Hey everyone,
I'm taking a quick, 15 minute study break and thought I'd use my time to blog instead of mulling around on Facebook or something equally less productive. I have my last exam of the semester tonight at 6:15pm and I have been studying all morning for it. You'd all laugh if you saw me now, I'm hibernating in the back corner of the dining hall, completely hidden behind textbooks, highlighters, papers, pens and cups of coffee - it's quite the sight. My friend walked in this morning and was like "Yo slippy (my Australian nickname) you look half asleep" and another friend called me a walking zombie - oh how I love finals week.
On the bright side it's my last final and it's actually in a subject I enjoy learning about. It's social psychology so it's all about how people interact in social situations (relationships, stereotypes, power, influence ect). Hopefully I'll do okay on it, most of the stuff seems kind of obvious and it's 140 multiple choice, so maybe the process of elimination will work in my favor :)
I had to say my first goodbye last night and it was horrible. Everyone is packing and getting ready to leave and it's the most heart breaking thing to watch. I have been avoiding my room at all costs because it reminds me of everything Australia means to me and everything I have to say goodbye to shortly. I've actually become really good at finding ways to avoid my emotions about leaving - I can only imagine how I'm going to be in a week. Get ready family :)
On the bright side I'm looking forward to coming home and seeing everyone I have missed these past few months. I can't wait to see my baby brother all graduated and turning into an incredible young man. I can't wait to drive around singing obnoxiously with Kathleen in the car and laughing about everything.
Anyway - my break is up.. talk to you soon!
Monday, June 13, 2011
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Finals Week!
Hey everyone,
I thought I would take the five minutes of free time I have between studying to quickly update you all on my super fun life. It's finals week here and everything is crazy. Emotions are running wild as the semester comes to an end and the fact the Americans are all leaving lingers over head. In addition we all have exams looming worth between 40-60% of our grades (ugh!). George Roberts is dead silent at all times, sweats have become the outfit of choice and you wont see anyone without a coffee cup in their hands. It's literally out of a movie.. I will never, ever think finals week at Quinnipiac is stressful after this.
I literally have never studied so hard for anything in my entire life. I spent all day Wednesday, Thursday and Friday studying for one class - my favorite, Learning and Behavior. I absolutely LOVE learning about learning (please note the sarcasm). It's all about Pavlov and his stupid dogs eliciting conditioned responses in unconditioned stimuli (and that's the easy stuff..). Anyway, so I spent all that time studying, went online and found the review questions (there were 80 of them.. oh yes, 80) and I couldn't answer a single one!
I thought I would take the five minutes of free time I have between studying to quickly update you all on my super fun life. It's finals week here and everything is crazy. Emotions are running wild as the semester comes to an end and the fact the Americans are all leaving lingers over head. In addition we all have exams looming worth between 40-60% of our grades (ugh!). George Roberts is dead silent at all times, sweats have become the outfit of choice and you wont see anyone without a coffee cup in their hands. It's literally out of a movie.. I will never, ever think finals week at Quinnipiac is stressful after this.
I literally have never studied so hard for anything in my entire life. I spent all day Wednesday, Thursday and Friday studying for one class - my favorite, Learning and Behavior. I absolutely LOVE learning about learning (please note the sarcasm). It's all about Pavlov and his stupid dogs eliciting conditioned responses in unconditioned stimuli (and that's the easy stuff..). Anyway, so I spent all that time studying, went online and found the review questions (there were 80 of them.. oh yes, 80) and I couldn't answer a single one!
This is me once I found out I knew just about.. NOTHING after hours and hours of studying for three days straight. I mean hours of studying too - the only breaks I took were for meals. I read almost 400 pages of my textbook and created study guides for 10 chapters. Please note this is all for one exam
This is my relationship with my Learning and Behavior text book.. it's clearly love.
Anywayyyy.. I did some breathing exercises (I wish I was kidding..) and had a nice Skype session with Mom and some how came out of my emotional break down. Saturday, Sunday and Monday I put on my game face and locked myself in my common room with heaps of coffee, highlighters and my favorite pair of sweatpants. Needless to say it was a fantastic couple of days. I did take a couple of breaks on Sunday however.. a bunch of us headed out back of George Roberts and made this amazing fire. It was a great way to get away from the stressfulness of GR and hang out with some amazing people. That's the hardest part about this whole thing - not only am I hidden under textbooks and pages of notes, but all the studying keeps me from spending my last few weeks with the people I'm going to miss the most.
The friendships I've made since being here are incredible and so unexpected. I knew coming to Australia I would have the chance to make new friends and have insanely amazing opportunities but I never could have imagined how close I would get to some people. It seems cruel that I have to say goodbye to people I've become so attached to, who know me in ways I never thought people would. They have helped me learn so much about myself, given me the courage to test my limits and I can never thank them enough for that. I will take them with me where ever I go.
For those of you who can't stalk me on Facebook - here are a few of my favorites :)
Chase is from Boston and one of my closest American friends - this kid has been with me since day one and such an amazing guy. He is like the big brother I never had! :)
This is my Australian family. At George Roberts I live in D4 and these three amazing people (Whitney, Jesh and Bec) live right next door in D5. I spent about 95% of my time in their room and love them to pieces.
Here's the gang right before Groovin' the Moo. Tommy, all the way on the right is one of the most genuine people I've ever met. Jess and Steph in the middle are super sweet and make anything a good time.
Gabby and Jesh - my experience in Australia wouldn't have been the same without them. They were two of my first Australian friends.
My Americans! <3 Love them - I travelled to Melbourne with these girls and had the most amazing time exploring the city with them.
Melissa & Leotta.. Melissa is American and one of the funniest people I've ever met. She has an infectious personality that makes it almost impossible not to be happy in her presence. Leotta is one of my closest Australian friend who has taught me the most about life and the importance of embracing every moment.
My American girls <3 I don't know how I would have gotten through some of the insanity without them. These girls have been with me since the first day.
And it wouldn't be complete without my roommate, Mark, who I've loved since day one. I'll miss this kid and our little home away from home in D4 <3
So there you go, some of the people who have changed me in more ways than I can count. These are the people who have gotten me through the hard times, laughed with me through the fun times and made my time in Australia five months I'll never forget. These of course aren't the only people who have made my time here, but I don't want to bore you with my sappiness! :)
Love and miss you all <3
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Melbourne!
Hey everyone,
I'm home finally (well Townsville home)! After my five day adventure in Melbourne I'm ready to crack down and start studying - right after I write this blog of course :).
I left for Melbourne around 9:30am on Friday and arrived in the city at 2:00pm. Once there Amy and I decided to take a shuttle right to a cafe to grab some food because we were absolutely starving. We were dropped off at this tiny little cafe in the heart of the city and I enjoyed a chai latte and a smoked salmon sandwich. We then lugged our bags through the busy city streets up to our hostel where we checked into a ten person dorm for the night. Once in the room we literally dropped our bags and were out the door, heading back to the center of the city to go on our chocolate tour. Amy had researched all the chocolate shops in the area and for the next two hours we strolled through the city tasting and buying the most fantastic chocolate along the way. We ended the day with a stroll around the city at night, taking pictures of the huge and artistic buildings.
The next morning the rest of our traveling group arrived at 6:00am and we headed to a near by cafe for some breakfast before we could check into our new room. We were now a group of five, making us a large enough group for our own private room which we couldn't check into until that afternoon. To occupy our time we strolled around the city and went shopping for groceries so we could save some money on food. I got a bunch of frozen dinners and roasted chicken for sandwiches and cereal for breakfast. We looked like quite the sight everyday pulling out our little packed lunches and eating them while everyone else was sipping on expensive lattes and nibbling gourmet sandwiches.
While in Melbourne we also went to the Royal Botanical Gardens and an Australian Football League game. The gardens were gorgeous and we walked around them for almost three hours (we did a lot of walking on this trip). The AFL game was my favorite part of the trip. The game was held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and was filled with insane fans. We watched the Collingwood Magpies completely dominate the West Coast Eagles, but we didn't care because we were more interested in trying to figure out how they scored, who the people in bright yellow were and what each goal post stood for. We sat next to this older man and his son who ended up buying us all meat pies at half time because apparently it's like having a hot dog while watching a baseball game - something that is tradition! The meat pies were actually really good and the warmth radiating off of them was very welcome as we were all absolutely freezing. It was so strange to be in Australia and actually be cold!
We also hit up the Melbourne Museum and saw an IMAX 3D movie about wild animals. Other than that we spent most of our time wandering around the city, taking photographs and sight seeing. Making dinner was always eventful at night when we would cook up our meals in the hostel kitchen - you never know who you are going to run into there! It ended up being a fantastic trip, but I'm so happy to be back to the place I've called home for the past few months. The reality of leaving is really starting to set in and I want to spend as much time in Townsville and with the people I've become so close to as I possibly can. Hopefully I'll be able to fit a little studying in there too :)
Love you all and miss you - I'll be seeing you soon!
I'm home finally (well Townsville home)! After my five day adventure in Melbourne I'm ready to crack down and start studying - right after I write this blog of course :).
I left for Melbourne around 9:30am on Friday and arrived in the city at 2:00pm. Once there Amy and I decided to take a shuttle right to a cafe to grab some food because we were absolutely starving. We were dropped off at this tiny little cafe in the heart of the city and I enjoyed a chai latte and a smoked salmon sandwich. We then lugged our bags through the busy city streets up to our hostel where we checked into a ten person dorm for the night. Once in the room we literally dropped our bags and were out the door, heading back to the center of the city to go on our chocolate tour. Amy had researched all the chocolate shops in the area and for the next two hours we strolled through the city tasting and buying the most fantastic chocolate along the way. We ended the day with a stroll around the city at night, taking pictures of the huge and artistic buildings.
The next morning the rest of our traveling group arrived at 6:00am and we headed to a near by cafe for some breakfast before we could check into our new room. We were now a group of five, making us a large enough group for our own private room which we couldn't check into until that afternoon. To occupy our time we strolled around the city and went shopping for groceries so we could save some money on food. I got a bunch of frozen dinners and roasted chicken for sandwiches and cereal for breakfast. We looked like quite the sight everyday pulling out our little packed lunches and eating them while everyone else was sipping on expensive lattes and nibbling gourmet sandwiches.
While in Melbourne we also went to the Royal Botanical Gardens and an Australian Football League game. The gardens were gorgeous and we walked around them for almost three hours (we did a lot of walking on this trip). The AFL game was my favorite part of the trip. The game was held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and was filled with insane fans. We watched the Collingwood Magpies completely dominate the West Coast Eagles, but we didn't care because we were more interested in trying to figure out how they scored, who the people in bright yellow were and what each goal post stood for. We sat next to this older man and his son who ended up buying us all meat pies at half time because apparently it's like having a hot dog while watching a baseball game - something that is tradition! The meat pies were actually really good and the warmth radiating off of them was very welcome as we were all absolutely freezing. It was so strange to be in Australia and actually be cold!
We also hit up the Melbourne Museum and saw an IMAX 3D movie about wild animals. Other than that we spent most of our time wandering around the city, taking photographs and sight seeing. Making dinner was always eventful at night when we would cook up our meals in the hostel kitchen - you never know who you are going to run into there! It ended up being a fantastic trip, but I'm so happy to be back to the place I've called home for the past few months. The reality of leaving is really starting to set in and I want to spend as much time in Townsville and with the people I've become so close to as I possibly can. Hopefully I'll be able to fit a little studying in there too :)
Love you all and miss you - I'll be seeing you soon!
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Stress Free?
Hey there,
I have finally finished my two huge papers and can breath a little! I've been so swapped with work I haven't even had a chance to get excited about my upcoming trip (tomorrow!) to Melbourne! I leave tomorrow morning at 10:00 and arrive in the beautiful city at 1:00pm. I'm heading there with four other girls, but for the first night it will just be me and my friend Amy. We are staying in Space Hostel which is right in the central business district.
We don't have much planned so far, other than lots of walking around and exploring. Melbourne is known for it's cafes and hidden bars. It's also considered a very cultured and artistic city, so hopefully I'll hit a few museums while I am there. Although I'm sad I'll be spending some of my last days in Australia away from Townsville and George Roberts, I think it will be good to get away from the tension and emotions surrounding leaving and finals (at least for a little while).
I took my final exam in Photography yesterday and earned the equivalent of our "B" back at home (total buzz kill). I have to continuously catch myself when I begin to get all stressed about grades and my GPA. I've gotten very good at convincing myself off the ledge in regards to the fact that for me this semester wasn't about coming home with an amazing GPA and that most of the learning I've done hasn't occurred in the classroom and that is okay. The effect this semester will have on my GPA will be well worth the experience (or at least that's what I keep telling myself hehe!)
Oh, I forgot to mention the couple of things we do have planned for Melbourne. The first night there my friend Amy and I are heading on our own make shift chocolate tour of the city. There is this company that takes large groups throughout the city to famous places, eating chocolate and other delicious cafe treats along the way. We only just found out about the tour company and unfortunately they are completely booked while we are there. So instead, I pulled a Melissa (haha) and decided to create our own tour! We have researched all the places the tour goes to and made our town little map of the city. I'm really excited :).
In addition to our chocolate tour we are going to head up Eureka Tower, which is one of the tallest (if not the tallest) building in the city. The top of the tower is completely glass and I've been told it is the most amazing view of the city right at sunset. Hopefully I'll experience some great views!
I have finally finished my two huge papers and can breath a little! I've been so swapped with work I haven't even had a chance to get excited about my upcoming trip (tomorrow!) to Melbourne! I leave tomorrow morning at 10:00 and arrive in the beautiful city at 1:00pm. I'm heading there with four other girls, but for the first night it will just be me and my friend Amy. We are staying in Space Hostel which is right in the central business district.
We don't have much planned so far, other than lots of walking around and exploring. Melbourne is known for it's cafes and hidden bars. It's also considered a very cultured and artistic city, so hopefully I'll hit a few museums while I am there. Although I'm sad I'll be spending some of my last days in Australia away from Townsville and George Roberts, I think it will be good to get away from the tension and emotions surrounding leaving and finals (at least for a little while).
I took my final exam in Photography yesterday and earned the equivalent of our "B" back at home (total buzz kill). I have to continuously catch myself when I begin to get all stressed about grades and my GPA. I've gotten very good at convincing myself off the ledge in regards to the fact that for me this semester wasn't about coming home with an amazing GPA and that most of the learning I've done hasn't occurred in the classroom and that is okay. The effect this semester will have on my GPA will be well worth the experience (or at least that's what I keep telling myself hehe!)
Oh, I forgot to mention the couple of things we do have planned for Melbourne. The first night there my friend Amy and I are heading on our own make shift chocolate tour of the city. There is this company that takes large groups throughout the city to famous places, eating chocolate and other delicious cafe treats along the way. We only just found out about the tour company and unfortunately they are completely booked while we are there. So instead, I pulled a Melissa (haha) and decided to create our own tour! We have researched all the places the tour goes to and made our town little map of the city. I'm really excited :).
In addition to our chocolate tour we are going to head up Eureka Tower, which is one of the tallest (if not the tallest) building in the city. The top of the tower is completely glass and I've been told it is the most amazing view of the city right at sunset. Hopefully I'll experience some great views!
Once I'm back from Melbourne then all the intensity picks up with finals right around the corner. I used to think finals week at Quinnipiac was stressful, but I had no idea. With exams worth at least 40% of your grade studying is crucial and people get a little twitchy. It's almost three weeks before finals even begin and people are already studying ridiculous amounts of hours in order to prepare. Hopefully I'll do okay.. I have one in Learning and Behavior, one in Social Psychology and one in Environmental History. Social Psychology is my favorite subject and I'm doing pretty well in it at the moment so I'm not too stressed about that exam. Learning and Behavior and Environmental History on the other hand might send me over the edge. Both tests are worth 40% of my grade and are going to be extremely hard (not to mention I'm not doing well in either class). Keep your fingers crossed for me! It would be greatly appreciated :)
Anyway, I guess I should go start packing.. or studying. Hopefully I'll get a chance to catch up with you again soon. Love and miss you all xoxo
Monday, May 23, 2011
Procrastination!
Hey everyone,
Twice in one week, this must be a new record! :) I decided to take a break from all my studying to write a quick post since the only thing Dad wants for his birthday is a blog post (the silly man!). So here you go Dad, two in one week, just for you!
It's officially SWOT VAC here which means that George Roberts is to be quiet at all times of the day, with an exception around meal times. There is to be no talking outside of rooms, no loud music and absolutely no parties. The RAs aren't required to give warnings and if you are caught speaking too loudly you will be fined $25.00.. and let me tell you, they are serious about this! Two of my friends already got fined yesterday for standing outside their room and talking after dinner. Apparently in Australia the only thing relative to University they really take seriously is exam time. It's made GR feel like a ghost town!
In addition to the 24/7 quiet hours the dining hall is also open all day (shocking!) for studying purposes. The kitchen staff provides cakes and cookies for those who study late into the night and hot chocolate, coffee and tea are also provided. Although perhaps the best part is that they put wireless internet in the dining hall, meaning we can actually move from the confines of our desks and get internet access! How exciting :)
So far this week and past weekend have proven to be very stressful and I think it's only the beginning. As our time here dwindles emotions are high and the looming exams and final assignments just make matters worse. This past weekend arguments and tension broke out between numerous people, all over simple and stupid matters. I have attributed the quickly approaching departure date to these misunderstandings.
Last night I was talking to one of my Australian friends about the whole concept of leaving. We were discussing what a strange experience studying abroad truly is. You leave your home and create a new one for five or six months, only to get up and leave your new home and return to your old one. Upon returning to your old home, it's as if the last five months never existed and everyone becomes memories. You get close to people, have experiences and make memories and suddenly you have to pack up and leave it all behind. Despite the semi depressing concept, we ended the conversation realizing that the experience was completely worth it.
In my last post I forgot to mention Home Ball, which is like prom but for George Roberts. We rented the top of Mad Cow (one of the clubs down town) and had food and drinks provided. Everyone dressed up in semi formal dresses and I wore the one Melissa and I bought during her visit. The dress is my favorite dress I've ever own, it's unique and so beautiful. I love the way it flows when I twirl around and how it fits around my waist.
Twice in one week, this must be a new record! :) I decided to take a break from all my studying to write a quick post since the only thing Dad wants for his birthday is a blog post (the silly man!). So here you go Dad, two in one week, just for you!
It's officially SWOT VAC here which means that George Roberts is to be quiet at all times of the day, with an exception around meal times. There is to be no talking outside of rooms, no loud music and absolutely no parties. The RAs aren't required to give warnings and if you are caught speaking too loudly you will be fined $25.00.. and let me tell you, they are serious about this! Two of my friends already got fined yesterday for standing outside their room and talking after dinner. Apparently in Australia the only thing relative to University they really take seriously is exam time. It's made GR feel like a ghost town!
In addition to the 24/7 quiet hours the dining hall is also open all day (shocking!) for studying purposes. The kitchen staff provides cakes and cookies for those who study late into the night and hot chocolate, coffee and tea are also provided. Although perhaps the best part is that they put wireless internet in the dining hall, meaning we can actually move from the confines of our desks and get internet access! How exciting :)
So far this week and past weekend have proven to be very stressful and I think it's only the beginning. As our time here dwindles emotions are high and the looming exams and final assignments just make matters worse. This past weekend arguments and tension broke out between numerous people, all over simple and stupid matters. I have attributed the quickly approaching departure date to these misunderstandings.
Last night I was talking to one of my Australian friends about the whole concept of leaving. We were discussing what a strange experience studying abroad truly is. You leave your home and create a new one for five or six months, only to get up and leave your new home and return to your old one. Upon returning to your old home, it's as if the last five months never existed and everyone becomes memories. You get close to people, have experiences and make memories and suddenly you have to pack up and leave it all behind. Despite the semi depressing concept, we ended the conversation realizing that the experience was completely worth it.
In my last post I forgot to mention Home Ball, which is like prom but for George Roberts. We rented the top of Mad Cow (one of the clubs down town) and had food and drinks provided. Everyone dressed up in semi formal dresses and I wore the one Melissa and I bought during her visit. The dress is my favorite dress I've ever own, it's unique and so beautiful. I love the way it flows when I twirl around and how it fits around my waist.
Here's a picture of us all getting ready for Home Ball. I wish I had a better one of the dress because it is so lovely, but this is the best I could find. I also got myself a pair of true Australian heals (so fun!) that were almost 4 inches tall! :)
Anyway, I better be going, I just got back from an afternoon at the river and really need to get studying. I have a final exam in photography tomorrow morning and two huge assignments due on Friday. I've been trying to finish this one history assignment for over a week now. It's about the environmental history of Indonesia and I'm really struggling with it. I never realized how hard it is to write a research paper! Everything I say I have to research and because I have absolutely zero prior knowledge on the subject I am starting at square one. Wish me luck!
Love and miss you all <3
Friday, May 20, 2011
Better Late Than Never!
Hey everyone,
I'm sorry I haven't posted in about a month and I suppose it's mainly because my alone, free time has been extremely limited. As the time draws near for me to leave I've noticed that everyone has been spending every waking moment together in an attempt to enjoy the last few weeks together. It's quite a bitter sweet feeling, knowing that in a very short time I will be flying back home.
Anyway, enough of that! Since I've last posted I spent a wonderful week with Dad and Melissa, showing them around Townsville and exploring Magnetic Island with them. It was so amazing just to have them here and show them simple things like my room, my campus and some of the places we hang out. I took them to the Strand which is a long stretch of beach and we had some of the most fantastic meals. I think perhaps my favorite part about having them here was the meals and long talks, just catching up and sharing stories. I loved just being in their company and having the opportunity to share a part of this amazing experience with them.
I'm sorry I haven't posted in about a month and I suppose it's mainly because my alone, free time has been extremely limited. As the time draws near for me to leave I've noticed that everyone has been spending every waking moment together in an attempt to enjoy the last few weeks together. It's quite a bitter sweet feeling, knowing that in a very short time I will be flying back home.
Anyway, enough of that! Since I've last posted I spent a wonderful week with Dad and Melissa, showing them around Townsville and exploring Magnetic Island with them. It was so amazing just to have them here and show them simple things like my room, my campus and some of the places we hang out. I took them to the Strand which is a long stretch of beach and we had some of the most fantastic meals. I think perhaps my favorite part about having them here was the meals and long talks, just catching up and sharing stories. I loved just being in their company and having the opportunity to share a part of this amazing experience with them.
Here's a picture we took on their last night in Townsville. We had the greatest meal and the best service! I even got to taste dessert wine! :)
Melissa and Dad left on a Friday and that Sunday I experienced my first all day, outdoor live concert. It was absolutely incredible! There were three different stages and food and people everywhere. The sun was shining so brightly and I'm shocked I didn't get extremely sunburned. The best part was that everyone dressed up in crazy home-made shirts so it was easy to find people from George Roberts really easy in the crowd. Almost all the music was Australian too which was a great experience because I haven't heard much of it yet.
These are the shirts we made for the concert. It was called Groovin The Moo which is what the GTM stands for and the spots all over our tank tops are supposed to be cow spots. As you can see the bright colors made everyone really easy to spot.
Since Groovin and the visit with my family I've mainly been doing work, trying to finish up my last few assignments of the semester and prepare for finals. I'm finally realizing how truly different the education system here is as I ready myself to take a test that is worth 40% of my grade. They take studying very seriously here, even giving us an entire week off before finals just to study. They open the dining hall to study after 8:00pm and provide people with tea and coffee as they study into the late hours of the night. I'm just hoping that I do well enough not to completely kill my GPA I've worked so hard for!
Oh, I almost forgot a couple weekends ago I went on this amazing camping trip on the beach with a bunch of my friends from George Roberts. There was a group of eleven of us and we packed up a couple of trucks and found this great spot right on the beach where we set up some tents and the guys set up their swags. Swags are Australian versions of sleeping bags, basically the same thing expect they have a mattress pad in the bottom of them that makes for a very comfortable sleep.
This would be an example of a swag. You can also not set up the pop up cover and just use it like a sleeping bag. That's what I ended up doing in the tent.
Camping was absolutely amazing. We made a giant fire and introduced the Australians to 'smores. The water was pretty warm and proved to be a nice shower in the morning. We cooked sausages, eggs and bacon over the fire for breakfast and dinner and just hung out, lounging on the beach during the day. It was one of the best camping trips I've been on - despite the fact with the night came heaps and heaps of rain. We had set our tents up under a tarp though and some how managed not to get wet.
Other than that I haven't been up to much really. I am heading to Melbourne next weekend for five days to experience the city. It's supposed to be the culture capital of Australia, with cafes and museums on every corner. I've also heard that there are amazing open markets everywhere you go where you can get fresh cheese, breads, dips and fruits. I'm going with four other girls and just looking forward to my last little adventure before leaving for good. It should prove to be a nice little break right before finals as well, hopefully keeping me from stressing out too much in my finals weeks here!
Anyway - I must be off, heading to the gym with some of the other D-Blockers (that's the block I live in at GR) I will try to update more, potentially again before I go to Melbourne and definitely when I get back!
Love & miss you all
Monday, April 25, 2011
Easter Weekend!
Hey everyone!
I hope you all had a fantastic Easter weekend and know I had you all in my thoughts. Easter itself turned out to be a complete blast and perhaps one of my favorite days in Australia thus far. Saturday night a bunch of people randomly decided to hit up this huge kite boarding competition in Ayr, about an hour and fifteen minutes out of Townsville. The competition itself started around 9:00am and went until 10:00pm so the next morning we met for breakfast around 7:00am (very early here in Australia!) and hit the road.
In total there were nine of us in two cars, blasting music with the wind in our hair and not a care in the world. That sounds complete cliche, but in reality that's what we were doing. It was an absolutely gorgeous day, blue skies and no clouds to be seen. Even the drive was a great time - but I've always been quite a fan of road trips. We pulled up to the beach around 9:00 and quickly sussed out the situation. There were pitched tents everywhere, people wandering around in their bathing suits, barefoot and sipping on Red Bulls. It was what I had pictured Australia like - laid back, surfer-type people everywhere with their shaggy hair and tan skin.
We found a place on the beach on a little hill which overlooked the entire competition. When we got there most people were just warming up, surfing around on their boards and trying to get the feel of the wind. We were told that recently the wind had been completely horrible for kite boarding and today the strong wind was absolute perfection - I guess we came on a good day! I headed down close to the water with my camera I rented from the art school and started shooting. I had the best time playing around with the settings on the camera and trying different angles - at one point actually laying in the sand because I was convinced it would make the picture that much better. As I was shooting some of the guys boarding noticed and would come up real close and throw tricks out right in front of where I was shooting, which lead to some amazing pictures!
After a bit we took a walk along the beach and passed around the volleyball. The walk and intense sun completely wore us out so once we got back to our little hill we headed to where all the campers were staying in search of food. The company holding the competition had a barbie (BBQ) set up with the classic Australian sausage and slice of bread. I slabbed some tomato sauce (ketchup) on and was all set - we found a nice spot on the grass to eat and laid around there for awhile. Once we had finished someone spotted an ice cream truck and who can say no to an ice cream truck? I had vanilla with chocolate dip and this thing they call a flake - which is basically a giant chunk of chocolate they stick in the ice cream which is absolutely delicious!
While enjoying our ice cream we wandered around the camping area where people had set up all sorts of little tents and were selling the most random things. Most people were selling odd children's toys like sling shots and toy guns. Everyone was so friendly and we lost ourselves in conversation for awhile. At that point I was ready to see some more kite boarding so I took off for the beach, camera in hand. It was later in the day at this point so the competition was further along and the tricks were getting much more intense. I noticed how packed it had gotten and the intensity by the water so I made a beeline for the edge. I was in awe at the men literally flying and sending their bodies in the most insane directions. I have never seen anything like it - I guess it's similar to wake boarding but so much cooler. I could just picture Dan doing it, throwing up tricks like these crazy guys. I decided I have to learn to kite board at some point in my life - it looks like the biggest thrill.
We stayed and watched for awhile and noticed our skin turning increasingly red so around 3:00 we decided to head back. The drive back was equally as enjoyable as the one there and at one point we came to a screeching halt on the side of the road so we could jump out and steal some sugar cane! I don't think I've ever eaten sugar cane right off the shoot but let me tell you, I know why pandas just sit around and eat that stuff all day - it was delicious!
Needless to say I had one of the most insane, beautiful Easters of my life. I missed you all terribly, but was happy I was able to get out and do something instead of sitting instead and thinking about all the glorious food and good company I was missing back at home. I hope you all enjoyed your holiday weekend as much as I did!
Love & miss you,
xoxo Sara
Oh - here are a few pictures if you want to check them out! :)
I hope you all had a fantastic Easter weekend and know I had you all in my thoughts. Easter itself turned out to be a complete blast and perhaps one of my favorite days in Australia thus far. Saturday night a bunch of people randomly decided to hit up this huge kite boarding competition in Ayr, about an hour and fifteen minutes out of Townsville. The competition itself started around 9:00am and went until 10:00pm so the next morning we met for breakfast around 7:00am (very early here in Australia!) and hit the road.
In total there were nine of us in two cars, blasting music with the wind in our hair and not a care in the world. That sounds complete cliche, but in reality that's what we were doing. It was an absolutely gorgeous day, blue skies and no clouds to be seen. Even the drive was a great time - but I've always been quite a fan of road trips. We pulled up to the beach around 9:00 and quickly sussed out the situation. There were pitched tents everywhere, people wandering around in their bathing suits, barefoot and sipping on Red Bulls. It was what I had pictured Australia like - laid back, surfer-type people everywhere with their shaggy hair and tan skin.
We found a place on the beach on a little hill which overlooked the entire competition. When we got there most people were just warming up, surfing around on their boards and trying to get the feel of the wind. We were told that recently the wind had been completely horrible for kite boarding and today the strong wind was absolute perfection - I guess we came on a good day! I headed down close to the water with my camera I rented from the art school and started shooting. I had the best time playing around with the settings on the camera and trying different angles - at one point actually laying in the sand because I was convinced it would make the picture that much better. As I was shooting some of the guys boarding noticed and would come up real close and throw tricks out right in front of where I was shooting, which lead to some amazing pictures!
After a bit we took a walk along the beach and passed around the volleyball. The walk and intense sun completely wore us out so once we got back to our little hill we headed to where all the campers were staying in search of food. The company holding the competition had a barbie (BBQ) set up with the classic Australian sausage and slice of bread. I slabbed some tomato sauce (ketchup) on and was all set - we found a nice spot on the grass to eat and laid around there for awhile. Once we had finished someone spotted an ice cream truck and who can say no to an ice cream truck? I had vanilla with chocolate dip and this thing they call a flake - which is basically a giant chunk of chocolate they stick in the ice cream which is absolutely delicious!
While enjoying our ice cream we wandered around the camping area where people had set up all sorts of little tents and were selling the most random things. Most people were selling odd children's toys like sling shots and toy guns. Everyone was so friendly and we lost ourselves in conversation for awhile. At that point I was ready to see some more kite boarding so I took off for the beach, camera in hand. It was later in the day at this point so the competition was further along and the tricks were getting much more intense. I noticed how packed it had gotten and the intensity by the water so I made a beeline for the edge. I was in awe at the men literally flying and sending their bodies in the most insane directions. I have never seen anything like it - I guess it's similar to wake boarding but so much cooler. I could just picture Dan doing it, throwing up tricks like these crazy guys. I decided I have to learn to kite board at some point in my life - it looks like the biggest thrill.
We stayed and watched for awhile and noticed our skin turning increasingly red so around 3:00 we decided to head back. The drive back was equally as enjoyable as the one there and at one point we came to a screeching halt on the side of the road so we could jump out and steal some sugar cane! I don't think I've ever eaten sugar cane right off the shoot but let me tell you, I know why pandas just sit around and eat that stuff all day - it was delicious!
Needless to say I had one of the most insane, beautiful Easters of my life. I missed you all terribly, but was happy I was able to get out and do something instead of sitting instead and thinking about all the glorious food and good company I was missing back at home. I hope you all enjoyed your holiday weekend as much as I did!
Love & miss you,
xoxo Sara
Oh - here are a few pictures if you want to check them out! :)
Friday, April 22, 2011
Easter Weekend
Hey everyone,
I haven't had the chance to write in awhile, but you can blame that on all the work I've had to get done this week! I'm convinced all my professors decide to give huge assignments during the same week just to stress me out. None of it really matters though because it's completely dead on campus this weekend so I'll have plenty of time to get it all done. It's Easter weekend so most of the Australians have gone home and most of the international students have gone on epic adventures. We have a nice long five day weekend because Anzac Day is on Tuesday, which is a day where the Australians appreciate their military - similar to our Veterans Day at home. I have heard it's actually a very big holiday here, where people wake up at 5:00am and watch large parades and spend the afternoon at huge parties where all the military personnel come together in celebration.
It's so strange to think that it's Easter weekend - nothing here reminds me of Easter other than the hot cross buns they have been serving for breakfast (I didn't realize those were a real thing!). I have been spoiling myself and eating heaps (that's Australian for "a lot") of hot cross buns, toasting them and covering them with butter and cinnamon sugar. When I do that they almost taste like Mari's fantastic cinnamon buns that I look forward to at every holiday. I decided these hot cross buns are about as close as I'm going to get to a real holiday so I might as well indulge!
This morning I was struck with the realization that this will be the first Easter I've ever spent away from my family. For the past twenty years of my life I have been surrounded by loved ones on this weekend and for the first time they are all gathered together and I'm far, far away. Images of Melissa or Mom cooking up lots of delicious food keeps filling my head. I can see Dan sitting in front of the television somewhere and Kathleen bopping around the kitchen talking to all our relatives. My house (both of them!) would be filled with delicious smells and I'd feel warm and comfortable. It's funny to think about the things you miss the most because most of the time they are the smallest things, that you hardly even notice. Mom would have Easter baskets set up, filled with candy and random items she picked up. My favorite, the jelly beans, would have sunk to the bottom, hidden in the plastic grass. I'm a little sad I don't have an Easter basket this year - maybe I'll make myself one! I am planning on going out tomorrow and buying eggs to decorate, because I can't stray completely away from the holiday. What would Easter be without purple fingers, proof that I'll never be old enough to stop coloring eggs!
I really can't complain too much though because in three days two of my favorite people in the entire world will be in Australia with me and I literally am almost in tears just thinking about it. Dad and Melissa are currently in the air somewhere between Fiji and Australia - heading to Sydney where they will be spending a couple days before flying to Townsville to see me. I wish I could explain the happiness and excitement that I'm feeling about their arrival. I've never been away from my family this long and I can't wait to share this experience with them. There is so much I want to tell them, to show them and to experience with them - but what I'm most excited to do is just be with them.
The plan is for them to arrive on Tuesday around 2:00 in the Townsville airport. My friend will be driving me there so I'll be there waiting as soon as they touch down. Dad rented a car so we will pick that up at the airport and head to their hotel so they can put their stuff down and get settled in. We will then set off to James Cook (hopefully we will have directions because I have no idea how to get around here!) and I'll show them around campus and George Roberts. I'm so interested in their reaction to the campus because it's so different then American universities (especially Quinnipiac - no million dollar bobcat here!). I also can't wait to show them my room - my home in Australia and all the little trinkets I have acquired since being here.
Tuesday night, depending on their energy level, I want to take them to Castle Hill which is right behind the campus. I have been up there yet, but it's this mountain you drive up with your car and apparently the peak provides amazing views of Townsville. Hopefully the stars will be out and the drive up there will be worth it! :) Wednesday will also be full of driving because the plan is to head to Mission Beach which is about a 3 hour drive from Townsville but is notorious for gorgeous beaches and skydiving. I've heard that the beaches aren't quite as pristine after the cyclone, but I'm hoping to go skydiving with Melissa while we are there which will make the trek worth it. Plus, I have so much to tell them and I think the car ride will be a perfect time to catch them up on everything. Wednesday night we will most likely have dinner somewhere on the Strand where Melissa and Dad are staying. It's this gorgeous stretch of beach with great places to eat and the most amazing gelato!
Thursday morning we plan on taking the ferry across the harbor to Magnetic (Maggie) island. I haven't been yet but most of my friends have and say it's fantastic. You can rent these little go cart type things and drive them all over the island. They also have snorkeling, kayaking, hiking and horse back riding. We haven't decided exactly what we are doing but I think Dad is pretty keen (excited) about kayaking. Thursday night will be spent on Maggie and we most likely will spend Friday morning there as well. Needless to say I will be taking the entire week off from classes :)
So despite the fact I'll be missing out on the Easter celebration I will have the chance to see my family very soon. On that note I should start getting some of my work so I don't have to worry about that while they are here. Miss and love you all very much - Happy Easter :)
xoxo Sara
I haven't had the chance to write in awhile, but you can blame that on all the work I've had to get done this week! I'm convinced all my professors decide to give huge assignments during the same week just to stress me out. None of it really matters though because it's completely dead on campus this weekend so I'll have plenty of time to get it all done. It's Easter weekend so most of the Australians have gone home and most of the international students have gone on epic adventures. We have a nice long five day weekend because Anzac Day is on Tuesday, which is a day where the Australians appreciate their military - similar to our Veterans Day at home. I have heard it's actually a very big holiday here, where people wake up at 5:00am and watch large parades and spend the afternoon at huge parties where all the military personnel come together in celebration.
It's so strange to think that it's Easter weekend - nothing here reminds me of Easter other than the hot cross buns they have been serving for breakfast (I didn't realize those were a real thing!). I have been spoiling myself and eating heaps (that's Australian for "a lot") of hot cross buns, toasting them and covering them with butter and cinnamon sugar. When I do that they almost taste like Mari's fantastic cinnamon buns that I look forward to at every holiday. I decided these hot cross buns are about as close as I'm going to get to a real holiday so I might as well indulge!
This morning I was struck with the realization that this will be the first Easter I've ever spent away from my family. For the past twenty years of my life I have been surrounded by loved ones on this weekend and for the first time they are all gathered together and I'm far, far away. Images of Melissa or Mom cooking up lots of delicious food keeps filling my head. I can see Dan sitting in front of the television somewhere and Kathleen bopping around the kitchen talking to all our relatives. My house (both of them!) would be filled with delicious smells and I'd feel warm and comfortable. It's funny to think about the things you miss the most because most of the time they are the smallest things, that you hardly even notice. Mom would have Easter baskets set up, filled with candy and random items she picked up. My favorite, the jelly beans, would have sunk to the bottom, hidden in the plastic grass. I'm a little sad I don't have an Easter basket this year - maybe I'll make myself one! I am planning on going out tomorrow and buying eggs to decorate, because I can't stray completely away from the holiday. What would Easter be without purple fingers, proof that I'll never be old enough to stop coloring eggs!
I really can't complain too much though because in three days two of my favorite people in the entire world will be in Australia with me and I literally am almost in tears just thinking about it. Dad and Melissa are currently in the air somewhere between Fiji and Australia - heading to Sydney where they will be spending a couple days before flying to Townsville to see me. I wish I could explain the happiness and excitement that I'm feeling about their arrival. I've never been away from my family this long and I can't wait to share this experience with them. There is so much I want to tell them, to show them and to experience with them - but what I'm most excited to do is just be with them.
The plan is for them to arrive on Tuesday around 2:00 in the Townsville airport. My friend will be driving me there so I'll be there waiting as soon as they touch down. Dad rented a car so we will pick that up at the airport and head to their hotel so they can put their stuff down and get settled in. We will then set off to James Cook (hopefully we will have directions because I have no idea how to get around here!) and I'll show them around campus and George Roberts. I'm so interested in their reaction to the campus because it's so different then American universities (especially Quinnipiac - no million dollar bobcat here!). I also can't wait to show them my room - my home in Australia and all the little trinkets I have acquired since being here.
Tuesday night, depending on their energy level, I want to take them to Castle Hill which is right behind the campus. I have been up there yet, but it's this mountain you drive up with your car and apparently the peak provides amazing views of Townsville. Hopefully the stars will be out and the drive up there will be worth it! :) Wednesday will also be full of driving because the plan is to head to Mission Beach which is about a 3 hour drive from Townsville but is notorious for gorgeous beaches and skydiving. I've heard that the beaches aren't quite as pristine after the cyclone, but I'm hoping to go skydiving with Melissa while we are there which will make the trek worth it. Plus, I have so much to tell them and I think the car ride will be a perfect time to catch them up on everything. Wednesday night we will most likely have dinner somewhere on the Strand where Melissa and Dad are staying. It's this gorgeous stretch of beach with great places to eat and the most amazing gelato!
Thursday morning we plan on taking the ferry across the harbor to Magnetic (Maggie) island. I haven't been yet but most of my friends have and say it's fantastic. You can rent these little go cart type things and drive them all over the island. They also have snorkeling, kayaking, hiking and horse back riding. We haven't decided exactly what we are doing but I think Dad is pretty keen (excited) about kayaking. Thursday night will be spent on Maggie and we most likely will spend Friday morning there as well. Needless to say I will be taking the entire week off from classes :)
So despite the fact I'll be missing out on the Easter celebration I will have the chance to see my family very soon. On that note I should start getting some of my work so I don't have to worry about that while they are here. Miss and love you all very much - Happy Easter :)
xoxo Sara
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Bali Bali Bali!
Hey everyone!
I'm back from Bali and decided you all deserve an update since it has been so long! I guess I should start from the beginning, which takes us back to last Saturday afternoon. I caught the greyhound bus and six hours later ended up in Cairns where we, myself and three other girls, spent the night. It was insane when we first arrived because of this giant concert in the park right across from our hostel. There were huge party buses full of extremely drunk people everywhere! Exhausted from our bus ride we grabbed a quick meal and headed to our room. The next morning we woke up early and headed to the airport where we caught our first flight to Darwin. From Darwin we flew into Bali and so the epic adventure begins.
We were picked up at the airport by a representative from our hostel, which was actually perfect because I think we would have been completely scammed by a taxi had he not been there. We were actually welcomed to Bali by porters scamming us out of $20,000 rps (which is actually quite a bit there!). When leaving the airport we had to put our bags through an X-ray machine and at the end they were quickly grabbed by men in collared shirts and dragged down the hall about 10 feet. We chased after our bags, assuming the men worked for the airport and were doing further investigation. When the men finally stopped they held out their hand for money, chanting "tips tips tips" at us. Completely bewildered I realized we had just been completely taken advantage of and had no idea it was occurring. Each of us only had very large bills, with no idea of what they transferred to in dollars and had not yet acquired thick enough skin to say no. These unfortunate circumstances lead us to completely overpay the anxious men and leave the airport feeling very dumb.
As soon as we stepped outside I was hit by sounds, sights and smells that took me right back to Honduras. It was insane that I could be half way around the world and find similarities left and right. There were yelling people everywhere, trucks full of people hanging out the windows and motorcycles weaving through the streets. When the van finally stopped we looked around, confused and not sure what to do because we had pulled up along side a busy, merchant filled street. The driver lead us down this long, very narrow alleyway and out of no where popped this gorgeous path of white stones leading to a wooden gate. Behind the gate was our hostel, which turned out to be like my own bit of paradise.
It ended up being cheaper for us to split into groups of two and share a double room rather than sleep in the dorm style rooms like most travelers. It worked out great because we had a large bed with a lounging area beneath and our own bathrooms. The hostel was the perfect size, small enough that I felt extremely comfortable after the first day. There was a gorgeous pool with deck chairs and a nice little hut. In addition there was a roof top sitting area, a bar and a relaxing lobby. We were surprised to find out a continental breakfast was included in the price and enjoyed coffee (so delicious I could drink it black!) fruit salad, toasted bread, jam and honey every morning. The hostel also served other things for breakfast including this absolutely delicious breakfast wrap made with homemade tortillas, scrambled eggs, bacon, avocado and melted cheese. After discovering the breakfast wrap I spoiled myself and spent the extra $15,000 rps each morning (equivalent to about $1.00).
Most of our stay included hanging out by the pool and venturing around the winding streets. We spent a good deal of time just exploring the area, learning quickly how to deal with the hundreds of vendors on the street constantly calling out "hey sexy" and "I love you!" Some were even confident enough to grab at our arms and shove us in the direction of whatever knock off brand they were trying to sell. At first it was extremely intimidating but after a day or two I was completely used to it and actually began joking around and having fun with them.
I quickly realized that although things are cheap in Bali (I took out about $200.00 Australian dollars and it equated to almost $2 million Rupiah) it is very easy to spend money quickly. Despite the fact trinkets were anywhere between 50 cents and a dollar things quickly added up. We also learned that the area we were in was a little more touristy and most of the places to eat charged quite a bit more for any food that was not Indonesian. I found myself eating about my weight in fried rice while there as the typical meal in Bali is a pile of fried rice (with maybe a few small pieces of chicken) and a fried egg. It was delicious at first, but six days of fried rice is a lot!
Perhaps the favorite part of my trip was spending time in the hostel and getting to know the other people staying there. I had yet to have a complete "hostel experience" and didn't realize what an unique experience it is. As mentioned before the hostel was small so everyone knew everyone very quickly. As the days passed people came and went, mostly traveling alone and in the middle of epic adventures around the world. I found the people I met to be some of the most fascinating and friendly people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. I fell in love with the openness and carefree attitude of the other travelers. I listened to stories about riding camels in India, skiing in New Zealand and running from the cops in Singapore. Every time I met a new person the introduction always included "where are you coming from and where are you going next?". I knew people by where they called home or an adventure they experienced, rather than their given name. Every person had a story to share, something I could learn from and I did my best to absorb everything I could - I can't even describe what an amazing experience it was. I met people ranging in ages twenty to sixty and enjoyed long conversations with all of them, typically during a meal, at the pool or long after the sun went down. It was absolutely fantastic.
Another thing I wanted to mention quickly was this cute little place I found down the alley leading to our hostel. Within the first couple of days in Bali I quickly realized I was going to get a lot more out of the trip if I kind of did things on my own. As my friends went off and traveled in a pack, I stayed behind, doing whatever I felt like at the moment and picking up companions along the way. One of the first days I ventured out by myself I came across Mama's. Mama's is what you would call a complete hole in the wall of a place, in fact unless you literally ran into it (as I did) you would never find it. It's a place where the locals go to hang out and Mama takes good care of them. There is a menu but it doesn't really matter because Mama makes you whatever she wants to make. She has the coldest beer in all of Bali and the cheapest prices. I quickly found myself spending a great deal of time at Mama's, sipping on diet cokes and shoveling in fried rice. It was the place I learned the most about Bali, listening to the stories of the locals and enjoying the company of some friends from the hostel.
I wish I could give you more detail about what I did during my six days in Bali, but I suppose on the surface it doesn't seem like I did much. I talked and I wrote and I read. I walked around and laid by the pool.. I even got a little bit of a tan! The most adventurous event that occurred was when one of my traveling companions did not come home one night and I about had a heart attack until she wandered in the next afternoon, completely unaware of how worried the rest of us were. The return home was also quite a bit of an adventure. We had to check out of the hostel around 12:00 on Saturday and didn't leave for the airport until 7:00pm for a flight at 11:00pm. We hoped on our flight from Bali to Darwin and landed around 3:30am in Darwin, a two hour flight (due to the time change) that I did not get any sleep on. We had a lay over in Darwin until 6:30am when we got on a flight to Cairns, arriving around 9:30am still without having slept. We then waited around in Cairns until our greyhound at 1:00pm - I spent most of the time at this little coffee shop reading and sipping on a smoothie. Our greyhound bus got us into Townsville at 7:00pm on Sunday night and I was lucky enough to sit next to a chatty elderly women who literally showed me pictures of every one of her grandchildren - needless to say I didn't sleep on the bus ride either.
That brings me to right now - hunched over my computer, eyes half closed and about ready to fall back asleep. It's 1:14 in the afternoon and I'm ready for bed - actually I think I'll head there right now. Below I uploaded a few pictures so that you could take a look at the hostel as well as the streets of Bali. I plan on writing again soon, between the epic amounts of work I have to get done before Melissa and Dad get here a week from tomorrow! I'm so unbelievably excited, but I can't start thinking/writing about it just yet because I wont be able to concentrate on anything else!
Love and miss you all,
xoxo Sara
I'm back from Bali and decided you all deserve an update since it has been so long! I guess I should start from the beginning, which takes us back to last Saturday afternoon. I caught the greyhound bus and six hours later ended up in Cairns where we, myself and three other girls, spent the night. It was insane when we first arrived because of this giant concert in the park right across from our hostel. There were huge party buses full of extremely drunk people everywhere! Exhausted from our bus ride we grabbed a quick meal and headed to our room. The next morning we woke up early and headed to the airport where we caught our first flight to Darwin. From Darwin we flew into Bali and so the epic adventure begins.
We were picked up at the airport by a representative from our hostel, which was actually perfect because I think we would have been completely scammed by a taxi had he not been there. We were actually welcomed to Bali by porters scamming us out of $20,000 rps (which is actually quite a bit there!). When leaving the airport we had to put our bags through an X-ray machine and at the end they were quickly grabbed by men in collared shirts and dragged down the hall about 10 feet. We chased after our bags, assuming the men worked for the airport and were doing further investigation. When the men finally stopped they held out their hand for money, chanting "tips tips tips" at us. Completely bewildered I realized we had just been completely taken advantage of and had no idea it was occurring. Each of us only had very large bills, with no idea of what they transferred to in dollars and had not yet acquired thick enough skin to say no. These unfortunate circumstances lead us to completely overpay the anxious men and leave the airport feeling very dumb.
As soon as we stepped outside I was hit by sounds, sights and smells that took me right back to Honduras. It was insane that I could be half way around the world and find similarities left and right. There were yelling people everywhere, trucks full of people hanging out the windows and motorcycles weaving through the streets. When the van finally stopped we looked around, confused and not sure what to do because we had pulled up along side a busy, merchant filled street. The driver lead us down this long, very narrow alleyway and out of no where popped this gorgeous path of white stones leading to a wooden gate. Behind the gate was our hostel, which turned out to be like my own bit of paradise.
It ended up being cheaper for us to split into groups of two and share a double room rather than sleep in the dorm style rooms like most travelers. It worked out great because we had a large bed with a lounging area beneath and our own bathrooms. The hostel was the perfect size, small enough that I felt extremely comfortable after the first day. There was a gorgeous pool with deck chairs and a nice little hut. In addition there was a roof top sitting area, a bar and a relaxing lobby. We were surprised to find out a continental breakfast was included in the price and enjoyed coffee (so delicious I could drink it black!) fruit salad, toasted bread, jam and honey every morning. The hostel also served other things for breakfast including this absolutely delicious breakfast wrap made with homemade tortillas, scrambled eggs, bacon, avocado and melted cheese. After discovering the breakfast wrap I spoiled myself and spent the extra $15,000 rps each morning (equivalent to about $1.00).
Most of our stay included hanging out by the pool and venturing around the winding streets. We spent a good deal of time just exploring the area, learning quickly how to deal with the hundreds of vendors on the street constantly calling out "hey sexy" and "I love you!" Some were even confident enough to grab at our arms and shove us in the direction of whatever knock off brand they were trying to sell. At first it was extremely intimidating but after a day or two I was completely used to it and actually began joking around and having fun with them.
I quickly realized that although things are cheap in Bali (I took out about $200.00 Australian dollars and it equated to almost $2 million Rupiah) it is very easy to spend money quickly. Despite the fact trinkets were anywhere between 50 cents and a dollar things quickly added up. We also learned that the area we were in was a little more touristy and most of the places to eat charged quite a bit more for any food that was not Indonesian. I found myself eating about my weight in fried rice while there as the typical meal in Bali is a pile of fried rice (with maybe a few small pieces of chicken) and a fried egg. It was delicious at first, but six days of fried rice is a lot!
Perhaps the favorite part of my trip was spending time in the hostel and getting to know the other people staying there. I had yet to have a complete "hostel experience" and didn't realize what an unique experience it is. As mentioned before the hostel was small so everyone knew everyone very quickly. As the days passed people came and went, mostly traveling alone and in the middle of epic adventures around the world. I found the people I met to be some of the most fascinating and friendly people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. I fell in love with the openness and carefree attitude of the other travelers. I listened to stories about riding camels in India, skiing in New Zealand and running from the cops in Singapore. Every time I met a new person the introduction always included "where are you coming from and where are you going next?". I knew people by where they called home or an adventure they experienced, rather than their given name. Every person had a story to share, something I could learn from and I did my best to absorb everything I could - I can't even describe what an amazing experience it was. I met people ranging in ages twenty to sixty and enjoyed long conversations with all of them, typically during a meal, at the pool or long after the sun went down. It was absolutely fantastic.
Another thing I wanted to mention quickly was this cute little place I found down the alley leading to our hostel. Within the first couple of days in Bali I quickly realized I was going to get a lot more out of the trip if I kind of did things on my own. As my friends went off and traveled in a pack, I stayed behind, doing whatever I felt like at the moment and picking up companions along the way. One of the first days I ventured out by myself I came across Mama's. Mama's is what you would call a complete hole in the wall of a place, in fact unless you literally ran into it (as I did) you would never find it. It's a place where the locals go to hang out and Mama takes good care of them. There is a menu but it doesn't really matter because Mama makes you whatever she wants to make. She has the coldest beer in all of Bali and the cheapest prices. I quickly found myself spending a great deal of time at Mama's, sipping on diet cokes and shoveling in fried rice. It was the place I learned the most about Bali, listening to the stories of the locals and enjoying the company of some friends from the hostel.
I wish I could give you more detail about what I did during my six days in Bali, but I suppose on the surface it doesn't seem like I did much. I talked and I wrote and I read. I walked around and laid by the pool.. I even got a little bit of a tan! The most adventurous event that occurred was when one of my traveling companions did not come home one night and I about had a heart attack until she wandered in the next afternoon, completely unaware of how worried the rest of us were. The return home was also quite a bit of an adventure. We had to check out of the hostel around 12:00 on Saturday and didn't leave for the airport until 7:00pm for a flight at 11:00pm. We hoped on our flight from Bali to Darwin and landed around 3:30am in Darwin, a two hour flight (due to the time change) that I did not get any sleep on. We had a lay over in Darwin until 6:30am when we got on a flight to Cairns, arriving around 9:30am still without having slept. We then waited around in Cairns until our greyhound at 1:00pm - I spent most of the time at this little coffee shop reading and sipping on a smoothie. Our greyhound bus got us into Townsville at 7:00pm on Sunday night and I was lucky enough to sit next to a chatty elderly women who literally showed me pictures of every one of her grandchildren - needless to say I didn't sleep on the bus ride either.
That brings me to right now - hunched over my computer, eyes half closed and about ready to fall back asleep. It's 1:14 in the afternoon and I'm ready for bed - actually I think I'll head there right now. Below I uploaded a few pictures so that you could take a look at the hostel as well as the streets of Bali. I plan on writing again soon, between the epic amounts of work I have to get done before Melissa and Dad get here a week from tomorrow! I'm so unbelievably excited, but I can't start thinking/writing about it just yet because I wont be able to concentrate on anything else!
Love and miss you all,
xoxo Sara
My room at the hostel! The top is a huge bed and the bottom is more like a couch, sitting area.
This is the little hut and pool that I spent a ton of time at. The pool was amazing and I personally liked to lay on the black border area, sunbathing like a lizard! :) Under the hut there are a bunch of chairs and pillows where a bunch of us would gather at night and talk for hours.
That seat all the way on the right is where I spent a great deal of my time, writing, reading and enjoying conversation with the other people at the hostel - it's in the main lobby where breakfast is served.
These are the offers put out every morning but pretty much everyone in Bali. They are meant to bless buildings, businesses and families. It's the woman's job to put them together each morning - they are filled with flowers, rice and crackers.
I'm a Balinese millionaire!!
Coca-Cola can be found everywhere - they even had delivery McDonalds! On the side you can see all the motorcycles lined up - people constantly tried to rent them to us but I was sure I'd kill myself or someone else if I actually tried to drive one (on the other side of the road in a country with zero traffic laws!)
This is an example of one of the nicer stores on the road. It was full of beads and bracelets. Typically the owners would sit on the side of the road and call out - trying to get you to enter their store. Most of the stores were make shift and were covered in fabric.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Lecture Recess!
Hey there,
As of 3:00 today I'm officially on lecture recess which means Bali is right around the corner! It actually hasn't hit me that I'm leaving in two days, mainly because of the copious amounts of work I've been bogged down with this week. Finally, the light at the end of the tunnel is in sight and I'm running at it with full force! Just one more tutorial (only 50 minutes!) is in between me and freedom! :)
I've been reading up on Bali recently int his Lonely Planet book I borrowed from a girl on college who went last year. It's actually a really good read and what I've realized more than anything is that it is very, very good I am learning about the culture prior to going - there are so many small things that are vital to know. For instance, how much is appropriate to pay for a taxi or a meal. What I've taken away from the reading I have done (and I plan to do more on the plane!) is that as long as I use my head and expect the unexpected then I will be just fine! No worries - I've got myself covered! Although, I'm a little bumped I "forgot" to bring that amazing waist pocket thing my Dad so thoughtful bought for my stocking this Christmas - potentially could have come in handy.
I found out that I got a "D" on my midterm in Social Psychology. Now before you all freak out on my behalf I want to remind you that a "D" is actually equivalent to a B+ in the states.. so I'm not completely upset with my performance. I still have time and opportunities to bring the grade up to an "HD" which is equivalent to our "A" in the states. As for the rest of my assignments I'm going to have to wait a little longer to get the grades back on those.
Anyway - enough talk about school because there are more important things in my future - like Bali! I'm jumping on a greyhound bus at 2:30 on Saturday afternoon and making the five hour drive to Carines. We are staying at a hostel about 10 minutes from the airport called Gilligans that we have heard good things about. I don't think we will do much on Saturday night after the long bus ride and flight early in the morning. Sunday we will be flying to Bali and spending a week there - flying back to Carines the following Sunday and catching a bus back to Townsville.
Once we are in Bali I think we are just going to settle into the hostel and wander around - most likely spending the first few days just exploring. I have read that it is a little bit of a culture shock when you first get there and might take a few days to feel comfortable with the area. I guess we are very close to a couple markets and beaches which is where we will spend most of our time. The group I'm going with is very interested in using this time to just relax and get some serious beach hours in - which I'm all for! I do want to do some exploring - I mean how can I not after seeing "Eat Pray Love"!
I'll try my best to find a place to use the internet once or twice while I'm there so I can send out some quick messages letting people know I'm alive and doing well. I miss you all very, very much and can't wait to get back and update you on my travels!
Love you xoxo
As of 3:00 today I'm officially on lecture recess which means Bali is right around the corner! It actually hasn't hit me that I'm leaving in two days, mainly because of the copious amounts of work I've been bogged down with this week. Finally, the light at the end of the tunnel is in sight and I'm running at it with full force! Just one more tutorial (only 50 minutes!) is in between me and freedom! :)
I've been reading up on Bali recently int his Lonely Planet book I borrowed from a girl on college who went last year. It's actually a really good read and what I've realized more than anything is that it is very, very good I am learning about the culture prior to going - there are so many small things that are vital to know. For instance, how much is appropriate to pay for a taxi or a meal. What I've taken away from the reading I have done (and I plan to do more on the plane!) is that as long as I use my head and expect the unexpected then I will be just fine! No worries - I've got myself covered! Although, I'm a little bumped I "forgot" to bring that amazing waist pocket thing my Dad so thoughtful bought for my stocking this Christmas - potentially could have come in handy.
I found out that I got a "D" on my midterm in Social Psychology. Now before you all freak out on my behalf I want to remind you that a "D" is actually equivalent to a B+ in the states.. so I'm not completely upset with my performance. I still have time and opportunities to bring the grade up to an "HD" which is equivalent to our "A" in the states. As for the rest of my assignments I'm going to have to wait a little longer to get the grades back on those.
Anyway - enough talk about school because there are more important things in my future - like Bali! I'm jumping on a greyhound bus at 2:30 on Saturday afternoon and making the five hour drive to Carines. We are staying at a hostel about 10 minutes from the airport called Gilligans that we have heard good things about. I don't think we will do much on Saturday night after the long bus ride and flight early in the morning. Sunday we will be flying to Bali and spending a week there - flying back to Carines the following Sunday and catching a bus back to Townsville.
Once we are in Bali I think we are just going to settle into the hostel and wander around - most likely spending the first few days just exploring. I have read that it is a little bit of a culture shock when you first get there and might take a few days to feel comfortable with the area. I guess we are very close to a couple markets and beaches which is where we will spend most of our time. The group I'm going with is very interested in using this time to just relax and get some serious beach hours in - which I'm all for! I do want to do some exploring - I mean how can I not after seeing "Eat Pray Love"!
I'll try my best to find a place to use the internet once or twice while I'm there so I can send out some quick messages letting people know I'm alive and doing well. I miss you all very, very much and can't wait to get back and update you on my travels!
Love you xoxo
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Crunch Time
Hey everyone,
It's the weekend before midterm week and I thought I would take a nice little break from studying and update you all on all the exciting things I have been up to. Ha, actually - I've been up to almost nothing expect for trying to get some work done. Grading and work in general is so much different than it is at home and it's really taking some getting used to. For example, each lecturer can only give out a certain amount of A's, B's, C's ect.. which is insane! Needless to say I've been freaking out a little bit about making sure I'm in the running for those higher grades.
I have a lab report due on Wednesday that I have to do very well on because the first one I turned in did not go over well. I also have a midterm in social psychology on Tuesday morning and an assignment due for history on Thursday. It should be an interesting (and sleepless!) week.
I realized that some of you aren't on facebook and might want to see some of my Sydney pictures so below I attached a couple so you can take a look! I hope you like them :)
It's the weekend before midterm week and I thought I would take a nice little break from studying and update you all on all the exciting things I have been up to. Ha, actually - I've been up to almost nothing expect for trying to get some work done. Grading and work in general is so much different than it is at home and it's really taking some getting used to. For example, each lecturer can only give out a certain amount of A's, B's, C's ect.. which is insane! Needless to say I've been freaking out a little bit about making sure I'm in the running for those higher grades.
I have a lab report due on Wednesday that I have to do very well on because the first one I turned in did not go over well. I also have a midterm in social psychology on Tuesday morning and an assignment due for history on Thursday. It should be an interesting (and sleepless!) week.
I realized that some of you aren't on facebook and might want to see some of my Sydney pictures so below I attached a couple so you can take a look! I hope you like them :)
Hope you are all well - miss and love you <3
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Sydney!
Hey there!
Sorry it’s been so long since I’ve blogged but I’ve had the most insane past couple of days! As you know I spent Thursday through Monday in Sydney which was absolutely amazing – something I will never forget. Once back in Townsville I had to seriously crack down on some assignments because the week after next is spring break which means the lecturers are piling on the work load now!
I do want to give you a quick summary of my time in Sydney.. which started on Thursday afternoon around 3:00pm when we got to our hostel called X Base. I was surprised to find how perfectly positioned it was – we were right next to one of the largest streets running through Sydney and only about a 20 minute walk from the Opera House and Sydney Bridge. As soon as our taxi dropped us off in front of the hostel we quickly checked in and threw our bags in our room. We stayed in a small room with ten beds (bunk beds) that squeaked worse than any bed I’ve never been in – needless to say I barely slept during my stay.
Once we had dropped out bags we immediately hit the pavement – heading in the general direction of the water. It was the most amazing, beautiful day and we snapped pictures as we weaved our ways through the streets of Sydney. The lighting was perfect as it was late afternoon and the sun was beginning to set. I was in amazement at the buildings and people – it was one of the most unique and interesting cities I have ever visited.
We made it down to the Sydney harbor just as the sun was setting and got some amazing pictures of the bridge and opera house. It was the first time I really felt like I was in Australia – seeing the historical landmarks just made everything so much more real. I was also travelling with a small group of my peers which made me feel so independent and just.. alive. I don’t know it’s hard to explain, but that first day in Sydney was just magical – nothing in the world could bring me down.
After walking for about four hours we decided our stomachs needed to be fed and headed to this little restaurant we had spotted earlier. I had the most amazing chicken risotto and we took our time enjoying each other’s company and marvelling at our surroundings. All and all it was an amazing day and perhaps one of the best days I’ve had in Australia up to this point.
The next day (Friday) we woke up and went exploring yet again – wanting to see the city in the morning. We walked for about three hours then headed back to X Base for a free bus ride to the beach with a BBQ included. We squeezed on this giant party bus with other residents of X Base and spent the ride to the beach dancing and singing to the blaring music. It was quite the experience and so much fun. Once at the beach we all hung out and the representatives from X Base organized some games on the beach that a lot of people participated in.
Saturday was a cold and overcast day, but it didn’t stop us from waking up early and exploring the city some more. We headed to the harbor again and bought tickets for the ferry to the zoo. The ferry ride, despite the cold weather, was actually enjoyable because we were able to see the harbor from a completely different view. The zoo itself was absolutely amazing and the rain held off until just before we were leaving. I was surprised at how close we were able to get to the animals and the views from the zoo were incredible – the zoo itself is on a giant hill that overlooks the harbor.
Saturday night we spent getting to know our other roommates – four English travellers about our ages. Two of them were girls who were friends from home and happened to meet up in Sydney. One of them plans to stay for awhile and currently has a job at a school and the other was making a quick stop before heading to L.A. The other two roommates were guys who decided to take a year off before heading to college and travel together. They had just been in New Zealand for three weeks and are planning to drive up the coast of Australia then heading to China for three weeks. It was so interesting just talking to them about their travels - the things they have seen and places they have been.
Sunday was our last day in Sydney and we spent it wandering around yet again – we walked for over five hours, exploring new parts of the city. We decided to walk all the way to the bridge and on our way passed this street called the Rocks. Apparently every Sunday they have a farmers market there and we when we passed we were surprisingly met by hundreds of little tents set up all along the road. People were selling everything from strawberries dipped in chocolate to Christmas ornaments. We had a great time just wandering through the tents, trying free samples and looking at the crafts made by Australians. Eventually we made it to the bridge and walked about half way across – spending time just to stop and look out the city. By the time we got back to X Base it was already dinner time so we washed up and headed to George Street (the major street in Sydney) and grabbed a quick bite to eat.
Our last night in Sydney included us all snuggling up in our room and watching movies on my computer. It was a nice, relaxing way to end the most amazing trip. Oh, and I almost forgot to mention the amazing café that was right down the street from X Base. I found it the first morning in Sydney and had a cup of coffee and breakfast sandwich there every morning after. It was a little Mum and Pop shop owned by this adorable Greek family. I absolutely loved the atmosphere and the food was delicious! Perhaps one of my favorite parts about Sydney was finding my little café!
Anyway – since being back I’ve buckled down and been trying to get a lot of work done. I have already turned in two assignments since being back and next week is full of midterms. Tomorrow night we have this big get together with all of George Roberts and other than that I will not be socializing with anyone this weekend – it’s time to get serious! J
Hopefully I’ll have time to post here and there this next week – Sorry for the long span between this one and the last one!
Love and miss you all xoxo
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Sydney Bound
Hey everyone,
So I haven't written in awhile - mainly because absolutely nothing of any interest has happened. Haha, okay well that's not entirely true because every day here seems like an adventure. Basically, I spent the weekend with my textbooks and read.. a lot. I think I read over 300 pages of text - that has to be some sort of record. Can I at least get a high five for that effort? Thanks :)
Monday a bunch of just went to the River for awhile to soak up the sun. I grabbed some of these huge, industrial inner tubes and we made our way there. It was hot as! (That's a saying here..! and one of my favorites!) I actually only stayed for about an hour and a half because I was already starting to get burned. Regardless, it was a great way to mix up the day and the sun always puts me in a great mood.
I also have been sticking to my behavior modification assignment by going to the gym regularly. The other day a bunch of us went for a run around 7:00pm through these neighborhoods behind George Roberts. At first I was hesitant because I'm really not an outdoor type of runner (treadmill please!) but it was fantastic! The temperature was perfect, the humidity from earlier had melted away and the neighborhood had a bunch of hills and things to make the run more entertaining. I felt amazing afterward - so hyped up!
Today was spent in classes - yippie! I played with a virtual rat for two hours and conditioned it to be scared of a little light flashing. If it wasn't a virtual animal I think I would have actually had a problem with it. I also realized how much work I have due within the next couple of days. Okay, well that's actually a lie, I don't have that much it's more that I realized I'm leaving for four days and not going to get anything done. All I really have to do is edit my paper, add in the correct citations and then take two more photographs for my portfolio. Regardless, I had a mini melt down about all the stuff I have due. Also, I found out the photograph I submitted for our first assignment was submitted wrong and he wont give me credit for it.. so for my first ever assignment in Australia I received a huge zero - fantastic start Sara! :)
No worries though because in about 15 hours I'll be flying high above Townsville on my way to Sydney! I'm so excited I can't even contain myself. We are staying at this hostel called X Base right in the center of Sydney. I guess we are in walking distance of the Sydney Bridge as well as the Opera House and other must-see attractions. I just can't wait to get out of George Roberts for a little bit and feel like a real, live adult traveling with my friends.
I don't know how much I'll be able to post while I'm there. I am bringing my computer (called ahead to make sure I could lock it up!) because I'm hoping to get some work done on the flight - of course, stereotypical me! Anyway, I'll update you all as soon as I'm back on all my adventures (I'm sure there will be a lot!) and post lots of pictures.
Love you all so much and miss you xoxo
Talk to you when I talk to you!
So I haven't written in awhile - mainly because absolutely nothing of any interest has happened. Haha, okay well that's not entirely true because every day here seems like an adventure. Basically, I spent the weekend with my textbooks and read.. a lot. I think I read over 300 pages of text - that has to be some sort of record. Can I at least get a high five for that effort? Thanks :)
Monday a bunch of just went to the River for awhile to soak up the sun. I grabbed some of these huge, industrial inner tubes and we made our way there. It was hot as! (That's a saying here..! and one of my favorites!) I actually only stayed for about an hour and a half because I was already starting to get burned. Regardless, it was a great way to mix up the day and the sun always puts me in a great mood.
I also have been sticking to my behavior modification assignment by going to the gym regularly. The other day a bunch of us went for a run around 7:00pm through these neighborhoods behind George Roberts. At first I was hesitant because I'm really not an outdoor type of runner (treadmill please!) but it was fantastic! The temperature was perfect, the humidity from earlier had melted away and the neighborhood had a bunch of hills and things to make the run more entertaining. I felt amazing afterward - so hyped up!
Today was spent in classes - yippie! I played with a virtual rat for two hours and conditioned it to be scared of a little light flashing. If it wasn't a virtual animal I think I would have actually had a problem with it. I also realized how much work I have due within the next couple of days. Okay, well that's actually a lie, I don't have that much it's more that I realized I'm leaving for four days and not going to get anything done. All I really have to do is edit my paper, add in the correct citations and then take two more photographs for my portfolio. Regardless, I had a mini melt down about all the stuff I have due. Also, I found out the photograph I submitted for our first assignment was submitted wrong and he wont give me credit for it.. so for my first ever assignment in Australia I received a huge zero - fantastic start Sara! :)
No worries though because in about 15 hours I'll be flying high above Townsville on my way to Sydney! I'm so excited I can't even contain myself. We are staying at this hostel called X Base right in the center of Sydney. I guess we are in walking distance of the Sydney Bridge as well as the Opera House and other must-see attractions. I just can't wait to get out of George Roberts for a little bit and feel like a real, live adult traveling with my friends.
I don't know how much I'll be able to post while I'm there. I am bringing my computer (called ahead to make sure I could lock it up!) because I'm hoping to get some work done on the flight - of course, stereotypical me! Anyway, I'll update you all as soon as I'm back on all my adventures (I'm sure there will be a lot!) and post lots of pictures.
Love you all so much and miss you xoxo
Talk to you when I talk to you!
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Photographs! :)
Hey everyone,
Today I went for a hike behind the University and took some pictures. I know some of you may be interested to see what my dorm looks like and stuff so I decided I'd upload a few that I took before leaving George Roberts. I'd give you all an update on what's going on here but it's been completely dead. I've spent most of the weekend in my room trying to study and write papers. My complete lack of social life is mainly due to the fact that all the Australians have left us this weekend - and even some of the Americans. It's absolutely dead and almost creepy here at good old GR.
Anyway - I'll update as soon as something interesting happens, which I hope is soon! :) Count down to Sydney is now at five days! Yay!!
Love and miss you all xoxo
Today I went for a hike behind the University and took some pictures. I know some of you may be interested to see what my dorm looks like and stuff so I decided I'd upload a few that I took before leaving George Roberts. I'd give you all an update on what's going on here but it's been completely dead. I've spent most of the weekend in my room trying to study and write papers. My complete lack of social life is mainly due to the fact that all the Australians have left us this weekend - and even some of the Americans. It's absolutely dead and almost creepy here at good old GR.
Anyway - I'll update as soon as something interesting happens, which I hope is soon! :) Count down to Sydney is now at five days! Yay!!
Love and miss you all xoxo
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Happy St.Patrick's Day!
Hey there,
So it's actually not St. Patrick's Day here - but I thought since it is at home I'd celebrate with you :) Actually, it's past midnight at home now so I guess it's not there either! I'm failing! Haha Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed the holiday, wore green and pinched those who didn't! Specifically you Melissa, since you're like the only actual Irish person I know! :)
Nothing much has happened recently - other than all the hibernating I have been doing. I realized how many assignments I have due in the next couple of weeks and kind of freaked out a little bit! More than anything I'm nervous about turning in papers just because I don't know the level I'm supposed to be at or exactly what the expectations are - guess I'll find out! I also realized I have to get the majority of my work done this weekend because on Thursday I'm leaving for Sydney!
Excited doesn't even cover my feelings towards heading to Sydney. It's my first big trip here and the first trip I've ever taken that is with a small group of peers just figuring stuff out as we go. We have zero plans other than where we are staying. I'm looking forward to experiencing that type of trip - where you just do what you want when you want to do it - see what you want to see.
Anyway - I really thought that I would have more to say but I'm coming up blank! I think the most exciting part of my week was finally Skyping with Melissa since I haven't really talked to her since being here. It was so nice to see her and catch up a little bit! I found it ironic because as soon as she was around to talk suddenly Dan and Kathleen were interested in Skyping me - something I've been hunting them down to do for weeks! Oh well - I was happy to see all their faces regardless.
I guess I'll leave you here - maybe do some reading or watch another Disney movie! :)
Love and miss you all xoxo
So it's actually not St. Patrick's Day here - but I thought since it is at home I'd celebrate with you :) Actually, it's past midnight at home now so I guess it's not there either! I'm failing! Haha Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed the holiday, wore green and pinched those who didn't! Specifically you Melissa, since you're like the only actual Irish person I know! :)
Nothing much has happened recently - other than all the hibernating I have been doing. I realized how many assignments I have due in the next couple of weeks and kind of freaked out a little bit! More than anything I'm nervous about turning in papers just because I don't know the level I'm supposed to be at or exactly what the expectations are - guess I'll find out! I also realized I have to get the majority of my work done this weekend because on Thursday I'm leaving for Sydney!
Excited doesn't even cover my feelings towards heading to Sydney. It's my first big trip here and the first trip I've ever taken that is with a small group of peers just figuring stuff out as we go. We have zero plans other than where we are staying. I'm looking forward to experiencing that type of trip - where you just do what you want when you want to do it - see what you want to see.
Anyway - I really thought that I would have more to say but I'm coming up blank! I think the most exciting part of my week was finally Skyping with Melissa since I haven't really talked to her since being here. It was so nice to see her and catch up a little bit! I found it ironic because as soon as she was around to talk suddenly Dan and Kathleen were interested in Skyping me - something I've been hunting them down to do for weeks! Oh well - I was happy to see all their faces regardless.
I guess I'll leave you here - maybe do some reading or watch another Disney movie! :)
Love and miss you all xoxo
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Portfolio 1
Hey!
So I told you I would upload some of my photographs for my class.. I have taken three different themes so far and will post a couple of my favorites.
Hope you like them! :)
So I told you I would upload some of my photographs for my class.. I have taken three different themes so far and will post a couple of my favorites.
Hope you like them! :)
Rain & Photographs
Hey there,
So it's Tuesday night here and has been raining pretty much all day. I had an early morning, 8:00am social psychology class, and found myself walking there in a light drizzle. I wasn't quite as lucky when I walked to my next class, finding myself in a complete down pour. I was lucky though because there was a break in the storm just as I made the trek back to George Roberts.
With all this rain comes some serious flooding which brings me to my Monday night. I had been putting laundry off for about.. ever and finally decided it was time to man up - that and I was fresh out of clean shirts :) So around 8:00pm I put my laundry in and prepared for a nice, relaxing night in. As I was coming back from switching my laundry to the dryer it started to massively down pour - heaps and heaps of rain like I've never seen before. I was just standing on the ledge to my room watching it pour. Across the way some people started emerging from their rooms with skim boards, prepared to skim across the grass. I watched in amazement as slowly but surely the original boarders were joined by more people ready to try their luck across the lawn.
I was then struck my the thoughts of my previous post - about living in the moment and sometimes doing things without making a pro and con list beforehand. So I forgot my laundry, grabbed the only clean clothing I had and made my way through the pond that was now forming. The rain was so heavy I could feel it almost stinging against my skin as I ran through the grass. I looked up and took in the moment - like I told myself I would do. There I was, standing in the pouring rain and I wasn't cold, there I was amongst almost strangers squinting to see in the dark.
When I finally got my laundry and neatly folded it I was again struck by the opportunities given to those who choose to live the unplanned life. When things aren't mapped out, scheduled to a tee, then one finds themselves surrounding by time - time that can be filled with small adventures.
Speaking of adventures I had quite the experience today. This morning my friend and I decided to plan out our photography project that is quickly approaching. Knowing I have just about zero experience with a camera I wanted to get a jump start in case my ideas didn't pan out the exact way I want. As we bounced ideas off of one another our excitement for the project grew and we decided to start taking pictures later that afternoon.After class I grabbed some props and headed to Nicole's room where she was applying copious amounts of make-up. I laid my props across the floor of her common room and began to organize them in an "artistic" manner. I have to say I have a whole new appreciation for photographers!
The theme I'm going for is Truth vs. Lies and this diptych was intended to show a woman in intense make-up and then the same woman with a clean face. I put Nicole in a flashy shirt and had her lay down behind the props I'd organized earlier. The props consisted of make up, brushes, nail polish and every other girly thing you can think of. I worked with the depth of the photograph, trying to make Nicole sharp and the props blurry. It was much harder than I originally thought but all and all I think I got a pretty good photograph out of it.
Next we moved on to the bathroom where I had Nicole wet her hair and shed her make up. I wanted to work with shutter speed and catch Nicole splashing water over her face. Between the horrible light and small, awkward shape of our bathrooms I was unable to get the image I was looking for. Instead we opted to take advantage of the storm outside. Nicole had the idea of standing outside under a stream of water falling from the top floor of George Roberts. Although they aren't perfect I have to say they are pretty amazing shots. I'm so excited just thinking about them! I was able to catch the water droplets actually flowing down her face and she did a fantastic job as a model.
All and all I was extremely happy with the first attempt. I'm now working on the last two sets of pairs and will let you know how they go! Also, the photographs I've already taken are on Nicole's camera but as soon as I upload them I'll post a few of my favorites and you can let me know what you think! But be easy because it's my first attempt behind a camera!
Anyway - I'm headed to get some work done and maybe go to the gym! I have to start that behavior modification thing at some point I suppose! :)
Love and miss you all <3
So it's Tuesday night here and has been raining pretty much all day. I had an early morning, 8:00am social psychology class, and found myself walking there in a light drizzle. I wasn't quite as lucky when I walked to my next class, finding myself in a complete down pour. I was lucky though because there was a break in the storm just as I made the trek back to George Roberts.
With all this rain comes some serious flooding which brings me to my Monday night. I had been putting laundry off for about.. ever and finally decided it was time to man up - that and I was fresh out of clean shirts :) So around 8:00pm I put my laundry in and prepared for a nice, relaxing night in. As I was coming back from switching my laundry to the dryer it started to massively down pour - heaps and heaps of rain like I've never seen before. I was just standing on the ledge to my room watching it pour. Across the way some people started emerging from their rooms with skim boards, prepared to skim across the grass. I watched in amazement as slowly but surely the original boarders were joined by more people ready to try their luck across the lawn.
I was then struck my the thoughts of my previous post - about living in the moment and sometimes doing things without making a pro and con list beforehand. So I forgot my laundry, grabbed the only clean clothing I had and made my way through the pond that was now forming. The rain was so heavy I could feel it almost stinging against my skin as I ran through the grass. I looked up and took in the moment - like I told myself I would do. There I was, standing in the pouring rain and I wasn't cold, there I was amongst almost strangers squinting to see in the dark.
When I finally got my laundry and neatly folded it I was again struck by the opportunities given to those who choose to live the unplanned life. When things aren't mapped out, scheduled to a tee, then one finds themselves surrounding by time - time that can be filled with small adventures.
Speaking of adventures I had quite the experience today. This morning my friend and I decided to plan out our photography project that is quickly approaching. Knowing I have just about zero experience with a camera I wanted to get a jump start in case my ideas didn't pan out the exact way I want. As we bounced ideas off of one another our excitement for the project grew and we decided to start taking pictures later that afternoon.After class I grabbed some props and headed to Nicole's room where she was applying copious amounts of make-up. I laid my props across the floor of her common room and began to organize them in an "artistic" manner. I have to say I have a whole new appreciation for photographers!
The theme I'm going for is Truth vs. Lies and this diptych was intended to show a woman in intense make-up and then the same woman with a clean face. I put Nicole in a flashy shirt and had her lay down behind the props I'd organized earlier. The props consisted of make up, brushes, nail polish and every other girly thing you can think of. I worked with the depth of the photograph, trying to make Nicole sharp and the props blurry. It was much harder than I originally thought but all and all I think I got a pretty good photograph out of it.
Next we moved on to the bathroom where I had Nicole wet her hair and shed her make up. I wanted to work with shutter speed and catch Nicole splashing water over her face. Between the horrible light and small, awkward shape of our bathrooms I was unable to get the image I was looking for. Instead we opted to take advantage of the storm outside. Nicole had the idea of standing outside under a stream of water falling from the top floor of George Roberts. Although they aren't perfect I have to say they are pretty amazing shots. I'm so excited just thinking about them! I was able to catch the water droplets actually flowing down her face and she did a fantastic job as a model.
All and all I was extremely happy with the first attempt. I'm now working on the last two sets of pairs and will let you know how they go! Also, the photographs I've already taken are on Nicole's camera but as soon as I upload them I'll post a few of my favorites and you can let me know what you think! But be easy because it's my first attempt behind a camera!
Anyway - I'm headed to get some work done and maybe go to the gym! I have to start that behavior modification thing at some point I suppose! :)
Love and miss you all <3
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