Life in Australia

Hello everyone!
I finally got around to setting up a blog so you all can see what I am up to! Things have been pretty crazy here. The Aussies are nuts!
But before we get to that... When we first got to Australia we went up to Cairns for our orientation. Cairns is way up north (where it is very hot and tropical). We got to meet other students studying abroad in Australia and basically have a blast. We went the great barrier reef the first day which was amazing! Josh and I both decided to go Scuba Diving which was really scary at first. It is the weirdest feeling being able to breath through your mouth underwater... but once I got used to it I was so glad I decided to do it! We saw a turtle, sting rays, nemo! and other really colorful fish and coral. It was absolutely amazing. I felt like ariel. I WANNA BEEE WHERE THE PEOPLE AREEE... except I wanted to be where the fishes were. but anyway.
We stayed in a really cool hostel in Cairns called Gilligans. Basically at night we all went out to the bars and got drunk getting to know each other which was so fun.
Up in Cairns we also went to the rainforest and got pictures with tons of animals-giant snakes, kangaroos, we got to hold a koala bear! It was pretty amazing but really surreal--I keep looking at the pictures just to make sure I actually did all this stuff!
Now that im settled at the Uni things are a little more low-key...not. The aussies are absolutly insane! Our first week here (we had a week before classes start) Evatt house(the housing unit im livingin on campus) calls "O week" and basically the plan is to just get black out drunk everynight! lol. They had stuff planned all week (heavy drinking everynight) from wine tours (3 winery's and one brewery... you can imagine how smashed everyone was by 4pm) to beach days (I live right outside of newcastle city which is a really beautiful little city right on the beach) to shorty pub (which is basically when Evatt house rents out a bar and does really bad drunken karaokee in the most rediculous costumes), to just drinking in the Cat room (the cat room is the common room building for all the people living in Evatt house...which we TRASHED). Its hilarious... basically anything goes here. We could NEVER just all get so drunk in the common rooms at Uconn!
What I have noticed about being here is that Evatt house is like a big family. Evatt house consists of about 8 units and 2o people in each unit. Each unit is basically like an apratment... everyone has there own room but shares a kitchen, bathroom, and common room with the others. I live with 3 aussies-conal, eric and sarah and one american, Jake, who goes here full time. They are all awesome... Sarah isn't around much so it is basically like living with all guys especially with josh always around... it is hilarious... but a little messy... haha
Josh and I got to go to sydney 2 weeks ago, and that was amazing. It is a beautiful city... its got the excitment of NYC but it is smaller, cleaner, warmer!, and sooo pretty. The harbor is gorgeous... with the sydney harbor bridge and opera house! There is a lot of really good shopping too! We went to the sydney aquarium and saw some HUGE sharks and turtles and massive sting rays... I can't wait to go back... my next stop is bondy beach (farida you will be happy to know paris hilton was there a few weeks ago...lol)
ohhhh yeaaa... classes... im taking two classes and I have my internship and they all.... SUCK. My classes are sooo boring (worse than most uconn classes i have taken). My internship is at the hunter wetlands center (which is a non-for-profit organization in the area) and i basically just search and apply for grants all day. ugggg... but i guess it gives me a break from all of the excitment everywhere else!
Sorry this was so long, just needed to catch up since it took me so freaking long to get internet access... I miss everyone! Let me know what you guys are up to! I am on AIM a lot. Or get skype! I can't believe im going to come back and only have one more semester... when did we get so ooooollld!!! I don't like it! I don't want to graduate!!!!! lol. Anyways, ill talk to you guys soon! Miss you all!
~Manderrr