Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Catching up...

So, I suppose it has been quite a while since I last posted.  Going to have to change that.. So where should I start? The last thing I wrote about was meeting the neighbors, getting settled in, and all that good stuff, but a lot has happened since then!  I'll start with the trip to the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary.  We (the group of international students this session) headed off on a bus bright and early to see the great wildlife of Australia.  We spent the day looking at all sorts of animals (kangaroos, wallabies, emus, koalas, wombats, Tasmanian devils, dingoes, and many more).  The best part was probably feeding and petting kangaroos, they were so friendly, and we even got to see some joeys in their pouches.  I took lots of pictures here, so ask and I can show you some.  The next big thing would be my Outdoor Education trip to Meebunn-bia (which means "in the company of an eagle").  We went here from July 4th until the 6th.  Meebunn-bia is a not-for-profit organization that is located about an hour and a half South of Brisbane, on acres upon acres of land (owned by farmers that let Meebunn-bia use it).  The first day we got there we did a couple of ice-breaker activities and began the hike to our campsite.  We did some low-ropes activities and then some more hiking haha, but that pretty much sums up the first day.  The second day we woke up really early for a navigation course, yes with maps and compasses.  Our instructors sent us out into the bush by ourselves and we had to navigate our way to different landmarks and then make our way back to camp.  After that we hiked to our next campsite.  That night we went up to the top of a summit and watched the sunset, which was really awesome (got some really good pictures & videos).  Some of us camped out on top of the summit and got to see the sunrise too (even more amazing pictures & a video of the whole sunrise).  On the third and last day we did some high-ropes activities (alone and with partners), climbed a gigantic tree, and hiked back to the bus.  Meebunn-bia was probably one of the best trips/most memorable things so far.  The last trip I went on was to Coffs Harbour.  This was a really great weekend trip.  We took a bus and a train and arrived there at about 11pm.  The next morning we went up to the lookout and saw the view of the ocean and beaches (got more pictures here).  Then we went out to Muttonbird Island and the beach.  We spent a couple hours down at the beach and went swimming too.  That night we went out to eat at an Indian restaurant.  The next morning we went whale watching.  We ended up seeing quite a few whales and a few dolphins too (got them on video!).  Then we went back to the beach, and that was pretty much the end of the trip.  So, now that I've caught you up on everything, I'll leave you with my plans for this weekend.  I'm going to the Gold Coast and Surfer's Paradise to go fishing and to the beach and all that good stuff.  I'll be posting as soon as I get back, so be ready!