The first day

It hasn’t been all fun though because Monday started the academic year. I had my first class on Tuesday and it could not have been more opposite than what I am used to. At Merrimack, I go to class knowing exactly what to expect. I buy my books before the class meets for the first time, sit down in a class of 20 other students, listen to the professor for 50 minutes three times a week, do weekly readings and essays, and prepare the upcoming exams. In Australia, however, they do things a little different. I am taking four classes at the moment, but they only meet once a week. I have a lecture session and then a tutorial session for the class. They are either 50 minutes or an hour and 50 minutes and usually take place hours apart from each other. To you give you a better idea; I’ll explain how my Cultural Perspectives class takes place today. Tuesday morning, I wake up and go to lecture taught by convener Pat Wise with about 70 other students from 9-950am. Then, from 4-5:50pm I will go back to a different classroom and attend my tutorial session taught by a graduate student with about 30 other students. The meeting schedule is not the only difference that I have found. In lecture, students are told specifically to take notes; there is no time for questions to be asked. In tutorials (or tutes, as the Aussies say), there is plenty of time for discussion, questions, and more one-on-one teaching. It may seem that it is only important to attend tutes, but this would be a wrong assumption. Although the tutes do go over what the lecture has already said, it is important to go to both meetings because the convener and the tutorial teacher may have two different ideas about the same topic. One final difference I noticed was that there were not may assignments for the class. I have a final exam and a final essay, however, the essays I have are only about 1,500 words (about 3 pages) whereas at Merrimack last semester, my final essays were, on average, a minimum of 8 pages long. It may seem that this is easy, but because the essays are not long, they need to have more detail and be structurally efficient. The workload may not be too difficult, but living in such a beautiful climate and having access to travel all over the country is definitely going to make it hard for me to focus.

As I only have class Tuesday through Thursday, Jenna and I are planning on traveling during our extended weekends. We have been looking into a trip to Sydney for the weekend of March 18^th and going to the outback and Melbourne during our Spring Break in April. Both trips seem to have low fares for flights, so we think we should be able to do them. I have been looking on Facebook and it is funny to me how it’s March 1^st and I am just starting school. My friends who are studying abroad in Europe are all ready saying how they’ll be home in a little over a month and I won’t be home until the end of June, possibly July. I think often about how I could have been aborad in Europe traveling the country, tasting the authentic food and wines, but then I look out my window and the sun is shining, the pool is glistening bright blue, and I know that I have made the right choice. This is a once in a lifetime experience and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. There is not a cloud in the sky today and as jealous as I am that my friends are eating real Italian pizza and I get a sausage on plain white bread with barbecue sauce for dinner, I know that Australia is for me.

Moving In

I moved into the Griffith University Village (GUV) on Thursday, February 17^th. I loved it from the moment I walked into my room. I live with 4 other girls from my program and an 1^st year Australian boy named Tom. He’s really nice and a pretty good cook. The following Monday started O-week and let me tell you, it was far from orientation at Merrimack (OC ’10, I didn’t say better, I just said different. You’re still my #1) On Monday, there was village Olympics. I did not get to attend because I was in a information session for international students, but my block ended up winning most enthusiastic! Monday night was Las Vegas night, so the village staff had hired a DJ and set up poker tables for us to gamble with

Monopoly money. Tuesday, I went on a campus tour and then at 5 o’clock, the village fed us hamburgers, live bands played, and finally we took a free bus to Surfer’s Paradise for the night. Wednesday, the village staff took us to Talebudgera Beach, which was obviously beautiful. It rained a little, but I played a girls vs. boys tug-o-war match and it was all in all a fun day. Later that night, my friend Brian and I competed against other residents in a Red Bull DJ contest. We didn’t win, but we had a lot of fun trying. Thursday was the “Ultimate Aussie Experience.” There were Aboriginal workshops, instrument playing, and a chance to hold a baby crocodile, which I respectfully declined the offer of. After that, everyone in the village headed down to the newly renovated Parkwood Tavern where it was an exclusive GUV night. Friday was relaxing. I hung by the pool with new friends and went shopping for alittle, but nothing too exciting. Friday Jenna, and two of our new friends Cathy and Julia, both attend Western New England University, and me started a new tradition. We cooked chicken cutlets, pasta, and salad and had a “family dinner.” We decided that we are going to keep doing this every Friday for the semester and this coming Friday, we have included more friends and made it a potluck! Saturday was the best day. The village didn’t plan anything, so 10 of my new friends headed down to Coolangatta Beach, about an hour away from Southport to watch the Quicksilver Pro Surfing Competition. The beach, the weather, and the people were all beautiful. I even met a pro surfer! Spoiler alert for those of you who follow the sport: Kelly Slater, who was previously ranked number one was eliminated in the first round. As a kid growing up, my brother was pretty big into surfing so it was really amazing to see the competition in reall life and know who some the surfers competing were. Later that night, GUV provided us with free tacos and then cabs to Surfer’s Paradise for the night. Needless to say, Sunday they provided a “recovery brunch” which was more than necessary. As O-week ended, I couldn’t believe how many friends I have made here. Right before I got on the plane in Boston, I had told my family and Jenna that the thing I was most nervous about was not meeting people right away, but being down here makes me realize that it’s just like freshman year in college all over again. Everyone is in the same boat and everyone wants to make friends. It’s amazing how even on the other side of the world you can find people with the same interests as you and really connect with them. I can tell that the people I have met down here will be my friends even after we get home.

P.s. For anyone who hasn't seen it, here's the link to the video I made! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhx4pDnosiw

The Community

On Tuesday of last week, Australearn decided that since Australia is giving us such an amazing experience that we should give back to them. They took us to an area an hour outside of Cairns to help Conservation Volunteer Australia plant trees. We spent two hours planting, potting, weeding, and fertilizing; it was exhausting, but it was a growing experience. We learned that for every seven trees we planted it would cancel out the usage of once car per year and that the trees would be fully grown in three years time. It is important to Aussies tomake sure their wildlife and forest is growing steadily because down here there is no longer an O-zone layer. After we were all finished, we at some sandwiches and headed back to the hotel and attended an information session. This information session was all about what we do after we leave our adventure week and head into the real world of Australia. Our leader told us about different Australian customs, beliefs, and how to travel around the southern hemisphere. He also told us all about culture shock and how most people experience it in some form or another. While he was speaking, I kept thinking how it is not going to happen to me. I don’t want to wake up one morning and be miserable or be thinking about how much I miss home. I know that I’m going to get homesick, that is inevitable, but I want to make sure that my longing for the comfortable does not effect my experience down here. I want to make the most of it and I want to embrace the casual Australian lifestyle. Our leader told us that one sure way to distract ourselves from homesickness and culture shock is to plan fun and exciting get-aways. So tonight, Jenna and I decided we are going to make a “bucket list” of places and activities we want to do while we are down here. We know we want to make it to Sydney and Melbourne, maybe New Zealand (depending on funds) and hopefully enough to get to the outback. But, we know that there are plenty of activities we can do around the Gold Coast and closeto school; such as, learn how to surf, make friends with Australians, and eat kangaroo. It’s been less than a week in Australia and I have all ready done so many things I never thought I’d be able to do in my life, but this beautiful country has so much to offer, I can’t wait for the unexpected surprises to begin.

The next day, I headed to Port Douglas which is about an hour north of Cairns. For those of you who love movies, you might recognize the town as being in the critically acclaimed, award winning Matthew

Mcconaughey and Kate Hudson movie Fool’s Gold. Anyway, the town is beautiful, obviously. The town has shops all along the main road and a beach at one end. It was quite possibly the most beautiful beach I have ever seen. The water was warm that it was almost not refreshing, but we had fun nonetheless.

The Rainforest

Last Sunday was day one of my “Culture and Adventure Program” which was set up by Australearn. We went to a place called RainForeStation, which was in a town about 45 minutes north of Cairns. I was pretty excited about going because I knew this was the place where I was going to get to hold a koala and pet a kangaroo. Little did I know that RainForeStation had a lot more to offer. When we first arrived we were split into groups because there are 130 students on the program with me. My group went to a demonstration on how to play the didgeridoo first. For those of you who are unaware, a didgeridoo is a long wooden instrument that the Aborigines people use to play music with. The guide explained to us how they were made from a tree trunk that is hollowed out. He demonstrated how the Aborigine

people use them to make sounds like indigenous animals from Australia such as a dingo, kangaroo, and a kookaburra. After that, we learned how to throw a boomerang. It looked really difficult, but the guide explain that you just have to keep your arm straight, and flick your wrist downward and it will fly as it is supposed to. Our next stop along RainForeStation was to watch a show of traditional Aborigine dances. I thought the dances were pretty cool, but they only danced a short while of each because there were so many. After the dances, we headed to lunch. Lunch was ok, a little random on selection, but tasty nonetheless. For our fourth stop, we got to go on a duck boat and see all the amazing plants that live in the rainforest. This was my favorite part of my whole visit to RainForeStation. Our guide took us in the water and showed us many different plants that the Aborigines have been using for centuries as medicinal purposes. Of course, down here they would be called “chemists” not “pharmacists.” Our guide then dropped us off the small zoo area inside the park. I got to pet multiple kangaroos and saw dingoes and giant lizards and crocodiles. Unlike a petting zoo in the States, the kangaroos were just lounging on the grass in the open area with no attendants or staff near by. The dingoes, however, were in a nice pen (probably because they’d eat your baby!). Finally, I got to hold a koala. It was so cute!! I was surprised to find that koalas have sharp nails, so it was important to stand very still when holding it. After a long day of learning so much about Australia, we headed home. The road to get to the rainforest was so windy and narrow, but the view from the top was gorgeous.

Later that night, Jenna and I met up with some new friends from Colorado and Connecticut. The five of us headed into downtown Cairns to check out the nightlife and hopefully come across some authentic Australian food. We ended up eating at a take out place that sold kebabs; in Australia, people say kebab not kebob. They are so good!! Kebabs are very similar to a Greek gyro and in many ways are the same, but they are so much more delicious in my opinion. In mine, I got chicken, lettuce, onions, tabouli (it wasn’t typical tabouli it was more like a mint and cabbage salad), sour cream, and hot chili sauce. They wrap all of the ingredients in pita bread like a burrito and then panini it together into one melty delicious mess. I am craving one as I speak right now, they are that good. Although I could have sat on that sidewalk all night eating the kebab, my friends and I decided to find some Australian friends. Unfortunately we failed, but we will definitely keep trying. The feeling of being here for five more months still hasn’t sunk into me and the thought that I will eventually have to go to school doesn’t even make sense. All of my friends down here keep saying that we are living “fake life” because we just have so much fun and have the coolest experiences.

p.s. so sorry that this is really late and out of order, but it took a long time for my pictures to upload!

The Reef

OH MY GOD. OH MY GOD. OH MY GOD. I saw a shark. ME! LISA BURGESS I SAW A SHARK IN REAL LIFE!!! It was about four feet long and swam about ten feet below me. I freaked out a little bit, but then realized I had nothing to be afraid of and followed it for a while. Everyone knows that the Great Barrier Reef is amazing, but to actually experience it in all it’s awesomeness is something else. Typically, I am petrified of the deep ocean. Seriously. I can’t even look at picture of it in books because I get really scared and nervous, but I’m in Australia and this is something I will never be able to do again. We got up this morning at 6 am to head out to the Great Barrier Reef. After a grueling two hour boat ride, we finally arrived at the spot we could dive at.

Half of the people opted to go Scuba diving instead of just snorkeling, but when the staff member saw I had diabetes he said “Lisa, do you plan on Scuba-ing today?” and I told him no then he said, “Yea, that’s probably a good idea.” This was just a sign that I was not ready to go that far under the water. Once at the spot, I put on my stinger suit, flippers, and snorkel. I’ll admit that I was hesitant at first because sea creatures scare me, but once in the water I was like a fish.

had to be fearless and I did it and IT WAS THE BEST DAY EVER. I saw the most beautiful coral, the biggest fish, an eel, a turtle, two dolphins, and a shark. Jenna and I snorkeled around the reef in two different spots for about two and a half hours. After we left one spot, we headed to a small island to snorkel around its shore. The island is protected beach land though so there are patrolling officers making sure people only stay in the roped off area. This is because there are over 1,000 birds that live on the island. Seriously, I’ve never seen so many birds, it was honestly kind of frightening, not to mention noisy. We got super sunburned while on the boat deck and the food wasn’t very good, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Oh, and on the way back, they put up the sails, stopped the motor, passed out Australian cheese and crackers, and played Taylor Swift through the speakers. Honestly, what more could you ask for? I really hope that when (yes, when, not if because she is coming) my mom comes I can take her on a snorkeling trip because I know that she’ll love it more than anyone.

When I was six years old, my family moved to an island in the Marshall Islands called Kwajalein. I was young, but I do remember a lot of it. Before I came to Australia, I kind of assumed that there would be many similarities as far as the water and the climate go. Boy, was I wrong. I remember when I would snorkel on Kwaj and there would be coral, crabs, and other crustaceans, but nothing could ever compare to what I saw today. The colors where unreal, the amount of life in side the ocean is unattainable. I cannot even begin to give it justice. It truly is a wonder of the world.

The trip

I can’t even begin to count the number of times I’ve been on an airplane in my life, how many times I’ve got that “airport feeling” of nervousness and excitement mixed together, but somehow I knew the second I woke up this morning that today was going to be different. Sure I’m going to the airport, I’ll walk through security, board the plane, sit in this chair for an extended period of time, and get off in a completely new environment. Maybe it’s because the feeling of leaving for five months never actually sunk in. Jenna and I have been plotting and planning out excursion to Australia for almost an entire year now, but I don’t think either of us ever expected the day to come. And now, here it is, February 10, 2011 and I’m flying over a giant city thousands of miles from home, leaving most everything I’ve ever known and everyone I’m comfortable with to go half way around the world to meet new people and have all new experiences. Of course I’m excited, of course I’m more nervous than I’ve ever been, and of course I’m listening to Taylor Swift to console me. As I sit here, I can’t help but think of all I’m leaving behind, all the weekend nights in Lawler Arena watching the Warriors defeat whoever they are playing surrounded by all my friends. It’s a strange feeling, though, because I think of all of this and yet the longing to go back is only a fragment of my feelings. Mostly, I am thinking about the future ahead of me, this crazy adventure I am about to embark on with my best friend by my side. (Majority of me is still thinking about that daunting 20-hour plane ride from LAX to Sydney). Everyone I know who has gone abroad has told me how amazing the experience is and how they changed from it and it taught them so much. Those facts alone make me more excited and anxious than I can put into words.

I made it. I’m sitting in the Sydney airport waiting for my flight to Cairns (pronounced like Cans) and I could not be happier. The trip from LA to Sydney was so long! Granted, I slept for six hours, watched How I Met Your Mother (Jealous, Jamie?) and ate prett

y good food for being on an airplane. The Qantas flight was awesome though, I must say. There were individual television screens on each seat back so you could watch whatever you wanted; tv shows, movies, the flight path, and, with this application called “skyview” the actual plane flying through the air. Now I am about to board yet another plane and fly for about two more hours where I will get off, meet with a tour guide, and begin my adventure program. It feels so great to finally be in shorts and flip flops again... Even if I am wicked pale!

I MADE IT!

Sorry it took me so long, but you should all know that I did in fact make it here to Australia and it is gorgeous. This is going to be the shortest post ever, but after I go to the grocery store today I will write more. I just need to upload photos and I don't have the time for that at the moment. Ok, there will be more to come, get excited.