Final Exams and Final Goodbyes

This past week and weekend have been full of studying, packing and starting to say goodbyes. Last week I took my finals in marketing and business ethics and I also found out that my group came in 2nd out of 13 teams on our marketing pitch!! I was so excited to hear that all of the hard work and frustrations were worth it.
My little study desk.
Friday Ali left to fly home to Texas. It was so weired having someone actually leave and reality began to set in that time here is really over. I am going to miss these friends I've made so incredibly much. That night Sam, Mike and I exchanged a few small Christmas presents and went out for our last dinner all together. We had a fun time just hanging out and talking about trying to plan a few trips to see one another. I really hope they end up coming to visit me in Nashville like they say they will. And I told Sam that I will certainly be coming to visit Chicago sometime in the near future.
Mike got me a cute picture frame and a nice Australia book.
Sam got me a HUGE Starbucks coffee mug.
Other than some more studying this weekend for McRae's exam I have been a busy bee at packing and weighing my luggage. I was fortunate enough to fit all of my things into 2 suitcases, but upon weighing them they were way over the 70lb weight limit...so now I'll be paying extra to bring home a third bag via Quantas and extra to take bags over 50lbs onto Southwest....oh well, it has to be done. And don't make fun because some peoples Christmas presents are in these bags, okay?!?! That is my justification.

These are my bags, packed and ready to go- see you all Wednesday at 5:10!!

Counting Down the Days

Last week during one of my marketing group meetings I was surprised with some lovely flowers from Mom and Jimmy. It was so nice to feel special and get a little love from home. The marketing project ended up going about as well as it could have given the circumstances. I hope we did well because I've been studying for the final for the past couple of days and I'm worried that I'm not going to do that well on it. I just hope I pass the class and I'll be happy.
On Thursday night my friend Mike was helping throw a Christmas party down in Manly so the girls and I got dressed up and went to celebrate the holiday season. It was tons of fun-probably one of the best nights I've had in Manly and it made me even more excited for Christmas to get here and me to get home!!!! Only 9 more days until I'm on my way home. I can't believe how quickly the time has flown by.
The other morning Sam and I decided to take the 30 minute walk out to North Head. It was really relaxing and the views were beautiful... I should have been going there all semester! What a hidden secret.
Today was Jan's 23 birthday. Last night a bunch of the German study abroads, Andria and I as well as a few Swedish girls all got together to celebrate. We ended up playing SingStar, which I love!! We had a such a fun break from all the studying that we've been doing lately.
(Andria, me, Insa and Bastian)

It's bittersweet thinking about leaving. I'm ready to be home and especially see all of you for Christmas, but at the same time I am going to miss the friends I have made. I have had so much fun with everyone and although I may see Sam again in the near future since she lives so close, I don't know when I'll see Insa or some of those from Germany or Sweden again. I'm so glad I have had this opportunity to make some friendships with so many wonderful people. It has been fun!!

Computer lab weekends and marketing projects

I haven't written in a while because there hasn't been a lot to say. The past week has been devoted to working on a marketing group project. The project is developing a marketing plan to promote the sports management program here at ICMS. It consists of our written marketing plan (group paper, 3000 words), a 15 minute marketing pitch (once again, group work) and our promotional advertisement (we came up with a video....and it is no good). All of this work- none of which I know what I am doing although I became "team leader," at least I guess that is what you can call me since everyone refers to me for guidance, answers and tasks and I am also doing the bulk of the work- it is worth 50% of my grade in the class. The other 50% is the 3 hour, hand written short answer and essay exam. Uh-oh. I am trying my best here, but it is hard. Yesterday I was in the computer lab working on the paper from 11am to 4:30 pm and then today from 11:30 to 4:30. Not to mention the work that I did before we did before I even began writing the plan. And since I so proudly admitted that I was a communications major at the beginning of the term I am now writing the marketing pitch. Unfortunately, writing a speech and writing a pitch are rather different. It involves different objectives and a very different approach to the situation. Let's hope I do well because I would at least like to pass the class.
Other than that these next two weeks will involve studying for my finals, all of which are 50% of my grade and are cumulative over the term. At home I hardly have to worry about studying for finals because I typically already have an A in the class, and the final is not worth all that much. Here it is a different story and I don't know what to expect. I haven't taken a single test since I've been at ICMS and I hear they are hard. Grrrrreat. Eh, oh well. Beach by day and a little studying by night. At least I know that I can write complete sentences in readable English. I have to be a step above all of these ESL students. Seriously, I have been correcting the group papers, I know their writing is B-A-D.

Happy Thanksgiving

I miss American food. Maybe I just miss home cooked meals, and on Thanksgiving especially!

About six Americans, including myself, decided to head over to Sydney to attempt a Thanksgiving celebration. Since we had class today and could not find a kitchen large enough to cook a proper Thanksgiving meal in, we ended up going to Pancake On The Rocks. The Rocks is a large area of central Sydney close to Circular Quay. On the weekends we have been shopping at the Rocks Markets.
This is a caricature I had done at the markets this weekend. It's suppose to be the Harbour Bridge and Opera House in the background. It is a fun place and very touristy.

The pancake restaurant actually felt more like home. Sure, it was almost as if we spent the holiday at Cracker Barrell, but it was still fun. We held hands for our Thanksgiving blessing and went around sharing our favorite memories of the trip thus far.


We also went out to celebrate Mike's 23 birthday!
After eating our pancake/nachos/Cesar salads we went down to the Market place for a Christmas tree lighting and celebration. There was a chorus singing Christmas carols, such as Aussie Jingle Bells (I'll have to remember to sing it for you, it's a hoot.) We may have missed the Macy's Day parade, but at least this got me in the holiday spirit. At the end of the celebration they lit up a big Christmas tree and set off lots of fire works. Maybe it wasn't a traditional celebration, but it was definitely a Thanksgiving I'll never forget.

E Pluribus Unum

Well, dad asked for some updates on school and such, so here you have it.

Ever since that lecture Dr. McRae had about the Civil Rights Movement, I've started to feel like her class is a nightmare in which I am on the show Jeopardy and the category is stuck on United States history. She has always asks me if she is saying something right or has her history correct. I usually just nod in agreement because history was never my strong subject. I did well at history, but I never enjoyed studying it. I struggled to remember names and dates and facts about wars that at the time seemed so far away and unimportant to me. Of course as I get older I would like to learn more for myself just to be educated and knowledgeable, but that is a different story.
The other day in class Dr. McRae pulls out a paper she wrote while she was at Harvard, A Woman's Story: E Pluribus Unum.
We read a bit of it in class and when she came to the part about e pluribus unum she asked me to define what it meant. Well, either I forgot learning about it or maybe I never properly learned the meaning behind it because I was not sure of what to say. I responded by saying that it is written on all of our currency and a motto like we now have In God We Trust, but that was the extent of what I knew. She made a fuss about how this phrase lies at the foundation of America and called me a disgrace to society for not knowing that the founding fathers' of America put the idea of "one out of many" as our common ground across the nation..... well, no-one told me! I got a little frustrated and after class I did some research on the infamous e pluribus unum only to find that what I said was correct, just not the answer she was looking for. I even sent her an email about how the once used motto was replaced by the motto In God We Trust in 1956. That is the motto I have always known.
She wrote me back something about teaching some students the "Battle Hymn of the Republic". She really is an interesting lady. Oh, and in her story she interviewed Louisa Rogers Alger- yes, related to Horatio Alger. This woman's grandmother was in church the day that President Lincoln was informed that the civil war had started. And from the story Louisa tells her grandmother and Mrs. Robert E Lee were once friends and would do tea together, until the day the war began . "Mrs. Robert E Lee, who had been a lifelong friend of my grandmother's, my grandmother spoke to her cordially, she looked at her haughtily and cut her head..." Interesting information.
I have never heard a woman speak so much about southern rebels and the confederates being conspirators and such until I met Dr. McRae. Funny how she writes one thing about us yet confesses she loved the south when she went to visit. She even wrote on my friend Amy's paper, "When I stood at the University of Virgina, over looking the Shenandoah valley, for a brief moment I wished the confederates had won."

How's that for an education, daddy? haha

Scuba Time

I can’t believe how quickly the time has flown by. It feels like yesterday that the girls and I were looking at brochures for sailing trips and planning our stay in the islands, and now it is over.

We flew out on Thursday afternoon and headed up to the Whitsunday Islands. We spent Thursday night, all day Friday and Friday night in Airlie beach. We stayed at a hostel close to the shops and pool. We were a little anxious to find out what it would be like, but it honestly wasn’t bad. We had a room to ourselves with one double and two twin beds. It wasn’t the Hilton, but at least we figured out how to turn on the air conditioner on the second day! Haha.
Friday at Airlie beach we had fun just relaxing and browsing the shops, but don’t get excited, I couldn’t find anything good there. That night Sam and I went out to eat at a nicer restaurant. The other girls bought food at the grocery store. It probably would have saved me a little money, but I was on vacation so I wanted to enjoy a nice meal. I ended up ordering kangaroo. I figured I have been here for two months so I better go ahead and try it while I had an excuse. I ordered it rare because the waitress said it was better that way, and she must have been right. Kangaroo is a gamey meat and it was so tender and juicy. I really enjoyed it. After that the girls and I had one of our best nights together. We walked down Airlie beach and tried out a few different places including the bar at our hostel, Beaches. They were playing some great music and when “Surfin USA” came on we got up and danced and had so much fun!!
Saturday morning we checked out of the hotel and had to pack up a very small soft sided bag for the boat. I packed my backpack for the entire vacation and then just threw 2 bathing suits, shorts and one dress/cover up for the boat into my purse. Yup, that was luggage for the next 2 days. I didn’t really need more because we weren’t able to shower on the boat due to a lack of fresh water. Believe me by that third day of salt water and sweat my hair was looking great and I smelled fantastic! No, not really.
We went on a catamaran called WINGS. The boat was one of the bigger ones and it was really nice. They consider it a dive and adventure boat, not a party boat so I was excited about that. The first day we sailed over to Whitehaven Beach.

This beach was breathtaking. We were able to get in the water and swim around. The beach is consists of pure white silica sand, the softest sand I have ever felt. It was so light and beautiful and the water was the clearest prettiest shade of aqua blue. It was actual warmer up there than the water here in Manly and I enjoyed swimming and taking in the beauty of where we were. That night we sailed over to an inlet where we dropped anchor.



The next morning we woke up early and went scuba diving. Our scuba instructor, Cookie, was so great. He was hilarious and kept me smiling. First he split up the boat into groups of three or four. My group of American girls, Sam, Ali, Andria and I were originally named The Mermaids, but we quickly turned into Team America. After the team got all geared up with our wetsuits, masks and fins, Cookie sat us down and strapped our scuba tanks on us. When he told us to stand up and get into the dingy I almost fell back over! Those tanks are heavy. We went over to the beach where Cookie taught us about scuba safety. We had to learn how to clear water out of our masks while under water and what to do if our air compressor thing fell out of our mouths as well as how to get water out of it. We all passed the five minute skills test and were on our way down into the deep blue. It took me a little while to get used to actually being able to breath while underwater, but once I stopped worrying about that and started looking around me I had a great time. The water was a little muggy because it was semi-cloudy and dreary out, but it was still a fantastic first dive. So much so that I went on to do the second dive offered and even after the rest of Team America backed out of dive three I jumped right in and went for a dive with two Canadian girls.

I loved the experience of diving and looking at the breath taking coral. I saw so many of God’s beautiful creations down there and it was a moving experience. I could have stayed for so much longer than an hour each dive. By dive three I was wondering why Cookie kept giving me the okay signal to ask if I was alright. Each time I would tell him I was fine and go one swimming around and looking for more nemos and colorful fish. That night while we were looking through the slideshow I saw this picture of my eyes fully open a mile wide. I was just enjoying the star cloud, but I can see why Cookie would think something could have been wrong. He told me I was a “freaky girl underwater.” Thanks Cookie.
Sunday night we parked the boat in a nice cove and we all gathered around to watch the sunset. It was one of the prettiest sunsets, not because it was the best I've ever seen, but because of all of the beauty surrounding it and involved in the trip.
Monday we woke up extra early to go for our final dive. I was excited because I heard the coral at this location was really good as well as the fact that we were going early enough to hopefully see some turtles. The last dive was wonderful. I cannot even find the words to describe the coral. There was so much to see and it was gorgeous. Everything was so colorful; right purples and orange colors with big blue fish and black and white fish glowing with blue around the edges. We stayed out for about an hour, which was long enough for me to come extremely close to running out of air. On every dive Cookie would have to check my little air meter thing more than others. I always used up much more air than everyone else. We think it is because in being trained to sing through my diaphragm I must also breathe through my diaphragm more than the others which would use up more of the pure oxygen. That was his theory behind it and since he is the expert I’ll agree with that. After the last dive we returned to Airlie beach. Since I did all four dives I received a “free” t-shirt and DVD with the pictures from our dives.

That Monday I was exhausted and decided to hit the sack early in order to wake up for our plane adventure over the Great Barrier Reef. We caught a bus out to the very small Whitsunday Airport and boarded a 9 passenger plane to go for a one our flight over the reef. After sitting on our first plane for about ten minutes the captain informed us that the engine wasn’t running properly. I don’t think he knew what he was doing and I started to get worried when we changed into a smaller plane. Luckily we took off and ended up alright. We had some great views of Whitehaven Beach and the other spots we went to on the catamaran, as well as a dip into the water right over actual Great Barrier Reef.
Pictures from the plane window did not do these views justice, but it was so amazing. This is "The Heart Reef". It is really amazing to see in person.
After the flight we went to catch the bus where it dropped us off. (There wasn’t actually a bus stop at the ‘airport’ because it was so small. The bus driver who dropped us off told us to go to the other side of the street and just waive him down.) Unfortunately, the buses driving by us After over 30 minutes of standing outside in the rain we began getting silly and desperate. Ali started holding out her thumb and pretending to hitchhike and a man pulled out of the airport and actually stopped to pick us up. He seemed nice but we were all a little worried about getting into a car with a stranger. Then we decided it may be our only option and it would get us out of the rain. We jumped in and yes, we’re lucky that he was a nice Samaritan. He took us right back where we needed to be in Airlie beach.
Since our last day at the beach was rainy, the big ending to our vacation ended up being a visit to Vic Hislop’s Great White Shark and Whale Expo. It was interesting reading about his efforts to protect whales, turtles, seals and even humans from very dangerous and deadly predators of the ocean. That night we boarded a plane back to Sydney and I realized that the next time I’ll be getting on a plane would be a month from now when I’m headed home. I cannot believe how quickly this time has flown by. I already have the next few weekends of my time here planned out, and a lot of it involves what I’ve been doing these past two days non-stop, school. It looks like my fun adventures and excursions have come to an end and that was a very sad realization.

Halloween and Auction Night

Australians don’t really celebrate Halloween, but that wasn’t about to stop my American friends and I from doing it!! Wednesday we all got dressed up in the best costumes that could be found, made or dug up in Manly and we headed out on the town. Sam, Ali and I started off by going to our German friend’s house to play SingStar. It’s a play station karaoke game and I am in love with it!!! Jan and I are the only two that get intense about it, but it is a lot of fun. After the singing party I we were pumped up and ready to go out. The Halloween environment was like nothing at home. People knew that it was Halloween and all, but no-one was really dressed up except for us, and those that were dressed up stuck to the very traditional witch or vampire costumes. At least I heard my Marilyn get up was great. Lot’s of compliments on that one- probably because most people here haven’t seen anything like it.

Thursday night Ali and I were in an auction at school. Let me start by saying that it was originally just Ali who was suppose to be in it, but last week as she was in my room complaining about not having a costume, song, or dance and how difficult it was to come up with an act, I decided to shut her up by saying “It’s really not that hard, I’m sure you can come up with something.” To which she responded by telling me that if it was so easy then I should sign up for it, too I told her I would have but they probably had all the spots filled and didn’t need anyone else. Five minutes later she had talked to the RA and had my name on the auction list…..oh goodie!!! NOT!
So, I was very nervous, but the auction money that was raised went to BearCottage which is right down the road from our school. It’s a hospital for dying kids with cancer. So, I felt compelled to go through with this little shindig. I attempted to dress up like a country/cowgirl and do a line dance to “Play Something Country” by Brooks and Dunn. The only problem with this attire was that I couldn’t find any cowboy boots or a good outfit. I ended up in some heels, a skirt, my Jack Daniels Tennessee Whiskey shirt and a cowboy hat- YeeeeHaw!!!!
When we got to the auction there were a lot of people and I started getting nervous because I realized that no one here listens to country—not even most of these northern Americans! Much less would anyone actually know my song or get excited to hear it. BUT, I hear I ended up putting on quite a show! I only got auctioned for $100, but I think that isn’t too bad. At least I nailed my question-answer session after I performed. The hosts asked me about bull-riding and I nailed my answers. I guess if I become anorexic and get into beauty pageants then I know I’d do better than that stupid girl this year in the Miss America Pageant who couldn’t even answer the question about why Americans have a hard time locating our own country on a map- she was an idiot!
So, after the auction last night, when I went to class today people were saying, “Hey Texas girl!” TEXAS??? No, no. Let’s have a little chat about the south, country music, and the difference between Tennessee and Texas.

Speaking of the south, it reminded me of one last thing. Today Dr. McRae was talking about leadership and ended up spending 2 hours teaching the students about LBJ, the Civil Rights Act, the March on Selma, Martin Luther King and Gov Wallace. It was probably the best US History class I’ve ever sat through. She made it much more interesting than how we learned it in high school, nothing against Coach Chapman of course. Either that or I was just more interested myself, especially considering Dr. McRae would look to me for answers, or maybe approval about the conversation, and I kind of liked that. Although the issue may have given a negative appearance to the south she proceeded to tell about how great the south was when she visited it during her time in the states. She said she loves the southern hospitality and the southern dialect and went on to say that it is probably the best part of the United States. It made me proud to be a southerner.

Being a Sydney Tourist

Saturday Sam, Mike and I headed over to Sydney for our day as tourists. We walked from Circular Quay where our ferry stopped over to Darling Harbour. First we went to the aquarium. I don't know why we haven't been using our student discount more often, except for the fact they we aren't offered it everywhere, but it saved us a little money that day. The Sydney Aquarium is really nice with a lot of things to see. I loved the cute little platypus. I don't think I have ever seen one before, so that was fun. We also saw some adorable little seals and a huge shark/ underwater exhibit.

After the aquarium we walked into an Aboriginal store where they were about to have a free listen to some Aboriginal music. This guy told about finding out at 16 that he was half aboriginal and going to meet his father and grandfather for the first time and learning to play the didgeridoo. He played us songs with contemporary music in the background and attempted to "act out" the animals with his hands. It was an interesting show. I would bring a didgerdoo home if they weren't about 4 feet long and extrememly heavy! I'm already wondering how I'm suppose to get all of my suitcases to the airport and on the plane with me.

After the show we walked to what I was anxiously anticipating seeing for the last month- the Real World Sydney house!!! I thought it was going to be the coolest thing ever....but it wasn't. MTV makes it look a lot better than it actually is. The real house doesn't even face the harbour or the city. It sits in the middle of a kiddy zone with a carosel and lots of playgrounds and things. I laughed when I saw that. So much for all the big hype, MTV!

Finally we spent a large part of our day going to Paddy's Market. First, the market is in the middle of China Town, and the three of us were hungry. So it took us about 45 minutes to attempt and get out of China Town, only to realize that we had no idea which way to go for good food and finally circled back around to the one non-chinese restaurant we had seen in the beginning. Great plan, stupid American tourists! Once we got to Paddy's Market I thought I was going to be able to find some great deals and get some Christmas shopping done. Unfortunately the market is more of a very cheap flea market and they didn't have a single thing I was interested in buying. It was just a lot of useless, cheap, junk. The only thing I ended up buying was a duffle bag so that I can put the stuff that will no longer fit into my suitcase in there. Unfortunately I forgot that I am not on a group flight and will have to haul myself, a carry on, my back back, two rolling suitcases, and now a duffle bag down the hill, to the ferry, of the ferry and onto a bus to the airport. Hmm.... I better start coming up with a new plan!

The Gondoliers

This has been a long and interesting week. Let’s be honest, it wasn’t the best. I talked to dad who has been, shall we say, a little sick lately. I was sad to hear about that and worried about him. I know he’s going to be fine, but it still makes me sad to think that if something very serious did happen to anyone of you that I love that I would not be there. Then I started getting sick myself. I’ve had a bad head cold/sinus headache all week. I haven’t done anything the last eight days other than class and sleep. It’s been boring to say the least. But my friend Sam knew I was upset and not feeling well so she was a sweetheart and bought me flowers to cheer me up. How nice of her!!
My Gerber Daisies from Sam:)
Finally, Thursday night came around and it was the night I have been waiting for. Sam and I went to see The Gondoliers at the Sydney Opera House. The Gondoliers is a comic opera and I was really excited not only to be there and hear the music, but also to experience a new type of opera. I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to fully enjoy it because of my sickness, but as soon as I got there that seemed to be the last thing on my mind.
When we first got there Sam and I took time to look in the opera house which was nothing like I expected. The outside is a beautiful architectural piece, but the inside is not so fascinating. It wasn’t beautiful or stunning. It was just cement and funky walls…nothing that special (well, it was special, just not what I envisioned. We walked down and ate at the Opera Bar, and I finally had the best meal I’ve had in over a month. I ordered a sirloin, and let me say it may have been “the best steak I’ve ever had!” Just kidding dad, it wasn’t better than your steaks, but it was very tender and juicy…I haven’t had steak since I’ve been here so I was in heaven.
(Sam and I inside the opera house. And yes, you've seen this jacket before. I don't have any warm clothes and it's still chilly here!)

After dinner we headed over to the gift shop and then up to the theater. Sam looked around and informed me that we were the youngest people there. Eh, so what if everyone else was more the age of parents, or more so my grandparents, I was at the opera and that was all that mattered to me! When the lights finally dimmed and the orchestra began to play I had chills all over my body in anticipation. The entire time I was there I was just drawn into the story and the acting. It was a funny show, and the singers were fantastic. The lead soprano had such an amazing voice. She sang a few wonderful songs and when she would hit her high notes the hair on my arms would stand up and I would think to myself “I want to do that.” I want to sing like that again. It definitely inspired me to looking back into singing at least for a little while when I’m young and have the time.

After the opera we caught the ferry back to Manly and I thought about how I could make this singing and opera thing happen. Especially since Dr. McHarvard has been making me do a lot of thinking about law schools and taking the LSATs which I may be doing next year. I don't know if I'd have time to work, do school, take the LSATs, apply to law school and attempt to be in the Nashville opera. Then again, all I've done in my free time here is think about my life and what I want to do with it. It's made me inspired to do much more than whatever my previous plan was...and let's be honest after changing my major three times I don't think I've ever been set on a single plan.

Blue Mountains

This weekend was so much fun! Friday night was Oktoberfest here at school. They served German beer in HUGE mugs and played a ton of German music. My friends from Germany were loving every minute of it- singing along, dancing, shouting- it was fun seeing them in their element.

I tried to drink one of the beers, but there was no way. First, I hate beer, second the mug was entirely too large, and finally after an hour and a half that stuff was down right hot and nasty. The Germans may have laughed at me, but oh well, I made a valid attempt (sort of).

Yesterday 5 other US study abroads and I headed to the Blue Mountains. We did an excursion package in order to see all of the sights. We took a jet cat from Manly Wharf over to Sydney’s Circular Quay where we jumped on a bus and headed an hour north up to Featherdale Wildlife Park. This time I tried to spend a little more time just enjoying the animals instead of taking so many pictures. I guess because these kangaroos grow up inside the park they remind me a lot of dogs. First, they hop up to you expecting food. If you don’t have any to give them then they’re on their way to the next person, no time to even pat one’s head. But I found a cute little cuddly guy lying under a bench. I went to pet him and he rolled over like a dog and allowed me to rub his belly. He was so incredibly soft. The kangaroo felt just like a soft plush stuffed animal toy. I loved it!

After that we swung by the koalas and they really are precious. I got a better picture with one, and after I finished touching him I smelled my hand the way my guide told me to. He said that the koalas are able to process out the toxins of the eucalyptus. Fun fact for the day- after you pet one it does smell a little bit like eucalyptus on their fur.

I attempted to feed an emu, at first he was cool and it was a fun experience.


Two seconds later the ice cream cone I was feeding him was gone and he was trying to enjoy my fingers.



There was also a Featherdale Farmland area at the park. My friends died laughing because the goats all walked up to me and loved me. They said the goats must have known we belonged together—HaHa, thanks guys!

Finally, one of the cutest animals at the park were the Blue Penguins. These guys are tiny, maybe about a foot tall. They’re a native Australian animal and absolutely adorable.



After the wildlife park we watched a boomerang demonstration. I think I’d be a decent boomerang thrower. I do have a bit of throwing knowledge from back in the day, so if I can master the shot put and discus then why not a boomerang?

Of course, the main event of the day was heading to the Blue Mountains.

This mountain chain is stunningly beautiful. It really is blue. The haze that gives these mountains their name is caused by rays of light striking droplets of oil dispersed by gum trees. We started by taking the Skyway, an open aired suspended cable car, across one side of the mountains to the other. I got a little nervous because we were so high up. Right then and there I decided the sky diving trip I was thinking of taking would have to wait until I didn’t get sweaty palms and the urge to pee on myself in a cable car. If I couldn’t handle this ride then there was NO way I’d be able to jump out of a plane.

Here’s a picture of me in front of the “Three Sisters.” There is a long story about three sisters who were about to be eaten by a centipede so their father used his magic stick to turn them into stone….it’s pretty long and I’ll tell it to you when I get home. Basically the centipede chases the father and he turns into a bird to get away, dropping his magic stick and that is why the birds here still scratch around in the dirt looking for the stick to turn the three sisters back into people again.
Once we got to the other side of the mountains rode the Cableway down to the bottom of the Jamison Valley. I did better on this car, but it was a steep incline. When we got to the bottom we did a bushman walk through the jungle. I looked for kookaburras in the gum trees, but the trees were probably the tallest trees I have ever seen in my life. There was no way to tell what was living up in them. After the walk we took the Railway back up to the top of the mountains. (L-R Andria, Ali, Mike, Me, Jenny, Sam)


The view of the mountains was spectacular and it reminded me of the trip I took with mom and Jimmy to see Rock City years ago. At the time I thought it was the worst vacation ever, but now I want to go back to Chattanooga and do more sight seeing. I started realizing that Tennessee is such a beautiful state and I take it for granted that it’s the place I call home. Yesterday made me start to miss it, just a little. So for those of you who are still there- enjoy the fall colors of the mountains because you’re lucky to have it around you.

Mentoring my Japanese Protege!

This week I had to start my course assignment for Managing Workplace Conflict with the famous McHarvard. My task was to find a first term student of an opposite culture (aka Asian) and opposite gender. You don't understand how challenging this was for me. She kept repeating that we must look at faces and find someone who is like ourselves. Well, I don't know many Asian males who have the interests and hobbies that I do. I finally spotted a very hip looking guy who is a little more outgoing and friendly than the rest. I tried to introduce myself and he said his name is Kyonei Wantanabe. Umm...I couldn't pronounce it so he said I can call him Kio. Sounds easy enough. Two days later I forgot if it was pronounced Kio as in Key-o. Or Kio as in KI-o. Oh crap. I'm a terrible mentor already. (Its key-o in case you were wondering.)
So, Kio and I meet up and he seems friendly and excited about the project. The only dilemma is Kio is 23 and he has a degree in Chemistry from Japan. We're supposed to be here to mentor about being a first time college student, or about ICMS and Australia or their major (because everyone here does management and hospitality etc.) Well, since he isn't a first time student he already knows about studying, test taking and writing papers. Since I'm new to this college I can't coach him through it, and most importantly, I do not study hospitality- how do I give him advice about that industry?! Ohhh my. This is going to be a sight.
Luckily the meeting ended up being successful. Kio is from Japan, just outside of Tokyo. He has a brother and a sister and is the "middle child" which I guess you could say I am in a way. Kio said that for a while after graduating he wanted to pursue an acting career. That blew my mind because as we all know I've loved acting and music. Very cool.
Then there was a bit of silence so I asked Kio what he wants to do with his hospitality degree after he graduates. He said he would like to work on cruise ships. You have to be kidding me!! I told him all about my friend Clint working on ships and how I've considered trying to get a director of communications job or something on a cruise ship just for fun while I'm young. I was just excited to think that I really did have some common interests with a random guy I picked out from Japan. I'll be having weekly meetings with Kio for the rest of the term. I'm not exactly sure where the discussion will lead, but I'm excited to learn more about my new Japanese friend.

Rugby Rules

I'm finally getting into a routine here in Manly. The first couple of weeks were so much fun. I loved going on adventures, meeting new people, tasting new food (even though I wasn't too impressed!) and just enjoying my life as an Australian tourist, but of course all of that is now settling down. This past week was almost very normal. I went to my 16 hours of classes and learned about a ton of projects, papers and other monotonous assignments. I'm still up in the air as to whether or not I'm going to like the classes-- most of them involve a ton of group work and even a group paper of 3500 words. I guess it wouldn't be too bad if my other group members were native to the English language, but they are not. And do I even begin on the fact that most of the international students do not even know the meaning of a thesis statement? Ohhhhh geez! I'm feeling the workload on my shoulders already.

Other than class there hasn't been much excitement in my life. I went down to the beach a couple of times. The weather has been getting a bit warmer during the day when the sun is out. Unfortunately, I am getting a little pale and have not seen the results of this "tanning" and laying out. I'm perplexed by the sun here because I heard that there is basically no ozone layer over Australia and this place has the highest rates of skin cancer and melanoma. Well, if that is the case then why can't I get a tan after a week of tanning?! Maybe that's the problem- the sun gets soaked in differently and turns into cancer instead of a tan, who knows?

Finally, last night was a HUGE Rugby match between Australia and England. It was honestly bigger than the Superbowl. The fans here are outrageous. I've only seen a little bit of Rugby here or there, so this was the first time I really attempted to pay attention and learn some of the rules. It's actually a cool sport. The guys here were astonished that I had never watched rugby and were really into telling me about what was going on and how they scored points. For a minute I was confused until I began putting it in American football terms and getting the fact that they have sort of a two point conversion, but no extra points. I was excited to watch more games. Too bad Australia lost though- that was the not so fun part of the evening.
So, the summary of my week: going to class, the beach, and learning the rules of rugby.

Hunter Valley Vineyards

Here is a picture of me and a couple of the German guys on the study abroad cruise.

Today I went with a group of about 13 to a tour and wine tasting in Hunter Valley. We woke up at 6am and by 7 we were catching a JetCat to go across the harbour and into Sydney where we jumped on a bus for our guided tour.


First, we stopped at a wildlife exhibit where we were able to pet koalas and kangaroos. I've always loved koalas and was sooo excited to see them. Unfortunately, koalas reminded me of cats. Their fur is very very soft and they are adorable to look at, but kind of a boring animal to be honest. I'm sure if I would have been able to hold it and not just pet it the story may be different, but all the koalas do are sleep and if you wake it up then it immediately starts to eat.....to think of it, koalas remind me of some people I know, too!


Then we hung around in the picnic area where the kangaroos were just hopping around freely. I've always been interested in kangaroos, but today they became one of my favorite animals. Honestly, they are just amazing. They have the neatest feet and hands and the way they kind of slowly walk/ sachet towards you when they want food is breathtaking. I was able to coax a few out of their resting area and feed them. I loved it. When the kangaroo ate out of my hand it was very similar to feeding a lama or something at the zoo...except it was a kangaroo!! Later on we saw a lot of wild kangaroos and quite a few dead ones on the side of the road. It was sad to me because it was a cute little kangaroo, but then I realized they are just like deer in Tennessee. Hmm..I wonder if it's legal to pick up road kill here?!

Last but not least, an animal that I would love to have would be a wombat. This bad boy was really neat. He kept pacing back and forth, back and forth. My friend Jan (pronounced Yan- pictured up top on the left) said the wombat was doing his morning exercises. I don't know about that, but he sure did win my heart over!! (The wombat, not the German.)

[Sarah from Michigan and Sam from Illinois]
After seeing the animals- which was worth all of the money we paid for our excursion today!- we headed out on a 2 hour bus drive to Hunter Valley. First we went to Tulloch vineyards, then Draytons, and finally Ivanhoe. I've never been a big wine connoisseur so it was fun and interesting learning about all of the different types. I finally found a type of white wine that I enjoy, Verdelho. We sampled verdelhos at all three vineyards. Its full of fruit flavors such as passionfruit and melon or lemongrass and it is very crisp and not too fruity. I'm not sure if we have anything similar to it in the states. Maybe we do and I'm just unaware. Either way, the wine tasting made me feel so cultured. Australia is known for some good wines and I enjoyed learning why that is the case. I'm looking into shipping some home...merry Christmas family:)

[Insa and Bastian from Germany]

In addition to the wine tasting and visiting with animals I spent some time getting to know a few of the German students here. First of all, I am amazed at how well they speak English. I forget that this isn't their native language because at school everyone is required to speak English, but today they were all gibbergabbering in their German and I was thinking wow, I wish I could speak Spanish that fluently. Then I thought- why didn't I take German in high school? I always loved Mrs. Briggs and it would have been great to have had her for a foreign language! I talked to Insa about how long she's been taking English and she said since she was 10. She also speaks Spanish. And in German schools they are required to do internships and study abroads to learn how to speak the other languages more fluently. How behind are we?
[This is Sofie and Anna from Sweden]
Secondly, I've started thinking about taking a trip to Europe. These European students have been everywhere. They are so knowledgeable and its been great just getting a feel for what life it like in all parts of Germany as well as Sweden. It would be so much fun to maybe do an internship over there in England or Ireland, then just spend time visitng Insa, Jan and Bastian in Germany, going around to Spain and then making my way to Sweden. These places sound wonderful and why not go while I'm young and have nothing holding me back? I have no set plans yet, but its only been two weeks and I've already heard plenty of stories that make we want to take a trip over there!!

Now I've, Had the Climb of My Life

I still remember the year I went to church camp and we had to climb what I think was an old rickety wooden fire tower. About half way up I panicked and had someone escort me back to the bottom. Somewhere inside it embedded in me a slight fear of heights. I try to overcome it and not let it keep me from doing the things I would like to do, but at some point that fear was bound to come back.
As our group of 9 Americans abounded on our journey to the bridge climb I started questioning why I would pay good money to scare myself to death.
When we first got to the climb we had to derobe and dress in what looked to be 1980s grey moon suits. We weren't allowed to take anything up with us except for sunglasses which were securely attached to our suit. Also attached was my 1980s grey hair scrunchy that I was given, a sweat rag, a radio to hear the tour guide, and our 5 inch long cord connected to a metal ball which latched us onto the bridge-- I questioned if that would actually save my life in the event of a fall!
As we started up the bridge I was no longer excited- I was scared, nervous, worried, sweating, and next to the worst person possible, Kevin, because he only played off of my nervousness. We had to walk across wooden planks only held in by cables and then up metal stairs with which I could see through to the deep depths below.
Once we finally reached the top part of the bridge the bottom was solid and I began to truly enjoy the climb. The views were breathtaking. And it was the warmest day Sydney has seen in 4 months! I did start sweating in uncomfortable places and was secretly hoping that this wasn't shining through that stupid grey suit because everyone knows grey and sweat are NOT friends!
All in all once at the top I really was having "the climb of my life." I'm glad I did it and now I can say I've climbed the tallest steel bridge in all the world!

Oh, and my legs were feeling it today!! Talk about a workout!


This is the group of US studnets that I hang out with. Top row (l-r) Corey, Andria, Alli, Me, Mike. Bottom row Kevin, Sam, Jenny, Andrew. Fun group indeed!

Oh, I actually have to go to class??

This week was way too good to be true and all the fun was bound to come crashing down as I attended my first TWO HOUR lecture yesterday.
The class: Managing Workplace Conflict. The students: all upperclassmen in their last term here. The teacher: Dr Jill McRae.
Dr McRae has eight postgraduate degrees in education, law and dispute resolution. She is a mediator with the State Department of Juvenile Justice, an advisory panel member with the NSW Directorate of Higher Education, and has worked around the globe in international development with the Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade, UNESCO, and the World Bank. This woman is nothing less than amazing, and I'm sure her class is going to be rather challenging.
The good thing is that I think I like her. I feel that I can learn sooo much not just from her lessons, but from how cultured she is and the stories she has already shared with the class.
Then I go to my second class- Organizational behavior, Human Resources and guess who the professor is (Drum roll please......) Dr McRae. Amazingly, I was able to stay attentive during yet another 2 hour class with her. Unfortunately, 4 hours a day twice a week may start to wear on me, but who knows. She does keep me in awe of how intelligent she is, so there is a possibility of staying with the program.

On the otherhand, todays class was rough. I had Business Ethics with a professor whos name I cannot recall. All I know is that she put me to sleep...zzzzz. The class goes from 8-10am and I don't think I can make it. I really started to worry when I went to my second class with her from 3:30 to 5:30. Once again I just couldn't stay focused. Oh, until she split us up into groups. I don't know anyone in my group and we're all from different places. It's not that I hate group work, but this is going to be rough and it's worth 30% of our grade:(
Why do I have to go to class??? Seriously, I just want to go to Outback, see the Barrier Reef and do what I really came here for-- meet some Aussies!! Haha, just kidding.

Tomorrow a group of US students and I are going on the Bridge Climb. I can't take my camera, but I'll be sure to fill you in on the adventures!!

Sydney!

Yesterday was our tour of Sydney. We got to see all the sights and you know my heart fluttered when I saw the Opera House. I cannot wait to see an opera. I know my friend Sam wants to go and we may be able to get a few others to join:) It makes my heart smile!!! We walked around the city, saw a few sights and took the ferry back over to Manly Wharf.
This morning Jenny and I went for a run down the hill to manly beach, over to shelly beach and back up the scenic route to school. It is absolutely wonderful running here. The water was so deep blue today, the ocean breeze was nice and the air quality was perfect for my "athletic induced asthma!" I could run here everyday!! I probably won't, but we'll try to make it a usual thing. Then Jenny, Andria (who I like to call ms. hot body!) and I went to the beach. I needed some good girl bonding time so it was nice just chillin by the ocean and checking out the occasional hot rugby boy that would pass by. Oh, and I've decided I do NOT like the aussie surfer dudes. Not my thing, but these rugby boys.... now those guys have some potential!! They are much better than american football players, trust me girls.

Kookaburra Sits in the Old Gum Tree

The top picture is the opossum! The next one is my wonderful kookaburra!
Me with an alligator and then one of myself in front of the boats at Manly Wharf- sunset time.

Have you ever really seen a Kookaburra? I don’t think I actually knew what one looked like. When I was younger and in girl scouts we sang the “Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree” song, but that’s all I knew of kookaburras until I started working at outback and we served “kookaburra wings.” Of course they weren’t really kookaburra wings and I never cared too much about what kind of bird it was, until today. We got to see a kookaburra at our Aussie party, and it was the coolest bird ever. Of course it had a trainer so it was not in the norm, but still that bird made me happy. It sat on my shoulder and everything. For a second or two I thought it might poke my eye out, but then it was cool.
I also held a opossum. Except for the fact that the wildlife man said it was a opossum, I would not have believed it! This little guy was so super cute and cuddly. The tail looked like an American opossum, but other than that I thought it was just a cute furry animal, I wanted to steal it. He was not at all ugly with the long nose and huge teeth hissing at me like the ones back in the states. I also held an alligator- no tied mouth shut and it had a full mouth of teeth, kinda cool.