Tag Archives: australia

First Day of Class, Halfway Around the World

After a week of fun, the first day of class rolled around before we knew it! Since I only had one class the first day, there was not all too much to report. My first class, International Marketing, did not have any major differences from classes in America, in fact about 85% of the class is American students. However, a few interesting concepts were introduced and hopefully I will be able to learn information that can be related to my major as well as everyday life.

First day of class in the center of Bond Uni campus

Generally speaking, classes here are taken pretty seriously, and the expectations are that you will be responsible for your own work and to act respectably, if not professionally. Most classes are heavily attendance based, and typically have grading criteria including a mid-semester and final exam and a couple case studies. One of the most interesting things I have experienced here so far is the large mix of different kinds of people. They say America is the melting pot of the world, but Australia has all different ethnicities and types of people. I am very much looking forward to meeting and interacting with so many different kinds of people! Since my first day of class was pretty mellow, I decided to blog about some of the major differences I have noticed between here and home over my first week:

1. Dress: People dress well, all the time, for everything. Working out, casual, going out, work.. everything.

2. Physique: Everyone is physically fit, most people work out in the morning and most stores and businesses don’t open until around 9am.

3. Bagels: Don’t exist in Australia. (Just like cough drops don’t exist in Italy.)

4. Sides: In America you walk on the right side, but in Australia you walk on the left. Car drivers are also seated on the right side of the car, and drive on the left side of the road.

5. Accents: Just like American’s, most Australian’s I’ve met either can’t hear their own accent or think it sounds funny. They generally like American accents, and it’s quite amusing to hear an Aussie impersonate an American. I’ve already been told at least three times already that someone likes MY accent.. apparently it’s not too strong/American-sounding, and sounds slightly Canadian?

6. Phrases: Instead of asking “How are you doing?” they ask “How are you going?”

7. Coffee: In general coffee is fantastic here, and much stronger than in the States. Also, when ordering iced coffee, it comes with a scoop of ice cream.

8. Sunshine: There’s a hole in the ozone, so the sun’s a lot stronger here. Sunscreen is definitely a must!

9. Legalities: The legal drinking age is 18, which means the school has an on-campus, licensed bar that hosts theme parties every Thursday night, then provides buses to and from downtown Surfers Paradise. Quite different from home!

10. Apartments: The apartments are WAY nicer, for about the same cost as at home. There are several gated complexes that also come with additional amenities like pools, saunas, balconies, and beautiful views.

11: BBQ: Barbecue is a huge part of Australian culture. Usually sausage, burgers, and veggie patties are served. You also eat it with sliced bread, not rolls, and “ketchup” exists but tastes slightly different.

12. Education: Instead of going to College, you go to University, which is also called Uni. Education programs are also much more intense, so that younger people have higher degrees at lower ages.

13. Travel: People travel a lot more, especially on Holiday breaks or during transition periods throughout life. This includes around Australia itself but also to other parts of the world.

14. Time: There is no rush, ever. Generally if a time is set or an event is supposed to start, that’s when people leave or start setting up. It’s also always just a little more unorganized than it feels like in America, but also less pressure of time and responsibility.

15. There are stores that very much remind you of stores in America, but with different names. For example, Donut King = Dunkin Donuts (same font and everything), Lovisa = Claire’s, and Once in a Year = Aerie.

16. Measurements: Australia is 15 hours ahead than America. As a shortcut, if you are in America, reverse am/pm then add three to figure out what time it is in Australia (depends on exact location, but that’s what it was for me!). Distance is measured in kilometers verses miles and weight is in kilograms verses pounds.

17. Words are spelled differently, and the letter z basically doesn’t exist. Z is also said “Zedd” instead of “Z.” Examples include words like: organised, maximise, customise. Words spelled with o are also typically spelled with ou, like colour.

*Disclaimer! These have been my first impressions of Australia, and some items may not be 100% accurate. However, just trying to give everyone at home a glimpse at how life differs on the other side of the world! While I have definitely come across some differences, I am also loving learning about and experiencing Australia!

G’Day Bond!

Over a week after landing in Gold Coast, Australia, I finally am having the opportunity to sit down and write a little about what adventures I’ve had over the past week! Between all the things we’ve done and the technological difficulties, it took a little while to get the first post up! I’ve decided to post at least once a week, with extra posts for additional adventures. Here’s a day by day breakdown of the events and experiences I’ve had during orientation, or O-week:

Monday

After a 15 hour flight to Hong Kong, 6 hour layover, 9 hour flight to Brisbane, hotel stay, and hour shuttle ride to Gold Coast, I arrived at my apartment complex! Since it’s right across Lake Orr from the school, we could see campus upon arrival. Looking at the Bond University sign mounted on a building was very surreal!

I checked into Varsity Towers, dropped my stuff off in my new studio apartment, and headed with a friend to check her into the dorms. We walked around campus, and got all the logistics done like getting our ID cards and checking classes. We attended our first Australian Barbecue ever! I later went back to my apartment to unpack some essentials, attend a building orientation, and change to go experience our first night about town. We met a few Australians on campus who gave us some advice and information about the area, and soon we all headed to Surfers Paradise. We met a few interesting people traveling over Holiday, and by the next morning could not BELIEVE we had only been in Gold Coast for less than 24 hours. It seemed like a fantastic eternity since we had done so many new and exciting things!

Lake view off Varsity Tower apartments

Tuesday

I attended a Writing Workshop to see what expectations there would be for classes here at Bond. It was a good session to get a taste of the work ethic here. A few of us then went to “Sandstone to Sunset,” a formal reception welcoming new students to campus. There were several speakers, as well as a traditional indigenous performance and blessing. We also got alumni class pins. After unpacking a little more (it took basically all week), we got ready for the ABC (anything but clothes) party. Since the legal age is 18 in Australia, there is a fully licensed on-campus bar called Don’s that hosts theme parties every Thursday night, and afterward provides buses to and from downtown Surfers Paradise. People get really into theme parties here!

On the way home that evening walking on the lake boardwalk back to my apartment, I had a moment thinking how lucky I am to be in this beautiful place. It was peaceful and calming and I cannot WAIT to experience living here.

Nightlife in Surfer’s Paradise

Wednesday

The only part of jetlag that has been hitting me is that I keep waking up, wide awake, at 6:30am. This isn’t terrible, but I’m sure I’ll get adjusted soon! Today, I attended “Wednesday by the Water” BBQ, checked out the campus gym and pool area, and went with a group of friends on a campus tour. The things that strike me the most about campus here is that it is absolutely breathtaking, and SO much smaller than Penn State’s campus. The bookstore is inside the library, and the gift shop at home is about six times larger than the actual textbook store is at Bond. There’s also only one dining hall and a “large” class has max 40 people in it. Campus life is a little different here, but I think it will be exciting!

Thursday

I woke up early and ventured out to Pacific Fair Mall, where I took care of my phone plan and got a few groceries. I made it back just in time for the student abroad welcome BBQ, then a bunch of my friends and I checked out some of the surrounding area. We went to the pool at one of their apartments, the Cape, which is a large gated villa complex with real sand at the pool. We spent some time in the sun then checked out Market Square nearby, a small downtown area where we got sushi. A few of us also stopped for coffee on the way out, which was delicious. Fun fact, they typically serve ice cream in iced coffee here! For the first Thursday of the January semester, Don’s hosted the Tight & Bright party later that evening.

A balcony picture prior to Tight & Bright

A balcony picture at the Cape prior to Tight & Bright

Friday

I got up early and went for a run around Lake Orr, which is located literally right next to campus. I ran down through Market Square, and along the boardwalk to a beautiful view of the lake. A few of us later headed to IT to take care of some school logistics, then attended the “Recovery BBQ” and “G’Day Bond,” a general information session for new students. I went to the Robina Town Centre mall with a few friends to pick up a few more groceries and check out the area, and Friday ended up being the calmest day of all week!

A view of Lake Orr

Saturday

Today was a catch up day for most of us, I took some time to organize my apartment and catch up on small details that had been pushed aside during our first week [of vacation] here. Then, a large group of us headed off downtown for our first ever bar tour. We got to know a few locals and got a few tips on the nearby area. It was also a great way to get to know a few more friends around campus!

Nightlife in Surfer’s Paradise

Sunday

A friend and I went back to Robina mall to shop a little, since despite the fact that I put so much energy into packing, I definitely did not pack well enough for my time here. It’s hard to pack for beautiful sunny weather when you’re heading into the cold Winter atmosphere at home! Going off of this, there are definitely a lot of small details we needed to figure out over the first week here. Most of them are settled out, and hopefully the rest will fall into place.

Overall, I am absolutely in LOVE with Gold Coast!

Have Dreams, Will Travel

Today is the day! As unreal as it feels, today is the day that I set out onto the journey of a lifetime. Over the past week, I have had increasing excitement and anxiety for boarding the plane and moving to the faraway land of Australia for a semester. With a fifteen hour flight, followed by a six hour layover, another nine hour flight, hotel stay, and hour and a half bus ride, I’m DEFINITELY excited to get my feet on the ground at the final destination. As I continue to get more nervous for take off, I also am greatly looking forward to many new and incredible experiences I will have while abroad!

Pre-Departure Challenges

It has been quite the challenge getting things ready, in fact I think our program group has managed to have an issue with every single step! However, it feels like we’re all as ready to go as possible. Prepping to go abroad has been far more difficult than I imagined, however every step of the way has provided a chance for me to grow. The first challenge started with my flight, which increased $4000 overnight, forcing me to select the second best flight. Luckily, as it ends up now, a close friend of mine and I will be traveling together! We also ended up getting denied on-campus housing one month prior to departure, which was more than nerve-wracking, but I now have booked what looks like a fantastic studio apartment close to campus. As a bonus, I was reading the school’s info booklet yesterday, and could see the apartment complex on the front cover picture! Packing to go halfway around the world for a semester was definitely difficult, but hopefully is sufficient.

Regardless of all the challenges faced prior to departure, I sincerely hope that my time abroad will be relaxing and enjoyable. Of course I expect the need to adjust to a new culture and surroundings, but also hope it will be exciting and fun!

Why Australia?

I will be traveling to Gold Coast, Australia, to study hospitality management at Bond University. Gold Coast is right about in the middle of the East coast, on the coast. One question that caught me off guard the first time someone asked it was, “Why Australia?” To me, it was an obvious choice. I’ve always dreamed of visiting Australia, and a semester abroad is the perfect way to make going that distance worthwhile. The main reason I chose Australia is for the landscape and wildlife, two things that I love to learn about. I’m pretty sure that it is impossible for me to get beached-out or tired of holding a koala, two things I will definitely be enjoying. I have also lost count of how many people have referenced Australia’s “everything kills you.” Although this is not the most comforting thing ever, I am excited to see and learn about the wildlife, even the dangerous things, just hopefully not too up-close. I’m looking forward to snorkeling and taking hikes through the wildlife, and running around the lakes and beaches of Gold Coast.

I also am greatly looking forward to the warm weather (and missing the harsh PSU winter)! Since English is spoken in Australia, I won’t have too much of a barrier with that, but am excited to hear the accent and learn all the different terms. Another really cool thing about Australia is that it is a melting pot of many different cultures. I am really interested in meeting all kinds of different people, and learn about what their home country and travels have been like.

All in all, there was no consideration in me choosing Australia. While I loving traveling the world and still have many places to visit on my bucket list, this decision was automatic.

Hopes & Dreams for Study Abroad

Summing up my hopes and dreams for studying abroad is like telling you exactly what job I want to have fifteen years from now. I have a rough idea, but with the life I’ve lived so far, I know that things change from day to day and I take opportunities as they come. Generally speaking, I want to experience all that I mentioned above, but also learn about the culture of Australia, both indigenous as well as modern-day. I am interested in learning about life in another country in regards to topics like environmental care, government, social culture, foods, history, and the arts.

I would say that there are two main reasons for choosing to study abroad:

To keep me on track with my college degree, and gain a firsthand extended education in a different part of our world. Hopefully, with different people from around the world, I will be able to learn about many different countries.
After working very hard for my first two and a half years at Penn State, I want a semester of new and fun experiences. I have no doubt that these dreams will come true throughout my time in Australia, but I also am open to the changes and opportunities that I know will arise throughout my time there! One of my favorite quotes of all time is by John Lennon, reading “You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.” This quote has powered me through many experiences, and is definitely reflective of my personality. All study abroad students are dreamers, and this semester a few more of us get to live our dreams.

Thank You’s

As a closing statement, I would like to thank all my amazing supporters for helping me to get to a place where I am able to embark on such an amazing journey. I am WELL aware that not everyone is able to do so, and I thank God every night that I am able to receive this experience. This blog is a great tool for me to record my experiences while abroad to look back on later, but also share with others. More so than for me, this is also for YOU. With that being said, to anyone reading this unable to experience an opportunity of the same scale, I would love to hear your comments or any requests/suggestions of things for me to do while in Australia. Thank you to my friends at home and school, my amazing advisor and other supporting faculty, life coaches and instructors, and most importantly, my family. THANK YOU mom and dad for supporting me in many ways to travel abroad, I know it will be the experience of a lifetime!

Location: Kutztown, PA

Greetings From Down Unda!

I’ll be starting this long overdue blogpost with two memes that capture what my 7 weeks in Melbourne, Australia have been like: Melbourne is Amazing! I’ve been struggling to find a word to describe what this city feels like, and the one word that constantly comes to mind is “home”. There’s an aura about Melbourne that just grabs you, and makes everything feel…easy. It’s unexplainable to be honest, but if you can think of that one happy place in your mind, Melbourne is the one…to me at least. You could blame it on bias, but all of the wonderful friends I have made here share the same sentiments. In Aussie time, it’s been exactly 7 weeks since I arrived here, and it’s terrifying to think how quickly time flies. I’m trying to grab as many memories as I can, and writing this blog helps keep them all in perspective. I don’t want to forget anything; this feeling of home, it’s something I haven’t felt in a long time. But before I get into that, I want to properly introduce myself. About Me: My name is Lynn Onyambu, I am 19 years old (20 next month!), and a senior in Penn State/University of Melbourne. I was born in Nairobi, Kenya, but i’ve lived in the US for 12 years of my life. My father is Kenyan, and my mother is Zambian. So even though i’m half blood (Harry Potter PUN-DEFINITELY-INTENDED), i’m still 100%, all around African. I speak Swahili fluently, and a bit of Spanish (barely, but definitely more than the casual “Hola, Yo Quiero -insert name of restaurant chain- “). I am majoring in Media Studies, International Communications, and minoring in International Studies. I’m not a Pennsylvanian native, but I’ve lived there longer than I have lived anywhere else, so I guess you could call me an adopted native. I bleed blue and white, but that’s a given cause PENN STATE, DUH! Why I Chose Melbourne: I honestly ask myself the same question. I always had dreams of doing an exchange program in London, but one day Australia just popped into my mind, and I ran with it (Chris Hemsworth may have been a slight motivation). I researched the best communication schools in the world, and the University of Melbourne was one of them (and also the top university in Australia!). I was hooked before I even clicked on the website, and my Google search became even better once I noticed their school colors were similar to Penn State’s. I found out that Penn State did in fact have an exchange program with Unimelb (gotta use the nickname to up my street cred), and it was all set from there. Months later, here I am, in the greatest city in Australia (sorry Sydney!), possibly even the world. I am studying in a university where I don’t feel overwhelmed, doubtful, or even scared. I’m in an environment where everything reminds me of home, and Penn State, and that’s more than I could have ever asked for. Goals: I only have two goals that I want to accomplish while I’m here.

To be the very best version of myself, morally and academically.
To live. I sometimes get stuck in keeping myself in a comfortable routine of complacency where I don’t challenge myself to see more than what’s beyond the surface. But i’ve got my night goggles, telescope, and binoculars this time around, so let’s do this!

Pic of Advice: I have found my happiness here in Melbourne, and for those of you who will read this, I challenge you to do the same. It’s certainly not that easy, different trials and tribulations will factor in, but it’s also not impossible. Every journey begins with the first step. Ps. Here’s a picture of some of the friends i’ve made in Melbourne. No worries though, more pictures are coming soon. I have so much to share with you all! Stay lovely, Lynn

Location: Melbourne, Australia

Farewell Oz

Tonight is my last night here in Wollongong. It decided to be a rainy gloomy day. I guess that makes it easier to leave tomorrow. In approximately 11hours, I’ll be on my way back to the USA. YIPPEE!!

Overall, I am pleased that I chose to come to Australia for the semester, however I definitely experienced many ups and downs. It has been my dream to study abroad in Australia since before I even knew where I would attend college. If I had it to do over, I would probably choose to do a summer study abroad program. Leaving Penn State for a semester was so much harder than I could have ever expected. Studying abroad felt like first semester freshman year all over again, attempting to make new friends, get involved (there really aren’t any opportunities to get involved here at University of Wollongong), and adjust to a new schooling system. I wish my program had had other Penn State students in it, a factor I thought would not bother me. (If you’re reading this and coming to Wollongong in July, there are 2 of you!) I think a program that included more travel in a shorter period of time would really be the best option for study abroad (for instance the RPTM embedded summer courses in Australia). Of all the places to study in Australia, I think Wollongong was the perfect choice, as the closeness to the beach kept me relaxed and the city has what you need to get by, but not the overwhelming atmosphere of a big city. Sydney is a train ride away and has an airport that will get you anywhere you need to go. It does get cold in Australia and the beach weather doesn’t last forever, something I expected by still hate. A semester abroad depends 100% on what you make of it, and I believe I did my best to make this semester as amazing as I possibly could, yet nothing can compare to Penn State and I have been missing my home at PSU since the moment I left.

Here are some things to consider if you’re thinking about studying abroad in Wollongong, or Australia in general.

· Australia is EXPENSIVE. The conversion rate isn’t bad, but things cost more in Australia, especially toiletries. A tube of mascara or nail polish that may cost $7 at home costs about $18 here. A bottle of Gatorade or Coke costs $4. Fajitas at a Mexican restaurant run about $30 a plate. Eating out is not in any college students’ price range. Even McDonalds is more expensive!

o Pack all the toiletries you may need (shampoo, lotion, medicines, makeup…) so you don’t have to buy them here. You’ll then have space in your suitcase for souvenirs on the way home.

o The cheapest souvenirs you’ll find are at Patty’s Market in Sydney. Go here before you buy anything else!

o Donuts are at least $2.50 each… still can’t figure this one out.

· You can find affordable flights to other cities, but once you’re there expect to spend lots of money… even if you eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches every day. Remember though that even if you don’t want to shell out $50 for a tour, this is most likely your only opporuntity to see that something awesome or do that something cool so just do it!

· The train from Wollongong to the Sydney airport is $20 one way. The train to Sydney Central is $17 return (round trip).

· Hostels are gross, loud, and uncomfortable. For $40 a night, you are stuck sharing a room with 4 to 20 other people and have to walk to the bathroom. This is frustrating considering that in the US you could stay at a motel with three other people for less than $75 a night.

o Make sure you pack your shower shoes while staying at a hostel. And call about towels… some give them to you, some don’t, and some charge you.

· If you’re coming to Wollongong, I recommend staying at Campus East. It’s the closest to the beach, you have your own room, and you don’t have to worry about cooking meals as you have a meal plan. Also, most Americans are here so there are tons of people wanting to make friends.

o Weerona is like living in PSU East Halls. Great for first years, but frustrating when you’re not in the mood for loud music and dirty bathrooms all the time. The food is horrible, but better than cooking for yourself I suppose. It’s a 20 minute walk to downtown, the beach, or campus which is a very nice feature. The buses are frustrating but can get you were you want to go…. only until about 6pm and only Mon-Fri. They don’t run at night and are a nightmare on the weekends.

o Marketview is great if you want your own room with a TV and bathroom (it used to be a hotel) and you want to be right downtown. It’s 10 minutes from the beach. You have to make your own food in a shared kitchen that got disgusting according to my friend there. It’s not as social as Campus East or Weerona and they are very strict about having visitors.

o I don’t know of anyone that liked Koollabong, it’s run-down and only walking distance to campus. International House is also close to campus and more of a dorm style like Weerona, though much quieter.

· The internet costs $30 a month for 15GB. It’s not wireless so pack an ethernet cord. The University gives you 2GB free for the semester. That won’t last you the semester. It’s the equivalent of about 4 hours of Skype.

· Many people open a bank account at National Australia Bank (NAB), which is what I did. It costs to transfer money, but it also costs to use most credit cards in a foreign country.

o My recommendation is get a credit card in the US that doesn’t charge you fees to use it internationally.

o American Express isn’t widely accepted in Australia.

· You’ve made it all the way to Australia so travel. It’s expensive but it’s worth it. Pick a few places you really want to visit before you come and start planning your trips within the first couple weeks of your arrival. People start to run out of money fast so if you wait to plan and budget til later, it may be harder to find people to go with you.

o Reach out to the other people in your program or the other people in your dorm (Facebook groups work great for this) because chances are someone else wants to make that same trip too.

o At Wollongong, there is a week study period before the two week exam period and lots of people travel during this time, though you won’t know you’re exam schedule until mid-semester.

o Some of the most popular places people go are Melbourne, Byron Bay, Cairns, New Zealand, and Fiji. Cairns and New Zealand are popular for semester break and Fiji is where many people are going during exam period. Some other places to consider are Uluru (I’d highly recommend it!) and Tasmania. You can go to Sydney for the day and there are day trips from there like Hunter Valley.

· The grading system is much harder in Australia than at Penn State, but your grades will be adjusted when they are transferred back.

· I was told before coming here and upon arrival that Australian students are independent learners and work much harder than Americans, but this is not true. They procrastinate too. It’s also common practice for Aussies to give a presentation while sitting down and reading straight off their paper or PowerPoint, something I would never dream of doing back at PSU.

· Some friends who were abroad before I left to come to Australia told me to pack light. I have to say I’m glad I over packed. My roommate got tired of her small wardrobe after about one week and seriously regretted not having sweat pants to lounge around in.

o Laundry is $2 a load for the washer and $2 for the dryer, so the more clothes you bring, the less you have to do wash.

o Pack a jacket (like the black North Face that seemingly everyone at Penn State owns) because it does get cold, especially if you travel in May or June and if you go to New Zealand, Melbourne, Uluru, or Tasmania. Gloves will come in handy too if you visit these places.

o A nice dress/outfit is good to have as the residence halls have formal banquets once a semester.

o Australians generally don’t go to class in sweatpants and hoodies, but leggings are common and most people go for the beachy/surfer look.

o You’ll want clothes for the beach and comfy clothes for wearing around your dorm. I wore pajamas and sweats to dinner all the time since it was only a 30 second walk down the hall.

· Skype is a great way to call home. For $7 a month you can have unlimited minutes. There are cheaper plans if you’re not into communication, but I talked to my parents about 20 minutes a day (I do this when I’m at PSU too).

o Using Skype to call (without video) doesn’t use up much of your internet quota.

· Getting a phone plan here is annoying and confusing, but just do what everyone else does and know that you’ll probably be adjusting your plan at some point.

o If you have an unlocked phone that takes a sim card that you can bring with you, do. A super crappy phone here is $30.

· The campus gym (URAC) is expensive, but all gyms are. Ask some Aussies who live in your residence what they think is best and what’s closest.

o A lot of the gyms (including URAC) have 3 month memberships, so don’t wait until your last month to start your membership.

· Beets actually don’t taste that bad… even though they turn everything else on your plate hot pink.

· If you have to go to the bathroom, you just ask for the “toilet.” That’s a hard phrase to adjust to saying.

For whatever preconceived notions you have in Australia, there is somewhere that can fulfill these notions. It really is a huge country with so much to explore. In my three and a half months in Australia, I…

· I learned to surfing (and by learned I mean I had a lesson and then fell off a surf board repeatedly)

· Went looking for crocodiles,

· Played with kangaroos

· Held a koala

· Spent a lot of time sun baking on the beach

· Went bushwalking (hiking)

· Ate fish and chips

· Went to the Outback (and even ate at an Outback Steakhouse)

· Road a camel

· Drank a Fosters (though that’s not actually a common beer here)

· Drove on the wrong side of the road

· Ate vegemite

· Snorkeled the Great Barrier Reef

· Saw the Sydney Opera House

· Walked around Uluru

Thank you Wollongong for being a wonderful host this semester. In the words of my RA who just came to say goodbye…. “Have a nice life.”

Location: Wollongong, Australia

Some good advice: Don’t get injured while abroad.

My advice for your time abroad? Don’t get injured… and use your time efficiently!

I currently have 9 days left in Wollongong. I had plans to go to Sydney this weekend or to hike Royal National Park. I’d hoped to go see the sunrise during my last week here. I’d planned to walk around town taking pictures so I could have visuals of Wollongong to show my family and friends as I told them stories. I was going to get out and check things off my bucket list that I’d left for the last minute.

Then I fell down. Hard.

What happened is embarrassing, I’ll admit it. I’ve never been one to engage in physical activity and running has never been my favorite way to keep in shape, but I didn’t think I was that bad at it. I was just casually running in town on my way to the gym and I had just been contemplating how uneven the sidewalk was. “It’d be pretty easy to trip,” I told myself. 30 seconds I was flat on the ground iPod and water bottle scattered around me wondering what just happened. Sure enough, I’d tripped on some uneven pavement and made contact with the hard ground not only with my knees and palms but also my face. I suffered two horribly bloody knees and some rock splinters in my hands. Thankfully, I only slightly bruised my right cheek and it’s not noticeable. I accepted a ride from a strange man in a beat up truck because I was unable to make the walk back to my dorm. I think he was silently praying the whole way that I didn’t bleed on his seat.

I didn’t have to go to the hospital and my RA’s first aid kit was sufficient for bandaging up my knees, but walking is still a challenge even 3 days later (it’s more like a waddle). I wasn’t able to make it to class the next day as the bus stop is just way too far away and the pain was unbearable. I had a final essay due today, but thanks to my understanding and sympathetic teacher, I was granted a three day extension. Unfortunately, I have another essay due next Friday as well so I’ve been having to suck it up and force myself to focus.

All in all, it’s just been really disappointing to have this happen. This weekend was my last weekend to really do fun things before the final exams/essays and packing take over my life. I wish I’d gone out and explored while it was warmer and I was more agile. I’m thankful nothing more horrible happened in my time abroad, though it’d be great if everything had gone just peachy the entire time.

Overall, I’d just like to offer this lesson learned:

Utilize every second and don’t waste time. Do what you want to do and do it early. You never know what might happen and the you don’t want to leave your semester feeling like you didn’t achieve all that you wanted to.
Bad things really can happen. My injury wasn’t the worst thing that could have happened to me while I was in Wollongong, but it did happen.
Always keep your phone on you. Or at least memorize people’s numbers. Or hope there are some really kind strangers around.
STAY SAFE!

Location: Wollongong, Australia

Melbourne & The Great Ocean Road

Melbourne is a town 30 minutes north of my hometown in Florida. It’s also the coolest city in Australia. And pronounced funny: Mel-BIN not Mel-BORN. There are lots of airline deals in Australia and we were able to get $50 flights each way on Tiger Airlines. I have heard that Tiger Airlines is unreliable and some warned to avoid it completely. However, it was cheap and the flights were nonstop. In the three years I’ve been at Penn State (and the trips I took to visit my senior year of high school), I have experienced more cancelled and delayed flights thanks to the Philadelphia and State College airports than most people will experience in their life. Needless to say, Tiger didn’t scare me and all in all my flights went smoothly (minus a frightening landing on the runway in Sydney). I wouldn’t have wanted to spend my entire semester in Melbourne since it’s further south and therefore colder, but I’d highly recommend it for a visit… or the entire semester if you’d consider yourself a hipster.

Day 1: St. Kilda. We arrived in Melbourne at 1:30pm. By the time we were picked up by the shuttle bus to take us to our hostel and weaved in and out of the city traffic, it was already 3:30pm. We stayed at Hotel Discovery (though it’s a hostel, not hotel), which was clean, cheap, centrally located and not too rowdy. Once settled, we took the city tram ($4 each way) to St. Kilda where we saw a beautiful sunset. After walking along the boardwalk and finding some delicious fish and chips along the main road in St. Kilda, we down the pier to find a small penguin colony. The penguins were adorable and made the funniest noises. It’s very rare to have wild penguins in such a populated area, so they’re colony is closely monitored by a local organization. There is a day trip from Melbourne to Phillips Island, which advertises wild penguin sightings, but we were able to see penguins for free in St. Kilda… so neat!

Day 2: Street Art and Carlton United Brewers. Melbourne is famous for it’s street art. Some of the “art” is just your everyday graffiti, but if you find the right alley, you can stumble upon real creativity! One of my friends found a map of street art locations online and we used this as our guide. The map led us through some cute alleys that were lined with shops and boutiques – so trendy! We also took a stroll through Fitzroy Gardens. The gardens are a step above most city parks and reminded me of a garden I visited in San Francisco. After the gardens, we took a tram to the Carlton United Brewers factory. With a 2-for-1 coupon and a student discount, the factory tour only cost $10 a person. I love factories tours (especially ones with free tastings) so I had a lot of fun here, even though the factory operations had already shut down for the weekend. Carlton is one of the most common beers in Australia, but the CUB also makes other brews, including Fosters. Though most Americans would think Foster’s is super popular over here (after all, “Fosters is Australian for beer”), it’s actually not. After the tour, each guests was allowed to sample four beers out of a selection of ten, including two ciders. Even better was the opportunity to play dress up in a giant beer costume while standing behind the bar. Later on, we found some more street art and ate dinner at Trippy Taco in Fitzroy near Brunswick St. The $9 burritos were a steal for Mexican food in Australia and they were real tasty.

Day 3: Great Ocean Road. No trip to Melbourne is complete without a day trip along the Great Ocean Road. This is known as one of the most scenic drives in the world. The whole drive would take two days (to get to Adelaide), but the most popular route is from Melbourne to the Twelve Apostles. My friend Bone was feeling adventurous and decided that he wanted to drive the road himself. Since tours of the Great Ocean Road leave you stuck on a big bus with no control of your day and they cost about $100 a person, we obliged to let Bone drive. The drive is frightening and I felt like I might throw up a couple times, but when I did have my eyes open looking over the side of the windy cliff, it was beautiful. We set out about 8:30am from Melbourne and saw our last sight at about 4:45pm.

Our stops included:

Bells Beach – One of the best surf beaches in Australia. The ways were HUGE!
Split Point Lighthouse – This is a good alternative to the Otway Lighthouse if you don’t mind not climbing. The Otway Lighthouse is a pretty far detour and costs money to climb, but most tour groups go there.
Great Ocean Road Arch and Diggers Statue
Kennett River – There’s a campground and a small mini mart here. Just off the road you can see koalas up in the trees. It was unfortunately raining when we were here, but I did get to see a koala chowing down on some eucalyptus and then go hopping through the tree!

Apollo Bay – This is the last town before the 12 Apostles so stop here if you’re hungry!
Gibson Steps
12 Apostles – The main attraction along the Great Ocean Road. There were a million people here and it was so windy everyone was blowing around, but the 12 Apostles really are an impressive sight!

Loch Arch and Gorge – Not a far walk from the car park so worth the stop. You can even walk down to the water here.
The Arch
London Bridge – It was so rainy I didn’t get out of the car here.
The Grotto – The Arch, London Bridge, and the Grotto are all very close to each other once you’ve past the 12 Apostles. Not all the tour groups stop at these places.
Timboon – This is a random small town on the road back east to Melbourne. We had some great pizza at the only open food shop there. From here it was an hour and 40-minute drive back to Melbourne along dark forest roads and highway.

Location: Melbourne, Australia

Uluru, the Outback, & Camels

Everyone’s seen a picture of Uluru. The big red rock in the Australian Outback is one of the most recognized natural landmarks in the world. It’s a popular destination for people visiting Australia, but many students studying abroad don’t make the trip because it’s not very cost effective staring at a big rock isn’t the #1 thing on many college students agendas. I have no idea if I’ll ever return to Australia, so I figured why not make a trip out to Uluru to see what all the hype is about. Just like the trip to Cairns, I’d have a lot of recommendations for someone making this same trip, but this trip was incredible and a must do for anyone who appreciates nature. At the University of Wollongong I am taking two classes in Indigenous Studies so my new found appreciation for the Aboriginal culture also influenced my decision to make the trip.

To clarify, Uluru is the traditional Ananju name for the rock. It is located in Uluru and Kata Tjuta National Park. Kata Tjuta is a second rock formation with religious significance to the Ananju people and mostly closed off from visitors. Ayers Rocks is the name given to Uluru by the first whitemen to travel through the area. The tourist area outside of Uluru and Kata Tjuta National Park is known as Ayers Rock Resort. We flew into Ayers Rock Airport and stayed at the Outback Pioneer Lodge (a YHA hostel), but many people make the trip to the national park from Alice Springs. There are many overnight tour options that leave from Alice Springs to see Uluru, but the cost of flying from Syndey to Alice Springs was twice that of the cost to fly into Ayers Rock Resort.

On our first night in the area, we took a sunset camel tour. This is one of my top two Australian experiences (the other being holding a koala) and no trip to Uluru should be without a camel ride. After being picked up at our hostel, we were taken to the camel farm and given a briefing about how to ride. I was riding Hercules, the largest camel at the farm (did they really think I needed the biggest camel?). There were about 15 other camels in the caravan and for the ride, the camels were all attached to each other at the nose. A little strange, but this has been the way camel caravans have worked for centuries. As we trotted through the outback, the tour guides gave us some information about camels and the area. After about 45 minutes of walking, we stopped to watch the colors change over Uluru as the sun set in the distance. This was not as stunningly beautiful as some postcards may make it out to seem, but who cares because I got to watch the sunset while riding a camel! To top off a great night, we were treated to homemade bread and sparkling Australian wine after our hour ride.

The next day we woke up early (5am) and took the Uluru Express to Uluru. This shuttle bus is $60 and the cheapest way to get from Ayers Rock Resort to Uluru. After watching the sunrise from a viewing area with a million other tour groups and attempting not to freeze, we were dropped off right next to Uluru. We joined the 8am guided ranger walk which took us along the Mala Walk. The ranger told us the Anangu traditions of the area (though she was not an Aboriginal person herself) and pointed out some of the significant sights along the trail. After this hour walk, we continued our way around Uluru along the Base Walk. This 10km walk takes 3-4 hours but is the best way to see Uluru. Each step you take gives you a different perspective of Uluru. It seemed that from every angle you were looking at a different rock! I have never been so in awe of a natural structure. Let me tell you, Uluru cannot be done justice by a simple picture!! After our walk, we went to the Cultural Center to view some Aboriginal artwork and learn a little more information about the park. Surprisingly, there are very few Aboriginal Australians who work in the park and nearly zero who work in the Ayers Rock Resort. This is an example of the continued power struggle between Aboriginal Australians and the Australian government.

On day 3 we took a tour of Kata Tjuta with the SEIT Outback tour company. You can visit Kata Tjuta with the Uluru Express (about $80 for a shuttle), though we chose to do a tour for a little more money in hopes that it would be educational – and it was! We learned about the formation of Uluru and Kata Tjuta, why they are red (they’re made of iron), and what it’s like to live in Ayers Rock Resort with only 800 other people (a little boring). Our tour took us through the Wapa Gorge after we saw the most incredible sunrise over Uluru. While I was not near as impressed with Kata Tjuta as I was with Uluru, the sunrise was the 2nd best highlight of the trip (not much can top a camel ride). We flew out of Ayers Rock Airport the next day after lounging by the pool all morning.

My recommendations:

Do not climb Uluru – it’s dangerous (people fall off the rock and die), disrespectful to the local Aboriginal people, and harmful to the environment (your presence pollutes the water at the top of Uluru and you are causing physical damage to the rock).
Do a sunset camel ride. You HAVE to. The farm also offers 15 minute rides around the farm or a sunrise ride, but I’d recommend the sunset one as it’s warmer than sunrise and would give you a longer ride during while the sun is out.
Stay two nights. We stayed three and this was too long. You could do the camel tour in the same day as Uluru or Kata Tjuta.
Wake up early. Even though it was freezing in the mornings as we watched the sunrise, the sunrises were beautiful and you’ll be happy you’re not out walking in the peak heat of the day.
Do the Valley of the Winds walk at Kata Tjuta. We did not do this because we didn’t want two long walks in two days, but I regret not seeing this part of Kata Tjuta as some people consider it more incredible than Uluru.
Go to the Cultural Center near Uluru and learn something!
Research/book your tours before you go.
Uluru is located in the desert which means it can get very cold in the autumn/winter. In April, the temperatures in the morning were 40 degrees. I wish I’d had gloves and a hat. I wore three t-shirts, a jacket, scarf, and leggings and even I was still cold. You can take off layers as you walk, but until the sun is fully up around 11, it’s chilly!!!!

Location: Ayers Rock, Australia

Semester Break in Cairns

The top two semester break destinations for American students studying in Eastern Australia tends to be Cairns or New Zealand. Cairns, home to the Great Barrier Reef, is located in northern Queensland and is a 3-hour flight from Sydney. While I’m sure New Zealand is beautiful and just as amazing as everyone says it, I was hoping to jam in as many uniquely Australian adventures as I could into my semester so Cairns was my destination of choice. Cairns is extremely popular for its endless amount of activities: snorkeling, rafting, skydiving, bungee jumping, and rainforest trekking, to name a few. I’d say it’s hard to beat just how “Australian” my trip was, and though I’d have a lot of recommendations for someone making a trip to the area (feel free to contact me if you’re reading this and headed to Cairns!), overall I definitely had a memorable and successful trip.

Day 1: The Lagoon. Cairns does not have a beach, so the city created “The Lagoon” located on The Esplanade (boardwalk) that is a large, shallow pool with a small stretch of makeshift beach and lots of picnic areas. The weather in Cairns was a hot and sunny 85 degrees, perfect pool and sun-baking weather. We also strolled around the shops of Cairns (mostly tourist gift shops) before returning to our hostel for a BBQ dinner.

Day 2: The Reef. I could not have asked for a more perfect day for snorkeling. The trip out to the Great Barrier Reef from Cairns takes about 2 hours and the sea was completely flat. One day later and our trip would have been bumpy seas and partly cloudy skies, factors that would have changed the experience entirely. I could have spent all day lying out on the front of our big catamaran. We were on the Passions of Paradise boat. There are a million different reef tour operators in Cairns, some of which have HUGE boats with elevator lifts that drop you straight into the water (no jumping in or climbing up a ladder required), but this just seemed a little too commercialized for my taste. The first reef we snorkelled was actually surrounding a sandbar that doubled as a bird sanctuary. I was extremely impressed with the health of the reef here and I loved getting to see new reef creatures (like the guitarfish pictured below) as well as some of my Florida Keys favorites like the parrot fish. The second reef we visited was not near as healthy and a little bit deeper. As an ocean lover and lifelong snorkeler, I was disappointed with the lack of care shown by the tour operators for the reef – not once did they tell people to not stand on the reef or inform them of the threats currently jeopardizing the existence of coral reefs. However, with the amount of visitors the Great Barrier Reef sees every year, I suppose the damage to the reefs could be even greater.

Day 3: Driving on the Left & Platypus Spotting. Since Cairns does not have any beaches, my friends and I rented a car to take us to the beaches north of Cairns. You could also take a $5 bus, but I wanted the experience of driving on the “wrong” side of the road, as well as the freedom to travel between beaches. We chose to go to Palm Cove and Trinity Beach, both of which were beautiful and lined with Palm Trees. I’d recommend Palm Cove for anyone taking the bus up to the beaches, but if you’re renting a car, go a little further up the Captain Cook Highway and explore some of the beaches right of the road that have amazing views. They aren’t lifeguarded or protected from jellyfish, so don’t go to these if you want to swim! After spending time at the beaches, we drove an hour to Yungaburra, a tiny town known for its platypuses. At dusk and dawn, you can sometimes see them swimming in the creek. We stopped in the visitor’s center before it closed at 5 to find out where was the best place for a sighting. We then spent an hour sitting in silence, not moving, slightly freezing, waiting to see an elusive platypus. Thankfully, we finally saw one (they’re SO small!) swimming in the creek. Spotting a platypus is not too common, so we definitely got lucky. The drive home was through the windiest and darkest roads I’ve ever driven (definitely frightening when you’re on the wrong side of the road) but halfway home we pulled over to look at the stars and it was truly incredible. Never have I seen so many stars in the sky – you could even see the Milky Way! While renting a car and going to Yungaburra aren’t two things you need to do in Cairns, they were two of the highlights of my trip.

Day 4: Go Wild! Tour. The Go Wild! jungle tour can be done as a day tour or overnight tour. If you’re interested in snorkeling in Port Douglas (less visited than the reefs off Cairns), horseback riding, or zip lining, look into the overnight tours! This day felt very “Australian” as we started off at the Wildlife Habitat where I got to HOLD A KOALA. It was so soft and cuddly, but boy did it have sharp claws! Koala “cuddling” is only legal in Queensland and will set you back about $16, but it was one of my top 3 Australian experiences. Our bus drove us along the beautiful and scenic Captain Cook Highway (known as one of the best drives in Australia) to the Daintree River. Here we took a river cruise to spot some wild crocodiles. The river reminded me of home in Florida with so many mangroves. Afterwards, we took a stroll through the Daintree Rainforest to see big spiders and poisonous plants, all while trying to avoid getting drenched. The last stop before our drive back to Cairns was Cape Tribulation where Cook first landed in Australia. It was too rainy and cloudy for sun baking which was quite a bummer.

Day 5/6: Just Chillen. The last two days we were in Cairns, we wandered around the town some more, spent what little sunshine time there was at the Lagoon, and ate the best fajitas any of us had ever tasted. A restaurant called Cactus Jacks has a $20 fajita and margarita deal on Thursday nights and if you’re reading this and ever find yourself in Cairns on a Thursday, you MUST go. The fajitas were cooked with a little bit of BBQ sauce which made them so amazingly delicious. It would have been great to add in another day trip or some fun activity, but with the not so great weather, I don’t think rafting/bungee jumping/more snorkelling would have been as enjoyable.

Crocodiles, platypus, and koalas… snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef… getting rained on in a rainforest… driving on the left side of the road… sunbaking… Could I have had a more “Aussie” Easter Break experience??

A few recommendations:

Njoy is a fine hostel but a little far away from town and with a very unreliable shuttle bus.
Gilligan’s is the most popular hostel in the area and a non stop party… seriously people who stay there said the place was never quiet. If you’re looking for no sleep and lots of fun, it’s probably the place for you.
Don’t be afraid to wait until you’re in Cairns to book trips – you aren’t going to get amazing last minute deals, but there are a million travel agencies in town with unending tour options.
Ask your hostel where the cheapest traveler meals are – it’s possible to have dinner for $5!
Look into Port Douglas and other reef towns – many places have shuttles from the airport.
Cactus Jack’s on for Thursday night fajitas!!
Rent a high quality digital camera in town for $40 (includes all your pictures put on a DVD) instead of buying a $20 disposable camera that only let’s you take 20 pictures and then costs $15 to get developed (and they’re crappy pictures!!)

Location: Cairns, Australia

Hunter Valley (March 17, 2012)

Hunter Valley is known as one of the premier wine regions in Australia. Before leaving for Australia, I spent time researching possible trips I wanted to take during the semester. Hunter Valley seemed like the perfect place – a close location and lots of wine. I love planning trips, but knowing nothing about Hunter Valley, but seeing as Hunter Valley is about 6 hours by public transportation from Wollongong and the area is pretty hard to get around without a car, we decided to take a Colorful Trips tour leaving out of Sydney. Colorful Trips targets a younger market of travelers, meaning our tour was made up of twelve 20-somethings and not any snooty wine connoisseurs who actually sniff their wine and know what it’s supposed to smell like.

The drive from Sydney to Hunter Valley was 2 hours and very rainy. The rain had subsided once we arrived and the rolling hills of grapevines looked picturesque under a blanket of fog. Our first stop was Drayton’s Family Winery, one of the oldest in the area. In addition to the reds and whites, we tasted a couple port wines and chocolate liqueurs – all of which were a puckering sweet like nothing I’d ever tasted before. After our first tasting, we had a BBQ sausage lunch prepared by our tour guide Wazzo. The highlight of lunch was getting to try a taste of kangaroo meat. It was hard not too feel bad eating it, but it tasted just like steak.

Our next winery was McGuigan’s Wines. Here we sat on stools at a round table while our host went around and poured each wine and explained its flavor. Here you definitely felt like a classy wine connoisseur. The most interesting thing I learned about Australian wine is that a rose is not nearly as sweet as we would think it to be in the US. Another fun fact is that many of their sweet whites are variations of a moscato, a wine that is not commonly thought of as high-test in the US. All the wines we sampled were available for purchase and I hoped to buy a bottle to bring back as a present to my parents, but seeing as I was almost over the weight limit on both my suitcases I brought with me to Australia, I figured a bottle of wine might be too heavy – sorry mom and dad!

The other stops on our tour were the Hunter Valley shopping area, a collection of cute shops and candy stores, and the Blue Tongue Brewery. At the brewery, you had the option to sample beers, but we chose to forgo the $10 sampling fee and continue testing wines. While we were there, a bride was arriving for her wedding reception. Hunter Valley is apparently a popular place to get married – getting married at a vineyard seems like a fairytale to me! Before we left the valley for our two hours rainy drive home, we stopped at a scenic overlook to sample some strange cheeses.

Overall, the trip to Hunter Valley was a fun excursion and I would highly recommend it to those looking for a more laid back adventure. If I ever become a snooty wine connoisseur, I would love to go back to Hunter Valley on a sunny day and do more exploring in the area. Though next time, I’ll pass on the kangaroo meat.

Location: Hunter Valley, Australia

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