Brizzy.
So we flew into Brisbane, and we were supposed to connect to another flight to Cairns. This didn't happen due to the hurricane, so after a 13 hour plane ride we all sat in the Brisbane airport for roughly 2 hours before heading out to a hostel. We ran into Todd, who was woken up at 7 am to meet us at the airport, where he became our stand-in advisor. We were all super bitchy, but he handled us like a champ and we all ended up loving him for it. We had 4 girls crammed in our room (I had a bottom bunk!) and although we had community showers and bathrooms, and the rooms could pass as closets, it's very bearable and I was just glad to be off a plane and out of an airport!
The second day we were here, we all went to a place called Lone Pine. They had dingoes, kangaroos (which we fed), koala's (which we held), and a platypus! All very very cool, but the day was super hot and we were all past exhausted by the time we were supposed to go home. At night, we went out to eat and met a man who owns a bar down the street. He's coincidently from Conneticut. Surprisingly, there are a lot of Americans here who moved after college, for grad school, etc. It's kind of eye-opening and refreshing!
The third day we all went kayaking on the Brisbane river. After being told by the American the night before that bull-sharks were in the river, we were terrified. Until we learned it's a trick they often play on Americans just to freak them out. So although it was exhausting, the kayak trip was amazing. We each had our own and followed our guides up the river, where we stopped to play a game. We held all of our kayaks together in a circle, and then we were assigned a number that matched with a partners. So there were two 5's, two 18's, etc. Then when our guide called our numbers, we GOT UP out of our kayaks and RAN across the tops of them. So while we're RUNNING on the TOPS OF KAYAKS, we're trying not to fall into the water and get into our partner's kayak. Needless to say, I ran through about 6 kayaks then fell in. But it was amazing, I absolutely loved it! So afterwards we all headed back to our hostel, cleaned off then went out to some Thai restaurant for dinner. Absolutely loved it (well, what I could eat).
The fourth day we went out and had our community day. We planted around 800 tree's to try and help boost some oxygen flow. It was super hot but we finished quicker than expected, so that was very cool. We then went out to dinner, just on our own. On the way home, we saw a salsa dancing class being taught in their main square, so we hopped in line and learned how to salsa! It was so neat, I wish the states had things like that.
Now we're in Sydney at our school, which used to be a monestary. It's very very old but gorgeous. A lot of people have great ocean views, but my room is on the opposite side. It's still only a 5 minute walk to the beach though, and last night some of us went to the local grocery store and bought some snacks and ate on the beach. 2 Australian girls came with us so we were comparing words we say funny and what we eat regularly. It's so weird how different some things are. Well today we just have orientations and what not, so I'll try to write more later!
The second day we were here, we all went to a place called Lone Pine. They had dingoes, kangaroos (which we fed), koala's (which we held), and a platypus! All very very cool, but the day was super hot and we were all past exhausted by the time we were supposed to go home. At night, we went out to eat and met a man who owns a bar down the street. He's coincidently from Conneticut. Surprisingly, there are a lot of Americans here who moved after college, for grad school, etc. It's kind of eye-opening and refreshing!
The third day we all went kayaking on the Brisbane river. After being told by the American the night before that bull-sharks were in the river, we were terrified. Until we learned it's a trick they often play on Americans just to freak them out. So although it was exhausting, the kayak trip was amazing. We each had our own and followed our guides up the river, where we stopped to play a game. We held all of our kayaks together in a circle, and then we were assigned a number that matched with a partners. So there were two 5's, two 18's, etc. Then when our guide called our numbers, we GOT UP out of our kayaks and RAN across the tops of them. So while we're RUNNING on the TOPS OF KAYAKS, we're trying not to fall into the water and get into our partner's kayak. Needless to say, I ran through about 6 kayaks then fell in. But it was amazing, I absolutely loved it! So afterwards we all headed back to our hostel, cleaned off then went out to some Thai restaurant for dinner. Absolutely loved it (well, what I could eat).
The fourth day we went out and had our community day. We planted around 800 tree's to try and help boost some oxygen flow. It was super hot but we finished quicker than expected, so that was very cool. We then went out to dinner, just on our own. On the way home, we saw a salsa dancing class being taught in their main square, so we hopped in line and learned how to salsa! It was so neat, I wish the states had things like that.
Now we're in Sydney at our school, which used to be a monestary. It's very very old but gorgeous. A lot of people have great ocean views, but my room is on the opposite side. It's still only a 5 minute walk to the beach though, and last night some of us went to the local grocery store and bought some snacks and ate on the beach. 2 Australian girls came with us so we were comparing words we say funny and what we eat regularly. It's so weird how different some things are. Well today we just have orientations and what not, so I'll try to write more later!
