A Little Bit About A Lot of Things

Sorry to disappoint you all, but the tremendous non-existent cyclone never hit Townsville. Lucky us. We got about 2 minutes total of rain. Anyway, because of the threat, all my activities for this weekend were cancelled (field trip and BBQ). It ended up being really nice this weekend actually. Too hot to be outside for long, but some friends and I were able to get to the Lagoons today after 3 pm (the best time to be outside when the sun isn't so hot!). We got to feed our little friend that you see to the left. They are friendly possums over here and they love apples! It was a nice relaxing weekend. I went out Saturday night and got a little too intoxicated, but overall it was a great time. The pizza vendor was my favorite person that night. Pizza at around 2 am, there is nothing like it. City life is hopping on weekends here, no doubt about that! I will bring the party atmosphere back to the states :).

On a more serious note, I am sure everyone wants to hear about my overall experience here. What are my new friends like? What's so different about Australia? Where do you plan to travel? Etc. I hope to give all of you insight into all different sorts of things with this post.

Starting with the people I have met here. I have met so many great people it is hard to include them all into this post! The people have made this trip surreal for me. They know so much about their country and their pride is honorable. The three closest girl friends I have made are Leesa, Mel, and Hannah. They are all "freshers" and they are all from Queensland. Mel is Wes' roommate and she is from Tully, the rainiest city in Queensland! Ha she is not proud of that by any means. We have a lot in common seeing as we are both smart asses and she loves to make fun of the way we talk! She calls US the "weird" ones! Leesa is a very spirited individual and she loves sailing and she plays all sorts of sports. Hannah is so lively! Her and Leesa are from the same schoolie or highschool back home in Mareeba, QLD. That is NW of Townsville about 2 hours. She loves to be outside and she calls herself a "bush" girl since she grew up there and she really knows her way around. Hannah is our walking Encyclopedia, she knows everything about everything when it comes to...well...everything! Everyone has been so welcoming here and we have definitely changed the image they have of Americans :) That's always a good sign.

As for similarites and differences of Australia, it is strikingly similar to the U.S. The main differences are the driving on the opposite side of the road, the slang, and the schooling. The crossing the street thing still throws me off! You would think I would get the hang of it by now, of course not. You know me, always slow. Anyway, prices on certain items are higher , but there is no tax. Music they play at clubs/bars is music we have been hearing for months back in the states. It was disappointing for me to not hear Australian music played everywhere! There are no Dollar Stores or Wal-marts either, WEIRD! The slang is the most amusing difference by far. My roommate, I swear, talks in tongues! He talks so fast and uses words I don't know and it's hard to understand him some of the time. I have learned so many good words though! Here are just some...togs (bathing suit), bludger (slacker), stuff that! (forget that), right-o (an expression meaning all right or cool), buggie smugglers (speedos), etc. There are so many more I am going to have to make a dictionary to show you guys! More on the culture later, there are so many things to tell you!

Travel plans is what I really want to tell you about. This past weekend, Todd, Wes, and I decided it was time to book our spring break trip or lecture recess as they call it here. We bought round trip tickets to New Zealand and we leave in April! Todd knows people on the North Island and we are able to stay for free which will save us heaps on lodging. We plan to start north and travel south. I have a friend that has been there and she has given us a guide as to where to go and what to see while we are there. I'm so excited! The other trip that has already been booked is Fiji! I am staying there with friends a few days before I return to the U.S. in June. All I want to do there is dive! Perfect! Other possibilities for weekend trips are: Sailing the Whitsundays (Easter break), Touring Sydney and learning to surf (after school ends), Brisbane/Gold Coast (May when Familia gets here!), and a LiveAboard trip in Cairns strictly for diving. All those things are relatively cheap and I hope I can do some of them while I am here. I will keep everyone updated for sure!

I feel like by now you are sick of reading. I will let you rest. As a side note, be sure to check my blog this weekend because I will be updating you on my 2 field trips I am going on this Saturday and Sunday! Saturday I am going to Paluma rainforest for Rainforest Ecosystems and Sunday I am going trawling in the Cleveland Bay with my Fisheries class. Should be a great time! Until then, miss you!!