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