The end!

Hi everyone-

Just wanted to say thank you to everyone who kept up with my blog this semester. It was a really fun way to keep track of all of my adventures and memories and I'm glad I got to share it with you.

A huge thank you to my family who made this all possible. Your support and encouragement meant the world to me. You provided me with an experience of a lifetime and I will be forever grateful.

A shout out to all of my Australian friends as well as my new American friends I met in Newcastle. You guys are seriously some of the best people I have ever met and I miss you all so much already. I am so happy I got to meet you all. You have impacted me in such a positive way and I believe you have changed me for the better. I will always look back at the memories we made with a happy heart. I know we will meet again someday!

To my best friend Kylie: Thank god I had you there with me this semester! Living down the hall from you was so much fun!! Can't wait for the adventures of Kylie and Kimmy to continue!

Studying abroad is such an incredible experience and I encourage everyone to find a way to do it before their college career is over. Plan early and be patient. Applications and planning can be such a pain but it is worth it in the end!

I have had the BEST semester of my college career. These past four and a half months were everything I hoped they would be and more. I return to the US refreshed and rejuvenated, ready to complete my final semester and face the real world. I'm not too sure what the future holds but I know for sure that I will return to Australia someday.

Farewell for now!

UNTIL NEXT TIME,
Kimmy :)

Campus

Hey guys here's some photos of my campus!

The main library

Shortland building (basically the main student union. this is where you find all the food!!)

Bakehouse...I ate here at least once a week. Spinach fetta roll,  a lamington (aussie coconut cake), and an apple juice!

Bridge to the other half of campus

Bar on the Hill...its a really good idea to have a bar on campus

International office on the hunter side

Hunter Building...another student union closer to my dorm

Photos from Gold Coast, Melbourne and Adelaide

 Here's some photos from our trip!

Kylie, Amy, and I at Movie World!

Gold Coast!

Kylie and I under the Surfers Paradise sign

Our tri-bike

Kylie, Christina, Kelsey, and I at Federation Square in Melbourne

Master Chef Australia being filmed!

Me at Bells Beach!

The Twelve Apostles

Kylie and I posing as the London Bridge at the London Bridge rock formation

Glenelg Beach in Adelaide

Met some AFL players at a shopping center in Adelaide!

Pandas at the Adelaide Zoo!

Arizona!

Wow! These past few days have flown by so unbelievably fast! I checked out of my dorm on Sunday (after some serious packing difficulties) and took the train down to Sydney with Kylie. We did some last minute souvenir shopping and went down to Circular Quay to admire the Opera House and bridge one last time. The next day we went to Manly Beach. One of our American friends, Edgar, is staying in Newcastle for a bit longer so he took the train down to hang out with us at the beach. Then on Tuesday Kylie and I did some more last minute shopping and then started our long journey back home. We had a 9.5 hour flight from Sydney to Honolulu and then a 5 hour layover. Then we had a 6 hour flight to Phoenix. Mom and Dad were there to meet me and I am currently in a hotel unable to sleep (its 8pm in Australia right now and I slept quite a bit on the plane). We drive back to Havasu tomorrow. I can't believe I am actually home already. This semester flew by so fast! I'm a whirlwind of emotions as my trip comes to a close. I'll be sure to post one more time since I still owe you guys some photos and some last words on my semester!
Until next time,
Kimmy

Thanksgiving in Australia

Happy Thanksgiving!
I've had a surprising number of people ask me if they celebrate Thanksgiving in Australia...NO!!!!!! Thanksgiving is an AMERICAN holiday!!!! They don't even eat turkey here....like ever. The only place you can find it is at Subway. So Kylie and I decided to have turkey subs for Thanksgiving. It was no feast but I guess it worked out ok. However, just because I'm not having a giant feast does not mean I'm not thankful this year!  I have so much to be thankful for! I am sooooo so thankful for my family who made this semester in Australia possible, all of the amazing people I have met here, and all of the great experiences I have had. I am truly blessed!
Until next time,
Kimmy

Happy Birthday Kylie

Hello!
Kylie's birthday was on Wednesday November 21st. She was really excited to have her birthday in Australia because she would normally have her birthday in the cold. She planned a beach birthday. When we got there it was kind of cloudy and windy so we didn't end up staying for long. Once we got back to campus though it was nice and sunny so we went to the pool instead. We hit the town that night to celebrate! The night before her actual birthday we celebrated with one of our friends Jordan who also had a birthday this week. We all went to Charlestown which is about 20 minutes from campus and went to Strike. We went bowling, played laser tag, and did some karaoke. It was a lot of fun! Happy Birthday to my best friend!! I'm so happy I got to celebrate with her, especially because she is usually in Flagstaff for her birthday and I'm always in Tucson!
Until next time,
Kimmy

Exams in Australia

Hi!
Exams in Australia are pretty different from exams in the states. Normally you get them all done in a week but here exam time is over many weeks. At home, your exam would most likely be in a multiple choice or true/false format. However, here you have essay exams. They pass out exam books that are filled with blank pages and you end up doing a LOT of writing. I am finally finished with my exam. I didn't study a lot for it but I still think I did fine! With exams being over, a lot of people are heading home. Its really sad saying goodbye to everyone!
Until next time,
Kimmy

Gold Coast, Melbourne, Adelaide

Hello!
Sorry I'm just now getting around to blogging about the trip I took but here it goes:

Day 1: Thursday November 8th
Amy, Kylie, and I took the train down to Sydney so we could catch our flight to the Gold Coast. Grace was supposed to come with us but she got really sick and was unable to come. We stayed in a hotel at Surfers Paradise instead of a hostel which was good. The main reason we made this choice was so we could have our own bathroom. Unfortunately when we got there the hot water was out so we had to use the public showers at the pool. Just our luck, but we did get a 50% refund so that was good! That night we went to the Hard Rock Cafe for Margaritas and some yummy food! We walked around Surfers Paradise for a bit and checked out all the shops. We also went to Infinity. Infinity is kind of like this weird dark maze thing that has black lights and lasers and a bunch of weird obstacles that you have to get through. It was entertaining to say the least!

Day 2: Friday November 9th
On our second day at the Gold Coast we went to Movie World!! Movie world is a theme park with lots of fun rides! We had to rely on public transport to get there and we ended up waiting for the bus for an hour even though it was only supposed to be 10 or 15 minutes. I am so over public transportation! I'm ready to be reunited with my car! Once we finally got to the theme park we hit up all of the big roller coasters and a couple shows. It was no Disneyland but it sure was fun to ride all the roller coasters! We went back to our hotel and cooked ourselves a pasta dinner since we had a mini kitchen.

Day 3:  Saturday November 10th
Saturday was a rainy day which was a bit disappointing because we wanted to go to the beach. We went to Starbucks and watched the rain and did some people watching as well. We walked around and did some shopping since we wanted to stay indoors. We got drinks by the beach and then cooked ourselves another pasta dinner! (Pasta which only cost each of us a dollar, bargain!!) We hit up one of the clubs that night since Surfers Paradise is known for its nightlife.

Day 4: Sunday November 11th
Sunday was sunnier but unfortunately it was extremely windy. The beach was impossible because of it. We had lunch by the beach. We rented a bike that all three of us could ride at the same time. We had it for an hour and we rode it all the way up and down the beach. It was pretty hilarious since all three of us were on the same bike and we had a lot of laughs. We went out for dinner instead of making pasta which was fun.

Day 5: Monday November 12th
We finally had good beach weather!! We went to the beach for a couple hours and got really sunburned. We had sushi for lunch and then made our way back to the airport to catch our flight back to Sydney. Our time at the Gold Coast was a lot of fun. I absolutely love it there and I really want to go back sometime! Once we got to Sydney we said goodbye to Amy because she was catching the train to go back to Newcastle since she had an exam the next day. Kylie and I stayed in a hotel in Sydney since we had an early flight to Melbourne the next day.

Day 6: Tuesday November 13th
Kylie and I were up nice and early to get to Melbourne. We met up with two of our American friends from our dorm, Christina and Kelsey, who were also doing some traveling. When we got there we checked into our hostel (which was a pretty good one) and then headed out to explore. We went to the Queen Victoria Markets, Federation Square, the Australian Center for Moving Images, St. Paul's Cathedral and the Docklands. We were very busy! While we were at Federation Square we saw an episode of Master Chef Australia being filmed. We accidentally walked right into their shoot. It was pretty entertaining. The Australian Center for Moving Images had a free exhibit which was all about the history of film which was really cool. We had dinner at the Docklands and then once again had some difficulties with public transportation and ended up walking all the way back to our hostel. On the way back we walked past a concert and found out it was Coldplay! We were kinda bummed we couldn't get tickets! People don't sell them outside the venue like they do at home!

Day 7: Wednesday November 14th
We had another early morning because we booked a Great Ocean Road tour with Kelsey and Christina. Its about a four hour drive to get out to the 12 Apostles (rock formations in the sea) and there are lots of places to stop along the way. We drove through Geelong, went by Bells Beach (home of the rip curl surf competition around Easter), drove through the town where Quicksilver and Rip Curl where founded, went to a famous lighthouse, saw some wild kangaroos and koalas, ate some really good fish and chips in Apollo Bay, and then finally made it to the 12 Apostles. We saw some other cool rock formations as well including one that was called the London Bridge! We made it back to Melbourne and had dinner at Pie Face, the best place for meat pies!

Day 8: Thursday November 15th
Kylie and I had another early morning since we had to catch a flight to Adelaide. We stayed with some of Kylie's friends which was great! We went to a shopping center for a bit. Then we went to the South Australia Museum. We went and had pizza for dinner and it was really good. We had been having a hard time finding good pizza in Australia but we finally found it in Adelaide. We went to sleep pretty early that night because we were so exhausted.

Day 9: Friday November 16th
We finally had a day to sleep in a bit! We took the bus over to Glenelg beach with our friend Jason. We had some ice cream from my favorite ice cream shop, Royal Copenhagen. We walked out the Jetty and then went to the beach house to play some mini golf. Don't worry, I won, by a lot! :) We went out for a nice dinner and then went out for drinks with some friends.

Day 10: Saturday November 17th
We again slept in for a bit since we were so tired as our trip was finishing up. We went over to the Adelaide Zoo. We saw a ton of animals including Pandas which were definitely the highlight! We then had to make our way back to the airport. We caught our flight back to Sydney and then got on the train back to Newcastle. We finally got back to campus just after midnight.

We had such a fun time and I'm really glad that I got to see a lot more of Australia! Photos to come soon!
Until next time,
Kimmy

Back from my trip!

Hi everyone!
As you know I have been traveling over the last week or so. I am now back on campus! I am busy studying for my one and only exam that I have on Monday but once that is over I will blog all about my most recent travels! Stay tuned!
Until next time,
Kimmy

Election Day in Australia

Hello!
Well I'll be honest...I've never really been the political type. When I decided to come to Australia I was actually pretty happy about the fact that I would be missing out on campaign season. It really drives me crazy. But even in Australia it was unavoidable. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy about the fact that I have the right to vote and was excited that this was the first presidential election I was able to participate in. Voting from Australia was actually pretty easy. All I had to do was go online and request and absentee ballot. I was able to scan the completed ballot and email it back. So easy! Throughout the semester many people have asked me about the presidential election and my views on it. It made me realize how much of an impact the election has not only on America but on the rest of the world as well. Even though my Facebook news feed was polluted with news from the election I still felt the need  to watch the coverage. I was able to stream live coverage of the election results online. Yahoo! Australia streamed NBC's coverage for the most part but about every 10 minutes or so it would cut to Australian commentary which discussed what this election meant for Australia. Being in a different country for the election was an interesting and unique experience to say the least!
Until next time,
Kimmy

Done with class!!

Hi everyone!!
I seriously cannot believe how fast this semester has flown by. I'm officially done with classes and we are now in the formal exam period which lasts 3 weeks. I only have one exam during this period which isn't until November 19th which leaves lots of time for the pool and the beach! November in Australia is warm and wonderful!! This coming Thursday we are taking a trip to the Gold Coast, Melbourne, and Adelaide. Once we get back we've got about 10 days left in Australia. Some people are already heading home. Saying goodbye to people already is making the end of this trip a reality that I do not want to believe!!
Until next time,
Kimmy

We celebrated the end of the semester with our second formal dinner at Edwards Hall. 

Coffs Harbor!

Hello!
This weekend Kylie, Amy, and I went with our friend Steven to his hometown of Coffs Harbor which is about 4.5 hours north of Newcastle. The major attraction at Coffs Harbor is the Big Banana! The Big Banana was the first of many "big things" in Australia. Others include the big prawn, pineapple, and avocado just to name a few. But the Big Banana is the best one! There is a banana plantation right behind it and you can even walk right through the banana! We enjoyed some delicious frozen chocolate covered bananas while we were there. I was so excited about seeing the Big Banana because I saw it featured on the Disney Channel years ago. Check out it the clip I'm talking about in the first 40 seconds of this video:

We also went bowling, hit some golf balls at the driving range, and checked out the local beach while we were there. We also went to a pub that featured an Abba cover band which was hilarious. The last morning we woke up early to see whales but were unsuccessful. It was a fun weekend!
Until next time,
Kimmy

Steven, Kylie, myself, Amy, and Matt (one of Steven's high school friends) at the bowling alley!

In front of the big banana!

Being silly in front of the banana!

Frozen bananas!

Abba cover band!

Golfing!

Hello!

Not too much going on right now besides schoolwork. Newcastle is really warming up which makes staying inside to study difficult. If I could be at the beach all day everyday I would! Final Exams are coming up. Instead of having one week of exams like I would have at U of A, they spread it out into 3 weeks. Since I only have one exam during those 3 weeks, Kylie and I are trying to figure out some travel plans. Hopefully, if everything goes as planned, we will be in Coff's Harbor next weekend and then the Gold Coast during exams. A quick trip down to Melbourne is also a possibility! We will be in Sydney for the last couple nights we are in Australia. Hard to believe we have only just over a month left!  So stay tuned and hopefully I will have some more blog-worthy stories and photos to share! 

Until next time,

Kimmy

So much homework

Hey guys...
Sorry I've been off the blog...I'm really swamped with papers and assignments and at the same time I'm attempting to find summer internships and revising my resume. Can't forget to Study while Studying Abroad...
Until next time,
Kimmy

Photos from our trip!

Mid Semester Break, a set on Flickr.

Hi!! Instead of posting 100 individual photos on here I just decided to make a Flickr album! Click on a photo or the link to access the album! Enjoy!