Australian Slang

The common slang terms I've heard so far...

Goon- inexpensive boxed wine.
Pissed- very intoxicated
A Shout- round of drinks. Everyone must take their turn buying drinks for people involved in the shout.
Jug- pitcher of beer
The Chemist- a pharmacy store
Dodgy- awkward or cheesy
Brekky- breakfast
Toilet- bathroom
Rubbish- trash
Notes- paper money, bills
Bathers- swimsuit
Pokies- slot machines, poker
Sunnies- sunglasses
Sun Cream- Suntan Lotion
Bogan- redneck, white-trash
Uni- University, College

Lollies- candy

Suckers- lollipops

End of o-week

A week since I first touched down in Gold Coast. This place is truly amazing.

A majority of the time we've been here, its been absolutely beautiful weather. I've gone to the beach a ton of times and tanning comes really easily here since Australia has no ozone layer. Lathering on 50 spf sunscreen has become and hourly routine for me. Gold Coast has an awesome bus system so I've been taking various routes trying to get more familiar with navigating myself around this area. Its been interesting and I've already seen a lot of the Gold Coast.

On Saturday, Collin, Lauren, Scott, Tim, and I took an hour bus ride down to Coolangatta to the beach Snapper Rocks where the Quiksilver Pro Competition was taking place. We stood on a mound of ocean rock near the shore break and watch the world's best surfers walk 2 feet away from us as they got on the rocks to jump into the water for their turn. A torrential downpour started the minute we got off the bus and it was pretty cold in a tank top and shorts. But it was a really cool experience.

We walked up beach-side street of the town and past all of the little shops. We stopped at a oceanfront bar and restaurant, Greenmount Beach Club, which had a second story covered balcony seating area so we grabbed a couple pitchers or "jugs" of beer as we tried to dry off somewhat. Even though I was sopping wet and freezing, it was one of those great moments where I was so content with life. Sitting back, enjoying a beer, watching the waves crash against the shore as surfers still paddled out and sheets of water pummeled the coast- it was a very comforting and relaxing moment.

Earlier today there was a huge Tsunami warning for Australia's Eastern Coast (right where I am) and Hawaii. A lot of people skipped laying out at Surfers Paradise because of the warnings but the weather has been awful and rainy the past few days anyways. Collin and David drove with some locals to a surf spot called 'The Spit'. They both said the waves were massive and rather terrifying because of the magnitude break the ocean was creating because of this developing Tsunami. The Tsunami skipped past Hawaii and as far as I'm concerned, it didn't hit Australia.

Tomorrow brings a lot of newness to my life. Its the beginning of a new month and the first day of classes at Griffith University. Fortunately, I don't have class until Tuesday. Unfortunately, its still raining. I hope it clears up so that we can go to the beach tomorrow!

Still love this place<3

Finally in Gold Coast!

It’s been a couple of days and so much has happened. Like I mentioned in my last post, Saturday was the day that our whole crew of AustraLearn students got to go out on the Great Barrier Reef. We got up early that morning and headed for the harbor. We boarded the large catamaran boat named “Passions of Paradise” and headed out into the big blue. Being from California, being on the other side of the Pacific Ocean was a really cool experience. We were boating for about two hours when we stopped and anchored the ship. We got in to groups and some people got to snorkel first while others SCUBA dived and then we switched off after awhile. I got to snorkel first. I knew the reef would be pretty but I didn’t know how unreal it actually is. The Great Barrier Reef is amazing- really vibrant and unique coral forms and there were so many interesting and striking fish! It truly was an exotic world that seems so undiscovered and secret. I have never seen anything like it and I know why its one of the Wonders of the World.

Me and a couple of the girls on the boat at the Great Barrier Reef!

After lunch we moved on to another diving location. On the cruise back to the harbor, a big group of us started playing ‘drinking games’ around a large table in the inside part of the boat. They had a mini bar on the boat where we bought beers and snacks. The games got really funny and loud and we definitely had a good time.

Sunday morning came VERY early. A 5:50 a.m. wake-up call was followed by groggy luggage packing and a bus ride to the Cairns airport. I think all 70+ of us students were excited about leaving the awful humidity that northern Queensland is famous for. Just like on the flight from LAX to Sydney, as well as the flight from Sydney to Cairns, my bags were overweight (surprise surprise!). Even my carry-on duffle bag was too heavy to carry on so I had to check it as a third bag. The guy was really nice and didn’t make me pay any overweight baggage fees like the US does. After a shopping spree at the terminal newsstand store, an Iced coffee that I swear was spiked with Baileys (probably needed the additional boost), and testing 4 different kinds of Australian candy bars (TimTam is all the rage here and it tastes like a can of tennis balls in an antique store), we were finally taking off on a JetStar Airbus A320 to Brisbane.

Destination: Gold Coast, Australia. aka- “the Goldie” & Surfers Paradise.

I’ve now been here for four days and it’s been awesome. When we landed, we got all our bags- they all made it this time- and got onto yet another charter bus because Gold Coast is about 45 minutes south of Brisbane. With our faces pressed up against the windows, we anxiously watched the lush scenery wisp by while being fascinated by cars driving on the opposite side of the road. The bus took us directly to our accommodation and home for the next five months- Griffith University Village. The Village is really interesting with its very modern architecture and simplistic style. We went in to the office, signed some papers, and got our apartment assignment. Luckily, my good guy friend from CU, Collin, and I got put in the same apartment. We made our way over to apartment 2109 to find Scott and Lauren inside. They were both part of our AustraLearn group and I had become friends with Lauren over that past week in Cairns. She and Scott were friends from home also so we were all in the same boat. These apartments are five bedrooms so we were all really anxious to see who the lucky 5th roommate would be. Collin and I were in the apartment for no more than 10 minutes when we threw on bathing suits and headed to Surfers Paradise- the place we’ve all been looking forward to since summer. David, Greg, and Rob, our friends from CU that are in this program too, came with us and all the boys brought their surfboards from home so they surfed in one of the best surf spots in the world while I people-watched from the sand. After a couple hours in the sand, we went back and our 5^th roommate, Sarah, was there. She went through a different study abroad program but we all get along great! After unpacking our suitcases, we showered and got ready for our first night out in Gold Coast.

My Roommates! (From Left: Sarah, Collin, Me, Lauren, Scott.)

A big group of us went to this bar called Sin City, which is in downtown Surfers Paradise. It was a really fun club and we all had a blast dancing and hanging out with locals. Later in the night the rapper Shwayze came out on the stage and performed. I am a huge fan of Shwayze so I was ecstatic to watch him play at a random club in a random part of the world. It was a really fun first night.

On Monday, Sarah, Lauren and I, took the bus to a plaza with an indoor walking mall. We hit up the Target and after spending over an hour looking at all the things they had/didn’t have and complaining about how much more expensive things in Australia are, we each left with a laundry hamper, a fan, hangers, and a mirror. We walked around a little more, had lunch, and headed back. That night the RAs at the Village planned a barbeque for all of us to mingle and get to know each other. There’s a really great pool area with grass and picnic tables and everyone had a blast drinking and enjoying the warm night air.

I woke up really early yesterday (Tuesday) and Lauren, Collin, Scott and this kid Tommy and went to the beach. We got there early at around 10:30 in the morning and it was already scorching hot. Because there’s no ozone layer above Australia, sunscreen is a necessity and I had to apply SPF 50 multiple times all over and I still got some color. A bunch of our friends ended up meeting us there and we had a big group sitting together while all the boys surfed the whole day. It was fun just relaxing and soaking up the rays with good company. I rented a soft-top surfboard for 2 hours and attempted to catch some baby waves. Living in California, I’ve always wanted to learn how to surf but I’ve never had the resources to make it happen. Now that I am in one of the best surfing destinations in the world, I really want to get better at surfing. It’s so fun and I know that if I practice a lot, I will get the hang of it in no time. I had a great time paddling out on the amateur surfboard next to all the experienced boys and I caught a couple of really good rides!

We left the beach at 5:30pm after a long day of sun and surf. Once we were back at the Village, Collin, Rob, Greg, David, and I walked across Griffith University campus to a liquor store, Dan Murphy’s, down the street from the other side of campus. Since all the alcohol in Australia is imported, it is extremely expensive for what is normally pretty cheap in the States. The solution? Boxed wine. Really cheap and VERY classy ;) Last night Sarah, Lauren, Collin and I drank our wine and then took a taxi to Surfers to meet up with everyone at a club called Bedtime. When we got there everyone was walking out of it saying it was boring. We all walked down the road to this small bar with live music and an outdoor patio. It was a little bit of an older crowd but still fun! Then we walked over to the BeerGarden, which is famous in this town for having a wild nightlife. Unfortunately, last night it was dead there but it’s a really cool place on the inside. It was a fun night but everyone was worn out from the beach so we didn’t stay out late.

I decided that today was going to be dedicated to getting my errands done. I have to buy a Go-Pass for the bus system but in order to that I had to get a Griffith University student ID card so Lauren and I walked through campus and picked that up. It started drizzling so we came back to our place. I also need to get a cell phone from Global Gossip so that I can communicate with my friends here. And we need groceries. All of these things would be so much easier if I had a car but sadly we all have to rely on the bus system (which is decent but gets expensive) or walking. I think I might go to the grocery store and push the entire shopping cart (“Trolleys”) back. Hopefully this rain lets up soon.

So I’m loving life in Gold Coast already. Its gorgeous here and the people are really nice. The way of life here is so relaxed and carefree- very refreshing compared to the fast-paced, chaotic southern California vibe.

And its so nice not living out of a suitcase and having my own room. With all my new friends in this same complex, it’s like the dorms freshman year but 100,000 times better.

To sum it up:

I love Australia. Still haven’t tried Vegemite. Still searching for my aussie boyfriend. Still loving my life.

Me at the top of a mountain overlooking Cairns

Gold Coast city!

A bunch of us at the BeerGarden at Surfers

L to R: Alyssa, Nina, Melissa, Jodi, Me, Collin

Surfers Paradise!

Another view of the buildings that line Surfers!

Downtown shops at Surfers Paradise!

Griffith University Village apartments!

Inside of our apartment...Our living room

our kitchen :)

My Room!

My room again. I brought pictures from home and my friends to decorate my walls.

My closet.

Me and Rob on the bus from Brisbane Airport to Gold Coast

View from the top of a hill in Cairns overlooking the coast

Another view of Cairns..

Greetings from Cairns!

I am finally in Australia! I took a 14 hour flight out of Los Angeles on the evening of February 14th and landed in Sydney Tuesday morning. I booked the flight through AustraLearn so everyone in my program was on the same flight as me. It was really cool to talk with a group of kids in the same situation as me and get to know them for the duration of traveling. After landing in Sydney, we had a 3 hour layover where some of us hit up the terminal bar and ordered our first beer legally. VERY exciting (haha). We finally boarded a smaller plane for a 3 hour flight to Cairns which is in far north Queensland.

The whole group of us, about 70+ students that are studying through the AustraLearn program at Griffith University in Gold Coast, are staying at Serpents which is a backpackers hostel in Cairns, Australia. The program consists of a bunch of activities pre-planned by the AustraLearn folks. Its been interesting here although its really hard to live in a dorm with 6 girls when each of us has 3 or more pieces of luggage....living out of a suitcase is not fun. Cairns reminds me a lot of Hawaii...very tropical and EXTREMELY humid. The weather changes a lot, usually really sunny and changing to overcast and rainy. The rain is warm and not too bad but the humidity is just not my favorite thing. But we're all drinking TONS of water and enjoying the heat.

I'm already obsessed with this country. Although I'm not in Gold Coast yet, I love the culture and lifestyle that Australians live. Everything is very laidback and no problem. People are super nice and just really mellow to be around. I've realized that the U.S. is a very complicated place and a lot of the things we do are more complex than they should be. Very refreshing to be surrounded by a 'no worries' mentality. They often say "work to live, not live to work" which I totally love.

On Wednesday, the day after we flew in and our first whole day in Australia, we took charter buses up a mountain to this tropical zoo called Rainforestation. It was really neat because we got an introduction to the indigenous Australian culture. We learned how to throw a boomerang, how to throw a spear, and how to play a didgeridoo (basically an Aussie instrument made out of a long bamboo shaft that makes really cool noises when you blow into it). We also got to feed and pet kangaroos, watch a huge alligator get fed, and hold a koala bear. It was a fun day but very hot.

Thursday was our adventure day and I had signed up for an activity prior to getting to Australia. My guy friends from CU and I all went on the 1/2 day ATV and 1/2 day white water rafting adventure. The first part was ATVing and it was SOOOOO fun. We were driven up to a ranch that had 1,200 square acres of wilderness to explore. The instructor was really cool and super fun so he led us through huge trenches and mud puddles and off of jumps. We each got to ride our own 4-wheel ATV bike and it was a really great time. The second half of the day was supposed to be white-water rafting but because it rained too hard the day before, the company canceled it. It was kind of a bummer but the 3 hours ATV-ing was really exhausting so I didn't mind relaxing.

Today, Friday, was Community Day so we drove up to a wilderness reserve in the tropics. The nursery gave us gloves and gardening tools and we got to pot seeds and plants for growth. The purpose of this day was to teach us about taking care of the environment as Australians are very 'green' and consciencious of the ecosystem. One of the birds here is endangered because the trees that they eat are all being eaten by other animals and so the birds don't get what they need to survive. So we planted 5 trees to help keep this species from dying out. It was really cool to give back to a community that is so new to all of us.

I'm really excited about tomorrow. We get to go out on a huge boat and experience the Great Barrier Reef. We get to snorkel and dive and just do the whole Reef experience which will be awesome. And later in the day, we're going to just cruise around and relax. I hope the weather is nice because it will be so much fun.

I think everyone, including myself, is excited to just get to the Gold Coast because right now we have an agenda and I think most people want to explore the country on their own. We leave Cairns on Sunday so it will be awesome to finally get to our apartments, move in, and start fully engulfing the Aussie experience.

For now, I'm sitting at an internet cafe, enjoying the heat. More when I hit the 'Goldie'.

Peace :)