Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Bet You Though My Blog Was Broken
Nope, life has just been crazy...I'll do my best to get caught up. We are doing so many amazing things here I don't have time right now to write about it. Sorry all!
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Day 31
To be honest not much happened today. We went grocery shopping in the morning then had class in the afternoon for Events Management. Following class I went for a run on the beach then came back to make dinner and get ready for our week long field trip to Tenterfield.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Day 30
I made it to class today I promise. It was another Marine Biology day so we had our classroom session and then went out to collect plankton to look at under microscopes. We all got to go out in the boat in groups of 4 gathering our own plankton with the help of one the graduate assistants from Southern Cross. Once we collected our plankton we went to Lismore where Southern Cross University is located and looked through microscopes to see what we could find. I even found a a small fish larva our professor had never seen before so that was pretty cool.
After that we returned back to camp and Matt, Harlan, Brian and I promptly headed off to town to get some more ice cream at In the Pink. Today I had Forrerro Rocher and hazelnut. They were both pretty good but I wouldn't go so far as to say they were my favorite. We returned back to camp upon devouring our ice cream and made dinner. We got a quick trip down to the beach just before sun set and came back to do homework for the rest of the night. Not a bad day in Oz.
After that we returned back to camp and Matt, Harlan, Brian and I promptly headed off to town to get some more ice cream at In the Pink. Today I had Forrerro Rocher and hazelnut. They were both pretty good but I wouldn't go so far as to say they were my favorite. We returned back to camp upon devouring our ice cream and made dinner. We got a quick trip down to the beach just before sun set and came back to do homework for the rest of the night. Not a bad day in Oz.
Day 29
Again no class since I have Tuesdays off normally, I promise I do have class tomorrow. I made my first breakfast on the grill today as I prepared some fried eggs, they were pretty good so I think they might become a staple in my meal planning. After that I headed to the beach for a short time with Brian and Harlan before I had to leave for a volunteering orientation at the preschool in town. The director for next semester is here all week and wanted to see it as well so we got a ride to the preschool which was very much appreciated. We toured the school and got to see all the cute kids. It was interesting to parallel this school to the Child Study Center back in Muncie. It's a lot different but I think it could be fun.
Once we got back Aimee, Harlan, and I went snorkeling a little further than we had normally. Oh what a difference 50 yards makes! Instead of the colorless fish we once thought were exciting we found beautiful tropical fish, there had to have been hundreds of them. They all seemed very at ease with us being there. We even got to see a small puffer fish similar in size to those we tagged in Marine Bio last week. In such a wonderful area we lost track of time and had to race back to camp because Evon was coming to cook dinner for everyone at camp.
I still can not begin to describe how wonderful this woman is. She is so nice to all of us and made us the most delicious meal ever. I can tell why she carries such a following with the Australia Centre students. She even knows my friends Liz and Jake from last spring and asked that I give both of them hugs and kisses when I get back.
Once we got back Aimee, Harlan, and I went snorkeling a little further than we had normally. Oh what a difference 50 yards makes! Instead of the colorless fish we once thought were exciting we found beautiful tropical fish, there had to have been hundreds of them. They all seemed very at ease with us being there. We even got to see a small puffer fish similar in size to those we tagged in Marine Bio last week. In such a wonderful area we lost track of time and had to race back to camp because Evon was coming to cook dinner for everyone at camp.
I still can not begin to describe how wonderful this woman is. She is so nice to all of us and made us the most delicious meal ever. I can tell why she carries such a following with the Australia Centre students. She even knows my friends Liz and Jake from last spring and asked that I give both of them hugs and kisses when I get back.
Week 4 Overview
Holy Heavens! Has it been 4 weeks already? My time here is seriously flying by and I don't know where all the time is going! This week I have tagged fish, got rained out of both a camping trip and attending a surf tag competition, caught my first look at surfers paradise, played lots of tennis, and snorkeled in my best location yet. As par usual here are the highs and lows:
High Point: Snorkeling this week, the fish we saw were absolutely incredible I can't believe we saw so many cool things in such shallow water close to shore. It was simply amazing.
Low Point: The weather was kind of crappy this week. We got rained out of 2 things I was a pretty excited about. We are planing to reschedule our trip to Mt. Warning though so I will get to see at least one thing eventually.
High Point: Snorkeling this week, the fish we saw were absolutely incredible I can't believe we saw so many cool things in such shallow water close to shore. It was simply amazing.
Low Point: The weather was kind of crappy this week. We got rained out of 2 things I was a pretty excited about. We are planing to reschedule our trip to Mt. Warning though so I will get to see at least one thing eventually.
Day 28
Life and Culture was canceled today so I had another day of no classes. Not too much excitement today so it was nice to have a little time to work on some assignments that have deadlines approaching. The rugby guys came to our camp again to teach whoever wanted how to play rugby. It doesn't really seem like my kind of thing so I was perfectly content just watching as a few others played. One very exciting thing that did happen today was my first up close wallaby sighting. He was just across the road from the cabins in the brush no more than 10 feet away, pretty cool. Not a lot to report today but I think the wallaby makes up for it!
Day 27
Today was another great day in OZ. The weather has cleared up and the sun is again asserting it's dominance on Lennox Head, just the way we like it. Today was especially exciting because A wonderful lady who lives at the camp took Amiee, Matt, and I to Bangalow for a few hours. Her name is Evon and she is absolutely the most wonderful person I have ever met. She calls everyone Love, and to her everything is beautiful. We had a lovely day going through the shops and even stopped to get a pastry and an afternoon tea at a local cafe. I passed on the tea but got one of the more delicious desserts I have ever eaten, it was some kind of blueberry tart and I'll have to figure our how to make it soon. On our way back to camp Evon took us to Broken Head, which is about halfway between Lennox and Byron Bay. The views are incredible and we lucked out with a gorgeous day. I think we are planing a return trip soon to let everyone see how pretty it is and possibly give us a chance to go snorkeling while we are there.
Upon returning to camp I promptly found Harlan so we could settle the tie breaker in our two games. We ended up playing to 2-4 Harlan's lead before deciding it was way to hot to be playing tennis in the middle of the day. we headed back to camp, made dinner and planned for a return trip in a few hours. Once the sun went down it was a lot more enjoyable to play. We picked up Thomas and Brian who also wanted to play and got a doubles match in before finally finishing our match. Harlan came out victorious with a 6-4 win.
We returned to camp where I met up with Zach, another of the guys at camp who plays tennis. We went back to the courts to hit around for a while before the lights shut off. It was quite a busy day but I wouldn't have done it any differently.
Upon returning to camp I promptly found Harlan so we could settle the tie breaker in our two games. We ended up playing to 2-4 Harlan's lead before deciding it was way to hot to be playing tennis in the middle of the day. we headed back to camp, made dinner and planned for a return trip in a few hours. Once the sun went down it was a lot more enjoyable to play. We picked up Thomas and Brian who also wanted to play and got a doubles match in before finally finishing our match. Harlan came out victorious with a 6-4 win.
We returned to camp where I met up with Zach, another of the guys at camp who plays tennis. We went back to the courts to hit around for a while before the lights shut off. It was quite a busy day but I wouldn't have done it any differently.
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Day 26
Yet another uneventful day. Most of the camp was still off having their adventures in Murwillumbah and the Gold Coast so it was a pretty quiet morning. I used some of the time in the morning to get caught up on some homework and look into a few weekend trips for later on in the semester. The absolute highlight of my day though was getting to skype my friends and Muncie family for nearly 2 hours in the afternoon. I miss them tons and can't wait to share all my stories with them, love you guys!
Slowly but surely people began to trickle back from where they had been, telling stories of what they had done. The group that went forward with the hike came back soaked further confirming my decision to forgo hiking. They said they crossed 28 waterfalls and the hike was pretty rough. I think I would make it to the top on a normal day but they rain would have been a challenge for me. I am going to share a few of the boys pictures with you to further illustrate the kind of day they had.
Later on in the evening Harlan and I headed for the tennis courts to play another set, he ended up beating me 1-6, womp! I had a rough time playing to the wind, next set wins our series so I'll keep you posted once we play again.
Most everyone went to the pub later on in the eventing but I stayed behind with Rock and Matt hearing all about their adventures on the mountain. I'm excited to hike it eventually but I really hope we get a dry day!
Slowly but surely people began to trickle back from where they had been, telling stories of what they had done. The group that went forward with the hike came back soaked further confirming my decision to forgo hiking. They said they crossed 28 waterfalls and the hike was pretty rough. I think I would make it to the top on a normal day but they rain would have been a challenge for me. I am going to share a few of the boys pictures with you to further illustrate the kind of day they had.
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| A very wet hike, until they got to the top where they were above the raincloud |
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| Glorious View: Irony |
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| Rock above the rain cloud, the following was his facebook status about the hike |
Later on in the evening Harlan and I headed for the tennis courts to play another set, he ended up beating me 1-6, womp! I had a rough time playing to the wind, next set wins our series so I'll keep you posted once we play again.
Most everyone went to the pub later on in the eventing but I stayed behind with Rock and Matt hearing all about their adventures on the mountain. I'm excited to hike it eventually but I really hope we get a dry day!
Day 25
Today was yet another field trip for our Australian Life and Culture class. We packed up the bus with everything we were going to need for the weekend because we were planning to camp at the base of Mount Warning and do a sunrise hike to the peak early Saturday morning. The first of three stops on the field trip was the Bora Ring in Lennox, then we were off to Byron bay to see the lighthouse and visit the most Easterly point of Australia. It was really cool to see Julian Rocks out off the coast, I can't wait to return there to do a few more dives. The last stop on our field trip was an art gallery in Murwillumbah. They had several interesting pieces including some fashion sketches from the 80's.
After the gallery we were taken into town to get lunch and explore. At this point it was pouring down rain and I was not to happy with the prospect of camping. Once we returned to the bus we were given the option of continuing with the plan to camp out or to reschedule. With a nearly 2/3 majority the trip was canceled. Three of our most manly men stayed behind to continue with the original plan, kudos to them.
Since we were close we decided to visit the Gold Coast and Surfers Paradise. Yet another group decided to break away from the larger group and stay in Surfers Paradise for the night and return in the morning. Finding a place for these people to say was a daunting task that took up quite a bit of time. Let me set the scene: A majority of the group that was left on the bus did not wish to stay in Surfers but wanted to return home. When told to return in 10 minutes the group looking for a place to stay disappeared for close to an hour and half. Tempers flared, emotions ran high, and the smell in the back of the bus was growing increasingly more unbearable as time passed. Eventually the group came back and we all were on our way again. Our bus driver was a really good sport though and took us all to our favorite store on the way home, the day could not be a total loss after all.
After the gallery we were taken into town to get lunch and explore. At this point it was pouring down rain and I was not to happy with the prospect of camping. Once we returned to the bus we were given the option of continuing with the plan to camp out or to reschedule. With a nearly 2/3 majority the trip was canceled. Three of our most manly men stayed behind to continue with the original plan, kudos to them.
Since we were close we decided to visit the Gold Coast and Surfers Paradise. Yet another group decided to break away from the larger group and stay in Surfers Paradise for the night and return in the morning. Finding a place for these people to say was a daunting task that took up quite a bit of time. Let me set the scene: A majority of the group that was left on the bus did not wish to stay in Surfers but wanted to return home. When told to return in 10 minutes the group looking for a place to stay disappeared for close to an hour and half. Tempers flared, emotions ran high, and the smell in the back of the bus was growing increasingly more unbearable as time passed. Eventually the group came back and we all were on our way again. Our bus driver was a really good sport though and took us all to our favorite store on the way home, the day could not be a total loss after all.
Day 24
Today was a little anticlimactic but wasn't a complete and total loss. We normally have class at 9 A.M. but this morning our events management class was supposed to attend a surf tag competition at 8:00 A.M. We were all really excited about it until we woke up to monsoon style rains. It was going to be a pretty great field trip until the weather ruined it. Oh well, we had a shortened class so my afternoon was freed up to do other things. A group headed into town for groceries and I decided to tag along since I had nothing better to do and I was out of lemons for my water. Sorry I can't be more exciting, that was just how I spent my day, and even then I definitely wouldn't classify it as a bad day.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Day 23
Today was another marine biology day. We started with a lecture from 9:30 to about 1:00 and left for the mangrove estuaries at 1:30 where we were to catalog and tag different species of puffer fish. This field trip absolutely pushed me to my limits with mud, murky water, fish and other marine life. I think most people could tell I was slightly out of my element by the look of terror on my face as fish and shrimp brushed against my leg. However, it was still pretty cool to see how many puffer fish we were able to catch along with the other types of fish captured in our nets. I really enjoyed seeing the tagging process and how they are cataloged. Believe it or not I even picked up a puffer fish and held it in my hand (Photo proof to come). I have been doing homework since we got back. I know, I wish I could be more exciting too. Still have quite a bit to do before events management tomorrow.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Day 22
Today was relatively uneventful I didn't have class so I used my spare time to prepare for Marine Biology tomorrow. I attempted to read a chapter in our textbook at the beach but a pop up rainstorm put an end to that. I came back up to camp and hung out for a little while before heading into town for the Tuesday deal at Subway. For about $11 you can get 2 foot longs and a drink, not a great deal in the states but it's a great deal here. In honor of fat Tuesday we also got some ice cream today I tried coffee crunch and Bailey's Irish cream. They were pretty good but I'll probably not get them again.
We returned back to camp for a relaxing evening. I taught some of the guys in cabin 7 how to make granola provided they entertained me by playing guitar. They did and the granola was a big hit, I would say it was a good trade off. After that we all went our separate ways to finish up some last minute homework and go to bed.
We returned back to camp for a relaxing evening. I taught some of the guys in cabin 7 how to make granola provided they entertained me by playing guitar. They did and the granola was a big hit, I would say it was a good trade off. After that we all went our separate ways to finish up some last minute homework and go to bed.
Week 3 Overview
Wow, I can't believe we have been here 3 weeks already! Life here is beginning to normalize but it some parts still seem surreal. I'm not sure I will ever now be in awe of the ocean. I am having a blast and pushing myself to try new things. I've experienced my first international holiday internationally, had class on the beach, used the flattop grill for the first time, visited an aboriginal college, watched the sun set from the point, finished up my scuba certification, FINALLY got to play some tennis, and watched a natural light show from camp. Here are my highs and lows:
High: Figuring out how to turn the lights on at the tennis courts. We have been trying to play for 3 weeks now but can only find time after the sun has gone down. We have quite a few people who are wanting to play so I'm excited to see what happens once we start our intramural games.
Low: Homework is starting appear on my to do list and it is really cutting into my beach time...
High: Figuring out how to turn the lights on at the tennis courts. We have been trying to play for 3 weeks now but can only find time after the sun has gone down. We have quite a few people who are wanting to play so I'm excited to see what happens once we start our intramural games.
Low: Homework is starting appear on my to do list and it is really cutting into my beach time...
Monday, February 20, 2012
Day 21
Just another Monday in oz. We had our Australian Life and Culture class in the morning and then I was free to do as I pleased with the rest of my afternoon. I had been meaning to go into town for a few days to see if the fruit shop in town had any finger limes, my new guilty pleasure. I cut them open and eat them like sour candy. I was in luck, they had them so I celebrated with more ice cream from In The Pink, cookies and cream today! My goal is to try every flavor they have while I am here. I may or may not be on pace to accomplish that goal by Spring Break.
After my trip into town I attempted to head to the beach but it was so windy I was getting sand plastered down my side so I decided to head back up to camp. Shortly after a group of people from the local rugby club came to teach Rugby to anyone who wanted to learn. I was perfectly content watching the festivities through my back window so I'm still clueless as to how to play the game, but I'm sure someone will be able to fill me in.
After all the rugby festivities I finally got to play a little tennis! We got a group of us together to play some mixed doubles before dinner. It was pretty fun but not very competitive since most of the people playing hadn't played organized tennis in a while if ever. We came back to camp made dinner and I eventually went back out to the courts to play with Harlan. He was pretty a pretty good match to my skill level to we had a lot of fun competing against each other. We will be playing again in the future I'm sure.
On our walk back the sky was illuminated with a light show of heat lightning. Halfway back to the cabins we decided to just plop down in the grass and watch the sky for about half an hour. It was incredible the amount of lighting there was all around us. The lighting continued like that for a few more hours until eventually turning into a full fledged thunderstorm with monsoon style downpours. Even the storms here are beautiful. What a day!
After my trip into town I attempted to head to the beach but it was so windy I was getting sand plastered down my side so I decided to head back up to camp. Shortly after a group of people from the local rugby club came to teach Rugby to anyone who wanted to learn. I was perfectly content watching the festivities through my back window so I'm still clueless as to how to play the game, but I'm sure someone will be able to fill me in.
After all the rugby festivities I finally got to play a little tennis! We got a group of us together to play some mixed doubles before dinner. It was pretty fun but not very competitive since most of the people playing hadn't played organized tennis in a while if ever. We came back to camp made dinner and I eventually went back out to the courts to play with Harlan. He was pretty a pretty good match to my skill level to we had a lot of fun competing against each other. We will be playing again in the future I'm sure.
On our walk back the sky was illuminated with a light show of heat lightning. Halfway back to the cabins we decided to just plop down in the grass and watch the sky for about half an hour. It was incredible the amount of lighting there was all around us. The lighting continued like that for a few more hours until eventually turning into a full fledged thunderstorm with monsoon style downpours. Even the storms here are beautiful. What a day!
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| One of the guys at camp is really good at photography and captured Harlan and I taking in the lightning. |
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Day 20
I am officially a certified scuba diver! We had our last 2 dives of the certification process and we are now ready for our 3 day 2 night live aboard dive cruise we booked for spring break. We ended up getting a really good deal on the trip because of a promotion the company was having. We also found out we will all be on the same boat so it will predominately by Ball State students taking over the ship. On this trip we will be completing 8 day dives and 2 night dives on the Great Barrier Reef. This is absolutely the opportunity of a lifetime and I can't wait.
We again saw a bunch of really unique fish and marine life. In addition to all the fish we saw last weekend we saw another turtle, 2 lion fish, and more leopard sharks. I'm not sure if the time of day we had our dives today made a difference but I feel I saw much more fish today than last time. At one point I was swimming amongst a school of tropic fish. It was then that it hit me that most people will never get to experience what I did in that exact moment. I feel truly blessed to have been given this opportunity. I will absolutely return to SunDive to dive at the Julian Rocks before I head back to the states.
Not much to report on the evening, I got a little skyping in and grilled hotdogs on the grill for dinner. I attempted to get some work done but never really got around to it this evening. It is so hard to do homework here, not because the coursework is more difficult but that there is so much to see and do it's nearly impossible to get anything done. Love and miss all of you!
We again saw a bunch of really unique fish and marine life. In addition to all the fish we saw last weekend we saw another turtle, 2 lion fish, and more leopard sharks. I'm not sure if the time of day we had our dives today made a difference but I feel I saw much more fish today than last time. At one point I was swimming amongst a school of tropic fish. It was then that it hit me that most people will never get to experience what I did in that exact moment. I feel truly blessed to have been given this opportunity. I will absolutely return to SunDive to dive at the Julian Rocks before I head back to the states.
Not much to report on the evening, I got a little skyping in and grilled hotdogs on the grill for dinner. I attempted to get some work done but never really got around to it this evening. It is so hard to do homework here, not because the coursework is more difficult but that there is so much to see and do it's nearly impossible to get anything done. Love and miss all of you!
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Happy Birthday!
Just want to wish Miss Judy Hagan a happy birthday month. From what I hear I am missing quite a few birthday festivities while I am gone! Judy, I hope you have a wonderful birthday and get everything you want! I know it's a day early for you but since it is your birthday in Australia I plan to celebrate with something yummy from the bakery! Have a fantastic birthday!
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| Product Placement: Square 1 Sports |
Day 19
Today was pretty uneventful. Much of my morning was spent updating my blog and getting a few things done around the cabin. I went into town with Aimee around 2 to get ice cream and go snorkeling down by the rocks. There were a few less fish than last time but I did see a larger sting ray than I am used to seeing in that area. It took me by surprise a little bit so I didn't end up getting a picture.
Much of the camp went to Byron Bay tonight so there weren't many people back at camp. I made granola and it was a big hit so I'm sure I'll be making a bunch soon. I have my last 2 open water dives for my certification provided I am not too congested to go down. We will also be booking our spring break live aboard trip, but I'll tell you more about that later. Sorry today was so boring!
Much of the camp went to Byron Bay tonight so there weren't many people back at camp. I made granola and it was a big hit so I'm sure I'll be making a bunch soon. I have my last 2 open water dives for my certification provided I am not too congested to go down. We will also be booking our spring break live aboard trip, but I'll tell you more about that later. Sorry today was so boring!
Friday, February 17, 2012
Day 18
Today we went to Gnibi College of Indigenous Australian Peoples near Southern Cross University. While we were there we were given a presentation on Aboriginal people and the hardships they face in today's society. Some of the statistics they told us were pretty shocking regarding the life expectancy of aboriginal people to non aboriginal people.
After eating lunch we headed to one of our volunteer opportunity locations, A house with no steps. This place is an organization that helps prepare people with disabilities acquire the skills to join the work force. It is a really cool organization and I can't wait to volunteer there. I will also be able to do part of my independent study work while I am there so that is an added bonus.
Shortly before sunset I decided to bike to the point with Brian and Aimee to see what the point looked like at sunset. Since the sun sets on the other side the colors weren't nearly as spectacular as sun rise will be but it was still pretty spectacular.
Once we got back we made dinner and made another attempt to play tennis but we again couldn't figure out how to turn the lights on so we gave up and went back. We will just have to play earlier I suppose.
After eating lunch we headed to one of our volunteer opportunity locations, A house with no steps. This place is an organization that helps prepare people with disabilities acquire the skills to join the work force. It is a really cool organization and I can't wait to volunteer there. I will also be able to do part of my independent study work while I am there so that is an added bonus.
Shortly before sunset I decided to bike to the point with Brian and Aimee to see what the point looked like at sunset. Since the sun sets on the other side the colors weren't nearly as spectacular as sun rise will be but it was still pretty spectacular.
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| Little Crooked, don't judge me I'm out of practice |
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| Toward Byron Bay |
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| Toward Ballina |
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| Sunset over Lennox |
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| Sunset Over Lennox |
Day 17
Today we took a trip into Ballina to get more groceries and other things we needed. It was pretty uneventful, just got what we needed then headed back to camp.
I had a few things to take care of before class so I got those finished up then headed to our 2nd events management class. I really think I am going to like this class a lot. The professor is a little intimidating at first but he is probably one of the funniest guys I have ever met. He is always quick to get a one liner in. Next week will be pretty exciting for this class because we will be helping out with a surfing competition in the are to see how the event is run so we can discuss it the following week.
Another exciting first today as well, I ended up grilling for the first time on the flat top grill and it was pretty awesome. There is just something about being able to cook your food as you listen to the waves break on the share. I might even venture to say that it made the food taste better too, but it wouldn't surprise me, everything is better here.
Later on that night we went to the pub with Megan, one of the girls at camp, because it was her birthday. It was also open mic night so Zach and Matt played a few songs. All in all a pretty solid day.
I had a few things to take care of before class so I got those finished up then headed to our 2nd events management class. I really think I am going to like this class a lot. The professor is a little intimidating at first but he is probably one of the funniest guys I have ever met. He is always quick to get a one liner in. Next week will be pretty exciting for this class because we will be helping out with a surfing competition in the are to see how the event is run so we can discuss it the following week.
Another exciting first today as well, I ended up grilling for the first time on the flat top grill and it was pretty awesome. There is just something about being able to cook your food as you listen to the waves break on the share. I might even venture to say that it made the food taste better too, but it wouldn't surprise me, everything is better here.
Later on that night we went to the pub with Megan, one of the girls at camp, because it was her birthday. It was also open mic night so Zach and Matt played a few songs. All in all a pretty solid day.
Day 16
Not too much to report today. We had our 2nd Marine Biology class and it was
over biogeography, currents, and sedimentary shores. The first part of our
lecture took place on the beach since we had a low tide. We took a look at the
marine life we could find washed up on the shore as well as the shells and
rocks.
After class we decided to head out to the rocks to do a
little snorkeling and the boys wanted to do a little spear fishing. While we
were snorkeling I caught a glimpse of a few tropical fish that were about 3
inches long, round, and had bright yellow and black stripes. I’ll keep you
posted if I find out what it is. The ended up getting a small puffer fish so
nothing they would actually be able to eat. We are also a little unclear as to
where you are about to spearfish legally. The boys have a map but we have been
told a few times it’s illegal where we were. They are going to get more
information soon I think.
Day 15
It's Valentines Day! We decided on Monday night that we were going to have a Valentines Day party for the whole camp with lots of good food, friends, and of course valentines! I was recruited by our GA Aimee to go with her into Ballina to bring the 2 guests we had visiting the camp back to the airport.
While we were there we decided to try out an Australian McDonalds. I don't have many pictures but this was probably the most posh McDonald's I have ever seen. The design of the building was pretty cool and it had a large outdoor eating area with a play place. Inside the McDonals was a huge dessert case with a bunch of McCafe baked goods (where the hell are these in the states?) We decided to share a piece of chocolate cake and we each got our own sandwiches. I'm not sure if it was because I haven't had McDonald's in a while or if it was because the ingredients were of a higher quality, but it was the best fast food hamburger I have ever had.
I also had my first experience of downtown Ballina where we went into a few shops along the road. We stopped at a dress store and I got a really cute black and white maxi dress I'll wear sometime on the trip. While we were there we went to Crazy Clarks, a kind of dollar general down here, and got supplies for everyone to make valentines.
Once we got back into camp I made my valentine and started to get ready and bake my cake for the party. Every cabin made a dessert and an appetizer and we drew names out of a hat to determine who we would give our valentines to. We all had a really great time at the party. Like most every night, Valentines ended with sitting on the porch singing as someone plays guitar. I can say with great confidence that this has been the best valentines day ever!
While we were there we decided to try out an Australian McDonalds. I don't have many pictures but this was probably the most posh McDonald's I have ever seen. The design of the building was pretty cool and it had a large outdoor eating area with a play place. Inside the McDonals was a huge dessert case with a bunch of McCafe baked goods (where the hell are these in the states?) We decided to share a piece of chocolate cake and we each got our own sandwiches. I'm not sure if it was because I haven't had McDonald's in a while or if it was because the ingredients were of a higher quality, but it was the best fast food hamburger I have ever had.
I also had my first experience of downtown Ballina where we went into a few shops along the road. We stopped at a dress store and I got a really cute black and white maxi dress I'll wear sometime on the trip. While we were there we went to Crazy Clarks, a kind of dollar general down here, and got supplies for everyone to make valentines.
Once we got back into camp I made my valentine and started to get ready and bake my cake for the party. Every cabin made a dessert and an appetizer and we drew names out of a hat to determine who we would give our valentines to. We all had a really great time at the party. Like most every night, Valentines ended with sitting on the porch singing as someone plays guitar. I can say with great confidence that this has been the best valentines day ever!
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| Tori, Marlie, Me, and Lee at the Valentine Party |
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| Mary and I at the Valentine Party |
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| Me Audrey and Laura at the Valentine Party |
Week 2 Overview
Another busy week and I still can't believe this is my life. My apologies for being delinquent with my blog. Today I'll get you all caught up on everything I have done, even if it takes several hours. This week I have been to the point for the first time, started classes, trudged knee deep in mud in the mangroves with my marine bio class, got freaked out by thousands of soldier crabs, Took a field trip to the Darby Rainforest, had a camp wide taco night, took my first trip to Byron Bay to complete my pool dives, successfully completed 2 of my 4 open water dives, made pizza from scratch, and attempted to play tennis in the dark. Ok, like last time here is my high point/low point.
High Point: The views from the point. I believe that I am truely in God's country while I am here. Everything has been so beautiful and I feel even my pictures don't do it justice.
Low Point: The start of classes. I have not needed to pay attention to anything in a LONG time so the 3 hour lectures are about to kill me. They are getting a little better though so hopefully I'll get back into the swing of things soon. I do get to go on some pretty cool field trips though!
High Point: The views from the point. I believe that I am truely in God's country while I am here. Everything has been so beautiful and I feel even my pictures don't do it justice.
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| View from the point looking out toward Lennox |
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| View from the other side looking out towards Skinners Head and Ballina |
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| Our marine bio professor talking about the mangroves |
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| In the mud and gunk of the mangroves |
Monday, February 13, 2012
My Address
A few of you have requested my address so here it is!
Lauren Siefert
Lake Ainsworth Sports and Recreation Camp
P.O. Box 121, Pacific Parade
Lennox Head, NSW 2478
Australia
Lauren Siefert
Lake Ainsworth Sports and Recreation Camp
P.O. Box 121, Pacific Parade
Lennox Head, NSW 2478
Australia
Day 14
Nothing too terribly exciting to report today. It was Monday so we met for our Australian life and culture class in the morning then I was free until 5 to do as I pleased. Brian and I decided to head into town since neither one of us had a whole lot to do. I had my eye out for a rolling pin so I could make pizza dough and cinnamon rolls while I'm here. Since we were in town we of course had to go to In The Pink, the ice cream shop in town. Today I got hokey pokey, which tastes like honey and has bits of honeycomb mixed in, and I also got in the mud, an extremely decadent chocolate ice cream. The combination of the 2 were incredible.
While we were in town we found Mary at the post office so the 3 of of hung out for a while then headed back to camp. Once we got back I taught Mary how to make granola using the stuff she had in her cabin. It smelled wonderful so I think I will have to make some after I go to the store. I also made pizza dough so I could make some pizzas for dinner.
As my dough was rising we had a meeting with the head of the chamber of commerce in town to discuss opportunities for our volunteering. While we are here we complete at least 4 hours a week volunteering to give back to Lennox and the surrounding community for putting up with us while we are here.
A few reasons they probably find us annoying: It took us a while to figure out the "walk like you drive" concept. We were doing a great job of all walking to one side, unfortunately is was the wrong side. I still catch myself trying to walk on the right. Also, we have no idea where we are going ever so we are constantly asking people how to get where we need to be. Their accents have also been an issue at times. I know you are thinking "Hey, don't they speak English over there?" Well, you would be right, but sometimes the accents can be so thick or they can get to talking so fast you have to ask them to repeat something 2 or 3 times. But I digress...
After our meeting with the head of the chamber, Mary and I went to work preparing our 2 pizzas and our cheesey garlic bread. We made a ton of food and ended up sharing it with whoever walked by our picnic table. After dinner we all just hung out for a while and waited for the group that went to our directors house to come back. I was planning to play tennis but all of the gear was locked in our GA's cabin so by the time we got the rackets the lights were off on the courts. We did make an attempt to play with our headlamps for a while until we were told the lights were off for a reason and we needed to leave. Sorry for trying to stay fit Lake Ainsworth Sport and Rec.
While we were in town we found Mary at the post office so the 3 of of hung out for a while then headed back to camp. Once we got back I taught Mary how to make granola using the stuff she had in her cabin. It smelled wonderful so I think I will have to make some after I go to the store. I also made pizza dough so I could make some pizzas for dinner.
As my dough was rising we had a meeting with the head of the chamber of commerce in town to discuss opportunities for our volunteering. While we are here we complete at least 4 hours a week volunteering to give back to Lennox and the surrounding community for putting up with us while we are here.
A few reasons they probably find us annoying: It took us a while to figure out the "walk like you drive" concept. We were doing a great job of all walking to one side, unfortunately is was the wrong side. I still catch myself trying to walk on the right. Also, we have no idea where we are going ever so we are constantly asking people how to get where we need to be. Their accents have also been an issue at times. I know you are thinking "Hey, don't they speak English over there?" Well, you would be right, but sometimes the accents can be so thick or they can get to talking so fast you have to ask them to repeat something 2 or 3 times. But I digress...
After our meeting with the head of the chamber, Mary and I went to work preparing our 2 pizzas and our cheesey garlic bread. We made a ton of food and ended up sharing it with whoever walked by our picnic table. After dinner we all just hung out for a while and waited for the group that went to our directors house to come back. I was planning to play tennis but all of the gear was locked in our GA's cabin so by the time we got the rackets the lights were off on the courts. We did make an attempt to play with our headlamps for a while until we were told the lights were off for a reason and we needed to leave. Sorry for trying to stay fit Lake Ainsworth Sport and Rec.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Day 13
Today was the big day, my first open water dive for scuba. This was was definitely an experience I will never forget. It was so amazing to see things most people will never see in their lifetime. After 2 dives I am definitely hooked and can't wait to get out there for more!
During our dives we saw tons of marine life. The ones I was able to identify were neon damsels, moorish idols, kleins butterfly fish, yellow moon wrasse, blue groper, clown fish, several species of morays, a green turtle, 3 different kinds of wobbegong, leopard sharks, a lobster, starry puffer, a batfish, and a HUGE stingray that had a wingspan of about 8 feet. If you would like to see what these look like you can hop on www.julianrocks.net they have a ton of pictures of the fish taken at our dive site identified for you. We saw so many more fish I just haven't been able to identify them yet, but as I find out what they are I will let you know. I bought a card to attach to my BCD as I dive with labeled pictures of the fish to I can spot them under water so this should help on future dives
The boat rides out to Julian Rocks (our dive site) was pretty fun but was a little choppy at times. The first boat ride several of us were feeling a little sea sick, after the first dive one of the guys in our group didn't think he would be able to go out for the 2nd dive so he went back to camp with the group doing pool skills. I am sure everyone is going to hate the scuba groups for the next few weeks as we talk about all the cool things we saw. Everything is absolutely stunning though so they can't blame us!
Our next 2 dives will be next Sunday then I will officially be a certified diver. I'm certain I will return to Julian Rocks for another dive before we leave but I have also decided to do a Live a Board on a ship for spring break that will allow me to go on 8 dives during the day and 2 night dives in 3 days on the Great Barrier Reef. This has been an experience of a lifetime and one that I will never forget!
Mom and dad, If I haven't said this enough thank you so much for this opportunity! The experiences I am having here are out of this world. I miss you and love you very much!
P.S. I heard there was snow in Indiana, don't feel too bad it's in the low 30's here too ;) *For those of you that didn't get that joke it's low 30's Celsius here so pretty hot!
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| The Girls Pre-Dive #1 |
The boat rides out to Julian Rocks (our dive site) was pretty fun but was a little choppy at times. The first boat ride several of us were feeling a little sea sick, after the first dive one of the guys in our group didn't think he would be able to go out for the 2nd dive so he went back to camp with the group doing pool skills. I am sure everyone is going to hate the scuba groups for the next few weeks as we talk about all the cool things we saw. Everything is absolutely stunning though so they can't blame us!
Our next 2 dives will be next Sunday then I will officially be a certified diver. I'm certain I will return to Julian Rocks for another dive before we leave but I have also decided to do a Live a Board on a ship for spring break that will allow me to go on 8 dives during the day and 2 night dives in 3 days on the Great Barrier Reef. This has been an experience of a lifetime and one that I will never forget!
Mom and dad, If I haven't said this enough thank you so much for this opportunity! The experiences I am having here are out of this world. I miss you and love you very much!
P.S. I heard there was snow in Indiana, don't feel too bad it's in the low 30's here too ;) *For those of you that didn't get that joke it's low 30's Celsius here so pretty hot!
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| My dive buddy Thomas before our open water dives |
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Day 12
Today was all about SCUBA! We had our pool dive skills today and it was awesome. I was a little worried about how I was going to do with clearing the mask and getting used to breathing underwater but I did fine. The group that went was also really fun. After over 6 hours in a pool we all became even better friends than before. Shout out to the A-team!
After our pool dive we came back to camp and headed for the snorkeling spot near the boardwalk were we found a few schools of fish and several stingrays. I tried to use the camera mask my dad let me borrow but I might need a little more practice with it. Regardless here is one of the videos.
Tomorrow we have our first two open water dives for scuba. Really looking forward to it, can't wait to tell you all about it!
After our pool dive we came back to camp and headed for the snorkeling spot near the boardwalk were we found a few schools of fish and several stingrays. I tried to use the camera mask my dad let me borrow but I might need a little more practice with it. Regardless here is one of the videos.
Tomorrow we have our first two open water dives for scuba. Really looking forward to it, can't wait to tell you all about it!
Day 11
Today we took our first field trip for our Australian life and culture class. We started with lecture from 8:30 to 11:30. After that we took an hour and a half drive into the rainforest to have lunch prepared by an aboriginal women. We also were given the opportunity to listen to her stories and about aboriginal culture.
While we were there we also went on a fairly brief hike where our guide pointed out different bush tucker you could eat, plants to stay away from and other wildlife in the rainforest. On this hike there was a practical joke that there was a hidden rubber snake in some of the tall grass you could braid into a headband. I was told to pull a few for some of the other people in the group. As I'm sure you can guess I saw the fake snake and jumped about 30 feet in the air, the wildlife is not my friend. Speaking of wildlife, we also made a stop on the way home to see a a large group of bats that were probably twice the size of bats in the states if not larger. They were a little scary but it was kind of cool seeing them in such a large group.
We ended the day with a camp wide taco night that we set up in the grassy common area. For the occasion I made a chocolate cake and a white cake in honor of January and February birthdays.
Pictures of all of this to come soon...
While we were there we also went on a fairly brief hike where our guide pointed out different bush tucker you could eat, plants to stay away from and other wildlife in the rainforest. On this hike there was a practical joke that there was a hidden rubber snake in some of the tall grass you could braid into a headband. I was told to pull a few for some of the other people in the group. As I'm sure you can guess I saw the fake snake and jumped about 30 feet in the air, the wildlife is not my friend. Speaking of wildlife, we also made a stop on the way home to see a a large group of bats that were probably twice the size of bats in the states if not larger. They were a little scary but it was kind of cool seeing them in such a large group.
We ended the day with a camp wide taco night that we set up in the grassy common area. For the occasion I made a chocolate cake and a white cake in honor of January and February birthdays.
Pictures of all of this to come soon...
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Day 10
Not too terribly much to report today. We had our second trip into town for groceries and supplies today. Starting this week we will only be going to the store every other week so I stocked up on pretty much everything I would need for that amount of time. It was a pretty long trip (around 4 hours total) and we just barely made it back in time to put our stuff away and make a quick lunch before heading to our events management class.
I really think I am going to enjoy this class a lot. Our instructor is really into sports so most of our assignments and trips are going to be sports related. Our first assignment is to set up intramural games and tournaments which is going to be pretty fun. I'm heading up team tennis with Tom and Ryan. It was also a fairly short class which was nice since several of us in the class had to attend the last 2 hour session of our SCUBA certification. Since we had a little extra time between class and SCUBA we were able to go to the beach and run through our questions to study up a little bit before the exam. We didn't have much to do but we watched module 5 and took the exam and I passed! That means I will be completing my pool dives on Saturday and will be doing 2 open water dives on Sunday.
Later on in the evening several people in the camp gathered at cabin 7 to listen to Matt and Zach sing and play guitar before eventually moving the festivities to the beach where we stayed until about 12:30. That may not have been so horrible but we have a field trip today (Friday) and we have to be in lecture before we leave from 8:30 to 11:30. Side note: It was actually a little bit chilly last night and I had to break out my jacket for the beach
I really think I am going to enjoy this class a lot. Our instructor is really into sports so most of our assignments and trips are going to be sports related. Our first assignment is to set up intramural games and tournaments which is going to be pretty fun. I'm heading up team tennis with Tom and Ryan. It was also a fairly short class which was nice since several of us in the class had to attend the last 2 hour session of our SCUBA certification. Since we had a little extra time between class and SCUBA we were able to go to the beach and run through our questions to study up a little bit before the exam. We didn't have much to do but we watched module 5 and took the exam and I passed! That means I will be completing my pool dives on Saturday and will be doing 2 open water dives on Sunday.
Later on in the evening several people in the camp gathered at cabin 7 to listen to Matt and Zach sing and play guitar before eventually moving the festivities to the beach where we stayed until about 12:30. That may not have been so horrible but we have a field trip today (Friday) and we have to be in lecture before we leave from 8:30 to 11:30. Side note: It was actually a little bit chilly last night and I had to break out my jacket for the beach
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Day 9
Today was our first day of Marine Biology. The beginning classroom portion was a little hard to follow but I think that may be a result of not having had to pay attention to anything for over 2 months. After our classroom portion we had a little over 3 hours of field work exploring the mangroves around Ballina. The first one we visited was VERY muddy and I ended up with mud caked all over my legs. The main things we found there were small crabs and plant life. The second one we visited however was more of a salt water environment. While there we got to see thousands of soldier crabs and a few hermit crabs. The soldier crabs were a little creepy because they looked like spiders but with a much harder exoskeleton.
Once we returned I went to go work out with our GA Aimee as she prepares for her September wedding. We tried to work out in the gym but were denied access to the facility by about 500 grade school children.We tried to do Zumba in one of the cabins but I clearly was not cut out for it, sorry Aimee.
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| First Mangrove |
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| Soldier Crab |
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| A few hundred of the thousands of soldier crabs |
Day 8
Yesterday was incredible. The plan was to go into town with Matt and Ryan but it wasn't meant to be. We were going to catch the 12:30 bus there, and catch the last bus home at 5:40. We didn't leave very much time to get to the bus stop and thought we might have missed the bus. When we checked the schedule posted at the bus stop it said the bus left at 1:00, not wanting to hang out at the bus stop for half an hour we decided to go into town for a little while. We got about half a block down the road when the bus passed us, we tried to turn around but didn't make it in time. Plan B was to head up to the point to kill time befor the 2:10 bus. We biked up to the point and it was beautiful. I could go into detail but I think pictures would be way more effective; after all, a pictures worth a thousand words.
If you aren't able to tell by the pictures I have posted so far the bike ride to the top of the point is not exactly leisurely, needless to say we were all excited to make the journey down hill this time. As we passed through town and the ice cream shop we could think of no better way to celebrate our making it to the point and back. As we sat at a table, eating our ice cream, our 2:10 bus passed us by. We all had a good laugh and went back to enjoying our ice cream.
By this time it was getting pretty hot and we decided to head back to camp and meet up with Rock and a few others to go snorkeling. We had been told the area by the boardwalk was a really good place to find stuff so we headed that direction. Once we eventually found the spot we realized how incredible of a location we were really in. Within minutes of getting into the water we were seeing schools of fish and stingrays. It was incredible how much marine life we were seeing in such shallow water. At the deepest point we couldn't have been any deeper than our waist.
As if our day could not get any better, on our way back we found a nudibranch. More specifically a Glaucous Atlanticus, and extremely bright blue and white sea slug. From what I have heard they are pretty rare to find. The following is not my picture but one Matt took.
P.S. Mom and Dad this is the same thing we found on Google images, I was expecting something bigger but this is as big as the little guy gets.
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| Incredible views |
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| The other side of the point |
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| The last little bit of land you see is the Easternmost point of Australia |
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| A shot of Lennox and the beaches from the point |
By this time it was getting pretty hot and we decided to head back to camp and meet up with Rock and a few others to go snorkeling. We had been told the area by the boardwalk was a really good place to find stuff so we headed that direction. Once we eventually found the spot we realized how incredible of a location we were really in. Within minutes of getting into the water we were seeing schools of fish and stingrays. It was incredible how much marine life we were seeing in such shallow water. At the deepest point we couldn't have been any deeper than our waist.
As if our day could not get any better, on our way back we found a nudibranch. More specifically a Glaucous Atlanticus, and extremely bright blue and white sea slug. From what I have heard they are pretty rare to find. The following is not my picture but one Matt took.
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| Glaucous Atlanticus |
Monday, February 6, 2012
Week 1 Overview
Well we have been here for a week and I have spent every day at the beach, gone into town, started my SCUBA certification, had my first class and much much more! I have also met some of the most incredible people. It's crazy to think we still have so much time left. I'm sure there are plenty of things I'm leaving out but I wanted to do a quick check in and give you my high point/low point for the week.
High point: I am here, I genuinely believe this is the greatest place on Earth. The scenery is out of this world, the people are friendly, and the lifestyle is so relaxed.
Low point: Everything here animal wise freaks me out. I'm getting a little more confident with the wildlife but I think it's wise to have a little bit of caution. Side note, the python is now on cabin 2 and is about double the size I originally thought.
High point: I am here, I genuinely believe this is the greatest place on Earth. The scenery is out of this world, the people are friendly, and the lifestyle is so relaxed.
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| The Point |
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| 7 Foot Python |
Day 7
Wow, I can't believe it's almost been a week already! But by looking at how close our group is you would never know it. We are absolutely making life long friends and the group here is so close!
Today began our first day of classes and it was a completely amazing experience. In no other class have I been able to sit on a couch during lecture and day dream outside the window overlooking a beautiful lake. In honor of the Super Bowl our topic today was Sports in Australia. We learned about the famous athletes and the importance of sport to the culture. It was a really interesting lesson and to top it off it was an hour and a half shorter than normal so we could catch the Super Bowl from the TV in the classroom.
It was very strange to celebrate Super Bowl Sunday on Monday at 10:00 A.M. It was kind of funny that we were even able to catch it on TV too since no one here really cares about American football. I watched the first half in the classroom then walked back with the group during halftime to grab lunch and work on some things back at the cabin. I was dead tired after the game and ended up taking a 2 hour nap before heading to the beach to take some photos. Once I got back we celebrated Harlan's birthday with a cake and all sang him happy birthday.
After dinner Brandon and I headed to the tennis courts to see what it was like playing on grass. It was a pretty neat experience and I am not nearly as rusty as I thought I would be. Even though the balls they had available for us to use were dead we had a great time just hitting around for a while. Once we got back we talked to a few others and I think we might be getting some mixed doubles games going while we are here. Also, I'm not sure if this is standard or not but the can we had and the can the people next to us had 4 balls in it not just 3. A group of us might head in to Byron tomorrow so I think we are going to take a look to find a few cans.
Oh yeah, I also got to Skype with my parents which was pretty nice. Miss you guys!
Today began our first day of classes and it was a completely amazing experience. In no other class have I been able to sit on a couch during lecture and day dream outside the window overlooking a beautiful lake. In honor of the Super Bowl our topic today was Sports in Australia. We learned about the famous athletes and the importance of sport to the culture. It was a really interesting lesson and to top it off it was an hour and a half shorter than normal so we could catch the Super Bowl from the TV in the classroom.
It was very strange to celebrate Super Bowl Sunday on Monday at 10:00 A.M. It was kind of funny that we were even able to catch it on TV too since no one here really cares about American football. I watched the first half in the classroom then walked back with the group during halftime to grab lunch and work on some things back at the cabin. I was dead tired after the game and ended up taking a 2 hour nap before heading to the beach to take some photos. Once I got back we celebrated Harlan's birthday with a cake and all sang him happy birthday.
After dinner Brandon and I headed to the tennis courts to see what it was like playing on grass. It was a pretty neat experience and I am not nearly as rusty as I thought I would be. Even though the balls they had available for us to use were dead we had a great time just hitting around for a while. Once we got back we talked to a few others and I think we might be getting some mixed doubles games going while we are here. Also, I'm not sure if this is standard or not but the can we had and the can the people next to us had 4 balls in it not just 3. A group of us might head in to Byron tomorrow so I think we are going to take a look to find a few cans.
Oh yeah, I also got to Skype with my parents which was pretty nice. Miss you guys!
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| Flowers between cabins 3 and 4 |
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| The Point |
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| The Beach |
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| There are tons of friendly dogs all around |
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| Americans always portray over the top patriotism, why not! |
Day 6
Another amazing day. We started our day with our first round of PADI SCUBA certification with Sundive. We made it through 4 of the 5 modules and are planning on finishing up the last one on Thursday evening. Part of this session was completing a swim test in the lake. It was only a 200m swim and treading water for 10 minutes but it's a little creepy being in a lake you can only see about 12 inches down. The tentative plan is to do our pool skills on Saturday and possibly do our first 2 open water dives on Sunday.
After the SCUBA skills were finished I went into town with Matt and Harlan in search of a notebook. Unfortunately, the store with the notebooks was closed so we just got some things for dinner at the IGA.
Once we got back into camp Matt and I headed for the beach and into the surf. The water was a little less choppy and it was incredibly clear. We played in the surf for about an hour before returning back to camp to make dinner and hang out on our last night before class starts.
Later that night we ended up heading back to the ocean to hang out and listen Matt and Zach sing and play guitar. Once the clock struck midnight we rung in Harlan's birthday and returned back to camp. It was a pretty solid day and a great way to spend our last day of "welcome week."
After the SCUBA skills were finished I went into town with Matt and Harlan in search of a notebook. Unfortunately, the store with the notebooks was closed so we just got some things for dinner at the IGA.
Once we got back into camp Matt and I headed for the beach and into the surf. The water was a little less choppy and it was incredibly clear. We played in the surf for about an hour before returning back to camp to make dinner and hang out on our last night before class starts.
Later that night we ended up heading back to the ocean to hang out and listen Matt and Zach sing and play guitar. Once the clock struck midnight we rung in Harlan's birthday and returned back to camp. It was a pretty solid day and a great way to spend our last day of "welcome week."
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Day 5
Another fairly low key day today. Spent some time at the beach and then came up to camp for lunch. I was very excited to Skype some of you from back home. For the most part we all just hung out around camp and enjoyed each others company. This evening a few of us went into town and tried to get dinner and ice cream. Unfortunately, we didn't have any luck with dinner though because everything was either really expensive or needed a reservation. We went to In the Pink and got ice cream and went back home to chill/make dinner. Shortly after we got back we found a rather large python on the porch of cabin 1. Everyone who was at camp got really excited to see it and started taking pictures like it was there job. Again, having a great time, keep reading!
Friday, February 3, 2012
Day 4
I am hoping I won't bore you all to death with another long story about today. Today we had the scavenger hunt where we went through town looking for various landmarks and icons. We got a library card so we will be able to check out movies and books whenever we want while we are here. After the scavenger hunt I hung out with cabin 7 all day and even made them spaghetti for dinner. The whole group is really bonding, even on day 4 I can already tell these people are going to be some of my best friends.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Day 3
Today was pretty low key. I woke up around 6 and worked on a few things until about 7:30. Since we just got our cabin bikes last night I thought this would be a good time to take ours out for a spin. The views of the lake and the beach were just incredible. Eventually I made it out to the beach with Brian and Brandon and we walked to where the beach ended and back, making us just in time for the nature walk with Phil. This guy knows his stuff. He was telling us what tracks were made by what animal, how old the tracks were, what animals could kill you, what plants could kill you, the plants that could heal you, and so much more.
After the nature walk I came back to my cabin to eat lunch and relax for a bit before I headed to cabin 4 to hang out with Harlan, Brian, and Nick. Nick showed us a book of dangerous Australian animals which kept us entertained for quite some time. After a while we all went to meet up with the other people down at the beach. It was fairly hot so we all played in the water to cool off. After that we walked down the beach in search of the sea turtle nest we were told about yesterday. Unfortunately we weren't able to spot it because none of us has any idea how far out it is.
We had a meeting at 5:30 to go over how to take care of and store our bikes then it was off to the classroom for another meeting. These were slightly more fun however because we were told about the camp facilities we have access to as well as information on surfing and SCUBA diving, both of which I plan to take advantage of while I am here.
Tonight was open mic night at the local pub and since a few of our guys are good singers/guitar players/harmonica players we decided to go and watch them sing a few songs. It also gave us a chance to really interact with some of the locals in the area. We decided to walk back on the beach rather than through town. There were quite a few crabs and I definitely screamed several times, but we all made it back alive. Despite the crabs on the beach the atmosphere is incredible. Our recent catch phrase for the past few days has been, "Guys, we live here." Which absolutely hits the nail on the head. Everything still seams so out of this world that we have to remind ourselves where we really are, paradise.
After the nature walk I came back to my cabin to eat lunch and relax for a bit before I headed to cabin 4 to hang out with Harlan, Brian, and Nick. Nick showed us a book of dangerous Australian animals which kept us entertained for quite some time. After a while we all went to meet up with the other people down at the beach. It was fairly hot so we all played in the water to cool off. After that we walked down the beach in search of the sea turtle nest we were told about yesterday. Unfortunately we weren't able to spot it because none of us has any idea how far out it is.
We had a meeting at 5:30 to go over how to take care of and store our bikes then it was off to the classroom for another meeting. These were slightly more fun however because we were told about the camp facilities we have access to as well as information on surfing and SCUBA diving, both of which I plan to take advantage of while I am here.
Tonight was open mic night at the local pub and since a few of our guys are good singers/guitar players/harmonica players we decided to go and watch them sing a few songs. It also gave us a chance to really interact with some of the locals in the area. We decided to walk back on the beach rather than through town. There were quite a few crabs and I definitely screamed several times, but we all made it back alive. Despite the crabs on the beach the atmosphere is incredible. Our recent catch phrase for the past few days has been, "Guys, we live here." Which absolutely hits the nail on the head. Everything still seams so out of this world that we have to remind ourselves where we really are, paradise.
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| Zach Braddock vocals and guitar |
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| Zach on harmonica and Matt Nichols vocals and guitar |
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| Zach and Matt |
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| Zach and Matt playing with the other people who were there for open mic night. |
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Up to Day 2
Well we finally made it! Everything here is awesome and the weather has been pretty decent. All in all the Air New Zealand flights were all pretty cool. Each seat had their own video screen and a bunch of movies and shows you could watch and games you could play. We also got some pretty good food as far as airplane food goes. I was also sitting by some pretty cool people on both flights, shout outs to Matt Schmalzel and Matt Nichols. Yesterday we got into Brisbane, QLD around 10:00 AM. We then had about a 2 hour drive to Lennox Head where we got to see the country and the how pretty everything is here. Once we arrived we got our cabin assignments and I ended up in cabin 8 which is one of the newer cabins so I was pretty excited about that. We can even hear the waves breaking on the beach from where we are staying.
One of the first things we did was get a good look at the ocean, there is no more picturesque setting than looking out onto Lennox point. At around 6:00 we headed down to a shelter overlooking Lake Ainsworth for a barbecue with our director and the professors we will have for our classes. Once we got into our cabins and started to unpack I thought I would try to set up my surge protector so I could get some of my electronics charged up again. I ended up frying my surge protector and blowing a fuse in the cabin. Thank God I didn't have anything plugged into it yet so all I had to do was flip the breaker. The only problem I had was the HUGE spider who had spun a web right above the breaker box, I am not kidding you folks, this think was probably one of those spiders that eats small animals. Eventually we got everything working again and I took my first trip into town to see everything. By now it was pitch black outside so every little noise or movement was terrifying. I caught a glimpse of my first cane toad and saw about 20 little geckos on the way to town. As most of you can guess I screamed every time I saw anything move.
This morning we got our water safety talk and went to the surf club/beach where we met a few of the lifeguards. We learned about rip tides and what to do when you get sucked out into one and other safety information. After that we went into Balina, a town a few miles outside where we live, to get some food and other miscellaneous supplies. I ended up buying my water shoes for Marine Biology and got snorkeling equipment to use on the beach outside our camp. We also stocked up on food and cleaning supplies while we were out. We were told before we left that we didn't need to bring sheets but we found out yesterday that we indeed do need to supply our own sheets. I picked some up from the store but they are incredibly uncomfortable so I may need to get some that are higher quality, 180 thread count just isn't cutting it. We made one last stop and then it was back to camp. The bus driver from the camp that took us around today was pretty cool, his name was Box and he knew just about everything you would need to know and took us to a local shop he knew of.
Once we got back from shopping a few of us headed into the beach and spent some time in the ocean. The waves were pretty big because it's been raining a little bit. The water was a little cold but we still got in up to our chests. I am a little burnt but not visibly, so I am better off than a few of the people here who are burnt to a crisp. Right now I am just hanging out with some really awesome people listening to music. Not sure what we are doing tonight but it's bound to be awesome.
Needless to say I am having a really good time. Everyone on the trip is pretty awesome and I get along with them really well. I can tell it is going to be a GREAT three months. And I promise, school starts next week so we will eventually start getting to the study portion of the study abroad.
This morning we got our water safety talk and went to the surf club/beach where we met a few of the lifeguards. We learned about rip tides and what to do when you get sucked out into one and other safety information. After that we went into Balina, a town a few miles outside where we live, to get some food and other miscellaneous supplies. I ended up buying my water shoes for Marine Biology and got snorkeling equipment to use on the beach outside our camp. We also stocked up on food and cleaning supplies while we were out. We were told before we left that we didn't need to bring sheets but we found out yesterday that we indeed do need to supply our own sheets. I picked some up from the store but they are incredibly uncomfortable so I may need to get some that are higher quality, 180 thread count just isn't cutting it. We made one last stop and then it was back to camp. The bus driver from the camp that took us around today was pretty cool, his name was Box and he knew just about everything you would need to know and took us to a local shop he knew of.
Once we got back from shopping a few of us headed into the beach and spent some time in the ocean. The waves were pretty big because it's been raining a little bit. The water was a little cold but we still got in up to our chests. I am a little burnt but not visibly, so I am better off than a few of the people here who are burnt to a crisp. Right now I am just hanging out with some really awesome people listening to music. Not sure what we are doing tonight but it's bound to be awesome.
Needless to say I am having a really good time. Everyone on the trip is pretty awesome and I get along with them really well. I can tell it is going to be a GREAT three months. And I promise, school starts next week so we will eventually start getting to the study portion of the study abroad.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Quick Update
First 2 flights went really well. Indy to Chicago was short and sweet
but the plane was TINY! Caught some amazing views from Chicago to San
Francisco thanks to the very nice professor from northern Iowa who asked
if I wanted to switch seats with him so I could have the window. Just a
little preview...
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