Braving the Elements

Sorry for such a late post! I try to get these written by Friday night but this one totally slipped my mind for some reason. This week's post will center around the theme of "braving the elements". I'm finding out that the weather here can be quite unpredictable at times and can get quite wild! On Tuesday (the 25th), the normally picturesque blue sky turned grey and unleashed a crazy downpour that lasted for a few days! Up until that point I had only experienced one or two small rainfalls but this was a doozy. Some of you may have seen the video that I posted on Facebook. That post was made about halfway through the storm and it got much worse afterwards!

*The front of Hutton House --> where I live

 



*Front of Hutton

 

I loved the downpour of rain and it provided a nice, grey day perfect for curling up with a good book! During a slight pause in the storm I went outside and enjoyed the view from our patio.

 

 

** This little guy came out for a bit during the break as well!

 

On Thursday the storm finally ended. That night a group of us went to Stockland's (the local mall). There's a shuttle that runs from campus to the mall every Thursday night and Saturday morning for a couple of hours. I go every Thursday to pick up groceries since I am self-catering. I have been able to experience lots of different, new foods and experiment with my microwave cooking skills. To be honest, I'm more of an oven, stove-top kind of person but I said I was going to widen my horizons while I'm here and that's exactly what I'm doing haha :) Speaking of other housekeeping type details, we have a couple ladies that come in and vacuum our rooms, etc... once every two weeks. It's a requirement that we keep our rooms neat and orderly so that the ladies are able to do this. This is one detail that's different then the schools back home. There, they don't care what your room looks like as long as your able to get out of it if there's a fire! I do laundry here once a week. Laundry is free (thank goodness)  

**The poor man's laundry basket.

 

On Friday, my Outdoors Pursuits class once again went out to Yeppoon where we learned how to stand-up paddle board. I wish I could have gotten a picture of this but it was sprinkling at times so none of us really had our phones or cameras out to take pictures. I did way better at this than I did at surfing! The key is balance and keeping your knees unlocked so you can recover quickly when you paddle over waves! All of us wiped out a lot at the beginning but I quickly got the hang of it. I think this is because of my vertical height impairment haha I have a low center of gravity! My favorite moment was after I had paddled about half a mile out from shore past the breaking waves where the water was completely still. The sun had come out and I was just standing there on a surfboard listening to the birds and the sound of the ocean. It was so very peaceful. I just thought to myself: wow- I'm here. I'm in Australia! It's one of those places that you think of "well I would love to go one day, I bet it would be amazing"- and I made it here! At that moment I just had to reflect on how thankful I was and am to be here. And to all the people in my life that has supported me and help make it happen. I think that moment standing on the ocean is a memory I'll cherish for a long time. Anyways! After class we had a half hour or so until the bus arrived to take us back to Rockhampton so my friend Marina and I walked around a bit in Yeppoon's downtown shops. We bought some fresh fruit from an organic shop and browsed the tourist trinkets! I think I'll head back to Yeppoon sometime this week to do some gift buying! Also on Friday it was Marina's 21st birthday so a group of us had a lady bake her a cake and we held a small party for her! She was very appreciative especially since being away from home, friends, and family for such an awesome occasion!

*Marina & I outside the campus library

 

This week the (31st- the 4th) is "spring break" week so there are no classes! I decided to forgo the traveling as I wanted to save money. I'm planning on taking a bus to Yeppoon and have a beach day and treat myself to some local seafood cuisine! A friend and I are also planning on having a Lord of the Rings marathon so I'll have that to look forward to as well. :)

 

In an email recently, my Aunt Angie inquired about my classes here. I took a picture during one of my lectures on Monday to show you all really what it's like.

 

*My Personality Psychology lecture (24/03/2014)

 

The large white screen is where a PowerPoint show displays chapter highlights and notes for us to remember for the exam. The smaller screen to the right shows the lecturer presenting from a different campus. My lecturer for Personality is based in Adelaide, Australia. Fun fact: South Dakota was mentioned during this lecture! We were learning about a psychologist named Erik Erikson. He studied the Sioux tribe on the Pine Ridge Reservation in 1938.

 

On that note, I believe I shall be done for now! I hope everyone is doing well!

 

Adios,

 

Tina



Climbing to the Top

        First and foremost- happy St. Patrick's Day! Even though I'm perfectly legal to drink here, I'm resisting the urge to go to the bars and am staying in and actually studying! And I'm not lying ha. I'm not entirely comfortable with the bar crowds here yet and I figure tonight will be one of the crazier ones in Rockhampton!
       Classes are going well. I'm staying ahead of all my work and I've received perfect scores on the few assignments that have been graded thus far. Yay! Today was kind of an interesting day in the educational sense. During my first lecture, the electricity went out so we were released an hour early and then during my second lecture the teacher actually threw up! So... that one was cut short as well! The professors keep on schedule so we'll be expected to catch up on our own time. I'm not sure if today was a win or a loss? haha.
      Temperatures this week are projected to be in the 90's! Today I was a sweaty, hot mess by the time I got to class. Not my favorite look but I suppose I, and the unlucky individuals around me, will just have to deal with it:).
      Not too much has happened in the last week! Friday was a surfing day again and I am steadily getting better! I stood multiple times and felt a bit more confident on the board! The instructor and I had a really nice conversation about special education and kids with special needs. He has a son with Autism and also teaches a weekly surfing class of kids with special needs. He was very adamant about the fact that children with special needs need to be given opportunities same as "normal" kids. We shouldn't be scared that they'll fail to the point where we deny them a chance. With his surfing class, my instructor said that each person is different and that kids with special needs can pick up surfing just as fast as others. If given the right attention and encouragement, anyone can flourish! I love being able to relate my passion with my every day experiences both here and back in South Dakota. I'm very excited about the path I'm on!
      In other news, on Saturday a group of us went on a hike up Mt. Archer. This is the mountain that I see out my window every single day and for some strange reason I thought it would be a fantastic idea to climb the thing. I was WRONG. That hike was a killer! I like to believe that I am an active individual but this was honestly one of the hardest workouts I've ever done! The trail was 14 kilometers long (which is about 9 miles) of intense steep upgrade. The path itself was rated difficult by the Australian Department of State Parks and to sum up the terrain: it was recommended that everyone climbing this trail bring a first-aid kit. It was also recommended that the trail is hiked from top to bottom because of the difficulty but... us being international didn't know that so we hiked it from bottom to top. If I ever do it again, I'll be sure to do it the right way! It took us about four hours to complete the trail. The path at times wasn't even a path. Sometimes the path would only be about a foot in width with a drop on one side. Other times, we were bushwalking with grasses and other plants well over six feet tall. We also had to pass a certain creek about seven times throughout our hike haha. I'm complaining quite a bit but it really was a beautiful hike. The sights were stunning and pictures really can't capture it at all. We all felt pretty accomplished by the end of it!    

*The creek we had to cross over multiple times throughout!

 

*About two hours in and refilling our bottles

 

*Posed hiking picture

 

*Beginning of the hike- at the bottom

 

*End of the hike- at the summit

 

*Group photo at the top!



      On Tuesday night last week we had a house formal dinner. I was pretty excited to get all dressed up for the first time here. One, there was an open bar and two- it was a great excuse to break out the heels! Our supper consisted of salad, mixed vegetables, pumpkin soup, steak with shrimp, mashed potatoes, and either an apple pastry or cheesecake for dessert. Since I have been living on tuna, fruit, and cheese for the past couple weeks, it was a great change of pace! 
 

*All the students in my house- mostly international!

 

*My table- consisted of students from the U.S., France, Germany, Japan, Canada, and Australia

 

     So I think that'll be the end of this post! Sorry for the length this time. I usually think that a post once a week will be sufficient but then I forget how much I like to talk. :/ Hope all is well back home! I'm receiving emails from Mom pretty consistently so I don't miss out on everything!

 

See ya later alligator,

 

Tina



 

Catching the Wave

Hey all! As you may or may not have assumed from the title of today's post, I have had my first surfing lesson! I would like to say that I now know how to surf but to be honest.... I still cannot surf to save my life. I don't feel toobad because usually first-time surfers don't even get into the standing position successfully and I did TWICE! Woohoo! For the next two Friday's we will go out and continue to practice and just have fun attempting to surf. :) This is a part of a class that international students are offered at CQU called "Outdoor Pursuits".  This class meets every Friday from 8 AM until about noon to do various... outdoor pursuits. :) Honestly, taking this class in no way helps out my college degree but hey, I figure why not? I'm getting to do fun activities that otherwise might not have been an option for me during my stay!

(Photo Credit: Ai Yoshimura)

Yesterday a few friends and I went to the shoreline in a town called Yeppoon (where we also learned to surf today) for a beach day! Yesterday was the type of day that I had dreamed about while I was in Aberdeen running from building to building trying to escape the bitter temperatures.

 

 

One thing that I did not dream about was the wicked sunburn. Ouch! Let's just say that today I am doing a remarkable impression of a tomato (if I say so myself). Yes, I've invested in both sunscreen and aloe. Combined with my bruises from today's adventure, I am looking quite colorful overall!

Now moving on to the more boring yet necessary stuff, classes started last week and are going pretty well. A main difference here is that classes only meet once a week instead of the two or three times that most U.S. universities meet. I am not a fan of this style of teaching because when I go to a class here, I sit in the same chair for two hours watching a professor on a T.V. screen and listening to a droning lecture with an equally enthralling PowerPoint to accompany it. Not my cup of tea! But, with a good amount of study time, I should be alright in my classes.

The other day I utilized Rockhampton's city bus system for the first time! This was the first time I had ever gotten on a city bus. It went a lot smoother than expected haha :) As soon as I sat down at the campus bus stop to wait, it started downpouring! Luckily I was under an eave so my spirits weren't too downtrodden yet! After going grocery shopping at the local supermarkets, I hopped back on the bus with only one questionable character insisting on helping me with my bags. I only had to tell him "no thank you" about twelve times before he got the hint that I was perfectly capable of being on my own. It was just my luck that as soon as I got off the bus to begin the mile or so walk back to my dorm that it, once again, started raining. I'm talking about the heavy raindrops with a combination of wind that seemed to make rain fall sideways right into your face. And.... here I am trekking through campus with 6 grocery bags barefoot in the pouring rain. (barefoot because my it was too slippery to walk with flip-flops on uneven ground- I kept sliding out of my shoes anyway!) Long story long, it was an interesting first solo bus trip!

I think that pretty much wraps it up for the last week! I am starting to miss so many people from back home and also Taco Johns. I miss tacos. They don't have them here! I think I'm going to have to go on an expedition to try and find out where I can get some good quality Mexican food! Until next time....

After a while crocodile,

Tina