Hey all! Before I detail yesterday’s adventure, I have a (rather short) list of the strangest terms I’ve heard in while in Australia. I need to have them all down in one place so I can remember them! Aussie word: Macca’s American Equivilent: McDonald’s [It's even Macca's in commercials!] Aussie phrase: How you going? American Equivilent: How are you doing? Aussie word: Mozzie American Equivilent: Mosquito  [Words are frequently shortened here, like "criminals" to "crims", etc.] Aussie word: Pram American Equivilent: Stroller [Umm...what?] Aussie phrase: Happy as a Larry American [...]

Truthfully, I don’t have much to report for today. I went in for my internship interview this morning and the person who was supposed to interview me was sick this morning, so I had a pretty quick chat with his boss and we decided that I would start on Wednesday. One of the more laid-back interviews of my life – we mostly talked about all the fun things I had to do while I was in Australia. So, because I have nothing to say, I have my AU v. USA [...]

In honor of the fact that I will be flying out a week from today, I have put together a list of things that I think must be done while I’m in Australia, in no particular order:   1. Take a picture with a kangaroo and/or koala 2. Climb the Sydney Harbor Bridge 3. Go to a show (or at least take a tour) at the Sydney Opera House 4. Visit the Great Barrier Reef 5. Become a master of Australian slang or, even better, develop an accent! 6. Explore the [...]

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 [...]

Happy Autumn! I realized the other day that in the year 2010, I will never experience the season of spring…weird! It’s getting cooler in Sydney and the beach days are coming to an end, but I am embracing the situation and continuing on with my Australian adventures. This past week was pretty relaxed with heaps of uni work and hanging out around the village. I was battling with a paper all week and finally finished on Thursday. After I finished my paper, Betsy and I went and played in the [...]

Last week’s exciting events started on Tuesday when Betsy and I headed out to the Olympic Park is to watch friends play water polo. Before coming here I never really watched water polo, but it has really grown on me! When we arrived at Olympic Park, thoughts of all the people from all over the world that walked on the grounds started racing through my head. We saw that outside of the ANZ Stadium where the opening ceremonies and track and field were held and then we saw the inside [...]

May…how in the world can it already by May!? As my other friends studying abroad in Europe begin to end their semesters, it is starting to hit me that I only have a short time left. Not much to report back to about the uni part of this past week, I don’t have any big assessments due for another two weeks so its smooth sailing for a little bit. On Thursday we had an Asian Feast at Sydney University Village. Some of the different Asian student groups came and made [...]

The time continues to fly by and I cannot believe I have already been back from Easter Break for two weeks now. Since Easter Break I have been busy with uni work and just exploring Sydney some more. It’s so nice that I now know my way around town, Sydney definitely makes me feel right at home. Right after East Break, some of my friends that I had met while in New Zealand and Mike my friend from Minnesota came to visit. I was so excited to show them the [...]

Well here goes nothing! Prepare now to dive into what has by far been the best week of my life. Never did I expect to have such an amazing break and meet so many life long friends. Surfers Paradise Straight away we met some people from Wollongong who were staying the floor above us. Since they had been to Surfers before, we figured it may be a wise decision to see if they would show us around. First night there we ventured out into the nightlife that Surfers had to [...]

Hello Again! The weeks here seem to fly by even faster then at home and I constantly find myself asking where is all the time going. I just wish everything could slow down. But like everyone told me before I even left, “your time abroad literally flashes before your eyes.” On Tuesday night we randomly heard about a free, yes I said FREE Ke$ha concert at a park a short bus ride away from where I am. So naturally we hopped on the bus got to the park ran to [...]