My highlights of the trip consist of:

• Making new friends
• Swimming at The Great Barrier Reef
• Sailing the Whitsunday’s
• Backpacking in Sydney
• Partying in the Gold Coast
• Backpacking New Zealand.

I had the best 5 months I could’ve asked for. I experienced some culture shock, but quickly overcame that. AND, I was forced to learn how to cook! I’m walking away from this experience with so many new skills and life lessons.

What I’m going to miss most about studying abroad is not having a routine schedule. In Australia, every week was different compared to my life at home. All it took was an invite, and I was out the door and doing something different, whether it was traveling, hiking, boating, playing rugby or going out to dinner. I sure will miss the Aussie life.

If you ever have a chance to study abroad, do it!

If I had to give advice to anyone studying abroad, I would have to say make sure you have skype and stay in contact with friends and family back at home. They are your support team, and without them, you’ll miss home even more. They’ll encourage you to live it up and help you succeed.

I believe this will be my last post for The Australian in ME. If you have any questions, please ask away and I’ll get back to you. If you’ve enjoyed reading about my adventures, please let me know. I’m looking forward to doing this all over again in a different country. Fingers crossed, I think I’m going to Europe next!

I began my journey leaving Christchurch to hop on the Tranz Alpine train that takes me to Greymouth, a small town on the northwest coast of the southern island. I was traveling on the TranzAlpine Back Paddock tour. The trip started off slow, as it was only 8am and we were about an hour away from anything significant. We were told there was a huge snowstorm in the mountains and that it would create the perfect winter wonderland. As I was finishing eating breakfast, I looked outside the window and stared in amazement at the Southern Alps. I’ve never seen mountains so big before! Slowly, the train started to

climb the mountains and we were able to jump out at some stations to take photos. It was cold, but totally worth capturing the views. The train is also where I met my new Irish friends for the trip, Brian and Emma, a newly wedded couple traveling on their honeymoon.

When I arrived in Greymouth, I met up with the tour bus and hopped on and began my journey south! We stopped at a pub/hostel for the night that was specifically opened for us. It was over 100 years old and full of traditions that we took part in all night. The owner was close to 90 years old and was hilarious. He hated the Government and had a funny way of expressing his opinions. Absolutely hilarious.  As I was there, I had the chance to walk to the beach and a huge lake to take pictures. Overall, it was a very fun night.

The next stop was probably the best. I arrived in Fox to skydive and hike a glacier. I spent 2 days there and had a blast. As soon as I arrived, I went skydiving. I was persuaded to pay an extra $100 to jump 4,000ft higher at 16,000ft! Totally worth the extra money, as it is the ranked as the second best place to jump in the world! The entire experience of jumping was enjoyable. I wasn’t scared at all until the VERY small plane’s doors opened at 16,000ft ready for us to jump. I was first to go and just told myself I’m supposed to fall so don’t be scared lol. After I swung out the door, my instructor tapped my shoulder signaling to get in the jump position. We rocked back and then flew forward, flipping as we were free falling. The initial reaction of falling was the best thing I’ve ever experienced. I just remember seeing the bottom of the plane and getting blasted by a lot of wind! Five minutes later, we were on the ground celebrating a great jump! I was able to see over the Southern Alps and see  Lake Wanaka and all the way down to the Milford Sound! EPIC!!

The next day I went to Fox Glacier guides to prepare for my all day hike. Brian and Emma surprised me and joined our hike. We had the best day. The climb began and we were instantly climbing up the side of the mountain, experiencing the hardest terrain of the day. Once we reached our highest point of the day, we started taking pictures of the view. You could see the entire glacier and all the surrounding mountains. 30 minutes later, we stepped on the glacier and began our ice adventure. The ice was so blue! Brian, Emma and I spent the entire day talking and having fun on the ice. We hiked all the way up to the ice falls and got into the crevasses and caves. I’m so happy I picked this specific hike. After the long day, we went into an old tavern to sit by the fire, drink hot chocolate, and to eat a well deserved meal. This was probably my favorite day of the entire trip.

On the fourth day, I spent the entire time on our bus traveling to Lake Wanaka to catch a shuttle to Queenstown. It was a lot of driving, but we had the chance to stop, eat and take a bunch of pictures. The drive to Wanaka was especially nice. On the left side we had the mountains and on the right we had the coast. Once I arrived in Wanaka, I jumped on a shuttle right away to Queenstown. I kind of wish I had more time to stay overnight with the group, but at the time, I had too many things planned in Queenstown to care!

Queenstown is a must see. The small winter town is so much fun! After fixing my hostel reservation mixup, I enjoyed walking around the town. I had the best cookie of my life at Cookie Time, a small popular store on their main street. In Queenstown, I took the gondola up to the top of the mountain, went snowboarding at Coronet’s Peak, and experienced their Nightlife! Oh yeah, I ate at Fergburger!!! BEST burger I’ve ever had. Snowboarding was so cool! I’ve never boarded in big mountains before. I turned my iPod on and just spent the afternoon carving it up!

I also met up with Brian and Emma on my last night. We ate at Furburger and then went to the Irish bar to warm up. After an hour, I took them to Cowboys, a very authentic country bar. An hour later, we decided to do our own pub crawl and hit up a few other bars before returning to Cowboys. It ended up being our favorite place of the night. We spent the entire night there playing shuffle board, pool and sitting by the fire. Sadly, I had to say goodbye to them that night as we walked out separate ways. I’m so happy I met them. They made my entire trip and shared some of my favorite memories of New Zealand. Hopefully things work out and I can travel to Ireland to see them again!

My second day in Queenstown, I actually took a day trip to Milford Sound. The weather was perfect and the fresh snow was everywhere! The trip and scenery alone was worth paying to go to Milford. We stopped at Mirror Lake to look at one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen. The lake was 100% reflective and you could see the mountains in it. We drove through a huge tunnel that opened up into the Milford Sound. I couldn’t believe that the mountains went straight into the water. Huge glaciers carved out the fiord and left the space that would become Milford Sound. After thousands of years, the sea water rose and filled in the space. It was a sight to see. I recommend taking a day to see the Milford Sound if you’re in New Zealand.

Lastly, I traveled back to Christchurch, where I experienced my first earthquake that I actually felt. I was sleeping when he first quake hit and I woke up to my roommates jumping around yelling. I also saw our light swinging a lot. I laid back down and a few minutes later started shaking to the second quake! It might sound bad to say, but I was kind of excited to experience an earthquake. The next day, I spent a few hours walking around the city… or what’s left of it. Christchurch was destroyed from the Earthquakes in 2010 and 2011. They are taking down over 1,500 structures and anything that is over 10 stories tall. I spent the day learning about what happened during the quakes. It was pretty bad. I didn’t enjoy my time there at all. I just wanted to get on the plane and come back to Australia… or go back to Queenstown!

Overall, my trip was amazing. I’m so happy I did it. Every time I travel, I learn so much and meet new people. I want to continue traveling and experiencing new things. You should too! You only have one life to life, so live it up! Don’t make the mistake of living a boring life. Take risks and go for it!

Click to view slideshow.

Yesterday, my friend Joe and I finished our exam and spent the day organizing and getting ready for his departure. It’s crazy to thing they’re gone. He spent the last 2 days counting down their departure and it kept getting more and more depressing. Today is even worse.. It’s cold, cloudy and rainy. I’m not sure what I’m going to do for the next few days…

Last night we held a huge dinner party for about 12 people. It was EPIC. Everyone brought a main dish and dessert! We served chicken, shrimp, pasta, lasagna, potato bake, quesadillas, all sorts of dip, and breads with sauce. As we were passing the food around, we were all wondering why we never had group dinners like this one. The room was full of talking and laughing as everyone reminisced on our last 5 months. It sure was a great way to end our semester. Afterwards, we went out for a little and enjoyed the last night together.

Now I’m just looking forward to my next BIG adventure… NEW ZEALAND! I leave on Tuesday for 9 days of pure adventure. The basic highlights of this trip consist of a train through the mountains, skydiving, glacier hike, Milford Sound, jet boating and snowboarding! I had the opportunity to go on this trip a few weeks ago, but felt it would be better to wait for after my exams and to celebrate a great semester.

Stay tuned for the New Zealand update!

Taken from The Rocks

My first night there was a little rough as I waited at the airport for 2 hours waiting on my shuttle to Nomads’ Westend Hostel. I thought they forgot about me and I felt lost. After I found them, I had a nice ride to the hostel, where I checked in and fell asleep instantly.  The next day, I met a new friend from Germany. We got breakfast and then walked down Pitt St. towards Circular Quay. The city was amazing! Since it was Good Friday, Sydney was empty and I had the streets to myself!

Taken from the Sydney Bridge

My jaw dropped as soon as I saw the huge Opera House! I couldn’t believe how big it was. Pictures really don’t do it justice. My favorite sight of the city was looking from the opera house towards the Sydney Harbor Bridge. The colors were so vibrant and I felt like I was in Europe with the different color houses and red/orange roofing.

During the week, I went to Maloney’s Hotel for fish & chips and for a few happy hours. Maloney’s was one of my favorite places to go at night. The music was good and there was always a rugby game on the TV. I also tried a lot of different food in china town and all around the King Street Wharf.

My favorite place to go in Sydney was the King Street Wharf. During the day they had street performers everywhere and at night it was the highlight of nightlife. I also went the IMAX there to see a movie on the world’s largest screen! It was epic.  I spent a lot of time in McDonalds & Happy Jacks to use their WiFi. I tried to Skype my friends and parents as much as I could. I had no contact with them from the previous week while I was in the Whitsunday’s!

I also strolled around the Royal Botanic Gardens, which were sweet. For me, it was Sydney’s central park (NYC). Throughout the week I met a bunch of people, but I’d say my roommate Louis was the coolest. We hung out everyday and partied at night. He’s from the UK traveling around Australia and New Zealand for a few months. I’m kind of jealous that he has all that time.

I went on the bridge climb, which is worth the $215. The views were stunning as I climbed over 134 meters! The climb was my favorite activity of the week. We has a group of 10 people and followed our tour guide the entire time. once we reached the summit, we took pictures in our ridiculous wind suits. We learned about the bridge history and why it was a symbol of hope during Australia’s depression. I also went on a hike to the Blue Mountains and saw the Three Sisters at Scenic World. I was expecting a lot more hiking and was disappointed with our group. They were caring babies and basically dressed up like they were going out to dinner. I thought it was a HIKE… On my last full day, Louis and I went to the Taronga Zoo. It was pretty cool, but I’m not a zoo person. We spent about 2 hours walking around then decided to leave to beat the thunderstorm that was rolling in from the east near Bondi beach.

Taken from Scenic World

Overall, Sydney was the best experience of my life. I can’t wait to go back and visit. I would move there if I had the opportunity. I’m not sure if I would live there forever, but I would consider a few years. Who knows, maybe I’ll go to graduate school at the University of Sydney! I really hope that you have the chance to travel like I have. It has been such a great learning experience that I’ve enjoyed.

Whitsunday Islands:

1. My first stop was Airlie Beach, where we stayed at a hostel and partied like crazy! Airlie Beach was a nice small town, but full of life (especially at night) and beautiful women.  My first night was off to a good start.  That was also the first time I’ve ever stayed at a hostel.   It was quite dirty and not my favorite place.  Overall, I would give Airlie Beach a 7 out of 10.
2. The second day we boarded a boat that took us to Long Island, where we spent the entire week. Long Island was built more for families, but we made it a party spot and met a lot of people, including a few old couples who loved us.  Our hostel was located in the back of the resort, but it was perfect for us.  We basically had no food the entire week.  The only thing that filled us was our lovely alcoholic beverages we managed to buy before coming to the island.  I think from this point you should be able to guess how the rest of the week went.  PARTY!! 
3. While in the Whitsunday’s, we had a bunch of fun adventures that we booked with STA before we left.  They were extremely helpful.  The following occurred from April 1st – April 5th:
   1. Rock climbed the small mountain on Pelican Island
   2. Enjoyed a 4.4 kilometer hike to Sandy bay where we drank Goon, played baseball, & ran naked, which led to cutting my foot on rocks! My friend also got stung by a jelly fish!
   3. Sailed the Camira to Whitehaven Beach
   4. Snorkeled at Knuckle Reef
   5. Drunken hot tub adventures 
4. My week came to an end 2 days earlier than our group.  I chose to leave for Sydney and spend a week traveling alone, or so I thought. 

I chose to study abroad for a full semester instead of a study tour.  I wanted to take advantage of this amazing opportunity of combining my desire to explore new places while studying business and communication. Freshman year I realized by attending Queens University of Charlotte, I have the opportunity to follow my dream of leaving the United States to study abroad and to accomplish some of my goals.  I want to be well educated, culturally diverse, and successful.  I have looked into studying abroad in other locations, like Ireland and Hong Kong,  but felt the University of the Sunshine Coast had the most to offer.  After reading about the University, I liked how it resembled Queens in many ways:

1. There is personal attention from the professors
2.  Resources helping students do well in courses
3. Support in entrepreneurial ideas, like Queens’ McColl School of Business
4. Their Global Opportunities Program, which is USC’s study abroad program.

I chose Queens partially because of these reasons above and I wanted to study at another university that truly cared about me and wanted me to excel in life.

I chose Australia because it had always been a dream of mine to visit the land down under.  My available options helped in my decision process because I’ve already visited Europe and I’m not as interested in Asian culture as I am in the diverse Australian culture.  In the future I plan on traveling to Germany and Poland to hopefully meet family relatives who live there and explore my heritage.

12. Havana Brown – Run the Night

@djhavanabrown

11. Taio Cruz – Hangover

@TaioCruz

10. Rihanna – Where Have You Been

@rihanna

9. Kaskade – Lessons in Love

@kaskade

8. Bombs Away – Super Soaker

@BombsAwayMusic

7. Avicii – Fade Into Darkness

@Avicii

6. Calvin Harris – Feel So Close

@CalvinHarris

5.  Timomatic – Set It Off

@Timomatictheone

4. Tyga – Mothaf**ka Up

@Tyga

3. Avicci – My Feelings For You

@Avicii

2. Reece Mastin – Good Night

@reecemastin

1. Chuckie – What Happens in Vegas

@djchuckie

I’ve been recognizing lately that I really do like my alone time, but I get a little depressed.  I know I do it to myself, but I find it relaxing to be alone. Of course I’m first in line to do anything with friends, but I’m not really going out to find people.  I think all this rain has just done this to me for the last week, but I need the rain to stop. All of my shoes are wet, I don’t have an umbrella, and to top things off, I’m drenched when I go to class. <— Annoying!

The positives:

1. I booked my flights & accommodations to the Whitsunday Islands & Sydney
2. I’m currently planning a 1 week trip to New Zealand with friends
3. Classes are pretty fun so far
4. I’m stocked up on food!

The last 3 days I’ve gone to the beach twice, visited Kondalilla National Park, and went clubbing twice.  Fun life, but a hell of a lot of walking. I really like how there is more walking in Australia compared to the states. I’m sure the scenery and weather helps make it easier to walk here.  My friends and I walked on Mooloolaba beach for almost 3 miles until we caught a bus in the middle of some small town.  I was exhausted and my ankle was swollen from twisting it on the first day here.  I don’t think I mentioned that, but for a quick FYI, I’ve been limping around in pain..

Kondalilla National Park was so cool.  We hiked down the mountain to the bottom of the waterfall and then hiked to the top.  When we arrived at what seemed to be everyones favorite location, we jumped in the water and swam for an hour.  It was freezing, but it felt good.  I’ve never swam in water that felt so pure.  I do have to admit that I was a litter nervous for some Australian animal to sting or bite me, but I saw absolutely no signs of life in the water.

One of my favorite things about this trip is how unpredictable your daily schedule is.  I’ve planned on staying in, or going to the pool, but end up going to the beach or on a trip.  It seems like nothing really has to be done that very second.  This is a huge difference than the US. Everyone really is laid back here.

One last comment.  I can’t believe how expensive everything is here.  I’m starving because I haven’t purchased enough food and I’m still adjusting to actually cooking my meals, not just microwavable meals.  Do you know of any good recipes that are healthy and quick to make? Let me know.

Orientation: I have to say “O-week” is not great. It’s stretched to 7 days and all the information isn’t that important to me.  I also can’t believe they aren’t giving us name tags.  There are too many people to keep track of and to remember their names! One thing I do like, is how friendly the staff are.  They seem happy all the time and extremely outgoing and approachable.

I’m not happy to say this, but I won an eating competition yesterday at the pool party USC held for us.  It was disgusting.  I had to eat 2 candy bars, a cereal bar with Vegemite (NASTY) and a cookie with whip cream.  I did all of this to win a $20 gift card that I actually never received. I walked away laughing and in search for a drink. Vegemite is awful.

After the pool party, we through a pool party for ourselves back at UniCentral (our apartments) that was awesome.  It looked just like that new movie that’s coming out with the kid who wants to be know/cool.  Everyone was out of control and having a blast.  We later cleaned up and jumped the fence to Varsity apartments to join their party with a DJ.  It was EPIC. Everyone had their own dance styles, which was very entertaining. These kids go H.A.M. here.