First day of classes

So yesterday was my first day of classes.  I had two lectures (Wildlife Ecology and Management; Evolution and Ecology of Reef Fishes).  Both seem pretty cool.. I'll be taking field trips during my uni break for both of them.  The first one I'll go to a cattle ranch and observe the ecology of some of the animals there and conduct field research (not exactly sure on the details of that quite yet).  The second trip will be to Orpheus Island where I'll get to snorkel the reef and also conduct research (again, which I'm not positive on the details).  My professor for the reef fishes classes says his goal is to prepare all of his students for conducting independent research, which will be key for me as I return to the states, since I will almost immediately have to begin my Honors Thesis.  So far those are the only two classes I have taken.  I'm also enrolled in Photography and Functional Biology of Marine Organisms.  I went to look at all the books I had to buy yesterday afternoon and luckily for me I only needed one subject manual costing $10.60.  However two books were recommended for my Fxnal Bio class.. ironically, one of which I have already used in my previous Marine Bio class.  Hopefully that means the class will be a refresher course and not too difficult!

On a different note, Australia has been one huge vacation that I could completely turn into my life.  Since I've gotten here, I've been pretty much on the go the entire time.  Seems like everyone here is all about the outdoors and just being active.  I've gone swimming, climbed trees, played frisbee, went to Crystal Creek (natural rock water slides), played volleyball, other random games in the water, and have attempted (scheduling issues fail) at participating in ParkFit, which is essentially crossfit outside.  I've been so busy and active, and it's felt great, and also has made me realize how lazy us Americans really are.  I mean sure there are a lot of people who do go out and do lots of stuff, but a lot of people just sit on their ass all day and don't do much (I was one of them)!  Everyone here likes to get outside and do something, whatever it may be.

It really is true, though, about there being no O-zone layer here.  The sun is so strong.  Mom, you'll be proud to know I've been wearing heaps of sunscreen everytime I go outside so I have simply developed a nice tan instead of an awful burn! Also, the stingers (jellyfish) here are so deadly, when I went to the beach they had a designated swimming area surrounded by a huge net.  It was the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen and not what I expected coming down here.  They definitely didn't have that in Sydney either.  Apparently when people go out into the ocean for dives or snorkeling, they all wear either wetsuits or "stinger suits" which is just a really thin layered wetsuit essentially to protect from the stingers.  The beaches come equipped with vinegar stations in case anyone gets stung.. pretty intense!

The critters and animals here are pretty wild too.. birds sound like dying children, and it seems like anything you get bit by (mosquito, ant, etc.) will produce inflammation about 20x the size you think it should... My friend, Alex, got bit by a spider on his first day here and within about 24 hours or so his ankle was so swollen and gnarly looking.  It's really put us all on the lookout for potential killers EVERYWHERE, though it seems to be that his case was just a really really really unlucky one, and that most people do not get bit by spiders.  I have also found that people here are like seriously afraid of bears! They have the deadliest creatures in the world, but I guess the thought of being mauled to death by a bear is just way too frightening for them.


Anyway, I've been slacking on the blogging lately because internet kind of sucks around here and is super slow, but I'm going to try to keep it up and keep you all updated.  As for now, I'm having a great time, I have a few trips planned already with my classes and I'm hoping on doing a lot more outside of class.  I'm also working on getting a job, but that's a little harder than it seems when you're in a different country.  See you all later (:

O-Week

 O-Week Festivities.. just a few of them, it was a crazy week.. a lot of sun, fun, and drinks. Unfortunately, not much of it was captured, but here's a quick look at a few of the things I did.

Learning how to throw the disc (:

Uni Hall Pool Party!

Toga Party! All the UNCW girls

Alex and I.. pre-drinks for Toga

Crystal Creek... sooo much fun

Crystal Creek again.. these are natural water slides, if you look closely you can see someone going down it.. and on the top right, we were all jumping off that rock into the water

And I jumped off this rock where the guy in the black is standing... it was SO high.. this picture does not do it justice.

Dorm room

Here's some pics of my dorm room.. there's no A/C, but I do have a balcony with an AMAZING view! It's awesome (:

View from my balcony!

That's my balcony and the view again, taken from inside my room

Lots of closet space!

And that's my desk, fully stocked with goon, cups, fresher bucket (with bourbon) and XXXX... perfect (:

Townsville

Finally in Townsville! I've met so many cool people here so far that have been showing me around, doing cool stuff.. last night we went downtown, and today we went to this really cool river. It's got a floating dock and rope swings.. loads of fun (:

Heading downtown on the bus with Alex, such a fun night. Apparently though, guys have to wear pants here so he couldn't get in a lot of places with his shorts ): good to know for next time!

All of us sitting on the dock hanging out by the river

Me, swinging on the rope swing (:

Sunset on the river, so beautiful!

Toronga Zoo

TORONGA ZOO!

We went to the zoo in Sydney and it was amazing!!! Here are a few pictures, unfortunately, BOTH of our cameras died half way through ): I have arrived in Townsville a few days ago now and I love it! It's been so amazing. I've met some locals and went downtown. It's definitely a cool place.  I'm planning on doing some hiking with my friend Alex who is also from UNCW and just getting totally immersed in the culture here. I'm living in UniHall and it's great! We have a balcony and it's a pretty decent sized room, the only thing is there's no A/C!!! Ugh, small price to pay I guess... haha. Though it is HOT here. Anyway, I'll be posting pics of my room and the campus and Townsville relatively soon.  Today we're going to this river which has rope swings and is just a cool spot. Anyway, enjoy the pics of like the first third of our zoo trip (:

Peacock! This was right after we got off the airlift.

Koalas! They're so sleeeepy

Komodo dragon.. this was pretty cool

Reticulated Python

Iguana

Giraffes!

Ahhh these monkeys were so cute and SMART! The big one is putting a stick in this hole which apparently there's like something sweet in it.. He would pull it out and lick off the nectar from the bottom. The little guy was watching to see how it's done.

Barbary Sheep

Zebras!

Sheeps again, with a gorgeous view!

Emu! Crazyyyy animals, they were just walking all over the park everywhere

Sydney Opera House & Botanical Gardens

So I've been super busy since I got into Australia. Internet isn't cheap, and the time has just flown by.  Here's a few pictures I've been able to upload... They are of the Sydney Opera House and the Botanical Gardens which are just next to the harbor.  Everything here has been beautiful!  More to come later will be from the Taronga Zoo (which was freaking incredible.... BUT my camera died half way through /: ), and Bondi Beach (there really is a hole in the ozone over here.. I actually burned a little).  I've been in Sydney now for 5 days, and I have one more full day here before I head up to Townsville. I'm so excited to move into my dorm (and out of this hostel..) and meet everyone over there. It will definitely be an interesting experience, and well worth every bit of frustration to get there, including the purchase of TWO SEATS on the plane from Sydney to Townsville in order to SAVE money??? Aussies make no sense sometimes, but that's alright because I am absolutely loving everything about it. Hope you all enjoy! I'll be posting more things later on, and once I get to school I'll be able to post more regularly. Just stick with me for a bit and I promise to give you all the pictures you have been begging me for!

This picture says it all..

Another view of the Opera House.

...this is the bathroom in the opera house. I know it seems a bit odd, but this was one of the coolest bathrooms I've ever seen.. the water just emptied behind these sinks, which actually looked completely flat.

The Botanical Gardens (beautiful!)

Bats!!!

Another view of the gardens, with the Opera House and the bridge in the background.

And one more view... there was actually a wedding when we were at the Gardens (such a gorgeous place to have a wedding!)

Headed to the land down under!

For all of you who don't know, I've had quite a few health issues these past couple of weeks.. stomach ulcer, gastritis, ruptured cysts, more cysts.  Needless to say, I'm (not quite) healthy and ready to get out of the country.  Tons of meds, many hours of flying to come, and 5 months of pure adventure, excitement, and happiness awaits me.  It's Wednesday right now here in Florida, and by the time I arrive in Sydney it will be Friday morning (there.... Thursday afternoon here).  I plan on posting at least one picture everyday, for all of you who asked for pictures.  I'm going to try to make them as unique and interesting as possible, and make this blog as fun for all of you as my experience will be for me.  See ya later, USA! (: