Helllooooo! I am still a bit behind on sharing my adventures on here, but I should stay caught up moving forward (no promises though). Last weekend, I went to North Stradbroke Island with my study abroad program and it was an amazing experience! We really got to experience more of ‘straya! The trip was planned so that any of the students on the Arcadia programs at Bond Uni, Griffith Uni, or University of Queensland could go so we were with a bunch of new kids! The other universities had only been in Aussie for 2 weeks compared to our 2 months!
We met our driver, Stew, at 2PM in front of Bond University on Friday (28/2/20). He drove us in a bus for 80 minutes to the ferry dock in Brisbane, where we would be taking the ferry to the island. We got there 1 hour and 40 minutes earlier than the kids from the other schools, so we got out of the bus and explored the area a bit. We boarded the bus again and got ready to get on the ferry at 4:30PM. We drove the bus onto the ferry and once we got moving, we were able to get off and enjoy the ride. My friends and I sat on the top of the ferry and enjoyed the view and the breeze for the 45 minute ferry ride.
We got to our accommodation around 6PM and were assigned to villas. My friend Alyssa and I ended up getting an entire villa to ourselves! This means we had 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a kitchen and living room to ourselves all weekend! We settled in and got ready for dinner. We met the group an hour later for dinner that was pre-ordered by our program. We both got the mushroom risotto and it was DELICIOUS! After dinner, everyone was tired so we went back to the villa. We did not have wifi or cell service (GASP!) at the villa so we watched a few episodes of Spongebob on TV and then passed out before 9:30PM.
The next morning (29/2/20), I woke up at 6AM and decided to explore. I walked down to the beach and it was stunning! Our villa was only a 3 minute walk to the beach. I was able to get perfect cell service on the beach so I caught up on my missed messages and had a nice morning walk. After a while, I headed back to the villa and changed into running clothes. I ran 3 miles on the beach and got very sweaty, so I cooled off in the pool afterwards. I headed back to the villa to shower and make breakfast (and wake up Alyssa). HOWEVER, I was greeted by a GIANT spider web with a spider chilling in the middle of it when I got back. I banged on the glass sliding door until Alyssa woke up and we knocked down the web.
We got ready for the day and met everyone at 9:30AM. We split up into 2 groups and started the day! My group got to go kayaking first! Alyssa and I got a double kayak and had fun rowing around Brown Lake. We even stood up at one point and did some funny dances (and almost fell off). After kayaking, we had a BBQ lunch with hamburgers and fruit while relaxing on the sand by the lake.
Next, we were off to the North Stradbroke Island Museum on Minjerribah. We got to learn about the aboriginal people from Straddie and watch a modern aboriginal man play the didgeridoo (an instrument developed by the aboriginal peoples of Northern Australia) and he was really good!! He also taught us 2 aboriginal dances! After leaving the museum, we had a snack break before getting back on the bus.
Around 2:30PM, we went for a short hike at Point Lookout. We saw kangaroos, the North Gorge, and the beautiful beach front. After finishing, we got to have ice cream before heading back to the villa. We then had free time so Alyssa and I hung out at the beach and relaxed before getting ready for dinner.
When we got back to the villa, we had a nice surprise waiting for us. We had no running water (unless you count the very slow drop that came out of one of the showers). Which meant, that after a long day in the sun, we had to go to dinner feeling gross. We turned it into a joke though and joked about how we had no water or cell service. The main issue was that we were very thirsty and had no water to drink because the entire island was out. At dinner, we both had the mushroom risotto again.
That night, we decided to walk the beach and we could hear some good music coming from a wedding nearby so we danced around on the beach until we got too tired and went to back to the villa.
On Sunday (1/3/20), we met up with the group at 8:30AM and split into our groups again. My group went to a park and painted boomerangs. It was very relaxing and a good way to start the morning. After painting them, we learned how to throw them and we did that for a while. Around 10AM we got into the bus and headed to the beach for a surf lesson (my 2nd one). The waves were pretty good and I was able to get up a few times. After a while, I got tired so I relaxed by laying on my board and floating in the ocean.
After surfing, it was time to pack up. We got back into the van and went to a park to relax and have lunch before heading to the ferry. I was exhausted so I was happy to head back to Bond. I fell asleep for a while on the bus back to Bond, which was nice because it made the ride go by fast.
I have been busy here at Bond Uni with my classes, but mid-sem is finally over since it is now week 9! This means that I only have 3 more weeks of (real) class!!! The time is flying by and it is crazy to think that I will be home in less than 6 weeks! I have a lot more adventures awaiting and I am very excited!
Here are some pictures of Alyssa and I surfing in Coolangatta last weekend since I don’t have any pictures of us surfing on North Stradbroke Island:
Some of you may be wondering about the coronavirus and it’s effect on my study abroad experience. As of right now, the only students from my university that have been sent home have been those studying in Italy. Recently, some study abroad students from Bond Uni also had to leave because they were told to do so by their own home universities (please don’t do that @GW). The cases in Australia have been managed well and the country has a low risk according to the CDC. We are planning on being able to finish out our programs in Australia. It has been a little scary since I never know what each day will bring, but my friends and I have been remaining optimistic! I am still getting emails everyday, but I hope that conditions remain the same and that I am able to successfully finish my semester here and return home safely in April 🙂
Next adventure: Melbourne and the Great Ocean Road!!!!
Ali's Australian Adventures 