Tag Archives: study abroad

Adventure is Out There

This weekend I was able to explore around the Gold Coast area a little more, and went on some very fun adventures!

Cruising Through Life

On Saturday morning, a friend and I took a Sea World cruise, departing at Southport, with the destination of Marine Sanctuary Cove. Fun fact, Sea World Australia is not associated in any way with the American SeaWorld Company. They have very similar marketing and architecture, but are not the same company.

The cruise was about an hour and a half each way, and we lucked out because it was a pretty empty boat that day, so we got to spend the entire time on the top deck of the 3.5 million dollar cruise yacht! We traveled through the Coomera River passing Wavebreak, Ephraim, Sovereign, and South Stradbroke Islands, with crew announcing information on the surrounding plants and wildlife. While Gold Coast is known for its tourism and vacation destination reputation, Hope Island, and specifically Sovereign Island, is home to the some of the wealthiest individuals in Australia. One house we passed by was the 13th house of the richest man in Australia, and for his daughter’s 14th birthday she received a private yacht fully equipped with crew. Smaller homes lining the edge of the water sold for $600-900,000, while other larger homes were priced in the range of $9-15 million. Ironically, a few homes mentioned were actually bought and then foreclosed, selling at a second time for a much lower cost (for example, somewhere in the range of $12 original to $5 second sale). Would hate to be the first buyer there!

View of Sovereign Islands, featuring the house and yacht mentioned above

View from the top deck of the boat

The boat stopped at Marine Sanctuary Cove for lunch, and we had a great time exploring the little island of cafes, shops, and waterfront views of the beautiful harbor. We ate lunch at The Covenant, a reasonably priced restaurant with gourmet food. If the descriptions don’t sound gourmet, take my word from the pictures!

Boardwalk to get fresh fish straight off the boat

Roasted pumpkin with coconut foam, wasbi ribbon, pea and wasabi puree, and cashews

espresso crème brulee, house-made pistachio and macadamia biscotti, and pistachio pershain fairy floss

Espresso crème brûlée, house-made pistachio and macadamia biscotti, and pistachio Persian fairy floss

View of the boardwalk and Marine Sanctuary Cove harbor

On the return from the harbor, we were able to spot a kangaroo in one of the grass fields, as well as a Dugong just past Wavebreak Island. This animal is a medium-sized marine animal, and is one of four species in the Sirenia order, including three species of Manatees. It’s closest modern relative is the Sea Cow, and looks very similar to a Manatee. The season for sighting is just starting, however our crew speaker informed us that it was only the second time she had ever seen one on that cruise route, so it was lucky! They are relatively non-invasive creatures that tend to stay grazing on the sea floor, and usually only come up to the surface for air. Since they move slowly, staying near the surface would unfortunately increase their risk of getting hit or injured by boat or other marine vessels moving quickly through the waters. After the sighting we headed back to port, and onto our next adventure for the day.

Café Catalina

A local Australian singer was doing an EP launch at Café Catalina, which coincidentally was just a short drive from where we were. The artistic, Jacob Lee, is currently on Spotify after spending time performing on WillIAm’s team on The Voice. We spent some time at the café listening to quality music, then walked around the area, which was just off of the beach. We walked right through a park-like area, and down the pier to see the lovely lookout, then walked left through a patch of mangroves. Then we headed home, and got ready to head out for the evening.

Miami Marketta

That evening we checked out Miami Marketta, a food and music venue. I would definitely say that it surpassed my expectations! The venue is an old warehouse, with murals painted all along the walls and lights hanging from the ceilings. When you enter, there is a stage with live music to the right, and a more permanent restaurant/bar on the left, next to a boutique shop. The first half of the area is seating, and the entire back half has food stands lining each side. There is also a room specifically for just dessert, and a few small seating rooms. Whatever food you are in the mood for, I guarantee you can find something! I got a Mediterranean flatbread sandwich of black beans and feta, as well as coconut gelato later on.

The food was fantastic, the atmosphere lovely and upbeat, and we decided we would definitely be returning with all of our other friends the next weekend! From there we went to explore the Broadbeach nightlife, and returned feeling like it was quite a successful day!

Lights of Miami Marketta

Dinner with friends

SkyPoint Observation Deck

After a morning of catch-up and travel planning on Sunday, I was able to spend another day exploring Gold Coast. I found out that downtown Surfer’s Paradise is very cute during the daytime. Despite the crowds, there are many shops and cafes, and even a street market that is held by the beach. One very fun stop was the Q1 tower, at the SkyPoint Observation Deck. This is Australia’s only beachside observation tower lookout. At 230 meters above the ground, you are able to see a 360 degree view North to Brisbane and South to Byron Bay. There is even a restaurant and live music to enjoy while you check out the view. It takes just 43 seconds to ride elevator up to the 77th floor, and they even have a video screen on the ceiling of the elevator to watch as a live camera films the movement of the elevator car. I would highly recommend a visit to this beautiful lookout point!

View off the SkyPoint Observation deck

Full North side view off the SkyPoint Observation deck

Burleigh Heads Lookout

Later in the day we went to check out the lookouts in Burleigh Heads National Park. While some of my friends were hoping to do a sunrise hike in this area at some point, it ended up being a much shorter hike than I anticipated. We walked by phone flashlight up to the northern lookout, which was a little small but allowed you to see the coastline lit up all the way to Surfer’s. From there we walked to the larger southern lookout, where again you can see all along the coastline lit up during nighttime. With the perfect temperature, peaceful water, and bright moon, it was the perfect way to end a weekend of adventures!

“Love Bali” (Bali Day 3)

Our third day is Bali was also unfortunately our last day, and we made it worthwhile! We made our way back to Ubud to do the things we didn’t get around to when we were there two days prior.

Temples & Cultural Dance

After breakfast at the villa, I left with the early group at 8am and headed to our first stop at a temple where we saw the cultural Barong Dance. This style of Balinese dance is unique and tells a story through dance, narrating the fight between good and evil. Essentially, it incorporates myth, history, and performance into entertainment.

The show we saw has been adapted over time to perform for mainly visitors, and differs in a few small ways from the true religious-based dances performed at real temple festivals. However, it is still an accurate representation of Balinese cultural dance. It is common to see actors dressed up as animals in these shows, and there is heavy use of costuming and makeup on both males and females. Seeing a cultural dance was one of the things I was most excited for, but unfortunately the show involved very little actually dancing. We were taken by surprise to find out that most of the show was simply actors running around stage acting out daily activities or fights, and strangely enough we continued to learn that the Balinese cultural has a very interesting tradition of including strange sexual actions and innuendoes in shows and artwork. We were all a little caught off guard by this, but nonetheless glad we took the opportunity to see a cultural show.

First temple visit of the day

Lion dancing at the opening of the show

Traditional Balinese orchestra playing in the show

Traditional dancers in the cultural show

Our next stop was at the iconic Batuan Temple, located in the middle of a village on a main road from Denpasar to Ubud. In my opinion, this was the most well-preserved and architecturally beautiful temple that we were able to visit. This temple is used by Batuan villagers to worship to the god, during temple festivals which are held twice a year.

Inside entrance to Batuan Temple

Inside Batuan Temple

Satri Coffee Plantation

Our next stop was suggested by our villa driver, and we were very interested to add it to our itinerary. We visited Satri Coffee Plantation, which grows, processes, and sells many different kinds of coffees, teas, spices, and chocolates. They produce a few different kinds of coffee, but take the most pride in their Luwak coffee, which is alternatively known as “the best coffee in the world” according to the plantation. Essentially the civet cat, commonly referred to as the Kopi Luwak ingests coffee beans as part of its diet, their waste is collected, and whole coffee beans are cleaned from the waste then processed into coffee. This coffee actually is well known around the world, selling for upwards of $30 a cup in places like New York City and London. Supposedly, the Luwak’s digestive system gives the coffee a unique rich aroma and smooth, rounded flavor.

Walking path through the coffee plantation

The plantation tour guide started by giving us a personalized tour of the property, which was much smaller than expected. I am assuming they have production areas outside, and the “plantation” was mostly for visitation, tasting, and sale purposes. The entry area housed multiple buildings filled with artwork and beautiful architecture, where we were told numerous weddings take place. Private rooms are also available to rent out for honeymoons.

We walked through the pathway learning about what all they grew, seeing plants like ginseng, vanilla, cocoa, ginger, and chile. Towards the back of the property we were given a brief lesson on how the coffee is processed, as shown in the photo below. The workers hand peel every single coffee bean, and the entire process is completed by hand, literally ground and browned in a cast-iron kettle with human labor (no wonder it’s expensive!). We were also shown a variety of spices grown on property, and smelling the fresh coffee beans and spices was an amazing experience, so strong scented and delicious!

Step by step display process of making coffee

Variety of spices produced on property

We tasted an assortment of teas, coffees, and chocolates, and eventually made our way to the store for a few souvenirs. Watching them make the coffee was one of the most interesting ways I’ve ever seen coffee processed. As you will see in the video below, it looks more like a science experiment!

Making a cup of “the best coffee in the world”

Bebak Teba Sari

Another recommendation by our kind villa driver, we were taken to lunch at a small restaurant called Bebak Teba Sari, with small gazebo’s available with seating right on the water. We enjoyed the food, but enjoyed the atmosphere more. It was lovely having lunch on the water, watching the fish swim beneath us, and being excited about how productive and amazing our day had been so far.

Row of gazebo’s on the water

Enjoying lunch on the water

Mandala Suci Wenara Wana

Next we visited the iconic Sacred Monkey Forest, the official name is listed above. The monkey forest is a place where everyone told us we had to visit, and most of us had a fantastic time! I, however, was terrified of the monkeys and ended up visiting a few local shops outside with one of my other friends until everyone else was finished spending time on the property. Essentially, this is a reserve where you can go inside and be among the monkeys. I was not too fond of getting so up close and personal, but it provides a fabulous photo opportunity for those willing to brave it out!

Ubud Markets

Our next stop took us to to the traditional art market in Ubud. This complex is essentially blocks of street artists and vendors selling traditional Balinese crafts (and some touristy items..). We spent about an hour perusing the buildings of endless rows, and most of us used the rest of our spending money to barter for souvenirs to take home with us. I got some traditional Balinese fabric, a sarong, and a few clothing items. Unfortunately we did not have a great deal of time to enjoy the marketplace, and also all of us managed to get lost in the aisles at least once or twice. With phones dying left and right, confusing twisted pathways of all very similar items for sale, our villa driver not being where we planned on meeting at the correct time, and getting split into groups while shopping, and actually getting lost at one point, SOMEHOW we managed to all make it back on the same street corner and back into our van. We checked in with the other group, who had left the villa around lunchtime, and just recently made it the monkey forest, and soon were on our way to our next stop!

Tegallalang Rice Terrace

Our last activity on the agenda for the day was visiting a remarkable rice terrace. If you have ever seen pictures of these incredibly landscaped areas, you will know exactly what I am talking about. While visiting a rice terrace has been on my life bucket list forever, I was unaware that we were going to visit one during our time in Bali. Needless to say, it was a pleasant surprise that probably made it to one of my top moments in Bali!

Terraced rice fields actually cover much of the land across Bali, since much of the diet consists of rice, driving throughout the country you will see many of these production areas. However, most of these are only a level or two, and much smaller than the rice terraces pictured below. The more landscaped ones were created around the 9th century, and were engineered by the Balinese using a natural irrigation system of water flowing down from the mountains. They create step-like landscaping to make use of the natural flow of water, and what results is an incredible artwork of landscaping. However, it is important to make note that rice farming is an incredibly laborious job. While the Tegallalang Rice Terrace is more of a tourist attraction (literally, you have to pay to get in), a true rice terrace is a place where the Balinese work very hard to produce the product that contributes so much to their society and diet. Regardless, visiting the rice terrace was a stop worth making!

Teagallang Rice Terrace

Top of the terrace, at the restaurant lookout point

Panoramic view of the rice terrace

“Love Bali”

With having a red eye flight that evening, we were able to make use of the entire day on Sunday. In fact, since both of my flight were red eye’s, I was able to make use of the entire three days I spent in Bali. After the rice terrace we headed back towards Seminyak and the airport area, stopping for dinner along the way at a restaurant called Three Monkeys Cafe. We ate a quick dinner to stay on time, and headed back to the airport after what seemed like we just arrived. We thanked our driver profusely for everything, took a picture with him (just half the group since the other group was still at dinner), and made our way to check-in to head out.

Thanking our villa driver & departing at the airport

Overall, my time in Bali was most definitely something that I am so happy to have been able to experience. Everything I saw and did was simultaneously beautiful and heartbreaking. All the natural beauty is breathtaking, and there are endless places to visit to see incredible architecture that was created a long time ago. Everywhere you look is filled to the brim with art and culture, and there were so many potential things to do that deciding what all to chose was very difficult. The fact that I got to actually do everything on my list during my time there is not only impressive, but a blessing. At the same time, I feel incredibly lucky to live the life I do after spending just a few days in Bali. A day or two more might have given me a little more time to breathe/sleep/explore the local area around the villa, but I am still so thankful for everything I got to experience.

“Love Bali” sign at Tegallalang Rice Terrace

Lastly, feel free to check out these videos two of my friends made of our time in Bali! To the Balinese people, particularly our villa staff, as they say in Indonesia, terima kasih (thank you)!

Trips & Cliffs (Bali Day 2)

Morning Downtown

A couple friends and I started off the day by finding a small café in the downtown Seminyak area, where I enjoyed eggs benedict. I had a few minutes to check out the downtown area, and soon we were all headed out on the road again.

Typical roadside shop

Banana shop

Excursion Adventures

Our first stop was suggested by our villa driver, a snorkel trip in the Tenjuang Benoa area with Pandawa Marine Adventures. We were all very excited for the opportunity to snorkel in Bali, but unfortunately did not receive the experience we were hoping for! The “snorkeling” turned out to be just about a two minute boat ride off the coast, surrounded by lots of other boats, and we were only allowed to swim within an approximately 50 square foot area. The water was also VERY murky and polluted, and we saw approximately three different kinds of fish and two coral formations (which you had to swim down to, and couldn’t really see anything even if you did). The water was the saltiest water I have ever tasted in my life, and I can only imagine what beyond boat fuel was in that water. However, they gave us bread to feed the fish (not sure if that’s supposed to be in their diet..) but it was neat to have the fish swim right up to you and beneath you.

Boat ride to the snorkeling area

Turtle Island

After about a 10 minute boat ride, our next stop on the excursion was Turtle Island. Now, this sounds amazing, but it might as well have been called “Animal Cruelty island.” Let’s just say this place would never make it through OSHA or conducting business anywhere in the US. Stepping off the boat into dirty water with trash floating in it and grimy beaches was not ideal, as we were told to leave our shoes in the boat.

This was probably one of the most depressing parts of trip because the turtle were collected in small sectioned-off areas with little amounts of very dirty water. There were also cages for several other animals like bats, birds, and a snake that literally had it’s mouth taped shut (the tape was coming off) in a glass case with disintegrating cardboard pieces on the bottom. After ten minutes max we felt as though we might contract some sort of illness if we stayed any longer, and requested the boat drivers to take us back. Upon return to the starting point, we spent some time trying to get a refund for false advertising and due to the extremely poor conditions we were taken through. Now, most of my friends and I on the trip are very modest and would only do something like that if it was absolutely appropriate. Trust me, it was (that’s why there are very few pictures). However, we ended up receiving about half the cost in refunds, and left to turn our day around!

Turtle pool at Turtle Island

Afternoon Pick-Me-Up at Nusa Dua

Our villa driver suggested an alternative place for lunch (since our plans had gone awry), and we headed to the nearby area of Nusa Dua. Here, we found lovely beach club restaurants lining a decorated boardwalk right beside a beach that was pristine compared to our prior adventures. We selected a restaurant called The Bay, which had beautiful seating, covered and uncovered, a concert-like venue with a DJ, as well as a lovely pool that we could use. We happily ate lunch there, and enjoying pad thai and happy hour as we tried to get over what happened that morning.

Beach boardwalk by The Bay restaurant

Enjoying the beach life!

Panoramic view of Nusa Dua beach

After eating, we took a short walk along the beach, through a park at the point of the beach, and found a secret passageway out onto the edge of the cliff. We found perfect flowers that had fallen off the trees, and put them in our hair!

Pathway through the park

A secret passageway we found leading from the park to the edge of the cliff lookout

Enjoying the park by putting flowers in our hair

Uluwatu Cliff Temple

Prior to departure, Uluwatu Cliff Temple had been on my list of things to do in Bali. This temple is perched right on the very edge of an incredibly tall cliff, with stairs leading all around the perimeter of the surrounding cliffs. As with any temple, you will be given a sari to wear upon entrance, as you must have your knees covered. The point we first came out at after going through the entrance was about in the middle of one section. To the right you could see a wedding, with the couple taking photos literally on the edge of the cliff. Look closely for the white spec in the photo! To the right, you could see the temple.

View to the left of center, Uluwatu temple on the top edge of the cliff

View to the right, stairs leading along the edge with a wedding on the far point cliff

After walking through and seeing the beautiful architecture we followed the path through another cliff section, coming to a point where monkeys commonly gather. This sounds fun, but beware monkeys can be dangerous. Typically, they are non-intrusive and will not bother you if you don’t bother them. However, don’t look them directly in the eyes, as this is a sign of aggression, or to have any lose items on you (sunglasses, water bottle, tissues etc). They will, and did, take these items off people and eat them, and if you try to get it back you will regret it. My first thought was that I do NOT want to get anywhere close to them, and my second was that it cannot be healthy for them to consume all these synthetic and material items. Regardless, the Uluwatu is a famous and beautiful temple, and I definitely recommend checking it out if you’re ever in Bali.

Monkey on the railing, no camera zoom used!

They aren’t kidding!

One of my favorite spots on the property was the last lookout point, where you can go right up to the edge of a massive cliff, look over, and see the straight drop below. Creepy, yes, but nonetheless breathtaking.

Favorite lookout point, recorded looking out over the cliff

Group photo at the same lookout point as the video above

Evening

Later that evening, we went to dinner at a restaurant called Mosaic, where I got mushroom and black truffle oil risotto. We eventually went back to the villa and stayed up decently late figuring out are villa bill, packing for the flight the next day, and talking about what all we were planning on doing the next day. While the morning started out a little rough, our day came together quite well and once again offered us a few amazing experiences.

A Day in the Life of a Millionaire (Bali Day 1)

So this past weekend, 14 of my closest study abroad friends and I had the opportunity to travel to Bali, Indonesia for the weekend! While 12 of them left on Tuesday, I had to stay for an exam Thursday morning, then one other friend and I met everyone at the villa. Despite the ENDLESS planning we did to make the trip come together, it was far worth it.

In two words, I would summarize my experience in Bali as beautiful and heartbreaking. Read below, and find out all the things we were able to do on our brief vacation from vacation. You may have questioned the title of this post.. well in currency terms, $10 US dollars exchanges into one million Indonesian Rupiah. So, when exchanging $150 Australian dollars, I was able to spend the day as a “millionaire!” When factoring in the exchange rate, costs of living in Bali are far less due to the developing economy and weak currency in comparison to the US dollar. Although the upfront costs of the flight and villa were considerable, I was able to complete the weekend trip for under $600 USD, which is remarkable considering all the once-in-a-lifetime experiences I had there.

Arrival to Denpasar

Immediately stepping off of the plane into Denpasar, the first thing I noticed was that Bali smelled and looked exactly like I expected it to. Although I try to be thankful for what I have in life, living in a developed country is something that a lot of people take for granted. Things so “simple” as clean water are so precious here, because tap water is 100% non-potable, meaning you are unable to drink it. To make matters worse, Smart Traveler has currently identified Bali with a level two travel advisory for threat of terrorist attack. This means travelers should “exercise a high degree of caution” when traveling in the area, a step above “reconsider your need to travel.” Just on January 14th, there was an attack at a Starbuck’s cafe and police post in Central Jakarta, where eight people lost their lives. The recent breakout of devastating incidents is heartbreaking, and also legitimately a concern for travelers like ourselves. Other areas of concern in Bali include police bribery, unreliable emergency services, drink drugging, monkey bites, and lack of medical support. However, this may have been the only time in my life to experience Bali, and thankfully we ended up staying safe and making it home alive!

Our villa driver met us at the airport, and drove us to our villa in Seminyak, about 45 minutes away in the South-West area of Bali. We arrived there at about 1am Bali time, checked out the villa and headed to bed. Everyone else was already asleep since they all got up early to do a 2am mountain sunrise hike the morning before!

On the Road Day 1

The first morning we had a 7:30am group breakfast at the villa, made by two of the house staff members. Everyone working at the villa during our stay was extremely polite, very kind, and hard-working. We enjoyed fresh fruit, pancakes, eggs, juices, and soon gathered our things to head out for the day. By 8am we were in the car on our way to Ubud, or central Bali.

Common sights while driving through Bali

Prior to our arrival, Bali had just begun celebrating a few of their famous holidays, leaving the streets decorated everywhere we went. On February 9th, Penampahan Galungan took place, a day where Balinese households prepare for the next day by decorating curved bamboo poles with natural items like fruits, rice, and plants. This acts as a blessing by Mother Nature, and when completed these ornamental poles line all the streets of Bali until February 20th, or the next major day of observance, Kuningan. On February 10th, Galungan commenced, a day the Balinese commemorate the triumph of Dharma over Adharma (good against evil). On this day families dress up to visit temples, and the festivities continue for 10 days until Kuningan. Similar to a New Years celebration, there is dancing, food, art, and parades.

As we drove and walked through the streets and visited temples through Bali, it was beautiful to see all these natural decorations. The bamboo poles really do line the streets, and have shrine-like decorations at the base of the pole. In the shrines as well as sitting in front of many doorways or entrances there are little containers of incense made with all natural materials.

Ornamental curved bamboo pole

Incense

Elephant Safari Park & Lodge

After about and hour and a half drive, our first stop was at the Elephant Safari Park & Lodge, where we got to have some up close and personal experiences with some amazing creatures! *Cue the endless pictures and videos* We had the opportunity to literally stand among the elephants, feed them pieces of Coconut palm bark, and take lots of fun pictures. They were literally trained so well that if a guide said the word selfie, they would move their trunk to pose for a picture. They could also put a leis over your head and give you a kiss! I must say, they were the most photogenic elephants I’ve ever met. We saw a brief talent show where the elephants were trained to play basketball, soccer, do math, and a few other tricks. The best part of the park visit was going for a half-hour ride through the surrounding area!

Entrance to Elephant Safari Park & Lodge

Feeding elephants coconut palm bark

Posing with a few elephants

Such gentle and amazing creatures!

Pose with elephant and leis

Elephant kisses!

Group photo with a few extra friends

One of many tricks during the talent show

Elephant scoring a soccer goal

Riding through the park, one of the best parts of the entire weekend!

Wading through the water at the end of the ride

A little history of the Elephant Safari Park, they have 34 elephants, and most of them have been rescued then rehabilitated while being trained on the property. I am happy to say that while it is still a zoo-like atmosphere, it appeared that the animals were well taken care of, and getting the proper treatment they deserve. There were also several baby elephants, and they were being taken care of appropriately as well. I would definitely give the park a great review and recommend others to visit if ever in Ubud!

Definitely a day to remember!

Hanging Gardens of Bali

Following the elephant park, we made our way to the Hanging Gardens for lunch. While we ended spending a considerable amount of our day there, it was a beautiful view and surrounding landscape. This property is mainly a resort hotel with gardens, outside guests are able to visit for tours and meals. I enjoyed a veggie falafel burger and fresh basil mint juice, and we all explored the incredible infinity pool area afterward. There were monkeys along the railing, just an arm’s reach away.

Entrance to the Hanging Gardens of Bali

Lift down to the restaurant area

Infinity pool

Lunch meal

Monkeys along the pool railing, look closely to spot the baby!

Evening

As part of our stay at the villa, we received one complementary meal cooking service, and decided to use it this evening for dinner. After making the drive back to Seminyak, we enjoyed a lovely group dinner with lots of options. As a vegetarian, I was happy to have a few options like spring rolls, seitan, tofu, vegetables, and rice. After dinner we all spent the evening at the villa and got ready for the next morning’s early start.

First Day Impressions

Overall, my first day in Bali was overwhelming and completely amazing. During our time there we got to see and do many once-in-a-lifetime things, but it was also heartbreaking to see the way that some people have to live in this world. Many roads are uneven or broken, traffic rules don’t exist, you can’t drink the water or rely on any medical service, and almost everything is dirty or somehow contaminated. Regardless, the people I met were very nice and happy, and appreciated us as visitors being interested in the culture. I can say that I am extremely happy to have as fortunate a life as I do, but feel that it is also very important for everyone to experience this same opportunity at some point in their life. The entire trip was very humbling and eye-opening, yet also a fantastic way to see a few of the most beautiful landscapes and natural attractions in the world!

Current mood: in love

“Sono andata da Firenze a Ginevra e ritorno!”

Just got back from a calm and relaxing weekend in Geneva, Switzerland (“Ginevra, Svizzera” … Can you guess the title?!) where I visited my Aunt and Uncle for the weekend. (Or, I suppose, grand-aunt and grand-uncle would be more like it!) I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Geneva and their home, flying over the Swiss Alps on the plane ride there, and then again gaping at the view of the Alps through their kitchen window! Unbelievable.

We also saw some beautiful neo-impressionist art by a Swiss painter named Signac, enjoyed Swiss fondu and delicious chocolate (“il cioccolato”), took those naps, and indulged in life convos over coffee, croissants, and oj at the breakfast table! This was definitely my favorite weekend by far!!! I also heard tons of French (“Francese”) and learned a little bit as well, but just enough to get me through the airport and back to Florence!

“Oggi a Firenze”

“Today in Florence” for my Italian class, our teacher met us at the Piazza della Reppublica to practice our speaking and listening skills. We introduced ourselves to random Italian people, and we asked them if we could interview them for our class! All in Italian! It was so much fun! The people we spoke to were all very gracious in helping us do our assignment. Today was also an incredibly warm and sunny day (“oggi”), which has been quite a change from the past few. It was so warm, I was even able to hang out on the front steps of la Basilica di Santa Croce. Church (“chiesa”) steps seem to be a common place for Italians to hangout.

Current mood: in love

I feel like all the beauty in the whole world is just being revealed to me, and I’m just standing here speechless receiving it all in my heart, feeling tons of emotions, and loving everything. I’m so little (almost too little to handle it), but so in love, and I can’t imagine ever going home! (“Ti amo Firenze!”)

At this stage in my study abroad experience, I think the song “I See The Light” from Tangled sums it up perfectly…

Chorus
"All those days watching from the windows
 All those years outside looking in
 All that time never even knowing
 Just how blind I've been
 Now I'm here blinking in the starlight
 Now I'm here suddenly I see
 Standing here it's all so clear
 I'm where I'm meant to be..."

And, the people I’m meeting? Incredible. A good friend (“la mia amica”) of mine named Annie told me today, “It’s never too late to have a childhood. It’s never too late to be who you are, and it’s never too late to add to yourself.” She’s had some inspiring life experiences working with kids at her day camps. She’s like the kind of girl you’d read in a storybook! Like, Merida from “Brave” or Rapunzel from “Tangled.” She’s a brave, brave girl with a kind heart and a wicked sense of humor! She also has a horse named Annie too, but purely by coincidence!

I met a girl named Rena, who’s like a sister (“sorella”) to me! We are so similar! And, Cici, and Megan, and Brian, and Heather, and Nick! Such adventurous and endearingly optimistic people. And Sara, my beautiful friend from Florence, and David and Andrea, who work at the cafe next door to school (“scuola”) and put up with me trying to learn Italian!! What a dream this is! It must be!

A lesson learned

Study abroad can be exhilarating and sublime, especially when all of Europe is suddenly at your fingertips.

It’s 5:00 a.m., and I can’t fall asleep. I’ve been living in Florence, Italy for exactly one month to date. After visiting Siena, Pisa, Venice, the Chianti region, and Rome, knowing I’ll be catching a flight to Geneva, Switzerland in less than 6 hours running on zero sleep, seeing Verona appear on the horizon (exactly one week away for St. Valentine’s weekend), and not to mention, taking my first Italian test today… I don’t like to admit it, but I’m pretty exhausted.

A glimpse of Roma

Last weekend in Rome, a bunch of great new friends let me crash at their place last minute when plans to Naples fell through. Thanks to their incredible planning, we visited every single sight I had ever heard of in Rome plus some—the Vatican and Saint Peter’s Basilica, the Trevi Fountain, the Sistine Chapel, the Pantheon, the Roman Forum, Domus Aurea, and the Colosseum. It was one heck of a weekend, and I still can’t believe it happened. I owe it all to God. After all of this, by the time I finally returned home to Florence and walked past the Duomo toward my little Tuscan apartment, I was able to take in a deep breath and relax. I definitely got an “ahh, it’s good to be back,” kind of feeling.

A lesson well learned

So far, from the culmination of these experiences, I’ve learned a pretty big lesson. Even when everyone you know is constantly talking about going out of town because they “don’t want to waste a single weekend,” it’s okay to stay home. In fact, staying in Florence for a weekend or two (or three!) may be exactly what I need—to recharge my batteries and enjoy where I am! I’m absolutely in awe of this experience and it’s ephemeral feel, but I need to start listening to my body. (You may not hear this often, but study abroad can actually be stressful!)

I love the words of Saint Thomas Aquinas when he says, “The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.” It’s easy to forget, though, that this doesn’t mean I need to zip through the whole book in one sitting. It’s okay to relax, it’s okay to take things slow. And, it’s definitely more than okay to spend time marveling in the wonder of my host city. Heck, Florence is one of the most beautiful cities in the world! And, of course, “taking it slow” is the Italian way to go about things anyway. A new Florentine friend of mine, who helps me out with my Italian, joked tonight that her mom loves to take “5, 6, 7—10 years!” just enjoying a cappuccino!

As tired as I am, though, I’m definitely more than excited and “all in” as always to enjoy a weekend in Geneva with my Aunt and Uncle! I’ll finally get to see their city! I’m not sure how I’ll make it through the rest of the week with school and all, but I just know I’ll still have plenty of reasons to smile!

Looking forward to a blank itinerary “a Firenze!”

A presto!

Angela

Life is Short, Enjoy Your Coffee

This weekend was scattered with thunderstorms, so sadly our outdoor options were limited. However, I am much more willing to take a little rain than the blizzard we all missed back at home!

Burleigh Markets

Saturday morning we went to Burliegh Heads to check out a few areas recommended by a friend back at home who previously studied here. Our first stop, after quite the complex Uber ride there, was at Burleigh markets, held Saturday mornings in the Burleigh Heads State School. It had a cute market atmosphere, with many stands of locally grown organic fruits and vegetables, arts & crafts, and gourmet foods. Though small, it was an enjoyable artsy and local-inspired atmosphere.

James Street

Our next stop was James Street, an iconic place to visit in Burleigh, lined with shops of fashion, food, drink, health, and beauty. We chose one of the many café’s, and enjoyed quality Australian coffee. After walking around the area, we actually realized that it was approximately the same area that we explored at night. We headed up towards Burleigh Heads National Park, and on our way stumbled upon a small surf competition taking place on the coast. With storms threatening there wasn’t a great turnout, but still a classic Australian event to stop by and experience for a few minutes! We checked out the trails at the park quickly before the rain hit, then headed back to Bond.

Mocha & Almond Croissant on James Street

Center of Cafe area on James Street

Surf Competition

Burleigh Head National Park lookout by the water

Sushi Train

Later that evening we tried a sushi nearby restaurant called Sushi Train that was suggested by a local. It was definitely our favorite sushi restaurant so far! We spent the rest of the evening looking at options for our trip to Bali. It was a fun day of exploring, and we managed to make it between the raindrops!

Australia Day!

Tuesday was Australia Day, which meant that I got to learn about what this country is all about!

While most Australians spend the day with family and friends at festivities, I was in class most. However, in International Marketing, our professor brought in a few classic Australian food items for everyone to sample. Here are a few of the top iconic Australian foods with a little history behind their fame:

Vegemite:
A dark brown paste made with leftover brewers’ yeast extract combined with vegetable and spice additives. It was created in 1922 by the Fred Walker Company, which later became Kraft Food Company. It was an attempt to make a spread out of brewer’s yeast, one of the richest known natural sources in the Vitamin B group. Originally labeled “Pure Vegetable Extract,” Vegemite took to the Australian market shelves, and has never left. Currently Kraft is working on marketing the product in the US, but due to it’s unique and extremely salty taste, it has yet to become popular in the states. However, the product has become so famous that it actually is sold in the majority of countries across the world, even in specialty shops in the US. In my opinion, it’s way too salty, but tastes much better on bread than crackers.
https://www.vegemite.com.au/heritage/vegemite%20story

Lamingtons:
A dessert made of sponge cake coated in a layer of chocolate sauce and coconut. It comes in a few different forms, such as squares, rectangles, or rolls, and sometimes also is made with a layer of fruit jelly. It can be found in South Africa (under the name hedgehogs) and New Zealand. It actually was created by a maid-servant of Lord Lamington (British eight Governor of Queensland) when she accidentally put it together at work.
http://australianlamingtons.blogspot.com.au/p/history-of-world-famous-australian.html

Caramello Koalas:
Pretty straight forward, milk chocolate koalas filled with caramel. Relating back to America, they taste pretty much like Rolo’s. This snack was created by Cadbury, and has remained popular for over three generations.
https://www.cadbury.com.au/Products/Pre-teens-Confectionery/Caramello-Koala.aspx

Twisties:
A flavoured snack, pretty much like cheese curls. They are made made Smith’s Snackfood Company, and have been on the shelves for over 50 years here. While Cheese and Chicken are the iconic flavours, they add to the line from time to time.
http://www.smiths.com.au/index.php/our_brands

Tim Tams:
Two cookie wafer with cream in the middle, coated in chocolate. There are classic types, including original, dark, white, caramel, and double coat, as well as many specialty Tim Tam products. This product also exists in the States, however is not nearly as popular as in Australia. Fun fact, based on a market research study, they found that Americans would not purchase the product because there were not enough in one package.
http://www.arnotts.com.au/products/tim-tam/

The Evening

After a long day of classes, my friends and I went to Broadbeach for the evening. We enjoyed dinner at a nice Sushi restaurant called Oh Sushi. While an average sushi fan at home, here sushi is good, cheap, and very common, so I think I will find myself enjoying it quite often while abroad. Afterwards we went to a bar called Melbas in Surfer’s Paradise, and had a relaxing evening with friends listening to live music.

Evening at Melbas

Aussie Lingo

In addition to a few iconic Australian foods, over my first two weeks here, I have picked up on quite a few terms that are different than the word that would be used at home. Should you find yourself in Australia, expect to hear these terms typically in place of the American equivalent. I’m sure there will be updates to come, but here are a few that have come up so far:

mate – friend (is used fairly frequently)
parcel – package
hire – rent
playsuit – jumper/romper
cupboard – cabinet
prawn – shrimp (Essentially, however techinically prawns have class on three of their five pairs of legs, while shrimp have claws on just two. Their gills and body shapes are different, but for cooking purposes they are basically the same. Generally speaking prawn is used in place of shrimp, as you would see on menus.)
country – Australian outback (central land)
(vs) out back –back behind something else
Uni – University (students attend “College” in the US but “University” in Australia)
bloke – man
que – line
query – question
collect – pick up
joggers – sneakers
thongs – flip flops
bogan – hippy or country person
rocket – arugula (sounds so very similar)
jug – pitcher
sick as – awesome, nice (phrase to compliment something or indicate you like it)
no worries – okay, you’re welcome, filler (phrase often used as a general response)
biscuit – cookie

Adventures in Burleigh & Currumbin

Burleigh Heads

On Saturday of this weekend, I got the chance to join a local friend in visiting the Burleigh Beach area again. We hiked up a short distance to the overlook, which allows you to see all along the coastline, North to Surfer’s Paradise and South to Elephant Rock. It was a little overcast, but still a beautiful view of the Burleigh Beach coastline.

South side view

North side view

Currumbin

A few friends of mine had explored the nearby Currumbin area two days prior, and were heading back on Sunday. They started at rock pools, hiked up a mountain, and stumbled upon a organic fruit stand and farm. With an invitation from the owner to join them again on Sunday for local music and coffee, three friends and I were up for the adventure!

We took an uber straight to Freeman’s Organic Fruit Farm, which was established in the early 1900’s, and is now the only commercial fruit and vegetable farm that remains in the area. With the perfect soils, Freeman’s produces bananas that have won first prize at the RNA show. There production includes bananas (New Guinea Cavendish and Lady Fingers), Custard Apples, Avocados, Tomatoes, Various Root Vegetables, Cabbage, Pineapple, Mandarins, Mangos and others. All fruits and vegetables are grown 100% organically and taste so fresh!

History of Freeman’s Organic Fruit Farm

Map of the surrounding area

View with original sign of the farm

Standing next to a 100-year-old banana tree

The owner of the farm showed us a trail looping through the farm with scenic outlooks, as well as a starter coffee tree he was growing to one day start the process of producing coffee. We saw all different kinds of fruit trees, and spent some time listening to live music.

Farmer Market gathering place

After relaxing a while and eating fresh mangos in the sunshine, we set up to hike down the mountain and find the rock pools and cliff diving in the valley, following directions from the locals. We made it down the mountain following the road in about half an hour, and came across a small park with a river flowing through it. After making conversation with a local couple, we found out that our “5 minute drive down the road” was actually a 30 minute drive. Needless to say, our plans changed. However, we spoke with the friendly couple for quite some time, and they ended up offering us a ride home and inviting us to dinner at their house! We all know the term “stranger danger” so of course were a bit hesitant to take them up on the offer, but ended up accepting. Their house ended up being about 15 minutes from campus (compared to where we were at the park was at least 45 minutes away with unreliable cell service). No worries because we knew how to get to the smaller more tourist-orientated rock pools that was a five minute walk away, where we could call an uber if necessary. While at the couples house, they offered us drinks and we talked about all sorts of Australia and travel-related things. They even ordered us all pizza and were quite generous hosts. After staying for a little while, we called and uber home, and made it back just in time to make the meeting with our friends to talk about planning our trip to Bali!

This may seem like quite the “viewer discretion is advised” sort of story, but everyone needs an experience like this once in their life, right? Adventure is out there, go and find it!

A view from the top of Freeman’s Farm

Wildlife & Scenery Excursion

Most undergraduate students at Bond do not have class on Fridays, and some are lucky enough to only have class three days a week. Of course I am here to learn, as well as stay on track with my GPA and degree requirements. However, I also want to travel and gain many amazing cultural and travel experiences! Today we were able to have our first real excursion in Gold Coast.

Morning

After a morning spent at the school club fair signing up for activities, we visited the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary. This has been on my Australian bucket list since way before I arrived, mostly because we get to pet kangaroos and hold koalas! We spent a few hours working our way through the exhibits, petting kangaroos, watching a bird show, taking a safari train ride, and holding a koala. America is definitely different than Australia when it comes to places like this. There was very low-key security (basically friendly sanctuary employees/guides), and you could walk in and out of many different open exhibits. These included animals like kangaroos, emus, lots of birds, and wallabies. We also saw koalas, wombats, echidnas, crocodiles, Tasmanian devils, and dingoes. Here is a video of a turtle pool:

The kangaroos were definitely my favorite, mostly because you could see them up close. They were very mellow and soft to pet, and it was fantastic. Considering kangaroos can be very dangerous in the wild, it was truthfully a little disheartening to see them so mellow in the reserve, but also an incredible experience to be among them so personally. The emus were in the same area, yet not quite as friendly. They tended to stay more away from people, but were still very interesting creatures to see.

Kangaroo exhibit area

Kangaroo with a joey in its pouch

Petting a kangaroo!

At the end of the sanctuary a few of us took pictures with a koala! Of course we had to fall for the tourist trap of paying for a picture, but holding a koala has been on my bucket list since literally forever, and it was something that had to be done (zero regrets). Her name was Rochelle and she was very well behaved, soft, and very photogenic. Definitely an experience I will remember.

Holding a koala!

The process…

Koala feeding

Afternoon

On the way back we decided to take a shuttle since we had about 10 people, and the driver offered to make a stop at Elephant Rock. It also was a breathtaking and well-worthwhile excursion. Essentially there’s this big rock on the beach, you walk up a short, steep set of rock stairs, and come out on a platform on the top overlooking the entire Currumbin Beach coast. It was quite windy, but a fantastic find.

The short climb up to Elephant Rock outlook

A view off the lower-level rock formation, facing the South side

180 view off Elephant Rock

Evening

Later that evening, we all took a bus to the Burleigh Beach area, about a 30-minute bus ride from campus. We had a calm get-together with friends on the beach, ate sushi, and shared our different adventures of the day. It was an incredibly relaxing evening, and our walk along the water at night was so peaceful. It was gorgeous to see the mountains and coastal landscape lighted up in such a picturesque way. We made our way back home after a day of making lifelong memories.

Nighttime view on Burleigh Beach, facing the South side