Alright everyone- I finally have found some time to sit down here and fill everyone in on what has been one crazy week for myself. I said some of this stuff before, but this will provide greater details hopefully.

The flight over here was not bad at all. We left Minneapolis at 2:25 and got there ahead of schedule. I picked my bags up and brought them over to the international airport. I thought the 50 degrees in LA was hot- hah... Anyways, I checked my bags and began my 8 hour layover... My I grabbed some food and met up with some more Australearn students. I made some of my final phone calls before my phone would become useless... At around midnight Pacific time we boarded the plane and took off... The 14 hours wasn't bad at all... I got up to stretch out whenever the old man next to me did. I was stuck in the middle of a three seats- meaning I didn't have the side of the plane to sleep against, nor the isle to have freedom to get up and walk around when i pleased... luckily they had a large assortment of movies to watch and things to do on our own personal tv's. Several naps and 3 movies later we were nearing australia and just like that the beast of a flight was over. The flight from brisbain to cairns was nothing after that- and i just slept through it.

I made it through customs- i don't know how ;) and still have both my bags :)!!! We can thank god for something as simple as that, since it saved me a lot of worry and hassle. Our very first night there we went out and found out just how expensive this sunburned country is!!

Our first day was spent on the Great Barrier Reef. We woke up very early and walked to the harbor (or i should say harbour). We got on a nice ship type dealio- and took off on a 2 and a half hour boat ride. Getting in that water was more than surreal... Although I knew that I was about to be eaten by a shark- I was very excited. At first I had a hard time controlling my breathing and i took in more than my fair share of sea water. Our first dive site was deeper reef and therefore choppier water. I however chose not to use a flotation device which allowed me to dunk dive and see the coral up close. As i spent more time in the water, i began to regulate my breathing and the sight and experience was very calming. Being there- it was easy to see how photographers can come close to sharks and not panic- its a beautiful world!

The next day we went to the rainforest. There we took a Duck tour of the forest. There are some crazy plants that live here. Two of them really stuck out to me- there are little spiny vines that hang off of trees called "stay awhile's". They get their name from the fact that if you run into one- you will have to do exactly that... stay awhile... the spines in them are so sharp that they can and do pull people right off their bikes- by their coats and faces- they are a nasty- and hard to see plant... the other was a tiny leafed plant that shoots neurotoxins into the skin if you touch it... they create an incredibly sharp pain that doesn't go away for 8 months- and the symptoms are then off and on for 4-5 years after that... no australian is brave enough to grab the small berries off the plant... While there I also got to hold a parakeet, a baby python, and a koala bear. I got to pet and feed kangeroos and wallibies. They are obviously wild animals, but very friendly and fun to be near. We watched the feeding of a 16 foot croc, as well as an aborigional dance presentation. The experience was heaps of fun and a nice way to get close to the animal life we are so excited to encounter.

I am now all moved into my dorm room here in Townsville. It is a nice little room with a sweet balcony off to the side! My view is amzing and the set up is very cool! I am glad to finally be moved into a place I can now call my home. I have learned that I don't really enjoy living out of a suitcase for long periods of time :)

I just went into town today and bought a few odds and ends items like a cheap plastic clothes hamper, and some hangers, and kleenex. I like the city much more than Cairns. Cairns is a very touristy city, and has the feel of a suburb, even though it is more the size of madison. I will be eating here soon and then relaxing and cleaning up for the night. We will be going out tonight and really exploring the city once the sun goes down :)

I will continue to keep you all updated on my travel and exploration... Anyone wishing to try to talk to me should check out and download skype from skype.com. It allows us to talk over the computer (so therefore requires a microphone and speakers) for free. I have signed up and you can easily search me out by my first and last name. I hope to hear from some of you soon- and hope all is going well back in the states :)

Love you all!!

Cheers Mates ;)

This will be updated with more detail later!!!

Hey all-

I just wanted to update this quickly since I haven't received my calling card yet and have not told the parents or anyone else that i'm alive really... I made it- my ears are still bugging out on me from the plane flight :( but other than that the flight was uneventful... i just got back from the great barrier reef today!!! we were out all day on the ocean and we got to snorkel in two different places- I came centimeters from the most beautiful fish and coral i've ever seen!!! However my internet card is now running out and I need to get going- I promise I will update this with way better details in a few days when our orientation in Cairns is done and I am fully moved into Townsville... Love you all- and I miss you.... but i'm having the time of my life :)

Australian lingo of the day: The phrase "I'm pissed" does not mean that you are mad... it means you are incredibly drunk...

with that- I'm outta here :)

Not There Yet...

Hey there everyone,

I finally decided to use all my extra time sitting around and doing nothing, to set up an internet blog site so that everyone can access my pictures and see how my status is without me sending out mass e-mails.
That being said, I'm sorry but I don't have much to fill you guys in on. All I have yet to do is wait... and pack. I will be flying out of Minneapolis on February 17th at 2:25. I will have a nice 8 hour layover at LAX before leaving at 11:55 PM on the 17th. Due to the fact that I will be crossing over the international dateline, I won't arrive in Brisbane until 8 AM on the 19th. Hopefully I will find it easy to sleep at least for a little while on the plane as I will have a full day ahead of me when I get off. From there I have one more flight to Cairns where I will begin my introduction weekend. We are supposed to start off right away by meeting everyone from around the world that has come to Australia through AustraLearn. Along with this mass introduction, we will get to go out on the Great Barrier Reef, Pet and feed Kanga's and Koalas, and spend a day on an aboriginal reservation. Other than that I don't know if there is much more to tell you guys yet... I will be living in a single dorm and I'll be eating cafeteria food once again. I'm extremely excited to get out of this snow- and I'm sorry you have to all remain here to live in it. I will be working on my tan and swimming with the coral in less than 2 weeks!! With that being said- I'm off to anxiously await Feb 17th!! I'll continue to update this with pictures and stories as often as I can.

G'Day Mate :)