Merry Beach

This weekend Joy and I went on a three-day holiday (vacation) with our Australian mates and hosts, Andrew and Marion. It's really nice getting out with them because we hear a lot about beautiful places around Wollongong, that we wouldn't hear of normally through regular 'touristy' talk!

The Bayleys :]

We went to Merry Beach, a small beach down the coast a ways, and it was incredible! Captain Mandrew and I, The Slayer, made it our duty to brave the vast ocean in search of fish. This was exciting for me as it was my first real fishing trip, and after we had successfully (and mercifully) slain the fish the first morning, which was followed by a surf and turf beauty of a lunch, we had to go again each morning.

Mandrew and I

Being it a full weekend of fishing for myself, it was quite exciting. We caught upwards of ten plus fish each morning, in only a couple of hours, including a couple of sharks! We didn't keep all of the fish, but it was just a thrill and a new experience to be out there-- the company wasn't so bad either.

The best fish we caught was reeled in by Andrew, a gummy shark! I also caught a Port Jackson shark, but released it, as it is a protected species in these waters:

The best eating was the lizzies as they're called, the flat-heads! They were seared to perfection on the grill, so much so, Joy could even get through a portion of the fish :)

But, aside from the fishing, the area was just really nice, and a perfect 'getaway' location. The Australian atmosphere was thoroughly enjoyed by Joy and I, as there were more than 50 kangaroos on site and around the area at any given time! They were all wild kangaroo, but were tamed due to their constant contact with humans, and are just amazing creatures to see and feed up close.

Joy w/ a roo&joey with the beach and heaps of other roos in the background

The beach has such clear water, and around the bend is a headland or rock, that curls on for more than a kilometer, beside pleasant crashing waves. Joy and I made a point to sit out at the end of the rock and sit 5 meters above the waves and watch them crash into the several layers of rock under us-- one of those moments where you feel you are in exactly the right place, with the right person, at the right time.

The rest of the weekend was filled with relaxation, which we all welcomed with open arms. We sat up and watched some footy, some Rugby Union between Australia and New Zealand [Australia won :)], and played with the true entertainer Lilly Bayley.

The little chicken

Back to school today for a couple difficult weeks with a lot to be thankful for. We were out of touch with internet and phone for the weekend, and returned to news of Jeff and his status over the last few days. We are glad to see that the doctors are doing everything they can to help him improve toward full healing, and love the progress he's made. A lot of love from Australia Jeff, hang in there!

Sydney Day Trip (a little late) + Other things

The Tuesday before last, Sterling, Lindsey and I went on a little trip to Sydney. Conveniently, we live walking distance from the train station so we just hopped on the train and soon enough, we were in the city! The ride there was beautiful. We rode along the coast and by a national park. We were scheduled to go on a tour of the Sydney Opera House at 10:00am and made it just in time (thanks to our speed-walking). The Opera House was incredible. The architecture was so crazy and indescribable. You definitely need to put this place on your bucket list. Did you know that the roof covered in over 1.5 million ceramic tiles? That's insane! I definitely would like to see an opera/play there while we're here.

After the tour we walked around Sydney for a bit. We walked around the outside edge of the botanic gardens then ate lunch in a park. I had my first meat pie and it was AMAZING! We went to the State Library of New South Wales. It was gorgeous. There was a little Shakespearean room which was really neat.  

We later went to a chocolate shop where I got a really good hot chocolate and Sterling got a chocolate milkshake-- best one I ever tried-- so we will definitely be seeing that place again :)
Sydney is such a HUGE place and there's so much to do. We will absolutely go back a few times.

Classes have been going well. I got 100% on my first lab quiz, I turned in my first paper today and Sterling turned in his first two. It is really hard to stay motivated with everything so spread out , but we'll be just fine :) It's hard believe that we're through with a month of uni before everyone back home even starts. 1/4 the way through our trip... Crazy!!


On a more gloomy note, last Friday night, Sterling received a text from Nick (friend he's lived with for the past few years) that Jeff (Nick's dad) was rushed to the hospital with a collapsed lung and a torn esophagus. At first, things didn't look so good, however he seems to be doing much better. Obviously Sterling and I were extremely upset. We wished (and still do) we were home to be with the Adkinsons during this rough time. We feel quite useless being on another continent, however Jeff and the fam have been on our constant prayers. If you are reading this (which you obviously are) PLEASE lift Jeff and his family up in your prayers. He will have a rough road to recovery. If you are interested in updates go to http://www.carepages.com/carepages/Adkinson.

We love this fam

First Week at UOW

Sterling and I just started week two today. The first week went pretty well. We had to switch one of our classes but now we are all set and officially enrolled in all of the appropriate classes. I am taking Exercise Physiology, Transnational Media and Intercultural Communication, Introduction to Indigenous Australia, and Societies Impacts on the Environment. Sterling is in my Indigenous and environmental science classes and his other two are Applied Programming and Numerical Analysis. Class sizes here are HUGE compared to G-burg. It's going to take some getting used to. Also, there are lectures and tutorials for each class and some have a practical as well. The first week there weren't any tutorials or practicals, but I did have a tutorial yesterday. The tutorials (from what I know so far) are basically smaller group discussions about the week's lecture and readings. I believe three of my tutorials also have student-led discussions. The bulk of the final grade for two of my classes are written papers so I will only have two final exams. Woo!! 

The campus is beautiful!! One day (when no one is around to make fun of me) I will take pictures to share. The campus is also very large compared to Gettysburg... but then again, most college campuses are. Also, UOW is VERY close to the beach!! Parts are even walking distance :D I haven't actually been to the beach other than driving past it because we've been doing other things, but there will be plenty of beach time while we are here so I'm not too worried about it at the moment. It's going to be a fun semester. It's going by so fast already.