I'm Lucky, I Know. But I Wanna Go Home. - Michael Buble

Five months. 20 weeks. 14 hour time difference. 23 hours on a plane. It's both the longest and the farthest I've been away from home, away from my family and friends. I was told all about the adjustment cycle, about who to talk to in case I need help adjusting. It was all part of the orientation process, I didn't think much about it. After all, I was in Australia, the country I had been dreaming of going to forever. How could I be homesick?

Home is southern New England (courtesy of bosguy.com) 

Well, 13 weeks in, and I can say I'm proud I made it this far. I've been so busy planning trips and exploring and living life to the fullest that I totally forgot about being homesick. Sure, I missed home like crazy. I cherish my weekly Skype dates with my parents and my boyfriend, and I never want to hang up. I think about home all the time, and imagine what it would be like if they were here. But this week, for the first (prolonged) period of time, I felt homesick.

The U.S. Department of State breaks the "culture shock" period into three phases: Honeymoon, Rejection, and Recovery. In the honeymoon phase, you are excited, open to trying things, and wanting to explore your country. The next phase, rejection, is when you compare your home culture to this new one, and decide that you like home better. Common characteristics include feeling homesick, diminishing motivation, wanting to finish the program early, and weird sleeping patterns. This is about where I am right now, which only means one thing...

...the next step, recovery, isn't far away. This is where the real change beings, and you become fully accustomed to your new culture. It is no longer a comparison between old culture and new; it is a melding of the two to create a new, self-confident person. You settle into your new life, and begin to relax and enjoy life, totally transformed.

I only have seven weeks to get there.

Vacation Within a Vacation

So I'm not technically on vacation, but this whole experience has felt like one, so it counts, right??

Holding a koala at the Australia Zoo

I spent the last three weeks touring the Eastern Coast of Queensland, from the Gold Coast all the way to Cairns, with stops at some of the most magical places I've ever been. I'm so grateful for the opportunity, and I'm still trying to process the magnanimity of a trip like this one. In order to not drone on about how wonderful it was, I'll give just a quick snippet of what I did each day. If you have any further questions about my experience, I can probably go on for days talking about it. So go ahead and contact me!

Day 1: First stop was the Australia Zoo, the zoo made famous by Steve Irwin and his family. In addition to seeing Bindi and Robert, I got to lay in the grass with some kangaroos and even hold a koala! I've been waiting 20 years to hold a koala, so this was an excellent start to my trip!

Whitehaven Beach

Day 2: We then went to Fraser Island, which is the largest sand island in the world. We went off-roading down the beach, and then up to Lake McKenzie, which is a freshwater lake made on top of a mountain of sand. The sand here is so clean that you can brush your teeth with it!! This was probably my favorite part of the trip, mostly because I was so surprised by the beauty of the lake.

Day 3: We sped around the Whitsunday Islands, which is a group of 74 islands located about 900 km north of Brisbane. The beautiful Whitehaven Beach is situated in the Whitsundays, with sand as white as sugar. It is usually seen in tourism commercials about Australia, and is one of the most photographed places in the country. It was awesome to see, but due to the tides, we only had a short time there. If we didn't leave quickly, we never would have made it to our private island!

Bungy Jumping

Day 4: We spent the whole next day cruising around the Whitsundays on a much larger, and slower, yacht. It was nice to just relax, but I got sunburned spending that much time on the water! Aloe to the rescue!

Day 5: Another day of relaxing, we got to spend the fifth day shopping and using free Wi-Fi from McDonald's to update everyone about our trip!

Day 6: Now the adventure begins! Day 6 of our trip brought us to the Tully River in the middle of the oldest rainforest in the world. We did some whitewater rafting, which is a lot more work than I was expecting. Between pushing the boat through rocks, sliding down waterfalls, and jumping off cliffs, I was more than happy to get to bed that night.

Day 7: This was the day I plunged 164 feet through the rainforest into a small tropical pool. Thanks to AJ Hackett, it was my first (and probably last!) bungy jumping adventure. We also got to soar on a bungy swing through the forest in the dark, which was a lot less scary after plummeting all that way down!

Great Barrier Reef

Day 8: An Australian icon, we finally got to visit the Great Barrier Reef. We sailed two hours to
the Outer Great Barrier Reef ("the drop-off" as Finding Nemo puts it), and it was incredible. I had the option to scuba dive, but I realized very quickly that it wasn't for me. Snorkeling around, feet from the colorful coral and array of fish, is one experience that I will definitely remember for a lifetime.

Day 9: Our final day was spent relaxing in the Crystal Cascades, which is a freshwater waterfall with a rock pool in the middle of the rainforest. It was a wonderful way to say goodbye to all of the friends I made, and get ready for the next part of vacation.

Story Bridge with the Brisbane skyline

The rest of my trip was spent in Brisbane, staying with a friend from the area. It was great to have a personal tour guide, who showed me everything from City Hall to the Brisbane Eye. We spent a day in South Bank, which is the city's cultural center. We visited the Queensland Museum and the Gallery of Modern Art, got food from a "real American diner", and even took a ferry up the Brisbane River. We also took a day trip to the famous Gold Coast, which was a real treat. Laying on the gorgeous beach definitely prepared me for heading back to school for my final six weeks!!

I've included several pictures in this post, but here's a link for all of the pictures I took on my trip!!

Summer Haze, School Daze

So part of studying abroad is the actual studying. Yes, I am taking three classes, with homework and assessments and grades. I figured while I was here I would take all Australian classes, ones that I can't take while I'm at home. I'm taking Australian Media, Australian Literature, and Introduction to Indigenous Studies. My favorite class so far is Australian Media. It's all about how Australia uses the media and is portrayed through the media. It's nice to be able to apply things I've learned at my home school in a different country. One key theme from all of these classes is "What is Australianness?" and "How do we define Australia?". This is perfect for me; I get to see how Australians see themselves and they get to ask me about how foreigners see them. 

All of my classes have a really large lecture (more than 500 kids!), and smaller tutorials where we really get to engage with the material through discussions. This is different from my classes at home, where we have 25-30 students in a classroom, and the lecture and activities are all in one class. It's nice to feel like I'm in one of those college classes like in the movies. 

Unfortunately, I have to cut this post short. I'm on the bus headed towards my first destination of my Easter Break trip! Today, we're going to Australia Zoo, where I can finally hold a koala!! Pictures to come when I return! 

Let's go to the Beach...

Bondi Beach, Bondi, NSW

Since my last post, I've been pretty busy with classes starting, Macquarie's O-Week, and finally getting to see the beaches of Sydney!

The first beach I went to was, of course, Bondi Beach. I was a little bit surprised about the size; it was only about 1km (.62 miles) long. The pictures make it look so much bigger! Nevertheless, it lived up to my expectations. I wasn't able to go into the water, but the feeling of the soft white sand and the Pacific Ocean on my feet was all I needed. The neighborhood around Bondi was what really attracted me. Open-air cafés, coffee shops, and ice cream filled the four blocks across the street from the beach. There was a lively boardwalk that stretched the length of the beach, where we watched people ride bikes, walk their dogs, and just enjoy the ocean breeze. They also have an outside cinema during the summer, sponsored by Ben and Jerry's, that plays a different movie every night. Unfortunately, it's over for the year, but it's something to look forward to when I come back!

This past Sunday, I took a ferry out to Manly Beach, which is about 17 km (10 miles) north of Sydney. (It was fairly cheap to get to as well; you never pay more than $2.50 anywhere you travel on Sundays.) Although it took over an hour to get there, it was more than worth it. We had perfect beach weather, so we dropped our towels and ran in the ocean. The water was a bit cooler than I had thought, the average for this time of year is about 73 degrees Fahrenheit.  It was so refreshing, and we spent most of the day in there. The large ocean waves were perfect for surfing, even if it was just bodysurfing like we did! The water was so clear I could see my feet the whole time, and we even got to see a couple of fish swimming between our legs! Manly is definitely one place I will visit again before I leave!

Manly Beach, Manly, NSW

Quick note on sun and water safety. Since the skin cancer rate in Australia is two to three times higher than in the US, sun protection is a MUST. The Sun Safety campaign, by the Cancer Council of Victoria, reminds Australians to Slip, Slop, Slap, Seek, and Slide. 

     1. Slip on sun protective clothing that covers as much of your body as possible.
     2. Slop on SPF 30 or higher broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen, at least 20 minutes before          sun exposure. Reapply every two hours when outdoors or more often if swimming.
     3. Slap on a broad-brimmed hat that shades your face, neck and ears.
     4. Seek shade.
     5. Slide on sunglasses.

When you're in the ocean, be aware of the red and yellow flags. The lifeguards have put these up because it's determined safe for swimmers, away from the riptides. Rip tides, or rip currents, are dangerous, and account for approximately 21 drownings per year in Australia. For more information about riptides and how to get out of one safely, please visit this website.  

Let's Get Orientated

Orientation at Macquarie University

Well, after two weeks of orientations, I would like to say that I'm done. And I mostly am. I attended Arcadia University's Orientation in Melbourne, and I attended Dunmore Lang's orientation at my college. ("College" is the style of dorms that I'm living in.) I sat through a lot of lectures that all pretty much told me the same thing; what to do in the city, cultural differences, sun and water safety. I did all of the tourist-y events; Amazing Race through Sydney, Sydney Harbor Cruise complete with fireworks over the bridge, walking around as a giant group of "freshers". I've successfully completed two O-Weeks, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

The more important things I've learned though haven't been from the lectures, or the scheduled events, or even all of the paperwork I've gotten. I've learned more than just how to get into the city, or that you need to swim between the yellow and red flags. By interacting with people (mostly native Australians), and figuring stuff out on my own, I've learned a lot more than I thought I ever could in two weeks....

• It's really easy to tell who is an American, and everyone wants to talk to you
• Aboriginal culture is very prevalent here, and it's really interesting to learn about.
• Peanut butter and jelly do not go together on a sandwich here. Also, Vegemite does not go on bread as thick as peanut butter. 
• Feeling hot and sweaty is a thing that will happen every day for at least another month. 
• I really need to learn Celsius.... 
• Theme nights at bars can get very expensive, very quickly. (Think: paint night, bright night, back to school night. Each one requires a different outfit.) 
• You tap on AND tap off when you ride public transportation, or you will be charged for the entire route. 
• Internet is not always available. So I may need a bigger data plan....
• It's okay to ask questions. No one assumes that you know all the right answers. 

In other news, I just bought my Easter break trip package last night! I'll be starting in Brisbane and traveling up the East Coast to Cairns, stopping at the Great Barrier Reef, Fraser Island, some waterfalls, and even bungee jumping! I also bought my ticket for surf camp, which will be coming up soon in May!!

For all my friends back home, I hope the weather starts treating you better soon. I'll be sending some sunshine your way!!

Fireworks display over the Sydney Harbor Bridge

Hopped off the plane at LAX....

After two years of waiting, six months of stressing, and two months of packing, here I am: Los Angeles, CA! Just kidding. I flew to L.A. a day early due to the second week of horrible snow in the Northeast. And although it was tough to leave my family a day earlier than planned, I'm actually grateful it worked out this way. Laying in my hotel room, completely exhausted, I can't even imagine hopping on another plane right now. 

Even though I haven't even left the country, I've already learned a lot about traveling alone. The most important thing I've learned is to BE PREPARED. Have all your important documents ready (check), bring snacks so you don't have to buy the airlines (check), have activities to do in case the plane doesn't have Wi-fi, (not so much), and make sure your phone is charged (NOPE). Oh, well. It's all about learning, right? 

Next stop, Melbourne. There I'll be participating in Arcadia University's four-day orientation. I'm not entirely sure what to expect, other than warmth. For those of you dealing with 2 feet of snow, I'm heading towards 99 degree weather. One leg of the journey left!!