Grab your thongs and flippers and watch out for the boomers!

Needless to say, Cairns was a tropical paradise. Palm trees at every corner and super tan people EVERYWHERE made me feel like I was in the picture of the Sandals Vacation advertisement.

The first full day in Cairns, my new friend Gina and I journeyed to the Lagoon and got our tan...well sun burn on. The lagoon was beautiful, clean, and best of all, free! Later that night, I was definitely feeling the results of the city located under the hole in the ozone. Ouch!

The next day, we went out on Passions Sailboat and spent the day on the Great Barrier Reef. This experience alone can replace everything else on my bucket list. It was absolutely amazing. The water was so blue and clean. Australia has this unique and sublime feeling. The water mesmerizes you, but the mountains surrounding the horizons are breathtaking. It's a truly beautiful sight.

So after about a two hour boat ride, we arrived to the reef. We were given flippers, snorkels, goggles, and rubber suits, and thrown into the wonderful 80 degree water! I was lucky enough to have my underwater camera and got to shoot some pretty neat footage of the marine life. Sorry the video is a little shaky, but my butt was trying to float to the top as I was trying to swim downwards, so it was a little tough!

After about 45 minutes of snorkeling, we were given the option to pay extra for scuba diving. Of course I had to jump at this opportunity, and it was worth every penny! We were put in suits and super heavy oxygen tanks and once again, thrown into the water. We went down in groups of four with an instructor. Luckily for me, I got to link arms with him. I was terrified about seeing a shark and we actually did! We saw an epileptic shark hiding under a rock, and it was definitely a little intimidating!

After that we traveled to a small island to explore, and the skipper let me sit in the captain's seat and look out for obstacles haha! It was an incredible view up there.

After we arrived back on land, I basically passed out for a two hour nap, ate dinner, went to bed, and got up for a day at the Rain Forest! We went to the Rainforestation, which used to be a coffee plantation but was ruined due to frost.

The first thing we did was meet the Aboriginal people and learned how to throw boomerangs. Then we watched their tribal dances and they asked for volunteers. Guess who got picked?? That's right, this girl right here! I got to do the shaky leg dance in front of a ton of people. It was so fun!

 So this brings me to the end of my Cairns getaway, and to the beginning of a week at the University of Newcastle -or Uni as they say here- that is most definitely something I've never experienced before!

Check back to hear all about the adventures of O-week ;)

You are now free to move about the cabin...

My amazing sister and I on the bus to BWI!

I finally have internet access (cross my fingers)! I'm finally settled and cozy in the wonderful Newcastle, New South Wales. I arrived in Cairns last week for a week long orientation, after hours beyond hours on a plane. Before I get in to all of my adventures, I need to recap the day of my departure.

I experienced so many different emotions of excitement and nervousness. My family took me to the airport and my grandparents and Uncle David already planned on meeting us there. But to make things even better, my Aunt Chrissy, Uncle Joey, and Jonny surprised me! It was so special. I had the whole crew to see my off at BWI. When I got on the plane, I was super excited to have gotten a window seat. My major disappointment, however, was I did not receive any complimentary shortbread cookies. Elyse talked and talked these free airplane cookies up to no end, and I didn't get any! But things did get better. For the endless flight from LAX to Sydney, I got to sit next to a true Aussie named Damion. He was so incredibly friendly and chatty! When he sat down next to me, I almost squealed. The best part was he told me I would make friends easily because of my accent! haha MY ACCENT! Unfortunately, halfway through the flight, he had to switch to the aisle seat because he had a bad bladder. He apologized for "dumping" me, which I thought was pretty funny.

We finally arrived in Sydney at about 9:30am, but we still had about another full day of traveling and layovers until we made it to Cairns. We arrived at Gilligan's backpack resort that evening, and let me tell you, the Aussies sure love their leisure time!

The hostel was located right above the bar which played live music until about 3am every morning. The slide and glass doors in our rooms were definitely vibrating all night.

One of the nights I went down to the bar and there was a group of Germans, Americans, Norwegians, and Australians who just finished a three-day diving adventure and were celebrating with a few drinks and dancing. They lured me into their group and we all danced for a while. It was a blast!

 I experienced a million and one other amazing experiences that week, but they are for the next post! Check back to hear about my snorkeling and scuba diving adventures in the Great Barrier Reef, my encounters with kangaroos and koalas, and my meet and greet with the Aboriginal people!