I will be going on the CIEE sponsored trip called Perth, Australia: Sustainability and the Environment. This trip has a curriculum focused on environmental science in Australia and will include a variety of field trips or “excursions” (for which I am particularly excited). Some of the things I look forward to are seeing the extremely diverse wildlife which inhabit the continent, surfing for the first time, hearing all the Australian accents, and seeing if the toilets do actually flush in the opposite direction. A huge advantage of going to Australia during February is that I will be missing the harsh Happy Valley winter and replacing it will sweet Aussie sunshine since the seasons are reversed.

My goals for this trip is to live like the locals do. I want to immerse myself in the culture, eat what the locals eat, learn the lingo, and then reflect on what it is like. One of my favorite shows is Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations partially because he doesn’t do most of the things tourists do, but he finds locals and experiences what they do on a daily basis. I feel like I will do some touristy things but I ultimately want to have an encompassing experience which feels as though I am a native of the country: To live with no reservations.

Well, I hope you all continue to follow my entries and you can expect my next one the second my plane has landed in Perth (or shortly thereafter).

Cheers!