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!