Well, we finally start school tomorrow...but I don't have class! (I don't have class on Mondays and I am actually a little bummed, haha!!) Anyways, in honor of our last day of the "Aussie Summer Vacation", some of the girls and I drove down to Byron Bay and spent the day at the beach. The ocean was amazing, clear blue, and the perfect temperature for swimming...my roommate Francie (she drove us) couldn't believe that we don't have a beach down the street from us at home, haha!

Yesterday, the International Office arranged for the entire group of exchange students to go to a Wildlife Reserve near the Gold Coast. We got to see koalas close up, pet kangaroos and see dingos (I definitely thought of "The dingo ate your baby!" from Seinfeld, haha!) It was actually a really fun day and interesting to learn about the different animals (Mom, you would have been amazed at my zoo patience!!) Last night, Ben and I made a great dinner (Dad, you would've been proud of it!). We had grilled chicken, rice, and mixed veggies...it turned out pretty well, if I do say so myself! Then we went to a friend's unit and did karaoke with a huge group of people (with a little bit of liquid courage from the "goon and juice" we were drinking!) It's been so much fun to meet a variety of people from so many different backgrounds!

Tomorrow I'm going to finish buying my textbooks and get things ready for my first class (Tuesday at 3!!) We'll see how it goes- wish me luck!!

PS: The sushi that we made a couple of nights ago was amazing and something I am definitely going to make when I get back to the States!! :)