Fraser + Random Adventures

Random highlights:

International Food Fair.  Last Sunday we had an International Food Fair at our dorm where each country represented at Campus East (I think there were about 22) had a booth with one or two common foods from where they were from.  Everything was amazing, and I haven't felt that full in a very long time.  The U.S.'s booth had s'mores and apple pie. 

The Castle.  Last weekend a few friends and I watched the movie "The Castle."  This is an Australian made movie that we were told is a "must watch" while here.  They were right, it was pretty funny, and we were able to appreciate the humor after being here for a few months.  I think I might buy it before I leave because it has so much Australian lingo in it that it will help me not forget everything I've learned!

SKYDIVING.  So, I'd been thinking about going skydiving since I got here, but last Tuesday at brekky Allie was like "I think Nicole and I are going to go skydiving tomorrow cause the weather is supposed to be good, are you in?"  I told her I'd think about it and get back to her.  Sure, I'd been thinking about doing it, but the immediate thought of  jumping out of a plane in less than 24 hours totally freaked me out.  By the end of the day, I had decided to do it.  Wednesday morning we woke up and walked to the beach at 7:45am.  By 9:30 we were up in the air, and by 9:45 we had descended 14,000 feet and safely landed back on solid ground.  The scariest bit was watching everyone fall out of the plane (my tandem instructor and I were the last ones out) and actually approaching the open door.  After we left the plane it was pretty cruisy.  There were no butterflies in my stomach like when you go on a roller coaster.  The biggest issue was the drool that was being blown out of my mouth.  We fell through some clouds and the view of the coastline was spectacular.  After the parachute opened it was the most relaxing experience, just floating above the world.  The landing was pretty easy too...all I had to do was lift my legs up and my instructor did the rest.  Comparing this with bungy jumping, I'd have to say that bungy jumping was much more of an adrenaline rush, but both were sweet as.  I've had to promise my Mom and Dad that I won't do anything dare devilish again until I have my own health insurance...unless Daddio decides he wants to go skydiving above the Great Barrier Reef.    :)  *see pictures below of my dive*

 Fraser Island Adventure: On Friday the two girls I went skydiving with (Allie and Nicole) left for Fraser Island, which is in Queensland and is the largest sand island in the world. Here are some highlights.

Hervey Bay. This is the main town you fly into to access Fraser.  We flew in from Sydney at 10am so we basically spent the whole day lounging on the beach there (our tour on Fraser didn't leave until Saturday morning).  We were so excited that it was warm (24C)!!  Believe it or not, it was the first day that I've spent the entire day at the beach since I've been here (without anything to do or anywhere to be).  And also believe it or not, but it was the first time that I've had a legitimate Australian sunburn.

Roads. All the roads on Fraser are made of sand and can change daily based on the weather.  Our tour had a large bus that could fit 40 people on it (we only had 15), and I was amazed it could make it through the rough terrain.  The coast of Fraser has a beach that goes on for 58 miles, which is also considered a highway, and at some points the sand had been so eroded we were driving over patches of volcanic rock, which was pretty intense.  On Fraser you are allowed to rent your own 4WD vehicles and camp out on the island, but we were so glad we decided to do a tour with an experienced driver (ours was named Fabian and was the spitting image of Mel Gibson).  There are so many things that could go wrong and the terrain is just so unsafe to drive on if you don't know what you're doing. 

Animals.  We were lucky enough to see two dingos and a sea turtle on the island.  There are about 50 dingos on the island, and they can be kind of aggressive.  The ones we saw were just chilling out though and looked very cute.  

Sand Dunes.  Our tour guide took us to this secret spot called Rainbow Gorge.  We walked to the tops of the sand dunes and it felt like we were in the desert.  It was amazing how much the scenery could change on an island 75 miles long.  Sometimes you were driving through a rain forest, sometimes you were driving down vast beaches, sometimes you were swimming in a lake, and sometimes you were hiking across blowing sand.  

I think that Fraser Island was one of my favorite places so far.  The wilderness was so rugged and raw.  The flat beaches went on forever and when we were driving on them around sunset, the pinkish colors in the sky were also reflected off of the wet beaches.  We were all very sad to leave on Sunday night.  We made friends from Canada, England, Germany, Switzerland, and Japan.  It's amazing how many people you can meet while your traveling, and I love hearing about different adventures and lives.  Everyone has their own story.  

This will probably be my last blog entry.  I'm in my last week of classes, then next week we have a "study week."  After that finals start up, and I'm kind of worried about those because they are worth 50 and 60 percent of my grade.  Should be interesting to see how everything ends up....

On the 20th my parents arrive, and I'm so excited to see them!  They're going to come to Wollongong for a few nights, then we're heading out to the Whitsunday Islands after I'm done with school, then spending the rest of our time in Sydney.  It will be an amazing finish to the most wonderful 4 months of my life.  I can't believe it's already coming to an end.  This experience has made me a much stronger and independent person.  I have learned so much more outside of the classroom than in it, which is the best kind of learning I think you can do. I'm very excited to get home and see all of you in one month. Love. Love. Love.  

Cheers!

Kelly

Australian Dictionary:

swimmers=swimming suit. 

keen=up for it. Example "I'm keen to go to the beach tomorrow."

devo=devastated.  Example "Did she fail her test? Yea she's pretty devo."

thongs=flip flops

Maccas= McDonald's

no worries= you're welcome/it's not a big deal