Last minute trip!

I have just done something I've never done before--booked a completely last minute trip! This morning I decided to book a train to the Gold Coast from Sydney, specifically to Surfer's Paradise, in Queensland. It is said to be a mix between Miami, Orlando, and Vegas. I leave tomorrow (Wednesday here) on a 4:30 train, and get there at about 6am on Thursday (yes, 14 hours...) Then I have Thursday-Sunday, and I leave Sunday evening, arriving back here at 7:30am Monday. I don't really have too much of an itinerary yet, but I'm looking to go to Seaworld and Movieworld, and hopefully a surf lesson! No matter what, I'm excited to relax and see some more of Australia. I am beyond excited, since I've never done anything like this, at such short notice, and without much of a plan! I'll be staying in a hostel right near the beach. So I'll be MIA until Monday, but then I'm sure I'll have some amazing stories to share, before I sleep for several days...And then less than a week later, I'm off to New Zealand! Exciting weeks ahead!!

Week 6!

I know I say this at the start of every blog, but I truly cannot believe I've now been here for a month and a half. I'm also now starting Week 5 of class. In Uni, you don't really get dates for classes, but it will be told that you will have a test in Week 5, or a paper due in Week 9, or the fact that Week 13 ends the semester. This past week has been a big transition week for me, and I've been doing a lot of thinking lately. First of all, I've realized that in the past two weeks I've had a ton of fun, but sort of lost site on a lot of my goals and reasons why I'm studying abroad. I was brought back to reality yesterday after a talk with Amanda. I realized yesterday that in the past two weeks I hadn't accomplished any of my major goals or top 25 list. This was the reality check that I needed, and I realized that a major problem is in the past two weeks I've been staying in my comfort zone. In the first four weeks, I was not at all, and I think that it was probably a natural progression to get back into it. But now that I'm aware, I'm bouncing straight back out, and I want to thank Amanda for helping me realize this. For example, goal #8. I've been hanging out so much with the NU group lately, and I really enjoy being with them all, but I can hang out with them in Boston in the fall--I need to focus on being in Australia. Then goal #2--I haven't been going on my long walks alone, so I need to truly get back into that (which I did today, but I'll talk about that later.) Goal #10--Staying away from technology. This is difficult since I am in school, and need to go on e-mail and "MyUni" but I've decided I'm going to go for a whole week without going onto facebook. This is inevitably going to be a challenge, but I know I can do it. It's hard to admit that you see yourself falling away from your goals, especially in a blog, but I think it's important for me to write it, so I can look back on it, and know that I've moved forward. So with that said, I'll focus on what I've done the past couple of days.
Friday was a great day, Laura, Brian, Justin and I went to Manly Beach. I was going to rent a surf board, but the waves were a bit too big for me that day, so I relaxed on the beach with Laura! Afterwards we went to this Gourmet Burger joint, and I had the most delicious burger, with Brie cheese, and all the fixings, as well as delicious fries with herb aioli sauce. YUM! Saturday was relaxing, and I got some homework done, and then I went to the Saturday Night Vigil Mass in honor of a good family friend, Annie Cavallaro, who passed away this past week. Although I'm not very religous, I really found the Mass beautiful and very peaceful. Saturday night Laura and I stayed in and watched Happy Feet and What Women Want. A very necessary way to spend a Saturday night. I did get some major insomnia, so I ended up working on my study guide for my Cell Bio test this week until 3am. Today (Sunday) I continued to study until about 2, and then went out walking, in order to do some of my Top 25! I went to Centennial Park (I'll post pictures later) and it was really awesome! It reminded me a big of Central Park, and there were various ponds and I even found some really cute pelicans and black swans. I then walked up through Paddington, which is a cute suberb with terraced houses lining the streets. The most "exciting" part of the day though, was when I was hit by a car. Don't worry, I'm okay, but it was very scary! I was walking across the road, with the walk signal, and the cars had a red light, but one car decided to start to make a turn without looking. He banged right into my knee brace, which actually ended up being my saving grace. I jumped up into the air a bit, but it hit so perfectly on the hard hinge of my brace, that it was pretty miraculous, and without it, my knee would have been likely crushed. It's hurting now, but not too much more than it usually does, and it could have been so much worse, so I'm fine!
Once I got back to Unilodge, I made dinner and did some more homework, and then a group of us watched Taken. It was a great movie, but pretty scary, since it was so real (at least parts of it). Today instead of my first goals, I'll list out my Top 25 since I haven't yet, and show which I've completed, and what I must do next!..

Complete: Bondi Beach, Centennial Park, City Centre, Hyde Park Barracks, Manly, Museum of Sydney, Paddington, The Rocks, Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney Aquarium and Darling Harbour, Sydney Harbour, Sydney Harbour National Park, Sydney Observatory, Taronga Zoo

To be Completed: Art Gallery of New South Wales, Australian Museum, Chinese Garden, Museum of Contemporary Art, National Maritime Museum, Powerhouse Museum, Sydney Harbour Bridge (Seen it, but have yet to be on it), Sydney Olympic Park, Sydney Opera House (haven't been inside yet), Sydney Tower and Oztrek, Vaucluse House.

I'm a bit more than halfway! This week looks pretty rainy, so it should be perfect for some of the museums. And now for my lessons;

#16: Do not lose site of your study abroad goals!

#17: Even if you have the walk signal, and there is a red light, there is a chance you will STILL get hit by a car!

Those are the big ones of the week! I'm so glad to be back on track, and that should definitely make for more interesting blogs! Until next time...

Thoughts from Down Under-Part 5

I can't believe I am now almost halfway done with my 5th week in Sydney! It is really blowing my mind. This past week has been a lot of fun. There hasn't been anything too big or exciting going on, but I've started to fall into a bit of a routine, and think I've figured out what I need to do in all my classes! Classes are still going well, and my favorite is definitely still developmental psych. We have a two hour tutorial in that class, which doesn't even seem like enough time. It is mostly discussion, and is great because there are people from all sorts of backgrounds, some of who are older and working on second degrees, so they have a lot of experience working with people in different psychiatric capacities, so I'm finding it very interesting. The cell biology is definitely becoming more challenging than I initially thought, but at least that means I'm learning something new, right? Bioethics is still great, wrote my first paper, so it'll be good to find out how things are actually graded here. Brain and behaviour is not what I expected at all, and is must more basic psych right now, but hopefully once we get into the neuroscience part it will be more interesting. Today we learned about animal behaviors though, which was fascinating. Tomorrow is my big day-Wednesday. I will be skipping my last class though (ignore that fact mom!) because tomorrow night is the big Carnivale festival! I don't really know much about it, but bought a ticket on a last minute whim! It has several bands performing, and its BYO, so it has to be good! It is based on the Brazillian Carnivale, so I'll write more once I go to it. Thursday and Friday will be pretty homework filled, and then Saturday morning I go off to an overnight hiking trip with the Bushwalkers club (pronounced bushWACKers..at least according to Lo)
I've decided this week to write a little about my new obsessions in Aus, and things I miss from home. So, here goes!

Obsessions in Sydney
1. Pide (see previous post...still love them!)
2. $10 boxes of wine. Enough said. (And that's about $6.50 USD)
3. Veggie spring roles. I can't get enough of them.
4. Hot tub in Unilodge-I hadn't gone in it for a while, but have a couple times this week-luxury at its best.
5. Wearing t-shirts/shorts every day
6. Broadway Cafe Pizza. When I don't have to wait 2 hours for it. But it's only $5! Still has nothing on Village though..
7. BIGGEST LOSER AUSTRALIA. I LOVE IT!

Things I miss from home (Family and Friends the MOST of course!)
1. FOOD; homemade food, cooking, china gourmet, village, cracker barrel, whole foods...I could go on. But I really miss a lot of the food from home, and have been searching for equivalents, but nothing can really compare.
2. My bed; unilodge bed does NOT provide much comfort. As much as I love sleeping 2 inches away from Laura, it would be lovely to be in a comfy bed in my own room!
3. Seuss; I miss sleeping with, and playing with, and just having a dog around. Whenever I see dogs I really miss him a lot.
4. Fast internet; The internet here is TERRIBLE and beyond slow most of the time.
5. As much as I'm enjoying not being bogged down by television shows, I miss Lost, Private Practice, Desperate Housewives, and especially watching Sex and the City.
6. Being able to talk to everyone at any time, not having to always check what time it is.
7. Knowing what is going on in the U.S.! I don't really have time/ability to read the news religiously every day, or even every week, so I have no idea what is going on for the most part.
8. Volunteering; especially SWSG and Family Van! I really miss them!

I guess that's it for now. But just wanted to get those out. I am still having the time of my life though, don't get my wrong, and I know all the luxuries of home will be there when I get home. On another exciting note, I leave for New Zealand in 2.5 weeks! I have a flight in and out of Auckland, but I just booked another flight to go down to Christchurch for 3 days, because I really want to see the South Island as well! So I'm very excited about that! I'm also working on booking a trip to Thailand. So I'll keep you all posted on that! I'll write more soon, but it's back to homework time!

Coming Attractions

Much to my surprise, today is in fact, Sunday. For the majority of the day, I thought it was Saturday, but eventually figured it out! Anyways, as I have massive amounts of reading to finish tonight, I will have to postpone my weekly Sunday update (sorry mom, I know you look forward to Sundays for it!) I will hopefully have time in the next day or two to be able to do a thorough recap of my FIFTH week in Australia! So on that note, I must finish this, prepare for a presentation tomorrow in developmental psych, and actually sleep, as I am beyond exhausted from the weekend (which of course started last Wednesday). So I'll work on the next post as soon as possible!

I need a more interesting title for these...Part 4!

So, another week has come and gone in the land of Oz. I can't believe I've been here for a MONTH! It really feels like I have been here forever, but it is certainly going by very fast. This week has been more class intensive, and I've actually spent a lot of time doing reading and homework. The classes are becoming more and more different from those at home, and although I still feel fairly lost, I am starting to figure out the expectations. My favorite class so far is Bioethics. Although the lecture is fairly boring, it should get better, but what is great is the tutorial. This happens once a week for an hour, and basically it is a group of about 20, and we debate ethical issues. As those reading this likely know, I LOVE to debate. I can safely say it is one of my passions to debate various issues, especially those that are medical. There was another American in the class, who is a biochem major, and we really went at it on several topics, especially euthanasia and genetic testing. The class is a "history and philosophy of science" course, so a lot of the students do not come from a scientific background, but the two of us do, making the debate even better, since he did not at first expect my knowledge of science, as he bragged about what he knew. Once I busted out some terms regarding blastulas, gastrulation, totipotent vs. pluripotent and IVF methods, he shut up pretty quick, and we had a great debate! As I said in a previous post, I got into developmental psych, which should also be a cool course. We have a longer tutorial portion of this class, and I will be doing an experiment on a 3-5 year old child, regarding Piaget's preoperational theory. How shall I find a child in Aus? No idea! I'll work on that, and can hopefully hook up with someone in the class who has access to some kids. A lot of the class has to do with theories, so I should be able to get into depth on topics I haven't done since beginning psych courses. Brain and Behaviour is...dull. We have been learning about classical and instrumental conditioning, extinction, and fear learning. Once again, things I did many years ago, and did not enjoy at the time. But a new lecturer who is supposed to be great is starting the next series of lectures tomorrow, so hopefully things will pick up, and we'll get more into the "brain" portion. We started the lab component this week though, so I have a rat of my own for the whole semester! Finally, is my only actual physical science (which is strange because I'm used to ALL science) course, "cell biology". It has focuses on regulatory cell biology, and is not quite as easy as I expected, but I don't think it should be too taxing. The four hour lab this week was very basic and boring, but I volunteered to do a presentation which the professor loved. They were also impressed by my knowlege of scientific journal searching, as the rest of the class probably didn't even know what a journal was, while I am an avid reader of the New England Journal of Medicine!
This week I had a great conversation with a new friend about the process of becoming a doctor in Australia. It is very different from the process in America, and I didn't really know what to make of it. The school system is very different in general, so I guess I shouldn't have been too surprised. I will actually do a seperate post on this whole phenomena, so as not to bore anyone reading this one. So stay tuned for that!
I also had a lot of fun this week, going out several nights, and doing the hike yesterday. I unfortunately did not do anything off of my Sydney Top 25 list this week...I can't believe it! There are also no big goals that I completed. I better get a move on in the coming week. But I definitely had a great week and learned a few important lessons!

#12: It is unhealthy to eat Pide so much that the man knows who you are and what you want.

#13: Be careful where you hike alone. It is likely you will run into a naked man and have to run away on your bum leg...

#14: Do not expect that you will not have to do work on semester abroad. It is one of the saddest facts you will learn very quickly. So it's just better to know ahead of time.

#15: Do not forget to go to the beach! You will quickly become as white as your friends at home.

Alright, that's it for now. The coming week looks good-classes until Thursday AM, and then who knows what the weekend will bring? Definitely a hike, beach, surfing, and who knows what else! Only 4 weeks til New Zealand...Time to get planning!

Until next time!

Royal National Park

Today I decided to go on a day hike to Sydney's Royal National Park. I took the train from Central to Cronulla, about an hour ride. Then the ferry takes you from Cronulla to Bundeena, the gateway town to RNP. When I arrived around lunchtime, I found the tiny little "visitor's center" which was actually a little cafe with a few brochures on the area. I grabbed one with a map and started walking. I went to Jibbon Beach, which is an aboriginal site. I took off my sneakers to walk along the water, and the views were very beautiful. I then came to the rock areas, which were absolutely breathtaking. I then began the hike into the actual park. Several years ago 95% of the park was ruined in fires, and it was evident walking through, since many of the trees were clearly still burnt. About two miles in, I turned a corner, and all of a sudden right in front of me on the trail was a man who looked to be about 45, completely naked. I did as any young female, walking alone in the middle of the woods would do-turned around and booked it back in the direction I came from. I made it back to the beach, but it was a very creepy encounter. I then went into the "town" and decided which cafe I was going to eat lunch at. I had three options. A nice man asked me if I needed help or advice on traveling around the area, since I looked deep in thought, but I just explained that I was deciding if I wanted to eat in shack #1, 2 or 3. I chose one and ordered a plain burger with cheese and tomato sauce. My burger came back, and it had "the lot" on it, including beets, tomatos, and an egg, along with all the other veggies. I took the egg off, and ate it, and it turned out to be quite delicious! I continued my hike, and ran into a girl who I had met on the ferry over, so we sat and talked for a while. She was from Austria, and had been traveling around the world for many years, and was now staying in the park for a week. After I left her, the skies turned black, so I went to catch the next ferry. All in all, it was a very interesting, but fun adventure. I will likely go back when I can do the two day 28 km coast to coast walk. Check out the pictures!

Schedule Modification

Monday evening, as I sat down to do my reading for Conservation Biology and Applied Ecology, I realized I must get out of this class as soon as possible. I then proceeded to study my degree audit a little more thoroughly, and realized that I can actually count Biochemistry, which I'll take next year, as the same Bio credit! To make a long story short, after finally being approved, I was able to get into Developmental Psychology. Although it is a senior course, I'm sure I'll be able to do fine, and it should be quite interesting. What is even more exciting, is I now have NO class on Friday, and ONE class on Thursday from 10-11! This makes my weekend traveling much easier to do, so I'm very excited! Well, I'm off to begin catching up on this class!

Pi-ed? Pi-day?

So my first official obsession since I've been in Sydney-Turkish Pide. I just came back from eating one for approximately the 4th day in a row. I can't get enough! But I have now officially become a regular. As I walked up to the man, he said "Hi! How is your day today? The usual?" I replied with an excited yes! This was something that really made me feel at home in Sydney, since there is not even a spot in Boston where I am a regular. Of course, I still have no idea what the correct pronunciation of pide is--I will try to ask tomorrow, if I get a chance before he throws a hot, delicious, chicken and mushroom pide my way.

Pictures

Hi all! I have finally uploaded most of my pictures thus far onto Picasa. The links are on the right hand side of this screen, so check them out! I apologize for the ones that are of the same thing 20 seperate times, but while seeing them it was very exciting, and with them on here I can delete them off my computer so they don't make my computer slow! Enjoy!

Thoughts from Down Under-Part 3

Hi all! Well, here is my third edition of my weekly thoughts. I cannot believe I am now going into my fourth week here in Sydney. I can honestly say, that these have been some of the most exciting weeks of my life...Never a dull moment. In addition to classes this week, I have been trying to set up my extracurricular life as well. I have looked into many of the clubs on campus, and have already joined a few. My favorite is the Bushwalkers Club. I went to the first meeting/slide night on Wednesday, where they provide food and drinks (boxed wine of course) and look at slides from previous trips. The slides of course contain a drinking game, so it was a lot of fun. I was supposed to go on my first trip today, to the Royal National Park, but I am not feeling very well, likely getting sick. But next weekend is a trip that I am deciding if I will go on, an overnight beginners Canyoning trip! For those of you who don't know what canyoning is exactly, it basically includes, but is not limited to, the following; hiking, scrambling (rock climbing with (usually) no rope), climbing, jumping (off ledges/cliffs), swimming, and drifting down rivers on Lilos (a sort of raft). I really want to go, just am thinking of the possible risks on my knees. So I will decide a little later in the week, and if so, I need to go get some equipment. The next big trip will be from the 28th to the 29th, another overnighter. This is the "Freshers Trip" and goes to Shoalhaven Gorge. This will include hiking, jumping, swimming and fishing, among other things. I am really excited for this! They also post several hikes a week, usually on short term notice, so I'm sure there will be many more I'll go to in the coming weeks.
I've also joined the Equestrian Club, Buddy Club, and Red Cross Society. As you all know, I love to be busy and active, so all these things are going to be really great. I'm also working on applying to volunteer at the Sydney Children's Hospital, which would be great so I can learn about the Aussie health care system, and continue doing what I love.
I have of course, continued to do some touristy things. Friday afternoon I went on a walk down to Darling Harbour, then down King Street to Hyde Park. On the way I saw a Bollywood Star going into her wedding, which was showcased by TONS of photographers and news crews. I then went to the Hyde Park Barracks, and walked around the museum for a couple hours. It was not what I expected, but was very interesting and informative about the beginnings of Sydney's Prisons and Asylums. I then went to St. Mary's Cathedral, but unfortunately the crypts were closed, but the church was beautiful. I then walked to Wooloomoolooo (best suburb name EVER), Darlinghurst, and Kings Cross, and then back to Unilodge. It was a great afternoon, finished by a fun night out with friends.
Saturday evening was Sydney's Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. It was one of the most fanastic things I've ever experienced! I got there early, and was going to meet up with some friends, but there was no way to get from one place to another, so I stayed where I was, and eventually got to the front row. I made friends with some definite characters around me, and got some great videos. There were over 125 floats/performances, 400,000 in attendance, and innumerable amounts of barely (if at all) dressed people.
I've continued to work on the broad goals I have, and have still not been homesick! I've been able to talk a lot this week with friends and family, which has been amazing. I'll give a shout out to MESHER because she is amazing and always comments on these, and I am talking to her right now...I LOVE YOU!
The most important and exciting part of my week though, is that I have booked a flight to Bali, Indonesia. This is a place I have wanted to go to for as long as I remember, and has always been a dream of mine. I'm not planning too many of the logistics yet, such as hotel and activites, but I will be there from June 7-June 14th. It is also starting to get close to my New Zealand trip, so I need to start planning that more thoroughly...About 5 weeks away, which is crazy, since it is about the halfway point of my trip.
Alright, time for the weekly lesson portion of this blog. Here goes!

#8: If studying abroad, don't skip the majority of orientation, where you would learn things that would actually benefit you when classes started, and you wouldn't be so lost.

#9: Do get to Mardi Gras at least 3 hours early. If not, you will get knocked to the ground by some very drunk people trying to get in front of you.

#10: Do not stay up until 6 am...Twice in one week. It's just a bad idea in general.

#11: Do join as many clubs as you can. They will provide you with alcohol at all the meetings.


Alright, that's it for the week. Also, I found out this week I have been selected to be a Resident Assistant (RA) in a freshman dorm next year! That means I can spend my seven weeks of summer relaxing, studying for the MCATs, and hanging out with SMAK!!!!!!!!!

Until next time!

Classes

My first week of classes is finally complete. It was one of the craziest first weeks I've ever experienced, and Monday thru Friday went by in some sort of blur. On Monday I went to my first class, Cell Biology, taught by a very funny frenchman named Jan Marc. The class itself seems pretty basic, and as I have taken more advanced classes it should not be too hard in general, although a lot of stuff I haven't done in a few years. I then had most of the afternoon off, so I went to get my student ID card, and to change some classes around. I sucessfully got into Brain and Behaviour and Global Transformations. That evening I had Brain and Behaviour, which has so far been taught by two lecturers, who both seem really good. The first half of the class is based on the 'behaviour' aspect, and we will be doing our own Skinner Box, and learning about conditioning, extinction, etc...Stuff I haven't done since AP Psych. The second half focuses more on Neuroscience, but again, I think I've studied at a more advanced level than they will be teaching, so that should be fairly easy too. Tuesday came along, and I had the tutorial for Global Transformations. A tutorial is a part of most classes, and is small, usually around 20 people, and involves more of a seminar type learning. After about 10 minutes into the hour, I knew I would be switching out of it immediately. I was under the impression that it would be more about human rights and nations workin together, but instead if focuses on economics, something I have little background knowledge of. I instead took up Bioethics, which is, as it sounds, a course on the ethics of biology and medicine. I really like debating ethical issues, especially since I have strong opinions on many things, so it should be great. Then there is my last class, Conservation Biology and Applied Ecology. This is by far, going to be my most challenging class. First of all, basically everyone in it is Environmental Science majors, and I have not so much as taken one class in the subject. And, as the name suggests, it is an applied class, where you use knowledge you already have, so I will be doing a lot of background studying. We go on several field trips, including an overnight weekend in just a few weeks, so that should be interesting, and definitely challenging.
My schedule overall looks pretty decent, except for Wednesdays, that are very filled up, but it is not unlike a typical day at Northeastern for me...I think I have just gotten used to the very laid back Aussie life style here! Since all my classes are basically science, I also have to do labs and practicals, which take up more time than most peoples classes normally would. It is as follows:
Monday
10-11: Bioethics Lecture
11-12: Cell Bio Lecture
6-7: Brain and Behaviour Lecture
Tuesday
10-11: Bioethics Lecture
1-2: Enviro Lecture
4-5 Brain Lecture
Wednesday
9-10: Brain Tutorial
10-11: Bioethics Lecture
12-1: Cell Bio Lecture
1-2: Bioethics Tutorial
2-6: Cell Bio Practical Lab
6-7: Brain Lecture
Thursday
1-2: Enviro Lecture
2-5: Enviro Practical Lab
Friday
11-12: Cell Bio Lecture

So that is my week! There are now only 12 more weeks of classes though, which is crazy. I already have some homework to catch up on, and books to buy, so this week will also likely pass by in a blur!

Thoughts from Down Under-Part 2

Hi all! I have now been in Sydney for an astonishing two weeks. I can't believe it! It feels like I've been here forever, but at the same time, it's going by very fast. I have completed another major goal: Goal #11-Dive the Great Barrier Reef. It was one of the best things I have done, and I will cherish the memory for my whole life. Once again, I am not homesick yet, which amazes me. I think that it is because it is going so fast, and I know that as soon as I know it, I'll be back in the States, so I want to make every moment count. I haven't spent too much time in Sydney this week, since I was in Cairns, but on Saturday I did buy a pass for admission to the Sydney Aquarium, Wildlife World, and the Sydney Tower and Oztrek. I went to the aquarium and wildlife world yesterday. The aquarium was fun, especially going through glass tubes surrounded by sharks, but I must say, I don't think that any aquarium can ever be nearly as good anymore, after diving the reef. The wildlife world was also good, and I came face to face with some big spiders-but they were not as big as the ones I saw in the rainforest. I also saw more Koalas and Kangaroos! I still get very excited everytime I see them, and I hope that feeling lasts. Today was comprised of greasy chinese food, planning, and figuring out classes. That's right! I actually start class tomorrow. I can't believe that while Northeasterners are headed off on their Spring Breaks, I am headed off to the classroom for the first time since December.
It looks like I will be taking the following: Conservation Biology and Applied Ecology, Cell Biology, Brain and Behaviour, and Global Transformation. It should be a good course load, but hopefully a bit easier than what I'm used to. I'll write more about the classes once I've actually been to them. I really feel like once the classes begin, this trip is going to really fly. I am now only 6 weeks away from my New Zealand trip, which I can't believe! I am trying to decide if I want to go in for the long hall, and take a day and a half train ride from Auckland to Christchurch. It is said to be very scenic, but it is, clearly, VERY long. So hopefully I'll decide by the end of the week, and can make all necessary travel arrangements. I have also just booked a weekend to the Blue Mountains! I will be staying in Katoomba, from March 20th to 22nd, and be hiking all day Saturday and Sunday. This is the site of the famous Three Sisters, and some great bushwalking trails, so it should be a great time. I'm also working on booking trips to Melbourne, Tasmania, and either Thailand or Bali. So much excitment ahead! Well, I'm off to do more travel research, but of course I must first talk about my lessons learned this week!

#7: Before hiking an unknown mountain, be sure to get a map, or you might go in a very large loop, landing yourself straight up at the top.
#8: Bring sheets to any hostel, even if they are said to be clean. You will likely have brown stains on your bed, and need to use a towel as your cover.

I think that is all I've learned for the week--hopefully I'll learn much more in the coming week.

Until next time...