G’Day Mates!
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
