Quokkamole!

So since the weekend of trips, we have had 2 days of Media Frenzy in school, days of review and Quokkas! Media frenzy days were incredible the first day we got to make a tv show and work with the equipment and try out the different roles, i was the floor manager on our "jerry springer" type show. it was so much fun to work hands on in a field that i would not normally get to work with. The second day we did field work, so we followed people in the group around and made a 2 minute video, a much more painful process than you would think haha. the editting was definately the hardest and longest part. Other that than school has been the usual. We have a big photo-narrative project due on tuesday and a media journal due wednesday. The class has been pretty fulfilling, i have definately learned more about myself since i have been here haha. So now back to Quokkas, so a Quokka is a small marsupial that inhabits Rottnest Island, named because the Dutch thought the Quokkas were giant rats, Rat Nest Island. So they are the coolest little animals ever. they hope around and during the day u see a few, but at night they take over the island haha. The trip was incredible, the first day we went snorkeling and saw the most beautiful fish. The 2nd day the people i was with went snorkeling and beach side, but i decided to bike the entire island, it is about 37 km haha. very tiring, but we are all getting ready to leave Perth on friday so we are finishing up our projects, doing laundry, and just gettin ready to get on a plane again. I will update again b4 we leave perth. Today i am off to try to concurr all 1,000 acres of Kings Park!

cheers!
j good

dolphins, jetties, caves, raptors, surf boards, sand boards, and kites....in 4 days?

So the past for days has been nuts, we had a 2 day overnight field trip with school...yes a field trip in college. So we started out with a dolphin tour which was very cool, but it rained, but still incredible. then we got to walk out on a 2 km jetty and go to to an underwater observatory and look at the fish underwater, so cool! we got to camp out with everyone and it rained and was pretty much a typhoon and yet it was the best time! everyone was wet together haha. the 2nd day we got to go into a cave that went 35 km under ground it was incredible. the formations were beautiful and some weighed up to 2 tons! after lunch on day 2 we got to go to a raptor reserve and see a feeding, very cool. The teachers that came with us were so cool, we had the best time with them. It is crazy that we get to experience all of these things at university!! so the past 2 days i have been on a surfing trip where we got to learn how to surf(in australia :) ), snorkel out to a sweet island, sleep under the stars, and go sand boarding. Sand boarding is when you climb to the top of a sand dune, not like ones on the jersey shore or something like that, but like dunes in a movie, but the sand is like snow, soo smooth and soft, and you stand on a board the size of a skateboard and u slide down, incredible. and we got to do this by moonlight! i have never seen such clear stars! this has been the craziest semester ever because it is so weird that it is an actual semester and yet you get to learn more about yourself and how many other beautiful things there are in the world. incredible is the only word to describe it.

me, and Eagles fan....

not exactly the phili eagles, much much better haha. The weat Coast Eagles part of The AFL (Australian Football League). On sunday we all went to our first aussie rules football game and it is my new favorite sport. It is very fast paced and constantly moving. It is very different than U.S. football, and better in my opinion. Don't get me wrong, the Giants hold a special place in my heart, but the AFL game is incredible. The rules are kinda complicated there are more than one way to score, there are 4 poles on either side of the field, best way to get it is look up the rules online haha. So, this weekend was a usual weekend in West Perth, but mainly the big event was the game and the beach as usual. That is one of the best parts of Perth, we go to class, then hop a bus right to the beach. Today we got the first thunderstorm/major rain I have seen since we've been here. Apprently they only really get one big storm every summer. A building got hit by lightening apprently, so the alarm went off, but we were only outside for 5 minutes. Other than that it's been a usual semester. Had homework last week, that wasnt fun. but now its time for class. gotta run

class and such

So we have been in australia for a week and what a week it has been! Orientation was last week and it was a good time. We had a big group meeting with all the international students, had a special meeting for just the walkabout kids, met our professor and tutor, and went to festival day which is when all of the clubs and organisations set up outside at the Uni and try to get students to join. Murdoch University is absolutely beautiful. There are plam trees right on campus and the main quad looks like something out of a tropical state park haha. Our apartments are in a great location compared to the rest of the city. We are right by; North Bridge which has a lot of night life, the bus station, a shopping area and the Center Business District (CBD), a great park called Kings Park, beaches, and all that. The bus ride everywhere is pretty much 25 minutes haha. The living arrangements are nice. Just what we need. Living with everyone has been awesome. I share groceries with some friends across the hall and we sit down and make dinner like a family almost every weekday. We have gone to the Zoo and seen all of the incredible animals. We were only a foot or 2 away from some rhinos and lions. We have been to 3 beaches, the best so far is Cottesloe. A great place especially on sundays. The food here is just like the food at home, but at the market the food is cheaper. I have officially tried kangaroo and it was really good. It was like a very lean steak. hmmm what else...well sunday, we went on a ocean kayak trip. We left at 7:45 in the morning and kayaked all day. We saw sea lions, pengiuns, and some beautiful fish. We also snorkeled at Penguin Island and swam out to a rock shelf you could sit on and swim underneath. You had to swim down to the bottom and as you went under if you looked up you could see all of the fantastic rock formations and shells. It was sooo amazing! Well yesterday and today we had Uni and the first day of class was fun. We learned all about the history of the media in Australia. We also got to get to know our tutor Mary-Anne. She is terrific, so much fun and its very interested in us as individuals and as a group. A tutor here is not like a tutor in the States. It is more like a T.A. only it tends to be a post-grad student and is more of a teaching position. So today is Media Frenzy Day #1. The group was split up into 2 groups; 1 that did print and 1 that did radio. I am in the print group and so far we have practiced interviewing, sharing information, learning about news values, and the 5 W's and the H. Well now we have to work on the article that we are writing as a group. I have to do the backround research on the water shortage in Western Australia. Now its time to get back to work. I'll update again soon.
Cheers!

officially down under

After a total of 20 hours in the air, we are finally in our apartments in Perth. The flight from L.A. was...interesting. It wasn't as bad as you would think. There are tons of movie options and tv shows and games to watch and play. Also the food was wicked good. Customs was pretty crazy, everyone just wanted to get through, but they got us through quickly. The flight over the Outback to Perth felt longer then the 14 hour flight. Now they we are situated in our apartment we have had time to explore the part of the city we are in. We are in West Perth and our apartment is in a great location. We are only a 20 minute bus drive from Mudoch University and about 15 from Fremantle. Today has been exhausting, but it is so exciting to be here. The weather is great it is shorts weather and i am thrilled haha! well that is it for now, I'll update again after the week of orientation.

Down Under TODAY!

Today is the day we are leaving for Australia! I am now in L.A. trying to prep myself for the long 14 hour flight, but I am more excited to finally get there. After waiting all of last semester and winterbreak to go on this trip, it is finally here. The past week was crazy with packing and getting everything ready for the trip and trying to pack for 5 months and all kinds of weather. Last week it was freezing at home so I am very excited to be beach side in a few days haha. I am very excited to meet everyone today and get to know everyone better. I only know one person who is going, but that makes it more exciting haha. A fresh start almost with all new people. Well I will be boarding the plane in a few hours so look out for a new post when I am finally down under!!

2 Weeks to Go

Little over 2 weeks to go before the trip and I am slowly getting ready haha. So far over winter break I have reigstered for my visa, set up for an international cell phone, started getting organized for the trip, all the random stuff. Home is getting to be very boring and old. Most of the people have gone back to school, including Ithaca. Speaking of which, I am making a trip to Ithaca at some point to see everyone before I leave for 5 months. I am reading a book about Australia called In A Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson. Rather than a travel guide explaining different places of interests, restaurants, hotels, Bryson's book is simple travel literature he explains his experiences first hand and is often rather blunt. It is a great guide to learning more about what to expect while in Australia. That's it for now.