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