Finally! Some time to myself to update this thing. The past 2 weeks have been such a blur. It feels like I've been in Melbourne for 2 months. My mom and I arrived on Feb 23 and two days later, on the 25th, I was shipped off to Lorne for Deakin Univesity's "Beach Welcome Trip", arranged specifically for International/Exchange students. Lorne is an iconic beach town just off the Great Ocean Road and is often nicknamed "The Mediterranean". It's very quaint with its neat little boutiques and high end villas, a great summer location. There were a few activities planned for us on the trip, but it was hard for me to keep up as I was still trying to recover from 24 hours of travel. I did yoga in the morning and sat on the beach in the afternoon. It was nice to finally get some sun. Our accommodations in Lorne were beautiful- we stayed at the Grand Pacific Hotel; me and 6 other girls were placed in a 3 bedroom apartment. I shared a room with a very nice girl from Germany, Christine. There are students here from ALL over the world: Chile, the Netherlands, France, Germany, Japan, Korea, etc. it's very refreshing to be able to mingle with so many different cultures.
Lorne, Day 2: "had a go at" surfing, which is impossible. BUT I am satisfied with my surfing skills, I managed to stand up once, which was all I had asked for. I'd do it again in a heart-beat, it's a lot of fun. Showered and browsed through the boutiques with Christine in the afternoon.
All the activities that were planned were great and it was fun to try new things and meet new people but the highlight of the trip, by far, had to be the WILD COCKATOOS. Yes, there wild cockatoos everywhere, they pretty much own the place. They're most active early in the morning and at dusk and you can expect at least two to perch themselves on your balcony. They're considered pests by the locals because they like to eat the wooden shingles off the nice expensive summer houses haha. I got such a kick out of them; couldn't believe how friendly they were! I was standing in the balcony one afternoon and one flew over and landed right next to me and NUDGED MY ARM WITH ITS BEAK. Probably one of the most exciting things that's ever happened to me, by my standards.
All in all, Lorne was nice, but I was happy to be heading home for some much needed rest.
Lorne, Day 2: "had a go at" surfing, which is impossible. BUT I am satisfied with my surfing skills, I managed to stand up once, which was all I had asked for. I'd do it again in a heart-beat, it's a lot of fun. Showered and browsed through the boutiques with Christine in the afternoon.
All the activities that were planned were great and it was fun to try new things and meet new people but the highlight of the trip, by far, had to be the WILD COCKATOOS. Yes, there wild cockatoos everywhere, they pretty much own the place. They're most active early in the morning and at dusk and you can expect at least two to perch themselves on your balcony. They're considered pests by the locals because they like to eat the wooden shingles off the nice expensive summer houses haha. I got such a kick out of them; couldn't believe how friendly they were! I was standing in the balcony one afternoon and one flew over and landed right next to me and NUDGED MY ARM WITH ITS BEAK. Probably one of the most exciting things that's ever happened to me, by my standards.
All in all, Lorne was nice, but I was happy to be heading home for some much needed rest.
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