Here are some things to consider before you study abroad. It's beneficial to know what matters the most to you before you leave.
Everyone has different priorities, and there’s nothing wrong with that. If you really like spending a night in a fancy hotel, and you can afford it, go ahead! If you’d rather stay in a hostel and use that money to go skydiving, do it! These are just some of the many things to consider before you leave the comfort of your home country. Sometimes traveling can be stressful and complicated, but it’s well worth it with all of the friends and memories you’ll make. Experiencing new things is a great way to change your perspective of the world and make you appreciate all of the blessings that surround you.
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Not all community gardens are sustainable, but below are some techniques to make a community garden more environmentally friendly.
Monday: We spent the day on buses and planes getting back from the Whitsunday Islands to Canberra. On the way to the airport from Airlie Beach, I had some time to call my parents, so it was nice to catch up with them after the week. We got back around 7:30pm, so we did all of our laundry and unpacked everything before getting back into some school work. I went to bed early because I was quite exhausted from the amazing spring break I just had. Tuesday: I got up and prepared for the day and left for campus. I had lecture in the afternoon, and I’ll be honest, I wasn’t very productive. I spent most of the day watching Netflix and replaying the previous week in my head. It was really hard to get back into the mindset of studying. In the evening, I cooked some food and read a few articles for my food, health, and nutrition class. I went to bed somewhat early again because I still hadn’t recovered from the crazy break with not much sleep and a jam packed schedule. Wednesday: I had my nutrition class and my sustainable communities tutorial. They were both pretty interesting. It was still hard for me to focus though. After my tutorial, I worked in the community garden on campus. We removed a lot of things to make room for planting new spring crops. I got to take home some fresh broccoli, parsley, spring onions, and beetroot. When I got back to the apartment, I studied some and made some dinner. Kiley and I watched some TV and then went to bed. Thursday: In the morning, I went to the gym, and then I went to the mall because I wanted to get some things for Kiley’s birthday the next week. I went to campus to study after I ate lunch. I got a little bit done, but I still wasn’t too productive. I had my nutrition tutorial in the afternoon where my group decided which parts of the presentation we would research and talk about. After class, I headed home where Kiley and I made some vegetable stew with the fresh garden produce and some other things we already had. It was really tasty, so it inspired me to make more of it later. We invited Nicola over to watch The Bachelorette together. It’s always fun watching those cheesy shows with more people. Friday: I went to Body Pump with Kiley, and it made me realize how out of shape I am. It’s one of those classes where if you don’t do it for a little while, it’s really hard. It was a challenge, but I felt good after I finished it. I showered and read some articles. Then, I wrote a discussion post that was due that evening. Then, I ate lunch and headed to the library to write another post for the same class. I spent quite a bit of time researching some things for other class projects and then headed back. We watched a classic chick flick called “The Other Woman” and enjoyed making fun of it. Saturday: We went to Body Attack in the morning to start the day off right. Then, I showered and ate lunch, and Kiley and I walked to campus together. We sat by each other at the library to prevent each other from watching Netflix or getting too distracted. It didn’t work the best, but we both got a fair amount of work done. We also started looking at classes we’re going to take at ISU next semester since registration is coming up. It’s so weird to think about that when we’re here. We headed back after I opened a bunch of articles to read when I don’t have Wi-Fi at the apartment. I realized when I got back from break that all my end of the semester projects are coming up pretty quickly, so I need to start researching and getting some stuff together. We watched the movie “Clueless” which was super cheesy, but we didn’t mind because we have fun laughing at those kinds of movies. I also started watching “Man of Steel,” but it went too late, so I went to bed. I know, I get pretty crazy on the weekends. Sunday: We woke up and went to church which was nice. The message was about being thankful for all the little blessings in our lives, and it was refreshing to be reminded of all the things I take for granted. After church, we went to a fitness class called “Body Balance” which is similar to yoga, so we got a nice relaxing start to the day. Then, we had lunch and headed to the mall to use the Wi-Fi and then get groceries. I wrote my blog post about spring break, and then I got the food I needed to make a vegetable stew similar to the one we had earlier in the week. When we got back, we studied a little, and then I made my stew. It had a chicken broth base with carrots, sweet potatoes, broccoli, tomatoes, five kinds of beans, parsley, spring onions, and rosemary. It was quite delicious, so I decided to share some with Kiley since her birthday was the next day and because it made a lot. We watched part of Kung Fu Panda while we studied a bit, and we watched the beginning of Transformers 2 while we got ready for Monday. Spring Break in Cairns and the Whitsunday Islands: September 24-October 1 This post only includes some of the highlights from all that I did over spring break. If you want to read about all the awesome stuff, you’ll have to wait for the details later! They arranged a trip to Cairns for a big group of exchange students from the University of Canberra. We spent a lot of time together staying at hostels, jamming out to music on the busses with our awesome drivers, and enjoying all of these crazy fun things. Cairns: 1. There’s a free lagoon/pool right along the side of the ocean where you can spend the day. Some friends and I spent the majority of a day applying sunscreen, swimming, and relaxing. It was a day well spent in my book. 2. You won’t run out of ice cream shops in Cairns. There are around 15 near the beach to choose from, so we had to try a different one almost every night we were in Cairns. My favorites were “Nitrolate,” “Cold Rock,” and a local shop with a deal on some delicious choices. 3. Cairns is a great place to see the Great Barrier Reef. Let’s just put it this way…everyone should see this marvelous wonder of the world in their lifetime. It’s absolutely incredible, and it was definitely my favorite thing we’ve experienced while in Australia so far. Just to give you a little motivation, you should see it sooner rather than later because climate change and increasing acidity in the oceans is causing coral bleaching. It’s worth the trip to the land down under to snorkel or scuba dive with the hundreds of species of beautiful sea creatures. 4. You could also visit Fitzroy Island, go deep sea scuba diving, or even wear an underwater helmet that allows you to breath without wearing a snorkel. There are plenty of attractions to experience this tropical place in whatever way you like best. Cape Tribulation area: 1. Port Douglas is a charming town where celebrities often go for some R&R. We spent some time there briefly where we could hike up to get a good view of the famous 4 Mile Beach. We also got to swim in the clear water and enjoy the cool feeling ocean while we soaked in the sun. 2. There are waterfalls and swimming holes galore. We got to see a new waterfall or swim in a creek or jump off a cliff into a swimming hole basically every half an hour. Nothing beats that feeling of falling while you wait to plunge into the water below. Don’t worry, we had a bus driver/guide who knows every safe place to swim and jump in. 3. There are plenty of hikes through the rainforest where you can explore the unique flora and fauna and hope that nothing will kill you ;) The hike we did was pretty hard and steep; I didn’t finish it because I ran out of water, and it was much too hot and humid not to have water. A few from our group finished and said the view was pretty nice. Fun things around Cairns: 1. The Atherton Tablelands offer incredible views of the land below and have many cool things that surround them. We saw the Cathedral Fig Tree which is a giant tree that’s super old. They have unique characteristics where they work together with other plants to grow. 2. Milla Milla falls is the famous destination for hair product commercials where the girl will flip her hair back, and it makes a circle of water. My friend Kiley and I did it at the same time and made a heart with our hair, so that was pretty cool. We could also go behind the waterfalls and see it from the other side. 3. We were able to spot some platypuses in a creek close to our hostel one evening I know what you’re thinking, and the answer is yes, I’m fairly certain that the correct plural of platypus is platypuses. It was pretty cool to see them in their natural habitat swimming around since they’re only found in eastern Australia. 4. We went mountain biking and canoeing which was pretty awesome. The biking was on a road through the rainforest where volunteers have planted trees and successfully bridged the gap between two big sections of rainforest to protect endangered species. While we canoed, we saw some cool birds and water dragons which look like big lizards. 5. There’s a giant lake that was created by a crater years ago and filled up with pure rain water, so it’s extremely clear and clean. We got to jump in after our bike ride which felt absolutely wonderful. We swam around for a while before we had to move on to the next fun thing. Whitsunday Islands: 1. There’s another free lagoon there on Airlie Beach. Kiley and I spent some time there after walking along the beach path for a while. We even saw a beach side wedding on a cliff while we walked, and we found a sand sculpture of a crocodile that was pretty sweet. 2. If you go to the Whitsundays, and you really should, you have to take a boat cruise out to the islands and see the beauty. We sailed past some of the 74 islands on our way to Whitsunday Island. The sunshine and the breeze make for the perfect conditions while you look at the water in hopes of seeing a turtle or some dolphins. We did get to see one huge turtle on our cruise, but we weren’t fast enough with our cameras. 3. We snorkeled near Hook Island, and it was amazing. This part of the Great Barrier Reef had completely different fish and coral. I’m glad we got to see the reef in two different areas to see the differences. We enjoyed our time swimming around and discovering more brightly colored fish or finding ourselves surrounded by so many fish that we felt like we couldn’t move. It was pretty incredible. 4. Some say that Whitehaven beach is the nicest beach in the world, and I would have to agree with them. Its pure white sand feels like sugar on your feet. The sand never gets hot, so you can walk barefoot or lay down for as long as you want. We walked for a while to enjoy the feeling of the sand before we got in the incredibly clear, blue water. That feeling where the beauty of the nature that surrounds you strikes you to the core happened to me in these moments. Swimming on that beach with my best friend talking about life and how blessed we are is something I will never forget. This may sound like something out of a dream, and sometimes I feel like it didn’t even happen, but it did. I experienced these awesome things, and you can too. Don’t be afraid to go after a dream just because some people think it’s unrealistic.
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