Australia, you're taking all my money!!

Before I left, I got $200 Australian dollars from AAA. I only ended up paying about $230 American dollars since the exchange rate is so close. It cost me $12 to convert the money. I planned on using my debit card for pretty much everything anyways. It's good because my bank doesn't charge me international fees every time I use it. Thank you, Citizens Bank!! The only thing I pay is the exchange rate. For example, I bought a shirt for $12 here, and it ended up being $12.67 due to the exchange rate. I decided not to open up a bank here, because I'm only here for about five months, and I figured that would be too much hassle.

My first time I went to the store, I was in complete sticker shock. Everything is so expensive here!!

I didn't pack any of the essentials like shampoo or toothpaste, because I figured I could just buy them at here. That was a mistake. The same exact shampoo I have at home is $5 there, here it is $15!!

Where I spend alot of time finding sales.

A week's worth of groceries costs you at least $25, and that's not counting extras like shampoo, toothpaste, snacks, cleaning products, etc. That $25 means you bought things on sale. I personally, only buy things on sale. So, I never know what I'll be making for dinner until buy something on sale. I normally buy bread for toast in the morning, veggies/fruits (whatever kind is on sale), and noodles. I can't make big intensive meals because it'd be way to expensive to do that. My diet here is pretty boring. I normally eat a lot of soup in the US. I figured that's what I'd eat here too. A can of Campbell's soup is about $3.50. I can get the same can in the US for $2 at most.
Also, I thought fruits and veggies would be way cheaper here considering it's warm all the time. I was wrong. Fruits and veggies are actually more expensive here than in the US.

The roomies before a night out

A night out can also be pretty expensive. First is the taxi, which can be cheap or expensive, depending on how many people you have. If you can fill a taxi, it might only be $2 a person each way. Every pub has a cover charge too. It's usually $5 or $10. Drinks at the bar are also expensive. Oh, and drinks are smaller here. A mixed drink can range anywhere from $5 to $15. You can get a pitcher of cheap beer for $10, during happy hour specials. One good thing is that a lot of pubs have ladies night, which means free entry for ladies. I take full advantage of those nights. After a night out, of course you're going to want food. There's a lot of little food places open in the wee hours of the morning to get food. An Australian kebab is $10. An Australian meat pie is around $6. Both are delicious and worth getting after a night out.

 My first Australia kebab- So delicious

At the Bottle-o or liquor store, alcohol is also very expensive. You can get cheap boxed-wine like goon for $15, and you get at least 10 drinks out of it.

I know my bank account is declining each day, but I've been saving up for this experience for a long time now. It's worth every penny!

Birthday Aussie Style!!

So, I realized I've only been posting blogs that I have to do for my Global Ambassador title. I decided I was going to blog a little more about stuff I want to talk about.

My birthday was March 6. This was the first birthday that I wouldn't see my friends from home or my parents.

I didn't really do anything on the 6th considering it was a Tuesday, and I had class at 9 am the next day. I just had a drink and made dinner. So, I waited until the weekend to really celebrate. I also turned 20, so I wasn't even planning on doing much. It's 20, I can still drink here, so I didn't think it was that big of a deal. Oh, my roommate also gave me a piece of cake!

So, Friday night comes Yamil called me and told me to come upstairs and celebrate with everyone. So, I headed up there and everyone from the apt. complex screamed "happy birthday." All night people kept saying "birthday girl birthday girl." It was great. I met a lot of people who I've never met before that lived in the complex. We had a dance party, and celebrated until 5 am. It was awesome. Aussies do it hard!! I'm so glad I met such amazing people here to celebrate my birthday and make me feel happy. It doesn't matter where you celebrate your birthday, just as long as you have people you care about with you.

Great Birthday thanks to Yamil!

The same class three times in one day!? Are you kidding?

I figured I should tell you all how classes work here. I've had three weeks of classes, so I'm finally getting used to it here now. You call university “uni.” You'd say “I have uni today.”

Class are very different here! Some classes, I even have more than once a day. It's very confusing. I'll go into my daily schedule into more detail.

The grading scale is so different. You start off with 0% and have to earn your way up. In the US, you start off with 100% and get marked down for our mistakes. I like starting off with 100% better.

Professors are called Lecturers here. Also, you call your lecturers by the first name. That's really weird to me. I always thought that it was disrespectful to call anyone older than me by their first name, but not here.

Also, each class has tutorials. Most classes only meet once a week, so if you have homework due, you have a week to do it. Every class even if it's the same class the same day have a different room. Confusing right? The tutorials are all small, so you get small group instruction on the lecture material. Here, there is only one class of each class. An example, is Nutrition has one class with about 100 students and if you want to take Nutrition, you have to take it at the only time it is offered. At home, Nutrition would have about five options at different times, and sometimes with even different professors.

Another thing here is that most of my classes only have a few grades. You won't get any pop quizzes or anything. That means, everything you have to do well in, because if you mess up on one thing, you mess up the entire semester. Also, there's no "busy" work. The syllabus is set in stone for the entire semester. I like that, because at home, the syllabus always gets changed!

All of my classes count back at my home university, so that's always good. Most of them are electives, but I'd rather be taking fun electives in another country than at home

The last thing different here is that there's something called Lecture Capture. Every lecturer records with video and sound, their lecture. Then, it goes online. So, if you miss class, it's not a big deal, because you can just watch it online a day or two later. I wish my school at home at something like this! Hey YSU, take notes!

The international student office is located in there.

Monday: Reconstructing the Aboriginal Australian 11-12:50 Tutorial 1-1:50. I really love this class!! I took this class, because I can't come to Australia and not take some type of Australian history class. That's why I'm here, to learn about Australia! My lecturer is an Aboriginal, so it's really cool to hear what it was like back in the day, to be an Aboriginal. During the lecture, we learn about the history of the Aboriginals. Every hour, we get a ten minute break. In the US, I never get a break for even my two hour classes. Then, we start tutorial for this class in the same room. Tutorial is really fun. Every week, we're given a list of about ten different readings to read for this class. We have to read two of them, and write a critique on one of them. During, tutorial we go over the readings as a group. I really enjoy that. The only gradesin this class are weekly critiques, tutorial participation, and a final paper.

Tuesday: Lifespan Development Lecture 10-10:50, Physics Lecture 11-11:50, Lifespan Development Tutorial 12-12:50, Physics Lecture 1-1:50, Lifespan Development Tutorial 3-3:50. Yes, you read that right I have Lifespan Development three times in one day. I really like Lifespan Development.This class is also an elective. My lecturer is also pretty cool. She seems real easy going. They only grades in this class are a group project, a paper, and the final.Tutorial number one is also really great. Every week, we do group work. The group work to me, is always fun. It gets you thinking with everyone. The tutorial helps us to understand the lecture alittle better. The lecturer puts us in different groups each week. I now know everyone in my lecture. It's awesome meeting people! Tutorial number two also isn't bad. The tutorial only lasts about 30 mins, and all we do is go over our projects.

I hate Physics already!! When I signed up for this class I forgot that Australia uses the metric system for everything. So, I won't be using miles or pounds in this class. I had Physics in high school, but this is already getting intense after three weeks. This is the one class that I actually need for my major, pre-pharmacy with Chemistry. This is part one of the class I have to take at home. It's going to be so hard next semester too, because I'll be taking part 2, and I'll be so used to the metric system by then. I really don't like my lecturer either. The grades in here are lab grades, 4 online assignments, and the final.

The Library

Wednesday: Physics Lecture 9-9:50, Physics Tutorial 1-1:50, Physics Lecture 3-3:50. Did I mention I hate Physics? I hate having Physics three times in one day. Though, the tutorial actually helps me. He goes over problems from class.

Thursday: Every other week I have Physics Lab 9-10:50. In the US, I have labs every week that are three hours long. So, it's weird to have it only two hours, every other week. So far, the lab has been boring. Hopefully, they get more interesting later.

Friday: Nutrition Tutorial 10-10:50, Nutrition Lecture 1-2:50. I really like Nutrition. In the tutorial, we go over last weeks lecture. This class has two lecturers. One is teaching weeks 1-8, and the other is teaching the rest of the weeks. It's weird because, instead of counting calories, they count kilojoules. I'm not used to that at all. I'm really excited about this class, because I'm really into being fit and healthy! The only grades in this class are weekly online quizzes, a group project, and the final.

Griffith University

Overall, I really enjoy classes here. I'm not sure if I should be enjoying them this much, because it still is school after all. This is the first time I can actually say, I can't wait for the week because I get to go to classes!

My New Home!

Paradise style? I can get used to this!

I live in an apartment complex, called Nexus Place. It's a student accommodation. Can I just say that I made that absolute perfect choice on where to stay?



First off, these apartments hold 114 students. It's too not big or not too small. It's small enough so everyone can get to know each other, which I love. There are students here from all over the world including Finland, Norway, Canada, America, Australia, China, Chile, and Mexico.

Each apartment has three bedrooms with their own bathroom, a kitchen, and a living room. I love the whole own bathroom thing. The rooms are also a pretty good size. I have a closet with shelves, a full body length mirror, and single-king sized bed. (Australian size bed) At home, I live in a dorm where I share a bathroom with the entire floor. This is much better! I love my own room. I also have a great view outside of my window.

I live in room 1, which has a downside to it. I'm right by the laundry room, which makes alot of noise. Also, the ping-pong table is right next door, so I get to hear loud people at three am. I can't complain much though. It's better than listening to girls fighting in the middle of night, causing drama. Gotta love college, dorms right? Yeah, not really. This is much better!

Each kitchen has its own dishwasher. There is also free laundry here!! You have to pay three dollars to dry, but apparently no one really uses them here anyways. So, I have to hang them up, which I'm okay with anyways. There's also a pool and a pool table. There's a few BBQ areas outside too. I must say, Australians do love their BBQ!

In Australia, you also have limited internet. I get 10 GB a month. It's so different, because in the US, I have unlimited and can do anything I want on it all day. I don't want to go over my limit, so I completely shut myself off from the American world. Meaning, I don't talk to anyone at home much. Sorry guys! I'm actually kind of glad that I have limited internet though, because I get to experience Australia without being distracted by internet. Also, there's always so much to do! I want this opportunity to be the best! I don't need drama!

I live with an American and an Australian. They're really nice. They got here a month before me, so I was worried that I wouldn't fit in or that they'd be close, and I'd be an outcast. I was wrong. They were very excited for me to arrive. They welcomed me in right away!

At these apartments, there's always something to do too. Whether it's drinking outside on the weekends with everyone or just hanging out and having a good time. There's never a dull moment.

So far, I really like this place. I was worried that I wouldn't. I met so many people here! This was the right decision for me to stay. I don't know how I am supposed to go back home in less than four months. It's going to be hard going from living in paradise everyday to boring dorm life.

International Student Trip to Byron Bay, New South Wales.

Day One:
We left the Gold Coast campus at 8 am sharp.

First stop: Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary
I loved this place!! I got to see real Australian animals. I finally saw kangaroos and koalas. It's so different seeing them in Australia, than at the Pittsburgh zoo. I got to pet the kangaroos too. I also got to see a really big crocodile. I also saw all kinds of birds and snakes. I loved every minute of this place!

After that we turned our clocks an hour ahead, we were in Byron Bay! We stayed at The Backpackers Inn hostel. I was excited to stay in a hostel, because I've never even seen one before. When I first got into the room, I was shocked. This hostel was disgusting. The floor was dirty, and the mattress protector had stains on it. Luckily, the sheets were nice and clean to go over the nasty beds. The one good thing was that the hostel was right on the beach! Then, we started our journey to the lighthouse. The lighthouse is the most Eastern point of Australia. This point was the closest to the US, that I will be in 4 months. It's so sureal. The hike was about an hour away. It was such a gorgeous site to see. The water, sights, rocks, were beautiful. I even saw dolphins in the water on the way up.

Then, we made our way back to our hostel. We got all cleaned up and got ready for a night out at "Cheeky Monkey's." By this point, we were all starving. We had a choice of a cheeseburger, chicken parm, veggies, or fish and chips. I got the chicken parm. I have to say, the food was delicious. I don't know if it was because I was starving or if because it was actually that good. Later, the fun began. We all got free beer to start off with. Then, the dancing began. This bar was weird, because they didn't have a dance floor. There was only dance tables. So to dance, you had to get on the tables. That was actually kind of fun, because it's different. I'm all for trying and doing new things.

Day 2: I woke up to rain. I was so disappointed because I was looking forward to laying at the beach all day. I just sat around all day until it was time for my group to go surfing. Surfing was so fun! We had a mini lesson, then got to try it out ourselves for about and hour and a half. I was terrible. I only stood up a few times. After that, it was still raining, but me and a few others decided to go into town to do a little shopping. Then, it was time to pregame. Our tourguides had about 4 shopping carts full of alcohol to make a mixed drink. There was all kinds of stuff in it. I still can't get over the fact that the drinking age is 18. Then, we had an Australian BBQ. It was amazing! I love Australian sausage. Now it was time to have a fun night out. We went to a bar called "Woody's." We all got one free drink to start off with. The atmosphere at this bar was different. There wasn't much dancing at all.

The Final Day: I woke up to rain once again. Again, I couldn't lay out on the beach all day. I went to the town again to do some more shopping. Finally it was my groups turn to sea kayak. I've kayaked before, but never in the ocean. I was really excited to try this out. We kayaked pretty far out. It was so wonderful! The waves just took us out. We waited to see dolphins or sea turtles. We didn't see anything. It was really disappointed. Though, since we didn't see anything, the guides said next time we come back, we get a free tour again. I hope I get to go back! Now, it was time to head back to the Gold Coast.

This trip was so fun. I'm so glad I went. I met so many people. It also opened my eyes to all sorts of new things. I love Australia, and I can't wait to see what else it has in store for me!!

G'Day Mates! I've come up with ten things I want to do this semester.

Here they are in no specific order.

1. See a kangaroo.
2. Meet as many people as possible.
3. Get used to the cars on the opposite side of the road.
4. See dolphins.
5. Walk everywhere since the weather is so gorgeous.
6. Travel as much as possible.
7. Pick up an accent (:
8. Learn all the slang.
9. Learn to cook, since I'll be cooking my own food for the first time ever.
10. Have no regrets!

I finally arrived on the Gold Coast of Australia!! I seriously didn't think it'd be this much of a culture shock.
I choose to study at Griffith Univeristy on the Gold Coast because it has everything, that I could possibly want. I'm taking classes for my major. Oh, the fact that it's by a beach, is also another plus.
I'm from a small town on the outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This city is nothing that I could have ever imagined or hope for.

When, I got off the airplane, someone from the Uni, was waiting for me to take me to my apt. He told me to get in front. I got in on the drivers seat. He said "What are you doing?" I said "Oh my gosh! Sorry!" I felt so dumb. I even told myself that I wouldn't do that! Let me just say, that I might not even come home. There's no way that I want to take that 13 hour flight ever again. I flew from Pittsburgh to Chicago, which was an hour and a half. Then, I flew from Chicago to San Francisco, which was 4 hours and a half hours. Then, I flew from San Francisco to Auckland, New Zealand, which was 13 hours! That was the worst flight ever! I couldn't wait to land! I completely skipped February 16th! Finally, I flew from Auckland to the Gold Coast, which was 4 hours. Being on an airplane for that many hours was too much. I still feel jet lagged!

Another thing I noticed is the speed limits are really high. On a back road, it said "70." I started freaking out, then I realized it isn't in mph. It's in km. Oops!

This semester, I wll be staying at an appartment. I have an American and an Australian roommate.

I'm excited to get to learn more about the Australian culture! This semester is going to be amazing!