This weekend was fun: Thursday I went to a wild west party at the uni, Friday I went to lunch at hard rock with the girls and then to the beach, Saturday I layed by the pool and then went to a housewarming barbque for a friend who just moved into a 1.5 million dollar house on the water- it was definitely the nicest house i've ever been to. Life is good.

here are pictures from my trip!

http://www.picturetrail.com/sfx/album/view/22626463

I'll put pictures up of everything else soon!

I've been back from the whitsundays for over a week now, but I am just now updating because i've been busy doing a huge project all week. The whitsundays trip was definitely the trip of a lifetime. Even the roadtrip was amazing. We stopped in a bunch of different little towns on the way and I felt like i really got a feel for rural australia. We also got to see some good scenery on the way- and sadly a lot of kangroo roadkill :( We stayed on the boat for 3 days and two nights. The first day I went scuba diving in the great barrier reef!! I'm sooo glad I did it, I was really really nervous about it and didn't know if I wanted to do it. Its something I never thought I would do, but it's really the best way to see the reef. We were swimming through the coral and all the fishes, it was so cool. The rest of that day we snorkeled at an island and we went snorkeling at a few other islands the next day. The water there is so clear, when you look down you can see straight to the bottom. The second day we arrived at whitehaven beach which is rated one of the top 3 beaches in the world. Its amazing there, the sand is 97 percent silicon and the water is so blue and clear. Its probably the prettiest place i've ever been to. We had a little party on the beach that day and we went out in the water and tried to make pyramids. Then we got the idea to stack 4 people on top of each others' shoulders. After a bunch of tries we finally succeeded. We also played rounders on the beach, which is a British version of baseball. The third day we went to whitehaven again and then sailed back to the shore. It was definitely interesting to live with almost 30 people on a sailboat for 3 days- i couldn't even shower! But it was amazing and almost everyone on the boat was from our group and it was such a fun group of people, im so glad I went! I also had a great night last night. I went to my friend Brandon's apartment in surfers with a bunch of people from spring break for Candadian thanksgiving. We had a ton of good food and his apartment is soo nice it was like being at a resort. Then we got on a huge boat and cruised around the broadwater. The cruise was a black and white party put on by the school so a ton of my friends were there. It was a really fun night. This week I have a ton of homework still. And only a month and a half until I come home!

I have a ton of pictures I need to put up from my trip, so hopefully they will be up shortly!

http://s933.photobucket.com/albums/ad171/ashleymharrell/more/

a few random pictures.

I've definitely been neglecting my blog, oops. I wonder if people are even reading it anymore.

It's been almost a month since i've written. I can't really remember everything i've done. I've gone to the beach a few times and been doing schoolwork. This weekend was really fun, a group of about twenty of us rented a boat and went on a cruise around the gold coast and we got to get out and jump in the water and stuff. We also had a barbeque on the boat, and we cooked shrimps on the barbie! I got way too excited about that, and I don't even like shrimp. Last night me and a bunch of girls went to ladies night at this place in surfers and then met up with everyone at the casino. There is dust storm today that has blown in from new south wales, the sky is soo creepy its a brown/yellowish color. I can feel the dust in my throat and eyes too, and we had our screen to our balcony open and the dust blew in and now our black couch has brown dust over it, gross! Our spring break is this week, i'm so excited. Saturday I am leaving for the whitsundays. They are a group of 17 islands by the great barrier reef, I heard it's so beautiful there and the water is crystal clear. A group of 25 of us are renting cars and taking a road trip there saturday and sunday- i still haven't decided if i'm going to attempt to try to drive on the other side of the road. Monday we leave on a sailing cruise, and our group had the whole boat to ourselves, so its going to be really fun. They are going to take us to some of the islands. We also get to go snorkeling and scuba diving in the reef. I'm kind of nervous about the scuba, and of sharks! Hopefully i'll come back in one peice. I'll update again when I come back. I need to put a ton of pictures up too. Hope everything is going well at home. 2 months from today I will be arriving in Cincinnati- makes me sad and excited at the same time.

here are some pics from SYDNEY: http://s933.photobucket.com/albums/ad171/ashleymharrell/fam%20visit/
Now, dad and poppy, don't get jealous of the gorgeous guys mom and grandma are talking to.

This week I have been really productive. I did a ton of studying for my first exam, which I thought was pretty easy in the end. With some of my casino money I bought the group fittness classes at the gym and me and karlyn have been going to a lot of them. They are really good workouts because we were SO SORE afterwards. Thursday there was a doctors and nurses party at the uni. I decided to dress up as a patient instead though and just put guaze on my head and bandaids all over myself. Today I think i'm going to a carnival and then shopping at some outlet malls!

This post is going to be short and to the point. Sydney was awesome, as was to be expected. We got to see the opera house, walk the bridge, go to darling harbour, and take a boat tour. We also met new european friends at a bar-- ask mom and grandma about that one. It was sad seeing them go, but I am so glad and grateful that they were able to come visit me, we had a lot of fun. Last night me and my roommate karlyn went to the casino and I ended up getting really lucky and winning 360 dollars playing the roulette tables. This week I have become busy with schoolwork and upcoming exams and projects. The weather is starting to get even warmer too, and all I want to do is lay out by the pool and go to the beach. I am sure I will find time for school and that somehow.

I got homesick for the first time last week. Being away makes you appreciate home a lot more. No worries though, I am having a great time here still.

here's some pictures..i'll upload the rest later
http://s933.photobucket.com/albums/ad171/ashleymharrell/fam%20visit/

So yes, it's been a while. Let's see if i can even remember everything..

Race day was fun, everyone got all dressed up and we went to watch the horses race and got free drinks and food all day. I only bet on one horse and it didn't win so that was the end of my betting. Tuesday I went to the casino and also didn't gamble much. Thankfully i'm too cheap to gamble. Last week was my first week of classes. I think it's too early to tell how they will be, but I don't think they should be too hard. I also have every tuesday and friday off which is really nice. This wednesday I got to meet up with mom and grandma, and it was so nice to see them! We went to dinner and the hard rock and then the next day they came to see the campus. I got to spend the whole weekend with them and it was really nice, I got to do a lot of things that I probably wouldn't have been able to do. Friday we went to a wildlife sanctuary. I got to hold a koala bear and we went to this open feild with a bunch of kangroos and wallabees and we got to feed them and play with them. Saturday we took a boat cruise around the gold coast and got to see some nice views and some really really nice houses. Today we took a bus tour to tambourine mountain and had a bunch of little stops along the way. We stopped at this cute little village, an alpaca farm, a rainforest where we walked to see a waterfall, a park where we did a treetop walk, and a winery where we got to do wine tasting. This weekend we are going to Sydney which we are all so excited about. I'll have to put my pictures from this weekend up sometime, but here are some pictures from race day: http://s933.photobucket.com/albums/ad171/ashleymharrell/Race%20Day/


Miss everyone!! I wish you all could be here with me <3


PS- vegemite is disgusting.

http://s933.photobucket.com/albums/ad171/ashleymharrell/?action=view&current=Australia001.jpg

here's the link to my picture website. You should be able to see all of them if you just keep hitting next.

Sorry i haven't written in a while! I was in Byron Bay from Wednesday until Friday. It's so gorgeous there. Me and some friends joked around that our trip was like fat camp in disguise because the whole trip was a workout. The first day we hiked to a lighthouse, the hike was awful because it was all uphill but we got to see some great views on the way. We also went to the most easterly point of the australian mainland. The next day we went sea kayaking..also a killer workout on the arms. I was in a kayak with this guy from germany. We didn't tip at all until the end we flipped over as we were coming in and right as I stood up another kayak was coming at me full speed and completely ran me over and then flipped on top of me. Not many people can say they've been run over by a kayak. The third day we got surf lessons..another workout! Im glad I got to learn though, I stood up on the board and actually rode one tiny wave, but i'm sure I looked completely uncoordinated doing it. I have a friend who surfs and he said he would take me for lessons sometime, so maybe i'll actually become decent at it. Probably not though. We also had free time on the trip to lay out on the beach and go out at nights. It was my first hostel experience..it wasn't too bad. Now that i'm back from byron bay i've just been hanging out with friends. I saw the 6th harry potter sunday and today we went to the beach. Tomorrow I start classes, which is weird because I still kind of feel like i'm just on a vacation. Friday we are going to go to dinner at the Hard Rock in Surfer's. Then Saturday is race day which i'm really excited for. It's pretty much the equivalent of the Kentucky Derby. A bunch of us went shopping the other day and I got a dress and a flower to put in my hair. Should be a good time. I'll update again at the end of the weekend to write about it. I also made a picture website that I can put all my pictures up on because it takes to long to put them on here, so I will post the link to that too.

I am officially in love with surfer's paridise! I went there Saturday night with a big group of people. We went to a friend's ocean view apartment and then to a club. The next day I went there with 3 of my friends from England to get lunch and look at the beach. Its a very busy place, very touristy i think, but I love it and its so pretty there! I honestly cant remember what all i've been doing the past few days. I've been very busy getting everything organized and also meeting new people. Last night there was a barbeque at the village (note- when i say the village i am refering to griffith university village which is where i live). I tried kangaroo meat there, it wasn't bad but I just couldn't get over the fact that I was eating a kangaroo so I only ate a bit. Today I layed out by the pool for a little bit and actually got a lot of sun..if only our winter back home could be this nice. Tonight im staying in for the first time since i've been here to let myself rest since i've been going non-stop since ive been here. Tomorrow i'm going on a trip to Byron Bay with a bunch of the study abroad students. We're going to a wildlife sanctuary, a lighthouse, getting surf lessons, and going kayaking. I'll be there until Friday.
I'm going to put a few pictures up. I've taken loads more than this but I can't put them all up at the moment.

A guy in surfers playing the diduri doo (im sure i spelled that completely wrong). It uploaded twice and i can't get one of them to go away.

Surfer's paridise!

Me and 3 of my roommates. Just missing Isaac and it would be all of us.

Surfer's again!

A part of campus

I wish I could upload more but it takes FOREVER to do it on this, so I'll probably just end up getting a picture website to put all my pictures on.

Yay for my first blog entry!! It's 6am in Cincinnati but its 7pm here, weird.

I guess i'll start from the beginning with my trip over to Australia. I was really nervous to fly by myself and make all of my connecting flights, but everything went really smoothly and I didn't even need to ask anyone for help! The worst flight was my flight from Denver to LA i felt really sick the whole time. When I got to LA I met another girl from my group and we started talking, and then this girl from Australia started talking to us as well. Ironically, she goes to Griffith, the same University I'm going to and she just so happened to be on her way back from visiting her friend in Cincinnati who goes to UC! Its a small world. The 14 hour flight to Brisbane I slept most of the way and watched a movie and TV. I also sat next to this really nice guy from Canada who goes to a boarding ski school and wants to be on the Canada olympic team. When the flight landed I waited in line for customs for forever and i finally got through and was greeted by people from the University. A bunch of us rode in a van and got dropped off at where we were living.

I live at Griffith University Village which is right by campus. Its apartments but its a really social place and everyone loves to go out all the time. I have a five bedroom apartment with 1 full bathroom and 2 half bathrooms. When I first got to my room it was really creepy because everyone was sleeping. Finally, the two guys woke up and I got to meet them. Isaac is from Brisbane and Sean is from Canada. We were the only ones there for the first day, Sean and Isaac had already been there a week or more. That day me and Sean walked around campus and I got a phone which I already broke because i put the sim card in the wrong way and it won't come out. Later that day, me Sean and Isaac walked to the supa IGA (literally that's what its called) and went grocery shopping. We took the cart with us and walked it all the way back to our apartment. The guys said it was okay for us to do this, but i'm still not sure if its allowed or not. Either way, I thought it was funny that we were walking down the street with a grocery cart like we were homeless or something. After that we ate dinner and went to another apartment in the Village. I met a bunch of people, everyone is really nice but I feel like everyone already knows each other because they have been here a few days already. Today another one of our roommates came, a girl named brooke from England. We decided to take the bus to a shopping mall to get some more stuff we need for the apartment like towels and coat hangers. Me, Brooke, Sean and 2 other people went and it was a productive day because we got a lot of things we needed. Tonight me and Sean are going to an animal party at another apartment in the village. People are supposed to dress like animals but apparently everyone is just wearing random animal prints and horns and things. Then later we might go to some of the clubs in surfers paridise. I think tomorrow me Brooke and one of her English friends are going to go to the zoo.

So far Australia is really good, and i'm adjusting to everything pretty well i think. The weather in the daytime is really nice even though its winter. There are poeple laying out by our pool all the time during the day. As soon as the sun goes down though it gets really cold. As far as the people driving on the oppisite side of the road, I really don't even notice it. The steering wheel is on the opposite side, so it feels normal. People also said the toilets would flush the opposite way, but it just goes down straight really. I really like my roommates a lot so far. We have one more coming, a girl from Canada, so we have a really good mix. The 2 guys are upstairs in the apartment and the 3 girls are downstairs. We are also from different countries which is really cool and this is all our first time at the university. I'm really excited for the next few months I think they are going to be really fun.

I wrote alot more than I thought I would, and I haven't even done anything exciting yet. More to come later!