Happy!

Sunset on Leeuwin II.

Last week was a goofy week. I think I went through my first ever phase of homesickness. There were a couple days where I didn't really feel like doing anything but sleeping and sitting inside, which was weird and I totally feel guilty about it now.  I guess it's fair to say that the 'honeymoon' period of being in Australia was done, the school work started piling up, and homesickness really kicked in. But,  besides the fact that I do miss all my friends and family terrible, this place is SO beautiful and being sad is just a waste of time. Time is flying by so fast, and I'll be home before I know it. Until then, it's important that I try to do as many things as possible and take advantage of everything I can :) Looking ahead at the rest of my time here, I realized I only have a handful of weekends left that activities are not planned, and there is still so much I want to do! It's somewhat overwhelming, but if I don't get everything accomplished then it will give me an excuse to come back. 

One of the best parts of the trip so far has been living at the P&O. I hardly knew any people going on this trip but now I can't imagine being with a better group of kids! We have all  bonded very well, and I've made some great friends that I would have never expected to! There is never a dull moment around here!


We have gone on some great excursions in the past two weeks! One was to a farm full of Australian animals. Dingos, kangaroos, chickens, llamas, camels, pigs, birds, joeys, Koalas, alligators, snakes, and peacocks were running/flying around everywhere! I got to play with the Kangaroos and hold a koala! If I could sneak a Kangaroo home, I totally would because they were awesome. 

Yesterday we went on a sunset boat tour which was also a great time! It looked like a giant pirate ship, but it was a giant sailboat called the Leeuwin II. We got to help pull the ropes and draw the sails which was a neat experience. To be honest, it was weird being on a boat and not listening to Jimmy Buffet and drinking Coors light, but it was still a great time! I got to steer the boat for awhile! Dad, you would have been proud! Unfortunately, my camera broke about an hour before we left for the boat so hopefully I'll be able to get that fixed soon! This afternoon I caught the train to Perth to try and get it fixed but the repair shop was closed, so  I'll be making another trip in soon! I still managed to sneak a few pictures on other people's cameras thankfully. 

Dad, you would have loved this boat!

The Boat

Testing my Orienteering skills

I climbed that net!

Freo Docks at night!

The rest of march and April are going to be filled with some very exciting activities! In two weeks, we head up to Broome, where we will spend 5 days in the Kimberly living with the Aborigines. Many people who have done this trip say their trip to the Kimberly was the highlight of studying abroad. It's a very unique and special experience that kids who have previously gone don't  talk about, just to keep it special for everyone else. The only thing I have been told is to bring sunscreen, a water bottle, and a hat as it's on average over 110 degrees. We'll be camping the entire time, and rumor has it we have to hunt and kill all of our own food.  I'm extremely excited for this trip and can't wait to tell you a little bit about it at least.


Shortly after we return from Broome, we will be going on our Spring break road trip.  We still only have 3 people who know how to drive a manual RV, so I'll be devoting a few hours of my beach time to reading and googling how to drive a manual RV on the left side of the road. Should be an interesting week, to say the least. 


I also booked a trip to Thailand over our study week in June! I'll be spending 5 days in Phuket, Thailand with 30 people from Notre Dame and CSB/SJU. We managed to luck out with our reservations and score 3 ten person villas at a 5 star Marriott next to the beach in Phuket thanks to a friend's Time Share (Rebecca if you read this, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!) It's going to be our last big hooray before we all head home since once we get back it's final exam time then sadly time to leave :( 


I also learned how to jazz up my blog! It's kinda fun :)