Life, Sunkissed

I’ve been quite awful at keeping up with updates for my Aussie blog, especially since I promised myself I would maintain it on a regular basis! There’s a lot to say about the last few weeks, time is moving by way too fast and it’s sort of freaking me out.

A few weeks ago, some friends and I took a bus tour through Byron Bay and Nimbin, with a few stops in between. Nimbin was.. different. When you visit a place with the motto: ‘Hippie Capital of the World,’ you know what to expect. The town was essentially one block long, with stores full of hippie clothes and jewelery, and a few stores even sold records.. I was so tempted to get some classic rock but there would be nowhere to play it, but my dad would’ve been impressed. After Nimbin, we headed to Paul’s house. Who’s Paul? A Long Island native who’s gone insane. He lives in the rainforest and is a hippie to the extreme, I can’t even describe it. I think our bus driver, Ivan, was friends with him or something so we took a tour of his land and there were gorgeous wild flowers and things I’ve never seen before, not to mention random childrens toys in clumps throughout his land… I’m assuming it’s a trail so he doesn’t get lost, but it was pretty creepy. We went to a waterfall after that which was beautiful, then headed back to Byron Bay for dinner and hung out on the beach until sunset. After, we were all pretty exhausted but our bus driver asked if we wanted to head up to the lighthouse right there in Byron. Some people complained, but the rest of us figured ‘why not?’ because who really needs sleep? So happy we did, because going to that lighthouse was the most amazing thing ever! The view was stunning and the lighthouse itself looked like it was right out of a tourist magazine. The picture of the sunset below was taken at there. Standing up there, I once again thought about how lucky I am to be here and how badly I wish I could share it with my friends and family.

That was several weeks ago (like I said, I’m really behind) so within the following weekends we visited a few beaches on the Gold Coast: Broadbeach, Burleigh Heads, Surfer’s Paradise, and Coolangatta and Palm Beach where we went last weekend. All of them are beautiful but Coolangatta was my absolute favorite! There was hardly anyone there and the waves were perfect for surfing (not that I surfed, but there were plenty of surfers there) and there was a big rocky area where we sat and just let it all sank in. You could see Surfers Paradise in the distance (a town big on nightlife, reminds me a lot of Miami) on one side and on the other, they had a few booths set up for the Quicksilver Pro surf competition in a couple of weeks. There were even skydivers who landed right there on the beach! We cheered for them, threw the football around, and got reconnected with our silly side because everyone was in good spirits. That night, we went to see Shutter Island and it was so good! I was terrified going into it but there were only a few jumpy parts, and the plot was excellent… I won’t lie, I was proud of myself for lasting through the whole thing.

Rewinding again, two weekends ago we headed to Arrawarra (which I later was told has the same spelling backwards as it does forward… did you just go back and check?) to go surfing at the Mojosurf camp. I had an absolute blast there: the instructors were so cool and friendly, and surfing was a little hard at first but after getting into the swing of things and standing up a few times, you got used to it. There’s something personally satisfying about getting back out there and trying again and again after you’ve fallen or took a nose-dive. Big waves usually freak me out but with that surfboard and rashie on, I was thinking ‘look out Kelly Slater!’. I got pretty bruised up because my rashie only went halfway down my arms and legs, but my battle wounds are gone for the most part… good thing they are, because they were pretty nasty-looking. I had such a great time there hanging with the instructors and enjoying the weekend, I decided to fill out a job application… you know, just in case I decide to move to Australia after graduation! Did I mention it was pouring rain all weekend?

Currently, I’m watching So You Think You Can Dance Australia and it’s so funny to see how different it is from the american version. The dancing is nowhere near the level of the american dancers, and the judges are way too nice. Nevertheless, I love to watch it, because of course I love dance, it’s cool to watch an Aussie show, and it reminds me of summer with my best friend Kaitlyn and how we would watch the show religiously. Earlier tonight, my residence hall competed in Res Wars, which is held every Wednesday with a different sport each week. This week was Netball, an Australian game that’s similar to basketball. I was the only American on my team this week, but once I learned the basics I think I did pretty well! It was a lot of fun, just like it is every week. It’s great to meet others in my hall, and we even won a few times! Tonight we lost in finals, but at least we made it that far!

Tomorrow we’re heading to Sydney for the Mardi Gras parade and I’m so excited I can hardly contain it! I might cry when I see the Opera House… not sure why, I just have a feeling I will. That’s all for now! Shout out to my dear friend Brad back in Connecticut- I miss you!

No worries,

Tracy

Written on 23 Jan 2010

My Digital Media and Society lecturer has his own copyright. How cool is that? PS- everything’s so casual here, you don’t have professors. They’re called lecturers and you usually just call them by their first name.

Sorry, time to backtrack. Orientation or “O” Week here at Bond Uni was a lot of fun! It was nothing like I expected—basically, there was an info hub to get information and optional tours, but O Week’s main focus seemed to be nightlife fun. They planned a toga party the first night and a Tight ‘N Bright party a few nights later, and both were a blast. There was also a dirty hypnotist that came one night, which of course reminded me of QU’s orientation! We would relax at the pool during the day then get ready for the night… and we had to consistently remind ourselves that we actually had to take classes here. It seemed like everyone was so willing to meet new people and have a good time, and that’s exactly what we had.

Then, reality struck: classes started that Monday. There’s no denying how tough it was to sit in a classroom all day when the sun was shining bright and there were no clouds in the sky! But it wasn’t all that bad: my classes seem interesting, so hopefully I can stay awake and be engaged, like I am in my classes at QU (yeah, right). Each class has a 2 hour lecture then a 1 hour tutorial, which is a smaller group of students from your lecture, and it’s supposed to promote discussion and what not. So, we’ll see how it goes! Everyone gets dressed nice for class, unlike back home where sweatpants after the first day or two are all too common (for me, at least). Today was a lazy Saturday, I slept in after going on a pub crawl last night then headed to the pool for a few hours. Tip: if you ever come to Australia (which you totally should), bring tons of sunscreen! You’ll need it. And it’s super expensive here.

No Worries,

Tracy

Written on 11 Jan 2010

 It feels like freshman year all over again: the overwhelming new school, new people to meet, new activities to do. We hopped on another flight this morning from Cairns to Brisbane and now we’re finally at Bond University where we’ll spend the semester (or as the Aussies call it, we’ll be attending “Uni” here on the Gold Coast). The drive from the airport was about an hour and the view was amazing! It reminded me of Miami, with gorgeous beaches and houses along the shore, and plenty of things to do and places to shop. The campus is stunning: it’s hard to believe we actually have to take classes and study here. We had some time to get settled and then headed over to break into the good ol’ meal plan and had dinner. This week is Orientation Week or “O Week,” so there’s plenty going on including info sessions, meetings, and nightlife fun—it’s hardly like QU Orientation, but an orientation is an orientation and it’s making me miss the OL’s back home but I’m looking forward to this summer’s orientation all the same. That’s the great thing about Bond: I’ll be back in the USA early enough to be an OL again which is just about the greatest thing ever.

Anyway, let’s backtrack. Before we left Cairns, we had our little service day which was nothing like I expected. It was pretty disorganized and there didn’t seem like enough jobs to go around, so a few of us ended up just standing there—as I applied sunscreen every 5 seconds. You wouldn’t believe the tropical weather! Sun showers happen as often as Lindsay Lohan is on Perez Hilton: okay, corny simile, but it’s true, they happen all the time! It would rain for 5 seconds, then stop, then start again. Back to the service day, I was really looking forward to some Habitat for Humanity-like jobs, but it wasn’t like that. It’s ok though, being up in the rainforest was cool and I saw an unbelievably huge spider and didn’t freak out. I know, I know, I’m growing up.

The next day we went to Rainforestation and it was SO amazing. I keep using that word but there’s no other way to explain it. We got to hold a koala (and they even gave us a picture of it) and hang with the kangaroos- literally we just chilled with them. They were hopping around all over the place and were really calm, so we spent a lot of time with them. We also saw wallabies, a dingo, (both so adorable), huge crocodiles, and a little baby koala.

So yeah, Australia has been treating me well for the most part: I’m meeting some really awesome people and my sunburn is even going away. I’m not exactly homesick, I just really miss everyone. I can’t listen to The Fixer by Pearl Jam and not think of my roommate Marissa and all the times we belted that song out in her car, or the fact that my other roommates Caitie and Leigh left for Barcelona today and must be so excited. But, everything’s going to be even better once I get a routine going and get settled, and maybe not get lost around my dorm like I did earlier today. Classic Tracy, directionally-challenged.

No Worries,

Tracy  

Written on 8 Jan 2010

After saying goodbye to my family and best friends, about 22 hours of flying, and dealing with the butterflies in my stomach for weeks pre-trip, it’s still hard to believe I’m really here- in Australia! I’ve had so many mixed emotions and amazing experiences… and it’s only been 2 days. The program I’m studying abroad through, Australearn, includes a 5-day orientation in Cairns, QLD and then on Monday, Jan. 11 we’ll take the 2 hour flight back to Brisbane to spend the semester at Bond University. I’ll admit, the mix of jetlag, a completely new environment (one that’s halfway around the world), and my nerves made me upset when I even thought about calling home and hearing my parents’ voices, but there’s no denying that I belong here. The reason? “Australians are sarcastic, so don’t take it personally” were the wise words of Jay, one of the AustraLearn program leaders during an info session about Aussie culture and social etiquette. Ding! The lightbulb went off in my head. I’m about as sarcastic as they come and that was the icing on top of the cake- I really feel like I belong here, and I can’t wait for what’s coming my way these next few months! (Hopefully not more sunburn though- my face is currently beet red and my nose is blistering. So sexy.)

Yesterday, about half the group and I took the Passions of Paradise boat tour into the Great Barrier Reef for snorkeling and scuba diving. Let me just say that the threat of box jellyfish, sharks, huge fish (stretch both arms out to each side and they’re bigger than that), and (the aforementioned) sunburn seem like the dumbest things to be worrying about when you’re looking at something so beautiful. I can’t even describe how amazing it was to dip my head down into the clear blue water (I chickened out of scuba diving) and see the reef below, with fish of all sizes peeking out and swimming past us. I kept picking my head up and saying “Holy crap, this is amazing!” When the men working on the boat (g’day good-looking Australians!) told us about some of the fish we might see, they told us to keep an eye out for “Nemo” or clown fish, which can be found in a wide range of colors in the Reef. I didn’t see a Nemo, but I saw plenty of Dories! (the royal blue fish with short-term memory loss from Finding Nemo, that is). The small fish swam by in schools, and I was so excited I basically choked on the salt water. The boat then took us to another location, where we swam out to a small beach that was flocked with an insane amount of birds- special thanks to Alfred Hitchcock for making me a teensy bit worried. And, just as I suspected, the water was clear enough to see your feet at the bottom. Does it get any better than that? Sure. Most of us were wearing blue stinger suits to keep the scary jellyfish away, and the suits were essentially a uni-tard complete with attached mittens and a hood. We looked like part of the Blue Man Group.

That night, I went to a nice sushi dinner with some friends then headed to PJ O’Briens, an awesome bar in a little village near the hostel we’re staying in. It felt awesome buying beers legally! Some Australians starting to talk to us, 2 older men who were absolutely hilarious. I loved this bar, because not only did we have a great time, but the music they played was basically my iPod. What bar can you go to in the USA where they blast Coldplay, U2, and MGMT and show the music videos on huge LCD screens? Pretty sure the answer is nowhere! After that, we headed to a bar called Woolshed’s where it seemed like all of Cairns and AustraLearn were, and it was an amazing time (take that, Toads!). As much as I miss Quinnilicious and my on-and-off boyfriend Mr. Hula Hank, nightlife in Australia is unbelievably fun.

Today, there were optional excursions that the group could take, but in an attempt to save some AUD (Australian Dollars), some of us went into town and hung out at a public pool (where I hid under a hat) and now we’re relaxing before figuring out some dinner plans. Tomorrow we’re being good Americans and taking part in service to give back to the country by planting trees and flowers. Hello SPF 500.

That about sums it up for now! Oh, and if you ever want to visit Australia but you’re intimidated by the 14-hour flight from Cali- it’s really not as bad as it seems, especially if you have no troubles sleeping on a plane.

No worries, a popular motto here,   

Tracy