Bucket list: Climb Mount Keira

Stepping out of my comfort zone of being scared of heights

“Man looks in the abyss, there's nothing staring back at him. At that moment, man finds his character. And that is what keeps him out of the abyss.” –Hal Holbrook

Staring out onto the city of Wollongong and the eternity of Pacific Ocean that lay in front of me was one of the most rewarding and thought inspiring things I have done while studying abroad. After hiking stair upon stair, climbing rocks and looking down in fear at the potential fall, the top of Mount Keira was all worth the rigor. Australia is absolutely breath-taking from every angle. 

To my back and surrounding the bustling city are towering blue mountains that lead the eye to the beautiful blues of the Pacific. When you think about where you are in the world and the vast sea that separates you from the rest of civilization, things are put into perspective very quickly. I’m sure with every mountain there is beauty to be seen, but my appreciation for the landscape around me grew that much more. It took about an hour and a half to reach the lookout and it was an intense trip. Rock climbing minus the ropes had me a little worried, but what is adventure without a bit of butterflies in the stomach? Branching out of my comfort zone one thing at a time! But…going down the climb was another story. Unfortunately, I made everyone take the road down which could have taken a couple hours to get to the bottom. Thanks to my trusty thumb we meet a lovely woman named Amanda that kindly took us to the bottom and my fate was redeemed with the group. We knew everything was safe when she asked Moses in the front seat to hold her purse.

The trip made for a lot of inside jokes and was well worth waking up on a Saturday morning. I have learned my lesson to face my fear and scale the climb down next time and to never step in a water runoff area. My poor shoes were covered in mud. I’m hoping to do the climb weekly, it’s a great exercise and so rewarding! Surprisingly most of the Australians I've talked to haven't done the climb, so maybe I'll be able to drag them for a climb with me sometime. Climbing Mount Keira can be crossed off my bucket list! I'm so excited we are doing so much over here! The girls are leaving me for a weekend in Brisbane, I gave them all my travel tips and they are going to have a fantastic time. Wish I could visit Fraser Island again! We booked all of our plans for spring break this week as well. Ten of us are heading to New Zealand for even more out of my comfort zone adventures! I simply can't get enough I suppose..We are renting camper vans aka 'spaceships' to travel around and get the most out of the landscape and national parks. Showers will be a hot commodity for the week :/ Wow never thought I would be comfortable saying that. We bought tickets to see USA vs. Italy in the World Cup! I'm so excited we get to go! The atmosphere in Nelson will be spectacular! The one thing I really want to do while there is a glacier hike, it sounds like the best thing ever. We are going whitewater rafting and jet boating for a few of the days as well. Before I get too ahead of myself, I have a little school work to complete. The time is flying while I'm over here. 

Skyping makes life so much easier to be away. But my next obstacle will be seeing all the girls back at my house come together for the semester and not being there to share the memories with them. Love you girls! I miss everyone so much, just hearing familiar voices from home gives me chills. I got a few letters this week which always makes me giddy :) Thanks for all your support! Can't tell you how much I appreciate your love! November 21st!

T for Tourist

The adventures never seem to cease down unda. Classes may have started but the beach continues to bring the Campus East community closer together with each sunny day. While Teter beach is a lovely IU legendary icon, I think this aspect of a coastal campus is really affecting my outlook. And learning about surfing is way cooler than watching imported sand volleyball! It is a great way we all get to relax and break away from the grind of uni life. I’m keen.

Last night we had a bonfire on the beach after eating at my new favorite place, the North Gong Pub. Best food ever…at least for the price! I think half of Campus East was there. And our great weekend was just warming up.

Today we woke up bright and early to catch the train to Sydney. We made it to Circular Quay and had a great stroll through the botanical gardens and the standard Opera house/bridge sighting. I’m sure the boys loved spending the day with tourists. Don’t worry, we made them join in the festivities of searching Paddy’s Market and taking cliché harbor pictures.

We made our way to Chinatown for a great lunch then Beth and I were off to Olympic Park to reenact the games! In comparison our 40 minute train ride was much quicker than my previous visit to the park. And once we made it our expressions and excitement could have been described as two kids in a candy store. The arenas and stadiums are massive, and to think that a city will spend years in planning and billions is fascinating to me. I discovered a new fountain and grass architecture area and the setting brought goose bumps to my skin. The scene of the sun setting over such a beautiful place is one that is a must ‘when in Sydney’ event.

We wanted to optimize our MyMultiDayPass and decided to travel home the same day. We had no idea what slap happy jokes and eye rolling fun we were about to experience. While waiting in Sydney Central, the train station announced a delay due to injury on the tracks. Our hearts sank instantly. Trains bother me to begin with, I will never come close to the white/yellow line but uhh the thought made me sick to my stomach. After several delays, station changes, and various transportation we made it home 3 hours after departing Sydney. We made it!

Productivity is at an all time high since coming home as well. I have all my homework complete for Monday, pictures are up, and the post is done! Tomorrow we are exploring the Wollongong Shopping Centre for the first time! J

Challenge Accepted

Journalism has presented its first challenge in Australia. Upon sitting in my classes last week, I realized everything is completely different than my accustomed thinking. I have been programmed by the first amendment and all the court cases I have read about are U.S. based. My legal and ethics course is eye-opening because I have never really thought about our policies as unique to the country. No I’m not the American stuck in her bubble that is just something that I am fascinated by studying abroad. It blows my mind to think about each country with their own government policies and rules, but at the end of the day we all work together as a world. Think about it J I have to attend court and report about it which could be interesting after studying American court proceedings. I also have to be published on wikinews for a high distinction credit. Wow! Awesome I feel like once I am published I’ll be tempted to write more and more to see if it makes the cut. But my new struggle now is what do I write about? Staying current in dorm life is a bit difficult, Newyorktimes.com? I miss the news at ten every night! My indigenous studies class is unreal! I’m loving every minute learning about all of their survival and life skills. To think that a civilization can survive in the Australian desert for thousands of years is absolutely remarkable. Aboriginals rock J

Obviously from the sounds of my amazement I’m loving classes so far, minus newsroom practice which I have quickly switched out. I’m starting to get to know more faces and people around Campus East and I’ve have turned into a beach bum. I love the waves! And I love the relaxed style of everything. I’m going to come back with a closet full of billabong and even more sun streaked hair. It’s making me rethink going to a landlocked school, but not really. I love IU! I would never leave J

We went out into town with a couple boys we met on the beach Saturday for dinner. Promise it wasn’t scary strangers mom! It was a great time and I learned my way around after we got lost several times trying to find the restaurant…locals? One of them is from Dala so this weekend we’re planning to go visit his family and they are going to teach us how to surf! I can’t wait!

Although I just talked about making friends here, it has become a challenge I've noticed to get close to people. While we are here and are having the time of our lives abroad, the UOW students are just living the typical college life. They are in relationships and have strong bonds with individuals already. I was talking with a person at dinner one night and they phrased it like this, "It's another crop of international kids coming in for the semester." Harsh but true. We come play for a brief period than leave the pieces behind. At IU we really don't have international students, so I can't say I've dealt with them. I can totally see where they are coming from though. Untouchables? Not quite. It's just another obstacle to work around. Don't worry this wasn't a negative rant or anything bad, just thinking out loud! 

The weather is getting nicer by the day thank goodness! It was 72 and sunny today...perfect for the beach! I have been checking my mail nearly 3x daily, the office workers probably love me…

Miss everyone so much! I can’t believe it is already August. Time is flying, soon I’ll be off for break then home for Thanksgiving! Does anyone have suggestions for places near/in Australia to visit?