GO TITANS GO!!!

 

New Apparel

Annoying Guy on the Train

Sorry I know it has been awhile, but I have been so busy traveling and preparing for the Uni Games. But on Friday night Marisa and I managed to find out way downtown to Brisbane to see our FIRST RUGBY GAME!!! Needless to say it was amazing, we were cheering for the Gold Coast Titans who were playing against Sydney Roosters in the semi-final game. On Friday we had a busy game, we had volleyball training and then a meeting for the Uni Games so we were kind of rushed to catch each bus and train, but we succeeded!!  We arrived right at kick off and just in time to grab a glass of wine, however, we quickly learned that you can't drink alcohol while sitting in your seats. So this is very different than American sports where we all watched the games and drink the entire time. But as we settled in our seats we also realized that we don't know ANYTHING about rugby, so then we asked the guys sitting next to us to explain the basic rules about the game. In no time we understood majority of it, and we were even cheering for the titans loudly and proudly! Of course we couldn't leave without getting some apparel to show our team spirit. After leaving the stadium it was madness, there were thousand of people every where all trying to get of the trains mostly back to the Gold Coast. We met up with the guys in our group and quickly maneuvered through the large crowds to the train station. We realized we had one minute to run to our platform to catch our train. Once we got to our platform Marisa and I pushed through people to jump to the front of the line where we met up with other guys from our University. The train was max capacity and of course Marisa and I had to stand the whole hour and half ride back. But it gets better...Once we got settled on the train we quickly found out we were standing next to this guy who did NOT shut up the entire ride; he told us about his sister, his phone, his parents, ALL the Harry Potter books and movie, and much more. Once we FINALLY reached our stop we were graced with silence and then grabbed a taxi back to Bond Uni. We were exhausted when we finally made our way back and just called it a night.  I will hope to catch up later with the post, but for now I need to get ready for "Retro Sports" party theme tonight. I made it to Perth!!...and enjoying every aspect!! Can't wait to post a post about it soon!!
SEEEyaa
lib

Good Cop...BAD COP!

Mom and Dad

I have dedicated this entire post to talk about my first incident, and hopefully last with "Mom and Dad". So while living on campus again we have Resident Assistants who are here just to make sure everything is going good and help us if we ever need anything. Well we also have Senior Resident Fellows; well our residents fellows is a couple who are in their mid sixties who just look after the building, enforce rules, and hang out with them. I quickly gave them the name of Mom and Dad, because I view them as our parents while we are all here. However, I guess that I forgot that parents give us rules, and when we don't follow the rules we will face consequences...Up until two nights ago, Dad was AWESOME, loved playing beer pong with us, taking pictures of us, and just being a really cool dad to have (kind of like my real one at home), and Mom I mean she was OK...always would say hi and smile at us but just came off as a crabby strict mom (nothing like mine at home)!

At the music festival

So Thursday night started out great!...Marisa and I had volleyball training, and then we came back did some homework real quick and then got ready to go to the music festival on campus. So we all went to the small concert and realized quickly it wasn't that much fun and we would rather go back to our room have a few drinks and hang out with some friends before we got on a bus to go to our favorite night club, "East". So that's what we did, we apparently we have a really cool room, and of course Marisa and I are a lot of fun, and our room just happens to ALWAYS be the meeting place. So we were all getting ready to walk out the door when Mom peered in, and saw me drinking from a glass bottle (which is the ONLY rule against drinking, that we can not drink from glass bottles, but wine bottles and hard liquor is OK..doesn't make sense but it's a rule). We she then proceeded in to ask me what I was drinking, and I said "this great drink, want some?"Well apparently she didn't and wasn't too happy to see Marisa and I with glass bottles in our room. She then asked if we would have a meeting with her...and then proceeded to tell me that there were too many people in my room and we were too loud. Long story short...We had to meet with Mom and Dad, and we have quickly concluded that Mom is BAD COP and Dad is GOOD COP! Although we did just get a warning they were happy with our respect for them and for understanding of the rules, they also told us we were lucky we were the last students to get a warning...I think really it's because Dad wants to still be included in our fun of beer pong and other drinking games, and I also think Mom was crabby with us because we never invite her to join, but only her "hubby" as she likes to call him... So as much as I enjoy the freedom of living here with no rules from my parents, I also like to think that everywhere we go no matter who we are with or how old we are there will ALWAYS be rules, and with rule you must follow. So my lesson was learned this week, and although I am old enough to drink there will still be rules and we must respect, understand and follows those rules to stay out of trouble.

NO WORRIES, real Mom and Dad (aka Jan and Dale) I am not in any trouble, and have remained good friends with Fake Mom and Dad. You have taught me to always respect others and that is what I did.
However, I couldn't let this ruin my night, so we all left and went to East our favorite night club in Broadbeach and we had a great time! I would also like to not that we had a dance off with everyone in our group, we had this special hat and whenever it was placed on your head it was your chance to go in the middle of the group and show your moves. I would like to claim victory for myself, because I am the one who walked away with the hat and now has the hat hanging in my room as a memorabilia of my first successful dance off.

SEEE yaa--
lib

Class-Run-Pilates-Hot Tub-Sauna----I LOVE IT HERE!

I just put this up for my FAMILY!! Miss you all!! Sorry no other good pictures of today!

Today was WONDERFUL!!! I woke up not too excited to sit through my class, but ended up really enjoying it!! I am learning so many useful facts in
my Love, Sex, and Relationship class; did you know that guy biologically really do have a 'less connected brain' than women? It's a proven fact that the Ischium of a males brain is thicker, therefore, the hemispheres of their brain are farther apart which makes it harder for them to think about more than one thing, or even the consequences of each action. So next time you say a guy is thick headed...Biologically they really are!! Thought all the women would love to hear this! After class I came back to my room and slept for 3 hours!!! I slept so good, but when I woke up I saw that my mom tried to call me and I was sad, because I haven't talked to her in a couple days :(. I am going to try to call her right before I go to bed, which will be right when she is waking up. After my long and well needed nap, I went for a run. Today I ran for about 20 minutes and started to feel sick, so I did a little abs and arm workouts; I thought abs and arms are vital part to train also when concerned with long distance running. I then jumped back on the treadmill and ran for an additional 35 minutes. So as of right now, my training is going great! I actually really like to run now, and it helps me to stay focused each day and balances everything out. After my run I came back here and then Kiley and Allie asked me to do a Pilate class with them, I thought I was doing so good with my working out I just couldn't say no.

Picture for Photography (Yield Sign)

Bird of Paradise Plant

We went to the rec center at 5:00 pm sharp and the class didn't start until 5:30 but luckily we were early because there were only 3 tickets left!!! So I walked into this class unsure what to expect; I have never been to a yoga or Pilate class before so I was kind of nervous. As the class started I enjoyed it, and then it got harder...and harder..and harder, until I was dead!!! I couldn't feel my stomach, my hip flexors were aching and I really thought about walking out.  Then we FINALLY started to meditate, it felt amazing!!! After the 60 minute class I walked out of there feeling WONDERFUL!!! I highly recommend Pilates to EVERYONE! After that we all went to the Cafe where I continued with my healthy day and ordered chicken kebab with all vegetables and a banana. After dinner we just didn't spend quite enough time at the rec center so we went back to lounge in the hot tub, and then proceeded to the sauna. It was such a relaxed night and now I feel as if I like at a Resort/Spa/HEAVEN!!! Tonight we decided that each week we are all going to try to do two of the different classes that are offered, which include; boxing, yoga, pilates, deep water running, spinning, super circuit, step, and strength and conditioning.

Tomorrow I don't have any classes but I have a 'to do' list. I think I picked this trait up from my mom; I make list all the time, but majority of the time I don't do anything on them, and for that matter I lose them before I can even start the task. However, right now on my list I need to go to the "Post" (post office), run, laundry, a work-out class, volleyball training, maybe lay out by the pool, and a concert at campus tomorrow night. Sounds like I'm going to have a rough day...so I better get going and get some rest!!! In all reality, living here is amazing!!! Class two days a week, free work-out classes, pool, beach, weekly trips, and free concerts/shows!!!

SEEE yaa--
lib

2 Rainy Days in a Row=Productive Libby

Rain Clouds Coming in (My view from my room)

Rainy Day

Yess....It actually does rain in the beautiful continent of Australia!! It is Tuesday afternoon here and it is Monday late night at home (Illinois), I just got done with my classes for the week (most of them at least)!!! I have one more tomorrow morning just for an hour, and it is a class that I really enjoy. I have actually considered double majoring in both Athletic Training and Psychology, hoping to one day be a  Physician Assistant Specializing in Sports and Psychology. On Monday I had classes and then was suppose to ref (By the way...Mom and Dad I got a JOB!!!); my volleyball trainer asked me if I would ref beach volleyball games every Monday night from 6-10pm and I would be paid $50! I know it's not much but it will help pay for some expenses during the week. I also just signed up for a social beach volleyball (separate from my competitive volleyball team) with a few of my friends; I think its going to be a great time!!   Since all volleyball got canceled for Monday night I had an open night to finish some homework and catch up for the following week. Marisa, Stephen, and I went to the JAKL (John and Allison Kearney Library) for a couple hours and I finished majority of my readings and organized my computer.

Windy Day at BOND

Today I had classes and then went for run ( I am up to 55 minutes now!!) and now I am "skyping" with Alec before he goes to bed. I am also telling him all about the people in my group, and how SLU has a great group of students here and we all get along great! At Bond Uni we are referred to as the 'SLUzer'. I am actually on my way out to go to volleyball training for a couple hours and then I think Marisa and I are going to get in the sauna and sweat out all of our toxins! Tonight I will probably take it easy go to dinner with Marisa, Kiley, and Allie and Marisa and I were talking about rearranging our room (if you all know me well enough, you know that I no changing stuff up, when I was younger I would rearrange my room every opportunity I got). Tonight I also need to finish my homework for next week because Marisa and I will not be in classes, we are excused for the week to participate in Perth!!!! I just got a package from my mom today and I was SO happy for her to send not only coffee and dryer sheets (which they don't have here), but also my soccer gear, a one piece suit (which I will be wearing in the Triathlon) and MY FAVORITE coconut M&M's!!!! The package came just in time right before I leave for Perth, because I have noticed this morning that my large toenail is falling off and I will be able to use my soccer tape to hold it down for a while (gross I know!!).
Well for now I need to jump in the shower because I just got back from beach volleyball and I have created a small beach under my desk from all the sand! O.. Yeaahh! I talked to my cousin Molly today, and we were fantasizing about Christmas!! Only 3 Months and 4 days away!!! 
Hope all is well at home!!
SEEEyaa-
lib

Last thing...for anyone who wants to send me a letter I LOVE GETTING MAIL!!!

Elizabeth Deiters

Campus and Dining Services

Building 10 (Student Court)

14 University Drive

Bond University QLD 4229

Australia

First Rainy Day

Rain Clouds over BroadBeach

Today, we woke up and we had every intention of going to Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary but rolled out of bed and saw that it was our FIRST rainy day. So I was productive and went to the gym and ran a 6.5K (~45 min) and did some weights. I also found our 4th person on our team going to Perth ( unfortunately I think she is the "drunk girl" the one that we always see at Don's stumbling everywhere...but HEY maybe she knows how to play volleyball and I guess we will for sure have a great time with her!).  I also found a job on campus, my volleyball trainer asked Marisa and I to ref Monday night games for $10 AUD per game! I took this advantage thinking that it would be a great way to fund a fraction of my trips and other unnecessary expenses. We are now all sitting around our room and I think we have decided that for the day we will go to Surfer's Paradise and go bowling, putt putt golfing, and possibly a trip to the Ripley's Believe it or Not Museum. I think we have also made an executive decision to travel to Thailand!!!

Some of my cousins on Family Cruise 2008

I also was fortunate enough to talk to most of my cousins on the phone; they were all at V&H for my cousins birthday party. I am sad not to be there but Martin sure gave me all the details of what I was missing. According to him, there was this wedding party with a really short and fat bride and a tall skinny groom and all the bridesmaids were fat and short..?? O how I miss Martin's company! I also was able to talk briefly with Thomas, but I don't think he had enough patience to talk to me on the phone. I'm so glad I can stay in close contact with my family while I'm here, at first I thought it would be harder for me to talk on the phone with them thinking I would miss them too much...however, I really like talking to them and at some times I become nostalgic for my family and friends but I know I have to take full advantage of my time here and it's going to go by way too quick to be sad!

I need to get ready for indoor activites today, but I just wanted to add another short post for all those people who get bored with the long ones!!

SeEEE Ya--
lib

OO YEAHh....JULIE AND JOEY CONGRATS WITH BOTH VICTORIES THIS WEEK!!! Central and Freeburg!!!

Photography Class---PRACTICE makes perfect...Right??

Broad Beach City

Ok So...One of my four classes is Image and Photography and I have come to realize I know NOTHING about taking pictures, or even how to use my simple "point and shoot" camera. So I thought today would be a perfect day to go to the beach and take some shots of scenery. I will post some of my pictures that I took on manual, keep in mind these are raw pictures without photoshop.

HUGE WAVES

Today we all went to BroadBeach, and hung out at the beach, walked around the shops, and then enjoyed a relax dinner where I got Greek Chicken Kebabs, for the 3rd time this week! Today was my off day for training so I just spent it relaxed. Right now we are sitting in Marisa and I's room talking about our families, childhood, and high school memories. We are also planning out our weekend trips; we are thinking about visiting Fraser Island, Byron Bay, Whit Sunday, Melbourne, Sydney, and THAILAND!!! Sorry Mom and Dad, this could be a little costly but its all about the knowledge and experience! I can't wait to blog about all the trips; not to mention the activities (scuba diving, snorkeling, parasailing, hiking, and SKY DIVING)...sorry Mom I will be jumping from the sky! I know this is a short post but just trying to stay on top of things.

Tomorrow we are going are to Brisbane just to hang out, and then to develop some photos, and of course some reading for classes! A longer post will be so too follow!

FACT OF THE DAY: The ratio between human:kangaroo ratio in Australia is 3:1.

We HAD to take a self-portrait that describes us. 

SeEE Yaa---
libby

Ending of a GREAT Week!

Now I have to play catch up again with my blog....I kind of view this as my job, I love 're-living' my days through this blog and sharing them with you all.  I have come to realize that there are many more viewers than I have thought, and I love that!

I want to share with you all my view from my room every morning when I wake up. The longer and longer I am here I see more of a resemblance with my University and a nice resort.


After spending most of Wednesday in my bed, I managed to get up and go for a run (continuing with my training) and ran for about 35 minutes and then did some of my homework and laid around the rest of the day until we all got dinner at 'Cafe Bond'. Cafe Bond is our main source for eating on campus and it really is like a gourmet meal at any point of the day. The first day we went there and we were all so happy about how great the food and how we could use our meal plans, however, the Australian students told us that the food wasn't good at all and it was not gourmet at all. I have no idea what their standards are but we all thought it was amazing!! 


On Thursday we went to the library, and tried to be productive. I then went for a run around the local subdivision and found some really cool houses. My run lasted about 30 minutes and then I walked around to explore more of the houses. After my run we had to go to beach volleyball training at 4pm, where we met a lot of volleyball players and hopefully some that will be traveling to Perth with us. Felipe is a guy who goes to Bond and is from Chile he has a thick accent but is very fun to talk to. He then informed Marisa and I that we have indoor training from 6pm-8pm  right after beach training...We weren't looking forward to this at all. However, we thought we had a practice tournament this coming weekend in Coolangata so we thought the extra training would be essential for us. After 3 hours of volleyball we quickly came back to our room exhausted but pulled it together and managed to get ready and go down to Don's ( its our schools Tavern about 100 steps from our dorm) just to hang out and meet people. We saw many people from Orientation week but we couldn't put any names on the faces, I guess this is due to the amount of people we met and also the amount of alcohol we consumed. However, Thursday was a good relaxed night spent with a lot of good friends sitting around drinking, and people watching. O yeah...One more note about Thursday night is that us girls were sitting at a table and were quickly approached by "professor" this guy literally looked older than my dad! Before I even knew he was walking up to us I said "I hope dad over there talks to us", my wish was quickly granted. However, he would NOT leave us alone!! He claimed to be a 28 year old undergrad, but would not tell us what he was studying. So I have concluded that he was a professor about 35-45 years old who just really enjoyed his students. Of course me loving to mess with people kept the conversation going and also managed to meet quite a few interesting people just to mention a few...Mr. Bean ( a guy in our group of friends who creeps in all pictures), crazy eddy ( a west coast kid who loves fist pumping by himself) and crazy drunk ( this infamous girl who is always SLOSHed every night).  This concludes my Thursday night and I am quite impressed with all the stuff that I remember!

On Friday morning I woke up went for a run (40 minutes now!!!), and then came back to my dorm to quickly get ready for the involvement fair that was going on throughout campus. This fair was nothing like I have ever seen before...We walked around and I signed up for soccer, basketball, and scuba diving ( this part was normal). We then signed up for VIP for all the clubs in the area, and signed up for BASIC (Beer Appreciation and Social Intercourse Club) such a great academic club! Upon joining we were granted a free pass to drink from the keg throughout the fair and the rest of the day. Unfortunately, I don't drink beer so this wasn't much help for me. We then all went to grab lunch before we jumped on the bus for 'Bond Behind Bars' which was described to us as a bus that took us around BroadBeach and Surfer's Paradise. It ended up being a HUGE pub crawl! Which was a lot of fun, we met SOOO many people. At our first stop, Robina Tavern we were given a shot of pre-made vodka mix and then I proceeded to enjoy a small bottle of white wine, and another pre-made drink. We were then rounded up at went back on the bus to make our way to CBD where we met Pauly D (look alike) and Wes who were law students at Bond and who Marisa and I were able to hold a conversation with about sports. Alec would be glad to know that I have been brushing up my NFL knowledge however, still have no idea who my favorite team is, but I took Alec's advice and he told me whenever anyone ask I say Denver Broncos, because that's his. So when the guys asked me why it was my favorite team I just had to say "I don't know it's my boyfriends and he told me that it was mine too". I think this is when they figured that I'm really not that big of a sports bluff. We then went to East, where we all just spent time with our new Asian friends and admired the crazy prices on the drinks ( 2 vodka tonics=$42..SORRY DAD). After East is where it got pretty interesting, we went to Mermaid Beach Tavern which was also so interesting...I ran into this guy who clearly pointed out that we were from America too!! We quickly figured out that we is from Kansas and knew my cousin Lily and her friends....but, Im sorry can't remember his name...We then walked down the stairs to find pokies (which are slot machines) and strippers?? We ran right back upstairs as we realized we were out of place. We then jumped on the bus again and ended the night at our final destination SHOOTERS in Surfer's Paradise. We stayed there till about 11...which was early but since we started at 2:30pm I was fine with leaving. All and all the day/night was awesome!! We met soo many people and saw a lot of cool places. I got back to our dorm and skyped with my dad who was just getting to work, and also Alec who was going to class; such a GREAT way to end my day. 


I woke up this morning (its Saturday morning at 11am and Friday night in the States) and quickly uploaded pictures and talked to Alec. He informed me that he was on his way to Joey's football game, I was quickly nostalgic for MD football and Breese....He then informed me that he was hanging out with my little cousin Martin and Thomas, and was talking with my dad and brother, although I am SOO jealous of him for this I am glad that he helps me feel so connected with stuff back at home. Today we are going to play some volleyball, go to the beach, and probably print some pictures for my Photography class. I think I'm going to take it easy tonight and just hang out. O yeah...our volleyball tournament was canceled which was very lucky for us because of the Pub Crawl but we really need to work on our beach volleyball. 


Hope you enjoy this post!! I will try to be a little more persistent with the blog though, but for now I need to get out of my bed, and be productive and do something!! Hope you all have a great weekend!!!! 
SEEEyaa-
lib

O Yeah..I Forgot I came her for "school"!!!

After a long trip to Mooloolaba we got back on Sunday night and took it easy because we all knew we would have a hard time going to classes and actually paying attention. On Sunday night it finally hit me that I came her to go to school, I then realized I might need some books and supplies! I guess it's safe to say that the Australian laid back environment is starting to rub off on me. I use to be so prepared with all my supplies packed and ready to go...not so much here!

On Monday morning my school week started at 8am with Great Narrative Literature, luckily Marisa is in my class and it wasn't as boring as it sounds. Our teacher is a nice middle aged atheist and feminist who seems to know a lot about Literature. However, she told us our main textbook would be the Bible, and I was quite confused knowing that she was an atheist; she told us that we would ONLY be looking at the structure and then literature aspect of the Bible and we are never to comment on the Religious aspect (Marisa and I were both confused by this). Marisa and I then had our Image and Photography lecture class together which was IMPOSSIBLE to find!  In Australia architecture I don't think they have a concept of organization; in both buildings that my classes are in the numbers on the doors are out of order. For instance, we were looking for Rm. 3_14 (which means 3rd floor rm. 14) and we found 3_13 and 3_15 and we had to ask several people and look at several maps before being escorted into our lecture. After our lecture which were both 2 hours each we went to our "tuts" which is short for a tutorial. In Australian education setting you only have to go to school for two years to receive your Bachelor's Degree, but must go for 3 semester each year and the class schedules are set up that you go to a two hour lecture and then a tutorial for an hour to talk about what we learned in the lecture. So needless to say we have a lot of time in each class but so far they seem fun! (Never thought I would say that about school) Our first day was great Marisa and I have every class together, we both really enjoyed our Photography class but we are a little weary about our skill level compared to others. We walked into the lecture with no clue about cameras, lenses, or angles and some kids next to us were talking about their photo labs...so I think this is going to be interesting! On Monday night we took it easy got some supplies and went grocery shopping. I would have to say that everything in Australia is so much healthier but also more expensive! ( O YEAH...I think we have assumed why Americans are so fat, at the 2 Mc Donalds that we have seen instead of having a $1 theirs is $2 and there fries and burgers aren't so greasy!)  I already have homework though, which involves reading and self-portraits that incorporate of course me and things that I love. So if anyone has ideas I'm open to suggestions. I can't forget to add that my training started on Monday and I ran for 30 minutes straight and then did some weights, I was pretty surprised with myself because I know I can do the elliptical for an hour but it's a different concept than running. Day 1 of training went GREAT!

Tuesday I also have an 8am with Marisa again so it's not so bad waking up. On Tuesday's I go to Love, Sex, and Relationship (it's a Psychology class) and Psychopathology which are both classes for my minor. Both classes seem interesting but I think I am really going to enjoy Love, Sex, and Relationships and learning how to communicate with others in relationships and compromising with others. On Tuesday I had class from 8-13:00 (8-1pm) and then I purchased some pub crawl tickets for Friday. It's this huge welcome back event where our school rents buses and they take you to all the bars in the area. It was drizzling outside but then became a beautiful day so I went for a run to continue with my training. I ran around the local subdivision and a bridge and before I knew it I was running for 35 minutes!! I decided to stop though and walk back to campus because Marisa taught me that you don't want to overdo it in the beginning of training because you will get burnt out. We then had to go to our beach volleyball practice, and I think it's safe to say I could not feel my legs or my hitting arm after an hour of beach training. But, we met some more volleyball players who will be going and they all seem so nice! I really think we are improving each week with our volleyball skills. We finished the night drinking some goon and going to a karaoke (so we thought) bar. However, it was just vodka specials which was fine with me, a relaxed night spent with some great friends a perfect night!!

Marisa and I

However, today was not such a perfect morning waking up for our 9am class. Stephen, Marisa, and I all walked to our 9am class together, however, theirs was Pop Culture and mine was my "tut" for Love, Sex, and Relationships. It was a quick class and we just discussed what topic we would be presenting. I chose "communication" in relationships. I thought this would be perfect for me because right now I am having a relationship with my family and friends solely based off communications via email, Skype, and Facebook. I also thought it would be easy to talk about how advancements in technology has been both positive and negative for relationships. It is now 11am on Wednesday morning and I am done with classes for the week. I am going to spend the rest of the day sleeping, doing homework, and day 3 of training!!

I just got off the phone with my mom who was going to a Bunco party, which I'm sad to miss seeing her costume, Julie who was "creeping" on FB (glad somethings never change) Joey who was watching TV and telling me about filling out his college applications ( I can't believe he is at the age to start applying) and my dad who is miserable with chigger bites! MAN I miss being home in our crazy house!! Although I would have to admit I think for my time here I am going to enjoy it completely knowing that when I return nothing will change and I will go back to my crazy house!! Just got off the phone with Alec and he is going to the movies with Ricky, glad he is the one to take my place!

Although I would love to go on and on I have finally caught up on my blog so for now I'm taking a Tylenol and taking a nap to sleep off this headache. Hope all is well!! As always I love the emails and comments!! Take care!!
SEEEyaa-
Lib

Our TREK to Mooloolaba Beach

Bond Beach Day

On Saturday we woke up early and went to BroadBeach with Bond Uni. It was part of our Orientation week; buses picked us up on campus, brought us to a beach and then transported us back. When we got to the beach it was kind of chilly but then the sun came out and it was such a beautiful day. As we got back to Bond Uni we ran up to our rooms packed our bags and went to start our adventure on to Mooloolaba Beach.

In the bar Down Under

We start we had our trip planned out perfect, with the minimal wait time at each stop. We started off by taking a bus to Robina Station where we were suppose to catch a bus, but due to our Bond Uni bus being late we missed our train. We then sat around Robina for an hour...That is when a couple of us thought it was necessary to open some wine, however, Australia law prohibits alcohol on transportation; thank god for black coffee bottles! We started the journey well with some box wine (goon). We finally got on our train to take us to Brisbane which took about an hour, when we got to Bris we thought we could jump on another train right away...MAN, we were wrong...We had to sit in Brisbane for four hours. At first I thought this was going to be terrible, that was until the guys ventured out and found the 'Down Under' Bar. We all sat down and enjoyed a nice $10 AUD dinner and drink deal!! We sang to a few of the DJ songs and distiguished to all in the bar that we were Americans with our obsessions to singing along to all Backstreet Boy songs we played. After a few drinks and some singing we had to head back to the train station thinking we could catch a train right away. However, we were wrong again....We then sat at the train station for another hour and half playing charades, dancing, spotting weird people, and of course trying out a breathalyzer that we brought. 

Our train finally arrive which would take us to our final destination...so we thought. We boarded the train and figured out quickly that it was going to be an hour and half drive; that is when we decided to pull out pre-made drinks (in Oz they sell pre-made drinks; such as, vodka and cranberry, coke and rum, and many more) which were very convenient and became very interested in brain teasers, and other "train" games. After a while the security guards assumed we would be a fun group to sit by and of course they were right. That was until one older guy whose name was Jimmy started asking us girls about American history, of course he knew more than we did...Some how we got on the topic of Facebook and within minutes he was officially my FB friend. 

Roommates for the Night!

FINALLLY we were in Landsboro!!!(Which was our final destination on the train). Jimmy then informed us that we needed to run to catch the last bus that would bring us to our Hostel. Thank god we made it!!! Within 15 minutes we were walking into our hostel that we would be staying at for less than 12 hours.  It was called Mooloolaba Backpacker's, it was so sketchy and creppy but a cheap place for us to stay. In the State I don't think we have hostels, but in Aus and Europe I know they are very popular for students to stay in while traveling around, it is basically a large dorm with nothing in it but bunk beds (and when I say nothing I mean...only a sheet, a box fan, and a bathroom with a shower head, a toilet, and a sink). 

Guys who bought our drinks. 

We then all quickly got ready and went to venture out to see what the night life was like in Mooloolaba, we were within a 10 minute walk to the towns "best night club" it was called the Wharf and was located right on the water! We all walked in tired but really wanting to have fun, at first we were confused...There was 5 different rooms that made up the night club, one was a "techno" dancing room, another was a room with a live band, a casino, a smoking room and the main bar. Marisa and I decided to venture out and meet people (GREAT IDEA) we ran into a Bachelor Party, and the guys were willing to buy not only the girls drinks, but all the guys in our group as well. Needless to say we had a great time, and ended up walking away paying nothing....Thanks to the guy who picked up the tab he informed us that the final amount was $1483!!! I guess when they say Australians are friendly they really mean it!

Thanks KI!

We then all walked back and went to bed around 4am. I woke up at 7am freezing because we had no covers, and kind of confused when we all had M&M's in our beds...Thanks to Kiley who threw them everywhere the night before when we got home, in hopes of waking us up.  I then walked out our doors to find Marisa who was running in a half marathon. As soon as she got back we went to the desk and asked about surfing. They provided us all with FREE surfboards to take to the beach. We spent the rest of the day at the beach surfing and hanging out. Right before we were about to head back to the hostel to shower and catch the bus back we found these great rocks, and thought it was very important to take pictures on these! 


The beach was amazing with beautiful scenery. We then went back to the Hostel and Marisa and I showered in these disgusting joint showers, needless to say we felt worse after the shower than before. We then got on a bus at 2pm to head back to Landsboro and continue on to travel back to Bond Uni. On the return trip we didn't run into any problems, and we were able to see a lot of great scenery including downtown Brisbane, Steve Erwin way, and different forest reserves. 

Our Hostel

Over all it was a great trip, although we ran into different obstacles it made it a lot more fun!!! I feel like improv trips like these will be the best. Although we were only together for 24 hours we still bonded so well as a group! I came back for Mooloolaba so excited to plan many more trips like these, although I still have no voice I need to start getting ready for school this week! 


After talking to Marisa on the way home I have officially decided to train for a half marathon! So as of now I will also let you all know how my training is going, and if I forget to inform you please remind me because that probably means I am slacking on the running as well. My ultimate goal is to complete a half marathon before I leave Oz.

SURFING!

I have another post coming soon to let you know about my first day of classes!! Love seeing you all read my blog and the comments!! Hope everything is great at home!
SEEEyaa-
-lib

Star Gazing on the Beach

While laying on the beach tonight I was trying to capture some moments with my new digital camera that I bought for my Photography class here and realized that it might not of been the best idea to take a class on something I know nothing I about. I think the pictures will speak for themselves. 


Today was a recovery day for me...I woke up feeling terrible still with no voice and a nice headache which always means I had a great night! Today we spent laying around talking about the night before and just hanging out. At around 4pm Allie and I went to the gym, where I was able to make a conclusion that many Australians don't wear deodorant and they don't really see the importance of an indoor gym because of the great climate here. It is safe to say that the ONLY thing I really miss that SLU has and Bond Uni doesn't is a good, clean, fresh gym. 

A group of us then headed downtown BroadBeach to walk around and explore. We got dropped off at Pacific Fair, which is where all the shopping is and just walked straight and hit the beach. It was dark and still beautiful the sand was white and soft and you could look down the beach and see the skyline with the city of Surfers Paradise in the distance. We all sat down and looked up at the stars and just were talking about the plans and wishes for the semester that lies ahead of us. It made me realize that I came here knowing five people and hope to leave here with many new friends from all over the world. 


Although I am said to miss my younger brothers football game back at home; Alec sent me updates on the score and how Joey was playing, which I really appreciate. Because of the time difference and our schedules it is really hard for Alec and I to talk and know what is going on in each others lives; so we figured the best way to fix this is to email each other every night before we go to bed just talking about our day and what we did. I would have to admit this is so helpful, even though I don't talk to him everyday the emails are amazing when I read them and a great way to end my day by telling him about everything that I am experiencing. I have been able to keep in contact with my sister through BBM (blackberry messenger) and Skype and it has been so wonderful to still be part of her life and her decisions at such a crucial age. My parents have been amazing and so understanding when I don't call everyday. I have been emailing my dad and trying to call my mom at least every other day, if she would figure out her phone she will also realize I send her pictures of everything I see. I do miss DJ and Joey a lot but I know how guys are and they aren't too keen with talking to their sister who is in Australia. So I receive updates through my parents and of course all the gossip through Julie. 


Friday was the perfect recovery day for me. It was also a great day to reflect on how lucky I am to be here. I will admit there are times when I miss certain things back at home, but I just can't imagine not coming to Australia. I also have realized that I couldn't of asked for a better group of people to be with. My roommate is amazing, and Ki and Allie who live right next to us of course are our best friends too! Recently I have just been thinking about how close we are getting with people we didn't know a week ago. It's really going to be hard when our new friends go back to their home school, I don't even want to think about that. So for now we are going to live up the time we have here and truly try our hardest to enjoy every minute of every experience we have. 


I never would of thought I would be able to study abroad away from my friends and family for four months but already I can tell it is one of the most incredible things I have done, and I encourage anyone who gets the opportunity to do it; NEVER let anyone influence your choices for your future. **Sorry don't mean to sound like I'm trying to be a motivational speaker or anything...I just realized how my mom was so true telling me that I would love it and it would be perfect for me. Alec was also right by telling me to never let him stop me from doing something that will benefit me.


I need to get some rest now, I FINALLY start classes tomorrow. But my next post will be up in about 10 hours with full detail about our adventurous weekend trip to Mooloolaba, one that you will love to read about. 
SEEEyaaa
- lib

And soo...The Adventures begin!

We found GREAT shopping!!! YAyy a Target, many boutiques, and beauty stores!! On Wednesday, Marisa, Kiley, Allie, and I went to BroadBeach; which is a shopping area near the beach downtown Surfer's Paradise (Only a 5 minute bus ride from campus). We got on the bus right on campus, and we thought we were finally figuring out the public transportation that was until the bus driver started yelling at us and finally proceeded to let us all on for free because he didn't want to wait for us to figure out the coins (in Australia they have $2 & $1 very small coins, which often confuse me).  Once we finally got to the shopping area, we walked around the city and explored, O yeah I found a REAL AMERICAN STARBUCKS!. BroadBeach is an awesome area, which many hotels, apartments, and small shopping markets. They have the best fresh fruit markets too but some of the fruit is so expensive. Because of the conversion to their metric system I often don't know how to convert simple measurements such as pounds to kilograms...SO I thought I was going to get some grapes, but when I proceeded to the checkout the lady nicely informed me that I would be paying $9 AUD for about half a bag of grapes because they aren't in season here and they have to be imported for the States. Although I love to eat healthy I had to opt out of the grapes. However, we did find a cheap alcohol store which is a very hard task around here. A nice bottle of vodka here can range from $35-$50 which is normally no more than $20 in the States and a 24 pack of Corona was $50. My mom's advice was to drink half of what I do at home...That was until I found 4 liters of wine for $10. My grandma Mimi would have NO problems here! We then headed back to campus to unpack all our stuff we bought and Allie I went to the gym to run for a bit, where again we had trouble converting all the weights and distances.
 Later on in the night we were suppose to go to a Trivia Night but us girls thought we would go into Robina Market Place which is a 10 minute walk from campus to enjoy a nice Hibachi DInner. We ate at this place called Teriyaki Mate, and had a nice dinner with the owners where they informed us of all the great specials for students. After dinner I wasn't feeling too good so we went to the local "Chemist" (aka Pharmacy). We then all found out that most medicine here is all herbal, I don't think it has helped me at all.


Yesterday us girls again decided we need to get our Australian 18+ card, because we were told that at most bars and night clubs they will no longer accept our United States ID's because they can't tell which ones are fake. After getting our new Australian ID card we went to this store called 'Trade Secret' which was just like a TJ Maxx or Marshalls at home (So YES MOM you will be set if/when you come) we went in there to look for outfits for our Tight and Bright party at Bond Uni tonight, and I think you will see by the pictures it was a successful trip. We then went to meet up with some other SLU students and headed to a beach...When getting on the bus we just asked if this was going to the beach, and of course eventually it would be, but it was like the farthest one away and 50 minutes later we arrived at Burleigh Head beach and it was gorgeous!! Definitely worth the drive! The area is amazing just like a huge surfing area with small shops, bars, and junky stores which I LOVE! We were laying out and it was hot, but very windy..The waves were HUGE!  I will be posting more pictures soon! 

Burleigh Head Beach

Unfortunately we couldn't just stay at the beach all day/night we had to then rush back so Marisa and I would make our beach volleyball practice. For all of you who don't know Marisa and I will be playing on the Bond University Beach Volleyball Olympian Team traveling to Perth in 3 weeks. We then got back to campus and went out to play in our sundress...To my surprise I wasn't actually as bad as I thought I would be. However about 10 minutes into warming up and diving around I started to get cramps in my thigh I think that was a message to me from my body that maybe this is why I didn't play volleyball in high school. We then found out we have a practice volleyball tournament in 2 weeks at Coolangatta, which is on the coast about an hour South of Bond Uni. 

My University

After our volleyball practice we sat in the hot tub and relaxed my muscles and then got ready for our themed tight and bright party at Don's (which is our tavern on campus where we can use our meal plan). While getting ready we met this really sweet Aussie girl named Jordan who wants to take us all shopping!! Buses then drove us downtown BroadBeach and we went to Club 88 East which was packed, but so much fun!! It so different than bars at home and a lot more expensive! The pictures are great!


This weekend a group of us is going to Mooloolaba for the weekend to travel and see new places. We are staying in a hostel which is like a huge dorm where we get free surfing and kayaking. We also plan on going to the Steve Erwin Australia Zoo. I can't wait to show you all pictures and let you know how it is! 


I have almost been here for a week and I can see so many similarities with Oz and the State but have been able to point out  many differences such as; there are NO dryer sheets here, the coffee is a shot of espresso with water, absolutely no tipping (they take it offensive), and also the high school/grade school kids get break in between classes and they are everywhere, I feel like they are never in school. I really don't feel distant from everyone back at home. Luckily I have been able to Skype with my mom, sister, and Alec everyday which makes it a lot easier! 

Us girls on our way back 

This post has taken me about 3 hours to write because I have no focus, voice, or money in my wallet right now because of last night!! I hope you all enjoy this post, and I really hope some of you are able to visit at some point in your life, this place really is paradise!! 
Miss yaaa ALLL
SEEYaa 
p.s. I ENJOYY THE COMMENTS!!

BOND Week Activities

TOGA PARTY

Laying out, Toga parties, beaches, and sleeping in....Right now my life couldn't get much better!! It's my first week here and we don't start school until Sept. 12th so we spend this week meeting people through various different events that the university puts on for us. After we arrived on Sunday afternoon; we checked in, received our room keys, explored campus, and eventually some how fought through our jet lag and enjoyed a BBQ on campus and then proceeded to a nice venue called Hotel CBD where we had a few drinks and met ridiculous amounts of people. Marisa (my roommate) and I have concluded that we have met a person from each continent. We then called in a night and went back to our room; however, even though we were exhausted we couldn't sleep because we were still on our sleeping schedule at home and were starving because we didn't eat the whole day we traveled and we were also late to the BBQ. So then at 6 am I heard someone whispering my name and figured out that Kiley and Allie had the same problem. We then enjoyed our first meal in Australia at 'Juicy Bits' a small cafe 100 feet from our dorm. After stuffing our faces we went down to the market place which is a nice walk from campus and did some grocery shopping. We spent the rest of the day setting up our computers with the school's network, getting our ID cards, figuring out our schedule, and spending a great amount of time at a campus fair where they presented us with different activities throughout the semester. 

Later in the afternoon Marisa, Adam, Fink, Stephen, Jeff, and I (all SLU students) decided to walk 4.2 km (equivalent to 2.7 miles) to the mall. It was a nice walk where we saw many nice houses and parks. After finally arriving we spent the next hour purchasing items for our room and school, we also ALL bought a cell phone to use while we are here to call each other. Marisa and I had huge bags of towels, pillows, and decorations that we all thought it would be best to take the bus back to campus. The public transportation is very convenient here and we enjoyed an entertaining ride with many walks of life. Getting back on campus, Marisa and I decorated our room and begin to sip some wine (which is the cheapest alcohol here for about $9 AUD for a bottle). After decorating and socializing with people on our floor we started to get ready for the TOGA party at Don's (which is the bar on campus...where YES I can use my meal plan). We all had a tough time perfecting our toga's to look good and cover our body. At Don's we just all hung out until a bus took us to a night club in Surfer's Paradise ( a nearby city) we stayed there until 3am dancing and hanging out; we all had a great time. After 'skyping' (video chatting) with my cousins Mary Michael and Kathleen I finally went to bed at 5 am ( it was early afternoon for them in KC).

Pool View

Today (which is Tuesday) we slept in and then went to lay out at the pool and then went to an introduction ceremony at the amphitheater on campus. we finished the night early for once to give our bodies a break by sitting in the cafe talking and laughing about all the funny things that happen at the toga party (unfortunately I believe that Mary Michael and Kathleen also know everything as well). Tonight I realized that we already have a good solid group of friends and are already planning a weekend trip to the Sunshine coast which is north of Bond University to explore. 

I love this place and I'm having so much fun; of course I miss my family and friends back home but I have been 'skyping' with Alec everyday and talking to my sister constantly. I know I'm forgetting a lot of details about the past 2 days but I am so dead tired to think. I will add a new post soon about how similar and different Oz (a term for Australia) and the US really is. Hope all is well!!!

SEEE yaa!