Kicking In

So since the 13th of February, 2013, I've pretty much just goofed around. I've had a few readings here and there, but things have been a breeze academically. Well, now that we're into the second half of the semester, school is somewhat kicking in. I have big papers due soon, and the standards here are much different. We pretty much just have two or three assignments that make up the entire grade for the semester, so I've decided to get a head start on these papers, for the most part. I know I'll be fine, grade wise, but forcing myself to do homework when it is finally cooling down and beautiful outside is a challenge! Oh well, I'm sure I'll find it in myself to crank out these aimless assignments.

To my Witt friends, good luck on finals! You've all worked so hard all semester and I am sure your hard work will pay off in the final stretch. Miss you all!

Xoxo
SZ

Semester Break: Fraser Island and Byron Bay!

For the week long lecture recess, my friend Thea and I went to Fraser Island and Byron Bay! Fraser Island is an island off the coast of Rainbow Beach, consisting of 98% sand and 2% rock. All of the hikes we went on were sand paths, as opposed to the mud/dirt ones I'm used to! So that added a little resistance to all of our hikes. The first day was crap, weather wise, but it was nice to see the island. Days two and three was  phenomenal. We saw so much natural beauty!

Byron Bay was really fun, but much slower than our Fraser Island trip. We went to the beach a lot and looked in all the cute shops. Nothing was a chain, so that gave the town a nice edge. Friday, I went SKYDIVING! It was unreal. Nothing like I've ever experienced before, words can't even describe it! Hope you all like the pictures.
XOXO
SZ

BEAUTIFUL day...

Day two...much better!

Fun group!

Indian Head lookout

So much sand! WITT!

Ship wreck

waterfall lookout

Matilda, our kanga' friend

 

Hanging with Stu

I DID IT

Beauty as far as the eye can see

This weekend was definitely a highlight of my semester Down Under. We spent Friday to Sunday on a Catamaran out on the Great Barrier Reef. We left Cairns to head to Port Douglas on Friday afternoon and set sail in the evening around six o'clock. The water was a little rough and we got splashed heaps of times. After getting to a calm area, we dropped anchor for the night. The spot we ended up for the night was right next to the island where Steve Irwin was pronounced dead, so that was interesting. Scary because we were VERY near the area where he was stung, but also special because he was such an iconic person. After playing some games, well all went to bed. It was so nice sleeping on the boat! We had some rain on and off all evening and into the night, but it was so wonderful to sleep with an ocean breeze! Nothing beats an ocean breeze!

Saturday we woke up and immediately put on our suits, sunscreen, and sat out on the nets. Great way to start the day! We spent all of Saturday going out further in the ocean to see more and more reef. We stopped to cook breakfast and continued to lay around in the sun and swim/snorkel. Before my Australia trip, I had never snorkeled before. There is seriously a whole other world below the surface of this massive body of water. You never see the same scene twice while you're underwater. For dinner that night, Ryan, the guy who owns the boat, cooked fish that he caught literally 30 mins. prior to dinner time. Talk about free range and fresh! We had a great dinner then laid out on the nets to watch the stars. It was so clear out that you could see millions of stars. I even saw my first shooting star...it was BEAUTIFUL. I was sure to make a big, special wish. We were all pretty tired after a long day of fun in the sun, so we went to bed early.

Sunday morning, we were all up and awake by eight. Again, we just put our suits and sunscreen on and started our day! The water was pretty rough all day, so swimming and snorkeling was pretty though. Strong currents and big waves lead to some hard conditions. Two girls got taken out pretty far and had to be brought back by the little dingy boat. They were fine, but it was kind of scary. I also had the chance to do an introductory scuba dive which was really cool. I wasn't sure if I was going to like it, but I thought it was amazing. We got up close and personal with so many different kinds of fish, coral, etc. After we were all done with swimming, snorkeling, diving, etc., it was time to head back into shore. We were told it we had a six hour journey ahead of us to get back to Port Douglas, where the boat is docked. Didn't seem like too bad of a ride especially with the pretty sky...well, it got dark....and rainy...and EXTREMELY rough. I didn't time it, but it took us ages to get back. Really, really big waves and lots of wind going in all different directions made for an interesting ride. Many people felt sick, and understandably so. Once we finally made it back, we were all really relieved and drenched.

Such a great, great weekend.
Hope everyone is starting to enjoy SPRING weather!
XOXO
SZ

Lookout point en route to Port Douglas

Quite the view

Fresh air, the ocean, and the REEF!

:)

Dinner!

Prettiest sunset I've ever seen.

Swimming with Elyse!

You're Not You When You're Homesick

What a weekend it was! Friday morning, I left Cairns at 7 AM to head to Townsville to catch the ferry to Magnetic Island. I was really excited to get going and see this island! We got there and got settled and did some looking around. Where we stayed was very close to the beach, so that was nice. We then saw a bird feeding which I found kind of gross, but that is probably because I'm not the biggest fan of birds. Then we had a BBQ on the beach for dinner which was really fun. Because it was a holiday weekend, the beach/park was PACKED, so we had to wait for a while to grill, but it was okay. Then we sat on the beach and watched the stars for a while, which was really nice.

Saturday was a rough day for me. We started off by having this amazing breakfast and had some animals join us, and I FINALLY held a Koala Bear! He was only about a year old, so still pretty tiny and soft. It was such a cool experience. But back to way Saturday was rough. I didn't really know anyone on the trip this weekend, and for the first time, it hit me that I am 10,000 miles away from home. It's not possible to drive home for the weekend. I'm not going home anytime soon, and no one is going to be visiting me from home. No matter where you are, even in a place as cool as Australia, you can't help but miss your family! After that settled in, I just started crying. A wet, slobbery, not cute, SOB FEST. It was pathetic. I let that go on for about 30 seconds before talking myself out of it, then walked to the beach. And started sobbing as I walked to the beach. I would have called home, but having zero service and no wifi on this island got in the way of that. Then I started crying again, and decided it was necessary to pay for some wifi. So I sat in a SUPER BUSY public park PACKED WITH FAMILIES on a public holiday and called home SOBBING. I'm sure everyone was looking at me, but no one asked if I was okay....my leg could have broken and no one would have known...anyways, after I cried for a while to my mom, I walked around a little more and went back to take a nap. I slept for three hours. After my sob fest and marathon nap, the group climbed to The Forts, which is a lookout point at the island. It was refreshing and beautiful! The views were absolutely spectacular. We even saw a few wild Koala Bears which was super cooooool. That night, we went out to dinner and had ass hole waiters, but that's a whole different story. Got a free meal out of it.

Sunday, we spent the day at Alma Bay. We had lunch, played lots of cards, and went swimming. It was a really fun day. At night, we bought the BBQ at the hostel and met some people from AMERICA, England, Germany, and of course, some Aussies!

We left Magnetic Island today and got back to Cairns at around 5. Back to reality tomorrow...sort of. Another four day week!

I hope everyone had a lovely Easter Weekend back home.
XOXO

SZ

PS: I got a grip and am no longer homesick. 

My new friend, Pebbles!

Horseshoe Bay

On the way up to The Forts

Getting higher! 

Alma Bay

Sunday at Moore Reef

Had an early start today and headed out to the Outer Reef of the Great Barrier Reef with Ashleigh. The Sunbus was really late picking up this morning...how shocking. We still made it with plenty of time to catch the 2 hr and some odd minute ferry. NOTHING is more fun than a 2 hr boat ride with people puking all around ya!!!!!!!! Because of yesterday's heavy heavy rains, the ocean was really choppy, causing lots and lots of sea sickness. The crew on the boat was really helpful to those ill individuals, providing barf bags and all! Once we got the our location, the boat docked to a pantoon. It was a big covered area with tables and benches, and all of the gear for snorkeling and scuba diving. Ashleigh knew a girl working on the boat who gave us a free tour of the reef! We went outside of the designated boundaries, learned about different species, and saved $35! Great way to start off the morning. Unfortunately, the choppy waves threw us around quite a bit so it was really tiring to stay out for a long time. We saw thousands of beautiful fish and a GIANT clam. We touched the clam and it closed up and made a noise! It was so cool. Luckily, we pulled our flippers out fast enough :) At the end of the day, when we were SO close to going in for the day, we saw a really big sea turtle! Biggest one we've seen yet.

All in all, it was a fun day out at the reef. Before coming to Australia, I had heard a lot about how the reef isn't what it used to be due to Global Warming and the lack of ozone over Oz. All of it was true. The coral is mostly brown and dried up looking. It's definitely still interesting to see all of the different kinds, but the colors are all pretty much gone. There are still a few small corals that are more hidden and protect which still have their color. But for the most part, things are pretty brown.

Week 5 of classes starts tomorrow! It's only a 4 day week because of Good Friday. I've just been working so hard academically that a 4 day week will be great. We also have Easter Monday off, so two four day weeks! What a relief!

As many of you probably know, Ellen Degeneres is here in Australia. I'm hoping she'll come up to Cairns to see the Great Barrier Reef! Who does the voice of Dori then just doesn't come up here!?!!??!Nuts. My friends and I are guessing she's making Melbourne and Sydney her public outings then coming up here as a secret. I don't know what I'd do if I ran into her! The possibility is just too exciting to think about.

Stay well, everyone!
XOXO
SZ

:/

The past few days have been kind of tough for me. A few days ago, I learned that my ex-brother in-law was dying from the effects of Alcoholism. It never occurred to me that David would die from this, I always thought he would hit rock bottom and make a comeback, being there for Brendan, my nephew, down the road. He passed away a few days ago from liver failure. This news was just shocking. I wasn't sad for me, but sad for the emotional trauma on my sister and nephew are going through, and thinking what is to come down the road for them. Even though they were no longer together, this has been really hard for Lisa. I feel awful that I'm not home to be of some comfort for my sister. I know there's not much I can do, but it's just hard being 10,000 miles away from home during this time. The rainy weather we've been having lately here in Cairns has not been much help. Hard to stay distracted when you're stuck inside.

Today, I went to breakfast with my friends and Jacqueline's parents who are visiting from out of town. I was supposed to later go to the Cairns Tropical Zoo, but the continuing Monsoons are not letting that happen. I've done some shopping (bough 1 litre of sunscreen for $9) and cleaned my room a bit, but that's about it so far. I'll probably do some pleasure reading soon, get off this computer!

Tomorrow, I am going snorkeling at the Outer Reef, which is supposed to be beautiful! Hopefully, this rain won't mess things up too much out there. I'm also considering getting certified to scuba dive down here. Definitely have to do more research, a lot of companies here all offering different packages.
XOXO
SZ

please send lots and lots of love to Lisa and Brendan <3

My Apologies!

Sorry, everyone. I haven't been writing lately because Blogger hasn't been letting me put up pictures! Blogs are no fun without pictures! Since I last wrote, I went up to Kuranda with my IFSA Butler group. We took the Skyrail up which was really cool! It was a gondola through the rainforest. Once we got up to Kuranda, we did a little shopping and had lunch in the rainforest! Kuranda is a cool little town with shops and souvenirs ranging from opals to didgeridoos. It was really fun to look around at some authentic Australian goods. After we spent the night in a cabin/lodge type place, we went down the mountain and went white water rafting which was so fun!

This week has been pretty typical, class and the beach :) Rough, I know. I also am in the process of planning my semester break trip! My friend Thea and I are going to Byron Bay and Fraser Island. We've heard nothing but great things about it, so we're really excited to head down to Brisbane.

I hope everyone has a great weekend celebrating St. Patrick's Day! I met some Irish guys out last night and of course we talked about the holiday, and how it's a MUCH bigger deal in the states. It's not really a big deal down under, either. Hope everyone on Siesta Key has a great time celebrating! Feeling left out on this one, no doubt. Can't wait to hear all of the great jokes that are shared  :)
XOXO
SZ

Trinity Beach

Today I spent the afternoon at Trinity Beach! It is only about a twenty minute bus ride, so it was very easy to get to. Ashleigh and I took the wrong bus so we took the scenic neighborhood route, but it was still cool to see where the locals live. We also saw a lot of school busses on the way. They're really big, coach-style busses. Nothing like our big yellow busses at home!

It was a very overcast day at Trinity Beach and it rained on and off while we were there. None the less, it was so beautiful! If it had been a sunny day, there is no way we would have been able to stay outside for as long as we did because of how intense the sun is down here. We walked along the beach, hiked up to the rocks, and sat there for quite some time just taking in the scenery. The breeze was magnificent and the view did not get old. I could go there everyday and be perfectly content!

Classes have been taking some getting used to, but they're going well so far. I'm not used to video lecture AT ALL, nor do I think I'll get used to it. It's very hard to be engaged while staring at a screen. This weekend we are going on our adventure trip with our IFSA Butler coordinator, so that should be really fun! Overall, things are going well down under.
Cheers!
xoxo

SZ

TOGA

Last night, the university sponsored a toga party! It was SO much fun. There were so many people there and it was fun to see how creative people can be! Pretty much the whole group from the Lodge (where I'm living) got dressed up and went to the party, so we all met up before we walked over to the school. I met another Sarah Elizabeth, so that's always exciting! Today (Saturday) I'm going to a rugby game! A few of the guys who live at the lodge are on the team and a bunch of us who aren't brave enough to play signed up to be a "supporter" aka, go to all the games and cheer like mad. Hope it'll be fun!
xoxo
SZ

Uni

Well, I've officially had two classes at my new "uni!" My Tourism and Leisure Management was a pretty traditional class. Professor, PowerPoint, etc. The class sounds really interesting and there is a lot more to tourism than I originally thought. How different cultures have different needs is huge when it comes tourism, so there's a lot of Sociology stuff in tourism which is so cool! About half of the class is Chinese students, so it'll be neat to hear their input on tourism and how things work in their region. There is a new arrangement between China and Australia which offers direct flights, so the Chinese community is flooding Australia to see what this awesome country has to offer. Something I found super different in class was the amount of iPad use and cell phone disruptions. In the states, if one cell phone goes off, everyone checks their phone so they are not to be embarrassed. Not the case here! One person's phone went off on three separate occasions in addition to other random noises and chimes throughout the class. I was in shock! I was so close to saying something, but it was the first day and I'm a new girl....awkward.

My class today was Sex Drugs and Human Nature via the Townsville JCU campus, so it was via web cam. IT WAS AWFUL. I have SO much more appreciation for Witt classes today more than ever! We sat there and looked at the projector. This professor spoke in circles and made ZERO sense. The whole class had this dazed look on their face the entire time, so I know I was not the only one feeling that way. Since today was the first day, the lecture didn't go the whole two hours, but I have NO idea how I will sit through that next week. It was awful. I tried to be an active listener, but this man didn't make any sense and no matter how hard I followed along, nothing worked. I looked at Pinterest instead after 45 minutes of confusion. Oops.

Tomorrow, I don't have class! I'll probably end up going to Trinity Beach and do a bit of reading :) Hard life, I know! I'll have tutorials (guided study sessions) starting next week, so I'll be much busier. This week is the equivalent to syllabus week. Hope everyone back home is doing well! Just confirmed housing for SENIOR YEAR! Tiana and I will be back in our lovely abode, so come on by.
Xoxo
SZ

Green Island!

I had my first Great Barrier Reef experience this weekend! Early Saturday morning, we headed over to the boat terminal (I think that is what it's called..) on a rainy morning. It was not very promising as we boarded the ferry over to Green Island. There was us, the JCU student group, and a huge group from China. They had some impressive camera lenses! I thought Alejandro, my camera, was impressive, but he totally got shut down by all the other big lenses. The ride over was pretty rainy the whole 1.5 hours, but once we got to the island, it started to clear up. We slipped into our VERY attractive one-piece suits (which are NOT called onesies....my mistake) and went into the water. It was really fun to see the reef! It got really sunny later in the day it we saw some great wildlife! We saw three sea turtles, clown fish, a sting ray, and all kinds of other things. It was great! Some of my friends even saw a shark which sounded so cool. Overall, it was a really exciting day. Even though I had on a ton of sunscreen, still got quite a bit of sun. Today (Sunday) marks my first school night in SO LONG. This break from school has been great, but I sure hope I know how read and write still....fingers crossed.
Xoxo
SZ

PS: Blogger isn't allowing me to upload my newest pictures so please click the following link to see pictures from both bungy jumping as well as Green Island!

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151287411977097.464106.630367096&type=1&l=c63d7729b9

AJ Hackett

I WENT BUNGY JUMPING! It was so amazing! I went through a university sponsored event so they bussed us over there and then we did it! AJ Hackett, what the diving place is called, is the name of the guy who founded bungy jumping, and this is one of his "spots." You climb up about 200 stairs, get clipped on, then jump! It is so so so so so fun! I recommend it to everyone! Even people who were standing on the little platform crying before they jumped ended up liking it! All of the pictures and videos done by the professionals were really expensive, so I didn't buy them, but a girl took a video of me jumping and getting ready, so once I have those, I will post them!

xoxo

SZ

PS: Everyone, please keep the Pugliese Family in your thoughts. Thank yoU! 

Vamos A La Playa

BEACH!!!!!!!!

After finishing up with orientation shenanigans, a whole different form of shenanigans began! We signed up for a beach trip which ended up being SO FUN (not that I had any doubts)!!!!! A red, double decker bus picked us up outside A1 (main building on campus) with "Party Bus" painted on the front. We got in and lights were flashing and music was blasting. We drove for about 30 minutes and were at the beach! The sand wasn't really like sand, it was more small pebbles. There were also dead "jellies" all along the beach which was kind of frightening. They're not friendly! Even when dead. COMPLETELY changing the topic from the beach to our fingers. My roommate and I both have really swollen hands! Is it from climate change? The heat? The elevation change? They've been this way since getting here. Tomorrow I'm trying something brand new and I can't wait!! 

Xoxo

SZ

My Life in Cairns

We arrived here on Saturday and it is now Monday and I have already met so many amazing people! There are quite a few kids from the states, but also kids from France, Rusisa, Norway, and many more countries. We've had a lot of fun getting to know people and just hanging out together. Today, I went to the James Cook Campus for some orientation stuff, and I feel like such a freshman! Setting up my e-mail account, figuring out my "timetable" and all of that routine stuff. The fun orientation activity for the day is a trip to the beach! No idea which beach, but I'm guessing it's close because the time slot is only from 4-6. Hopefully, I won't melt! Almost every Australian I've met makes some reference to sunscreen, sunburn, or sun intensity to me...I get it, people. I'm fair. I've been applying sunscreen often so I should be okay :) The picture of the ENORMOUS bug was the little guy who decided to come hangout with us the other evening. Not only is he huge and scary looking, he hisses! I don't think he could do any harm but it's pretty freaky. Girls down the hall have a dead gecko in their room, so I guess it could be worse! 

Xoxo

SZ

Cairns

I'm beginning to get settled into what is my home for the next 4.5 months! It is SO tropical up here. Palm tress are everywhere, and everything is very very lush. Right now, it is 88 degrees but feels like 97. Such a big transition from the cold weather we had in Cleveland! I Have two roommates from the IFSA Butler program who are both really nice. We all get a long fine so there are no big issues. There are a lot of Australians living in the lodge who have been nothing but welcoming and love asking us questions about the states and how we feel about certain things, etc. The only mean people we've encountered are the bus drivers! No matter how polite you are, they're just nasty! Now I realize they drive a huge bus around in circles all day, so it must suck, but come on. Be nice! Last night, our first night out, we went to Downtown Cairns. We went to a club called Gilligans, which was insane. It was three stories and had a lot of outside space with patios and such. It wasn't really my scene but it was a fun way to start out our time here. We start our orientation for James Cook University tomorrow, so we will be meeting more and more people this upcoming week. There are so many names to learn in a short period of time and I can't keep them straight. I definitely feel like a freshman again...moving into the dorm, meeting new people, going to different activities, and playing name games. 2010 throwback!
I haven't really taken any more pictures but when I do, I'll be sure to post them.
Love to everyone back home!
xoxo
SZ

Sydney!

Today, Friday, is our last day in Sydney! We had meetings all morning about our departure tomorrow, and what we can expect at our new "uni." We learned that in Carins, we will see tons of dangerous spiders, snakes, and God knows what else that could literally KILL US. Cool? Scary as shit? Who knows. She also said the geckos come into the bathroom and poop everywhere. MMMMMMM. After the meetings, my FRIEND, (yes, I've made a friend or two) Grace and I explored Sydney. We walked around and did a few errands. Now, we're back in the room reorganizing and packing up for tomorrow. If you can imagine, four college girls in a tiny hostel room is quite a disaster. Tonight, we have a dinner cruise to see all of our orientation friends for the last time until we go to our different schools. It'll be great to be in our home university--living out of a suitcase is getting a little old.

The pictures attached to this blog are from yesterday's adventure to the Featherdale Wildlife Park and our two hour hike in the Blue Mountains. The pictures do not do the mountains justice, but even the pictures are pretty spectacular!

Blue Mountains

Today was BY FAR one of the best days. Ever. We started out the day really early..on the road by 7:45. We drove about an hour and went to a Wildlife Sanctuary where we pet kangaroos, wallaby, KOALA BEARS and so much more. It was amazing to see all these animals so close and be able to interact with them. Afterwards, we headed towards the Blue Mountains. It is similar to the Grand Canyon, but with much more trees. We hiked down from the top, which took about two hours, then took a tram/cable car back up. It was SO beautiful. It was a lot to take in because it is really sinking in that I'm in AUSTRALIA! After the hike, we went to a tourism center and had a presentation on the Aborigines of Australia. The main message we took away waas that they were happy, simple, and looked out for everyone. The Aborigines survived for thousands of years without all that we have now and were completely ignored by the British. It's too bad because they knew so much about the land, environment, etc. We got back to the hostel at 8 and were to be downstairs by 8:05. We all felt tired and awful, but dinner was close and it was a fun night. We came back, quick showered, and headed out to Sydney nightlife. It was really fun! The first bar we went to was AMAZING. It was on the roof of some fancy building with tons of people. There was a little pool, and tons of fancy people who were much older than us. I have no idea how we got in. We met a few people, but overall, no one was very friendly. We then headed to the bar where we had dinner and it was so fun. Most of the people from our program were there so we had so much fun. We danced like fools and had a great time. Tomorrow, we have a few meetings in the morning and then we have the afternoon free. It has yet to be determined what we are going to do in that time, but I'm sure it'll be a blast! Hope everyone is well back home.
Xoxo
SZ
PS I will post pictures tomorrow.

LAX-SYD

I MADE IT TO AUSTRALIA!
The flight was not nearly as bad as I was expecting! I was able to sleep on and off for a few hours, watched a movie and a half, and then we landed! I sat in the middle of the middle section on this HUGE double decker plane. It was MASSIVE. I sat next to a girl who's final destination is also Cairns, and a crabby AAA Traveler who was not very nice. Once we got to Sydney, it was full speed ahead.

We met our group coordinators at the airport and they knew us all by name! We took a big bus from the airport to the hostel, which was about a 25 minute drive. It was tempting not to fall asleep. Once we were at the hostel, we kind of settled in, and kind of freshened up. Then, we went to the big meeting area and had some tea, and had an introduction to the program. The coordinators seem really nice and very enthusiastic. After we had a few meetings, we had lunch and got the cell phones figured out. Mine, of course, is not working yet. I'll be calling Verizon shortly, then I'll be able to use Viber etc. After the cell phone ordeal, we went on a THREE HOUR WALKING TOUR. Not only had I not showered since Sunday (it's now Wednesday), I had only a bit of sleep on the plane after being up for 24 hours. Needless to say, none of us were in our prime. We got back from our walk, had a bit of free time, then had dinner. Afterwards, we sat on our rooftop patio at the hostel and enjoyed the view.

The kids in the group are really fun and we're all having a great time. Tomorrow, we are going to Blue Mountain. It is about a two hour journey that we are breaking up by stopping to see some Kangaroos and KOALA BEARS! I am so excited :)

I hope everyone has a wonderful Valentine's Day!
Xoxo

SZ