HOME! and fiji :)

im homeeeee!!!!! sitting in my room writing this last blog is so unreal to me right now. i feel like i am in a dream. i arrived tuesday night at 11 pm. i had told everyone that i was to be returning on wednesday night as i left fiji on tuesday but with time traveling and the way things work i got in tuesday night. my mom met me at the airport and it was like a flash of reality seeing friends family and driving on the right side! ill start with talking about fiji...its just like the movies! the white sandy beaches, the long walks going island to island, the native people who welcome you wide arms, and the endless amount of time spent laying on a hammock watching the horses run free on the beach. it was a place that was very relaxing and that is exactly what i went there for, the last chance to take in the entire past 5 months and reflect on what happened and what there is still to come. the cost for everything there was half of the dollar so paying 10 fijian dollars was like spending 5 american dollars. getting to know all the differnt types of currency and be literate enough to know the transfer rate and what i am getting for my money has been eye opening. i never had to think about the money i was giving to someone or having to compare prices from different locations but i definetly do that now. just seeing american money is still very strange and every other currency besides the US has dollar coins instead of dollar bills so i will need to get used to carrying those around. all together australia and fiji were by far without a doubt the best decision of my life and i would tell ANYONE to get the change to get out and travel. i have met so many great people and had such amazing experiences and done things that i never would have thought i could have done is so inspiring and makes me want to go somewhere else. the chance to get away from the everyday life and take a look back really makes the more important things in life mean the most and the other values dissapear. it was vey bitter sweet leaving and i still feel like i will be home for a week and then return back there next week with everyone and keep up with the routine i have there..but i guess that is not going to come true. i would love to talk to anyone and everyone about my experience and explain everything in detail as long as go through my thousand or so pictures that i took! thanks for reading my blog for the past semester and i am home for good now! will be working more than sleeping but until then finishing up important tasks and taking in the life that i have been so grateful to experience and say "been there done that!"
peace and blessings!

last blog from australia!

the time has really come! i never thought this was ever going to end and it would just last forever..i guess thats not the case. it is SO bitter sweet. i am so excited to come home but at the same time i could live here forever, the people, weather, culture, and entire atmosphere is just breaktaking and wonderful. it will be nice getting back into a routine tho and come back to the real world (with a paycheck!) i realize that i have not wrote a blog for like 2 weeks now but my time has consisted mainly of studying laying outside enjoying time with people and doing final things that i want to accomplish here..like hiking a moutain! last week a group of 6 of us got up at 630 am and made our way downtown to this moutain that is called "the pyramid" because it looks like one. this was the most painful exhausting work out of my life. i was sore for a week after! mainly cuz i have not been training here like i do at home but it was such an endurance adventure. it took us 2.5 hours to climb up and 1.5 to come down. at the top we took an hour nap and just took in the sight--and quite a sight it was. it was so worth it afterwards but during the 4 hour process i kept thinking to myself "why do people voluntarily put themselves in so much pain" like for real, at one point i was shimmering up rocks the size of my house making sure not to slip on the water for fear of loosing balance and taking a very long painful roll down the mountain. all in all tho it was a very good day and my heart thanked me for doing something productive instead of just laying by the pool all day! that is about the extreme for the past 2 weeks. we have gone out a couple nights to just say goodbye to all our australian friends and end on a good note.
oh yea school...i always seem to forget about that part! so far i have had 2 finals and i have 3 more this week still. they are going alright so far its just really hard finding motivation to study and retain information when i look outside and it is 70 with a breeze and BEAUTIFUL! thats like torture to make students study in that type of atmosphere! i am slowly beginning to pack and get all my stuff together before i head out. i leave saturday afternoon for Fiji and am there for 3 nights 4 days ish and then come back to good ole america! i am super pumped for fiji and just getting to experience another culture and see what is out there. i have been in contact with my hostel and it is just funny thier slang that i already have caught up on. it should be a good time and a nice way to wrap up the past 5 months and reflect on everything. my next blog will have the final trip adventures and my travels back home! it is seriosuly so weird how fast time has gone i just cant believe it. its really sad. if i had a job here i would be staying for the summer but parents are getting sad, the bank is calling me for money, and homecooked food (and good toilet paper) sound SO AMAZING! thanks for reading all my blogs and i would love to show pictures and tell tales about this adventure when i get back home. less than a week i will be back in the motherland--so crazy! peace and blessings to all see you soon :)

love you all!

times coming to an end!

i realize i did not write a blog last week but there has not really been anything interesting or fun happening! last weekend was our final going away dinner with our orientation group so we went to a really fancy restaurant and ate out--it was awesome! between then and now i have had my final week of classes and started studying for finals! we have this whole week off dedicated to studying as finals start in the 2nd-this saturday. the weather has sadly not been the nicest as its technically the end of fall/beginning of winter here. just today i was laying by the pool and someone walked by and was like "wow it is really getting chilly out here i am going to have to buy some more jumpers!" as i was laying by the pool suntanning...talk about a change of culture! the evenings do get pretty brisk but nothing more than jeans and a long sleeved shirt are necessary. i have continued to keep meeting weird crawly creepy creatures that i somehow must not have seen the first 4 months or are more paranoid now! again today as i was laying by the pool some girls were talking about how a python was slithering next to the gate about 20 min before i arrived...i dont think these people realize how much i HATE snakes and they keep telling me how close they are too me--not an easy thing to fall asleep to at night. not to mention the endless spiders, daddy long legs, and lizard things that like to keep making apperances in our apartment. 3 weeks left!
it is crazy how fast time as slipped by and it really seems like yesterday i was moving in here. i am trying to take time to reflect back on the entire experience and make sure to take it all in as i dont know when i will make it back!
i booked my hostel and events for Fiji so its official i will be going there! looking into beaches and things to do are getting me SO excited--another place i will be able to say i have been and have memories with. with finals coming so close there is not a lot of things planned for the next couple weeks. we are hiking a mountain/pyramid tomorrow so that will be a fun (and exhausting) experience and we will have to see where the rest of the time takes me! hope all is well back home and i hear the weather is starting to get nicer so smiles for that :)

this is my orientation leader and i at our last dinner. she is so wonderful!

scuba diving!

sorry im a little late on posting this blog...my internet has been HORRIBLE in my room so i have very limited access to get online and when i do its usually to do homework stuff. the past week has been involving my beginning preparation for finals and going to the great barrier reef! we had planned to go on the reef on saturday and we got a call friday night saying the boat had broken down and we would not be able to go the next morning. luckily, there were spots on the sunday boat so we went that day instead. it started with boarding the boat at 730 am and we got served breakfast (an egg and ham, woohooo) we then proceeded out to the reef. the beginning of the day was overcast and not the nicest but it got a little nicer throughout the day which was great. when we were at the reef we were placed in groups and told to get suited up as i was in the first group! upon putting my wetsuit, eye mask, and flippers on i was so jacked and ready! the instructor knew right away that i was very comfortable in the water and ready to be on my own. when the oxygen pack got loaded on i was feeling so ready and could not wait to get in the water. we had to do so boring safety skill stuff first and the instructor was like even though you seem like a great swimmer and ready for this i need you to follow me...i did for the most part! it was tricky at first getting the whole breathing thing down and being able to breath in and out with no problem. because we were first time scuba people we were only supposed to go down like 6 meters but because im me and love pushing the limits i went down to like 9 meters which is about 28 feet. seeing the reef up close was just awesome! we saw a shark (maybe three feet long) swimming around the coral, saw a baby turtle, lots of cool fish, sea cucumbers, many clams (some the size of my upper body!), and other sweet things that i dont remember the name of! the dive lasted about 30 minutes and then we had to go back as there were many groups. when we were done, sarah and i went snorkeling for about an hour and once again veered way off from where we were supposed to go--it was so hard seeing the direction we were headed as i was looking under water and would get distracted by something and swim alongside it or follow it by the time i looked up we were in front of the boat 100 yards when i was intending on going behind it! it was all fun tho. after we got served lunch we headed out to another spot of the reef and went snorkeling again. by this time my ears were feeling all the pressure and water build up and i was getting a massive headache and ready to head back to the boat. we ended up being out at sea for like 5 hours and then went back to the pier where we were all exhausted and ready for bed! i went to sleep at 8 that night...
other than that this week has been quite typical with class, going out a few nights, and just laying by the pool and going to the lagoon! this weekend should be a bit more eventful with a going away dinner, we are going to a concert saturday night, and then hiking a mountain on sunday! following will be pictures of the reef and some of the things we saw!
peace and blessings to all and a month exactly till i get home! <3

i saw my life flash before my eyes..

to elaborate on the title of this blog more i was walking to class on tuesday morning when all of a sudden i  look to the side of the sidewalk and see a PYTHON slithering  alongside me. now a little background to this happening...earlier last week i had heard that a teacher had found a python on the middle of the road and picked it up (now why someone would do this i dont have that answer) but he proceeded to bring it to school and show as many people as he could. so i heard that there was a 16 foot 40 pound snake with this guy but i had not heard the news that he LET IT GO in the woods so it could "find its place back home". well he should have informed the entire city because here is jessica walking quietly along the path just trying to go to class and look down and see this literally 5 feet from me. now snakes are the one thing in life that freak me out and i was not about to be this little fellas lunch. so here i see it do a triple take and realize i need to get the heck away from where i was. so i started with a brisk walk to the opposite direction which quickly turned into a sprint to the campus so i would not be around any type of forest. come to find out that the teacher just wanted to return the snake to its original habitat--i mean im all for this but give the people a slight heads up or something...jeez that was quite a start to me day. then on thursday we went to dinner at our complex like always and there is always a menu board that has the food for the day on it. well that day it had said "octopus". now im thinking alright maybe like a little flavoring or like a tentacle on top of a roast or something...no. it was the full on head, body, and 8 legs all sitting there waiting to be injested. well of course i had to try it. everyone was saying you just had to take it at one time and not go bite by bite so i threw the thing in my mouth and just as fast and it went in it came out. just imagine the feeling of tentacles with suckers on them and then a big juicy head with a meaty body..yep thats why it came back out. i was not having it and will never again try it. one more animal story (this one is better); on sunday i had a field trip with my biology class and we went up to Port Douglas which is about a hour drive north of where i am in cairns. we were going out to a point where there was 3 specific places of habitats for various animals. on this we were treking through muddy puddles, thigh high water ways, and standing on top of coral. it was a beautiful sight and we saw/found some amazing animals including a tiger shark, large octopus, crabs, sea cucumbers, and other various things that i have learned about but cant pronounce/spell thier names! it was definetly a new type of field trip where back home they are to museums and parks and here i was in the middle of the ocean putting my arm down holes and seeing what types of creatures come out. very neat experience.
another highlight of the week was doing a lawn bowling experience with my study abroad group. this is kinda like bocce ball but the balls here are weighted more on one side so there is a skill and trick at getting the ball down the lane to get close to the smaller ball (here called the jack). it was so cute seeing all the old men teaching us and being all happy in thier area of expertise--made me miss my residents at the nursing home! after this we got to go to dinner which was awesome cuz any time we get food that is not cafeteria food its a good night! on saturday night a group of us went salsa dancing as well. we have been meaning to do this for a while but have been putting it off but finally made it there on saturday. it turned out being zuck-lumbara (i dont think thats how you spell it) dancing which is some weird style but it was still fun and of course we were the youngest ones doing it and all the older couples were having a hay day watching us stubble around and attempt to look the part. i was feeling pretty good about myself and was going to send a video to Derek Hough and tell him to get ready for me on the next season of dancing with the stars!

overall another great week...i think only 4 full weeks left which is very scary and makes me want to make the most of everyday so off to the beach i go! this will be my 4th day in a row going there and it is just paradise. hate to share my expereince to you all who are in the hail and rain but a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do! peace and blessings to all!

it rains everywhere...

another monday morning here i am reflecting back on the past week..all i really can think of is that it rained. rainforests really do mean rain i guess. there was one nice day last wednesday which was ANZAC day (similar to our memorial day) so we had the day off school. one of my friends/roommates here has found an austrailian navy man so we got up at 6 am to go to the ceremony and see all the festivities. it was really cool to see all the different branches of the service and the ceremony was interesting as well. especially when they sang thier national anthem and i tried singing ours...the rest of the day was dedicated to service men and them letting loose and having the day off -- aka drinking. let me tell you sailors know how to drink! it was so funny seeing everyone in the day in their uniforms but they all made sure to take thier name tags off in case a boss or someone saw them. it was a fun day overall. nothing more exciting happened this week unfortunetly. i have about 6 or so weeks left i think (im not trying to keep count!) so i am trying to get all my bucket list things off before i leave. i booked my ticket to Fiji so i am for sure going there at the end which im assuming will be an awesome way of ending the trip! ill put some pics up of ANZAC day and other randoms. sorry i dont have anything else to add ive just been doing homework and papers :( sad part....

Spring Break!

we meet again! this time i have some new news that doesnt deal with stuff here in cairns. this past week was americans spring break and australias fall break (as its the fall here) but either way we had the past week off from class and got to do a little traveling. my group of mates here and i went down to the gold coast which is on the east side slightly south of Brisbane. we flew in there saturday afternoon and just walked around for a bit and made our way to the hostel that we were staying at. now this was my first hostel experience and yes i have seen the movies and thought that i was going to be staying with bugs and crazy russian speaking jocks that stunk up the bathroom..well it wasnt that bad! we got checked in and went to our 6 person dorm style room and saw that 2 of the 6 beds had clothes and stuff on them. so us 4 american girls just thought oh its just 2 other females no big deal...once we started to analyze their clothes and style we quickly realized they were boys! none of us remembered that the rooms were co-ed so this came as quite a shock to us all. trying not to let that idea affect us we went to walk around town and see what was around us. the first 2.5 days were overcast with not the greatest weather. so those days were spent just meeting people and finding out what activities were in the town. on tuesday we rented scooter/mo-ped type things for the day and got to scooter around town. now this was a blast dont get me wrong but we brought along our 2 german male 18 year old roommates figuring they would have some clue as to the rules of driving in australia--bad assumption. all i can say is im glad that i have some driving experience and am a professional snowmobiler because i was using hand signs looking at people moving over so cars could pass us stopping for the red lights and other helpful skills of the road. not only did the 2 germans have not a clue as to the driving regulations here (as i didnt either) but there was 7 of us total and no one besides me had ridden a scooter before so it took a good hour or so for the group to realize how to work the blinkers, look in the mirrors, and communicate with other drivers. having a couple near death expereinces and having to calm down a few fustruated drivers we turned the scooters in for the night and hit the town (well we did that every night!)
the next day we went to an amusement park type thing similar to those back in the states. there were rollarcoasters and a water park that we spent the enitre day at wearing ourselves out acting like complete children!
i think the best memories of the trip were made living in the hostel...between the beds sqeaking when anyone moved, to the screams and yelling of drunks coming home at 4 am, to the rain pouring down in the night that we could hear everything, to living with boys and the excitment they bring at night/early morning! we were actually really lucky with our roommates getting 2 men from ireland the first night, the 2 german boys for a couple nights, 2 female nurses, and  then 2 girls living here but are from Atlanta. overall it was a good experience that will not be forgotten!
on thursday we went surfing! now this was not only i think the best workout ever but the most painful sport ever. i have so many bruises scrates and sore muscles even a week later! we took lessons through some guy and it was really helpful. i am a professional at getting on my knees but the whole "jumping to your feet" gets me every time! the board was so slippery and everything was happening so fast that by the time i realized that the wave was coming i have the strap of the board wrapped around my foot, the board going sideways, and nosediving to the bottom. the instructor said he had never seen so many people do the things and positions we did! i guess ill take that as a compliment...after the pain and suffering that brought us we spent the remainder of the day laying on the beach in awe of the people that could just pop up on the boards...i think ill just stick to swimming!
on friday we got on a train and went north to brisbane for the night. we had tickets to a rugby game and stayed there for the night. this town was beautiful! the landscape and buildings are  very unique and just awesome to look at. the game was very interesting in that i had no idea what was going on, there were men running around jumping on top of one another and people were yelling and booing at times i thought something good happened...thank god for the guy sitting next to me who was trying to help me and explain some things while the game went on. it was a good expeience tho and im glad i got to see iit happen in person. the stadium was fantasic and we had AWESOME seats for the price we paid. i was very much surprised.
upon returing to the gold coast on saturday afternoon we spent one last day at the beach taking in as many rays as possible and just enjoying the location we are in! we had to wake up at 4 am sunday morning to catch the shuttle back to the airport to fly back to cairns. coming back felt good to be in my room again by myself with no men seeing my every move and being able to shower with a door! it was a great break and i am so happy that i was able to make it happen. now back at school and trying to get back in the mindset of schoolwork and homework but its just so nice here everyday all i want to do is go to the beach and lay by the pool! the work will get done when it needs to in the mean time ill just enjoy the beauty and awe that i see every morning!
hope all is well back home and remember its getting closer to summer for y'all! peace and blessings

just another week!

well here we are again on a lovely monday evening sitting in my room thinking back to the past week and what new adventures I have all accomplished. this weeks main highlight was bungee jumping. the place is literally right behind our school so about a 20 minute walk from where i live. if you are a local (in which i am) they offer this membership thing that you pay for the first jump and then every jump after that is only $10 so i did my first jump on tuesday. now i am an adreneline junky and love jumping off things and doing thrill rushing things and so i figured this was something i would have in the bag and nothing to worry about. so we got to the place did all the paperwork signed my life away and started climbing the stairs. its 165 feet off the ground so we started to walk up. i was not nervous or anything at this point just starting to get excited and ready to jump! i had to wait like 5 people and then it was to be my turn so i was watching everyone thinking oh this is so simple i have nothing to worry about and judging all the others on their technique and trying to say how much better i was going to be at it. so my name was called and i stepped into the little box area and started getting harnessed...now this guy clearly knew it was my first time as i had not a clue as to what was going on so of course he started messing with me telling me all these jokes and the likihood that the rope would break and whatnot so the anticipation was building. i was then told to stand up and walk to the edge...now at this point i was like alright this is actually happening the only way to the bottom is jumping alright i can do this. i was totally ready all the way until the guy started saying "5-4-3-2-1-GO!" as soon as he said go i squated down to this really awkward position and did like a 3 second pause thinking "holy #%$ im actually going to jump" and then just went for it! now for your first time you are supposed to just lean forward and go head first well of course why would i do something the right way?! so i jump feet first and start flying to the ground with my eyes shut. before i jumped the guy asked me if i wanted to hit the water or not and i said surprise me so i didnt know what to expect..alright so i jump and shut my eyes and am FREAKING out. next thing i know my feet are being jerked up behind me, my body folds in half and im heading head first for the water. next part was be going in the water and springing back up. i tried opening my eyes at this point but the water was all in my contacts and i had no orientation to what was going on so i just kept screaming and waited for it to be done. now im sure this sounds like a horrible event and i would never do it again but bet yourself that im planning on going some time this week and doing it all over again! i was told at the end that i did a level 3 jump on my first time and all the workers were like wow we have never seen that before..real good support that was! that pretty much sums up the bungee experience but have no fear that there will be more stories to come!
the other kinda cool thing that i did this week was attend a zumba work out class and get my butt handed to me! the instructor, unbeknown to be, was one of my professors of my "sport and practice of physical activity" class so as soon as i walk in the door she starts yelling yeaaa Jess so glad you can make it get ready to get sweating! and through the whole class she would come up to me and yell go, faster, more, push and just encourage me cuz she has seen me the past 6 weeks in her class. she is really nice it was just ironic that she was the instructor for the class.
we had friday and today, monday, off of classes so a nice 4 day weekend consisted of the lagoon and beach! it was VERY relaxing and nice to get caught up on homework and just enjoy everything around us. on sunday night a couple friends and i went down to the pier and walked around at night time and it was so pretty to see the water and everything in the moonlight. that was pretty much my last week! this week i have one test and to finish one paper and then it is spring break! i feel like saying that is such an oximoron since the past 2 months has been a form of spring break but we get a full week off so a couple of us are heading south to the gold coast for 7 days for nothing but hanging out and laying on the beach! thats all from me next update will be filled with information im sure!

Highlands Tour

'ello again! it is offically 2 months today (monday) that i have been in this fabulous place..the time is literally flying and i have no idea where it is going! i have around 3 months left but i dont want to think of the time but rather enjoy every minute that i get here. the past week has consisted of going to class, laying by the pool, eating dinner, and watching movies--cant say its been a bad week! this past weekend a group of us went to the highlands and had an all day adventure through a variety of places. starting off we went to a lake that used to be an old volcano and had a nice morning swim. i swam across the whole thing and felt better that i was finally able to actually swim in open water! the rest of the group was awe-struck that i swam across and back in 20 min but it was literally like a warm up set for what i am used to at practice ha. after that we went to see a "fig tree". this is a slow moving tree that strangles other trees as it grows moving slowly across the rainforest--truely a sight to see. we then went to a pub for lunch and made our way to a volcanic crater. i kinda saw it as a cliff that had nasty murkey water at the bottom of it but it was the remains of a crater in a massive explosion cause by a volcanic eruption. it was 60 meters deep which is about 196 feet. we took a little trek into the forest along a path and then came up to the sight. we were throwing rocks down and seeing them fall into the water, now i realize this sounds pretty elementary and boring but it was really neat--i guess you had to be there to understand it ha. after that we went to a lookout on top of the moutain and it was truely breathtaking we got to overlook the southern region of the atherton tablelands (now i have no idea where this actually is or where i was but it was BEAUTIFUL!) see pictures below for a slight indication of what i was witnessing. the lookout led us to this fresh water waterfall that of course mermaid me had to jump in and swim under and climb to the highest rock-->so worth it! the last place journeyed to was the Babinda Boulders which are massive granite boulders with a swimming hole and a picturesque path through the rainforest. this part reminded me of back home as it was kinda a lake setting with lilly pads and gross stuff on top of the water unlike the beaches and oceans i have been seeing daily. overall it was a wonderful trip that had a lot of informative information and images i will never forget. that was pretty much the summary of the last week. this weekend is easter weekend and we have friday and monday off so a couple of us are planning a trip or a couple adventures to get out and see the sights offered here!
the weather is finally nice with no more rain, no humidity, and nothing but pure sunshine and a cool breeze! for this i have been outside pretty much everyday and trying to see has much as possible. i cant believe it is april already and time is just slipping by! hope all is well back home :)

the lake i swam across for a fresh morning exercise!

the volcanic crater

trying to balance on a fench overlooking the town

waterfall!

planking on the "danger" sign by the boulders

the fig tree that is strangling other trees along its path

white water rafting!

hello all! i know i have not written anything in 2 weeks so this is going to be a lengthy one! i will just go through the past 2 weeks and highlight and the big events. starting off last saturday we went to an animal shelter and volunteered to walk dogs. the shelter is just a 10 minute walk down the road from us so a bunch of us got together and decided that we would take an adventure and see what happens. it was a rainy morning but it was really fun! the people were very thankful that a group of universtiy students were volunteering thier time and wanting to do something to give back. i have not been back yet as i was gone this whole last weekend and had classes during the week but i hope to make it back soon and pay the dogs a visit! there are also cats but i made clear to steer away from them and stick to the puppy section!
during the week there was terrential rainfall for literally 5 days non stop...needless to say waking up tuesday morning there were actually puddles 2-3 feet high and wide. on monday night a group of us actually went body surfing down along the underpass that we usually take to go to school but since it runs along a river and it was so high the whole thing flooded and was about 3 feet high. we all took a study break and went for a swim along the tunnel which was just crazy to think about. luckily we left when we did as in the morning we found out that 3 fences fell down, a couple trees snapped and were floating along the river and there were crazy water animals everywhere! it was so crazy to see. so waking up tuesday morning i made my way to my email to check to see if i had any "weather updates" and to my amazement all my classes were cancelled for the day! i am used to snow days but i was granted with a "potential landslid day" i was not upset at all just laughing all day long thinking about the fact that i was not going to class as for too much rain and all the danger that was associated. it has actually still been raining on and off and some roads and highways are closed down still as the rivers are overflowing and there are landslides happening. as long as i was not hurt or nothing to my abilities was hindered i am totally fine with what is happening! there has been talk about potential cyclones coming so that idea kinda scares me but the raining and flooding just made for good stories!
on thursday the 22nd it was my birthday and a couple of the girls here threw me a "mini party" and decorated thier room with streamers and got me a crown to wear for the night. nothing really crazy happened just went downtown for the night and got my groove on on the dance floor like normal! it is a birthday that i will never forget tho as i got to celebrate it here so that is awesome!
now all the anticipation is leading up to this past weekend...white water rafting! it was AMAZING! i would do it again hands down. we started off the weekend heading up over the mountains via sky rail and went to another city. along the way we got out to take pictures and take random tours around the rainforest. upon reaching the city we went into koala, bird, and butterfly land and got to play with all those animals and more. we got some free time in the city to walk around and do our own thing and then got bused to our housing--which was more like summer camp with bunk beds. it was nothing special but we were there for 8 hours so not really a problem. the whole weekend we had a local tour guide that wanted to take us to random places that were "off limits" and that we were not supposed to go to but he knew we wanted to have good memories and take cool pictures which was spot on! so sunday morning we woke up and went down to this railway that followed all along the mountain and had GORGEOUS views on the moutain and water falls. literally breath taking angles and pictures the whole walk. along the way we heard a train coming so we literally had to run and jump into the trees and hide our group of 12 as we could not have been seen by the train people or would have gotten into lots of trouble (for those of you who have read the hunger games i felt like Katniss!) so that was exciting. after hiking the morning and night we went to this little lake/river freshwater thing and went for a dip before going to our rafting start. for rafting we were put in rafts of 7 people, 6 of us and a guide and got out helmets, lifejackets, and secured footwear and were ready to go! i made sure to get the best guy (judging all upon his looks) and off we were the first raft of them all as i was not wasting time! the guide easily could tell that we were a group of young kids who wanted to have a good time and have as much adventure as possible so he made sure to bring us in the fastest craziest places ensuring for many laughs and great memories. it was something i will never forget and definetly would do again hands down. they said usually the river is a level 1-2 but since it had been raining so much and the water was up it was a level 2-3 when we went so it was a little more. so worth it and an all around awesome experience. now i sit here monday night realizing that i have work to do and classes start back up tomorrow so antacipating that my smile goes to a frown. i will post some pictures here of the weekend for a glimpse of what i went through! hope all is well back home and smile for the warm weather! peace and blessings <3


birthday outfit!

standing on the railway over a river

flying high on a mountain!

overlooking the city and all

view of one of the waterfalls

still livin'

here i am again! im trying to stay on a once a week blog schedule so i dont fall behind! the past week was nothing really special just filled with classes and studying :( i guess they werent kidding when they said we ahve to do some school work here! im just going to talk about random things i find interesting/exciting/different here that i am still getting used to! first off the accents...i mean we all have heard australian accents and i know it was my goal to pick up on it while i was here but i think that goal is going to be a fail..i mean literally some of the slang and things they say here are just crazy! for starters they shorten most words for example relatives is "rellies" mosquitoes are "mossies" university is "uni" just crazy terms that i am not ever quite sure of. as well, the professors all seem to have their own dialect in that they say some terms and i just sit there in my chair thinking what in the world are they talking about?! the other day i was in sociology class and the lecturer was talking about some australian comedy and naming all these characters and how thier personalities show x,y, and z qualities and everyone was saying quotes from tv shows and whatnot and us americans in the front row were looking around thinking "it would be nice to know what they are talking about!" some of the terms they use are just outragous like i actually got into a debate today with a group of guys because they call it "maths" class instead of "math" class and we were debating about how it is a singluar class so you should not add the "s" and they disagreed and it was just funny to see how depending upon where you grow up you adapt to the culture and just do what others do! this story is somewhat important cuz i just completed my first real assignment (crazy i know!) and i turned it in and the first thing the teacher said was "you must be an american student" and at first i thought i was introuble or something but come to find out he just knew becuase of the way i spell certain words. for instance they dont use "z" here so they spell origanization like origanisation. well im my essay i of course used american spelling and i guess when he was grading it was just laughing at the changes. (i wasnt penalized or anything just a sidenote ha). it just really shows how each language is set in stone on each country--very hard to get used to but we are all trying hard! i am really trying to use their slang and say tomato sauce instead of ketchup or heaps instead of lots. just random words that have different meanings. enough about that rant tho!
i guess there has been a lot of flooding south of us here in cairns but there has not been anything really major. that said...i was walking to class today in the POURING rain and literally i kid you not there were puddles up to my midcalf. the rain here comes down so fast and hard the ground cannot absorb it fast enough and it just makes puddles! the cars/buses slip on the roads the rivers have intense currents and us walkers are stuck with walking through literally foot-foot and a half height puddles. always makes for a good enterance to class with dripping clothes and make up running down my face...at least im not the only one so it mkaeas me feel better!
my roommates and i invested in a toaster the other day and had quite a time setting it up...to inform you first we were warned upon moving in that if the smoke alarms go off the room has to pay $800 cuz i guess the fire department comes no matter what. well we were simply trying to make toast for a bedtime snack (because bread and peanut butter is all i can afford!) and all of a sudden the toaster started smoking. so we ran it into the bathroom shut the door and started fanning it out the window--now im sure you are asking yourself why didnt we just open the main door and bring it outside well we did not think of that at the minute and i as well had it as an afterthought! so while we are fanning out the smoke from the toaster the bread gets stuck and starts burning making the smell ten times worse and the whole situation that much more skeptical! fear not we managed to get it to stop smoking and the alarm did not go off so all is well...apparently here you are supposed too run the toaster 2-3 times alone with no food in it to like burn the plastic and get the things warmed up..well us americans didnt of course read the instructions to get this information so theres the story to prove it! just another way to make a good conversation starter!
i know i am skipping around randomly here but thats how my brain works...now i know the drinking age is 18 here but it is the funniest thing seeing an open bar and people drinking during mid-day. today my friend sarah and i were at the main lobby place just hanging out for a bit between classes and the place where you can buy food and coffee is as well a bar and low and behold you have people just sitting there with a pitcher of beer enjoying thier leisure book just shooting the breeze with people. it is so weird to see happening! i gave in and got my first coffee today (a small for $5.80!!!) but i had to do it. i was feeling deprived and had to have the taste in my mouth. but back to the point...having the availabilty to drink at any time of the day is one of the biggest changes academic wise--no need to worry i have not purchased any..during the school day at least!
on the topic of purchasing things and spending money if you ever want to go on a diet and fast for a length of time come here! i kid you not i have one meal a day and the rest of the day munch on dry cereal, carrots, and rarely i will have an apple or PB&J. the food is so expensive here! i cant even afford to but milk to add to my cereal so i just eat cocoa bombs straight out of the box...rough living. i guess i am making it sound worse that it actually is but for real i eat a HUGE dinner becuase i know the next time i will get an actual meal again is the next day at 6 pm..us americans favorite time of day is 6pm because that is when dinner is served!
last random thought for this blog...the "gym" on campus. now i kept hearing about the luxuries our gym had to offer and the awesome physical trainers that would help you with your work out and how accessibly it is and what not. well i found out last week where this "fine work out facility is"...the trailer i walk by every day. literally a trailer like in a trailer park, only smaller and smellier. i was walking back from class and heard music coming from the shack so i walked over to investiage and saw someone pumping the iron. now when i think of gym i think of treadmills free weights tons of machines tvs and all this room to do what ya gotta do. no. not here. one treadmill one lat pulldown machine and one rack of free weights. now of course the worker person saw me and was like "hi are you here to work out"...all i did was take one look around shake my head no and return back to my walk back. i have never been so shocked in my life! it is actually really funny looking back on it but talk about a way to false advertise something! it was insane! needless to say i have not been to the gym since i have been here and dont plan on it unless i need to seek shelter from one of my daunting walks back after class or feel the need to do a couple reps on the lat machine...
thats all for now! ill put a couple random pics up from the beach and other places i have been
hope all is well for you back home! i hear its getting nice (60s!) back there so thats exciting!
peace and blessings :)

Loving life :)

Here we are again! I'm trying to think back to what i did this past week and all that comes to mind is class, beach, pool, and sushi! Last saturday our program leader took us out to lunch and the place was a sushi train...now i have never had it before and i cant say that i do now. i wanted to keep my mind open so i tried everything from the raw fish, crab, lobster, and even something that had tenticles but i couldnt say the name. i decided to stick to the fried and teriaki chicken after almost gagging on the previous options. it was good to say i have tried it before but it definetly is an aquired taste and i dont have it yet! i also booked my spring break trip with 3 other girls. we are going to the gold coast which is like mid/lower east side of the country (between Brisbane and Sydney if you look at a map) they are world known for the beaches, surfing, and men so we figured that all sounded too good to pass up! break is from april 14-22 so i still have a month before but we had to book tickets now we are just planning our activities and what we all want to get done!
i had my first gecko in my room the other night. i was in the living room and went into my room to get something and saw it scatter across my desk onto the wall, i screamed and my roommate came in and started laughing (as shes from here). i can take the beetles and flies no problem but the thought of having a gecko in my room that could come on my bed and what not was just not happening for me. i havent seen the critter in awhile so i hope hes gone but that was a first!
school is going well so far. it is very different from home as i only have classroom interatction about 2 hours a week per class so everything is on your own. i thought at home i was begging for attention from professers but here you really only ask questions via email and sometimes in smaller discussion settings. while it is hard to adapt to i knew coming that it was going to be different so i just have to accept it and learn from it! i have been making "aquantences" quite fast as i introduce myself as being an international student and then everyone has questions about where i come from and how different it is and what not. overall the people are very nice and VERYYYY laid back. it is a total go with the flow society and no rush to anything...very different from back in the states.
the weather this past week has not been the greatest as their summer is just coming to an end it has been raining everyday. its like when i wake up the sun is out i go to class and it begins to pour and then there is a sunset..very weird. we are surrounded by mountains where i am so there is always a beautiful mist/fog coming off the hills and it makes the rainbows even that much better! the rain has no stopped us from getting out in the sun tho! we take every advantage to get to the beach or lagoon and soak up rays. my body is finally healed of its peeling so im back to my base coat and ready to get some color! i am super jealous of the snow back home tho dont get me wrong! i would love to be snowmobiling and wrapped in a sweatshirt at the same time! i guess we cant have the best of both worlds.. :)
i dont have any pictures to share as i lost my camera..i put it down one night at the bar and it was not there when i looked down :( im looking into getting an underwater one now as im sure that will come in handy both here and back home so no pictures to add sorry! ive made a budget for myself as the credit card statement is not looking that well..so i have to wait till next week to make a big purchase! good thing my life savings is going to be goneee after this trip! oh well it is TOTALLY worth it. i cant wait to tell all my experiences and infrom people waht i have been through. if anyone is thinking about going abroad somewhere GO! the things i have just heard and been encultured to is just mindblowing.
thats all for now i think! feel free to always email me or facebook me, i dont get any internet in my room (a problem im trying to work on) but i bring my computer to class so i check it frequently! hope all is well back home xoxo
peace and blessings!

pics!

im just writing this blog so i can share some pictures and make you all that much more jealous that while your wearing jackets and boots im laying on a beach with my bikini! love you all <3

my two roomates and i (Ebony--from Australia, me, Lauren-from New York)

lexi and i at the lagoon

the beach/island that we snorkled at

on the glassbottom boat taking pics of fish and turtles

this is my favorite picture so far :)

School has started!

here i am again and this time i have actually attended classes, if thats what i consider it here! classes started on monday even though i dont have them that day i did have some tuesday and today, wednesday. i am taking 4 classes (communications in nursing and midwifery, science of physical activity, diversity of animal life, and australian society.) the schooling here is really different with only one hour lectures per class and then there is another hour called "tutorials" which is kinda the same as a lab so just more opportunity to ask questions and understand the topics. i have a lot of getting used to but i think, and hope, it will all work out. the walk from my apartment to the campus is about 15-20 minutes or if i power walk it i made it in 10 today! with school starting we have not really being going out or doing and activites just cuz it is taking up time but thats what "studying abroad" means i guess! something fun i did get to do and be apart of was being in the largest group EVER doing zumba at one time. the guiness book of world records came to my town, cairns, and we had 3105 people zumbing for an hour--it was awesome! there was a light rain and tons of people which made it kinda hard to cha cha and shimmy when i had a grandpa in front of me who could barely walk but it was quite an experience and now im in the book of world records so thats pretty cool! my skin has offically rejected the sun here and is reacting badly. i have peeled off a layer of skin on my face, arms, back, shoulders, and neck all in a week. seriously no matter the amount of sunscreen i wear i have been getting burnt and my skin is just getting crazy so i have taken a couple days out of the sun and letting my body hopefully get a little more adjusted to the new lifestyle. on a more postive topic, a couple friends and i are beginning to plan our spring break trip and it looks like im going to be going to new zealand! i am super pumped and will be there for 9 days. i am also going to fiji once school is out so i will offically have been to 3 countries (if all works out) yes it is VERY expensive but you only live once and i will probably never be back here so im going to do it while i can. if anyone has friends or knows of anything in any of those counties i would love to hear about it! two of the things on our to do list while in new zealand are are climbing a glacier and swimming with whales so that should be quite an experience! i think this is all i have for now. i keep trying to think of things that would be interesting to read about and come to a blank..hopefully the pics that i post will actually load this time cuz they didnt last time! hope all is well back in the states and based upon the NDSU girls that lost thier lives this week (i did know the girl from prior lake) lets all make sure to count our blessings and tell those who mean the most to you I LOVE YOU! xoxo to all :)

Snorkeling!

I finally got to check something off my "to do" list..snorkling! OMG is all i have to say i thought the pictures and magazines were cool but it is no comparison from seeing it personally. i wont get ahead of myself tho and explain whats happened  the past couple days. On friday we went on an all day bus tour on a double decker bus throughout the city. it was once again another beautiful day and just spectacular. we got to see some tourist spots and go to the surrounding beaches while learning about the safety and rules here in aussie. ending the tour we went to this place called Crystal Cascade which is a fresh water stream/waterfall thing that we got to jump off cliffs (did it) swim in the river, drink the water, and walk across rocks to act all adventourous. it was really quite a site and i will definetly be going back because i was not able to jump off the 40 foot cliff entitled "no fear" so i will be back. today, saturday, we took a boat out to Green Island and got snorkel gear and was set free! we really had no instructions but just directed where to go to see the prettiest reefs and coral. the island is not directly part of the great barrier reef but the coral leads into it so it looks exactly like the reef. while on the boat we got the option to buying "stinger suits" which protects you from jellyfish. i have been hearing alot about the jellys and everyone says they are so deadly and this is the prime season but i just wanted to live life dangerously and decided not to get one (saved myself 8 bucks!) so while snorkeling i got to see beautiful fish, amazing coral, SEA TURTLES, and many other things that i cant even name. i even found dory and nemo! many and many of them actually. i was kinda paranoid the entire time about jellys and there was only 3 of us who did not get suits out of a group of 40 and of course i was one of them so i was pressing my limits (i can just picture my dad saying "thats my girl!). seeing the images and being in the prime blue water was just breathtaking and so unreal. i think it really hit me that i was actually in australia at this point cuz i knew i would never be able to see these images back at home. after snorkeling for about 2 hours we got out and walked around the island to just be more amazed with the sites. on our walk back to the beach we saw 2 helicopters come and were kinda wondering what was happening but didnt really think much of it. upon walking to lunch we were informed that a lady was stung by the deadliest jelly and was rushed to the ER cuz once you get stung by this kind you have less than an hour to get hooked up to IVs and such before it takes complete control of the bloodstream and kills you. needless to say i risked my life to the fulliest today and the good lord was looking after me and allowing me to get out of the water safely. after this occurred they closed the beach down in hopes of not having it happen again. luckily there was a pool that we got to swim in for awhile before we boarded our glassbottem boat. on here we got to venture out and see many more kinds of plant and animal life and was even more astonished. it is truely incredible what the water has to offer. after a day filled with sun, which every day seems to be thus far, we boarded the boat and returned to land. to say the least my mind was blown today and i cant wait to actually get to the reef and be able to scuba dive and see things even more closely. i get one more day of freedom tomorrow, sunday, and then classes/real life start on monday. no doubt the sun is hot as ever here as i currently have sun blisters and a bad reaction happening on my back even though i put 50 and 30 SPF on twice today. our american skin is just not made out for this! but its not stopping me baby im here for the long run! thats all for now, ill pick the best pictures to show. im pretty bummed that i dont have an underwater camera cuz it would be so cool to share those pics but just take my word for it! im one with the water now!
Peace and blessings :)

I've arrived!

Here it goes my official first blog! i have been in this country for a little over a week and i have two things to say 1. i am never coming home 2. feel free to send some money/food! as beautiful and exotic this place is, the prices are insane! ill try to start from the beginning of last week and make my way up to now. i arrived on monday feb 6th after a long 15 hour plan ride. it wasnt bad at all thus me sleeping the whole time. upon arrival we got on a bus with our orientation group and headed to our hostel. it wasnt long before i realized that the drivers here are CRAZY and if you are not paying attention you will literally get run over. driving here is completely different than at home with them not only driving on the left side of the road but also the drivers seat is on the right side--very strange. after getting settled into the hostel we went to the rooftop for a BBQ and got to mingle with the other american students. we received our "phones" here which are more like a brick from 1980 that has one ringtone and the game brick breaker. but its a phone none the less and it will have to make due! from here we went on a walking tour of sydney and got to see all the tourist sites and learn a little about the town. i guess i forgot to mention that the minute we got out of the airport i started sweating and had to take off 3 layers of clothes that i was wearing from back home (guess i wont be needing any of the sweatshirts i brought). proceeding that we had dinner at a local pizze restaurant and tried a variety of toppings including the infamous kangaroo! it was quite a taste and i cant say i was really in love with it but i will definetly be trying it again. on tuesday we got up right away and went to a wildlife park and got to feed kangaroos have a picture taken with koala bears and play/see a lot of wild animals. it was kinda like a homeless shelter for animals and they take them in and care for them so it was cool to see all the indigineous animals to the land. following that we got back aboard and went to a rainforest, and when i say rain i mean rain! i had to purchase a poncho to keep my clothes and bag dry while we walked up the side of a mountain and then back down. the views were breaktaking and just too good to be true. i had a leech inside my shoe and it was so far in we had to cut it in half to get it out--great expereince! after this we went to a aboringinal park and got to participate in a lot of activities that the people of the land do. we got face painted, make boomerrangs, and watched a traditional dance that they do. being completley drained from the day we went back to the hostel and went out to dinner then came back and passed out. wed the 8th was a free day and a couple of us went shopping and just explored the city more once again being outraged by the prices and not getting anything. on this night we had a beautiful dinner boat cruise under the sydney harbour that let us see the opera house and all of downtown sydney with the lights and just spectacular views. we all went out that night and experienced the nightlife--it ended with seeing a dead body as a person jumped out of a window and cracked his head open :( not a good way to end the night but nonetheless it was a great experience. on thursday we got up really early and headed back to the airport to board the last plane to my current city of cairns (pronounced CANS). we got picked up from a worker at the place we live and got to our room. where im living is pretty much a 3 person apartment with our own rooms a little living room and bathroom. very simple but homey. there are 2 main complexs and all the students are housed there so it is nice as we are all together and it makes for making friends a lot easier. this day was mainly unpacking going to KMart, which is my new best friend, and getting aquainted with the city. friday we had orientation for school and it was a day spent just getting to know my way around and trying to figure out things. saturday the 11th until today the 15th it has mainly been spent going into town to the lagoon (our version of a pool but with salt water) which is right next to the ocean, shopping, going out, meeting people, doing random orientation things on campus, spending money, going to the beach, trying to find jobs, going out, laying by the pool, catching dead and alive beetles and spiders from my room, applying loads and pounds of sunscreen on my body, and going out. this week as really just been a do what you want and have fun. there is really not a set schedule yet since classes dont start until the 20th so im trying to get all paperwork and financial things straightened away before classes start and i have to give time to my studies! so far the people here have been really nice and totally laid back. the society is so go with the flow it is crazy. literally people only know information that is necessary to them otherwise they dont care. for example i asked an elder woman on the street "which way to the lagoon" and her response back to me was "why does it matter to me where it is. i dont go there" and then she proceeded to walk off. dont get me wrong they are really nice (with real sexy accents) but they dont like knowing more information than necessary to them! i think this is all for now. i am going to try and upload some pictures so you can all get a hint of what im experiencing. my email address that i will be checking most often is jhechsel@gac.edu so feel free to email me questions or anything and i would love to converse! i only get limited internet time and use but i would love to keep all connections going and stay aquanted with live back in america! my address here at school is:
Jessica Hechsel
Cairns Student Lodge
10-24 Faculty Close
Smithfield QLD 4878

hope all is well for those back home and just when you think it is cold and gross just picture me with a pina colada laying on a beach :)

peace and blessings!