11 Days Left

Posted by Caitlin

Hi guys! So it's been a while since I've updated, and in the meantime quite a few exciting things have happened. Let's start at the beginning.


Andrew's Visit

Andrew and Erica's boyfriend Gary flew out to Brisbane together after their semester ended. While Andrew was here we spent some time in Brisbane, going to Queen Street, GoMA, the art gallery, South Bank (which is always amazing) and a koala sanctuary called Lone Pine! Also in
Brisbane, Andrew was introduced to kebabs, an Aussie favorite, and also I think an Andrew favorite. It was a lot of fun. During his visit, I was still in classes, so we went back to Gold Coast for a few days and hung out. We then made a quick trip down to Sydney! It was super fun, and I loved being able to share that city with him (Sydney's one of my favorites)! Although we didn't have much time to spend in Sydney, we made the most of it despite the rain and went to the Opera House and walked across the Harbour Bridge! We spent the last day of his 10-day visit hanging out in Surfers. It was nice, albeit a little chilly since it's now winter.

Brisbane with Jessica
About a week after Andrew's departure, Jessica and I went on an adventure to Brisbane! We started out on Queen Street, walked through the
Botanic Gardens and made our way to South Bank and GoMA and the Art Museum. At the Art Museum, we took advantage of the lack of crowds, and stayed for about an hour and a half and made hats out of crafting supplies! Afterwards we had a nice photoshoot with our new hats. It was quite the adventure, and we did a TON of walking, but it was a great day, so that's all that mattered!

Byron Bay with Erica

On 9 June, Erica and I made a day trip to Byron Bay, New South Wales. We got up early and hopped on a Greyhound which took us down there. We walked around the town, went down the to beach, grabbed some lunch and then the real journey began. We hiked up to the light house and the eastern most (mainland) point in Australia, we also hiked back down. The weather was gorgeous though, and so perfect for the walk! The sky was clear and we could see for miles!
After our long, hot hike we chilled in town for a bit and grabbed dinner. We walked around a little more, and waited for our bus back to Gold Coast. Turns out that throughout the day we walked over 8 miles. We were pretty exhausted to say the least.



Although these last four or five months have been full of fun and great times, I am ready to come home. I only have two more finals to complete (only one more as of tomorrow!) and I'll be home-free (kind of). I'll miss Australia and my friends so much, but it will be so good to be home and be close to the people I've been surrounded by my entire life. :)

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New Zealand

Posted by Caitlin

So I went to New Zealand about three weeks ago, and I've been putting off updating. Sorry guys. :(


Thursday 22 May

So today, we left for Christchurch, New Zealand from the Brisbane International airport. It was Hailey, Erica and me. The flight went well, although it was long, and we got into Christchurch around 11PM local time.

The airport shuttle dropped us off at our hostel,
the Thomas Hotel. Let me just say, nice place. If you're in Christchurch and need an inexpensive place to stay check out the Thomas Hotel. Seriously. We were so excited to be in New Zealand that we dropped our things off in our room, checked out the amenities quickly and were ready to go out on the town! Our hostel was about a 5-10 minute walk away from Cathedral Square, the main square in Christchurch. We found ourselves a 24-hour McDonald's and sat in the square, watching drunks go by. It was a lot of fun, believe it or not.

Friday 23 May

Today we got up semi-early and decided to check out Christchurch in the daylight. We walked to Cathedral Square again and went into the Cathedral. It was gorgeous! I took tons of pictures, because I really have a thing for the architecture in churches.

After we toured the Cathedral, we went to Southern Exposure (if that's what it was called) where we saw a bunch of awesome fish and we saw kiwis! And when I say kiwis, I don't mean the fruit or New Zealanders (but we did see New Zealanders too). Kiwis are flightless birds native to New Zealand. They're really cute. They're nocturnal and have really thick, tiny feathers covering their body. It almost looks like fur. Sadly, we weren't allowed to take pictures, but it was pretty great!

After the little aquarium, we went to COCA, which is a contemporary art gallery. Not worth it. If you walk up the street about 3 minutes you'll get to the Christchurch Art Gallery. That was worth it, as well as free. It was mostly modern art, but they had a blue exhibit that was semi-interactive. It was pretty sweet. From the art gallery, we walked to the botanic gardens. They were so gorgeous! It was such a nice place to just walk around and relax. The Avon River goes right through the botanic gardens, and it was just so peaceful! It was positively fantastic!

Saturday 24 May

Today is the day. The day of the Lord of the Rings tour to Edoras! I was beyond excited, but incredibly tired as well (we had to get up early in order to be ready
for our pick-up!). Erica & I hopped on this insane looking vehicle and we were off! There was a lovely older couple from Rochester, New York there who had just come from their daughter's wedding in Sydney. The trip out to Edoras* was great! Such lovely scenery. We went over a river that has the bluest water! It's from a glacier that is melting and the silica stays in the water, making it incredibly blue. It was awesome!

Although the weather was rainy and all around kind of yucky, it was such a great trip. We learned about Lord of the Rings, saw amazing scenery, and got to see Edoras! Our tour guide actually worked on Lord of the Rings and many other Peter Jackson films, including King Kong and The Lovely Bones as on-site sound production. He was incredibly nice and very funny. He's won two Oscars, one for LOTR: Return of the King and another for King Kong.

Edoras itself was gorgeous! It's not actually called Edoras, but the city was placed on top of Mt. Sunday. The views were amazing, and would have been even better on a clear day! We also got to play with re-produced props from the movies, like swords and such. It was so cool!

After the tour, the three of us went to an improv-comedy show called Scared Scriptless. It was great!

Sunday 25 May

Our last full day in Christchurch. We walked around the city quite a bit and enjoyed the markets across from our hostel. A nutella crepe is a perfect way to start your day, incase you weren't aware.

Today we shopped around and got our necessary souvenirs. We tried to meet up with some fellow Arcadians, but it didn't work out as planned. The last day in Christchurch ended up being a great one though!

Monday 26 May (ANZAC Day)

ANZAC day is like Veteran's day for Australians/New Zealanders. Although New Zealand didn't have many festivities today in particular, they had for most of the weekend.

Today we left. It was sad, because I knew that upon returning to Australia I would miss the autumn weather that I had become so accustomed to. You have to understand that Queensland is so far north we don't have many seasons... Mostly just Summer and Winter (a winter that feels like summer). It was sad to go back, but good to see my friends again!

♥ caitlin


*Edoras is the city in LOTR: Two Towers on top of the mountain.

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Easter Break

Posted by Caitlin

FRIDAY, APRIL 2
My intention was to catch a 5:48 AM bus from Griffith University to Australia Fair, and then catch a 6:06 bus from Australia Fair to Coolangatta Airport. Please note that this was my intention. I woke up at an hour only heard of by my early bird of a father, 5:00 AM. I got my things together, and by 5:30 I was out the door with my black bookbag (which possibly dates back to about 4th grade) and fake Vera Bradley tote in hand. I got to the deserted bus stop around 5:37 or so, and waited patiently. 5:48: my bus has not arrived. 5:50: I make a promise to myself if the bus isn't there by 6:00 I would call a cab. 5:58: the bus probably isn't coming. 6:00: walk to the security office and ask them for the phone number for the cab. Finally a cab came and got me. $15.00 later I was at Australia Fair waiting for a 6:38 AM bus to Coolangatta with a homeless gentleman and a man who was yelling obscenities (possibly about a wife who had left him?). Soon enough my bus came and I was on my way.

I got to the airport, through security (which is significantly more lax here), and to my gate. Now came the hard part: staying awake long enough to board the plane. Finally my 9:05 flight started boarding and I was up and in line as soon as possible. I managed to snag an aisle seat, plugged in my headphones and promptly fell asleep.

Approximately an hour and ten minutes later (it was sooner than that) my Virgin Blue flight landed in Sydney. Ah, Sydney. Even though every time I'm there I'm sick, I still love this city. I met my parents at baggage claim and we got a cab to our hotel. Our hotel was literally a block away from the Sydney Harbour Bridge and about a 10 minute walk from the Sydney Opera House. Maybe that explains my plethora of Sydney Harbour Bridge & Opera House pictures? Nah. It was such a fantastic location; I loved it!

So today was about exploring The Rocks & Central Quay and keeping my parents awake until at least 8:30 PM. We enjoyed a nice walk up George Street and over to Central Quay where we encountered about 10,000 street performers (most of whom had a didgeridoo in hand). We then walked from Central Quay to the Opera House. It was a beautiful day and we took a million and a half pictures. Approximately. I saw some Asians taking a picture at the Opera House with a "do not climb on inclined wall" sign... Oh the memories they will have. We grabbed lunch at the Orient Hotel, where my parents first encountered how truly expensive Australia is. It was delicious; who doesn't love chorizo salad? No one? That's what I thought. After our lunch, I was on a Zicam hunt because I could feel a slight tickling in my throat (and by tickling I mean burning sensation), only to find that Australia doesn't have Zicam. Lame. I also bought a $50 Sydney shirt for $10 today. And ate dinner at a noodle place called Wok on Inn.

Saturday, April 3
Let the exploration of the Royal Botanic Gardens begin! These gardens were fantastic! They not only offered fabulous views of the Harbour, but were enjoyable and educational-ish as well! Perfection! We saw enormous fruit bats today (my parents first encounter with them), and saw some sweet herbs and stuff.

As we were leaving the RGB we stopped by the Governor's House to check it out, and managed to get 3 of the last 6 tickets for the last tour of the day! They only do tours on weekends, and this is the first weekend they've been done in a while since the house is still in use today. Every governor of New South Wales has lived there, except the two most recent ones. Governors are appointed to more or less represent the Queen of England or something. I don't really remember. Either way, the house was really cool. There was this lady, who I assume was British, constantly asking questions about the Royal Family (who has visited on many occasions); her daughter pulled her aside and said, "Stop asking questions about the Royal Family, it's pathetic." It was hilarious.

Tonight, we went to the Opera House to see some Beethoven thing with the Sydney Philharmonic. Well, part one was hardly Beethoven. It was depressing. Part two, however was J.S. Bach, Mozart and finally Beethoven. It was fantastic! It made me miss concert band so much.

Sunday, April 4
Easter! Ironically, more places were open on Easter than were on Good Friday. Today we went to Darling Harbour. And the Paddy Markets. Darling was okay. It was less than I had expected. Paddy was also less than I had expected. We just kind of walked around the markets a little bit, and then headed back to Darling. We stopped at the Chinese Garden, which was absolutely beautiful. If you're going to go to Darling Harbour, go to the Chinese Garden. It's great. As we were walking through Darling to go back to George Street, an older Scottish woman approached us and offered us three tickets to a lunch cruise of the Harbour. It was fate! I guess. It was a lot of fun just getting to see a lot of the Harbour and eating too. When we got back to Darling, we walked back to George Street and ate some decadent deserts at Guylian's, a Belgian chocolate place. It was a good Easter.

Monday, April 5
Today was my sick day. We were going to go to Bondi, but I was exhausted and my sickness has reached it's height unfortunately. I spent a good portion of the day in bed, but when I wasn't in bed we walked around the markets at George Street and ate lunch at the Löwenbrau. Käsespätzle is delicious!

Tuesday, April 6
Today the Cairns adventure began. It was about a 3 hour flight up to Cairns from Sydney, most of which I slept through. We got to our hotel and got all this super nice treatment because my dad is a member or something. We went to the lounge thing and had a pre-dinner snack, which was basically our dinner. We then went and explored the esplanade. Cairns is much less of a city than I recall it being. We went to Nando's and my mom and I split peri-peri fries (the fried-food love of my life). We then went back to our hotel and settled in for the night.

Wednesday, April 7
We decided today would be a more relaxed day. We got some breakfast and went to explore the "city" a bit. We shopped around and got some really delicious lunch. Later on, my dad and I went to the pool and swam around for a bit. It was good fun. Sometime between Tuesday and Wednesday I made $10 profit at the casino.

Thursday, April 8
I think today was the day we went to the Great Barrier Reef. We got up early and hopped on a boat and prepared to be amazed. GBR is pretty freaking sweet, I won't lie. We went on a semi-submersible first and took some pictures. Then my dad and I went snorkeling over the coral. Coral is terrifying. So are fish. And the ocean. Basically, I was terrified the whole time. There was this fish who is Reef Magic's (the pontoon thing) "puppy-fish" named Wally. My first glimpse of him? Teeth. I was scared. My dad tried to get me to pet it, but I wouldn't.

I met up with Erica tonight, and my parents took us out to dinner. Then the two of us went out and walked around Cairns and ate sorbet. It was good times.

Friday, April 9
Today we hopped on a bus to Port Douglas. The drive was beautiful, as was Port Douglas. I loved every minute of it there. My dad and I went for a swim in the netted part of the beach, and then we got some lunch. I found the church I plan on being married in: St. Mary's by the Sea. It's small and gorgeous and perfect.

Anyway... We walked all around town and it was super hot, but the weather was beautiful! We sat at the marina for a bit before we had to catch the bus back to Cairns.

Saturday, April 10
Today we flew from Cairns to Brisbane and took the train to Gold Coast. We got my parents situated in their hotel, and then I showed them around a bit. We ate dinner in Surfers, and then parted ways.

Sunday, April 11
I woke up today, and hopped on the bus (at the new bus stop). I got over to Pacific Fair and walked to my parent's hotel. From there we went to McDonald's for breakfast and free Wifi. From there we went to Brisbane for the day. We went around the markets at South Bank and enjoyed the sunshine. We then went to Queen Street, looked at a discount book store and ate at Pancake Manor. Oh, the good times. We stuck around South Bank a little longer, and then hopped the train back to Gold Coast.

Monday, April 12
Classes began today. I showed my parents Griffith University Gold Coast campus (you know, my school). Then we went to Australia Fair for lunch where they got kebabs and I got sushi. Then we did laundry, and later parted ways as I had class. Tomorrow, I am going to meet up with them for dinner and say my goodbyes until June rolls around.

♥ caitlin



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Brisbane!

Posted by Caitlin

At this very moment, there is the horrible techno/house music that all Australian seem to love blaring from the courtyard area of the Village... Which is consequently right outside my window. It's not like I have homework to do or anything, right?

Wrong.

Anyway. Last weekend I went up to Brisbane to spend to weekend with Erica, a friend of mine (and roommate-to-be) who goes to University
of Queensland. So I took the bus from Griffith to Helensvale (20 minutes, maybe) and from there I caught the VLAX (Varsity Lakes Airport Express?) to South Bank. There was a slight miscommunication and Erica went to South Brisbane train station (which is literally a 10 minute walk away from South Bank train station) instead, but we eventually found each other (she found me). We then went to South Bank, Australia's only man-made beach in the middle of a city. It's a really nice more or less huge chlorinated pool with sand and fake rocks and tons of ibises. I hate ibises. After spend a few hours wandering the weekend markets and enjoying a nice swim we walked across the bridge over (what is assume is) the Brisbane River to Queen Street. This is a well-known pedestrian street that is absolutely consumed with stores and arcades (shopping centers). Also on Queen Street in Brisbane Square is the Treasury Casino, a really sweet looking casino that I plan on going to at some point.

Oh, we also got lunch before
we went to Queen Street. I hate some delicious Hawaiian pizza and garlic bread and then afterwards we got some New Zealand Naturals ice cream. Spotty dog is delicious!

Anyway, so after a little shopping on Queen Street (a little shopping means 10 post cards, just so you know) we took the City Cat, a fantastic ferry that goes up and down the Brisbane River, to UQ. She showed me around campus, we saw eels and turtles and old-looking buildings. UQ is substantially larger than Griffith. Griffith is about the size of Arcadia's campus, but it's COVERED in academic buildings. UQ is way bigger. We walked across campus to her college (housing). From there we got showers, got ready and made our way to the bus stop at the Vil. We took the bus into the city and went Pancake Manor for dinner.

We met up with so
me of her friends, Jen & Shelby (American) and Emma/Emily (I can't remember) & Carrie
(Australian) and ended up having to wait for a table. The hostess said only 25 minutes, which turned into an hour, and we eventually just squeezed six people into a four-person booth. The food was delicious. I got nachos (?).

We then went back to UQ and Erica, Jen & I watched Step Brothers, the movie Erica and I have been quoti
ng for the last week or so. After Step Brothers, we promptly fell asleep.

The next day, we got up late (10 am!) and got ready to hit up GOMA, Brisbane's Gallery of Modern Art. It was fantastic! We got to put stickers on Buddha and walk through a string room! We also saw a bunch of hats and tried to make planes out of ... Trash.

After the museums we walked around South Bank and Queen Street a little bit. Eventually we got some dinner and made our way back to South Brisbane train station (I left from here this time). I then shared a train car with about 6 very drunk Australians, which was obviously incredibly fun.
Not. I like Australians, just not when they're drunk.

As of tomorrow, I am catching a really early bus (5:48 am) to the airport and flying down to Sydney to meet up with my parents! Woo! But that entire Easter Break trip will be a separate (or a few separate) entries. :)

Have a great Easter, everyone!

♥ caitlin

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Litters of Leeches at Lamington Nat'l Park

Posted by Caitlin

On Friday, March 19 Arcadia provided the Brisbane/Gold Coast kids with an affordable opportunity to go to Lamington National Park, a gorgeous rainforest on the border of Queensland and New South Wales.


Hailey & I left Griffith at 7:42AM in order to get to Robina Train Station and be picked up by Mazz & Cat (Program Coordinators for QLD). Well, the bus ride was an adventure- there was one bus transfer, and we saw a totally different side of the Gold Coast. And Bond University too. We met up with a bunch of Arcadians at the train station, and waited patiently for the bus to arrive. It was a little late, but soon enough we were on our way! There were 24 of us, I believe, and the trip took about an hour and a half. Most everyone slept the whole way, which is understandable, it was pretty early.

Part of the trip included Mazz winding the bus up this terrifying, mostly one-lane mountain to O'Reilly's, our starting point.

Food for lunch was separated and put into peoples' bookbags, and soon enough we were applying bug spray to our ankles so that we wouldn't get leeches. Yes, leeches. Glorious. We started walking down this incredibly muddy (mind you, it was a rainy day) hillside. Erica only fell four times, and Devon only face-planted. We saw a BLUE crawfish. BLUE. It was super cool. Too bad I couldn't get a picture of it. Apparently they hiss at you too. We also saw a bunch of colorful birds, and a bunch of tiny leeches. One such tiny leech decided to attach itself to my leg, and while I screamed and panicked and could hardly keep still, Devon saved my life by pulling that little bugger off. I was/am traumatized.

Sooner or later we got to a point near a creek where we put together our lunch: chopped veggies, chicken, ham, tortillas, and condiments. It was quite delicious.

Now it was time to hike back UP the hillside. Keep in mind, this was a BIG hillside. And a muddy and slippery one, at that. We really sped up it, because we were running a little late and didn't want to cut anything out of the program. Basically, I now have buns of steel. Just letting you know. After we got back up the hill we did a tree-top bridge walk thing. It was fantastic. It wasn't as high as I thought it was going to be, which is good for someone such as myself. After the tree-top walk we saw some wallabies (adorable!) and got back on the bus.

Next stop? O'Reilly's winery. We got to taste 5 wines for only $3, so it was a fairly good deal. I did it. And I didn't really like it. After the wine tasting I went down by the creek, and checked my feet for leeches (more like, I took my shoes & socks off and Devon checked my feet because I was too scared).

After the winery we drove back to Robina, and saw some kangaroos on the way. Hailey and I dropped by Nando's after we got back, then walked around Surfer's all kinds of muddy and sweaty and smelly for a while, we mostly watched a rugby game at Circle on Cavill. Good times.

That's it for now. The next adventure is looking to be next weekend in Brissie with Erica!

♥ caitlin

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North Stradbroke Island

Posted by Caitlin

Oh the wonders!


Oh the beauty!

North Stradbroke Island, the second largest sand island in the world. "Sand island?"you ask. Yes, sand island. Island made entirely of sand. And it was big. It's sister island is Moreton Island, just off of Moreton Bay (who would have thought?!) where I was last time I was in Australia.

I just realized, I have sandboarded on the largest
and second largest sand islands in the world.

Friday
Back to reality. So, we hopped the ferry, with our sweet busses, over to Straddie. The way over was a battle against the wind; there were times I thought I would fly off the top deck, but alas this did not happen. We got to Straddie just in time for a beautiful sunset at Amity Point (don't snorkel there... I will e
laborate later). After the fantastic sunset we went to Seashells, a wonderful restaurant run by a wonderful man willing to cater to 65 college students. After we ate dinner, we celebrated Cat's birthday (Woo!) with the most delicious cake. Then we sat with Shane Coghill, a local Aboriginal man who experienced a lot of crazy things in his life. He told us about the lifestyle of the Aborigines on Stradbroke Island, and of his childhood and the stolen generation. It was all incredibly interesting. The Aborigines are very spiritually connected to the land and the animals, and the stories he told were unreal.

After listening to Shane, we got back on the bus, and went to our accommodation, a sweet apartment style resort, and there were 12 people in our apartment. Well, I think ours had 13. I met a bunch of new people from the program, so it was really sweet.

Saturday
Today we went snorkeling and kayaking and boomerang painting and throwing. We went to snorkel first, it was a good time, even if the water was murky (and I could hardly see my fluorescent fins). Erica and I ended up just hanging out in the shallow water talking. After snorkeling began mine and Erica's kayaking failure. We went out second place, and ended up last place. We turned around to go back before the rest of the group, and they still managed to catch up to us.

After kayaking and a quick snack we went to go paint our very own boomerangs. It was so much fun. Since I have no artistic talent whatsoever, I ended up just putting dots all over my boomerang to make it look semi aboriginal. It kind of worked. Sadly, it didn't dry in time for me to learn how to throw it (although, I already know how, I just can't actually do it properly). While we were painting Shane's nephew, Brendan told us how a few years ago, at Amity point a tourist was snorkeling, and ATTACKED by a SCHOOL of BULL SHARKS! Yes, that IS where we were snorkeling, in murky water, where bull sharks love to hide and maul you.

Boomeranging was over, so now it was lunch time! After lunch we went on a coastal hike on the other side of the island. It was so beautiful!
Most of my pictures on Facebook are from the hike. I've never seen such a gorgeous and wild coast. After our little hike, we went for gelato. It was so delicious. So de
licious. (I haven't had gelato in ages.)

When we got back to the hotel from the hike Erica and I got the makings for ANZAC biscuits from Mazz. ANZACs are delicious! That night, we also went to the beach twice, and discovered the true wonders of North Stradbroke Island: glowing sand. Yes, you read right, glowing freaking sand! It was easily the highlight of my night.

Sunday
We had to be on the bust by 6:45AM today in order to eat delicious pancakes, surf, and sandboard before we had to catch the ferry back. Well, as you can see, the pancakes were delicious- I mean who doesn't love pancakes on the beach? No one, that's who. The water was really rough today, so I didn't end up surfing (by personal choice... that and I'm terrified of drowning) (and sharks). Instead, I sat up on the rocks and enjoyed the gorgeous view! Sandboarding was next, and boy was it an adventure. I tried it all three ways: on your stomach, on your butt, and on your feet. The first two worked. The third didn't. I crashed hardcore,
and got whiplash. Although, I feel it's a great reason to get whiplash.

It was now time to clean the apartment, which happened quite quickly and without complaining! After cleaning up, we went to Brown Lake, a rain-water lake in the middle of the island infused with tea-tree oil. It supposedly has healing powers, and it makes your skin super soft!

After Brown Lake, we had to go back. It was so disappointing, as I'd made new friends and gotten closer to already-friends. I didn't feel like going back to Griffith, but alas, I had to.

Tomorrow, I am going to Lamington National Park, a rainforest. I'll be sure to tell you all about it... Approximately a week from now.

♥ caitlin

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Week of the Beach

Posted by Caitlin


The weather is beautiful! Finally!


Except for this very moment... It just so happens to be pouring outside.

But that's okay, because I spend a good amount of time outside and in the ocean today.

Oh, the ocean. I think I love the Pacific Ocean. It's very clear... For the most part. And it's very warm... Except initially. The waves are pretty strong, as are the currents in general. It's a great work out.

Speaking of workouts, there are about a million and a half steps on this campus. Yes, you read right, a million and a half. My legs are going to be so toned by the end of this semester that you won't recognize them (you know, considering you were able to recognize my legs in a leg line up... Or something...).

Anyway, back to the beach. I love it. I've never really considered myself a beach person. When I was little, all I ever wanted to do when I was on vacation was go to the pool. I'm kind of rediscovering that 'fish out of water' thing. I get tired of lying on the beach. It's boring. Being in the waves and getting beat to hell against the bottom and almost drowning is so fun. So is shell collecting. I'm quite enjoying that, but who wouldn't? Okay, here's your chance to call me an old lady.

I bought a "Virtu
al Pet" today... Or, in other words, a knock off Tamaguchi. I figure I need to blow my money on something, since most (maybe not most, but a lot) of others are blowing theirs on alcohol. Yes, that lack of desire to drink is still instilled in me, regardless of the fact that I'm legal. Whatever. I'd rather have a fake Tamaguchi than an alcoholic beverage.

Right now I'm kind of procrastinating on packing for my SUPER SWEET EXCURSION tomorrow. It's cool though, we don't leave until 2:30, and I plan on getting up at some unheard of hour (say, 7 AM?) to get my laundry done so I have a few clean bathing suits... And clothes too. I'm praying for the weather to hold out, considering there are surfing lessons, snorkeling, hikes and sand boarding in my future. In case you've been either un- or ill-informed I am going to Stradbroke Island this weekend with all the Griffith GC/N
athan, UQ & QUT students. We get to paint boomerangs. Sweet? I think so.

I saw Alice in Wonderland on Tuesday with the 6202 girls* and Fabian & Alex and Alex's roommate. It was okay. I mean, it was true to Burton's past: creepy and fantastically weird. It wasn't the same Alice in Wonderland you're used to. But I guess you'll have to see it to find out what I mean. But I would suggest waiting until it's out on DVD. Or at very least, don't go wasting that extra few bucks to see it in 3-D... It wasn't THAT 3-D.

So I guess you guys are wondering about my classes, right? Here's the break down.

Government & Business Relations/Government-Business Relations/ No one's actually aware of the real name of the course:
This course is BORING. I mean, I really am not a fan of politics to start with, so why am I taking this anyway? Oh well. My convener (lecturer) is Italian. Daniela DiParmo. Like, legitimately Italian. She has this crazy Italian/Australian accent that I can't understand for the life of me. We talk about Australian politics and American politics and how it interacts with business. I haven't had the tutorial yet.

Cultural Perspectives 1:
It's a very interesting course. Our first class go cancelled because there were flooding creeks or some nonsense. Anyway, the "second" lecture we talked about words. I like talking about words. They're interesting to me. The tutorial was really fun. Our professor is legally blind and has an adorable yellow lab guide dog named Perry! She is funny and likes to have an interactive tutorial. She makes blind jokes! Yes!

Australia's Foreign Relations:
I was terrified of this class before I came here. I'm still a little weary because I know next to nothing about Australia, but it's fun. The prof, Tom is really cool. He's the quintessential I-don't-give-a-shit-if-you're-in-class-or-not-but-if-you're-not-don't-come-to-me-for-help-before-the-exam professor. It's great. There isn't a tutorial for this class, thank God.

Employment Relations:
How horrible does this title sound? About ten times less horrible than the actual class. It's all about HR. I don't want to do HR. I could care less about HR. Yuck. No one likes HR. Except my professors. The tutorial is boring too. We just go over the case studies we have for homework, which is never any fun. Boo. This class is boring.

Okay, I think that's it for now. I'm sure no one actually wants to read this much. I should probably update this blog more often. I'll try.

Tschuss!

♥ caitlin



*6202 girls - Anja, Jessica & Melissa

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Learning Experiences

Posted by Caitlin

Since I've come to Australia, specifically Griffith, I've learned about two things (that actually matter to me) about the Australia lifestyle:


1. Walk at a slower pace, it keeps you from getting as sweaty.

2. Don't look up. Looking up rarely turns out well. I feel as though every time I look up there are rain clouds somewhere in the distance or an enormous spider.

The past let's say week or so it has been raining constantly. I usually power-walk it out of my classes to get back to my apartment before the rain clouds burst. However, everyone else just seems to stroll their way between destinations. The other day it occurred to me, the slower you walk, the less sweaty you become, and that is why these people walk around so casually. Who would've thought? Obviously not me. However, I still manage to walk at a rather fast pace (it's just too difficult to walk slowly, and let's be real, I don't really care if I'm sweaty and gross), and it's unlikely I will give that up any time soon.

This spider thing has happened to me twice now. The first time, it was our first day at the Village. Hailey and I needed... Well, everything. You name it we needed it; from toilet paper to tortellini. A very nice Australian girl gave us a lift to the Supa IGA (and no, I do not mean "super"), but told us we'd have to make it back on our own. No problem, right? WRONG. Not only was it about 10,025° at approximately 4PM, but it was almost all uphill from the Supa IGA.
Now, in case you're unaware I am not a fan of spiders, however I can usually kill them on my own (but those thousand leggers? Forget that.). Hailey, on the other hand, hates them with a fiery passion. As Hailey was walking underneath a street lamp I happened to look up at it. There, laying quietly in an enormous web, was an equally enormous spider. All I could say was, "Hailey, don't look up." She sped up, and asked me why as I hurried under the lamp post, and then she looked up and saw it.
Encounter #2 takes place after an early evening class. We had just been let out of Government and Business Relations in Lecture Theater 1. I was walking down a set of stairs making my way back to my apartment when I decided to look up. Right at that moment an Asian kid walked under another one of these behemoths. I walked along the opposite side of the stairs as quickly as I could without tripping... Or vomiting.
Supposedly these terrifying arachnids are harmless and very common, but I just can't get over the size. They're positively scary.

Well, I hope that if you're ever in Australia you take these two things into consideration. Another couple things you should probably keep in mind?:
- drinking is a lifestyle
- partying is a lifestyle
- Australians have morbid commercials
- "Bondi Rescue" is among the greatest shows one can watch here
- The people on "The Biggest Loser: Australia" are not nearly as large as they are in the States
- Always carry an umbrella
- The more times you try Vegemite the more appetizing it becomes
- They have an abundance of Vanilla Coke here
- Kangaroos are the equivalent of deer in Pennsylvania, it's okay to eat them
- Bras are fashionable
- So are rat tails
- Eat at Nando's. Just do it. You will love me for it.
- Ask an Australia to say "cooler". Then ask them to say it like an American. The result is worth it.

♥ caitlin

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Posted by Caitlin

Today was the first day it's been sunny in about a week. I'm really hoping the rainy season is almost over. It would be so fantastic, because all I want to do is go to the beach.


So, travels plans haven't really taken shape yet. All I really plan on doing is a quick trip to New Zealand, as I'm pretty much covering everything else with my parents over Easter. Next weekend I'm going to North Stradbroke Island, or "Straddie" with the UQ, QUT(?), and Griffith students. It's bound to be a good time (what isn't fun about kayaking, snorkeling, and painting your own boomerang?).

Remember when I was really nervous?
Me too.
I'm still trying to figure out why. It's not as hard as I thought it would be. I was a little homesick once we got to Griffith, but everything's evened out now. I have a schedule, and I'm aware of when most people are online, and I've made friends. Lots of German friends... And Canadian and Swedish too. No Americans, and I'd kind of like to keep it that way.

Guys here really like rattails. Remember rattails? That little chunk of hair on guys that was longer than the rest? Yeah, it's pretty popular here, but equally disgusting as it was in the 1990s. Girls here dress kind of trashy. They like to wear semi-sheer tops with black bras. And showing bits of your bra isn't a big deal at all. And short skirts/dresses? Go for it, I'm sure everyone wants to see your butt. It's definitely different from the States.

That's about it for now!

♥ caitlin

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Finally in Aussie

Posted by Caitlin

Hi everyone!


So, I'm finally here. I've been here since Wednesday, but I haven't had an internet connection. I've moved into my apartment. Hailey & I are living together. We have American roommates, which was kind of a disappointment.

Wednesday - We landed in Melbourne and from there went to St. Kilna for lunch and some nice beach time. After St. Kilna we went to see kangaroos in the wild! Finally, we went to Sorrento. We had apartment style housing and I stayed with Hailey, Erica and Georgia. That day we met the kids going to our schools and split up by state. After our sessions we had dinner and went on a night walk to the beach. I saw the most amazing stars. We could see so much from Mornington Peninsula.

Thursday - Today we had some sessions in the morning. After the sessions we went to the beach and walked on the rocks while the tide was low. It was so beautiful. We were on our own for lunch, so Erica, Georgia, Hailey & I went into town, got the makings for lunch and walked to the beach for lunch. It was great, minus the seagulls. We had a few more sessions, then we took a nice little cruise and had fish (shark) and chips for dinner. It was a lot of fun, very pretty. We then had talks, separated by sex. Very interesting.

Friday - Today we went to Melbourne, what a gorgeous city! It was so much fun. We took a walking tour of Melbourne and were then let loose. We grabbed lunch, I got sushi (yum!) and we ate in a graffitied ally way... But it wasn't sketchy, I promise. Everyone got phones today (I already had mine though). That night we went out and ate at Nando's, a Portuguese restaurant. It was so good! And the manager was hilarious! After Nando's we just ran around Melbourne and took pictures. Poor Jeff, we made him our official photographer of the night. There was also a street performer that Hailey & Cresentia were really enjoying, so we listened to him for a while. In the meantime, some Aussie was getting people walking around to look on the ground while he pulled his pants down and his butt was there for everyone to see when they turned around. It was pretty hilarious. Some of us called it an early night, and went back to the hotel. That included me.

Saturday - Saturday we left Melbourne for our schools. We boarded a flight to Brisbane, and I slept most of the way. Once we got there, UQ and Griffith students split up and we made our way to our new homes. GUV (Griffith University Village) is nice. Lots of international people. Two and a half bathrooms, five bedrooms, kitchen and a common area.

Sunday - Hailey and I went to Surfer's Paradise today to do some shopping for both our apartment, and ourselves! It was a lot of fun, and really hot. We ate at Hard Rock Cafe for lunch and went to Macca's (McDonald's) for a Frozen Coke. Delicious. We also met our new roommates today. We met a few people down at the basketball court too, two girls from Australia, a boy from Dubai, a girl from Arizona, and a boy from Zimbabwe. We chilled with them for a bit, then went to bed.

Monday - Today. We went to get our student IDs today so we can get discounts (Woo!). We then went back to our apartment and chilled. It was much needed. At two, we had the study abroad and exchange student orientation. They gave us free drink vouchers for the UniBar, and we met a lot of people there. I met THREE Germans! We're about to go to a barbeque, and afterwards we're maybe going into Surfer's for some kid's birthday party? I don't really know.

So that's all for now. I'll update as much as I can!

♥ caitlin

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T-Minus 1 Day

Posted by Caitlin

I leave tomorrow. Sometime in the morning I'm going to the Philly airport and boarding my flight to Phoenix & then LA. I'm really looking forward to seeing Hailey and some other familiar faces!


It's not quite sunk in yet that I'm actually leaving. I went to campus last night to spend the night and go to church today. It was a lot of fun. I got to see Beth and Emily as well as Andrew and Katie. Again, it was a lot of fun. It was hard when I left after church today. I cried a bit. More like a lot. Which is why I didn't say goodbye to some people: I hate crying in front of others. Other than my little crying incidents everything was great. I really enjoyed seeing almost everyone once before I left.

My things are packed... Except some of my carry ons. I'm excited. I'm (mostly) ready to leave.

♥ caitlin

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T-Minus 2 Days

Posted by Caitlin


Today was a good day. I was more excited than anything today. I did have a mini panic attack earlier, but it's cool. Everything was just kind of catching up to me, but now I'm excited again!


I don't have too much to say right now, I didn't do too much regarding Aussie today.

This is a picture of Byron Bay that I took in 2006.

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T-Minus 3 Days

Posted by Caitlin


It's only three days now until I leave. And I'm strangely calm. A little too at ease. I'm kind of a little terrified that this is the calm before the storm. I guess we'll find out.


I am nervous/excited to be going back to campus for a brief, probably-less-than-24-hour, visit. I think it will open (semi)old wounds. I'll just have to deal. I did it once; I can do it again.

My packing is finished! Woo! Who isn't excited about that? Three days to spare and my packing (except for what I'll need up until Monday) is all done. I've managed to fit all my clothes and shoes in one, thirty pound bag. Are you impressed? I am. I'll still be bringing two bags with me though. My other one has toiletries and such in it. In other words, I have TONS of room for souvenirs. :)

Being as packing was the accomplishment and highlight of my day, I didn't actually do anything else.

I am definitely, at this moment in my life, feeling SIGNIFICANTLY better about all of this. As much as I don't want to be rude about this, I am ready for a change of pace. It's something I'm just realizing. I've been doing the same thing day after day for the last year and a half. A change is in order. A change for the better.

♥ caitlin

The picture is from Brisbane, QLD from my last trip to Oz in 2006.

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T-Minus 6 Days

Posted by Caitlin


In approximately 6 days and 11+ hours I will be boarding a plane to Phoenix, to LA, and finally to Melbourne.


I'm anxious. The bad kind and the good kind. I really wish I could just pack up everything right this moment and teleport to Melbourne just to get away from my pre-departure jitters/anxiety.

It's still pretty surreal, however saying my goodbyes on Sunday made it a little too real for my liking. I tried really hard not to cry. I failed. But I didn't cry as much as I had anticipated, which is good I guess. I can, however, say that I am more mentally prepared for this trip than I was about a month ago.

On a less sad note, I am getting quite organized. I have my folders: Important Things (with Demetri Martin), Happy Things (photos, tickets, memories), and finally Course Things (course outlines and my course schedule). I've printed so much in the past 48 hours I'm pretty sure I've used up a majority of the black ink. Oops. I've got 20+ pictures printed, and probably 50+ pages with my itineraries, schedules, course outlines (they take up A LOT of paper), and other such things. I'm feeling good about where I stand currently, in regards to my packing list and my organization.

I also recently received an email from my homestay family from the last time I was in Australia. I'm really hoping to meet up with them during my time abroad, because they're such a sweet, old couple. I've been in contact with them for nearly four years now, and it would be lovely to be able to see them again.

That's about it for now!

♥ caitlin

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Round 1

Posted by Caitlin

So, my first set of goodbyes is quickly approaching. I can honestly say I'm pretty sure this will be the hardest round because I will not be seeing some of these people for almost seven months. That's 58.3% of the year. In other words, a really long time.

Sure Skype will help, but it won't be the same as actually seeing their faces or being able to hug them if I want to, etc. It will be interesting for sure.

I've been talking to Hailey and Erica and both of them have started packing. I definitely haven't. At all. In the least. I've got my (more or less) sacred list and am hoping to start packing next week sometime, but for the time being I'm trying not to focus on how soon I'll be leaving.

Well, it's time for me to get going, I told Christie I'd be by to hang out right about now. I need to get converters from her too.

♥ caitlin

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Arcadia

Posted by Caitlin

So here I am, laying in Katie's apartment in her spare (but possibly not spare as of later this week?) room. The people above me are, I'm pretty sure, having really loud sex. They also walk really loudly. Like elephants. Like third west Kistler.


Lucky for me, I still have another three weeks until I leave, and I have chosen to spend two of them at Arcadia with my friends. I got here Monday and immediately went to the mall with Katie, with the intent of picking up my schedule. Well... The schedule thing didn't work out as planned. They forgot to schedule me, meaning I am literally sitting around on campus for an entire week. Good times. Kind of. It will consist of a lot of alone time, which I'm not really looking forward to, but I'd rather be here with alone time than not be able to see my friends.

I've been talking with Christie a lot about the whole Australia thing, and it's definitely putting me at ease. I've been nervous about this trip since LAST February. (Ridiculous? Yes. But I'm a worrier by nature.) Just knowing that she got through it okay, and LOVED the experience while being in a fairly similar situation with the people we're leaving at home (and going with a friend!) makes me feel significantly more confident. I honestly am still trying to figure out why I'm freaking out so much. I know there isn't much to worry about... But I think the travel is freaking me out a lot too. I'm not a fan of planes, and I'll be in the air for approximately 21 hours.

I know that by the time I arrive in Melbourne and have contacted my mother to let her know I'm alive, I will feel significantly better about the situation, it's just pre-leaving jitters I guess.

So here's to a fantastic two weeks at Arcadia and to safe flights all around!

♥ caitlin

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1 Month... But Not Really Counting

Posted by Caitlin

So as of yesterday it was one month until I leave. Was I thinking that yesterday? No. I was way too focused on beginning the move to a new house, and how much I didn't want to work until 4 AM.


However, instead of focusing on the move in late December/early January I was focused on Australia. I've got my packing list made, my Visa all worked out, and a few emails into the program managers about my living arrangements. I feel like I'm in a good position to go.

I'm not in a good position to move. I have some stuff packed up, but I still have work to do. My closet is calling me... So is under my bed. And, the best part? It all has to be done by Saturday. Here comes a week's worth of packing and trips to-and-from this new house.

On top of that, next Monday I'm pretty sure I'll be heading back to Arcadia to hang out with my wonderful friends, so I have to pack for that too. So much packing. So much change. I feel like this is going to wear me thin pretty soon.

♥ caitlin

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First Entry

Posted by Caitlin

Creative title for my first entry, right?

So it's 2:20 AM on January 02, 2010 and in approximately 1.5 months I will be leaving to spend four months in Australia. :) Am I excited? Yes. Am I nervous? Yes.

Basically, I will have this blog to keep you all updated on my adventures Down Under. Anyone can comment- an account isn't necessary. I hope you all enjoy this as much as I'll enjoy being abroad for a semester! :)

♥ caitlin

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