Oh What a Lovely Place Called Cairns

So here I am sitting on the plane back from Cairns and I can't even begin to explain to you how great this weekend was. You probably won't even believe any of the things I am about to say. 

First: We finally arrive in Cairns after a long day of anticipation. Our hostel... Well it was interesting. Though it was a room filled with great friends started off this amazing weekend.

Second: We awake at 6:15 to get ready for our 7 o'clock shuttle to the Mariana. We get our boarding passes and finally get onto the boat that was going to take us to the GREAT BARRIER REEF! And no I am not joking. It was a gorgeous hot day in Cairns. After a short briefing session about the activities for the day, we made our way outside to the front of the boat where we proceeded to lay, tan, and actually grasp the fact we were on our way to  one of the most famous parts of Australia. We arrive at our first reef where we were able to scuba dive. So excited after learning all the important facts, I finally got into my wetsuit and got attached to my oxygen tank. First group to start off the day, Gia, Anthony, Brittany and I hop into the water for some breathing exercises. After smoothly completing these exercises, we made our way deeper into the water with our instructor. After about 5-7 feet, I started to panic and had to be brought to the surface. Scuba diving is a lot harder than it seems. The one thing I realized though is that it's actually not natural to breathe underwater (would you have ever known?). After feeling super disappointed in myself I was able to jump back in to snorkel for the rest of the day. I rented an underwater camera so I was able to capture all the beautiful marine life. Not only did I see a barracuda right in front of my face. I saw a shark. Yes a shark. I can't even explain how sick it was to be able to see all of this marine life.

Third: After completing a great day of snorkeling in the ocean, we headed back to the hostel to nap and get ready for our first night out. We went to this bar called the Woolshed. I had one of the best nights at this bar. We were dancing on the tables all night. We made some Australian friends as well.

Fourth: The Skydive. Yes, me and girl with the fear of heights went skydiving over the Great Barrier Reef!!! After almost missing the bus to mission beach (where my skydive took place), reality set in that I was going to be jumping out of a plane that was 14,000 feet in the air. My instructor was a lanky man named Dave who reminded me of The cartoon Doug. Strapped in and ready to go we made our way to the plane. This little plane flew us all the way up over the clouds. I started to actually shake. this was actually happening. The scariest part of the whole experience was watching everyone go before you. All you heard was a big WHOOOSH and they were gone. I put my feet over the edge. Head back. Hands on my harness. In banana position. And the next thing I know I was free falling. One of the craziest yet most amazing experiences of my life. Not only did I get to snorkel in the reefs, I was able to see them from above. Landing was awesome because we landed right on the beach in front of the water. Holy crap was that the best day of my entire life.

Fifth: We went to Gilligan's for our last night out. Everyone raves about this place and let me tell you I now understand why. It was Halloween themed... And sadly we didn't know until we entered the line to go in. Despite not being dressed in costume, we had an amazing night. We stayed out until 4 am. I don't think I've ever actually stayed at a club/ bar for that long. We made friends with a bachelor party and the funniest part about it was the bachelor was already passed out at 11 o'clock. Funny Australians.

Sixth: We had a relaxing day in Cairns. We sat outside at the pool in town which was gorgeous. Best part about this day was awkwardly seeing the bachelor party from the night prior. Oh and yeah to top it off... They were also at the airport with us... Hahahaha is all I have to say. After a great weekend full of laughs and thrills, we are finally headed home to the Gold Coast! 

Thank you Cairns for a weekend I will never be able to forget. 

Learning Lessons In Inconsistent Times

The only thing that has stayed consistent here on the Gold Coast is the weather. I've never been so blessed to live in a place where the weather is always sunny and warm. 

But besides for the weather I can't say that there is one day where I know exactly what is going to happen. Sometimes that is a great thing, but other times this is just a downfall. At home, there is more consistency. You know at this time, at this place, you will see the same person. Here, you experience something new everyday. It is refreshing, but also exhausting when all you'd like to do is go through your day without any questions.

Everyone may hate the next sentence they are going to read, but I can definitely say I am going to regret this one bit. 

I am a little homesick.

It may be because I can't just pick up the phone and call my friends to hangout. It may be because I haven't seen my parents or brother in god knows how long. It may be because my dog is the only thing that can turn my frown upside-down. It may even be the pizza, bagels, Arizona ice teas, or Moe's that I miss so much. And last but not least, it may be because I miss fall, apple picking, cider donuts, and halloween. I can't seem to put my finger on what is the exact reason why, but it's definitely a combination of all those things. 

I've come to realize that studying abroad is an individual experience. You are here for yourself and no one else. You have to make your own decisions and you can't blame someone for wanting to do something completely different. The only hard part about that is you want someone to experience these amazing things with you. And if you are by yourself, who's going to be able to relate. I guess that may actually be the reason I am homesick. I want my friends and family to be able to experience this amazing, carefree journey with me. 

As a college student, I am constantly learning new things. Classes teach you new things about the world that you are about to actually enter. Your friends teach you how to relax, have fun, and who you can actually trust with your deepest darkest secrets. Your family that teaches you everything under the sun and will always show you that constant affection that you need. 

Yet you will always be the one to teach yourself the most valuable lessons. 

While abroad, I can't even tell you how my outlook on life has changed. I've learned that relaxation is necessary even when you are in the most stressful situations. You can't focus on the little things that won't matter an hour later. You need to realize the differences that you will have with people and you can't always expect a lot from others. The one thing you can do is count on yourself to make any situation a great one. I've learned that alone time is crucial to staying alive. Being around others constantly is such an exhausting activity. The only way you can reflect and actually ease your mind is to get away. Take a walk by yourself. Clear your mind. 

I also want to emphasize one phrase that has started to mean a lot more to me than I would have ever thought.

No Worries

No worries. No worries mate. Such a simple phrase has changed my perspective on life. The amount of time people spend thinking about the "what ifs" of life is ridiculous. You can't waste your time worrying about things that don't have a great impact on your life. You miss the bus? No worries, you'll catch the next one. You have a bad day? No worries, tomorrow will bring great things. There's only so much you can do about your life and you shouldn't think too much into the things that you can't change. 

Being abroad is one of the best experiences I will have under my belt. 

You not only get to go to some of the most beautiful places in the world, but you also get to meet new people and learn new things about yourself as well as others.

I know this post wasn't about my activities, but at least I can say that I am glad that others are able to see how this experience makes a college student feel.

Oh Adventures How I Love You

Like always, I don't know where to begin about this trip. Many of my friends here on the Gold Coast decided we should take a weekend trip to Byron Bay with a day stop in Nimbin. So I guess this is where I should start saying what's so special about these places.

Nimbin.
An easy way to describe Nimbin to you is a small, hippie town. There's really nothing to Nimbin but a lot of people that are about "good vibes" if you catch my drift. With that being said, in order to get into the spirit of Nimbin, we boarded an old orange hippie bus, with one of the chillest bus driver's I've ever had. On the way to Nimbin, we took all the back roads. Traveling through these narrow, curvy roads we were able to see some of the prettiest views of fields and mountains. We were all in awe as we looked out the windows. Finally arriving in Nimbin, Brooke, Kelly, and I met a group of backpackers from the Netherlands. They definitely fit in with the Nimbin lifestyle but they were so welcoming and friendly. After walking around looking at the little trinket stores, we boarded the good ole hippie bus to make our way to a barbe. This is when the bus ride was amazing. Our bus drivers sped through the roads playing the best playlist I have ever heard. The music he played correlated exactly with the moods we were in.  We finally arrive at the park where we were going to have our barbe. Again beautiful views. I can't explain the amount of food that I ate that day. After eating, we made our way to this lookout. I have never been so scared before. It was a HUGE drop. None of the pictures can even do this drop justice. After our shocking little pit stop, we finally made our way to Byron.


    

Byron Bay.

Lovely. Just lovely. Beautiful people. Beautiful weather. Beautiful clothes. Beautiful beaches.
I doubt any of you are surprised by my last comments. Everywhere that I have been in Australia, I have had that reaction. But anyway, we stayed at this hostel which was basically just like a dorm room. So many Bond students were there that weekend so we made so many new friends. We went to a couple of bars that weekend which were actually really cool and definitely a lot different than the ones on the Gold Coast. The best part about Byron was the ability to kayak in the ocean and see dolphins within two feet of my kayak. Since I am a loner (kidding), I ended up in a kayak with the instructor. This ended up being the best decision of my life. He was so down to earth and funny. Not to mention, he basically did all the work when it came to paddling. The funnest part about the kayak adventure was riding the waves onto the shore. Our first attempt was hilarious considering I actually fell out, but our second attempt was so much fun, we got pushed right onto the shore. Definitely worth the second attempt.

This was definitely a weekend for the books.


OH WAIT THERE'S MORE.

I participated in my first pub crawl. And let me tell you. I will be doing that again. I had one of the best nights I've had in Australia. Most of my friends participated in this bar crawl. We started at Hotel CBD. This is a bar close to campus that was awesome! We were served some food and we were able to get $10 jugs which is great for over here! Then we made our way to Don's, which is the on campus bar. There we all kept drinking and meeting new people. Then we made it to the bus. The bus was a lot of fun because yes we were all drunk at that point, but we all were singing songs and getting so pumped to go to Melbas. We arrive at Melbas and immediately start dancing. After Melbas we went to the infamous Sin City and Vanity. Vanity was amazing. The DJ was on point and we were all up on the speakers dancing the whole time. I don't think I've ever danced for that long in a club before. Oh and did I mention we were all matching?

I think you can say we had a pretty good time. 

Oh and how could I forget. The ALOHA BEACH CRUISE.

My roommate Kelly came in clutch and found this Aloha Beach Party Cruise. It was an all day event where you boarded a boat that went to a private island. On the boat not only was there plenty of drinks, but there was a famous Australian DJ right in front of us. On the line for the boat, I made friends with these awesome Australians who we stayed with basically the whole day. The island wasn't the most beautiful place, but the whole idea of the day was amazing. We drank from fake coconuts and danced all day. By about 7pm, we were all exhausted and decided to go home. And of course, my bad luck strikes again when I lose my wallet in the taxi in front of our hotel. Though such an annoying moment, it definitely could have been worse.

Can't help I'm a dancing machine. 


Last but certainly not least.
SURF LESSONS

We went down to Surfers Paradise. If the name doesn't say it, I don't know what does. We get in our little body shirts, grab some boards, and head to the beach. We got a long lesson on the sane to make sure we all know the best and safest way to get on your board. And let me tell you, it definitely helped. As we make our way into the ocean, we started to understand why they warned us so much about the currents. The currents in this ocean are crazy; a lot crazier than any of the beaches in the United States. After viciously fighting the currents, I finally got out to the perfect spot and rode my first wave. I was the first girl in our group to stand up on their board! The surfing part was pretty easy, the hard part was fighting the current to get out far enough. Definitely a worth-while experience.

I can't think of any other adventures at the moment.
But I promise I will update this more.

Fur Sherbert I'm living on the Gold Coast

After finally arriving in Brisbane and realizing that my quarter filled Bacardi Limon bottle spilled in my luggage, we headed to our new home for the next four months.

The Infamous Gold Coast

Let's just go about this in sections.

1. The Meriton

The beautiful hotel that I call home right now. Oh lord I can't even tell you how blessed I am to be living here. Thanks mom and dad for making that happen. We live in a corner suite on the fifth floor. 502. We have this unbelievable living room, a dining area, and a kitchen. Equip with everything you could need. We also have a wrap around balcony with a table on it. Yes I am living the dream. My room is beautiful. I have a comfy small twin bed, that gets cleaned once a week. And yes to top it off, we have a cleaning service. Where the Meriton is located is two minutes walking distance from the beach and all the shopping places you would need. As well as clubs and bars. I am in love with the Meriton.

2. Beaches 

If you think any of the beaches in America are the most beautiful beaches in the world, you clearly haven't been to Australia. These beaches bring beautiful to a whole other meaning. The sand is baby soft. If you stomp your feet on the sand, it makes a squeaking noise (odd but very entertaining). The ocean is definitely a lot cleaner than in the states. The current is a lot stronger and the waves are huge (on a good day). They are always populated, even in winter considering winter here is still warm.

3. Nightlife
I can't even start about the nightlife in Australia. Every day is a day to go out and have beers or cocktails. In America, we love our beer, but Australians do it better cause most of their beer has more alcohol content. We've been going to so many different places to find our favorite spots. Tuesdays is ladies night at Sin City, aka ladies drink free. That's what I'm talking about. Wednesdays is when Anthony, Gia, and I go into Surfer's Paradise for the day and go to happy hour at the local Surf Club. Let me tell you, I look forward to Wednesdays as soon as Wednesday ends. That's saying something. Beer Garden is awesome. Very chill environment, awesome music, $10 jugs, and pool. Envy is awesome. So close to the Meriton and it's the perfect place to dance. East is an older crowd so I definitely won't go again. Bavarian Bier Garden is our Thursday happy hour spot. $10 burgers and awesome beer. Don's is the on campus bar and I'd say for the most part it's a great time. If you couldn't tell, we go out a lot here. I don't hate it, but my wallet does.

4. School
This is the one thing inconveniencing my vacation. Classes aren't too bad, but I am in such a relaxed mood here that I just don't ever want to go. I'm definitely nervous for my International Business class but that's alright. You win some, you lose some. Image and Photography is a lot of fun. A little boring at times because it's all about repetition. Australian History may be the worst class ever. Did I mention that I hate taking History classes? Love, Sex, and Relationships is really interesting and I kind of enjoy that class. I guess we'll have to wait and see once the course load kicks in how relaxed I'll be.

5. Money
Oh don't let the beautiful country fool you. Everything is expensive, even McDonald's (aka Macca's here). Hard liquor is a significant amount more. Exactly why all I drink is boxed wine. We found awesome restaurants that have cheap deals for meals. Sundays at Waxy's there are $2 steaks which are delicious and a decent size. Best deal ever. Surf Club has mediocre food for under $10. Not bad for a poor college student. I think money is the only downfall over here.

6. Shopping
The fashion here is amazing. So many cool patterned shirts and totally different style for popular clothing. There are tight clothes that are popular but for most part it's flowy beach clothes. Lighter materials but so comfortable and worth it. They have awesome jewelry because around here there are so many street markets that you can go to. Definitely easy to find gifts for all you lovely people back home.

Randoms
The people are definitely a lot nicer and relaxed here. This is great for friendships, but not for service. Since waitresses get paid around $20 bucks an hour, your table is not much of a priority. This is a real eye opener because it teaches you to be more patient. Another weird thing is that pedestrians don't have the right of way. Definitely a problem for me considering I love to just cross the street when I want to. I've met a bunch of awesome people out here and I am so happy I came. Oh and the weather. Beautiful. I've had one day of rain since I've been here. The rest have been gorgeous sunny days.

So I think after everything that I have said in this post you can guess that I never want to leave. This place is amazing and I can't tell you how grateful I am that I am here.

The Beginning.

My apologies for those who have been waiting eagerly to hear about my experiences on the other side of the world. I've been trying to write this first post for about a couple of weeks but I don't even know where to begin. I figured the smart thing to do is to go in order.

FIJI

For those who don't know the mess behind what was supposed to be a relaxing 4 days in Fiji, I'll give a short and simple explanation of the chaos that I had to experience. My flight from John F. Kennedy Airport was delayed THREE hours due to a defective sensor on the plane. With my luck, there was no other flights that would get me into LAX with time to make it to the flight to Fiji. I finally arrived in LAX at 11:15, but the only problem was I had to make an 11:30 flight to Nadi, Fiji. Sprinting with my backpack and carry on across the LAX airport, we made it to security with 5 minutes to spare. Little did we know the flight we were supposed to be on left 15 MINUTES EARLY. So long story short, Gia, Brit and I had to spend a night in LA only to take a flight to Fiji the next day.

Now for the good things. Fiji is one of the most beautiful islands I have ever seen. So many mountains, trees, clear water, and awesome beaches. We missed most of the activities we were supposed to take part in, but this just meant we had more time to swim, snorkel, relax, and drink with all the new people we met. The food in Fiji was so fresh. They caught and picked every food item that they served us. The people on this island were so welcoming. It was actually amazing to see how content they are with their "simple" lives. We are so obsessed with the internet and our cellphones that it is so eye opening to see and actually talk to people who really don't even need those types of technology to be happy.

Enough about Fiji. Let's talk about Sydney, Australia. 

Beautiful. Absolutely amazing. I'm obsessed.
It was awesome to explore such a new city and see those amazing landmarks that I've only seen in the Mary-Kate and Ashley film, Our Lips Are Sealed. I got over my fear of heights (well kinda) by climbing the Sydney Harbor Bridge. Absolutely stunning. You were able to see all over Sydney and we actually learned a lot about the city itself from our guide.

The next awesome thing we did was go to the zoo where we were able to pet and take pictures with koalas and kangaroos. They aren't as friendly as you think but they are really soft and interesting animals.

Oh I forgot to mention. We stayed at the mansion where they filmed the Great Gatsby. Just to let everyone know, it is totally different inside and out. Definitely a lot of editing was done on that film to make it look that beautiful.

We also went on a harbor cruise which was awesome. We all dressed up for a night on the harbor. Let's just say that the Sydney Opera House is way more beautiful at night.

The main thing we did in Sydney was drink... I know very surprising. But honestly, it killed me to buy alcohol there. It was about 8 dollars for a shot and even more for the mixed drink. The worst part about the mixed drinks is that they only are allowed to put in ONE shot of alcohol. So I basically learned it was cheaper to just buy beer or a shot.

So much more happened in those first two weeks of being down unda that I don't know where to stop. But I don't want to blabber on too much more. Posts about Bond and the Gold Coast will come soon.