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aliathehobbit · 7 years ago

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Sorry for not posting as soon as my travels ended. It has been a busy summer and semester. There is a TL;DR (too long; didn’t read synopsis) at the end if you don’t feel like reading the day-by-day. Also, this blog post is very similar to what I have already posted on Facebook (again).

As my time in Australia came to an end, I learned and felt a lot of different things. I realized how laid back I was and how chill I could be. I realized that I did not get to immerse myself in Australian culture because I was almost constantly surrounded by other international students. I did get to experience Anzac Day and the Australian friends I did make were wonderful and insightful. I am beyond fortunate and privileged to be able to have gone so many places and been a tourist.

From my last blog post to when I got back to the US, I went to Cairns, Adelaide, Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, and went back to Lismore (SCU) a few times in between. After leaving Australia, I went to Indonesia, where I spent time in Bali, my mother’s hometown of Jogjakarta, Madiun, Magelang, and back to Bali. My flights back started on July 1 and ended on July 1 (mom and Eden’s birthday!) and went from Denpasar (Bali) to Seoul (South Korea) to Atlanta to Charlotte with a nine-hour layover in Korea.

CAIRNS, QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA with Kate (from Southern Cross), Eunice (from App State), and Brianna (from New York)

May 27: Kate drove us from Lismore to Brisbane, where we met up with her brother and his family. We all headed to Eat Street and wandered around, had delicious food, and listened to live music. After that, we caught our plane to Cairns and played Heads Up. Our plane felt like it was falling out of the sky for a bit because of some crazy turbulence. We got to our hostel, which is also a night club, by 1am.

May 28: We walked around downtown Cairns; went to markets and spent time in our hostel, Gilligans.

May 29: We decided to go on a road trip! The four of us rented a car and three of our roommates from the hostel did also. We drove to Kuranda, stopping at Kuranda Range Lookout. We had lunch at Frogs, where I ate Crocodile and it tasted like chicken. There was a cute little market there also. We then stopped by at palm Cove beach, where I watched someone catch and gut a fish. We stopped at Rex lookout on the way to Mossman River Gorge, where we took a shuttle to see some beautiful scenery. After we headed black to Cairns and returned the cars, we went to the night markets again and had dinner before looking around.

May 30: We got up early to get some coffee before heading to the Marina. We checked in and got on the boat to the Great Barrier Reef. We had booked it online earlier, so it was easy. We laid up on the deck and chilled inside for the hour it took to get out to Saxon Reef. There, I snorkeled for the first time in my life. It was surreal. We had a nice lunch on the ship before heading to Hastings Reef, where we snorkeled again and Kate got to scuba dive. We spent less time snorkeling than at the first place. Super fun. I can’t believe I checked that off my bucket list! There was also a cool entertainer on board. Afterwards, we shopped around, met with another SCU International student and had dinner with him. We went back to Gilligan’s to meet our hostel roommates and play Bogan Bingo and eat more. It was a good time. We also went to another place and ended up on the dance floor.

May 31: We had Meldrum’s pies for breakfast, which are supposedly the best pies! We went to the esplanade and met with Kayla, Tori, and Justin. Troy showed up also. We swam a bit and then headed back to Gilligan’s to hang out by the pool there. Brianna, Kate, Eunice, and I got burgers for lunch and then packed up to leave. Our flight was nice and I talked to a lady from Gold Coast the whole way to Brisbane. Kate’s brother picked us up and we got her car before getting Troy and heading back to Lismore. We made a pit stop at maccas (McDonald’s)and I got a happy meal.

June 1: Alex, Kayla, and I finally took a trip to Nimbin, which is only 30 minutes away from Lismore and I always wanted to go but didn’t get a chance until nearly the end.

ADELAIDE, SOUTH AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA with Alex Funk

June 2: Alex and I started on our journey to Adelaide. We took a bus from SCU to Gold Coast, went to the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary because Alex wanted to buy a mug. Had lunch overlooking the beautiful beach! We stopped by SCU-Gold Coast. Then, we caught our flight to Adelaide, bussed into the city, checked into our hostel, and had dinner at the Central Markets. There was such a wide array of foods from all around the world, including farm fresh produce. We had some Algerian couscous and mint tea.

June 3: Alex and I slept in a bit and took a bus to Harbourtown, which is an outlet mall. We wandered around before grabbing an Uber to the food truck festival, Fork on the Road. There were so many different types of food. There was also an indoor area with seats and a disco dance floor. There was an outdoor area for sitting and kids to run around in. We had some great food. I had a South American rice dish, Alex had a burger, and we shared some waffle sticks. We went back to the hostel and ended up going out to The London with some of our German roommates and their friends, who were all very sweet.

June 4: Alex and I went to Blackwood, Which is a small town south of Adelaide, to go to a craft market. There were a lot of cute stalls. Afterwards, we headed back to the city via train to check out the mall and just walked around the central business district. We went to Chinatown, near our hostel, for dinner. We had some great sweet and sour chicken and seafood dumplings.

June 5: Alex and I went to breakfast at Zuma Caffe. Afterwards, we got gelato from an award-winning gelato place called 48 Flavours. We then walked through the partially closed markets, and walked towards the museum, stopping at Rundle Street Mall. We walked through the University of Adelaide and went to the South Australia Museum. Then, we went to St. Peter’s Cathedral, which was also closed. We got some sushi from Sushi Train before heading back to the hostel and then watching Baywatch at GU Filmhouse. This was our last full day of traveling together.

June 6: Alex and I woke up early and went to the Central Markets. We had breakfast at a waffle place in town, then she realized her flight lands at 11:30, not leaving at 11:30 as she thought. We made a mad dash to the airport and she caught her flight to Melbourne. Mine followed around two hours after to Sydney. Ben picked me up at the airport and we went to Newtown to get milkshakes and toasties. In the evening, we went to Vivid at the Toronga Zoo, which was beautiful and all lit up.

SYDNEY, NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA

June 7: Ben and I went to the Wildpear cafe for breakfast, and then hung out with his mom for a bit before heading to the city. We wandered around before going on a Vivid cruise through the harbour. It was rainy, but there were some great views. We got to see the Sydney Opera House, Harbour Bridge, and the entire city projected in lights. Afterwards, we had dinner at a German place and ended the night in Kings Cross.

June 8: I headed to the Sydney airport early in the morning and flew to Brisbane alongside all the business people who fly early. I met mom in the Brisbane airport and we wandered around the Brisbane museum and Queen St. mall. Then, we took a nap in our hotel that turned into sleeping until the next morning.

BRISBANE, QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA with mother (Siti Kusujiarti)

June 9: Mum and I went to Jimmy’s on the Mall for breakfast before taking a train to where she used to live when she was pregnant with me. We visited University of Queensland, which is where my dad got his PhD. Afterwards, we headed to the Royal Brisbane and Women’s hospital, where I was born. We went to China Town for a light meal and headed back to the hotel. We went to Luminous, which was at SouthBank. And we ended the night at Eat Street. So much good food!

June 10: Mom and I slept in a bit and went for a walk around the city. We went to the Queen Street Mall, and then to the Botanical Gardens. From there, we took the City Cat (boat) to South Bank and rode on the Wheel of Brisbane. Then, we went to the Australian Football League game between the Brisbane Lions and the Fremantle Dockers. Lions won 121-64! We got lost on our way back and took a train back into the city, then we got Mos Burger and gelato for dinner.

MELBOURNE, VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA with mother

June 11: Mom and I had our flight from Brisbane to Melbourne this morning. We took a skybus into the city and planned for tomorrow. We got Korean food before heading to St. Kilda, where we went to the Esplanade Markets and walked on the beach. After sunset, we saw the wild penguins. So cute!

June 12: Mum and I went on a full-day tour of the Great Ocean Road and surrounding rainforest. Here are the places we went: Anglesea Memorial Arch Kennett River Apollo Bay Ngatanwarr rainforest walk Loch Ard Gorge 12 Apostles

June 13: Today we slept in and then went to Brighton Beach to see the colorful bath houses. Then, we explored Federation Square before taking the circle tram around the city. We got off to go to the Eureka Skydeck. There was a cool open balcony area. We went to a fish n chips place on the esplanade of the Yarra river and watched flames randomly shoot out of a column. Mom’s friend dropped by our hotel and talked to us in the evening.

June 14: Mum and I took an Uber, plane, and bus to get back to Lismore to spend some last hours with Alex.

LISMORE, NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA

June 15: I had to say goodbye to Alex in the morning as she headed off to Brisbane to start her new adventure in Cairns. I showed mom around the campus, packed up most of my stuff, took her to Mary G’s for dinner, and went to the square for probably the last time ever.

June 17: I left Lismore for the last time this morning! Emptied my room and said goodbye to Mandy, the only other roommate currently in 19B. I’ll miss SCU and all of the friends I have made there so so much. Mom and I took a bus to Brisbane, where we explored near our hotel, Southbank, Queen Street, and took some trains to get around.

June 18: I left Australia (my new favorite country/continent and technically my homeland). So bittersweet. We got a shuttle from the hotel in Brisbane. Mom went to the international terminal for her direct flight to Bali. I hauled my luggage to the domestic terminal to go to Sydney. Layover for 3 hours. 7.5 hour flight to Denpasar. Dad’s friend had people pick us up at the airport and take us to our gorgeous hotel. Also, Happy American Father’s Day. Australian Father’s Day is in September. Indonesian Father’s Day does not exist.

BALI, INDONESIA with mother

June 19: Mommy and I went to her friend’s house and we went to a cool restaurant over some water. Then, we went to an arts festival where there was traditional Balinese theater and some handcrafts. That evening, I met one of my dad’s cousins, Rahmat.

June 20: Mommy Siti and I took a day tour around Bali. We went to the Barong Dance, handicraft stores (silver, batik, painting, wood carving), a Hindu temple, rice terrace, Ubud market, and Monkey Forest.

June 21: Mommy Siti and I went to Kuta Beach this morning and walked around. We packed up for our flight at 3. We got to her hometown of Jogjakarta and we went to her family home with Tante Any (mom’s sister in law) and Om Cungki (mom’s younger brother). We had dinner and then headed to cousin Via’s house.

JOGJAKARTA, JAVA, INDONESIA with family

June 22: Spent 7 hours getting my hair done… nbd.

June 23: Traveled to Madiun with 6 other family members: mom, her siblings, their spouses, and one cousin. We visited graves of our ancestors: all some sort of local Indonesian royalty. We spent some time at the hotel and those who were fasting broke their fast. People are all on holiday for Ramadan.

June 24: Mommy Siti and I took a becak (pedicab) ride of the city before taking a train back to her hometown of Jogjakarta with cousin Via and fam. After dinner, Om Cungki and Tante Any took us for a drive and we saw many Takbiran, which is a parade of people chanting prayers for the last night of Ramadan. The next day was the Eid al Fitr. There are many mosques around, so we listened to the chanting all night. There was also fireworks and lots of celebration.

June 25: Eid Al Fitr (Idul Fitri), which is the first day after the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. There were many gatherings for the morning prayer because Indonesia is the most populous Muslim country. We started the day at one of these, then visited with Aunt Any’s relatives. We payed respects at graves of relatives, including my grandparents. We also saw where mommy Siti and Uncle Cungki lived as children.

June 26: Mommy Siti, Om Cungki, Tante Any, and I did a lava tour around the Mount Merapi volcano. We stopped at the Kaliadem Bunker, the museum of survivors and victims of the eruption, and we went through the Kali Gendol river. Afterward, we hiked to the Japanese Caves and then drove to the Muncar waterfall.

June 27: We traveled to Magelang for a family reunion with mommy Siti’s side of the family. I met a lot of relatives. I spent the evening with Tante Any and Om Cungki and we ate at Es Teler 77, my fav Indonesian restaurant.

June 28: Mommy Siti and I picked up my second cousin Cici from the airport and got lunch at a mall. We failed at looking for a spa that was open (everything is still closed for end of Ramadan holiday). We visited Reza and her fam and had dinner with them. Then, mom, Cici, and I went to karaoke It was in a little room, unlike most karaoke people think of in the US.

June 29: Mom and I spent the morning packing. Mommy Siti, Cici, Aunt Any, Uncle Cungki, and I went to lunch together. Afterwards, mom, Cici, and I went to the spa and Cici and I got facials while mom did a hairspa. We walked around the mall a bit before packing up, heading to the airport, having one last meal with my uncle and aunt, and then getting on our plane to Bali. We were picked up by hotel staff and checked in. Aunt Novi and cousins Via and Rangga got to Bali earlier today and are in the room next door.

BALI, INDONESIA with family

June 30: Cousins Cici, Vidya, Rangga, Aunt Novi, Mommy Siti, and I visited the village of Tenganan and saw some traditional crafts and temples. Then, we went to Virgin Beach and played in the waves. We celebrated mum’s birthday at Bali Bakery and I got her a cake. I packed up all of my stuff at the hotel and everyone came to drop me off at the airport. My path was DenpasarSeoulAtlantaCharlotte.

July 1: My last 2 days (international date line) of overseas travel this summer. After my 7 hour flight from Bali to South Korea, I went through security and found out the Incheon airport has free transit tours. While signing up for a tour, I made a new friend who was also traveling alone, Mary. We took a one-hour tour to a tv drama set and saw a “cave” where they filmed part of the show. Next, we went on a two-hour tour of a Buddhist Temple (Heungryunsa) and the Memorial Hall for Incheon Landing Operation. We crossed the 21km long Incheon Bridge. After getting back to the airport, we ate noodles at a Korean Restaurant and went the security. There was a String Pop group called Odd Eye performing. It was really interesting and fun to watch. By the gate, there was a Korean Cultural experience center where we painted fans. During my 13 hour flight from there to Atlanta, I watched several movies and slept a bit. After finally meeting my dad in the Charlotte airport, he drove me home and we arrived at 3am.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

Although part of this list is in the Wilson Scholars Newsletter, I thought this list of lessons learned from each city would be a good way to wrap up my last blog post:

Cairns

If there is such horrible turbulence on a plane that a flight attendant falls over and passengers are screaming, everything will be okay.

Seeing the Great Barrier reef in person is a breathtaking experience.

Staying at a hostel with a waterfall pool, multiple bars, and a nightclub in it is an indescribable experience.

Travelling together is an amazing bonding experience for existing friends, but it’s more fun when you make more friends from all around the world at your hostel and go adventuring with them (applies to Cairns, Adelaide, and Christchurch).

People are often racist towards aboriginal people. There are also many strange laws regarding aboriginal people that treat them as different types of citizens than other Australians.

Crocodile tastes like chicken.

Adelaide

Sometimes sleeping for half of your vacation is worth it because you are refreshed, healthier, more carefree, and less irritable.

There is great food in Adelaide. We went to a food truck festival, markets, and restaurants—all delicious!

My last trip with my Canadian best friend made me realize how close two people can become over the course of four months.

Sydney

I love colorful lights, namely the Vivid lights festival. We went to the Toronga Zoo to see animal sculptures made of colorful lights. We also took a night cruise on the Sydney Harbour to see the city (including the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge) all lit up.

Big cities are where I belong.

It is okay for an Australian to take off a day of work to drive me around and go sightseeing.

Brisbane

My birth city ties with Sydney for my favorite city in Australia. I have considered moving back to Australia after college.

Seeing where my parents lived when I was born, the hospital I was born in, and where my dad received his PhD is surreal.

Uber drivers can be very insightful on topics of racism and islamophobia in Australia.

Melbourne

It’s cold in June.

The Great Ocean Road is full of beautiful beaches, cliffs, geographic formations, and good ice cream.

Travelling with mom is very different than travelling with friends.

Bali

Bali is a tourist trap, but is filled with local Hindu culture.

Traffic is horrendous

Jogjakarta, Magellang

My mother’s family descends from royalty in a line of sultans and founders of cities.

Celebrating the end of Ramadan takes a full week and many visits with relatives to cemeteries.

Travelling Alone

Talk to the person next to you on plane rides. Who knows? They may have played basketball at Elon University, even though you are both traveling to Cairns from Brisbane.

I really prefer traveling with others.

I did not travel alone much at all, but I learned to talk to strangers well and be more vigilant of my surroundings.

Planes, Trains, Buses, Rental Cars, Becak, and Other Forms of Transportation

Being the navigator is difficult, but builds essential life skills such as how to operate Google Maps.

Walking is the healthy, free, and most time consuming mode of transportation.

My mom really likes trains. She will make the journey an hour longer if it means she can ride a train or tram.

You have to book buses ahead of time online in Australia. The bus drivers are always very kind and seem to like their jobs.

EVERYONE in Australia makes a living wage. A two-mile taxi ride might cost $30, but at least you can survive if you have a job.

The first time an American drives on the left side of the road is not bad.

Despite all of the hassles myself and my friends have been through in airports, I love flying.

In Indonesia, you can take a tour of the city in a becak (pedicab) for 30 minutes for less than $5.

TL;DR I went to Cairns to snorkel the great barrier reef, Adelaide to eat good food, Sydney to see Vivid lights, Brisbane to see my birthplace with mom, Melbourne to be a tourist, Bali to learn about culture, Jogjakarta to spend a Muslim holiday with family, and Seoul on the way back home. It was the most amazing month of my life and I learned so much from it.

Last Month of Travels Sorry for not posting as soon as my travels ended. It has been a busy summer and semester.

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aliathehobbit · 8 years ago

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THROUGH A RAPIST’S EYES” (PLS TAKE TIME TO READ THIS. It may save a life, It may save your life.)

An Article from Neena Susan Thomas

“Through a rapist’s eyes. A group of rapists and date rapists in prison were interview…ed on what they look for in a potential victim and here are some interesting facts:

1] The first thing men look for in a potential victim is hairstyle. They are most likely to go after a woman with a ponytail, bun! , braid, or other hairstyle that can easily be grabbed. They are also likely to go after a woman with long hair. Women with short hair are not common targets.

2] The second thing men look for is clothing. They will look for women who’s clothing is easy to remove quickly. Many of them carry scissors around to cut clothing.

3] They also look for women using their cell phone, searching through their purse or doing other activities while walking because they are off guard and can be easily overpowered.

4] The number one place women are abducted from / attacked at is grocery store parking lots.

5] Number two is office parking lots/garages.

6] Number three is public restrooms.

7] The thing about these men is that they are looking to grab a woman and quickly move her to a second location where they don’t have to worry about getting caught.

8] If you put up any kind of a fight at all, they get discouraged because it only takes a minute or two for them to realize that going after you isn’t worth it because it will be time-consuming.

9] These men said they would not pick on women who have umbrellas,or other similar objects that can be used from a distance, in their hands.

10] Keys are not a deterrent because you have to get really close to the attacker to use them as a weapon. So, the idea is to convince these guys you’re not worth it.

POINTS THAT WE SHOULD REMEMBER:

1] If someone is following behind you on a street or in a garage or with you in an elevator or stairwell, look them in the face and ask them a question, like what time is it, or make general small talk: can’t believe it is so cold out here, we’re in for a bad winter. Now that you’ve seen their faces and could identify them in a line- up, you lose appeal as a target.

2] If someone is coming toward you, hold out your hands in front of you and yell Stop or Stay back! Most of the rapists this man talked to said they’d leave a woman alone if she yelled or showed that she would not be afraid to fight back. Again, they are looking for an EASY target.

3] If you carry pepper spray (this instructor was a huge advocate of it and carries it with him wherever he goes,) yelling I HAVE PEPPER SPRAY and holding it out will be a deterrent.

4] If someone grabs you, you can’t beat them with strength but you can do it by outsmarting them. If you are grabbed around the waist from behind, pinch the attacker either under the arm between the elbow and armpit or in the upper inner thigh – HARD. One woman in a class this guy taught told him she used the underarm pinch on a guy who was trying to date rape her and was so upset she broke through the skin and tore out muscle strands the guy needed stitches. Try pinching yourself in those places as hard as you can stand it; it really hurts.

5] After the initial hit, always go for the groin. I know from a particularly unfortunate experience that if you slap a guy’s parts it is extremely painful. You might think that you’ll anger the guy and make him want to hurt you more, but the thing these rapists told our instructor is that they want a woman who will not cause him a lot of trouble. Start causing trouble, and he’s out of there.

6] When the guy puts his hands up to you, grab his first two fingers and bend them back as far as possible with as much pressure pushing down on them as possible. The instructor did it to me without using much pressure, and I ended up on my knees and both knuckles cracked audibly.

7] Of course the things we always hear still apply. Always be aware of your surroundings, take someone with you if you can and if you see any odd behavior, don’t dismiss it, go with your instincts. You may feel little silly at the time, but you’d feel much worse if the guy really was trouble.

FINALLY, PLEASE REMEMBER THESE AS WELL ….

1. Tip from Tae Kwon Do: The elbow is the strongest point on your body. If you are close enough to use it, do it.

2. Learned this from a tourist guide to New Orleans : if a robber asks for your wallet and/or purse, DO NOT HAND IT TO HIM. Toss it away from you…. chances are that he is more interested in your wallet and/or purse than you and he will go for the wallet/purse. RUN LIKE MAD IN THE OTHER DIRECTION!

3. If you are ever thrown into the trunk of a car: Kick out the back tail lights and stick your arm out the hole and start waving like crazy. The driver won’t see you but everybody else will. This has saved lives.

4. Women have a tendency to get into their cars after shopping,eating, working, etc., and just sit (doing their checkbook, or making a list, etc. DON’T DO THIS! The predator will be watching you, and this is the perfect opportunity for him to get in on the passenger side,put a gun to your head, and tell you where to go. AS SOON AS YOU CLOSE the DOORS , LEAVE.

5. A few notes about getting into your car in a parking lot, or parking garage:

a. Be aware: look around your car as someone may be hiding at the passenger side , peek into your car, inside the passenger side floor, and in the back seat. ( DO THIS TOO BEFORE RIDING A TAXI CAB) .

b. If you are parked next to a big van, enter your car from the passenger door. Most serial killers attack their victims by pulling them into their vans while the women are attempting to get into their cars.

c. Look at the car parked on the driver’s side of your vehicle, and the passenger side. If a male is sitting alone in the seat nearest your car, you may want to walk back into the mall, or work, and get a guard/policeman to walk you back out. IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY. (And better paranoid than dead.)

6. ALWAYS take the elevator instead of the stairs. (Stairwells are horrible places to be alone and the perfect crime spot).

7. If the predator has a gun and you are not under his control, ALWAYS RUN! The predator will only hit you (a running target) 4 in 100 times; And even then, it most likely WILL NOT be a vital organ. RUN!

8. As women, we are always trying to be sympathetic: STOP IT! It may get you raped, or killed. Ted Bundy, the serial killer, was a good-looking, well educated man, who ALWAYS played on the sympathies of unsuspecting women. He walked with a cane, or a limp, and often asked “for help” into his vehicle or with his vehicle, which is when he abducted his next victim.

Send this to any woman you know that may need to be reminded that the world we live in has a lot of crazies in it and it’s better safe than sorry.

If u have compassion reblog this post. ‘Helping hands are better than Praying Lips’ – give us your helping hand.

REBLOG THIS AND LET EVERY GIRL KNOW AT LEAST PEOPLE WILL KNOW WHATS GOING ON IN THIS WORLD. So please reblog this….Your one reblog can Help to spread this information.

THIS COULD ACTUALLY SAVE A LIFE.”

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aliathehobbit · 8 years ago

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Sorry for not blogging for a while! I would use assignments and the end of the semester as an excuse, but I’ve also done some fun stuff. It’s crazy to think that my time in the Land Down Under is almost over. I only have about 3 weeks left, then to Indonesia, and then home to start my summer classes at App State. It’s been the most enjoyable and amazing wild ride of my life. It has gone by so fast and I’ve loved every minute of it. I’ve met so many wonderful people from many different places. I’ve seen so many gorgeous sights, but I’m not done! Starting today, I will go to Cairns with Brianna, Eunice, and Kate (snorkeling! 5/27-5/31), back to Lismore, then Adalaide with Alex (6/2-6/6), Sydney (6/6-6/8), Brisbane to meet mom (6/8-6/11), Melbourne (6/11-6/14), Brisbane, Lismore to pack up, Brisbane again, Bali (6/18-6/21), Jogjakarta (6/21-6/29), Bali again (6/29-7/1), then back to the US of A! I’m so excited for all of these travels and I am beyond fortunate and very grateful to have the opportunity to see all of these amazing places. I cannot thank my parents, the Wilson Scholars team, and Appalachian State enough for supporting me financially and academically. This has been the journey of a lifetime. Also, Happy Ramadan to my Muslim friends and family.

With the exception of a few points, this article is so true about studying abroad in Australia: https://www.buzzfeed.com/laraparker/things-only-people-who-studied-in-australia-understand?utm_term=.pbpkRVxjW

Also, new Wilson Scholars newsletter: https://issuu.com/appalachianstateuniversity/docs/summer17_wilson_newsletter

Here’s what I did from May 10 to now…

Wed, May 10: Class, free lunch, and cheer as usual.

Thu, May 11: Made some pancakes to share with the roomies, grocery shopping, socialized around Orion.

Fri, May 12: A bunch of the international students from Lismore and Gold Coast campuses met with the head of SCU international on campus at the unibar and talked with him. Orion was pretty dead that night because so many people were away traveling.

Sat, May 13: I watched the SCU Goldrats play rugby with Alex, Liv, and Gabi. It started raining about halfway through the game, but they kept playing and we lost in the end. I spent some time with Hailey and other friends in Orion before heading to The One, the only nightclub in Lismore. We danced the night away!

Sun, May 14: I wished my lovely mother a Happy Mother’s Day and did some school work.

Mon, May 15: Since we don’t have class on Mondays, Alex and I went to Byron Bay for the day. It was gorgeous, so we spent about half of the day on the beach and the other half walking around the town and looking in various shops. Byron Bay has a lot of beautiful street art and amazing restaurants.

Tue, May 16: Class, gym, and planned my weekend in Gold Coast.

Wed, May 17: I interviewed the manager at the bank of campus for my communications class. I had class and free lunch as usual. There was a “Stress Less” day sponsored by the equivalent of student government at SCU. There was free henna and fairy floss (cotton candy) and there was an LGBTQ+ thing going on with a gorgeous drag queen. That evening, I went to the shopping center with Alex because she left for camping the next day. Abby and Rachel (exchange students from Minnesota) came with me to cheer and we had a lot of fun!

Thu, May 18: Basically spent the whole day working on my Sociology essay and met with my group to turn in our project for Management.

Fri, May 19: I spent most of the day finishing my sociology essay before hopping on a bus to Gold Coast (Surfers Paradise). I met Ben from Sydney there and we had a fun night on the town. I got to try a Halal Snack Pack, which is basically kebab meat on a bed of fries with sauce. Apparently they became popular after Pauline Hanson (an Australian politician) spoke out against them because she does not support Halal food certification. I think this has to do with Islamophobia. Very interesting…

Sat, May 20: I spent some time at the beach with Ben, and then we went to a Gold Coast Titans rugby game. It was a different type of rugby than the Christchurch Crusaders. I still don’t really understand rugby, but it’s fun to watch live because of the crowd atmosphere. We went for a swim before going out again. There was a lot of live music and fun places to go in Surfers Paradise. I’m amazed at how many American accents I heard that night. Gold Coast is definitely a tourist hub with people from all over the world partying every weekend.

Sun, May 21: It was another beautiful day at the Gold Coast. I had pancakes for breakfast and some energy drink flavored gelato for a snack. We went up the Skypoint tower, which had 360 degree views from 322 meters up. I love seeing cities from high up. So far, I’ve been to observation decks like this in NYC, Boston, Sydney, and Gold Coast. I think seeing Paris from the top of the Arc de Triomphe counts also. Afterwards, we went to Pacific Fair (a huge shopping center) for lunch and then to the Broadbeach Blues Festival. There were a bunch of different stages with various performers. We wandered among several of them and there were some really talented musicians there. I got to watch the sunset on the beach. There were a bunch of people playing volleyball and the sky was picture perfect. We got Japanese food for dinner, where I tried Gyoza (a type of dumpling) and Karaage (a type of fried chicken). Delicious!

Mon, May 22: I took a very early bus back to Lismore and slept much of the day. We had our Returning Home Info Session that afternoon and I realized how close we are to the end of the session. It was very bittersweet and probably one of the last times all of the internationals would be gathered together because people want to travel a lot before they have to go home. We got free pizza and socialized a bit. Afterwards, Alex and I went grocery shopping.

Tue, May 23: I did my last assignment for Management, which was an online quiz. I had my last Management class and went to Sh’Bam (the zumba-like class I do almost every Tuesday). I got Alex to come and she had a good time! That evening, my roommate Abbie interviewed me about New Zealand for her Tourism class.

Wed, May 24: We had another inspection, so I cleaned the apartment a bit in the morning. The last sociology class was last week, so I went to free lunch with Alex and then to my last Communications class. No cheer, so we went to the last Open Mic night. We had tacos and listened to some live music. Ned (who we went to Lennox Head with a few weeks back) did a really cool guitar song. I bought my plane tickets for the Adelaide-Sydney-Brisbane adventure.

Thu, May 25: I met with Charli, who has been driving me to cheer all semester and gave her a thank you card. I went to the gym and did laundry before picking up a few things at the shops and heading to the unibar for SCU’s Got Talent. The winners got $1000, second place got $300, and third got $200. There were some interesting acts and some good ones. I only stayed for four of them, including my friends Eunice, Bri, Gabi, and Liv. They did a parody of “Ice, Ice, Baby” about their time at SCU. It was very fun to watch, but they ended up in seventh place out of seven. I stayed up late writing my Communications report afterwards.

Fri, May 26: I spent the day in the apartment except for when I delivered a thank you card to Meg, the bank employee for letting me interview her.

I may not have time to write another blog post until I’m back in the states, but you can always follow along with my posts on Facebook and Instagram. Thanks for reading!

Playing Catch Up (3ish weeks) Sorry for not blogging for a while! I would use assignments and the end of the semester as an excuse, but I've also done some fun stuff.

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