Ay Jay Bay!

In typical abroad fashion, my life continues to have endless pinch me moments. This weekend, Baillie took us to Jervis Bay for a weekend of sailing and one last time with all the Nowra boys.

We piled into the cars and after about two hours of constant sing-along to Australian radio stations and waiting in traffic, we made it! We ran to the local “Bi-Lo” to stock up on necessary food for the weekend and got overpriced Mexican to satisfy our terrible hunger that had been building since leaving campus. Qdoba/Chipotle need to venture into new horizons and come to Australia ASAP! Missing my chips and queso addiction. We had a cute family dinner then played Egyptian ratskrew* until Transformers got the best of our group and we were left in a trance watching the Autobots takeover. And Beth finally discovered what “I can transform you like Optimus Prime” meant. Which carried over into her repeatedly breaking out into song throughout the duration of our trip. We went to bed early; Anna and Jackie took a queen, Beth and I got a queen, and the boys each had a twin. P.S. Jackie is Anna’s pledge sister from Willmington! She is going to uni in Syndey and lives with a host family. Way different experience than what we're getting, but I love it! Kinda envious of the family time she has. BUT anyways…Just like last weekend’s 4^th grade sleepover in Nowra, we were up late discussing girls only topics and giggling to no end. Sorry boys…we may have been a bit loud.

Baillie, Dad, and Kieran

The next day we woke up and headed for the boat where Baillie’s dad and our skipper, Kieran, were waiting. Our house was on the second row of Jervis, so it was a short walk to get to the beach and we were aboard sailing in no time! The bay is absolutely stunning, pictures and words can’t begin to describe its beauty. The water is a brilliant green-blue and crystal clear allowing you to see the reef below. While we sailed out to the headlands, the winds were so light that the ocean looked more like an early morning lake than a waving sea. I had the greatest urge to dangle my toes over the edge to disturb its chilling peace, but I assumed as soon as I did that a shark from JAWS would fly out of the water and attack me. (Thanks for the facebook message about the shark attack in SW Australia that morning mom) Before I left for the weekend, my mom also kept me well informed of the fact that Jervis is known for whales and its ocean wildlife. And it did not disappoint. While I never saw a whale out there nor shark, a pod of dolphins followed alongside us for a little segment. There is something you don’t see in Indiana!

Our dingy rowing skills...

For lunch, we stopped at Murray’s beach, a cute little secluded spot. After sipping on a few ciders, the girls were more than willing to test out the cool cave ashore and see what great top of the line “bathroom” facilities could be found. But to get ashore took a bit of work…we all safely boarded the dingy and attempted to row ashore. This came with many laughs by the boys aboard that held the rope attached and pictures/videos to document our dysfunctional selves. I’m sorry uncle Jerry don’t be ashamed of me, I wasn’t rowing! After exploring and making our way back to the boat, we were greeted with Baillie doing a cannonball right next to the dingy leaving us soaked. As upset as I was about that, it got us jumping off into the water which was so great! My fear of the open ocean was faced! YEWWW! After a quick power nap at the front, we were back to shore for dinner and a night of celebration. To wind down before dinner, we watched Justin Beiber’s documentary Never Say Never. And I know what you’re thinking, stupid screaming girl movie to the max. But it actually was really interesting and to my disbelief I have an enormous respect for that little guy now. And I even went on a Beiber YouTube kick…Sorry? Unfortunately, my night came to a stop after an unfavorable accident left me with a chip in my front tooth. If you know me, you know my teeth are my babies. I’m that person that wears their retainers every night, flosses on the regular, and brushes between meals. This was traumatic to say the least. But after a few sunsets and many tears, I think I’ve come to peace with my new hillbilly status. (It’s not quite that severe)

Hyams Beach, Jervis Bay

The next day we woke up and had an adorable true Australian breakfast complete with fried eggs and bacon on the barbie! We packed up and headed to Hyams beach to witness the whitest sand in the world then off to the next town for a quick lunch before home sweet Wolly World! Our weekend left all of us asking if we this is truly real life with priceless memories that will continue to replay in my head for a lifetime. We are so blessed.

As for my last week of classes…I would say it was a pretty smooth week. I wrote an essay, took a final, and created a reflective journal about my experiences in class. The sunshine kept me occupied the majority of days with my big school crunch in the evenings. I could get used to this…thank goodness it’s finally warm!

Tomorrow Campus East has its final formal where we dress up much like harbor cruise and have a fancy three course meal and dance the night away. And to Beth and my amusement…it is being hosted at “The Frat” recreation club. Don’t worry pictures will follow shortly! As for my tooth, I have a dentist appointment the morning after I land in Indy…I’ll definitely be in a vegetative state at that point after hopping airports for three days and slowly catching my 16 hour jetlag. BUT my teeth will be A+ again just in time for Thanksgiving. Which I can’t wait for this year! I’m not a huge turkey day fan, but this year seeing my family together will be the BEST THING EVER! And since I’ll have way too much free time on my hands, I’m going to attempt to make some Australian dishes to take aka Caramel Slice and Pavlova here we come!