Alone yet Alive in Brizzy

WOW, being alone in Brisbane before my classmates arrived went by in a snap. The five days were fun and productive, which makes me feel a lot more comfortable being here for an additional three weeks after my study abroad program, as I intern for American Universities International Programs (A.U.I.P). Although I was alone, I was alive-- living on my own in a foreign country was awesome.

Going back in time ~

On the morning of Sunday, May 18th, I went to the airport with my Mom and Dad to catch my 8:30am flight to Los Angeles. With a 14 hour layover in Los Angeles, I made the most of it. I spent it with my precious zeta friend and alumnae, Caleigh Wilson. I am so happy she was able (and willing) to spend the day with me! She truly made my layover to Australia worthwhile. We went out to lunch to a new "Texas Kitchen" restaurant called Home State on Hollywood Blvd. Caleigh has been wanting to try it, so she persuaded me by saying they have queso... If you know me, you'll know I'm also willing to get me some queso. It was great to encounter my Texas habits in Los Angeles haha. She also took me site seeing as we went around  Hollywood and Venice Beach. It was beautiful! And, being there reassured me that I definitely want to move to Los Angeles post graduation.

Bye Mom and Dad! 

Caleigh is my Angel in the city of Angels-- Los Angeles

The 18 hour plane ride to Brisbane would not have been the same if I wasn't sitting next to Volumes' lead singer, Gus. As I attempted to sleep the majority of the plane ride, Gus was taking shots of Whiskey. I understood he had to live up to his "tour life" expectations. He was great though! For being a scream-o, heavy metal singer, he was nice and personable!

Arriving "two days" later, it was Tuesday, May 20th. The first thing I purchased at the airport was a hairdryer, well, because I knew I needed it. The first culture shock I encountered was realizing that the steering wheel is on the right and people drive on the left side of the road..... weird! After I got settled in at the YHA Brisbane hostel (which is awesome), I had a coffee date with Eleanor Mitchell, my program advisor and soon-to-be boss for my communication and marketing internship at American Universities International Programs (A.U.I.P). She's a peach! We caught up, talked about internship expectations, and she ate a macaroon with me for my first time.  So yummy! For the rest of the day, I went exploring around Brisbane with my YHA German roommate, Kerstin. After our feet were tired, we helped ourselves to happy hour at YHA's partner restaurant: Drifter's. At Drifter's, I met Melanie from Germany, Joel from Brisbane, Pierre from France and Anton from Sweden. It's a great change in pace talking to other people from all over the world! I truly enjoyed my first day. I went to bed by 10pm because 1) I was a bit jet-lagged and 2) I had to be up early for my first day of earning my scuba diving license!

Wednesday, May 21st- Thursday, May 22nd
When I said my five days were productive, I meant it. I earned my scuba diving license! My scuba diving instructor, John Gransbury, picked me up at my hostel at 8:40am to start the first day. Yes, he picked me up! I offered to take the bus, train or taxi but he insisted to pick me up on the way to the pool. It was very sweet of him. In two days, I completed 9 confined water dives, 5 in the pool and 4 in the Gold Coast. That's right. We drove an hour away from Brisbane to dive in the Gold Coast. It was awesome! Fortunately, John let me use my GoPro in the water. I'm officially scuba certified!!!

Friday, May 23rd- Saturday, May 24th
Now that I'm scuba certified, I took two days to sleep in, relax and drain the water out of my ears. I spent the day and night on Friday hanging out with my YHA hostel friends. Every Friday night, YHA hosts an Australian BBQ night featuring steak and kangaroo. Being from Texas, I know what steak tastes like, so.... I chose the kangaroo. It wasn't bad at all! It was quite flavorful, but I do prefer steak.

Saturday morning, I woke up to a surprise. Kathleen came to Brisbane early! We spent the entire day together. We went to the market, the bank, the store, everything. I enjoyed getting to know her better! We realized we have a lot in common, including our tastes in color and wine hehe.

I got a Chinese massage from that man at the market hehe

Kathleen at the market 

Sunday, May 25th
ALL of my classmates are arriving today! While we waited for our classmates to arrive, Kathleen and I enjoyed the day by the pool, drinking wine and tanning. Our first meeting as a group was at 4:30pm that night. We discussed safety precautions and expectations. After the orientation, I activated my Australian phone. It's very old school, but I kinda like it.

Now that my classmates are in town, I am ready to show them the ins-and-outs to Brisbane. It has been beneficial coming a couple days before the program. It allowed to to get settled and not be nearly as jet lagged as my other classmates. I'm excited for a summer I'll never forget! Hook 'Em!