or “we have heaps things to do”.  I am now trying to sound like I belong and use it in my vocabulary, although i may sound a little silly in my effort.  We play a few interesting drinking games and teach them a few of ours.  It’s funny to see how they differ.  I was drinking goon – boxed wine.  It’s apparently all the rage here, probably because it’s really cheap. It’s nothing special but I don’t mind it too much.  My roommates and their friends are so friendly, even the girls we meet which isn’t always the case in the states.  All in all, I think I could get used to living here.

Cairns Nightlife

Even after all our exciting adventures during the day, the group didn’t seem too tired the second night to see what the Cairns nightlife had to offer.  We all went our to dinner at this restaurant/bar.  The food was surprisingly good which was a relief considering I was beginning to give up on food in Australia already.  After dinner and a few free rounds of beer (the bar staff was really friendly and generous might I add) the restaurant turned into a club sort of environment.  It was cool to socialize and get to know some of the other people in our group.  I found myself laughing and having a great time, especially when they started the fish races – yes fish races! It seemed quite odd but everyone went along with it.  I’m not sure if this is typical in Australia but no one else seemed to think it was that odd.  They had gold fish representing different countries and people bid on them to put into the race.  The person/fish that won the most races won the prize.  Then we headed back to our hostile to check out the nightclub there.  I thought it was a perfect time for me to buy a hair dryer with an Australian plug – an investment that would be beneficial throughout my trip.  I'm sureit was completely essential to stop by the convenience store at 1am to get it as well.  Then we arrived at Gilligan’s’ – downstairs they have a bar nightclub which seemed to be packed.  I was honestly pretty tired at this point and although I was enjoying the Australian bars I know there is more to come and call it a night.  We still have lots planned and I didn’t want to get sick.  From the looks of it though, we have a really fun group and it’s going to be an awesome 5 months!

Kangaroos and Coral Reefs

Those of you back home wouldn’t exactly call me the nature or outdoorsy girl. However, you would be happy to know that I’m determined to make my experience here in Australia full of adventure and new things. With this being said, my first approach at this would be our wonderful trip to the rain forest – a 40-minute bus ride from our hostel in Cairns. This may not typically be up my alley, but being in a new country made me feel differently about it. After all, it isn’t everyday you get to go to the rain forest and what an interesting way to spend my first real day in Australia. Luckily the weather was pretty good, no rain and the humidity wasn’t too bad either. When we arrived we went on a guided tour throughout some areas of the rain forest. It was kind of rushed because we were scheduled to see aboriginals dance in the early afternoon, but we still saw a lot of really cool plants and learned some important facts about this specific rain forest. It’s quite amazing to see such a natural beauty. Then we saw an aboriginal dance, which was definitely interesting as well. They taught us about the didgeridoo, an aboriginal instrument – I did not play this though because I’m too superstitious and they said that it was bad luck for girls to play it. This was silly, but I really didn’t want to put my mouth on it either because I felt like I was getting sick and I figured this probably was not the best way to prevent further sickness. Then we saw them throw boomerangs and these spear type things. They were very friendly and willing to answer our questions. The best part was when we got to go to the animal park after lunch. O and at lunch I tried a passion fruit, which was absolutely amazing. It was kind of odd looking but Lauren convinced me to do it. I am learning not to judge food by what it looks like before I eat it. – some of you at home would also be happy to know this. So then after we went to go see kangaroos, wallabies, koalas, crocodiles, and other interesting animals. I then bravely held a huge water python - this thing was probably bigger than me! It was really slimy and kind of gross but luckily it didn’t decided to wrap itself around my neck like it did with some of the other girls after me. The poor snake was passed around from person to person so I would understand its’ annoyance. We also got to hold and get our picture taken with a koala, an animal that I find to be quite creepy. It dug its nails into my back, which was not too enjoyable, and the picture was not too flattering, but I guess it will be a nice souvenir.

For our adventure the next day we headed out on a two-hour boat ride to the Great Barrier Reef. I was really excited for this and we definitely lucked out with beautiful weather for the day. It seemed that the worse weather came at night; I’m talking horrible down pour in the evening (one thing my dad had warned me about before I came here, “it’s like rain you’ve never seen” and “the skies just open up” – well he was right). Anyways, back to the Great Barrier Reef, I somehow got talked into a free 10 minute SCUBA dive trial that turns into $70 for the next thirty minutes if you like it – a decision you have to make under water, but I still went with it. I got all geared up in this ridiculously heavy air tank and flippers AND a rally flattering spandex stinger suit to top it. We had learned about breathing and certain signals, but I was still very nervous about the whole situation. I was the last of the group to jump in the water actually more like tip in because I was so heavy with all of my gear. We were instructed to hold onto this rope and they would gradually lower us, eventually persuading us to continue on longer 30-minute adventure. However, I kind of panicked within the first minute. My instructor tried to convince me to stick with it and I honestly did really try but I couldn’t seem to pop my ears or get the breathing down. I think my ears were kind of messed up from all the flying I had been doing in the previous days. I was a little bummed, but felt it was the best decision. There was still plenty of snorkeling to do. I saw lots of pretty fish and some awesome looking coral. We swam to a tiny bird sanctuary type beach and relaxed in the sun. Luckily I did a good job lathering up on the sunscreen because I was one of the only people that didn’t get completely fried on the trip. Sunburned or not, I think everyone had a great time. It was an experience I will always remember.

Finally in Australia

3 flights and 2 days later, I’ve finally arrived in beautiful Australia (Cairns where we will be having our group orientation). I obviously haven’t dressed for the weather, wearing a jacket, sweater, pants, and boots blanket in hand because when I step off the plane I feel like I’m walking into a sauna – the humidity here is crazy. I get over my initial annoyance when I realize that I have finally arrived, about to embark on the journey of a lifetime. I’ve spent months and months planning this trip and I’m finally here, it’s still somewhat surreal. After being greeted by our group leaders and rushing into the air-conditioned baggage claim area, we are told that the majority of the groups luggage didn’t make it to Cairns after our stop over in Brisbane – just the news you want to hear after a long day of traveling. Good news though, the airline is going to deliver it to out hotel within a few hours which means that I won’t have to carry it myself. You would understand my appreciation if you saw how much stuff I actually brought, and yet I’m sure I have forgotten a hundred things as well. I hate packing, and this time was no different! We all pack onto the bus, eager, excited, tired, sweaty, and a little overwhelmed by the whole situation and wait to hear what they have planned for the next couple of days. They have seemed to pack a lot into it considering we are only here for 3 days, but it sounds amazing. My first Australian observation is driving on the wrong side of the road. It really freaks me out; I keep thinking we’re about to crash head on with an oncoming vehicle. I know they drove on the other side of the road when I went to Ireland, but that was so long ago and I barely remember it. I secretly ant to try driving a car while I’m here but Jenna convinces me that this might not be the best idea. I guess we’ll just have to see how things go. Apparently you can rent a car though ever if you’re under 25. It would be cool to go on some sort of a road trip along the coast, but maybe a little a bus would be easier. We arrive at Gilligan’s backpackers resort, a hostile located in Cairns. It wasn’t too impressive, but it wasn’t horrible. I was put in a room with one other girl and 6 bunk beds, so we had plenty of room to unpack and get ready – not like we had much to unpack at the moment since we only had our carry on luggage though. At least I packed some important stuff in there otherwise I would have been way more frustrated. I am in dire need of a shower at this point but am slightly annoyed when I realize that the stupid adaptors I brought for my hairdryer do not work – I find out the hard way when it sparks in my hand. But all the other girls are in the same situation, so I guess we’ll rough it out together. We meet up for some orientation activities with the group. There are about 30 of us in total – 12 of us going to Sydney and the rest going to Perth on the other side of Australia. The people I have met so far are really cool. Jenna and me are the only one’s from California going to UTS. In our meeting we learn some Australian lingo and different cultural thins that might affect us and our transition into this new culture. While all this information is helpful, I am way too exhausted to actually appreciate their advice. We head back to our hostile and all plan to take “naps” and then go out and explore Cairns nightlife. Problem was no one woke from their nap, slept all the way until we had to get up the next morning at 7 for our rain forest adventure. It was probably for the best though; there will be plenty of time for partying and more exploring in the days to come.

Greetings from Sydney!!

Hello to everyone back home! After one week in here Australia, I've finally started my blog. I figure it's a good way to keep you updated on my adventures here in Australia. So far it's been amazing - a little hectic, but I'm finally starting to feel comfortable and at home. I've made some really good friends already and Sydney is such an exciting city to be living in. I do miss all of you back home and am so thankful for all the birthday e-mails and comments. It was hard spending my birthday here in a new place, but it was so good to hear from everyone (AND it was like i had a 40 hour birthday this year which is pretty cool too). Anyways, hope you enjoy my stories, feel free to comment or e-mail me. I love hearing from you. I also have tons of great pictures already which I can't wait to share!