Scuba Diving in the Great Barrier Reef

During our semester break, I traveled with heaps of my mates to the adventure capital of Australia, Cairns! The first day we took a trip out to the Great Barrier Reef and I got to do two snorkel dives and one scuba dive. We were all suited up in ‘sting suits’ because of the prevalence of jelly fish in Australia. We saw so many fish and I even found Nemo! Actually, I spotted a few clown fish and my mates even saw a shark! I’m not sure what type it was, but I’m sure I’m glad I wasn’t there! The third dive was the best because I got to scuba dive for the first time. My instructor had been doing dives in Australia since he was a young lad and I felt quite confident in his abilities. He was a great teacher and kept me calm. I found scuba diving to be so relaxing. It was so much easier to equalize than I had thought and being able to breathe 27 feet under water for a half hour was incredible. One of my favorite parts was being able to actually lie on the ocean floor and look up at the shiny water underneath the gorgeous day the sun granted us. The instructors made it such a great experience for me that I intend on going to get my license so I can take many more dives and maybe even a night dive eventually!

March Madness

March Madness is the term for the NCAA (college basketball) tournament in the U.S. There are usually 64 teams that make it, but this year it has increased to 68. It was strange being in Australia and not getting to catch the games live. However, this did not stop the constant discussion throughout March with my mates. It is quite popular for people to put together a bracket that they predict and pay a fee to be in a pool. The pic above is an example of an empty bracket. This was the first year I didn’t partake and I told myself it was to save money. I guess I defeated that purpose when I headed to Kelly’s pub to watch UConn (University of Connecticut) play. My mates and I Called ahead of time to see if we could get the game played and they agreed. We had an awesome afternoon and enjoyed some brews. It felt great to be enjoying a televised American sport again. It was even cooler to see Australians watching it as well. Of course, there weren’t that many at the pub in the middle of the day during a work week! However, I did make friends with one at the bar and I explain some rules to him and I asked him about some differences with netball since we were scheduled to watch a match soon. It was such a fun day and we all went nuts when UConn won!

Chaos in the NFL

One of my favorite American sports, Football, has been going through quite the drama since I’ve been abroad. The National Football League management has undergone a lockout this spring. Like most issues in sports, it’s about money. The owners want to cut back on spending on player’s salaries (or at least keep them at the same rate) and the players are not happy. The lockout has led to much distraught amongst the players. I understand their concern because it affects them personally with certain issues such as putting holds on their health insurance. As many pro sports players in the U.S. support their family on their sole income, removing something like health insurance from their family caused many heated players. There is much talk of the players going on strike and my mates and I have discussed how this might impact the 2011 season. Many are concerned that there won’t be one, others think that it’ll only impact the first few games. I sincerely hope that all this is figured out by the time I return to the U.S. As I live at school with three male roommates that are all avid NFL fans, my house will be going through quite the dismay on Monday nights!

Indigenous Rugby at Coogee Circle

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On April 10^th, I made my way to my most frequented beach in Aussie, Coogee Beach to watch an Indigenous Rugby match with a bunch of my mates. Although the hype from this match wasn’t as watching the Roosters play, I was able to grab a set right behind the sidelined players. I was able to overhear some discussion amongst the players (which was mostly grunts and cheers for their teammates). I’ve watched a fair amount of rugby since my arrival here, but I still am amazed at the roughness compared to American Football. Shortly after I sat down, there was already someone off to the sidelines with a bloody face and several other players that you could tell had scrapes of their own or maybe ran into this player because several uniforms displayed some red! Admission was free and the fans other than the huge group of my mates seemed like they were close friends or family of the players. This changed the mood of attending because there weren’t fans yelling and holding signs all around me. However, I actually played attention a lot more and was able to engage with some of my mates about the game. I’m starting to understand the sport more and I’m excited to see how different AFL and it’s fans can be when I attend with my program in May.

First Surfing Experience

I have been a bit delinquent on keeping up with my blogs the past month or so, but don’t fret! Luckily I take my smart phone with me everywhere so I took good notes.

On March 21^st, I had the great opportunity to join my friends in the IES program for a “free” surfing lesson. I use quotes because all the other students forget that we did INDEED pay for all these things up front! Haha nonetheless, it was a blast, despite the terrible weather! We went to my favorite beach in Australia, Manly Beach. There are about 50 students in my program so I was very impressed with how well the instructors divided us up and gave us attention. Of course, they had us sign a waiver, but being a person that jumps into the ocean every chance she gets, I wasn’t concerned. I always saw my beginner friends on these big boards and never understood why they didn’t start with smaller ones. Well, my friends and I soon found out that the longer boards were easier to ride in the ocean, but that doesn’t make them any lighter! I discovered why surfers are in such good shape! Through my first experience I realized what an upper body workout surfing is, also how important it is to have patience. We first learned how to judge the waves by simply riding them (lying down) like I have on boogie boards in the past. Once it was time to ride, I failed too many times to list. However, I did eventually catch ONE wave the whole way out and it was totally worth it. It was a small guy, but I still understand the rush my friends that surf here get and why they wake up so early to go each day.