I was hoping to post this sooner but after traveling for two weeks, it was not easy getting back in to school. (: School has been really busy lately! I just had lots of assignments due these last couple weeks and now everyone is studying for our block exams which start in a week!
We had two weeks of vacation after our first term, starting in the middle of April and finishing at the end of the month. To start the break off, all of the exchange students that go to school with me and I got the opportunity to go on the overnight scuba diving trip I mentioned in my last blog! It was absolutely amazing. We all woke up very early and drove about an hour and a half North from Townsville up to a town called Ingham. From there we got on the scuba diving boat and heading over to an island called Pelorus Island. We all unpacked the boat and began to set up camp on the island, but not for long. From there we set out on the first of our five dives! At the beginning of each of our dives we would have to show the dive instructors a few skills that we learned during our pool dive sessions then after that, we were free to dive! Our dives would last about fourty minutes and we got to dive in 5 different spots. Both days were so great, but we seemed to have better visibility on our second day! I saw three turtles, tons of clown fish and other fish, sea anemones, giant clams and so many other things! The coral was so big it was truly amazing! There would be pieces of coral easily taller than twenty feet , and larger in diameter! The whole experience was absolutely unbelievable, and one that I really can’t even begin to describe. It was by far the most amazing thing I have ever done and definitely an experience I will never forget! By the end of our trip we all got our scuba diving licenses, which is something we will all be able to use forever.
After scuba diving I came home for one day and then left again for my ten day outback safari trip. I didn’t know anyone before the trip but by the end of I had made 45 more friends. Many of them were from Germany, some from Switzerland, others from Brazil, a few from Austria, one from Mexico, and then there was me--the only American. (: The trip was so great! I flew from Townsville to Cairns and then from there to Alice Springs, in Northern Territory. We stayed there for a few days and then began to move south through Northern Territory, stopping at Kings Canyon and Uluru for a few days! We then made it to South Australia where we stopped in the capital, Adelaide, and Coober Pedy; where almost the whole town is built underground because of how hot it gets there in the summer time. We got to spend our last day in Melbourne which is in Victoria. So within ten days we had traveled from Queensland, down through all of Northern Territory, South Australia, and ended in Victoria--which is a lot of traveling when looking at the size of Australia! Although we had no choice but to have a few long bus rides, we always found ways to entertain ourselves! We had a few misadventures of course, including a day where we spent 5 hours stopped on the highway in South Australia because of a car accident. We played cards, laid out in the sun, took pictures with the truckers, ate lots of food, had dance parties and played the same game multiple times until we finally got to get moving again! The outback is really so beautiful! Ayers Rock and all of that is truly amazing, and I can also officially now say that I have been to the middle of nowhere. (: I took tons of pictures, which you can see in the video!
I only have three weeks left in Townsville and then I head down to the Gold Coast and Sydney for my last week. I can’t wait! This next weekend I am traveling up to Cairns, a place about 5 hours north of Townsville, to visit some of my friends from the outback trip! I haven’t had the chance to make it up to Cairns yet, so I am looking forward to my trip up there very much! After Cairns I will be back in Townsvillle for my last two weeks, which is crazy to think! These last five months have truly flown by, but I am very excited about my last couple weeks here because I am going to have the opportunity to see even more of Australia!
Here is the link to the video I made of the scuba diving trip and the outback trip:
Here is the link to the video I made of the scuba diving trip and the outback trip:
