queensland

i got back from queensland on sunday morning and i haven't updated this yet because i know that it is going to take forever to write about the whole week we were away and post the pictures but i will do my best!

sunday april 18
we got up early and went to the airport. it was a 3 hour flight to cairns.


from cairns we rented a car and drove about an hour to port douglas. geoff grew up there so we went to look at his old house and then checked into our resort, the mandalay. we explored the beach and swam in the pool. it is stinger season there, which means that there are a ton of deadly jellyfish in the water, so we couldn't really swim in the ocean except for inside the stinger nets, giant nets in the water that keep the jellyfish out. i couldn't believe how beautiful it is in queensland (even though it was pretty cloudy and rainy). it's incredibly green and looks like hawaii. there's sugarcane and coconuts everywhere. it was really warm and humid.




monday
on monday we got up fairly early again and drove to the daintree rainforest national park. here we walked around the rainforest and saw some gigantic, disgusting spiders. we ate lunch near a beach and then went jungle surfing!! jungle surfing is just ziplining over the rainforest. i went first. i am usually incredibly afraid of heights but i actually felt really safe and i wasn't scared at all! i loved looking down over the rainforest. towards the end i even ziplined upside down.

after ziplining, we stopped at an ice cream store on the way back to the resort. the ice cream wasn't especially memorable but we looked across a field and saw a cassowary! cassowaries are big, ugly birds that are very rare to see in the wild.







to get to the rainforest, we had to cross a big river full of crocodiles on a ferry. we took a picture of a funny sign that warned about crocodiles.





tuesday
on tuesday morning emily and i walked along the beach and then into port douglas and shopped on the main street. we ate some really good ice cream and i bought a dress. then we all drove to the nearby marina and rented a boat for the afternoon. we took the boat down a big river for two hours and took turns driving. i drove for about sixty seconds because as soon as i took the wheel, geoff stepped to the front of the boat and it nosedived. it was scary so i didn't want to drive anymore... lachy drove most of it and we only got stuck in the mangroves on the shore once. the river was full of crocodiles although i didn't see any. funny story: geoff at one point spotted two eyes in the mangroves and swore it must be a crocodile. we turned the boat around and drove by again. this time i saw them too! drove by again, someone else saw them... drove by again, and we realized that we had just wasted about 20 minutes driving by a coke can in the trees.




that night we walked into port douglas again and stopped at a bar called the iron bar. it is famous for its nightly cane toad races. cane toads are poisonous but that doesn't stop aussies from racing them. at the bar six cane toads are put in a bucket and then released on a table. each toad is assigned a jockey. the jockey must kiss the toad for good luck before dropping it back in the bucket and once the race starts, scare the living hell out of the toad with a party whistle so it will jump off the table and the jockey can carry it into another bucket. the first toad in the bucket wins. "well how do they pick jockeys?" you might ask. another funny story: as you enter the racing area you are given a raffle ticket with a number on it. they pick six numbers from a hat and those six people are the jockeys. my number was five. guess what number they called out. here's a video of me kissing my toad before the race. i lost miserably, coming 5th out of 6.




wednesday
wednesday was the highlight of the trip for me. we went back to the marina and got on a big cruise boat called the quicksilver. it took us along with about 200 other people on a two hour ride into the middle of the ocean to a huge floating building on some pontoons in the great barrier reef. the part of the reef we went to is called agincourt reef. we took a 45 minute snorkeling tour with a marine biologist. he showed us how to dive while snorkeling and taught us more about some of the things we saw. we got to pick up some weird sea cucumbers and starfish. then we ate a quick lunch on the pontoon and took a quick tour in the quicksilver’s semisubmersible. it was similar to a submarine but it doesn’t go all the way underwater and there were tons of windows so you can see into the reef. we snorkeled for the remaining hour. i wish i could describe how amazing it was and i wish the pictures i took with my underwater camera could show how beautiful it was. i saw so many different kinds of fish. my favorite was the parrotfish because they were neon blue and purple and green. i also liked the fox-faced rabbitfish. rabbitfish live to be around twenty years old and after they are about one year old find a mate and stay with them until they die. it is said (although not proven) that when one dies, the partner will die within a few days of a broken heart. the giant clam was cool too. we didn’t get to see any turtles or sharks unfortunately. since it was still jellyfish season, we had to wear stinger suits under our wetsuits. stinger suits are hilarious bright blue full body (and by full body I mean including hands, feet, and head) suits made of bathing suit material and protect from jellyfish stings. i was sad to get back on the quicksilver and leave the reef but hopefully someday i will be able to go back. the ride back was pretty terrible because the water was really rough and a very large amount o f the 200 people on the boat got very seasick. none of us did but a lot of people around us were handed barf bags.












when we got back to shore 2 hours later, we packed up our things and drove another half hour to cairns and checked into our second resort, the sea temple resort.


thursday
thursday was a very relaxing day. emily and i spent the whole day tanning by the pool and walking along the beach. we stopped for ice cream and as we were eating it, six boys on motor scooters drove by and honked at us. we waved. the day was uneventful other than that, but that evening we went out to dinner at an italian restaurant nearby. it was a lot of fun. connor ordered salt and pepper calamari. i tried it and loved it! i still can’t believe that I tried it. we got dessert too. I ordered pavlova again. It is just so good. I am going to have to learn how to make it. that night we rented monty python and the holy grail. connor and lachy had never seen it before and hated it but emily, geoff, karen, and i were cracking up.


friday
friday was spent white water rafting, which i had never done before. it was so fun! we had a boat to ourselves. our guide, stephan, was from wales and was really funny. the river had rapids of class III out of six classes, meaning that it was pretty difficult. the hardest rapid in the river was called the rooster tail and karen and connor fell out. i didn’t fall out at all and neither did lachy, but everyone else did at some point. the water was very warm though and we all went for a swim at the end despite having seen an eel earlier in the day while we were eating our lunch. we all really enjoyed it although it did get a little scary at some points. it was a great adrenaline rush.





saturday
saturday was our last day in queensland. we drove into cairns and shopped at a mall. all i bought were tim tams and flake bars, my favorite candy bar that you can only get in england and australia. geoff and karen went out to dinner that night, so emily and i made dinner for us and connor and lachy. we had french fries, chicken fingers, ice cream, and toast. then we ran to the pool and jumped in the hot tub one last time.

sunday
on sunday morning, we woke up at 4:30 am to catch our flight back to adelaide. i was sad to go but it is also nice to be back in brighton. it's not rainy here, but it's also not as warm. i had so much fun in queensland and i am really glad that i got to go.

P.S.

here are some more pictures of cleland wildlife park:







also, last night there was an earthquake rated 3.8 on the richter scale in adelaide. it was pretty cool. adelaide is directly on top of a fault line but rarely experiences earthquakes. we felt it for a few seconds and couldn't figure out what it was at first.

anyway, tomorrow morning we are leaving for a week in queensland. i might not have internet for a week... i'm so excited to go!

guess who learned to surf

on tuesday morning, emily, georgia smith, georgia's sister romy, and i piled into mr. smith's car and he drove us to middleton. middleton is a beach town about an hour southeast from adelaide. here's a map. look for port victor, which is a town right nearby middleton.




we stayed in a big beach house with our friend amalie meaney and her family. amalie's dad is a fireman and the house is available throughout the year for firefighters. it was a very short walk to the beach. middleton is great because there are good waves (there aren't any waves really in brighton) so it's perfect for boogie boarding and beginner surfers. we had a quick lunch then went to the beach! we borrowed wetsuits because the water was a little cold. amalie taught me to surf. she's a really great teacher because i picked it up right away. i stood up on the board within about 15 minutes! it was so fun. we spent a while at the beach then went back to the house.




georgia, amalie, emily, and i, along with romy and amalie's sister ella, watched a bunch of movies in the living room and dragged our mattresses in there and had a big sleepover. the next morning we got up early to go back to the beach. i surfed some more and also boogie boarded with emily. emily's a good boogie boarder and picks out the best waves. then amalie, georgia, emily, and i went to victor harbour which is a town about 15 minutes away. we walked across a bridge to granite island and walked around there for a little while, then browsed around the shops in the town, and ate some ice cream.



we then went to port elliot, the next town over, and got some food from the famous bakery there, then went to a beach and sat, then went on a long walk around. it was really beautiful along the coast and totally worth the walk even though georgia and amalie were complaining at first.



we went back to the house and watched more movies that night. the next morning we went back home. we were sad to leave, it was a really fun time.


today karen, her sister lisa, lisa's daughter georgia, who is 15, and i went to cleland wildlife park. it was sort of like a zoo but we got to feed most of the animals. we walked around for a long time looking at all the animals. we saw tasmanian devils (terrifying when they are fighting), dingoes, bilbies, snakes, wombats, an echidna, and a ton of strange birds. we also got to pet a koala and feed emus and kangaroos. the koala was so soft and cute. the emus were actually very scary. they make these strange growling noises and peck you when they grab food out of your hand. my hand kept getting pinched and bitten but it was so funny to watch them eat. the kangaroos were really sweet and soft, though.

"you having a good time... ladies?"

on saturday, georgia, emily, and i took the train into downtown adelaide. first we went to the central market, a gigantic indoor market with all kinds of exotic foods. attached to it is adelaide's version of chinatown, pretty small but still pretty awesome. they had lots of cheap postcards.



then we took the tram to rundle mall. rundle mall is a pretty famous area for great shopping and a random statue called the rundle balls. it's not really a mall, more like a few long streets with tons of stores on each side. i bought a few things, mostly clothes. i love being able to spend money on myself after saving up for so long! we stopped at a little cafe for lunch and georgia and i got some gelati for dessert, mostly because--i don't know who's reading this but i'm saying it anyway-- the guy working at the gelati place was really attractive.




we couldn't decide what to do after that. should we go to the zoo? should we shop some more? should we go to the botanic gardens? after about ten minutes of us deliberating ("the zoo! the zoo!" "no i don't want to pay for a ticket!" "shopping!" "i don't feel like it!" "but you said we would go to the zoo!" etc) we managed to come to a decision to go to the botanic gardens. georgia was upset at first but we are going to the zoo some other time. the botanic gardens is really just a big park with lots of fountains. it was so beautiful! we walked by at least three weddings. also some drunk bogans wolf whistled at us. it started to rain and we were exhausted from the crazy amount of shopping we did in just a few hours so we took the train back home.





emily and i went to a little theater nearby for the two for one special and saw dear john and the blind side. it was an excellent day. tomorrow we are leaving for middleton for a few days. middleton is about an hour away and there is some really good surfing there, apparently. emily, georgia, and i are all going and staying with amalie, another girl from school, and her family. i am going to learn to surf!

i love georgia smith... www.gsmithy.blogspot.com

i'm getting yelled at to update so here it is. note that you can click on all the pictures to see them bigger. got back from the grampians on tuesday and we've been chilling since then. today i tanned by the pool then went for a jog on the beach. what a hard life. yesterday emily went to work (she is now a proud employee of pretzelmania at the nearby mall) and i met her there so we could see a movie with some friends. i'm really proud that i managed to make it there all by myself, i was a little afraid that i wouldn't be able to find the train or i would get on the wrong one or get kidnapped or something but i did it! we saw "the last song" with miley cyrus. it was surprisingly decent. almost everyone cried.

anyway, the grampians were AMAZING. we left right after a half day of school on thursday. grampians national park is six hours away from here. we actually drove halfway, three hours to keith, south australia, and stayed there for a night at emily's aunt and uncle, robin and chris's, cattle farm. it is tied for the highlight of the trip for me (the other would be the last hike we went on). it's such a beautiful area. we built a big bonfire and ate dinner (all the food was from the farm) under the stars. emily and i asked chris some questions about the meat industry and cattle farming because we are both doing research projects about it after reading "my year of meats" by ruth l. ozeki. luckily he has only free range cattle. the next morning we woke up and ate breakfast outside. connor and lachy did an excellent job cooking the bacon and eggs on the grill.

emily, connor, lachy, and i all piled into the back of chris's pickup truck (called a ute here... i don't know why either) and he took us on a tour of the farm (something like 5000 acres). it was warm and sunny, and the landscape is amazing. i also had my first kangaroo sighting. it was so exciting... emily then practiced driving all around the farm and i went on a walk with her mother and robin. we walked all around the property with two of the farm dogs. one of them decided to herd some sheep for us and wouldn't stop.



we left on friday around noon for the national park, another three hours away. on the way we stopped at a park and stretched and played on the playground. the verralls stop at this same park every year.



we stayed in a little chalet in the park at the base of the mountains.



there were kangaroos EVERYWHERE. there were also emu, wallaby, gecko, and kookaburra sightings.





the trip was so fun and relaxing. we hiked the mountains every day with the best hike being the last (and also the longest). somehow connor ran up the whole thing. another good hike was to mackenzie falls, a big waterfall. there were quite a few waterfalls in the park and we saw three.








one of the afternoons was spent in the historic nearby town of stawell where every year a huge running competition is held. connor was in it and took third place in his heat. i say one of the afternoons because i don't know which one it was... it was weird but really nice and relaxing to never know what time it was or have internet. emily and i each finished a few books. i was kind of sad to leave but it's great to be back in brighton, too.

stephanie cogno wants her name in here somewhere

well it has been a few days since i have updated this. on friday a few friends (amalie and mikayla) came over and emily and i along with them went to the ocean again. it wasn't as nice of a day because the sun wasn't really shining very much, but it was still a lot of fun. saturday was the school fair. there were lots of rides and food stands and tents with things for sale... for anyone from wolfeboro it was exactly like the huggins hospital fair. we stayed for a little while and i tried pavlova for the first time. pavlova is a popular dessert here that is basically just a meringue pie/cake type thing named after a ballet dancer. it was really, really good...



then emily, amalie, and i went to the mall straight from there. it is a quick train ride away. amalie had to leave for work but emily and i shopped for a long time. i bought a leather jacket, suede ankle boots, a dress, a rugby (for an actual rugby team, the australia wallabies), and some surprise gifts for friends. it was nice to finally spend some money because i have been saving for so long! things here seem to be quite a bit more expensive, though. clothes especially. most of the casual dresses i saw were at least $60 AUD, which is about $55 US. some were over $100 AUD. the rest of the weekend was pretty relaxing. school this week has been normal. yesterday during food tech i made chocolate and coffee custard and i got to try it today. i am turning into a decent cook!!! it was really good. that is definitely my favorite class. i also did pretty well on my biology test that i got back today which is good because i hadn't learned half of what was on it... tomorrow we have a half day of school because our three week break starts! we call it a holiday here. right after school tomorrow we are leaving for the grampians, a mountain range/national park in victoria, australia. first we are spending a night at emily's dad's family's farm. i am so excited because i will finally get to see kangaroos and koalas. here is a picture i stole from google of the grampians (i plan on taking lots of my own pictures):


hopefully i will have internet during the trip, but if not, i will be back on tuesday. after we get back, we have a week of break spent here, then we go to queensland for a week... i am SO excited for queensland. tropical climate, great barrier reef... i can't wait!

last night emily's grandparents came over to meet me/visit with the family. they were so nice! it was great to meet them. we had hot cross buns, which i had never had before and are excellent, and tea. as it turns out, the verralls now love harney tea. they really like paris, which is my favorite flavor too!

i will keep updating if i have internet in victoria, if not, i will update on tuesday!


P.S. i would just like to say that everyone here has much better taste in music than the USA. top 40 is not all crappy rap and hip hop, it's a lot of indie rock and brand new bands. i've recently become obsessed with angus & julia stone, mumford & sons, and the temper trap. angus & julia stone and the temper trap are both aussie bands. oh and their version of MTV, just called V--get this-- ACTUALLY plays music videos. who would have thought...

"what does laxer mean?"

today during psychology i had an interesting conversation with two girls sitting next to me. we were talking about america and they confessed that they expected me to be different. they thought all americans think that the united states is the best country in the world and don't know anything about other countries. that's embarrassing. also embarrassing is the fact that australians watch a lot of american television, and by that i mean jersey shore and other nonsense. great. i had to explain to emily what a guido is.

then during english we were talking about colloquialisms and i was asked to make a list of american colloquialisms. here's a sampling of what i have so far...

legit, bro, laxer, tool, daps, y'all, chola, gangsta, street cred, dude, bangs, homey, hipster, pop, owned...

i hadn't realized how different the language is here compared to america. dinner is tea, facecloths are flannels, candy is lollies, mosquitoes are mozzies, bangs are fringe, flip flops are thongs, etc. language here is also different in that swear words are not taken as seriously.
another thing i find funny is that the boys all wear extremely short shorts and spend hours on their hair...

anyway, when we got back from school, emily and i went to the beach which is a really quick walk from the house. it is beautiful out, about 90 degrees. we tanned and walked all along the shore under the jetty and talked about life. the water was incredibly warm.



it's pretty much the most amazing place ever.

"do you have coke in america?"

i just got home from my third day of school. so far it's going really well! biology is good because we are learning right now where i left off in my anatomy class at hotchkiss (except my teacher is a psycho). food tech and hospitality is awesome. westminster has a few classrooms that are kind of like science labs but are actually fully equipped kitchens. we made raspberry iced mousse yesterday and then learned how to plate them (for a 5 star restaurant, it has to look trendy) and ate them today. sooo good. my psychology class is good so far and some of it is kind of tying into what i learned in neuro this year. accounting is probably my favorite class so far. i really like the teacher and i picked up on it pretty quickly. math is okay, i borrowed emily's book and taught myself what everyone's been learning and i am even taking a test tomorrow (although the teacher is allowing me to use the textbook). english looks like it might be a small issue only because there is a big essay due coming up (not sure if i am expected to write it or not at this point) and the essays here are quite different from what i am used to regarding format and expectations. so that will be interesting. i have some really nice people in all of my classes too.
the campus is really nice. everything is outside and really open and there are a lot of breezeways. we eat lunch everyday under a big pagoda. i have a pb&j everyday which is apparently "sooo american." a funny thing is during recess (snack) and lunch everyone has to wear hats. they are funny little bucket hats and you arent not allowed to be outside without them, to protect from the sun i guess.
right now since it is warm everyone wears the summer uniform. for girls it is a collared dress that goes down a little past the knees, socks, and black lace up shoes. hideous. we also have to wear our hair up every day. once we get back from break (which starts in a week and a half) it is the winter uniform, which is a looong kilt, knee socks, black lace up shoes, a collared shirt, sweater, tie, and blazer. the homework here is not so bad either and i really haven't had that much. kids here aren't as competitive with classes and grades and the emphasis is more on what you want to do when you graduate (although many don't graduate, which here is completely normal) and a lot of kids don't go to college if they don't want a career that depends on college educations. it's more practical.

drop bears will kill you

yesterday was so nice. i woke up and read/tanned by the pool, then drove to the airport to get my luggage. its nice to have my things again. we also took a quick look around sportsgirl on the way back, which is a really popular store for clothes. it kind of reminded me of H&M. thank god i saved up money. we stopped at a bakery and got some things for lunch and i tried a finger bun... it was really good but the only way i can think to describe it is bread with frosting on it. i also tried vegemite yesterday which is one of the grossest things i've ever put in my mouth. it was kind of soy-ish but eew. emily's cousin georgia came over for a bit and we walked down to the beach. the ocean was so warm but they said it was really cold. ha. georgia left then another georgia came over so we could take the train into downtown adelaide for the northern lights, which is this thing they do every year where they project images onto buildings in the city. it looks real! like this:



we also got some gelato... it was sooo good. the city was amazing. it's really trendy. we are going to go back later so we can go shopping. when we got home i crashed but i can't believe that i am not more jet lagged than i actually am!!

i survived the flight!

ok so basically this is the coolest place ever and i am going to live here. there are PALM TREES and we are ON THE OCEAN and everyone at westminster's SOOO NICE.

the flight was really not too bad at all. i had an empty seat next to me from boston to los angeles and we passed over the rockies as the sun was setting. it was like flying over cotton candy. flight to sydney was looong but i must have slept most of it because it didn't seem as long as i expected. i sat next to this wonderful couple from long island who were going to visit their daughter who lives outside of sydney. they were going to meet one of their grandchildren for the first time. the cool part however was that the sun was rising right as we were going into sydney... i can't even describe how pretty it was... orange and red and green and blue. sydney airport was kind of a nightmare because i was confused and lost and didn't understand anybody. hahaha. customs was kind of a joke but still confusing. then i found out that while i had originally thought that my checked bags were checked all the way through to adelaide, they were not in fact checked through to adelaide. i was supposed to pick them up in sydney. WHOOPS. however we think that they never even made it to sydney because we are still waiting for them, in which case i would have stood around the airport and probably missed my connection to adelaide. i was picked up in adelaide by emily's mom and mr. stewart. i went back to the verrall home to freshen up then we went to westminster for sports day and got my uniform. i will post pictures of it. everything's so matchy, everyone even has to have the same backpack. i met everyone who emily had been telling me about for so long. i can't believe how nice everyone is!!! it is so different from hotchkiss. there is amazing school spirit. i got hugs all around (australians are apparently quite touchy feely). also it turns out that american skittles taste completely different from australian skittles. people have been trying to get me to believe that koalas are evil and fall out of trees onto your heads and kill you.

it's so weird, i have been here for 6 hours, and i already feel like i've lived here a long time, like i completely belong. emily's brothers are hilarious and everyone gets along so well. this is amazing.


PS timtams are food from the heavens.... how did i live before i tasted them?

PPS i am only slightly sunburned.

one hour til i leave for the airport

i'm so excited! i'm completely packed and ready to go. i will update when i'm there.
in the meantime, please enjoy this video.

three days

my sister has informed me that i am conceited for having a blog... anyway...

three days until i leave. i can't believe it! it's actually five days until i arrive though... i depart from logan airport in boston at 5pm (we are hoping to maybe throw in a college visit to tufts in the morning if we leave early enough) and arrive in los angeles at 8:30pm. it's actually a 6 and a half hour flight. from there, after a two hour layover, its a 14 and a half hour flight to sydney, hour and a half layover, then two hours to adelaide. i arrive in adelaide on friday at 10am. total duration 26 hours and 30 minutes. i'm sure it will be well worth it though... i am staying until june 18! it's going to be pretty exhausting but i am throwing myself into things pretty fast: i will be hanging around westminster (my exchange school) during the day at their "sports day" and going to a birthday party that night. i don't waste time. i hope i don't collapse though.


i started packing today and i'm almost done. somehow (after probably six hours of unpacking and repacking) i managed to fit everything into a huge rolling suitcase (47.3 lbs... 50 lbs is the max), a carry on duffel, and my backpack. i know that i will forget something crucial but i've been saving up since the summer and i plan on buying LOTS of stuff while i am over there. in attempts to save room i packed only travel sizes of shampoo, conditioner, contact solution, lotion, etc and i will just buy those when i arrive.


P.S. so i counted and i have a list of 33 people to send postcards to. great.


UPDATE: the one checked bag thing is so not happening. two checked bags, a carry on bag, and my backpack.

ten days

this is getting more and more unreal. i can't believe that i have been waiting for this for over a year and it is almost time to go. i've been busy filling out tons of forms and picking classes... i've decided on these: regular english and math, biology, creative photography, outdoor & environmental education, and psychology. emily is taking some of the same classes so hopefully we will be in one together. i am especially excited about the outdoor education. it apparently involves being outdoors and exploring and hiking a lot. that will be perfect as i want to see as much of the outdoors as i can! i will, however, have to watch out for some of the wildlife... snakes, spiders, etc. i'm not so worried about that, though. i think apparently now i am a year 11, so i guess i am still a junior. i was excited to be a senior before everyone else but i'm not too upset. i will be a lot older than everyone in my classes which will be funny.

thirteen days

last day of upper mid year at hotchkiss was today and i am officially on spring break! i can't believe it is less than two weeks until i leave. it was pretty hard to say goodbye to some people because six months is a long time, but everything didn't really hit me until i was packing up my dorm room. i'm pretty disappointed also because i didn't get to say goodbye to a few people who i really wanted to.
i promised probably at least 30 people postcards so that will be interesting to see if i remember. i realize now that postage costs a lot more to send overseas but hopefully it won't be too expensive...
i ate lunch with mr. thompson and the other departing round square students the other day and we discussed our upcoming exchanges. i was struck by a few things that mr. thompson mentioned and one of my main goals now is to truly make the most out of my experience. i will only be there for three months. it sounds like a long time, but it's really not, and when will i ever have this opportunity again? i've started signing up for classes at westminster and going along with my new goal i have picked some interesting ones. westminster offers some really sweet classes like fashion & textiles, law, pyschology, food & hospitality, accounting, outdoor education... the list goes on and on. i'm having trouble deciding which ones to take but i've been in touch with the exchange coordinator, mr. stewart. i think i have been bumped down to a year 11 now but that could change again. i think i will be fine with either one... i am just happy to be going! i will also keep everyone updated on how tan i am getting. everyone will be jealous and i will be proving everyone who thinks i do not tan wrong.

twenty days

i never thought i would ever have a blog. i feel like to have a blog you have to be a bit full of yourself to assume that everyone cares about what you have to say and what you are doing... but this way if i have a hard time keeping in touch with people they can at least find out what i am doing. not that i have even left or done anything interesting or worth noting yet. anyway...





it was 84 degrees fahrenheit today in adelaide. here in salisbury it is disgusting and rainy and about 35 degrees fahrenheit. i can't wait to get out of this weather! i'm going to wear shorts and tank tops and flip flops as often as possible. one week exactly until spring break, and twenty days until i leave. i have everything i need for the trip (except my visa has not been approved yet as of today which is slightly worrisome). i can't believe it's finally almost time for me to leave. i've been waiting for this for over a year! i can't even say what i'm most excited for because i'm excited about everything; meeting everyone, going to school, going to the beach, learning to surf, vacationing in queensland, trying vegemite (and kangaroo?), etc... i'm slightly nervous for the plane ride over but whatever. flying alone is fun, it makes me feel independent i guess.

i've been listening to the song adelaide by ben folds a lot to get in the mood. that song made me decide to go on exchange to adelaide rather than melbourne or tasmania. it's a great song... here it is on youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D82YtmIqTNg

still trying to figure out how to work this, otherwise i would make it a clickable link... but enjoy!