Airport Boredom

This is how they dry clothes in Australia. Luckily I got them down before it started raining.

I'm sitting in Melbourne airport waiting for my flight to L.A. to take off. I am quite excited, as well as disappointed that I am missing my favorite binge eating holiday, Thanksgiving. Twenty more hours until I'm back in Chicago!!!!
Last night was my final goodbye to Melbourne. I went out with a few local Australians and another international student from the UK. We had a lovely dinner and proceeded to go to the Crown Casino. It's a big deal in Melbourne.  I have never been much of a gambler, but I decided to hit up the black jack tables. I played for about an hour and made back all of the money I put down, plus $15 more on the $5 tables. Not bad for my first time. Don't worry, I will never get behaviorally or impulsively addicted to gambling. It was a great last night with some good friends.
As you may know, I was recently in Queenstown, New Zealand. Those six days were probably the best of my exchange experience. Queenstown is beautiful with the sea, mountains, friendly people, and cute small town. I went with two friends I met from DePaul, Amanda and Allison. We went horse back riding through rivers and streams with a beautiful view of the mountains and plains. The following day we went sky diving. I jumped out of an airplane at 15,000 feet and it was amazing. It was actually quite relaxing, rather than exhilarating. There was no stomach dropping or adrenaline rush. I would definitely do it again, though. Perhaps Skydive Chicago? Maybe becoming a skydive instructor is in the future for me. In Queenstown, we also went on a canyoning trip. This adventure was by far the hardest, most strenuous, awesome thing I have ever done. It involved hiking, abseiling, and climbing through canyons and white water rapids. It was intense, and I have the bruises to prove it. We ended our trip with a gondola ride to the top of the mountain and took a luge ride. It was beautiful. I wish I could have spent some more time in NZ. Oh, and the food is much better in NZ than Australia (sorry Australians).
This experience has been amazing, but I am happy to go home. I can't wait to see my friends and family and continue with the rest of my life. This will be something I never forget, and hopefully the start of a lifetme of traveling.
See you soon!

The Races, Sydney, and my last days in Melbourne

Sorry it's been so long!

I'll start of with the eventful day of the Melbourne Oaks Day Horse Race. It's a big deal here, much like the Kentucky Derby. We went on ladies day, that's right, lots of fashion and cheap drinks for the ladies.  Women were required to wear hair pieces or hats with nice dresses and most men wore suits. It was quite the experience. We started our day in the late morning with Bloody Mary's and goon, then proceeded to take the train to Flemington Racecourse. The weather was beautiful that day and the sun was shining. Most people go to the races to place bets and socialize, I only socialized. I'm not a very lucky person so I'm not going to waste money on betting. It was a lot of fun though. I saw some beautiful hair pieces and hats as well as very expensive fashion and proper old ladies that looked like the Queen of England. We ended the day with the Crown casino where we drank and socialized some more, while others wasted money on the blackjack tables. Good times.

The day after the races, a group of us flew to Sydney in celebration of my friend/future roommate Miguel's 21st birthday. Sydney is a beautiful city. It ranks with Chicago, San Fransisco, and NYC. I feel like the city had a little of all three integrated. We spent our four days walking around the city, the Opera house, and the Sydney Harbor Bridge. We also made a trip to Manley Beach and Bondi beach. They skyline was amazing, especially at night. I wish the weather could have been a little better. It rained a lot. One day, we visited a market that had some cheap souvenirs and such. My friends Sonika, Mary and I decided to purchase some crazy wigs and go out in them that night. It was a success. We hit up a gay bar and flaunted our neon colors. People probably thought we were transvestites, but a lot of cute gay boys complimented me on my style! The trip was a lot of fun and it made me wish I was studying in Sydney rather than Melbourne.

So exams are officially done as of yesterday. Now I am busy with packing for New Zealand and home. I have to say I am ready to come home, or at least get out of Melbourne. Maybe it would be different if I lived in the city, but I live 45min away from it in the sticks called Clayton. It feels like a weight has been lifted off of my shoulders with school being over, though. I am excited to start again at DePaul and live with my new roommates Devin and Miguel. They time here has gone by so fast. I still feel like I just got here and now I have to go. I wish I could travel some more, but it is time for reality to start. I will definitely miss this place, especially the people I have met and the experiences I've had. I will not miss the food, except Bountys and Tim Tams, or the high prices. It is a shame I have to leave now when the weather is getting so nice. I'm going home to cold weather and snow and I did not get much of a summer vacation. You win some you lose some.
I have to be out of the dorms by 10am tomorrow, and I have yet to start packing. I am not going to miss living in my dorm (New Deakin room 293). I am very over using public bathrooms and kitchens. as well as dirty laundry rooms and uncomfortable cots they claim are twin size beds. Will I miss the smells, the door slams, and the echos of people running above my head, even though I'm on the top floor? Probably not.
One thing I am not looking forward too is coming home to real life. I am suppose* to graduate in June, and I am able too, but I have been thinking of picking up another major and staying a few more quarters. This is either me wanting more educational experience or procrastinating on starting a real life, I haven't decided yet. I can honestly say I have never been more scared for anything in my life, and it is just my future.
My study abroad experience has been the best thing to every happen to me. I've grown a lot as a person and I have met some wonderful people and have done some amazing things. I would not take this experience back for anything. It has just made me want to travel more. Next stop, Europe, and hopefully Asia, South America, Africa, and perhaps ever Antarctica. I want to go everywhere and anywhere. I am an experienced hostel tenant now, and while I am still young, I see no pointing on spending lots of money for a hotel when you could spend $20 a night in a hostel, and meet some fellow travelers. I wish they were more common in America.
Well I must go and continue to pack. I have one more day here, then I am spending a week in Queenstown, New Zealand. I am flying into Christchurch with my friends Amanda and Allison, and we will be making a six hour drive down to the bottom of the South Island. Hopefully we wont get too lost. The things we plan on doing are sky diving, horse back riding, white water rafting, rock climbing, and lots of hiking. We'll see what happens. Just 10 more days until I'm home!! Don't miss me too much.

Samantha

Halloween, I was Slash.

P.S. (This is for you mom) Sorry for any typos or sentences that do not make sense, I wrote the quickly and I lack the time to check it over, because I am running behind on packing. Thanks!

One Fish Two Fish

Foul. In a good way. There is no other way to describe this spring break trip.  It was 10 days in Queensland with 50 mostly American college students, despite one French person, a Canadian, and a few Brits. We started the vacation with a night in Brisbane. We didn't do much except go out to a hostel bar and prepare for the remaining 9 days ahead of us. We started the real trip at the Australian Zoo. The late crocodile hunter, Steve Erwin, and his family created the zoo and still run it to this day. I saw elephants, tigers, komodo dragons, koalas, pythons, and Bindi. It was a fun, calm day. After the zoo we headed towards Hervey bay and Fraser Island. It was a nice ferry ride to Fraser Island and we saw some beautiful beaches and ship wrecks.  We swam in a fresh water beach where no animals lived because the water came from the rain, and it was too acidic.  It was amazing. The weather wasn't the best though. After that adventure we headed towards Airlie beach and hung out in the hostel.  On the way there we had a party on the bus where we slapped goon bags and got disgusting. The next day we headed to the Whitsunday Islands. By far my favorite and most beautiful part of the trip. We spent 3 days and 2 nights on an island with an incredible view and beach. We jumped off peers and wore nothing but sheets and plastic for two nights (the parties were themed).  We enjoyed the beach, jumped off of the peer, swam and relaxed by the pool, and took part in lots of inebriation. Don't worry mom and dad, I was good :) I did lose my shoes though, but it didn't matter because we were on sand. Walking around barefoot for three days was found to be quite freeing. I have to say, I have never seen beaches quite so clear and blue. It really was paradise.  After our few days there, we headed towards Carins for white water rafting, bungee jumping, scuba diving, and sky diving, or so I thought. White water rafting was a blast and we went on level 4 rapids! It is something I definitely want to do again. We continually flipped our boat ran into rocks (that's normal). Bungee jumping was also a great time.  I was terrified looking down, but then I just dove and it was one of the greatest feelings I have ever felt. It will for sure be done again.  The next day we went scuba diving on the Great Barrier Reef, or at least I planned on scuba diving.  After I filled out my form and turned it into the instructor, I was told I would be unable to dive because I am a diabetic. I tried arguing to them that going 15 ft. under the water would not affect anything, but they still required a doctors note. I wish I knew that! I signed up for this trip 3 months ago so I would of had plenty of time to go see a doctor. O well, I still had a great time snorkeling. I went just as deep as the divers and saw the same things, I was just unable to breath. Sky diving was next on the agenda. It was one of the things I wanted to do most on the trip. When we got into Carins, it did not stop raining. Yes, we were in the rain forest, but we couldn't even get an hour without it raining! I was so disappointed, but I am going to New Zealand soon and it will definitely be done there. 14,000 feet! While we were in Carins we just went out every night to local pubs and rallied with our friends. I even got the opportunity to sign up for a wet tee-shirt contest! Don't worry, I didn't participate.
All in all, this trip was amazing. It was a once in a life time sort of thing and it got that stereotypical college spring break adventure out of my system.  I don't think I can handle 10 days of insobriety again and as hard as it is to adjust to real life, I'm happy for it.  It was the best vacation of my life, though.

I can't believe I only have two weeks of class left! And then exams!!! I'm not ready. Time has gone by way to fast. If you have not heard already, I am due to come back the 26th of November.  Before then, I will be going to Sydney and New Zealand, and perhaps Tasmania and/or Perth. I don't think I have ever done some much traveling in a short period of time, plus have exams and papers to write! It is so overwhelming, but when am I going to get the opportunity to do this again? There is a part of me that is excited to come home. Australia has become so familiar too me now, that coming home will actually be a change. It will be interesting to see how much has changed. Well it is late and I am off to bed. I have bug bites all over my body and it has been so hard to sleep! I hope all is well and I miss you guys! <3 Samantha
P.S. Watch my bungee video! My screams do sound like I am being brutally murdered, but I swear, I enjoyed myself.

The Spirit of the Outback (aka Aussie Idol field trip)

After two days at home, I found myself doing laundry and packing all over again to leave for Broken Hill.  Broken Hill is a mining town in the outback in New South Wales.  I am going to be blunt, the town was quite boring and pretty small.  Loyola College as well as all of the DePaul students attended this field trip for a class requirement.  Five days of excused class absence...count me in! The bus ride was very long.  We left at around 8am and did not get to Broken Hill until about 9pm. We made a few stops along the way at gas stations in even smaller towns and cafes and bakery's for lunch and dinner. When we arrived, we were shown to our hotel, which was called The West Darling Hotel, and home to the oldest pub in Broken Hill. It was very quaint, a little creepy, and there were 3 working showers for 55 people. The next morning, we awoke bright and early to go see the Daydream Silver Mine. We were able to go inside the mine. After about 20 minutes of being hunched over under the ground, my back started to ache. I could only imagine the pain that the miners had to suffer through.  After our tour, we headed over to ride some camels.  Although I am already a camel riding pro from my experience in Israel, I still had a great time. I was lucky enough to ride Barley the camel.  Camels, although smelly and quite ugly, still find a place in my heart.  Since this was a university sponsored event, we did have to sit though the most boring lecture on the art of Broken Hill.  I can't tell you what it was about, I think everyone was dosing off at this point.  We then headed over to an Outback sculpture park to watch the sunset and drink some goon.  There were two rainbows in the sky! The weather was terrible and it was raining pretty hard, it was one of their biggest storms in ages, but at least I got to see some rainbows. That night we went to a karaoke bar.  Yes, I did participate in karaoke with the help of some liquid courage and peer pressure.  I sang "Paradise City" by Guns and Roses and made a complete fool of myself.  I even rocked some air guitar.
The next day we went to a memorial for the miners who have died on the job, went to see the Flying Doctors of NSW and took a tour of Broken Hill.  Not much happened.  The third day we were suppose to go to Mungo and go to the national park for hiking.  All of the roads were close because of the storm, so we took a steam boat ride instead.  It was a three hour boat ride to relax on the Murray River.  That river divided NSW from Victoria.  That night we went to the Mildura Brewery and tried some home brews and ate a lovely pizza and pasta dinner.
As the last day was approaching, our tutor informed us that there would be a mystery activity the following morning.  That mystery activity was wine tasting at 10am.  We got a tour of the winery and unlimited tastes of wine.  I purchased a Psyche 2005 Vintage Shiraz and a 2005 Sweet Nicola.  Both wines were made in the winery by Kim, Joan, and Janel with their 50+ years or experience at Chateau Mildura. It was a nice way to end the trip.
All in all, the trip was decent.  It was a little too long and kind of uneventful, but I blame it on the rain.  I also forgot to pack a lot because I waited until the last minute and forgot a pile of clothes on my bed, but I made it work.  I also feel like I have a super strong back after this trip from giving my friend Devin multiple piggy back rides. I did see a lot of wildlife. Wild horses, emus, and kangaroos.  They are very hard to photograph though! I finally have my own pictures to share thanks to my mom sending me my camera, which came waterlogged by Febreez. It still works though, so that's all that matters. I was happy to get some pretty cool pictures from this trip (see below).
Only two more weeks until spring break.  In the meantime, I have an overwhelming amount of work to do. All my work seemed to hit at once. I can't believe I am already half done with my study abroad experience! It is going by too quickly, but I am excited to come home.  I miss everyone!

Rob, my Australian Idol tutor.