Exploring Wollongong

G'day everyone!
It has been a very busy past 2 weeks with all of the orientation activities. Between registering for classes, attending toga parties, and going to the horse races, I have somehow found the time to go to the beach near by. I am meeting a lot of great people and having a blast!

This weekend, I went on a trip with my program to Merry Beach, which is about 3 hours south of Wollongong. There are 13 of us in the group, all Americans. We got down to Merry Beach on Friday and went on a coastal hike to learn about Australian flora and fauna. They took us out to a nice dinner at a near by restaurant and we all got to know each other better. On Saturday, we hiked up Mount Gulaga with our Aboriginal guide, Lynn. It was a long hike up, but well worth it. At the top, Lynn showed us the sacred area used for Aboriginal teachings. She painted our faces with white ochre in the way that would be done for traditional teachings. It was really interesting to learn about the culture and history of the area. The mountain used to be mined for gold by Europeans, but has since been turned into a national park, thanks to Lynn's father. That night, we had another great dinner and on the walk back from the restaurant, there were tons of kangaroos out. They were so used to people and receiving food that some of them would hop right up to you. Kangaroos can be aggressive, but these were very used to humans and even let us pet them! Other animals that we saw up close were colorful parrots, possums (not as ugly and rodent-like as in the States), an echidna, and leeches. Even though we were on dry land, we still found leeches on our bags and ourselves. It was a really nice weekend and worth the drive in the big white van.

I had my first class this morning, Introduction to Aboriginal Australia. I am also taking 2 engineering classes, one on pollution control and one on sustainable buildings, and an economics class. The campus is a 25 minute walk away, replacing my jazzercize routine with mom, Kim, and Hil from break. I love the area and am happy to be outside and at the beach so much. Here are pictures from this weekend, I hope all is well with you all!