Perth

On Friday, June 1st MK, Keighlea and I woke up at 4 AM in order to get to the airport in time for our super early flight out all the way to Perth!

Perth is in Western Australia (I can check off another Aussie state) so our flight was about 4 and a half hours. Luckily we were super tired and slept the entire flight.

We landed in Perth around 10 AM, arrived at our hostel, Underground Backpackers (not as scary as it sounds) and took a well needed short nap. Probably my least favorite hostel... andddd my never even met our other roommate who was there the first night. The oddest situation ever.

After our nap we took the train to Karrakatta Cemetery with the goal of finding the graves of Heath Ledger's grandparents and great grandparents. I was doubtful and anxious about the entire situation. It was only about a 15 minute train ride and this cemetery was beautiful! We walked around it a lot trying to find the plot and FINALLY we did. Australia mission accomplished! Heath Ledger's grave isn't here because he was cremated but this is where his ashed were spread. Obviously I rolled around in the dirt. Just kidding. Or am I? A successful first day in Perth!

The next day we took full advantage of the FREE bus that travels around Perth's CBD. Exciting. First we went to Barrack Square which was such a beautiful area by the water. This is also the location of the Swan Bell Tower. The Bell Tower is one of the world's largest instruments and includes the twelve bells of St. Martins-in-the-fields, London which have been ringing since well before the 14th century. The Bell Tower is a cultural icon where bells and clocks from all over the world have been carefully restored and preserved. The building was pretty neat and you walked up six floors, each with different things on them. The top was open and you could breath in the beautiful fresh air of Perth. We had amazing weather for our entire weekend in Perth! Mid 70s and not a cloud in the sky! After we explored the tower we headed to Kings Park and walked around a bit. We even came across a waterfall! So neat! 

The next day was also our LAST day in Perth. A very quick trip! We decided to take the train to Cottesloe beach because we kept hearing about how amazing the beaches in Perth are. It was truly beautiful and the water was the most amazing shade of blue. We relaxed outside all day and took in the great weather before watching the sunset and heading off to the airport.

Next stop: CAIRNS!

The end is near! (and Keighlea is here!)

I officially have less than 2 weeks in Sydney with the way all my traveling works out. We have been trying to do a ton lately to make sure we don't miss anything big!

A couple of weeks ago X-Factor Australia was having their Sydney auditions at the SEC, where I intern. I was able to get us tickets for the filming and it was so fun. Mel B., the former Scary Spice, is one of the judges so seeing her was pretty surreal. It was neat being part of the filming of the show and we had a good time. 

Last week was also our farewell dinner at a thai restaurant in Newtown. A free meal + a ton of food. We left the restaurant stuffed. However, it didn't feel like much a farewell. It is reminding me that soon enough I'll be packing my bags and heading back to America. So crazy to think that this journey is so close to being over. 

Wednesday and Thursday of last week were also my last days at my internship. While I am happy to have the extra free time for my last few weeks here, it sad walking out of the SEC for my last time. They're also knocking down the building soon as well so i'll definitely never see that place again, aha. The internship was a lot of work and time but I am SO glad that I did it. One of the greatest things about my study abroad experience for sure. I feel like I have learned so much and saying that I had an internship in Sydney, Australia is pretty cool! 

On May 21st Keighlea arrived here in Sydney! I woke up bright and early to go get her from the airport. It was so great being reunited for the first time in over 5 months! I was pretty busy for her first few days here with classes and work but once the weekend hit it was time to explore! 

On Friday night Keighlea, MK, Shandi (Morg's friend from home), Morgan and myself went on a dinner cruise in the harbour. It was the first night of Vivid Sydney so we were able to see all the lights from the boat. The skyline looked so neat and we really enjoyed our evening besides the fact that we were freezing on the boat. Our night may have been more fun due to Morgan's smart suggestion of having a few drinks before the cruise as well, aha. After the cruise we hit up a new favorite bar Scary Canary where we danced and drank some Scary Jars. A great night out in Sydney!

Despite wanting to sleep in late and lay in bed all day, we actually got a fairly early move on on Saturday. We went down to Circular Quay, where the Opera House and bridge are, and walked around a bit. We wanted to get some good photos with these Sydney icons and I definitely think we achieved that! We also walked around The Rocks a bit which has a bunch of little shops and it also like a craft fair. For dinner we ate at Pancakes on the Rocks, somewhere we've been wanting to try all semester! After this delicious meal we took the ferry over to Luna Park which some of you may recognize from Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen's movie 'Our Lips Are Sealed.' We entered the park and went on every ride. Our night was full of hysterical laughter and lots of fun. From the ferris wheel, to the terrifying mouse coaster, to the moon ranger which sent us upside down and all the other rides, we really enjoyed our night at Luna Park! By the time we arrived home we were BEAT and all we wanted was the hot tub (which was already closed by this time).

Vivid Sydney

Luna Park entrance 

Pancakes on the Rocks

On Sunday we had another early start. We took the ferry to Manly Beach, somewhere I've been wanting to go all semester! Manly Beach is a half our ferry ride from Circular Quay and is one of Sydney's most famous Northern Beaches. The ferry ride was so neat. We were able to have great views of the bridge, opera house, skyline and of course the dozens upon dozens of sailboats all around! We arrived to Manly and headed straight for the bike hire place. Morgan and I have had this idea of hiring bikes on Manly since we arrived and we finally did it! We all (Keighlea, myself, MK, and the twins) rented normal bikes while Shandi and Morgan were on a tandem. The bike paths lined the beach and the views were fantastic. I hadn't ridden a bike in SO LONG but we had so much fun. We rented them for an hour and i'm so glad we did. It was fantastic! After our bike ride we ate a delicious fish & chips lunch... seems to be one of the best meals in Australia. We walked around a bit, looked at some shops and crafty markets and had a photo shoot on the beach. Before we knew it the sun was setting and we were back on the ferry. Manly was so neat and definitely somewhere you must go when you're in Sydney!

We were able to cross a lot of our list this weekend! Luna Park, Vivid Sydney, Manly Beach, Pancakes.... it was extremely successful! 

(I also tried posting this entry a week ago before my trip to Perth/Cairns but the internet in this apartment is AWFUL. Except another post soon about my "study break" adventures!) 

XO Allie 

SKYDIVING!!!

On Friday, May 18th I did something I never thought I would do. SKYDIVE!

I never even had the intention of skydiving until I arrived in Australia. My roommate Dana and Katie went on the pre-semester trip and went skydiving in Cairns and after watching their videos I kew that I could not pass up this adventure. Skydiving is a super popular activity in Australia, especially among study abroad students. 

We headed to Wollongong, which is about a two-hour train ride away where the company, Skydive The Beach, is located. In addition to the usual crowd of MK, Morgan and the twins, Morgan's friend Shandi had landed in Sydney on the 17th and decided to join us for this ridiculousness. Welcome to Sydney, right? 

Once arriving in Wollongong the next couple of hours are practically a blue. The company picked us up from the train station and took us to their location. Within minutes we had signed the waiver, put on the pants, geared up and were taught how to JUMP OUT OF THE PLANE correctly. I could not even comprehend what was going on because it was all happening so fast. All I remember is when I signed that paper I was shaking like I never have before. We also got to meet our tandem jumper/videographer and he videoed me a bit, even though I'm not even sure how I was forming words at this point. Then we were hurried on to a bus. The airport was about a 15-20 minute drive away but we were signing MORE paperwork the entire time. Next thing I knew we were hopping off the bus and walking on to the plane. 

The six of us and our tandem divers along with two random boys and their divers (they must have thought we were crazy) jammed into the plane. Next thing I knew we were taking off... flying backwards, might I add. As we flew higher and higher and higher I was trying to take in all of the beautiful views. Our skydive was right over the Wollongong beaches which are absolutely breathtaking, as are all the beaches I have seen in this country. We flew around for probably about 20 minutes and then all of a sudden we hear  a 5 minute warning. The way we were seated Morgan happened to be up first. Our guys all begin securing us to them, which is actually pretty awkward. You pretty much have to sit on their lap throughout this process but if it meant I'd be safe, I was willing to do anything. 

Out of nowhere the door of the plane opens up and I think we all begin to freak out just a bit. Morgan and her dude are about to jump and she is literally FREAKING OUT and in turn the rest of us are also freaking out. Next thing I know I see Morgan tumblr right out of the plane. WHAT!?! Guess who's second? ME. 

I approach the door of the plane and at this point I'm not sure what I did and didn't do. We were supposed to hook our feet under the plane, arch our backs and rest our head on our guy's shoulder. Did this actually happen? I couldn't tell ya. Next thing you know I'm falling from a plane 14,000 feet high. This is actually the weirdest feeling ever. Your stomach doesn't drop at all. You just feel like you're tumbling so fast. Every last drop of saliva exits your mouther and it's actually pretty difficult to breath. This whole process also really hurts your ears which is something that never even crossed my mind before. 

The free fall lasts for 60 seconds and then my guy, Kevin, who was absolutely fantastic, pulled our parachute. Woo-hoo! No problems! We glided around for a few and then he even let me steer the parachute. It took ALL my arm strength to pull this thing, ahaha. After he took the reigns back he pointed up in the sky and there I could see the rest of my friends and their parachutes popping up. It was truly an incredible site. I couldn't believe the views. The water was the most beautiful of blues and the grass the greenest of greens. I'm not even sure what was going through my mind except 'I can't believe I just jumped out of a plane,' 'I'm so incredibly happy,' 'This place is beautiful,' and 'I love Australia.' 

I was honestly pretty nervous to land but we ended smoothly. If I could have I would have jumped again straight away. I was literally so happy and I think I was on an adrenaline rush till about 2 am (meanwhile this happened at around 3 pm). While we waited for our DVDs and photos to be ready we walked along the beach which was almost as beautiful from land as it was from the sky. 

Once I was on the plane I wasn't all that scared.. hard to believe I bet. There is just so much happening and everything is moving so quickly. You really don't have time to freak out except for those few seconds right before your body leaves the plane. This was probably the coolest thing I have done in my entire life and it sort of makes me feel invincible. It's hard to put this experience in to words. Incredible... amazing... those don't even begin to describe it. I'm really proud of myself for actually doing it and now I can say that i went SKYDIVING. I think this whole thing sort of shocked all my friends and family since I barely told anyone I was doing it (in case I did back out last minute). 

My advice to you... GO SKYDIVING. For all you New Englanders reading, one of the workers where we jumped goes to Maine every 6 months to skydive. It's his favorite place in the world to skydive. OH YEAH, he's jumped 1,300 times. WHAT!?!

This has probably been one of the neatest things about my entire study abroad journey thus far. Yes the traveling has been amazing and exploring Sydney has been fantastic, but jumping from a plane 14,000 feet high is something you can't put words too. Simply incredible. 

Contemplating what I'm about to do...

Kev... my life savior and BFF. 

The beautiful views

A great distraction

Slightly freaking out

In the door of the plane... 

FALLING. 

Ow, my ears

Controlling the parachute... note Morgan flying along in the background!

Actually the neatest thing

In awe of myself

In shock

Simply lovin' life

This was so neat and I hope this blog does the experience justice. My DVD is actually the funniest and most embarrassing thing ever so if you're lucky MAYBE i'll let you watch it!

Back on the ground,

Allie