Pictures Round 2

Australian Football (aka Footie)Me and the boys on the wine tour
Lots of barrels
Joe, Justin, and Jeremy on the wine tour

Kookaburra

City Beach
City Beach
Awesome Fig Tree by Kings Park
Galah's (aka Rose-breasted Cockatoo)
DNA tower in Kings Park (One of Australia's "Big Things")

Tree top walk in Kings Park
Perth skyline from Kings Park
Cottesloe Beach, sunset over the Indian Ocean
Cott
Cott
Cott

Time Flies

Sometimes it's hard to believe that I've been here for over a month and other times it seems completely normal. We got to hang out and explore Perth for three weeks before classes, which was awesome. The second week we didn't really do much because it was raining the whole week, but we still managed to do some interesting things. Some things we've done are try kangaroo (which is delicious!), visit Fremantle and the Fremantle Markets on the weekends, take a cruise down Swan River, learn how to use the public transport system (which is awesome), explore a few parts in the actual city of Perth, visit a couple beaches, get 18+ cards (no more carrying around my passport!), go on a school sponsored wine tour, and visit Kings Park. Classes started two weeks ago and have been going pretty well so far. I'm taking Introduction to Marine Biology, Introduction to Photography, and Aboriginal Cultures. I also only have class Monday through Thursday. Last weekend we got to go to an AFL or footie game, which was really interesting to watch. Its really hard to explain, but it was an awesome game to go to because Fremantle dominated Port Adelaide (and Freo normally isn't really good). That's a quick update about my time here so far. It's all going so fast, our first spring break is in two weeks (yes, I did say first, we get two). Me and the three J's are going to Cairns for the week to hang out with people we met at orientation and chill on the Great Barrier Reef. Overall, I'm absolutely loving my time down under!

My Address

Michelle Sparks
Flat No: 147 Room:1
Murdoch University Village
PO Box 1055
Canning Vale, WA 6970
Australia

Orientation Pictures

Here are some pictures that I took during IFSA orientation in Sydney.

Bridge over Sydney Opera House


Sydney Opera House


Sleeping Koala


Sydney skyline from the zoo


Wallabies with a Kangaroo at the very back


Emu

Perth!

I finally made it to Perth. We had orientation in Sydney for a couple of days (pictures should go up soon) which was fun. Then I had an additional 5 hour flight to get to Perth on Quantas. Quantas is the most amazing airline if you ever get the chance to fly with them. The past few days me and the three other boys that are going to Murdoch (Jeremy, Justin, and Joe) have been getting to know the public transportation system as we explore and go shopping for the necessities. We were fortunate enough to be able to get our student IDs early so we could get the student bus passes which have been awesome. I'll try and post more when I have more time.

Addresses

I've gotten a few requests for postcards while I'm away. I can't guarantee anything, but if you would like me to try and send you a postcard, e-mail or facebook me your address and I will do my best to send you one.

I will also post my address when I get to Australia and get everything confirmed.

Dreams Come True

I’ve had a lot of people ask me if I am going to do e-mail updates or something like that while I’m abroad. So, I’ve decided to do a blog to make my life a little easier instead of rounding up everyone’s e-mail. I’m making no guarantees about when and how often I will update it, but I will do my best to keep this updated about my time in Australia. The single question I’m asked all the time is if I’m excited to study abroad in Australia. The answer is an absolute YES! I have always loved traveling and the new experiences, but this is even more exciting for me because I’m fulfilling a childhood dream. Not just to study abroad, or visit Australia, but to study abroad in Australia. I know it’s not the normal childhood dream, but it’s been one of mine for as long as I can remember. My parents both studied abroad and are still in contact with people from their time abroad, so I’ve always heard stories about it which made me want to study abroad. I’m not exactly sure when Australia became part of the dream, but I know for sure that ever since elementary school I’ve wanted to go to Australia, so that’s probably when it got incorporated into it.

While I am so excited for this journey, there are still some parts that I struggle to wrap my mind around. I leave in less than three weeks, which seems absolutely crazy. I’ve already said goodbye to my friends from school, and its hard to believe that I won’t see them until next January. Now I’m working as much as possible to store up some money in the bank in addition to trying to see people here in Boulder before I leave. One somewhat scary thing is the fact that I don’t get my living assignment until about a week before I leave. I also don’t know who I’ll be living with. I could be with anywhere from three to seven other people (yes, I could live with boys). All of the housing is apartment style, and I’m hoping to be fortunate enough to get a single room. I also won’t get my class schedule until I get to Australia, which, while is a little scary, is somewhat of a nice thing because I’m not too worried about it right now.

I have my plane ticket and my student visa for Australia. So now the only thing is time and packing, which should be interesting. I’m looking forward (I think) to learning how to live with only the basics. I leave on July 6th from Denver in the late afternoon. My overseas flight is from LA that night to Auckland, New Zealand arriving on the 8th. I then fly from Auckland to Sydney for IFSA Butler (the program I am traveling with) orientation before leaving for Perth. On my way back I’ll get to spend, as of right now, two weeks in Sydney and two weeks in New Zealand before returning to Denver on January 4th. If I am lucky enough to find people willing to travel with me, I might add a couple days in Fiji after New Zealand.