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