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.