I just keep going.

Hi all! I am just writing today because I know that I won't have time tomorrow! After 4 days of hard work, I FINALLY finished my Human and Animal Anthropology paper today! Yes!!!! Then I watched people eat rats today in my Culture and Globalization class...I couldn't do it....I just could not do it. Tomorrow I have the whole day off, but it is packed full of things to do. I get to go to an Aussie Rules Football game tomorrow with one of my friends, and I am sooo excited for it! All of my Aussie friends were trying to explain the rules to me, but I don't think I took much of it in. Then after the game, I am going dancing with my friends! It will be wonderful to have a night free of homework. I think that it has been a stressful week for everyone around here. Despite the hard work, I am still having the time of my life, and I don't regret this experience for one second. I am counting down to Cairns, and I can't wait for my scuba diving adventure!!! Also, my family has been keeping me posted about my Grandpa White, and things aren't looking too good. I am always thinking about my family and wish I could be there.

Busy week ahead!

Hey! I am just sitting here taking a break from reading. UNI has been extremely busy this week, and I have been working on homework all weekend. I am under a lot stress because I have a huge paper due on Friday for my hardest class. There wasn't time this weekend for adventures, unfortunately, but I feel like I got tons of things accomplished. Yesterday, I applied for some jobs, and I am hoping something works out. Then I got invited to go to an Aussie Rules Football game by one of my friends. I am soooo excited!!! :D Tonight, I booked my scuba diving trip with my friend from Texas, and we are both extremely excited for Easter break. I am missing Easter season back home. I don't feel like I observe it as much as I should be here, but I am trying to think about it every day. Today, I spent four hours in the library working on a paper and reading for two of my other classes. I am worn out and trying to hang in here. Thank goodness for my great friends here! They are encouraging and make me laugh when I need it. Nathan has also been encouraging about everything, and I am so grateful for him. Home isn't far from my thoughts, and I am still praying for my family. Well, I better dive into this homework! Thanks for the support guys! :)

Is it Easter break yet?

Hey guys! I have had a great past couple of days. Yesterday was the busiest day of my school week. I had two classes and then a meeting. Then I went over to my friend's house to cook chicken. We baked chicken rolled up in Bacon, chicken skewers and made homemade mashed potatoes. It was fabulous, and we had a great time together. I also got the opportunity to meet some of the people that she lives with! Then after cooking, I hung out with my Aussie friends on my floor. We tried to dance to Lady Gaga and took pictures upside down. Basically, we did anything to get out of studying. Today, however, was dedicated to studying alllll day. I read 80 pages, researched for a paper and practiced Auslan. Then I am going dancing tonight with my friends! I am soooo excited but soo exhausted, though. I don't know if I will last long. I also took a break to talk to my family, and they were doing pretty good. My grandpa isn't fair from my thoughts, though. Thanks for the support back home! :)

Late Again!

Hey guys! I have just been super busy with school, and nothing really new has happened. Yesterday, I received a package from my family in Kansas and went to my sign language class. After class, I had a long night of reading...ugh...but that is what I am here to do. Today was super busy! I had a quiz to take this morning, and I had to write a paper. Then I had class at 3:00, and the professor let us out early! Thank goodness! Tonight, I made Tacos with friends on my floor, and we watched Lady Gaga live on DVD. It was wonderful, and now I really want to see her in concert. We all were trying to imitate her dance moves and were failing miserably. I also introduced some  friends here to Pinterest! They have never heard of Funfetti cake or cookies. :D The past few days been emotional for me, also. I received the news today that my Grandpa White is really really not doing well, and I wish I could be there for my family. I am trying to stay distracted by Australia, friends, school and trip planning etc. but it is really hard. I am an emotional person and want to be there for everybody. Thank goodness for my family, Nathan and my friends. They have all been supportive and keep reminding me that Grandpa wants me to be here in Australia. I don't know what I would do without them.

We Never Rest!

Today was amazing, even though I didn't get enough sleep! I was up thinking about school, Nathan, my family and grandpa. My mind just wouldn't shut off. The day started out wonderfully because my friend from Texas and I booked our flights to Cairns! We are soooo excited, and now we just need to book the scuba diving at the reef. After booking the trip, we made our way to the Victoria Market and met up with our German friend. :) We each bought exotic fruit that we had never tried before. We bought lychees, strawberry kiwis, custard apples, and another fruit, but the name escapes me. The lychees looked like eyeballs, but they were extremely tasty! The custard apple was slimey on the inside, and it really really did NOT agree with me. Never again!!!!! The strawberry kiwis and the unknown fruit were pretty good and earned a pass. After visiting the market, my friends and I headed to the Melbourne Museum.  We went through a dinosaur exhibit, forest exhibit, animal exhibit and a mind and body exhibit! The mind and body exhibits were my FAVORITES! I saw a lot of cool information about the mind. It talked about language areas in the brain, illusions, psychological disorders, mental illness and medical intervention for mental illness. The Body exhibit was fantastic and my most favorite!!! All of the bones, tissue and organs were real, and they showed us old medical supplies. It showed us old x-ray machines, x-ray films,  processes that occur in the body, medical history and showed tissue with cancer in it. After exploring the Melbourne Museum, we laid in the sun at Federation Square, the city center for a couple hours. Then we stopped at a few cute shops, and we had Starbucks! I felt like I was at home! :D Then last but not least, we visited the Old Melbourne Gaol (Jail) and had a night tour of the prison. It was sooo cool but extremely CREEPY. The jail has been shut down for years, but I felt like people were going to jump out of the cells and scare me. The tour was AMAZING, and the tour guide acted like he was an executioner. He yelled at us at the beginning and kind of made us feel like we were the prisoners. He guided us through the extremely dark/creepy jail using just a candle, and he would get up into people's faces when he would talk. He talked about many tragic events that happened in the jail, and told the story of the famous Australian convict, Ned Kelly. They had death masks of many of the prisoners, and he knew exactly what crime each committed. He would be talking to us in a cell, and we would hear doors close in other rooms. It made us jump out of our skins. The tour guide told us about the torture methods used and how life was for a prisoner. The jail was made to contain 180 prisoners and 400 prisoners were in the jail at one time, especially during the gold rush. After the tour was over, we had the opportunity to go into cells and look at artifacts from the jail. Many of cells contain death masks of the prisoners, who lived in that cell. It was a very interesting part of Australia's history, and I am glad that I went. After going through the tour and listening to the history of jail, I have made up my mind to be a very very very good girl. It scared me. THE END.

These are the days worth living! :D

I think I am just going to post every other day now! Yesterday was AMAZING! I worked on homework all day yesterday for my hard class, Human and Animal Anthropology! We are talking about totem poles and why cultures use them. After working on homework all day, Chisholm College, my dorm, had a dance competition, and our tower WON! We performed for judges three times and went up against 11 other towers in the dorm. Our tower's theme was Mardi Gra, and it was soo much fun dressing up. All the other towers were hard competition, though! All of the dances were awesome, and I haven't laughed so hard in my life. The costumes were amazing, and my neighbor made my hair stand up! Thank goodness for hairspray! After the competition, my buds from my floor and I went dancing together. I forgot how much I love to dance, and I was surrounded by fun, amazing people. Today was good, too! I FINALLY understood my teacher in my Human and Animal Anthropology class and made a new friend in my class. Then I spent time hanging out with my Aussie friends on my floor and went grocery shopping with my good friend from Texas. Tomorrow, I am heading to the Victoria Market and going on the Ghost Tour of the prison tomorrow night. It should be extremely creepy but worth it. I am blessed to be here and thanks for reading back home. I am blessed to have all of your support! :)

Pretty Content and Busy

Hey guys! Yesterday was a great day! I went to class in the afternoon, after talking to Emily Clarke, Nicole and Chelsea, and found my friends waiting at my door to go out to eat at Nandos when I got back! It is an amazing restaurant here, and I had a chicken wrap and chips (french fries). Then we all went to a shop to buy supplies for costumes for dancing in a parade. I bought a gold mask and can't wait to wear it. When we got back I rocked out music with my Aussie friends. :) We sang "The Lion King," and "Waka Waka" by Shakira. It was Tower 9 C floor karaoke! Haha! Then we watched videos from "The Lion King" in different languages, and it was hilarious! I about laughed until my eyes watered a few times. Then the whole gang ended the day by sitting down and watching a movie together. Today was also a great day! I had two classes today! My professor in the first lecture talked to us about how he ate rats while visiting Malaysia...I can't imagine! It is amazing how much I am learning in his class, though. He is teaching me to learn about myself through others. It is an interesting way to look at life. It is amazing how much humans need each other to survive and to learn. The best part of coming to Australia is that I have learned new things about myself through observing multiple cultures. It has made me take a hard look at who I am and my American culture. It is causing me to look at the bigger picture of life and to realize that there is more out there than just Americans or The United States. It is teaching me that there are numerous ways to do things and to think about things. I feel like I have learned so much about all aspects of life here, and I have just been here for a month. During my second class, four girls and I had to observe people in their environment and take notes. It wasn't awkward until the person we were observing came up to us, and asked, "What are you doing?" Ahh! Embarrassing! After the most embarrassing thing in my life happened, I had the grand opportunity of dancing with all the people in my tower of my dorm. We rehearsed a dance for an hour tonight for the parade tomorrow. I am soooo excited! The dance involves the electric slide, and I think I actually caught on.....FINALLY! In all my years of high school dances, I could NEVER master the dumb electric slide. But I did it today. :) After rehearsing the dance  with the whole tower...I kind of danced in the hall with all my friends...obnoxiously. Then I went to my room, and watched "The Nanny." All in all I have had great days! Although I love it here, I still think about my family, Nathan, friends and UNL. My grandpa has really been on my mind, and I wish I could be there for him. I know that he wouldn't want me to pass up this opportunity, though. I don't know what it is about this place, but I feel so relaxed, free and confident all the time. I am truly happy and believe that this is just what I needed before thinking about graduation at UNL. :)

Where is my motivation?

Hi everyone! I am playing catch up once again! Yesterday, I woke up really late, and then I made a trip to the local farmer's market held on campus! I bought like 30 lbs of potatoes for $4.00. I won't be running out soon! I also talked to Nathan once, and then he called back because Matt went to visit them in Manhattan. Matt, Nathan and Cody all talked to me while I was booking a hostel for Cairns! I am sooo excited for my Fall Break! My friend from Texas and I are heading to Cairns, Queensland. The city is far north. We are staying for 4 days and paying 18 dollars per night for accommodation. Plus, free airport pickup and free dinner every night. Then we are going on a boat to the Great Barrier Reef. I WILL scuba dive, and she is going to snorkel. The hostel is located right by where the boat docks and is located in the City Business District. So shops will surround us! We are both excited. Now, we are just working on getting the flights worked out. It is kind of stressful! Today, I had my Australian Sign Language class and found a study buddy...Thank goodness. Then I came home and have been reading Anthropology...hence the "Just keep reading, just keep reading, just keep reading" Facebook status. I better just keep reading and thanks for the support everyone. :)

"It's a Beautiful Day! Don't let it get away." :D

I am making up for two days again! Yesterday, I just went to classes and got totally lost in my Human and Animal Anthropology class. I found out that seniors here are taking the class, and I am basically starting my Junior year. I am extremely nervous, but I think I will just need to talk to my professors. Last night, I just hung around the dorm and went grocery shopping. I know...spectacular! Last night, I received the news that my Grandpa White wasn't doing well, so Chantel, Mom and I set up a Skype session with Grandpa. The hospital in Manhattan let me Skype with him, and I am so thankful that they let us. While Skyping with Grandpa, I also got to say hi to my cousins, Brian and Donnie and Donnie's fiance, Jackie. Then my Grandma, mom, sister and aunt were there, too. It was a family Skype session, and thank goodness for technology like that, especially at emotional times like this. After the Skype session, I headed into the city for the "Great Ocean Road Trip!" It was the MOST beautiful thing I have EVER seen in my life. The song, "Beautiful Day" from U2 kept playing through my head. I went with my friend from Texas and my friend from Germany. We had a great tour guide for our trip, also! The vehicle we used was someone else's, and they obviously had child, because kids music CDs were everywhere. We listened to one and fought over which princess movie the songs were from. Talk about entertaining ourselves! Ha! The 12 Apostles, Loch Ard Gorge, The Arch and The London Bridge were soooo beautiful! The water was so blue, and the waves were starting to become stronger when we arrived. I can't even describe the experience, because it was so breathtaking. They offered helicopter rides over everything, and I was sooo tempted! But it was too expensive! Thanks for the support back home guys! :)

Mixture of Emotions

Hi everyone! I have had a good and emotional past couple days! Yesterday was pretty good! I just had classes and had fried rice for dinner with my three Australian friends. It was pretty relaxed and my class was interesting. We had people from different cultures speaking in class, and it is sooo cool to hear everyone's opinions. Then I heard that my Grandpa White is in the hospital, and it is hard to be away from home when my family is hurting. I am happy here, but a part of me wishes that I could be there for my family. :( Today was good day, though! My friends cheered me up and one of my friends here had a hard week, too. She lost a close friend back in Texas, and it is hard for her. We invited her to come over and watch Grey's Anatomy with us to cheer her up. I am so happy that I have good friends here. They make me laugh all the time and help with the homesickness. Thank goodness for Skype, too! I got to talk to Nathan, Chantel and Collin yesterday, and they had the opportunity to meet my good friend from Germany. Then I talked to Nathan today, because it is his birthday, and I am so grateful for him. :D I talked to Miss Emily Clarke today, too! I miss her, and it felt sooo good to catch up with her! Today, the dorm decided to have a dumb fire drill at 8 in morning, and everyone back home knows that I am NOT a morning person. I was a grouchy camper, and then I came back and slept until 11. I had my Normal Communication class today, and we assessed videos of American television shows, such as "Full House" and "Friends". We looked at all the language, which was interesting. It puts a whole new meaning to watching television. Today, I felt like a speechie. I taught my Aussie friends what a dentalized (lisp) was this week. It is when a person sticks their tongue out when they are saying a sound, and the teeth come down on the tongue. Then one of my friends went home to have dinner with her family and said the word, "stupid" with a lisp. She told me that she stopped and told her family that she dentalized her "s." Then she said that they all stopped and looked at her like she was nuts. I am rubbing off. ;) Then one of my Aussie friends said, "can't" with my Kansas twang. Haha! I have a feeling though that they are rubbing off on me. Haha! I find myself saying new phrases every single day. Tonight, we all cooked together again, and we all chipped in for the meal. We had yummy pasta! Tomorrow, I have class at 10, and then I am going to a music festival! Opera!! I am so excited!! Then the Great Ocean Road Trip is on Saturday, and we leave Melbourne at 8:30 in the morning. Even in this excitement, Grandpa White isn't far from my thoughts today. Everyone please pray for him. Thanks for all the support back home!

Just Living the Life :)

Today was just another work day. I woke up, finalized my plans for the Great Ocean Road Trip and bought more postcards for people back home. Then the rest of the day was dedicated to homework and to class. I feel like I am ahead in one of my classes here, thanks to Nebraska. :D After class, I wrote my paper and my Aussie friends from my floor made me dinner. It was an amazing surprise, and now I have to find something very American to cook them. Any suggestions? After finishing my paper, I bothered all three of them again, and we talked for hours. They are a bad influence on me...haha...I talk way too much and laugh way too much when I am around them. One of my friends is studying Pharmacy here, and I was looking through her books, especially the Neuroscience book and her medication book. Then I talked to the other girl, who is studying Psychology...one my favorite subjects. Then my guy friend showed me where he lives on Google Maps...haha. Then I showed him where Hanover and Ricky's Cafe are. Haha! It was nice to see pictures of my hometown, but I am loving it here. Then, they all were teaching me how to use correct Oz English, and I failed miserably. I can't say "Australia" like the Australians do. Maybe I will learn by the time I leave in June. All in all, it was a wonderful day! I am blessed to be here. :D

I am bad at this! Haha

Sorry again guys, and I am playing catch up once again. :) Yesterday was fantastic! I spent the morning talking to my family back home and then went shopping for a friend's birthday party! We bought pasta salad, potato salad, chips and dip, made chocolate crackles and TIM TAMS! Tim Tams are the best cookies ever, and every American NEEDS to try them. Another must try for Americans are chocolate crackles. Amazing! I am an addicted to both for sure. The whole day was a success! The whole floor was involved and helped her celebrate. I feel like I am becoming close to my floor mates, and they all can get to me to laugh until my eyes water. I wouldn't trade this for anything. :) Today, I started the morning in a bad way...I was sick...blah. My family and my boyfriend talking to me made me feel better. I started to feel better as the day went on, though. I practiced Auslan for the whole day, and I am struggling to remember all of the signs. Hopefully I can find a great study guide! After practicing Auslan, it was class time! The author of my textbook, who is a famous sign language linguist, talked to our class today. It was an honor to meet him, and he is working on a project to help assess deaf children for language/speech disorders. The test will also tell assess the accuracy of their signs. He was an amazing lecturer, and I learned so much from him. I knew a lot the material he covered because I am a Speech-Language Pathology major, along with another girl in my class. He could pick us out of the audience right away because we kept making comments and asking questions. Haha! I am a "speechie" for sure. After class, I hung out in one of my Aussie friend's room, and we watched the "Big Bang Theory" and "Alcatraz." Then my four Aussie friends and I talked in the hall for forever about Mathematics in classes. It was interesting, and I tried my hand at one of the problems and failed. Well, I am done with math classes in my major now, thank goodness. Tomorrow I am finalizing plans to go to the Great Ocean Road Trip! We will see The Arch, The Twelve Apostles, Apollo Bay, Great Ocean Road Historical Arch and the Loch Ard Gorge. My friend from Texas and I are starting to plan our fall break trip to Cairns to SCUBA DIVE! Hopefully, we get there a cheap way and have a great time. I am excited because I am certified, so it will only cost me $60 for one dive, which is not bad at all. Then we may stop in Sydney on the way, who knows!! :D All in all, life is good. Thanks for all the support back home.

Just Chillin'

Sorry guys! I am catching up! I had a great day yesterday! I went to my Human and Animal Anthropology class and felt like everything went through one ear and out the other. I think I found my hardest class for the semester...Oh Boy. :S Everyone seemed to have a higher capacity of thinking than me. It was a lot like Philosophy. Ugh...Hopefully it gets better. I got home after class and read two books off of my Kindle. Then I shopped for more kindle books. :) I also found new places to explore in Melbourne! My friends and I are going to explore the Melbourne Museum and an old Australian Prison here in Melbourne. We may go to the prison at night and have a ghost tour. Plus, I found a Holocaust museum here and a Medical History Museum that I want to go to. I am soooo excited. Today, I went to the zoo with my friend from Texas and my friend from Germany. It rained the WHOLE time, but It was wonderful anyway. I saw the cutest kangaroos but pictures weren't allowed! Darn! They were hopping all over the place, and my friend from Germany had never seen a platypus, so we found one at the zoo. The snake exhibit didn't scare me like it usually does. This is kind of weird. Maybe I am getting over my fear of snakes? By the end of day, all three of us were soaking wet and tired. I came home and had a nice cup of tea, Australian tea. My aussie friend next door got me hooked. Then I talked to my best friend, Nicole, on skype for long time. All in all, I have had a good couple of days and will probably be spending tomorrow on homework. Oh joy! I think I may be starting to get out the tourist stage of the cultural adjustment because I am starting to feel like I will be here for awhile. Hopefully, the homesickness stays away for a while and allows me to concentrate on school.

Day OFF!

Hey guys! I was extremely boring allll day! I got up and bought some groceries for cheap. :) Then I bought some postcards for lovely people back home, and  I met up with some great friends for coffee. We are starting to plan a trip soon I hope! This weekend my gals and I are going to make a trip to the zoo which should be a fun time. Today, I got to talk to my Grandpa and Grandma White on the phone, and it was nice to hear from them. Then I did Human and Animal Anthropology reading...it is wayyy over my head. This is going to be an interesting semester, but I am excited! That's all for today!