#PackingProblems

4 months = 16 weeks = 112 days...of my life...into one suitcase. It's nearly impossible. I am a huge hoarder and over-packer as it is, this might just be the biggest problem I encounter during my study abroad experience (yes, potentially more significant than Visa trouble or vaccination records). Kidding..sort of.

I am thinking I might have to invest in a larger suitcase.  Unfortunately, I'm leaving tomorrow (I can't believe it myself!). Whoops..procrastinating on packing wasn't the best idea, but c'est la vie. 

Looks like my kitty Hamilton wants to go to Australia as well :)

Audiobooks and Itineraries

In a world of ipods, wiis, and blue ray discs, I never thought I would be using a cassette player again, but here I am, listening to a book on tape using quite the archaic piece of technology. I am listening to In a Sunburned Country by (somewhat) humorous travel writer Bill Bryson. 

(Image source here)

Seven tapes, more than seven hours of audio. Upon ordering this book from interlibrary loan, I expected a compact disc to say the least..surprisingly, however, the tapes have been great for car rides and even at home during downtime. In fact, I tune in as I write this post. It's a good mix of history, modern culture, ecology etc. Though to be honest, it's making me a little leery due to all of his talk of poisonous creatures..good thing my mom isn't listening..


For those of you who don't know, I am enrolled in the School for International Training (SIT)'s Sustainability and Environmental Action program. It is a field studies based program for which I won't be learning in a conventional classroom setting but rather, we'll be moving around a lot and engaging with guest lecturers. 


So I thought I'd post my program itinerary to give you all a better idea of where I'll be traveling:

• Feb 1 – Feb 8 Program orientation, Brisbane, Byron Bay & Seven Mile Beach (camping I believe..)
• Feb 9 – Feb 16 Sustainability and Environmental Action (SEA) Seminar and Field Studies Seminar (FSS), Byron Bay
• Feb 17-20 SEA Seminar field study: Urban sustainability, Melbourne
• Feb 21-28 SEA Seminar field study: natural environment, tourism, forestry, 
• hydroelectric power, mining, National Park management, Tasmania
• Feb 29 - Mar 2 SEA Seminar field study: Urban sustainability, Sydney
• Mar 3 - Mar 18 SEA Seminar & FSS with concurrent homestay in Lismore
• Mar 19 - Mar 22 SEA Seminar field study: Aboriginal culture and relationship to land, Bundjalung country, northern New South Wales
• Mar 23 – April 4 Sustainability and Environmental Action (SEA) Seminar and Field Studies Seminar (FSS), Independent Study Project (ISP) preparation, Byron Bay
• April 5 – May 9 Independent Study Project
• May 10 – May 14 ISP Presentations & Program evaluation, Lennox Head
• May 15 End of scheduled program

I am staying a week after the end-date to travel around. Hopefully I'll make it up north  to the Great Barrier Reef! Having done a brief oral presentation on the environmental and human threats to the GBF for my Coastal Geology and Environmental Oceanography class last semester, I am eager to see it first hand. 

Pre-departure Excitement!

I can't believe I actually got a blog! Given that I am going abroad for almost four months, I thought it might be fun to keep everyone at home updated and to document my travels for myself. I want to remember my time in Australia vividly and what better way than through short updates and photos.


This winter break has been extremely crazy. I just finished up my microeconomics class, which I took online this past month. Learning an entire semester's worth of material in four weeks was kind of intense - I'm not sure if I would do it again. Though I'm quite relieved considering many of my potential grad programs require it. Having been working, taking a class, and applying to become a Udall scholar, I have hardly thought about going abroad to be honest. I'm excited for this semester...to see a new place, assimilate into a new culture, and meet new friends.


I also got a new digital camera for the trip (slightly better than my crappy, yet reliable Canon, which I'd had since middle school). To test it out, I snapped some photos at the Amherst winter farmers market.  

Delicious bread from El Jardin bakery.  We ended up getting the "8 Grain," which tasted more like sour-dough than anything. 

Beautiful winter root vegetables from Red Fire Farm.

Colorful apples from Apex Orchards.

I ended up getting a nice gift for my host family at the market: a birch bark candle hand-crafted by a local artisan. Glad my mom spotted it as I think it's really quite pretty and I hope my family enjoys it. Ahhh I can't believe I am leaving in less than a week..still so much to do and so little time!