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!