mid-session already?!

We are halfway through the semester, can you believe it? My goodness, where does time go? Life has been wonderful lately, although moving at a very fast pace, leaving me feeling very sick. The past two weekends I have left the Gong to go backpacking, since the biggest sights of Australia are found in the wilderness. The first hike I completed was about 45 minutes north of Sydney. We took the train and hiked about 7 hours the first day (including one hour in the dark) and spent the night next to a gorgeous bay, however the insanely strong winds made for a very long night. We made the best of it, however and hiked to the next train station in the morning. I went with two guys and we definitely bonded in our misery, and it has made for some excellent stories. Last Wednesday was a Campus East Rubix cube party. You were required to find clothing of the 6 colors on a rubix cube that you didn't mind losing and at the party you would trade with people until you were all one color. It was a very fun night, definitely a lot of laughs. This weekend me and two other girls decided to take on the Coastal Track, a breathtaking hike that goes along the cliffs and beaches of the coast in between Wollongong and Sydney. Our final distance walked was around 32 kilometers. The hike was incredible, the views were dizzying, and my legs are still very sore. After these two excursions, I don't think I will be keen on eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich again for a very long time, as that is the only food that was taken on each trek. The weather has been fabulous after the incredible windstorm that took trees down last week, and all of my free time is now being spent at the beach. The weeks to come are full of lazy days in the sand :) On Thursday night we are leaving for Sydney in order to catch a 6 am flight to Perth Friday morning. After that, we are headed to Bali for a week, Darwin for the weekend and rounding the trip out by flying to Brisbane and camping our way down the coast to Sydney. I will return to Wollongong on October 4th. I am so excited for my adventure, I am only taking a carry on bag for 18 nights! I know I must really love this place, as I am already sad about missing my friends during these two weeks. Now it is off to finish some homework before dinner and a night at the local pub. Life is good! Love you all :)

rain rain go away!

Hello all! Life is progressing at lightening speed, and our limited time here is really beginning to become a reality! Last weekend we went to Sydney for the Harbour Cruise, sailing by the Opera House at night with everything all lit up was positively magical. After the cruise, we went out in downtown Sydney, it was amazing to go out in the city.. what a cultural experience! It was the first Australian hostel experience I have had, and it was such great fun. You meet so many cool people in hostels! Upon returning to Wollongong we got a huge group together to watch Titanic, we were so inspired by our evening on the boat. Wednesday marked the first day of spring, so we celebrated by jumping into the ocean at sunrise! The picture attached was taken around 5:45 am. I have gone swimming twice this week, the first time someone paid me 5 dollars to jump in with my clothes on. I can't wait until its warmer so your skin doesn't hurt when you get out of the water! This weekend we are going camping despite the fact that it is supposed to rain all across New South Wales all weekend. We are just going to go for it anyways, it is good to get out of Wollongong for a few days and we will undoubtedly have some good stories. All of the rain has made for a bit of a melancholy mood around campus, and I have felt some traces of homesickness lately. I think getting out for a few adventures is just what the doctor ordered! Tonight we are going out for 10 dollar steaks and drinks at the local hotel in North Gong and we board the train tomorrow morning for the camping trip! Next weekend we are embarking on a 26 kilometer hike/camping trip all along the coast, it is supposed to be breathtaking. In only two weeks we leave for the 17 day road trip, so over the next two weeks much school work must be done since I will be missing one week of class and will have no time for homework over the break. The stress now will be well worth it when we are hiking volcanoes in Bali and skydiving the beach in Brisbane (don't worry mom, I won't tell you when I am doing that until I am already on the ground :) ). As of now, I need to brave the rain to go into town to buy some warmer clothes for my adventure this weekend. Sun, come back gosh darn it! As fall is approaching in the United States, I hope everyone is settling into the hustle and bustle that comes with the end of summer!