Elon Study Abroad

First week of junior year down under!

I finally started my first week of University in Australia, which is strange since for me, Elon does not start until August. My brain is already having a difficult time adjusting, but it will work out eventually. No matter where you go to school, starting your first semester after a long break is difficult.

The system here in Australia is a bit different from back in the USA so I will explain a bit of how it works at the University. I am taking four classes. Each class has a 2 hour lecture and depending if I have a lab, a 1 hour or 2 hour tutorial. These are scheduled through out the week so I have 8 “classes” in total. In the University, you schedule your tutorials and lectures at different times. With that being said, this is how my first week of classes went.

My first day of class was Monday and I had two lecture classes. One was Biomechanics and the other was Human Physiology. These classes I am taking for my major and so far I love Biomechanics probably because it brings me back to those fun times in high school geometry and trig (the lovely SOHCAHTOA days). That lecture was smaller than my human physiology lecture but both are held in these large lecture halls that I am not use to. Both subjects were 2-hour lectures and strangely enough they went by quickly. We get a break in between the hours so we can all collect our thoughts before diving right back into more material. After my last lecture, I went back to my room to make chicken rollups before I went to Zumba. I have been trying to get back into a work out routine so taking classes at night has become something that motivates me.

Tuesday I had my tutorials for the two lectures on Monday which are smaller classes and more interactive than just listening to someone talk for 2 hours. Through my large time gap between the tutorials, I started my studying to keep up with my human physiology class. My tutorial for Biomechanics was working with Excel, while the other half of the class worked with the problems in the workbook. At the end of the day I went to Boxfit, which was interesting considering I have never in my life used boxing gloves or pads. It was a good work out either way.

Wednesday was abnormal and social psychology, which I need for my minor. Abnormal psychology is an interesting class as well as the professor teaching it. It was a smaller lecture size but very interesting to sit through. I even ended up contacting a friend back home and had a long conversation with them about the phrase “mental illness.” For social psychology, it was the smallest lecture class I had, but I preferred that since the class was more interactive. The professor was very friendly and even sent me an email welcoming me to the class as an international student prior to the lecture. Since my tutorials for my psychology classes do not start until week 2, I had no tutorial for Abnormal Psychology right after my lecture. Instead I went to Zumba before heading back to my room for dinner then bed

Thursday I normally have my social psychology tutorial but because the tutorials do not start until week 2, I had a whole day off. I first did a small bit of studying before I decided to jump on a bus to Alexandria Headlines to buy a second hand surfboard. The board I got is a 6’4 board which is
different than what I am use to. It is never to late to give the short board a go! I even named it. Her name is Padi (Lina picked the name). After I took Padi back to the apartment, I did a bit more work before I got to speak with my Greek brother Fil on skype. The video session was a bit short when the internet decided not to work. I then went to my Boxfit class before heading back to the room. I ended up stopping by Louise’s place when I heard some music coming from the apartment. The rest of the night a few of just hung out on the porch laughed at Tyler trying to read sweetish and enjoyed each other’s company. It was a great way to end my free day.

Friday was another free day for me so I started with going to the store to buy some eggs and explore one of the other shopping centers near by. Once I returned to my room, I did a little bit more studying before deciding to take Padi to Alexandria for a quick test run before the group went to Noosa beach the next day. I forgot how hard it was to surf on a shorter board. Not only is catching a wave harder, but also trying to get up was difficult because the board is a tad bit shaky when you try to jump up. Tyler and Alyssa joined me a little later when I was about to call it a day. On our way back, we decided to do a little BBQ right outside the apartments for dinner so Daniel and Tyler cooked some burgers for us and I made a large bowl of pasta. Needless to say I slept well after that large meal!


Next morning was an early wake up because a group of us decided to take an hour and a half drive to
Noosa. A bunch went in cars and Cara, Dorthea, Johanna, Sofia and I ended up taking the long bus ride there. After a bus ride and a 20 minute walk from the main beach, we made it to Tea Tree Bay which was a small beach right off the path through the Noosa nature reserve. Once we found the others, I put all my stuff down, put my wetsuit on, grabbed Padi and jumped in the water to try and meet with Daniel and Tyler who were surfing near the rocks. It turned out that the waves were specifically for long boards so Daniel was nice enough to let me and Tyler try his board, as well as Dorthea when she wanted to give it a go. All day on the beach we laid in the sun, buried Alyssa in the sand, threw the rugby ball around, chased away these turkeys and surfed. Once we had enough, Dorthea took a few of us to her relatives’ place right near sunrise beach in Noosa. We all had coffee, donuts, little nibbles and strawberries as we all talked about the beauty of this country (minus the sharks and spiders). They were very nice to offer their hospitality to us and it was so nice to meet some people who are familiar with the area. After, our little group walked to the bus stop to catch the next bus back to USC. It was not a full weekend without one little party so we had one last party of the weekend before heading off to bed.


Photo credit goes to Alyssa and Christine
It feels great to finally get into a routine. It is great to have free time but it is even better when you have a bit of structure. Though I have started school earlier than most of my friends, I will be getting out a lot earlier so there is that J I will try to talk about interesting things that will happen in my classes every week so I don’t repeat the same thing. This coming week of classes will be a full week since I will have my psychology tutorials. Side note you will be hearing some of the same names in these blogs (you know who you guys are), since these are the awesome people I have been spending time with. It still hasn’t hit me that I am across the world but I will let you know when that happens. Have a great week everyone!
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Orientation at USC

It has been already a week since I arrived at University of the Sunshine Coast and already I love it! Since I arrived, it has only been orientation week for us which means I have been settling into my apartment, meeting new people and getting ready to start classes.

My first full day at the USC included me creating a list of things to do as well as walking into the little shopping area in Sippy Downs where I will be getting all of my essentials to make food as well as making my room more personal. That first day, I was by myself though I had met a few nice Australians through one of my roommates. During the second day, the University held a huge BBQ for the international students. I ended up meeting a group of nice international students, many of which were Scandinavian and American. Right after the BBQ, one of the girls took us to her apartment where we all mingled. It was a great way to get to know everyone and we even established a group on facebook in order to keep everyone updated on all the different activities going on.

Photo credit goes to Dorthea Knudsen
Within a few days, all of us planned shopping trips, meet ups and more. One night, we all met up and had a small get together before everyone hit the clubs. The very next day we took a trip to the Glasshouse Mountains. One of the girls had done the hike before and many of us wanted to give the hike a shot. We all met up in the morning to take a bus and train to Mount Ngungun. With the GoPro on my head and a few people going at my pace, we panted as we walked up the trail. It was all worth it when we were able to get an amazing view of the Glasshouse mountains and of the country side. As I looked out, I forgot I was even in Australia. It was not the view you would expect when you think about the land down under but I took it as it was. It was also a nice view to eat a tuna sandwich and some TimTams.


We even had three birthdays my first week. For one of them, we all went hiking. For the other two, we had a little celebration with Italian food. I made a bowl of Spaghetti Carbonara and the host made some delicious ravioli with red sauce. A lot of carbs in one night but it was great otherwise.

Photo Credit goes to Louise Bertram
Of course you cannot forget about the beaches! USC is about ten minutes from Maloolaba beach which was our first beach stop. I spend part of my day at Maloolaba swimming and throwing the rugby ball around. For our last day before classes, we made a trip to Alexandria Headline Beach which was in the same area
as Maloolaba. The reason we picked this beach for our last day was because it was a surfing beach and a bunch of us wanted to rent some boards and test out the waters. It felt amazing to get back up on the board though it drained the life out of me. Since then, I want to try and surf at least once a week if possible. It was even awesome to see some of the gang try out the board and want to continue surfing for the next few months.




Overall, I can say I have basically settled in. I have three great roommates and an awesome group of friends who are just as active as I am. I have my own room and a common room kitchen as well as a living room and a pretty little patio where I can see the pond and a small glance of the university. USC is a very modern campus that is located on a nature reserve. Many different kinds of wild life live here such as snakes, birds (ones that like to wake me up at night) and kangaroos. So far I have seen a decent amount of kangaroos lounging and hopping all over campus which I will have to get use to eventually. The bus stop is right by the university so it is easy to get places even if I do not have a car. The weather has been a bit chilly but only recently has it warmed up. It is only suppose to get warmer which I can get use to. Classes start on Monday which will be interesting. As of now I do not have Friday classes because I was able to switch one of my classes to a different day which is a first for me. Time get start on my studies!
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Orientation at USC

It has been already a week since I arrived at University of the Sunshine Coast and already I love it! Since I arrived, it has only been orientation week for us which means I have been settling into my apartment, meeting new people and getting ready to start classes.

My first full day at the USC included me creating a list of things to do as well as walking into the little shopping area in Sippy Downs where I will be getting all of my essentials to make food as well as making my room more personal. That first day, I was by myself though I had met a few nice Australians through one of my roommates. During the second day, the University held a huge BBQ for the international students. I ended up meeting a group of nice international students, many of which were Scandinavian and American. Right after the BBQ, one of the girls took us to her apartment where we all mingled. It was a great way to get to know everyone and we even established a group on facebook in order to keep everyone updated on all the different activities going on.

Photo credit goes to Dorthea Knudsen
Within a few days, all of us planned shopping trips, meet ups and more. One night, we all met up and had a small get together before everyone hit the clubs. The very next day we took a trip to the Glasshouse Mountains. One of the girls had done the hike before and many of us wanted to give the hike a shot. We all met up in the morning to take a bus and train to Mount Ngungun. With the GoPro on my head and a few people going at my pace, we panted as we walked up the trail. It was all worth it when we were able to get an amazing view of the Glasshouse mountains and of the country side. As I looked out, I forgot I was even in Australia. It was not the view you would expect when you think about the land down under but I took it as it was. It was also a nice view to eat a tuna sandwich and some TimTams.


We even had three birthdays my first week. For one of them, we all went hiking. For the other two, we had a little celebration with Italian food. I made a bowl of Spaghetti Carbonara and the host made some delicious ravioli with red sauce. A lot of carbs in one night but it was great otherwise.

Photo Credit goes to Louise Bertram
Of course you cannot forget about the beaches! USC is about ten minutes from Maloolaba beach which was our first beach stop. I spend part of my day at Maloolaba swimming and throwing the rugby ball around. For our last day before classes, we made a trip to Alexandria Headline Beach which was in the same area
as Maloolaba. The reason we picked this beach for our last day was because it was a surfing beach and a bunch of us wanted to rent some boards and test out the waters. It felt amazing to get back up on the board though it drained the life out of me. Since then, I want to try and surf at least once a week if possible. It was even awesome to see some of the gang try out the board and want to continue surfing for the next few months.




Overall, I can say I have basically settled in. I have three great roommates and an awesome group of friends who are just as active as I am. I have my own room and a common room kitchen as well as a living room and a pretty little patio where I can see the pond and a small glance of the university. USC is a very modern campus that is located on a nature reserve. Many different kinds of wild life live here such as snakes, birds (ones that like to wake me up at night) and kangaroos. So far I have seen a decent amount of kangaroos lounging and hopping all over campus which I will have to get use to eventually. The bus stop is right by the university so it is easy to get places even if I do not have a car. The weather has been a bit chilly but only recently has it warmed up. It is only suppose to get warmer which I can get use to. Classes start on Monday which will be interesting. As of now I do not have Friday classes because I was able to switch one of my classes to a different day which is a first for me. Time get start on my studies!
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Crawley Family Vacation / Tschüss Deutschland

A few weeks ago my family arrived in Berlin. I had the opportunity to show them around my home for the past 5 months and introduce them to my coworkers. After my last day at MODOMOTO and moving out of my apartment, we set off on our tour of Germany. Instead of my normal way of traveling by planes, trains, and buses, we chose to ride in style. My dad of course wanted to rent an Audi and drive at high speeds on the Autobahn.

After leaving Berlin, we visited Wittenberg where Martin Luther lived and nailed the 95 Theses. Then, we traveled to the former capital of Saxony Dresden and took a tour of VW’s Transparent Factory. Next, we visited Nürnberg for an overview of Nazi history and to have lunch with my friend Alex Göldner and her mom. Then, we drove to Rothenburg ob der Tauber, a beautifully well-preserved medieval town. The city’s gates and wall were so well in tact that you could walk around the perimeter of the city on them. Afterwards, we drove down the Romantic Road to Füssen for the stunning Schloss Neuschwanstein. Our trip concluded in Munich. Here, we toured Dachau Concentration Camp, which American forces liberated at the end of WWII. We also visited Allianz Arena where the Bayern München soccer club plays and ate at the Hofbräuhaus with a couple of my friends from Elon. The next day we flew back to Cleveland.

So that’s a wrap! I’m back and grateful for all of the wonderful memories I made during my year in Germany. But, I am also grateful for the challenges, too. It taught me about independence and perseverance and gave me a greater appreciation for the German culture. In addition to the many German cities I visited, I had the opportunity to travel to 10 other European countries. Although I won’t be finishing the dual-degree program at ESB Reutlingen next year, I am looking forward to returning to Elon in the fall to complete my bachelors. Though this adventure has come to an end, I know that I still have many more to come. Thank you all for sharing this year with me.

Unfortunately, I have exceeded my storage limit for uploading photos on this blog so I couldn’t upload all of the pictures from our trip. I will post the pictures on Facebook instead. (Just my luck on my last post!)

My family arrived safely to the Berlin Tegel airport! These stones commemorate where the Berlin Wall stood and trace the former border between east and west Berlin. This map shows the four occupied zone of Berlin until reunification. Spencer under a piece of the wall at the Checkpoint Charlie memorial. One of the former watchtowers for the wall. Spencer, Mom, and I at the Holocaust Memorial. IMG_3152 These kids were crazy jumping from block to block which were at least 20 feet high. My family in front of the Brandenburg Gate. Still jet lagged, Spencer and Dad took a snooze on my bed while I finished packing. Mom and Spencer at Alexanderplatz in front of the Berliner Dom IMG_3166 IMG_3167 IMG_3175 IMG_3177 IMG_3178 IMG_3192 IMG_3188 Spencer trying to escape over the wall! Oh no! IMG_3184 IMG_7432 I felt like this memorial was a great way to describe my year with a blend of German and American. Mauerpark driving on the Autobahn at 200 kmh which is about 125 mph the door where Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses IMG_0584 Dresden Frauenkirche Zwinger IMG_7487 King Richard We took a tour of the VW Phaeton plant in Dresden. Here they assemble the luxury car by hand and only produce about 8 cars per day. The basic Phaeton starts at 75 000 EUR. Hersch Großer Garten skyline of Dresden Rothenburg ob der Tauber IMG_7508
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16 Days Interrailing: Bratislava & Budapest

After arriving in Bratislava and finding our hostel, we set off to explore the city and to make the most of our 24 hours there. We started off right with a delicious traditional Slovakian meal before heading out to take a free walking tour of the city…that we ended up missing by a few minutes. We ended up walking around ourselves to see the old town part of the city and took a little train tour up to the Bratislava castle, where we were greeted with fantastic views.

Bratislava 1

Bratislava 2    IMG_20150611_161758

Afterwards we wandered around trying to get to the cathedral in the center of town, only to find that it was closing for the day. So, we decided to head back to our hostel to drop off some bags and figure out what we wanted to do that evening. Our wanderings took us right by the Grand Cru Wine Club. We were debating going inside when a Scotsman who was sitting outside started talking to us, convincing us that it was worth the stop. We were definitely not disappointed. The shop only serves local wines and owner, Martin, gave us great recommendation.

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Next, we went back to the hostel to drop off our things and befriended a Brazilian guy who was staying the room next to us. After a delicious pizza dinner, we headed back to Martin’s for another glass of wine, before calling it a night. The following morning, we grabbed breakfast and wandered around a bit more before it was time to catch our next train, destination Budapest.

Budapest was the city that we had the most time in, giving us time to rest and relax partway through our world wind trip. And rest and relax we did. The first afternoon there, we got a map and headed to the river…and ended up sitting and talking outside the Parlement building for 1.5 hours. Unknowingly to us, they take the flag outside the Parlement down everyday at 6:30pm, which was an interesting event to watch.

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IMG_20150612_184706    IMG_20150612_183203

The next day, we thought that we should see a bit more of the city than what’s right by the riverside, so we visited the castle on the island, the Vajdahunyad Castle, that looks like it’s straight out of a fairytale. Next up was a free walking tour of the city which helped us learn more about the history of Budapest and how the cities Buda and Pest merged to create the city we know today. A delicious ice cream, dinner, a spilled beer, and a taste of pálinka later, we called our day a success and turned in for the night.

IMG_20150613_103545   IMG_20150613_103639

Budapest 1

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Our last full day in the city started with a trip to Starbucks and another walking tour, this time one of the Jewish quarter.  A trip to Budapest cannot be complete without visiting the traditional Turkish baths, so we spent an afternoon in the city relaxing in the one of the largest bath houses in the city. We finished off our full day with an evening river cruise along the Danube River, which gave us an new perspective of the city.

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With a few hours to kill in the morning before our “direct” train to Zagreb, we grabbed coffee at The Little Melbourne coffee shop. Our hostel recommended this coffee shop and I have to say, the recommendation was spot on. It was the best coffee I’ve ever had. Coffee was followed by a visit to the Roman Catholic church and another amazing view of the city from the church towers. After stopping for a quick bit to eat, it was time to say goodbye to Budapest and the European Union and make our way to Croatia.

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Last stop: Port Douglas

Landing in Cairns was a huge relief for the four of us since it finally felt like summer. From the airport, we drove an hour to the nature reserve where we were staying at in Port Douglas. Since it was 9:30pm by the time we arrived, we all went straight to bed.

Miles and I lost a few days of working out so we woke up early to get back into our routines. While Miles did his own work out routine, I ran on the beach near by and got a glimpse of the area we were in. The place was not only beach, but jungle as well. After breakfast, the four of us just laid down at the beach since we decided to make that day a day of relaxation. After lunch, we all did our own thing. Before I laid by the pool, dad and a bunch of the other guests spotted a lace monitor lizard. It is basically a smaller version of a Komodo Dragon and still just as frightening. For once I was a tad bit frightened by a lizard (I’m normally not taken back by any reptile). The rest of the day was relaxation and early bed time for our next adventure.


At 7:15 am, we jumped on a bus and headed over to Port Douglas to swim in the famous Great Barrier Reef. My family snorkeled, and I dived. This had been my life long dream to scuba dive in the Great Barrier Reef and boy was I not disappointed. Our first dive was at a section called Phils where my group and I were able to see a white tip reef shark hiding under the coral as well as stingrays and many other different kinds of smaller fish. Our second dive was at a section called Castle Rock. When we first descended, the dive master told us to get on our knees once we hit the sand so we can meet this friendly grouper. Since this fish was a regular during these dives, the crew named him Collin. He swam around and got really close to us as our dive master shot some fish out of a bottle for Collin to snack on. After we visited the social grouper, we swam along a huge wall of coral with bigger fish and even saw a great reef whaler shark. Collin followed us for a little bit but it was good to have some company that was a native to the reef. Our final dive was called Trigger. Unlike the other stops we made, this was a drift dive where my group had to jump from the moving boat and let the current from below take us. This made things more relaxing for me since we barely had to move due to the current moving us along the reef. There were unicorn fish, white tip reef sharks, great reef whaler sharks, clown fish, and more. Our dive master even took us through a small opening in the coral that we could swim through. That was an amazing sight to see, as the colors were so vibrant inside while the sun shined above into the cave. It was so cold getting out of the water but all that diving was worth the exhaustion and chills. I’ve done 10 dives in total (if you count resort dives and my dives for my certification) and all I can say is this was the most amazing dive experience I had. I took the GoPro down to get the best pictures I could but not even the pictures can describe how beautiful this reef was. If anyone ever has the chance to be in the same area as this reef, please go and explore! Even snorkeling you will be able to get an amazing view of the reef.

For our last day in Port Douglas, Mom wanted to fulfill her dream of holding a koala bear so we headed to the Habitat Zoo. This zoo was very different from any other zoo I had encountered. Not only were there different animals than what I normally see, the zoo allowed most of these animals to run and fly around without being kept in cages. Some animals even interacted with humans. We fed wallabies, kangaroos, and different kinds of birds as they walked right up to us. The koalas were very chill and slept a lot of the time. My mom, Miles and I all got to hold a Koala named Samson. He was very gentle and loved to give hugs (most koala’s are mean according to the keeper). That was the highlight of mom’s entire trip most likely since this is her favorite animal and she studied them since she was little. Though I loved holding Samson, I enjoyed feeding the wallabies and kangaroos. That was my first time seeing those animals up close. Miles even tried to feed an Emu that just pushed him out of the way as if Miles was a rock blocking its path. Once we had our fixing of awesome animals, we took a shuttle into the town of Port Douglas to have lunch and shop. The town has some cute retail stores as well as delicious coffee shops. I had the best flat white ever at this little hippy looking coffee shop called Ahoy Trade. They had coffee as well as interior decoration which mom and I could not resist. Eventually we had dinner in Port Douglas for our final night before going to bed. This concluded our final day of vacation together.


Port Douglas seems like a summer place for Australians but is still very nice in the winter. Compared to the cities, it is slower moving and I had been told that this place is were people come to in order to get away from city life. I generally liked Port Douglas but I don’t know if I could live there. Though I loved the area for holiday. It goes to show you that Australia has every weather condition you need: hot, cold, rainy, cloudy, sunny, tropical and dry. This was the last designated vacation spot for me and my family since the reason for going to Brisbane is just to drop me off at The University of the Sunshine Coast. This will be my last blog post about my family and I but there will be more posts to come once I settle into my apartment at school. It was great traveling with my family around this beautiful country but now it is time for me to make my own adventures. USC here I come!
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Last stop: Port Douglas

Landing in Cairns was a huge relief for the four of us since it finally felt like summer. From the airport, we drove an hour to the nature reserve where we were staying at in Port Douglas. Since it was 9:30pm by the time we arrived, we all went straight to bed.

Miles and I lost a few days of working out so we woke up early to get back into our routines. While Miles did his own work out routine, I ran on the beach near by and got a glimpse of the area we were in. The place was not only beach, but jungle as well. After breakfast, the four of us just laid down at the beach since we decided to make that day a day of relaxation. After lunch, we all did our own thing. Before I laid by the pool, dad and a bunch of the other guests spotted a lace monitor lizard. It is basically a smaller version of a Komodo Dragon and still just as frightening. For once I was a tad bit frightened by a lizard (I’m normally not taken back by any reptile). The rest of the day was relaxation and early bed time for our next adventure.


At 7:15 am, we jumped on a bus and headed over to Port Douglas to swim in the famous Great Barrier Reef. My family snorkeled, and I dived. This had been my life long dream to scuba dive in the Great Barrier Reef and boy was I not disappointed. Our first dive was at a section called Phils where my group and I were able to see a white tip reef shark hiding under the coral as well as stingrays and many other different kinds of smaller fish. Our second dive was at a section called Castle Rock. When we first descended, the dive master told us to get on our knees once we hit the sand so we can meet this friendly grouper. Since this fish was a regular during these dives, the crew named him Collin. He swam around and got really close to us as our dive master shot some fish out of a bottle for Collin to snack on. After we visited the social grouper, we swam along a huge wall of coral with bigger fish and even saw a great reef whaler shark. Collin followed us for a little bit but it was good to have some company that was a native to the reef. Our final dive was called Trigger. Unlike the other stops we made, this was a drift dive where my group had to jump from the moving boat and let the current from below take us. This made things more relaxing for me since we barely had to move due to the current moving us along the reef. There were unicorn fish, white tip reef sharks, great reef whaler sharks, clown fish, and more. Our dive master even took us through a small opening in the coral that we could swim through. That was an amazing sight to see, as the colors were so vibrant inside while the sun shined above into the cave. It was so cold getting out of the water but all that diving was worth the exhaustion and chills. I’ve done 10 dives in total (if you count resort dives and my dives for my certification) and all I can say is this was the most amazing dive experience I had. I took the GoPro down to get the best pictures I could but not even the pictures can describe how beautiful this reef was. If anyone ever has the chance to be in the same area as this reef, please go and explore! Even snorkeling you will be able to get an amazing view of the reef.

For our last day in Port Douglas, Mom wanted to fulfill her dream of holding a koala bear so we headed to the Habitat Zoo. This zoo was very different from any other zoo I had encountered. Not only were there different animals than what I normally see, the zoo allowed most of these animals to run and fly around without being kept in cages. Some animals even interacted with humans. We fed wallabies, kangaroos, and different kinds of birds as they walked right up to us. The koalas were very chill and slept a lot of the time. My mom, Miles and I all got to hold a Koala named Samson. He was very gentle and loved to give hugs (most koala’s are mean according to the keeper). That was the highlight of mom’s entire trip most likely since this is her favorite animal and she studied them since she was little. Though I loved holding Samson, I enjoyed feeding the wallabies and kangaroos. That was my first time seeing those animals up close. Miles even tried to feed an Emu that just pushed him out of the way as if Miles was a rock blocking its path. Once we had our fixing of awesome animals, we took a shuttle into the town of Port Douglas to have lunch and shop. The town has some cute retail stores as well as delicious coffee shops. I had the best flat white ever at this little hippy looking coffee shop called Ahoy Trade. They had coffee as well as interior decoration which mom and I could not resist. Eventually we had dinner in Port Douglas for our final night before going to bed. This concluded our final day of vacation together.


Port Douglas seems like a summer place for Australians but is still very nice in the winter. Compared to the cities, it is slower moving and I had been told that this place is were people come to in order to get away from city life. I generally liked Port Douglas but I don’t know if I could live there. Though I loved the area for holiday. It goes to show you that Australia has every weather condition you need: hot, cold, rainy, cloudy, sunny, tropical and dry. This was the last designated vacation spot for me and my family since the reason for going to Brisbane is just to drop me off at The University of the Sunshine Coast. This will be my last blog post about my family and I but there will be more posts to come once I settle into my apartment at school. It was great traveling with my family around this beautiful country but now it is time for me to make my own adventures. USC here I come!
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Memories from MODOMOTO

Elias proud of his Sky Blue ice cream with extra sprinkles Michael taking an afternoon snooze Matt excited to open his MODOMOTO box sitting on the riverbank with some beer and good friends Esther Sneha shared her favorite Indian restaurant with us. Michael, Stefanie, and Elias Esther My plate from our international food night: everything from Spanish ham to an Indian vegan dish to Orville Redenbacher's microwave popcorn My favorite coffee shop next to our warehouse with the best hazelnut macchiatos In my last few weeks at MODOMOTO, I had the opportunity to help with a photo shoot so I snuck a few shots for myself. Modomoto Portraits9740 Modomoto Portraits9739 Modomoto Portraits9745 Michael and Elias: I'll miss playing foosball with my team Steffi and Esther Esther, Michael, Steffi, and Elias: one last night together
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2 days in Melbourne


After an easy 1 hour flight, the family and I made it to the city of Melbourne. The weather was a bit colder than Sydney but nothing a bunch of New Yorkers could not handle. Once we settled into the hotel, we too took a cab to the main section of Melbourne where we met up with my cousin's boyfriend James at his juice shop called Green Press. The place sells delicious fresh juices and treats which everyone should check out! Follow his store on Instagram @lovegreenpress if you want to look and see what yummy treats they make (yes I'm promoting his business! Why wouldn't I?).

After grabbing some food and drinks at his place, James walked us around some of the streets in Melbourne, which included many ally ways that had some amazing coffee and sandwich shops. Miles and I had some sushi at one of the many Japanese Cafés we saw on our walk. You can tell the city had a huge Asian influence. Mom and I eventually went to a local Melbourne coffee shop in one of these ally ways before the four of us went back to the hotel to relax. For dinner, my cousin Lindsay and James met us in the lobby to walk with us to the Moroccan themed restaurant we had reservations at. After dinner, we all headed to n Australian footy game to watch Richmond and Carlton battle it out. For those of you who have not heard of this game, think of it as a mix between rugby, soccer and basketball. That is the best description I will be able to give because you have to see a game to understand what it is. Though Richmond kicked Carlton's ass, it was an exciting game to watch and experience. Right before the rain started pouring, we went back to the hotel to rest for our next Melbourne adventure.



During our last full day in Melbourne we took a helicopter ride to the Great Ocean Road in Victoria. The area had large cliffs and beaches as well as miles of farmland. Our goal was to reach the twelve apostles. No Jesus's apostles were not waiting for us off the cliff sides! These large rocks stand right near the coast line and were created by erosions.
It basically looked like the part of the land that stretched into the sea fell apart and was now stranded between the coats line and the crashing waves. It really is hard to describe how beautiful these forms were because it's a sight one must see in person to understand the beauty. Even pictures won't do these natural creations justice. Once we landed and got to see these forms up close, we realized how huge they were. We even walked on the shore and looked up the cliff sides from the bottom. Walking on the beach with coats and hats might have felt a bit weird for us but it was worth the beautiful views we got. Before lunch, we walked along the cliff side where a ship called the Loch Ard crashed. In 1878, this ship accidentally ran a ground off the coast of Australia trying to reach the city of Melbourne. Of the 37 passengers that were aboard, two survived. We were able to see the Loch Ard Gorge where the two survivors swept to shore as well as the large section where the ship wreck took place. Though that area is known for a crazy shipwreck, it was a beautiful sight to see. For lunch we stopped in this little town where we had fish and chips and sticky date pudding. After lunch we jumped back onto the helicopter and set course for home. Dinner was a bit different for us that night. We visited the apartment of Lindsay and James located in Port Melbourne where they cooked us dinner. We tried some wallaby and kangaroo for the first time which was a very different taste for the four of us. The kangaroo was a bit like steak but leaner and more gamey. I am not to sure how to describe the wallaby but it was a bit like a veil chop. I personally liked it and Miles seemed to like it due to the fact he ate all kangaroo in a short amount of time. Looks like I'll be cooking some kangaroo in my kitchen while I'm in school. After a delicious sticky date pudding with caramel sauce and this interesting ice cream for dessert, we headed back to the hotel for bed.


Before leaving for Cairns at 4:00pm, we had brekki (short word for breakfast) with Lindsay and James. The place according to James was a very Melbourne place. After brekki, Lindsay and James took us to the Victoria Market. The best I can describe this places is that it looked like a larger Chelsea Market with a greater variety of things to buy such as food and souvenirs. There were meat stores, retail shops, produce stands and more. We walked through the large market as it poured rain until it was time to say goodbye. Though my family will not see Lindsay till she takes a trip to New York, I have all the time in the world to go see her. It is so nice to have family on the other side of the world!


The city of Melbourne had a very different set up and weather conditions compared to Sydney. Lindsay calls Melbourne the Seattle of Australia and though we lucked out with the weather, I can see what she means. It is a beautiful looking city but the weather is not the best. For most of our trip, it was cloudy and in the 40's but again, nothing a bunch of New Yorkers can’t manage. I would love to see more of this city while I am in Australia for the next 5 month. Compared to Sydney, it was not my number one favorite place but I feel I need to see more of this city to grow to like it. Cannot wait to come back! Now it is time for some warmer weather in Cairns. 
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2 days in Melbourne


After an easy 1 hour flight, the family and I made it to the city of Melbourne. The weather was a bit colder than Sydney but nothing a bunch of New Yorkers could not handle. Once we settled into the hotel, we too took a cab to the main section of Melbourne where we met up with my cousin's boyfriend James at his juice shop called Green Press. The place sells delicious fresh juices and treats which everyone should check out! Follow his store on Instagram @lovegreenpress if you want to look and see what yummy treats they make (yes I'm promoting his business! Why wouldn't I?).

After grabbing some food and drinks at his place, James walked us around some of the streets in Melbourne, which included many ally ways that had some amazing coffee and sandwich shops. Miles and I had some sushi at one of the many Japanese Cafés we saw on our walk. You can tell the city had a huge Asian influence. Mom and I eventually went to a local Melbourne coffee shop in one of these ally ways before the four of us went back to the hotel to relax. For dinner, my cousin Lindsay and James met us in the lobby to walk with us to the Moroccan themed restaurant we had reservations at. After dinner, we all headed to n Australian footy game to watch Richmond and Carlton battle it out. For those of you who have not heard of this game, think of it as a mix between rugby, soccer and basketball. That is the best description I will be able to give because you have to see a game to understand what it is. Though Richmond kicked Carlton's ass, it was an exciting game to watch and experience. Right before the rain started pouring, we went back to the hotel to rest for our next Melbourne adventure.



During our last full day in Melbourne we took a helicopter ride to the Great Ocean Road in Victoria. The area had large cliffs and beaches as well as miles of farmland. Our goal was to reach the twelve apostles. No Jesus's apostles were not waiting for us off the cliff sides! These large rocks stand right near the coast line and were created by erosions.
It basically looked like the part of the land that stretched into the sea fell apart and was now stranded between the coats line and the crashing waves. It really is hard to describe how beautiful these forms were because it's a sight one must see in person to understand the beauty. Even pictures won't do these natural creations justice. Once we landed and got to see these forms up close, we realized how huge they were. We even walked on the shore and looked up the cliff sides from the bottom. Walking on the beach with coats and hats might have felt a bit weird for us but it was worth the beautiful views we got. Before lunch, we walked along the cliff side where a ship called the Loch Ard crashed. In 1878, this ship accidentally ran a ground off the coast of Australia trying to reach the city of Melbourne. Of the 37 passengers that were aboard, two survived. We were able to see the Loch Ard Gorge where the two survivors swept to shore as well as the large section where the ship wreck took place. Though that area is known for a crazy shipwreck, it was a beautiful sight to see. For lunch we stopped in this little town where we had fish and chips and sticky date pudding. After lunch we jumped back onto the helicopter and set course for home. Dinner was a bit different for us that night. We visited the apartment of Lindsay and James located in Port Melbourne where they cooked us dinner. We tried some wallaby and kangaroo for the first time which was a very different taste for the four of us. The kangaroo was a bit like steak but leaner and more gamey. I am not to sure how to describe the wallaby but it was a bit like a veil chop. I personally liked it and Miles seemed to like it due to the fact he ate all kangaroo in a short amount of time. Looks like I'll be cooking some kangaroo in my kitchen while I'm in school. After a delicious sticky date pudding with caramel sauce and this interesting ice cream for dessert, we headed back to the hotel for bed.


Before leaving for Cairns at 4:00pm, we had brekki (short word for breakfast) with Lindsay and James. The place according to James was a very Melbourne place. After brekki, Lindsay and James took us to the Victoria Market. The best I can describe this places is that it looked like a larger Chelsea Market with a greater variety of things to buy such as food and souvenirs. There were meat stores, retail shops, produce stands and more. We walked through the large market as it poured rain until it was time to say goodbye. Though my family will not see Lindsay till she takes a trip to New York, I have all the time in the world to go see her. It is so nice to have family on the other side of the world!


The city of Melbourne had a very different set up and weather conditions compared to Sydney. Lindsay calls Melbourne the Seattle of Australia and though we lucked out with the weather, I can see what she means. It is a beautiful looking city but the weather is not the best. For most of our trip, it was cloudy and in the 40's but again, nothing a bunch of New Yorkers can’t manage. I would love to see more of this city while I am in Australia for the next 5 month. Compared to Sydney, it was not my number one favorite place but I feel I need to see more of this city to grow to like it. Cannot wait to come back! Now it is time for some warmer weather in Cairns. 
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