2010 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras!

On Friday February 12th my roommates and I left our apartment around 5ish to catch a 5:35 train to Sydney. We did not know where the train station was exactly but assumed we could find it. What we didn't realize is that there are 2 train stations in Wollongong. So long story short, we ended up walking halfway across town trying to find/make the train. When we finally reached the station we were all sweating from walking so far in the hot sun and carrying our bags. But we did make it!

We had to swap trains at Central Station, and unknowingly exited the station before we were supposed to thus cancelling our remaining train ticket. Luckly, a nice woman let us back into the terminal. The train ride took about an hour and a half total to get to our destination (Bondi Junction). We were staying with our friends Taylor and Jayme who we met during our Study Australia orientation in Sydney. Their apartment was really nice and you could see the Sydney Opera house from their windows.

We had worn our outfits that we were planning to go out with, which worked out very well because within 15mins of being in their apartment we headed out. We joined fellow Study Australia students to a club called the Eastern where we were given a VIP pass to several clubs and a card for a free drink. The VIP pass allows for 1 free drink per week/ per club. We definintely lucked out by being there! We all got a free shot and later on I used my card to get another free drink! We stayed out until about 2am dancing like crazy! It was so much fun to be able to hang out with the people that we had met during orientation!

Saturday morning I was woken up at the butt crack of dawn because our friend's roommates decided it was necessary to start banging things at 8am. It was ceratinly much earlier than I was planning on waking up. It did give us a chance to go shopping for Mardi Gras outfits though. I found a black and silver dress for $15 and a mask for $3! It was a perfect outfit for the evening!

We left Bondi Junction around 3:30 and arrived at Kings Cross train station. Yet again, we did not know where we were going but with the help of some poeple on the street all 10ish of us were able to find the street which the parade was taking place. The parade didn't start until 8pm but we got there so early to try to save seats. We ended up sitting in the sun for about 2hrs and then standing for another 2 before the parade even started. It was an awesome place for people watching though...so many interesting characters. There were men in heals, men wearing assless chaps, and so many other crazy outfits!

About 2hrs before the parade started there were people working the parade who were providing entertainment. They had huge bouncy balls they would throw into the crowd and they would even come over and ask if you want to write something to someone who was standing on the opposite side of the fence. I think a straight man was asked out by gay man, it was very funny!

Finally, after hours of waiting the parade began! The first group was dykes on bikes...around a hundred women riding motorcylces drove by carrying rainbow flags, and some were even topless. The parade was WILD, I saw such crazy things!

It was great to experince such support for a group of people that is often discriminated against. This parade is one of the largest gatherings of gay and lesbian people. You could just feel how happy these people were. They were able to act as they wanted and feel comfortable with themselves. It really was an amazing experience!!

On Sunday we returned home to Wollongong by train. I was exhausted from the weekend, but we had been invited to our neighbor's flat (apartment) for dinner at 8. Our neighbors live in the apartment building next to ours an we can see into their apartment. Their names are Yahya, and Fatemah and are a Saudi Arabian couple who are studying here at the Uni. We had a fabulous time at their place. Fatemah made us a mutli-course meal and the food was amazing. She definitely put a lot of time and effort into cooking everything. When we first got there they gave us Arabic coffee and dates. For dinber we ate traditional Saudi food called Kabsah, which is a rice and meat dish. I was nervous to try it but it ended up being great! She had several huge plates filled with food, and I tried everything! She even had a vegetarian option for Amy. She also made an 2 amazing desserts...we couldn't stop eating them!

It was so neat to be welcomed into a strangers home and learn about their culture! It seems like a great place to live because...they get paid to go to school, live in huge houses that have a maid, chef, and driver. They don't even have taxes!

We had an amazing time getting to know them, they seem like such genuine people. We stayed at their place until 11 chatting. When we left they gave us 3 plates mounded with food so that we could eat it the next day. Overall, this was an amazing way to end a fabulous weekend!!!

Unibar

On Thursday Kelly and I went to the Crown St mall to do some shopping to find more "going out" clothes. I brought a ton of clothes with me, but I can never turn down an opportunity to add to my collection especially if is something from Australia!

We checked out a bunch of stores, but I didn't find anything that I felt it was worth spending money on. Clothes along with food and alcohol are very expensive around here. Kelly bought a shirt, and I bought a pair of sunnies (aka sunglasses).

After checking out the local stores we put on our bathing suits and headed to the beach. We wanted to check out the ocean pool, which is a pool that is fed by the ocean water. There were a couple of these, one looked like a town pool and another one was much more natural looking with rocks and things growing in it. We spent a lot of time exploring the rocks that jutted out into the ocean. There are all sorts of creatures living in natural pools created by the water. It is beautiful to just watch the ocean waves crash into the rocks. It is a truly powerful force.

At night we headed to campus to go to the Unibar. Yes, rather than trying to get off campus to go to a bar, we went to the campus. There was a long line to get in, and the bar was packed. There were some dj's and later on there was a live band. It was neat to see so many people all having a great time. The gong shuttle which is the free bus that we take stopped running before we left. Luckly, they had a drunk bus (called arrive alive) that took us back into town. The bus gave us transportaton and the people on it gave us some free entertainment. Another great day in the gong.

Uni Night

Wednesday nights here in Wollongong are the biggest nights to go out. We did some pre-gaming in our apartment in order to try to keep the costs down for the evening. At around 9:30 we headed out to the Glasshouse tavern which is right behind our apartment building. The place was packed! It was a huge club with 2 floors and multiple dance floors. We stayed there for awhile dancing like crazy. At one point this guy came up to dance with me. it was weird because he never said anything, he just mounted me...haha! He was caressing my head and my arms and I was totally creeped out. He also had the most bizarre hair style. The majority of his hair was short, but an entire outside ring of his head had long hair. Can't say I've seen that before.

After staing at the glasshouse for awhile, us girls left to meet up with Jason. Jason was hanging out with a friend who attended Uni two years ago and is now living in Australia on a working visa. We were told to meet up with them at a popular club called Grand Hotel. We were expecting tons of people to be there, but when we arrived it was completely dead. So, rather than staing we headed out to the next bar, Castros. On Wednesdays this bar is very popular with everyone, however, we were warned that Saturday nights this club turns into a Gay bar. Good to know.They had some awesome music to dance to, and even had cages that you could dance in. So of course, we had to dance in the cages! It was wild! I'd have to say that I had an overall awesome night!!

O week

This week at the Uni is O-week. On Tuesday there were some bands playing throughout the day, we decided to go to Uni late in the afternoon. This was a poor choice because by the time we arrived all of the activities were done, and there were hardly any people on the Duck Pond lawn. They I did however sign up for the Unicrew which is involved with organizing the majority of activities on campus. I thought it would be a good way to get involved.

As we were walking around the lawn, a man and woman came up to us wearing traditional Indian (India) clothing. They were very animated and said they were looking to start something similar to Bolliwood in Wollongong....they called it Wallywood. They put fabric around Kelly and my neck and gave us a script to act out. They were very into it, and our performance was pretty good if I do say so myself. It was just for fun, and although I don't like acting I thought I would give it a whirl.

Later on that night, our neighbor who lives in the apartment next to us came over for a visit. He is a Saudi Arabian man (Yahyah) and is super friendly. Anytime we stand out on the blacony he loves to chat. He is still learning english so you can't always understand what he is saying. He came over to welcome us to the neighbor hood by bringing along with him Arabic coffee and dates. I am not a big coffee fan, but thought it would be rude to refuse. The coffee was not at all like american coffee, it was almost like a chai. The dates he brought over were candied, and delicious. He said his father grew them on his farm and that if you were to buy them it would be $200...crazy!! We had a nice chat, and he is just so excited to have friendly neighbors! My roommates and I are now trying to figure out something American that we can bring over to his apartment. Even with a lot of brainstorming we have realized that there aren't really any "American" foods.

Yahyah has invited us over for dinner on Sunday night. We have until then to figure out some kind of dish to bring to him and his family. Him and Jason have become bff and they both have eachother's cell phone number. Yahyah mentioned that he had a car and that if we ever found ourselves in an emergency situation o let him know and he could give us a ride! What a nice guy!

Desperate Mondays

Monday nights Desperate Housewives plays on tv in Australia at 8:30. Amy and I had seen a sign outside the club that we have been going to (Hotel Illawara) advertising wearing heals to the bar and getting 10% off on drinks for every inch of heel that you are wearing. Desperate Housewives is one of my favorite shows and we only have about 6 channels on our tv in our apartment so I am sure we wouldn't get the show. So Amy, Kelly and I went to the club to check it out. We ended up being the only ones there, but it was really fun because we were able to make friends with the bartender (Matt). He was really friendly and was shocked that we were Americans because polite and not loud and obnoxious as many Australians view Americans. He asked me what I wanted to drink, and I told him I wasn't sure, but that I liked anything that is sweet. So he made Kelly and me a really good mix drink, that had a good amount of alcohol in it but I couldn't even taste it. It was delicious! Unfortunately, it was a drink he just made up on the spot so I would be unable to order it again unless I am able to find him.

Thanks to Amy wearing high heels that measured in at 5inches, we got 50% off of our cocktails! This brought a drink that would normally be $13 to only $6.50....what a steal! It was a great night, and we definitely plan on making it a Monday night tradition!

Orientation

Today (Monday 22nd) was the first day of orientation at the University of Wollongong. I woke up at 7am to take a shower, just because you never know who you will meet! All five of us roommates left for the bus stop at 8 and about 10 minutes later we were on our way to the Uni (as people call college here).

We arrived early so we tried to mingle with the other international students. At 9:00 we signed in and were given eco-friendly bags filled with all sorts of information. We then moved to a large lecture hall where we staid for a couple hours. Topics that were covered included all the countries that our group was from (over 20 total), safe surfing, enrolling in classes, etc. It was freezing in the lecture hall so I was happy when we got to leave.

All 200 or so of us were told to sit in an outdoor area for a group picture. The group was so big that the camera man kept having people move around. He eventually took some pictures, but totally forgot to let us know that he was taking the pictures. Who knows if anyone will be looking the right direction in the picture.

After the group pic, we headed to an area where we were able to get information about spring break trips and other trips throughout the semester. We then split into small groups were given a sort tour of the campus. The day before when my roommates and I had visited the campus our own we had a better tour than we were given today.
A funny thing happened on my tour. I was walking into the building as another group was leaving, I noticed a guy who looked familiar and he noticed me too. He said "Ashley?" and I responded "Bryan Crowley?". Brian went to Simsbury high with me and I haven't seen him since high school graduation so it was crazy to see him in Australia. What a smal world!! After the short walk, we got a free lunch I had a chicken sandwich. I met some girls that seemed pretty cool and I am sure I will see them again.

After lunch, I got my picture taken for my id. Even though I had taken a shower this morning, I didn't look that great in my picture because earlier I had to put up my hair because I was sweating so much (the temp today was about 93 degrees).

It was neat to meet some new people who did not come to Australia through the same program as me, and to hear about the experiences they have had since they got here.

Mt. Keira adventure

Today, we decided to try to hike Mt. Keira, which is a 1500ft mountain that overlooks Wollongong. Amy, Katie, Jason and I set out to try to find a bus that would take us as close as possible. The schedules are pretty tricky to figure out around here. We ended up missing the first bus that could have taken us to the bottom of the mountain. Katie and I also realized that we had no money, so we walked 3 or so blocks back to our apartment to get our money. Once we got back we realized that we also didn't have our keys to the building or our room. Thankfully, a man walked in the door just before us and let us into the building.

Now that we were in the building the next step we to get in our apartment. Our roommate Kelly, had stayed back because she was sick and didn't feel well enough to join. Katie and I stood pounding on the door for about 5mins trying to get her attention. Unfortunately, she was sleeping and couldn't here us. We gave up walked back to the bus stop to learn that we had missed the next bus. I really thought this was going to be a failed mission.

Eventually a bus came around that said he could drop us off at the Keira post office. He seemed to laugh as us when we said we wanted to hike the mountain as though we were crazy to think we could. Once at the post office we began our hike up a main road. The road was about a 45 degree angle...aka very steep...and this was just the beginning of our journey. We eventually found some walking trails that weaved us up and around the mountain. It took a little over an hour to reach the summit. Jason and Amy seemed as though they were running up this mountain due to the pace. They work out daily and are in very good shape. Me on the other hand...not so much. My legs were burning as the incline increased. The trails were thin but rocks had been put in certain places to act as stairs.

After an hour of hiking (bush walking) we finally made it to the top! Thank goodness!! I we exhausted and drenched with sweat. We of course picked mid-day when it was in the lower 90's to go for a hike. Thankfully the view from the top was gorgeous and totally worth all of the sweat! We sat at a picnic table at the top of the mountain and took much needed break. After chilling out for a couple minutes, we took some pictures of the beautiful view and started our journey back to the bottom of the mountain.

The walk down was much faster, and easier than the walk to the top. I was so happy when we finally made it to the bus stop. We realized that the bus would be coming pretty quickly to. As we were waiting around an older man drove by us and then turned around and asked what we were doing. We told him we were trying to get back to town. He didn't believe the bus would be coming through, since it was a Sunday, and he offered us a ride. We gratefully accepted his offer. All four of us piled into his car. Within minutes he had given us a magazine with all sorts of things to do around town, and was giving us tips on where to go hiking next. He dropped us right across the street from our apartment. If we hadn't taken the ride from him we would have lived here for 4months without knowing about all the things that are going on.

I'm going to school in a jungle

Yesterday, which was Saturday here my roommates and I decided to try out the Gong shuttle (which is a free bus that can take us to campus) and check out the University of Wollongong. It was about a 20min bus ride to get to the campus. Once we got there, we all felt like we were in a jungle. The campus is gorgeous! It is at the bottom of a mountain and there are all sorts of lush trees and plants. There are also plenty of ponds and streams spread throughout the campus. Birds were casually walking throughout the campus. We found the UniBar...yes the campus has its own bar!Two of my roommates are really into working out so we went to find the gym. There was a sign that said "ten free days"...I think that is going to be the offer that I use. Otherwise, even as students you have to pay a large fee to get a membership(around $165)...yikes! Walking around the huge campus will be enough exercise for me!

On the way back we stopped at the Crowne St. Mall. Each time we go there we find a new store. We found a great discount store that we will definitely be frequenting. We also went to Woolworths (the grocery store) to pick up food for dinner. It seems like going to the grocery store will be a daily event as well. For dinner I made us a make-shift baked ziti. It turned out really good and everyone seemed to enjoy it.

We were planning on going out to check out some new bars, but we ended up deciding to make it a movie night. Jason, Amy and I went to the grocery store to pick up some snacks. Our entertainment for the night was Juno.

Day at the beach!

Yesterday the roommates and I did some shopping on Crowne Street. After we got some more supplies, we all headed to the beach. It was probably around 85 degrees yesterday. Thankfully the beach was windy so it didn't feel so hot. I went in the water for the first time. It is slightly chilly but not too bad. The water was very powerful, and two separate times I felt like I was going to be pulled into the water. It was very scary how powerful the current was. At one point I ended up on all fours trying to prevent myself from getting pulled in. After the swimming scared Kelly, Amy and I took a nice walk down the beach. We then laid out for awhile before we returned back to the penthouse.

Unfortunately, I got burned even though I made sure to heavily apply sunscreen. I guess the sun is just that strong. For dinner, we made stir-fry with brown rice, chicken, snow peas, carrots, corn, and teriaki sauce. It was surprisingly delicious.
At night we headed back to Hotel Illawara to do some dancing. The music was much more current than the night before. We danced into the night, having a great time!

First full day in the Gong

On Thursday my roommate and I woke up pretty early. It was the first time that I got to skype with my parents, so that was exciting! After catching up with the 'rents Jason, Amy and I went to Woolworths to get more groceries. We discovered that Woolworths is much closer than the grocery store that we went to the previous day. Today was my first time ever going into a liquor store and buying something. I was hoping that I would get carded because there were signs everywhere that said "if you look under 25 you will be carded", however my age was never questioned. I was shocked by the price of alcohol here. A six pack of Smirnoff ice was $106....outrageous!! I ended up buying the cheapest bottle of vodka that I could find and that was still $27. After shopping, we brought our stuff back to the apartment (which I forgot to say is a Penthouse) and got ready for the beach. We went to the beach and laid out for a couple of hours.

For dinner we used leftover pasta, made some chicken and created a pasta salad with Italian dressing and chicken. It turned out pretty good. At around 9ish we started to pre-game, and by 10 Jason, Amy, Katie and I were out on the town heading to Illwara Hotel. This "hotel" is what we would consider a bar/club. There was a large line outside of the building that we joined. Within a few minutes the bouncer came up to us and told us we could come to the front of the line. I was shocked! I got to cut the entire line! Inside the club was filled, there was a large dance floor in one area, and tables in another. There was no ceiling over the table area, it was just open to the sky. Thursday was Retro Night at the club so we danced until 1am to all sorts of classic oldies tunes. It was funny because all of the songs were American ones. I had a blast dancing and singing!

Wollongong :)

On Wednesday we left the World Tower to move into our apartment in Wollongong, New South Wales. We got on a coach bus with a bunch of kids who we dropped off at the airport so they could make their flight to the pre-semester trip on the east coast. Once those people got off it was only my 4 roommates and 2 people from Study Australia left. It was very odd to use a huge coach bus to drive only 7 people an hour away. The drive was pretty and we came into Wollongong over a mountain, so we could see the entire city. The study Australia people helped move us in, and set up our internet. They also took us on a little tour of the city so we could get an idea of where we were. We stopped at a grocery store to get some basic supplies. it was and Aldi and we had to pay for the grocery cart. So we decided to push the grocery cart back to our apartment because it would have been too difficult to carry everything on its own.

Late afternoon after the people from Study Australia left we did some exploring of the beach that is a block away from our apartment. It is gorgeous and the water is so clear. It is a beautiful greenish, blue. For dinner, we made pasta and sauce, and green beans as our first "family" dinner. We wanted to go out, but after dinner everyone was exhausted so we ended up just going to bed.

Free Day

Tuesday was a free day after we met up with the Study Australia group from 9-11 to learn more about the Australian culture and what to expect at school. A bunch of us decided to venture to Bondi Beach to check out the beach in Australia for the first time. There were about 12 of us, and it took awhile to orchestrate everybody. Around 1pm we made it to the bus station, tried to get on a bus and learned that you must get a prepaid bus ticket. We had to wonder around some more to find where to buy the tickets. It ended up being $3 per way. The bus ride was about 45min to get to the beach. Everyone was so excited to get to go in the ocean. It was extremely windy that day so I didn't even wear a bathing suit. I actually went in a long-sleeved t-shirt. We walked through the water, and took a ton of pictures like annoying tourists would. There were some rocks on one side of the beach that we decided to explore. It was such a neat place because the rocks had been carved away from the water. After a lot of exploring we went on a search to find gelato. It ended up being pretty expensive so I decided to pass. Around 4 we returned to the World Tour, our apartment for the week, to get ready for our cruise.
We went on a harbor cruise on a really nice boat called the Sydney 2000. We were given complimentary champagne when we got on the boat and everyone rushed to the top to get pictures of the opera house and the Sydney bridge. It was really pretty because the sun was setting as we passed these famous structures. We had a 3 course meal that included bread and butter, salmon or steak, and dessert. The trip ended up being around 3 hours and was a great way to end our orientation.

Go big or go home

On Monday morning we had to wake up super early to catch a 7:00 bus to the Blue Mountains. The bus ride was about 2hrs long through some twisty roads. Once we arrived we were shown how to put on all the gear (the helmet smelled especially gross) and began to climb down the mountain to our rappelling sight. The trail was not well kept, so it was pretty treacherous. Once we got to the sight we were given a demonstration on how to rappel down a rock that was about 15ft tall. After some instructions, we got a chance to try it for ourselves. My first time down went very smoothly because I have had some similar experiences. After a couple tries at the 15ft rock, we moved on to rocks that were around 60ft or so. I rappelled down three times. The worst part was climbing back up to the landing ground. We had to climb up a small ladder. By the time I would get to the top my heart would be pounding heavily. Around noon we stopped for lunch. I of course chose to eat the pasta salad, a roll, and a slice of watermelon. After lunch, it was time for the big rappels. I went down a 160ft cliff which was pretty awesome. By the time I got down to the bottom my hand was burning due to the friction from the rope.

My motto while I have been here so far is "go big or go home", and since I am across the world and about a 22 hour flight away from home my only option is to go BIG! This is why I chose to go face first off a 180ft cliff. We were put in an additional harness across our chest to support us as we went down. It was very nerve wracking sitting at the edge of this cliff knowing that I was about to go over the edge. I had to shuffle my butt off the rock edge, and then walk down part of the cliff. The worst part was definitely trying to get started. Once I began, it was a total rush to be hanging face first looking at the ground that was 180ft away.

At the end of the day we had to hike back up to where the shuttle was waiting. My legs were so tired from all of the hiking we had done. This was made even more difficult because I was given some of the rappelling rope to carry up. I was drenched in sweat and totally out of breath when I finally made it to the top. We were given a free beer by the guides when we were done.

On the way back to Sydney, we stopped to check out the Three Sisters, which is a rock formation. It was a beautiful sight to see. We had panoramic view of this huge canyon that looked like the grand canyon just covered with trees.

After dinner at Mammas restaurant we went to a bar called Three Monkeys. We met up with a bunch of people and hung out there for awhile. The crowd other than us seemed pretty old so after some drinks we headed out on the town to find a dance club. We found this great place and danced until about 1am.

This was one of my favorite days so far because it was packed with so much fun and adventure!

Kangaroos and Koalas!

On Sunday we woke up at 8 and met up with our group to go to a wildlife sanctuary. We got to pet kangaroos as they just laid around the park. I even got to stand up close to a Koala, which I originally thought was fake, but then noticed it was breathing. Took a ton of pictures of all the neat animals. After the animal park we got lunch and ate under the Sydney Bridge. Then we went on a 3 hour walking tour of Sydney. We saw some beautiful buildings as well as wildlife. Unfortunately, it rained for pretty much our entire walk. The sidewalks in Sydney are made out of a slick granite. I was wearing flip flops that had absolutely no traction. I ended up slipping and falling on my butt on the sidewalk. It was embarrassing because everyone stopped to look at what had happened, but I found it more funny than anything. For dinner, my roommates and I went to a Thai restaurant. I got some chicken and noodle meal. I didn't really like the taste so I left with out eating much. Again, we went to bed early because we were so exhausted from all of our adventures.

First Day in Australia

When I arrived in Sydney I picked up my baggage, went through customs and waited with the rest of the group to get on coach buses to be brought to our hotel. We were all brought to a conference center to wait for our hotel rooms to be ready. We were served lunch and then had a chance to pick up our new cell phones. I am stayed in the World Tour apartment hotel and my room was absolutely amazing. My room was on the 65th floor with and amazing views of the city. There were 2 rooms, and 2 bathrooms. We even had a washing machine and dryer in our room. I immediately took a shower because I was so hot and sweaty from the plane ride and getting to the hotel. Taking a shower felt amazing. We all met up at 4:30 to learn some things about Australia. At 6 all 106 of us walked to the Darling Harbour where we got a free meal at the Blackbird Café. I had a spaghetti dish, but I tried a piece of Kangaroo which is a big favorite here. It was pretty good, kind of tasted like lamb but is cooked rare because it has not fat. After dinner Amy, my roommate, and I walked around Sydney trying to find a place to get some dessert. We ended up finding a place in the mall that is underneath our hotel and we got slices of Mud Pie Cake. After our cake we headed back to the hotel. Many people went out but after over 35hrs of traveling I was exhausted.

I had to go to Canada...

I left with my dad for the Bradley airport to get on my flight to Dallas, TX. While standing in line a woman from American Airlines announced that the flight to Dallas was cancelled. Immediately tears began to pour down my face. I could not believe that there was not a cloud in the sky in CT, but that it was snowing in Texas. I was given a 1-800 phone number to call to try to find a different flight. After spending an hour and a half on the phone with a man the best he could come up with was a flight that left the next day. I was devastated because I needed to be in LA by 11:50p.m. to meet up with my group flight. I booked the Friday flight but wasn’t ready to give up. My dad ran up and down the terminal and stopped at Air Canada. After a lot of questions and persuading he was able to get me on a flight to LA. Unfortunately, it meant that I had to stop in Toronto, Canada. But that was my only option so I took it. Another woman who was supposed to be on the flight to Dallas also ended up traveling through Canada with me. A couple hours later I was on a small plane with one seat on each side, and a total of ten people. Once we arrived in Canada I had to get my bags, and go through customs. The woman and I helped each other find our way around the huge airport.This process was long and bizarre. At one point I was asked to put my hands in my pockets and then they got swabbed. I also had to let the security swab my backpack and my laptop computer. Once through I grabbed a slice of pizza and waited for my flight to LA. The flight to LA was about 5 hrs. I was originally supposed to arrive in LA with 5 hrs to get to the terminal for my flight to Sydney. I ended up with less than an hour to get my bags, find the terminal, and get one the plane. The LA airport had no signs, and even though I asked for help I got nothing special. I ended up running back and forth 4 times carrying over 100lbs worth of luggage, sweating, and crying trying to find the Quantas terminal. I was so tired and stressed out that it was all just so overwhelming. I eventually found Quantas and while I was waiting for them to print out my ticket I was crying as 8 people were staring at me. I ended up being escorted to the gate because I was running so late. Within several minutes I finally boarded the plane to Sydney. I was such a huge plane, it even had a second floor. I ended up in the middle seat between 2 girls who were going to Australia as well. The flight was a total of 14 ½ hours. We were served dinner, and breakfast both which were pretty good. I slept somewhat but never for an extended period of time. Over 36 hours of traveling later I arrived in Sydney at around 9:30 in the morning. This certainly was the traveling experience of a lifetime!

My New Australian Home!

Today I finally found out where I am going to be living for the next 4 months! I am going to be living with 4 other people in an apartment that has 3 bedrooms! I wonder who will get the single? My apartment is located close to the University of Wollongong, public transportation, and has a view of the ocean! Who could ask for anything better!
Now that I know where I am going to be living, I am even more excited to get to Australia. The countdown is now to 8 days until I board the plane to the land down under! :)