19/03/2007
Hello mates,
Uni is full swing on the sunshine coast and life is getting a bit busy. I took this past weekend off from travelling to catch up with my studies and get ready (i'm stoked) for week eights trip (in three days) to Sydney. Courtney and I booked our flights week 6 and plan to meet up with my G parents who are touring the Australian coast. Sydney is their last stop so it will be perfect timing to meet up with them and check out all Sydney has to offer… but now a thrilling update!
Week Seven
Study! Art and Design, Functional Anatomy, musculoskeletal Rehab! Three courses, three days a week, yet still quite a challenge. On the upside, all three classes are very interesting. The Australian system of learning is an applied one. There are very few exams (one, two, or none) but much of there is a focus on learning the material and then applying it to a certain situation. For my midsemester exam (for rehab) we will be given a sports related injury and we will have to tape/stabilise the injury in a way that will prevent re-injury while still providing the athlete the ability to perform. Functional anatomy is literally hands on, and much of the time it is shirts off as well(it tells us to bring . For Art and Design I have to make 50 unique images of a lemon using photoshop. So week seven was a busy one, but well worth it because I'll be free for Sydney
Week Six
Great Barrier Reef, Absolutely stunning trip! This was a trip organized by the uni along with a backpackers tour company($330-three day tour). The sunshine uni does a great job of creating different travel opportunities, although there haven't been any free trips. The start of the great barrier reef is about six hours north of the sunshine coast and is best identified by the Town of 1770. Somewhat of an odd name, but this very small town is great because it is a transition point for beach life. As you travel north up the coast their is excellent surfing prior to 1770, but once you get to the their the reef prevents surfable waves from forming. The large waves are gone and the snorkling/diving starts to be phenominal! on this trip i was able to do two dives and i saw much aqautic life including a lobster, crown of thorns star fish, angel fish, clown fish(nemo), manta ray (i saw that one from the boat), sea cucumbers... Then the next day (sun) we went to the beach and i learned how to surf! It was realy hard to balance, and i definetly got thrown around by the waves. but, no pain to gain. best trip yet.
Week five
Brisbane! This was the first trip to the city for me, and my first experience with hostels. Hostels are a really cheep form of accommodation, perfect for me. The trip - Courtney and I, along with Dave (from St. Louis) and Mike (from Washington DC) used the bus to get to the train which we took to Brisbane. We walked out of the train station and BAM! there we where in front of the Palace hostel. too easy! Unfortunately, it was completely booked, but its "sister" hostel a couple blocks down was wide open. The bedrooms in the hostel had bunk beds, air conditioning and a stool. All of that goodness for $30-40 a night.
During our trip we checked out Lone Pine koala sanctuary (held a koala, fed kangaroos), a rugby game (pure chaos, GO REDS!), went to a couple of morning markets (bought nothing), visited Roma Street Parklands (unique flowers), and did a lot of walking. I also made a brilliant purchase: a camelback. Its ability to provide water for hydration, coupled with its pockets for my camera, wallet, and other important bits is great for travelling around a city.