I have a new friend at work. It is a lost bird that has been staying with us for the past week. It is a galah which is native to Australia. Like I mentioned before, the birds and wildlife are so interesting here. It is a very pretty bird that happens to hate everybody on staff except me. The bird will not bite me and it will find a cozy spot on my scarf to stand on while it nuzzles my neck. I usually do not like birds. Having a [...]

I first sought out this trip to Australia because it provided me with the opportunity to experience two of my favorite things: veterinary science and traveling. After 9 weeks of this wonderful and crazy experience, I’ve started to think of my future as a veterinarian and a person. Now, these are all just ideas at the moment. Don’t think this is my plan or anything. (Especially you, Mom and Dad). However, Australia has a different culture from America. From what I have observed and seen in the States, many people [...]

A local aussie male took me out around Sydney yesterday. We first went to the zoo. This might seem like a great idea because of all the cool aussie wildlife but…it isn’t. A zoo is a zoo is a zoo. Still had a good time though! While here I learned that there is an aussie slang I do not know. It’s called Aussie Rhyming slang…here are a few examples: Nail and Screws news Forgive and Forget cigarette Froth and Bubble trouble Rock and Lurch church Steak and Kidney Sydney Dodge [...]

I have started my internship at a veterinary office. Everyone is so kind here. Unfortunately, my supervisor has been on holiday until today and so I have not met him yet. However, I only hear good things about him. During my first week, I mostly became familiar with the office, figuring out where things are and how they work. I helped a lot with the cleaning; however, since the office only had stand in veterinarians, it was very quiet and hard to find things to do. The first day I [...]

Sunday I went to a catholic mass at St. Mary’s Cathedral which is absolutely gorgeous. There weren’t too many things different except: 1. It was in an Australian accent 2. The people’s responses didn’t sound unified. That may be due to the construction of the cathedral. 3. There were many people with an Asian background there. This surprised me because where I’m from the mass is made up mostly of people who are white. 4. They pray for Queen Elizabeth in their Lord’s prayer which made me laugh.

02 June 2012: PISSED (drunk) Going out to bars and drinking is a little more expensive in Australia. Drinks cost between 6 and 14 dollars. It’s also a little harder to order drinks since they differ from America. Some of the bars did not know what a whiskey sour was. However, it is still a good time as any and I have to keep in mind that they have a minimum wage of 18 dollars an hour which pays for 2 drinks. It definitely does not feel like a night out [...]

May 28- May 30: And we’re off My trip began with a lonesome flight from the Chicago O’Hare airport to Los Angeles. Although this was not my first flight by myself, I worried about everything. I wouldn’t be my Mother’s daughter if I didn’t.  Luckily, I was surrounded by pilots and flight attendants that were returning home and that eased my nerves. This four hour trip provided entertainment and I was able to enjoy the movie Big Miracle. After reaching Los Angeles, I was able to meet many of the people that [...]