Christmas and Moving Again!

So turns out I did pass all my classes, which means I do get to graduate...yay!  I also got a job about eight hours south of Perth in Esperance, which I think is pretty awesome. I am a few weeks in and so far so good, I've learnt lots, and still have lots to learn. I'm excited to get involved in the community here too, they have a nice surf club which has a fantastic view over Twilight Beach, and they have a few hockey teams too.

All the beaches are spectacular which suits me fine, I want to explore them all, and I know where I'll be taking all my visitors. Mum and Dad came down and helped me settle in and we spent a day exploring Cape Le Grand National Park; Lucky Bay and Thistle Cove were our favourite spots. The sand is so fine it squeaks, and the water is so clear! I didn't find it too cold, but it is certainly known to get very cold!

Before I came down here I spent a week in Dunsborough with my family- dog included! We all drove down on Boxing Day, leaving the sales and Christmas mess behind us! We did all our usual things, beach, beach and more beach! As well as driving and exploring, and paddling. It was a good chance to spend time together before my big move.

We checked out Yallingup and Margaret River. and this time we made it as far as Hamelin Bay and Augusta. The fish and chips in Augusta were certainly worth the drive! The dog certainly slept well that night, she just loves running along the beach.

Between finishing uni and Christmas I did do a bit of casual reporting. That was a good bit of experience to get under my belt and I learnt a bit too. During this time I also put another bronze group through and did a few more patrols. I do like spending my time at the beach! Good thing it’s only a 5-minute drive from where I am living at the moment! That being said, I’m sure I’ll have some more beach inspired adventures to come.

A Heated Final Semester

I know I've been quiet for a while and I know it's a lame excuse, but it's the one you're going to get. I've been busy! Also, we had a house fire.

After we came back from Bali, Mum and Dad went to Melbourne. Good old classic Dad line "Don't burn the house down while we're gone!" Oops! It was actually an electrical fire in the kitchen. Some neighbours helped me get it out by the time the fireies arrived, but there was still a fair bit of damage. It has taken the length of the semester to get things fixed up. We have a new kitchen, and every room and every ceiling in the house has been repainted. Not a terribly fun experience, but one that we have gotten through.

On to better news-I am finally done with my studies! Well, I really hope so, I'm still waiting for results. I have finished my Bachelor of Communications and the graduation ceremony will be next February. I had a pretty heavy work load with assignments along with volunteer commitments.


I am back doing my radio show again. The station now has a probationary license and can broadcast to a wider audience. I have also convinced a friend to join me. You can hear us on Mondays 3.30pm-5.30pm on Radio VCA 88.5fm in Perth, where The Valley Comes Alive.

I'm also doing all my beach stuff. Patrols as well as training, assessing and coordinating bronze courses. It is good to be back in the swing of things. I guess the next thing for me now is to find a paying job so I can earn some money to travel some more!

Bali Bagus

My family and I decided to spend 10 days in Bali. We arrived in Denpasar Airport with out any hold ups, but then we had to wait over an hour for our bags. We didn't manage to check in to the hotel till about midnight.

On our first day  we had breakfast and then went for a long walk to Kuta Beach. We looked at the stuff for sale on the beach, and in the new shopping centre. We tried to exchange money down a side street, but the guy was really dodgy and tried to rip us off. Luckily we were all on the ball!

For dinner that night we went to Stakz where we got a free welcome drink and the food was really good. We hadn't bought anything all day, so just before we went to bed I bought some singlets off the street.

The next day we were supposed to catch the free shuttle to go shopping at Matahari and Discovery Shopping Centre, but we missed it so we had to walk. We bought some bits and pieces and had fresh juice for lunch which was great. We tried to get cab back to the hotel, but no taxi would take us because apparently the traffic was bad so we had to walk again!

We spent the following day walking, shopping, swimming, drinking and eating. We went to California Burgers for dinner that night, you filled out a little bit of paper for your order, and the food was really good.

Dad and I got up early the next morning for our cycling tour while my sister and Mum had a spa day.
We got picked up and headed towards Ubud. On the way to our start point we stopped at a coffee place. We about ten different samples to try including the Lawak coffee, which is collected from the droppings from the Asian Palm Civet.There was a really nice view of the forest.

Next we stopped at a spot in Kintamani for breakfast which overlooked Mount Batur, an active volcano. The view was really special.

We went higher up to start the tour which was almost entirely downhill.We rode through bamboo, little villages, past temples and through rice fields. There were a few scary points navigating traffic with trucks, cars and scooters wizzing past, but the scariest part was on the narrow path around the rice fields where you could easily fall in!

We got lunch which was nice because the group in the tour sat around a table and ate together. After the hour and a half bus ride back to the hotel we were exhausted.

We got a cab to the Bali Mall the next day where all we got was a pair of socks. Next we nearly got killed trying to cross the road to the Billabong warehouse. However, that turned out to be worthwhile and we all managed to find a few things to buy.

That evening we watched the sunset on Kuta Beach. As we sat there with our Bintangs at least a dozen people came up to us selling things. The beach was also really busy which amazed me. For dinner we went to Warung Pirate and had some really great Indonesian food.

The following day we all had an early start for white water rafting. The drive was nearly two hours, and when we arrived we had a walk down to the river which wasn't too bad. We spent a few hours on the water going down rapids and under waterfalls. We had a few photo stops on the way and went down a dam wall at the end.

When the journey was over we had to walk up about a million steps before having lunch. We were pretty worn out after this day too.

We had a rest day getting massages, hanging by the pool and then going to a really good Italian place for dinner, before spending a full day at Water Bom Park.

Dad and I went on every slide at least once. We had lunch inside the park which was very good and actually not that expensive (obviously more expensive then outside the park). We stayed there long enough to hear the announcement asking people to leave because they were closing! We went to Bamboo for dinner which was next door. The food was good and we were happy to get a welcome drink!

On our final day we had time to squeeze in a bit more shopping before checking out and heading to the airport. We did a lot more waiting there, it was confusing because some of the screens weren't working and there were so many people because a flight had been cancelled.

It was a fun trip, but we were glad to be back home in our own bed.

Perth Supanova 2016

Today I went down to the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre for the Supanova Pop Culture Expo, which has been coming to Perth since 2008.

This year I did not have as heavy schedule as I had in previous years as there weren't the same number of guests or panels that I wanted to go to. This was also the first year I actually Cosplayed. It was good, but I'm glad I didn't have too much running around to do as it got pretty warm. I don't know how some people survive in their outfits! It is really cool when people ask to have their picture taken with you.

It was very busy inside and I got a good bit of shopping done. I really enjoy just seeing everything, the costumes, the art, the hand made stuff and all the other little bits and pieces.

They changed the layout this year which was confusing at first, but it did help the flow inside. While it was packed for Perth, there were no where near as many people as there were at Dragon Con!

Snap Back to Reality

So I've spent the last few weeks getting back into the swing of things.

I participated in the HBF Run for a Reason as I have done for a few years in a row. However, this time we made our own team and raised nearly $800 for Alzheimers Australia in honour of our grandmother. My sister and I finished at exactly the same time holding hands!

I've also gotten back into hockey and our team won their first two games for the season (must have been because their lucky charm was back!)

I went and saw the Kookaburras last game in Australia before they go to the Olympics, which happened to be in Perth. It was a good game and they beat Great Britain 5-1 in the third game of the series. It was also Jamie Dwyer's last game on home soil so there was a huge turn out and all the players did a lap of the ground after the game.

I got to go to a footy game too, which I was glad I managed to get tickets. It was almost a really good game. Exciting and close for three and a bit quarters and then it seemed like the Eagles forgot how to play! Shame about the result, but still good I got the opportunity to go.

I have been looking for a job, but with little success so far. No one seems to be hiring and it is difficult to apply for something when I know I'll be going away again next month.

I have started doing some writing online for Fandom on a volunteer basis, and I am back doing my radio show. Both are really good things to get involved in, but it would be even better to find something that pays! It has been nice getting back down to the beach too!

A Year in Review

Looking back I have noticed another weird thing- many American homes do not seem to have a sink in the laundry. I also still find huge portion sizes, seeing American flags everywhere and advertising for prescription drugs weird. Coming home I forgot that the toilets in America are lower to the ground, have so much more water in them, flush at such a high velocity  and have a lever thing on the side instead of a button on top.

Anyway, I made the long flights home without any delays. I flew from Atlanta to LA to Brisbane and then to Perth. I was fortunate enough to have an empty seat beside me on the first two flights so I could slightly stretch out.

The airport was pretty empty in LA and by the time I got a bus from the domestic to the international terminal I had to board straight away.

As per usual the lines for everything were long-at customs, immigration and to get the bus to the domestic terminal in Brisbane. By the time I was through in Brisbane I had to race over to get my flight for Perth, just making it in time.

I even arrived a little early in Perth, around lunch time, and spotted my family waiting for me as I came down the escalators, which was good because I needed them to carry all my bags!

I spent that afternoon and the whole next day unpacking. Then on Saturday afternoon I went to the movies with my sister. When we came back she ordered me to put some stuff in her room. When I went out to do it I was surprised to find the back of our house filled with all my family and friends.

I had no idea, she got me good! Much to Mum's dismay we are yet to find any photos. While I really enjoyed my time away and would do it again, it is good to be back. Now I need to find a job!

Final Catchups

Last Saturday I went out for lunch with all my host families. We went to the first place I came to when I arrived here. It was really great that everyone was able to come and we had a great time. I had a cocktail called The Green Lantern!

The next week I spent doing Rotary presentations and staying with each family as much as I could. The Duluth Rotary Club even made me a Paul Harris Fellow which is an honour and something I really wasn't expecting!

I also went to Dave and Buster's (an arcade place with food and a bar) a few times with different people which was fun. We have nothing like that back home so I wanted to go there one last time! Maybe I should open one in Perth!

On Thursday a group of us went into Atlanta where we stayed with another student's host family for a few nights. We spent hours shopping! I didn't buy much, but it was nice to look around the mall. We also played Top Golf, which was really cool. It is a driving range where you aim for different targets and it is electronically scored. We also spent some time playing cards and hanging by the pool.

I got picked up on Saturday and we went straight to a comic book shop for Free Comic Book Day. It was great I got a whole bunch of free comics and I bought a bunch too. Hopefully that'll keep me going for the flight home. Then that afternoon I saw Civil War, it's been rough trying to avoid spoilers seeing as how it has been out for more than a week back home, but I was glad to finally see it.

That night I had to frantically pack, as I moved out of school early the next morning to stay with one of my host families for a few nights before I fly home.

There have been a lot of hugs the past few weeks as you say not goodbye, but see you later to a whole bunch of special and truly kind people. Thank you to all those who have allowed me to stay in their home and who have welcomed me as one of their own. There is nothing I can say to show how much that has meant to me and how much I have enjoyed this experience.  And to all my buddies; I'll be waiting for you to come visit me, I just want to show you all of my favourite places back home.

Goodbye GRSP

Last weekend we went to Hilton Head for the Rotary District 6900 Conference, this was not my district but all the GRSP students were invited, and the weekend before that we went to Savannah for the Rotary District 6910 Conference.

We went down to Savannah on the Thursday and that night we went out for dinner and walked along river street. That evening we sat around talking for a while. The next morning we had to get up on stage introduce ourselves to all the Rotarians, and then we had some free time. We discovered there is a free ferry that makes a few stops so we rode on that. That evening we went on a river cruise which was very nice and the food there was very good.

We had a lunch on Saturday where there was this very amazing guest speaker who talked about teaching deaf children to read, I found it very interesting. That afternoon we were supposed to go on a dolphin sightseeing tour but it was cancelled because the wind was too strong. Instead we spent more time wondering around Savannah, shopping and frozen yoghurt eating. That evening we had the Governors Ball, which was a fancy dinner and a band performed at the end. We all had fun.

We spent time writing in each others year books and then we were all sad to say goodbye to each other, possibly for the last time as not everyone was going to the next district conference.

We managed to get a ride to Athens on Wednesday night and we went out for dinner with a few friends from the University of Georgia, we also walked around downtown Athens. The next morning we drove to Hilton Head. The first night we had barbeque (but not steak and sausages...pulled pork and mac and cheese). Then that night we went in the pool and spa (or Jacuzzi or hot tub like what everyone else there called it!).

On Friday morning I got up earlish and went for a long walk along the beach, then I helped with registration. We went for a swim at the beach and in the pool before we had a rehearsal for that evening's events. We had a buffet dinner overlooking the ocean and then later we walked onto the stage with our countries' flag and sang a song for the Rotarians.

On Saturday morning we assisted with a presentation and then we had quite a bit of free time. I went for a picnic lunch at a park with one Rotary Club and then later played mini golf with a group of students. We also filled the time by swimming at the beach or in the pool.

We had a great time, but it was rough saying goodbye the next morning. We have had such a fantastic year and you don't quite realise how close you are to people until you sense that you aren't going to see them for a while. Even though we have all this social media, my new best buddies are on the other side of the world and I know they aren't going to give me a hug in a few weeks when we would normally have a catch up. It is also harder to tease them and have a laugh if you aren't right there. I don't know how much I have changed, but I know that this group of people has become a part of me and I just want to take them all with me. I am going to miss them all dearly, and I want to thank them for all being a part of my life and for just being cool. I'm not the type of person who makes big speeches or sends great messages describing how grateful or appreciative they are, of course I am, but I hope it becomes evident in the things I do.

The Last Student Weekend

Another weird thing is that most professional sport is on at night during the week, rater then on weekends like it is back home.

On Tuesday night I went to an Atlanta Hawks game.They played Pheonix Suns at Phillips Arena. It was a really exciting. The play was very close, the Hawks were just behind most of the game when they picked up half way through the last quarter and won the game. The arena is so huge, we had really great seats and there is so much going on. They really do that kiss cam, and there were these guys shooting hoops with a mini trampoline doing tricks in the air. There was lots of entertainment during time outs and in the breaks, it was a great night!

On Wednesday night we went to a baseball game. We went down to Turner Field to watch the Atlanta Braves play the Washington Nationals. We were quite high up and got a great view of the field with the Atlanta skyline in the background. Although they lost, the game was still quite exciting! They had lots of little competitions and entertainment between the innings, and I ate a hotdog!

On Thursday we got the bus down with the other GRSP students to St Mary's, Camden County. We arrived and went straight off to our host families for the weekend. We had a lovely dinner and our family had a golf cart so we got to explore the area a bit at night which was fun!

The next morning we all went to the Camden County Rotary Club meeting for breakfast and a few of us talked about our country. I spoke, and ended up talking a fair bit about Surf Life Saving. Next we went to the Naval Base Kings Bay to take a group photo. We then split off into three groups for that day's activities. We could choose from skeet shooting, kayaking or going to a beach in Florida.

I was with the kayaking group and we had to start a bit later because of the tide. This gave us a bit of time to actually have a quick look inside the base. We had to show ID, then we had a look at a missile display which was interesting to see. I never realised how big they actually are. Then on our way out we saw an alligator on the grass beside the road, it went into the water and swam away when we tried to get a closer look.

It was nice paddling on the water, a bit windy which made it hard work, but it was sunny. We paddled through the marsh for about an hour and then stopped at a small landing for lunch. After our break we paddled into the main boat launch and moor area. There was a mast sticking up out of the water from a boat that had sunk, it was a bit eerie.

In the afternoon we went for a drive in the golf cart and got ice cream and went to the visitors shop. That night we all went to a pool party. We had pizza and there was a bonfire. It was a bit cold for swimming, but that didn't stop me! We also walked along a small jetty to look over the marsh and spotted a few small alligators in where we were kayaking!

On Saturday we all went over to Cumberland Island on several boats. We walked through the historic area of the island and looked at the remains of the buildings there. Then we went to the beach and stayed there for a while. We went swimming and went exploring along the beach. We found the remains of many huge horseshoe crabs, which I think look more like really hard stingray. There were many wild horses on the island, and even the beach!

On the way back from the island the boat I was in stopped at a different beach to look for fossilised shark teeth. It was hard coming into the beach because the conditions were a bit rough, but we came away with a few each.

That night we had burgers and hotdogs for dinner at a rotarians house. There was a bonfire so after dinner we all sat around talking. Then we saw blue flashing lights and a police car and we all got scared we were being too loud, but in the end they were there to get some of the yummy food we had!

We all went back the next morning, to school and to catch up on work.

Pelham Student Weekend

On Thursday morning most of the GRSP students boarded the bus to Pelham, which is in South Georgia. It is about a 5 hour drive from school.

We arrived late in the afternoon, had tacos for dinner with everyone and were ready to go off to our host families for the weekend. It almost went according to plan, but we had to huddle in a corridor for a while because we got a tornado warning. It ended up being fine and we were on our way.

On Friday morning we met up at the Pelham High School for a tour. It was very interesting as most of what we know about American High Schools is based on movies. It did not disappoint with the walls lined with lockers, their gymnasium, and their football field.

Next we went to the Autry State Prison. It was opened in 1993 and houses minimum, medium and close security inmates. We went right inside the prison and into a dormitory that held inmates. They had to stand at attention while we were there. It was an interesting and eye opening experience.

After lunch went past the Ethanol plant and went to an alligator farm, It houses over 100,000 alligators used for meat and skin. Then that evening we all had dinner together. The weather was very wet all day so we didn't get to play golf in the afternoon, as planned.

On Saturday we went to a camp where we kayaked, swam, played tennis, basketball and learnt how to play Danish Longball, which is a bit like rounders. It was a really fun day and everyone got a bit sunburned. I spotted a snake swimming when I was kayaking it was little and moved very fast, I'm not sure what it was. We also found a baby turtle stuck in the skimmer box in the pool. We got him out and put him closer to the lake.

That evening we all had dinner with the local Rotarians. We also put on a bit of a talent show for them where there were varying levels of talent.