More pictures from the hike

Noosa National Park! The girls and I went on a bus trip to an amazing national park. Our guide said we had two hours to pretty much go wherever we wanted so we walked with Justin and Nicole down the mountain. Our first major sight was an amazing waterfall. Getting to the base of it proved to be quite a challenge since all the rocks were covered in wet moss and there were a few close calls on my part (I believe baby deer is how my climbing skills were described) but we eventually made it and took some amazing pictures. My camera died soon after and so I had to steal a few pictures from friends. After we had sufficiently explored the waterfall we continued back up the other side of the mountain which let me tell you is a lot more difficult then going down. Legs burning and completely roasting we came to "the swimming hole" which was 60 feet deep and filled with FREEZING water. Seeing a few 15 year old boys jumping from the cliff I thought "hey when else will I be in Australia jumping off a cliff" so Angelina and I hiked up the side and stood on the ledge terrified. You know when you are standing on the high dive at a pool and it looks like it is about 200 feet high but then you get down and see that it really isn't high at all? Yea well it's still scary! Determined not to chicken out, I ran full speed off the cliff (making sure to avoid the scary rocks mom and dad) and landed feet first into what seemed like a pool of ice. I really can't describe how cold it was... I have never been punched in the stomach before but I imagine that is how it would feel. Not only was my heart still racing from taking on such a leap but my body was starting to freeze so I swam to the side and made it out alive :) Angelina was next and her jump was just as epic. We were both so proud of ourselves! Yes it was scary but it was such a rush and worth it. The air felt about 100 degrees after that so we dried off and quickly went back to the bus. It turns out about eight of the students on our bus had accidentally went down the wrong path labeled "great walk"...why you would ever take the great walk is beyond me. Sixteen miles later they finally met back up with the group in horrible moods and starving. We all got lunch and then headed off to another park with lots of "strangled trees" It's really interesting how they get this way. A bird or some other animal drops a seed on top of the tree and it begins growing on the outside of the big tree until finally it strangles it and the inside tree dies leaving behind some really awesome looking trees. We also saw our first wallaby! I hope the pictures do it justice. Video of our cliff jump will be posted soon :)

Yesterday was quite an interesting day. We went with Danielle's roommates to go to a local beach however after taking Chris's wrong advice as to which bus to take ended up at the mall or "plaza" as they call it. It was "no worries" though, we simply walked a few miles to the beach. It was a beautiful sunny day and it made for some interesting pictures. It was so much fun running into the ocean for the first time. It was not as cold as the aussies had made it out to be and we had a quick swim. The trip was short lived however since Chris decided to make yet another great decision :) and do a flip off the hill. He ended up hitting a rock and split open both his shins. The next few hours were spent finding someone to bandage him up, taking him to the doctor, back to school and then danielle and her other roommates finally took him to the hospital to get him all stitched up. He was a real trooper though and in true aussie fashion insisted it was "no worries" and kept right on with the day. That night Alice and I decided to hang out so I showed her the movie role models. I guess the jet lag started setting in since I fell asleep about half way through but she "reckoned she liked it". This morning was an early morning, while I was supposed to wake up at 8am to go to orientation, the birds outside in the courtyard had another plan in mind. I rolled out of bed and thinking we would be getting breakfast at orientation (weird since our schedule said we would!) skipped eating and got ready. We were greeted by some entertaining speakers and given the low down on what to expect in the coming semester. I attached a video of a native man playing an instrument for us and explaining some of his culture. By the time lunch rolled around we were all starving. We waited in line for a "BBQ" which ended up being some sort of hot dog looking thing on a piece of bread. We all agreed it tasted really good but I still wonder what exactly it was we ate. Hopefully nothing to exotic. Danielle and I decided to take a walk and were "attacked" by the horribly frightening black birds who spontaneously will swoop down and scare the life out of you. Apparently it is very common and hilarious to watch until it happens to you, we gave a construction worker a good laugh though. This was the first time I had my camera on me to take pictures of kangaroos so I attached them here. They are all over the place and I expect there will be more when spring comes. It is so funny to watch them walk or run. Their legs are so powerful and they just look like they are going to topple over at any moment! We were warned during orientation however that they are a wild animal and to not go near them. Tonight I made Matt and I some pasta and we watched Step Brothers. He got a few good laughs out of it. Later I walked over to Danielle's and we and her roommates all walked over to the "pav" or pavilion. It is a small building in the center of our complex with pool tables, ping-pong, air hockey, etc. It is also where everyone goes to hang out and socialize. It is crazy how different their campus is than ours when it comes to drinking and going out. If you are over the age of 18 you are allowed to drink freely in our complex so people bring their own stuff and just talk with each other. It is very low key and relaxed. I can't begin to describe how many different countries from all around the world I've met people from! To name a few, Austria, Holland, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Canada, Germany, France, and England. Walking around orientation it is fascinating to hear all the different languages and accents. It really makes me think of what it is to be an American.

the killer bird-->

Yesterday was quite an interesting day. We went with Danielle's roommates to go to a local beach however, after taking Chris's wrong advice as to which bus to take, we ended up at the mall or "plaza" as they call it. It was "no worries" though, we simply walked a few miles to the beach. It was a beautiful sunny day and it made for some interesting pictures. It was so much fun running into the ocean for the first time. It was not as cold as the Aussies had made it out to be and we had a quick swim. The trip was short lived however since Chris decided to make yet another great decision and do a flip off a sand hill. He ended up hitting a rock and split open both his shins. The next few hours were spent finding someone to bandage him up, taking him to the doctor, and then back to school. Danielle and her other roommates finally took him to the hospital to get him all stitched up. He was a real trooper though and in true Aussie fashion insisted it was "no worries" and kept right on with the day.

That night Alice and I decided to hang out so I showed her the movie role models. I guess the jet lag started setting in since I fell asleep about half way through but she "reckoned she liked it". This morning was an early morning, while I was supposed to wake up at 8am to go to orientation, the birds outside in the courtyard had another idea in mind. I rolled out of bed and thinking we would be getting breakfast at orientation (weird since our schedule said we would!) skipped eating and got ready. We were greeted by some entertaining speakers and given the low down on what to expect in the coming semester. I attached a video of a native man playing an instrument for us and explaining some of his culture. By the time lunch rolled around we were all starving. We waited in line for a "BBQ" which ended up being some sort of hot dog looking thing on a piece of bread. We all agreed it tasted really good but I still wonder what exactly it was we ate. Hopefully nothing too exotic.

Danielle and I decided to take a walk and were "attacked" by huge black birds that will spontaneously swoop down and scare the life out of you. Apparently it is very common and hilarious to watch until it happens to you. We gave a construction worker a good laugh though. This was the first time I had my camera on me to take pictures of kangaroos so I attached them here. They are all over the place and I expect there will be more when spring comes. It is so funny to watch them walk or run. Their legs are so powerful and they just look like they are going to topple over at any moment! We were warned during orientation however that they are wild animals and to not go near them.

Tonight I made Matt and I some pasta and we watched Step Brothers. He got a few good laughs out of it. Later I walked over to Danielle's and along with her roommates, walked over to the "pav" or pavilion. It is a small building in the center of our complex with pool tables, ping-pong, air hockey, etc. It is also where everyone goes to hang out and socialize. It is crazy how different their campus is than ours when it comes to drinking and going out. If you are over the age of 18 you are allowed to drink freely in our complex so people bring their own beverages and just talk with each other. It is very low key and relaxed. I can't begin to describe how many different countries from all around the world I've met people from! To name a few, Austria, Holland, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Canada, Germany, France, and England. Walking around orientation is fascinating to hear all the different languages and accents. It really makes me think of what it is to be an American.

Today was my first day in Australia! The plane ride was actually not that bad, fourteen hours went by faster than I had expected since we each had our own personal tv's with new movies, music, and tv shows. They kept us well fed and gave us goodies to make our plane ride as comfortable as possible. I sat next to Angelina and made a new friend Justin. He's from Maryland and slept for most of the trip. We were picked up from the airport and thirteen of us took a bus to our campus. It is strange how the scenery, at least on the hour ride from the airport to our campus looks really similar to America. I would describe it as looking like Florida. Our driver said he's always wanted to buy a cheap car and drive across America :) he told us some helpful things such as giving the peace sign is completely acceptable however flip it around into what we would use as "two" means "up yours twice" here. Good to know when taking pictures.

Checking in took FOREVER! there was about 60 new students who had to check in and they went by two's. luckily ours was the first van to arrive so we got registered within two hours. they had boys bring our luggage and linens to our room. I was greeted by Todd, a really nice Australian boy who showed me to my apartment. It seems like I don't even need to say "really nice" because everyone here is SO friendly! No matter where we go everyone is super helpful and nice. None of my roommates were there when I arrived so I had the apartment to myself to move in.

My apartment is, for now, very clean and perfect for college living. We have a fully equipped kitchen and a spacious living room which leads to our balcony overlooking campus. I have my own room and bathroom which is so nice. My bed is huge and the shower is amazing. They are really big on conserving water here which becomes apparent with the toilet. There are two buttons (i'm sure you can guess what the two different ones are for) I have yet to get my internet up but our phones work calling between rooms. To let my parents know I had arrived safely I actually borrowed Angelina's roommate's computer. She is from Germany and was so friendly. It was a bit complicated since everything on her computer was in German however with her help I was able to send a brief e-mail.

Angelina, Danielle, and I were all STARVING from our long trip. I believe it was around 6pm in America and we hadn't eaten all day so we decided to make our first meal. It turned out to be an experience. We started in Danielle's apartment however after trying to turn her stove up I blew a fuse and killed the oven (no worries it was fixed a few hours later). We ventured back to my place where we put on some water to make pasta...40 minutes later...the water still was not boiling! I could not believe how long it took for a pot of water to boil! Danielle begged us to just throw the noodles in and let them soak however having some standards I decided to wait a few more minutes, we settled with warm almost boiling water and made pasta with marinara sauce. Justin stopped bye, funny since he always seems to be awake when there is food being served :) and we all had a nice meal.

My first roommate arrived! Her name is Alice and she is from Australia. She is 19 years old and super friendly and had just gotten home from working at a fruit and vegetable store. She has been living here for about a month and is going to what we would call tech school to become a personal trainer. I was all worried that I would be living with three other girls after searching the apartment for clues as to who my roommates are but she informed me that the other two are boys, one from Austria who is 23 years old and one from Australia who is 18. I have yet to meet them but she says they are really cool.

Danielle's friend who lives about 10 minutes from campus decided to drive us around the city and give us a tour. It was really fascinating. Everything here is so clean and looks new. Driving was a new experience since the driver is on the other side of the car and they drive on the left side of the road. We kept thinking we were going to be hit by oncoming traffic and crossing the street Danielle was almost run down by a car because she instinctively looked right which of course is wrong. Ryan and his family are moving to an apartment about a mile from his house but we got to see his old house which was beautiful!

After a very long day we all decided it was time for bed and went back to our apartments to sleep. Back home it was probably around 3pm so it took me all of 10 seconds to fall fast asleep. I woke up the next morning and it was freezing! it is technically winter here so the nights get rather cold. luckily I have a quilt on my bed but I am bundled in a "jumper" or what we call a sweatshirt and pants. Other fun things they say differently a cell phone is called a "mobile phone" and McDonalds is called "mackers" I'm sure I will be able to give plenty more examples. I had an interesting experience with Angelina's roommate Ben when I told him to "shut up!" as we would use in excitement for "no way!" or "get out of town!" he was a little taken aback and asked why I was telling him to be quiet. I quickly apologized and explained and all was well.

Making breakfast was another interesting experience. I woke up to the sound of what seemed like thousands of birds squaking at what is here 6am (4pm back home). I decided to make eggs however I quickly found out there was no butter or spatula in sight. correction- there was a "spatula" however it was more like a spoon with holes in it and completely useless. I attached a picture of the disaster that was my breakfast and decided to make a shopping list :) Danielle and I are going for a run soon, hopefully we won't get too lost but hey that's half the fun. I have so much more to write about and hopefully I am not giving too much detail! Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read this! I will write again soon.

Two weeks and counting...

Well we have officially hit the two week mark. Trying to get everything situated before I leave is proving to be very stressful... How do you possibly go about packing one suitcase for the next four months of your life?! My plan- pack what I think I need then take half of that. We'll see how that works. Still waiting on my VISA so hopefully I am allowed to leave the country :) It is so surreal that our adventure is coming up so quickly! I have so many mixed emotions it's crazy. I know that when I get there it will be amazing though. I can't wait to explore with Angelina and Danielle (the two girls from St. Norbert going with me). Thank you to all who have read the few blogs I have posted so far, I know once I am there I will have far more interesting things to write about!