Only firsts in Australia!

To those reading this, I am currently sitting on the lawn after eating two beef tacos on the University of Sydney campus in-between my Learning in Outdoor Education class. Sorry for not blogging until now, but I finally have stable wifi and time. I have done so many things in Australia after being here for just 3 full weeks and now things are starting to slow down with the start of school; my fall semester, but the Aussie's spring semester. Things are pretty chill here, with my 16 credit hour load, and going to bed at 10pm with my host family and various pets. But first, I will start with listing the many FIRSTS I have had in Australia, including my 15 hour flight to the Down Under.

1. Flew to Sydney, Australia
2. Stayed in a Hostel
3. Ate Kangaroo
4. Bought my first legal drink- it was called a Sailor Moon, some kind of cocktail drink that was half price for happy hour.
5. Drank at a bar (ScuBar, probably my group's favorite place in the city)
6. Took a selfie with a Kangaroo

7. Pet a Koala and eventually held one (:

 

8. Ate at a foreign Subway, kind of lame…
9. Climbed the Sydney Harbor Bridge and saw incredible views.
10. Ate crocodile and emu, toppings on a pizza.
11. Tried Vegemite (SO GROSS!)
12. Went to Cairns in Northern Australia…just gorgeous!

13. Scuba dived and snorkeled in the Great Barrier Reef! Still waiting on getting the pictures…got one with Crash and Nemo! Now I want to be certified.

14. Participated in a Pub Crawl and met people from all around the world.

15. Explored the waterfalls and rain forests in Cairns…Swam in this waterfall that was freezing cold, but got this pic like they do with the hair product adds thanks to Bart, our tour guide.

16. Discovered the difference between Australian made UGGs and the China Uggs, Americans have been lied to for ever ):

17. Got asked by an art salesman, "What is fire?" because I am a physics major…

18. Went Sea Kayacking and snorkeling on Fitzroy Island, which is also gorgeous!

19. SKYDIVING!!!!! I have a video, which I will figure out how to upload soonish…

20. Supported a friend in Jelly Wrestling…kind of weird

21. BUNGY JUMPING!!!!!! Maybe this video will work…

22. White-Water Rafting, best thing ever!

23. Became an International Student…tables have turned. 

24. Met my great home stay family! Daniel (Dad), Simone (Mom), Terina (youngest sister), Jeremy (younger brother), Benji (dog), Bunny (cat), Zach (second cat), and eventually Jessica (younger sister, who is overseas right now and will be back in August.

25. Bought an Android, as my Australian phone ):

26. Took my first class in a big lecture hall aka First Year Chemistry, there are only 102 people in that class.

27. Had my first interview for kind of a job; ended up being really informal and got the internship the second I walked in…I guess I am a Civil Engineer for the semester, Wooh /:

28. Went to Bondi Beach, which is also absolutely gorgeous, just a 30 min bus ride from where I live!

29. Went to an Aroma Festival, with chocolate, coffee, churros, food, etc! Smelled so good there. 

30. Finally, I started a journal of my adventures (:

That is all I can think of at the moment. There are probably even more firsts that I have had in Australia, but there are still more to come with my time abroad in this amazing country. So many nice people (:

This will conclude my first post and stayed tuned for another post about how attending a big school is and if I make some Australian friends…that is my main goal.

Cheers!