3 Day Road trip

Today I just got back from a roadtrip with two of my wonderful friends here Eli and Maggie. We rented a car (yes, I drove!) and went down to Mt. Gambier and places along the way which is south-east of where I am. The car we rented was so cute and we named her Rosie because she was red. :) We had a lot of fun looking at caves, lakes, wineries, and random stops along the way. Our adventure started early on Tuesday morning when we picked up the car and grabbed a lot of snacks and random food to bring with. We drove to Robe and had lunch and then kept driving towards Mt. Gambier. We were trying to look for some sand dunes in between the two towns but couldnt drive up to any of them with our little car so we ended up running into this crazy lake that had a ton of wet clay/sand that looked like the earth was cracking and spreading apart. When you stepped on it it felt like the mud stuff they put on you to exfoliate your skin and it sank a bit. We had a lot of fun wiping it all off afterwards even if it was crazy fun to run on for awhile. :) Then he first night we stayed in this place called the Old Jail which was a jail until 1995 but then turned into a hostel. We stayed in an old cell!!! It was a crazy feeling knowing it was once a place where prisoners were and that we were sleeping in the same rooms as they did!

During the second day we drove over to the lake in Mt Gambier but it was misty out and kind of chilly. We decided to change our plans and take a drive up to the Grampians which is a National Park. It was amazing! We went on some nice walks to see waterfalls and beautiful views. We then headed towards Naracoorte where we were going to see caves the next morning. We stayed in a cute little cabin that was just out of Naracoorte that was like a lodge hostel. That night Eli and Maggie introduced me to having a baked potato with baked beans on top (which was really good) and also had me try the cheap Australian wine called Goon that everyone drinks around here. I also tried Vegemite the morning before which I made a face to and washed it down with tea it was so gross.

The third day we woke up really early again and went to some caves in Naracoorte. They were really cool and they passed around a dead bat for us to take a look at. Strangely enough I thought he was really cute. We didnt get to see the bats up close though because they said the caves are filled with too much bat poop and stuff so we would sink. haha.... Then we started driving back to Adelaide where we stopped at this nice winery along the way. There are a lot of red wine vineyards during the drive and it was nice to see an Australian one. The wine was delicious and they said that about 90% or so of it is exported, a lot to the U.S. I will have to find it when I get home. :)

It was a great trip and I am really excited to go to Cairns next week and see the Great Barrier Reef. As for now I am giong to be just relaxing and getting some things done the next 3 days before I go since there are not many people around seeing that everyone is on trips. :)
I will have to write another time to tell about my time with Luke being here and going to Kangaroo Island. I am quite tired....but I can tell you it was amazing and I loved every minute of it! If you have facebook he posted a ton of pictures on it so you can see. I will post some more pictures soon. :D

LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!! xoxoxo

Not much going on..

Hey guys..
Just thought I'd give an update on things even though there isnt much going on lately. I have a lot more school work coming up like papers and such before our break starting mid April. We get two weeks off and right before that Luke is coming to visit. :) I have just been doing the normal stuff like hanging out with friends and going to class. It was rainy for awhile so the beach wasnt quite as nice but I got to go a couple times this past week when the sun and warmth came back. I am sad it gets colder than I thought it would in Australia. We are at the bottom of the continent so that is why though.
If you could just pray that I continue to enjoy my time here and make the most of it even during this time of less going on. That is the thing with living here for a semester, though I love it a ton, it is easy to just start getting into a daily routine and miss the excitment of being here. :) Pray that I also get time to talk to friends and family more back home since it has been in spurts that I have been able to. I also have yet to find a job around here. I figured out that I can be okay without getting one but part of me really still wants one for just a few shifts a week. Pray that I am okay with the outcome whether that be I am supposed to just enjoy my free time and not work or that I find something soon before it's too late. Also pray that I get more time with God since I have not been desiring that as much as I wish I did when so many other things are distracting me. My time with God helps me to focus on what is important and will really help me to enjoy my time here more than I realize.
You guys are such a blessing to my life and I am so thankful that you all care for me so much to read my blog, send me emails, and make time to say hi out of your busy schedules. I have felt so loved while being here from people back home and I just want to say thank you! :D

**This is me in front of the Twelve Apostles along the Great Ocean Road in Australia. :)


So I am sorry I havent written in awhile. I have been quite busy with starting school, hanging out and meeting people, and this weekend (for my birthday weekend) a group of us went out to Melbourne which is another big city in Australia. Classes are going well. I am taking a music class, a development class, and a social sciences class. It is nice to be able to take only 3 classes yet there is still a lot to do for class seeing that most of the time I would rather be enjoying Australia and exploring. This is my second week of class and the good thing is I really have minimal in-class time so I have a lot of time to spare outside unless I am doing work. For example, today I only have one class at 1pm so after that I made a huge pot roast dinner for all my friends to enjoy. I am really getting along with everyone out here and I feel like I have made some really great friends. Tomorrow we are all going out to a Mexican restaurant to celebrate my birthday since I was not in town on Monday for the actual day. Cool thing about having my birthday on March 9th was that in Adelaide it is a public holiday because it is the annual Adelaide Cup Day which means they have horse races all day and give us the day off. :D

So this past weekend I went on a trip with my friend Jaci (from U of I), Lisa (she is from Washington D.C.), and Jeff and Dan who are from Canada. We had a lot of fun doing touristy things and just enjoying our time off although by the end of the trip we were definitely ready to come back to relax and catch up on stuff back in Adelaide. One of the days we went on a tour of the Great Ocean Road which was amazing. Our tour guide kept everything interesting and we made some great stops at a rainforest, some beautiful views, and some famous sites like the Twelve Apostles and London Bridge. (Much of this stuff you will have to look up on google or something if you want to know what they are.) We also went on a trip to Phillips Island on Sunday which was a little less exciting but at the end of the day we did get to see penguins march onto the beach from being in the water all day. They were definitely a site to see since there were so many and it was crazy to see that they all go to the same area at night to get food and such. On that trip we also stopped at another wildlife park where we got to see kangaroos, koalas, walabis, emus, and tazmanian devils. During the trip we also enjoyed the casino, tons of restaurants, the city, and the beach while we were in Melbourne. All in all, it was a great trip. :)

This upcoming Saturday I am going on a trip to the ocean with people from the place I am living at to try surfing. I am quite nervous seeing that I dont like failing at new sports and I am pretty sure the chances of that are pretty high but I am excited to try it once. :) I have also been planning a couple other trips I will be doing while I am here including Kangaroo Island (I am going when Luke comes to visit with him for two days) and Cairns where the Great Barrier Reef is. I am going to Cairns with my housemate Emily so we can go to the Rainforest and the Reef. I am still trying to figure out what I will be doing for the 1st week of my break since the 2nd week I will be doing that. I would love to go to the outback but most of the planned trips you can book there are quite expensive and I would rather go with people I know and just rent a car or something.

Something that has really been on my mind lately is what I am doing with my life next year. Since I did not get into U of I for grad school, I have a whole variety of options and it is hard to decide what I want to do. I am sure it will come to me but if you have time, pray that I have some more guidance. At the moment I'm pretty sure traveling the world sounds like the best option...but that requires money. So we will see. I definitely have decided I want to visit all of my family and friends and travel to that extent at least next year since I've realized how important that is. That means trips to Ireland, the UK and France to visit people I met here, Arizona, Washington D.C. & Virginia area, Mississippi, Kentucky, and of course all around the midwest. The more I think about it, the more I realize how much I love to travel! :) and visit the people I love... :)

Anyways, thats that. I am doing great. I love it here still and I have been really thankful for skype which has allowed me to see some of my siblings and my little kitten max and Luke. If anyone else has skype and wants to chat, add me on your friends list! We can try to figure out a time that works to talk for a few minutes or so. :D

P.S. I cant believe I am 22 already. I'm glad I am doing this traveling now...

Mixed Emotions

This is a picture of the river that is supposedly really famous and beautiful in Adelaide. I was told that it had to be drained because of some toxic spill so it isn't as beautiful right now though I see how it could be. :)

Things are ultimately going well. As you saw in my last post, I got to see kangaroos! :) and koalas and many other animals. The kangaroos and koalas were just adorable that I really wish I could have one as a pet. I do hear that people do that...they arent all as mean as they say they can be. A random question that I got from a friend that I thought would be fun to share is if Aussie's actually use phrases such as "cheers" and "mate" and "g'day"....and, well, they do. It is quite common here and I actually am quite used to it now. It's sad to be used to the accent because I almost feel like I dont appreciate it as much as I did before. I still love it though...supposedly us Americans draw out our vowels too much and say our o's like a's.

It has been quite a hectic week since they call this week O'week...where there are a ton of events going on and the clubs have booths and there are concerts and what not everywhere. So far I've chosen to stray away from the party scene at night since it is only tuesday and I dont see the need to go out and drink on weekdays like all the crazy people here do. Since the drinking age is 18 I am pretty sure that most college students are partying every night. At least I met some awesome friends (the ones who live around me) that like to stay in and watch movies and chat and drink tea instead. I love it. :) We dont start class until next week so it is interesting not having a routine yet. I suppose that will start next week. I signed up for some random things at the school like the mountain club (where they go hiking and canoeing and climbing), the softball club (that I dont even think plays this semester :( ), a Christian organization called evangelical students (where I have met a lot of really nice people), the ultimate frisbee club (which I ditched today because there were only guys there), and the water sports club (which I dont know if I will actually do). I guess it's good to be imformed about things though so if I choose to participate I can. :) I need to start planning my trips to explore Australia soon and get down to business with what I really want to do! :)

Today was definitely a noteworthy day. I got to see my lil brother River which definitely put a smile on my face. I also found out that I did NOT get into the U of I graduate program for social work....strange but true. I guess that's just not what I am supposed to do next year. I thought I was okay with it until I really really thought about it and started to feel bad about myself thinking I did something wrong and now what am I going to do next year....but, ultimately I just have to know that that is not God's plan for me to be at U of I next year...and although it stinks, it is so. Now to figure out if I want to apply to Loyola and/or just find a job. Overwhelming is all I can say. Please pray that I'm not so overwhelmed and that I am at peace with this reality. Not to mention I really hope that I find a job here...I need to really get working on putting my resume out there. I'm hopeful that I will find something even if it is only a couple hours a week.

Pray that my internet is working right soon too. It really has been a pain with my credit card company and the internet company. I dont even know what to do at this point...I just keep wasting my minutes on my phone talking to customer service people and getting no where. :(

A KANGAROO!!! :) Adorable. I pet him and fed him...and seriously wanted to take one of them home. My new favorite animal.

Ahh I love Australia

So I think I am in love with how beautiful Australia is. I have been to the beach 3 times in the past week. We went to a different beach yesterday that was wide open, less people, and you couldnt see anything when you looked out into the ocean. We all swam out to a sandbar and played catch and just stayed out there for hours. I would love nothing more than to sit out there everyday and do nothing its so gorgeous. Jaci and I went with these two guys Dan and Jeff we met that are from Canada and then some people who I live around in my townhouse complex. My housemate Harry and a girl next door Eli have been so sweet to me and have invited me to everything they are doing. Harry is from the UK and Eli is from some island off of France. It's nice to meet people who are not just from Australia. I really hope to meet some Aussies when I go to class though. :) Today Eli and I went to the central market and she showed me where to get cheap meat, fruit, veggies, and seafood. Everything I see just makes me love it here more.

I found a church that I went to last Sunday. The people are really nice and I think I am going to keep going there. It is a beautiful church too. They also have a university christian group on campus with this church that I am going to look into when school starts.

Oh, and something I found out that is SOOOO exciting is that my birthday is on Adelaide Cup day which is actually a holiday for them! It's a huge horse race and I think I am actually going to see if I can work during the day on it so I can see the big event while making some money. :)

Here is a picture of the city...I live really close to this. :D

Feeling a lot better

So I have my internet and phone up and running which makes me a lot happier because now I have communication to home! :)
Also, I have heard that I have one of the best townhouses to live in because the people are really friendly and outgoing and everyone likes them. Hopefully I will find out and have some friends when they finally get here! One of my roommates, Jeremy, is here and he is from Malaysia. There is another girl who hasnt gotten here yet from Asia somewhere and then a guy and a girl from the UK. I feel a lot better that I know my roommates are going to be fun.
Today I went to the grocery store and realized that a lot of things are very different...different foods that they sell, different brands, a lot of things I want but they dont have...this is going to be interesting. I left with some spaghetti sauce, noodles, bread, iced coffee (which is delicious), and some cheese.
Yesterday Jackie and I went to the beach. AMAZING. It is beautiful and we didnt want to leave. We may be there everyday if we can...and the tram only cost $4 round trip so that's nice. We also went out to a club that the girl at the front desk said to go to. Not an amazing choice because we got there early and there was no one. But the manager ended up buying us drinks and talking to us about America. Needless to say, we left a bit early (1am) and thats when the party supposedly starts. But people are REALLY nice here. Seriously...everyone says hi and I dont think Ive met a rude person yet. :) Oh, and also, EVERYONE asks about who we voted for for president. They all love Obama and it's strange when thats one of the first questions youre asked.

I also realized it may be harder than I thought to find a Church. There are a lot of United something Churches but I am not sure what that means. I think I may have found some Baptist Churches I may check out though. Pray that I feel comfortable and welcomed at one of them. :)

Things that are going to take some getting used to..
- the accents are sometimes hard to understand
- it is a LOT more diverse around here...which i love though
- the traffic flow going the opposite way
- not being able to figure out the time here or at home

(this is a picture of the beach i was on... :) )

Adelaide

So, I'm here! :) It has been a long journey and feels like I've been gone for at least a week with all the traveling. The plane rides were very interesting. I first had to take a plane from Chicago to San Francisco for about 6 hours. It went pretty fast but I wasn't able to sleep at all on it. San Francisco is beautiful though and I loved landing right by the water. Then I had my plane ride from San Francisco to Sydney that was about 14.5 hours. Since I was missing home a bit already I watched Dora the Explorer for the kids and Greys Anatomy. I also watched the movie The Women. We each had our own little tvs which was nice since then I could watch whatever I wanted. I also had my first alcoholic drink on a plane which was really fun since the little wine bottles are adorable. It helped me sleep a little too which is just what I needed. I slept probably in all about 6 hours I think. It was hard to sleep since I was in a middle seat between a cute little Asian girl and a middle aged man, both of whom were traveling to Australia to visit the person they are engaged to. How funny is that? It was good to have such talkative people around me though, it made the ride much faster. After that flight was over we only had one more to go...but the plane landed a little late and we weren't able to make it through customs in time to get on the next one so they placed us (and by us I mean the two other girls from U of I that I was kind of traveling with) on another plane a little later. That actually made it better because it was a little less stressful and we were able to rest a bit. The last plane ride was about 2.5 hours from Sydney to Adelaide and I was able to pretty much sleep right through it with my ipod on. 

Then we were all picked up by a man from the University that drove us to where we each were staying. I am living at a place called The Village which is in the city and there are townhouses and apartments. I am in a townhouse on the 2nd floor. I had requested to be with all females but when I got there the woman who was showing me my room told me that she thought I would fit in better in a more social room that just happened to have 2 other guys and 2 girls. There wasn't much I could do since all the rooms were booked so I just followed her to my townhouse. It is pretty nice...a bit different than I expected though. The outside is beautiful of the place. You have to walk through the front door where the front desk is and it is really secure so you have to have your keycard to get anywhere. When you walk into the main area of The Village there is a front desk and a little entertainment area with a big screen tv, ping pong, and pool. If I want to go to the townhouse area I have to go through another security door and then they are all out back. The townhouse has 2 rooms on the first floor, both doors were closed when I got there but I was told the two boys live in those. Then me and another girl have the second floor which also has a bathroom to share which is nice. (and the toilets do not swirl so I cant tell you if the water goes the other way) Then the next level has the kitchen and living room which are pretty nice. Then the next level has another girls room with another bathroom I think, I actually didnt go up there. The room is pretty big and spacious and I am pretty happy with where I am living. I was a little upset that they were trying to tell me that people are supposed to sign in and out if they are visiting and if they are staying the night they are supposed to pay...I wonder if this is really strict or if kids have people stay the night without them knowing. It is kind of ridiculous for people to have to pay to stay on my floor. I am planning on asking around to people who live there as soon as I can since I know I have people coming to stay with me and I am an adult and all. I do still have to set up my internet though and that wont be until probably next week since I need my ID card I guess to do it. I have orientation on Monday which will be good to start understanding what is going on. I did go with Jackie (another girl from U of I) to where she is staying. She is all the way across town on the north side not in the city which first of all made me sad. There is a bus that goes to her place but it doesnt run at night so I have to figure out how to get back at night. I just ended up staying at her place last night so I didnt have to pay a cab. Her place is amazing. I am actually really jealous because she has an apartment like set-up but she lives in a place called St. Marks College so they provide food and social events and she already has her internet hooked up. It is also a lot more beautiful over here because there is more open land and parks. She is a city girl and lives out here, I am a country girl and live in the city...how did this happen? So it's hard not to be frustrated with myself for choosing the place that I could actually cook my own meals and live in a townhouse over a place that would have probably helped me feel more like I am here for school than just trying to live in Australia on my own. I haven't met any of my roommates yet too so I think that may be something that is missing at this point. 

Anyways, I am feeling a little homesick and really hoping that I end up liking my place more than I though. Maybe this is my time to just live in the city since I dont want to in the future? Pray that I start to feel more comfortable and find transportation around to school, to Jackies, and anywhere else. It is really confusing because this city is so big! I know it'll all be fine but it is hard to really love something when I am so far away from comfort. 

Today Jackie and I are going to the beach on the ocean. I'll be sure to put on the 45spf since the sun is really strong around here. Hopefully the relaxing and exploring will help with the adjustment. 

love you all. thanks for being so supportive. pray that I start to like the place that I am living in and appreciate things about it but that I can also visit Jackie. pray that I get along with my roommates and meet other people around town. I hear Australians are really nice so I am sure that I will. :)

im leaving today and im so nervous!

and i teared up just hugging River today...

Prayer Requests

So I am leaving in about a day and a half! I cant believe it! I just thought I would list some prayer requests for my trip. I have thought a lot about the things I will possibly struggle with and the things that will be hard at first and I would greatly appreciate your support! :D Thanks!

• That I will be able to use my free time well and make the most of my traveling.
• That I will hopefully find a Christian group to get involved in and have some awesome friends that will be supportive. It will be so different not having Cru and so many friends who I could call my family. :)
  
• Along with that, that I can find a Church that I feel comfortable and welcomed at.
• That my flights go well and I am safe (the plane ride and in any traveling)
• That I can find a job that will fit my schedule and allow for free time but also one that I like and get along with my co-workers. :D
• That I am not feeling lonely but loved by people from home along with that I meet new friends in Australia that I really feel comfortable with.
• That I get along with my roommates.
• That I can find a gym there that is easily accessible since I want to start working out again to feel better...and that it doesnt cost a ton of money.
• That I dont feel overwhelmed about trying to keep in touch with everyone from home but I get quality time with all of my friends through email and skype and such.
• That I dont get overwhelmed and stressed and irritable about little things.
• That I can find time to spend with God on a regular basis and that that will give me my energy and joy before anything else.

Thanks so much! :D


oh, side note, I will NOT have my phone in Australia. I will be getting another phone when I get there, so the best way to contact me would be through email at aarika.jean@gmail.com

One more week...

In case anyone isnt sure what this whole Aarika going to Australia thing is about, I am studying abroad my last semester of college with U of I and will be in Adelaide, Australia from February 11th- July 6th. So if anyone wants my address while I'm in Australia it is..

The University of Adelaide Village
210 Grote Street
Adelaide, South Australia 5000

I will be living in a townhouse with 4 other roommates, none of whom I know their names or even where they are from yet. I am excited to just arrive and have an adventure right from the get go. I have met two other girls from U of I that are also going to the University of Adelaide with me and I am so thankful that we all get along really well. We have started talking about exploring and taking trips together while we are there and it gets me excited to think about how awesome of an experience this will be! :D I have yet to sign up for classes since they don't start until March 2nd but I am planning on taking the minimum amount of credits needed to study abroad since I have everything I need already to graduate. :) Since I'm not starting my classes for 2 weeks after I get there, I am planning on doing a lot of exploring and getting comfortable which will hopefully help me adjust to life down under. :P

I am REALLY excited to go although more recently I have been getting a little sad about leaving. For the next week I will just be packing and hanging out around home but I am feeling the effects of knowing that I will be gone for 5 months a lot. For now, if you could pray that I get everything done I need to while I'm still at home and I that I can spend some quality time with friends and family that would be much appreciated. :)