Vita est Iter

Hi everyone! It’s been a while since my last post so I have loads to catch you up on. Last Thursday I ended up going diving with a couple people from the MONCU, the Monash underwater club. It was my first dive since my certification so I was a bit nervous but it ended up going really great! I was able to rent the gear that I didn’t have for almost nothing, and was given a ride to the dive site. The water was a bit colder than I was expecting but still MUCH warmer than Buffalo. We saw so many incredible things, from multicolored corals to shrimp, weedy sea dragons, and bull rays. We even saw a good size octopus slinking through the sea grass. I also got to practice buoyancy control so that one day soon I’ll be able to start doing boat dives! Overall it was an amazing experience and one that I’m very keen to repeat. After the dive I had to do laundry and pack up all the things I wanted to take with me on my marine science field trip to Queenscliff. I also learned the hard way that...

I've finally gotten all set up and figured it was time to give everyone an update! The first plane I was on was pretty big so I thought there would be a lot of people on it. Much to my surprise I ended up having an entire row to myself! I was able to stretch out and sleep across the seats on my way to LAX. I wonder if that had something to do with the timing of the Super Bowl. The flight went by pretty quickly and I took some really cool pictures of all the light patterns different cities made as we flew past them. The food they gave us was surprisingly good. I had chicken in some kind of wine sauce with buttered orzo and veggies. We had a smooth landing and as we were taxiing the pilot announced the winner of the super bowl for the few passengers who had asked. He also gave us a quick run down of the game which was pretty cool of him.  As soon as I got off the first plane I had to run to my next gate because they were already boarding the next flight! I was in the ...

The last few days were a whirlwind of packing, calling friends and family, and cuddling my cats! Now I'm finally at JFK waiting to board flight QF12 to Los Angeles! That flight is only 6 hours long. From there I will board another flight to take me to Melbourne which will be 16 hours long! I'm both excited and nervous. I have plenty of things with me from books to movies to keep me occupied on the plane, but it's still an extremely long flight. When I arrive in Melbourne I'll have a car waiting for me to take me to Monash University where I can get the key to my on campus suite. I'll be staying in a studio style apartment building where all students have their own room, bathroom, and kitchenette; but also have access to game rooms, common rooms, and dining areas. Hopefully this will make it easier for me to meet some new people. Next time you hear from me, it will be from Melbourne, Australia! At JFK saying good bye to my parents and getting ready to board ...