REAL WORLD: CAIRNS

 I am officially back in Sydney after a weeklong pre-semester vacation to Cairns—a small coastal city about 3 hours north of Sydney. The trip was without a doubt one of the most fun and adventurous experiences I have had in my 21 years, and has made me even more thrilled and grateful to be living in Australia.

The adventure began quicker than we anticipated with about 10 minutes (that felt like 10 hours) of stomach-turning turbulence on the plane ride up that actually made me question my life and will forever make me terrified of flying. Upon arriving in Cairns we were escorted to Gilligan’s, a popular hostel that is well known to backpackers and locals for both its central location and the popular nightclub on the ground floor. Because we were staying at the hostel, we got free access to the pool and club, as well as getting food and drink discounts at surrounding restaurants and bars… this may have been a perk we all took a bit too much advantage of, but I can safely say we all had the time of our lives and all’s well that ends well!

Flying into Cairns!

While I initially thought that my access to a seemingly unending supply of drink specials would be the most dangerous aspect of my trip, I quickly realized that Cairns is called the “Adventure Capital” of Australia for a reason. Our first day was spent on a scenic boat cruise to the Great Barrier Reef, on which I had my first personal encounter with an Australian gentleman—a very cute tour guide who I not-so-cutely got seasick next to for the entire 2-hour boat trip (...both ways). Despite my illness, I was determined to enjoy the reef, and went on my first scuba dive! The beginning of the dive was terrifying, but once I got over my irrational fear of drowning it was absolutely amazing! The reef was massive and we got to swim between all the coral and sea creatures for about 20 minutes before heading back to the boat and returning to Cairns.

City lookout from the mountains

I also rented—and didn’t crash!—my first car. They drive on the left side of the road here, which sounded like a challenge at first, but was actually pretty easy once I got used to it! It probably helps that I am left-handed and my mind basically works backwards anyways… The most difficult part of the trip was adjusting to the fact that the turn signal is on the opposite side of the wheel, which in fact was something I never actually adjusted to so the windshield wipers were on for most of the trip but we survived! Three of the girls and I spent the day adventuring through the Queensland rainforests and exploring the waterfalls and countryside. The drive made me realized the incredible diversity of the country’s landscape, as we drove through rolling hills, tropical forests, and scenic beach towns all in a matter of hours.

Curtain Fig Tree

Millaa Millaa Waterfalls- Australia's most photographed falls!

Other activities of the trip included white water rafting, exploring the beaches and laying my the pool, my first bar crawl, and probably the most highly anticipated event of the trip: the bungy jump. I will post the video below—don’t watch mom!—and let me tell you it was actually as scary as it looked, but also totally exhilarating and awesome and I’d definitely do it again! (although, I may need another tequila shot or two to get the courage to do a higher one...)

Me and my mates hangin' by the pool

Our raft!

YOLO...

Overall, Cairns was a total blast and I’m so glad that I was able to go on such a cool trip with such a wild and fun crew! It was sad to say goodbye to all my friends at the airport, but we’re already planning reunion trips to meet up and I can’t wait to explore more of Australia with everyone! I’m still settling into my apartment in Sydney, but expect updates on my life as a local soon!

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Sorry y’all- I’m never coming home.

The flight from LAX to Sydney was not as emotionally taxing as I anticipated, although keep in mind I really thought I would lose my mind on the plane (yes, I’ve accepted my dramatic attitude as a character flaw). I had a great window seat back in row 70, which was a great move considering a lot of other kids had to sit in the middle seat (thanks again to my parents for splurging on early seat selection). We flew through the night and it was literally dark for 14.5 hours of the trip, which was totally bizarre, but made it very easy to pass out for the first 7 hours of the flight, and led to an incredible sunrise over the ocean as we landed. After a long, confusing few hours in the customs terminal—which included being selected for a bomb search and a very regrettable pass on duty free alcohol— I was officially in Australia!

Sydney is absolutely one of the most unique, beautiful cities I have ever seen. The pictures can hardly do this place justice, as everything is so much more vibrant and awing in person. There’s an almost overwhelming blend different styles, cultures, and lifestyles, and while these are hallmarks of basically every city, the transitions between areas seems almost seamless. We’ve been staying in a YHA (a youth hostel, which is basically a cross between a hotel and a dormitory that’s designed for young travelers) in the Ultimo area, which is home of places like Koreatown, Thai Town and Chinatown, but there’s quaint historic districts, sprawling gardens, tourist-ridden harbors, laid-back beaches, and bustling city streets, proving one place really can have it all—well, everything but decent WiFi (#firstworldproblems). While I knew I was a city person, the ability to escape to the beach or mountains at a moment’s notice is the really the best of both worlds!

 The seasons are opposite of the US because we are south of the equator, so Australians are in the middle of the winter right now. It’s definitely colder than I thought it would be (although in the dead of winter Sydney is only 50-60 degrees), and my “Southern roots” are definitely coming out as I’m shivering in my sweater and boots while others can manage to be in t-shirts…. Oh well.

The past few days have been my affiliate program’s orientation, and have been filled with exploring Sydney, getting acclimated to Australia (aka recovering from jet-lag) and meeting about 50 of the other students is hosting, who are studying abroad all over Australia. We’ve all become fast friends, and the people—both TEAN staff and the other students—have been so welcoming and friendly, which has made the transition a million times easier. Our program clearly knows what they’re doing down here, because we’ve probably had the best 4-day orientation ever. Highlights are definitely feeding kangaroos (which honestly exceeded all expectations), climbing the Sydney Harbor Bridge and seeing the breathtaking views of the city from the top, getting soaked (fully clothed) by the waves at Bondi Beach, and trying out all the local foods (including the very adorable kangaroos- sorry little guys!). I’ve only gone out at night once so far because jet-lag has been a killer—if you know me, you know that I love my sleep and am not afraid to fall asleep anytime or anywhere, but I figured my new friends may not like me falling asleep on them at the bar quite yet—but the nightlife is so fun and there’s endless options, although my bank account may believe otherwise…. $9 cocktails get the best of everyone sometimes, ya know?

So overall, it really isn’t too bad to be me right about now. It definitely hasn’t hit me that I get to call Australia home for the next four months, but I promise you I won’t be mad when it does. It’s completely surreal to actually be here and beginning this adventure, and as cheesy as it is, I feel so lucky to be able to live in such a unique and beautiful place.

As I write this, I’m sitting on a plane to Cairns for a pre-semester trip (essentially a vacation… from my vacation), which we’re all very excited about. I’ll try to update as much as I can, although WiFi is a rarity and I’m pretty busy with snorkeling, rafting, drinking, swimming, drinking, scuba diving, kayaking, and obviously drinking some more (I’ve never felt more like a mom then when I watched all the under 21 crowd jump for joy as they got their first legal drinks #seniorproblems). Wish me luck!

NEXT STOP: SYDNEY

I am just over 24 hours away from leaving for Australia, and the reality is hitting me that I am about to have a life-changing/eye-opening cultural experience spend the next two days of my life traveling 10,000 miles away from home on an oversized, likely over-crowded plane. Contrary to popular belief by all who know me, I am actually pretty close to being prepared and having all of my belongings ready to go, and while I’m sure I’ll forget at least 2-3 essential items, I’m hoping that the fact that I've obsessively packed and re-packed my suitcases for the past week will eliminate most of the potential catastrophes associated with forgetting to pack underwear for a 5-month getaway.

Truthfully, the bigger picture of studying/living abroad has yet to hit me in the midst of all the appointments, preparations and errands that need to be checked off before me (and my 100 lbs. of luggage) can board the first flight to Dallas on Monday. While I’m normally a pretty nostalgic and introspective person, I think I may be too concerned with making sure I remember to bring my passport to spend time reflecting on how I will be a changed person after this trip and/or get depressed over everything I will miss at home and in Charleston over the next semester. Surprisingly, I don’t feel very nervous or worried about actually being abroad—most likely this will lead to a large, humiliating meltdown in the Logan Airport security line, but so far I am feeling like a champ! It also probably helps that I am such a naturally anxious person that “leaving my comfort zone” is nothing out of the ordinary, because honestly my “comfort zone” doesn’t extend too far beyond my bed (I mean everything has a silver lining, right?) While I’m sure I will miss my family and friends, I’m even more sure that not going abroad would be pretty high up on my list of regrets when I graduate next May, and I'll definitely have time to get contemplative on the 25-hour trip to Sydney...

Not so secretly, one of the things I am most excited about is keeping this blog, which is actually really weird and it’s probably a valid argument that I could have created a blog without moving halfway around the world, but life in Sydney will be a lot more exciting and interesting than life in America, and I have always really enjoyed living vicariously through other peoples blogs and I am assuming (aka hoping) I am not the only one. And if all else fails, I know my parents will be regularly checking in to see that I am alive/actually going to class/not married to an Aussie (although I definitely wouldn’t hate it). I’m not totally sure how often I will update this and have no clue whether or not I will be cool and funny and leading a blog-worthy life, but here's to hoping!