I came, I saw, I didn't conquer surfing.

     This past weekend I went on a trip through the Great Ocean Road.  It is as the title describes, a long road along the ocean. There was about 75 of us who went on this oceanic journey.  The theme of the first day was surfing. Yes, the weather was rainy and about 45-50 degrees Fahrenheit with horrendous winds, but that didn't stop us.  The program included a "surf lesson" but really, they just gave us a board and sent us off into the ocean in our wetties (Australian for wet suit).  I personally suck at surfing and did not get up much more than on my knees. Luckily, I love the waves and the water so I didn't mind.  I had a great time, and now I can tell people I went surfing in Australia.  We also went to the world's largest surf museum, which was not very large at all.  I saw a bunch of old surf boards and a prehistoric whale fossil, that's about it.  We stayed in a hostel, which was pretty nice.  It was my first hostel experience, and I am sure there will be more.  It was a nice way for everyone to bond and make friends.  At night we went to a local pub, and I think our group brought the only business.  Since it is not quite surfing season, or warm out, the Great Ocean Road was sort of dead.  The next day we traveled further down the road and made stops at the 12 Apostles (see picture), saw wild koalas, hiked in a rain forest, and visited some other gorges and beach fronts.  It was beautiful, despite the rain and wind.  The weekend was a success, and I have bruises to prove it.
     On a different note, this past week I have had my first three papers due! Between my traveling, social life, and classes, I am always busy.  It's nice though because it keeps my mind off of the things I miss at home (mainly the food, turkey jerky, and dryer sheets).  I have learned a lot about Australian history and politics, and I never realized how much of an issue racism is here against the Aboriginals.  The election for the new Prime Minister is current right now, so that is a major focus.  The current Prime Minister Julia Gillard (the first woman Prime Minister/Atheist) for the Labor Party is running against Tony Abbot for the Liberal/National party. Voting comes up on August 21 and it's predicted that Gillard is going to win. I guess Tony Abbott is seen as a "bloak." Other than that, not much is new.  I am enjoying myself here and time is going by fast. Too fast.  In the next couple weeks I will be heading up to Darwin and into the outback, Broken Hill.  There are still so many places I need to see but I feel I don't have enough time! I can't wait for "spring" break because I will be scuba diving, white water rafting, bungee jumping, and sky diving around Brisbane and Carins. I still hope to visit, before I leave, Sydney, Perth, Tasmania, New Zealand, Figi, and Thailand (why not since I'm already pretty close). Well I must conclude because I'm off to go watch Dumb and Dumber with some friends.  I miss you all!
P.S. My camera is broken so thanks to those I stole pictures from :)

12 Apostles

London Bridge