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 (: