Student Lodge: Research

Check out my abroad accommodations (pool and BBq area included!)
http://www.studentlodge.com.au/home

Of course I'll put up my own accounts of this place once I arrive ;)

This isn't where I'll be staying the entire time, but it's my "home" abroad I suppose. We will be traveling to a few other cities while I'm there, but this is across the street from the University or "Uni" I'll be studying at, James Cook University.

James Cook has a few campuses across Australia, but i'll be at the Cairns campus. Taken from the website, "One of the world's leading institutions focusing on the tropics, Australia's James Cook University is surrounded by the spectacular ecosystems of the rainforests of the Wet tropics, the dry savannahs, and the iconic Great Barrier Reef.

Our unique location enables students from Australia and overseas to study in a diverse physical environment unparalleled by any university in the world." Pretty impressive, I'd say.

I suppose it may seem strange to wonder why I even picked Australia. I honestly think their environment is completely different from ours, culturally and weather wise. I can't wait to experience a different culture. 

Meanwhile, as far as being prepared, I've bought some Teva shoes and a 70-300mm lens for my Canon. I still need a bathing suit and an outlet adapter for Australian outlets. Since the power conversion for hair dryers involves math to understand, I will not be taking a hair dryer with me, nor a straightener. I figure it's bad for my hair anyway and going curly everyday will be easier. 

God forbid I have bad curls everyday though -_-. 10 days to go!

Pre-Departure Webinar

The things I just learned about this class...incredible! Some quick info I took with me..

- Local people call Cairns Tropical North Queensland, the weather is compared to South America. It will be their 'winter', which means between 70-80 degrees. Sounds perfect for us, right?
- It is a new tourist city, started becoming popular about 30 years ago.
- The minimum wage in Australia is around $20...meaning it's way more expensive to live there...

And I think I'm broke now. Just wait until I come back.

As I Wander Down Under: Australian terms which may or may not scare me.

As I Wander Down Under: Australian terms which may or may not scare me.:

• Pissed Intoxicated.
• Pissed to the eyeballs Intoxicated to the point of probably vomiting shortly and walking into the path of oncoming cars, and therefore both a highly amusing condition and cause for pride. 
• Dag Wool around a sheep’s anus clumped with excreta and therefore a term of endearment. Best mate.
• Croc sandwich Tourist in northern Australia
• Drop Bears Savage bush creatures which live in every tree under which a tourist passes. 
• Nucular 1) If owned by the USA or the UK (now also the Russians), an approved Weapon of Mass Destruction; if owned by a muslim country or the French, the work of satan in the hands of evil-doers; if owned by the Indians or Chinese, an approved commerical transaction.
  2) Bushism; Incorrect pronunication of "nuclear", mainly by retards with their finger on the button.

This comes from one of my travel buddies, Rachel! Can't wait to meet her!

12 Days

These next 12 days are going to be insane! I have so much to do to prepare for my international endeavor across the world. Some things that are on the to-do list are:
- Prepare my documents for flight
- Purchase a bathing suit and some new shoes
- PACK
- Many other things I simply cannot wrap my head around

Something I did yesterday was purchase my zoom lens for my Canon Rebel XSi, a 70-300mm. Luckily, it was much cheaper than I expected. It was a necessity for this trip, since I may never see these things again!

It's kind of difficult to get all of this paperwork completed, simply because this is the first week I've had off of school since Christmas Break 2011. It would be lovely to just watch TV all day, and not work at Applebee's like it's what I have to do.

Truth is, I just want to be on the plane NOW. 12 days, 12 days, 12 days...