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

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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!

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.

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

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

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