The Australian Dragon

First of many dives in the Great Barrier Reef 26 August 2019 Today I finally got to dive in THE Great Barrier Reef!!!! I will say my hopes were set very high for even the slightest potential of seeing a whale since they are still migrating through the coastal waters…. but alas, I did not sea nor hear one :( I guess my heart just isn’t meant to explode just yet haha. Nonetheless, it was a great dive day! I went out with a Townsville based company called “Adrenalin Dive” and I truly only have good things to say about them! Their crew had this family feeling to it and they took great care of everyone on board. They provided plenty of snacks throughout the day and a great lunch between dives. They took us out to Lodestone Reef which was only a max of 20-25m and the visibility was pretty good… just a tad chilly though since it is still winter.  We didn’t really see any megafauna, but the detail in the little things is equally as amazing. I saw the largest sea cucumbers ...

What I see on a daily basis and what I have learned -  James Cook University in Townsville I’ve been at JCU for about 4 weeks now, 3 of which i’ve been regularly going to class. I try to explore the campus as much as possible, taking new routes, getting “lost,” and finding different places to study between classes. It’s a very spread out campus with the buildings in groups, like medicine, engineering, and natural sciences. And the building numbers make no sense, which is great fun haha!  On main campus the animal I see most often is birds! They all have such unique calls and (most of the time) are beautiful to listen to… just not when i’m trying to sleep and they start screaming outside my window at 6am! But no seriously, go look up the call of a curlew, they’re crazy birds! As are magpies and kookaburras, which are the other “fun” ones as well! Don’t get me wrong, I love seeing all these birds because they’re new species i’ve never seen before! In the morning an...

Week 1 of classes 29 July - 3 August 2019                                       Welcome sign to Magnetic Island off the ferry!  I'm actually living in Australia... for the next few months at least haha!  The first week of class is in the books! We started off a bit rocky, pun intended, because my first class was an 8am on monday called Sediment Properties. However, as I sat through the 2 hour lecture I realized I had already learned this material in classes I had taken previously. I couldn’t devote another semester to material I respect but am not the biggest fan of, especially in Australia of all places! SO I had to go on the hunt for another class that fit my schedule and could match with the category of classes I need to fulfill for FGCU. Natural Hazards it was… hopefully…  I am still unsure if the class will count because no one from FGCU has gotten back to me. B...

Orientation Week at James Cook University Townsville, Queensland, Australia  22 July - 27 July 2019 This was an entire week before classes began designed to help new or international students get prepared for the school year and to meet other new students. The first half of the week comprised of informational sessions talking about things to know coming to Australia, the University, places to visit, as well as how to use all the resources available to us. The following days were standard beginning university talks about what to do, what not to do, how to be successful, etc. On thursday they offered a bus tour around Townsville to see the city and get to know the area better and they also drove to the top of a place called Castle Hill which is right in the city! It had a beautiful panoramic view of the surrounding area on both sides!  It’s an amazing experience to be surrounded by mountain ranges for the first time in my life and so far I love it! Plus they a...