I Finally Made it to the Beautiful land of OZ

This past week has been absolutely crazy!! I will try to sum it up rather quickly since SO much has happened.

I left for Australia on Sunday the 13th, but with many delays our group did not arrive until late Tuesday night. It was the longest 2 days of my life!! We were delayed in LA for 3 hours, left at 3 am...and therefore missed our connecting flight from Melbourne to Cairns for our 4 day orientation. We had to be rerouted to Brisbane, and then flew to Cairns. So 4 planes in 2 days was pretty brutal. But nevertheless, everyone made it safe and sound to beautiful Australia!

We stayed at Gilligan's Backpackers and Resort, a big hostel in Cairns. It was really nice, but with 8 girls in a very tiny dorm room with big luggage, it was a little crammed. By the end of our stay everyone was ready to move in to their own rooms and stop living out of suitcases!

On Wednesday our AustraLearn group (40 students) went scuba diving and snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef! It was stunning. The Passions of Paradise company was so great, and the instructors were all very friendly and helpful. Simon, my instructor, got my friends and I safely to the bottom of the Reef in Michaelmass Cay. We saw lots of fish...including Nemo, and a huge sea turtle. It was unreal to see a completely new world under the sea! I also got to go snorkeling in Paradise Cove, another beautiful area. If you are ever in Australia, you must go to Cairns and see the Reef. I completely understand why it is the 7th wonder of the world...God is awesome!

On Thursday we went to RainforeStation, where we met native Aborigines, watched them play their tribal instrument, the Didgeridoo, and learned to throw a boomerang. The best part was that I got to hold a koala bear and feed kangaroos!! They were so cute, just eating out of my hand. We also saw a crocadile feeding, which only happens once a week, and even saw the wombat, who hardly ever comes out of his cave underground. We also went on a tour of the rainforest in an Army Duck, which reminded me a little bit of the jungle in Ecuador.

On Friday we packed up and finally headed to Sydney! We arrived last night around 5 PM to our apartment complex. It's called the Sydney University Village, and it's located just about a block from the Uni. I am living in a 5 bedroom apartment right next to my friend Danielle, so I am so happy about that! Let me just say that it was a little awkward to walk into my place...everyone was already moved in except for me, so I felt like I was intruding...haha.

I have 2 American roommates and 2 Aussie roommates. Sarah and Brendan are American...Sarah's from Cleveland and Brendan is from Flint, MI. Yeah Michigan!! He actually knew where Hope was which was quite exciting since hardly anyone has heard of it. I haven't met my Aussie roomies yet, but one is named Tim and he is a senior at the Uni. Don't worry Dad, he has a girlfriend! haha :) And Alex is the Aussie girl who is also a junior like me and the rest of my roommates. It's definitely weird living with strangers, but I know things will start to become familiar.

Last night some of the girls and I walked to this shopping center about a 15 minute walk away, and went to Kmart to get stuff for our rooms. I'm sure it was quite a sight to see 7 girls lugging huge bags down the street!

This is the first chance I have had to check my email and update my blog, so I apologize for the delay! When I register for classes on Monday I will get my pin number for the internet. I think I have found a new favorite coffee place down the street too. It's Gloria Jean's (I know...not that unique since we have it in the States), but you get free wifi for an hour when you purchase a drink (I'm on my 2nd coffee...). It feels amazing to finally be connected to you all, because honestly, I have never felt so far away from the US in my life. It's just such a comfort to lean on God and have Katie here too.

My friends and I are going to take the bus to Sydney Harbor right now...what we've all been looking forward to! We are going to try to learn the bus system today and get our SIM cards for our cell phones. The Pope is here for World Youth Week, so maybe we'll run into him! Katie and I have not been in contact yet because of my lack of internet or cell phone, but we are planning on meeting up in the city tomorrow. I can't wait to see her!!

The weather is beautiful, 60-65 and sunny, and the city has a different feel to any city I've been to in the US. It's really exciting to be here and I can't wait to go exploring today! I love you all and miss you. I will be putting up pictures soon! If you have facebook, I already put some up, so check them out! God Bless.

p.s. The accents are wonderful!! And hearing it all the time has made me start to think in an Australian accent :) I'm starting to pick up on the lingo which is used much more than I thought. I love it!