Down Under With Ciara Michel: Part Three
May 30, 2008
Former University of <?xml:namespace prefix=”u1″?>Miami’s middle bocker is nearing the end of her semester abroad in Australia and Hurricanesports.com has another update from UM’s all-time blocks leader. She began attending classes at MonashUniversity in Clayton, Victoria — a suburb of Melbourne – in early February and will be there through the end of June. This is the third post from Ciara as she is be blogging from “Down Under”, giving UM volleyball fans an inside look into her experiences….
Hi again Blogeroos!<?xml:namespace prefix=”o” ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office”?>
Here in Australia they just add ‘roo’ to the end of random words, so I’m trying to fit in! Well it’s been quite a while since my last post, so I’m going to have to struggle to think of what I’ve been up to! I had a class trip a few weeks ago, where we went camping and snorkeling, but the water was freezing here, as opposed to up at the Great Barrier Reef where I was last time. Definitely not as much to see either!
A few of us flew down to Tasmania a little bit ago to check it out down there, and I was a little disappointed. We stayed in hostels rather than camping, which we should have, because Tazzie is known for its sights and beautiful hikes. We stayed in Hobart and Launceston, both quite small and quiet. We went on a pretty adventurous wine tour one of the days, and to a kangaroo and Tasmanian devil sanctuary another day. It was really cool just walking freely and feeding the kangaroos, they were so tame! We also took a little spin around the water in a friend’s boat, and to a little sand dune island where I collected an inordinate amount of seashells that I won’t be able to bring back to the States anyway! I have to give a shout out here to the hilarious Jon Nahas who also comes from the U, and was in full Connecticut fashion during our stay in Tazzie!
Miss Brittany Velisek and Lindsey Fox, my roommates for three years at the U, also came to visit this past week and I showed them all around my little city of Melbourne. We had kangaroo steak, and rode the elevator up and down several times 88 stories to the observation tower in the city. We also explored Sydney, we took an open top double-decker “hop on, hop off” bus around the city. We took jumping pictures in front of the Opera house, took a nap in the Botanic Gardens, saw the MTV `Real World’ house in Darling Harbour, dipped in the water (just for a second – just feet because the water was freezing) at Bondi Beach, and had an all around great time.
I had to leave Sydney a little earlier than I would have liked to come back for a class trip. We went camping/hiking through Wilsons Promontory, where there were some amazing views! It was mostly windy and rainy and cold and tiring, but when the sun did peak out even for a second it was absolutely beautiful. The Prom has jungles, beaches, caves, mountains, desert areas, just about every landscape imaginable (except snow). We started at Oberon Bay, went to Refuge Cove from there, and back to Tidal river, about 40 kilometers total hiking, phew I was tired! Six months without ‘Body by Mac’ can really leave you huffing and puffing!
Well, that’s it for now. My stay here in Australia is almost coming to an end, and it was the best thing that I could have done this last semester. I highly recommend studying abroad to anyone, and everyone, it is an awesome experience! Have a great summer everyone, and don’t let anyone convince you that Australia is all sun and surf, because it’s getting pretty cold here now that winter is upon us (everything is backwards here, but no, the toilets don’t flush the opposite way!)
GO CANES! I miss you all! Happy Birthday Bridget!
Ciara (aka Ki)
