Blogs from North Ryde, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, Oceania

We drove and drove winding up and down and in and out of the coast through these vistas marvelling at their diversity and looking for somewhere to settle for the night. We were going to stay and look for work in a place - which I think The Lonely Planet may have confused with somewhere else – called Wollongong. To our dismay, The ‘Gong’ resembled more Plymouth but with what beauty it possessed being shadowed in a looming PowerStation than the town described in our guide book. So we hit the road again, having already been on it for 9 hours and to our surprise, ended up in Sydney a few weeks earlier than planned. Being another wallet draining large city, we were lucky enough to find an amazing campsite fifteen minutes Metro ride out of ... read more

Voici donc un petit résumé de notre aventure. Ce que nous avons appris, les différences que nous avons vu et ce que nous retiendrons. Il est préférable de fermer la bonbonne de propane avant de tenter de la reconnecter. 16 rouleaux de papier de toilette pour 14 semaines c’est trop si on utilise seulement le papier pour les pipis de nuits et les : « J’ai envie, je suis plus capable de me retenir!!! » de jour. Je suis la seule à aimer la confiture d’abricot. Les Australiens votent le samedi et ils sont « OBLIGÉS » de voter (sinon ils ont une amende). La politique Australienne est vraiment compliquée et différente de la nôtre. C’est une femme qui est première ministre actuellement, du moins avant les élections du 21 août 2010. Nous nous rappellerons de ... read more

Hello gang!!! So it's Tuesday evening, and I'm preparing to head off for the next three days with Leslie, Candace, and Hilary to Port Stephens and Hunter Valley. At the Port, we'll be going on a boat dolphin-watching, and once we find the darlings, swimming in a boom net with them. Also, we can swim with sharks (yes they're safe no worries) and rays if we'd like- Hilary and I are the only two who will probably. Then Thursday we head to Hunter Valley, a famous winery and resort area known for its wines, chocolates, and cheeses, of which we'll be doing a tour and tasting (YUM!!!). Course I'm looking forward to that tons, and I've packed a cute sun dress specifically for the occasion cause that's me. Usually the tour is only two days, ... read more

Well it has been a month and a day exactly since I've been in Australia. My overly- zealous self wanted to write every day about my going-ons and activities, yet that idea quickly flew out the window. So now, as I sit here on my couch in my house Friday evening at 6:26, it's finally time to share my life with those I hold most dear in the world. There's no way I could just skip over the past month, and many of you wouldn't be too pleased with me if I did, so bear with me as I recount the many adventures, heartaches, and academic points. Leaving February 10th at 4:55 PM and saying goodbye to the best Dad in the world was hard, probably because I knew I wouldn't be able to just ... read more

Het is alweer een tijdje geleden dat ik een berichtje geplaatst heb op mijn blog. In de tussentijd is best het één en ander gebeurd. Het is nu zomer in Australië. Dat betekend dat het lekker warm is, zeker in Brisbane waar ik nu zit. De resultaten van mijn examens krijg ik binnenkort terug. Ik heb geen idee wat ik er van moet verwachten. Na de examens heb ik vooral veel tijd doorgebracht met Shanina, omdat zij 6 december naar huis ging. De nacht van 5 december hebben we in een hotel geslapen, zijn we uit eten en naar de bioscoop geweest en hebben we natuurlijk pakjesavond gevierd. Een paar weken daarvoor hadden we ook onze schoen al gezet. Dat was wel leuk. De laatste donderdag van november is het Thanksgiving in Amerika. Ik heb dat ... read more