It's been almost 3 weeks since my arrival in Australia and so far it's been phenomenal. I have shopped, drank, gone to the beach, and met a lot of cool people. It was sad when I left the airport and I still miss everyone back home but it's not like I want to go back yet; I just want everyone from home to be seeing and experiencing everything I'm seeing and experiencing. That's why I'm glad I came with two of my friends from home. We are all going through the same thing and after this trip is over we will always remember how amazing everything actually was.

Since my arrival, the beach and the weather have been my favorite parts. We've gotten about 15 inches of snow back home since I left and they are still expecting more; but here, I'm wearing shorts and swimming in the ocean. We have already figured out the bus system so we are getting around fairly easily. This week was the start of classes and I think I'll be able to handle my 3-class courseload. The lecture and tutorial setup here at Bond Uni will definitely be something I will be comparing to our class structure back home.

We just finished up our first trip of the semester: a winery tour in the Tamborine Mountains. We went to four wineries and got a wine tasting at each. We then had a nice lunch at the last winery and came home with some really good wine. That was definitely something that I am happy I got to do since I'll have to wait another year to do it in the States. We also got about 4 more trips planned for the semester so we will certainly be entertained on the weekends. I'm looking forward to more exciting trips, even if it means a little less drinking at the pub.