Hanging around the Gold Coast...

    

So sorry everyone, it has been quite a while since my last post! I guess it’s time to get caught up! It is hard to believe that June is here already and that I will be home in only a few weeks. These last few weeks have flown by! I have spent my time here in the Gold Coast, mostly focusing on school and assignments.It was quite a relief to submit our final assignment and go to the last lecture of the semester on Wednesday. Now we are on “study week” and the following two weeks after that will be used for final exams. I have four final exams, all worth between 30-40 percent of my final grade, which is a lot more than I am used to back home. Overall, this semester was a lot more work than I originally thought it would be, and I am just glad it is over. I am happy that I made it through, but I still feel like we have so much to study for because the finals make up such a large proportion of our marks.

Anyways, now onto some other things I have been up to that are a bit more exciting than schoolwork…

Arielle and I volunteered at a local charity event called the Million Paws Walk, to raise money for animal care and protection through the RSPCA (similar to the SPCA in the USA). It all started because we were using the Million Paws Walk as an event for our marketing and sponsorship class project, and through the assignment Arielle began emailing the event coordinator who invited us to volunteer. The walk was located at “The Spit” at Doug Jennings Park by SeaWorld. It was an amazingly beautiful day and close to 3,000 participants all with their dogs! It was amazing that they all got along, during this whole trip I have realized that in Australia the dogs are much more laid back (just like the people) and most owners don’t even need a leash whenever they go out with their dogs. It was a really great way to spend our day and seeing all of the dogs made me miss mine a little bit less

All of the Dog Walkers

Stuffing Bags for Attendees

Another exciting night was State of Origin! This rugby game between New South Wales (blue) and Queensland (maroon) is highly anticipated by Australians, even though it is always between the same two teams every year. It is kind of the Australian Super Bowl, but they play each other three different times and the best out of three wins. We were able to catch the first game, which was very exciting actually. Queensland has beaten New South Wales for the last six years, and since I am living here in Queensland I decided to wear maroon to show my support. Arielle and I had planned to watch the game at the Uni Bar, but by six p.m. we heard news that it was already packed full! The game didn’t start until eight, and we didn’t want to walk all the way to campus and then not be able to make it in. So instead, and actually to our benefit all of our apartment friends went over next door to the Tavern which has an outdoor patio that they had decorated just for the game! There was probably about thirty of us in all and we had a blast! I learned some of the rules of the game including:

• the ball is similar to a football but bigger, and no passing forward! only backwards passing allowed
• each team gets six “tries” or attempts before they lose the ball, each completed try (touchdown) is worth 5 points
• there are two 40 minute halves and a halftime break
• there are no set plays like American football - players run all over the place (doing whatever) and occasionally fighting each other
• each team has 15 players on the field at a time and players don't use protective padding or helmets at all (ouch!)

YAY Queensland!!

And then there was a fight....

We also have had a few great beach days in Surfer’s Paradise with our American friends Chris and Andrew. There is always something going on when you live at Nexus – and these past weeks we went to a few new beaches as well. Our apartment manager Tony took us to visit Broadbeach during the annual Blues Festival. Broad beach is just a bit farther south than our usual beach spot in surfers. It is also a bit more upscale and less touristy than Surfer’s Paradise. While we were driving through we saw the Jupiters Hotel and Casino, the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Center, (which I was really excited for) J lots of restaurants and shops in the outdoor Broadbeach mall as well as the Pacific Fair shopping center which I have visited “heaps” of times before on the Translink Route 18 bus.

View of Surfer's Paradise from the Lookout

I have also made it down to Burleigh Heads, where there is a great lookout and view of the entire strip of Surfer’s. Burleigh is a local hot spot for surfers and there are some great beaches and coastal walks as well. Arielle and I went with our Australian roommate Tamara and had lunch at the Surf Club. It was a bit windy so we sat inside, but still got a great view of the beach!

We made a stop in Mermaid Beach on the way back from Broadbeach

Lunch Time!

Jupiters Casino and Hotel

The Port

Gold Coast!

Arielle and I also went on a day trip to Mount Tambourine with our German friend Christian and Canadian friend Ian. We all met in our Tourism Operations class earlier in the semester, and Christian who is part of the Uni “buddy” program for international students offered to take us up and see Tambourine Mountain. 

View from the top!

Our Friends Christian and Ian

Around Town...

 

Cuckoo Clock Store

Mt. Tambourine is located in the Gold coast and is known as the “Green behind the Gold Coast”, and after today I can certainly see why! Even though the weather wasn’t so great, we were able to see the beautiful views from the top of the mountain. While we were there we visited Witches Chase Cheese Factory where we watched cheese being made and stored, the Glow Worm Caves, and we also stopped for lunch at a German restaurant called Bavarian where I tried Goulash for the first time, it was delicious! We took a few pictures, walked in the rainforest and visited some of the shops on the main street. The town was very quaint and made me feel like I was visiting Europe back in Medieval Times. It was a lot of fun and a great way to see more of the Gold Coast!

Homemade Cheeses... yumm

Inside award winning Witches Chase Cheese Factory

Tomorrow morning bright and early, I am leaving for Cairns (The Great Barrier Reef). I am so excited to see the reef and snorkel and I am really hoping to spot a sea turtle and maybe Nemo! The weather should be beautiful, which I am really looking forward to, as it has rained here on the Gold Coast for the last four days almost nonstop. I will be posting after my trip stay tuned!