yellow haze

just some info about some current news. yesterday sydney experienced the worst dust storm they've had in 70 years! it was crazy. when i woke up, the whole sky and everything was yellow. people who got up really early said that first it started out at red and then orange and then it turned to yellow. all trains and ferries and even the airport was shut down because the visibility was so low. i've never seen anything like it. when you walked to class you could feel the dirt in the air and sometimes, if you were unlucky, you got a little taste of it too. but as the day went on, the sun came out and the rest of the day was beautiful, although the wind was kind of windy (yes, that one was for all you stoltenbergs out there who might still be reading!).

straddie

the excursions in september continued this past weekend with a trip to stradbroke island. in order for me to get there i had to take a bus, to a train, to a plane, to a ferry. it took a while but it was definitely worth it. i thought this trip was even better than the blue mountains. the first day we learned how to surf. it was very cool and something that i've always wanted to do. however i wasn't so good at it. but i was able to get up, even if it was for only 2-3 seconds! then we played with more boomerangs and this time i got to paint my own and keep it which was pretty cool. the next was action packed. we went snorkeling, then sea kayaking, then sandboarding. after all of that, i'm very sore. sandboarding is basically like snowboarding but on sand. i will say that i'm not a huge fan of sand, as anyone who goes to the beach with me can confirm, so i didn't try too hard at all because i didn't want to wipe out and fall in the sand but it was really cool. it was at this place that was just a huge sand pit, i've never seen anything like it. and the ocean was an amazing blue and we got to see some whales breach the surface. it was a very exciting and very tiresome weekend. but i loved being in the sun and at the beach. it was great!

elizabeth, michele, katherine

well september is full of trips for me. two weekends ago i went to the blue mountains with the program that i came to australia with. it was a fun weekend to catch up with people i haven't seen i a while and to get out of the city and see some gorgeous landscapes. while there we met an aboriginal who taught us about some aboriginal customs and he taught us how to throw boomerangs. his name was goomblar. he was a pretty cool person. we also went to another zoo and here i have a better picture of me petting a koala. pretty cool. (that picture is for amy and lisa. i think they will love it. and i have plenty of more pics to show you guys when i get back!). i also went abseiling (repelling). that was awesome. we started on baby cliffs but ended the day with a cliff that was a little more than 100 feet straight down. it was crazy. i don't know if the pictures do it justice, but let me just tell you that it was really really really high up. pretty proud of myself for doing that lol. then we eventually made it into the mountains. we hiked a little and took some gandolas that soared over top mountains and forrests and waterfalls. beautiful. and then we ended our day at the three sisters. three rock formations. pretty cool. seeing as in my family we have three sisters. i thought that was pretty cool. that's what's in the background of the picture that i'm in. they were quite magnificent, just like in our family!

a taste of reality

so basically i've been on a two month vacation in australia, and i still have another two months to go. but today has brought me back to reality a little. it's september 11th here and nothing has been said. no moment of silence, nothing on the tv's, and no headlines. it's a little weird. in fact, i watched a skit that my college put on and they even made a joke about 9/11. it was so crazy and a little offensive. but it just goes to show the cultural differences. 9/11 obviously didn't affect these people the way it has in the states. i would like to think of this as my remembrance for that day, 8 years ago. this is my moment of silence.

heaps hectic

just some pics with some friends, i figured my mom would appreciate this!

botannical gardans

it's not over till the fat lady sings

opera house
and again
harbour bridge

last weekend my friend jenna and i made a huge trek to circular quay to visit the opera house and botannical gardens. amazing. the weather wasn't interesting. so the pictures don't portray the brightest sunniest day but it was still amazing. it took about 45 minutes in one direction to walk. it was a great way to spend the afternoon. although on the way it was a mini hurricane and we had to walk right into the wind, so that 45 minutes was a hard one, a doozey (amy i hoped your appreciated that word!). and yes the opera house is amazing. i have yet to be inside but it is gorgeous. and it's so cool that i was standing so close to such a staple of sydney, of australia. very cool indeed. heaps of fun that day.

"when you're facing a loaded gun, what does it matter?"

a few nights ago i watched the departed for the first. omg what a good movie. when someone first suggested we watch it i was like well i'm not really sure i'm in a mood for a movie like that. well i was wrong. i was pressed up against the computer (we downloaded it). it was amazing. i know i'm behind on the times, and so maybe you are too, so if you haven't already seen it, or haven't seen it in a while, definitely go out and watch it. it's incredible. it talks of good vs. bad, does it really matter? it talks of church and religion that and how that doesn't mean you're automatically good if you attend. it talks of loyalty and asks who you can really trust. it has an amazing cast and it a great movie. definitely one for the books.