So, leaving Pekin wasn’t too traumatic. It sucked saying goodbye to Garet. I hate being gone so much because I feel like I am missing him grow up…but on the other hand I could do without the whining. Lol. Anyways, Mom, Jordan, and I headed to Chicago and the ride was actually fun. We got there and got my boarding passes and when I hugged my Mom goodbye when I was leaving to go through security we both started crying. It was so scary. But I went through security and walked to my terminal and met a few Australearn kids right off the bat. I am going to skim through the airports because they were so boring and not interesting. Flew from Chicago to L.A., then from L.A. to Brisbane, then from Brisbane to Cairns.
When I got to Cairns I was pretty upset. I felt like I had been making friends along the way, which isn’t easy for me because I am so quiet. But when I got to the Bohemia Resort (place I am staying) I was so disappointed because it seemed like the people I had been talking to had all found other friends. And all of the girls in my room don’t really seem like the type of girls I usually hang out with. (Not that I usually interact with girls, but last night they went out, got trashed and some of them jello wrestled topless.I feel like a lot of people didn’t come to study, they came to party. Unfortunately, all of those girls go to my school.) I felt so lonely. I called my mom crying the second I got my phone to work. We talked for a good hour and then Alicia happened to walk by. It was a good thing because I couldn’t stop crying, but the second I saw her I started to feel a little better. I hate being so lonely and not knowing anyone, but that is something I am just going to have to work on. I think I am doing better with it already, I have been pretty much on my own and having fun.
The second day was our day on the Great Barrier Reef! It was a two hour boat ride out which sucked. But I met two girls: one was from Holland and English was her second language and the other was from London. The 
girl from London was sea sick the entire way so I befriended her. Haha. When we finally arrived on the reef I got my wetsuit on and a snorkel mask/tube thing set and flippers and jumped right in!! Which was a mistake!! I immediately panicked and took my flippers off and got right back on the boat. I don’t know what happened; I am a very strong swimmer. It could have had something to do with the fact I was all alone in the ocean and if a shark attacked I would have been its only option. But who knows? So anyway, I got out and put this buoyancy belt on and got back in. Once I got comfortable, I took the belt off and was amazed! The fish weren’t afraid of people and they would swim right in front of your face! The coral was so bright and pretty, and I saw quite a few fish who were entirely rainbow color
ed. I saw two sting rays which were beige with bright blue polka dots, a big black sea cucumber, and clams that were -no lie- at least 4 feet across. On top of that, I saw these great little fish who were taking turns digging a hole in the sand. One would go in and get a mouthful and then spit it out while the other kept watch. Then they would take breaks and grab a mouthful of sand and push it through their gills. And then I SAW A FREAKING STONEFISH! I wanted to watch it forever, but I was afraid it would get brave and come kill me, so I left it alone. On one of the sites we snorkeled at there was a small island. On this island, there were a shit ton of birds! There was a small section of the beach roped off for people use, and if you stepped over it you immediately got a $7,500 on the spot fine because it was part of the protected marine park.
And today, I went to the rainforest and planted trees! The trees are someday going to be food for the Cassowary, a keystone Australian species that is going extinct. There are only an estimated 1,500 left in all of Australia. It is basically a massive flightless bird that is territorial and aggressive. So I guess you could think of it as an Austrich. Get it? Ostrich? Lmao. It was really interesting learning about it. The main lady that ran the whole thing, and started it, was 70 and was telling me about her life and how she had been doing this for the past 20 years. She was really passionate and it was really nice to meet someone so passionate about their work.One thing I have noticed about Australia is that they are 100% environmentally conscious and community oriented. If you litter you get a $250 on the spot fine. They don’t fertilize crops in Queensland because the runoff with ruin the reef. They have tons of commercials on TV about volunteering and saving the animals and their habitats. I wish America was more like this. They even have two buttons on the toilet: one for number one and one for number two. Lol. Uses less water.
Also, I think their sense of humor is so great-very dry and sarcastic. They always make fun of the people from New Zealand, who they call Kiwis. They like to rag on each other alot I’ve learned some funny lingo, too. You know fanny packs? Well, here, a fanny is a vulgar term for a woman’s vagina. They are called bum bags, not fanny packs. And root is a vulgar term for sex. So, you don’t root for someone. You cheer for them. I learned that Australian students are closet studiers, and will never admit to studying. I also learned that this semester is going to suck and be really difficult.
Well, I guess I will go, we just had Pizza Hut! Which was so familiar, but not really because my pizza had pepperoni and a weird sausage on it. But it was good! I’m not sure what I am going to do tonight. I might go wander a bit if it isn’t too scary out. I will try to write again sooner so that I don’t write such a long entry. Tomorrow I get to get my picture taken hold a koala and feeding kangaroos! Goodnight<3
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