Paradise and Bliss

This weekend was absolutely incredible. I had a lot of time to do whatever I wanted and that's exactly what I did. A lot of people at George Roberts were off college this weekend doing random things such as volunteering, field trips, going home, that sort of thing. Some of my friends and I decided it was a weekend to relax and go with the flow. School work was my main priority Friday night and then Saturday night was when it all began.

The Cowboys rugby team had their first home game, right in Townsville! A few of my Aussie friends among some Americans went downtown to see them play the Sydney Tigers. This was the first game of rugby (footy game as they call it here) I had ever seen and being there for all the cheering and screaming was incredible! I had to ask our friend Matt to explain the rules of the game to me since I was used to good old NFL, which is completely different by the way. I also tried to learn the Australian anthem which was interesting. I started to put my hand over my heart and then I stopped...oh wait that's for ours. It is a beautiful song to say the least :) Rugby is much more exciting than American football because it never stops! The guys wear no gear and it's just man to man contact. Of course any girl would find that amusing. Anyway, we won 42-14! It was a great way to see the culture in action!


Sunday is beyond words. I think this adventure was what I have been waiting for ever since I got here. It was the perfect day to relax, enjoy the people around me, and just realize that I am in paradise. Magnetic Island is a relatively small island right off the coast of Townsville. The ferry ride over is only about 20 minutes and it is well worth the trip. A lot of backpackers come over to the island on their way down the coast because there is so much to see there! My friend told me yesterday that it is the koala capital of Australia and probably the world. Wes, Sara, and I left early afternoon to head over there and we checked out a couple beaches and went on a hike to the Forts (remains of an ancient army base). The highlight was probably the pristine waters and the wild koala we saw in a nearby eucalyptus tree! We got great pictures and he was nowhere near disturbed by onlookers. There were great views from the top of the mountain and it was just the most beautiful day to have to ourselves. We had dinner when we reached the bottom and ended the night with star gazing on the beach. Sara and Wes managed to find some washed up coral in the process. I was pooped by the time we got back to uni, it was about 10 pm. It was a very exciting weekend and I was happy to share it with you all. I will, of course, be adding new pictures to flickr and they are definitely worth looking at! I miss you guys more and more everyday. Much love.