Tag Archives: australia

Work Hard, Play Hard

G’day Mates!

Last week we finished up with class and caught the bus down to Freo to experience the Fremantle Prison night tour (as you can see, prisons are a reoccurring theme). This place is supposedly the third most haunted establishment in WA, but I’m not too sure how you crunch the numbers on something like that. Though scary with all its horror stories, the tour did offer a lot of insight on how prisoners were treated back in the 1800s. It was built in 1850 by labor convicts sent over from Great Britain. The prison was open all the way up until 1991 and it housed both men and women prisoners. Toward the end of its life as a prison, living conditions were still so primitive that prisoners used buckets for toilets. One of my favorite things that I took away from this experience was the fact that there were over 100 escapes from Fremantle prison. I thought this was odd until the guide told us that the prison was built out of limestone, which is so soft that the prisoners could literally scratch the walls away with their fingernails.

Prison Grounds

The rest of the weekend I spent checking out Freo on my own time. I would just catch the bus, get off, and start walking somewhere I hadn’t been. I found a picturesque beach right outside of town that was meant for dogs so I threw down my towel, pulled out a book, and watched owners and their dogs run around the beach. The rest of the day I checked out the local market and stumbled upon some great food. Of course I had to try some street vender food but eventually I was ready for a meal. This is when I got a mullet burger.

This thing had cheddar cheese, Australian bacon, a fried egg, and a sliced beet. It sounds weird but the combination of all those different flavors was something I could appreciate. I could definitely understand why it was called a mullet burger because mullets are a combination of a few weird things but to the right person, it can be something special. Either way, the market might be my favorite place in town because of the all the different smells, foods, cultures and people. It was a breath of fresh air seeing so many people who specialized in a skill or an art thriving.

Though it sounds like I am mostly going to the beach and eating, studies are filling up most of my spare time. After finishing week three I have almost gotten into a grove with balancing studies and my spare time. You know what they say; work hard, play hard. This upcoming week it may be harder than usual to stick to this motto because our first semester break is coming up and with that, Bali! There are 10 of our CIEE group members going and it will be for 5 days and 6 nights. From what we’ve researched, our trip could include zip lines, white water rafting, massages, temples, beaches, a monkey jungle…and did I mention an elephant ride?!?! Stay tuned for my next entry from Bali. Here are some visuals to tide you over.

Town Hall

Cheers,

Andrew

Location: Perth, Australia, Fremantle

Surfs Up!

G’day Everyone,

The last week or so has been a blur! We took a trip to Freo to be culturally introduced to some indigenous history and we were blessed into the country by Ingrid, an aboriginal Australian, and we were taught some of the cultural history of the aboriginals. We then took a quick look at the first jail in Western Australia called the Round House. It was originally used to process aboriginal prisoners and then the prisoners were taken to Rottnest Island (where we stayed last week).

The outside of the Round House

After our tour we spent the day shopping and wandering around. Here K-mart is a big thing. It actually is very similar to Wal-mart in that it has pretty much anything you could need as in necessities but it isn’t as dauntingly big. I’ve been going to K-mart and Coles, a chain of grocery stores, for the majority of my shopping. One of the things that still fascinates me is that here they do not refrigerate eggs or milk. Apparently in the US things aren’t as fresh so it is necessary but here there is no need. Fast food is very similar to that back in the States. They call McDonalds “Mackers” and Burger King is pretty much the same but it is officially named Hungry Jacks. One thing I could get used to is Jesters which is a shop that sells pies. I’m not talking blueberry or apple, this place sells pies with meats and cheeses.

The next day we took a trip to Caversham Wildlife Park in Perth. This trip was amazing because we were able to get in the enclosures with the animals and actually feed them. Here we got to pet a Koala, get right up close to some Kangaroos and I was even pooped on by a Wambat (not my greatest moment).

Me and my pal Soua with a Koala

Kangaroo Hi-Five

To finish the week of, we went for surfing lessons on Sunday. From what I’ve heard, surfing is supposed to be really hard but I think just about everyone in our group stood up by the end of the one hour lesson and most of us were catching our own waves.

Surfing at Scarborough

Last Monday classes began and I figured out fast that Australians expect a lot more out of you than most schools in the U.S. While most areas of study don’t require many exposure hours and lectures, the sciences do. I am taking Plant Diversity, Animal Diversity, and Indigenous Sustainability as well as a 2 credit course on living in Australia with Paul (our CIEE contact/”Cool Younger Uncle”) which is keeping me busy. While studies are important, I am going to try and still enjoy my time here as much as possible. Until next time!

Cheers,

Andrew

Location: Perth, Australia

Week One – THON and Orientation

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I have officially been in Australia for one week. Last Monday, I touched down in Syndey at 6:30am and headed straight to Wollongong. I had twenty minutes to drop my bags off in my room and change my clothes before I joined up with my CIEE group for our orientation. Before I get into Wollongong details, let’s backtrack a few days back to the greatest weekend of the year… THON Weekend.

On February 14, I began my journey to Australia with a 5 day pit stop in Happy Valley. Since THON has been such a huge part of my life at Penn State since freshman year and missing it just seemed wrong, no matter how much I wanted to study abroad. Thankfully, everything worked out and at 1pm on Friday February 17, I was lined up outside the BJC with my sorority Omega Phi Alpha and our fraternity pair Alpha Gamma Rho as we waited to enter the BJC. From the time the BJC doors opened at 4pm until 9am Saturday morning, I was in the stands dancing with my friends. Saying my goodbyes Saturday morning was rough, especially while exhausted and with tired feet. At 11am, I was at the State College airport, ready to begin my first of three flights that would bring me to Australia.

I’ll never forget how I found out the THON 2012 total. I was picked up at the Sydney airport by a shuttle service that would take me to Wollongong. At 7:55 am Australia time, my mom called me and I listened as the THON organization totals were listed off on the live feed she had playing on her computer. When the total of 10,686,924.83 MILLION DOLLARS was announced, I had to ask my mom to repeat it multiple times… I was in shock. No matter what happened this year, Penn Staters came together and show that we are a family and we will find a cure.

I arrived in Australia Monday February 21. My first day here, I joined the 12 other CIEE Wollongong students and our program advisors as we drove around the city and university campus. Later in the day, we went to the Crowne Street Mall to get cell phones and other necessities. Australia is EXPENSIVE. Toiletries are a few dollars more than they would be in the States, not to mention that things in AUD are already more than USD. Along the lines of things that cost too much, Internet access is $30 a month… and you have a quota. I miss Penn State’s wifi.

Tuesday was the uni’s international student orientation. Wednesday and Thursday were free days that I used as beach days and getting settled days. The beach here is beautiful with a picturesque lighthouse looking over it. It’s a 25-minute walk from my dorm, Weerona College, but Wollongong is an easy to navigate place and it’s an easy stroll.

Over the weekend, we had our CIEE orientation trip to Merry Beach, 4 hours south of Wollongong. On the way, we stopped at 7 Mile Beach near Kiama for surfing lessons. Turns out that even though I’m a native Floridian, I can’t surf. After standing up once and ingesting gallons of salt water, I called it a day and “sun baked” on the beach while everyone else looked like they had sponsorships from Hurley.

At Merry Beach, we stayed in a vacation home overlooking the beach. Not bad for a bunch of college students. We were enamored by the wild kangaroos, which the residents consider pests, just like as we would consider armadillos or raccoons. I’d estimate I have over 200 kangaroo photos on my camera from a two-day span. On Saturday, we hiked Mt. Gulaga with an aboriginal guide. At the top of the mountain (an excruciating 2 hour hike up) our guide explained to us the creation story of the aboriginal Australians and lead us through symbolic boulders. To hear how this area which most hikers overlook is actually her sacred ground was eye opening. As interesting as it was, getting back to the bottom of the mountain and downing a $4 Powerade was so refreshing.

Today starts the first day of classes but fortunately for me, I only have class Tuesday – Thursday. I am nervous to see how the classes are administered here. Everyone says that the US equivalent of a C is a great grade… wow. I’m only taking 3 classes, yet it transfers back as 14 credits. Each class has a lecture and tutorial (discussion) component that both meet once a week. I’m excited to start classes after my two month long winter break, I definitely started to think I was never going back to school. Thankfully, with classes just starting, the beach is still a daily ritual and tomorrow I’ll remember to use more sunscreen. My red sunburn doesn’t go well with my complexion.

Location: Wollongong, Australia

Pre-Departure Reflection and Goals-Perth, Australia 2012

Hi everyone, my name is Andrew Clark and I am a Junior majoring in Environmental Resource Management here at Penn State University at University Park. It is actually my first semester here at UP, as I transferred from the Harrisburg Campus after two years. I am from the cozy town of Annville PA, which epitomizes the definition of small town America. Being from a small, unexciting town is one of the many reasons I love to travel. I have been to a majority of the states in the US but never out of the country, which makes the coming months so much more exciting.

My brother and I on our trans-America road trip summer 2011 (I’m on the Right)

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!

Location: State College, Pennsylvania

Introduction

Hi everyone! My name is Sara Matulonis and I’m currently a junior here at Penn State. I love Penn State but I’m definitely not a fan of weather under 65 degrees, so next semester I’ll be taking a break from the winter and studying abroad in Wollongong, Australia! (It’s a little south of Sydney) I’m a Photojournalism major and go everywhere with my camera in hand, so expect lots of pictures. I love all things beachy and I’m beyond excited to get to experience the coastal lifestyle of Wollongong while taking classes at the University of Wollongong.

Parting with Penn State in two weeks is going to be rough, but I’m cold so I’m not complaining. I leave for Australia February 18th, 3 days before my birthday. After lots of strategic planning, I figured out a way that I can still study abroad but not miss the most important weekend of the year – THON! The thought of missing THON was too much to handle, so I’m flying up earlier in the week and staying until noon on Saturday of THON, then starting my journey from the State College aiport. Thank goodness I’ll have 20 hours of flying to catch up on sleep before touching down Down Under!

75 days til THON, 77 days til Wollongong!

Location: State College, PA

G’day

Hi everyone following my blog. My name is Lauralee Geci, and I am currently a senior at Penn State. During the spring semester I will be studying at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. I have always wanted to study abroad, and I am so thankful that I have the opportunity before I graduate. I can’t wait to begin my studies in “the land down under.” In less than two months I will be arriving in a new country, experiencing a new culture, and making new friends and memories. I am excited to share my experiences with all of you and look forward to the adventures that are to come!!.

xo Lauralee

Location: Melbourne, Australia

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