Drinking. Sand. Sharks.

Starting week 5 of the Aussie Adventure and the weekend in Port Stephens kicked it off nicely.

Unlike the last group of 61 we were small at 17. 10 Capa (my group) and 7 from a Boston University group and o could you see the difference between the 5 Umass kids and the BU girls... hahaha. but i regress. We were all picked up and headed north watching What Happens in Vegas and Finding Nemo. Once out of the city the scenery was beautiful! Under a full moon it seemed more like that early mourning time as it is starting to become light out before the sun starts to rise. Absolutely amazing. We stayed in apartment not unlike those in Sydeny. I was roomed with 3 BU girls which was fine with me but i still ended up out with my group. The short night was filled with a quick trip down the road to the bottle shop before it closed, after which we hung out in one of the rooms before a couple of us went for a silent swim in the pool because it was so warm out (we are such rebels). 

view of Nelsons Bay out of our Apartments

An early start got us up to go to feed the sting rays and sharks. Dressed in wetsuits we were given short poles with clothespins on them to feed small prawns (shrimp) and squid to the creature in the 2.5' deep pools. There was also a ray over 4' across who swam around you. We later were told it was the same kind that killed the crocodile hunter Steve Irwin, although its barbs were removed so it was not dangerous.

We then made our way out toward the ocean and into a 4x4 bus that took us for a bumpy ride over the huge sand dunes up to our starting location for Dune boarding. You get to sit on what looked like a skateboard deck and go sledding on the sand using your arms behind you as brakes and balance. The ride down was of course wicked awesome but the climb back up, barefoot over the sand was the workout of the day. I was able to stay relatively sand free until i tried to stand and ride down like a snowboard without any straps or anything which of course about 3/4 down the hill failed epic-ly. 

O and there were some camels we visited for a few mins in the dunes too.

Straight onto the dolphin watching cruise we were still covered in sand and anticipating when we ere able to jump in the slide and hang out in a net off the back of the boat in the water. ( Although because of recent shark sightings we were not allowed off of the net) There was at least 8 dolphins and a few calves out around the boat as we cruised within Nelsons bay.

The passage out of the bay

Slide and net that is lowered into the water

We disembarked and walked up the street back home to shower and get ready for dinner and our first wine and beer tasting. First we had the opportunity to climb up to the lookout summit over the Tasmanian sea and Bay since we were a smaller group. The 'walk' 130 meters up  left us wishing for another shower but the summit gave the most wonderful sea breeze and breathtaking views that it was worth it 

Here I discovered different craft beers, although sadly none that agreed with me. But what did was a wine liqueur Celtic Cream, similar to a Baileys but BETTER! so I bought 2 =) Upon arriving back to the apts a few of us decided to go swimming for a while before heading out for the night. I headed down to the harbor and walked around the nightlife and out along the jetty before heading back in for the night. Sunday brought 4 different wineries of the Hunter Valley, starting by 10am. I learned more about wines and the differences between them. While most i still could not stand the taste there were a couple of crisp white wines and dessert wines that i was able to enjoy! i turned the heads of my friends when they heard me utter that one was good or i liked it, since it is known i usually do not touch wine or beer. The last drink of the day was a chili shot called Dragons Breath which was really smooth with a strong punch of heat. so good.(also got a small bottle of this) 

looking out over one of the wineries

All in all a successful trip !

lots of love! - Julie

Fun Facts: Red grapes are picked at night for the most constant sugar levels

The year on a wine bottle is when the grapes were picked not when it was made

Livin' in a land Down Under

Ok ok ok I have now officially booked trips for another 4 weekends of my semester! Starting this coming weekend with other local events in the remaining time, a general outline goes something like this.....
Feb 18-20= Port Stephens for: Dune boarding, dolphin watching cruise, ray and shark feeding, wine and liquor tasting.
Feb 24(Thursday)= Sydney Harbor Bridge Climb
March 4-5 = Day out on my internship supervisor's cruising yacht with the staff. Start of the Gay and LesbianMardi gras with parade and events
March 5-13= SPRING BREAK in Cairns
                    5-9th:Great Barrier Reef and Rain forest trip-with diving, swimming in a volcano crater, croc spotting cruise, Atherlon Tablelands, Skydiving =)
                      9-12:  3day 2night live-aboard with ProDive in the Great Barrier (11 dives!)
March 17(Thursday)= St Patrick's day parade
March 18-21= Melbourne trip for the Great Ocean Road tour and Phillip Island to watch the penguins march in to their home in the dunes
March 25-27= Weekend Trip back up to Cairns!!
                      cruise/helicopter ride around reef with Justin
                      another day diving the Great Barrier Reef (because you cant get enough)
                      horseback riding the rain forest and bush

All of which bring us into April which is very unplanned so far but local happening that are a MUST include tour the opera house, the Tarango zoo, Sydney aquarium, Sydney tower, and watch a cricket and Footie (Australian rule football) game. maybe even some form of actual shark dive... great white??

Anyways... besides my agenda this past weekend brought a fun night out, a lazy rainy saturday,  and a busy sunday. Friday, while all others were at work, I happened to be free and headed to a small beach to enjoy the sun.

That night brought us to a Japanese Karaoke restaurant Mizuya, that due to our groups size we were able to get put into a private karaoke room just for dinner! So in our private room with a tv playing music videos, we had computer to order our food and refreshments from, that were delivered accordingly in to us.  Followed by a walk across the street to The Three Wise Monkeys Pub that had a live band playing some very american covers.

Saturday was relaxing and it was very nice to basically do nothing for the first time. I was able to watch some aussie sports on the tele and cook some good ol grilled cheese and ramin noodle with Morgan young! Sunday was much more eventful starting with a morning gym session before Hillsong church, Paddys market (which is like a huge indoor flea market) and finally the rugby game at the Olympic stadium aka the birds nest. The Rabbitohs vs the Dragons. Rugby is so much more intense then football because it is just as physical, if not more, but without the pads. The stadium was amazing to actual be at, and just imagine what the atmosphere would have been for the actual Olympic games! Unbelievable.

Monday was long Valentines day <3 , which did not seen as overly commercialized as at home. I brought a box of Lindt chocolate into work with me for all the nurses and surgeons which was enjoyed very much. Then made my way home after my night class and i found a large black box waiting for me in my apartment. Inside I found a dozen long-stemmed roses! It made my night considering Chris is in the gulf of mexico and I'm in Sydney so i wasn't looking forward to anything. I love Chris and thank little Mikey for his help in being behind it.

So now i just have to write a movie review, paper on Australia Day and CV (resume) / cover letter for my classes so that i can fully enjoy my weekends! Watch out for the pics and updates from each adventure!

My love to you all!

--Julie

Fun Fact: A medical 'Intern' in Australia is a title that means a qualified physician who is working on their specialty, while for the US it is someone who is interested in a field and just starting to gain practical experience whether paid or not. So  I have been introducing myself  at a very high level to the Aussies here!! yeahhh

            

Picture recap so far

So I know I've been lacking on putting pictures on here so here is a few from my first few weeks !

This is what I left.. (and much more that I missed)

First ray of light in about 35 hours after leaving Monday night from Logan this is Wednesday morning over the Pacific

Our first dinner we made for ourselves in our new apartment. Bowtie pasta in a cream sauce with mushrooms sun-dried tomatoes peas and garlic bread. yummm

I got to feed and pet the Koala at the wildlife park!

Little Penguins of Australia . One of these guys popped up at the yacht club before my dive!

the roomies: Morgan, Sandy, me and Monika with the Three Sister(the 3 mtns) of the Blue Mountains

Hanging out in a waterfall. No big deal

Manley Beach

Sydney at Sunrise

Big Hill Beach in Crescent Head where we went surfing

Surfs up Down Under at last for me

Bonfire on the beach with everyone (we were the two girls to build it)

Everyday I travel the bridge to class or work and everyday I can't help thinking, I'm in Sydney Australia

I will try to keep at least a few pics on each blog now so you can further enjoy my adventures down under!

Dilemma Wobbegong

         Alrighty then, I can not believe I have already been here for over three weeks! So theres about ten more to go, but the past week has been eventful yet more laid back conserding it was our first "free" weekend without any large group trips. Mondays and tuesdays consisted of work and classes as usual. I think I have pretty much learned the public transport to get around everywhere. haha i have a better sense of direction here then in the US =P  but I presented in sociology on the Culture and Identification of Australia and received an 83 (which translates to an A in our scale) and have really become part of the crew at the clinic.(I was invited on Dr. LaForest's boat for a harbor bbq and day on the water with everyone!)

     I own tickets to the St George Open Air Cinema from school to see The Dilemma. So you walk through the Royal Botanical Gardens, which are gorgeous, right to the harbor where you look out at the bridge, opera house and Sydney. there is staging and chairs that look at this huge screen that is set on posts at least 25' in the water, that raises up in front of you. At dusk the bats came out and were flying over head and you watched the light come on across the city as the sunset, it was just amazing.

We reached record temperatures in decades this past weekend at 107F or 42 C! so we hit up Coogee beach where there was a constant 8-10' swell that rolled in. The water was amazing, cool and clear. Upon getting out of the water you were dry within 10 mins, at which point we got back into the water for at least 30 mins. after a few cycles like this we decided to call it a day and head back home. After making dinner and getting motivated we got ready for a night on the town, when to my dismay I realized I had not figured out how I was going to get to the meeting point of Manley beach, across the harbor, on a Sunday, via buses trains and ferries, for my dive charter. So I did not end up going out but soon found out I had an interesting morning that was to start around 5 am. Luckily I did make it to the meeting point and even met a nice couple originally from Seattle now living in Hong Kong (who actually followed me there because " it looked like i knew where i was going" HA). We headed put to Magic Point and Old Mans Hat. The water was a whopping 20C or 68 F and everyone dawned either 7.5mm suits or even a drysuit. the DM came to tell me that my buddy would be a man who had only dove 6 times 18 months ago!  woohoo. but since we were diving in a led group he really wasnt my worry and i could continue on when he got low on air because they would send him up on others. I quickly went over how sharing air would happen with my long hose and air2 but he was very good at staying right behind me anyways. The poor DM did not know what to do when he did an air check because while most people told him between 80 and 120(bar) i signed 2100(psi). So he tried to send me up until i wrote on a slate that 1500 psi was half a tank. But got to see Wobbegong carpet and nurse sharks.

 I also played with a rather large cuttlefish who tried to eat my computer. It was a very nice time out in the Sydney waters.
        After getting back I got to watch the endless movie Picnic at Hanging Rock for class and then get ready to head to the Chinese New Year Parade that made its way down the city through china town. It is the year of the Rabbit (if you didnt know). It was a good time with all the dancing dragons and lions and rabbits everywhere, lights, fans and martial arts performers marched their way down George st.
      Upcoming events this weekend include booking a trip down to Melbourne for after spring break, and going to a RUGBY GAME!!!! yeaaa and most likly some nightly entertainment thrown in as well ; )

another week gone and still so much to do!
lots of love for everyone from down under
-- Julie

Fun Fact:   Sydney was originally known as Warang by the aboriginals and now that I live here I am a Sydneysider