The Beginning of the End...

Well this week marks the beginning of the two finals weeks we have. Yes, two WHOLE weeks! After a study WEEK to prepare. Let's be honest...who needs to study THAT much?! ..Americans don't, so we've enjoyed our study week a little differently than our Aussie mates!

Last Sunday: My future roomie Brenna and I took the train to City West and went to Harbour Town... Shopping centre! YEAY, girly things! I finally got my Australia sweatshirt I've been waiting to get, as well as a couple dresses (yes, I said dresses). For being such an expensive country, there are some REALLY good deals on clothing. A girl has to have her shopping trips, no matter where she's at! I ate a delicious kebob for lunch before Valleygirl and Cotton-On where we both got our great deals! We ended the day with a blended mocha from Gloria Jeans, and it was delicious! Made me miss the Bou and Starbucks, but I'll get those at the airport during layovers!...What a great day!

Face scrubs!....Tasted better than they looked.

Monday: Was full of relaxation. It has been getting more rainy and windy here, so beach days and tanning are out. But many episodes of Sex and the City are in! Nothing like a bunch of girls and a girly show to have a good day. That night a group of us went to the Bar Orient for their Steak dinner night! SO GOOD!!! Since we normally have our community dinners on Monday night, I have only been able to go twice. Afterwards, a small group of us girls had an at-home spa night! Home remedies of hair treatments, face scrub, and a hand/foot scrub. It was such a pamper-myself-night. What a way to spend my study week!

Golfing with Brenna and Joe!

Tuesday: I went golfing!!!! Yeay. That's one thing I've really missed. It's been gorgeous weather here, and golfing is always perfect to accompany that. Can't wait to hit up Greenwood when I get home. We played 9 holes and rented clubs for only 27 bucks! Not bad at all! The weather was perfect, and we missed the bus so had to walk back to the P&O (~3km). The whole time we kicked a corner PVC pipe. We got some really awkward looks, and one lady even joined! Just goes to show ya, you can never be too old to bring out your inner child. =) The rest of that day consisted of relaxing and taking care of my roommate, Sydney. She was sick. So we watched more episodes of Sex and the City!
**I just ate a banana that had a brown spot, tasted just fine, why have I always cut that part out? Hmmm... well since I have less than two weeks left here, I am trying to eat out all of my food. I have noticed I have lots of pasta, rice, eggs, and chicken. Hopefully my vegetables will last long enough to not be eating straight carbs the last couple days I'm here! However, I've got some delicious meals coming up!!

Wednesday: This day was a wet, cold day, full of storms. We were planning to go to the zoo that day, so that made me sad that we couldn't do that. =( We instead stayed in and relaxed. Since we did so much staying inside, I felt I needed to balance that with a workout. So thanks to Amanda Wicker and her Shaun T. Insanity videos, we've been working out everyday for a week now! Woooo INSANITY!! Granted we haven't once been able to get through an entire video without falling over from exhaustion, but we're pushing through and hopefully it will pay off. (Don't go thinkin we're wimps for not being able to do it, seriously, you try it). haha

Thursday: Alright, well I figured I can't go throughout all of study week without doing something. So I continued to work on my study guide for Microbiology. Finished it! Also worked out that day. And went to Dollar dogs at the Orient! Yum. For $1 you get a hotdog and 'chips' (fries). Good cheap meal!

Friday and the weekend: I continued with a daily workout and even decided to have some more fun. We did the usual, go to Orient/Newport/Metros Friday night and I met someone with a bunch of wigs and glow sticks! Haha by the end of the night I had bracelets, a necklace, anklets, and a pink wig! Not to mention, I decided to style my hair a little different and got my good friend Amanda G. to put some cornrow/braids on half of my head. Gotta enjoy Aussie nightlife and the kind people ya meet here. =) At Newport they had a promotion going on where if you had a ticket you could play a game and try to win one of the prizes. I of course got a ticket, played the game, and did so well that I won that gem of a hat you can see in the pict! It is a Jagermeister hunting hat! (They must've known I hunt in Minnesota, and it gets quite cold there!) Fate I tell ya. Haha....Procrastination and some studying filled the rest of the weekend. Also, roomie (Syd) and I decided to watch a scary movie--The Exorcism of Emily Rose. Freaky as heck!! I advise to not watch it with the lights off. Actually, do it...makes it even scarier! =)

I had my first test this week, on Tuesday. It was my big Microbiology test, and 50% of my overall grade. (I know, rough!) But it wasn't too bad. I studying a good amount and feel pretty good about the test.  Last night was supposed to be a HUGE storm here, so a bunch of us decided to takeover the common room and watch a scary movie--The Haunting in Connecticut. Scary!! Found the 12 year old girl inside of me! haha it was a great movie though! Also, because of the wind, the doors/windows kept rattling and lights outside kept flickering. Made the scary movie seem like there was surround sound speakers! Was great!... Today I've decided to just get some random stuff done. Enjoyed sleeping in til 11, worked out, worked out some flight details, and now I'm watching Murder She Wrote (just like when I was a kid....or my summers at home). Haha I love this show! Good ol' Jessica Fletcher. I decided to blog today too, before heading out to Sweet Lips for some fish and chips, and maybe some bingo. =) These last two weeks are going fast, but I'm trying to work in as much as I can... This weekend is supposed to have some nice weather, so I'm hoping to get to the Perth Zoo!!! Ahhh animals! I can't wait! Tell ya'll about it soon. Til then... Cheers all!

Sunset from the lighthouse!

Aussie Winter....not so Winter. LOVE it!

So, I've decided that I'm not going to try and fill-in the past month or so of my life, and just try and write what I see fit. Hope you all are okay with that! You can always see my scrapbook to see what I've done since my excursions, but to be honest the majority of those weeks incorporated many, MANY assignments (a.k.a. about 15 papers, projects, and presentations), along with the corresponding readings for classes.  Its been a little hectic, to say the least.

Okay recap, had a boyfriend for 3 weeks, t'was fun...and short-lived.  Sparknotes version: he's my teachers step-son from the U.S., he had work, I had never-ending school, I was busy, he was bored....not a good combo I guess. Anywho, moving on...

Me and my roomie, Sydney, before a netball game!

Since then I've been enjoying Australian nightlife with my girls! (and the few boys of the P&O) I have been hiking, seen more wild kangaroos that I even go to eat carrots out of my hand, rode a mechanical bull, went to an aquarium, and even enjoyed a footy game. Footy is Australian rules football, and its too hard to explain so you can look that up yourselves! There was even a streaker at the game....so we got the pleasure of seeing LOTS of Australian culture that day! haha  Also, our netball team won our first game!!!!! YEAY!!!! It was legit too, don't think it was a forfeit...that was the week before! haha It was such a great game! We won 23-19. Our season is sadly over and we finished 7th out of 10. Such a great accomplishment!  Also, one of my projects for our CSBSJU study abroad seminar class was an Experiential Learning project where we took a certain culture of Oz and learned more about it.... so, me and my buddy Christine Schneider (we're officially dubbed 'Bret-Schneider') did beer culture! How fun right! We learned all about the culture, and it was actually very interesting! My Dad was proud too! haha We went on a brewery tour and tasting, of course; it was a lot of fun! And for the ending of our presentation to the class, we brought everyone to the bar nearby and poured 'tasting' samples of two different kinds of beer. BEST end to a presentation EVER!!!... Must've been why we got an A, just kidding, we knew our stuff very well. If you would like, I could teach you anything you want to know about the craft revolution of beer in Western Australia... but its BYOB.

Told ya I rode a mechanical bull! =)

Currently, I just finished a 7 page research paper for my Aboriginal People class, and still need to study for my Microbiology Practical exam tomorrow.  Life is great, right! Actually I'm not complaining....it's technically 'Winter' here, which is supposed to consist of torrential downpours, but lately it has been about 80 degrees so a bunch of us girls have been laying out on our patio tanning. It's been a great 'Winter!' This is our last week of classes, then we have a whole 'study week' off before two weeks of finals. I have 4 finals, each spread out by about 3 or 4 days, so let's be honest....Study week is NOT going to be put to academic use! My roommate and I already have movie nights planned and pizza delivery to go with it! Also, a bunch of us are planning to go to the Perth Zoo, golfing, shopping/souvenir trips, and more...basically enjoy the time we have left, doing things we haven't been able to see/do yet.  These last weeks are going by fast....I don't like it.

Yesterday I received a package from home! My first care package from my parents while being in college! I got an awesome MN rode sign that says Kelsey Dr., Funyuns, Oreos, Dove chocolates, pistachios, and ALL the ingredients to make MONSTER COOKIES!!!! nomm nomm nommmm!! I can't wait to make them. I first saw the peanut butter and could not understand why my Mom and Dad would send Our Family brand peanut butter, I don't even like peanut butter that much...I soon realised that she also included the oatmeal, sugar, and everything else (aside from eggs and butter) that goes in to making the cookies. I can't wait! Homemade goodies taste SOOO much better with ingredients from home! =) My mother is the best!

So every week on Wednesday nights, the bar below our place has karaoke night! Amanda panda and I strutted our stuff singing Rihanna & Eninem's song "Love the way you lie"... I rocked the white girl out of me singing Rihanna, while Amanda revealed herself to be deep-down a male rapper! We had the WHOLE place clapping, singing, and cheering as we finished our song...It was awesome! It might've been slightly the they were drunk, but nonetheless we take the credit! And later, us two and Molly sang the CSBSJU classic "Piano Man!" It was just like home, aside from more pants were visible....inside joke. Sorry if you don't get it. Just go to Sal's some night in St. Joe at bar-close....you'll get it then.

Tidbit: So I called someone in Bemidji and talked for over an hour and a half a couple weeks ago. Great phone call, but I've found I cannot do that anymore, I seem to run out of credit on my phone quite fast. So until I leave, no more long phone calls. Sticking to texting only once in a while. Also, I found that when I receive pictures in my email from home I get really happy!! (Also, letters) So if any of you feel the urge to give me a sense of home, or want to say hi, please feel free. I will reciprocate the gesture in the future! Maybe even send you a Monster cookie...(or make you fresh ones when I get home)! Cheers all!

Molly, Me, Christine, and Gina after riding the bull!

An IN-TENTse & GORGE-ous trip up the West Coast

So I was sitting in class today and thought to myself, 'Hmmm, Kelsey, You need to blog today!' Since I naturally need to listen to myself, that's EXACTLY what I decided to do! =) Get ready for more fun...

About 3 days after our group-long excursion, there were 16 of us (14 girls and 2 lucky boys; both with girlfriends, which was good since we were focused on the trip, not on boys) from the P&O that rented 4 cars and began a 4000km drive that took 7 days. Our plan was to see as much of Australia as we could, that IS why we come here, right?! =) The itinerary was to drive up the coast, few stops on the way, eventually reaching Ningaloo Reef--the best reef in Australia. Some people think that the best one is the Great Barrier Reef, but it's become so tourist-attracted that it's deteriorating and you have to take a boat to get out to it. So we picked the Ninglaoo Reef, one that you can walk out 50 feet from the shore and There it is!! We also headed over to the Pilbara and Karijini National Park to do some more sight-seeing. That was our plan!...and just so you know how late this post is, the dates for our trip ('holiday' as they say here in Oz) was 7-14 April. (Yes, I'm that far behind). Oh well... =) heehee

We got to watch MANY sunrises!!! This was the first!

We started heading north and stopped at our first stop about 2 hours away, the Pinnacles in Numbung National Park! When we were on our way there I was seriously thinking there was going to be about 11 of them, but Nope! There were THOUSANDS!!! An entire desert full that was turned into a forest from these lime-rich sand formations that were shaped around 30,000 years ago! It was sooo cool. Aside from first losing some cars in our caravan, lasting about an hour, we had a successful stop! The drive was going to be long enough, so we headed out after some pictures and some lunch...Found a campsite outside of Kalbarri National Park, and it was early to bed for early to rise! Sunday, Easter Day, incorporated a trip into Kalbarri to visit the famous God's Window ('Nature's Window' to be politically correct, but we like God's Window better). <3 The view was amazing!!! It was the first gorge we saw on our trip, and what a way to see it! Spectacular! Easter Sunday, God's Window, beginning of our trip.... just a few signs that our trip was going to be amazing! The rest of the day was spent driving to Coral Bay--one of the best beaches to visit on the Ningaloo Reef. By the time we got there it was late and we had to camp in a random field behind a hostel. Totally weird, but fun! This was also the day that I DROVE!!! First of all, the drivers seat is on the opposite side, the seat belt feels weird then, and the turning signal stick and the

Looking through God's Window.

 windshield wiper stick are switched. So its pretty funny when you're ready to make a turn and on a 90 degree day you hit the windshield wipers! Haha it gets laughs for sure! Also, they drive on the opposite side of the road, so it's kind of freaky when you're seeing these HUGE road trains (like a semi, but have 3 large trailers attached to them; yes, they are legal, and scary to drive by because they take up half the road). Any who, mini heart attacks happened a LOT making sure I was on the 'correct' side of the road. So driving was a whole new experience on it's own! Fun though =)

All of Monday was spent at Coral Bay beach!...it was also 114 F. Yes, we got burned, and dehydrated. In Australia there is water shortages so lots of places don't have drinkable water, so we had to buy it/fill up when we could...this got expensive, so we were keeping it minimal. The beach was amazing, and walking out 50 feet from the shore we started seeing these foot-and-a-half long fish. Freaked the living daylights out of me!! I didn't realise that the reef started so close! So we all grabbed our snorkel gear and jumped back in!....indescribable....but I'll try. We saw blue neon fish, clown fish, rainbow fish, 'Gill' (from Finding Nemo) I think he's an angel fish, starfish, eels, squid, HUGE brains of coral, yellow fish, black fish, one fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish and so so so much more. Haha It was amazing! It was like living the Discovery channel!...We spent many, many hours in the water and on the beach before driving up further to a town called Exmouth; 6 of us girls had a date! Due to a birthday, we bought some burgers and had a barbie that night. It was a lot of fun!

6am came pretty early.....but after a week-long trip with Peta on our Shark bay trip, we were getting used to it. Also, once the sun was up it was pretty hard to keep sleeping in a tent. At 7am, us 6 girls went across the street to the visitors centre for out date...with Whale Sharks! We spent the entire day on a boat! I've been missing that, and can't wait to do it when I get back home. The day was phenomenal! We got to do a morning snorkel, seeing 3 HUUUUGGGEE sting rays (I quickly swam from those), but we also saw SO many fish, too. Instead of swimming on the inside of the reef like in Coral Bay, our boat brought us to the out-skirts of it and there were even MORE brightly-coloured fish! Back on the boat, the 6 of us did the typical 'Titanic pose' on the bow of the boat and proceeded to layout and tan. We made good friends with the crew, got to drive the boat for a while, and even got to talk to the spotter-plane pilot. Early afternoon we had a shark spotted! In groups, we jumped in and waited for the largest fish in the world, a docile shark, come our way. I swam to the spot and about peed my pants when I saw it (good thing I was in the water!). This HUGE majestic creature was slowly moving right beside me... sigh.... a sight I'll never forget. It was breath-taking, but I had to swim to keep up with it, so I did. You can only swim by them for about 5 minutes each time, or else they get scared and dive into the deep unknown. Since we didn't want that to happen, our groups switched off and on, which also gave us a break to rest and get some non-seawater in our systems! We got to go in about 5 times, and each time I kept right up in the front of the group and as close to the shark as I was allowed, just to make sure I got everything out of the experience as I could. Something like that is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and I wasn't about to regret any of it!!...There was a photographer
with us and he snapped pictures, of which I was the only one in our group that actually had a shot with the whale shark!!! Yeay, Go Me!!! <3 Once the whale shark decided he wanted to swim away, we all got back on the boat and took a cruise through Tiger Shark Alley....which is exactly as it sounds! We saw this HUGE 10 foot tiger shark swim right under the bow of our boat, it was awesome!! Some of the staff even grabbed their snorkel gear and jumped in to swim with it! (Mind you this is an animal that would actually eat a person) But the guys we were with convinced us that sharks are not as bad as people make them out to be, but I don't know...I'll keep living, just to be safe!.... After an afternoon snorkel seeing TONS of sea cucumbers and lots more fish and sting rays, we got back on the boat to go back to meet the rest of our gang. After meeting up with everyone, one car stayed back for a scuba dive the next day, and 3 of our cars continued down the road headed to the Pilbara.

Me and my new 25ft. friend, and a couple of his buddies!

Wednesday was a lot of driving....but we did stop at Hamersley Gorge. WOW-za!!!!! Favorite gorge we saw BY FAR! We climb down the gorge and come to this gorgeous river, walls that had an artistic-like colour of rocks, glistening slabs of rocks with water trickling down them, and a tree with a rope swing!! Seriously.... it was AWESOME!!! The rope swing reminded me of Bemidji, and there was a cliff that you could jump off of into the cool, pristine FRESH water that reminded me of the Quarries back in St. Cloud. It was perfect! I value freshwater rivers SOOOO much now! And just up the river was a smaller pool inside a cave with a small waterfall falling into it. This entire place was one of those things that just kept getting more and more breath-taking! I would go back any day, and encourage everyone to go there!

View from inside Joffre Gorge.

All of Thursday was spent in Karijini N.P. looking at different gorges.  We had to hike down to a few of them, on level 4 and 5 trails, so I felt pretty accomplished after that! Plus it was fun to have to scale a rock wall to get to a secluded spot! All 12 of us made it, and we all felt the long hikes were 100% worth it! One stop was Joffre Gorge, and down at the bottom was a shallow pool with pebbles built-up to get to the centre of this isolated pool in the gorge. It had a small waterfall, and the whole aura was Serenity. If I ever needed a place to meditate and was near Karijini, that is EXACTLY where I'd go. Also, throughout the trip I tried to take some artsy-fartsy type shots, and I really liked this one, so that's why I picked it =) ...Our favorite place of the day we visited was the stop with Circular Pool and Fortescue Falls.  It was about a km hike down to Circular Pool, which was absolutely fantastic. The water was pretty cold, but the way the water shimmered on the red-colours in the walls was SO pretty.....then we trekked through a bunch of trees, rocks, and scaled a couple more walls to get to Fortescue. B-E-A-utiful! There were these huge slabs of slate that came out from the sides of the wall for tanning/relaxing, a GORGE-ous waterfall, and water we couldn't help but run and jump into! We spent a good part of the day here, it was soooo nice to relax and enjoy God's creations, especially after long days of driving. We tried to get in as much of the sights as we

Fortescue Falls

 could, and I feel we accomplished that, and more! Even looking back through all my pictures, it doesn't capture everything.  The feeling of seeing each of these sights for the first time were moments that can't be matched by a picture.... I've been learning a lot throughout this trip to Australia: Don't be struggling to take a picture to capture a moment, for you're living in it...enjoy the moments as they come, because they don't last and you're left with a picture of the moment you missed.....

I'll be the first to admit I don't always heed my own advice, but I've been thankful for more of the moments I've been given. Friday was a very long 15 hour drive back to the P&O, but we were all anxious to sleep on a mattress and no longer the ground.  I drove for a good majority of the day. It was nice, I had country playing for the most part, naturally. And the other drivers were all so kind. I felt like I was on a back road in the country because most of the people I passed gave the 2-fingered wave! As far as I could tell, it was the 'peace' wave, rather than the other way; which is equivalent to the middle finger back home. So I'm hoping they were all being friendly, because after I saw a couple people wave to me, I started to make the gesture wave to each driver, of which some replied kindly. It was almost a sense of home or Nebraska, it made me happy =) ...Driving also included kicking up the speed to a supposed 165kmph (which I think is rubbish!) 145 was what I saw I got to....speed limit was usually 110. Shhh... But it's the Outback, it was basically us and road trains, and we wanted to get home that night so I knew we had to kick up the speed a little....For those of you that don't know, 1 mile is approximately 1.6 km...so 160kmph would be 100mph.... Pretty sure I wasn't going THAT fast, course I am used to a truck... hmmm.... still not admitting it. And the funny thing was that once we switched vehicles, about 20 minutes later we all got pulled over for going 127kmph....BAHAHAA... just warnings and they thought we were from Canada (a common misinterpretation). I just laughed.... The others on my trip were certain we would've gotten a ticket if I was driving, but I think they're just exaggerating. While I was driving they were all keeping up with me, so I wasn't the only one going that speed! I think the others just like to fudge reality. =) ....or maybe I do. =)

After all the fun, including: one kangaroo trying to become one with one of our cars (no damage, luckily), LOTS of Outback red dirt all over our cars, 2 windshields cracked, more PB&Js consumed than I've had in the past year, 4000km driven, the same 3 cds on repeat, and many sore butts...we all had a fabulous time. The 16 of us grew closer together and more IN-TENTse conversations were had, as well as seeing some GORGE-ous gorges! =) It was a well-spent week and it was worth all the driving!..

I hope all of your guys' lives are going well. I know the weather is getting hotter over there, so I'm happy to hear that! Especially since in only a short month I'll be home....It's getting to be Winter over here, which consists of about 5 mins of typhoon rain sporadically throughout the days, but still some 90 degree heat waves. So I'm not complaining =) I can't come back pale, so I'm continuing to check out the beach....rain or no rain.... I'll be sure to post more now that my course load is finally going down. Enjoy!..Cheers!

Just another hobbit in the Shire!!!

Shark Bay: An Aboriginal excursion....'like a Briddiya!'

So, again this has taken me waaayy too long to write and keep up. Soooo, since I have a lot more information to share I'm going to split up my posts (how they should be) and there will be a few posts in a short time. Here we go:::.... WOOOOO

Still taking in the sunsets!!!

First of all I am writing this while watching the Office, which of course is an amazing show, so be prepared for random jokes or extra 'Haha' moments. =) 

After an all-nighter trying to finish two papers before we left, we finally left for our week long excursion.  This was the big trip that all the St. Bens/St. John's kids go on, except instead of going to Broome we drove (34 of us) in a bus on a big road trip! It was amazing, to say the least! The first two days were spent at a convent that used to be an old school, and it was haunted!! With random phrases of "Help Me" and "Revenge" on the wall, we knew it would end up being an eventful experience.  Just think about it, 24 girls and ghosts mentioned... people are gonna freak! Also, a tiny mouse kept running around our beds and shoes so there was screaming all around the place! SOOO humerous! Quick little bugger, too!... During the two days we ate hot crossed buns, did Aboriginal art paintings, learned how to throw boomerangs and spears, played some basketball (with our teacher too) and even went on a bush walk where we ate a bunch of stuff grown on trees and whatnot. One was this plastic-tasting sap stuff, it was kind of gross. (And also made me really crave a bacon cheeseburger)... We talked with a few of the monks that live in the town and one of the guys was mentioning that he's actually been to America and visited a friend in a small town in Nebraska called NORFOLK! NO WAY, right!!? How much of a coincidence is that a monk in Australia has been to the small town that I was born in, in Nebraska! AWESOME!! At this moment, there was no doubt in my mind that I am supposed to be here! We listened to an elder about his life experiences and went through some pretty strong feelings as a group.  Each night we reflect on the day and talk about different things. It's a pretty amazing experience to have 34 people open up about themselves. Our group gets stronger and closer together each and every day, I love it!

Don't worry, I am STILL practicing my golf game!.... <---(exhibit A. to the left) maybe not with all the essential equipment, but my form is still spot on! Get ready for the summer! ;)

And, alrighty, well I've realized if I continue with details then I will basically have to write a book...so I'll try to skim it up a bit. All of you are welcome to ask me more details as well as see all of my pictures when I get home, so I hope you understand!

We woke up about 5:45 or 6 am everyday.... got old, but it helped us do a lot more!  We saw our first wild kangaroos and emus, as well as a bunch of sharks, sting rays, sea turtles, birds, dogs, sheep, and even some cows! Being Pre-Vet I LOVED the wildlife!!! Yeay animals! =) We visited the HMAS Sydney II Memorial, Eagle Bluff lookout, Aboriginal rock art, living stalagmites, shell beach (no sand, all shells, awesome), more beaches and lookouts....too many places with more than enough memories at each! Also, we would have like 8 meals in a day. (I don't know if they thought since we're Americans that we'd like extra food or what, but we were never starved)...okay actually its tradition to have many 'tea times' throughout the day. So we'd have brekky, morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner, then supper, and sometimes an extra Milo (like hot cocoa) before bed. Lotso food! =)

Our bus ride was awesome too! Just imagine, 34 people on a bus, some sleeping, but lots of time to really get to know people. There was usually music going, a movie, and lots of stories being told. Some of these memories I'm not going to ever forget....someone had a black neck pillow that I put on my head, I put on some aviator sunglasses, and took a picture doing the Elvis lip-curl. New impersonator, right here! haha.. Most of us would also stay up at night gossiping about random stuff or sharing more stories or body-talents. Things got funny REAL fast! With many more inside jokes invented!

The day before our long drive back, was BY FAR the best day!!!! We spent the whole day at Shark Bay going sea kayaking, net fishing, bush walking, and hanging out with a baby joey named Nikki.---> Adorable. I want one, and I think I could pass it off as a really hairy baby....maybe. But we sea kayaked over massive sting rays and sharks, as well as big sea turtles and stopped in an area to snorkel and find pearl shells and cockels, which we later ate as part of our supper. Along with kangaroo tail stew, yummy! It was thee best day ever!! We even got in kayak water battles, which of course we won....like there was doubt! ;) Just kidding, little too high of myself there! Haha The Aboriginal man that brought us decided to make me the leader of the group. He from there on out called me Briddiya which means 'boss.'  It was an honored title, and it made the day even better for me =) ....like a boss! That afternoon we went fishing, which meant we basically swam with the sharks, fish , turtles, and rays. Pretty sure they wanted to eat my roommate Sydney at one point. But we all lived, and can live to tell the frightening stories. We listened to the two men tell about their live and their tribe. It amazes me about the attitudes people can have when they have gone through so much. They talked about how much they appreciated the land and really got us all thinking. It was, wow, can't really describe it, sorry... That night I got to witness the most perfect scene: on a beach, sunset, waves slowly washing on the shore, man playing the didgeridoo, campfire, and the most spectacular view of the stars. It was breathtaking, and a moment that no picture could even begin to capture..... You should be here to see this! (just sayin')

The final day was a long bus trip back. 4 movies, a couple stops, sleeping, and more talks. As well as a Diabolic sudoku completed. Boom! Done! I also didn't mention that the bus we were on had a locked toilet. So we had to wait (sometimes hours) before the next stop....made it interesting sometimes. Those bumps really got ya!  The Outback was amazing. The red iron dirt was such a sight! I took plenty of pictures, and brought back many memories. That week changed my life in more ways than one...

"Saaayyy Quokka!"

Sorry to everyone, I am obviously not good at keeping up with this. Hopefully I will get better soon, so until then please have patience in me....and I apologize because this post is going to be HUUUUGGGGEE! Okay, on to what I've been up too...

     Well, as you can tell, I've been doing some dancing with some roos! Yeay!!! All of the U.S. study abroad kids got to go to a Wildlife Park called Caversham where we got to feed kangaroos, pet koalas and wombats, and even milked a cow....yes, I milked a cow in Australia! It's not quite a new thing for me, but it's still cool to say it! We spent the whole day there seeing all of the different wildlife found in Australia. It was a soon-to-be Vet's DREAM! One of the best days here so far, by far! The animals were all so cute! I just wanted to take them all home with me! The day was even more fun because we went with the other study abroad kids from other school in the U.S.. There are kids from Univ. Portland, St. Marys, and Notre Dame.  Even though I don't fully know the people on my trip from St. Ben's/St John's yet, it's still fun to meet more people in the same boat we are!

      Classes have been slowly trucking along as well.  Nothing too exciting, some papers coming up soon, so that's all I'm going to say about that!  My tan is coming along great!! The weather has been between 35-40C (~110F) lately so it's been hott, and even with the patio door open at night we haven't had too many bugs.... Our netball team has played a couple more games since my last post, and unfortunately we lost both of them. The ref said we're the fastest American team to be able to pick up the game, so that's awesome! I feel we'll be awesome by the end of this! We've been practicing, and another player and I even came up with a simple play that will 'hopefully' work. We'll see I guess... but a plus is that the ref came up to me after the last game and asked me my name and if I filled in the other week for a different team, and when I said yes, she told me she just wanted to tell me I played really good tonight. So BOOYAA! My b-ball skills are coming back! =)

     This past weekend was a lot of fun too! The typical weekend here begins with a few games of the card game 500. It's a game sort of like Euker, Hearts, or Pitch; and if you don't know how to play any of those games, I'm sorry, but look 'em up because they're all fun to play! There's about 8 of us that know how to play now and we all have fun team names with certain partners. The classics are Trip T's, Epic Name, Team Elephants, and Pee-Hay-tch. I doubt any of you know, but in Australia they say their H (ay-ch) as Hay-tch. And in my Microbiology class the professor will constantly say pH (pee-hay-tch). Thus where the name came from!...Last Saturday our Bennies and Johnnies group went to an Island called Rottnest (Rotto), known for the large rat-like marsupials called the Quokka. It's only about a 30 min ride by ferry, off the coast from where we live. We biked around in groups all morning on a photo scavenger hunt. Come to find out later that all but two of the groups split up and did their own thing, but we rocked it out and took some amazing pictures! It was a lot of fun to see the different scenic views of the ocean! I do have to say that our favourite spot HAD to have been a Bathurst Lighthouse. It wasn't on the scavenger hunt list, but we kept seeing it off in the distance and were determined to find out how to get all the way up there. So we biked around a bunch of loops and on and off paths until we came to a (now known) walking path, that happened be downhill, very bumpy, rocky, sandy, and even had some huge gaping holes..... like a champ I biked the crap out of it! Lost my water bottle down the hill and slid a few times, but wow what a rush! I advise to not bike down it, or at least not start going down it from a lot of built-up momentum while being on a straight trail. Hahaa. =) We eventually made it to the lighthouse, which had the most gorgeous views. That's exactly where I'd want to be at sunset every night!! We asked these cute older ladies to take our picture, and they made the extra trip totally worthwhile! There was about 7 of them that take a girls weekend every year to Rotto and have been going for 21 years now. They were so hilarious, we couldn't stop giggling just listening to them talk. It was great!..... Each bay of the island had something new to see. There were tons of beaches, snorkeling spots, boats, and waves. Sooooo breath-taking all around, I can't even describe it... easier to just show you one:

See what I mean?!... After lunch, our whole group got together and headed for a beach to hang out, snorkel, swim, and just lay there and tan. Such a relaxing time... like a huge vacation. Brought my tan back too! ALSO, I got to hold a SEAHORSE!!! A small group of the girls were wading and playing in the water when one brought up a handful of water and realized there was a seahorse in their hand! It was so small! About the size of a silver dollar. Never thought I would see, let alone hold, a wild one of those before!! I also possibly got stung on the lip by a jellyfish, but I didn't see it, so I'm not for certain.... and no, no one peed on me. That'd be gross....As I said before, very random comments will come up so be keen to jump topics quickly.....That night (St. Patty's Day) consisted of going to an Irish pub called Rosie O'Grady's where a bunch of us sang and danced the night away, with a couple of pints of course. I wanted a green beer, but they were all out of the food colouring by that point. Oh well, it was still a fun night!

     Since last weekend it has been pretty chill. We heard some more about our big group excursion; about what we're supposed to bring and whatnot, but they still wont tell us what we get to do.... which just makes it that much more exciting! =) It reminds me of the TEC weekends! (No one knows anything about it going into the trip, the whole experience is life-changing, and afterwards you really can't talk about it) So after the trip, I apologize now if I don't give too many details.....once I get home I'll tell you more though =).  Already I feel 100% blessed and watched upon throughout this journey. I know He is keeping close to me and by me every step of the way.  As well as all your prayers from back home, keeping me safe. Thank you!
     Already I've gone on wayyy too long I feel, but I suppose that's what I get for not keeping you guys informed sooner.  I've gone through many episodes of The Office while writing this, as well as a 'study' break of three games of 500. Go Team pee-Hay-tch!!....I also got some kettle corn from a street market today, DELICIOUS!!! Reminds me of the fair!....and half of the bag is gone already.... I should probably go back and get another bag. Until then, I need to get to some actual studying. Cheers mates!

"Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world."          -Harriet Tubman

P&O: Presidents and Ozholes!

Week 2 of classes is almost done!! Yeay! Although most of this week was pretty easy, especially when I really didn't prepare before any of the lectures. But hey, that's what Sunday is for right?! Well this next week I'll try to be a little bit more prepared, it's just too much fun doing other stuff. Plus I'll be fine, I don't have to start worrying for a few weeks yet. =) Monday was ANZAC day so we had that day off, and Wednesday I don't have any classes anyway, so it really wasn't fair to study for some and not all was my thinking! Haha.

Back to some fun stuffs: The Bathers Beach Triathlon was this week!!! And we didn't lose!!....we didn't do anywhere close of winning either, but we had a great time! Molly Jarrell did the 200m swim around a couple buoys at Bathers Beach, Sydney Henderson (roomie!) did the 3km run around the park in the scorching sun, and I did the novelty event--grabbing a 2L milk carton with holes in it and running to fill it up in the ocean and go back and forth to fill up a big bucket till it overflows. Ha it was a chore, but SO much fun!...It started at about 7am on Wednesday and as soon as it was done I went back to bed for a nap til 11. MUCH needed! My day of exercise was not over yet though....Netball started that night! It is sad to be more of a 'girls sport' but it's a Co-ed league and the guys seem to like the new challenge. We needed a team name, so since we live in the renovated P&O Hotel, I thought we should include P&O in our name. Since we've been playing cards a lot lately, I naturally thought of P&A (Presidents & Assholes, for those of you that don't know the game) and I changed it to Presidents & Ozholes!....hehee clever side coming out!! =)  The game is similar to basketball in which it is played on a court, there is a ball (like a basketball), two hoops (with no back-boards), and a semi-circle at each end around the hoop--much like the 3-pt line. However, there is no dribbling, no running with the ball, no contact (have to be 3 feet away from  everyone), there are 7 people that play at a time on each team, and each player has a specific title in which they can only go within certain sections of the court. Seems very confusing, I know....because it was, until we got the hang of it! I advise you to look it up on YouTube if you still don't understand, and want to watch a silly (and long) video about it. Honestly, we watched it and at any point I was expecting to hear Patches O'Houlihan chime in with the 5 D's of Dodgeball!! Dodge, Dip, Duck, Dive and...Dodge! Haha....Dodgeball movie reference, for anyone that didn't get that! ;) .....But for our first game ever as a team I think we did pretty well! We scored 2 points so that was awesome! (the other team scored a lot more, but we're focusing on us now). I believe we are the only team that hasn't ever played too, so that's our excuse. Only two people on the court have the title to be in the semicircle and shoot, so it's hard having been in basketball and wanting to just pop a 3 when the timing is right, but you can't. Plus you can only get one point for a made basket, which has to be in the semicircle. It's only a matter of time to get used to it... Also, the next game after ours needed an extra girl for one of the teams, so naturally I volunteered! It's a sport that I didn't really know how to play, and here was an opportunity to play with Australians that actually knew the game; no doubt I'd do it!! I really didn't do much, but it was a workout and our team scored around 50 points (which is a lot)! They were super nice, remembered my name, helped me learn more of the rules and what to do, and even giggled when I pronounced their names with an American accent. It was an awesome experience! I can't wait til next Wed to play again! Luckily I have some insight to pass on to my team from playing with experienced players! Go P&O!!

I just have to say I love this place.... yes it's like a vacation, but there is so many new things I've experienced already that I'm going to take with me forever.  There are already nicknames for a bunch of people and inside jokes that are filling up my notebook so I can remember to put them in my scrapbook to turn in at the end of the semester. This is going to go soooo fast, but I'm ready for each part of it!....This weekend we get to go to the Wildlife park called Caversham! I"M SO EXCITED, I just can't hide it! haha There is going to be kangaroos and koalas and emus that we can all feed and hold and pet!! Eeeeeee.....being the animal nut that I am, I'm getting worked up just thinking about it now! My camera is already charged! (I will post my favorite picture (or two) in my blog next week!...and the rest on facebook so anyone who's my friend already can see em all! They even said that we can possibly ride a camel while we're there!! YEAY!...but I'm hoping to hug a koala. I hear they are quite aggressive, so I want tap into their loving side, and maybe steal it and bring it back to Bemidji with me.......just sayin! Who'd not want to make friends with a girl with a koala!? Seriously!.....Also, since our big group excursion no longer includes the trip to Broome, we wont be able to ride camels along the beach at sunset like all the groups that have previously been on this trip. (SO not fair, but that's a whole other topic I don't want to get into). Instead, we're going on a very long road trip up to Shark Bay! I'm being optimistic and just hoping for the best. They won't give us too many details because they don't want to ruin anything, but I've heard these excursions have been life-changing, and I know the school would try to make the new trip just as inspirational. So we'll see I guess... For now, I'm just enjoying the present! =) cheers!

And it's only the Beginning

G'day Mates!  I apologize for my blog taking so long for me to finally get started.  Due to lack of wifi and my computer cord getting fried, I haven't had my laptop running for very long. But I'm up and running, and ready to share my shenanigans!

Sadly, my computer wasn't the start of my problems!...My trip had to start off with my first flight being pushed back a day.....due to a delay I missed my flight out of the US towards Australia, on Wed. Feb 15th.  This meant I missed an entire day in Sydney, but I made the most of it; got to spend some extra time with Mom and Dad in Minneapolis! We came to realize it was the first time we actually had a chance to sit down and talk for quite a while, as I was kind of a busy bee hanging out with my friends and going out for my 21st the week of my departure. So it was nice to have that extra time with them....and the impulse Olive Garden dinner that night! =)

I flew from Minneapolis to Dallas, with my next flight delayed 2 hours due to a leak of hydraulic fluid, but eventually boarded the very long 16 hour flight to Brisbane, AUS; eventually ending in Sydney. Total time from Minneapolis to Sydney was a little over 30 hrs. I was ready for a nap, and to actually see someone I knew; but it was 11:30am when I finally arrived in Sydney, and my friends had JUST left the hostel before I got there. And with only one day to sight see, I just HAD to make the most of it!  I took the ferry that traveled passed the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge, to Manly Beach! And after lots of walking along the water, I finally met up with some girls from my trip! We had a blast! Stayed in a fun hostel with really cool people and events every night. There were some hostel neighbors of ours that became really good friends that we hung out with all day and night! They've been in Sydney for a while so they new the places to go that would make the most of our trip. I already want to go back! By the picture below you can see why...

Sadly I had to leave a lot sooner than I wished to, but I met up with a new group of girls at the airport and to Perth we went! Upon arriving we couldn't find a place to stay, so for an added adventure, we ate, changed into PJs, and slept at the airport! Wooo!...The next day we moved into our new home for the next 4.5 months: the P&O. It's located in Fremantle (Freo), Western Australia, literally a block and a half away from Bathers Beach...what a life! I have a fun roomie (Sydney Henderson...coincidence?! I think not) and I have a balcony! The weather has been highs of 85-100F everyday, the sand is finer than anything in MN, and I am tanning quite nicely! I still can't believe I get to stay here for an entire semester....unreal!!

The first week of classes went very well.  I am in Aboriginal People, Archaeology of Western Civilization, Microbiology, and Australian History and Society.... it will be quite the change having mostly history-based classes. Thankfully I feel at home in the bio class, but this is about trying new things and I think I'm going to learn a lot! Each of my classes meets twice a week (1 lecture and 1 tutorial) and they're usually on the same day. And I have Wednesdays off!...I don't think I'll mind the 'added homework day' (aka Beach Day!) haha Although, I have learned through experience that Beach Day can turn into lots off jellyfish in the water when it isn't very windy. But getting to see the wild dolphins jumping about 100 meters off shore isn't a horrible Beach day either!

Every moment has brought something new so far. Lots of 'go-with-the-flow' moments (which are right up my alley) and many many times when I've had to pinch myself to make sure I'm not dreaming this all up! I still can't believe my parents actually let me come half way across the world for 4.5 months! They make me SO blessed to be their daughter. I thank my parents for everything they've done to help me be the person I am today, none of this would be possible without their influence pressing me to achieve my greatest goals.  They have never let me settle. I have become strong, driven, independent, and an Aussie! Thank you Mom and Dad...for EVERYTHING! I love you both soooo much!

Ok, I'm sure I've written more than enough as of now, and I hope I haven't bored anyone yet! I'll probably be super random at times, and most likely explain things wayyyy too much into detail (I've been told that I do that with all my stories)! But oh well, it's who I am! haha... Anywho, I hope you enjoy my trip as much as I do! Until next time....Cheers!