Whether you are stumbling across this blog or have been directed from my personal blog "Southern by the Grace," I am glad that you are here-- my life will be changing drastically over the next few months, and I am thankful for the technology that will allow me to share those changes and this journey with others.
Long story short: I have been accepted to study abroad for the upcoming fall semester of 2013 in Townsville, Australia! I was very excited to find the e-mail below in my inbox, and to get started finalizing all of the details about my 5-6 month journey.
For those of you who don't know, Townsville is on the north eastern coast of Australia, and the Great Barrier reef is just off of its shores. I'll arrive in July, which is technically the end of their winter season, but even then, the temperatures are supposed to be in the 70s. By the time that I leave in December, summer will be in full swing!
Townsville is above, marked with the red star
Many of you know that I love to write, but am also very interested in fashion, traveling, scuba diving, and good music. I'm hoping to make this blog less of a typical travel blog (the ones that I keep finding which are basically just summaries of the persons days, and what they did each day) and more of a place where I can share exciting opinions on my favorite local spots, great barrier reef diving adventures, information on the local Australian music scene, and Australian fashion trends that might not have hit the states yet. I want to share information on the campus life there, and how the university differs from my own, and I want to give information that might help others looking to travel or study abroad in Queensland.
I won't be taking off until mid-July, however I wanted to start the blog from the very beginning so that I could share every part of the process--the ups and downs, the differences in registering for classes, the best ways to find cheap airfare, packing tips that I find online (and then sharing whether they were actually helpful or not), and so forth.
Tonight, I attended my pre-orientation for Australia, and am so excited to finally know some specifics about the region where I am going. I've decided to start an Australian bucket list, and will update the additions with each post as it grows, but so far, based on suggestions from people who have been there already, here it is:
-Attend a "Full moon" party on Magnetic island
-hang out at "the river" in between classes
-swim in the "rock pool"
-dive the Yongala wreck
-climb the Castle Rock
-camp, swim, and slide down rock slides in Crystal Creek Rainforest
Thanks so much for reading, I wish that I could pack all of you in my suitcases!
I love it!!!!! and you!!!
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